Wednesday, December 21, 2005

New services on The Style Page blog UPDATED

We've added buttons to enable readers to add content from our blog to news readers offered by Bloglines and My Yahoo! For those people who would like to receive updates by Email, we've added a form so that they may subscribe via Bloglet.

Check out what others say about us by clicking on the link Blogs that link here on the left sidebar.

Also, please patronize our partners - Amazon.com, Bag Borrow or Steal, Beauty.com, drugstore.com, Sephora.com, and Google Adsense - just scroll down the left sidebar to Sponsors. They help pay the bills for maintaining our website!

Google AdSense now offers vendors the opportunity to advertise directly on this blog.

UPDATE December 21, 2005:



The Style Page blog has joined BlogExplosion. Other bloggers who are also members of BlogExplosion can "rent" space on The Style Page blog to promote their own blog.

We also have inserted a stats counter for this blog - scroll down the left sidebar to view. Right now I see that we have a visitor from Ireland - welcome!

Lastly, welcome to our new subscribers through Bloglines and Bloglet!

Fashion pages updated

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Between welcoming the in-laws from overseas and preparing to spend Christmas with my parents in St. Louis, I somehow found time to update the Fashion pages on The Style Page.


Model 001/SG from Belen Echandia, one of the new sites listed on Bags and Luggage - red for Christmas.

Check out the new additions on the apparel, intimates, accessories, shoes, bags and luggage, and jewelry pages!

Thursday, December 01, 2005

NYTimes.com: 'Style' Gets New Elements UPDATE

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DWR Design Notes provides illustrations from the new edition of Strunk & White's "Elements of Style"


ARTS   | October 19, 2005

'Style' Gets New Elements

By JEREMY EICHLER
The first illustrated edition of "Elements of Style" features artwork by Maira Kalman, and an accompanying song cycle by Nico Muhly.



(Free) registration required to read full article. Find other references through our Books page: these are listed "below the fold," so you'll have to scroll down the page.

Make-Up Test

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New Haven Advocate: Make-Up Test
Boots make-up is a kick in the head for fashionistas



A review of Boots No 7 and Botanics makeup lines, which are being introduced into the U.S. through select CVS and Target stores.

Writer Jackie Senno asks, "What's best about Boots?" If I were to answer that question, I'd say this statement from their brochure on No 7:

"We all know that beauty is more than skin deep - but for women, it's one of life's pleasures, a chance for a moment of 'me-time'"

which is a very nice summation of the appeal of cosmetics for me and for many others.

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Beauty update and a special offer

We've updated our Beauty pages and added many new links, especially to our Cosmetics and Fragrance pages.


Di Kennedy Studio Colour from Australia is one of the new additions to The Style Page. Di characterizes her range as "professional quality, ultra girlie." I am impressed by the range of products and shades that she offers.

I am pleased to announce that Di Kennedy Studio Colour is offering a 10% discount exclusive to readers of The Style Page. To take advantage of this offer, please enter STYLE in the comments box upon checkout.

Prices are given in Australian currency, so readers outside Australia might want to use a currency converter such as FXConverter from OANDA to estimate the purchase amount of their order.

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

A Literary Anniversary

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Just as I am reading Mark Twain's Following The Equator, a memoir of his 1897 world tour, About Literature:Classic reminds me that November 30 is his birthday and provides some of his witty aphorisms.

The New York Times named Mark Twain: A Life, a recent biography by Ron Powers as among its 100 Notable Books of the Year.

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Cozy pajamas

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I'm not a fan of J.Jill, but I love these Winter Wonderland Pajamas. These pajamas feature ribbon seam binding on the collar, elastic waist with ribbon drawstring, a faux button fly, and wide legs. The fabric is cotton with a little spandex, and best of all, is brushed both
inside and out, so it's extra cozy for cold evenings and mornings.

One week left: Exclusive GWP offer from Closet Fetish

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Closet Fetish’s shoe boxes have been featured in Shop ETC and most recently, the November 2005 issue of InStyle. The Style Page is excited to provide its readers an exclusive gift with purchase offer in partnership with Closet Fetish.

Buy $100.00 of products from Closet Fetish and get a free shoe box. You might upgrade from plastic tube hangers or (God forbid) wire hangers and buy the Couture Starter Set ($105) with 6 wooden hangers and six shoe boxes to organize your closet or you can buy any combination of products totaling $100.00.

