An explanation revealing the secret to discovering the best U.K. stores, and links to other guides, follows below.
1. Campbell's of Beauly, Beauly.
2. Stewart Christie & Co., Edinburgh. My favorite shopping experience of the trip.
3. Johnstons of Elgin, Speyside + Edinburgh.
4. Highland Stoneware, Lochinver + Ullapool.
5. Valvona & Crolla, Edinburgh.
After trudging through a New York winter, it may seem absurd to board a plane and jet to temperatures below the long-awaited East Coast spring, to pack sweaters in your suitcase just as you're able to expose skin outside.
The crowd-allergic introvert knows that heading north in the spring rewards wise travelers with prolonged daylight - over seventeen hours - wildflowers in bloom, pristine air, lambs in the fields, sweet baby arugula, vacancy at the most comfortable hotels, and a breeze palpable enough to keep city kids off the trails.
Why Scotland in May? I like real tea and fresh seafood (not served together, you guys) and was, you could say, enthusiastic to learn more about scotch.
Mobs crowd Scotland in summer, reasoning that one should visit a cold climate at the height of its warm weather. They are met with tens of thousands congregating on the basis of the same logic: causing traffic on Scotland's single-track roads, parking lots filled to capacity at the trail heads, and a feast of bared skin for seasonal midges swarming above the shrub.
Beyond the allure of langoustine, scotch, spectacular drives, and proper black tea, I was especially keen to explore famed Scottish textiles.
As profiled in the Financial Times:
Many of the most celebrated international luxury- fashion houses rely on Scottish rather than Italian mills for their fabrics. Some of the relationships go back decades; others are new and founded on innovation as much as on heritage and tradition. But all are forged on the understanding that Scottish cloth is unique. It is said that this is down to “something in the water”, as the soft-water springs that go into the world’s most highly prized whiskies also help textiles hold their texture in a completed garment.
I'll now confide my secret tip for finding the most special shops in the U.K.: visit the Royal Warrant website and comb over recipients by category.
For my American friends, businesses receive an acknowledgement of excellence from either The Queen, her husband The Duke of Edinburgh, or her eldest son Prince Charles if one or any combination of those three individuals have patronized the business for at least 5 years in "an ongoing trading arrangement."
The Royal Warrant website answers intimate questions that one would presume would be secretly guarded. In the spirit of transparently celebrating British craftsmanship, the Royal Family reports where they shop and what for. You'll find a precise encyclopedia of where The Queen buys her cheeses, wines, handbags, hats, tea, bras, socks, china, boots, many horse necessities, cosmetics, etc.
Businesses can and do lose the Royal Warrant - including the privilege to brandish the crest over merchandise and store locations - if their products drop below par, or if the owners abuse the intimacy of their connection with the family, as in the case of The Queen's lingerie fitter.
4/5 shops listed below are holders of the Royal Warrant: Campbell's of Beauly, Stewart Christie & Co., Johnston's of Elgin, and Valvona & Crolla.
Day 1 we landed in Edinburgh and drove 5 hours northwest to Scourie, a tiny village for the gentleman fishing enthusiast. Along the way we stopped at Campbell's of Beauly for their classic country outerwear.
After I paced the store in overwhelm for about 30 minutes, we settled down to the pleasurable task of identifying gifts and selecting pieces for ourselves that would be wearable for the remainder of our stay in Scotland.
I chose rusty red tartan cashmere stoles (pictured above near the bottom center) for my mom and mother-in-law, and Peter walked away with a stunning navy Harris tweed jacket, perfect for dinners ahead.
Campbell's comprehensive offering in every category (men's and women's) could make this your single shopping destination of a Scotland visit, if you need to condense.
We were assisted by a lovely store associate who explained various cuts of men's jackets and gave helpful input into sizing. There's truly almost too much of a good thing in the store; you'll appreciate an expert Scottish voice to narrow the choices.
Picture this: a blustering rainy day in Edinburgh, proper Harry Potter weather, we escape into the comfort of Scotland's oldest bespoke tailor. A couple's purchase is carefully handwritten into a giant book as thick as the Oxford Dictionary, ancient and yellowed, presumably to track the acquisitions of loyal families for their future reference. Another customer stretches his arms out as a tailor measures adjustments for his wedding kilt.
If your Scotland trip begins in Edinburgh, make Stewart Christie your first day's priority. You'll hopefully have enough time to choose a fabric (good luck, there are hundreds of mesmerizing swatches) for something custom made, fitted, and ready to pick up before your return flight.
Peter and I ended the trip in Edinburgh, so we perused the ready-made options. Very fortunately for me, Stewart Christie recently expanded into women's wear, which you'll find downstairs. I picked up a red cashmere turtleneck, now one of my most treasured pieces.
Sweaters are available in several cuts and twinsets. The sweet store associate who assisted me explained that knitwear colors are introduced seasonally, previewed on rolls of swatches so that ladies may order their cashmere in advance. (What a life.)
The only store on this list from which we did not purchase something, but! it's a must-mention for their 220-year history and high quality. Peter and I couldn't fit Speyside into our trip, however if you do find yourself there for whisky tasting, check out the Johnstons of Elgin factory tour. According to Vogue's Speyside guide, visitors to the mill can observe craftsmen dying and spinning cashmere.
With stores around the world, including a charming spot in Nantucket, you don't have to visit Scotland to add their fine cashmere to your wardrobe. Johnstons' global presence does reduce the magic - less of that special, one-of-a-kind experience perceptible in Stewart Christie.
Proceeding a visit to the beach and strawberry rhubarb pie, we dropped by the Highland Stoneware studio in Lochinver village. A small retail corner quietly sits in the midst of an extensive studio.
Ceramists lean over wheels, glazers sip tea and laugh together as they paint sheep onto mugs, men in heavy aprons place greenware into the kiln, and the operation marches on as you're left in peace to look over their special work.
Admittedly pottery isn't the most convenient souvenir to haul back (they will ship), however I couldn't leave behind the above pebbled bowl. Highland Stoneware collaborates with geologists to source glazes from Scottish rocks, capturing the Highlands in hues of native heather, thistle, and heath.
We purchased two small bowls that continue to remind me of our trip. I still ruminate over the darling sheep tea set that I regrettably had to leave behind, perhaps to be collected on a future expedition.
The place to stop if you're weary of heavy fish and chip meals. Though it may seem odd to visit an Italian deli in Edinburgh, navigating to Valvona & Crolla is worthwhile for fresh fruit and veg, a broad selection of cheeses, and delicious boxes of shortbread. The Queen orders their cheeses for her holidays at Balmoral.
Peter and I decided to enjoy our unexpectedly spacious Edinburgh hotel room and picked up supplies for a fresh dinner by the fire.
If beginning your Scottish road trip from Edinburgh, definitely stop here to load up on gourmet car snacks.
A friend of mine fabulously chooses a unique perfume for every vacation to entrench a scent memory in her brain and ensure instant recollection with the whiff of the bottle.
Inspired, I ordered Buly's Scottish Lichen body lait, a unisex scent that evokes the Highlands through green moss, "the scent of the upright stones of Hyperborea, dotted with the lichens’ reddish-brown froth. The tartness of the cold grass fur on the hills’ shoulders, the mosses frosted with dew – the pollens sticking to the belly of dawn are left out to dry in the salty wind from the Hebrides."
Peter and I wore Scottish Lichen daily, inhaling its fragrance while we drove through fields of heather, hiked among spring lambs, and sat down for afternoon tea at little shops by the beach. Back in New York, I'm able to slather on a little Buly and those memories bubble to the surface.
Vogue:
Misc:
This week highlights game-changing cleaning products, tools, and techniques that have improved my life and infused extra sparkle into my home.
Zoflora is a UK-based fragrant disinfectant product that's been around since 1922 and is beloved by the lucky Brits who get to buy it for £1 a pop. Chic fashion blogger Lydia Elise Millen gushes about Zoflora regularly, as does the cleaning guru Mrs. Hinch (a discussion on her to follow).
Zoflora is offered in 20+ scents, including hyacinth, sweetpea, and warm cinnamon. These are not your usual disgusting floral cleaning smells.
I found a seller on Amazon and purchased a box of various scents to try. The British girls who have the luxury of buying Zoflora for comparable pennies in their local supermarkets recommend pouring a few capfuls down drains and into the toilet to soak, providing hours of lovely fragrance in the room.
In contrast, since that is literally pouring money down the drain at the up-marked rates available to Americans, I'm making mine last as long as possible by diluting the concentrated product in spray bottles and using as an all-purpose cleaner.
There are Facebook groups for Zoflora fans - one topic of conversation being what each individual identifies as his or her favorite scent, something people seem to feel strongly about. So far, I've equally loved each of the scents I've tried.
Vinegar is the single most versatile and effective cleaning product, apart from maybe dish soap. Google how to clean any given surface, stain, appliance: usually the answer is vinegar mixed with water or baking soda.
That Windex exists at all is an insult to intelligence.
Vinegar is an excellent natural cleaner to incorporate into your routine if you worry about breathing the toxins from off-the-shelf products. I find that the smell doesn't linger.
Mix vinegar and water in a spray bottle for cleaning glass, or combine vinegar with baking soda to de-gunkify drains (don't put the two together in a bottle unless you're hoping for something to explode).
Last weekend, I learned that adults are supposed to clean the toilet tank at least twice a year, omg. It's not as daunting as it sounds, but I did definitely read the instructions out loud to Peter and make him do it.
Turn off the water supply to the toilet, flush a couple times to drain the water out of the tank, and then pour vinegar into the tank and let it sit.
Vinegar is also the recommended solution for cleaning your humidifier.
I buy 6 gallons of vinegar in bulk. You can also purchase 1 gallon.
True story, a few days ago my 6 gallons of vinegar arrived in a box, unfortunately not unmarked, that clearly advertised the contents and quantities of how much vinegar I was bringing into my home. The delivery guy and neighbors must be wondering ...
Available on Amazon.
Another item that I buy in the biggest boxes available. Sprinkle baking soda on your carpet, on your mattress, in your husband's shoes :), let it sit to absorb the odors, and then vacuum.
Mix baking soda with vinegar to form a paste and scrub that on your shower door to remove mineral stains.
Most importantly, baking soda has decreased the number of times we have to use dreaded Drano or worse, snake the drain.
Dump a pile of baking soda on top of your drains, pour vinegar on top, enjoy the fizzing reaction, and let it sit for 15 minutes before pouring boiling water down to wash it all out.
I regularly treat the kitchen sink to a vinegar/baking soda party because foods can build up and rot in the drain, causing rotten smells.
Large boxes available on Amazon.
Reusable bottles are a must. I enjoy this particular bottle because the spray nozzle distributes liquid with high pressure, and the handle doesn't wear out over time.
I currently have 4 bottles under my sink: one with vinegar and water; the second is a combination of fabric softener and water that I use to spray upholstery; the third is just water to spray plants; and the fourth is a mix of concentrated all purpose cleaner diluted with water.
Available on Amazon Prime.
This is the most non-natural, chemicaly product I'll share, but I have to mention it because it works wonders. I purchased this as a last effort to rehab my bathtub, which was showing age with unappealing brownish streaks that no amount of scrubbing and product combos improved.
I poured Weiman all over the tub, let it sit, and, voilà, looks like new. Apparently boat owners use Weiman to polish their yachts, fancy.
Available on Amazon Prime.
These guys have functional design figured out. Meaning, they actually thought about how products are used and put brain effort into how to improve them. Has anyone else spent real time considering the toilet brush?
For example, Simplehuman magnetized the handle of the toilet brush and the caddy so that you can pick them both up with just one hand.
