Thursday, December 28, 2006

Australian Beauty


After our articles on Asian beauty and Canadian Beauty, here's an article from The Age (Australia) about Australian niche beauty brands, including Aesop, Bloom, Natio, Mecca Cosmetica, Li'Tya, Mor, Glamourflage, and Red Tea Natural Skin Therapy:

Lifting the lidThere's a lot more to make-up than meets the eye, writes Melinda Houston.

The article also mentions that Poppy King, who had the eponymous lip color line Poppy and later joined Prescriptives, has a new venture Lipstick Queen.

And let's not forget about Becca, Sue Devitt Studio, and Di Kennedy Studio Colour! Are there any that I missed?

Friday, December 22, 2006

Best wishes for the Holidays

Dear friends,

I will be leaving for St. Louis tomorrow to be with my parents for Christmas. After that, my husband and I will be traveling to India, where we will welcome the New Year (thanks to the multiplicity of calendars in India, there are several New Years, and more opportunities to create or renew New Year resolutions :-)

All this activity will leave me precious little time to blog. To everyone who stops by and visits The Style Page, best wishes for holidays and for a happy, prosperous, and peaceful New Year!

Julie

Friday, December 15, 2006

Christmas Music

Music to uplift the spirit at Christmastime

See more of my Christmas Music list at ThisNext.


Thursday, December 14, 2006

Trade not Aid

These gifts give twice - to the person to whom you're giving the gift and to the people in developing countries that make these items.

See more of my Trade not Aid list at ThisNext.

Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment

Ojon says that its Restorative Hair Treatment can be used leave-in conditioner, shine enhancer, and moisturizer. I like to use to get rid of flyaways and to groom my eyebrows (I then apply a dark eyeshadow like Sonia Kashuk's eyeshadow in Night or ModelCo ColourBox Eye Shadow Ibiza 13 on my brows).

You can feel good about using Ojon, because Ojon has created thousands of jobs for indigenous people who harvest palm nut oil from the Ojon tree, which grows only in Central America. As it's made of palm oil (one of nature's most saturated oils), it congeals. The fragrance reminds me of pipe tobacco, but I happen to like it.

You can find Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment 5 oz at Sephora.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

News from The Style Page

I hope that everyone had a nice Thanksgiving holiday. My husband and I flew to St. Louis to spend Thanksgiving with my parents. We had a wonderful time, but it was also poignant, as my mother (and my father, as an unwilling companion) visited with the marketing director of a senior living center in the St. Louis area. For them, moving to a senior living center is an admission that they are no longer able to live independently.

The first semester of my doctoral program will be over by December 9. I'm already struggling with my dissertation topic - more about this some other time. I'm indebted to ThisNext to provide fresh content for this blog, as my studies leave me precious little time to blog. Now ThisNext enables me to blog directly from my shopcasts; in fact, my Holiday Gift Guide 2006 post was created with ThisNext's BlogIt! utility.

I've also upgraded to Blogger beta, which enables me to add labels without having to go through the cumbersome process of using a widget to generate code for inclusion in my post. This allows you, the reader, to select a label and view all posts with a particular label. Look for labels at the end of a post. Another change I've made is adding a "badge" for del.icio.us under the "Subscribe" heading in the left-hand navigation bar.

I hope that you like these enhancements, and be sure to share your comments with me!

Holiday gift guide 2006

Gifts for the beauty fanatic on your list

See more of my Holiday gift guide 2006 list at ThisNext.


Friday, October 20, 2006

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban

I haven't been one to dish on celebrities in this blog. I think that Nicole Kidman is a class act for her dignity as her marriage to Tom Cruise collapsed, her unwillingness to badmouth him afterwards no matter how nutty he got, and her bucking leftist politics in Hollywood to sign a petition condemning terrorism caused by Hamas and Hezbollah. I've read that she retains, in addition to her stylists and everyone else who makes her look good, a UCLA professor to teach her about the Old Testament. A mix of beauty and intellectuality - now that's the life I'd like to have!

I was happy to learn that she remarried, and today I was disappointed to learn about her new husband Keith Urban's substance abuse. He has checked himself into rehab. My best wishes to Nicole Kidman as Keith Urban goes through rehab.