We're making this offer available throughout the month of November. To take advantage of this offer, make your selections at Closet Fetish, go to check out (you will be switched to PayPal), and leave a message in the gift message section indicating which color shoe box you would want for free. Please mention that you found out about the offer through The Style Page!

Sommer Meyer, President, Closet Fetish also volunteers this timely idea she received from a customer: buy the red boxes for Christmas boxes and in the frame where the picture goes, put a photo of the person getting the gift. Tie all the boxes with gold ribbon and the package looks great under the Christmas tree.

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Amazon.com's $1000 beauty shopping spree

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Enter to win one of ten $1000 shopping sprees at Amazon.com's Beauty store.

Also check out reader's selections such as Earthly Body Manicure Miracle and recent favorites of The Style Page, including Lola Cosmetics Eye Shadow and LORAC Brow Wax

Monday, November 14, 2005

Estee Lauder ups its hipness quotient with Tom Ford, Gwyneth Paltrow

The Estee Lauder Companies are working hard to re-energize their flagship Estee Lauder label. Last April, The Style Page noted Tom Ford's venture with Estee Lauder. In June, I noted Gwyneth Paltrow's contract with Estee Lauder to appear in their advertising campaigns. Only now are we seeing the results of these two ventures.

I was at Nordstrom in Tysons Corner last week, and a visiting makeup artist from Estee Lauder told me that only Neiman-Marcus and Saks are carrying the color products from the Tom Ford Collection. I then went to Saks, where the saleswoman told me that the Estee Lauder company was giving only small quantities of the products in the Tom Ford Collection to individual stores: for example, this Saks store received only one compact of solid perfume in Youth Dew Amber Nude (selling for $175!). The Eau du Parfum spray is strong enough to curl your toes, although Youth Dew Amber Nude is supposed to be lighter than original Youth Dew. I tested five lipsticks from the Tom Ford Collection ranging from a shimmering champagne to a shade that looked like malted milk to a deep plummy brown. The Tom Ford Collection also offers a subdued pinkish bronzer. I didn't find anything I wanted, thanked the saleswoman for her time, and walked away.

I have not been able to find the Tom Ford Collection sold online on esteelauder.com. I also tried saks.com, as the Tom Ford Collection premiered at its Fifth Avenue store, but all I could find available was the Eau du Parfum spray. With the way that Estee Lauder is limiting supply of the Tom Ford Collection, it's no surprise that these products are up for bid on eBay!

Saturday, November 12, 2005

The Eyes Have It - updated

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If I didn't get my hair colored, my hair would be completely white. I even have my hairdresser dye my brows to cover white hairs, but white hairs keep appearing. That's when LORAC Brow Wax in Brunette comes in to cover the white hair and groom the brows into place at the same time. For those with lighter hair, LORAC Brow Wax also comes in Blonde and Auburn.

To apply the LORAC Brow Wax, I use Sephora Short Handle Synthetic Beveled Eyebrow Brush



I am addicted to eye makeup. I scrutinize eyeshadows in the way that other people scrutinize paint chips. My latest acquisitions are
Lola Cosmetics Eye Shadow in Bones and Firehouse, a reddish brown that I use for the crease and the outer third of my eyelid.

I also purchased Clinique Brush-in Creme Eyeliner in Black Honey (part of Clinique's holiday collection based on its popular Black Honey lipstick) and like that product, but I was taken aback by the small amount of product there is. Don't bother with the itty-bitty brush furnished with the eyeliner - use a full-size slant-edge eyeliner instead.

Bookstand pages now updated

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Stack of books from LibraryThing

Greetings,

The Bookstand pages have now been updated. Check out the new listings for Stationery - especially timely, as Christmas and Chanukah are upon us.

Also check out new listings for Books such as Books - Classics - Literature from About.com and LibraryThing. I discovered LibraryThing through a comment on this blog, after I mentioned ConnectViaBooks in my previous update of the Bookstand pages.

By merely looking at the home page, It is evident that the focus of ConnectViaBooks is social networking, while the focus of LibraryThing is cataloguing. I soon discovered that "Tim" who left the comment is the developer of the LibraryThing website. I wrote him to explain why he thought that his website was better than ConnectViaBooks.

