Michael Kors would throw a slushie at that.

So! The return of Glee happened. Is it any surprise that I am a huge Gleek? I think not. And of course, my fave character is Kurt.

I mean, just look at this boy. Perfection.

But during the half-season 'premier', this happened:

Um, what is this shapeless monstrosity? Is he hiding a neck-brace under there? Have the writers decided to take Kurt in an geriatric-fending-off-pneumonia direction?

Fortunately, Glee's costume designer Lou Eyrich explains:

 

"It's a turtleneck scarf by Michael Kors. I think we got it at Barney's. [...] It's such a delicious piece, but it wasn't worn right. I wasn't on set that day, so it was worn wrong. It was wrapped twice, but it's supposed to wrap once and then the ends hang down in front."

Whew! I can only imagine the professionalism and focus Chris Colfer had to muster to endure the entire scene accessorized like that.

On confidence.

This is a quote from actress Gabourney Sidibe, on where she gets her confidence:

"It came from me. One day I decided that I was beautiful, and so I carried out my life as if I was a beautiful girl. I wear colors that I really like, I wear makeup that makes me feel pretty, and it really helps. It doesn’t have anything to do with how the world perceives you. What matters is what you see."

I haven't seen Precious. I had no idea who Gabourney Sidibe was until I saw her at the awards shows. I still don't know anything about her, and really have no opinion of her.

Beauty is subjective, but only to a point. Excellence can be defined by many things, but I'll bet we can all roughly agree on which people excel in their fields. Talent is fairly easily recognized; you can only fake it so much. The hard truth is, we are not all model-gorgeous, we cannot all win Nobel prizes, and we aren't always going to be great at what we want to do, no matter how hard we try.

But. Does it matter? Even if the best we can be is far from the best, it is still OUR best. Shouldn't we treat ourselves with as much love and respect as we lavish on the beautiful, successful, and talented? 

So wear your 'special-occasion' outfit. Break out the company-only cutlery and stemware. Spend an extra 5 minutes perfecting your hairstyle or lipstick or whatever. Why not? You just might end up feeling lovelier, acting cleverer, being kinder. 

No one can rob you of these feelings. Only you can allow them to be taken.

Thanks, Gabourney.

Product Review: Cover Girl Lash Blast Luxe Mascara

They say a girl can never have too much shimmer in her life. And well, not to be a snot, but obviously that is untrue. Frosty 90's shimmer is rarely a good thing. Shimmer lotion spackled on so thickly it rubs all over your fancy little black party dress making you look like you had a run-in with a deodorant stick -- also not good. Shimmery* sequined tights a la Jason Meyer's atrocity on the Project Runway Canada finale? *Shudder*

But generally speaking, a little shimmer is a good thing. It adds depth, interest, and sparkle. It's fun and girly! So a little shimmer should help pretty much any product, right? This must have been what the folks at Cover Girl were thinking when they came up with Lash Blast Luxe Mascara. Shimmer in a mascara? Why not? People luuurve shimmer. Right?


Well, maybe it's just me, but the shimmer in Lash Blast Luxe does absolutely nada. I got the blue shade (it's called the very dramatic Black Royale), which, as far as I can tell, is a black base with blue shimmer. Once it's on the lashes though, I can barely see the shimmer at all. I certainly can't tell if it 'brightens' my eyes or whatever. If I look super closely, I can tell something's there, but it sort of just looks like I was messy when applying my shimmer eye shadow and got some on my lashes. Hmm.

Despite the shimmer having little-to-undesirable effects, I actually quite liked the forumla. It seems a bit drier than the original Lash Blast, which means that while it didn't create quite as much volume for me, it was much better at getting that soft feathery look. A bit softer than the regular Lash Blast, but also easier to deal with (Lash Blast original got a little clumpy sometimes, and my lashes would stick together). It stays on well, is smudge free, and I can wear it with contacts on no problem.

So would I recommend this? Well, if you love Lash Blast already, then you probably don't need this. But if the original Lash Blast was a bit too wet for you, or if you haven't tried Lash Blast and like the idea of having (barely-perceptible) shimmer in your mascara, then go ahead and grab a tube. It's definitely not a bad product, just don't go expecting Liza-Minelli-crossed-with-Vegas-showgirl lashes from this!



* Okay, technically I guess that's more "sparkly" or "blingy". It was horrific however you slice it. Also, I totally want the Jessica Biffi Winner's dress now! Oh to have $100 extra. Or $400 extra, so I can get it in all those colours. Mmmm... sherbet-y.

Bwahahaha

Okay okay, I'm working on an actual review for you folks (crazy, I know!) to go up tomorrow, but I've also been taking advantage of this hard-to-come-by down time by catching up on this season's Gossip Girl.

I've obviously got a lot more catching up to do, but I just wanna say:

"What's this? Chuck's date and Blair's date are mother and son? And Nate and Blair are ex's? And Nate and the mother are in a book club?! Now there's a novel plot twist."

Brilliant! God I love Kristen Bell. And Gossip Girl. And downtime.

Alright, back to reviewing. See you tomorrow!

Not Makeup: SYTYCD, Real Time!