Shop ETC is no more


Shop ETC. ceased publication with its October 2006 issue.

Looking for Shop ETC on the newstand? Then read this notice from its publisher Hearst Magazines:
Due to the challenging economy and rising paper and postal costs, SHOP Etc. will be discontinued after the October issue. more
My first impression of Shop ETC is that it was a blatant rip-off of Lucky. However, Shop ETC. began to grow on me, and I became a subscriber.

Frankly, I'm surprised that Shop ETC lasted as long as it did (about two years). While its graphic design was ho-hum compared to Lucky, I did find individual items of interest in its pages, like this Spanx "Tight-End" Tights Five-Day-a-Workweek set.

PS Rising paper costs??!! Then why I am getting more unsolicited mail-order catalogues than ever?

Thursday, October 12, 2006

This I couldn't pass up ...

In France, croquembouche, a tower of profiteroles, or cream puffs, is serving at weddings as we might serve wedding cake.


croquembouche

In Ukraine, pastry chef
Valentyn Shtefano created his fiancee's gown out of cream puffs so that she looks like a croquembouche:


And the bride wore croquembouche ...

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Goth candlesticks for Halloween

The end of this month is Halloween, and here are two candesticks with a great goth vibe for Halloween:


Klein Reid Black Bisque Candlestick - the "candle" may be replaced by one of your own.


dl & co. 'claw' porcelain candle holder by douglas little

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Ch-ch-changes

I am now enrolled in a doctoral studies program. Between my studies and regular job, I have precious little time to devote to this blog.

However, I'm trying to provide fresh content everyday through ThisNext - just look for the ThisNext "badge" under SHOPPING in the left-hand navigation bar everyday or visit ThisNext by thestylepage and vote on your favorite reviews and lists by The Style Page.

I'm also interested in guest writers who can provide content for those areas of interest to The Style Page: fashion, beauty, interior decorating, and media.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Revlon to discontinue Vital Radiance brand

After my two previous articles that dealt with Vital Radiance (Update on mass-market brands, Vital Radiance UPDATED 2006-02-22), it was only right to complete the story and inform readers that Revlon has faced the inevitable and is going to discontinue the Vital Radiance line. Poor sales have lead major retailers to drastically cut back on the number of stores selling the brand.

I provided some possible explanations on why Vital Radiance failed in my article Update on mass-market brands. For more about Revlon and its dropping Vital Radiance as part of its restructuring plan, read Revlon cuts 250 jobs, dumps cosmetics line in restructuring plan.


Susan McGraw for Vital Radiance

I'm going to miss Vital Radiance model Susan McGraw, however. She's cute, and I love her salt'n'pepper hair.

Saturday, September 23, 2006

$160.00 for Compact Foundation????

This has got to be the priciest makeup I have ever seen: it's even pricier than Shiseido's luxe Cle de Peau makeup line. This is from the signature line of Serge Lutens, the makeup artist who had previously created the dramatic looks for Shiseido's print advertising and displays. Serge Lutens makeup is available from Barneys.

Would you pay $160.00 for foundation??? Yes, you read that correctly: one hundred sixty dollars. What is the price you are willing to spend on makeup?

2006-09-21 UPDATE: apparently, Serge Lutens has nothing on H. Couture Beauty, which retails its mascara for $589.00 and its lipstick for $150.00 - found via The Weekend Read, from Elke von Freudenberg's The Beauty Newsletter. The cheek to call this "H. Couture Beauty"!

Friday, September 22, 2006

ThisNext - Blog - Interview: Julie of The Syle Page



Aunt Beep interviews The Style Page for ThisNext:
At ThisNext we can’t get enough of bloggers with a mission, and Julie of The Style Page (ThisNext profile: thestylepage) is no exception. Her quest is simple, she’s “obsessed with finding the perfect olive green eyeshadow; Cadbury mini-eggs and JBz chocolate candies; and glass bead jewelry.”

Fair enough, dear blogger. Fair enough.

