Celebrating Baby Bumps…& Accessories

Inspired by Mother’s Day, this week we decided to put a spin on two of our favorite pastimes – finding creative ways to style fashion and Chic Kitsy Lane looks and stalking (wait, did we say stalking? We meant … um … following) celebrities. The result? We’ve had a ton of fun pairing famous moms-to-be with our favorite accessories …

·      Expect Elegance … Look up taste in the dictionary, and you may actually find a picture of Kate Middleton. The Duchess of Cambridge and wife of Britain’s Prince William exudes absolute elegance as only royalty can. For her, only the height of Chic would do.

·      That Glamorous Glow … Much like Halle Berry, these sophisticated yet radiant looks are sure to take the world by storm with their Hollywood glamour. Also inspired by Ivanka Trump, Kristen Bell,and Penelope Cruz.

·      Bold, Baby / Popping with Personality… Trendy, flirtatious, and utterly bold, Kim Kardashian proves you can still rule the style scene in a baby bump – and so do these jewels. Also inspired by Jessica Simpson and Fergie (no, we will not make a “my bump” joke – everyone else has already made it).

Expecting or not, what’s your favorite style? Sign up and see for yourself at Chic Boutique

Vegan Fashion: Backstage at the Vaute Couture Fashion Show #fashionlovesanimals

Recenlty, I was invited to check out a vegan fashion show. The Body Shop had a fun “Fashion Loves Animals” cruelty free event w/ Farm Sanctuary, where they created all the runway makeup looks, using 100% all vegan makeup! The show honored Vaute Couture president and Creative Director, Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart, who made history this year with the FIRST-ALL VEGAN label to show at NY Fashion Week this past February. 

What does this mean? Vaute Couture is commitmed to using sustainable materials in their line/being vegan & Cruelty-Free.

 

Vaute Couture only exists to push the industry forward in animal free and sustainable fashion, by creating new fabrics and apparel that are better than wearing animals every could be! Everything is 100% vegan, and cutting edge, like recycled closed loop zero waste vegan satin, organic velvet, recycled Thinsulate as a down alternative, and waxed canvas instead of leather. We want you to know that it's empowering to choose how you interact with the world as an active participant instead of a silent supporter of larger industries and societal norms.

I got a backstage look at the inspiration for Vaute Couture show.

The show was inspired by Sailor Moon- an earth girl who upon saving a cat from being abused on the streets, is given her magical powers and turned into her super self- Sailor Moon! Everyone has a super version inside themselves, that comes alive when they serve. The beauty look is a mix between earth girl tomboy and a magical super version of her, so you'll see stars over thick brows, pink cheeks, and beautiful shimmery skin.

Here is How To Get the Look:

OH DEER! BLUSH SHIMMER PALETTE BY LEONA LEWIS (no bug shells in these palettes!)

Cruelty free makeup brushes (use only synthetic)

Love Gloss (in Natural Shade)

• Extra Virgin Minerals foundation

The Body Shop Vitamin E Face Mist - to set makeup

 

The Body Clover pink lip liner

The Body Shop brow and eye definer kit

 

The Body Shop Extra Virgin Minerals liquid foundation and Compact

 

The Body Shop white eye definer--to brighten eyes

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@KmartFashion Remix Challenge: The Look For Less

Last week I hung out with noted stylist George Kotsiopoulos at the Tribeca Skyline Studios in New York. ICYDK, Kotsiopoulos is an editor, fashion consultant, stylist and television personality. You may also know him as a co-host of ‘The Fashion Police’ on E!. We spoke about his personal style, he always thinks a tie is a good idea (I don’t think we’ve seen him on TV without one). He hosted an event with Kmart an invited us to remix our looks. I must admit I was pleasantly surprised to see trendy (and well priced) pieces available.

For this style challenge I chose a maxi dress and a button down shirt for layered versatility. I had just purchased a coral maxi dress from Nordstrom from a popular designer that closely resembled the dress I found available at the Kmart event for a fraction of the price.

From there I gravitated towards colorful accessories: a Lucite coral & pink bracelet, bright pink cross body bag, blue flat sandals and a big hat (I like to think of them as an SPF-booster)…and the eye glasses/mustache necklace combo!

Once I was done it was off to shoot with fashion photographer Chris Heads.

Check it out:

Check out my style breakdown after the jump!

Angelina Jolie's Double Mastectomy: Let’s Talk Reconstruction

Angelina Jolie, know for outspoken personality, revealed in a New York Times Op-Ed piece today that she has undergone a preventative double mastectomy. This prompted a conversation on reconstructive surgery.

