On Cupid’s special day, prepare for a peck and perhaps a little more

February 14, 2011 by

In honor of St. Valentine, you may be pondering certain philosophical questions:

Is love purely an emotional state or does it encompass cognitive, aesthetic and spiritual elements? Or it is just a random byproduct of instinct and hormones?

Can love be described and understood through language or are words merely clumsy metaphors for the ineffable?

Does Aristotle’s concept of love (a single soul inhabiting two bodies) trump the behaviorist view?

Are my lips soft, plump and ready to kiss?

DuWop Lip Venom Plumping Paste perfects your pout.

For the first few questions, you are on your own but for kissability expertise, I can help you out. DuWop Lip Venom Plumping Paste, $18, is a great way to prepare for a peck and perhaps a little more …

According to the company, which says it created the lip plumping category for the beauty industry, the product is “a treatment masque for the lips that conditions, exfoliates and plumps simultaneously.”

The plumping pros combined exfoliating jojoba beads with castor seed oil and hydrogenated jojoba to polish and prime your lips. Dab some on and leave for 10 minutes. You will feel a tingling sensation as the thick white paste goes to work. Wipe off, add color and, voilà, irresistible lips. Happy Valentine’s Day!

DuWop’s lip paste is available online and from beauty-supply stores.

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

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Un petit pamplemousse pour vous …

February 9, 2011 by

WS Pink Grapefruit Hand Balm

As a tart, I appreciate the sharp, crisp qualities of a grapefruit. So I was quickly drawn to Williams-Sonoma’s deep-moisturizing Pink Grapefruit Hand Balm with essential oils. It’s a water-resistant blend of natural cocoa butter, sunflower seed oil and glycerin.

According to the company’s web site, the balm’s active ingredients are derived from natural sources and contain no parabens, ammonia, chlorine or lauramide DEA. It’s biodegradable and not tested on animals.

I’m often prone to forgo hand lotion if there is any trace of stickiness or slickness after applying. That’s not the case with this balm, which absorbs quickly and feels great. But it’s the clean, tangy fragrance, layered with essences of orange, that hooked me.

The balm is $14.95 for 4 ounces. WS also makes a sugar scrub exfoliator with sweet almond oil, shea butter and vitamin E, $24.95 for 8 ounces.

Product Source: From my own collection; I did not receive products or compensation from Williams-Sonoma.

Filed Under: Noir Stuff

Who loves you, baby? FNB does, that’s who!

February 7, 2011 by
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I’ve decided it’s time I show my readers a little love. So, first up: I’m participating in the For the Love of Film (Noir) Preservation Blogathon, Feb. 14-21, a fundraiser to benefit the non-profit Film Noir Foundation. Ferdy on Films and The Self-Styled Siren are hosting; their event last year raised $30,000. The idea is for bloggers to get the word out, donate, encourage readers to contribute and read each other’s work.
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As Ferdy puts it: “Films from every era are being lost as prints disintegrate and disappear. … By helping the FNF, you will be supporting the important preservation and exhibition work they do, not only for American noir films, but also for those produced all over the world.”
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Read a blogger’s post and click on the donation link. If you give, you help save a film: 1950’s “The Sound of Fury” starring Lloyd Bridges and directed by Cy Endfield. The UCLA Film & Television Archive will restore a nitrate print of the film, using a reference print from Martin Scorsese’s personal collection.
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Paramount Pictures, which now owns the film, has agreed to help fund the restoration. To see a list of my fellow bloggers visit: http://www.ferdyonfilms.com/?p=8190. Be sure to check out the blogathon love-fest next week.

Robert Mitchum in "The Night of the Hunter"

‘NIGHT’ LOVE: Guest writer Michael Wilmington last week reviewed “The Night of the Hunter” by Charles Laughton. I love that movie and want to share it. So, I will give away a copy of Criterion’s recent Blu-ray release of the movie (or DVD if you prefer). To enter, just Like the Film Noir Blonde Facebook page. If you already like the page, you are automatically entered. Deadline to enter is Feb. 28. I will draw the winner’s name at random and send a notifying message via Facebook. Please respond within a week of being notified. I will announce the winner’s name in early March.