Check out her worldly shopcasts on everything from mouth-watering marzipan to goth candle sticks to Sitar music then read on to see why she roams the isles of CVS and why she loves animated flicks…

Read more of the interview and learn more about my eclectic interests.

Also, Kristopher Dukes picked up on my shopcast for Constant Color Gel Eyeliner in Nightfall in her article A Pinch Goth, A Touch Glam: Black Makeup.

Monday, September 18, 2006

Belen Echandia's Golden Ticket is back

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Belen Echandia's Golden Ticket promotion
Chocolate/Gold


I received an Email from Belen Echandia about their current Golden Ticket promotion:
Belen Echandia’s Bag of the Season – will it be you?

Every season Belen Echandia selects a Bag of the Season and sends one lucky girl a Golden Ticket email. The Golden Ticket entitles its recipient to the Bag of the Season in her choice of colour. The Bag of the Season for AW 2006 is this unique cowhide metallic purse with removable chain strap. It is perfect for day and night, fits in all your essentials and looks fantastic, too.

This season’s Golden Ticket will be sent on 1 November 2006. The recipient can choose her favourite colour from cowhide from white/silver, white/gold and chocolate/gold.

To sign up, visit Belen Echandia's Invitation page and enter your Email address.

To see last season's Golden Ticket, please visit Belen Echandia's Golden Ticket.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

ColorBar: for our readers in India

After the U.S. and Canada, the next highest percentage of our readers come from India. A number of our Indian readers have inquired about ColorBar Cosmetics from the K.K. Modi Group. ColorBar is a relatively late entrant into the increasingly crowded cosmetics market in India and seeks to compete with Chambor, Lakme, and overseas brands such as Revlon and L'Oreal.

ColorBar has launched its own website at www.colorbarworld.com. ColorBar has also retained a creative company to study the brand's performance in the Indian market (see agencyfaqs! > news & features > ColorBar Cosmetics moves to Law & Kenneth).

Currently, ColorBar is available only in select northern states in India. However, managing director Samir Modi has announced that ColorBar will expand into western India.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Special offers on cosmetics

IsaDora Lip Treat Color
IsaDora Lip Treat Color

I have an assortment of IsaDora cosmetics to give away:
  • Bronzing Powder in Dark Tan
  • Eye Shadow Quartet in Gold
  • Light & Shade Eye Shadow in Lime Rose
  • 2 Brush-on Gloss (one in Glacier, the other in Sorbet)
  • 2 Lip Treat Color (one in Apple Blossom, the other in Sheer Apricot)
  • 2 Express Star Gloss (one in Reflecting Oyster, the other in Reflecting Peach)
  • 2 Sun Protecting Pearly Gloss (one in Pearly Nougat, the other in Bubble Gum)
Please submit your name and postal address to me at thestylepage@yahoo.com, and I will mail the products to you. U.S. and Canadian residents only. Again, I request that you write a review of products for posting on this blog.

Be assured that The Style Page will not share your address with anyone and will not subscribe you to my lists or blog.

Monday, August 28, 2006

ThisNext by thestylepage

I was privileged to be invited to participate in the private beta release of ThisNext, a network where you can discover, recommend and "shopcast," or share, things you love.

ThisNext had already picked up on some of my posts:
I am pleased to announce that ThisNext has been taken out of private beta, and is now public. I've created a "best of the best" on my shopcast. While some of these items have already been covered in this blog, a couple have not, so you'll want to check on these, and vote if my recommendation is smart, funny, or useful.

Monday, August 21, 2006

Bonne Bell VitaGloss2O® Moisture Stick

For many girls, Bonne Bell is their first cosmetic. Years ago, my friend invited me to a makeup application from Bonne Bell at Stix Baer & Fuller, a department store in St. Louis that was later bought out by Dillard's. I can still remember how the salesgirl applied a triangle of dots of cheek tint on my cheekbone (just below the temples) and stroked it on my cheeks. As it happened, I didn't wear makeup during my teens (despite my mother's urging for me to wear lipcolor), as I thought that makeup would detract from the intellectual, serious side (!) that I was so desparately trying to cultivate. I didn't start wearing makeup seriously until I was 27, and clearly had a lot of catch-up to do. You can be sure that I wasn't looking at Bonne Bell at that time.

