Clear the Clutter

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Whether you like it or not, want to or not - it’s time to clear out your cosmetic stash. The New Year is a good start for such a noble endeavour and with a whole host of new shades about to descend upon us (if they have not already), it’s time for new colours, new products or even a new look, perhaps.

DO:

Bin any cosmetic item that you have not used in the last 6 months, or if they remain unopened, give them away to your sister or a friend.

Get rid of lipsticks and eyeshadows that you purchased a year or two ago. Though you may love them to death, they must be past their shelf life

Experiment with new colours and shades, until you are comfortable with them. A woman with the same look is as dated as a two-season-old designer bag. If you always use lipsticks, try glosses… in other words; try what you have not done before.

Be informed about what you put on your face or body. With the range of beauty halls available in our shopping malls these days, spend Saturday afternoons at each one of them. Go from counter to counter to learn about the new products.

Go for a skin analysis and find out more about your skin type. Then choose products that’ll suit it. In a matter of months, if not weeks, you’ll be able to see the difference.


(Next – the DON’Ts)  

Sense of Style II

Posted by: fashion fiend Post(s) by this blogger

I must apologise for my tardiness – I’ve just been too caught up with the festivities and a short but great escape to Bangkok over the holidays. As you are well aware, it’s taken me a couple of weeks to get back into my groove.

As promised in the last post, here are a few more tips from Nina Garcia’s, The Little Black Book Of Style. In keeping with the New Year resolutions, here are a few to adopt, to dress well this year. 

First of all, you’ll need to clear your wardrobe and re-look at the bare bones, so to speak.

Invest if you have to in the staples below, as they’ll make or break your fashion style. As Garcia advises, these essentials will not only never go out of style, but they will also go with almost anything.


The LBD – Start a collection of little black dresses. Simple yet sophisticated, with clever accessorising, these little numbers will take you from day to dazzling in no time at all. Elegant, these dresses will make you look slim and flatter every figure.

Natalie Portman at the 2006 Golden Globe awards

A Classic White Shirt – You can pair it with jeans, black trousers or even a long skirt. It’s beauty lies in its simplicity and clean, linear lines. Choose one that fits and flatters your body shape.

Cashmere Cardigan – A high quality (read expensive) luxurious cardigan in a muted shade is a definite must-have. Wear it on its own or over a tank top, as cashmere like diamonds will never go out of style.

Denim Days – The best invention since sliced bread. Denim goes with anything and goes everywhere. With such a plethora to choose from - shapes, cuts and colours - it’s the perfect item for both dress-ups and dress-downs.

(next post – the absolutely must-have classic accessories!)

Sense of Style

Posted by: fashion fiend Post(s) by this blogger

Nina Garcia, fashion director of U.S. Elle, one of the judges on the original Project Runway and the author of The Little Black Book Of Style reveals her style secrets.

She advises women that the secret to looking fabulous is not about slavishly following fashion but it is about finding your own style. Here are a few tips, published in Daily Mail, a British daily:

1. Jeans and a black dress will take you so far but accessories maketh the woman

2. Style is personal. There is no herd to follow. There are no rules. There are no seasons.

3. Style comes from within, from knowing who you are and who you want to be; not from wanting to be somebody else, or wanting to be thinner, shorter, taller, prettier.

4. Pick key items from your wardrobe and work with them; get rid of the others.

5. When you're buying something new, buy the right size.

6. Steer clear of trends. Wear what suits you and what makes you comfortable.

(more to come in the next post...)

Simply Too Hot!

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Now, wouldn’t you say that too, looking at the pictures (below) of both Sharon Stone and Madonna?

They are both closer to hitting fifty than they’d really like to be, I’m certain. Their lithe and lean bodies look better than any woman half their age. But most of all, it’ll be hard to beat their confidence.

They look like they can do anything that they want, and unsurprisingly they are. Be it being the face of a cosmetic range (Stone) or getting on stage to dance (Madonna).

The two of them, along with a handful of others, are changing the face of age, really. And it looks like marketing gurus are strapping up for the wild ride as well.

So, what do you think is their secret?

Sharon Stone shines in Gucci - Gucci/Patrick McMullan.

Madonna and Gucci will host an exclusive fund-raising event in New York next year. - Gucci/GettyImages.

X’mas Wish

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If you haven’t decided on what you’d like as a X’mas gift or year-end present, here's a tip. Think Gucci.

These beauties come in fresh versions with fun metallic trims. It isn’t all that expensive: prices range from RM 1,300 for a mini version to RM 2,430 for the  larger one.

I've picked mine already!

Cool and collected.

White hot.

Snazzy sassy.

Mirror Mirror

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Apparently women are addicted to looking in the mirror, a new survey has surfaced.

