autumn palettes

There are two eyeshadow palettes I’m particularly looking forward to using for autumn, I think you’ll immediately see why.

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The Sleek Sunset palette has those warm, rusty tones I’ve been banging on about for ages, and a great Mediterranean blue (if you want to try that bold pop of blue under the eyes à la the Marc Jacobs show, which I definitely do*). Nicely priced, too. The Dior Earth Tones palette (discontinued now but there are similar ones) is a lovely example of those muddy olive and burgundy tones I like so predictably every time I come across them. Rather staggeringly priced. Beautiful in application, though, quite a sumptuous formulation, and I’m feeling no pangs about it.

I never get tired of browsing great masses of colors, individually or in combination, and deciding which I like best, which I am drawn to the most. I think I will not disclose how long I spent trying to find the Dior palette once it had been chosen. Or once it chose me, as it so often seems.

*Experimentation is salutary.

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If you’re curious, I’ll likely apply them with one or more of these favorite eye brushes.

IMG_7421Top to bottom: Sigma tapered blending brush, MAC 217, bamboo bdellium 785 (best value blender here, and so soft, though the Sigma brushes are well priced, too), Paula Dorf sheer crease brush (current favorite), Sigma E20, essence of Beauty crease brush (from the little drugstore crease duo), e.l.f. contour brush, e.l.f. eye shadow “C” brush (this is such an incredible value*, I think the blush brush is fantastic, too).

*essentially I believe in spending over $10 for a good blending brush (once you use a good one you understand that you aren’t going back to whatever you did before…however you don’t need this many. Only one. Or, for convenience, two, where one stays largely clean throughout the process for additional blending while the other deposits the color. Oh, just go watch Lisa Eldridge, OK?), but not for a flat shading brush.

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All kitted out like this, you’d think I’d wear eyeshadow more often.

I intend to work on that.

x

smell this: Bulgari Black

There is nothing quite like Bulgari Black. In the world of fragrances you can usually find derivatives or outright copies here and there but in the case of Black, there is nothing remotely close.

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It’s particularly known for looking like a hockey puck.IMG_6136

Composed by the brilliant Annick Menardo (Hugo Boss Bottled, Lolita Lempicka, Diesel Fuel for Life pour homme, Body Kouros, Dior’s Bois D’Argent and Hypnotic Poison), the notes have almost no evolution on the skin. It smells, from beginning to end, of sweet leather and hot pavement (burning rubber). The sweetness seems to rise out of the richness of leather, which is to me inherently sweet, or can tip over into sweetness very easily, deepened with amber, vanilla, and jasmine. This blends with a smoky tea note, and this tea thread somehow comes together to evoke the unmistakable smell of rubber. It sounds bizarre, and it is, but mostly because it smells so strange while also smelling so good.

I consider this truly unisex. I can see how the sweetness might be too sweet for any given man (but overcome this thought, men, and please try it, particularly if you are drawn to leather. I find it especially captivating for a man, precisely because of this slight sweetness), and the rubber might be too smoky for any given woman. This [like anything] is for anyone who loves it.

I suggest wearing it with a leather jacket.