"The most beautiful makeup for a woman is passion, but cosmetics are easier to buy."
—Yves Saint Laurent
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Backtrack: Perfume Notes: Rochas Moustache, Lookbook: Purple Haze, Beauty Notes: Fuss Free, Perfume Notes: Chanel Pour Monsieur, The Beauty Primer: Blush & Bronzer, Fashion Notes: Affordable Shoes, Perfume Notes: Aramis
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My style generally veers in one of two directions. There is the lifelong affinity for Gothic touches, including lots of black, dramatic necklines, and a general dourness that warms my heart to depths unknown. Then there is the more universally appealing "conservative" look, in which the word "conservative" means "conservative for me." Its fundamentals revolve around true fashion fundamentals, those basic trousers, jackets, and shoes around which anyone can create a very distinctive style. This look evolves more consistently than the Gothic look and currently involves a mix of bright colors, visual depth, and well-fitted blazers and Keds. At the moment, "conservative" for me means something akin to a Scandinavian who's recently discovered vintage 70s Jamaican fashion and Balenciaga's Fall/Winter 2007/2008 show.
Given these somewhat disparate styles - which are not really so disparate when taking into the account of my own very consistent, somewhat eclectic method of putting things together - it can be very difficult to find a bag that accomodates both directions of my wardrobe. In the past, I've typically gone with bags I like and just put them with anything, regardless of whether or not they work with that day's style. I am somewhat pickier now about how I present myself. I am still not going to change out my bag any more than I absolutely have to, but I would prefer to go with a bag that compliments both directions of my style. That said, I have found a bag that very nearly meets that task, that being Louis Vuitton's SC Bag in calf leather.
Designed by Sofia Coppola in conjunction with Louis Vuitton, and at no less than $3,730.00, the SC Bag fits the criteria I set out for in a bag: a basic design that can rest in the background without calling attention to itself, that will not date itself now or in five years, and that, most importantly, has personality. The design is very basic indeed; there is none of the typical Louis Vuitton monogramming, overt branding, or overdesigning going on here. Simply put, had the LV PR machine not churned out its usual shill marketing this bag, a shopper could easily assume it came from one of the many anonymous, very good leather goods shops in Italy. Given the bag's very basic design, it has the ability to assume a good amount of personality depending upon what it's paired with. As seen in the top picture, the bag can go very casual, slung over the shoulder and slouched at the hip. As seen in the above picture, it can also go very expensive when paired with luxe clothing. This is a bag I can easily see slung over my own shoulder when worn with a shrunken leather jacket and Keds or simply handheld when worn with a shift and blazer.
While the SC is beautiful and nearly perfectly fits my criteria, I will not be buying it, though I would be happy to buy something similar. I do not have the budget to buy a nearly $4,000.00 handbag. Even if I did, I don't know that I'd invest in it. I am somewhat opposed to the vulgarity of Louis Vuitton's products, and I am very much opposed to the way in which the company markets the bag on its website. As seen above, the bag is airbrushed. I'm aware that airbrushing is a given in all mass media, including advertising, but the degree to which this bag - a handbag - is airbrushed is ridiculous. All the personality has been taken out of it, so much so that I would say the picture above makes this bag look ugly. It is only in the pictures with Coppola herself, as worn with real clothes and set in real life, that that bag takes on personality and dimension. That's where it's compelling, not in a sterile studio in front of green screen, airbrushed within an inch of its life. It may seem an odd thing to rage about the airbrushing of a luxury handbag, but there aren't that many things of beauty that I am so compelled by as to really take notice of them, and I take great exception to them being dummied down to a palatable, mediocre, middle-of-the-road, mass market level.
For more desirable looks at this bag, as well as the rest of the collection, check out ILVOELV, the irony of this post being that this site is titled "I Love LV."
Labels: fashion notes, louis vuitton, sofia coppola
11/24/2009 [3]
My family was an immigrant family, and consequentially, we marked such holidays as Thanksgiving or Christmas with minimal ceremony, if any, at the same time we had little occasion to celebrate Korean holidays, cut off from the "Motherland" as we were.
Which is a rambling way to say that turkey and gatherings, the traditional accoutrements associated with the winter holidays, were for me supplanted by TV marathons, there being little else to do on long stretches of blank days off. Therefore, most holidays are, to me, associated with one television series or another, especially since I rarely watch TV otherwise.
Thanksgiving: Hourglass
Probably every Korean over a certain age has seen Hourglass: indeed, such was it's popularity that, for the first time in possibly the history of urban life, people were hightailing it to home as soon as work let out just to catch the latest episode (it can be said that Hourglass nearly ruined pubs nationwide).
The storyline follows the lives of three young people from their youth in the late seventies and early eighties—at the height of a military dictatorship and a large-scale, mostly student-led countermovement, all the more furious for the persecution it suffered—to middle age in the turmoil of modernization, globalization, and political restructuring of the early nineties. Go Hyun-Jung's feisty revolutionary—later doing a complete about-face to follow in her father's footsteps as a casino mogul—is arguably the show's center, around whom the three main male characters seem to orbit. (On a totally unrelated note, I was often compared to Go Hyun-Jung's character when I was a little girl, both in terms of looks and personality.)
The trajectory of their lives shadow the history of Korea itself, coming to maturity as Korea "grows up" and develops its presence in the modern world. As such, Hourglass was the first network television show to directly deal with politically loaded topics such as the Gwangju massacre, kidnappings and torturing of dissidents, suppression of free speech and press, and other abuses of civil rights that the then-government would have swept under the rug. Such a history makes ripe fodder for melodrama, but Hourglass is the first of its kind to combine socially relevant criticism and much-needed reflection with good storytelling—following the success of Hourglass, 7080 history has been downgraded to cliché in Korean drama, which attests to the lasting influence of this show. Which brings me to...
Summer Vacation: Friend, Our Legend
Americans are said to "root for the underdog"; in contrast, Koreans are underdogs. Maybe this is why Friend, Our Legend, the "hero" of which is an underdog like no other, feels so quintessentially Korean to me. Based on Friend, a hugely popular movie from the nineties, it follows Han Dongsoo from boyhood, as he comes of age under the stunting influences of prejudice, poverty, and the distant threat of political corruption and turmoil looming like a thunderhead in the background, to adulthood. His only comfort in such a bleak world is his best friend Joonsuk, and it is the vagaries and complexities of their relationship that the show focuses on. Ironically, Dongsoo's friends are no help to him, even proving to be a destabilizing influence in his life. It's a true tragedy that Dongsoo is helped on his way to a painful death by the strife of his relationship with his closest friend. There is no help or consolation in Dongsoo's life, whos as "unlucky a bastard" as they come.
Train Scene
Dongsoo: In the movies, they just jump straight down onto trains, from this height, you know?
Joongho: Yeah, but that's movies. You try that in real life, and you're gone, just like *that*.
Dongsoo: Would someone really die?
Joonsuk: [spits] Oh I dunno. Just the unlucky bastards.
Dongsoo: Unlucky bastards? Why, then I guess I'd die.
Joonsuk: You're not gonna die.
Dongsoo: Wanna bet?
Timeline and theme-wise, Friend follows in the footsteps of Hourglass however, is more than just an Hourglass clone, for while Hourglass dealt mainly with the effects of large-scale historical movements on individuals, Friend focuses on the interplay of human relations within a certain historical context. This makes the latter series a more complex variation on the same thing, which is befitting, considering that the time gap between the the two series is 15 years.
Spring Break: Neon Genesis Evangelion
How's a little bit of psychobabble, scattered with references to the Bible as well as to obscure biology?
Neon Genesis Evangelion is most often seen through a lens of psychology, and yes, such a dysfunctional cast and a background so obviously Freudian, with religious overtones, = in its set-up (giant monsters called "Eva", referred to with feminine pronouns, who house child pilots encased in phallic pods, and which go berserk in moments when the safety of their "children" is threatened, usually by equally monstrous "Angels"... and a Saturnian father figure seeming to control the strings in the background) make fertile ground indeed for shrinks to play in.
