Olive Branch Menorah by Michael Aram

Olive Branch Menorah by Michael Aram

I discovered this beautiful piece at Carter & Spence, a gift shop in Warrenton, Virginia. I thought that the olive branch sculpture would be a great centerpiece for our dining table. Moreover, it would extend the Mediterranean theme we created by the display of all the pottery my husband and I bought in Greece.

Then I flipped over the sculpture and saw the holes for candles. Only then did I realize that it was a menorah, proving that you don’t have to celebrate Chanukah to enjoy this piece.

Happy Chanukah to all our readers who celebrate the holiday!

Sera clutch from Cate Adair

I’m a faddish shopper. Lately, I’ve had a craze for collecting small bags for stashing cosmetics, from quilted Vera Bradley signature print cosmetics bags to woven polyvinyl bags (which look like something Sandy Chilewich might do) from MacFABhome to nylon pencil cases from American Apparel to the Alisa clutch from Double Happiness. Now my heart’s set on this Sera clutch from Cate Adair:

You may search The Style Page web site for links to Vera Bradley, Sandy Chilewich, and American Apparel. For links to MacFABhome, Double Happiness, and Cate Adair, visit Bags on MyWeb by Yahoo!

Discount on jewelry from Stylism.com

Here’s a special for the holidays: the online jewelry store Stylism is offering a 10% discount off every item, in addition to discounts such as its automatic 10% on orders over $200.

While The Style Page did not partner with Stylism on this discount, we did partner with Stylism before. I purchased a necklace of crochet-wrapped rings from Elizabeth Gillett through Stylism, at a signficantly lower price than that quoted in the magazine. Stylism fills its orders quickly, and I had the satisfaction of developing a rapport with Stylism. Both The Style Page and Stylism were pleased with the results of our promotion.

Stylism features designers such as Ayala Bar, Ben-Amun, Extasia, Liz Palacios, R.J. Graziano, and Sorrelli. While Chanukah is less than a week away, wouldn’t these embellished menorahs by Michal Golan look great on the table?


Menorahs from Michal Golan

To take advantage of this offer, visit Stylism and enter coupon code SANTA upon checkout. This offer is good through December 10, 2007.

Makeup tools

Makeup application = product + tools + technique.


Sephora Brand Chocolate Croc Prestige Brush Set ($300 Value)

This brush roll provides all the tools you need, and more. It contains a Powder Brush, Blush Brush, Foundation Brush, Concealer Brush, Feather Shimmer Brush, Contour Brush, Large Eyeshadow Brush, Small Eyeshadow Brush, Smudge Brush, Flat Eyeliner Brush, Brow Brush, and a Lip Brush. The feather shimmer brush would be fun for teasing others!

Underground by Rimmel

Underground by Rimmel is more daring than Rimmel’s regular line, and invites comparison to L’Oreal HIP. While Underground is geared toward teens and twenties, there are some great products that woman of all ages can use.


Stir It Up Cream Eyeshadow in Wassup? by Underground by Rimmel

The cream eyeshadow features different shades that are mixed together when you apply it with your fingers. There’s some glitter in this, but if that’s not the effect that you’re seeking, just remove it by flicking a cotton swab or Q-Tip over it.


Cheeky! Blush Duo in Cheer Up by Underground by Rimmel

This blush duo features pale apricot and deep rose shades. Nowadays, most of the shades of blush from mass-market brands are subtle (to be foolproof), so this blush duo stands out. It can look natural by applying the deep rose shade on the apple of the cheeks – don’t blend out to the temples. If it’s too bright, the pale apricot shade will tone it down. There are several other shades of Cheeky! Blush Duo available, and all are wearable.


Loud Mouth Lipgloss in Pucker Up from Underground by Rimmel

Don’t be fooled by the name. This is more lip stain than lip gloss. In addition to Pucker Up, there are other wearable shades of Loud Mouth Lipgloss that will appeal to women of all ages. To prevent the stain from going beyond your mouth, consider lining your lips with clear lipliner first.