Holy CRAP. So, I'm hardly one to go gaga over this emo, rolling-around-on-the-ground, Mia Michaels-esque contemporary dancing. (Said with utmost respect, of course) But YOWZA did you guys SEE this Brandon Bryant guy on So You Think You Can Dance? First, he looks like he's all of 5'8", but he's allll muscle. All of it. Everywhere. He's also gayer than a birdcage full of glitter*, all wearin' Chuck Bass scarves and talkin' bout his mama slappin' him upside the head for underage auditioning in Season 1.

And then he gets on stage, and it's like.... Spartacus. Doing ballet. Gracefully like he's on skates or something. This dude is like sweaty Roman soldiers doing battle-pirouettes on ice. It looks like he has perfect control over every single, plentiful, muscle in his body. He's just so JACKED! Total goosebumps!

And then he gets off stage and he's super gay again! Yaaayyyy! Super gayyyy!

Could Brandon be my new SYTYCD fave? He certainly looks like he'd have the technique to kill at other styles of dance. (And the technique to kill a bunch of Navy SEALS, for that matter.) Besides, he's already won "Star Search", and in fact was a finalist with David Archuleta, and look how far THAT kid got.


But let's not forget our resident Oscar the Grouch. Granted the "this is for you, Mom!" storyline might have swayed me, but I loved Markus Shields. He looks so thug, like Snoop Dog with the 'do rag and the long floppy limbs. I guess his style IS hip hop, but it's also so lyrical and flowy and just plain nice. They should definitely put him on the show, if for no other reason than to show how the magic of Mia Michael's choreography can break down stony walls and to let his manly emotions burst forth!

The rest of them were pretty unmemorable (well, Claire Callaway's extreme skinny-ness scared me, I guess). Fortunately, Nigel kept me entertained: "You look camouflage up in the dictionary, and you can't find it!" Oh Nigel.

2 other thoughts: 1) Cat hugs a lot of sweaty people. I wonder how much hand sanitizer she goes through in a day. 2) By the look of it, they cast (um, sorry, "put through to Vegas") one of the Wayan brothers. (He's the guy that ran into the door, at the end of the episode.) WTF??


And finally, to end all this randomness, Benji should totally do some DC Swing! It'd be haawwwt.

Oh, my phone's ringing, gotta jet! What about you, any favourite dancers so far?


* I don't know, that seems pretty gay, doncha think?

Pefect Presents: Last minute books & music

Naughty thing! Have you left your Christmas shopping to the very last minute and are now in a frantic rush for something cool but quick? Or maybe your giftee just isn't (*gasp*!) that into beauty products. Here's a few more ideas then... because Amazon.com and chapters.indigo.ca are always open!

Because beauty has many faces...




Forsaken, by Lana Slezic


Toronto-born photo-journalist Lana Slezic takes you through the daily lives of women in Afganistan with her poignant and beautiful photos. You may have seen her work in a recent issue of Allure. From the striking images of female police officers to prostitutes who must hide their faces for fear of death by relatives trying to maintain family honour, this book is a stunning visual journey.


Make-up for the Ears:

If we are to speak of Christmas CDs, of course I must mention the Toronto based and now-international jazz sensation, Emilie-Claire Barlow. Her 2006 release "Winter Wonderland" (my raving review here) is a lovely addition to any holiday soundtrack. Her latest release, "The Very Thought Of You" (pictured) is at times lush and subdued, while clipping along at foot-tapping body-swaying tempos at others. Clear, bell-like vocals, crisp enunciation, and fresh interpretations of the standards set this album apart from the masses!



To switch gears completely, I am also newly addicted to Dragonette's first CD, "Galore". Half the band are Canadian (they live in the UK now), and they play dirty, groovy, euro-electro pop with a rock edge. You can't help but want to dance when you hear it. They've been described as what would happen if Gwen Stefani fronted The Killers. I say, yes, but have them do it all under the tutelage of Kylie Minogue. True, not all their songs are absolutely stunning, but there are enough solid tunes on there to make this CD a good gift.


Okay! That's all there will be out of me until after the New Year, when I am back to internetted civilization. I hope you all have a wonderfully merry Christmas and the happiest of New Years, full of good friends, good food, and great memories! Stay safe, and I'll see you all in 2008!

This review was posted for me by the ever-fabulous Ex-Roomie, who is kindly administering the blog while I am gallivanting around Asia. I will respond to comments and emails when I get back. Promise!

So many thoughts, so little time. Or coherence.

OMG. So I'm sitting here watching Dancing With the Stars (simply because it's on after Gossip Girl) and Leanne Rimes is performing. I generally have pretty good feelings towards her -- she has a great voice, stays largely scandal free and does not to my knowledge have an obnoxious perfume named after her.


But good Lord lady, pluck those brows!!! I get that a strong brow is in or whatever, but the big brows and smokey eyes age her like 15 years.

To her credit, she looked slammin' in her little black mini-dress, and the performance was swell.

But the brows, Leanne! The brows! Don't do this to yourself, you're too cute for this.


Leanne, in happier eye-makeup days.