However, I personally like to interpret the themes of Evangelion from a biological angle. (Possibly because I am a medical student?) At the beginning, the angels are seen as heavenly destroyers, immortal and almost divine in their capacity for destruction, or alternately, lean and flawless fighting machines not too different from the robotic Evas. Slowly however, it is revealed that both the Angels and the Evas are not only mortal, but very much flesh-and-blood beings, not too different from humans themselves. Their final goal is survival, pure and simple, which in Evangelion is abstracted and conceptualized as "Instrumentality," a beatific state reserved for one species alone... correlating to the biological principle that the equilibrium between species sharing an ecological niche is unstable, that one must drive all the others to extinction in order to survive. Similarly, the angels and the human race are all competitors in the race to achieve instrumentality, which means eternal survival, which is only a step away from immortality.
The beauty of the biological view is that despite being a scientific concept, it meshes seamlessly with the psychological and religious themes of NGE: the garden of Eden, the trees of knowledge and life, salvation, separation from the mother figure and the lifelong yearning to reunite with some higher meaning. Evangelion offers a potent intellectual kick, and every time I watch it I get something new out of it.
Childhood: The Magic School Bus
And lastly, my fondness for this one reveals all too clearly the fact that I am a child of the nineties. As may be inferred from my description of Evangelion above, I am a dyed-in-the-wool nerd. When I was little, I used to dream—both literally and figuratively—about being in Miss Frizzle's class, sharing sandwiches with dorky Arnold, trading lame jokes with Carlos, going head-to-head with resident bookie Dorothy, and in general, exploring the wonderful world of science with the rest of the gang. Explorations such as these:
How appetizing.
Labels: 7080, culture notes, go hyun-jung, neon genesis evangelion, the magic school bus
11/22/2009 [0]
This particular group post has been difficult for me to write because there have been so many shows that I really, really love. I struggled with narrowing the field until I started thinking about what type of shows I love. Current favorites include Dog the Bounty Hunter, Food Network Challenge and, as always, America's Next Top Model (I was on both Team Nicole and Team Laura). It cannot be said that my taste in television, or in much of anything, is classically "good." Rather than suffer the readers through the parade of eccentricity and manic energy I regularly flip to, I've chosen to highlight five shows that fall somewhere between "good" and "moderately okay."
MORAL OREL
This show is not for everyone. A tough opening sell, to be sure, but broad audience appeal does not come to mind when talking about Moral Orel. Set in Moralton, the "exact center" of the United States, Moral Orel follows the adventures of Orel Puppington as he navigates the world of conservative Christianity, slowly learning what being a Christian, and an adult, is all about. The show's main thematic content concerns the hypocrisy, religious and secular fundamentalism, and misuse and abuse of dogma ingrained in American culture. Satire and earnest questioning aside, the beating heart of the show is the raw emotion lurking beneath Moralton's actions, and it is raw stuff, indeed. I have very rarely seen the level of emotional depth and honesty displayed on Moral Orel, both in real life and in broadcast television. Moral Orel uses the mechanism of humor to guide viewers to and through the fundamental, emotional truths of the show, going deeper and darker with each successive season. It is this quality of the show that makes Moral Orel an engaging experience. In fact, the first time I watched the show, I was so disturbed, confused, and invested in what happened next that I immediately Googled it and learned as much as I could. It is really an exceptional show, both in quality and content. Don't be surprised if you finish an episode much quieter, more thoughtful, and more introverted than when you started it. I highly recommend it, but I'll say it again - this kind of content isn't for everyone.
LOVESPRING INTERNATIONAL
I am possibly the only person in this country who's ever seen this show, and I know I'm the only person who's watched every episode. Lovespring International takes place at a dating agency, following the disastrous attempts of the employees to keep the company, and their own lives, afloat. It's one of the many improv shows that have popped up, and this is possibly why I like this show so well. The actors are given the ability to take their characters' foibles and pathos to dire, extreme levels, as well the room to display genuine chemistry, no matter how poisonous or unhealthy. As a result, the show has an energy and immediateness that heavily scripted shows rarely have, and the actors have the room to more fully and deeply explore their characters' flaws than is the norm. The show is hilarious. It is also, sadly, cancelled, but videos can be found at Lifetime.
QVC
QVC beauty presentations are some of my favorite shows to watch. This stems from the days when I only had basic cable and my viewing choices were QVC, the TV Guide channel, and both Catholic and Baptist programming. The clear choice was QVC. It was a dark seven years.
QVC offers presentations on an extensive selection of high-end beauty brands, including Oscar Blandi, YSL, Philosophy, Smashbox, and most recently, NARS. Presentations generally last between one and three hours and give ample opportunity to get a good idea of a line's general range of products, as well as the chance to see items from brands that do not have widespread distribution (Lucy B., Dalton, Darac, etc.) Obviously, testing products yourself is the best way to go. Television simply cannot account for differences in skin tone, texture, and particular sensitivities. However, I find there is nothing more relaxing than sitting back and listening to the drone of hosts and pr reps shilling products while watching women apply eyeliner and look pretty. QVC beauty presentations don't require thought, interaction, or action of any kind, and really, sometimes that's what you need. At the end of a long day - and I have had many long, hard days recently - sometimes all you want is to hear the warm tone of the television, see pretty pictures, and zone out, and this provides the perfect opportunity to do just that.
RENO 911!
Reno 911! is easily one of my favorite shows of all time. Set in Reno, Nevada, the mock-documentary follows Reno's finest as they fumble every investigation, routine task, and breath they engage in. There are so many, many reasons I love this show, the first and foremost being it's cinematography. Joe Kessler films "Reno" (really, Los Angeles Metro) crisply, throwing all the things I love most about the West into the forefront - the expansive skies that go on forever, the space, the flatness. I am also quite fond of how the show's "boobery" (Dangle's quote, not mine), both intentional and otherwise. There are a lot of mistakes that happen on camera. The actors laugh and break character, and I like that those parts are left in. The show already has an intentionally informal feel, and these mistakes only add to that, leaving the viewer feeling part of a loose gathering of people bumbling along and having a great time. Parodoxically, the best thing about the show is the actors' commitment to character. I have never seen actors more committed to their characters, even keeping in mind the greats (De Niro, Blanchett, etc.) Unlike in scripted shows, in which character arcs are precisely prescribed and circumstances are specifically situational, Reno 911! throws its actors and their characters into a variety of situations and leaves them to their devices. Rather than filling in blanks with contrived dialogue, situations, and storylines we've all grown to loathe, the actors fill them with the characters themselves in all their flaws and frailties. The characters may not be deep, but we get to know them as regular people, just as we'd know our coworkers and friends. Travis Bickle may bring you glory, but I've learned more about acting from this show than I have anywhere else.
THE COSBY SHOW
No matter what else is on TV, I will almost always choose an episode of The Cosby Show over the other offerings. The Cosby Show provides some great memories (25 years of them), and the show is such a part of the American vernacular and cultural history that it's ageless. Yes, it clearly takes place in the 80s, but the specifics of the show are timeless events that happen to individuals and families every day, and I find it incredibly comforting to watch a show in which people like each other, treat each other more or less well, and in which everything is stable and going to be okay. So much of television currently relies on shock value, unstable relationships and settings, and the fear of things quickly falling apart that it's nice to watch something that will not stress me out, worry me, or overly tax my adrenal glands.
Beyond acting as a virtual security blanket, The Cosby Show is really, really funny. I take genuine enjoyment out of seeing Cliff laugh at his kids, Vanessa snoop around, and everything Cockroach. There is nothing harsh about the show or its humor, and while critics have consistently cited this as unrealistic, I would point to it as a truism: comedy doesn't have to be cynical, edgy, or angry to be funny. It has to be true, and there's as much truth to be found in a family - the foundational relationship in most people's lives - as there is in pathos and insecurity. In fact, there's more truth (and comedy) observed in The Cosby Show than in the million iterations of hip cynicism, glib soundbites, and personal insecurity masked as worldweariness that generally make up Comedy Central. The truth is that where there are five kids, there is chaos, misunderstanding, and frustration, and this is the stuff of comedy - pathos. The Cosby Show explores it well through the relationships between functionally healthy adults and children, and it's this point that separates this show from the examples above. As with life, so as in television, where is something completely stabilizing and calming about being in the company of capable people. So I turn on The Cosby Show for a good laugh and for enjoyment, and I turn it on so I can see the examples of solid, grounded people that can seem so rare to find in real life.