I recommend all of the below:
Simplehuman toilet brush, $24.98
Simplehuman plunger, $29.99
Simplehuman mini trash bin, $19.99
My mom (hi mom) gets me the randomest stuff, all of which I tend to dismiss upon first receipt (I really do own sufficient flashlight keychains at this point), but inevitably, she's always right: the random stuff works.
One such treasure is this magical kitchen scrubber. I'm truly fascinated that a delicate, dinky little plastic square is so effective at removing grit from dishes and pans ... without scratching them ... how?
You simply will not have to put effort into scouring dishes again after owning one of these. I've removed burnt oatmeal fused into the pan with a few strokes of the Skoy.
Skoy is an environmentally conscious company that employs people with disabilities. Learn more about them and their products on their website.
Infinitely better at cleaning glass without leaving behind lint. Wash + reuse.
What is this witchcraft? A friend told me about Mr. Clean eraser sponges last year when I was complaining that our white painted walls would soon need another paint job because of all the scuffs that I couldn't wipe away. Like the bathtub, I'd tried every combination of cleaner I could think of, but black smudges from our life colliding with the walls wouldn't even fade.
I purchased the erasers on her suggestion, and the wretched smudges wiped clear off.
The sponges remove usage stains from white plastic light switches, AND they erase scuff marks from patent leather shoes. Available on Amazon.
I imagine we are all facing new inner choices as a result of Amazon Prime. Mine recently was "am I actually lazy enough to order replacement mop heads for my Swiffer online rather than walk a few blocks to CVS?"
Happily, that sloth led me to discover a more eco-friendly substitute for plastic single use mop heads. These work with the Swiffer and a variety of mop tools. Wash + reuse.
Shop on Prime here.
Lavender used to be my favorite scent of the Mrs. Meyer's range, until this spring when I discovered the limited edition lilac fragrance. God forbid the company actually phases this out.
I previously bought (again, in bulk - I currently have 6 bottles of the lilac dish soap under my sink) directly from the Mrs. Meyer's website, and it is now conveniently offered on Amazon Prime. Because it's one of their fringe scents, you won't likely find it sold in stores.
I purchased a lilac cleaning set for my mom, who mirrored my behavior when she told me that she finds herself dumping more dish soap than necessary on the dirty plates for the pleasure of the smell.
We usually don't speak about cleaning products to each other do we? The conversation is changing thanks to an Essex woman named Mrs. Hinch. Her 1.2 million Instagram followers, including myself, are hypnotically sucked in to her daily InstaStories in which she enthusiastically films her cleaning techniques and favorite products.
I do experience some horror watching her scrub cleaning agents with her bare, perfectly manicured hands (why no gloves!!), and yet Mrs. Hinch is responsible for lifting the taboo off the subject of cleaning one's home.
Rather than regard cleaning her home as a tiresome chore unworthy of her time, she instead blasts Drake while gleefully polishing her sink and - to some people's utter amazement - has named her products ("Minkeh" the sponge, "Dave" the duster, "Sharon" the vacuum).
Watch her Product Tutorials under her Highlighted Stories and you'll find yourself itching to accumulate a "Narnia" (what she calls her pantry) of cleaning products.
I shouldn't confess this, but: I have looked for every single item on her recommended list (not healthy, I know). Sadly, there's almost no overlap of UK products available in the American market.
The Internet came through, however, and American Mrs. Hinch fans have already posted US equivalents for each of her recommended products.
Thanks for sticking along, talk next week!
]]>Welcome to the first installment of my weekly online + off discoveries. Scroll for my favorite items, including Swiss skincare, trompe l'oeil pet toys, and books made into British TV series.
As a garment, the apron inevitably connotes domestic servitude, and that's perhaps why I have elected to splatter food on my jeans and hand-wash-only shirts. I reached my limit, though, and decided to purchase an apron several weeks ago, only to find that options are limited.
Thank God, the linens goddess Heather Taylor Home just launched an apron collection. My Juniper apron arrived on Friday and I used it throughout the weekend. The fabric details are more beautiful in person, and it's a decor piece when hung in the kitchen.
Available on Heather Taylor Home here.
A Sur La Table employee gushed that I selected her favorite item in the store's inventory when I brought this particular tool to the counter. She confided they're usually sold out because she raves about them to customers.
The scraper is a slim bendy silicone spoon to ease the last drop out of your food processor and batter bowl - or salad dressing jar, anything really. I've reached for it continuously since bringing it home. I'm considering adding this as a stocking stuffer for the cooks in my family.
Available on Amazon Prime here.
My mom whips together upside down cakes for unexpected company because the recipe is genuinely fast and easy to make. She typically uses canned apricots, but I had a particular hankering for pineapple.
My mom's recipe is below, her only deviation is to use dark brown sugar as opposed to light because you'll get a more caramelized texture.
A fresh pineapple is ripening in my windowsill, and as soon as that's ready I'm planning on trying the Smitten Kitchen variation with rum.
On sale for $48.65 on ShopBop. I recently spoke with a friend about all those missing pieces in your capsule wardrobe that remain unfilled for years. Like, instead of buying a single pair of shorts, which I desperately need, I've purchased a Miranda-disapproved number of sparkly high heels.
I wrote down all the staples absent in my closet - to prevent further procrastination - and top of the list was a pair of denim shorts. I ordered 8-9 pairs online over several months and returned them all for fit reasons until I found these Levi's pleated '90s shorts.
They're comfortable, look very Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and style well with a belt and sweater tucked in.
Available exclusively on ShopBop here.
My derm highlighted this Swiss-developed anti-pigmentation cream in her Instagram stories as her new favorite product for battling discoloration, so I bought the stuff within 15 minutes. Cysteamine is easily the most important product introduced into my skincare routine all year.
Unlike other anti-pigmentation treatments, I've noticed results within a week of nightly application. Bless those Swiss scientists.
Available to purchase exclusively here.
Dog toys that aren't obnoxious to look at when scattered around the house are difficult to find. Our Chiwoo loves the squeaky feature of her Veuve.
Available on Amazon Prime here.
Bitter nostalgia associated with reading Rowling sans magic diluted my interest in her detective series. So, a full 5 years after The Cuckoo's Calling was published (and several weeks' time on the library waitlist) I opened the book on a Sunday morning and, unexpectedly, sat in my pajamas all afternoon until I finished it.
A thirst I didn't realize I had for re-experiencing Rowling's writing after all these years was quenched.
Despite my initial critique (the opening is truly a scene borrowed from Lethal Weapon IMO), I drank up Rowling's unparalleled knack for character invention, and her eerie grasp on the subtle manifestations of evil.
The Harry Potter series at core fits within the whodunnit genre, and magic subtracted, Rowling is wildly talented at creating a gripping mystery.
If you suspect, as many did, that the use of a pseudonym was an elaborate marketing scheme, read this article about the bizarre way a housewife named Judith unmasked Rowling, to the author's intense disappointment.
Rowling maintains that the BBC contacted "Robert Galbraith" prior to her unmasking in the hopes of optioning a TV series based on the novel. Awkwardly, J.K. Rowling couldn't take the meeting to maintain incognito, but events progressed such that a show was indeed produced.
I'll admit that I binge watched all 3 episodes of The Cuckoo's Calling in one night, and expect you will too. Perfect casting, high quality production: they did the books justice. But! Read the book first.
An elegy to the Edwardian era, Parade's End follows a set in the British aristocracy pre, during, and post WWI.
I signed up for a trial on Audible, and decided to use my free credit to listen to Parade's End, which is one of their longest literary fiction pieces offered. Listening to Steven Crossley over 38 hours converted me to the pleasure of consuming books by ear.
Play the sample here to see what I mean.
Speaking of evil above, Mrs. Sylvia Tietjens is one of the most gloriously, sickeningly diabolical characters I've encountered in fiction to date.
HBO worked with Tom Stoppard to create a 5-part mini series starring Benedict Cumberbatch. If you're a fan, as I am, of his Sherlock performances, you'll appreciate why he's an obvious choice for the role of the protagonist Christopher Tietjens: a genius statistician, bored by colleagues and friends in awe of his mental superiority, and too clever for his own good. His accurate predictions of political maneuvers and their consequences in Europe parallel Sherlock's deductive astuteness.
Watch the HBO series here (read! or listen! to the book first :)
Sidenote. I randomly decided to read Rhys's novel last week following Parade's End, and learned via Wikipedia that Rhys was Ford Madox Ford's mistress.
Peter & I loved their Peking Duck and octopus salad. Highly recommend for a delicious meal.
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Below are 15 universal, foolproof beauty gifts for the women in your life. These beauty items are curated to be appropriate for all relationships (mom, sister, wife, niece, etc.) along any spectrum of knowledge about makeup (novice to the beauty know-it-all).
Written a picky, hard-to-shop-for Beauty Brat <3
I promise that these gifts will be loved. I can personally attest to owning, repurchasing, and gifting each of the proceeding items.
TL;DR links here, keep reading for more explanation:
As a rule, we know to avoid purchasing fragrance for someone else.
However, the below Fragrance Discovery Experience ($225) is a genius gift. The recipient gets 9 travel size perfume samples that profile Jo Loves' collection. She can try out each fragrance, choose her favorite, and redeem her credit for a full-sized perfume (included in the price of the set).
The lucky recipient therefore gets to experience months of testing each perfume, with the knowledge that there's a generous part II of the gift awaiting her decision (the full size bottle of her choice).
My personal favorite scent is Pomelo, which smells like a luxurious tropical vacation. Jo Malone thought of the Pomelo fragrance while on an island in the Caribbean.
Purchase the Gift Discovery Set here.
The name "Jo" is likely familiar to you, because it's the sequel company launch of businesswoman Jo Malone. After she sold her eponymous brand to Estée Lauder, the world-famous perfumer was contractually obligated to wait 5 years before she could launch a competitive company. Which leads to the next fabulous gift idea:
This is a fitting companion to the gift set above (the book itself is physically scented with the Pomelo fragrance, which is how I first became hooked.
If you know anyone in your life (especially a teenager) who would benefit from exposure to a success story of someone who was not academically inclined (Jo Malone struggles with dyslexia) this is the inspirational book they need. The story is also a must-read for all female entrepreneurs.
Jo Malone describes how she built her empire from scratch, and how she utilized her unique gifts to jump from a working class upbringing to making fragrances for royalty. It's a story of devastating setbacks (breast cancer, legal disputes within her family, business failures), and the courage required to persist.
Purchase Jo Malone's memoir on Amazon here.
The following brush sets are stellar gifts for young women who are beginning their makeup collection. That said, the low price point is not at all correlated with how fantastic the brushes are, so they are the perfect gift for anyone in your life who wears makeup.
I daily reach for these brushes over my designer brand Japanese-crafted goat hair options.
The bristles are ultra soft, and have been thoughtfully designed to achieve precise makeup application. Guaranteed whomever receives these brushes will be happily surprised.
In keeping with the above theme of supporting female entrepreneurs, Real Techniques is a company founded by two makeup artist sisters, whose successful makeup channel Pixiwoo is a sensation on Youtube. They have a separate channel dedicated to tutorials utilizing their brushes, which is an awesome companion resource for the recipient.
I take advantage of libraries as often as possible, but there are some books which provide resources that will be helpful in your life as periodic references. The following books should exist on anyone's shelf who is interested in beauty. They cover big picture concepts and minute technical references.
These are not fluffy nonsense waste-of-time airport reads. They are textbooks of makeup artistry techniques written by the most talented and successful makeup artists in the world. The material in these books continue to be uniquely helpful and relevant regardless of the thousands of hours of beauty tutorials available on Youtube.
