Free stuff from FNB: Win ‘The Film That Changed My Life’

May 4, 2011 by

Winners of the April giveaway have been selected and contacted. One will receive “Blow Out,” Brian DePalma’s 1981 neo-noir thriller starring John Travolta. The movie was recently rereleased by Criterion. The other winner will receive a copy of “The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It,” a book by Sharrie Williams.

For the May giveaway, I am giving away a copy of my friend and former colleague Robert K. Elder’s book: “The Film That Changed My Life: 30 Directors on Their Epiphanies in the Dark.” Directors include: Danny Boyle, Peter Bogdanovich, John Dahl, Henry Jaglom, Guy Maddin, Atom Egoyan, Richard Linklater, John Woo, John Landis, Neil LaBute and John Waters.

(Meanwhile, Rob has a new book out called, “It Was Over When: Tales of Romantic Dead Ends,” based on stories compiled via his web site of the same name.)

To enter the May giveaway, just leave a comment on any FNB post through May 31. The winner will be randomly selected at the end of the month and announced in early June. Include your email address in your comment so that I can notify you if you win. Your email will not be shared.

Good luck!

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My quest for the perfect eyeliner: Part Two

April 25, 2011 by

Despite my long-standing devotion to classic black eyeliner, I’ve recently become smitten with midnight blue. It still defines and opens the eye, but gives you a slightly softer, lighter look that’s perfect for summer. Yves Saint Laurent’s Eyeliner Moiré liquid liner in No. 8/Marine Reflections, $34, is a great color to try. Deep blue and tinged with purple, it’s flattering for any eye color.

YSL Eyeliner Moiré liquid liner is pretty for summer.

The small, squared-off brush lends itself to precision. It lets you grab a nice dollop of liquid or a just a little bit, depending on how thick you want your line to be. It’s also very easy to layer so that you can start with a gentle daub and add more to heighten intensity. The proportions of cap to tube, a seemingly minor point, make a difference in terms of holding and handling the brush and YSL has nailed this aspect.

YSL’s formula is long wearing and flake-resistant, though it seems to do a better job staying put on my top lash line than on the bottom. With hot weather approaching, I may skip the bottom line and just use a little waterproof mascara on the bottom lashes.

Product Source: From my own collection; I did not receive product or compensation from YSL.

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My quest for the perfect eyeliner: Part One

April 13, 2011 by

Aah college … a taste of independence, man-packed parties, the luxury of spending an hour or more getting ready in the morning. Alas, the older I get, the less time it seems I have to pull myself together before rushing out the door. So to expedite the process, I thought I’d try a marker-tip eyeliner.

Chantecaille's Le Stylo is a breeze to apply.

My first experiment: Le Stylo Liquid Eyeliner, $26, from Chantecaille, a New York-based cosmetics company with an emphasis on botanicals. It is perhaps best known for its natural-looking, translucent foundations. The brand name comes from French-born Sylvie Chantecaille, a beauty industry veteran, who founded the firm with her daughter in 1997; another daughter and her husband are also involved.

Chantecaille’s web site describes Le Stylo as “a dramatic, long-lasting liquid liner [that] delivers a highly precise thin line of color. … A specially designed applicator tip ensures optimal control in application, while a high percentage of water ensures intense, extreme color.”

And indeed it is a breeze to apply. The light formula makes it easy to blend the line with little mess. It’s also great because it doesn’t flake off throughout the day the way heavier liquid liners tend to do. That said, I can’t give it high marks on staying power. When I use it on lower lashes, even with a dusting of powder first, it fades by midday. It’s easy enough to reapply but, at $26 a tube, that was a little disappointing. [Read more…]

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Free stuff from FNB: Win ‘Blow Out’ or ‘The Maybelline Story’

April 6, 2011 by

Gerald C. has won March’s giveaway and will receive a copy of “Sweet Smell of Success,” recently rereleased by Criterion. For the April giveaway, I have two nice prizes and will pick two winners.

John Travolta in "Blow Out"

First, the lovely people at Criterion will provide a copy of Brian DePalma’s 1981 neo-noir thriller, “Blow Out,” starring John Travolta, Nancy Allen and John Lithgow. Extras include new interviews with DePalma and Allen.