Labels: culture notes, lovespring international, moral orel, qvc, reno 911, the cosby show
11/21/2009 [0]
Like Dain, I don't own a television; I watch TV on my computer, mostly through streaming video. Honestly, I don't miss having a TV except on very rare occasions; while it's nice to be able to see every tiny detail of a shot, it doesn't feel necessary with most shows, and streaming video has improved greatly in the last few years.
It's a cliché to say this, but I love The Wire. It's the most engrossing, painful show I've ever watched. It's rightly compared to a novel in which each season is a chapter; the stories are nominally separate, but they build on and enrich each other. It rewards multiple viewings; I re-watched the second season, set at the Baltimore docks, after moving to Halifax, and being able to look out my window and see Halifax Harbour enriched the experience. The show goes a bit off the rails in the truncated fifth season, but the first four seasons are gorgeous, complex, beautifully written and acted, worthy of all the hype.
Breaking Bad helps with my Wire withdrawal. Where The Wire is largely about entrenched drug empires, Breaking Bad is about the process of forming a drug empire, and about the slow, fascinating descent of an initially innocuous-seeming Walter White (Bryan Cranston). One begins the show sympathizing with Walter, and by the end of the second season one is horrified by him, wondering whether this monstrous human being was created by circumstance, or merely revealed by it. Besides The Wire, few other shows have haunted me so much, or for so long.
The third season of Mad Men recently wrapped up, leaving me bereft. Mad Men isn't a perfect show -- it tends to be a little on the nose -- but you can't beat the visuals: the sets, the costumes, the makeup. Mad Men portrays a pre-feminist reality in which sexual harassment, unequal pay, philandering husbands and a hundred other little indignities are widely tolerated. This gives it an unsavoury appeal to a certain number of people; however, at bottom I believe it's a deeply feminist show. I have a seemingly unpopular affection for Betty Draper, pictured here; she's truly awful on a number of levels, but the writing and January Jones' acting combine to create a sense of a woman who was groomed from babyhood to be a dependent housewife and mother, and who is heartbreakingly ill-suited for that role.
And while I love a whole lot of half-hour comedies -- Clone High, Arrested Development, 30 Rock, the British and American versions of The Office, Futurama, and the first several seasons of Roseanne, just for starters -- I can't finish this post without a shout-out to the Halifax-made Trailer Park Boys. This show takes several episodes to warm up to, but after that, it's hilarious: the skeezy ingenuity of the leads, the absurd situations, the parodic yet still oddly effective sweetness. I try to watch the Christmas special every year.
Labels: breaking bad, culture notes, mad men, the wire, trailer park boys
11/21/2009 [0]
People, when they come to visit my yet unfurnished apartment demand how I can "live" without TV. Well, I watch everything on Youtube, mostly, classic films. Who needs a real TV any more? The only aspect of regular programming that is absent is the compulsion to watch all the time. But it limits my selection somewhat, so this is a pretty predictable list.
Daria (I totally remember this issue of Seventeen.)
Six Feet Under
Samurai Champloo
Freaks and Geeks
Blackadder
South Park
Labels: blackadder, culture notes, daria, freaks and geeks, samurai champloo, six feet under, south park, the boondocks
11/21/2009 [1]
SNIFFING
Since I've moved to Korea, which is not exactly scentless, but lacking in olfactory variety, I've become a serial monogamist. While I miss the deeply discounted online vendors and ready samples of the latest niche, the upside has been that I actually use up juice. Lately, I've grown attached to, of all things, Miller Harris L'Air de Rien. It's so skanky for the first few minutes, especially if sprayed, but the drydown radiates warmth—more comforting than outré—the way it lingers on fabrics (for days afterwards) is nothing short of amazing. Musks are popular in Korea, but they're clean, rather soapy, optimistic pink musks, like Guerlain Idylle. By contrast, L'Air de Rien is an animal. If you've ever wondered what Guerlain's priceless and impossibly rare Djedi is like, L'Air de Rien, if rather more modern than baroque, has some of the same spirit.
EATING
READING
Much of the reading I do nowadays is spent revisiting books I myself read in middle or high school. There's almost always a shift in perceptions. Currently: Great Expectations. For such a dank, melancholic book, as I remember it, it is infused with so much humor, and I find myself, almost surprised, laughing out loud. The character of Estella, like so many of Dickens' characters, has always annoyed me because of the lack of dimension, and it's impossible not to wonder at Pip, who knows his love is hopeless, and yet hopes to love anyway. Would any man today be so pathetic?
In competition between women, passive-aggressive bitchiness is perhaps the foremost realm for working out antagonisms, but it's followed closely by the dynamics of taste. We measure each other by how another woman dresses:Gender relations have some oblique influence—commentaries on taste are often thoroughly confused with behaviors regarding the other sex—but as the platitude goes, women really dress to impress other women. Traditionally, and it is still mostly this way, the power that women wield, before it becomes fueled into motherhood, has been the power of choice. The most powerful, most eligible women, the princesses, enjoy the best and widest variety of choice. The man who is thus chosen is elevated to the status of a king among men; the premise of all courtly romances, to win the favor of a beautiful lady. And it would not be inaccurate to assert here, that Pip aspires to greater and greater heights of approval, the more impossible, the better.
WATCHING
DAUBING
I like to scoff at eye creams—an anti-aging scam, and Shiseido Future Solution ($125) is pretty much one of the ripest—but I get so very dry, and this is positively luxuriant. When winter hits, it's difficult to source moisturizers to my cause. So I ignore the copy; it's almost phenomenally absurd.
LISTENING
WEARING
WISHLIST
I've got a running list of desirables:
- powder blue cashmere turtleneck
- It's the time of year for serious, heavy-duty skincare, and I'm thinking of Embryolisse Lait-Créme Concentré, Decléor Cleansing Milk, and for serious emergencies, Daybreak Lavender Farms Healing Essence
- a dildo would be nice, in lieu of a boyfriend (perhaps I shouldn't think of a boyfriend as a ready supply of sex, however)
- MAC Trax and Stila Oasis: plum and gold are shades I've yet to embrace, because of their warmth
- functional shoes, for the bitter cold—O, how I abhor functional shoes!
- Tauer L'Air du Désert Marocain has been on my wishlist forever
Labels: aesop, alfred hitchcock, charles dickens, consumer diaries, ingrid bergman, miller harris, ormonde jayne, serge lutens, shiseido, stealers wheel
10/31/2009 [2]
The everyday world itself must be shown to be subliminally spiritual. It is an old idea: The secular world is secretly full of saints who don't even know they are saints. It is they who keep God from destroying it altogether.
~Donald Kuspit, A Critical History of 20th Century Art
The God of Small Things is often compared unfavorably to works like Midnight’s Children, an unjust comparison considering that, beyond superficial qualifications (both novels about recent Indian history) the two works share about as much in common as the writers themselves (one a Keralan Christian and the other a Muslim from Mumbai by birth, in a country where regional, ethnic, and religious differences mean everything). Whereas Rushdie writes veritable tapestries on a large scale, detailing the exploits of multiple generations and entire nations in an ongoing saga, The God of Small Things is a miniature of a scene set in a specific time and place, drawn in painstaking and exquisite detail that yields gruesome facets upon closer examination.At the surface, The God of Small Things is a novel about transgressive love within a repressive society: upper-caste Indian woman falls in love with a pariah, the two embark on a torrid affair, and eventually both suffer brutal deaths as punishment for flaunting the mores of their community. The main characters are all outcasts in their own way: Ammu, who—with "the infinite tenderness of motherhood and the reckless rage of a suicide bomber"—defies the restrictions placed upon her as a high-caste Indian woman; the twins Estha and Rahel, born of Ammu’s “disgraceful” first marriage, like to play “perverse” word games and ask inconvenient questions as precocious children are wont to do; and Velutha, who with the native dignity of a prince totally incongruous with his status as an Untouchable, refuses to accept his inferior lot in life. Their defiance is passive, not exemplified an any outright act of rebellion: their real "crime" is that they do not conform to the demands of the larger society.