In other news, everyone wants an appointment with Dr. Quinn, because she is the hottest doc in the house:



Speaking of Jane. While doing an image search for that pic above (oh yes, this is real-time blogging, coming straight at ya!), I noticed something eery -- Jane Seymour not only burns up the dance floor on Dancing With the Stars, she is also hot in a high school way on Gossip Girl. Twice! Look!

Jane is Jenny Humphrey!




Jane is Serena Van der Woodsen!



Jane is taking over my brain!

But this brings me conveniently back to Gossip Girl. If you haven't seen this week's episode, stop reading now, because this is a spoiler...

+

=

TLF!!


Seriously, how hot is the union of these 2? So hot. So so hot. It's awesome, especially because that Nate character is basically just a gorgeous lump of a guy, and while pretty things are nice to look at, stupid characters are largely boring. Besides, he had better skin and/or makeup than the female cast... one can only take so much prettiness from a boy before it becomes ridiculous.

Alright, I think I've put off doing real work long enough, and oh look, they just gave Jane Seymour the boot. Bummer. Oh well, toodles!

Product Review: Revlon Colorstay Sheer Overtime Lip color

aka: How to look like Blair Waldorf.

Ack! I promised I'd post days ago, but totally didn't. Since the Canadian dollar is sky high right now, I took a somewhat impromptu trip to Pennsylvania to do some serious outlet shopping. Can I just say that I love America?

But anyway, the promised review. There comes a day in every girl's life when she has to stand up and admit to the people she cares most about her deepest and darkest secrets. That day is not today, because it is no secret that my guilty pleasure is watching Gossip Girl. The sole fact that Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars!) is the narrator is enough to make me watch the show*.

But aside from Kristen, the show is just plain addictive. You get the eye candy of the boys and men (Helloooo Rufus Humphrey!), the cattiness and wit of Clueless, and the clothes, good Lord the clothes, that deck out our Upper East Side elite.

Very quickly, I have become enamoured with Blair Waldorf's character. Gotta love that whole tragic-bitch thing (see also: Sara Michelle Gellar in Cruel Intentions). And of course she always looks immaculate.




And while I can't tell you how to get her cheekbones or chic Manhattan wardrobe without spending thousands of shopping-and-surgery dollars, I can tell you how to get her perfectly pouty lip look.

Revlon Colorstay Sheer Overtime Lip Colour in Sheer Pomegranate is the way to go, my friends.





This colour is a pinkish medium red that manages to be vibrant and rich, but casual. In the I'm-fabulous-but-I'm-not-trying style. Perfect for a candy-red pout with a hint of fuschia and shiny gloss to keep it modern and young.

But there are a gadzillion red glosses out there, why this one? Well, maybe rich socialites don't need to worry about things such as practicality, but I hate how red lip colours get over everything**. So, a long-wearing formula is a must. But long-wearing formulas tend to be drying and opaque, giving you crusty, flat lips circa 1980's, and that is no one's party.

Revlon Sheer Overtime lip colours are the only long-wearing products I've tried that actually feel kind of comfortable on the lips. This is no cushy Estée gloss or Clinique moisturizing lipstick, but it goes on smooth, and lets you play with it a bit before it dries into stuck-on matte-ness. The shiny gloss that goes over it is much less sticky that those in other long-lasting lip products (Maybelline, I'm lookin' at YOU), and the shimmer in it helps add depth to the colour. Although, since the base colour actually goes on relatively sheer, you're already getting some dimension there.

As for wearability, it's great. Yes, you will see some colour come off on your coffee mug, and no, it doesn't last for 8 hours perfectly (it does last though, it's just not bulletproof). When it does wear off, it does so gracefully, coming off in tiny specks, which means that the colour that does stay on your lips is not patchy or weird.





Let's face it, if you're going to look like a preppy New York social queen, it's going to take some effort. But these Revlon lippies help make things a bit easier, so you have time left over to focus on things like, you know, work, school, or being able to feed yourself. I have them in 2 other more easygoing shades -- Sheer Plumite (a cool pale lilac), and Sheer Rosette (a neutral light-medium rose) -- and I love them all.

As for the rest of Blair Waldorf's look? Keep the eyes soft with a slightly shimmery taupe shadow and feathery mascara, and swirl some neutral rosy blush on your cheeks. Pop on a headband, wear your most polished and preppy clothes, and maybe you too can be the queen bee of everything!


*If Kristen Bell did voice-overs for C-SPAN, I would watch that too.

** In fact, if the show were about real New Yorkers, we'd be seeing red smears all over coffee cups and deli sandwiches, instead of pristine and sparkling martini glasses.

Product Review: Estée Lauder Evelyn Pink Pure Color Crystal Lipgloss (Pink Ribbon Collection)

aka: All up in the Pinks.

Hello friends, can you believe we're half way through October already? This also means we're half way through Breast Cancer Awareness month, which means you've only got 2 weeks left to snap up all those "Pink" fund-and-awareness-raising goodies.

It can be hard to choose from amongst all the pink-themed products, but I had my eye on Estée Lauder's Pink Ribbon collection. I love Estée Lauder's lip products, and the company had committed to donating $500,000 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Besides, didja know that it was Evelyn Lauder who started the whole Pink Ribbon push 15 years ago?