LOVE NIGHT: If you’re looking for a stylish, old-school place to celebrate Valentine’s Day, consider the Sunset Tower Hotel, 8358 Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood, 323-654-7100. Formerly the Argyle Hotel, this Art Deco gem was designed by Leland A. Bryant; it opened in 1931. The Argyle was a residence for Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, Clark Gable, Errol Flynn, Howard Hughes, Frank Sinatra, Paulette Goddard, Preston Sturges, George Stevens, Michael Caine and Quincy Jones. When dining, be sure to save room for the baked Alaska – it’s making my mouth water, just thinking about it. Mmmmm.
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See how much FNB loves you? 😉
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United Artists image of Robert Mitchum
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Banish dull skin with a gentle, fragrant scrub

January 29, 2011 by

Laura Mercier Fresh Fig Body Scrub has a fragrance that may inspire you.

I just realized that I haven’t talked about cosmetics or beautifying since Jan. 12; how very unlike me!

This has been a bad winter for dry skin and so I’m searching for products to help my parched hide. One of the first things I turn to is a good exfoliator to remove flaky skin. (Shaving your legs will also aid the cause.)

Laura Mercier Fresh Fig Body Scrub is a mousselike concoction with a rich, slightly sweet scent, which somehow conjures thoughts of sunshine and summer vacations.

Perhaps it will inspire you to plan a trip to Southern France. But the scrub does more than smell good. It buffs skin gently, has a light, airy texture and rinses away easily.

According to the company’s web site, this pampering body polish is made from natural fig seeds, jojoba, shea butter and honey. The fragrance blends essence of fresh Celeste figs, apricot nectar and ylang ylang.

Right out of the shower, I applied lotion to lock in the moisture and my skin has been baby soft all day long.

The scrub is $46 for 12 ounces (shown here is a 2-ounce sample size); you can buy it at department stores or online.

I received a sample of this product from the company. I tried it, liked it and decided to review. I did not receive compensation.

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Bésame 1930s mascara offers pretty little portal to the past

January 9, 2011 by

I ask you: Who among us doesn’t need a great mascara? My current wand of choice is Bésame 1930s mascara. It’s easy to imagine this slender gold tube popping up in a glam powder room or rolling out in the library of a drafty country home. 

The conditioning formula gives your lashes a silky coat of rich color and does a fine job resisting flakes. It comes off quickly with a gentle cleanser or eye-makeup remover.

Besame 1930s mascara updates a classic.

Says Bésame’s website: “This special combination dates back to the 1930’s and has been re-introduced by Bésame. And being a classic, it contains only natural ingredients, has been allergy tested, is paraben-free and is safe for the most sensitive eyes. Bésame 1930s Mascara is one of the most natural mascaras on the market today, containing only seven ingredients.”

Those seven are: cera alba, aqua, hydrocarbons, oleum lini, oleum ricini, sicovit (pigment) and fragrance. The scent comes from natural antibacterial conditioning oils.

Bésame’s 1930s mascara, $18 at beauty-supply stores and online, is just one of many elegant products from this company, which launched in 2004. Founder Gabriela Hernandez immigrated to the United States from Buenos Aires at the age of 12. According to Bésame’s website, her motivation for creating the cosmetics was “her background in art and design, a love for feminine detail, and fond memories of her glamorous grandmother.”

More importantly perhaps, Hernandez  says she wants to reach young women and inspire them to follow their dreams.

My dream tonight is back to the library and leather chairs. It’s a perfect night for a fire and a friend. Mmmm.

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

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A bit of bubbly from Butter London is a right royal treat

December 31, 2010 by

Bottoms up: Butter London champagne lotion

New Year’s Eve gems and jewels look best on silky skin. For healthy hydration, try a paraben-free and vegan moisturizer, namely Butter London’s Mistress Champagne Luxury Lotion, $10 at beauty-supply stores or from Butter’s web site.

Butter London, helmed by Sasha Muir and Nonie Creme, is mighty particular about what it puts in its pretty bottles and jars.

According to the company, Butter is “3 Free,” which means products contain no formaldehyde, no toluene and no DBP [dibutyl phthalate].

On the lighter side, the lotion’s back label declares, “We believe in Rock & Roll. Great Britain. And Fashion.” The lotion, with a barely-there fragrance, is creamy, sheer and easily absorbed.