Second, eyeing up a family drama: In 1915, when Tom Lyle Williams watched his sister Mabel fix her fire-singed lashes and brows with petroleum jelly, coal dust and ash, little did he know he was making a date with destiny. Read about the building of an iconic brand in “The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It,” a book by Sharrie Williams with Bettie Youngs.

To enter, just leave a comment on any FNB post from April 1-30. The winners will be randomly selected at the end of the month and announced in early May. Include your email address in your comment so that I can notify you if you win. Your email will not be shared.

Good luck!

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THR on red-carpet beauty, what Head said, Zoe’s dough

March 24, 2011 by

The Hollywood Reporter’s recent style issue was packed with great stories. For instance, Meg Hemphill spotted four awards beauty trends that she predicts we’ll be seeing for months to come. They are:

Think bright pink for spring.

1. Bright pink lips: Who doesn’t love a flirty pink pout? Not Scarlett Johansson, who wore MAC’s Sheen Supreme in Behave Yourself, $14.50, on Oscar night, or Claire Danes, who dazzled at the SAGs with Joli Rouge in 709 Parisian Pink, $24, by Clarins. Shown here is MAC’s Full Fuchsia.

2. Messy side-dos: Let loose with a softly asymmetrical look. Hairstylist Laini Reeves, creator of Amy Adams’ up-do for the Globes, called the effect “1920s with a twist.”

3. Soft makeup: Nars Illuminating Cream, $29, was key to Olivia Wilde’s sheer glow at the Golden Globes. Makeup artist Spencer Barnes was going for “a soft, timeless look that wasn’t focused on trendy color schemes or any one bold application.”

4. Retro waves: Frederic Fekkai hairstylist Adir Abergel took a cue from old Hollywood and Rita Hayworth, then updated the look for Anne Hathaway on Globes night.

Edith Head

A must-read: Sam Wasson on the legacy of A-list costume designer Edith Head. The story is pegged to the release of two new books: “Edith Head: The Fifty-Year Career of Hollywood’s Greatest Costume Designer” and “The Dress Doctor: Prescriptions for Style from A to Z,” an adaptation of Head’s best-selling tome from 1959.

The spread features pictures from “Vertigo,” “Rear Window,” “The Birds” and other movies. Love this quotation from Head: “Clothes not only can make the woman – they can make her several different women. There’s no one style; there’s a style for a mood.”

THR’s cover story by Shirley Halperin details the empire of Rachel Zoe Inc., “a multiplatform brand powerhouse.” A companion piece names Hollywood ’s 25 most powerful stylists. The top four, after Zoe, are: Kate Young, Petra Flannery, Jen Rade and Anna Bingemann.

Other exiting news: Zoe and husband Rodger Berman are parents to a baby boy. Their first child, Skyler Morrison Berman, was born March 24 in Los Angeles.

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Can’t find Mr. Right? Mr. Bright might be right in front of you

March 24, 2011 by

A friend of mine was recently fixed up with a guy who said he loved music and liked to travel. He was a truck driver who listened to the radio. Another friend went on a blind date with an Irish dentist, who turned out to have a lovely brogue, but no front teeth. Seriously.

Despite the odd dating disaster, it’s important to keep a positive attitude when it comes to love. To help you out on that front, try Benefit’s Finding Mr. Bright: Your brightening makeup MANual, $36.

Mr. Bright just might surprise you.

The cute box contains four products that give your skin instant radiance:

 * Erase Paste in 02 (medium) brightening camouflage, 0.11 oz.

* Girl Meets Pearl golden-pink liquid pearl, 0.25 fl. oz.

* Posie Tint pink lip & cheek stain, 0.13 fl. oz.

* High Beam luminescent complexion enhancer, 0.08 fl. oz.

Erase Paste is a “creamy, industrial-strength” concealer, says the company’s site. Girl Meets Pearl, a “liquid pearl accent,” can be worn alone or on top of makeup. My favorite so far is Posie Tint, a super-sheer liquid blush that can be layered for deeper color. Apply High Beam liquid spotlight on cheekbones, brow bones and the bridge of your nose.

Mr. Right may be taking his time, it’s true, but meanwhile you’ll be sporting a gorgeous glow.

Product source: From my own collection; I did not receive product or compensation from Benefit.

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Good, clean fun from Filthy Farmgirl

March 13, 2011 by

Filthy Cougar soap is all natural goodness.

