In My Makeup Bag

I'm always curious to see what products people use: I love seeing what my friends and makeup mentors use in their makeup bags and kits.
So in case you were interested in seeing what goodies I carry around with me, I am about to unveil my own bag of tricks   ;)

Currently, I'm using a silver Bobbi Brown makeup bag that was a gift with purchase.
I usually use my makeup bags for months- a year until it starts falling apart.
Sometimes I change the products, but I usually carry around these items (or ones that are similar in quality/convenience)

Here are the products that I feel are worthy of carrying around with me wherever I go (at least for now):

Singing and Dancing Through Life- My Favorite Musicals

OOOHHH.... How I love a good musical!!!  The first one I remember going to see was either the Secret Garden with my cousin or Cats when I was a girl scout.  Now those two were not the best ones around... but I've seen many more throughout my life that are just out of this world!

My friends have always said that I live in Irene's world... and in Irene's world... Life is a Musical! Sometimes I really want to just burst out singing into song.  Wouldn't it be great to sing when something good happens or do a dance off when you're angry at someone? 
The costumes, the sets, the music, the MAKEUP!!!! SIGH~ it's all so glorious!
Although life may not really be a musical, I can pretend it is at Karaoke (My go-to song is Oasis' "Don't Look Back In Anger") and in the shower ("On My Own" and "Tomorrow" were my standards growing up... )

Here are my favorite musicals (Broadway and Movies) that I've seen:

Musicals- The real deal.  Singing. Dancing. Amazing Sets! How can you not love Broadway???

* Les Miserables- This is a classic musical.  I've seen it many times, and it never disappoints.  The songs are amazing, the scenery... everything! If you've never seen it, you MUST watch it. It changed my life~*

* Wicked- This is also another amazing musical.  So many "WOW~ This is amazing!!!" moments. Favorite songs: Defying Gravity (AMAZING), Popular (So funny), What Is This Feeling, Because I knew You (So touching... There should be more songs about friendship)

* Lion King- You have to see this. This is a musical that has an AMAZING set (the animals come to life!!! how?? You must see for yourself!)

* Phantom of the Opera- Definitely a classic.

Movies

* The Sound of Music- We used to have this on VHS so I watched it ALL the time.  I always used to do the whole "Good Night" scene on the stairs for my parents. And I love the Goat Herd Song. We had a Sound of Music sing-along on African safari.  My favorite movie musical!

* Mary Poppins- I'm very similar to Mary Poppins~ "Practically perfect in every way" (haha) and you never know what I'll pull out of my bag!   ;)   Soooo good. Julie Andrews is the best~*

* Annie- Ms. Hannigan scared me as a kid... but a wonderful movie nonetheless.

* The Little Mermaid- My favorite Disney movie!!!!
* Grease- Summer Love and the Ultimate Makeover!

* Moulin Rouge- I didn't like it the first time I watched it... I thought it was weird. It's now one of my favorite movies.  The costumes.. The music... Baz Lurhman is a genius

* Chicago- I haven't seen this on Broadway, yet... but I've seen the movie tons of times and it's next on my list of shows to see... the soundtrack is awesome!!!  Makes you want to sing and dance...and hate men  ;)

* Glee-This is SUUUUCH a good show~ They take popular songs and sing them. Simple enough... but they're SO GOOD.  And the story lines are interesting: funny, serious, poignant.  It's got it all.

OK. Now go out... Sing and Dance your little hearts out!

*~ Have a Beautiful Day ~*

Lipstick Jungle- The Ladies, The Looks

Thanks to the blizzard, I was able to stay in my apartment all day! It was fabulous~ I had a marathon "Lipstick Jungle" session!
This was a great show~ I remember catching the first 2 episodes when it came out last year... but I was always busy and never got a chance to watch it (Thank God for DVR~ Yes, Linda... You've converted me).  I liked the first 2 episodes... but after watching it this weekend, I fell in love with the show and am so so sad that NBC canceled the show.

Lipstick Jungle is based on a Candace Bushnell (of Sex and the City fame) novel.  It's a show that has similar characteristics to Sex and the City, but is very different.
Like Sex and the City, the fashion and makeup is fabulous. The dialogue is quick and witty.  The female characters are strong and successful women who have very busy love live lives.....(VERY busy!). They're both based in NYC. Like Sex and the City, the heart of the show is about their friendship.
While Sex and the City is more of a comedy with drama mixed in, Lipstick Jungle is more of a dramedy.

Unfortunately, the show was canceled, but you can still catch all 20 episodes on Hulu until September 19, 2010.

The show stars Brooke Shields as Wendy Healy, a high-powered President of a Production company and mother of two.  Lindsay Price plays Victory Ford, a Fashion Designer who goes from struggling to  successful.  Kim Raver is Nico Riley, the successful Editor-in-Chief of Bonfire magazine.

My favorite character is Victory Ford because Lindsay Price was one of the few Asian girls I saw on t.v. growing up, I feel she's the most like me, and she is absolutely glowing on the show (both acting and looks wise).

Here are the characters signature looks and what kind of products you can use to achieve their best features.

