Archive for August, 2010

MAC – “Fabulous Felines” Collection REVIEW

Posted in MAC MAKE-UP, MAC MAKE-UP COLLECTIONS with tags , , , on August 26, 2010 by stylebymeli

Meow MAC addicts!  Today, MAC launches “Fabulous Felines.”  This is the mega fall collection that is broken down into three looks: “Palace Pedigreed,” “Leopard Luxe,” and “Burmese Beauty.”

The collection is inspired by colors associated with a cat with a range of smokey colors and neutrals.  With its eclectic appeal, the collection speaks to both the conservative and the dramatic, in terms of makeup style preferences of its customers.

I typically love the fall collections because there is so much to offer.  This season, MAC has come out with a new eyeliner called, “Superslick Liquid Eye Liner.” The best thing about these liners are that they are NOT limited and will become a permanent product!  I’m sure they will sell out rather quickly and it’ll take a long time before they come back regularly so I recommend buying at least one of these to try out!

I have gotten a chance to play with the liners and I do very much like the applicator and the smoothness of the liquid.  I initially wanted almost every color, especially the gold one, “Pure Show” but I think I will just limit myself to buying the black one (“On the Hunt”)  for the time being.  I’m such a huge Penultimate and Liquidlast liner person that I don’t feel the need to make the switch just yet!

MAC Superslick Liquid Eye Liners - Lots of pretty colors to choose from!

Although I love a good amount of the collection, I’m limiting myself to a few special items!

MAC "Burmese Beauty" Eye shadow Quad

The “Burmese Beauty” is by far my favorite quad. I love all the colors because they go with a lot of other shadows and can be used on an everyday basis.  It’s extremely hard to find the right gold (they are usually too yellow or too brassy) shadow and I’m excited to try this one out!

Additional Items to add to my “Fabulous Felines” Shopping List:

- “Spree” lipglass
This is very pretty, I like it by itself and to layer over nude lipsticks to amplify the color more.

- “To Pamper” lipstick (lustre)
I am really into taupe brown on the lips.  It shockingly looks great on me despite the fact the color kind of looks ugly in the tube.

* ALL THE MINERALIZE BLUSHES:

- “The Soft Meow”
This I’m interested in trying out for contouring the cheekbones

- “Utterly Game”
I always love a good peach blush.  This looks very soft and pretty.

- “Pet Me”
This is a light baby pink blush.  I don’t really have a blush like this and look forward to adding it to my collection.

There are many other things that catch my eye but the list above are my essentials!

Overall Review:

The expectations are high for the fall collection launch and I’m pretty impressed with the color stories behind each look.

I LOVE every single blush! I really only wanted to limit myself to one being that I already have a massive blush collection, but I may just have to buy all three!

All the quads are unique yet wearable and offer a nice assortment of eye shadows to create various looks.  This is definitely a great set of quads compared to previous years.

Surprisingly, I find the lip colors to be a little weak. I like a lot of the colors but I’m not in love with that many of them.  It would have been a delight to have seen “Amplified” and “Satin” textures in this collection rather than the typical “Glaze,” “Lustre,” and now “Dazzle” (NOT a fan of these…talk about glitter overload on the lips).

I was instantly attracted to, “Of Royalty” because it’s a baby pink in the cremesheen texture, which I always like but I decided to pass because I have so many pink lipsticks within that same color family: “Lovelorn,” “Viva Gaga,” etc.  I really don’t NEED another light pink lipstick I’ve decided.

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STYLE BY MELI – Look of the Week [8/25/10]

Posted in FASHION, LOOK OF THE WEEK, MAKE-UP with tags , , , , on August 25, 2010 by stylebymeli

I thought it would be cool to create a new blog feature called, “Style by Meli – Look of the Week.”  Every week I will take the time to capture one of my current looks with information on the clothing and makeup.

Hope you enjoy the first look of the week….

This is one of my more casual looks.  Being that it has been cooler this week, the vest gives me an extra layer of warmth and this is a great piece for the upcoming fall season.

Besides living in black leggings, I’m also IN LOVE with bodysuits right now!  This is the only one I currently own right now.  I’ve never worn my leggings positioned as a high waisted look but felt like being experimental.

WHAT I’M WEARING…

- White lace bodysuit (Urban Outfitters)

- Beige sweater vest (Guess)

- Black leggings

SHOES:
- Bronze t-strap studded heels (Franco Sarto)
[These are the new love of my life!]