Tim compared the lengthy sign-up procedure for ConnectViaBooks versus the "comically simple" approach used by his site - just enter a name and password and you can begin cataloguing books. Even if you don't sign up, you can browse people's catalogs - for example, you can browse my catalog (three books!) at http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php?view=thestylepage.
Tim even provide a utility to create a "widget" that features books from your library - I created a widget for the Books page.

Other benefits of LibraryThing include:

- Searches of the Library of Congress and other libraries around the world
- Use of real cataloguing systems, such as the Dewey Decimal System and Library of Congress call numbers.
- Editing capabilities, including the creation of tags that are meaningful for you. Tagging, or "Folksonomy," is also used by TheThingsIWant.com for creating and managing wish lists, del.icio.us for creating and managing bookmarks to share, and flickr for photo sharing.

Friday, November 11, 2005

Great News

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FYLO Cosmetics (see our April 26, 2005 post) will debut at Henri Bendi November 18-20.

Congratulations to Heidi for getting her line picked up by Henri Bendel!

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Yes, there really was a Bonne Bell

For many women, Bonne Bell was probably the first cosmetic that they used.

Now comes news that the real Bonne Bell has died at the age of 82.

Thursday, October 13, 2005

We're in Design Within Reach's DWR Design Notes!

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My comments on Cars and Stripes in last week's Design Within Reach's DWR Design Notes are published in the current DWR Design Notes - just scroll down to the bottom.

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Carolee's bronze faux pearls

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Twelve years ago, I took advantage of the personal shopper services at Nordstrom after I moved from a small town in the Midwest to the DC metro area. She put together two outfits with wool gabardine trousers, a hopsack blazer, and two silk camp shirts, one a "watercolor" print and the other a paisley, for which I received a lot of compliments. She also selected a pair of bronze faux pearl clip earrings by Carolee and a matching necklace of oversize faux pearls, which I call my "Wilma Flintstone necklace." While I have given away or discarded most of the pieces and worn the paisley campshirt until the fabric itself became frayed and threadbare, I still have the clip earrings (I lost one of the earrings and purchased a replacement pair directly from Carolee) and necklace.

My style and tastes have changed, but I'm still fond of Carolee's faux pearls. My latest acquisition is the Gold Coil Bracelet (below). It looks great with the multistrand necklace of brown seed beads that I purchased from mexx.

Monday, October 10, 2005

Use Candles with Care: National Fire Protection Week

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We all love scented candles - you'll find links to various companies offering candles on the Fragrance page of The Style Page. The downside of our love affair with candles is that the number of home fires started by candles have tripled from 6000 per year in 1990 to nearly 20,000 in 2001. That's why the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has focused on candles for National Fire Protection Week, October 9-15, 2005.



Some years ago, The Style Page was taken to task by the PR representative for a candle company, as I was critical of her client's nervous focus of the environmental benefits of soy wax candles over candles from petroleum-derived paraffin wax. I stated that the real environmental and safety problems from candles are home fires, and she countered that was common sense information that everyone knows. Much of the advice that the NFPA offers on safe use of candles is indeed common sense, but bears repeating in view of the increase of home fires. Check out their advice and stay safe!

Sunday, October 09, 2005

Genius product: the Schick Intuition Razor

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I've relied on the men's Atra razor to shave my legs for years, as noted on the Advice and tips page. After I couldn't find the handle for the Atra razor, however, I decided to try something new (at least for me): the Schick Intuition Razor.
icon.

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I thought that the Schick Intuition Razor would be a good thing to have for travel, as the lubricant was in a solid form - not a gel or foam in a bulky canister. Now after trying it, I am a believer. I can simply soak in the tub for a couple of minutes and then start shaving. The handle is wide and easy to grip and the all-in-one cartridge literally glides over the skin. There is a cap to cover the cartridge when not in use and the razor comes with a shower hanger with suction cups to keep it handy. To quote the fashion magazines, the Schick Intuition Razor is a genius product.

You may find the Schick Intuition Razor at drugstore.com (which BTW is currently offering a sale on Schick products) and major drugstore, supermarket, and mass-market retailers.

