First iPod Touch Post

Hey girlies,

I am getting down with my bad technological self.

And drinking Aranciata soda in Williamsburg. And moving to a palatial apartment with a sprawling garden tomorrow.

And I bought lip gloss that smells like those marshmallow Peeps. It even has a birdy-shaped container. Expect a full post soon!


xoxo,
Charlotte

Spring Picks: Tales From Barneys New York's First Beauty Blogger Meet-Up

Continued From Yesterday's Post...

Well, after glorying in expert Jason Ascher's encyclopedic knowledge of skin care and fragrance products, I thought you might want to know his must-have makeup picks.

If you missed my article on Friday, Jason is Barneys New York's resident "beauty guru." He is responsible for making many beautiful and powerful women across the city look their best every day. What's amazing about Jason though is that he isn't a slave to makeup trends. On the contrary, he is obsessed with finding what looks mega-great on real women.

Here is a quick round-up of some of his favorite spring makeup products and quick tips:

Lipstick Queen Jean Queen lip gloss:  This perfect shade isn't too shiny or sticky, and it works on almost every skin tone.

Nars Petit Monstre lipstick: Another shade that looks splendid on nearly every woman. This new lipstick from Nars has a shimmery copper look. After testing this on my hand, it has set my imagination spinning, and I would love to wear it in the evening with a taupe dress...or when the weather warms up, you could wear this lipstick when going swimming. (Bathing beauties need lipstick too!)

Nars Douceur blush: "It looks like yoga cheeks," says Ascher.

Bobbi Brown brow fix in mahogany: "It gives you perfect brows."

On tinted moisturizer: Jason Ascher is obsessed with natural, neutral makeup, so he prefers tinted moisturizer above all. "I've talked most of my clients down from foundation," he says. Quite an influencer!

On what to do with that one extremely bright color in the eye makeup compact: He says that you can use an unusual teal or other similarly bold eye shadow colors as an accent. So instead of covering your entire eyelid with a bright blue eye shadow shade, just add a touch to the corner of your eye, or try using it as a liner!

Spring Picks: Barneys Beauty Guru Jason Ascher Tells All

As the resident Beauty Guru at Barneys New York, makeup artist Jason Ascher helps some of the most powerful young women in New York get gorgeous.

Need the best lipstick? A serum that will make your skin glow like no other? Just ask Jason.

Earlier this week in the Penthouse at Barneys on Madison Avenue, he shared a selection of his faves with a host of beauty bloggers, who were veritably swanning about in all their finery and tapping away like Fred Astaire on their iPhones.

Here are a few of Ascher's favorite beauty products for spring:

In the category of fragrance, Ascher recommended two rose scents, Frederic Malle's Carnal Flower and Le Labo Tubereuse. These fragrances are so interesting and wildly different that you would hardly know they were based on the same plant. Carnal Flower is a warm oriental perfume. I find this scent to be both personal and adventurous. Meanwhile, Le Labo Tubereuse is a sprightly, delicious scent. "The tuberose is very bright," he said of the fragrance. "It's fresh and clean." I think this second perfume would be ideal for wearing to prom or as a special birthday present.

In the skin care category, like any true beauty addict, Ascher was excited about many different products. He was crazy for Koh Gen Do's Soft Gommage Gel, which contains rosemary essential oil and crushed pearl. (Save some of those pearls for me, darling!)  Unlike many other facial scrubs, this scrub melts away dead skin cells without causing tiny scratches on your face or irritation. He explained this is because the product doesn't contain any grains. (I have a sample, and will let you know how it works on my skin too!)

He also is an advocate of this special serum by Sunday Riley called Juno. "Clients immediately love the smell," he said. Juno Transformative Lipid Serum gives skin an instant glow, and makes the rest of the job of putting on makeup much easier. And he swears by the cult fave Eve Lom cleanser in the tube form, an oil-based product that doesn't disturb the skin's natural pH balance. (Jason's skin, for the record, is quite enviable.) In addition, he touted the virtues of Sjal's orb eye contour cream, which contains caffeine to reduce puffiness.

If you can imagine, in the middle of Jason's speech to us about eye creams and magic potions, the girl blogger-ette posse were calling out questions left and right. He always had an answer! Believe me, we were drinking the "Jason kool-aid" and loving every moment.

Stay tuned tomorrow for a second installment of Ascher's tips! Learn more about his makeup picks and what makes them fa-bu!  