JEWELRY:
- Gold pearl ring (Love Culture)

- Gold cuff (vintage – from my mother!)

- Layered black chain heart pendant (Betsey Johnson)

MAKEUP: The eye makeup I did for this look is my typical everyday eye makeup.  I typically do a pretty nude eye was contouring on the corners with black eye liner all the way around.

As for the lips, I honestly don’t wear red that often but thought it would be a nice color to start with my first look.  I chose the red to contrast the eyes and since the overall clothing palette is neutral.

EYE SHADOWS:

- MAC “Vapour” —> Nude, powdery white with slight shimmer (LID)
This is one of my favorite eye shadows for lid color that I wear regularly.  I just discovered my love for this about a month ago, totally hooked!

- MAC “Warming Trend” —> Light taupe with pearlized finish (CREASE)
Discontinued shade from “Cool Heat” Collection, the next best match to this shade would either be “Era” OR “Patina”

- MAC “Folie” —> Matte brown with reddish undertone (OUTER CREASE)
I love that it’s brown but not TOO brown.  Compliments everyone, especially brown eyes!

- MAC “Solar White” —> Pearlized white with slight gold tint (HIGHLIGHT)
I honestly wear “Solar White” everyday as my highlight.  It’s unfortunate this is a discontinued shade also from the “Cool Heat” collection.  I still have some backups of these thankfully.

BLUSH:

- MAC “Peaches” —> Matte bright peach
This is my all-time favorite blush.  It brightens my fair skin and gives me that youthful glow.  I tend to like my cheeks matte most of the time.

LIPS:

- MAC “Lasting Lust” (Pro Longwear) —> Matte bright candy red
This is the ONLY red you will ever see me wear!  It’s the best red!  It’s striking and youthful.  The best is that since it’s a Pro Longwear, it won’t move throughout the day.  This is why I only wear this red, so I never have to worry about touch-ups!

[Surprisingly, NO gloss or lip liner!  I choose not to line or gloss whenever I wear red.  Too much high maintenance.  Notice although it is a matte finish, there is still a slight shine to it in the photo].

“I Dream of Animal Prints”

Posted in FASHION, SHOPPING, STYLE COLLAGES with tags , , , on August 25, 2010 by stylebymeli

I put together a style collage illustrating some of this season’s hottest animal printed accessories.  Along with this fierce print, I threw in some black ensembles, a pair of lace-up heels, and some flirty lashes of course!

It’s a nice mix of flirty and cutting edge chic.  I love mixing soft styling details with more edgy pieces.  It plays up femininity while also portraying a strong, confident woman.

My Zappos Shopping Spree :) – Part II

Posted in FASHION, ONLINE SHOPPING, SHOES, SHOPPING on August 24, 2010 by stylebymeli

Towards the beginning of summer, I shared with everyone my wonderful shopping experience at Zappos with the prize money I won from Marie Claire’s “Find Your Inner Stylist” contest.  I just placed another order for some fall stuff and totally excited with my most recent purchase.

DKNY Pocket Bag Crossbody

DKNY Pocket Bag Crossbody

I absolutely LOVE this bag!  Everything about this bag is amazing.  It can be both a crossbody (which is hot this fall season) or a shoulder bag.  I actually prefer it as a shoulder bag because of the gold chain detailing.

It has so many compartments that it keeps everything organized.

I really have not seen any bag like this.  I love the buttery soft leather and the fact that this will never go out of style!  Being that it is white, I have to be extra cautious with this bag but otherwise it’s beautiful!

Franco Sarto "Alma"

FRANCO SARTO “Alma”

This is probably the nicest pair of shoes I have ever owned.  I know I have some super chic shoes but this shoe is AMAZING.  It’s what every stylish girl dreams of!

I had the choice of ordering this in black (with silver studs down the middle) or the bronze and I am so happy I went with the bronze!  The bronze has a crackled metallic finish to it with copper gold studs down the center.  I’ve already been wearing these and they look FANTASTIC paired with black leggings.  It gives a nice contrast and they are super comfortable!

Franco Sarto "Asset"

FRANCO SARTO “Asset”

Another great shoe!  These shoes are both comfortable and high fashion!  I think the buckles on the sides are a nice styling detail and I like that this style is unique.

I never discovered how wonderful Franco Sarto shoes were until I started shopping on Zappos!  Although Franco Sarto is known for great bags, I’m totally hooked on the shoes!

