SICKA THAN AVERAGE

Two Legit

Summer is in full-swing, which means everyone is pairing up (love is the air, blah, blah, blah), and twosomes are just popping up all over the place (like Noah’s Ark! ha!). Fittingly, some cosmetic companies are getting in the one-is-the-loneliest-number mode and releasing some products that are all about dual capabilities (lip glosses that plump your lips, moisturizers that bronze, etc.). And hey, don’t we all love a good match?

That’s why I’m sweating Susan Posnick’s ColorEyeDefine (pictured above). The pencil features a slanted tip liner on one (pictured above in an electric turquoise color which, FYI, is one of the hottest hues for eyes this summer) and, on the other end, a self-dispensing eye shadow with a sponge applicator (this allows you to smoothly apply the color on your eyelid without running the risk of excess powder shadow getting on your temples, cheeks, etc., and making a big ol’ mess). The applicator is extremely soft so it’ll feel as gentle as any eyeshadow brush.

Want more reasons to fall in love with this one? Well, the liner tip is retractable, which means you can twist up when necessary and never worry about having to pull out a sharpener. The angled tip makes the application a breeze and makes it easier to achieve your desired look (whether it’s a barely visible line of color or a thick streak). The color combinations available are also exciting: there’s turquoise/topaz (pictured here), jasper/sandstone (an olive green liner with a beige shadow), jet/moonstone (a charcoal black liner and pearl white shadow), sapphire/amethyst (a darker, more serious blue and a deep, gray-ish purple), amethyst/opal (a mauve-like purple and a soft lilac), bronze/copper, platinum/gold, and smoky quart/rose quartz. Now, these are marriages built to last!

Susan Posnick ColorEyeDefine dual liner, $26. Visit SusanPosnick.com

Posted at 03:01 PM in Beauty | Permalink | Favorite This | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

July 30, 2008

De La Joya

Weapon of seduction number one: scented candles (okay, fine, so maybe it’s number two if you count lingerie). You ain’t gotta go all 9 1/2 Weeks with it and start dripping hot wax all over your boo’s body (although, if that’s your thing, go for it), but every gal knows that candles are key in setting the mood (as is music — be it Maxwell, Sade, Al Green, or Jill Scott). And sure, you can go and get some cheap tealight candles at your local drugstore, but do you really wanna half-step? That’s like doing a striptease with mismatched cotton underwear. Nah, if you wanna make sweet music in your boudoir, you gotta pull out all the stops.

Which brings me to Joya Candle’s new Perfume in Porcelain collection, designed by Sarah Cihat.These black candles come in three scents: Sandalwood Striker Lily, Gunpowder Green Tea (pictured above) and Absolute Narcissus. Each candle is hand-poured into a slip cast ceramic case, which is then emblazoned with a subversive image (in this case, a skull). Only 150 pieces are available for each design, and each is numbered and packaged in a luxurious, modern white-and-black box.The Gunpowder Green Tea candle fuses together essential oils and fine fragrances, yielding an earthy and slightly spicy aroma (a result of the clever mix of white mint, Sicilian lemon, calla lily and shiso tea leaves) that’s simply divine.

Now, if you’re looking for a bold statement piece to liven up your decor, I’d suggest investing in the Fragrance Diffuser Set, pictured here in the Quince and Heliotrope Petals scent. The set comes with this sculptural ceramic vessel, as well as the accompanying reed sticks and scented oil. All you have to do is pour some oil into the container, insert the reed sticks, and carefully flip them over so that the oil-soaked tips are exposed to the air. Your home will smell like a fresh garden/orchard (think iris powder, mango, mandarin orange and teakwood) and you’ll have a design accent that’s a straight-up conversation piece.

The Perfume in Porcelain collection is available at selected Barneys Co-op locations.

Joya Candle Perfume in Porcelain Gunpowder Green Tea candle, $48; visit Barneys.com. Quince & Heliotrope Petals Fragrance Diffuser Set, $76; visit Barneys.com. For more information on Joya Candle, visit JoyaCandle.com

Posted at 08:41 PM in Home Decor | Permalink | Favorite This | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

July 30, 2008

Tequila Sunrise

Premium liquor AND a bottle you can keep and display atop your office desk, dining room shelf, or living room table? Now that’s genius. Fans of 1800 Silver Tequila will go bonkers over the brand’s new Essential Artists campaign, which features limited-edition bottles designed by nine international artists. Each of the bottles has a very unique and distinctive aesthetic; from the sci-fi influenced, comic-book-meets-Mexican-pop-art designs of Mexico City-based illustrator Jorge Alderete to the surreal dreamscapes created by San Francisco-based illustrator Hannah Stouffer, each design is a true collector’s item.

Among my favorites is the bottle designed by Atlanta-based graphic artist Dosa Kim (top image). There’s a whimsical, magical quality to his work — from the kaleidoscopic color scheme to the collage-like quality of the images used (if you look closely, you’ll notice that those feather-like strokes of color are, in fact, small rodents; they look like rats or raccoons to me, but I’ll let y’all decipher this one!). I could try and interpret the design and give y’all some shpeel about the rat race, of the hunter-versus-the-hunted, but really, only Kim knows what message he wanted to convey. I can say, however, that Kim’s work often revolves around notions of hope and triumph, which is why he always incorporates his trademark logo, which bears the phrase: “Some of us will find our way home.” The logo is, of course, featured on this bottle (it’s the stamp on the upper right-hand corner).

