How Clever: United Bamboo at NY Fashion Week

Pleasure to have you drop by! Take a seat and welcome back. I so adore your company.

All Tied Up

There were a few way cute numbers by United Bamboo on the runways yesterday. The brown shade of this dress reminds me of a pretty giraffe, and the sash bow in the back is so playful.





Girls Just Want to Have Fun

This retro polka dot outfit reminds me of wallpaper in a 1950s laundromat and looks like it's good to dance in. Maybe, you can see yourself drinking milkshakes in this blouse and jeans at a diner, and then adding the skirt for a cocktail party? I'd also really like to do housekeeping in this ensemble.




Color Block Eyes

Look closely and the models are wearing florescent, day-glo orange eyeshadow. Very few people wear bright orange eyeshadow. For work or school though, you can still work it with a pale tangerine eyeshadow (Nars Thebes Dual Creme Eyeshadow Palette $32). In some cultures, oranges are good luck.



Heat It Up

Also on the United Bamboo runway, matte wool coats and shimmering lame scarves got cozy....




Photos courtesy of Coutorture

No Fuss Party Hair from The Girls at WhoWhatWear Daily!

It's hard to find fashionable videos worth watching, but I just found this from WhoWhatWear Daily. Eyeshadow Government is also featured in WhoWhatWear's little black book. Bon appetit!

Happy New Year's: Why Not Muffins?

Yesterday, I was tempted to spend New Year's Eve inside, eating tiramisu and drinking red wine. I woke up early though and realized that getting dressed up in satin or sequins was just an easy way of communicating, 'By the way, Now We're Having Fun.' Men are especially slow in understanding this concept, so I figured what the heck...

I got happy about New Year's Eve!

Next, I girded myself for festivities. I applied a hot compress and washed my face with Dr. Hauschka Cleansing Milk. I even exfoliated my lips with BeFine Lip Exfoliator. It's vegan with sesame oil, so I figured it wouldn't hurt. I brushed my teeth and flossed (Uh OMG, TMI Charlotte!) for the new year.



My Wizard of Oz couch made me fall into a long slumber for two hours, until I awoke to the dulcet tones of Lifetime TV. Beautiful Girls, an early Natalie Portman movie, was on. Natalie plays a 13-year old tomboy named Marty, but she didn't make the spots on my face go away--too much caffeine lately--so I headed to Sephora, which was being ransacked by anxious New York girlies eager to pucker up tonight. Yikes!

Sephora being Sephora on NYE, I elbowed my way to one of the makeup helpers, who led me to Cargo's OneBase #2. Cargo OneBase is a concealer and a foundation, i.e. just what the New Year's Nurse ordered. Whew! They even gave me a free sample of my foundation since it was sold out. Double whew!




On my trip, I discovered Free People had opened up a store on 5th Avenue, and it felt exactly like I was in Venice Beach, California. It was decorated with strings of fake flowers and loads of funky stockings, like these pointelle pixie tights. I wanted everything, but resisted.




When I got home, life was easy. I just washed my hair, threw on all the foundation and concealer, and took advantage of all the lovely brushes in Sephora's splendid gun metal Smokey Eye Kit. You can use some of the smaller brushes for applying concealer too, and sweep a light, shimmery shadow underneath the brow. It really opens up the eyes in a second.

Well, gotta run to my party down the hill and drink champagne. Wishing all of you a Happy New Year's and I really wish for (don't laugh!) Peace on Earth. Be good or bad, but make sure to have fun.

Lots of Love,
Charlotte

Holiday Shop-a-Thon: Seven Hotter Than Thou Picks

Aaack! Or hooray! I bet your credit cards are perky from extra holiday activity, but soon your feet will be sore and abused from shop-walking, hands calloused from carrying too many bags, and hair covered in pine tree needles from lugging around all those Hannukah bushes and Christmas trees.

Nonetheless, it's all worth it because it's the holidays, and darn it, I love holiday parties, mistletoe, and pretend-snow. Here are a few super-sized, fabulous gifts to give or get or get made up in:



1. To let the races begin, we recommend Sephora's new Supermodel Kit (haha, see above). We're especially fond of this kit because it comes with the wondrous Smashbox's O-GLOW blusher, Make Up For Ever Diamond Shadow in Diamond Black for smoky eyes, apricot blush and Stila lip-gloss. Since it's all packed into one cosmetics case, the Supermodel Kit does all the thinking. Supermodels should never think anyway.


2. Add a little sparkle to the holidays with this sexy but sweet, embroidered beaded dress from Topshop.com.



3. Stocking stuffers we want: Perfumeria Gal Lip Balm sets ($18 per set, or $5.50 each) from Spain. My favorite is the Red Currant with just the right amount of shine.