To illustrate their content meatiness, I've renamed the titles, shown below in italics, as though they were university courses.
I typically don't recommend purchasing makeup items that involve color for other people: it's too subjective and dependent on their specific complexions.
That said, I'm making an enthusiastic exception for this cute gift set that the Kevyn Aucoin beauty brand has launched in homage to the Making Faces book.
These contour, blush, and eye palettes are organized in "chapters" and magnetically stack like a book together.
A word of wisdom: no harm in including the return/exchange receipt with gifts like these just in case the colors don't work for her.
Purchase the gift set on Nordstrom here.
From Deadly to Desirable: A Sociopolitical History of Makeup
A fascinating read which covers the evolution of facial aesthetics throughout history. With gorgeous photographs throughout, this is as good a coffee table book as it is a World History of Makeup 101 course.
Purchase the book on Amazon here.
Lisa Eldridge visually previews her book here:
Light, Contrast, and Shadow: How to Master The Optics of Beauty
The King of Contour, aka J.Lo's longterm makeup artist Scott Barnes, teaches the fundamental techniques involved in turning ordinary into screen worthy.
Purchase the book on Amazon here.
In most professional technique makeup books (including Kevyn Aucoin's), the artists do not go into product detail. No brands are usually mentioned. The idea is that it's not the products that count, it's the application.
Scott Barnes makes an exception in his multiple books to repeatedly sing the praises of his career-long favorite eyeliner: Maybelline's Velvet Black $3 two-per-package set.
Similar to raw meat (why can't I think of a more elegant analogy right now?), this eyeliner exclusively demonstrates its true potential when combined with a flame.
Teenage goth girls got it right: you have to quickly hold eyeliner over fire to warm up the product so that it applies smoothly with deeper pigment. (I've been using the above combo daily and love the results.)
If you want to give the dopest beauty gift ever, give your loved one Scott Barnes' book along with the Maybelline eyeliner and a lighter to top it off.
As someone who is already predisposed to dry skin, I become semi-hysterical as the winter progresses and humidity drops. Manyo Factory is an organic Korean brand that makes no-nonsense, scientifically-driven skincare.
I was first introduced to the Galactomyces Niacin Special Treatment by one my favorite Korean Beauty bloggers, Gothamista. She recommends the serum in many videos, including the below.
My skin drinks this serum up and feels remarkably hydrated for a long time after application. And I love that there's no fragrance or other ingredients that can cause irritation. For all of the above reasons, this is a lovely, and seasonally well-timed gift.
Purchase the serum on Amazon here.
Korean beauty philosophy separates two concepts: hydration and moisturization. The idea is that you need to hydrate your skin with an essence or serum, and then lock the moisture in with a thicker cream. A cream alone will not properly hydrate your skin because its role is to prevent moisture loss rather than aid moisture saturation.
Since incorporating hydrating serums into my skincare routine, I've felt tremendous relief in my dry skin, and noticed a nice glowy dewiness. I use Manyo Factory's Bifidalacto Complex after applying the above Galactomyces Niacin Special Treatment. I've never found a more effective hydration system than this 1-2 punch.
Purchase on Amazon here.
Another staple for winter, these individual sheet masks are as hydrating as masks get. Missha is currently offering 40% off all products for Cyber Monday, so I've stockpiled these for the months ahead.
Masks are an excellent stocking stuffer :) Purchase at Missha here.
It's a sea salt spray that gives your hair mermaid waves, it smells like rosewater, and it has flecks of gold shimmer throughout. The bottle itself is so pretty that it becomes shelf decor. Perfection.
Purchase on Sephora here.
Another exception to the Don't Buy Someone Else Fragrance rule is Chanel's Limited Edition holiday release of their No.5 fragrance in a gel form. Not to be confused with shower gel, this is a thick liquid with golden shimmer that you can apply to your wrists and collar bone.
Purchase at Chanel here.
All the above beauty gifts would be lovely presents to unwrap, but I have to advocate for gift cards as well. In addition to giving your loved one the freedom to purchase what she's secretly wanting the most, if you purchase a minimum $50 gift card, she will also receive a 45 minute makeover/consultation with a makeup artist in a Sephora store.
Purchase the gift card on Sephora here.
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Hope all was helpful, & Happy Happy Holidays!
I'm going to possibly overshare my private bafflement about a topic: gory Halloween makeup doesn't resonate with me whatsoever.
The most popular YouTube results for "Halloween makeup" display beauty gurus with slashed necks, half-burned faces, brutally sewn-closed mouths, scissor-stabbed eyes, blunt trauma wounds, layers of skin pulled back: I mean! You know this, I don't have to tell you.
(EDIT: Or maybe I do, oh my god, what if it's just MY YouTube algorithm results and ... yours are like cute costume-y tutorials!!? If so, please continue reading this irrelevant material.)
I'll (briefly) watch tutorials of mauled faces with a dumbfounded sense of being an outsider, and while I'm full of admiration for the prosthetic techniques involved, there's a synapse misfiring in my brain which fails to connect why anyone in their lifetime would want to look like a very sad ER case.
In my view, modern Halloween has less to do with tragic deformation and more to do with with imaginative transformation.
If you're also not stoked about wearing copious layers of special effects makeup to a party, below are my favorite Halloween makeup ideas:
Wait until you see how she does the eyebrows.
This tutorial is by the on-set makeup artist who does Emilia Clarke's makeup for the show.
I've never seen an episode of GoT (I'm too busy watching reruns of Family Guy, which is of course made by Seth MacFarlane, who dated Emilia Clarke for a while, so there's that connection), and yet I saved this video to a makeup playlist because the artist's techniques are fascinating and the outcome is beautiful.
Kandee glamorously translates cartoon beauty into flattering makeup.
Not your average M.M. tutorial. Lisa published an incredible history of makeup book (a really good gift for your nerdy friends who equally love makeup). Her research included the techniques Monroe's makeup artist Allan Snyder employed, which Eldridge recreates in the below step-by-step.
A historically interesting tutorial about how Marie Antoinette accomplished her toilette.
An old school tutorial by Pixiwoo, so the video quality is dated, but you still get the gist, and she uses a streamlined kit of affordable products.
I return to this tutorial for a variety of occasions. It's a bold, confidence-boosting eye without being too heavy.
Showcased by the makeup artist who did Kristen Stewart's makeup for a Rolling Stones music video, this is the reference for how to create a dynamic dark eye that's equally glam and grunge.
I've previously shared a list of my favorite Brigitte Bardot makeup tutorials on the Internet, however Lisa Eldridge recently interpreted the Bardot look on Claudia Schiffer and it's worthy of the Best Bardot Looks:
I hope I haven't sounded like a Puritan grumbling about the wonderfully bizarre manifestations of Halloween. I love that we celebrate this weird and exuberant holiday. If you want to look like a straight-up corpse on Halloween, good for you - and based on (my? yours also hopefully?) search results, you're in the majority.
That said, in 2017 countries are still prosecuting women for being witches - my takeaway being that women don't need to look like a horror show to frighten others (*cough* closer to home, the crusade against women's access to health services is a led by a very scared crowd of men who are shaking in their pants watching women's ascendency in the world).
You and me just being women is super scary to almost half the population of the world. So why not look bewitchingly hot while we're at it?
]]>In the spirit of FOMO, my neurotic inner voice turns up the volume in the weeks preceding travel to an international destination. I crave the assurance that I've visited the most special shops in any given city. In my experience, a single Vogue Recommended Guide doesn't cut the mustard.
With all due respect, the dudes and crunchy ladies who write for Lonely Planet are experts when it comes to where to book a camel ride, but a disaster of banality when asked to supply shopping options.
My job prior to Lacerlot was at a worldwide boutique and shopping discovery platform Snapette, where we identified and profiled the best places to shop on earth.
That professional experience isn't even the most relevant here: it's the violence of my anxiety that I'll fail to find hidden gems during my potentially once-in-a-lifetime visit which leads me to put the prep hours in.
Your hotel will most likely provide you with a map of the main shopping market - the Medina - which illustrates areas to wander to based on category (home decor to apothecary to food etc).
The Medina is exhilarating but also exhausting, and borders on a Disneyland vibe. My favorite shops in Marrakech were all outside of the Medina in quiet, tucked away alleys.
144 Arset Aouzal Rd, Marrakesh 40000
The cosmetics marketplace in the United States is the Wild West, and consequences are playing out on your face.
You're searching for good skincare. Depending on your taste, you might browse Sephora.com, Whole Foods, Dermstore.com, or select products from your facialist. All of the above retailers and brands, regardless of the variety of their ethos, sell products that are governed by the same rulebook and enjoy equal freedoms of consumer obfustication.
You've picked a product. Let's begin with two questions: Can you assume the ingredients within are safe, and can you trust the claims made on the jar?
Kafkaesque regulations govern cosmetics in this country. The FDA's explanatory page on their website is titled "How Cosmetics Are Not FDA Approved, but Are FDA Regulated."
You sense that we're heading down a rabbit hole of bullshit.
The United States has not passed a federal law to regulate personal care products since 1938, when President Roosevelt signed the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA).
The Act was in part prompted because manufacturers were putting radium into lipstick and a color dyeing agent called p-Phenylenediamine into mascara, which caused death and blindness respectively. (Look out for products with mercury still on US shelves.)
The FDCA outlined rules that would in theory protect consumers from toxic substances in their personal care products and prevent companies from making false marketing claims.
Despite the regulations on paper, unsafe ingredients have gone straight into bottles and onto our faces without oversight. The European Union has banned over 1,300 ingredients and limited the levels of 250 ingredients in the personal care category over the past 20 years alone. Meanwhile, the United States has only partially banned 30 ingredients in personal care in its history.
Most skincare products fall into the FDA's category of both a cosmetic and a drug. A product is a drug if it makes a claim that it will treat something. For example, the FDA will consider aromatherapy a drug if it claims to help you sleep better or quit smoking.
Drugs are technically supposed to be tested and pre-approved, but over 85,000 chemicals have been introduced into commerce since WWII, and less than 10% of those have been tested for safety in human health.
In contrast, cosmetics companies do not have to get FDA approval before they launch products on the market. So who is responsible for the safety of the products?
The companies.
"Neither the law nor FDA regulations require specific tests to demonstrate the safety of individual products or ingredients. The law also does not require cosmetic companies to share their safety information with FDA."
The FDA says that it regularly advises "manufacturers to use whatever testing is necessary to ensure the safety of their products and ingredients." Emphasis on the word "whatever."
Pause. Maybe you're thinking "ok, so they don't pre-approve, but there are laws that regulate once on the market, so the FDA can enforce once the product is out, and companies will therefore be disincentivized from creating harmful or misleading products."
Someone mansplain to me how this qualifies as "regulation": The FDA does not have the authority to issue a product recall if it is known to be hazardous or misleading.
They will write a letter to the company if they think a product should be recalled, which is endearingly WASPy of them.
When it comes to personal care products, the FDA is a finger wagger and that's where their authority ends.
Given that the FDA can only regulate post-market launch, their enforcement would need to go through the Department of Justice. Scan through the Department of Justice cases over the past couple years and you won't find anything related to cosmetics or skincare products. When the FDA does refer a case to the DoJ, it is considered a "complaint" and the government needs to prove the allegation by a preponderance of the evidence.
Do you think the entrepreneurs and corporations competing in the cosmetics industry have been self-policing? Like first they lobby Congress for less regulation, fight individual and class action lawsuits that evidence the harm of their products, and then they turn around and set a high internal bar for honesty and safety?
My agenda is to identify the products that will actually help with anti-aging and skin health. But if you're really here for the tea, know that research ties ingredients in personal care to the upswing in infertility, birth defects, respiratory issues, and cancer rates.
