season five

gemma ward to quit modeling?

According to the Daily Telegraph model Gemma Ward has quit modeling. Weight gain is sighted for the reason - although it is not clear which of these events happened first. Gemma has walked shows for Dior, Prada, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and has represented YSL, Prada, Balenciaga, Lanvin, Hermès, Bulgari, Dior, Jil Sander, Versace and more in ad campaigns. I find it shocking that someone with such an arresting beautiful face and amazing resume would come under such scrutiny. She is 22! Mama's don't let your babies grow up to be models. (via Stylist).

for nails: green is the new black

OPI "Here Today Aragon Tommorrow" is a dark green that reads black indoors and at night and deep forest green in the daylight. This gorgeous shade is a nice break from the blacks and deep navys I've been wearing this year. Find it at Buy.com

on beauty and attribution

Check out Style.com's Fall 2009 Beauty Guide - lots of good stuff, especially Lipstick Queen's blood red lip tint. What is really interesting is the attribution. Did Style.com always have a "recommended by" statement in their fashion and beauty guides? I don't recall seeing it before. Did the recent FTC's new guidelines persuade them to do it? The times they are a' changing. I love Style.com and trust them to curate the best products and fashion. But let's face it - the brand that has the best PR person wins - they get the product in the right hands and the right people write about it and influence people to want it and buy it.  This is what makes a "cult favorite." FTC involvement or not - I don't see this changing. Photo from Style.com

artist richard phillips for mac cosmetics

Painter Richard Phillips digitally stimulated 24 MAC cosmetic shades to transform his painting "Der Bodensee" resulting in the cool image above.  Copies of the painting are being shown at MAC stores and department store counters nationwide. The image (above) is part of a MAC promotion tapping artists to promote it fall makeup collections. (via NYTimes)

how to look fresh when you're stinkin' tired

I was in a meeting recently when a new client, upon learning I had two young children, commented, "You have two kids? You look so fresh!" It was a very nice compliment and a true testament to my camouflage skills since I haven't had a good nights sleep in, oh, six years. I swear by Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder. Apply any decent concealer and then press this white powder with an eyeshadow brush in the inner and outer corner of your eyes and Voila!...fresh and well rested (in appearance anyway).

five beauty finds I'll never trade up

All my marketing reads declare consumers are forever changed by this recession. We are trading down and, in many cases, not noticing a difference. Therefore, when the economy turns, we won't trade up. It's all so depressing - and I do miss my Chantecaille. However, there are a few drugstore beauty finds I'd never trade up because they are the best! They are...

Aquapfor: If were stranded on a desert island and could only bring one beauty item this would be it. I use it on my lips every night, on elbows and knees, on dry spots on my face (it won't make you break out), around my nose when I have a cold , to smooth my eyebrows and on cuts and scratches.

Cetaphil Daily Moisturizer: I pile this on every morning. It is never greasy, never irritating and has SPF 15.

Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream: This is a multi-purpose gel-cream that never leaves a greasy residue on my hands, body or face. It has no scent and feels clean on my skin. It is so gentle I use it on my kids too.

Aussie Opposites Attract Extra Hold + Touchable Feel Hair Spray: I spray this on my hair before I use a curling iron (it has no crunch and it is the only stuff I've found that really holds a curl) and spray it on my hands and run it through my ends to piece-out, add texture and separate my long hair. 

Olay Regenerist Daily Regenerating Serum: I read recently that this product, sunscreen and Retin-A are the holy trinity of skincare. Since adding this to my regime my skin is even and sooooo soft.

Dove: I've been washing my face and body with this since I was a teenager. It is simple - but it does the job. For body, nothing beats the soap-clean, fresh fragrance.

And bonus: Coppertone Kids Continuous Spray 70+:  This  spray is light and dry and never leaves a residue on my clothes or handbags. I love the retro Coppertone smell - clean and like the beach.

What am I missing? I'd love to hear your affordable beauty finds.

a scent with a story: i Profumi di Firenze

My friend Barbara raves about i Profumi di Firenze, a fragrance imported by her friend Miryana Babic, and suggested I check it out. I don't like women's perfume (I wear Creed Irish Tweed - a men's fragrance), it makes my stomach churn, but this fragrance has such an amazing story I wanted to write about it. I called Miryana and expressed my distaste for women's fragrance. She suggested I try Costa Mediterranea, a soft and masculine scent from the collection. I am not exaggerating when I say this is the absolute best fragrance I have every experienced. And I went into it with such a closed mind! Here's the story....

Artist Miryana Babic was traveling in Florence and stumbled across a tiny perfumery that hand-blended small batches of scents with the finest selections of floral and botanical essences from Italy and around the world. She picked up a bottle of Caterina de Medici by i Profumi di Firenze, dabbed it on her wrist and was smitten. The line, based on recipes commissioned by 16th century Queen of France Catherine de Medici, is crafted from the same ingredients used during the Renaissance. A perfume maker later found the secret recipes in a 16th century manuscript that washed up in his basement after the Florentine flood of 1966. Upon her return to her home in Santa Monica, Miryana could not forget the scents or their story. A few months later, she was importing the collection of perfumes to Barneys New York stores and Los Angeles boutiques Fred Segal and Planet Blue.

The most popular fragrance in the collection is Vaniglia del Madagascar, which has been described as "warm smelling and just short of a chocolate chip cookie, not quite as sweet, but still good enough to eat."  My favorite is the aforemetioned Costa Mediterranea, which is at the same time soft and masculine. This line of fragrance, particulary Vaniglia del Madagascar, has a very devout following among major celebrities and other people who have access to the best-of-the-best. But Miryana asked that I not play the celebrity card so I won't give you specifics. Next time you are at Barneys  you must check out i Profumi di Firenze or you can buy it online at Beautyhabit.com.

big like Texas(Lash)

I switched from Lancome Definicils to Maybelline Great Lash as a recession concession and it did not work out. Great Lash, as it turns out, is not so great for me because it flakes and smudges throughout the day and leaves mascara spots on my towels and pillowcases even after I remove it. However, I did like that it was very, very black. Today, I picked up Cargo TexasLash and I think I may have found a new favorite. It is the deepest, inky black I have found in a mascara and it lengthens and adds volume. At Sephora

fresh face for spring

I love her makeup. Bare skin, pink cheeks, imperfect, smudged black liner and matte pink lips. Perfect now and for spring. Garance Doré

huge lips skinny hips?

Purple Labs Huge Lips, Skinny Hips is a collection of lip glosses that promises to plump your pout and curb your hunger. The gloss contains vitamin B3 for lip volume and Hoodia to control appetite. It's a cute concept and there is nothing like a little hope in a jar/tube.   The line debuts in early March at Scoop and Space NK.