And the simple, yet whimsical, design dresses up your vanity table or bathroom cabinet. Take that, winter! So lest I stammer and stutter, just try Butter. It’s a right royal treat.

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

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Channeling the ’40s with a half-moon manicure

December 26, 2010 by

If I do say so myself, I’m terrifically talented at wasting time. And so I recently whiled away an hour or three on a half-moon manicure, a ’40s look that has become popular again. The “half-moon” at the base of the nail is left plain or painted in a color that contrasts with the rest of the nail. I decided to give it a whirl after admiring it on Dita Von Teese and reading a how-to by Beth Shapouri at Glamour.

Beth came up with the nifty idea of using reinforcement labels as stencils for the half-moons. (The labels are little round white stickers used to keep papers in those ancient devices called three-ring binders. You can buy them at office-supply stores.)

I started with two coats of clear base, let it dry well, then placed the labels and painted on Revlon’s Frankly Scarlet (745), $5 at drug stores. This technique is a good start, but it does take some experimentation and practice to perfect the size of the half-moons. (My nails are a tad stubby now so I wanted small-ish moons, proportionate to shorter nails.)

The lower you place the label, the smaller and more elongated the half-moon. A snag I had is that the sides of the label don’t stick especially well and they really need to lay flat so I added a bit of tape to secure them. After the red dried and I removed the labels, I still had to “tweak” (ie, a Q-tip dipped in remover and a little freehand filling in with the red polish). This would be especially problematic had I gone two-tone (a metallic or neutral instead of a clear base) as I had hoped to do with my MAC 5 Naughty Little Vices Nail Lacquer. But I decided to keep it simple until I got the hang of it.

Still, after some trial and error, and a clear top coat, my nails looked pretty good. The bottom line is if you like fussing with beauty projects, creating this retro look is a fun challenge, especially if you’re bundled up inside on a snowy or rainy day. But, if you’re an impatient painter, it’s best left to a pro. Either way, it’s definitely a nice noir twist on a manicure and Frankly Scarlet is ideal for New Year’s Eve. Now if I can just figure out, a la the WW2-era, how to paint “silk stockings” on my gams and draw fake seams on the backs of my knees. 😉

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MAC nails it with five-color polish set

December 21, 2010 by

Santa MAC brings a bounty of nail beauty.

Looking for a last-minute gift for your favorite mani-pedi diva? MAC Cosmetics’ 5 Naughty Little Vices Nail Lacquer, $25.50, is a must-have for any polish-happy bad girl.

This limited-edition collection contains five colors in mini-size bottles. Asiatique is a fresh, crisp red that’s perfect for Christmas gatherings and sure to turn Santa’s head. That might not sit well with Mrs. Claus, but she’ll forgive and forget once she tries Beyond Jealous, a festive, modern forest-green. The grape-colored Vintage Vamp, classic and versatile, gives you lots of looks for the holidays and beyond.

Night owls will adore Nocturnelle, a gun-metal gray that with a few coats becomes a delicious pitch-black. My favorite is Vice is Nice, a soft, great-looking gold that goes with just about everything. I’m especially liking gray and gold this season, so I’ve been wearing Vice is Nice quite a bit and I’m looking forward to trying it with red or green for a vintage half-moon manicure.

MAC’s polish is light, sheer and long lasting. Two quick coats of Vintage Vamp lasted several days (and endured a trip from LAX) with no chips in sight. And the darling mad-about-plaid container in a clear-plastic pouch with ribbon means there’s no need to wrap.

For more info, visit MAC; pick it up at MAC shops or department stores.

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

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Femme fatale fragrances: 10 bad-ass bottles to die for

December 18, 2010 by

Even if you’re a makeup minimalist, every femme fatale worth her revolver needs a signature scent to call her own. The holidays are always a great time to see if your perfume collection could use a few new pretty bottles. And of course fragrances make wonderful gifts for fellow vamps and virile fellows when you have an idea of the recipient’s taste. Dig in!

 

My bottle of Norell with pulp accompanient.

Norell eau de toilette This retro scent reminds me of an old friend of my mother’s who ran her own business, liked to eat Haagen-Dazs Swiss almond vanilla in the middle of the afternoon and always had her nails done in Jungle Red. Norell was one of her favorites in the late ’70s. Notes of musk, vanilla, moss and myrrh meet sassy florals jasmine, rose and ginger lily.

