Sneak Peek: Giorgio Armani Fall Color 2010 Night Viper

Here's a quick look at some of the items from Night Viper collection, Giorgio Armani 2010 fall collection. What you see here is the Maestro eye Shadow Quad which includes a deep navy blue (I'll have to do a comparison to the blue from Guerlain's 2 Place Vendome) and three neutrals- taupe, silver and dark chocolate brown. There are three lipsticks from the Rouge d'Armani series: 602 (Soft Pink), 603 (Black Purple) and 604 (Deep Ruby). I haven't swatched or tested yet, so I can't tell you how dark they show when applied. We'll see. All three of them are in the "plum" range, according to their boxes and Armani's numbering system (100s are beige/nude, 200s are brown, 400s are red, 500s are pink and 600s are plum. And now, there's no 300s. I wonder why).

I couldn't skip one of my holy grail mascaras, Eyes To Kill, in a gorgeous blue gray (it looks similar to the blue Givenchy Phenome'Eyes). I passed on the blush duo because I'm all blushed out at the moment and the other eye palette, the purple Eyes To Kill. It's gorgeous, but way too purple for me.

Details, swatches and reviews coming soon.

All photos are mine.

Sneak Peek: Giorgio Armani Fall Color 2010 Night Viper

Here's a quick look at some of the items from Night Viper collection, Giorgio Armani 2010 fall collection. What you see here is the Maestro eye Shadow Quad which includes a deep navy blue (I'll have to do a comparison to the blue from Guerlain's 2 Place Vendome) and three neutrals- taupe, silver and dark chocolate brown. There are three lipsticks from the Rouge d'Armani series: 602 (Soft Pink), 603 (Black Purple) and 604 (Deep Ruby). I haven't swatched or tested yet, so I can't tell you how dark they show when applied. We'll see. All three of them are in the "plum" range, according to their boxes and Armani's numbering system (100s are beige/nude, 200s are brown, 400s are red, 500s are pink and 600s are plum. And now, there's no 300s. I wonder why).

I couldn't skip one of my holy grail mascaras, Eyes To Kill, in a gorgeous blue gray (it looks similar to the blue Givenchy Phenome'Eyes). I passed on the blush duo because I'm all blushed out at the moment and the other eye palette, the purple Eyes To Kill. It's gorgeous, but way too purple for me.

Details, swatches and reviews coming soon.

All photos are mine.

Sneak Peek: Giorgio Armani Fall Color 2010 Night Viper

Here's a quick look at some of the items from Night Viper collection, Giorgio Armani 2010 fall collection. What you see here is the Maestro eye Shadow Quad which includes a deep navy blue (I'll have to do a comparison to the blue from Guerlain's 2 Place Vendome) and three neutrals- taupe, silver and dark chocolate brown. There are three lipsticks from the Rouge d'Armani series: 602 (Soft Pink), 603 (Black Purple) and 604 (Deep Ruby). I haven't swatched or tested yet, so I can't tell you how dark they show when applied. We'll see. All three of them are in the "plum" range, according to their boxes and Armani's numbering system (100s are beige/nude, 200s are brown, 400s are red, 500s are pink and 600s are plum. And now, there's no 300s. I wonder why).

I couldn't skip one of my holy grail mascaras, Eyes To Kill, in a gorgeous blue gray (it looks similar to the blue Givenchy Phenome'Eyes). I passed on the blush duo because I'm all blushed out at the moment and the other eye palette, the purple Eyes To Kill. It's gorgeous, but way too purple for me.

Details, swatches and reviews coming soon.

All photos are mine.

Weekly Roundup- Last One For July

Can you believe July is over? What have we been up to? Testing beauty products, apparently. Here's what my friends have discovered:

Charlestongirl has been sharing with us her love affair of the Guerlain Champs-Élysées eye shadow palettes from the Fall 2010 Collection. Check out Best Things in Beauty this week for her latest swatching and swooning over these palettes. Yes, we're all obsessed with them. I hope you didn't miss my own swatches of 93 Rue de Passy and don't forget to come back here to see 2 Place Vendome.

Kari from Fab Over Forty has renewed her love of makeup with a brand that's an old favorite. This week she shares with us some of the newest products to the line and how she's back to using Elizabeth Arden. It's been years since I've last paid attention to any Arden product. Do you have a favorite? Is there anything you think I need to try?