The FDCA prohibits the marketing of adulterated (unsafe ingredients), or "mislabeling" practices, meaning claims should not be misleading. We now understand that the FDA has a castrated influence over ingredient safety; let's review their regulation of false claims.
From the FDA website describing the FDCA:
This rule is about as enforced as my fantasy no-sugar diet.
Take for example the common fake skincare marketing claim that a product is "hypoallergenic." The term implies that the product is gentle and safe for sensitive skin, and extra beneficial for those who suffer from allergies to substances in other skincare products.
The word "hypoallergenic" has no scientific meaning, and has not been subject to testing. In the early 1970s, the FDA proposed that the word should be defined so that it could be fairly used by the industry.
They suggested a test: could a company show that human subjects suffered less adverse skin reactions with a hypoallergenic product against a similar product without that claim?
Cosmetic companies complained that to test the claim would be an economic burden on them, but they did manage to pay extensive legal fees to fight the FDA's regulation.
After 4 years in courts, Almay and Clinique, which both use the word hypoallergenic frequently on their products, won the appeal in Federal Court, deeming the FDA's regulation invalid.
"Dermatologist-Approved" and "Dermatologist-Tested" and "Non-Comedogenic" are similarly fictitious marketing claims that appear on products in obvious defiance of the FDCA.
Unsubstantiated skincare claims are unregulated - but how about when a company falsely claims a treatment and in fact the product contains ingredients that are the opposite to the alleged outcome?
The Department of Toxic Substances Control begins the overview of their findings on the toxicity of nail products:
"When nail care products claim to be free of unsafe chemicals, despite how the label reads, just the opposite is often true."
Skincare companies likewise get away with claiming whatever you most want to hear, while infusing their products with ingredients that damage your skin upon application.
Often the ingredients aren't just ineffective, they do exactly the opposite of what they claim.
This frustrates me particularly when it comes to acne treatment. Imagine all the self-conscious teens standing in CVS right now, scanning the shelves looking for help - maybe you've been there yourself.
It's unjust that the bottles promoting themselves as acne cleansers, scrubs, and treatments in fact contain ingredients that aggravate the skin and cause increased breakouts.
Below is a small sample of acne cleansers which contain inflammatory ingredients that literally make acne worse:
It's as if you sought help from a dentist, paid for his services, and he proceeded to inject your gums with plaque. Or if your gym force fed you donuts when you walked through their doors: you're paying for exactly the opposite of what you're intending to buy.
In an ideal market, safe and effective skincare products would sell better than their toxic and inflammatory competitors, and companies would be incentivized to introduce innovative products that offered increasingly better treatment.
Why are companies like Neutrogena releasing "acne fighting products" that cause more acne?
Obvious hypotheses would be: 1) good and bad effects from products often take a long time for a person to recognize on their skin, and 2) manufacturers are using cheap ingredients for the sake of cost-effectiveness.
A more subtle guess has to do with the psychology of what consumers think they want from skincare.
When you were a teen standing in the skincare aisle, it probably seemed intuitive to you that the best acne cleanser would be one that provided a "deep" clean.
Zits seem dirty, so a cleanser with a scrub is appealing. We associate cleaning agents with foam, so it makes sense to look for a foaming cleanser. We link oil with acne, so a cleanser that leaves our face feeling tighter, tingling, and drier seems effective. Most of us would also prefer to put something on our faces that smells like apricots than a concoction of medical ingredients, so we reach for the pretty apricot bottle.
The ingredients required to make a product do all of the above are also very irritating for the skin.
In his book The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business, Charles Duhigg outlines how the makers of Pepsodent, the first successful toothpaste in America, managed to market their product to consumers so it was used regularly. When Pepsodent entered the market, only 7% of Americans owned a tube of toothpaste, and 10 years later, 65% did.
Unlike other toothpaste products, Pepsodent included ingredients that made the mouth tingle and caused the paste to foam. Initial consumers associated both those sensations with effectiveness, and Pepsodent launched marketing campaigns that taught Americans to associate tingling and foaming as cues for cleaner teeth. As a brand manager at Oral-B explained to Duhigg:
"Consumers need some kind of signal that a product is working. We can make toothpaste taste like anything--blueberries, green tea--as long as it has a cool tingle, people feel like their mouth is clean. The tingling doesn't make the toothpaste work any better. It just convinces people it's doing the job."
She continues to address the foaming aspect:
"Foaming is a huge reward. Shampoo doesn't have to foam, but we add foaming chemicals because people expect it each time they wash their hair. Same thing with laundry detergent. And toothpaste--now every company adds sodium laureth sulfate to make toothpaste foam more. There's no cleaning benefit, but people feel better when there's a bunch of suds around their mouth."
When a government fails to monitor an industry, the burden is on us to self-educate. In the next installments of this series, I'll cover why "natural" and "all organic" skincare products are often bogus, why a $250 skin cream is likely less effective than olive oil, and how to read the back of every skincare bottle before purchasing.
The outcome of your self education is that you'll save a lot of money on skincare and you'll have prettier skin, win-win.
]]>Below is the makeup that, after much research and testing, composed my A+ team of miracle-beauty-in-a-bottle products for my wedding day. I continue to love and use them daily. This is the straight list for TLDR's sake. A separate skincare post will follow.
(I have very dry skin. The face products below work best with my skin type.)
In a previous post about the pros and cons about doing your own bridal makeup, I noted that contrary to initial assumptions, you will likely spend more acquiring a collection of wedding-worthy makeup than hiring someone to do your makeup for you. The above products total $1,759. I was quoted $160 for a professional makeup artist to come to my hotel room (travel expenses included).
For those of you who don't know my neuroses intimately, let me contextualize this post by saying that my loved ones find me totally exhausting when it comes to making decisions about purchases. I'm not indecisive: I simply loathe impulse buys, and must have ALL the information about ALL the options before I select one.
I crave the comfort of knowing that I've selected the most effective option on the market. I do this even for shit I don't care about that much, like my husband and I went 3 months without a shower curtain because I HAD to research and find the very best; I b*&tched about pillowcases for 8 months before selecting the most highly reviewed & thoroughly tested models, and I've been looking for floor lamps for the past 6 months (y tho!!).
In contrast to home items, I care A LOT more about makeup. I am embarrassed by the amount of time I've devoted to learning about products. Until I decided to do my own bridal makeup, the value of my fanaticism was questionable. This rambling is to assure you that the above makeup products used were thoroughly examined, meticulously tested, and are blue ribbon Best in Shows by my standards.
Here's my philosophy in a nutshell when it comes to buying makeup: I'm a minimalist; I don't want several products that serve the same purpose cluttering my shelves.
When I decided to do my bridal makeup, the bar for product performance jumped by several powers of 10. As though the stakes weren't high enough already, I also got married in a challenging climate for makeup: outside in humid 85+ degree tropical weather.
Beyond in-person texture, color, and composition testing, I also go to extensive lengths to cross compare product reviews on blogs, private Facebook beauty groups, reddit forums, formula safety sites, and Youtube.
I reject the practice of amassing a makeup "collection" or being a "collector." A collection connotes having an excess of stuff for possession's sake. Instead, I'm seeking the most streamlined curation of heavily edited winners. I want the best in class for each category - items that outperform against A/B tests every time.
The makeup I used on my wedding day represents exactly my dream selection. I plan to use up each of the above products to the last drop.
A parting word of advice: my wedding makeup application mantra was NO SURPRISES. You will be tempted to purchase more expensive makeup items for the sake of the occasion, and you will be tempted to save their first use for your wedding day. Ignore your "this is so special I'll save it for the day!" impulse. Rip open the package, and ruthlessly test the stuff. No surprises.
]]>Ignore the flabbergasted beauty sales ladies at department stores who will look at you in disbelief when they find out what you're planning.
Advice to hire a pro rests on the questionable assumption that although we do our own makeup regularly (even daily), we cannot possibly be practiced enough to handle the challenge of our bridal makeup.
Below are the Top 5 reasons I decided to do my own wedding makeup. I'll also address a few instances in which you should ignore my advice.
I adore having my makeup done. It's therapeutic: if I'm in a bad mood I'll visit a department store, sit in the chair, and invite the beauty assistant du jour to go to town on my face. But, having learned the hard way, I know never to choose this form of serenity prior to an event I care about (somewhere there's a college senior yearbook photo of me in terribly dramatic black eyeshadow).
If you've ever had your makeup professionally done, watched a Youtube video of occasion makeup, or simply sat down at a department store counter, you know that your eyes are closed for the majority of the application. When you open your eyes and see the finished look, it is often too late to make significant adjustments.
Makeup artistry is especially odd to watch because layers look strange as they're applied, and only coalesce into a polished, attractive look at the end of the application.
Even if you vigilantly peak out of one eye into a mirror throughout your application, it will be difficult to halt missteps or provide feedback in real time. Once the makeup artist is finished it will be challenging for the artist to erase and tweak areas without disrupting the texture of your face.
Theoretically there shouldn't be surprises: brides do makeup trials before their wedding day, and Instagram makes it easier than ever before to scroll through examples of an artist's previous work.
Whether you've acknowledged the extent of your own knowledge or not, you do implicitly know what features you like the best, which colors make your eyes, lips, and cheeks light up, and where along the spectrum of light to heavy makeup is most flattering on your skin.
A makeup artist typically will schedule a trial session ahead of your wedding day. That's nothing compared to the amount of time you can devote to testing looks, techniques, and products.
I poured through makeup tutorials on Youtube, read blogs about the best waterproof products (tearproof and Hawaii sweat proof), and then tried about a look a day. I documented my efforts with photos and videos so I could track what worked.
After a month, I had a step-by-step written reference of how I was going to do my wedding makeup.
Did you hear about the 8-year-old who learned to drive by watching Youtube videos?
We now have access to incredible information from talented people. The world's most sought after makeup artists, e.g. Charlotte Tilbury, Mary Greenwell, Lisa Eldridge, showcase their favorite products and bridal looks via videos.
You can pause, rewind, erase, begin again. Below are some of my favorite makeup tutorials:
I love trying new makeup, but I also have a capsule collection of a gold standards in each category (click here for the complete list of products I used). I discovered an eyeliner than can't be beat, a foundation that is more glossy and comfortable than anything I've tried, a lip liner that looks like lip injections, and so on.
I didn't already own waterproof mascara or setting spray, so I searched the blogs and Youtube channels of the aforementioned makeup artists, wrote down their recommendations, ordered the products, and tested them with my existing makeup.
While a makeup artist is certainly intimate with his or her kit, products look and work differently on every single face. It's what makes being a makeup artist so challenging and they deserve admiration for their knowledge. However, I decided that for me, I'd rather trust my own sense of colors and products on my face than hand the reigns over to a stranger.
I'll admit that there are valid arguments in favor of hiring a makeup artist, and I have a few that I can offer based on my experience.
And enjoy the hours leading up to your wedding. Perhaps you imagine sipping champagne with the women in your life while you all get your hair and makeup done.
My husband and I eloped in Maui, so I spent the hours before our ceremony in a quiet room, using 100% of my focus to carefully execute the techniques I had practised. It wasn't necessarily stressful so much as intense, but if others had been in the room I would have likely been very uptight and distracted.
If you have an audience, aka a large bridal party, hire a pro so that you can enjoy the moment with your friends.
Say this blog title had been "Reasons to Do Your Own Wedding Hair," I wouldn't have done my own hair no matter what anyone told me. I'm hopeless with my hair, don't own a single heat tool or barrette, and become easily bored watching hair tutorials online.
I don't derive joy from doing my hair like I do my makeup, so I knew to trust someone else with my hair.