Saturday, October 08, 2005

Clark Sorensen's unique flower shaped urinals

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Clark Sorensen is a San Francisco-based ceramic and glass artist. While he creates brightly colored porcelain and glass tableware, he has created a sensation with his flower shaped functioning urinals.


Red hibiscus urinal by Clark Sorensen

If I were a man, I'd be unnerved by answering nature's call in the red hibiscus urinal above, with the staminal column and stamens pointing right back! Clark noted, "There is a marked difference in reaction to my pieces between genders. Most guys think they are great, it takes women a little longer to warm up to them." Hmmm ...

You can see more of Clark's flower shaped urinals and other work at his web site, which you can find via our Ceramics, porcelain, and glass page on The Style Page web site.

Friday, October 07, 2005

Shoppers react to Victoria's Secret display at Tyson's Corner

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The Washington Post publishes an article about shoppers' reactions to the scandalous display at Victoria's Secret in Tyson's Corner

Skimpy Underwear, Ample Commentary At Tysons Corner

By Timothy Dwyer

Tongues were wagging. E-mails were flying around PTA message groups and church listservs. People who heard about it came by to take a look for themselves. The issue was tiny underwear -- women's fine lingerie, to be exact-- and how it should be displayed on lifelike mannequins in the newest wing of...

To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/04/AR2005100401413.html?referrer=emailarticle

Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive
c/o E-mail Customer Care
1515 N. Courthouse Road
Arlington, VA 22201

� 2004 The Washington Post Company

Cars and Stripes

I am instantly drawn to stripes, and this article CARS AND STRIPES from Design Within Reach's DWR Design Notes tries to verbalize the appeal and significance of stripes.

The author writes, "Once you take notice, you realize that stripes are ubiquitous in the environment. My earliest recollections of stripes come from childhood, and they're all joyful: funny socks, Dr. Seuss hats, summer beach towels and surf mats."

Perhaps that explains why I'm drawn to multi-colored stripes, as on pajamas. They are so cheerful.

The author continues, "If you doubt that they carry meaning and cultural significance, consider flags generally and the flag proposed for the European Union in 2001 by Rem Koolhaas; it was an attempt to combine the spirit of many nations through stripes."

How could this author cite the hyperkinetic proposed EU flag (which wasn't adopted; instead, the EU adopted a more sober flag with a circle of gold stars on a dark blue background) and ignore the Stars and Stripes? Out of snobbery?

Thursday, October 06, 2005

NYTimes.com: Perplexing in Pink

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Unless you live on another planet, you can't help but notice that October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. That's when companies come out with pink products that mark Breast Cancer Awareness month and the fashion magazines devoted whole spreads to those pink products . This article from the New York Times takes a look at how much goes to charity. As for me, I called my GYN's office for a new order for the mammogram I've put off.

FASHION & STYLE / THURSDAY STYLES   | October 6, 2005
Skin Deep:  Perplexing in Pink
By NATASHA SINGER
One way to support breast cancer charities this month is to buy a new pair of tweezers. But how much of the price really goes to charity?

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Scenes from a mall

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I visited the newly opened expansion wing of Tysons Corner Center near DC yesterday. I visited Ruehl (Abercombie and Fitch's effort to reach out to the twentysomethings who wore A&F during their teens) and passed by Hollister, and was surprised to see how dark they were inside. Is atmosphere all that they are selling? I understand P.T. Barnum's adage "Sell the sizzle, not the steak," but what about the clothes? I cannot figure the marketing strategy here. In addition, one had to climb steps and pass through a narrow doorway to enter Ruehl, making it off-limit to strollers and wheelchairs.

Even the relocated Victoria's Secret was dark, and a clear departure from the romanticized, even sweet image that company has long cultivated. Mannequins were provocatively posed, and reminded me of the photographs by the late Helmut Newton. The news report on Smooth Jazz 105.9 FM mentioned that a number of shoppers have complained about the mannequins.

This Victoria's Secret also contained a beauty department stocking not only its own eponymous cosmetics brand and aura science (a venture between Shiseido and Limited Brands, Victoria Secret's parent), but also brands such as pout and infomercial queen Victoria Jackson's Lola. The beauty department is clearly patterned after the open display format that Sephora pioneered.

Other stores that opened included Z Gallerie, Arhaus, and west elm. I don't see that much difference between Z Gallerie and Arhaus. The west elm store was clean and open in its layout, just what you'd expect after browsing its catalog.