Because Loud Mouth Lipgloss is a lip stain, it can be drying. Now since the weather is getting colder, you need to keep your lips conditioned. I use Aquaphor icon, essentially a goo of petroleum jelly and mineral oil, at night to condition my lips (for more, see Treating Chapped Lips). I also like Sally Hansen Healing Butter for Lips (not available through drugstore.com, alas). It boasts of having shea, mango, cocoa and murumuru butters, but if you’re seeking a plant-based product, this isn’t it: petroleum jelly tops the list of ingredients and these butters are way down the list. Still, it’s very emollient.

Underground by Rimmel may be found at Target, and Ulta in the U.S.

We love our friends

Soon after I posted my frustration and disappointment with the success of this blog, it was only right that I should give recognition to those folks who have listed The Style Page on their blogrolls.

There’s Kristen, who graciously included this blog on the blogroll for her hugely sucessful Beauty Addict blog, which was covered by the New York Times. She also announced our (now closed) promotions with Real Cosmetics and Anne Maa Designs through her blog.

There’s Retainer Girl, who blogs at Soul-Piercing Reflections. She loves Jane Austen, John Cusack, Sam Cooke, and Motown. She gave me encouragement to carry on with this blog. I prefer the Brontë sisters to Jane Austen, but I share her fondness for R&B and soul music (thanks to Starbucks’ Hear Music compilations). Seems that she and I could have a lot to talk about.


~charng from Frivolous Rants

Finally, there’s ~charng from Malaysia, who blogs on whatever she wants to share at Frivolous Rants.

New is I♥M·A·C, who blogs at I♥makeup. It’s evident that she’s interested in beauty from India. I have a soft spot for India myself, as my husband’s from India and my in-laws who live in India have accepted me as family.

These are the folks I know who are listing The Style Page on their blogrolls. If there’s anyone else who lists this blog on her (or his!) blogroll, please let me know. I don’t want to overlook you!

Gratuitous Beyonce photo

Given that I’ve blogged on Beyonce several times already, why not another time?

Here’s a photo of Beyonce as we often don’t see her, with little makeup and casually dressed in a knit cap, oversized hoops, a turtleneck, and high-waisted, wide-legged tie-fronts pants.

But she looks great anyhow. To see more, Music Royalty Eats on the Cheap – omg! photos on Yahoo!

Big MAC Attack

I hate crests and emblems. It’s probably because I dislike Juicy Couture. I don’t like its gaudy accessories with their insignia, and frankly, its velour tracksuits with the word “Juicy” emblazoned on the butt are tacky. Who wants to see (as I did) someone’s muffin top above a waistband with the word “Juicy” on it?


MAC Royal Assets holiday collection
6 Warm Eyes eye shadow palette

Still, I couldn’t resist buying this eye shadow palette 6 Warm Eyes from MAC’s Royal Assets limited edition holiday collection. The packaging features a white cover accented in gold with a crest in relief. The casing is made of metal, which provides some heft to the package, and has an authentic vintage look.

Makeup artist and blogger Elke von Freudenburg describes the shades in 6 Warm Eyes as “Golden leaf gold, pale shimmer peach, rich forest green, deep burgundy and rich earth brown.” There is also a matte tan with some pink undertones. The description on MAC’s web site has no relation to what’s in the palette.

Still, Elke didn’t describe the finishes. The shade that she describes as “rich forest green” has shimmer and looks like greenish gunmetal when applied. The deep burgundy is shiny. The rich earth brown shade (bottom row, right), which is matte, coordinates easily with the with the pale peach shimmer (top row, L), the matte tan (top row, R), and golden leaft gold (middle row, L). Coordinating the burgundy (middle row, R) and forest green (bottom row, R) shades with the other shades is more challenging (I prefer tonal shades). The burgundy and forest green shades probably would best used for the crease or outer corner of the eye.

I’ll defer judgment on this palette until I’m able to experiment with all shades, including the burgundy and forest green shades.