Eyeshadow Government

Bad Landlord / Stiletto to Brain

2009-10-24T17:55:00.008-04:00

Charlotte's in a bad mood today. Lipstick growl! Imagine how much time I spend beautifying myself, and then imagine my incompetent landlord refusing to lift a finger for me. He should be thanking his lucky stars to have a pleasant, pretty and gay lass such as myself in his building. But it is not so.

When things break in your apartment, they should be fixed. Or as we say in Beverly Hills, hello? But whenever anything breaks in my apartment, my landlord will send one of his "buddies" to fix it. "My buddy" usually = some combination of incompetent, drunk, slow or stupid. Beastly fellows, as soon as you start pointing out to them how they haven't fixed anything, they become aggressive and angry.

Today, I feel awfully trapped. I can't stand the thought of one more of his buddies showing up. I probably am going to bite the bullet and hire someone myself to avoid having yet another roguish character inside my home.

P.S. This would make my day better. It's Balenciaga.

Catch Heather Graham If You Can + Origins Multi-Grain Makeup Review

2009-10-22T08:00:00.006-04:00

Darlings,

I've always been a fan of Heather Graham. But my eternal adoration of Graham has become a moral issue as well. Yes, one of Hollywood's ditziest, blondest and cutest actresses has been kind of on the DL in recent years, but she hasn't lost any of her charms. If you didn't catch this yesterday, Heather Graham's bad, beautiful self has resurfaced in a hi-larious Moveon.org commercial supporting, you guessed it, healthcare. She is looking out for us ladies (and gentleman)!

If you enjoy this commercial, you may also like 'Cake,' one of the awesomest movies ever. It's about an editor who discovers love and happiness while working for a bridal magazine. But it's so much more. 'Cake' is both a noun and a way of life. My friends and I periodically exclaim "Cake!" for no other reason than the fact that we can't stop loving this movie. So that's my stump speech for the Holy Church of Heather Graham.

Also On My List of Very Good Things: Origins Multi-Grain Makeup

Are you on this boat already, divas? Because you should be.

In a moment of utter fatigue, I hurled myself at the Origins makeup counter and let the knowledgeable people there fix my beleaguered-as-heck face. And I now use Origins multi-grain powder makeup almost every day.

The Down-Low: It provides medium-to-light coverage and feels smooth on the skin. Because I purchased the powder form, the Origins lady even gave me a free, high quality makeup brush. (FTC note: I paid for this product.)

Unlike other mineral makeup lines, which sometimes do irritate skin and even cause breakouts, this makeup contains soothing ingredients like oatmeal and rice flour. My skin, as I have mentioned many times, is sensitive. The Origins Multi-Grain makeup also feels light against my skin. It's almost not like wearing anything all. And better yet, it's paraben-free.

Origins says 78% saw an improvement in their skin from using this product. Count me in for that statistic.

Grade: A

But now that I've gotten all that off my chest, what products are making you rapturous? Talk to me!

Video of the Day: Camera Obscura Sings "French Navy"

2009-07-25T09:29:00.005-04:00

Extremely cute song.

If you're a young reader, you can close your eyes to ignore the snogging part. Wouldn't want to scar ya...

And if you would like to see it again, here's the dancing wedding:

Jill and Kevin Heinz are groovy folks. I'd marry 'em.

Kisses,
Charlotte

Is It Normal to Have Dress Cravings?

2009-07-25T09:18:00.002-04:00

Hold that thought! Expect product review soon!

Fruit? As If...

2009-07-24T08:00:00.004-04:00

So I was looking all over the shelves in my refridgerator for cantaloupe. How could a l'il girl like me lose a big beige and green melon like that?

Lightning rod! Ah, yes. When I had reached the checkout at Whole Foods, I decided that given the choice between the latest issue of Vogue and a cantaloupe, I wanted Vogue.

Thanks economy.

Sugar, Nah Nah Nah Nah Nah Nah, Honey, Honey

2009-07-23T14:07:00.004-04:00

Well, I had initially planned to continue my honey experiment through the rest of the week. You'd keep on reading, right? It would be a ridiculous mini-drama.