Cindy at Prime Beautyhad the opportunity to interview makeup artist Lori Taylor from Smashbox Cosmetics, see what tips and tricks she learned.

Growing your hair out can be a daunting experience. I still remember the months of fighting with my unruly locks during senior year of high school when I went from spiky 80s Duran Duran inspired (or so I hoped. It was a major fail) do to what is recognized today as my crown and glory. I wore hats everywhere until I felt I could show my head in public. Kelly from Gouldylox Reviews has been sharing with us her hair-growing experience and she has a giveaway of 5 of her favorite Peter Lamas Chinese Herbs hair products that have helped her along the way. Be sure to enter.

And while we're on the subject of hair, would you rather be blonde or brunette, how about highlights? Anne from Beauty Xpose shows us a virtual site that we can test drive a new hair color without opening a box or stepping foot in a salon. See Anne's results. Me? I'm staying a non-blonde.

Karla Sugar is sharing with us her swatches of the latest Lancome Fall Collection called French Coquettes. Take a peek at these shades at The Next Best Thing to Going Shopping Yourself. I'm fascinated by that gorgeous rose blush, but do I need it? And would I dare mess the beautiful pattern? I do see some (all?) of the lipsticks in my future, as well as the Artliners. You can't go wrong with them.

And one last thing: Kristen the Beauty Addict has been on a blogging hiatus for months, but she's back now. She's one of my favorite blondes and was among the very first beauty blogs I read even before I launched mine. I'm thrilled to see her writing again.

Photo of Atlantic City circa 1948 myvintagevogue.com

Weekly Roundup- Last One For July

Can you believe July is over? What have we been up to? Testing beauty products, apparently. Here's what my friends have discovered:

Charlestongirl has been sharing with us her love affair of the Guerlain Champs-Élysées eye shadow palettes from the Fall 2010 Collection. Check out Best Things in Beauty this week for her latest swatching and swooning over these palettes. Yes, we're all obsessed with them. I hope you didn't miss my own swatches of 93 Rue de Passy and don't forget to come back here to see 2 Place Vendome.

Kari from Fab Over Forty has renewed her love of makeup with a brand that's an old favorite. This week she shares with us some of the newest products to the line and how she's back to using Elizabeth Arden. It's been years since I've last paid attention to any Arden product. Do you have a favorite? Is there anything you think I need to try?

Cindy at Prime Beautyhad the opportunity to interview makeup artist Lori Taylor from Smashbox Cosmetics, see what tips and tricks she learned.

Growing your hair out can be a daunting experience. I still remember the months of fighting with my unruly locks during senior year of high school when I went from spiky 80s Duran Duran inspired (or so I hoped. It was a major fail) do to what is recognized today as my crown and glory. I wore hats everywhere until I felt I could show my head in public. Kelly from Gouldylox Reviews has been sharing with us her hair-growing experience and she has a giveaway of 5 of her favorite Peter Lamas Chinese Herbs hair products that have helped her along the way. Be sure to enter.

And while we're on the subject of hair, would you rather be blonde or brunette, how about highlights? Anne from Beauty Xpose shows us a virtual site that we can test drive a new hair color without opening a box or stepping foot in a salon. See Anne's results. Me? I'm staying a non-blonde.

Karla Sugar is sharing with us her swatches of the latest Lancome Fall Collection called French Coquettes. Take a peek at these shades at The Next Best Thing to Going Shopping Yourself. I'm fascinated by that gorgeous rose blush, but do I need it? And would I dare mess the beautiful pattern? I do see some (all?) of the lipsticks in my future, as well as the Artliners. You can't go wrong with them.

And one last thing: Kristen the Beauty Addict has been on a blogging hiatus for months, but she's back now. She's one of my favorite blondes and was among the very first beauty blogs I read even before I launched mine. I'm thrilled to see her writing again.

Photo of Atlantic City circa 1948 myvintagevogue.com

Weekly Roundup- Last One For July

Can you believe July is over? What have we been up to? Testing beauty products, apparently. Here's what my friends have discovered:

Charlestongirl has been sharing with us her love affair of the Guerlain Champs-Élysées eye shadow palettes from the Fall 2010 Collection. Check out Best Things in Beauty this week for her latest swatching and swooning over these palettes. Yes, we're all obsessed with them. I hope you didn't miss my own swatches of 93 Rue de Passy and don't forget to come back here to see 2 Place Vendome.

