tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-122476222008-10-23T00:55:42.508-04:00Notes from the Editors of The Lipstick Page Forums: A Dedication to the Art of Beauty and Fashion.TheLipstickPageForums.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587509938237654532noreply@blogger.comBlogger441125http://feeds.feedburner.com/thebroadroom/yHVX?format=skinthebroadroom/yHVXhttp://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12247622.post-23233896322165285022008-08-21T00:31:00.005-04:002008-08-29T11:35:28.832-04:00

After four and a half years of operation, The Lipstick Page Forums has finally closed. We would like to thank Dain Choi in particular for her years of extraordinary work on this site, and thank all who have passed by here, and stopped for a spell, or maybe a wee bit longer. You may join Dain at her new site: http://www.arsaromatica.blogspot.com. Colleen Shirazi (aka The Weekend Blogger) will

TheLipstickPageForums.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587509938237654532noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12247622.post-66349569665741338672008-08-03T13:09:00.003-04:002008-08-03T15:05:09.550-04:00

Brooks Brothers Non-Iron Fitted Lightweight Supima® Oxford Dress Shirt I'm becoming intrigued by Supima cotton. Mind you, I'd never heard of Supima until a few days ago, when I came across it in a clothing catalogue. At first I thought Supima was a patented type of cotton, but it's not: Founded in 1954, Supima is the promotional organization of the American Pima cotton growers. The Board of

Colleen Shirazinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12247622.post-88303166273229048102008-07-26T23:06:00.000-04:002008-07-26T23:06:01.214-04:00

Hm, there's nothing quite so magical as the hour of 5, post meridian, on a Friday. Eyes begin to sparkle, steps wax lively; there is harmony of motion, towards the elevators, towards the street, towards mass transit. So, what have I been up to? There are masses of summer sales going on right now, just when you're being mauled by the exorbitant prices of gas, health care, water (I kid you not;

Colleen Shirazinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12247622.post-82444269939160401062008-07-18T23:45:00.003-04:002008-07-19T00:03:00.269-04:00

An Earnest Sewn Co.'s invitation to A NEW HIVE ...An art installation inspired by the worldwide en masse disappearance of honeybees by Derrick R. Cruz of Black Sheep and Prodigal Sons Proceeds from A NEW HIVE support the establishment of beehives in public gardens, educational programs focusing on the importance of bees and the art of beekeeping, as well as research for the development of

Colleen Shirazinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12247622.post-410674129414288452008-07-04T22:04:00.014-04:002008-07-05T01:07:32.851-04:00

You'll really like this song. Now that I've rejoined the 9-to-5 culture, I can admit this holiday has become, well, okay, a paid holiday, yet it is still Independence Day of course, and let it ever remain the magnificent celebration it is. Jewelry. Today we did what we do every year; we went to the Fourth of July Fair. I don't buy readymade jewelry that much anymore, but I always find something

Colleen Shirazinoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12247622.post-78186839575985593722008-07-04T21:44:00.007-04:002008-08-05T01:48:28.453-04:00

Saaf Organic Enriching Hair Oil Saaf is a new product line developed by Dr. Mah Hussain-Gambles, a UK-based homeopath and pharmacologist. Her Hair Oil ($54.95/3.4 oz.) is part of a skin and bodycare line designed to be "Highly Effective, Totally Organic, Utterly Ethical." All products are vegetarian, alcohol-free, non-irradiated, free from Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), Halal and

Joy Rothkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12247622.post-81224467682844693842008-06-30T14:02:00.008-04:002008-07-04T21:25:51.410-04:00

A lifetime of lip balm use has made me an expert, and I'm very particular about the balms I use. They have to be non-waxy, organic, soothing and preferably, moderately priced. I keep tubes and tins of lip balm all over the place [desk, car, bathroom, purse, etc.] so I prefer to keep the cost under $5, since inevitably, some will disappear or get misplaced. I started using EcoLips last year,

Joy Rothkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12247622.post-90473358784973193342008-06-29T12:04:00.018-04:002008-06-29T16:01:24.388-04:00

Sensatia Botanicals A primary benefit of using natural and organic products is the opportunity to sample things from from all over the world, and encounter product lines I'd never know about if I bought everything at Nordstrom, CVS or even Whole Foods. Sensatia Botanicals is a small line of 100% natural products from the island of Bali. I'm hooked on their essential oil blends and body oils,