But as much as I love being the center of attention, I just -- couldn't -- do -- it. All I could think of was that scene in The Parent Trap. Hayley Mills or one of those very innocent, cute girls (okay, thanks IMDB, it was really Joanna Barnes) wakes up in summer camp drizzled in honey, shrieking and terrified. My gut feeling about a honey mask was: Ew! Not again!

Verdict on the goo: a solid honey mask possibly improved overall tone and smoothness, but it was too hard to actually get off my face, thus causing further irritation. Also, there is the fact that the only living things I know who play with honey with their fingers are bears.

I am not a bear. Thank you my dears, but I am a lady.

Enough nonsense! Off for a wander with my parasol.

My Face Is as Sweet as Honey

2009-07-20T14:48:00.012-04:00

But you already knew that.

Today, it is literally as sweet as honey though. In a moment of desperation, it seemed like a good idea. So now as I type this message to you, my face, nose and forehead are covered with a healthy dollop of honey, sticky as the La Brea tar pits and sweet as can be.

I have been reading that honey poultices can cure, uh, deadly staph infections and severe burns and wounds due to its powerful antimicrobial agents. Will it cure minor skin unevenness and, even, a few spots?

I don't know. Between the warm weather and my penchant for applying three inches of foundation within my life, my skin gets all verklempt (yiddish definition: overcome with emotion). Wearing this much foundation in the summer is like putting an anorak on a terrier in July. My skin is yelping. My natural tendency to consume more caffeine than solid food doesn't make the case any better -- and let's not even mention, air conditioning, stress, difficult siblings, standing in lines, the recession, the world. Under all this stress, the epidermis crieth out.

Feed me honey, it said today. So I have. What kind of honey though? Well, there are all types, but I had a bear-shaped bottle of Trader Joe's clover blossom honey.

3:02 pm: Let me wash this off now, and I'll tell you what happens....

3:07 pm: Well, that was WEIRD. My face seemed to eat half the honey. After leaving straight honey on la skin for about 20 minutes, when I went to wash it off, most of the honey had been absorbed. At least, that's what I think happened. I know I have a thing for desserts, but apparently my skin cells have a sweet tooth too.

There wasn't much honey to splash off my face. I used water first, but my face still felt sticky. So I washed my face two times with Body Time Unscented Cream cleanser, a total fave. Then, I dried it with a towel.

Overall, my skin looked redder than before, but that's a natural reaction to any antibacterial product. It also felt smoother. We'll see what it looks like in an hour or two.

Don't judge. Is this the strangest thing I've done lately? Well, yes.

Outblogged By A Mile

2009-05-22T15:19:00.006-04:00

It's been a while, but there are very few "substantive" style blog posts in this world, which is why I proffer to you a "magnum opus" by Laura Jane Faulds...

Read it: A STYLE ICON/MAGNUM OPUS HYBRID: For Raymond Douglas Davies; Sincerely, Laura Jane

A STYLE ICON/MAGNUM OPUS HYBRID: For Raymond Douglas Davies; Sincerely, Laura Jane

A STYLE ICON/MAGNUM OPUS HYBRID: For Raymond Douglas Davies; Sincerely, Laura Jane

A STYLE ICON/MAGNUM OPUS HYBRID: For Raymond Douglas Davies; Sincerely, Laura Jane

Me and My Yves Saint Laurent Mask Are Doing Fine, Thank You

2009-03-24T08:00:00.005-04:00

It's odd when an impulse purchase is spurred by your brother's disapproval for not spending enough money. But that's exactly what happened to me after my brother decided that leaving Macy's with a new pair of socks just would not cut it for the day.

While economizing is all the vogue, holding a flimsy shopping bag with the least expensive item in the store doesn't really provide much "retail therapy." (Has everyone forgotten this magnificent phrase and taken up a black Puritan's hat? Not I.) Within fifteen minutes of my brother's "you-can't-leave-with-just-socks" pep talk, the words Yves Saint Laurent appeared like a flash in the sky.