I've invested quite the chunk of cash into my makeup collection over the years. The kit of products involved in doing your own makeup artist will most likely be more expensive than booking someone to do your makeup for you.
While it may be cheaper in comparison to hire someone in the short term, if you continue to use the products you purchase for your wedding day, each will have a low cost per use.
I've had the pleasure of designing dresses over the last few years for Lacerlot's bridal clients, so I'm familiar with the hopes and anxieties involved in the creation process. As sympathetic as I may have been to a bride's emotional journey, nothing replaces the experience of getting married yourself.
Here's the Top 6 Things I was most surprised to learn while designing my own wedding dress:
When thinking about your gown design, consider starting with the setting first.
Years ago during a visit to Kleinfeld's, I thought I found the blueprint of my future wedding attire when I tried on a $23,000 gown. The dress sang Cinderella: a massive princess ball gown with shimmery silk material, a long train, a tight corset, and a bulbous skirt. People had to step out of the way from the yardage of fabric surrounding me in the store so that I could walk to the mirrors.
Through Lacerlot, I possessed the tools to recreate a dreamy and expensive dress exactly how I wanted. But I didn't, and here's why: my fiancé Peter and I decided to elope in Maui. I would have looked ridiculous, and felt hot and uncomfortable, in a giant ball gown on the beach. (Not saying you shouldn't do it.)
I went so far as to submit Cinderella-esque ideas to Lacerlot seamstresses, then immediately changed my mind and got serious about a design that would be most enchanting in the tropical environment we had chosen.
I envisioned the summer Hawaiian heat, the sand, sun, ocean spray, wind, and I began focusing my design inspiration on breezy dresses. The environment answered a lot of design questions for me: hem length, material, train length, sleeves, etc. I was still able to exercise creativity with my embroidery, but our location determined the silhouette.
I expected to be indecisive when faced with the multitudes of bridal gown styles. Despite the infinite options, there were just 2-3 dress candidates that I loved enough to wear on my wedding day.
My Pinterest wedding board features over 300 dresses. It was illuminating to realize that while I admired many, I only pictured 2-3 different styles that I genuinely wanted to get married in. I know my body, and while there are plenty of beautiful gowns in the world, many silhouettes don't work with my frame.
Popular culture, and my own preconceptions as a dressmaker, often paint the wedding dress as the single most important aspect to a bride. While your dress matters a lot, so do many other logistics that you will undoubtedly care deeply about.
In regards to our beach elopement, which represents about as low-key a wedding as you can get, I still worried about the possibility of rain, how many strangers would show up to the beach and watch, if I'd blink in all the photos, whether my flowers would wilt and die by the time we got to the beach, whether I'd manage to cry streaks of mascara and eyeliner down my face during the ceremony - the list goes on.
My primary hope was that all the elements of my elopement - planned and unplanned - would coalesce into romantic and joyful memories. By the eve of my wedding day, the standard that I set for my dress was exclusively that it fit, look pretty in photos, and otherwise not distract from my experience.
As a designer, I used to conceive a wedding dress as a sculptural piece of art. And it is, but it also needs to come through for you in a practical way - just like a ballerina's costume shouldn't impede her performance.
I didn't want to worry about sweat showing through the fabric, or flashing my chest to the officiant during a gust of wind (a thought I'll return to). I needed to sit down in the car to drive to the beach without causing disarray. The photographer asked us to walk into the water, run along the beach, and twirl. I even climbed up some rocks for a few shots. And during our wedding dinner, I needed to be able to use the bathroom without anyone helping me to unzip the dress.
I'm all about impracticality (see my wedding manicure below), and yet I learned that you shouldn't overpredict your willingness to tolerate inconveniences on your wedding day.
Banish compromising thoughts like: "I just won't sit down!" or "My husband can spoon feed me so I don't have to raise my arms" or "I'll carry my 8ft train in my arms the rest of the day!" or "It will be fine if I'm [freezing, starving, sweating, immobile, unable to breathe]!"
Protect your mental space on your wedding day by assuring in advance that you can trust your dress enough to ignore it. Which leads to my next learning...
If your stunning dress doesn't fit, you will not feel confident or beautiful.
In some cases, if the dress is too big, or too small, or merely fits in an unflattering way, you may not be able to wear it at all.
Peter and I decided to elope on the beach during our upcoming getaway to Maui, which allocated less than 3 weeks to design and construct my dress, and ship it from India to Hawaii. After many late nights overseeing my rush order, and frantic calls to DHL, my dress arrived the day before my wedding.
As most wedding dresses do, my gown needed tailoring. I did a quick Yelp search, found a highly rated seamstress, and drove over that afternoon for adjustments. As much as I loved the dress as soon as I opened the package, there was a risk pre-tailoring that I would flash the officiant and photographer, and that was an unacceptable possibility in my book.
Plan to have your dress tailored, and schedule the fittings as far before your wedding as you can manage. Ideally you'll have multiple fittings to ensure that everything looks right and moves correctly.
This is a universal rule for most of life, I've found.
Given that my elopement was so spontaneous, and we weren't certain that the dress I'd designed would reach an island in the middle of the Pacific in time, I organized two backup plans.
First, I packed several dresses that I already owned that made me feel pretty and photographed well. Not ideal, but at least I'd have something nice to wear on my wedding day.
Second, I knew if all went wrong, I could rent a dress from Gossamer. These ladies curate a stunning selection of designer vintage gowns, which they ensure are in immaculate condition. Their rental collection is a wonderful resource for one-of-a-kind options.
Having acceptable backup scenarios in place meant that I could embrace an aloha spirit and relax in the face of uncertainty. The Maui seamstress even commented in wonderment at my apparent ease about needing my dress tailored the day before my ceremony.
Here's the thing: if you allow yourself to get too stressed out right before your wedding, you very likely will grow a big rogue zit. So think about that, breathe, and approach the unexpected with laughter.
Reach me at love@lacerlot.com to design your own dream gown.
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We explain the Lacerlot process that converted Evie's fantasy wedding dress into real life. After the bride articulated her dream wedding gown to us, and her sketch was completed, we gathered the finest materials and set to work.
Lacerlot's alchemy is orchestrated around the world: Evie's gown was designed in her living room in California, the fabric was purchased in New York, the lace was hand-crafted in France, the chiffon made in Italy, and the dress was constructed at one of Lacerlot's bridal studios in India. The gown then returned to Evie's home, where we sent our tailor to edit the finishing touches.
We've partnered with experts globally, and yet Lacerlot operates on an intimate basis. I work one-on-one with each bride to bring her dress to life because creating a dress entirely with the bride in mind achieves the most magical transformation.
I've developed personal relationships with fabric shop owners, who show me exceptional silks and laces from the backroom, and will secretly cut below-minimum yards of fabric for Lacerlot's clients.
I trade gardening notes with Lacerlot's family-run couture studio. I'm friends with Lacerlot's partner tailors, and I know what their kids (and dogs!) have been up to.
Lacerlot's success is their success, and vice versa. So I work extra hard to make sure that our clients adore their dresses, because that love fuels our collective growth.
Evie knew that contrary to what she was finding in bridal boutiques - fluorescent, cool-toned white dresses - a softer, ivory white would best suit her skin tone. Notes in hand, I combed through NYC's Garment District for a shade of white chiffon that would best complement and enhance Evie's coloring.
Next, the I visited my favorite lace specialists. The endless varieties of lace can make discrimination among them difficult. Some women dislike florals, others paisley; some like piping, others prefer flat lace.
Evie selected a French hand-made lace featuring raised piping, which would subtly draw attention and definition to Evie's torso. An outline of leaves and petals would trace the eye along her neckline, then sweep down into her low back. The lace's complexity harmonized with the unembellished elegance of the skirt.
Artisans in Lacerlot's couture studio mapped out Evie's pattern with her individual body shape in mind. A muslin copy of the dress is molded in cheap fabric, then studied and perfected before we cut into the expensive materials.
Once Evie and our production team were happy with the muslin, we pinned the bust, then double-checked that Evie liked its shape ahead of sewing in the lace by hand.
Henry Ford said "Quality means doing it right when no one is looking." Communication technology has now advanced so that our clients are able to always be looking, and we believe that produces more polished results.
Our dresses ship from the studio, and arrive 48 hours later in Lacerlot's NYC headquarters. The New York team performs a quality control inspection to confirm that the dress successfully meets Lacerlot's high standards.
Working with a skilled seamstress one-on-one presents the opportunity to tweak design aspects that you liked remotely, but feel different on your body.
In Evie's case, it made sense to alter the straps of the dress so that they connected to the side bust rather than the back.
Evie decided to reduce the amount of lace in order to raise the waistline. She wanted to tighten up the bust, and added a bustle to alleviate any worry about stepping on the train while dancing.
Evie looked angelic on her wedding day. The ocean air sent ripples through the chiffon and stretched the train out behind her like liquid cream.
The dress achieved that perfect symbiosis between the bride and the wedding dress: neither outshined the other, and together they radiated beauty.
Evie described her groom's reaction: "He loved it. I think we did a great job creating this dress to feel like a wedding dress while also remaining simple, elegant, and fun, and that's what he hoped for."
When Evie slipped into her gown, she transformed from the familiar person we recognize daily into the most resplendent expression of herself.
As a guest at her wedding, I can personally attest that magic twinkled. After the initial cheering, there was this moment of hushed awe as she walked, arms linked with her mom, down the aisle.
Interested in creating your own magical gown? Contact us at love@lacerlot.com for a complimentary design consultation.
In addition to wedding gowns, we stitch dresses for a diverse array of special occasions. We welcome hearing your thoughts about any dress that you're curious about creating.
You can reach Evie's wedding photographer Lynn Bagley Photography here.
Read Part I, about how Evie arrived at the design of her dress, here.
]]>How does someone without design experience manifest a wedding gown from her imagination? This is the story behind how Lacerlot's Fairy Godmother Magic (and international team) transformed Evie's fantasy wedding dress into reality.
Lacerlot's raison d'etre is our conviction that the dress you design for yourself will dazzle far more than a pre-designed dress sold in-store. We believe the most magical dress is one whose creation traces back to your own individual imagination, because every aspect of the dress you create will reflect your precious, inimitable self.
Evie, a bride with the soul and looks of a mermaid, reached out to Lacerlot in February to create her dream dress for her coastal summer wedding.
The dresses she previously found in San Francisco stores evoked mixed reactions among her bridesmaids and family: everyone picked a different favorite, and while Evie appreciated elements of several gowns, she felt no single dress exhibited all of the attributes she envisioned. Nothing sang out "I'm yours!"
"Wedding dress shopping was fun the first day, but I was overwhelmed by the prices and the inability to find just the right dress. The prospect of jumping into another frustrating day was exhausting," she explained.
Evie had designed a special occasion dress with Lacerlot for a previous event, so she trusted us to craft her wedding gown from scratch.
Evie didn't know exactly what she wanted, which is an expected starting place: our goal is to listen & observe intensely, and then guide each client through the creative process until we reach something uniquely reflective of her.
Evie explained that she wanted something comfortable; she hoped to slip into the gown at the beginning of her wedding day and feel unconstricted by the cut and fabric. While she prioritized breeziness, she also imagined a dress that made her feel beautiful and bewitching.
To accomplish the feat of making one gown at a time, when manufacturers produce at the very minimum 25-50 copies of every dress, we searched the globe for the best couturiers.
I've been told "no" by design studios about 250 times for every "yes" I received, which filtered our partners into a select group of gems, who dream as big as we do, and believe it's a worthwhile pursuit to give each woman the freedom to bring her dream dress to life.