“Well groomed, smooth as silk, and ready to pounce!” proclaims the label on Filthy Cougar soap from Filthy Farmgirl. It’s true, any cougar must be primped, plumped and primed for action. Get ready for the hunt with this chunky golden bar and citrusy suds.

Says the company’s web site: “We believe our soap puts people in touch with the earth through their senses, and enlivens the otherwise mundane ritual of washing.” And Filthy Farmgirl, which lists workshops in Hawaii and Vermont as its contact info, is 100 percent natural, with “no yucky stuff” such as detergents, surfactants, sulfates, artificial scents, colorizers, or petroleum products. Nice!

The retro labels, printed on recycled paper, are my favorite part. These soaps will make nifty gifties for my friends, especially since shipping is free in the U.S.; for overseas, shoot an email and they’ll work something out, according to the site.

The cougar soap is $3 for a small bar, $8 for a large and $18 for a three-pack. What filthy cougar, poet, lumberjack, nurse, secretary, flight attendant, vampire, philosopher or delicate dude, etc. (there are 69 varieties total) wouldn’t appreciate a product that tells us to Live Nakedly?

Product Source: From my own collection; I did not receive products or compensation from Filthy Farmgirl.

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Prada plays with old-school influences at Paris Fashion Week

March 12, 2011 by

Loved Miuccia Prada’s update of vintage Hollywood style – fur stoles, flashy pumps, ankle straps and sassy sunglasses – at Paris Fashion Week.

The New York Times’ Cathy Horyn described it this way:

Miuccia Prada provided a strong if surprising close to the Paris shows on Wednesday, with a Miu Miu collection based on glamour from the 1930s and early ’40s. That meant delicate crepe dresses embroidered with lilies of the valley and pinched with tiny pleats at the front, wide-shouldered jackets and fur-trimmed coats. Other dresses and skirts, in crepe, had cummerbund effects in contrasting tones.

At times I felt that I was in a Bette Davis movie – Charlotte Vale alighting a gangplank but now in sparkly yellow pumps. Other collections, notably Balenciaga, had a ’30s undercurrent, but the influence at Miu Miu was pronounced.

Read her full report at http://nyti.ms/i6Vwt7.

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Free stuff from FNB: Win ‘Sweet Smell of Success’

March 4, 2011 by

Tony Curtis, left, and Burt Lancaster in "Sweet Smell"

Sarah K. has won February’s giveaway and will receive a copy of “The Night of the Hunter,” recently rereleased by Criterion. For the March giveaway, the lovely people at Criterion will provide a copy of 1957’s “Sweet Smell of Success,” a searing study of corruption, directed by Alexander Mackendrick, starring Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis. Midmonth I will run a review of the film by critic Michael Wilmington.

To enter, just leave a comment on any FNB post in March. The winner will be randomly selected at the end of the month and announced in early April. Include your email address in your comment so that I can notify you if you win. Your email will not be shared.

Good luck, sweet readers!

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Another day to chill and a chance to charm the copper

February 21, 2011 by

If you have today off, why not treat yourself to a mani-pedi? I like places that let you byob and my polish du jour is The Old Bill, $14, by Butter London.  It’s a tawny copper with a subtle sheen that’s quick drying and resistant to chips. And how convenient to know that if you decide the Old Bill (English slang for police) is getting too close for comfort, you can simply lock it up in a cool spot until the next time you fancy a spot of copper.

Butter is well picky about what goes into its products.

The makers of Butter products, Sasha Muir and Nonie Creme, pride themselves on providing “color not carcinogens” and call themselves a “3 Free” company, which means their products contain no formaldehyde, no toluene, no DBP [dibutyl phthalate]. What a concept!

And I love the variety of their colors. Looking to avoid the Old Bill forever? I get it. In that case, try the Artful Dodger (an arresting teal), Come to Bed Red, Pearly Queen or their latest No More Waity, Katie!, an elegant greige with a splash of lilac glitter; available for pre-order now, shipping March 1. Visit Butter London or try a beauty-supply store.

Additionally, Butter makes a matte-finish, non-toxic basecoat called Nail Foundation, $18, which primes your nails for the main event. Creamy beige in color, it can also be worn on its own in case you are evading, oops, I mean avoiding attention, as is sometimes necessary when you tend to look like trouble. 😉

Product Source: From my own collection; I did not receive products or compensation from Butter London.

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