Scents of Spring

One of my spring rituals is to try new fragrances. Annick Goutal’s Mandragore has been my signature scent for years, but every so often I get the urge to try something new. The recently launched colognes by Annick Goutal sound light and summery, but I think it’s time I tried the Frederic Malle perfumes, my friends rave about them.

By Terry

Baume de Rose lip balm

It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of the bold and bright lip colors that have been so popular these past few years. It’s okay on other women, it just doesn’t suit me.  So when the WSJ ran an interview with Terry de Gunzburg, founder of the cult product Baume de Rose lip balm, on her new line of lipsticks, I decided to give them a try.

I think it’s time for a return to a pale lip. Terry claims that her new Hyaluronic Sheer Rouge Lipsticks are light in texture and have ‘lip-plumping abilities’. Sounds good to me.

Terry’s go-to products © the WSJ

How to Brow

Last week (before we got hit with a massive wind storm that took out our power and internet, a definite con for working at home) my friend dropped by to talk about her daughter wanting to model. This is a topic I try to avoid but, she is a dear friend and actually, her daughter has a very cool look. More specifically, Livi has brows that could give Cara Delevingne below a run for her money.

This got me thinking about the prominence of brows today and what I could do to help my own. My brows are a bit of a bugaboo as I am blonde and there is just not a lot to them. For years I have used the little red Maybeline pencils. They work, but there must be something better. Bobbi Brown is my first stop and I am going to try both her eye brow powder kit and pencil.

Suggestions are very welcome…

I’m just a simple gal

Last week the NYT’s ran a list of classic tried-and-true beauty products (KiC loves lists) and I had an “aha” moment. Practically since it’s inception, I have been wearing Chanel’s Bonheur lipstick (that is, when I wear lipstick) but feel it’s a little too pink-y for fall. So, when I saw Clinique’s all time classic, Black Honey, which I have not worn in a million years, on the Times list, I knew it was the answer. Black Honey is still going strong because it suits most skin tones and I fell in love with it (all over again).

The Black Honey lipstick was my first beauty product purchase in ages. I’m just not a beauty junkie. This is partly due to my overly sensitive skin and redness from years of skiing and sailing. Jennifer no longer just hints that lasering my broken capillaries is a good idea and she will be happy to hear that I have a date with my dermatologist. The upside of sensitive skin is that I never go in the sun unprotected and have not aged that much. The down side is that I cannot try all the fab new creams out there.

So my beauty musts are pretty slim. Mascara (I am not picky), Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer (a lighter shade than my skin tone is best), and two fragrances. I wear two, always, together. The primary scent, Annick Goutal’s Mandragore, is perfection, but doesn’t last long enough, so I pair it with a La Prairie body spray, Eau de Soin Cellulaire. This one is powerful. I don’t spray it directly on my skin, but rather, I spray the air and walk through it. I also put a tiny bit in my hair.

And once in a while, a spritz of Klorane dry shampoo (mostly in the summer) when my hair looks a tad flat. Ta da!

Bare is best

Courtesy of Paris Vogue

Recently, I wrote a post Blue polish? which challenged my thinking on nail colors. The spate of women sporting blue and purple toes this summer intrigued me. But when I went for a pre-vineyard pedicure, I couldn’t do it. I am resigned to being a nude, barely there, nail color person.

As I start buying some key fall pieces and am falling in love with black all over again (a big thank you to the September issue of Paris Vogue which is devoted to the goth color), I am loving my colorless nails all the more. I have to admit that the pressure to avoid black as the world was print and color crazed was tough-going.

September 2012 issue of Paris Vogue