Our teams are able to nimbly respond to original dress designs, and focus our energies on one-of-a-kind requests.
For example, Lacerlot has custom manufactured sequins for a single dress, we've hand-stitched secret messages from a loved one into a wedding dress, we've embroidered a client's favorite flowers into her silk tulle skirt, and we've molded a single set of gold buttons for a client's dress clasp.
I sat down with Evie and placed a sketch pad between us. We talked through the gown from neck to waist, waist to hem, front and back. We discussed questions including: What would be your perfect neckline? What should the straps look and feel like? Where do you want the dress be the most slim? What's the transparency? How should it move? How do you want the dress to close: zippers, buttons, or elastic? Train or no train? If a train, then include a bustle? Should the dress include beading? Lace? How shall we arrange the placement of the lace? What lace motifs are preferred? Should the lace be multi-dimensional or flat?
Trusting yourself to know the answers to all these detailed questions is daunting, which is why we break it down into tiny pieces and begin to understand your preferences step-by-step. Evie & I looked at photo examples from the runway, red carpet, and Pinterest to help her decide how each element of the dress would reflect her personality, her taste, and best suit her individual figure.
Evie thought out loud while I sketched. Like most creative processes, there was a lot of erasing as vague preferences crystallized into distinct style choices.
By the end of the night, we had a front/back and side view sketch of the dress. I left her with the sketch and asked her to sleep on the design, and allow it to marinate before we sent it off to Lacerlot's seamstresses.
The iconic sculptor Brancusi said "Simplicity is complexity resolved." Evie called the next morning and intuitively followed that advice: layers were erased and elegance remained.
For the final in-person step, I measured Evie's body from head to toe. In addition to general body measurements, we also established distances and slopes particular to the dress: the plunge of the low back and v-neck, hypotenuse of the bust, and the length of the train.
(There are so many design-related math problems Lacerlot should submit to elementary and high school teachers to help interest students who are, like I was, bored by car sales questions.)
As I was walking out the door, Evie ran to her kitchen and brought back a clove of garlic to illustrate the warmth of the white she preferred for her dress fabric, which has become my favorite color reference to date.
In Part 2, learn how our production team metamorphosed Evie's dream dress into the gown she wore on her wedding day.
Interested in creating your own magical gown? Contact us at love@lacerlot.com for a free consultation. You can reach Lynn Bagley Photography here.
Continue reading about how we made Evie's wedding dress here.
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Famed costume designer Edith Head composed a color guide to match the most flattering fabric choices to each complexion. The guide reflects her decades of experience creating some of the most iconic gowns worn by her superstar clients, including Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, and Audrey Hepburn.
In this series, Lacerlot identifies the colors Ms. Head recommended for each complexion category.
HAIR: Medium Gray or Silver
SKIN: Medium
EYES: Medium gray, green, hazel
Not to be confused with aqua, pale blue, or teal. The simplest way to reference the color is by looking at its namesake, the turquoise stone:
Pale turquoise is a gorgeous, soothing color, that has been associated with good fortune and holiness for centuries.
Can you think of anything more lovely than buttery, creamy yellow?
We asked our most trusted esthetician, Eleanor Bagley, to reveal how she advises her clients to care for their skin leading up to their wedding day. Read below to find out how to structure your routine, and discover her product recommendations:
I was born and raised in Marin County, CA, and have remained in the Bay Area ever since. I've been a practising esthetician since 2009, after I was inspired by a fellow esthetician who helped me with my troubled skin. Her results-driven approach emphasized natural ingredients and a thoroughly-researched product regime. The effectiveness of her work encouraged me to learn more about products and ingredients, which subsequently led me to attain my Esthetics license. I completed my 600-hour program in San Francisco, followed by another 900 hours of coursework to get my masters in skin care. I was awarded the International Esthetics CIDESCO diploma, which is based out of Zurich, Switzerland.
I now practice predominantly natural, European facials with the same results-driven perspective. I believe in a ritualistic approach to skin with a customized regime, and honoring an intrinsic balancing of the skin, body, and mind.
I get asked this question a lot and it's always changing as I regularly try/test new products. The consistent game-changers have been:
May Lindstrom The Problem Solver: It's a beautiful way to implement the ritual of weekly masking. The Problem Solver is a true multitasker for problematic skin types: it clears blackheads, sooths inflammation, and promotes circulation. I recommend using it once a week as a detox for the skin.
In Fiore Soleil Fleur Antioxidant Before Sun Treatment: this is another product that rarely leaves my arsenal. I'm really into products that pack a punch. All In Fiore products are super potent, but the Soleil Fleur especially succeeds by moisturizing and protecting the skin with powerful antioxidants to help prevent damage from external factors. Most mornings I will just combine the Soleil Fleur with SPF.
Suntegrity makes a really good line of sunscreens that are clean, and one that doubles as a primer.
I suggest scheduling a series of facials, particularly treatments that include enzymes or peels to refresh the skin, brighten pigmentation, and refine pores and texture. Get cozy with your esthetician to customize a good skin care routine for your specific skin.
Leading up to a big event, it's important to not overdo it. Leave the strong treatments like peels to no later than 2 weeks prior to the wedding. In the weeks right before the day, use a gentle exfoliant to keep the skin looking bright and smooth.
I recommend Luzern's hydrating enzyme mask, or an extractor scrub like Arcona's Golden Grain Gommage.
It's also very important to maintain hydration, so I suggest a serum with hyaluronic acid to help boost moisture content and plump fine lines.
Getting good old fashioned sleep and drinking plenty of water is a must!
Keep things very simple. Less is more the day of, as you want to prevent any unexpected reactions from happening. I suggest a good depuffing eye gel like Arcona's Peptide Eye Serum.
Pack a gentle cleanser and hydrating serum. I also love the Orgaid Organic Sheet Masks for a quick pre-wedding treatment. They're fun to do the day of or night before with all your bridesmaids.
Skip anything harsh. Give yourself at least a two-day break from scrubs and exfoliants leading up to your wedding. You want your skin to be well-hydrated and calm. Most makeup artists prefer working on a clean, hydrated canvas, so leave the priming and perfecting to them. Make sure you do all your waxing, tinting, eyelash extensions, etc. to at least one week before to prevent any unwanted reactions or post-waxing bumps. If you're doing your own makeup, be careful with buying highlighters and setting powders as some can cause a glare in flash photos.
To book a facial with Eleanor Bagley, call the International Orange Spa at 415.563.5000 ext. 1, or book online here. You can follow her on Instagram @elle_b_suda
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You dream the dress, and Lacerlot makes it. So how does the collaboration happen? The ultimate luxury is something that is made entirely with you in mind from sketch to stitch, which is why we start from scratch with each order.
Using the Cécile Brünner dress as an example, I'll explain the 10-step Lacerlot process.
Step 1, Inspiration:
The Cécile Brünner dress first began with fabric. Lynn and I visited a beautiful fabric store in Oakland and placed silk rolls into our cart, then heaved them around the store for an hour. We began the stomach-churning edit of eliminating bolts from our bag until only one silk was left: a glossy pink dupioni with golden yellow undertones. The color perfectly suited Lynn's strawberry blonde hair and alabaster skin tone. In some lights the fabric shined a rosy pink, and in others the color deepened into a dusty salmon.
Often the design ideas come first and fabric follows. In this case, we had sufficient yards of our pink silk to work backwards. Lynn showed me several photos of elegant cotton and linen day dresses on Pinterest, and we began thinking through which designs would synthesize with silk substituted. We considered where she could wear the dress (weddings coming up this summer), and what small yet crucial design elements were important to her (the origami shape of the collar, pockets, ability to roll the sleeves).
Watch the sketch below!
I used to assume that clothing sizes corresponded to real body sizes. Astoundingly, clothing brands instead work backwards from a "target customer," an imagined person whose shape is ideal for their brand. Then, using secretive algorithms, the company scales up and down from that fantasy body to create patterns in other sizes.
It's why your size doesn't dependably fit you from brand to brand, and why clothes fit some areas of your body but not others. The shoddy fit leads women to feel insecure about their bodies, and contributes to more retail waste, because clothes that don't fit get tossed out.
When I started Lacerlot, it was essential to me that all dresses were made with each individual's specific body in mind.
It would be much easier for us to simply designate pattern sizes and have those pre-cut and ready to go for new orders. But my mother raised me to notice how well Princess Diana's dresses fit her: fabric was tailored to her figure and intensified the beauty of her body in the dress.
It's unimaginable to picture the Princess in a dress with pouchy fabric billowing and puckering in unflattering places. Her body looked fabulous in the dresses because the dresses were made for her body. Every Lacerlot woman deserves the same luxurious treatment.
Using the Lacerlot Measurement Guide I recorded Lynn's specific body measurements.
Contrary to the retail industry model, Lacerlot does not stockpile fabrics or notions in bulk, even though it would save a tremendous amount of time and effort on our end to do so.
Lacerlot searches, selects, and purchases every single element of your dress with your preferences in mind. In some cases, we manufacture custom sequins, in others, we hand-dye laces, whatever it takes to closely recreate your imagined dress. Lynn's Cécile Brünner dress needed thread and something hidden to clasp the front of the dress together.
We considered buttons, but since the piece required about 20 closures down the front of the dress, we realized snaps would be a much more convenient experience for her. After reviewing size options of the snaps, 7mm turned out to be just the right size: they're both delicately small but strong enough for the thick silk fabric.
Because none of the snaps in that size were sold in bright gold, we had them custom made in NYC in a small batch for Lynn's dress.
For the top collar button we combed through abalone shell options until we selected the perfect one that had just the right amount of pink opalescence.
Lacerlot partners with dress and embroidery specialists in both the United States and in India. When a Lacerlot dress is ready to be made, I select the best expert among our partners to create that particular dress. The Cécile Brünner dress was created in Boston with my silk specialist, who is a genius at cutting and draping simple yet rich gowns.
We sat down together over several meetings and mapped out the design from collar to hem. She creates a pattern, then cuts it out into paper or thin fabric and drapes the pattern onto a dress form. We evaluate the dress draft in detail before cutting into the expensive silk fabric.
Our Lacerlot seamstress carefully sews together parts of the dress, leaving off the collar and sleeves and other final touches to make sure that the base form is correct.
We bring in a fit model who has a similar body to the Lacerlot client and make adjustments with the original measurements in mind. The editing process can be quite lengthy, as adjustments might involve taking apart the whole dress and starting again.
In the Ready-to-Wear model, brands create sample upon sample of each piece in the collection in most sizes, and ship the drafts back and forth until they reach a version they're happy with producing in bulk. The cost and time involved in those many samples is justified by the assumption that they will be able to sell volumes of the finished product. Lacerlot instead strives to get the dress right from the moment we cut into the final fabric.
Once we finished editing the base, we added the snaps, collar, sleeves, and our single abalone button. I then sent photos of the dress to Lynn for her final thoughts and approval.
Thanks to embroidery lessons my mom sent me to when I was a little girl, I'm able to hand stitch each Lacerlot label using velvet and silk thread. It's my way of putting extra love personally from me into each dress.
My obsession with wrapping presents is one of those pursuits that seemed meaningless for many years, until suddenly it was extremely useful for delivering Lacerlot gowns.
I love spending hours wrapping each dress with scented tissue, creating the Lacerlot magnolias by hand and painting each petal, and using velvet ribbons or Italian paper I find in my favorite stationary locations.
I wish I could be there in person each time someone opens a Lacerlot dress.
The Lacerlot teams' hearts are totally entwined with each Lacerlot dress, and it's essential to us that they bring happiness and beauty into their new owners' lives.