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Come visit our newly updated Home and Design pages

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Well, it took a while, but I just finished updating the Home and Design pages. Come check out the latest in contemporary furniture, eco-friendly products for the home, and much more!

Friday, September 23, 2005

Treehugger: "At Home" Cleaners by Fruits and Passion

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Soon after I wrote about Fruits and Passion in Canadian Beauty, Treehugger blogs about Fruits and Passion's eco-friendly "At Home" Cleaners.

Shop Fruits and Passion at drugstore.com. More eco-friendly cleaners may be found at The Style Page > Home > Housekeeping.

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Fashion Site to Try an All-Purpose Portal - New York Times

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The New York Times reports on the launch of Glam.com, a new fashion portal which seeks to simplify online shopping and track user preferences through quizzes (co-founder Samir Arora was chairman of Tickle, known for its pop-up quizzes) and enables sharing style matches and quiz results with other users.

To take advantage of Glam.com's features, you need to register. The Style Page had to make several attempts before it successfully registed.

Calvin Klein to launch a new cosmetics line - in 2007!

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It was a disappointment for me when Calvin Klein Cosmetics were discontinued a couple of years ago. In a market awash with glittery glosses and wild colors addressed to teens, it was refreshing to have a cosmetics line geared toward women.

Unilever, the Dutch consumer goods conglomerate, distributed Calvin Klein Cosmetics, and I called Unilever consumer relations to verify that they had discontinued the line, in response to an email from a reader of The Style Page. Unilever has since sold its fragrance business to Coty.

Now comes news from Cosmeticsdesign.com that Calvin Klein is partnering with Markwins International, best known for its Color Workshop palettes, to launch a new cosmetics line, but we'll have to wait until spring 2007. Sigh!

Sunday, September 18, 2005

Canadian Beauty


It's been nearly 15 years since Toronto-based MAC revolutionized the cosmetics industry with its neutral foundations, ultra-matte lipsticks, and its wide variety of shades for lips, cheeks, and eyes. Largely through buzz generated by beauty editors (and not through advertising), its products became in demand. The Estee Lauder Companies bought out MAC, and MAC has since become widely available in department stores and MAC mall stores throughout the U.S.

CARGO is another Canadian cosmetics company that found success in the U.S., largely through its distribution by Sephora.com. The Style Page especially likes CARGO'S selection of eyeshadows (its litmus test for a cosmetics line).

The Style Page recently came back from a trip to Canada, and would like to report on Canadian products that are not widely available in the U.S., at least not yet.

Two major Canadian pharmacy chains offer their exclusive lines of cosmetics: Shoppers Drug Mart (called Pharmaprix in Quebec) offers its own Quo cosmetics line, while Pharmacie Jean Coutu offers the Personnelle and Garraud Paris cosmetics lines. Pharmacie Jean Coutu has penetrated the U.S. market through its acquisition of over 1500 Eckerd drugstores from JC Penney, but there's no word of its exporting Personnelle and Garraud Paris to its Eckerd stores, which will retain the Eckerd banner (CVS purchased over 1200 Eckerd stores from JC Penney).

Marcelle is a mass market comsetics brand, available at both Pharmacie Jean Coutu and Shoppers Drug Mart. The Style Page picked up Marcelle's Soothing Eye Make-Up Remover Gel, which, despite the name, stung on contact. If the sting could be removed from this product, this would be a great product and much more convenient for travel than liquid eye makeup remover (The Style Page had the misfortune of having liquid eye makeup remover leak and stain her packed clothes). Groupe Marcelle purchased the Annabelle cosmetics line, which is also available through pharmacies.

Lise Watier is a Montreal-based makeup artist whose eponymous line is available both in department stores and drugstores. The Style Page picked up an eyeshadow single in Halo Mat, a light yellow, which brightens the eyes. In the U.S., her Neiges (Snow) fragrances may be purchased through Sephora.com.

Nacara is a cosmetics line from Montreal geared towards "women of color." It features highly-pigmented lipsticks and cream-to-powder makeup. The Style Page found Nacara at Pharmacie Jean Coutu

Dans un Jardin is a chain of perfumeries in Quebec and Ontario. The stores offers bath and body products and home fragrances under Dans un Jardin's own label, its own e&n (essence & nature) color cosmetics line, Decleor skin scare, and a wide variety of Lampe Berger fragrance-diffusing oil-burning lamps and parfums de maison (home fragrance) oils.