Soon I was reviewing my options at the YSL cosmetics counter with a gentlemanly, turtlenecked salesperson who inspected my skin and began recommending many fancy products. And that is how I ended up with a graceful blue tube of Yves Saint Laurent Pur Instant Pur mask with special Himalayan Blue Poppy water. The purifying mask has a light fragrance and the color of the goop matches the packaging of the box and the tube. At $37, it sure isn't for St. Ives, but anything French (poems, scarves, boys) makes me forget all reason.

As for the Himalayan blue poppy part (a little freaky, no?), I think Himalayan ingredients, like Kombucha drink, have become all the rage. Everyone's doing it. And my impression is this Himalayan blue poppy can thrive in 7 degree weather, whereas I need a wool sweater when it's 65 degrees out. Yes, my darling tube of blue YSL mask will probably outlast me and Frances McDormand on a bitter December night. Maybe we shall plant the tube on an arid mountaintop with bitter soil (the preferred environment of this strain of poppy) after it is finished perfecting my skin.

Not much other news to relate. Gotta dash to an island pronto!

A Most Surprising Response to My Aversion to Botox Injections on Cruise Ships

2008-10-10T21:40:00.004-04:00

I was amazed to receive such a comment on my blog, so I thought I would post it here prominently instead of burying it in the normal comments section. A while back, I wrote about the recent phenomena of getting Botox on cruises. This trend is totally insane, in my not-so-humble opinion.

But here is the response I received from "last minute cruise vacations". This is last minute cruise vacations' two cents::

Is Botox-at-sea a good idea?I spoke with Pittsburgh plastic surgeon and anti-aging expert Dr. James J. Barber, the author of “The Forever Factor”. Barber, who has worked with Botox since it was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration, acknowledged that there has been a lot of abuse of the product by unscrupulous doctors who dilute the drug with more saline than is recommended. Nevertheless, Barber feels that Botox can be safely offered on cruise ships so long as it is administered by an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon or dermatologist, in a sterile environment and at recommended doses.

I'm not sure if this exchange between last minute cruise vacations and Dr. Barber, who is a real person, did take place. But I hope this type of comment doesn't resurface on my blog.

Hugs from the Thought police,
Charlotte

Hit the Snooze Button, and a Week Passed

2008-09-05T09:21:00.003-04:00

OMG! So tired!

Pulling out the old typewriter here, but I'm feeling too mellow (code: exhausted) for a true update. I will have you know though that Vincent Longo makeup is 75% off at the Bath & Body Works across the street from Grand Central station. Nabbed a tube of his lipstick in Foolish Virgin for around six bucks.

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Mind drifting to RNC (bad, too early!), and Palin's thoughts on women's rights (much too early!)....must return to more pleasant thoughts of pink-mauve cosmetics. (Sigh, better.)

I may be looking for an heiress-blogger....if you know any girls or boys who like makeup counters, drop a line to eyeshadowgovernment [at] gmail.com.

Stay charming,
C

Product Review: Burt's Bees Lip Gloss

2008-08-25T16:49:00.013-04:00

I wasted a good fifteen minutes today agonizing over what lip gloss to buy at Walgreen's. (Charlotte-like thoughts include....Do I need lip gloss? Will it taste like an oil slick? Where's the iced tea? How shiny is too shiny? And what the heck is in this tube anyway? ) I've been trying to be more careful about what lips products I wear because honestly, you can't help but eat some of it. Elves are not making that lipstick disappear.

So I'm delighted I bought Burt's Bees Super Shiny Lip Gloss in Nectar Nude. The top three ingredients in the tube are castor seed oil, sunflower seed oil, and acacia decurrens flower wax. The Nectar Nude shade is just a little shiny and appears almost invisible. Although I wish it had more color, it makes the skin on your lips feel very soft (without any weird chemicals). I might start wearing Burt's Bees gloss every day, both alone and on top of lipstick.