Joy Rothkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12247622.post-7931701078927883682008-06-28T23:47:00.000-04:002008-06-28T23:54:43.942-04:00

I shop rather strategically now; long gone are the days of carefree middle-class browsing. An item is either astronomically expensive, requiring months, even years, of planning to acquire, or else it tends to be junk, worth less than the space it occupies. It's truly an art to figure out where to shop, and to emerge with something of value, without blowing half a week's paycheck over it. This

Colleen Shirazinoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12247622.post-62500002754267487332008-06-22T12:38:00.017-04:002008-07-04T21:47:16.338-04:00

I'm not a hot weather person. This summer, I've promised myself to have a Zen-like attitude towards the heat. I'm accepting the weather as it is--and this being Southern California, that means a lot of dry heat. We've had our first heat wave of the year, and the temps the last several days have been over 100. In this sort of heat, I like to use light, cooling and minimalist products--just

Joy Rothkenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12247622.post-24093139775824514762008-06-22T02:38:00.000-04:002008-06-22T02:38:00.420-04:00

A photo tour of Iran...the music is killer I suspect I have nothing cohesive to say, so have elected to use a bullet list. Skin. Finally used the last squeeze of Dr. Hauschka's Cleansing Cream. The tube lasted about five months, used once per day (I use the Cleansing Milk at night). I tried going without it for several days to see what would happen, and have decided my skin was better off with

Colleen Shirazinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12247622.post-18678484425366446192008-06-18T23:56:00.006-04:002008-06-19T01:02:13.671-04:00

My favorite skin treatments are mists and hydrosols, and I use them year round. During the hot days of summer, they're essential. From the simple DIY versions I sometimes cook up to the sublime versions offered by green/organic skincare mavens, misting your face with a cooling stream of herbal goodness can make the hottest afternoon bearable. I like to store some of mine in the fridge, and

Joy Rothkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12247622.post-13271089388994219842008-06-17T15:04:00.006-04:002008-06-17T19:08:59.527-04:00

Several months ago, I began following an extensive (81 pages and still going) thread on the EDS (Essential Day Spa) forum about a product named Lips2Kiss that "rejuvenates" your lips. I've always been satisfied with my lips, though I admit to a serious lip balm habit. I've always had very dry lips, no matter the season. Lips2Kiss is a line operated by a woman in Orem, Utah named Kandis, and

Joy Rothkenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12247622.post-30743672964366380982008-06-15T14:49:00.010-04:002008-07-04T21:41:23.981-04:00

The UPS, FedEx, DHL and USPS couriers are frequent visitors to my door, and I'm always happy to see them. My name is Joy and I love getting mail. I receive all manner of items every week. Some are great; others abject failures. I've decided to post weekly about items that I especially like and would recommend to my friends. Nectar Essences San Franciscan Jenny Pao has come up with an

Joy Rothkenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12247622.post-85024456973301519142008-06-10T01:09:00.010-04:002008-06-10T12:35:19.018-04:00

I was reading a thread on Basenotes earlier today on "what I've learned." There were lots of diverse answers, and it got me thinking about what I've learned about fragrances in the last few years. A number of things, but the most important is that expensive doesn't equal good, nor does good have to be expensive. I mean, I already knew this about a lot of things, but I guess I still thought

Joy Rothkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12247622.post-18257412156983424602008-06-08T23:55:00.000-04:002008-06-08T23:55:00.429-04:00

Sitting here in my newly Foot Petal'd shoes--the model at the bottom: I ended up using both the Heavenly Heelz and Haute Heelz for this pair (the other two didn't need 'Petaling nearly as much). I'm glad I didn't stick the Haute Heelz, because for one shoe (apparently my feet aren't exactly the same), the Heavenly Heelz wouldn't have done it. The Haute Heel lifts your heel up a bit, which is

Colleen Shirazinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12247622.post-12154015688490588532008-06-08T13:46:00.012-04:002008-06-08T21:18:37.678-04:00

I got on the mineral makeup train a long time ago, and have no intention of ever getting off. Most of the time, I can deal with the shortcomings of MMU (Mineral Makeup), primarily application time and potential messiness. Sometimes, I wish I could simply pull out a single compact, brush on my foundation and go. Apparently I'm not the only one thinking this way, since MMU companies big and small