As long as we’re on memory lane, Norell also reminds me of a handsome senior financial editor I used to know who always complimented me when I wore a little Norell behind my ears. It’s a formidable fragrance for a woman who knows what she wants and how to get it. $25.49 for 3.3 ounces at Target

Victoria’s Secret Sexy Little Things Noir eau de parfum Winner of the 2009 FiFi fragrance of the year award, this fruity floral blends nectarine, amber and cattleya orchid, according to the company. Put a little of this on and then try not to flirt. It will put you in the mood, period. The black bottle and retro pump with tassel (what a cute gift!) would do Lana Turner proud. $29 for .85 ounces; $39 for 1.7 ounces; $49 for 3.4 ounces

Michael Kors Very Hollywood eau de parfum True, this fragrance is more starlet than Stanwyck, what with its soft feminine notes (mandarin, gardenia and vetiver) and clean, dare I say wholesome, finish. But even tough ladies are tender sometimes and when you feel the need for a light and luscious confection, Very Hollywood should do the job nicely. $45 for 1 ounce eau de parfum; $65 for 1.7 ounces; $85 for 3.4 ounces

A Jo Malone box with English stained glass

Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir cologne Fruity with a smoky edge, this cologne, inspired by a red silk dress and that jewel of the desert, the pomegranate, is sure to bring out your wily side. And Jo Malone’s light singular scents are designed to be used in “the art of fragrance combining.” I like to mix Pomegranate Noir with French Lime Blossom or Vintage Gardenia. I’m also partial to the woody Wild Fig & Cassis, on its own. The black and white packaging is so clean, simple and elegant, Jo Malone is a must on any girl’s vanity table. $55 for 30 ml cologne; $100 for 100 ml cologne

Gucci Guilty eau de toilette “She’s got something on her conscience,” says Raymond Massey in “Woman in the Window” from 1944. “But what woman hasn’t?” Just ask Gucci, maker of this oriental floral fragrance with top notes of pink pepper, a heart note of lilac and base notes of patchouli and amber. Playing on neo-noir appeal, Evan Rachel Wood and Chris Evans heat up the screen in Gucci Guilty’s commercial, directed by Frank Miller. Mmmm, bring it on! $55 for 30 ml; $75 for 50 ml; $95 for 75 ml

D&G L’Imperatrice eau de toilette Fresh and clean, yet sophisticated, you could wear this just about anywhere. Dolce & Gabbana says the inspiration for this fragrance collection came from personality types. L’Imperatrice stems from The Star: “Flamboyant and energetic, for L’Imperatrice life is a movie and she is its heroine.” Notes are watermelon, kiwi and pink cyclamen with a musky base. $65 for 3.4 ounces

Guerlain L’Heure Bleue (The Blue Hour) eau de toilette, et al “Why do they still make perfumes like Bouquet des Fleurs as if things still happened in flower gardens?” Van Heflin asks Joan Crawford in “Possessed” from 1947. Seductions might not take place in rose gardens any more, but flower power hasn’t diminished one iota.

When Guerlain, another perfumer with a kick-ass pedigree, created this scent in 1912, it was all about flowers. Says Guerlain’s site: “Jacques Guerlain … pictured this bouquet of roses softened with iris, violet and vanilla, which evoke his favorite moment of the day when, as he put it, ‘the night has not yet found its star.’ ”

L’Heure Bleue may be a bit intense for some, but I love its distinctive character. Guerlain L’Heure Bleue eau de toilette, $70 for 1.7 ounces; $97 for 3.1 ounces 

And if, as a little girl, you saw a bottle of Shalimar at your grandmother’s house, used a drop and thought, “I’m so glad I’m a girl,” you have Guerlain to thank for that happy moment. Shalimar eau de parfum, $72 for 1 ounce; $95 for 1.7 ounces

Also, ideal for holiday parties: Guerlain’s Or Imperial Sublime Radiant Powder Face & Body – violet-scented iridescent bronzing powder – housed in Guerlain’s Eau de Cologne Impériale bottle, $85. Ooh la la …

Tom Ford Private Blend Noir de Noir Eau de Parfum Tom Ford is so brilliant, just wearing something he created makes you feel inspired. Take on the world? Sure, I can do it with my eyes closed. Maybe it’s the sleek clean lines of the brown glass bottle that seem to whisper at dawn, “shoulder pads, darling, and stand up straight!”