To a reader within modern Western culture, where individuality and the "pursuit of happiness" take precedence over all, it is all too easy to categorically cast the the effectors of these mores as villains, or deride the entire society for being inhumanly repressive (though it is significant to note that individual freedom and rights are a new concept even in the West). However, it is important to note that Indian society relies on its rigid class divisions to maintain order. These divisions (the "Big Things," as Roy calls them) stand in contrast to the titular "Small Things"—a ragged beggar, spiders and mice and cockroaches, misbehaving children—that represent the ambient noise of chaos that pervades even the most orderly lives below the surface. As such, an individual flouting the order of those class divisions amounts to an incarnation of that chaos, threatening to destroy the framework of the whole society.
In order to protect that society, chaos is destined for destruction: beggars meet untimely deaths, vermin are exterminated, and children are disciplined away from mischief and their small games. In that light, the punishment suffered by Ammu and Velutha may be harsh, but it is not totally arbitrary: as oppressive as their lives are—especially Velutha’s—acceptance and even approval is readily available for them if they conform to the roles they are supposed to play. As they refused to do so, their punishment is justified.
This conception of order and justice is further reinforced by the inclusion of a fragment from the Mahabharata, acted out in a traditional Kathakali dance performance transposed from the grandeur of ancient Vedic myth to the all-too prosaic squalor of modern India. Roy's version of the tale focuses not on the hero Arjuna, but his half-brother, rival and antagonist Karna. Reflecting their respective destinies within the saga, Arjuna has been secure in his princely status all throughout his life, while Karna is rejected and demoted to a lower caste simply because of his illegitimate birth. Karna's death at Arjuna's hands is considered justified, not because Karna "deserves" defeat—for Karna is kind, noble, courageous, and generous to a fault—but simply because victory cannot be legitimately his due to his position as an antagonist, at the same time that Arjuna triumphs because he is bound to, not because he merits that victory any more than his enemy does.
When the reader recognizes Roy's clear parallels between this myth and the characters of The God of Small Things, the message of the novel becomes a bit clearer. Despite their shaky place in society, Ammu, Velutha, and the twins are beautiful, full of life, and pure in their desires and motives, in contrast to the drab and bitter characters that populate the rest of their world—very much like Karna—which imbues their deaths and destruction with true pathos. And like Karna's story, Velutha's and Ammu's fate was not a case of the weak being persecuted by the strong (again, a modern Western concept of asymmetrical power relations) but a function of positions and the society they live in. It is a tragic eventuality, in the classical Greek sense of the word: an outcome brimming with sadness and regret, but logically inevitable. Ammu and Velutha's trysts—an open defiance of the "Love Laws," in Roy's highly idiosyncratic language—achive nothing but the destruction of several lives. As with all true tragedies, there is a sense of stasis... or rather, a sense of degeneration, as if nothing ever moves and nothing ever changes, but only decays and falls apart.
Yet, the triumph of tragedy is the movement in stasis, however inapparent. Constant references are made to the titular "Small Things," which embody not only chaos but vulnerability: to insects, to mice and spiders and children, the tender parts of humans and animals... in short, insignificant things that no one pays attention to, are crushed inadvertently, without anyone to care that they are gone. Roy, however, has a keen eye and a deft hand for evoking in writing the tenderness and the odd beauty present in the small details often ignored. Such objects are rooted in nature, and therefore associated with the cyclic destruction and renewal it symbolizes, and it is no coincidence that the triad themes of birth, perpetuation, and destruction also play a central part in Indian lore. A return to one's starting point is not futile: it is the constant act of returning and going that is meaningful.
In this light, both nonconformity and the destruction that follows play a crucial role in the universal scheme of things. Destruction and entropy is necessary to reinforce order and laws that exist (for if transgression never occurred, what would be the use for laws?) or even to create new values entirely. It is no coincidence that Roy places the two pivotal love scenes of the novel at the very end, to punctuate the death and spiritual decay that precedes, for to Roy, degeneration and chaos is the promise of life flickering in the ruins. The god of small things is the god of the overlooked, of the small marvels present even in decay and death, and the guardian of paradoxical life both exquisitely fragile and tenaciously persistent.
The seeming simplicity of this one-shouldered brown dress from Chloé provides a perfect backdrop to any number of small treasures you wish to swathe yourself with. The cut is bold, but the earthy tone, the rough cool texture of the fabric, and the simplicity of its lines all contribute to a decidedly modest, even ascetic effect that all but the most delicately searching glances will gloss over.
Too often, verisimilitude is mistaken for life, forgetting that "lifelike" is the "likeness" or mimicry of another life form, as seen from the outside. It is not life itself, which must come from within. These cascades of yellow sapphires, designed by Ten Thousand Things, will echo the smallest of your own movements, mimicking the dance of light through tree branches, or of dust motes refracting golden afternoon light. Of course, a bangle (or three, or a full row of them) or an anklet could also be a good choice: really, with a dress as simple as the one shown above, you could pile it on, so long as each piece on its own does not overwhelm.
The key to preserving something as fragile as a sand collar—made of the miniscule eggs of moon snails, tinier even than the grains of sand they are cemented with—is hiding it, shielding it from the gaze of all but those who would not vulgarize its delicate beauty. You would have to select very carefully the one who would be privileged to a secret like this, but until the right partner comes along, you can have the enjoyment of Strumpet and Pink's lingerie—designed for the wearer and not the voyeur—all to your own self. Oyster-Catcher is threaded with pearls that seem to hold the diaphanous panels of kelp-colored textured silk together.
"Her shoulders in her sleeveless sari blouse shone as though they had been polished with a high-wax shoulder polish" (44). Sometimes, statement makeup isn't necessary: subtle adjustments can bring to the fore beauty that was already there, only hidden. NARS Multiple Stick in Copacabana brings a subtle sheen to light skin, capturing and holding light where it is needed in order to bring contours to life.
And lastly, for when you want something to ward off the creeping chills of a summer night—for the cut of the dress is rather bare— Loro Piana's ombre stole will flow around your shoulders, neck, hips... wherever you choose to drape it.
Labels: arundhati roy, chloe, loro piana, most wanted, nars, strumpet and pink, ten thousand things
10/25/2009 [4]
Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Lettre d'Amour (1777).
Masculines are a dreary prospect to contemplate. It's as if the marketing departments collectively decided it would be best not to confuse the male psyche with a profusion of choices; only in the broadest terms should the masculine identity be determined. Consequently, if a concept is any good, it's been done to death, with a handful of meticulously tweaked, minor variants worth noting. Such has been the fate of the cologne. Before perfume was gendered, it was kölnisch wasser, a tincture of aromatic citrus and herbs, and to 'fumeheads today, this remains the technical definition. In layman's parlance, however, cologne has come to signify "generic man smell"—one of the myriad imitations on Davidoff's Cool Water. Nevertheless, the term still indicates a prominent citrus bouquet of negligible longevity, conveying a kind of suntanned well-being, which is why in 2007, Chanel released its final (if pompous, since it's exclusive and $200) definition by calling their iteration, simply, Eau de Cologne.