Women on average look in the mirror at least 34 times a day, but the figure doubles for those dogged by vanity to a whopping 71. Men, it reports, check out themselves up to 27 times a day.

I once noticed a little girl of nine looking into a puddle of clear water to sort out her hair, so I believe it.  And the numbers will surely rise.

The writer of the newspaper article then tried to spend a whole day without looking into a mirror. She didn’t quite succeed, was miserable and fretted about her outfit and make-up for the whole day.

Here’s an interesting challenge for you.

Would you be able to do the same?
 

Face of Fame

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Does it matter to you if a celebrity fronts a perfume campaign?

Do you purchase a fragrance because your favourite celebrity is their face? And if you do, why? Do you think you'll look like her, feel like her or simply become her? Or do you not care at all - you just buy because you like it?

A perfect Christmas pressie.RM155, EDP Spray, 30ml.

On the other hand, it's definitely interesting to see why a certain beauty house picks a certain celebrity. Tresor, one of Lancome's most gorgeous classics recently chose Kate Winslet.

Such charm.

Winsome and witty, she defines the modernity of this perfume that is steeped in tradition. Embodying a legendary fragrance, she is touted as exemplary actress that everyone can identify with. On screen and in life, says Lancome, Kate Winslet is the epitome of a feminine, free woman - free to lead several different  lives, all at the same time.

Will a little dab re-create this elegance?

Hmmm... food for thought?

Expert Tips

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In a recent foreign newspaper article, international fashion's big-wigs offered tips for those who are still in the dark:


Ralph Lauren: "Breaking rules is what makes clothes interesting. I love mixing fabrics and shapes in unexpected ways - classic with modern, rugged with elegant."

John Galliano: "Glamour today is confidence, independence, not giving a damn, going for it and indulging your desires - in fashion, life and living."

Donatella Versace: "The most valuable item in your wardrobe is not a piece of clothing; it is an accessory. With a quick switch of a handbag or a pair of shoes, you can instantly change your look and mood."

Heidi Klum: "Wear something you feel gorgeous in and don't try too hard; it's much sexier when it appears effortless. Clothes that don't fit, or don't fit the wearer's personality, don't help."

Giorgio Armani: "Elegance is the result of a natural equilibrium between simplicity, looking after oneself and intelligence. All this generates the attitude we call elegance. It is a quality which, contrary to popular belief, does not require deep pockets."

Elle Macpherson: "Find a personal style by not following trends. I have worn jeans, a white T-shirt, a cashmere jumper and knee-high, cowboy or motorcycle boots, or ballet flats for 25 years. The shape of the jeans changes and that's about it. There is something disquieting about clothing schizophrenia."

Zac Posen: "Dress to make an entrance the same way you dress to make an exit: with aplomb, shoulders back and a withheld secret."

Hmmm, interesting don't you think? Naturally, my fave is the last one - always with a secret!

Window Dressing

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Does the window of a shop, by any chance, have an effect on your decision to enter its premises?

Does a well-dressed window entice you to stop and stare, and subtly beguile?  Or do you simply walk past and never even notice what is in there?

Colour me cool!

I must say this window at Prada, Suria KLCC, is stark and very simple, yet it epitomises the season’s trends for the brand – high-tech material in cosy cocoons.

I want! I want! I want!

And in this, the trends of the season come alive in their shoes and bags.


Needless to say, I was in the store in a jiffy!

Challenge your hairdresser

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I was at my hairdresser’s last Sunday, when this amazing girl walks in. Tall, slim and dressed very trendily, she saunters in with a head full of cascading blonde hair. She could have been Chinese, Japanese or Malaysian, definitely an Oriental, but one with loads of chutzpah.

Later, I ask my hair stylist about her other client. Apparently, the blonde Barbie had been in the salon the day before, but returned the following day, because her hair didn't look blonde enough for her. She proceeded to sit through hours of highlighting, until her tresses were lit up in just the perfect shade of blonde.

Milcah Gee (Qube Salon, Plaza Damas), my gem of a stylist adores clients like these. Why?

“Because they are blonde, and they want to go blonder. I love clients who challenge my skills and me. I find it fun. Even hair texture like yours,” she adds,” Is another challenge: with all those it treatments I love it when I can keep it looking healthy and shiny.”

But, she dislikes iffy customers who can’t really decide on what they want. Quotes Milcah: “I want to change my hair, but I want to keep the length as it is. I don’t want layers or perms either.” Or, they’ll want a weird look, but refuse to cut their hair short, she moans.

And the clients she absolutely adores are the ones who take care of their hair and its texture very well. “I love working on a healthy head of hair.”

Not sure if I should reveal her number, as she's a steal!