Love the looks of the stars of 'Gossip Girl', but don't know where to find them? InStyle magazine has a section of its website dedicated exclusively to the fashions of the show and they even have an area where they tell you exactly how to "get Blair's look." This includes where you can buy her jewelry, clothes, accessories and more. They even do it by episode, so if you see a particular look you like in a scene you can find all the pieces online.

Or, if you are more into the fabulous wardrobe of the stars of 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' there are details on that as well. Famous stylist Patricia Field, of 'Sex and the City' and 'Ugly Betty', goes through several key scenes and talks about why she chose certain pieces.

If you are a fan of cutting-edge, high fashion, than this is a great place to duplicate a professionally-styled look for free.

Labels: Duplicate the fashions of the 'Gossip Girls'

It seems like some decades leave a stronger mark on us than others. While the trends and styles from 70s continue to reappear it was the hair and makeup from the 80s that we are seeing more and more of lately. Who What Wear, a terrific fashion and beauty blog, did an excellent write-up on what they call “eighties eyes.” The look is bold eye shadow that wings out on the outside of the eyes and has a smoky look throughout. While it was blues and purples in the 80s, today we are seeing that look in smoky shades of black and gray on the runway and on celebs such as Mischa Barton and Kate Moss.

Francisco Nars created the make-up looks for Marc Jacobs Fall 09 show and make-up artists gave the models an ultramodern look using NARS’ Cream Eye Shadow ($21) in Zardoz and NARS' Duo Eye Shadow ($32) in Pandora, according to Who What Wear. If this is a look you want to pull off on your own, try using shades that are more neutral such as tan, shimmery peach, light gray. Use a darker shade at the pointed edges and lighten up on the lids. Or go with a smoky black and relax the wing a little by keeping the shape of it, but make it smaller and not so bold. Depending on your profession I probably would not recommend this look for work, but it is chic enough for a night out. Use your judgement too. If you look like Billy Idol, you probably went too heavy. Start over and work on it until you get it right.

Below are some shots from the Marc Jacobs Fall 09 Ready to Wear show. What are you thoughts on this trend? Should we modernize it for 2009 or keep it locked up in the 1980s?

Previous Post: Spa Week is coming up

Labels: makeup from the 80s, marc jacobs

Spa Week is coming up! From April 13-19, 2009 spas across the nation are discounting select treatments as part of this indulgent week! While it is still a few weeks away, participating salons get packed with appointments so you may want to book as soon as possible.

Labels: Spa Week 2009, Spa Week is coming up

There is nothing better than finding that perfect shade of lipstick, or a perfume you cannot live with out. But, sadly, many of our favorite products eventually get phased out. ShopSmart, from the publisher of Consumer Reports, sent over some great tips for finding your favorite discontinued beauty products.

Start with the source …
ShopSmart says the first place to start is to go the manufacturer. They give the following contact information:

• Call 800-216-7173 to reach Estée Lauder brands. They have discontinued products from the last 24 months through the company’s Gone but Not Forgotten program. They limit six pieces per person.
• Call 888-882-5629 to reach Almay, Revlon & Ultima II. They have discontinued products at cosmeticsandmore.com and their affiliated retail outlets in Arizona, New York, New Jersey, and North Carolina.
• Lancôme, Molton Brown and Nars only sell discontinued items on their sites until they are out of inventory.
• Benefitcosmetics.com, Clinique.com, Lancome-usa.com, and Prescriptives.com feature online alerts, so customers are fully warned the products are discontinued.

Second-party searches …
If it doesn't work out with a manufacturer there still is hope!

• Discount.makeup.com sells discontinued products from many high-end brands, including Shiseido and Bare Escentuals.
• Beautyencounter.com features hard-to-find products from Max Factor, Neutrogena, Goldwell, Sebastian, KMS, and more.
• Vermontcountrystore.com has a customer service department that will search for high-demand products even if the site doesn’t carry them. When an item is no longer manufactured and demand is sufficient, the site buys an original formula and reproduces.
• Threecustom.com has specialists that can replicate just about any color cosmetic product, including blush, eyeshadow, lipstick, concealer, and foundation. The company has a collection of 9,000 makeup shades dating back to the 1930s.

Contact other make-up lovers …

• Makeupalley.com: You can find comprehensive information on tons of products, including discontinued ones, at this social community. They even have a Swap Board where you can negotiate trades.
• The Fragrance Foundation is the source for details on nearly every perfume that has ever existed. Go to fragrancefoundation.org and click on Fragrance Directory.
  
  

Thanks so much to our friends at ShopSmart for all the above information they provided us. For more on this topic, and other great stories, check out the May 2009 edition of ShopSmart.

Safety Alert: Your instinct might be to hoard when you find an old beauty favorite but remember that many cosmetics go bad fast once opened. Unopened beauty products and fragrances can last for several years if they are stored properly (in a dark, cool place). The exception is products with an expiration date, such as some acne products and sunscreens, as these have ingredients that might be compromised over time.

Labels: Finding discontinued beauty products

Labels: upscale ponytail holders

Coloring your hair at home? LA Times points out that as more of us are pinching pennies these days it is less likely a $220 color at the salon is still making it into the monthly budget. Depending on how often you need color it can really get expensive. While coloring you hair at home can be cost-effective, here are some tips to make it a little less risky:

First, find out if you have a warm or cool complexion. Lisa Evans, senior colorist at Salon Mario Russo in New York, in an LA Times article, says you're probably warm if you have golden, olive or dark skin, and women with fair skin and light eyes are generally cool. Evans says warmer tones should looks for shades that have words in their descriptions such as bronze, auburn or gold. For cool tones, stick with ash blonds or cool browns. Some companies evens state right on the box if it is cool or warm-toned product.

David Dawson, senior colorist at Tom Brophy Salon in Beverly Hills, says to stick with a shade that is within 1-2 tones of your natural color. He says if you do not like the results go to a professional- don’t keep dying and try to fix at home.

A couple other things to note- always follow instructions and don’t try to be too daring. Unless you have it down to a science I think highlights and low-lights should be done professionally. I have seen some seriously spotted hair come out of one of those highlight-cap situations! Also- protect your bathroom, dye usually looks like conditioner, but when it develops it can stain walls, tiles, towels… you name it!

While you are on your own at the store, clairol.com offers and interactive feature that could help you pick the right shade. You may want to do your homework first!

Labels: Tips for coloring hair at home

Allure magazine is filled with artistic photos of everything ranging from a pool of nail polish to Eva Longoria sporting a 1940s pin-up look. The make-up artists they use do incredible work and the models in the magazine always look incredible. Allure has dedicated a section of it's website to achieving these Hollywood looks. They give how-to instructions on getting a beachy California look like Ellen Pompeo, a natural glow like Jessica Alba, smoky eyes like Rihanna, sheer pink lips and cheeks like Jennifer Garner and many more.

Visit Get the Allure Look for details! And, if you try any of these- send me a photo and I will feature it in Indulge!

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Labels: How to look like your favorite celebrity