And then there’s the delight of inhaling and dabbing the provocative but dignified Noir de Noir on your skin. Designed for the fragrance connoisseur, it’s an oriental with notes of saffron, black rose, black truffle, vanilla, patchouli, oud wood and tree moss.

He had me at black rose. 😉 $190 for 1.7 ounces; $260 for 3.4 ounces; $465 for 8.3 ounces

Bond No. 9 Madison Soiree The company puts it this way: “Ultra-feminine elegance and unmistakable posh meet unabashed sultriness in this day-into-late-night-blooming floral bouquet.” Notes of gardenia, jasmine, oakmoss. Madison Soiree is one of many unforgettable Bond No. 9 fragrances with New York namesakes and each stunning bottle nearly bursts with the city’s inimitable energy. $215 for 100 ml eau de parfum

Creed Royal English Leather eau de toilette Creed has been crafting amazing fragrances for centuries and this example is uncommonly sexy. Oh and did I mention it’s from the men’s line? Maybe that’s why I like it so much. Top notes are mandarin and bergamot; middle note is ambergris; base notes are leather and sandalwood.

Not so sure re: leather? It’s definitely, pleasantly, different. According to Tilar J. Mazzeo, author of “The Secret of Chanel No. 5,” Coco Chanel liked that her English lover Arthur “Boy” Capel smelled of “leather, horses, forest, and saddle soap.”

You can share Royal English with the guys in your life or if you think you’ll spar over the jar, get him some Green Irish Tweed (sandalwood, ambergris, violet leaves, verbena and iris) which, the company says, was “created … for a film industry client who personified masculine style and elegance on the silver screen.”

Royal English Leather $150 for 2.5 oz/ 75 ml

Green Irish Tweed $130 for 1 oz/30 ml travel size; $270 for 4 oz/ 120 ml flask

Chanel No. 5 OK, I cheated, there are 11 top scents. So sue me. But surely you didn’t think I was going to bring up Coco Chanel’s name and then not mention the world’s best-selling perfume, Chanel No. 5. As author Tilar J. Mazzeo writes: “Reverently known among industry insiders as le monstre – the monster – it is arguably the most coveted consumer luxury product of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.”

Chanel No. 5 parfum $95 for .25 ounces; $155 for .5 ounces

Chanel No. 5 eau de parfum $80 for 1.7 ounces; $115 for 3.4 ounces

And two more runners-up, both new this year: Estee Lauder’s Sensuous Noir and Guess Seductive.

Product Source: From my own collection and store samples; I did not receive products or compensation from companies named.

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Chapped lips have met their match: Smith’s Rosebud Salve

December 16, 2010 by

Smith's Rosebud Salve keeps dryness at bay.

 In the 1941 movie “Citizen Kane,” Chas K. utters the word rosebud, providing what seems to be a clue to the mysteries of his personality and the essence of his existence. It was also rumored (off-screen, of course) to be code for the word clitoris.

 While Smith’s Rosebud Salve can offer neither a foray into philosophy nor risqué anatomical cipher, it is by far the best the best lip moisturizer I have ever used. Never heavy and eminently wearable, it’s aces at softening and protecting my lips from the elements.

 I don’t leave the house without it and I always apply before bedtime. The salve has been around since 1892 and comes in a delightfully retro round tin with a deep blue border. It’s easy to spot in your makeup bag or purse and takes you back in time for a second or two when you reapply during the day. According to the container, Smith’s is: a trade-secret blend of cotton-seed oil, aromol and essential oils in a special petroleum base. Whatever aromol is, I really like it. 😉

 Before I found this product, $6 at beauty supply stores, I was a Vaseline loyalist and Vaseline is still a great backup but, compared with Smith’s, I find Vaseline’s consistency to be slightly inferior. Smith’s consistency is substantial enough to feel protected yet not so thin as to give that sliding-off-your-lips feeling. The salve blends well with lip color, helping to sheer your coverage. Additionally, Smith’s works on parched hands and nails as well as lips.

Product Source: From my own collection; I did not receive products or compensation from Smith’s.

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