This year's collection features 2 glosses, a lipstick, a bronzer compact, and a pin. Although the compact and matching travel brush was quite elegant, I am not much of a bronzer girl, and so I turned my attention to the lip products. The High-Gloss in Pink Ribbon was the same amazing texture and quality as the rest of the High-Glosses, but the colour was just too intense for me. It is a medium fuschia-pink that would go on sheerer than it looks in the tube, but just wasn't my cup of tea. I think it would look great on darker skin tones, or if you have cooler colouring than I do.

Deciding between the Pure Color Crystal Gloss in Evelyn Pink and the Pure Color Crystal Lipstick in Elizabeth Pink was harder. The gloss is a sheer, medium, cool-toned pink shot with silver sparkle, and is apparently Evelyn Lauder's favourite pink. The lipstick is paler and peachier... perfect for that signature nude pout that Liz Hurley (for whom the shade was named) does so well.

I went with the gloss in Evelyn Pink and it's lovely. Great with a neutral work face, the shimmer allows you to use it with darker eyes for the evening as well. And in case you haven't heard, Estée Lauder reformulated their Pure Color glosses this past Spring -- the texture is thicker and longer lasting, but somehow still retains that velvety smoothness and non-stickiness. Plus, the tube is slimmer and more streamlined, which makes it both easier and more chic to carry around. Oh, and they lowered the prices. (Yes!)

This was a fantastic little reward for a very busy month, plus it helped support a great cause. Definitely worth a splurge in my books! If you'd like to read more about where the Pink dollars you spend really goes, check out this article by the NY Times. Natasha Singer did a great job, and I'll be sure to refer to it for my next Pink Purchase!

P.S. Kiss by Peter Som & Lancome - Pout à Porter Collection

[EDIT: Embedded video now fixed!}

I've never been one to flip out over trendy, must-have items. Seriously! Limited editions, special releases, directors' cuts... these are all things I can appreciate, but I don't crave them. For one thing, half the time, it's all just hype. The other half that are actually worthwhile lemmings? Tend to be out of my price range. Besides, I can usually re-create a satisfactory version using the kilos and kilos of products I already own, which is usually enough to carry me through the craze.

And then I saw P.S. Kiss.



It looked gorgeous on the runways this past January. I wanted it. Badly. Then summer came, and my attention turned once again (inevitably) to sparkly sheer glosses. But those embers of desire leapt back into flames when I saw the promo video for P.S Kiss, featuring the designer himself:

I'm in love all over again.

I love Peter Som because on the outside, he's sort of like those brilliant engineer types on campus (albeit an immaculately groomed and well-dressed engineer type). Then he speaks, and he's humble and down-to-earth and you just want to hug him and have him over to your place for tea party and some quality gossip or something. Yummy indeed, Mr. Som.

I love (LOVE!) that song. It's "Oh Mirande", by The Dadds, who are like the Arctic Monkeys, but French, which makes them even hotter. You can listen to the full version here, and I'm totally buying their album the second I figure out how. (So far, it looks like the "how" would involve a plane ticket to France.)

And of course, I love P.S. Kiss. Behnaz was pretty, but too bright/tomato-y for me. Proenza Pink was just... weird. But P.S. Kiss is glorious. Polished and refined and edgy all at once. I want this! I want it I want it I want it! I'll even pay the $40 or whatever they're asking (which I never) do. I NEED it!

But of course, when I contacted Lancome, I was told that the lipsticks in the Pout à Porter collection are only available in the U. S. of A. And so instead of a beautiful deep wine colour, my lips wear a desolate pout.

Maybe I'll get a surprise trip to a Nordstrom's in the near future. Or maybe I'll find it on Ebay (although I'm not sure I'm willing to pay scalper prices... did you see that Chanel Black Satin craze last year?!). Or maybe, just maybe, Santa reads my blog, lives in metropolis America, and has access to extremely coveted cosmetic items.

I'd also settle for that ticket to France...

A little mid-week distraction

This is pretty much all over the internet by now, but I just found out about it yesterday, so here ya go:


(Probably not safe for work, depending on where you work. Nothing too bad, just some language.)






Too awesome. You can see the outakes here. Now if you'll excuse me, I too need to get my drink on. It IS Wednesday, after all.

Mwah!

3 M's

Yowza it's been a long time! I'm sorry for the delay, dear readers, I'm in the throes of the 3 M's: Marking, Moving, and Makin' Whoopee. (Okay, not that last one.) (Well, not that you need to know about anyway.)

Marking is (boring) business as usual, but moving! That's new. The lovely Roomie and I have decided to leave the dank craphole that is our current appartment and quit giving our landlord slumlord any more of our hard-earned cash. Which means the past little while has been full of appartment hunting, and in my case, shopping for furniture, appliances, and general house-stuff. Because although my illogical collection of 16 zillion martini and cocktail glasses is all fine and dandy, you can't exactly fry an egg in any of them.

In addition to all this hooplah, there's lots of travel involved in the next few weeks, plus it's Roomie's birthday soon, which means bad things for posting. I haven't even had time to watch SYTYCD to see if my beloved Jessi made it through her tragic illness*. (Though CNTM has barely made it into the schedule)




Nobody rocks weird lamb ears like this girl does! Mwah!