Verdict: Success!
Buy it: Burt's Bees Super Shiny Lip Gloss ($6.99), Drugstore.com.

Blogger Champagne Klatsch: Botox on Cruise Ships and Chocolate Soap

2008-08-21T22:18:00.012-04:00

Earlier this week, a posse of us blogger-ette girls met downtown to catch up over champagne, though only water for me. (Is Louisa May Alcott my sister? No, I am just a lightweight.) During our candlelit meeting, we discussed all the things and people that inspire and annoy us.

Like...Cosmetic Surgery on the High Seas. Anne Fritz, who writes for Jet Set Girls, jumped in to tell us about her newest post. The dish: Norwegian Cruise Lines now stows doctor who will administer Botox on their ships. Isn't that nice of them? But what about the stormy waters and those big needles? I'd much rather fight a pirate or a large squid than a dermatologist on a wobbly floor. Make them walk the plank!

Rats! This icebreaker got us all bunched up and peeved about Botox. Some of us were concerned about a recent study that shows Botox particles can travel from a rat's whiskers to its brain. I was in the anti-Botox boat as were several other fashion-beauty blog klatschers who talked about frozen eyelids and all types of horrible, horror stories. Anne confessed she was pro-botulinum toxins, and likes to drink some in the morning with toast. She is against Botox on cruise ships though. And others kept mum. Then, we changed the subject to....

Yummy Soap. Do tell. Well, the fabulous Charu at Butterfly Diary was kvelling over her new soaps from Soapier. I've never seen anyone quite so rapturous about soap, but the "spirits" at the table were flowing freely. She really loves their products that smell like chocolate, like this chocolate-raspberry Red Devil slice by Soapier.
I would give you more details, but need my beauty sleep....will talk more about my new blogger girlfriends soon. Also, expect product reviews asap!

Stay gorgeous darlings,
C

Would This Make Me a "Holly Hunter-Ite" or a "Holly Hunter-ophile"?

2008-08-15T10:00:00.002-04:00

Hi senoritas,

A) I'm trying to grow my hair as long as Holly Hunter's.

And B) I have trouble accepting the abundance of lukewarm, female characters we see in the movies and on TV. So as ya probably know by now, Saving Grace's a rare TV show. Holly Hunter plays Grace, a headstrong female investigator with few apologies for who she is. She's totally rockin'!

Now, the show has set up an online forum EmbraceYourGrace.com where women are weighing in about real, emotional issues. They don't censor their contributors or make them divulge their most embarrassing makeup bloopers. Hold your horses, you say? No, giddy up. It's good news for the web. There's a million miles of fluff content directed at women (guilty as charged!), and not nearly enough straight talk. Check it out.

Also, trying to stay "on message," I'm also a massive, massive fan of the Holly Hunter flick, Home for the Holidays.

The Better To See You, My Pretties: Eyeglasses Made in France

2008-08-12T17:04:00.013-04:00

I scanned this photo from the new J. Crew catalog because I love good eyeglasses. Also, the phrase "Made in France" in the product description didn't hurt. These vintage-style, Selima eyeglasses for J. Crew are available in golden olive for $325 online, or through catalog orders.
This model is called Menrad.

P.S.: The Selima Menrad eyeglasses are listed as unisex, but right now only appear in the men's section of jcrew.com.

Bob Dylan Plays My Backyard + A Word on Disposable Razors

2008-08-12T13:27:00.012-04:00

Hooray! Bob Dylan's playing Prospect Park tonight, just a few blocks from my house. This is a huge event. Also, any possibility of seeing "our" (maybe you had one too?) high school crush, Jakob Dylan, is golden. Blue-eyed, slightly cheesy songs, very good.

If you were born before the boy's moment, this cover of Rolling Stone in 1997 was a big deal.

Next Subject.

Maybe I've mentioned the preponderance of ungroomed men in California whose presence eventually inspired a move to New York. Living in Oakland in the midst of artistic boys for whom both shaving and showering were "optional" daily activities, I dreamed of a better town where good hygiene was valued, where I could converse with gentleman who expressed their identity through long, well-constructed sentences instead of draping, untamed follicles.

