Beauty Break--THE FORMULA

Miu Miu sweater, Joe Fresh turtleneck, Wythe coat from Asos

Hi All!  Hope you are spending the end of the "Holidays" wisely!  A while ago, a commenter ("Anonymous") asked me to post about my beauty routine. Lucky for my lazier propensities, Aimee at THE FORMULA did most of the work for me on this one!  You can check out the entire interview here (and other amazing profiles with more beautiful pictures of more beautiful subjects).  If you're the type of person that is super thorough (in either a creepy or non-creepy way), below is a full list of the skincare products I use on a regular basis.  Will highlight my favorite make-up doo-dads in PART II (I know, it's exciting :).

BEHOLD.....!

-Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel (my absolute favorite face-wash ever)
-Clarins One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser / or Bliss Pore Perfecting Facial Polish / or St. Ives Apricot Scrub
-YSL Toning and Cleansing Micellar Water (cannot live without this!)
-Clarins Hydraquench Intensive Serum Bi-Phase (I always use this and sometimes mix with the below serums)
-Elemis Visible Brilliance Serum
-Princess Theodora Von Auersperg Rejuvenating Rose Serum (this is a new one, but really like the feeling on my skin and the smell is divine)
-Clarins Hydraquench Cream (in summer)
-Elemis Maximum Moisture Day Cream (in winter)
-Shiseido Bio-Performance Super Eye Contour Cream
-Clarins Younger Longer Balm OR YSL Top Secret Beauty Sleep Restoring Skincare Palette at night

MASKS:

-Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel
-Clarins Hydraquench Cream Mask

HAIR:

SURPRISE--I don't really care about my hair!  I do love the above pictured Sachajuan Volume Oowder--it's the only dry shampoo I'm a fan of.  Also love Terax leave-in conditioner and Redken All Soft Argan-6 Oil.  I've heard a lot of good things about Moroccan hair oil, but I haven't quite made the jump yet....

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Cece Topping dickie , Dries Van Noten sweater, Chloe skirt, Fogal tights, Comme des Garcons shoes

HOPE BABY BOOMER SANTA BROUGHT YOU SOMETHING GOOD! :)

Party Time

 J. Crew turtleneck, Balenciaga skirt, Fogal tights, Giuseppe Zanotti boots, Cynthia Rowley ring

One of the best things about the Holidays is the ability to indulge the things that make you happiest and let practicality take a basckseat. Ugly sweaters, enough glitter to choke a small domestic animal, more bows than on an episode of Gossip Girl- whatever your embellished poison might be, it's all a go.  For me, that means crazy poofy mini hoop skirts, a la Balenciaga!  Although I'm sure I will find a way to wear my latest sample sale find well into spring, there's something so jovial about it that it seems just perfect to me for the Holidays (adding some sparkly boots doesn't hurt, of course). We are just getting in the midst of things, so I'm also sure more sparkle and fuzziness is to come, but this has to be favorite incarnation so far. What's your favorite Holiday dressing indulgence?

Cherry on Top

 Rochas sweater an pants, Ferragamo shoes

 Dress pants can be quite the conundrum--what kind of pant leg do you get? What kind of rise?  What material?  What color?  It can be difficult to stray from the very easy straight leg, mid-rise variety, not only because of your own reticence, but also for the lack of options available.  Things have gotten a bit easier with the return of the wide-leg trouser, but, as we all know, that's not always appropriate in every setting.  Sometimes that kind of volume is not appreciated by a tailored jacket or by colleagues at a meeting.  That's why when I saw these Rochas characters with a jacket sleeve cuff on the bottom (which almost gives it an athletic disposition), I couldn't resist. They are indeed your standard wool-blend wool dress pants (no crazy secrets there), but the combination of what I can only deem a "blouson" leg and high waist give them so much personality without diminishing an ounce of usefulness.  I can see this style of pant fitting in perfectly with many a blazer or sweater/shirt combination. All this is not to diminish the cherry intarsia cropped sweater that comprises the other half of the outfit, though.  LIKE, HOW PERFECT IS THE COLOR COMBINATION? AND THE STRIPES? AND THE CHERRIES? Gouaaggaaagahahahaa.....[slobber].  It's that good.

Convertible Dressing

 Alexander Wang vest and boots, J. Crew turtleneck, Elie Tahari belt 

I don't know if it's all these eclipses or what, but things have been quite topsy-turvy lately.  Can't seem to keep to a schedule at all!  Patience, will be rewarded, however, as sample/sale season has been especially kind. A "sample" of the things to come: Rodarte, Balenciaga, Rochas, Miu Miu, Comme des Garcons, (hopefully) Proenza.... We aren't kidding around here.  Until then, however, I've also been continuing to edit the closet, and making pieces prove their worth.  This Alexander Wang nubby vest has always been a favorite, but I was recently skeptical about it's versatility, which wasn't completely obvious to me.  With some semi-inventive thinking, I slapped a belt on it and voila!-- a dress!  I'm not usually an advocate of "belting" things excessively (I know you know those people out there), but there are indeed times it's appropriate.  Never say never.