But hang tight, dear friends! I will be back, saying alternately loving and snarky things about various products as per usual! In the meantime, I hope you are having a beautiful time out there in blog-land. Check back soon!


* Okay, so I just googled it and apparently she WAS sent home, and, according to this online petition that you bet your ass I'm going to sign, was sent home without any sort of real reason from the judges. This is deplorable. I am incensed, I say! INCENSED!

Dolly Parton fans may be having a conniption...

... but I like it!

Ladies and gents, this is a clip of Fergie performing Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" on the Charlotte Church show. This clip makes me very very sad...



... because it reminds me of the good 'ol days. Remember those days? When Fergie was that cute blonde girl in the Black Eyed Peas with the tight dance moves? Remember when Fergie actually SANG? And how she actually had a pretty decent voice? I miss you, good-ol-days Fergie! Come back!

Also, whoever styled her here did a pretty awesome job. The hair and makeup look polished, but still fun. I'm not nuts about the dress, although it is kind of appropriately office-y and sorta kinda cute. And she looks like she's showered, which is nice. But the main thing is that no part of her boobs or abs or butt appears to be visible.

Once more: COME BACK FERGIE!

Chelsea for Prez 2007!

Due to an unfortunate series of events*, I ended up watching the "Search for the Next Pussy Cat Doll" marathon on Much Music (Canadia's equivalent of MTV) today. Of course, now I'm all hooked and shit.

I jumped right in during the end of the most recent episode, and so my first impression of the show was one of: "Why is there a drag queen on stage singing Unbreak My Heart?" After watching the rest of the episodes (oh that's right, they showed them again and again! And again!), I realize that it's not entirely Anastasia's fault. If one is to stay true to a Toni Braxton song, one is going to sound a bit like a dude at some point. Which is not to say that Anastasia doesn't normally sound a bit like a dude in general, though I did like the performance.

Melissa S. reminds me of a ditzy girl I used to work with, so I'm not a fan. Melissa R. is pretty awesome, girl has some vocal chops.




However, I've gotta agree with my friend Cowgirl Warrior on this one, Chelsea is totally my favourite. I know she got flack for copying Christina Aguilera's style, but she sounded phenomenal. I thought they were playing the actual track in some moments. And I love that she called Asia out on being a bitch multiple times. Go Chelsea! Give that one girl who can sing in the PCD a run for her money! Rah rah!

Also, reunion episode on ANTM this week! I saw a Kim! Maybe we'll get more of Crazy Lisa! I can only hope that she gets drunk again and calls Brittany's bush of a weave "Cousin It". Man, I miss Lisa, no one soils herself in a giant diaper on national TV like she does.


* That is, a lot of work to procrastinate on, and complete control of the remote. Danger danger!

Oh boooo! Hissssss! Also the Oscars

Aarrgh, I suck. I promise fun things, and then get caught up in the metric craploads of marking I have to do before tomorrow. Marking sucks! And then Wednesday is my super awesome fancy event. That does not suck.

Ok, so there's no time for the promised-post today, but quickly quickly:

I bought shoes! Nine West, on sale! Woo!

I bought a dress! TWO dresses, actually. I have a thing where, to the glee of retailers everywhere, I can never make up my mind, and just buy everything (within reason) so I don't have to make a decision. I still need to decide which dress to wear, but at least I can do that in the pressure-free environment of my own home. Plus I can swish around and twirl and feel all glam without the salespeople thinking I'm delusional.


Speaking of swishy dresses, I caught a glimpse of the Oscars last night. How gorgeous was Reese? Beyonce (during her performance), Queen Helen, and J-Lo (from the neck up only) also looked amazing.









And of course, Nicole Kidman's dress was a work of art. Her ever-smooth face is starting to freak me out just a little though.










Mrs. Forest Whitaker was glowing in yellow; her makeup was ridiculously pretty, although I am undecided about the flowers on her dress. [EDIT: Now that I've actually looked at it, I am on the hate-boat. I only saw her sitting at the ceremony, so I didn't see the GIANT VINES crawling up her backside. Maybe if it was much smaller, and MUCH more delicate. Maybe. At least her front is lovely!] I continue to be baffled by Anne Hathaway's large chest-bow. I always love seeing Emily Blunt anywhere, because it usually means that the delicious Michael Buble will be in tow. Tammy-Lynn Michaels gets my vote for cutest supporting significant other, she was so damn happy for Melissa Ethridge! Plus, she was on Popular, which means she is awesome forever.



Finally, hurray for my girl-crush! I love her to bits and pieces:




Alright, it's back to marking for me. Any thoughts on all the Oscars shenanigans? Did anyone else get the happy feelies when Scorsese won for The Departed? (Btw, I haven't seen Little Miss Sunshine, but I'm pretty sure Marky Mark got jipped out of an Oscar.)

Oh, and in case you're behind on everything like I am, here are some awesome posts from around the blogosphere last week. Nothing like some good blog reading to kick start your Monday morn-...er, afternoon...