4. An eyeshadow to match every outfit is our version of paradise on earth. Sephora's triple-decker Blockbuster Beauty Palette has 64 eyeshadows, 32 lipsticks, blushes galore, and enough makeup to last you from here until next year. Make mom proud and wear all of them at once.



5. Don a folk-art inspired dress, and maybe someone will give you a fruit cake too. Free People's Bird of Paradise frock is funky for warmer, West Coast holiday parties, and any party where you know there are going to be too many people in the room to bother with mittens.



6. Yes, you're young and fabulous now....me too. So glad we have so many things in common already.

It's just that when the wind whips across your face or egg nog leaves you wondering what happened, you might give this anti-aging moisturizer, Clarins' Generation 6 Serum, a roll. Normally, I'm like "me, old, what?" but as a spring chicken, still me like...Clarins Generation 6, loaded with botanical ingredients, could also be a luxurious, holiday present.



7. This minimalist, dual-tone scoop-neck dress by DKNY makes me want to be Donna Karan. She was a bit tough on the contestants on America's Top Runway. Even so, I'm sure they coached her, so I would still wear her dresses any day of the week. (Hint! Hint!)



Buy it: Sephora Supermodel Kit ($59), Sephora; Embroidered Bead Dress (75 pounds), Topshop; Perfumeria Gal ($18 set, $5.50 single), Beautyhabit.com; Free People Bird of Paradise Dress ($138), Free People; Clarins Generation 6 ($90), Sephora; Donna Karan Sleeveless Scoop Dress ($119), www.dkny.com;

When Life Gets Serious, Think Punk Tigress and Bad Taste

Since I've been reporting a lot in journalism school, sometimes I get tired of using my nose to get into other people's business....which brings me to the topic of cartilage. If I was made of more cartilage, and not just the cartilage in my nose, I could swim happily in the sea all day long. Then I would never know anyone else's business again.

Here's my pick of beauty products you should never wear for business purposes or asking direly serious questions in.

So put on your playthings and.....

Get Wild
Shu Uemura Dazzling Diamante False Eyelashes would look hot with a clear gloss, and a modest black dress. Now don't cause a stir in the library!

Don't Pout

Manic Panic Pink with Silver Glitter lipstick. You never know when it will come in handy. You might want to outshine that track star with your mezzo-soprano voice.



Let Your Hair Down


The women who founded Manic Panic were also backup singers in Debbie Harry's early band, the Stilettos. Meow! Clip on a brightly colored Manic Panic fake hair Glam Strip in Bombshell.

And Crush 'Em


....which brings us to sensible shoes. Why bunch up your toes all day long for "the man"? Save stilettos for knockout pool parties, and leave them at home when you're doing business or algebra.



Don't get all shiny unless you're ready to be the party star. Jane Iredale 24K gold dust powder contains real gold, crushed 24K flakes. Try telling that to your computer--Now get out of here!

The internet is b-o-r-i-n-g, yawn, yawn, yawn, yawn, yawn.

Stay sexy, air kisses,
C

Buy it: Shu Uemura Dazzling Diamante False Eyelashes ($25), Shu Uemura online; Pink with Glitter lipstick and hair clip-ons ($6-15), many drugstores; red Candela high heels ($215), Ylli, Brooklyn; Jane Iredale 24K gold dust powder, 0.06 ounce size ($12), SpaSkin.

The Hills: Lauren Conrad Invades Your Closet...

Okay. Reality TV show The Hills can now be worn by you and you and you.

ShopLaurenConrad.com has been getting so much traffic right now, the official date of her clothing launch, that it's almost impossible to even click open a new screen on her site. As you know, Lauren Conrad signed up to be on a reality TV show about some sun-kissed Orange County teenagers, and ended up having her life rolled on film for years on end. (Poor thing.)

Best of all, LC's line of breezy, jersey dresses are just the type of thing she herself would wear. Now we can all have a scrap of Lauren, and revenge on her frenemy-party girl Heidi Montag, by buying her collection online--if it hasn't already sold out. Charge!





Hermit-friendly Product of the Day

To get a matching Conrad-esque tan, fake it with Terracotta Spray SPF 10 by Guerlain:



Buy it: Jersey dresses ($135-$150ish), ShopLaurenConrad, Guerlain Terracotta Spray SFP 10 ($54), Sephora.

More NY Fashion Week: Marc Jacobs, Heath Ledger, and Zac Posen All Rolled Into One Post

Hey muffins,

I'll talk more makeup asap. Fashion week in NY just ended, so....

In my hood, Marc Jacobs' new line didn't float
my boat or the chicks at Diary of a Mad Fashionista. But the after party is always better than the show! I never link to TMZ, but apparently Heath Ledger was on the loose at the Marc Jacobs after-party, just a week after his split with Michelle Williams was announced. I wish he was still with her. :-( :-( Maybe some model stepped on his foot, just for dressing so terribly. I wonder whether it hurts when oft-anorexic models step on your foot or if it's just like being touched by a cloud? Hmmm...