Air kisses,
Charlotte

DISCLOSURE: At this event, I received samples of some of these beauty products, which I was told were provided by various brands. (Expect my own reviews of these soon too.) Also, there was a raffle for a $1,000 Barneys Gift Card, which I didn't participate in because I do not accept accept items of that nature. Congrats to the lucky girl who did!

Do Tell

"As soon as she comes in, she stares at me through her lorgnette, whose gold handle is linked by a small chain to a delicate bracelet of rubies."  

--From André Gide's journal entry on January 1, 1906, describing the Princess de Broglie. 

***

"How does it feel

To be on your own

No direction to go

Like some complete unknown

Like a rolling stone"

--Bob Dylan

Prada Fall 2011 Collection Video

Because Prada is God.

Links I Love

Welcome to the grand internet...

1. Fragrance blog Bois de Jasmine reviews the scent Etat Libre d'Orange Rossy de Palma, named after the famous Spanish actress. If you don't know who she is, Rossy de Palma starred in Pedro Almodóvar's Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and was one of Jean-Paul Gaultier's muses. (He always picks the best muses!)

2. Avoid bad hair days. The Beauty Brains explains Three Ways to Fight Static Flyaway

3. My dear lady Felicia Benson of ThisThatBeauty is featured on Lucky's website in an adorable, and amazingly affordable shirtdress. You can snag her outfit at Macy's!

4. Renegade performance artist LaJohnJosephs's Twitter feed. Did I mention he can dance exactly like Madonna? Follow the leader!

XOXO,
Charlotte

Lady Gaga MAC Viva Glam Lipstick Ad

Superstar Lady Gaga works it in this new video for MAC. It's giving me chills...

What Happened to My New Year's Resolution?

In case you were wondering why I stopped writing about my burgeoning addiction to exercise, that is because I stopped going to the gym.

Sad, but true. Ack! My schedule has been very busy, and then, one thing led to another....

Please bear with me, girlies. My new issue of Fitness magazine arrived in the mail and has totally motivated me to return. I am going today to use the exercise equipment, then the steam room and then popping over to Barneys with my gym-tastic glow.

Right now, I am so scrawny, I can fit into your hand. Large gusts of wind ricochet my body down the street. Even walking up a slight incline leaves me winded. It's just not cool :-(. So back to the gym I go to "pump up" and channel my superpowers.

Here's to never giving up! After ten solid gym sessions, I plan on rewarding myself appropriately by picking up Mac Wonder Woman Lipstick in Russian Red ($15.50) at the shop.  Zap!

Beauty Do's

1. Create your own mantra!

2. Wear as much makeup as you want. Wear heaps or none at all.

3. Tell naysayers to take a hike (politely, of course)!

4. Embrace freckles, wavy hair and comely curves. If you've got it, flaunt it.

5. Make your everyday look pop with a touch of metallic eyeliner.

6. Eat a healthy, balanced meal with fruit and vegetables today.

7. Take celebrities or leave 'em. So much of what they say to interviewers is pure invention.

8. Out with the old, and in with the new! Ditch stale lipstick and foundation, and freshen up your "makeup wardrobe" with lovely, new products.


MISC. MOUSE

On NYTimes.com: Lee McQueen, A Retrospective.

FIT student Johua Minni Wang made a cool sketch of an Oscar de la Renta runway look.

For recessionistas, Blogdorf Goodman posts drugstore deals and steals.

The caviar nail look kind of freaks me out. What do you think?

The Sailor's Life for Me

In California, everywhere I looked was the blue, blue, blue Pacific Ocean.  I realized I can still enjoy a slice of the sea with nautical looks and notice-me navy nail polish!

Next stop, Montauk!

SO NOUVELLE VAGUE: MALENE BIRGER STRIPED SAILOR DRESS ($196), SOLD AT MILK.

A FROLICSOME GET-UP: STRIPED TERRY DRESS WITH METALLIC DETAILS ($24.80), FOREVER 21.

AHOY, SHIPMATE: BUTTER LONDON NAIL POLISH IN ROYAL NAVY ($14), BEAUTY.COM.



XOXO,
CHARLOTTE

Justin Bieber's Surprise: Second Version of Movie to Hit Theaters

Read the Reuters story here about this unusual move. The second version, an updated director's fan cut, has some changes, but it's just 10 minutes longer!

Okay, back to looking at dogs that look like the teen heartthrob....

P.S. Sorry if you really don't care, but I know some of you do!

Makeup Police

Hello darlings,

I have a new law. It has two parts.

1. Never mix collagen injections and candy pink lip gloss.

2. Never wear candy pink lip gloss while standing next to someone with collagen-jiggly lips and lip gloss. You absolutely will appear guilty by association.