We spoke with Nouveau Contour Permanent Makeup's Terri L. Folker, C.P.C.P. who shared info on reconstructive options. “If you have breast reconstruction after a mastectomy, you may have been left without areolae or sometimes nipples. Alternatively, it may be that you have naturally pale or faded areolae, or you may have been left with uneven, asymmetrical, misplaced or discoloured areaole following surgery.”

In all of these cases, medical tattooing from Nouveau Contour can can be used to create stunning and realistic looking reconstructions. As the first computerized permanent cosmetics device with an Intel microprocessor "chip", Nouveau Contour's Intelligent was designed to distinguish between the varying areas of application. Software installed in the central processing unit, the operating system of the Intelligent, consistently calculates the best needle frequency (speed) needed to achieve optimal pigment retention. Skin structure varies according to the location, because the structure and tolerance of the skin is different for each area of application.

For example:  For areola pigmentation, the skin structure is very dense compared to that of an eye lid, which is very thin and supple. When set on "Medical"  the Intelligent will provide a more efficient  way to deposit pigment in those areas, by automatically increasing the  power to the handpiece and by adjusting the needle frequency.

Nouveau Contour Permanent Makeup will:

• Replicate the appearance of realistic looking areolae and even create the illusion of nipple protrusion.

• Reposition, recolour or reshape the overall appearance of nipples and areolae.

• Reduce the appearance of radiotherapy marks.

• Diffuse scarring from mastectomies, breast uplifts / reductions and other types of breast surgery.

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Men's Fashion in Film: 'The Great Gatsby'

"You look so cool. You always look so cool."—Daisy Buchanan

 

Recreating the fashions of the Roaring Twenties—the glamour, the sparkle, the innovation—was an exciting challenge for costume designer Catherine Martin. "The '20s was basically the birth of 20th-century fashion as we know it. Just after World War I, we saw the abandonment of the heavy Victorian undergarment, we saw short skirts coming in, and a kind of sexual liberation for women that allows them to be much more scantily clad. It brought about an exuberant, decorative style that is a key point for design."

Fitzgerald's prose in The Great Gatsby is rich and full of description, and Martin mined it extensively for information on everything from what each character's upbringing would have been like, to where they lived and the clothes they wore.

"It always starts with the script, the ideas, the images and the story that Baz (Luhrmann) brings to the table. He will always have a kind of visual philosophy that he wants to follow in order to help tell the story," Martin explains. "So, certainly we did an enormous amount of literary study about F. Scott Fitzgerald, about his world, his context, his life, but we also did an enormous amount of historical study on the visual context of the world. That ranged from everything from accessing the large library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which has a huge costume library and costume archive, to accessing all kinds of things on New York and the surrounding boroughs."

Some flexibility was allowed for the timeframe, ensuring they had some of the best fashion moments of the era to work with. "The book was set in the summer of 1922, published in 1925, and it foreshadowed the Crash, so we made a rule that we could use that decade," Martin establishes. "In the costumes, for the men, we erred closer to the beginning of the decade—because we went for a much slimmer silhouette. For the women it was later in the decade, when there was much more of a body-conscious silhouette."When he sees Gatsby's choice of attire, Tom may be in disbelief at such a preposterous choice, but it would be hard to find a more defining look for Gatsby's character—the pink suit, so incredibly stylish but decidedly out of place in the world in which he so desperately wishes to belong.

For a lot of the male costumes, Martin worked closely with Brooks Brothers, the American heritage brand, who provided more than 2000 garments for the film, including both formalwear—200 tuxedos—and daywear, helping to comprise the approximately 1200 costumes in total.

"One of the reasons we felt this association was so important is that Brooks Brothers have been the purveyor of preppy clothes, and in fact they sold to Fitzgerald," she says. "They had a huge archive of Fitzgerald's letters where he was ordering clothes by mail."

Martin researched the rationale behind every minute detail in the book—from the robin's egg blue of Gatsby's chauffeur's uniform to Daisy's tricorn hat—and she also added extra details to the costumes to help the actors get into character.

"This is an example of the genius of CM," says Edgerton. "Tom Buchanan is described as being Yale educated and part of the upper echelons of Yale society, and he and Nick were part of a secret society. The research the team did at Bazmark led them to the Skull and Bones, which is probably the most secret of those societies. So, as a detail on the costumes, CM lined my suits with a skull and crossbones print. She didn't need to do that, and you'll probably never see it, but I knew it was there."

"That's the job of a costume—the actor is the transformer. The actor with the script and the director really make the story, and the costume is there to support the process," Martin says.

Some traditional styles were slightly modernized, in particular for some of the more dazzling party costumes. "Baz is always interested at looking at the past through very modern eyes," explains Martin. "So, it's a process of making a very erudite study of costume history and of the details of manufacture that were interesting in the past, and reapplying them in a very modern, very interesting way to the clothing."