Most serious and reputable colognes, in spite of an initial ordination among masculines, evince a discernible drift towards the unisex over time. This ambiguity accommodates subversive twists, but the cologne is still an aesthetic built on lucidity, or more accurately, apparent simplicity; that now infamous overdose of hedione in Eau Sauvage, otherwise the quintessence of classical virility, should assert an astonishingly feminine contrast, a sheer gauze of jasmine petals adrift on a summer breeze rather than René Gruau's hairy legs and damp bathrobe. In Roudnitska's capable hands, it's Cary Grant in Bringing Up Baby—comical attire notwithstanding, god bless him for being so comfortable with himself. No surprise that Eau Sauvage, so frequently appropriated by women, spawned Diorella. As befits a master of streamlining, it's only natural that Roudnitska, whose work is introspective and rarely strays far from habitual meditations, made not one, but three exceptional colognes: Eau Sauvage (1966), Dior's Eau Fraîche (1953), and Rochas Moustache (1949)*. 
Eau Fraîche demonstrates Roudnitska's eerie ability to keep his aromachemicals in suspension; after a wild, dark mandarin opening that soon fades into spiced, candied peel, the verdant rasp of its chypre base takes over, with a huge, luminous, seamless, velvety aldehydic accord, stretching languorously to envelop the skin—Mitsouko, but no longer aloof. Moustache is the most surreal of the bunch. From the very first, a sultry, animalic funk, reminiscent of used hay and exhausting sex, makes its presence known. The face has been splashed with cool water, and the suit, even in the heat of passion, has somehow avoided rumpling: a tonic dose of lime, not the relentless vigor of Hermès Eau d'Orange Verte, but rather brief and rather wry. Lurking in the background is a Roudnitska signature: fruits past their bloom and on their way to fermentation, though not at the jeweled intensity of Le Parfum de Thérèse. Just as Eau Sauvage is memorable for hedione and Eau Fraîche is structured on oakmoss, Moustache is really an essay on civet, reinforced by soft, aged leather—not clean, not fresh, as one expects a cologne to be, but dirty. Moustache certainly exudes sex appeal, but it hinges on charisma, and all those devices others must resort to (the face, the body, the clothes, the words, the moves, the money, the status, etc.) are quite unnecessary, so that their effect is all the more devastating. All the same, in spite of their collective habit of subversion, Roudnitska's colognes are not disingenuous. Hesperides are notoriously fleeting; as the habitué of colognes knows, he must spritz, spritz, and spritz again, from a gigantic bottle that laughs in the face of extraits. But each time you refresh yourself with one of Roudnitska's colognes, his meticulously engineered bases are also layered, over and over again, onto your skin. As Moustache reaches saturation point, it slowly expands and embraces its wearer in an impalpable yet distinctive aura of... I can only call it taste.
If this review seems divided in its interests, I'll admit, each time I test one on my skin, I'm convinced that's the best one, until I dab the next one again...
OTHER REVIEWS
Perfume Shrine on Moustache
Basenotes on Moustache
Makeupalley on Moustache
Fragrantica on Moustache
Perfume Shrine on Eau Fraîche
Mossyloomings on Eau Fraîche
Basenotes on Eau Fraîche
Fragrantica on Eau Fraîche
Now Smell This on Eau Sauvage
Pere de Pierre on Eau Sauvage
Perfume-Smellin' Things on Eau Sauvage
Basenotes on Eau Sauvage
Makeupalley on Eau Sauvage
Fragrantica on Eau Sauvage
* Anyone curious about how colognes can be rendered distinct from each other should acquire samples of all three for comparison. Each features a different citrus fruit for its initial opening (lemon, mandarin, and lime), but it's really all about the drydown.
Labels: alain delon, christian dior, civet, cologne, edmond roudnitska, jean honore fragonard, lime, oakmoss, perfume notes, rene gruau, rochas
10/23/2009 [0]
(Apologies for backdating this post; I've been recovering from a nasty flu.)
I remember leafing through a Paula Begoun book when I was about ten, and reading the following sentence: "In general, the fewer products you use on your skin the better for your skin." I'm not convinced this holds true for everyone, but for me it seems more or less accurate: while complicated skincare routines don't do my skin any harm, they don't seem to do any good either. My skin is pale and freckles rapidly in the sun, but it's not sensitive; for example, it barely responds to chemical exfoliants that would burn Dain's skin. It seems that no matter what I put on my skin, I always have the same issues with it: tightness after cleansing, clogged pores, minor breakouts, shininess. As a result, while I might dabble in eye creams or toners (I've become a big fan of DHC's Acerola lotion), I generally stick to the basics: cleanser, sunscreen, and moisturizer.
I grew up using Cetaphil, but I find it leaves behind eye makeup and a slimy film on the face, whereas DHC Deep Cleansing Oil removes almost all makeup and leaves no residue at all. Sorry to harp, but it truly is a great product. I've been wearing sunscreen almost daily since high school, and I've yet to find a sunscreen that I really like, but Olay's sensitive skin formula is odorless, relatively non-greasy, and cheap. Lastly, as I get older I find I need to moisturize my face after showering: DHC's Q10 cream is my current favourite -- light yet rich, and a little goes a long way.
I grew up using Cetaphil, but I find it leaves behind eye makeup and a slimy film on the face, whereas DHC Deep Cleansing Oil removes almost all makeup and leaves no residue at all. Sorry to harp, but it truly is a great product. I've been wearing sunscreen almost daily since high school, and I've yet to find a sunscreen that I really like, but Olay's sensitive skin formula is odorless, relatively non-greasy, and cheap. Lastly, as I get older I find I need to moisturize my face after showering: DHC's Q10 cream is my current favourite -- light yet rich, and a little goes a long way.
Aside from the DHC products, I tend to stick to cheap drugstore products for skincare: Glysomed hand cream is readily available and absorbs quickly. I scatter lip balms around my apartment and in my bags, which means I tend to buy cheap ones, as impulse purchases. I like fairly thick, waxy stick balms, as the thinner kind don't seem to help with my perennially chapped lips: The Body Shop's Cocoa Butter lip balm might be my favourite.
Lastly, although it's an indulgence, I love fancy body butters: my skin gets very tight and uncomfortable after showering, particularly in winter, and scented moisturizers are a wonderful, fleeting way to experience scents that would wear out their welcome as perfumes. My current tub is from the L'Occitane spinoff brand Le Couvent des Minimes: a sweet, fruity take on orange blossom, perfect for a fifteen-minute acquaintance.
Labels: beauty notes, dhc, glysomed, le couvent des minimes, olay, the body shop
10/21/2009 [1]
For the longest time, I was under the impression that I had the stereotypical "dry" skin, yet, sometimes my skin takes on the characteristics of stereotypically oily skin, as I often get oil slicks and clogged pores on my cheekbones and nose, even as my skin tightens after a wash and chaps to rawness in winter. "Dehydrated" better describes the state of my skin, where it is constantly thirsting for water but not necessarily oil, and therefore the most important part of caring for my skin is to make sure that it gets the hydration it needs.
Cleansing is the first and most crucial step of any skincare regime. For a time I used DHC's Deep Cleansing Oil, which is second-to-none when it comes to removing makeup, and it's always marvelous to see an oily film on your face wash off. It also seemed to improve the texture of my skin; however, it seemed to make clogged pores worse, so I always use soap afterwards to rinse away any remaining residue, or skip the oil entirely on days when I'm not wearing makeup. Happy Bath Lavender soap is good, but during winter, I use the classic Dove soap, which moisturizes slightly. A wipe with a muslin cloth exfoliates and cleanses, and feels purifying for a nice finish to the cleansing routine.
Toners are a necessity in my routine, to provide my thirsting skin with the extra moisture it needs. I'm currently using The Face Shop's Arsainte Eco-Therapy Extreme Moisture toner, which is pleasant, though not indispensable: in my experience, all toners are pretty much similar, and are only really differentiated by other factors such as scent, packaging (i.e., how pretty it looks on your dresser table) and price.
Otherwise, I favor common drugstore brands, partly because their wide distribution means I'll never have to worry about running out. The moisturizer of my childhood was the ubiquitous Johnson&Johnson's Baby, but now most moisturizers are too emulsive and oily for my skin, so I have to be pickier about which products I use. Vichy Aqualia Thermale Concentré Hydratant is the rare product that hits the perfect pitch: its texture is not so much creamy (usually a bad sign for me) as gel-like, and soaks into parched skin instantly.