A Lacerlot dress does not represent a design that Lacerlot has created, rather it is composed entirely of the creativity and individuality of each Lacerlot woman. Lacerlot is the magic that transforms a dress you imagine into life.
I believe wholeheartedly in every woman's ability to dream up the perfect dress for herself: something that represents a part of her soul and that will make her feel more beautiful and confident than any pre-designed garment could.
Lacerlot women are asked to christen the dress they design. Lynn named her dress Cécile Brünner after the little pink roses (you can see them in the background of the above photo). They are resilient yet delicate, precise in their petals and wild in their branches, a perfect dichotomy for this gorgeous girl and her new silk dress.
To get started on your Lacerlot dress, email us at love@lacerlot.com. We look forward to sprinkling magic in your life!
]]>Brigitte Bardot perfected the Most Universally Flattering Look of All Time during her beach bunny days of the '60s. The combination of windswept big hair and sultry black eyes with elongated eyeliner wings simply cannot be outdone when it comes to seductiveness.
Other makeup looks can achieve lovely natural glows, artistic expressiveness, color statements, etc., but the recipe for looking utterly gorgeous is still the Bardot combo.
Which is why she remains the ultimate muse for today's leading makeup artists, almost all of whom have shown the world their riffs on Brigitte's look.
Thankfully we now live in an era where those artists are willing and able to share step-by-step guides and include the exact products used so that we too can transform ourselves into a French supermodel/actress in our own bathrooms.
Since the Bardot look is so revered and endlessly copied, there are countless videos to choose from. After extensive and pleasureable research, we've edited down the videos to the absolute Top 5 best tutorials.
The most important criterion was that the final look had to be stunningly gorgeous- the makeup needed to transform the model into a Brigitte goddess, not just ape the general eyeliner. Secondly, each of the videos below showcases a renowned hair/makeup artist, so the techniques displayed and products used are professional grade.
The Brit is the top momma of the foremost makeup artists today. Both Charlotte Tilbury and Lisa Eldridge assisted early in their careers for her. She's most famous for doing Princess Diana's makeup, and also painted the faces of the '90s supermodels throughout their careers.
1. TESTING PERFUMES: Don't plan on testing more than 5 perfumes within a few hours, as your nose will suffer smell fatigue. Spray the perfume on paper, and notate the scent's name so that you can smell the papers later at home. Stores like Bergdorf Goodman typically have a tin of coffee beans to inhale between sniffs, and you can always bring a bag of coffee in your purse to cleanse the palette between inhalations. Spray your favorite of the group on your skin to observe how the scent evolves over the next couple hours.
A perfume has 3 evolutions: top notes, middle, and bottom notes. The top notes- which we usually judge perfumes by- only last 15-20 minutes before transforming into their more complex aromas, so resist the urge to make a hasty decision. Most counters will spray a sample of the fragrance into a little vial that you can take home and deliberate over later.
2. STORAGE: A perfume protected from sunlight will last two hundred years, but leave a bottle of perfume in the sun for a week and it's ruined. Here's why: "Visible light consists of photons with energy high enough to break chemical bonds...[perfume] absorbs light. A perfume kept in bright sunlight may be photochemically toasted in as little as a week." - Luca Turin from Perfumes the Guide
3. ANIMAL INGREDIENTS: Many perfumes historically used animal byproducts. Synthetic equivalents are now much cheaper, and consequently have nearly completely replaced musk, civet, ambergris, etc. in modern perfumery. Animal ingredients are so expensive and rare that you'll be aware of their inclusion through both the price tag and the marketing.
4. NATURAL VS. SYNTHETIC FRAGRANCES: There are a few voices who preach using only perfumes with 100% natural ingredients. However, most expert perfumers believe ideal fragrance is composed of both natural and synthetic ingredients. Do not assume that all natural perfumes are by default better for you: natural compounds can be toxic too, and you could just as likely suffer an allergy to a plant than to an aromachemical. All natural fragrances are also not necessarily better for the environment; for instance, Mysore Sandalwood is endangered because of its inclusion in perfume.
5. SMELL INTERPRETATION: Some us of worry that what we consider to be a lovely fragrance will smell awful to our significant other or co-workers. That could happen, but it's not because you will smell it differently, it's because you'll react to the same smell in unique ways. It's like going to a movie together and leaving with opposing reactions. According to biophysicist, chemist, our Fragrance King Luca Turin, "Mostly, we don't smell things differently--we interpret and describe things differently...For the most part, the raw data you get are mostly the same as everyone else's, but the interpretation your mind makes (would you describe it as nice? nasty? a bit like soap? lemons? candy? floor wax) may make it seem otherwise."
For more information about perfume, check out Luca Turin and his wife Tania Sanchez's excellent book Perfumes: The A-Z Guide.
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Before turning to reviews of Chanel No. 5, it's important to understand how concentrations of perfume are distinguished. These categories didn't even register with me until recently- "eau de toilette" vs "eau de parfum" vs "eau de cologne" just seem like random French words haphazardly associated with perfume. The reason to pay attention is that the categories not only denote the concentration of perfume (aka bang for your buck when considering how long a smell will last on your skin), but some houses, Chanel especially, use different compositions of materials in different dilutions. Yes, that means eau de parfum of Chanel No. 5 has a different smell than its eau de toilette and parfum sisters.
Now that you know the differences among the concentrations, see the below 3 reviews of No. 5's eau de parfum, eau de toilette, and parfum dilutions by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley was asked in an interview to recount what it was like to meet Beyoncé for the first time, to which Rosie responded in an awed voice: "She smelled so expensive."
That anecdote inspired me to hunt for Beyoncé's preferred perfume, then onto what other icons in history have worn, and finally, a broader understanding of the science behind smell.
Check out the well-researched blog The Celebrity Fragrance Guide for answers to more "who wears what?" questions.
Before exploring more about perfume, the fundamental question is whether one should wear it at all. Coco Chanel said, "A woman should wear perfume wherever she would like to be kissed," and Christian Dior thought that "A woman's perfume tells more about her than her handwriting."
But some in the beauty community are calling fragrances "the new secondhand smoke," implying that the secretive composition of chemicals in popular fragrances are in fact carcinogenic. Ignoring the medical hazard, there's also an increasing taboo of being the anosmic woman in the elevator causing everyone to hold their breaths for 30 seconds. Perfume can just seem so grandma, you know?
I had not thought much about perfume until a few months ago, when I sniffed Acqua di Parma Colonia at Barneys and purchased it instantly. I've sprayed it nightly on my pajamas before bed and even in my hair before heading to the gym. My obsession with this smell has spurred a quest to find more fragrances that I love as much.
On the subject of loving fragrance, perfume blogger Tania Sanchez writes: "The fact is this stuff is worth loving. As with the tawdriest pop melody, there is a base pleasure in perfume, in just about any perfume, even the cheapest and the most starved of ideas, that is better than no perfume at all. It decorates the day. It makes you feel as if the colors of the air have changed. It's a substitute for having an orchestra follow you about playing the theme song of your choice."
The above excerpt is from the incredible book Perfumes: The Guide by husband and wife co-authors Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez. The guide introduces readers to a brief description of the science behind fragrance and then launches into witty, rapturous, and extraordinarily compelling descriptions of about 1,500 fragrances, each of which are rated 1-5 stars on a scale from "awful" to "masterpiece."
The co-author Luca Turin is a notable biophysicist, who also happens to have a passion for fragrance. In his amazing Ted Talk below, Turin describes how scent and sound are related. (Remember his wife's analogy to wearing perfume being similar to an orchestra following you throughout the day? Turns out that sort of IS happening on a molecular level.)
Music, even more than painting, is a metaphor for how perfume is created and experienced. Is it mere coincidence that individual essences are called "notes" and are blended together to form "chords"? Or that the unit where i keep my materials and compose my perfumes is called an organ, its semicircular stepped shelves lined with a vast array of essences, ranged by register? Music also captures the way scent is experienced--not all at once but unfolding over time-- a quality that in perfume is referred to as "duration." Perfume can be "listened to" as an evolving form that moves through aromas ... In their unfolding lies the unparalleled power of these arts over memory and emotion.
Luca Turin's Desert Island Picks:
Tania Sanchez's Desert Island Picks:
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Famed film costume designer, Edith Head, outlined a clothing color suggestion chart for the Golden-era Hollywood celebrities based on their complexions.
Too young to remember the eccentric costume designer? The 2004 Pixar movie The Incredibles paid homage to Edith Head's characteristic bangs, glasses, and definitive opinions in the character Edna Mode:
We're covering each of her complexion categories, and the clothing color recommendations for each, in a weekly series. See the inaugural post here, which features recommendations for those with white hair. This post moves one baby step farther away from the lightest end of the complexion spectrum.
Continue reading to find out which colors Edith Head recommended for gray hair, fair skin, and light eyes:
(Ms. Head found it self-evident that white and black suit all complexions, so those colors are always excluded from her recommendations.)
HAIR: Medium Gray or Silver
SKIN: Fair
EYES: Light blue or violet
EDITH HEAD'S FABRIC COLOR RECOMMENDATION: Silver Gray (see above), Soft Blue, and Ruby Red.
Edith suggests two similar soft tones, soft blue and silver gray, to highlight the natural hair and eye colors. To add one explosive yet elegant color into the mix, she recommends ruby red. Wear soft tones by day and red at night.
Next week: Edith Head's color recommendations for women with silver/gray hair, medium skin, and gray/green/hazel eyes.
]]>Dragging your feet to choose your wedding shoes? Now's a good time to commit. First, 'tis the season of designer shoe sales, and second, choosing your heels is an essential step to make before having your wedding dress fitted.
Your heel height determines the hem and train length of your dress. If the measurement is miscalculated, the dress risks becoming difficult to walk in, and you may pull a Jennifer Lawrence at the 2012 Oscars (a graceful faceplant) while walking down the aisle. You're doing yourself and your dressmaker a favor by selecting your wedding shoes pronto (as if you need more reasons to go shoe shopping).
For some brides, shoe selection is an obvious choice: the event is an opportunity to belong to the Carrie Bradshaw Club and own a pair of blue Manolo Hangisi 105 satin pumps, or to indulge in a sparkly pair of Louboutins.
If you're struggling to find a unique pair, Lacerlot is here to help. Below are 9 shoe designers you must peruse before choosing the perfect pair for your big day.
And if your best friend is not already encouraging you to invest in the most delectable shoes of your life for your wedding, I'm here to tell you that, darling, you deserve them.
1. Gianvito Rossi: The last name "Rossi" is familiar because Gianvito is shoe designer Sergio Rossi's son. After working for years with his father, he recently struck out on his own, and the collections are sleek, feminine, and luxurious.
The Jolene heels also come in pale silver:
2. Aquazurra: Launched in 2011 by 25-year-old Colombian native and Central Saint Martins grad Edgardo Osorio. Osorio has collaborated with Gianvito Rossi in the past, and he recently released a collection with Cara's fashionable big sister, Poppy Delevingne.
Aquazurra currently has the most killer bridal shoe selection- in addition to the witchy, celestial collection with Poppy, the brand is offering traditional white lace bridal heels with a pale blue sole. I mean...
3. Sophia Webster: Previously a competitive dancer before getting her BA and MA in esteemed shoe design programs, the British designer launched her eponymous brand in 2012 to countless accolades. Her designs are playful, artful, and sophisticated. Sophia created the Lacey heel for her own wedding, and has magnanimously made the shoe available for the world. The bottom of each Lacey pair has "Wifey for Lifey" written on it, a perfect extra totem for good luck.