 

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Mother's Day is Sunday. Are you ready?

With Mother’s Day (this Sunday, May 12th) just around the corner, what better way is there to show your love than with some beauty and pampering?

This Mother’s Day, make sure your gift really shows your mom how much you care (even if it’s a last minute gift). We’ve got some alternatives to the usual "flowers" that won’t break the bank. 

Recession Proof Pampering

This year, The Body Shop is putting a big emphasis on custom made gifts in shop. At The Body Shop, this a unique and special opportunity to pick products that give back to different Community Fair Trade Partners which helps to spread the love/make mom proud.

If you are really pressed for time may we suggest:

The Heart Tin ($20) or new fragrances inspired by various scents of the world, created with ingredients sourced from around the globe – (plus, this is the first fragrance collection containing 100% organic alcohol!

Scents include: Amazonian Wild Lily, Atlas Mountain Rose, Indian Night Jasmine, Japanese Cherry Blossom, Madagascan Vanilla Flower

Didn’t make it to the store in time?

A gift from the drugstore can still be one given with love.

Check out Duane Reade! They now carry Demeter Fragrances in an assortment of classic and Mother's Day scents.

If you are not familiar with the brand, these scents literally smell like what they say they smell like so can give your mom roses in another form or a scent that reminds her of a tropical getaway, etc. all under $20!…also feel free to check out the website for all offerings to make truly unique – www.DemeterFragrance.com

It’s the wonderful bouquet of smells that remind us most of those cherished memories from years past, and with these fabulous scents, you won’t have to miss them! Demeter’s Fragrance Library includes an array of fun and festive Mother's Day themed scents like Daisy, Honeysuckle, Vanilla Cake and Chocolate Chip Cookie, etc.

They also have classic Demeter has classic scents such as: Pure Soap, Baby Powder, Laundromat, Tomato, Dirt, Salt Air and more sure to be a conversation piece and something mom will always remember.

For a spa-at-home experience continue down the drugstore aisle to check out Yardley of London Skin Indulgence Bath & Shower Gels.

A line of ultra concentrated bath products created for women who care just as much about the environment as they do their skin. Available in three fragrance varieties, the SeaMinerals Exfoliating Shower Gel delivers the benefits of dead sea minerals and nourishing plant extracts to exfoliate, tighten and tone the skin, while the Lavender & Rosemary Bath & Shower Gel combines lavender and rosemary extract to ease away stress & soothe your skin. The Honey Almond Creamy Body Wash - skin softening Creamy Body Wash combines healthy botanical extracts such as Honey & Almond Oil, with powdered Oatmeal to gently cleanse and moisturize.  Skin will feel silky smooth, while the light honey & almond fragrance soothes the senses.

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The Great Gatsby: Film Review (no spoliers, wait didn't you read the book?)

"I want to write something new, something extraordinary and beautiful
and simple and intricately patterned."
—F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

A grand story, a grand film! This visually captivating and exceptionally acted adaptation of the classic American book will allow moviegoers to sit back and indulge. The uniquely imaginative mind of writer/producer/director Baz Luhrmann comes the new big screen adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby. In his adaptation, the filmmaker combines his distinctive visual, sonic, and storytelling styles in 3D (and 2D), weaving a Jazz Age cocktail faithful to Fitzgerald's text and relevant to now. Leonardo DiCaprio stars in the title role.

DiCaprio looks appropriately dapper in bespoke clothing (now readily available for daring men at BrooksBrothers).

"The Great Gatsby" follows would-be writer Nick Carraway played by Tobey Maguire (real life DiCaprio BFF) as he leaves the Midwest and comes to New York City in the spring of 1922, an era of loosening morals, glittering jazz, bootleg kings, and sky-rocketing stocks. Chasing his own American Dream, Nick lands next door to a mysterious, party-giving millionaire, Jay Gatsby, and across the bay from his cousin, Daisy (Carey Mulligan), and her philandering, blue-blooded husband, Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton). It is thus that Nick is drawn into the captivating world of the super rich, their illusions, loves and deceits. As Nick bears witness, within and without of the world he inhabits, he pens a tale of impossible love, incorruptible dreams and high-octane tragedy, and holds a mirror to our own modern times and struggles.

 

I am a fan of Luhrmann's style of filmmaking and here the it works so well. The cinematography and 3D effects are so much fun in the opulent party scenes you can help but smile along to Jay-Z and jazzy mash-ups that in another film might feel contrived but it works so well in this context.

 

Just go see it (3D is fun but not totally necessary) and soak up all the gorgeous eye candy!

 

www.thegreatgatsbymovie.com

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