Whew! So glad to get that off my chest. In California, I had a lot of time to watch bad reality TV with my grandma, namely re-runs of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.  While these women attack each other with their excessively vocal, extra-shiny guppy pouts, I will be keeping mum in matte lipstick.

 Learn from others' mistakes. Then, memorize those lessons!

 ***
Classier News...


Nylon reports on the Central St. Martins fashion show in London.

Susan Orlean blogs a few lines about Picasso for the New Yorker.

XOXO,
Charlotte

Snowflakes Again

It was snowing on my walk to the subway. Back in NYC....

Scents & Sensibility: Roger & Gallet Orange Blossom Water

Well, it's not often I fly to California only to play with French beauty products. But the Carmel Drug Store, established in 1910, carries a wide array of old-timey items that I just could not resist. (Carmel is a tiny, cute seaside town.)

If you don't wear perfume, a few dabs of Roger & Gallet Bois D'Orange fragrance water is a perfect stepping stone. It's a light-as-air citrus scent, and you can spritz it on in the morning or before a date.

Buy it: Carmel Drug Store, 71 Ocean Avenue, Monterey California (831) 624-3819; Ansonia Pharmacy in New York.

Spring Ahead

On a cool spring morning, wear these cute zippered floral laser cut gloves ($50, Topshop)...

And shell pink eye shadow ($8, The Body Shop)...

Slip on your favorite jeans and rainboots (Hunter Original, $125 on Piperlime)  for traipsing in damp, grassy fields...

Warmer days are around the corner!

XOXO,
Charlotte

Ouch, Me: Disaster Strikes!

The other day, I broke every beauty rule I know. I washed my face with this totally sketchy, extra-cheap bar of soap by a brand I had never heard of and...the next thing you know, I had this burning sensation. My face hurt for, like, hours. You would think the ouch factor would be punishment enough, but the texture felt all uneven too.

Jeeeeez louise. Anyway, the only "normal" soaps that can ever touch my face again are plain Trader Joe's oatmeal soap or Ivory.

 This is how my skin feels after using sketchy made-in-China soap.

New York Fashion Week Beauty Look: Marchesa

Frederic Fekkai lead stylist Renato Campora created this tamed-'n-tousled hairstyle for the Marchesa runway show. The look is inspired by flamenco dancers. To get this style, spray Fekkai Coiff Bouffant Lifting & Texturizing Spray Gel ($24) to smooth the crown of the head, and part your hair with a fine tooth comb. Then pull hair back into a low pony tail. Tease the ponytail with a brush, and then pin it to create a messy, disheveled chignon. Allow loose bits to fly out on each side.

For the full head-to-toe runway look, just add tulle. This romantic necklace ($16) from Etsy seller BloomsBlossoms is heavenly.

Need style advice? Beauty quandaries? Send your burning questions to eyeshadowgovernment [at] gmail.com!

Posted 7:30 pm PT.

Fashionable Chatter

On the topic of accessories, Derek Lam tells celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe: "For Spring 2011, I love exotics, bleached python and sea snake." Bleached python?!  [Source: The Rachel Zoe Report]


 **
Top makeup artist Gucci Westman said that her husband complained about a "dry" lipstick she was wearing, so she had to change her look. Also, Westman says, "There's always a Chanel handbag that I covet, like, ever single minute."  Wink! [Source: AP Livestream]

**

Gwyneth Paltrow shares some of her favorite beauty products from French pharmacies on her blog Goop.com. (Did anyone else notice her televised "sock" moment at the Grammys? It was allllll wrong.)

**
StyleIT's Sarah Conley breaks down the makeup look from Rachel Roy's show at New York Fashion Week.

Erasing the Old Beauty Standards

Allure magazine interviewed 2,000 women and men about their thoughts on beauty, and the survey results show a profound shift in how Americans perceive race and beauty. Here are the results:

• 64% think women of mixed race represent the epitome of beauty. Yay!

• 70% of those who wish to change their skin color wanted it to be darker— this was pronounced among women.

• 74% of those surveyed believe that a curvier body type is more appealing now than it has been over the past ten years.
• 69% of survey respondents believe there is no such thing as an “all-American look.”
• 85% of those surveyed believe that increased diversity in this country has changed what people consider beautiful.

Do you love this as much as I do?

XOXO,
C

Marc Jacobs Fall 2011 Runway Shots

Marc Jacobs shows his fun-loving side with polka dot tights, funky hats and can-we-buy-them-now-sir? sequined skirts.

