Author: Cold Cream 'n' Roses

#beauty #cosmetics #makeup #skincare #fashion An eclectic collection of #music posted on #Mondays

The Twilight Gown

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The Twilight gown

By now, readers should be familiar with the story about Bella’s wedding gown for Breaking Dawn.  Carolina Herrera designed the gown, and a licensed adaptation is available for $799.

I’ve read comments praising the “modesty” of the gown (although the gown has a teasingly cut sweetheart neckline and plunging back) and welcoming it as a change of pace from the current fashion for strapless gowns.

There are some aspects of this gown that I find weird. Twilight is implausible, but it strains my imagination that a 19-year-old from Forks, WA would walk down the aisle in a Carolina Herrera gown. I also question Carolina Herrera’s motivation.   Money and publicity, for sure, and maybe she had a genuine affinity for the romance and courtliness of Twilight.  Still, I am surprised that the patrician Ms. Herrera would do anything that might lessen her image.

Discuss.

I Knew the Bride When She Used to Rock and Roll #MusicMonday

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On Thanksgiving Day, I was listening to Fresh Air with Terry Gross on NPR.  The show was a re-broadcast of an interview with singer-songwriter Nick Lowe.   Nick Lowe??!!  I hadn’t heard about him in years.

In the day (the 1980s), I found Nick Lowe’s songs “Cruel to be Kind” and “I Knew The Bride” catchy, but that’s about it.  For some reason, listening to Nick Lowe on Fresh Air filled me with nostalgia and happiness – as when I hear the opening riffs of The Beatles’ “I Want to Hold Your Hand.”

Although Nick Lowe is from England, his rockabilly is purely American.   Here’s the goofy video for “I Knew The Bride” from MTV’s music video heyday:


Enjoy, and rock out!

Nick Lowe today:

Nick Lowe (2011)

Hermes limited edition sari line

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“Hermès admires India and has a lot to learn from India.” So says Patrick Harris, chief executive of Hermès International.  Indeed.  The patterns and mix of colors (often colors that you think wouldn’t work together) found in Indian saris would be an inspiration to the French luxury leather goods maker known for its “beyond classic” silk scarves.

Hermes limited edition sari

Now Hermes has launched a limited edition collection of saris for the Indian luxury market.  At $6000-8000 a sari, I can see only Bollywood stars (and some uber-rich) being able to afford it. While I think that this picture is intended for fashion spreads only, no self-respecting Indian woman would go without a blouse!

Source: google.com via Julie on Pinterest

Subtle blush

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I hate obvious blush. The worst example was Lindsay Lohan at her court appearance for violating court orders (and I feel badly about her situation, as The Parent Trap remake is one of my favorite romcoms).

Perhaps it harkens back to the nude/naked makeup of the early 1990s, but I prefer subtle blushes, and Revlon fills the bill.  I alternate between the Revlon Powder Blush in Sandalwood Beigeicon (a perennial) and Revlon Colorstay Mineral Blush in Honeyicon.

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Revlon Powder Blush in Sandalwood Beige

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I use a dome-shaped blush brush and apply blush only to the apples of my cheeks.

Raiding the closet
I also use Revlon Naturally Glamorous Blush-on in Fleshtone, from a limited edition collection of neutrals that was released when Cindy Crawford was still the face of Revlon.  Perhaps it was a harbinger of things to come: Halle Berry replaced Veronica Webb in the ads for the limited edition collection. Sorry, I couldn’t find images of the ads for the collection.

The fine print: this post contains links for affiliate programs.

The Style Page interview with Kirsten Kjaer Weis

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Kirsten Kjaer (pronounced Ki-ar) Weis sought to marry organic cosmetics with glam packaging. To this end, she collaborated with designer Marc Atlan to create the packaging for her cosmetics line Kjaer Weis. The Kjaer Weis collection comprises crème blushes, lip tints, and eye shadows. The one of a kind packaging features red lacquered grain-textured boxes that encase refillable metal compacts that swing open and close with a click that sounds like “a classic Mercedes door closing,” as she says it.

Kirsten Kjaer Weis

The Style Page posed a few questions to Kirsten Kjaer Weis:

You grew up on a farm in Denmark, where the nearest “big city” had a population of 1,500. Since then, you’ve lived in Paris and California and now you’re settled in New York City. Did growing up in a relatively isolated location fuel your wanderlust?

