Jun 13, 2013

“As Time Goes By…”

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Father’s Day is this Sunday.  So today’s post is going to honor my father by linking what I do here to his favorite movie. In November of 1942 Casablanca was introduced to the world. To this day it is still heralded as one of the greatest films of all time. It made a superstar out of Ingrid Bergman, reminded the world that Humphrey Bogart was a helluva leading man, turned Herman Hupfeld’s “As Time Goes By” into an American Standard and gave us a plethora of famous movie quotes.  For me, however it will always be my dad’s favorite movie.

So, without further ado I bring you today’s recommended product:  Tom Ford Beauty Lip Color in Casablanca, available at most high-end department stores around the globe. In Canada you can find them at Holt Renfrew. I’ve given a nod to his Cherry Lush in VD, but Casablanca is by far and away the best neutral lipstick you will ever find. Tom Ford’s lipsticks are like none you’ve ever used before. Their texture is smooth because of something called Brazilian murumuru butter, they feel more like a lip treatment than a lipstick, they are so highly pigmented that you need very little to achieve pout perfection and their scent is out of this world.  Your lips will never look or feel better, I assure you.

So while picking out your soap-on-a-rope or Burberry tie for your Pop, treat your pout to something special too.

“Here’s looking at you kid…”  Happy Father’s Day…xo Elisa

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Jan 13, 2013

“A Rose By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet…”

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So my Grandmother called it ‘rouge’, now it’s known as ‘cheek color’ or ‘stain’, I have always called it ‘Blush.’  The idea behind it (and Shakespeare’s quote) is the same, it doesn’t matter what you call something, it’s what it is that matters.

For years I’ve tried to find a product that could recreate that natural, healthy flush of color we get on our faces after having exerted ourselves physically or embarrassed ourselves, or in my case when someone compliments me on something.  (My sheer ineptitude at accepting compliments results in an ever so humbling/flattering shade of red that flushes my cheeks). I thought I’d come close many times, but was never completely 100% satisfied…until now!

Tom Ford Cheek Color is that 100% perfect flush of color I have been searching for.  Most blushes seem to sit atop your skin and fade by the end of the day, starting you off looking a wee bit like Bozo and leaving you gaunt by days end.  I don’t know how Mr. Ford does it, but his cheek color seems to brighten from within and lasts all day long.  I apply it with a large-headed Blush brush, tap off any excess powder and blend it from the apples of your cheeks (which is the part of your cheeks that are in line with the tip of your nose) upward.  Unlike other blushes I’ve tried, Tom Ford’s Cheek Color goes on velvety smooth with no uneven spots or blotchy application.  A little goes a long way with this product and the result is perfection.

At $55 (available at Neiman Marcus and wherever Tom Ford Cosmetics are sold) this blush should last you a very long time.  I’ve been using it for roughly a month and I’ve barely made a dent in it.  Plus it comes in a lovely red/gold compact which will spruce up any vanity table. My go to color is Ravish which is the shade pictured below.

I hope you get “flushed” with compliments and enjoy this little “pop” of perfection.

Happy Shopping…xo Elisa

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Oct 25, 2012

Scents….and Sensibility….

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With summer over, gone is the sunshine, the heat, the humidity and thankfully the odor of those that don’t shower often enough.  No need to worry, I’m not “going there…”

Today’s post is all about scents (the sensibility will come later, I promise).  I am fairly certain that most of you have a signature fragrance, not necessarily by choice, but by mere convenience.  Someone bought you a bottle of perfume once and that’s what you wear, or you smelled something amazing on someone else and now wear their fragrance.  Like with people, your relationship with a perfume depends on chemistry.  You don’t pick your friends because someone you know says, “this is my friend, she should be yours too.”  You have to get to know someone and see if your personalities click.  Perfume is not much different, it mixes with your body’s chemistry and really does react differently with each and every person who wears it.  Having said that, I seem to have dug myself into a bit of a hole!  Since this blog recommends products I love and use and my body chemistry is obviously different from yours, what do we do?

We do what all smart fashionistas do, we look to Tom Ford for the answer.  With his collection of 18 different scents, Tom Ford’s Private Blend Fragrances  have something for everyone.  My personal taste leans toward the warm, spicy, vanilla blend of the Tabacco Vanille, but I’ve also been known to wear the Noir de Noir.  The entire collection is rich and aromatic, and is meant to be enjoyed in the same way you’d appreciate a really, great cup of brewed coffee or a really fine wine.  These fragrances do not disappoint.

At this point in the blog I generally send you off on your next shopping expedition and hope you’ll be as pleased with the product as I am.  Today however I feel it is my responsibility to address the sensibility issue  I mentioned earlier on.  Much like make-up and other cosmetic products, perfume is meant to enhance your already beautiful self.  When applying perfume you needn’t douse yourself in it, simply spray it directly in front of you and walk through it.  If people know you’ve arrived before you’ve actually entered the room, you know you’ve over done it.

So here is where the fun stops, sometimes I have to be the heavy, it’s not what I enjoy but alas, such is a blogger’s life.  No one said smelling delicious would come cheap, but if you heed my “sensibility warning” above, you’ll go through a lot less perfume and have something that will smell truly unique and last a long time.  So here goes:   Tom Ford Private Blend Fragrances are available at neimanmarcus.com and at flagship Sephora stores throughout the globe, they retail from $205 – $495.  What with Christmas around the corner, this would make a decadent and extremely generous gift.

So smell pretty, happy shopping…and don’t hate me because I smell good…  🙂

xo Elisa

 

 

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