I can tolerate thick moisturizers better when it turns cold, and body lotion becomes a necessity. I used The Body Shop's Moroccan Rose Body Butter briefly, but after a while the smell of it became too strong, to the point of giving me headaches. Thereafter, I began to really appreciate non-scented or minimally scented formulae for lotions. I recently got a tube of Nivea Soft, which penetrates deeply to moisturize dry hands, legs, and feet. It's still a bit too rich to use on the face, but I have a feeling it will serve me well come winter. Atrix Strong Protection Cream (not pictured) also works well.
For the bleakest, darkest depths of winter, however, my hands, feet, and lips will need something a bit richer. Nivea Soft may not suffice for chapped hands in January, so I will probably revert to Nivea cream in the classic blue tin, or to Neutrogena's famous hand cream (both companies also make excellent lip balms). The formulae are thick and take forever to absorb, but in winter, I can't afford to be picky: the only thing that matters is that the products leave my hands soft and moist and happy, which they do.
Yet, while dryness can be moisturized away to some degree, there's little one can do about oil slicks. While this does not fall under the label of "skincare," strictly speaking, I use Innisfree Mint No Sebum powder (basically a scented cornstarch and talc base) to control shine.
All products aside, however, the best I can do for my skin is to drink plenty of water to hydrate it from the inside), eat lots of fruits and vegetables (well, there are any number of reasons I should eat fruit and vegetables, including benefits to the skin), to avoid salt and alcohol (which puffs my eyes up), and get plenty of exercise to get blood flowing to the surface capillaries that nourish the skin. I should probably also wear sunscreen to protect against external damage, but I dislike it's texture, not to mention that most formulae aggravate my oil slicks and even contribute to breakouts. The skin's needs are surprisingly simple. It's odd how difficult they are to meet at times.
Labels: atrix, beauty notes, dhc, neutrogena, nivea, the body shop, the face shop, vichy
10/21/2009 [1]
I am positively avid when it comes to the subject of skincare; I could elaborate on it endlessly, and though I have a ready stable of trusted favorites, from the most humble to the fairly extravagant, it doesn't stop me from yearning after new horizons. The ironies don't escape me—I have excellent skin that isn't picky, save for a few sensitivities (alpha hydroxies, vitamin C, whitening agents, most physical scrubs), and 95% of these products are, chemically speaking, not dissimilar from each other—but still, there's always room for the next review. For whatever reason, I am dedicated to skincare in a way that equals no passions within this narrow and superficial realm.
The usual injunctions—no cigarettes, no late nights, no alcohol, no caffeine, no alcohol—I don't observe, though I do take in massive amounts of water. Like most, my skin varies with the season and humidity, from mildly shiny to so dry and fragile it hurts to the touch, but mostly it's normal to dry. Wrinkles are still a concern for a latter day, and breakouts are rare, but neither can truly be addressed by skincare in the first place. So my efforts are largely focussed on slathering on the richest balms, creams, lotions, and serums I can stand, depending on the temperament of my skin. That seems to keep my skin happy.
Here are the products, as of present day, that I currently favor.
CLEANSING
The ubiquity of cleansing oils in Korean drugstores makes me question the supremacy of DHC Deep Cleansing Oil, but for the moment, if quick and thorough makeup removal is required, I reach for this. It's easy to use, especially when skincare is the last concern on your mind, at least you're not going to bed with all that gunk on your face.
My sensitivities limit what I can use in terms of exfoliation. Chemicals are almost all verboten, though I can tolerate lactic acid, though probably not at effective concentrations. Physical scrubs abrade the hell out of my skin; the only exception seems to be Primavera Refining Exfoliating Cleanser, as it respects delicate skin.
MOISTURE
I've given up on finding the one true moisturizer—I always need hydration, but the amount varies too much over the year—but I've certainly discovered quite a few gems that way. The lightest of these, appropriate for even the most enervating humidity, is Jurlique Herbal Recovery Gel; it perks up listless, overheated skin like a multivitamin. For transition phases, when my skin is essentially normal but is on its way to serious dehydration, I've gone through several tubes of Better Botanicals Dandelion Moisturizer—inexpensive, with an elegant, light texture that's surprisingly effective for a lotion. I am also fond of the frankincense-rich Daybreak Only Face Feed, a blend of highly nutritive oils, which, at the low-quantity used, makes a lovely light-but-protective layer over the Jurlique. The richest (and most expensive) cream in my arsenal, NARS Potent EFA Cream, in its airtight, contamination-defying space-age jar; salves the most wind-whipped, fragile, superdry skin.
SUN PROTECTION
My favorite sunscreen is probably Shiseido Sun Protection Stick Foundation SPF 35 PA++, because in the translucent version, it behaves more like a foundation primer than a nasty, slimy-textured moisturizer. But I'll admit I usually forget to wear it.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Labels: beauty notes, better botanicals, daybreak lavender farms, decleor, dhc, jurlique, primavera, shiseido, skin, victoria soap company
10/21/2009 [0]
I have a couple of common skin complaints - slightly oily skin, dark undereyes - but the main thrust of my skincare routine is preventing and soothing skin irritation. I have extremely sensitive skin that will not tolerate a good number of fairly common skincare and cosmetics ingredients. Here's a list of my current skin sensitivities:
- silica
- kaolin
- benzoyl peroxide
- sulfa products
- carmine (in certain eyeshadows)
- witch hazel
- fragrance
Additionally, my skin doesn't tolerate abrasives, heat, and extreme cold and, when I'm really stressed, gets irritated by exercise. Any of the above irritants can cause my skin to break out into a bright red, painful rash. Despite this, I generally enjoy good skin due to spending a lot of time and money to figure out what works and what doesn't. The following products work to help me maintain good skin and prevent painful irritation.
TREATMENT
The sensitivities I've listed are all classic symptoms of rosacea. Though I haven't been diagnosed with it, I've been told my skin is in a state of pre-rosacea (similar to being pre-diabetic - onset of disease can occur in the absence of preventative health measures). As such, I use Finacea to prevent the full onset of rosacea. Finacea works as an anti-inflammatory agent to keep skin calm and is only available by prescription.
Bizarrely enough, I can tolerate prescription-strength retinoids with ease. I've used Tazorac for years, and it is Tazorac - not Finacea - that I credit for my good skin. Tazorac gives my skin an even tone and texture, increases vibrancy, and inhibits some oil production. The effect it has is subtle. No bells, no whistles, simply good skin. If I go off it for a few days, I always see an immediate effect the next time I use it - my skin will be brighter, clearer, and have a more even texture.
I get puffy eyes if I don't get enough sleep or drink too much liquid right before bed. MAC Fast Response Eye Cream works fairly well to depuff the eyes, better than anything else I've tried. What I particularly like about the product is that it dries quickly - ten seconds and I can apply my makeup over it. It also deposits a really nice, smooth texture, making eye makeup application a snap.
PREVENTION
Having extremely fair skin, sunscreen isn't an option for me. This is really no problem. I'm so conscientious, I've worn sunscreen every day since I was fifteen. (Vain, too, but it's the conscientiousness that enabled such persistence.) Olay Complete Defense Daily UV Facial Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin, SPF 30 is hands down the best facial sunscreen I've tried. It's the single formula specifically formulated for skin that hasn't pilled on me, with or without makeup, and it's extemely gentle. It has such a smooth texture on the skin I've never had trouble applying makeup over it, although I generally use a primer anyway. A word of caution: Be sure to go for the sensitive skin formulation, as I've found that the regular version pills.
Although I mostly keep redness and irritation at bay, I find that using products containing squalene/squalane really work to help keep my skin calm. Derived from vegetable oils, including olive oil, squalene and squalane are very light, emollient oils that moisturize and sooth my skin. With squalane as one of the main ingredients, Boots Expert Anti-Redness Serum is one of the best products I've found to use. The squalane essentially works as a lightweight barrier for my skin, keeping the moisture in and harsh irritants out. As with Tazarac, should I go without this for a few days, I will see an immediate improvement in my skin's tone and clarity the next time I use it. This works well not only as a day-to-day product, but also on those occasions when my skin is aggravated. As soon as I use this product, my skin immediately feels calmer and less painful, and with the squalane barrier in place, heals much faster.
