Gucci Purple Part 2 - The Eyeshadow

An update on my previous Gucci Purple blog. The eyeshadow was a bit daunting, but I figured it out after mixing and matching just about every eye product I own.

Warning - I used to work in a cosmetic store and have a large makeup collection...I researched the internet to find the products I used or products that I felt will work as well as what I have. It's probably not the exact recipe the Gucci makeup artists used, but I test drove my combination and I think it works quite well.

1) Using a Kajal (or kohl) eyeliner in a medium purple, color your lids from the base of your eyelashes to the crease of your eye. (The color shouldn't be too lavender or eggplant.) I like the Pupa brand - it goes on smoothly which is important when covering such a large area of the lid.


2) Brush a white iridescent powder with blue undertone on top of the liner. It will look white in the container, but trust me, it will look more like a colored shimmer when smoothed on. I used Zhen Element Shimmer Powder in Earth. I also found 2 other iridescent shadows by Aromaleigh Cosmetics here...(I'd try the Blue Haze or Pixie Blue...)


The look in the ad is very dramatic and if it's a little scary for you try just doing this as a thick liner on your upper lid, which is actually what we did for these pictures.

(It looks blue on my computer, but it is purple in person.)

To take the look even closer to the ad, line the bottom lid with black liner, starting thin at the inside of the eye and getting thicker as you move out. Smudge it carefully into the inner rim and just around the outside corner of the eye and blend into the purple. Use several coats of mascara on both upper and lower lashes.


If you're brave, use a dash of white liner below the black liner at the inside of the eye, which is what we did not do...too over the top for Texas.

Next, add attitude or find a jungle to sit in and you have your own Gucci ad.

Thank you J4.

J.

Cocktail Rings

I've recently been lusting over cocktail rings. The statement necklace is still a strong look, but sometimes in Texas I feel like it can be a little hot and sticky for a heavy piece of jewelry. So how's a girl to shine? A cocktail ring could be just the trick!

I've had this one in my jewelry box for a while and it never fails to get compliments. Clearly it's not real, but it's a great traditional style and I still have a lot of fun with it.

I also love animal and bug themes and I found these and fell in love with them...


(Photos from www.emitations.com)

I love the fox! These would be great conversation starters.

Or how about something more modern? My friend Jaden turned me on to the designer Paul Phillips at www.noformdesign.com.



(Photos from www.noformdesign.com)

I could wear any of these and be happy. Apparently he'll do something custom if you ask...

Jaden's prototype...you can see what this turned into on the website...gorgeous! I'm dying to have something made, but I need to save the money first.

All this talk about rings makes me realize how bad I need a manicure so I'm off to the shop!

J.

Busy

Sorry for the lack of words, but I've been busy. There will probably be few short spurts for the next week or two, but I'll be back into the blog shortly.
J.

My Day Off and What I Wore

Another descent day off...I really didn't do anything. I have a work trip coming up next week, so I really should be making a packing list, doing laundry etc, and maybe I will, but not right now.

It was a very humid day today, the kind of day you feel the need to take a shower every 2 hours...gross, (and makes me wish the air conditioning in my car worked.) But, this is Texas and you learn to live with it, so I decided that something floaty would be the way to go.

Top - Anage Too
Pants - Express
Shoes - Payless

I'm always concerned that I'll look like Ms. Roper from 3's Company, so I pair a loose top like this with more tailored pants and skip the big jewelry.

Okay, so now I'm off to do some laundry.

J.

Evening Bags

I'm a purse fanatic! I can go through my closet and weed out clothes, but a purse has to be falling apart at the seams in order for me to get rid of it, and even then I worry about what I did and regret tossing it.

Anyway, here's a sample of my favorite evening bags...

This one only holds the essentials, phone, I.D. credit card and lipstick, but dresses up the simplest of outfits.

This one is vintage and also tiny, but can be thrown inside a larger purse and pulled out as a glam cosmetic bag.

I bought this one for a wedding I went to a couple of years ago, but I use it all the time. I like to wear brown at night because it's a little less harsh than black, ( don't get me wrong, I love black and am certainly not opposed to the lbd...)