Joy Rothkenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12247622.post-84827325575647837352008-06-07T01:54:00.001-04:002008-06-07T12:25:12.353-04:00

My Foot Petals arrived in the mail today. It's best to buy them from the Foot Petals site itself since there are several coupons about (coughretailmenot.comcough). I didn't have time to truly trick out my hurtin' pumps, but I did attach the Heavenly Heelz, and started to play with the Haute Heelz and Tip Toez, erm, Toes (all in Buttercup, as I'm wary of the 'Petals potentially discoloring my

Colleen Shirazinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12247622.post-51870657576416784152008-06-03T19:05:00.013-04:002008-06-03T22:03:57.541-04:00

I'm a sucker for balms--always looking for something to deal with my chronically dry cuticles, or the scrapes and cuts and bug bites that seem to find me. I like to use organic/herbal and essential oil-based products, which means I use stuff you won't find in CVS or Target. I bought my first Aroma Borealis Herb Shop balm when I spent a winter week in Whitehorse, Yukon. If I lived in Whitehorse,

Joy Rothkenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12247622.post-2062306911458200272008-06-02T02:04:00.000-04:002008-06-02T02:04:05.034-04:00

I fixed the dress which had shrunk enough to gap at the bust; the hook and eye didn't work (impossible to place horizontally without showing, didn't bother trying it vertically). What's better, are snaps. I got some beautiful snaps at Michaels...and nearly got sucked into the "wallet's black hole" of their beading section. Not top drawer beads, but many and varied; almost bought a strand of

Colleen Shirazinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12247622.post-50228928972670023312008-05-31T14:51:00.001-04:002008-06-07T12:53:57.089-04:00

I'm here at home, playing Simon and Garfunkel for my daughter. Home, where my love lies waiting silently for me... Subtly, their songs have entwined my memories more than, say, those of The Beatles (as much as I was crazy about John Lennon when I was a kid). Likely it's the American-ness of their music. Unlike many of my fellow citizens, who swim within the sheer breadth of our country, I've

Colleen Shirazinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12247622.post-16086258545890337602008-05-29T15:05:00.006-04:002008-05-30T09:51:59.389-04:00

I admit I was skeptical--more than skeptical. How can flip-flops [excuse me, "FitFlops"] "tone and trim my legs while reducing strain on my feet, knees and back"? They look like conventional flip-flops. Can they be worth a rather steep $49.99 to $59.99? I had to test these for myself, and received a pair from Fit Flop's PR rep a couple of weeks ago. I read all the enclosed data about how

Joy Rothkenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12247622.post-4368884251744911752008-05-27T00:34:00.000-04:002008-06-07T12:53:57.096-04:00

Dr. Hauschka Lipstick Novum, Novum LipGloss, and lipstick Being an eternal cheapskate, I went shopping today to replace...a lipstick, Dr. Hauschka #09 Dolce...at Elephant Pharmacy in Berkeley. It's not an inexpensive lipstick, but my old one is now the sheerest sliver, too slight to even apply much of much. (I don't do lip brushes, otherwise I'd dig.) So the price of the lipstick--same as Chanel

Colleen Shirazinoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12247622.post-29680792459549909202008-05-25T00:08:00.002-04:002008-06-07T12:53:57.103-04:00

Do these things work? I still don't know, it being impossible to find a single package of Heavenly Heelz around here. I've given up buying them locally; I'm doomed to order online. I have seen Tip Toes--the flower-shaped ball-of-foot pads--aplenty...and now, I'm beginning to recall the initial buzz about Foot Petals was for the Tip Toes. The claim was that these would make high-heeled shoes

Colleen Shirazinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12247622.post-11808770123321719952008-05-24T13:09:00.001-04:002008-06-07T12:53:57.111-04:00

Contemplating trying my hand at a regular feature, titled--surprise!--"The Weekend Blogger." But let's see if I can produce something intelligible on a weekly basis, in the first place. Shoes. I finally got some shoes, having no choice in the matter: my beloved Cole Haan woven shoes, which I've worn for...ten years? more, no doubt...finally commenced to spring a leak. The uppers are entirely

Colleen Shirazinoreply@blogger.com5