Style Eyes by Taylor Chang

Style Eyes is the second book by makeup artist Taylor Chang-Babaian. Her first book, Asian Faces, focused on various makeup style and needs of Asian women. Now she's approaching women of all ethnicities but focusing on what might the most challenging part of makeup application: eyes.

The book covers everything from shaping your eye brows to applying false lashes. There are step-by-step instructions for every look and technique, explanations, definitions, tips and tricks. Ms. Chang-Babaian demystifies loose pigments, mineral products and tells you that when buying cream eye shadows you'd want a store with a good return policy. I especially loved the detailed how-tos for different eye shapes and lids. Those should give even the most inexperienced users a good idea how to create a polished look that really fits their features.

I wish there was a lot more discussion of color.  There's a casual mention that one can wear just about any color if done right, but not enough examples. It would have been great to see makeup looks focused on certain colors adapted to different faces, skin tones and occasions. Despite this flaw, Style Eyes offers enough useful information and inspiration even for those of us who are quite proficient with our liners and brushes. The photographs by Albert Sanchez are great- the models look human and you get a good idea of Taylor Chang Babaian's aesthetics. I plan to keep the book near my makeup dressers, so I can quickly refer to it when trying something new.

Mostly (All) About Eva

Odds and ends for a Monday morning:

• Helg from Perfume Shrine is wondering what was Eva Longoria's fragrance on her wedding day. There's also a link to a list of celebrities and their favorite perfumes. I only skimmed the list, but I have to say that while not surprising, there's very little inspiration there. Young Hollywood is all about fruity-florals and laundry detergent scents, while classic Hollywood seems to have shared the same handful of bottles. Still, of interest is the fact that Creed's Irish Tweed Green that was created for Cary Grant, is now worn by his modern incarnation, George Clooney. I think I see a bottle in the Blond's future.
(photo of Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman from the movie Notorious)


• Speaking of my husband: He was sitting next to me as I was writing my previous Eva Longoria post. He looked at the photo and commented: "That's a Chanel, right?". Apparently, he recognized both the fabric and the deconstructed trim. Color me proud.



• Last one about Eva's wedding: Look at this picture (courtesy of Mollygood. Click on the photo, it's worth it) of her mother-in-law, Tony Parker's mom. Can she be wearing Proenza Pink lipstick? I'm not saying a word about the roses on her ankles (or the cleavage).





• Since we're sort of the topic of celebrity obsession, Jake Halpern's book, "Fame Junkies" , offers an interesting perspective of this subculture. I have yet to finish the book, but so far I'm enjoying it.

Summer Reading

Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart is a charming little memoir of New York City in the mid 40s. You can almost see and feel the city as it was back then, the excitement and naivete of two Midwestern college girls experiencing the city for the first time. I have a thing for old movies, especially those that were filmed in Manhattan, and reading this book is almost like watching one.

From the front flap:

Do you remember the best summer of your life?

New York City, 1945.
Marjorie Jacobson and her best friend, Marty Garrett, arrive fresh from the Kappa house at the University of Iowa hoping to find summer positions as shopgirls. Turned away from the top department stores, they miraculously find jobs as pages at Tiffany & Co., becoming the first women to ever work on the sales floor—a diamond-filled day job replete with Tiffany blue shirtwaist dresses from Bonwit Teller's—and the envy of all their friends.

Hart takes us back to the magical time when she and Marty rubbed elbows with the rich and famous; pinched pennies to eat at the Automat; experienced nightlife at La Martinique; and danced away their weekends with dashing midshipmen. Between being dazzled by Judy Garland's honeymoon visit to Tiffany, celebrating VJ Day in Times Square, and mingling with Café society, she fell in love, learned
unforgettable lessons, made important decisions that would change her future, and created the remarkable memories she now shares with all of us.

It will make you want to try on one of the Tiffany blue nail polishes reviewed in Blogdorf Goodman last week. I don't think I can pull of this particular look, but the colors are gorgeous. I think they look best against pale skin.