Kari from Fab Over Forty has renewed her love of makeup with a brand that's an old favorite. This week she shares with us some of the newest products to the line and how she's back to using Elizabeth Arden. It's been years since I've last paid attention to any Arden product. Do you have a favorite? Is there anything you think I need to try?

Cindy at Prime Beautyhad the opportunity to interview makeup artist Lori Taylor from Smashbox Cosmetics, see what tips and tricks she learned.

Growing your hair out can be a daunting experience. I still remember the months of fighting with my unruly locks during senior year of high school when I went from spiky 80s Duran Duran inspired (or so I hoped. It was a major fail) do to what is recognized today as my crown and glory. I wore hats everywhere until I felt I could show my head in public. Kelly from Gouldylox Reviews has been sharing with us her hair-growing experience and she has a giveaway of 5 of her favorite Peter Lamas Chinese Herbs hair products that have helped her along the way. Be sure to enter.

And while we're on the subject of hair, would you rather be blonde or brunette, how about highlights? Anne from Beauty Xpose shows us a virtual site that we can test drive a new hair color without opening a box or stepping foot in a salon. See Anne's results. Me? I'm staying a non-blonde.

Karla Sugar is sharing with us her swatches of the latest Lancome Fall Collection called French Coquettes. Take a peek at these shades at The Next Best Thing to Going Shopping Yourself. I'm fascinated by that gorgeous rose blush, but do I need it? And would I dare mess the beautiful pattern? I do see some (all?) of the lipsticks in my future, as well as the Artliners. You can't go wrong with them.

And one last thing: Kristen the Beauty Addict has been on a blogging hiatus for months, but she's back now. She's one of my favorite blondes and was among the very first beauty blogs I read even before I launched mine. I'm thrilled to see her writing again.

Photo of Atlantic City circa 1948 myvintagevogue.com

Guerlain 93 Rue de Passy Fall 2010 Eye Shadow Palette

Someone at Guerlain really knows us. Naming the new eye shadow palettes from the fall 2010 Champs-Elysees collection after the most fabulous shopping destinations in Paris could not be more perfect. 93 Rue de Passy is also home of a Lancel boutique, where you can find this little beauty (€ 599.00) and other leather goods:

93 Rue de Passy is also the name of this 6 color eye palette (five shadows, one powder liner). The colors are on the warm side, from shimmery pink quartz to sandy brown. The eyeliner is charcoal and might be the least convincing item in the otherwise wonderful palette. The eye shadows come in various textures from matte to high shimmer, they blend well together and allow for creating different looks. Playing and combining these colors has kept me amused for the last couple of weeks and I've been wearing this palette everywhere- from the pet store to the comedy club to see Jeniffer Coolidge (so much fun).

Bottom Line: It's a gem.

Next week: the other Guerlain palette I picked, 2 Place Vendome.

Guerlain 93 Rue de Passy Fall 2010 Eye Shadow Palette ($84) is available from Guerlain counters everywhere.

All makeup and swatch photos are mine, Lancel bag gsell.fr, orange tabby is Kosh.

Guerlain 93 Rue de Passy Fall 2010 Eye Shadow Palette

Someone at Guerlain really knows us. Naming the new eye shadow palettes from the fall 2010 Champs-Elysees collection after the most fabulous shopping destinations in Paris could not be more perfect. 93 Rue de Passy is also home of a Lancel boutique, where you can find this little beauty (€ 599.00) and other leather goods:

93 Rue de Passy is also the name of this 6 color eye palette (five shadows, one powder liner). The colors are on the warm side, from shimmery pink quartz to sandy brown. The eyeliner is charcoal and might be the least convincing item in the otherwise wonderful palette. The eye shadows come in various textures from matte to high shimmer, they blend well together and allow for creating different looks. Playing and combining these colors has kept me amused for the last couple of weeks and I've been wearing this palette everywhere- from the pet store to the comedy club to see Jeniffer Coolidge (so much fun).

Bottom Line: It's a gem.

Next week: the other Guerlain palette I picked, 2 Place Vendome.

Guerlain 93 Rue de Passy Fall 2010 Eye Shadow Palette ($84) is available from Guerlain counters everywhere.

All makeup and swatch photos are mine, Lancel bag gsell.fr, orange tabby is Kosh.