Ageless in Los Angeles tells us: Don't Accuse Kate Winslet of Dieting! and presents us with the ultimate question: How far would you go to wear your Jimmy Choo Shoes?

Clinique's Spring Collection is in Fresh Bloom at Beautiful Makeup Search.

Beauty Hatchery looks at some new beauty products that are actually good for you.

Teri from Beautiful Makeup Search is now blogging over at Pretty by Nature. Check out this amazing natural and organic beauty blog.

Spa Blah Blah is Stealing Time with Earth Therapeutics.

Elke reviews the new Scuba body line at The Beauty Newsletter.

Indieperfume gives us the scoop on Ice Maiden - Winter Beauty and Galbanum & Labdanum.

Music Review: Emilie-Claire Barlow Winter Wonderland Release Party

Hi folks! This is totally not about makeup, but even a hard-core product junkie has to wax poetic about things other than eyeshadow sometimes. So today, it's all about the most terrific concert I went to last night. I really hope I don't sound like the world's biggest & most pretentious tool writing about this, but I fear I will. Please humour me.

As you may know, I am a huge huge huge fan of Emilie-Claire Barlow, and last night, I had the pleasure of attending her Christmas concert / CD release party at Toronto's Old Mill Inn. The beautifully decorated dining room and stage set a theatrical backdrop for the show, and Ms. Barlow looked like she stepped right out of a Holt Renfrew window in her elegant red gown. The ambience was great, although the added percussion coming from the waitstaff clanging and clashing about was probably unnecessary (those poor guys were run off their feet trying to manage a very full house). But it's all part of the show... I mean, clinking ice cubes during "Little Jack Frost"... it's thematically appropriate! Festive, even!

But let's get to the music. Though her recent Christmas release is scrumptiliciously excellent, it cannot compare to seeing this talented singer live. From the jolly rolling "Sleigh Ride" to the flirtatious "Santa Baby" and the quietly sublime "Christmas Time Is Here", Barlow captured the best of the holiday spirit during her 2 sets. Her rendition of "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" was a highlight... soulful, sexy, and uncontrived, one would have to have a heart of stone to say no to her wistful plea. Her technical chops cannot be denied either... a pitch-perfect interpretation of Judy Tate's "Angel's Lullaby" (can you count the key changes?) and her repartee with the tenor sax during the title track "Winter Wonderland" showed that she's got substance and style.

Some of you may be familiar with Barlow & Marc Jordan's duet, "Baby it's Cold Outside", which was released as a single last Christmas. Our sold-out crowd saw a super special appearance by Jordan, who was a bit of a surprise for me. I'd never seen him live before, but on the track, his voice is subdued and smokey, like the nap of velvet rubbed the wrong way. On stage though, he had a more edgy, raspy tone. It was well suited to the playful mood of the song, which included one of the most entertaining moments of the night as the two singers started dancing during the instrumental solos.

Oh, the instruments! Barlow's band is always top notch, but tonight, they were phenomenal. Nancy Walker on piano was especially on fire, and Kelly Jefferson's inventive tenor solo on Bob Dorough's dizzyingly fast "I've Got Just About Everything I Need" tumbled about, almost careening away from the rest of the band, only to be pulled back into synchrony as you held on for dear life. This is how live jazz should be! Also amazing were Reg Schwager on guitar, Kieran Overs on bass, and Mark Kelso on drums... you can hear their fine work on the Winter Wonderland CD, and I really hope we get to hear even more of them on upcoming albums.

To cap off the evening, we got a preview of Barlow's potential future studio material. If last night's execution of "What a Little Moonlight Can Do" and "Lady Be Good" is any indication, Barlow may be returning to the swinging style of her first 3 albums in future offerings. The former tune shows off her wonderful range, control and clarity (especially in the upper registers), as well as her soon-to-be-famous style of vocalese. The latter is an Ella Fitzgerald classic, and Ella herself would've been wowed by Barlow's free-flowing, racing, but seemingly-effortless scat solo. (It was actually a vocalese, but the words came out so fast and tight that it might as well be a scat. Except harder.)

Okay, so clearly, I enjoyed the show oh so very much. Don't worry if you missed out though, because JazzFM ("Canada's Premier Jazz Station!") recorded the whole shebazz, and will be broadcasting it on-air and online Dec. 23rd at 11 AM and Christmas Eve (at... um, some other time. I missed it.) Even if you already have her album (which I of course highly recommend... get a copy for everyone you like!), give the broadcast a listen. Barlow's live shows have an air of excitement and intimacy that even the best studio equipment cannot record, plus you get to hear her be all charming and personable with the audience. And she has a blog, so you know she's extra-cool. Goooooo ECB!


[EDIT: Oh lucky you, Toronto... not only can you hear her concert on the radio, you can see her live! For FREE! Barlow will be doing a bunch of in-store performances & signings at the Indigo bookstore on Bay & Bloor this week and the next, you can see a schedule of her appearances on her myspace page.]


Alrighty! Thanks for reading through my enthusiastic rave if you did... tomorrow will be back to your regularly scheduled blog programming. It'll be a good one too, promise!

Ear-gasm

Helloooo! Please excuse the somewhat ridiculous title -- I swear it's for a good reason. I am not one to throw the suffix "-gasm" around lightly, you know.