Backstage Beauty: Marc Jacobs Fall 2011

A makeup artist touches up a model backstage at the Marc Jacobs fashion show today. Get this fresh beauty look with a strong sweep of blush right below the cheekbone. Try using Josie Maran's Argan Color Stick in Rosey followed by a spritz from an Evian atomizer to look like this runway hottie.

Watch the Marc Jacobs Fashion Show Live

Click HERE to view the runway show on livestream.

One-Minute Makeup: Stila's Lip and Cheek Stain in Acai Crush

R-e-s-p-e-c-t to girls up and down the West Coast. Inspired by my low maintenance friends in California, I wanted to share this quick beauty tip. If you are not a "makeup person," consider picking up Stila's Lip and Cheek Stain in Acai Crush ($24). Yes, it's makeup, but it's totally hassle-free.

The berry color is universally flattering. Just rub it on your cheeks and wave it across your lips for a devastatingly delightful look.

And did I mention it's infused with acai, a super fruit packed with antioxidants?  Pucker up!

XOX,
Charlotte

Beam Me Up: Beauty Trick With MAC Pigment in Vanilla

Mixing liquid foundation with a highlighter can give skin a soft sheen. Just sprinkle some MAC Pigment in Vanilla  into your normal makeup for glowing results.

You also can add a highlighting powder to moisturizer if you don't like to wear foundation. This trick will work on any skin tone. 

XOXO,
Charlotte


Burning makeup questions? Valentine's Day beauty quandaries? Write to eyeshadowgovernment [at] gmail.com!  Stay tuned for giveaways and tons of get-yourself-gorgeous tips.

Music Box

Greetings from rambling and warm California.  Flowers growing. Birds chirping. Sunshine everywhere. It's too cool. I hope you enjoy these Golden State musicians. Sing a song!

Here's Sonya Cotton:

Here's a song by Cass McCombs:

All my troubles in the past
That's just what they are
And all the delusions that took host, then passed
Have only made my immunity strong

The Papercuts for you too:




XOXO,
Charlotte

Rihanna's Reb'l Fleur Perfume Ad Is Peachy Keen + Lady Gaga Autographs Schtuff

Rihanna travels to a peony-colored, feathery universe in the commercial for her perfume, Reb'l Fleur. I love the fantastical setting, and hey, I wouldn't mind a few Alice in Wonderland-esque hedges in my backyard too. Do you dig it as much as I do? (To me, this ad totally tops the Britney Spears commercial for Curious.)

Also, I am hardly a hall monitor when it comes to hemlines, but I think that a few extra inches of, errr, dress could have actually made her look even better. What do you think of the look? Any way you slice her or be-feather her, she is way gorg.

ALSO: Lady Gaga's Kind of Random Donation
 

Charitybuzz.com is auctioning Clarisonic brushes signed by the likes of Lady Gaga, Ryan Gosling, Gael Garcia Bernal and Winona Ryder.  Would you buy an electrical face brush autographed by Gael Garcia Bernal? Yeah, maybe. LOL. (This is probably how crazy fans think.)

This one is Gael's.

Lip Lock + A Beauty Trip to Nars

In terms of lipstick, I am kind of a serial dater. Finding one that I would wear every day of the week is rare indeed. 

Lately, Revlon's ColorStay Lipstick in Stellar Sunrise has my lips on lockdown. It starts as a liquid, and then dries down to a matte lipstick.  The best part is the color, which is a fabulous and painterly pinkish orange.

I don't want my other lipsticks to feel neglected so I still wear 'em, but I am definitely buying a few spares of this new fave. Good things come in threes, right?

Buy it:  Revlon's ColorStay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick in Stellar Sunrise (about $12, Drugstore.com, Revlon.com).

**


EXTRA CREDIT

Fancy a visit to New York? Are you a makeup addict? For all of you fellow beauty adventurers, Nars opens its first flagship boutique tomorrow at 413 Bleecker Street, and it's a few skips away from cupcakes galore at Magnolia Bakery.






XOXO,
Charlotte

Valentine's Day Guide: Love Is In the Air

Feeling the Love

If you have a special date on Valentine's Day, I recommend wearing D.S. and Durga's My Indian Childhood perfume and your best lipstick. This scent is nothing short of thrilling.

Don't forget a heart-shaped necklace! (Okay, you don't have to wear mushy heart-shaped jewelry if you're already too sweet, but I like hearts.) This one is kind of cute, ditzy, grandmotherly and punk ($12.50 on Etsy).