Guerlain 93 Rue de Passy Fall 2010 Eye Shadow Palette

Someone at Guerlain really knows us. Naming the new eye shadow palettes from the fall 2010 Champs-Elysees collection after the most fabulous shopping destinations in Paris could not be more perfect. 93 Rue de Passy is also home of a Lancel boutique, where you can find this little beauty (€ 599.00) and other leather goods:

93 Rue de Passy is also the name of this 6 color eye palette (five shadows, one powder liner). The colors are on the warm side, from shimmery pink quartz to sandy brown. The eyeliner is charcoal and might be the least convincing item in the otherwise wonderful palette. The eye shadows come in various textures from matte to high shimmer, they blend well together and allow for creating different looks. Playing and combining these colors has kept me amused for the last couple of weeks and I've been wearing this palette everywhere- from the pet store to the comedy club to see Jeniffer Coolidge (so much fun).

Bottom Line: It's a gem.

Next week: the other Guerlain palette I picked, 2 Place Vendome.

Guerlain 93 Rue de Passy Fall 2010 Eye Shadow Palette ($84) is available from Guerlain counters everywhere.

All makeup and swatch photos are mine, Lancel bag gsell.fr, orange tabby is Kosh.

Coty La Rose Jacqueminot- Vintage Perfume

The danger in getting into vintage perfumes is that sooner or later one of them will break your heart. The one that did it to me is La Rose Jacqueminot by Coty. It was one of Francois Coty's first creations, originally released in 1905 (according to Roja Dove. Other sources point to 1906). My bottle is the 1980s reissue of the eau de perfume, so it's not that I'm even yearning for something all that old and unattainable, but knowing that this beauty is gone and would probably not be seen again is painful.

I'm not even a rose person, but this is a very dark and thick rose. I don't know if it ever had lighter top notes that my bottle has lost or if it always been about red wine and roses right from the start. It's a date night perfume, low lights, silk and velvet, black eyeliner and hushed tones. There's quite a bit of spice in its heart which makes me think of faraway places.  I smell cardamom, nutmeg and a dirty wood base, a touch of oud, maybe, sandalwood and tobacco. It's rich, romantic, completely devoid of sunshine and so beautiful it makes me dress up to deserve it. La Rose Jacqueminot makes you realize just how much we've lost when Coty turned into a dreck for the masses company it is today, and that's a big part of the heartbreak involved.

Coty's La Rose Jacqueminot was discontinued long ago. Bottles of the later reissue pop up online here and there (there's one right now on eBay, but it's the EDT, so I don't know how it compares to the one I have).

Have you had your heart broken by a vintage perfume? Let's commiserate.

Images:
1939 fashion photo myvintagevogue.com
La Rose Jacqueminot ad from allposters.com
Coty ad from 1943 by Carl Erickson paperpursuits.com

Coty La Rose Jacqueminot- Vintage Perfume

The danger in getting into vintage perfumes is that sooner or later one of them will break your heart. The one that did it to me is La Rose Jacqueminot by Coty. It was one of Francois Coty's first creations, originally released in 1905 (according to Roja Dove. Other sources point to 1906). My bottle is the 1980s reissue of the eau de perfume, so it's not that I'm even yearning for something all that old and unattainable, but knowing that this beauty is gone and would probably not be seen again is painful.

I'm not even a rose person, but this is a very dark and thick rose. I don't know if it ever had lighter top notes that my bottle has lost or if it always been about red wine and roses right from the start. It's a date night perfume, low lights, silk and velvet, black eyeliner and hushed tones. There's quite a bit of spice in its heart which makes me think of faraway places.  I smell cardamom, nutmeg and a dirty wood base, a touch of oud, maybe, sandalwood and tobacco. It's rich, romantic, completely devoid of sunshine and so beautiful it makes me dress up to deserve it. La Rose Jacqueminot makes you realize just how much we've lost when Coty turned into a dreck for the masses company it is today, and that's a big part of the heartbreak involved.

Coty's La Rose Jacqueminot was discontinued long ago. Bottles of the later reissue pop up online here and there (there's one right now on eBay, but it's the EDT, so I don't know how it compares to the one I have).

Have you had your heart broken by a vintage perfume? Let's commiserate.

Images:
1939 fashion photo myvintagevogue.com
La Rose Jacqueminot ad from allposters.com
Coty ad from 1943 by Carl Erickson paperpursuits.com