So last night, I had the wonderful opportunity... no, PRIVILEGE... of hearing Kathryn Rose, Melanie Doane, and the incredible Emilie-Claire Barlow in concert. 3 amazing voices in one beautiful room. Wild!



Kathryn Rose is self described as a chanteuse of "theatrical pop". I'm not really sure what that means, but I DO know that she's got this beautiful, full voice that could lend itself sucessfully to pretty much any genre. Kathryn's style (she writes her own material) is like that of a less-hard Holly McNarland. Her voice is a lot less reedy than McNarland's though... much warmer and breathier.

Listening to her songs on iTunes, she reminds me a lot of Sheryl Crow, although this didn't strike me as such during the show. I think she sounds even better in person -- if you're in the area and get the chance to catch her live, I'd recommend it. She sang backup for Sarah McLaughlin's world-wide Afterglow tour, which should tell you that this lady has some serious pipes. Plus, she's just got this sultry gorgeousness about her -- after having a baby not one year ago, no less! Wow. Her husband is one lucky man. (And he's kind of hot, for an older guy. Don't tell my boyfriend.)




You guys remember Melanie Doane, right? She hit it big a few* years ago with her songs "Goliath" and "Adam's Rib", and won a Juno (aka: Canadian Grammys) for her efforts. Her style is rocky- folksy- pop, with a dash of country and an infectious foot-tapping beat. She had a bit of follow-up sucess with "Wilma or a Betty Man" in 2003, but she's been mostly taking some time off, having kids, writing, and all that wonderful stuff.

Well, lemme tell ya: she sure hasn't faded in her years away from the spotlight. I forgot how much I liked her -- I think it's fair to say that Ms. Doane rocked the house. She had some old material, previewed a catchy new tune, and then tore an electric fiddle apart. There's the ol' Maritime spirit for ya. You just can't say no to a lady who is bringing down the room with an electric fiddle. You can try, but you will fail, and then you'll want to jig. It's awesome. (Also, her guitarist is kinda hot. Don't tell my boyfriend.)**




Ahh, and there was Emilie-Claire Barlow, of course. Even with a smaller-than-usual band, she delivered an exceptional performance as always. My favourite number was probably "Little Jack Frost", off of her new Christmas album, Winter Wonderland. Which, might I say, I now own. AND it's autographed. AND I shook her hand, AND chatted with her briefly after the show. Whoo!

ANYway, "Little Jack Frost" was especially great because of the swingin' vocalese*** that Emilie-Claire had written for it. It was crisp, clear, and dizzingly good. I don't know how she does it; it's indescribable. You have to listen to the CD to fully appreciate it. Finally, I'd just like to mention that Emilie changed outfits for all 3 sets, which is something that I totally would have done (um, if I could sing and had gigs, I mean). It's about mood people -- she's a lady after my own heart!


And as if all that weren't enough, we then got treated to a set of songs performed by all three singers. Not only was it super cool to hear Emilie-Claire do some non-jazz stuff (the bluesy-song, especially! Hurray for more blues on the next album, Em!), it was astounding to hear how well the 3 voices blended together, especially considering how strong they are individually. Just... wow.




What a fantastic, fantastic show. I'm so glad I got the chance to go. The crowd was great too, really enthusiastic. I may have literally shoved my iPod into the hands of the nice ladies sitting next to me, in an effort to convince them to buy some of Emilie-Claire's CDs. In my defense, I think it worked, and I know they'll enjoy their purchases.



Ok then, it's off to bed for me. All concerts and no sleep make G a bad candidate for getting any work done. Stay tuned in the upcoming days for some talk about a bunch of concealers -- on the cutting board will be the much sought after Eraser by Tarte. Pass? Fail? Wait and see!

All pictures courtesy of Greg King, photographer extraordinaire!


* oh God... like, 8 years ago now! I'm old!

** Yes, I'd been drinking that night. How'd you know?

*** Ok, so technically, it wasn't a vocalese, because she wrote over a vocal solo, as opposed to an instrumental solo. She called it an "Emilese". Emilese is gonna be HUGE in Japan, just you wait.

I blame sleep deprivation

So, we had a lovely re-cap of ANTM last night. Who knew that AJ had such a penchant for holding her own head under water? (It reminds her of, like, the womb...) And who knew Amanda actually had, you know, a personality? And who knew that Monique was actually clinically annoyingly crazy? (Oh... wait...)

I'm glad they showed all that "Never Before Seen Behind-the-Scenes Footage!!!", because now I'm less miffed that Jaeda's still around. That Tyra impersonation's worth her stayin around for couple episodes at least. And "rock n' roll" Megg needs to get some "therapy". To her credit, mascara dribbles are totally hard core.

Ya know, since the start of this season (I am NOT calling it a cycle until you stop showing your armpits, Tyra!), I've been saying over and over that Christian looks exactly like Usher, except female. Everyone just stared at me, and pronouncing it "Ursher" like Lil' Jon (YEEEAHH!) didn't help. The more I said it, the blanker the stares...








...because by "Usher", I meant, of course, "Pharrell".