Wendy Healy- Wendy has a natural, pretty, and professional look.  Her look usually consists of clean skin, Brown eyeshadows, and a lipstick that ranges from Neutral to Neutral with Red/Brown tones.
* Wendy wears very basic colors, but I noticed her lips the most.  Her look is the easiest one to achieve.  Find a lip color that you like and swipe it on- High Powered Execs don't have lots of time!
* For a more precise and defined look, you can use a Lip Liner and fill in lipstick with a Lip Brush.  I prefer to use more neutral lip liners so it looks more natural, but if you use a darker lip liner, make sure the color of the lipstick and liner is very similar.
* Make sure you're lips are moisturized ( I always put on Lip Balm/Lip Conditioner before lipstick).
* Wendy usually has a matte look, but you can add a gloss (M.A.C. Lipglass) on top to really make your lips pop. 

Victory Ford- Victory has more of a fun, playful look. She usually has more done up eyes... usually varying degrees of a Smoky eye.  Her lips are usually in different ranges of pink.  The thing I always notice about Victory is that her skin is dewy and glowing.  I don't know what her makeup artist uses to give her that glow... but it is remarkable.
* I would use a cream or gel blush to give the cheeks color with a dewy glow (Tarte Cheek Stain or Josie Maran Cream Blush).
* Victory always has the best highlights around her face. You can use a shimmer powder, highlighting cream, or anything that has shimmer in it to achieve this look (I usually use the M.A.C. Natural Flare, Make Up For Ever Diamond Creme, and lately the Prescriptives Liquid Powder).  You can even use a shimmer eyeshadow.
* Take the product and brush or blend on the top of your cheekbone (on an angle below your eyes) and a dab on your nose/between your eyes and right on top of your eyebrows.
[ Tip: If you're not sure how to find the top of your cheekbone, Smile and put on to the highest point where your cheeks come out (Does this make any sense?) ]
* Finish with a dab of a moisturizer, a balm (Decleor being my favorite), or oil (Josie Maran Argan Oil) pressed into the cheeks.


Nico Reilly-  Nico is absolutely gorgeous.  She has a very clean and natural look.  Her skin is flawless and her eyes and lips are usually in various neutral shades. I always notice how her skin looks so great (especially when she's getting hot and heavy with Kirby, her hot young boy toy...which is very often...they're like energizer bunnies...)
* To achieve her flawless skin, you can use a Tinted Moisturizer (Josie Maran being my choice) and little concealer.
* For skin that is photo-shoot ready, I would use an H.D. foundation (Make Up For Ever HD is my fav.)
* Set with a Loose Powder (Make Up For Ever H.D.) for a more natural look, or a Pressed Powder for more of a matte look/oilier skin.
* For the glow that Nico gets from Kirby, use a peach blush (I usually use Josie Maran Cream Blush in Sunset at work) or a stain (Benefit Benetint) for a beautiful flushed glow.

So although this wonderful show was added to the great shows that were cancelled graveyard, you can still look as fabulous as the ladies did!  May you have as much fun, friendship, and friskiness (Oh Nico, You naughty girl!) as the ladies of Lipstick Jungle did!

*~ Have a Beautiful Day! ~*

Le Fabuleux desitin d' Coco Chanel

What is it about those two little intertwining C's that make my heart go aflutter?  Chanel... the holy grail of fashion. The Fashion House of Fashion Houses.  The quilting, the pearls, the chains, the fabrics.... ahhhh... the fabulousness that is CHANEL~*

I recently watched two movies on Chanel... COCO CHANEL- a Lifetime movie starring Shirley MacLaine and Coco Before Chanel starring Audrey Tatou.  Both were very interesting to see the background of Coco Chanel ~ to see how Gabrielle became THE Coco Chanel.
I actually found the Lifetime movie to be more interesting to watch, but both movies are enjoyable and made well.

I admire Chanel for many reasons~  She was a woman way ahead of her time.  Working in a man's world when women did not work.  Choosing to remain single. Wearing pants. Creating dresses without corsets.  Simplicity when everyone else was going for excess. A (fashionable) trailblazer that changed the world of fashion.

I can go into a whole mini bio of Chanel... but I'll let YOU do the work if you want to know where she came from (or if you're too lazy... just ask and I'll be happy to tell you!)  Instead... I would like to give you some amazing quotes from the wonderful Mademoiselle Chanel. May you learn something from her wisdom. 

Life Lessons from Coco Chanel 

* "Fashion passes, Style remains"

* "A girl should be two things: Classy and Fabulous"
* "I don't understand how a woman can leave the house without fixing herself up a little- if only out of politeness. And then, you never know, maybe that's the day she has a date with destiny.  And it's best to be as pretty as possible for destiny"
* "Nature gives you the face you have at twenty; it is up to you to merit the face you have at fifty"
* "The best color in the whole world, is the one that looks good on you"
* "There are people who have money and people who are rich"
* "In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different"



* "Don't spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door"
* "To achieve great things, we must first dream"
* "Success is often achieved by those who don't know that failure is inevitable"
* "I've never done anything by halves"
* "The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud"
* "Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only.  Fashion is in the sky, in the street.  Fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening"