Trésor in Love - Le film

I love the ad for Lancome's new fragrance Trésor in Love. So elegant, and youthful. They managed to combine the two seamlessly. The lovely subdued makeup and the exquisite dress, the gloves! It's very chic, very Audrey, very beautiful. I can only hope the perfume represents.

I love Siobhan!

I'm a bit late posting about my favorite show of the season - American Idol, of course - and this may be because I'm still reeling from the nasty curve ball we were thrown when Lilly left. What in frick is America thinking? Is everyone on crack? Anyway, after recovering from the shock and horror of having one of my favorites leave so early in the competition, I can say that I have somewhat recovered and am ready to pronounce my #1 favorite for the season.

I'm sure you guessed from the picture and title of this post that I'm talking about Siobhan Magnus. Before Kara mentioned it, I said it, yes, I said that she was the Adam Lambert of Season 9. She really has that courage to get out there and do whatever. She's not worried about looking pretty, or "making love" to the camera and trying to flirt with the audience, like we see so many idiots do. She opens her mouth, belts out the notes, and delivers every single time.

I know a lot of people love Crystal -HRH and the boys love her - and while I like her a lot, I don't love, love, love her. There's a difference. This year the girls are kicking ass, although I do wish Katy and that other girl who wears orange foundation and ends up looking like an oompa loompa quite often would just go already.

Magical

Please take the time to check out this amazing short film created especially for the Aqua Allegoria line's 10th anniversary. The new AA is called Flora Nymphéa, and the film is beautiful. I'm afraid to say I don't own a single AA scent even though I've always wanted to, and the bottles are soooo beautiful. I think I may have to make that dream a reality. Flora Nymphéa's notes are: seringa , orange blossom and honey. I hope it's not too sweet. I really, really want it. The bottle is special edition as well. Anyway, check out the movie here:

Stuff - it's more interesting than the title leads you to believe, trust me

Lately I've been...

Drinking a lot of Earl Grey tea

Wearing my new purple black eyeliner from MAC, Prunella - only the most gorgeous color in creation! I'm really proud of the fact that I put on a full face of makeup the other night in the car, in the dark! - and I didn't look ridiculous - you can ask anyone if you don't believe me

Wearing Noite Quente purple nail polish

Using Shiseido's Dual Balancing Foundation with SPF and loving it! I use it with my Louise Young foundation brush - awesome!

Reading a Nora Roberts book that turned out to be not as fantastic as it was supposed to be, but fun nonetheless, although there are some seriously gay moments

Using Sebastian Potion 9 again, no idea why I stopped, don't ever let me do that again. It's simply the best. Right now, as I write this, my hair is perfectly curled, not weighed down, bouncy, and with zero frizz - what more can a girl ask for? I'm using it with my Nia shampoo and conditioner - love, deep love

Been loving green mango salad, as I'm sure you already know. I'm going to make green papaya salad this weekend and see if it's as good - I have to say green mango is very hard to beat

Started using a new serum from L'Oreal called Skin Genesis. I've been using it for a week now and haven't noticed a major difference, although to be fair, my skin is pretty good and wrinkle free. I'll update you when I complete the one month mark. I'm using it in combination with my Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference cream, which is awesome and makes my skin baby bottom smooth.

I've been watching Flash Forward, Dexter and I'm still loving Cougar Town. I'm mourning the fact that Sons of Anarchy is between seasons, I'm on the 3rd season of Stargate Atlantis. Still fun, and for the life of me can't figure out why it was cancelled

Been watching some great movies. I love, love, love 500 Days of Summer - took me completely by surprise. It was witty, funny, and super sweet without any cheese factor. I really liked Valentine's Day. The Hangover is very, very good. I could not stop laughing. Gold, pure gold.

I leave you with one of my favorite moments from Ace Ventura - my favorite pet detective - and wish you a super weekend:

Spicy Thai Green Mango Salad - my new favorite!

Yesterday I went to the market and saw a pile of delicious mangoes - only they weren't ripe yet. I grabbed a few and thought maybe I could ripen them myself when all of a sudden I had a pifany! Spicy Thai Green Mango Salad - of course! I got some delish red chillis and headed home with the ingredients needed for a decadent and sinful brie and camembert risotto, and of course my green mango salad.

I didn't have fish sauce at home (will get some this week and let you know if it's that much better in the salad than soy sauce) so I used soy sauce. The dressing was simple, tons of finely chopped chives, white and green parts, finely sliced chillis without seeds, sugar, soy sauce and lime. The dressing may have been simple, but the salad tasted anything but. It was fresh, light, perfectly balanced flavors and beautiful!

I used a mandolin to finely slice the mango and then took a really sharp santoku knife to julienne like a pro. I already had toasted chopped cashews at home so I threw them in and tossed everything together. Heaven. Pure heaven.

I'm planning on making this on the weekend, maybe grill some shrimp to serve with it? Yes, I think so.


Ingredients:

2 unripe mangoes crazy finely julienned
3-4 spring onions finely chopped on a diagonal because it's prettier that way
2 med chilis sans seeds, pls - julienned
3 tbs soy sauce (or fish sauce - I think fish sauce is more authentic, I like to use both - yummy!)
3 tbs lime juice (more if needed)
2 tbs sugar (or more to taste)
a handful of chopped toasted cashews
fresh basil (I like basil and cilantro)
fresh bean sprouts (I didn't have them, but next time I'll try it with)

Toss and Enjoy!

What a difference a brush makes

Let's take a minute to talk about makeup brushes and the difference having good ones, the right ones, make. I remember there was a time, many moons ago when I didn't know anything about brushes and thought that the brushes that came with eyeshadow or blush compacts were everything. When I look back now at what I had to work with for so many years, it pains me, and in a way impresses me. It impresses me because I used to smoke things out and seriously represent (not the way I do today natch, but represent nonetheless) using only the funkiest, cheapest, smallest brushes imaginable.

Fast-forward a number of years and today all my brushes are top of the line, best quality possible, the kind of tools I have no idea what I'd do without. There are certain brushes a woman needs, and others she needs/wants. I know the difference. This doesn't stop me from buying needs/wants brushes whenever possible. I just bought some Hakuhodo brushes I'm sure I could never do without, now that I know how amazing they are. It happens.

So, what are the absolutely essential brushes every woman needs, cannot do without, and must spend money on?

1. Blush brush - this may be the most important brush to spend good money on. If your blush is not well blended it makes you look stupid. May as well have left the house bare-faced.
2. Powder/finishing brush - most people love that really big, really fluffy brush, and it does have it's place, however, I prefer a smaller brush for finishing (fan brush is perfect, medium powder slanted brush is very good too). It allows application of powder only where needed and in more controlled amounts. Of course, when going for a very matte, very polished face, powder is key and the fluffy brush is everything. When you have normal to dry skin like mine, a light hand with powder is essential to not making a cakey, lack-luster mess.
3. Eyeshadow brush - something that will help pack on color and not spray your face with shimmer.
4. Shading brush/fluff brush - something that will smoke out your eye color. Very soft, very fluffy, and preferably with a tapered tip.
5. Lip brush - for dark colors like red, raspberry, etc, there's no other way to do it properly.
   
6. Eyebrow/Eyelash brush - pratical for separating eyelashes and for brushing brows. I prefer a spooli for my brows, but the little eyelash separater thingy is very handy when your eyelashes are clumped and spider-like.
   

From that point on it's all extra, in my humble opinion. A smudge brush is cool because you can delicately smudge eyeliner, but it's not imperative. A contour brush is cool, and so is a highlighting brush. All nice, none of them absolutely important, unless of course, you're me, and then they're all super important and you dont' know what you'd do without them. A good foundation brush will change your life, but the truth is that your fingers work just fine, so you don't have to go rushing out to buy it. Kobuki brushes are way amazing, but you know, yada yada yada.

Oscars 2010

Sorry I couldn't post yesterday. I had enough work for two efficient adults to do in a week, but since I am neither all human nor just merely efficient, I was able to finish it in one day. Here goes my list of best and worst:


Amanda Seyfried looks perfect. I love that pleating detail on the side that gives the whole dress shape. The kind of stiff upper body of it contrasts with the delicate way the bottom half falls - just gorgeous! I also love the beading. Elizabeth Bank's dress and this one are a toss up for me, don't know which one I love more.


Sandra Bullock looks amazing! This dress was gorgeous and perfect for something like winning an Oscar. I know some people didn't like her makeup, thought her lipstick was a bit much (it was a blue red), but I thought it looked beautiful and matched her dress perfectly.

Elizabeth Banks. This was my favorite dress of the evening. It's ethereal. Her dress is Versace and looks like it was made for her. Wonderfully feminine and just lovely. Her makeup is perfect as well, I just wish she had a super sparkly diamond bracelet on to complete the look, or chandelier earrings.

Demi's dress is beautiful. As I look at it now, I realize that it's almost the same color as her skin (she is so tanned!). I wish her makeup made more of a statement....

Chalize Theron's Joan of Arc meets an English rose garden dress is silly. Those idiot roses on her boobies like hand prints call attention to an odd place and remind me of Madonna and some of her 80's outfits. What was she thinking? She always dresses so elegantly, this was an embarrassing mistake.