For those who share my love of NYC memoirs and wish to read something a bit more literary, Here's one of my most favorite books of all time: Manhattan Memoir by Mary Cantwell.

Mary Cantwell was a fashion writer for several magazines. Her three-part memoir covers her New England childhood and her adult years as a working woman in Manhattan of the 50s and 60s. The book is beautifully written and pulls you into her world.

Get your Gunn?

Tim Gunn is all grace and vocabulary, two traits not too common in the world of fashion advice (consider the difference between his "Make it work!" and Stacy London's "Shut up!"). I adored him in Project Runway and was very excited when I got to meet him in a charity event a couple of months ago. He's just as charming in person, the "taste, quality and style" radiating from his perfect skin.

I couldn't take him home with me and make him my best friend and shopping buddy, and neither can any other woman. But someone in Abrams Image realized that they could bank on this female obsession and gave him a book deal. Thus, giving us all a chance to own a little style guide with Tim Gunn's photo on the cover and quotes by Kierkegaard and Jonathan Swift.

My first problem here is with the very question of the real author behind the book. The front cover gives credit to Kate Molony, who was Tim Gunn's Assistant Chair at Parsons, and whom he calls his "spiritual partner". The blurbs inside the dust jacket, as well as the dedication and preface led me to suspect that it's not exactly a Tim Gunn original. Also, the way the book reads, despite the high-brow literary and cultural references and the several Gunnisms that are woven into it, feel somewhat hollow at places. The crisp suit is there, but the real man is missing.

I might have been more forgiving for the bait & switch trick, if the first three chapters were less boring and predictable. The first one is all about being yourself and dressing for your lifestyle. The second chapter reveals that you should wear items that (gasp!) fit your shape. Here you will learn that clothes that are too big and shapeless will make you appear even bigger. If you hear echos of Clinton and Stacy, you aren't far from the truth. The only saving grace of this chapter is that it uncovers the secret of clothes size in America (and as far as I know also in the UK): it has changed over time, and unless you've only been buying couture (which stayed the same), you need to adjust the size of your clothes accordingly, even if your waistline hasn't changed.

Chapter three is the worst: Editing one's closet. Here you'll be subjected to advice such as "don't keep items that don't fit" and get rid of clothes you never wear". If you are having a mental image of Trinny and Susannah rummaging through someone's closet and tossing out lilac colored capris circa 1989, you'd be totally right. You've heard it all before, but maybe Tim can succeed where the English ladies have apparently failed to make you finally get rid of that flannel shirt from your grunge days.

It gets better afterwards, despite having some of the usual suspects in the fashion icon chapter. I appreciated the statement regarding fashion risk takers like Sarah Jessica Parker and Chloe Sevigny: "We can admire, but we cannot endorse". The extensive discussion of good posture was great, as well as the chapter about must-haves and the importance of quality in perennial items. I could live without the obsession for ballet flats. There's a lot of other sound advice regarding accessories, such as to forget about the "It" bag and to invest in good quality scarves.

A nice surprise was the sub-chapter dealing with perfume. I'm glad to report that it is far from mainstream and from advice to wear something light and citrusy to the office. There's a real discussion of scent families, it explains what a chypre is and even endorses less conventional notes. The book doesn't go as far as to explain and recommend niche fragrances, but it's a step in the right direction.

To sum it up, the book is cute and would help you pass a nice rainy afternoon at the bookstore. But it's not the ultimate must-have that you'll find yourself cracking open year after year. Too bad, really. I expected much more than that.

A few weeks ago, while doing some damage at my local B&N store, I was leafing through Trinny and Susannah's second book, the one called "What You Wear Can Change Your Life". I don't have too much to say about the book, but it's probably a good inspiration for someone who feels stuck in a rut (or in 1985) fashion-wise and have no idea where to start. The "What Not to Wear" ladies have a great attitude, they understand how looks influence your sense of well-being. And even if it's not exactly high fashion or the latest trends, they know a thing or two about clothes. There's some practical advice about dressing according to your body type, but the color guide they offer is a bit too simplistic. There are way more than just "warm" and "cool" skin tones, and most women I know can safely choose certain colors and hues from both groups.

