December 18, 2008
by Julia DiNardo
Before and After
We’ve still got Zac Posen’s s/s ’09 collection on our minds, and it’s not just because of the fabulous clothes. We were intrigued by his use of electric purple lipstick contrasted against the pale pink garments, that made even the sweetest-faced models look fierce, and of course instantly cool. Beauty experts agree that purple is the new “it” color for makeup this season, so we decided to put our favorite sheer lip gloss aside, and try this bold new look. 
We found out that MAC did the makeup for the Zac Posen show, so in order to truly mimic the look, we first filled in our lips with the MAC Magenta Lip Pencil, ($13, Macy’s), as a defined base. Layered over the pencil, we took the big step and coated our lips with a thick and even stroke of the nearly black MAC ‘Cyber’ Lipstick ($14, also Macy’s). To soften the intense color and to add shine, we finished with a few finger dabs of the fuchsia MAC ‘Violetta’ Pro Lipstick, that can be found at MAC Pro stores (7 West 22nd St. in New York), or you can substitute with the Urban Decay Trainwreck Lipstick ($22,Sephora).
After our transformation, our reflection in the mirror was barely recognizable, but we loved it! To get the complete Zac Posen look, use a neutral colored eyeshadow, like a slightly shimmery brown, to make the purple really pop. MAC also created a light pink lip style for the show using MAC ‘Viva Glam II’ Lipstick, and MAC ‘Nymphette’ Tinted Lipglass, both $14 at Macy’s. However, if you’re looking to spice it up, or reinvent your habitual style, we think the purple lip is the perfect way to do it!
—Sarah Ferguson
Courtesy of MAC
December 14, 2008
by Julia DiNardo
From Russia (and Paris), with Love — Karl Lagerfeld readily admits his Russian inspirations for this pre-fall collection: the Ballets Russes, Constructivism, Byzantine jewelry, and Slavic folklore. Aptly named “Paris-Moscou”, the collection was full of red, over-the-top furs and embellishments, leather leggings, and fringe. I absolutely was fascinated by the amazing headresses and thrilled with the revival of muffs.
Although it was nearly impossible to pick one look as my favorite, I ended up going with the show-closer, this amazing dress and head piece that succinctly melded several different trends of the collection into one. I loved the way the scalloped layers of the bodice appeared to be breaking away from the ombre portion of the dress.
—Julia DiNardo
December 9, 2008
by fashionpulse
There’s just so much to love about this look — the soft versus hard elements, the amazing color palette, the sculptural bodice of the Grecian-inspired dresses. Laura and Kate Mulleavy are no one-hit wonder, and you can surely tell by the distinct looks in their Spring/Summer 2009 collection that this sister designing duo are certainly here to stay. The collection overall expressed a sense of cohesiveness rarely found this season, traveling from lightness to darkness with a sense of laid-back ease.
-Julia DiNardo
December 4, 2008
by fashionpulse
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show aired this Wednesday, and as always, it gave us motivation to go to the gym, and showed us how to spice up our lingerie with random items like flowered lattice! Perhaps this is why the craft queen, Martha Stewart was in the audience.
This year one of the most prominent trends on the glittering runway was greek goddess meets Xena Warrior Princess. Adriana Lima sported arm cuffs, Karolina Kurkova wore a leather half-corset, and most of the models’ legs were laced up with ribbons. This style was a departure from the typical cute and glitzy looks seen in previous years.
Of course if the Victoria Secret models were to be any sort of actual Greek warrior, it would most likely be Athena. Cue the long and flowing sheer drapery — Miranda Kerr’s gold leaf necklace, and Alessandra Ambrosio’s gold wings. Still, no Victoria Secret Fashion Show would be complete without Heidi Klum strutting around with a giant, twinkling, pink bow attached to her back! But our favorite part of the show? Watching Marisa Miller cure her pre-show nerves with a chocolate glazed doughnut! We loved watching silly backstage moments like these amidst the runway footage. It showed us that maybe we’re not so different from angels afterall!