Yes, I think it did, I have always known that I wanted to travel and eventually live abroad, it feels like it was in my blood, a desire for seeing the world, different cultures, ways of living, getting as much out of the “smorgasbord” of life as possible.

What brought you to New York City?

A great desire for working as a make-up artist in New York and it also fit my personal/relationship situation.

You wanted to marry organic cosmetics with glam packaging. Your packaging is one of a kind. What was the inspiration for the design? Denmark is famous for its modern design. Was Danish design an inspiration for the packaging?

For the design I give credit to Marc Atlan, hands down. When we first met I showed him my “mood board” of things that have meaning to me, everything from swaps of fabric to a beautiful hand writing I had seen to a painting ect, I explained my vision for a green product with a design/glamorous outside, yet sustainable. I also liked the idea of having a distinct color and left him with free hands and a feeling that we were very much on the same wavelength. He called me 2 month later and said he had come up with a great concept, he was right:)

Tell me about working with Marc Atlan and the prototyping and production of your packaging

Marc is fantastic, incredibly inspiring to work with and doesn’t cut corners in any shape or form. I had of course dreamt of having my own design/molds but also knew it might be impossible, due to costs. It became possible and I’m beyond pleased with the end result. Going through prototypes, back and forth, perfecting the compacts, was a lengthy process, but also very satisfying, seeing the line coming to fruition before my eyes.

What are the challenges in quality assurance/quality control for your product?

Working with organic ingredients is like working with a live material, they might change from harvest to harvest, so a lot of adjusting goes into maintaining the textures and colors from batch to batch. It’s also part of the fun and it’s the closest one comes to wearing a hand made piece of make-up. For me it’s a labor of love.

What are your plans for the Kjaer Weis cosmetics line? What might we expect in the upcoming year?

For 2012, I hope to have mascara, foundation and if everything goes well a compact powder in place. Eventually it will be a full range of organic make-up, that’s the vision.

You love traveling and exploring. What places are on your bucket list to visit?

Yes plenty, I have never been to Japan, that’s high on the list, New Zealand as well, Patagonia and a road trip across the US, still so much to see:)

Are there any parting thoughts about beauty that you would like to share with our readers?

I created KW as an alternative to what was on the market, make-up is fun, it’s such a great tool to enhance ones personality and beauty, and I think pretty much any woman from all walks of life, likes to look her best. Fun and harmless go hand in hand!

Kjaer Weis is available through select Space NK boutiques and spacenk.com.

The Style Page was privileged to work directly with Kirsten Kjaer Weis on this feature.

Carmen fantasy redux #MusicMonday

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For this week’s #MusicMonday, I present this scene Tabacalera from Carlos Saura’s film adaptation of the Carmen story, recast in a flamenco dance studio:

This scene is set in the tobacco factory where Carmen works (and gets into a tussle with another factory worker).

I love the ballet tops and whoosh of the skirts.

Carlos Saura’s film was released in 1983, and complements Francesco Rosi’s adaptation of Bizet’s Carmen, which released in 1984.  In addition to featuring Georges Bizet’s music, Carlos Saura’s film also features flamenco music performed by renown flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia.

Mila Kunis – a class act

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Kudos to Mila Kunis for accepting Sgt. Scott Moore’s invitation to be his date at the Marine Corps Ball and honoring her promise.

Mila Kunis and Sgt. Scott Moore

She looks adorable with the bangs, updo, modest dress, and makeup (although I quibble with the obvious amount of blush), and Sgt. Moore looks like one very happy man!

Alek: My Life from Sudanese Refugee to International Supermodel

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Alek: My Life from Sudanese Refuge to International Supermodel


I had some time to spend before a meeting in DC, and decided to take a walk. It was then that I happened upon the clearance rack that was outside the World Bank bookstore. In the clearance rank, I found the book Alek: My Life from Sudanese Refugee to International Supermodel. At $3.00, the book was a steal.

The fashion angle is what drew me to Alek: My Life from Sudanese Refugee to International Supermodel initially. Alek Wek is a trailblazing model. Before her, there had been many models of color, but most of them had “acceptable” features, that is, European-like features, but with darker skin. Alek Wek is said to have an “African” look; however, she rightly notes that there is no typical African look. Appallingly, as you key in “Alek Wek” in Google, one of the top results is “Alek Wek is ugly.”

