Real Beauty?

After years of yo-yo dieting and failed New Year's resolutions to go to the gym, I have come to the conclusion that it is all pointless. Countless experts keep reiterating that not everyone has the body type of a Giselle or Naomi. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes and one should not be too critical of the less than firm-somewhat-wide-hips or what I affectionally call " the tire"(the especially resilliant bit of pudge located @ the midsection) because we all have our little imperfections.
Case and point, Dove's campaing for "real" beauty which includes a line of anti-cellulite (usually dubbed "firming" creams) products for the "real" women to whom they feed contradictory messages... We want you to love yourself but ...here buy our cream it will get rid of those unsightly bumps in ten days!...
Were we not supposed to embrace the bumps? Aren't they "real"??
Clever marketing...backhanded compliment...Who knows...
I think Naomi and Giselle are as "real" as any one of us(Have you seen Naomi's feet??) the only difference is that we usually see them after four hours of hair and makeup and a stylist has picked out an outfit from their closet full of designer freebies, or completely airbrushed on a magazine cover ...
The March 21 st article by Meg at http://fakinggoodbreeding.blogspot.com/ is excellent and discusses the subject further... Tell me what you guys think...

Beauty Must Have...

I got this e-mail a few weeks ago and tought I should share the wealth...



Hi doll,

How are you? Okay so here's another beauty must have that I've recently discovered and completely swear by! Benefit Lemon-aid. It's seriously amazing. Here's the product description:
"It's a lazy day makeover for your eyes! Not a concealer, but a soft yellow correcting cream that helps redness and discoloration on eyelids disappear, giving you a younger, fresher, healthier appearance. Your eyes will look and feel so great you may ask yourself "do I even need eye makeup today?"
Tips and tricks: Swirl your finger in lemon aid to warm the product. Apply two dots on your eyelid and one in the center of your brow bone. Pat to blend in an upward and outward motion. Need more coverage? Add another layer."
Seriously Kat, this is a must-have. That's all I wear on my eyes these days and it opens my eyes even better than eye shadow! You can get it at Sephora or directly from the Benefit website. Buy it today! (Haha, I sound like a cheesy infomercial)



There you go ladies, the solution to all your morning after woes...the puffy, irritated lids that say to your coworkers "Yes I did pass my four martini quota last night"...

Who wears short shorts....

The Facehunter in Paris

The Sartorialist in Milan

Mujeres con Estilo: Barcelona

For the New Year I 've decided to set new goals for "Cherchez la Femme"...
First, purchase a digital camera (in other words"borrow" my mother's) and start taking pictures of fabulously dressed people.
Second, update regularly ( twice a week).
Third, learn how to improve the site and make it more interactive.
Thank you to my readers for all of your support in the past few weeks and have a great year!!

Street Style ...

Pictures above provided by :The Face Hunter.

Images above provided by :Stockholm Street Style.

Images above provided by :Mujeres Con Estilo.

All pictures above provided by :The Sartorialist.

All pictures above provided by:The Face Hunter.

Fashion Focus :Rebecca Taylor...Fall 2006

The Designer:

After studying fashion at the Wellington School of Design,Rebecca Taylor got her foot in the door of the industry by working as an assistant for Cynthia Rowley. She stayed with Rowley for six years before leaving to develop her own line with partner Elizabeth Bugdaycay. Following the 2002 opening of her store in Japan, she's remained a fixture on the international runway circuit and her clothing line has become very popular among A-lists fashionistas. She was also nominated for the prestigious CFDA Perry Ellis Award in Womenswear that same year.

The Style:

Taylor's style is characterized by delicate, romantic fabrics and cuts,and the use of bold colors. Sheer layers and flashes of metallic detailing drape over figure-flattering pants and flowing skirts.Her beautiful dresses stand out for their ultra- feminine silhouettes and detailing.

I love the outfit on the right ...

I know i say "i love!" a lot..but this short jacket... the soft color, the "army"cut, the ruffled high collar...

Brilliant!Love the entire look , the pale colors and delicate top paired with the
" structured" tweed skirt....

LOVE IT !

For more pictures and information on this designer visit:
http://nymag.com/fashion/fashionshows/designers/bios/rebeccataylor/

Style Icon:Dorothy Dandridge...

Birth Name: Dorothy Jean Dandridge
Height: 5'5''
Nickname: Dottie
Occupation: Actress/Singer

-First African American woman to gain an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
-First African American woman to play the Empire Room of the Waldorf-Astoria in New York.
-Received a Golden Globe nomination for "Porgy and Bess" (1959)
-In 1954, became the first black woman to grace the cover of Life magazine.
-Was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame - at 6719 Hollywood Blvd.

"People never forgot her once they met her." -- Earl Mills, Dandridge's manager and friend

Notice how simple glamour can be ...I love the contrast of the red lips and cheeks with the white fur and simple diamond necklace. I often hear comments such as : "Red lips makes me look old!" or "I love it on you just not on me ...i cant ever find the right shade" .I guarantee that there is a red lipstick for every complexion, its just a question of finding your perfect shade. The secret to this look is keeping the rest of the face as fresh and natural looking as possible- notice the barely-there eye makeup with a touch of liner at the outer corners to give some definition- to balance out the boldness of crimson lips.

Insider Tip: To define eyes without adding an obvious black line ,dab brown powder or pencil in between the roots of the upper lashes then smudge with a brush or finger.

The black peep-toe pumps look great with the grecian inspired dress that is originally a beautiful pale pink shade...

This last picture is one of my favorites ...love the smile and the pose.

Information and pictures posted provided by:

The Official Web Site of Dorothy Dandridge. http://dorothyjeandandridge.com/index.php

A complete listing of assets is available at Legends Archive.

For more on the life of Dorothy Dandridge visit: http://dorothyjeandandridge.com/about/bio.htm

A mischievous smile ...

First off... beautiful face ... i love the bubble gum pink lip gloss against her skin and the gold eyeshadow picks up her complexion's undertones.
The focus of the picture in my opinion are her perfect brows... as we have all noticed ,the new tendance for fall 06 is fuller arches and i could not be happier...
Overplucked brows make women look older and sometimes a bit severe. Altough some of us might take this trend as a license to go completely au naturel -the caterpillar dance of seduction- this is probably not the most flattering option... but style is about personal expression so whatever you feel comfortable with ...
In my opinion this particular young lady looks polished not overplucked ... and come on ... with that smile... brilliant ...

Insider Tip: To rediscover hidden bone structure, smooth a (slightly) shimmering highlighter over the brow bones then stroke the same highlighter over the cheekbones and up towards the temples.

The blue flower

lol....only in France... this man sat down in front of me on the steps of Versailles to eat his sandwich ... talk about a view...

The little black dress...

Love it !! the makeup ,the smile,the tan ...if you noticed the gold chandelier earrings match the detailing of the dress... smashing ! The best part about this look is how simple she kept it ...no rings , no bracelet nor necklace...this is a case where less is definitely more...

Insider Tip:Dangling earrings make the neck look longer but avoid wearing necklaces or ruffles with them...yes ruffles...the combination is sometimes too much...