Also, here's a look at the Zac Posen show from my Coutorture friends:



Ciao!

Beauty Tip: How to Look All Dewy, Like You Just Emerged from Behind a Waterfall

This makeup tip was pulled from our high school filing cabinet.

The short version is: you put on your foundation, blush, and eyeshadow, and then jump in the shower. No, this is not crazy talk, but keep your face out of the water. When you get out, your makeup will be awesomely jungle-y moist. And if you jump out of the shower just 30 minutes before you got out to a party, the "dew" will be yours for the evening.

Step-by-step:

Step 1: If you don foundation, apply a matte foundation evenly, beginning towards the nose and blending out with your fingers or a foundation brush. Delicately pat extra in areas that need more coverage.

Step 2: Take a thick blush brush, and apply an opaque pink blush along the cheekbones and blend downward. Pay attention to facial features, and apply a little more along the cheekbones, where the sun would naturally touch your face. Blend.

Step 3: Apply a favorite eyeshadow, or for super-shine, put on shimmer eyeshadow along the eyelid. Think coffee, lilac, and petal shades.

Step 4: Turn on the shower and get inside, with face turned away from the stream of water. (If da hair doesn't like steam, sport a showercap.) Hang out for 20 - 30 minutes in the shower.

In the end, the makeup will be saturated with moisture, colors popping all over. (Just don't apply shimmer blush too, because that would be waterfall look-overkill.)

Polish your glow by spraying on a favorite scent or Danielle by Danielle Steele, which smells like tropical fruit (see fruit salad recipe below) and flowers.

Buy it: Clinique Soft-Pressed Powder Blusher ($18.50), Nars Eyeshadow in Fathom ($21.00), Danielle by Danielle Steele ($65), Macy's.

If You're Hoofing It...$25 and Under Gifts

See our hand-picked best last-minute holiday gifts! And don't forget to sign up for Eyeshadow Government's special New Year's contest. See details below.

1. Colour Surge Butter Shine™ Lipstick Palette ($25) by Clinique. Buy it: Macy's.

2. Best of Korres kit ($25) Set includes Basil Lemon Showergel (1.7 oz.), Guava Body Butter (1.7 oz.), Wild Rose 24-Hour Moisturiser SPF 6 (0.34 oz.) and Yogurt Cooling Gel Sachet (0.3 oz.). Buy it: Select Nordstrom, Whole Foods and Sephora retailers.

3. The James Bond-inspired Clarins Forever Diamonds Sparkling Eye Pencil ($24). A diamond-encrusted barrette for party hair, and the slim silver stick doubles as an eye pencil. Buy it: Macy's.

4. Too Faced Glamour to Go ($18). Buy it: Nordstrom.

5. Ole Henrikson Fresh Lips ($15). Lisa Kudrow & Linda Evangelista like it. Buy it: Sephora.

6. Mistral Shea Butter soap gift set ($14) in Verbena, Lavender, Melon pear. Buy it: Anthropologie.

7. Aromatherapy Ylang Rose Body Wash ($13). Buy it Bath and Bodyworks.

8. Stella McCartney Eau de Parfum Roll-On Perfume ($10), a rose and amber miniature. Buy it: Sephora.

9. Oiseau lip balm ($8) in Sweetheart Berry & Emollient Vanilla. Buy it: Anthropologie.

10. Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadow palettes ($6). Buy it: most drugstores.

The Sands of Time, Bare Minerals Foundation Help from Wizards, and Courtney Love

After smearing a layer of Bare Minerals foundation en route to the company holiday party, I stopped cold in my tracks and knew I could not take another step looking as matte as unglazed pottery. The Government endorses rations of the i.d. Bare Minerals product line but until today, we just didn't know how to paint it on.

In a state of utter matte-ification, I called upon the resident cosmetics wizard to remove my shoddy craftwomanship from my face.

Listen carefully girls because these are life lessons. Two words for ya: three layers. It is tempting to use the signature "tap and buff" technique encouraged by the Bare Minerals philosophy without considering the wisdom of the sands of time.

1. If you are seeking more coverage than a tinted moisturizer, simply tap a very slight amount of mineral foundation into the cap of the foundation container.
2. When applying Bare Minerals foundation, the wizard says, "Use less than you think you will need."
3. After dipping the brush in the powder, tapping the brush prevents globs of powder from setting on the face.
4. Once the first thin layer is applied by buffing the face evenly, apply one more layer.
5. And then apply one more layer.
6. And then another, for three layers.
I went from looking like a pottery project gone awry to damn sexy. (By the way, thank you.)

Aucoin (RIP) Beauty note: When Courtney Love appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone in an annual Women in Rock issue, the famed makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin applied no less than seven layers of foundation to her for the photo shoot.