The Park Slope section of Brooklyn has been great. Better yet, people shower here. They appear happier to have done so. So it seemed kind of unfair to me when a member of Rogue Wave appeared on Style.com's front slideshow today. Slide #21, from New York too. How? I'm sure the Rogue Wave guys from my old neighborhood are nice, but they are also oblivious to advances in razor technology.

Hence, the Gillette® M3 Power Nitro is my pick of the day.

Buy it: Gillette M3 Power Nitro (about $15), Walgreens.

Photo Credit: Style.com/Elizabeth Perrin

As Promised, SpaGoddess Ayurvedic Cleanser Review

2008-08-07T09:54:00.006-04:00

Well, I had a strong premonition about the Etsy product I mentioned about a week ago. A sample packet of SpaGoddess' Ayurvedic Cleansing Grains arrived in the mail. It is a totally magical 99% organic powder made by goddesses or gnomes or wizards. And I'm really not one to kvell over most facial products I try.

The oat grain and rice powder act together as a strong, all-natural exfoliant. I rub it very gently across the skin with water as a basic face cleanser. It's even better though when you add water and then press it on the face as a mask. If you leave the mask on for 15 or 20 minutes, the Moroccan clay in this bottle majorly cleanses the pores. I feel like I've made a trip to the spa every day I use it. 'Mazing!

Buy it: Ayurvedic Cleansing Grains ($16), SpaGoddess on Etsy.

Eye on City Chic Girls

2008-08-03T21:30:00.002-04:00

I was out and about this weekend in Brooklyn, and it looks like fashionable city girls are a bit feminine with tough accessories. Young, super-cool women heading to parties were wearing pale vintage tops with structured denim shorts or simple dresses. Shorts this season can be very short, but often have a funky, retro twist and are paired with black gladiator sandals. Cut-offs are absolutely out, and clean lines are in.

For "fancier" girls, I noticed one young lady on the street looking very winsome in this pink wrap dress by Diane von Furstenberg. It's called the Nalia dress.

Most hip Brooklyn girls seem to pass on lots of perfume and $300 dresses (although we all probably would wear both if our budget allowed). Women in New York look gorgeous in the summertime, and based on my grandmother-like non-20-20 vision, seem to barely wear any makeup. Anyhoo...From my skewed perspective, it does seem that all women at rock shows in Brooklyn look like they walked off the page of an Urban Outfitters catalog.

Out on the Town Beauty Tip: To look fresh into the wee hours, this pot of Bobbi Brown concealer is a gal's best friend. It helps me look happy, not sleepy. Scroll down for more...

So what else does one need before heading out in the city? Flushed cheeks and lips. In this heat, believe me: you can even skip blush. Nature will provide.

1. As for the lips, pull out a dark reddish-brown lipstick and ever so lightly draw a line in the palm of your hand.

2.Then, quickly brush your index finger against the lipstick line and dab your lips for a very faint, is-she-born-with-it? lip stain.

3. Finish the lips by applying a dime-sized amount of household olive oil for extra shine and moisture.

4. Complete the look with a coat of mascara, like Bad Gal mascara by Benefit.

And Unveiling....the Most Coveted Item of the Week: Annick Goutal Petite Cherie perfume cream ($95) at Bergdorf Goodman.

Late-Nite Retail Therapy...

2008-07-31T01:00:00.001-04:00

Just ordered some organic Ayurvedic Cleansing Grains from SpaGoddess on Etsy. Will tell you how it goes.

Bollywood Icons and Indian Film Industry Beauty Advice

2008-07-27T17:10:00.007-04:00

Asin Thottumkal just happens to be one of the most stunning women ever. This gal is a hot commodity in the Indian movie industry, and so like (ok, as of five minutes ago), I've decided I'd love to look like her, talk like her, dance like her, and wear bizarre, swirly-bodiced red Lanvin dresses like her too. After searching Yoox.com, it appears though that even a "basic," simple dress by Lanvin retails at $3,325.00. Yo.