My fascination and curiosity about world cultures are what drew me into the book. Alek Wek is from southern Sudan, and is an ethnic Dinka. She relates many customs of her Dinka culture. The cow is central to Dinka culture: in this way, I was reminded how central the cow is to villagers in India. As an aside, she talks about what happens to the clothes that we dump into collection boxes.

The civil war between Arabs in northern Sudan and blacks in southern Sudan goes back decades, but never had the high visibility of the human rights catastrophe in Darfur. Alek Wek and her family fled their town to find shelter in a village where distant relatives lived, but had to trek to another village after learning through bush telegraph that fighting had spread to their original destination. She later bluffed her way to Khartoum, and from Khartoum, she went to London, where she was discovered in a London park.


In the second half of the book, Alek Wek discusses her career as a model. Her big breakthrough was making the cover of Elle, and she talks about the fight to put her on the cover. In the last quarter of the book, she talks about using her fame to bring awareness to the humanitarian crisis in southern Sudan. The book concludes with an emotional homecoming to Sudan.

Alek Wek comes across as a well-grounded person, and this can be attributed to the influence of her father and her resourceful mother.

I hope that I haven’t shared too much of Alek: My Life from Sudanese Refugee to International Supermodel to dissuade you from reading the book. On the other hand, I hope that I’ve whetted your interest in reading the book.

The fine print: this article contains links for the Amazon.com affiliate program.

Are pantyhose making a comeback?

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Pantyhose sales have been declining for a long time: the Washington Post (WaPo) saw it fit to print an article about declining pantyhose sales on its front news page several years ago: was it that newsworthy?  On The View, Michelle Obama admitted to not wearing pantyhose.

Now pantyhose are making a resurgence, thanks to trendsetter Kate Middleton (royal protocol frowns on bare legs).  To capitalize on the resurgence, L’eggs has launched a catchy new ad for its pantyhose (HT Shine from Yahoo!):

I can understand why women have given up on pantyhose.  Nylons run easily, and I’ve taken pantyhose out of the package only to rip before I can put them on my legs.  Also, pantyhose can be seen as constricting.  It’s hard to recall that pantyhose liberated women from garters and girdles.

Pantyhose never went out of style for me.  My calves are one of my best features, and I don’t always want to hide them under pants and long skirts.  Pantyhose also conceal razor stubble: I have pale legs, but dark body hair. It’s hard, however, to find nude pantyhose at my local supermarket or CVS. I never can get the right balance: pantyhose with too little spandex bag at my ankles, while pantyhose with too much spandex are too opaque and look like “old lady” stockings. What’s a good pantyhose that balances sheerness with the “leg-clingingness” that spandex provides?

Krigler Jazzy Riviera 2/10

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I seldom do fragrance stories, and I certainly don’t cover the spate of celebrity fragrances! I have, however, done a few stories on boutique fragrances and will entertain more such stories. That’s why I was excited to learn about Krigler, a fragrance house based in New York and Monte Carlo that was founded in 1904.

Krigler’s Jazzy Riviera 2/10 fragrance is a tribute to the Jazz Age (1920s) in the Cap d’Antibes. This unisex fragrance was inspired by eminent personages of 1920s, including Picasso, F. Scott Fitzegerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Dorothy Parker. It resonated with me, as the last movie I saw was Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, in which Owen Wilson plays a writer who is transported back in time to the 1920s and meets with artists and eminent American expats of that era.

Krigler Jazzy Riviera 2/10

With its citrusy top notes (Bergamot, Lemon, and Mandarin), Krigler Jazzy Riviera 2/10 reminds me of Acqua di Parma’s Bergamotto di Calabria, another Mediterranean-inspired fragrance that I’ve covered. However, it doesn’t dry down to the same sort of warmth.

Olfactory notes for Krigler Jazzy Riviera 2/10:

Top notes: Bergamot, Lemon, Mandarin
Heart notes: coriander, freesia, cyclamen
Base notes: cedar, patchouli, musk, vetiver.

Krigler Jazzy Riviera 2/10 costs $215 for 1.7 fl.oz. and $365 for 3.4 fl.oz. Krigler’s U.S. boutique is located at The Plaza Hotel in NYC. You may purchase Krigler fragrances at krigler.com.

Other Krigler fragrances are:

Subtle Orchid 10
Pleasure Gardenia 79
Good Fir 11 – it smells like a Christmas tree!
Manhattan Rose 44

The fine print: The Style Page would like to acknowledge Tractenberg & Co. for sending me vial samples of Krigler fragrances.