This one has been in my closet for years, and I just noticed that the beads are beginning to fall off. Is it a keeper? Should I invest in having the beads restrung? Does anyone have any good tips for care of beaded bags?

Last but not least, this fuzzy evening puff was found at Goodwill for about $2.99. The gold closure on top and the chain were coming off, but the lining inside and the fur are in amazing condition. So I stitched it back together and reconnected the chain...check out how cool the opening is...

Cool pattern...


With purses like this, how can I be expected to get rid of any of them?

J.

The Only Thing I Have In Common With Mary Kate Olsen

I just watched a show that didn't like the tiered Christian Lacroix dress that Mary Kate Olsen wore to the Costume Institute Gala last night...Why such a big dress on such a little frame?

I can tell you why...because in her mind she's 5'10" with legs that start below her armpits. How do I know? Because I suffer from the same affliction. Often I go into a store, pull on a dress that I think will be perfect only to find that if I purchase it, I'll be cutting off 6 inches. Why do you think 4 inch wedges are my comfy, casual shoes?

Anyway, I love the dress and I like how she looks in it...confident and happy and I know I'm repeating myself, but isn't that what a dress should do for a girl?

Quit picking on her.

J.

P.S.Not my picture.

Gucci Purple

What colors will you be wearing for summer?
I've said it before and I'll say it again, I lust after the purple eyeshadow in the Spring '09 Gucci ads! I lust after the dresses as well, but I can replicate the color much easier than the clothes. (Of course this is not my photo.)

I'm not sure you can tell in this particular photo, but the shadow has a blueish under tone, which makes it sort of iridescent...check it out if you come across the ad in a magazine. Lovely! Anyway, as glorious a shade as it is, this is a definite night look and most of us would find it a little hard to pull off.

But hold on girls!

You too can have this glam hue at your fingertips! I found this N.Y.C. polish at my local Walgreen's...

It's #133, Purple Pizzazz Frost from their Long-Wearing Nail Enamel line, and it probably cost me about 99 cents, plus tax. Bargain! (It's so you J4!)

I know it might be a little bold on the fingers, but imagine it on your toes! Super fun! It's going to look great with my little safari jacket.

Now to figure out the safest way to tackle the eyeshadow....

J.

Sunday Lunch and What I Wore

I don't normally wear stripes, but I guess that's because I haven't had anything with stripes for years. (I've been color blocked and solids for a long time...I'm trying to break this habit.) I found the tank for something like $4.99 at Academy and decided that if it didn't work out, I could just wear it at the gym or on laundry day only. But I'm happy with the results.

This is also the first chance I've had to wear my new shoes...I love them!

And since I was just out for a quick Sunday lunch at Freebird's, I decided to have some fun with my accessories.

I found this Subversive fly bracelet at a Target in Wisconsin, which is sort of random. But it's green and funky and unexpected...everything an accessory should be.

J.

Birthday Margaritas and What I Wore

I had a lovely evening last night which was the perfect way to end my day off. Unfortunately, my day had started out with a miserable round of allergies - itchy eyes, runny nose, sneezing, the works! So I spent a good majority of the day indoors cleaning my room - God knows it needed it. But by the time my second dose of allergy pills kicked in I was ready for the evening. It started out with cocktails and appetizers at The Roaring Fork - a new location just opened up near the house - and the view from the patio is absolutely beautiful...my pictures don't do it justice...


(It over looks a little quarry lake.) The margaritas were just strong enough (or maybe it was the allergy meds...) and the appetizers were yummy! Sometime I'll go back to try an entree.

Afterwards, we went to Trudie's North for Daniela's birthday dinner and I had my favorite Tortilla Soup and another margarita -mmm!

And here I am debuting my dress that I purchased from Strut along with my Steve Madden Luxe heels...

But the back of the dress is even better!

The dress has midnight blue in the pattern, so I wore Goddess, again from Urban Decay. (My favorite brand...can you tell?) For some reason it makes the green in my hazel eyes really pop and dark blue always makes the whites of eyes whiter, which masked the redness from my allergies.

(By the way, I didn't take the above eyeshadow photo.)

It was a happy Thursday after all.

J.