There's no real advice on how to get "Asim's look" without genetically cloning her. For mortals like me, I would assume she's got some good red lipstick (Lipstick Queen in Red Sinner), brown eyeshadow, and a great hairstylist with some type of ceramic-heated iron. If that's a wig, I can accept that since she looks too jaw-drawwwwpping to be true.

Pucker Up for a Tip: Use a lipstick brush to gain more control of the look. First, dip the brush into a red tube of lipstick and line the upper and bottom lips. Draw a v at the very center of the upper lip. Then choose either point on top of the "v" and slope the brush upward and then down and outwards for this classic heart-shaped, Hollywood lip. Fill in the middle of the lip area with small, firm brush strokes.

Also, Where to Get All the Bollywood Beauty Insider Secrets: My squeezable, great friend Gen has looped me into her obsession with Bollywood dance routines....and whaddayaknow? I Heart Makeup has tons of Bollywood makeup tips. This is a post about M.A.C. senior cosmetics artist Vimi Joshi who works a lot with young Bollywood stars!

Budget Beauty: Hard Candy Take Out Makeup Kit

2008-07-24T15:53:00.002-04:00

Good things come in small packages! We're featuring this box o' tricks by Hard Candy because it is the only makeup kit with 6 glosses, 8 eyeshadows, and tiny trays of rose blush, bronzer and concealer for only $12.50. Oh yeah, and mascara and eye pencil. That's like less than fifty cents an item.

The Hard Candy Take Out Kit is also very "date"-friendly since it can fit into a small clutch purse. Glittery and yum!

Buy it: Hard Candy Take Out Makeup Kit, Sephora.

Ramblin' Eyeshadow Government Update: The Stay-cation and Ye Of Hard to Spell Name, Jake Gyllenhaal

2008-07-23T23:19:00.004-04:00

I've been waiting for an excuse to use this new word so I can feel really cool, like "I just had a stay-cation." I've been much too busy to plan any stay-cation though. Does planning a stay-cation make you dumb?

Anyhoo, it's just plain hanging around the house with an air conditioner whispering in my ear for now. I am eventually going to have a KILLER stay-cation tho if the universe allows me my due. Luck is on my side. For example, wherever I go people are leaving perfectly decent paperbacks behind on the subway and on the sidewalk, and I've been bringing them home to read.

I would give you a beauty tip today, but it seems like the time of year to not bother about dressing up. Just be fabulous. Do whatever you want to do.

Celebrity sighting: A beautiful chow dog in fine spirits walking down Prospect Park West, near the F train, and like about two weeks ago, Jake Gyllenhaal stepping onto the train at the Bleecker stop. (Send me a chow chow!)

Getting More Upbeat: New York Magazine Look Book

2008-07-22T23:56:00.002-04:00

New York magazine's Look Book "Best Friends" edition really cheered me up! Check it out here.
One of the women met their best friend in New York at the same place I did. Weird!

Christian Bale Is Gross

2008-07-22T21:20:00.004-04:00

We don't always do celeb gossip, but we just had to get that off our chest. We hear Mr. Bale pushed his own mother and if it's true, he sucks, which is just very upsetting. An hour ago, TMZ dished about allegedly what he was like a few days before it went down:

"During a scene, Shane Hurlbut (seriously), director of cinematography, screwed up a shot -- at least in Christian's mind. We're told Bale went ballistic, screaming 'I will kick your ass' along with other choice remarks.

Maybe Bale needs to take a part as the Easter bunny in his next film. A little too much method acting playing the Terminator Quatro. :-( :-(

Chanel Iman at V Magazine and another Video of Storm Agency's "Hottest Male Models" (our favorite topic)

2008-07-22T18:57:00.004-04:00

This is gosh darn gorgeous Chanel getting all dolled up:

Had to show you this second video since it's entertaining to watch male models hard at work splashing water off their glistening torsos, hanging on tire swings, and trying to look just ever so slightly anguished. The men don't say anything, kinda like bugs with chiseled stomachs. So awesome!