Oh wow, I am so not cool.

"Excuse me miss, does this dress come in a size Extra-Bitchy?"

So, we saw last night's episode of ANTM, yes? And we are enraged, yes?

I mean, what, did Tyra wake up on judging-day and decide "Hey, I should put on this unflattering dress and take out my puffy-armpit angst on Brooke"???

Brookie wasn't my pick to win the competition (go CariDee!), but I certainly liked her better than vapid Eugena (who has EXORCIST eyes). Not to mention, that cute slip of a girl posed with a freakin' SNAKE around her neck last week and rocked it. Compare and contrast with Ms. Jaeda, who has been whining for like 17 years about her damn hair. Which looks awesome. And yet who is still around?

But what pissed me off most of all was the rampant meglomania. Fuck you, Tyra Banks. You are NOT more important than graduating High School. "Think how many girls would give anything to be standing where you are now"... oh yeah, getting unfairly booted off a reality TV show is so much more appealing than celebrating 4 years of good memories and hard work. When your ex-contestants reliably end up as famous models (fingers crossed, Joanie & Danielle!), then maybe you can justify dousing yourself in Eau de Narcissism.




Here's to you, you beautiful girl! May you go on to great things!

In related news, could someone please send Smell-Rose a bottle of shine serum? Girl needs to comb her haystack hair once in a while. Oh well, Smell-Rose looks a bit too Village of the Damned for my tastes anyway. Like she wants to eat my brain, but is confused about it. Maniacal. I don't dig it. Again: Go CariDee!!!

In yet some more related news, look what I saw in the Shopper's Drug Mart flyer yesterday:



That model... is it... could it be... Andrea?!??! Y'know, as in Anderexia. Winner of CNTM. This one:




Now granted, the photo in the flyer is just horrible. Lady looks like a 35-year old dude. But then Anderexia sort of looked like a dude sometimes. The ad reminded me of that gawd-awful Cover Girl spot that the Final 3 shot. Seriously, who picks this stuff??

I don't know if Andrea's actually in that horrid ad, but to her credit, she was looking very cute at a recent function-type-thing. She looks a lot like Paige from Trading Spaces in that 2nd one, which isn't a bad thing at all.






Plus, she got to pose with Samuel L. Jackson! How badass is that? "NO I CAN'T STOP YELLING, THIS IS HOW I TALK! HAVEN'T YOU EVER SEEN ANY OF MAH MOOOVIES?"

And here she is on Much Music, finally looking like how a good model might look. Hip, glowy, and un-skeletal, if a little bit tired:




Whitby's come a long way. But Ylena still shoulda won.

Whew, and that's it for me! I promise to talk about the TruBlend Whipped Foundation soon, I think I've figured out the secret to its sucess. At any rate, it doesn't make me look like a 35-year old dude!

I Just Can't Stay Away...

aka: THE HOTTEST CHRISTMAS CD FOR EVER AND EVER IN ALL OF HISTORY AMEN!!!

Hi y'all. Okay, so I know you're all still just starting to contemplate fall cozies and knee high boots and whatnot*, but if you'll cast an eye to the festivites past Halloween, you'll realize that the Christmas Season is bearing upon us like a super-sonic Japanese bullet train.**

And! What better way to get you and yours in the Yuletide mood than with the BEST CHRISTMAS CD EVER? That's right. Emilie-Claire Barlow, my personal idol and hero, has announced a release date for her brand spankin' new Christmas album, titled "Winter Wonderland". On the morn of October 17th, you'll be sure to find me clawing at the door of my local record store to get my very own copy!



Pic courtesy of emilieclaire.blogspot.com

Emilie-Claire Barlow, in case you don't know, is an extremely talented jazz vocalist and voice actor. (Remember those spiffy new "Christmas at the Bay" ads last year? With the whole "Jingle Bells we shake / Fa-La-La we sing" jingle that was beyond infectious? Yep, that was our girl Em!) And yeah, I know many of you might not be into the jazz, but... well, try it, you might like it! Christmas is a jazzy kind of time anyway. At the very least, this will certainly make an impressive stocking stuffer for some lucky person in your life, or a cheery and polished soundtrack for those fabulous Christmas parties you'll no doubt be throwing. (And hello, the cover art is gawr-geous, yes?)

Her albums in the past have always packed some powerhouse talents in the band department as well, and from what I have heard of Winter Wonderland, it won't be an exception. Don't believe me? Here, take a listen!

So yeah, clearly I lurrrrve her. Her crystal-clear voice, flutey delivery, and super-tight articulation are just beyond compare. Add a charming stage presence to all that, and you can see why I let forth a mighty roar of despair when I found out that she's scheduled a show for Nov. 8th -- a date when I may well be far across the pond in Scotland. (Hi Erin!) Oh well, that's a ways away yet, so who knows?

Okay okay, I promise I'll go back to work now. Maybe. I just couldn't contain my excitement! Eeeeeee!



* Fall! I love Fall! Gloves! Scarves! Boots, people! For the love of puppies and kittens, BOOTS!!!!

** Okay, not really. Maybe it's more like a moderately-paced streetcar, or perhaps a tandem bicycle. Festive!