4. Liudmila: Launched in 2013, the brand is composed of founder Najeeba Hayat's literary dreams. She's a Russian lit obsessive who reimagines princess footwear from the 19th century into fairytale-esque creations. Marie Antoinette would have purchased every pair, especially from the SS16 collection.
5. Charlotte Olympia: Launched by Charlotte Olympia Dellal in 2008, the shoes are inspired by classic Hollywood glamour and pin-up stars. The designer creates shoes that are luxurious with a sense of humor, and they're perfect if you're looking for shoes to match your theme-based wedding.
6. Repetto: The Repetto family has been making ballet shoes since 1947. They continue to craft professional-grade dance shoes, so this is a fantastic option for your reception, or for brides who are a little nervous about balance while walking down the aisle.
7. Olgana Paris: Launched in 2014, the brand features a limited collection of suede flats, beautifully crafted in Italy. These are perfect for beach weddings, or for the first day of your honeymoon in a tropical heaven.
8. Dolce & Gabbana: For those who feel more is more (I'm one, personally), it's worth the investment in a pair from the beloved Italian-made footwear collection. There's simply no shoe brand that is more opulent for your wedding day.
9. Maryam Nassir Zadeh: Each new shoe style that Maryam, the designer behind her eponymous brand, introduces is in stock for about 5 minutes before selling out. Her boutique on the Lower East Side is a cult fixture, and her elegant shoes have prompted a movement that emphasizes simple, mesmerizing form in footwear.
Here's a few final tips to consider:
1. Think about your partner's height. Wedding portraits look nicer when there is not a significant gap in height between the two of you.
2. If your venue involves walking down an aisle with grass or sand, it's a good idea to look for thicker heels or wedges. You can always save your skinny stilettos for the dancing after.
3. No heels are comfortable throughout 8 hours of walking and dancing. Do not let heel pain distract you from romance. Invest in a pair of shoes to change into in case you need them. Keep backup bandaids in your clutch.
4. Practice walking in pumps of equal height to your bridal heels before your wedding. There are many informative videos on YouTube, most of which outline the 3 principles: a) Build up your comfort by practicing in kitten heels, wedges, low heels, and finally high heels; b) Always walk heel down first, then toe; c) Practice as much as possible.
5. If you're worried about walking on a slippery surface (e.g. inside a church, or dancing on a waxed ballroom floor), you can create more grip by rubbing a raw potato against the bottom sole of your shoes. This step should only be done after your photographer has gotten all the shots she needs of your pretty heels.
6. Kick and walk! It's the mantra Jennifer Lawrence admitted that she forgot when trying to maneuver her voluminous Christian Dior gown up the stairs to accept her Oscar. If your gown is made with a long front hemline, or many petticoat layers, the trick is to kick the fabric ahead of you with each step so that your heel doesn't land on the dress.
]]>I'm in the middle of reading Pretty Honest: The Straight-Talking Beauty Companion by the Guardian's beauty journalist Sali Hughes. When I reached her chapter on perfume, I decided that I had to share her insights. She has an abundance of good advice in her book, but it's too much to share in one go, so let's start with the most salacious and I'll reveal the remainder of her secrets in future posts.
1. Guerlain 'Shalimar':
History: Created by Jacques Guerlain in 1925 in tribute for the love between Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. Shah Jahan was the Mughal Emperor of India in the 17th century. He fell in love with Mumtaz Mahal when they were young teenagers, and were betrothed for 5 years before getting married. Mumtaz Mahal was a powerful empress; her husband trusted her with important matters of state and sought her strategic advice. She died while giving birth to their 14th child when she was 39 years old. Overcome with grief, Shah Jahan commissioned the Taj Mahal in memory of their love, and buried his deceased wife within the monument. Guerlain chose the name 'Shalimar' in remembrance of Mumtaz Mahal's favorite garden.
Notes: Bergamot, jasmine, rose, iris, vanilla, tonka bean, lemon, and exotic amber.
Celebrities Who Wear It: Brooke Shields, Diane Sawyer, Joan Collins, Laeticia Casta, Meryl Streep & Rita Hayworth.
Price: $144 for 0.25 oz.
2. YSL 'Opium':
History: Launched in 1977, the perfume was inspired by YSL's fascination with the Orient and designed to celebrate overt sensuality. Perfume blogger Katie Puckrik describes the scent as a "gypsy campfire."
Notes: Mandarin, bergamot, myrrh, and jasmine.
Celebrities Who Wear It: Salma Hayek (who lists the scent as one of her favorites because her mother wore it, and now Hayek's daughter Valentina steals it from her mom), Carine Roitfeld (who has worn it 'head to toe' and no other scent for 20 years), Emily Blunt, Gisele Bundchen, Heidi Klum, & Jerry Hall.
Price: $62 for 1 oz.
3. Chanel 'Coco Noir':
History: Launched in 2012 as an intimate and seductive fragrance addition in Chanel's collection.
Notes: Grapefruit, bergamot, rose, jasmine, patchouli, and sandalwood.
Celebrities Who Wear It: Karlie Kloss.
Price: $98 for 1.7 oz.
4. Frederic Malle 'Carnal Flower':
History: Perfumer Dominique Ropion spent 18 months developing 'Carnal Flower.' Part of the perfume's complexity comes from Ropion's use of tuberose. As Ropion explains, Tuberose's moniker as an "olfactive Everest" is well-earned as the plant is notoriously difficult to use in perfume:
Notes: Tuberose.
Celebrities Who Wear It: Mila Kunis and Catherine Deneuve.
Price: $255 for 50 ml.
5. Chanel 'Allure':
History: Described by the brand as "clean and sheer, warm and sexy," the fragrance is fresh and citrusy, and opens to vanilla nuances.
Notes: Jasmine, water lily, peony, vanilla, and orange blossom.
Celebrities Who Wear It: Princess Letizia of Spain and Princess Stephanie of Monaco.
Price: $94 per 1.7 oz.
6. Mary Greenwell 'Fire':
Notes: Pepper, nutmeg, grapefruit, and bergamot.
Price: $195 for 50 ml.
]]>Edith Head remains Hollywood's most revered costume designer: the woman behind Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, and Sophia Loren's (to name a handful) iconic film dresses. She was nominated for 35 Oscars, and won 8. Edith Head believed in a color relationship between complexion and fabric, which she outlined in her book How to Dress for Success.
In the following series, we'll explore her complexion categories and the color recommendations for each. This is a guideline of what colors Ms. Head would have sketched for you, had you been a film star during her 50-year career. But remember, she strayed from her own rules, so don't be afraid to experiment. Finally, it is a truth universally acknowledged that white and black flatters everyone, so those colors are excluded from Edith's recommended lists.
HAIR: White
SKIN: Fair
EYES: Light blue or violet
EDITH HEAD'S FABRIC COLOR RECOMMENDATION: Violet, Aqua, Soft Rose & Sapphire Blue
Violet: Interestingly, violet is not a flowery word for purple, but its own color. Violet is a true color, meaning it appears on the spectrum of visible light, whereas purple is a composite of red and blue. Violet is less intense and bright than purple, and appears naturally in lavender and amethyst. In part due to the extremely time consuming and difficult task required to dye fabrics violet in premodern times, the color has historically denoted royalty. The process required that two species of sea snails soak for days. After decomposing, tiny glands had to be removed from the snails and exposed to sunlight in order to transform from a milky color to deep violet. In a modern experiment recreating the original formula, 12,000 sea snails were required to produce enough solution to dye a single handkerchief. Byzantine emperors, Roman emperors, bishops, Cleopatra, and the Virgin Mary have been cloaked in violet throughout history.
Check out a favorite makeup tutorial by Lisa Eldridge using a violet palette on the fair-complexioned Sophie Dahl:
Aqua: The color is synonymous with the Tiffany 'blue'. Despite its brightness, aqua is extremely soothing, which is one reason why surgeons switched from white gowns to aqua ones in the 20th century. Water absorbs red light, so our eyes perceive colorless water as blueish-green; hence the Latin word aqua for the color below, and why we instantly associate the beautiful color with tropical beaches.
Soft Rose: The hue is often associated with gentility, grace, and sensitivity. Soft pastel pink is universally flattering and feminine.
Sapphire Blue: Sapphires have long been associated with the heavens, for example ancient Persians believed the blue sky was a celestial reflection of sapphires. For thousands of years, kings in a diversity of cultures wore blue sapphires as a protective amulet. The rich color is royal, elegant, and entrancing.
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• How The Lacerlot Logo Blossomed •
Arriving at the definitive logo for your dream business is complicated - you want it to capture the essence of what you plan to build with your company, and represent something close to your heart. Below is the story of how an outside-of-the-branding-box approach helped me to achieve the perfect logo for Lacerlot.
Lacerlot women are glamorous sorceresses - they may not be dressed in black like a traditional witch, but they exude a covert power that bewitches the eyes of those around them. They are enigmatic and twinkle with an irreverent magic; their Lacerlot dresses cloak them in a gossamer of mystique and wild charm.
While it was tempting to explore creating a female figure as a logo - especially one that alluded to mystical, fierce women like Calypso, Diana, Athena, or an Amazon (I think that's taken already?) - Lacerlot is not intended to be an altar to just one woman, but rather a celebration of the inherent magic of every individual woman.
It was also important that the Lacerlot logo could materialize as a detachable pin to adorn a Lacerlot dress, and floral motifs lend themselves easily to that concept.
One afternoon while visiting my friend Lynn in Echo Park, LA, I saw a ceramic vase with a thick pink glaze that entranced me. Real beauty commands a visceral reaction, and my eyes wanted to physically consume the imperfect lines of the painted flowers and the poetry of the foggy glaze.
I grew up making ceramics, and knew how difficult it was to intend and then materialize something so beautifully balanced and abstract. When I picked up the piece, it felt complete, as if it had achieved exactly what the artist wanted it to be when she started with her blank pile of clay.
I discovered that the artist was the extremely talented Rebekah Miles, and when I contacted her she graciously agreed to work with me to bring form to the Lacerlot logo.
I highly recommend this approach to other aspiring entrepreneurs. Don't pay a branding agency a fortune to create something generic for you. Find an artist you admire, and reach out directly.
Lacerlot collaborates directly with skilled seamstresses in specialized salons around the world to bring each dress to life, so working one-on-one with an artist to create the Lacerlot logo reflected a fitting parallel.
Rebekah and I began by talking about color and texture. I am obsessed with thick paints, especially in lead white and creamy ochre. I sent Rebekah mood boards, and she began painting a series of ideas in various colors and flowers. I deeply appreciated being able to express my ideas to Rebekah, as I knew I could trust her to elegantly interpret them through her paintbrush.
It wasn't until we had reached the magnolia that something really clicked. Magnolia petals have such a satin soft buttery texture. They combine lead white with an epicenter of ochre bud and just a touch of vermillion. Magnolias are ancient flowers that appeared on Earth before bees, so they evolved to be pollinated by beetles. They resonated with me because my elementary school in my small country town had blooming magnolia trees, which I loved sitting under while playing with the fallen petals.
Magnolias also fulfilled another key aspect of my logo checklist: they could be a recurring, unforced motif representing Lacerlot. I imagined them printed on packaging, folded into origami petals atop Lacerlot boxes, in bouquets at the office, made in silk brooches, etc. A logo has to be something that is delightfully ubiquitous throughout your company, and I felt sure that I would never grow tired of their beauty.
I knew this was the one as soon as Rebekah sent me a draft of the painting. Lacerlot dresses now include hand-stitched velvet magnolias in the labels, and you'll see reincarnations of the Lacerlot magnolia into new mediums soon. I am left with lots of gratitude for Rebekah's incredible sensitivity to color and form, and I hope this story encourages you to approach your creative objectives through alternative paths.
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