Detroit native Chris Dean also created a stand-out design for the Artist Essentials campaign (second image from the top). There’s a vintage and even nostalgic feel to his design, which depicts a young woman toiling away with test tubes at a seedy-looking laboratory. We’re left to wonder whether there’s a cryptic motive behind her little science experiment, which is precisely the type of engagement Dean hopes to get from his audience. Pretty ill, right?

Only 1800 bottles of each design are available (catchy tie-in back to the brand name, right?) and they’ll be available in August.

$34.99 each; Visit 1800Tequila.com for more information.

Posted at 01:04 PM in Liquor | Permalink | Favorite This | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

July 29, 2008

Time After Time

I must confess that I don’t normally wear watches. I don’t know if it’s because I’m a quirky, free-spirited type or if it’s just one of those odd idiosyncracies, but something about them makes me feel restrained, like I’m being sucked into the matrix and shackled by this little device (this blasé attitude towards wristwatches is probably the main reason why I’m always running a bit late, but that’s another story altogether! lol). So if I do wear a watch, it has to be a dramatic, bold piece, something so artful that I can trick myself into believing it’s just another kind of bracelet.

That’s why I’m so infatuated by this pastel-hued watch from Nixon’s 2008 LTD collection. The one-of-a-kind piece features artwork by actress Joy Bryant (from Get Rich Or Die Tryin’). And no, she didn’t just lend her name to this product and allow some other chump to do all the heavy lifting. Bryant actually used paint pens to create her designs on hard rock maple panels, which were then inlaid into the watch’s band. If you look closely, you’ll see that she incorporated a ticket to a Radiohead concert (guess she’s a fan!) into her design. The engraved case’s back features her name, along with a serial number (oh, and it comes with a certificate of authenticity so you know it’s totally legit!)

The watch is part of Nixon’s fifth LTD collection, an initiative that allows music and film icons to design custom pieces, with proceeds going to charity. Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Lopez, Pink and Anthony Kiedis have all joined the cause in the past.

For 2008, Nixon brass recruited such celebrities as Fall Out Boy, Latin rockers Ozomatli, comedian Jack Black, Angels and Airwaves, Motley Crue’s Nikki Six, former Beatle Ringo Starr and Tristan Pettyman to serve as guest designers. The proceeds from the sale of these watches will go to two charities: the Grammy Association’s MusiCares MAP Fund and the Tony Hawk Foundation.

The collection hits stores in mid August, so mark your calendars! When it comes to copping these, time really is of the essence!

Nixon’s 2008 LTD collection will be available at Barneys locations in New York, San Francisco and Las Vegas, as well as at boutiques like Colette and Beams. Prices range from $350 to $3500. Visit NixonNow.com for more information.

Posted at 07:02 PM in Jewelry | Permalink | Favorite This | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

July 28, 2008

Hot to Trot

Allow me to introduce y’all to the grand dame of hair styling products: the Metropolis S-Nano Wet/Dry Ionic Iron (phew! Long name, right? But think about it: royals always have long titles, no?). This fantastic tool takes care of two major styling tasks simultaneously: drying and straightening your hair. That means no breaking out the rollers and sitting under a steaming dryer or tugging away at those strands with a blowdryer (one of my least favorite feats since it requires entirely too much dexterity, coordination and carpel tunnel-inducing wrist turning!) to then pull out a flat iron, wait for the darned thing to heat up, and work it through every tiny strand of hair. Nah, you can now skip the first step altogether (the drying, that is) and make your prep time that much shorter (which means an extra half hour of sleep in the morning!).

Now, you don’t want to use this on hair that’s dripping wet (it’s called electrocution, people!), but it’s perfectly safe to use on damp hair — and it really won’t damage your hair shaft. I, of course, appointed myself a guinea pig for y’all and, while fearing permanent hair loss, tested this bad boy out for a solid two weeks. Frankly, by the end of the first week, I was ready to get down on bended knee and propose to this beauty. My hair was as healthy as ever, my morning routine was way smoother, and my straightened ‘do actually withstood the test of time (and the strains of humidity).

So how does the iron work? Well, ionic power separates water molecule clusters, helping your hair dry faster, while vents along the side of the iron facilitate the safe release of that moisture.The ions also tighten the hair’s outer cuticle while infusing the inner cuticle with moisture. The iron’s silver micro-fine particles allow the tool to remain clean and odor-free (the silver nano technology has been proven to eliminate 99.9% of bacteria and fungi). Far-infrared heat technology warms the hair up from the inside out, thus protecting your beloved tresses from breakage and thermal damage.

The iron’s temperature can be manually adjusted (peep the tiny digital screen on the side, where the temperature is displayed, and the button control arrows along the sides), and goes up to an astounding 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you’ve got short to medium-length hair, you can conceivably have hair that’s completely dry and straighter than Naomi Campbell’s weave in less than a half hour. You can’t beat that with a bat.

Metropolis S-Nano Wet/Dry Ionic Iron, $265. Visit MetropolisTechnology.com

Posted at 10:33 PM in Beauty | Permalink | Favorite This | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)