Sweet Scents: Moderately Priced Perfumes For A Female Friend


Rock out with Stiletto by Nicole Amy ($42) fragrance. The perfume bottle is shaped like a studded high heel.  This fragrance's classic feminine and floral attitude is sure to be a hit with any friend on Valentine's Day.

Also, what amiga wouldn't love a bit of Marc Jacobs Lola Perfume for Valentine's Day? The rollerball version happens to be a steal at $22, and it smells like pears and peonies.

Fuzzy Thoughts: For The Guys

If your boyfriend is a little forgetful and porcupine-ish, give him a luxurious nudge! The Art of Shaving 4 Elements of the Perfect Shave Carry-On Set ($50, Sephora) will help him with his stubble. 

Oh yeah. And if he's touchy about beauty products and your expectations for him to be as glamorous as you are, he might appreciate a CD or mixtape too. 

Spicy Comforts: Another Treat for You

Smell like sugar and spice and everything nice by rubbing on Lush's Hottie massage bar ($9). (You can use it to fix dry skin, instead of a massage.) The black pepper and ginger essential oils help soothe tired muscles, while shea butter moisturizes skin.  

California, Here I Come!

Hey darlings,

Exciting news today! I will be heading to California this week, right back where I started from, to celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday.

Also, I would like to share with you one of my favorite fragrances, which is so rare I can only buy a tiny sample of it at a time. It's called Wildflowers and created by Mandy Aftel for her lovely fragrance house Aftelier Perfumes.

This solid perfume is designed to smell like the hills in California, and brings to mind many sunny summers I have enjoyed with a cheery top note of honey. Now, when I drink tea with honey, I can think of this perfume and then my family and home state.

Wildflowers provides a welcome escape this February from Brooklyn (which lately smells like dirt, stale ice and coffee).

Hip, hip hooray for my grandma in San Francisco and warmer days ahead.

XOXO,
Charlotte

Buy it: $175 in a compact made of solid silver, or $6 for a sample size of Wildflowers by Aftelier Perfumes.

Inspiration: Spread Your Wings and Fly

 Photo by Weegee.

Just Act Naturally

Keep knots in your hair at bay with Intelligent Nutrients Certified Organic Spray-On Detangler ($26). This product smooths and conditions hair with oils derived from pumpkin seeds, lavender and vetiver.

I was told that this detangler is so pure the owner of Intelligent Nutrients will even spray it into a cup and drink it.

Stay cute. And don't let yourself get into a tangle again! XOX.

Available at ABC Carpet & Home  (888 Broadway, New York, NY) and www.intelligentnutrients.com.

PJ Harvey: This Is Love

Tickets go on sale today for PJ Harvey's show at Terminal Five in New York in about...ten minutes. By coincidence, my lips are a little like this today too. I layered an orange Chanel shade with a red Lancome lipstick.

Korres Wild Rose Mineral Foundation Review

Looking to change up your makeup routine? Try Korres Wild Rose mineral foundation ($28, Sephora).

I had an epic trip to Sephora this week and by the time I left, the employees probably wondered whether I was going to sleep there.  Of all the newer products I tried though, this one was probably the best.

The Korres mineral foundation is paraben-free, and I think the shades are quite flattering.  Hopefully, the range will expand to include an array of darker shades too. Right now, the deepest color is medium tan. Sometimes mineral powder appears a touch too yellow or too white on my skin, which is fair, but the Light shade worked really well for me.

It was easy to apply using i.d. bareVitamins Skin Rev-er Upper ($21) as a primer (old faithful) and the Sephora Collection Professional Bronzer Brush. 

TIP: Remember to dip the brush and then, tap any excess powder onto the lid or the top of your hand before applying mineral foundation to your face. If you forget to do this and end up with a powdery patch, don't fret! Just continue buffing and blending until it is evenly distributed.

A TOUCH OF SHINE: Finish by dabbing on Nars Orgasm Illuminator ($29, Sephora) on your cheeks, nose and forehead. This illuminator will give you a sun-kissed look.

Orange You Glad

I am smitten by this image from Vogue Australia's March cover shoot in Mexico. What a wonderful look!

Also, today I saw this girl on the subway who was wearing a bluish-grey angora hat. She looked exactly like a dandelion! XOXOX.

LOL TODAY

Read funny break-up excuses from Twitter on Glamour.com ("Valentines day is gettin a lil too close for comfort").

Japanese-Style Nail Art: Would You Wear It?

These poodle, frog and polka dot fake nails are from from Etsy seller Nevertoomuchglitter's shop.  I love the way they look in photos, but I don't know if I would actually make the plunge.