The makeup section of the book is not exactly groundbreaking. While every statement they make is very true, I highly doubt that anyone reading the beauty blogs really needs to be told that foundation must match the skin and that a lip liner darker than the lipstick is a deadly sin. The fact that clumpy mascara isn't making you pretty isn't a new concept, either. However, one of the ten makeup points that they mention is actually worth talking about, and that's the awfulness of most long lasting lipstick, and how they make lips look parched.

I'm glad that someone has said it. A formula that is supposed to last for eight hours come hell or high water, isn't designed to make your lips happy. I can't think of even one product of this kind that ever felt comfortable on my lips, and it makes me wonder why would anyone think that re-applying is such a big effort that she'd rather suffer through wearing a super dry lipstick. A matte look can be perfectly fine (ask Dita von Teese), but you need to choose your lipstick carefully, and probably forgo anything that is drying.

Instead, I'd go for a very pigmented, high quality and very moisturizing lipstick. The latest offering from Lancome, Color Fever lipstick, is excellent. I've already fallen in love with the gloss from the Color Fever line, and the new lipstick is just as wonderful. It definitely lives up to the promises regarding shine, pigment and comfort. As you apply it, the feeling is similar to a lip balm. it coats the lips in moisture.

It doesn't survive dinner or a makeout session, but reapplying is fun.

The color that I got to try (thanks to Kerry from Lancome), Burning Torch, is not yet available, but hopefully will be soon, because it is perfect. Despite the name, it's a fairly muted brownish red, that (at least with my skin tone) is very suitable for everyday wear.

Very Light Reading

This is probably not the greatest beauty book ever, but still worth mentioning. Allure editor-in-chief Linda Wells and her team of beauty editors have summarized all the ideas, facts and techniques that one needs to know when it comes to makeup and skin care. It takes a couple of hours to read, you might want to take a couple of notes while doing so, but mostly it's like an extended beauty section in a magazine. There's no new gospel here and their simple how-tos will not make you into the next Bobbi Brown, but the advice is sound, the facts are established and everyone can learn something.

I especially liked the myth busting. If enough people read it and pay attention, maybe we'll stop seeing the stupid advice to use toothpaste on pimples on every beauty message board.

What I found most useful is the part about ingredients in skin care products: what to look for according to specific needs, what should be in a good anti-aging product and why we need to use it. It puts order in the chaotic and saturated market.

They don't talk about any brand and don't make specific recommendation. But you do get the tools to use when shopping- the lingo and the labels are explained, and that's what important.

The bottom line: It's worth a couple of hours of your time even if you're well seasoned in makeup and beauty products, and would make a very nice gift to anyone who is just starting.

I just finished reading this cute little memoir. I don't own any Target underwear (or a Vera Wang gown, for that matter), but it was easy to relate to Adena Halpern stories of family, boyfriends, co-workers and the fashion choices surrounding them.

She talks about clothes and the memories attached to them, their significance in our lives, the changes that we make and how our closets reflect them.

There's a short chapter about perfume, but since Ms. Halpern fragrance of choice is Cashmere Mist, I can't say that I'm impressed with that one. But it amused me to no end to discover that both our mothers wear Chloe.

I spotted this book from afar at my local B&N store. The photo cover is instantly recognizable and embodies so much beauty, nostalgia and sadness that it fills you with all those memories of the prettiest princess and her tragic fairytale.

I was 10 years old when I sat at my neighbor's living room watching the wedding. That was when my royal obsession began. Twenty five years later, I'm still excited to see the photographs and to read the stories.

A Good Read

Anyone who is interested in the beauty industry and in magazines would enjoy this book. The tips, stories and secrets from behind the scenes all make it worth reading. And it's fun.