Fruits & Passion is another chain of perfumeries, with boutiques across Canada and in several foreign countries (but not, alas, the U.S.). In the U.S., Nordstrom sells some of its Cucina (kitchen) line of products in the beauty department. Fruits & Passion boutiques carry bath and body products, home fragrances, environmentally safe cleaning and laundry products, and even food products. The Style Page picked up maple jelly (how quintessentially Canadian!) with orange peel from Fruits & Passion's L'Art de la table collection.

The Style Page especially welcomes comments from its Canadian readers on Canadian beauty products.

Friday, September 09, 2005

Fall 2005 Fashion Trends from About Fashion

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Fall '05 Fashion Trends from fashion.about.com: Black, Romance, Volume.

The "black is back" hype indicates one of the reasons that many women are ignoring fashion magazines: for them, black never went away and it's the fashion magazines that tried to sell them on color.

Speaking of black, I'd like to volunteer some advice about mixing colors with black. Although the Books by Trinny and Susannah of BBC's What Not to Wear have had mixed reviews, I do agree with their advice that combining colors with black generally cheapens the color. Softer (less saturated) or lighter (higher value) shades of blue, pink, and lilac are more flattered by dark browns or charcoal than by black. You can also strive for a color scheme in variations of a single hue (also referred to as a "tonal color scheme").

Although directed to quilters, the Color Workshop from QuiltWoman.Com provides information about color, hue, value, and saturation.

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Who's Afraid of Minimalism? - New York Times

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You could have fooled me that minimalism is back in fashion.

Be sure to scroll down to "Multimedia" and check out the narrated audio slide show!

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Great sources for fashion styling

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I've hesitated to editorialize about fashion because fashion is personal. Moreover, I'm on the other side of 40 and don't shop the trends.

Styling is key. If you want to shop the trends and wear them right, there are a few resouces that I recommend, some obvious and others that might surprise you (they surprised me).


Lucky is the best source for styling and deconstructing whole outfits.


While InStyle focuses on celebrity fashion, its Great at Any Age feature provides advice on how to wear a look in your 20s, 30s, and 40s. The looks created for women who are older than your age group won't look frumpy.

I've noted that the Wall Street Journal has expanded its lifestyle coverage to the point of launching a weekend edition and even a Wall Street Journal Weekend TV show on the Fine Living TV network. WSJ articles summarize the trends and how to wear them, analyze the market, and feature the expert views of people in the fashion industry about the durability of trends.

Another surprising source for styling is the fall Newport News catalogue. I had long thought that the Newport News catalogue was tawdry, but I am impressed how it's been redesigned as a "magalog" (magazine+catalog) featuring fashion trend reports, styling tips, and different color stories.

You'll find sites that link to Lucky, InStyle, The Wall Street Journal, and Newport News through a search of The Style Page. We have also added new content to our Fashion pages - don't forget to update your bookmarks!

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

The Style Page updates its Beauty Pages

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Check out nearly 30 new links for Cosmetics and 15 new links for Fragrances and shop our partners: Amazon.com, Beauty.com, drugstore.com, and Sephora.com.

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Exclusive discount from the Soap Box Company

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The Soap Box Company is offering a 20% discount off the entire purchase for total purchases of $15.00 or more. This is an exclusive offer for readers of The Style Page.

The Soap Box Company offers natural, organic, handmade bath products from several indie brands. Select bath products from boutique brands including Bath Essence, Bella Lucce, Crazy Rumors, Just Soap, Khushi, Little Twig, MadGabs, Pompeii Street Soap Co., Sweet Petula, Whimsy, and WoodSprite.

To take advantage of this offer, enter "thestylepage20" in the promotion code box. This offer is good between August 1 and September 30, 2005.

The Soap Box Company is now listed on the Shopping page of The Style Page.

Monday, August 01, 2005

August 1, 2005: What's New in Beauty

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Crabtree wins Hilton toiletries contract - Crabtree & Evelyn wins contract to supply Hilton Hotels with La Source spa products. The collection will include shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body lotion, mouthwash, shower cap, sewing kit, vanity kit, aqua brush with pumice, shoe mitt and shoe horn.