Sarah Jessica Parker looks stupid. Her dress is yucky and her hair is frizzy. I noticed several people presenting with frizzy hair. Either there was a huge fan backstage, or there is a nationwide shortage of anti-frizz serum. If this is a new fad, count me out.


What a ridiculous dress. Zoe Saldana is a beautiful, beautiful woman, but she seems to be wearing a sparkly top and someone else's unflattering skirt. The two halves of the dress don't go together the way bean jello is just wrong. This is hands down the ugliest dress of the evening.

The ceremony in itself was very good. I wish the songs had been performed like they always are, but because of the time difference, I appreciated the shorter version because it was really later here by the time it finished. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were fantastic together and all in all it was a very good show. I dislike Oscar politics and feel they snubbed Avatar because it's so successful. There is no way in hell The Hurtlocker is the Best Picture of the Year. This is a very specific category and it seems perfectly obvious they needed a woman to win this year, and a bunch more rubbish and blah, blah, blah. I feel like these fools owe us all an explanation. But it's ok, I'll be fine. Avatar is still #1 to me and we don't need a naked man to tell us that.

All the pictures are from JustJared. You can go there to look at pictures of your favorites stars and what they were wearing or how silly they looked.

P.S. Once again Kristen Stewart looked itchy. She was all dressed up, but she looked itchy and icky, a little dirty - contageous dirty, not porno dirty.

Comment J'aime la Pluie

This past week we have experienced a slight break from our infernal summer with temperatures ranging from hot, hotter, and the punishing flames of hell. The land is singing in response to this week's rain and while traipsing around by bus in the rain is less than cool, those of us who aren't hiding from it, are greatly enjoying it.

The sun is peaking its head through the clouds as I write, but there is a promise of rain in the air and I'll bet later this afternoon our city will be blessed with a mild downpour. It is by no means cold, it is just perfect, so choosing the right perfume is not difficult. Basically anything will do, however, I find myself reaching for a select few:

Burberry Touch - this is a new addition to my perfume collection and one I am very fond of. It has a leather note that wafts in and out. The perfume itself is very transparent and quite perfect for a rainy day that is neither cold nor hot.

Clinique Simply - I shed a tear whenever I think about it being discontinued. What poo-heads the Clinique execs are. Seriously. This is a classy perfume that is light and comforting. There is a roasted soy note throughout its development that is a bit smokey and ads just the right amount of depth to this beautiful fragrance. Every time I wear it I am in awe of the perfumer and what he was able to accomplish - his inspiriation being his newborn baby's milk only diet heavenly scented skin.

Guerlain Apres L'Ondee - this perfume smells exactly like a flower garden after a rain shower. It's amazing. There is a haunting violet and iris smell that elevates the soul and lifts the spirit. I love, love, love it. It is in my top 5 favorite perfumes of all times along with it's older sister L'Heure Bleue.

Guerlain launched a perfume called Quand Vient la Pluie that I can't wait to try. It's one of those super extravagant ones, so I'll probably just have to content myself with a sample.

¿Por que?

I can't wait to see what the stars will be wearing at the Oscars. My Oscar party starts with E! red carpet, and then we all have ballots and bet on who's going to win. I'm betting on Avatar for everything, and last night I watched a special on the movies and actors nominated, so I think I'll be able to make educated guesses.

I'll be looking for the red carpet trends. I know my Golden Globes post was rubbish, so I'll try to do a good Oscar one, hopefully.

Meanwhile...did you see Kelly Osbourne's new purple hair. It's that purple old ladies used to dye their hair, it's more of a hue than a full on color. Very odd. No me gusta - that's spanish for "Why Kelly, why?". This week I painted my nails a coral color that looks exactly like what those old ladies would wear on their nails. Hmm. Between my old lady coral nails and Kelly's crazy hair, we make a perfect geriatric.

Weekend Update

I really don't. Furthermore, I don't do Monday mornings. My entire body feels like it's stuck in the Stargate between worlds - like I haven't quite dematerialized yet. My weekend was quiet and uneventful, except for my kid sister's visit. She is a tornado of cheerfulness. I can only take her in small doses. She wakes up super happy and already in full swing and remains that way throughout the entire day.

I spent all of Saturday with the kids, we had a Stargate marathon in the afternoon. Sunday, as promised, I made risotto. I made a parma ham, dedo de moça, and petit pois risotto. It was delish and just what the doctor ordered for a rainy and gloomy day. We drank loads of merlot and laughed a lot. After eating we did facials with this new clarifying mask my sister bought from Herbalife (they have skincare too), and it was great fun! I really loved the mask and all the products we used. While the mask was drying we drank more wine and watched Heidi. You know the one with Shirley Temple? It's so cute.

I'll put up a proper post later today or tomorrow. Tata for now!