Mavi "Serena" jeans

MAVI “Serena” jeans

Although the style of these are pretty simple, they have a great fit and I am always looking for the perfect jeans!

I would say it’s a cross between a jean and a jegging.  It’s very lightweight compared to most jeans but with a slight stretch making it similiar to jeggings.

Regardless of what these jeans are classified as, these will go with everything and it’s super comfortable!  I like that the denim is very thin.  They can easily be tucked into boots if needed.

I randomly tried on this same exact pair recently at a department store.  I checked to see if Zappos carried them and sure enough they did and in my shopping cart they went!  :)

Project Runway Season 8, Episode 4 Runway Review – The Crazy Hats Challenge

Posted in FASHION, PROJECT RUNWAY with tags , , , , , , on August 23, 2010 by stylebymeli

I finally got a chance to catch up on Project Runway and watch it this morning.  I wasn’t super impressed with the overall designs but OVERLY impressed with my top 3 designers and my critiques thus far!

CHALLENGE:  To create a look inspired by a Philip Treacy hat.

GUEST JUDGE:  Philip Treacy

I thought this was a fun challenge and it was great that Philip Treacy got to be the guest judge for this episode.  Being that his hats are the inspiration behind this challenge, it is only fair that he would get the honor to judge the final looks to walk the runway.

The designers got to choose which model they wanted to work with based on the hats they were wearing and surprisingly, they all chose to stick with their models and did not take the hat into consideration.

I was happy that Gretchen didn’t make the top 3 this week.  I will admit she is a strong designer and has been throughout the competition but her look this week really didn’t impress me at all.

Although Andy South had immunity this week, he still presented another fierce look this week with lots of drama and great styling.

Critique on Top 3:

Michael Costello design - Job well done! This week's Project Runway Champion!

- Michael C:  I’ll be honest, although he is one of my top 3 designers, I did NOT love his look initially.

However, I did appreciate all the small detailing that went into this dress (especially the back) and totally saw his vision behind the design and the hat.

It may not have been the most beautiful dress in the world but it’s all about fulfilling the needs of a challenge.  This dress also had a wonderful flow to it as the model walked down the runway.

I was incredibly happy he won this week’s challenge because I have always had admiration towards his designs and it’s about time that he’s given the recognition that he deserves for his amazing work!

- Valerie: This was actually my favorite look but I totally agree that it did NOT correlate with hat.  The look she presented was well-made, sharp, and modern chic.  I thought she had the coolest hat to work with (it was a beautiful lace mask).

Michael Drummond design - He made the top two with this awesome look. It looks great with the hat!

- Michael D:  It was definitely a good toss up betweenMichael C and Michael D (BOTH are part of my top 3 designers may I add, so I was uber-excited to see they both were placed in the top 3 this week).

I really LOVED his hat to begin with and loved his design because it totally correlated with the hat.  I was mostly in love with the top with the pleating, neutral color, deep v-neckline, and points at the shoulder.

I loved that he contrasted the neutral top with a bright orange skirt with crinkling towards the top for added texture.  Really beautiful silhouette and he really completely a fantastic look from head to toe!

Critique on the Bottom 3:

- Christopher:  I don’t think this was Bottom 3 material but it definitely was not one of the strongest designs.  The material was very stiff looking and lacked flow.  I also think the look was overly designed, lacked direction, and was somewhat distasteful.  Although if given ample time, this design had a lot of potential and could have been revamped into something much more pleasing to the eyes.

- Kristen: DID I NOT CALL THIS OR WHAT?!?!  I said last week that she needed to go and sure enough, she got the boot this week!  I am great at calling this stuff!

Her dress was just all over the place.  Her construction skills are obviously horrendous and even if she had great taste (which sadly she also lacks as a designer) it wouldn’t help because she can’t put it together and “make it work” to save her life!

- April: As I already said, I can tell from day 1, she is another weak link in this competition (mainly due to her lack of experience…I think she has potential to grow as a designer but she needs more time to blossom).  Her concept wasn’t horrible but her execution is never good enough.  I actually didn’t have a huge problem with her doing booty shorts but it definitely did not fit correctly and ended up looking like layered panties.  I don’t think that will ever be hot in fashion anytime soon.  Not even for baby couture.  Sorry April.

Next Week….The remaining designers will be split into two teams of 6…dun, dun, dun!!  This sounds like it’s going to be a brutal week.  Team challenges always get feisty in the workroom!

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