Never one to leave an inch of skin unprotected, my lip balm of choice is Banana Boat Sport Performance Sunscreen Lip Balm SPF 50. The texture of this lip balm is fairly standard - moderately emollient and sheer with a little bit of weight. I'm a fan of this particular lip balm because it blocks both UVA and UVB rays, a feat not often accomplished in a drugstore lip balm. I also appreciate how sheer it is, having found other comparable lip balms quite heavy and occlusive.
FUNDAMENTALS
Though it's the fundamentals that can make or break a good skincare routine, I am much more relaxed about them than I am other, more specific products. I've found that there are a variety of very good, basic skincare products that don't break the bank and generally work just as well as any of the others in the bunch.
More important than any particular cleanser is the method of cleaning. If you slap cleanser on just to immediately take it off, it's not going to do the job, regardless of whether you use Shu Uemura or Cetaphil. If, however, you take your time and spend a good thirty seconds minimum rubbing or scrubbing away, you will reap the benefits of judicious cleansing, regardless of cleanser (excepting the very worst). With that in mind, I usually have a couple of very basic, decent cleansers on hand, alternating out Juice Organics Brightening Cleanser and Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser . Both cleansers do the job, cleaning without stripping and leaving no makeup on my face, though sometimes I use a separate eye makeup remover for all the mascara I wear. Neither product has irritated my skin, and despite the claim of one to be "organic," I don't find the Juice Organics cleanser to be any gentler or less effective than the Neutrogena.
I am just as casual about moisturizers as I am cleansers. With all the very specific products I use, my treatment and prevention needs are fulfilled. All I really need moisturizers to do is moisturize without irritating. For that reason, I have the very gentle, very basic La Roche-Posay Toleriane Soothing Protective Care and Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture, Sensitive Skin on rotation. In terms of hydration, the two are nearly identical products. Both deliver light, gentle hydration and, more than anything, serve as yet another barrier to protect my skin. The difference is in quality of formulation. The Neutrogena moisturizer very obviously contains more fillers than La Roche-Posay, feeling less substantive on the skin. Regardless, it's still a good, basic formulation for the summer, leaving Toleriane to provide slightly richer hydration and protection in the winter.
Labels: banana boat, beauty notes, boots, la roche-posay, mac, neutrogena, skin
10/21/2009 [1]
In truth, this was intended to be a single post with base and brows, as these are all fundamentals, unmakeup for those with less than stellar luck in the genetic stakes—but as ever, the verbiage piled up. Whether her look is natural or dramatic, constant or constantly changing, a woman who needs mascara and undereye concealer will wear them every day. The all-important principle behind unmakeup, I cannot stress this too many times, must always be observed: no one should be able to tell you're wearing the stuff. It seems obvious enough, and yet you see more women with pancake makeup and clumpy, "false-lash" mascara and overtweezed brows than an ill-chosen red lipstick. So let me reiterate. No one should be able to tell you're wearing the stuff. Otherwise, you defeat its purpose, by calling attention to exactly what is lacking.
Over-application of mascara is an especially pernicious breed. By this, I do not mean clumpy, spider lashes—everyone knows this is not an attractive look. Even if your technique may indeed boast a perfection at the professional level, each lash delicately and evenly coated, both lush and separated, mascara should never be obvious (at left, the infamous L'Oréal Telescopic ad where Penelope Cruz was caught in falsies). Mascara is not a vehicle of personal expression; it's subterfuge. Like good prose, it's actually quite difficult to come off as real and natural, which is why the wearer soon grows indulgent about a surfeit of mascara. "But," you say, "I have the thinnest, sparsest, shortest, straightest lashes EVER!" Well, so do I. Mine will never approximate rhapsodic adjectives like "long" or "lush", but I've become reconciled to subtle enhancement. More mascara simply looks like—more mascara—not more lashes. Lash extensions come with too many caveats: costly, labor intensive, fragile, and less impressive on insubstantial lashes. And false lashes are certainly fabulous, in the way that Pamela Anderson's breasts are fabulous; as the joke goes, even God looks down and mutters, "I didn't make those." Still, mascara is an essential for most; it certainly is for me. More women are likely to wear mascara than eyeshadow, and if you have pale lashes, it makes a huge difference. For all that subtle enhancement is so... subtle, mascara application demands a precise and exacting ritual, though it passes into the realm of habit sooner than you'd think.
- choose a mascara suited to your needs If you are not entirely confident what exactly your "needs" are, then opt simply for a natural look. Two good places to start, both low and high-end, are Shu Uemura Basic and Maybelline Full & Soft.
- black mascara works for most If you are really so fair, or dislike the appearance of makeup, that black mascara looks harsh, then wear brown, instead. Colored mascaras seem largely gimmicky to me; the lone exception being plum, for green or blue eyes.
- mascara should be the last step in your eye makeup Often, you will find that eyeshadow needs mascara to look "complete", sometimes reinforced by eyeliner. But by all means, apply mascara last. It might smudge, so be careful, but better than lashes dusted over with power and shimmers.
- start with curling your lashes Especially if your lashes are straight. Mascara will soften the curl (there are a few exceptions), but this helps open up the eye and lend mascara more impact.
- wipe the wand of excess gunk Not all wands are easily cleaned (the newer, flexible, rubbery bristles, for example), but this reduces the incidence of clumping drastically. Rather then soft facial tissue, a less fibrous napkin, or even paper, is best for the job.
- apply from base to the tips This seems obvious enough, since you wouldn't sweep mascara from the tips to the base. Plant the wand as close to the base of the lashline as possible, wiggle the wand to concentrate pigment, before brushing through to the tips.
- get every lash It is not necessary to apply mascara to the bottom lashes, but getting those teeny, tiny lashes in the inner and outer corners adds, again, to the impact of your mascara. Use the tip of the brush, if it's a tight fit, or switch to a smaller brush.
- tightline An extra step, but it defines and thickens the lashline better than any mascara in the world.
There's much debate over which is the best mascara, and new versions are introduced with almost alarming regularity, boasting ever more harebrained technical feats, but your choice will depend primarily on the effects you are hoping to achieve. A mascara's performance is largely determined by the nature of brush it sports. For precision, opt for a thinner brush with sparser bristles, sometimes long and curved to catch everything in one sweep, sometimes a comb to ensure separation, and sometimes short and squat to allow for exact manipulation, sometimes a rubbery, flexible brush. The formula should be relatively fluid, so that it coats each and every lash evenly, and if spiked with fibers, will turn into a lengthening mascara. An excellent mascara of this kind is the very aptly named Définicils from Lancôme. If drama and volume is your desire, a big, fat brush with densely packed bristles is your best bet: look for a thicker formula that clings to lashes, and the most intense black pigment. I'm particularly fond of L'Oréal Carbon Black Voluminous, myself. If you're looking for a long-lasting and smudgeproof curl, then a lightweight, waterproof mascara like Kiss Me Heroine Make is indelible to the point of outright stubbornness.Each mascara type has its drawbacks. A defining mascara must be replaced more frequently, as the formula dries out. A lengthening mascara often sacrifices volume, and those fibers can irritate. Volumizing mascaras are prone to clumping. Waterproof mascaras can be difficult to remove.