Elle McPherson to launch New Cosmetics Line - the Australian model will launch a line of cosmetics to be called "The Body" after her nickname.

Estee Lauder mulls YSL buy - Estee Lauder is contemplating the purchase of YSL Beauty from France's Pinault Printemps Redoute retail group (PPR owns La Redoute and the Printemps department store in Paris).

Japan's KAO to buy Molton Brown - Japan's top household products maker is buying British luxury consumer products maker Molton Brown. Molton Brown's products include bath, body, skin and hair care products, and cosmetics.

Gap to re-launch personal care range
- Gap will work with Inter Parfums to relaunch its fragrance and personal care products.  Inter Parfums markets a number of prestige fragrance and Diane von Furstenburg Beauty in addition to Aziza II and Intimate mass-market brands of cosmetics.

New Cosmetics Stores Open in the U.S. - Sweden's Make Up Store opens in Miami, while Korea's Missha opens in New York City.

Monday, July 25, 2005

Bookstand pages now updated

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I'm back from vacation, and have updated the Bookstand pages. Check out the many new links for Books, Media, and Stationery. Notable sites include the Complete Review (for books) and ZOOZOOM "the original online glossy," both of which were selected for Time Magazine's 50 Coolest Websites for 2005. Also of interest is ConnectViaBooks, a website that enables readers to find other readers who share their particular interests.

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

VOV: The Style Page seeks your help!

Here are two inquiries about VOV, an Asian makeup line, which I have received via Email :

from India:

"...just heard about VOV Cosmetics
from a Friend of mine and had a search about
vov.cosmetics.co.kr.

The website is completely in Chinese/Japanese/Korean
language which i don't know.

I wanted to know about the VOV Cosmetics Outlets,
particulary in India if so.

Please do help me out.

Waiting for the reply

Bye
Take care"

from Australia:

"Hi, I am searching for a VOV hi tech lip gloss that I purchased a little while ago and the shop has since closed down the colour is a beige honey colour and the bottom of the gloss has a number BE3 which I assume is the colour"

If you can provide answers, please respond by adding your comments to the blog, and I will respond by Email.

(Web site) Housekeeping and Updates for Home and Design

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Greetings - I have just updated the Home and Design pages on The Style Page, using the new web page design provided by Tamara Parisio of SandDollar Cosmetics. Next, I will update the Bookstand pages using the new design - then, all pages will have a consistent look.

I've created a new subdirectory Home for all the Home and Design pages, but that created some challenges. Existing pages on the main directory have already been indexed by search engines, so I couldn't merely blow them away - I replaced content with a short message redirecting users to the related page on the subdirectory: at the same time, I sent a request to Google to crawl the subdirectory. Also, I had to upload all pages on the web site, as the web site navigation bar in the left column is automatically generated through the navigation structure I set up in Microsoft FrontPage 2002: if I left the navigation bar "as is" for other pages, users would not be directed to the new subdirectory.

Lastly, I've created a RSS news feed just for the home:
http://thestylepage.com/Home/home.xml

Thursday, June 23, 2005

More converting trash into bags

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Less than two days after I posted The Style Page: Converting trash into bags, today's DailyCandy feature was on a tote made out of green nylon and recycled orange plastic created by a student at the Rhode Island School of Design (which BTW is where Talking Heads came together).

Monday, June 20, 2005

Converting trash into bags

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In this post, The Style Page highlights three companies that recycle unusual materials to create handbags.


John of The Candy Blog told me about Ecoist, which recycles candy wrappers, food packages, and soft drink labels to make coin purses, clutches, and totes. Above is the Small Tote. For every bag sold, Ecoist plants a tree in partnership with Global Releaf.


Through Breathe magazine's e-newsletter, I learned about Escama, which has partnered with women's cooperatives in Brazil to create bags crocheted from nylon thread and recycled aluminum tabs. Above is the Chica Rosa bag.


Vy&Elle create handbags from recycled billboard vinyl. Above is the Town Traveler bag.

Other companies that use novel materials for bags include Freitag (recycled truck tarpaulins), G3 Relative Art (dried gourds), and Stewart+Brown (surplus materials from Patagonia). Find these labels and many more on our Bags and Luggage page.