The best trick of all is not mascara, but eyeliner. Originating from Laura Mercier counters, through Makeupalley and more diffuse channels, the "tightlining" technique creates an optical illusion that mimics dense lashes, without loading the lashes with mascara. Pigment is deposited along the inner rim of the eye, very delicately, concentrated as close to the lashline as possible—in between lashes is even better. For some reason, it also makes the eyes glow, "pop", but in an indefinable way. Though any lining technique can create the look of thicker lashes, with a few exceptions, tightlining is perhaps the most effective, because it draw attention to your eyes rather than your makeup. I personally tend towards the laziest option, a creamy (so it doesn't tug) eye pencil that smears but minimally, like Too Faced Liquid Lava Extreme Black Gloss. However, most people prefer creme or gel liner, applied with a thin, flat synthetic brush, though dampened powder shadow (provided it is sufficiently pigmented) and liquid eyeliner are also options.Labels: kiss me, l'oreal, lancome, maybelline, shu uemura, the beauty primer, too faced
10/19/2009 [1]
city nights / Helmut Newton for YSL / Robert Piguet Bandit Bandit, one of the bitchiest leather chypres around, captures an early autumn night after a rain: the blended scents of gasoline and decaying leaves, the menace of a dark alley, the emergent chill in the air, electric light reflected off the slick, black streets. (Dorothy)
a fine bordeaux / Manolo Blahnik "Menka" / Serge Lutens Rose de Nuit Perhaps Serge Lutens finds oakmoss too prim for his taste, for his Rose de Nuit is the slutty blood-red velvet dress of chypres, pulled off with eager and anticipating fingers. As may be intimated from its name, Rose de Nuit does feature a liqueur-like rose, normally a note to turn me off, but so precisely complemented by the dried-apricot cum leather-glove character of osmanthus, and a thorough umbrage of oakmoss to keep things properly sinister. (Daïn)
late garden / Frédéric Malle Une Fleur de Cassie The strange and poignant splendour of a late garden, bathed in autumn's diminishing light. All that vegetable propriety, so fanatically cultivated over the warmer months, has fallen into decadence, a voluptuousness that verges on the animalic. Slight decay is beautiful: Venice, for example. (Daïn & Dorothy)
smoke in cold air / Caspar David Friedrich / Annick Goutal Encens Flamboyant Where other, sweeter incense scents call to mind the interiors of darkened churches, Encens Flamboyant is the smell of woodsmoke escaping into a cold November sky, sweetened only with a hint of balsam. (Dorothy)
tweeds / Brideshead Revisited / Guerlain Jicky extrait It doesn't get more autumnal than impeccably cut, Edwardian hunting tweeds, the kind that itches like hell and requires an attentive valet on hand even to get into, but oh, how suave. The rough-cut characters of lavender and tonka bean which populate Jicky, in the parfum, is rendered extraordinarily languorous and smooth, from a superfluity of civet and castoreum. Such heights of sophistication go well beyond the limits of modern taste, but Jicky does make you yearn for the past. (Daïn)
afternoon tea / Paul Cezanne / Mauboussin Slices of honeyed gingerbread, pungent and aromatic, lay in array on a decorated tray, as strong black tea steeps in a silver pot, waiting to be poured into jewel-toned glasses. To take the edge off the smoky flavour, Russian-style, are some dead-sweet cherry preserves. Is this Five O'Clock au Gingembre? No, it's Mauboussin, slightly sour but toothachingly sweet varenya to sweeten your tea and ward off the chill. (Daïn)
La Double Vie de Véronique / Jean Desprez Bal a Versailles As autumn passes, the light slants into sepia, and shadows grow progressively longer and longer. Amber and slightly urinous jasmine give off the golden glow of a late fall afternoon, while civet and resins hint at the midnight that is the winter to come. (Anne)
Gerrit Dou / Histoires de Parfums 1740 Worn-in leather furniture, ripe apples, spiced tea on the hob, the companionable mustiness of an old, well-warmed house: this fragrance captures all the comforts of sitting by the fire on a chilly autumn night. (Dorothy)
James Ensor / Chanel Coromandel At the intersection between the deadpan impersonality of luxury (Chanel) and the idiosyncrasies of a distinctive personality (patchouli) stands Coromandel: sumptuous as the brilliant hues of the turning maples, but up close, the peculiarly rough, dirty, raw, grotesque smell of dead leaves, blowing in a chill wind. (Daïn)
The Non Blonde
Under the Cupola
Mais Que Perfume
Ayala Smelly Blog
Savvy Thinker
Olfactarama
Notes from the Ledge
Mossy Loomings
Tea Sympathy and Perfume
Perfume Shrine
Labels: annick goutal, aramis, chanel, frederic malle, guerlain, histoires de parfums, jean desprez, l'artisan parfumeur, mauboussin, perfume notes, robert piguet, serge lutens
10/16/2009 [4]
My long-time typical beauty routine has involved lining my waterline. Given the shape of my eyes and the lack of pigment in my lashes, I find this is the best way to bring out my eyes without overwhelming them (or the rest of my face, for that matter). While I had used a gel liner for several years without problem, my allergies have progressed to the point that my eyes could no longer tolerate it. Having tried waterproof pencils and gel and cream liners all to no avail, I knew the typical liners simply weren't working for me anymore, and so I turned to the vegan cosmetics lineFyrinnae Cosmetics.
Fyrinnae's Inks Liquid Eyeliners (prices range from $9.00 to $10.75) are not the typical waterlining product. As promised on the website, the liners never dry due to the product's unique formulation. A composite of both liquid and pigment, once applied to the waterline, the liquid evaporates and leaves the pigment behind. This almost amounts to wearing a liquid version of kohl, in that what's left on the lids is a dense, deeply pigmented powder that stays in place. I tried the liner in Ninja, which is meant to be the blackest black. The product more than delivered on its promised and gave me an intense, wet black line for 6-8 hours, after which the product still retained its vibrancy and intense pigment quality. Fyrinnae offers a wide variety of colors in addition to Ninja, many of which appear unique to the brand.
Having such sensitive, watery eyes, as well as being a contact lens wearer, I was initally worried that the liner wouldn't stay in place. I was pleased to find I had no problems with the liner shifting throughout the day, and at no point did I look in the mirror to find liner had blinked onto my contacts. I did note that application is key to ensuring the liner doesn't budge. Though no particular method is necessary for applying liner to the upper inner lid, I experienced the best application results by slightly pulling down my lower eyelid, applying the product, and letting it set two to three seconds before releasing the eye (and all obviously before putting in my contacts). I would also advise scraping most of the product off on the container. Working with only a small amount of product at a time will ensure a more precise, less messy application. As the website indicates, the product does separate slightly in the container, so shake about 10-20 seconds before application.
My biggest concern with finding a new liner for my waterline was finding a product that wouldn't further aggravate my sensitivities. I was pleased to find that Inks Liquid Eyeliner doesn't bother my eyes. In fact, the first couple of times I used the product, I was freaked out by the fact that I couldn't feel it on. Most cream and gel liners are so heavy and dry on the waterline that I was used to feeling weight and dryness with my eyeliner, and I actually had to get adjusted to the weightlessness of the product. (Though it was a quick adjustment - I really enjoyed wearing a product that doesn't dry my eyes out anymore than they already are.)
As much as I appreciate the high performance level of this product, I was even more pleased with the Fyrinnae's excellent customer service. Shipping prices are the bane of my existence - I cannot justify that extra $6+. Given that, Fyrinnae must be commended for its reasonable shipping prices. Orders under $20.00 ship for $1.75-$3.00, and for worldwide destinations, including Canada, shipping under $25.00 is $2.75-$3.50 (all USD). This is a bargain. Orders over $20.00 in the US are free (worldwide shipping is free with orders over either $20.00 or $25.00 - the website is unclear which it is). While Fyrinnae cannot guarantee a delivery date, I received my purchase within two weeks and even enjoyed a free loose eye shadow sample.
Overall, I was highly pleased with both Inks Liquid Eyeliner and Fyrinnae Cosmetics. It's rare to find either a product or a company that lives up to its promises, and it was a pleasure to find a line that's worth some hype. If you're looking for a liner for the waterline, I highly recommend this product.
Inks Liquid Eyeliner Ingredients: Cyclopentasiloxane(and)Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Mica,Isododecane,Cyclomethicone(and)Dimethicone Copolyol,Titanium Dioxide,DMDM Hydantoin,Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate. May Contain: Manganese Violet,Iron Oxides, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate.
Labels: beauty notes, fyrinnae
10/13/2009 [2]
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