I'm like a kid, however, when it comes to lip balm. I like fruity flavors (in lip balm, that is) and Bonne Bell's new VitaGloss2O Flavored Moisture Stick Lip Gloss fits the bill nicely. This is a clear, twist-up stick, much like Chapstick: remove the black cap and twist the stick up at the other end. While Bonne Bell compares it to sponge-on liquid gloss, I like this better. It also is formulated with Vitamin E, which is great as an emollient. And of course, it comes in the fruity flavors that girls (and the kid inside grown women) like: watermelon, strawberry, raspberry, mango, pineapple, and kiwi.

BTW There was a real Bonne Bell. She died in November 2005, at the age of 82.

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Coral motifs

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Red coral motifs have become so commonplace that they are a design cliché. However, when pillows with red coral motifs are mixed with these pillows in brown silk with white beading, the result is a fresh and dramatic combination.

Silk Beaded Pillow - Brown, 20" x 20" from Uno Alla Volta.

Friday, August 18, 2006

Philippe Starck for Baccarat

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Is Philippe Starck a genius or a poseur? Sometimes I wonder about this, as I do with other high-profile designers, including Karim Rashid.
Interestingly, The Financial Times had an article about Starck's rocket-shaped lemon juicer, in which Starck was referred to a "genius/charlatan."
But I love this candlestick that Starck designed for Baccarat, the manufacturer of fine crystal. It features a traditional candlestick stem with a Starck twist - a black shade and bowled candleholder, much like the Miss K Table Lamp that Starck designed for Flos, the lighting manufacturer.

This candlestick is featured in the September 2006 issue of Shop ETC, and costs a mere $850.00 (OK, I'm being sardonic). The immensely popular blog design*sponge out-scooped Shop ETC back in May. For other great candlesticks, visit TheThingsIWant.com : Style Page: Tag: Candles

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Sad news

I was invited by Jill to participate as a donor in Blogathon 2006, a 24-hour marathon blogging session to raise money for charity. Jill's charity of choice was the The Marrow Foundation, which supports the National Marrow Donor Program®, as a tribute to her friend Jennifer Baker, who had been treated for acute leukemia.


Jennifer K. Baker

Sadly, Jennifer passed away on Thursday, August 10, 2006. I extend condolences to Jennifer's husband, her family, and her friends, including Jill.

Monday, August 14, 2006

Clothes Shopping in India

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I have twice (1, 2) made reference to our layover at Heathrow Airport. My husband and I were en route from India, where we visited his family.

While the sari is the dress most commonly associated with India, younger women are opting for the salwar kameez, which allows for greater mobility. A salwar kameez outfit consists of the kameez, a tunic; the salwar, a pair of loose pants (almost like a harem pant); and a dupatta, a long scarf or shawl. Sometimes, a tight-fitting pant called a churidar is substituted for the salwar.


Salwar kameez

More recently, young women in India have taken to wearing a kurta or short kameez over jeans or other western-style pants. As my niece noted, this outfit has become the working woman's uniform.

Salwar kameez are typically sold as an entire outfit; however, department stores in India such as Pantaloons and Westside sell the individual pieces as separates. As I was frustrated in my search for simple cotton kurtas in the U.S., I picked up a couple of kurtas at Westside.

According to my niece, tailors can sew custom kurtas at a nominal price. At the upper end of the price scale is Fabindia, which does ship outside of India.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

shu uemura eye shadow

Eye ♥ shadow - just read my recent posts on IsaDora Eye Shadow Quartets and Stila Fall in Love Eye Shadow Trios. During my recent layover at Heathrow Airport (before the current terrorist threat), I visited the shu uemura counter, and was captivated by the selection of eye shadows.



These eye shadows have a silky texture and are identified by color family (Pink, Gold, Green, Blue, Purple, Beige, Brown, White, Grey, and Black) and finish (matte, pearl, metallic, or irridescent), rather than by meaningless attributes such as Tempting, Coy, Shy, Audacious (add your own). It's a practice I'd like to see other makeup brands emulate.

After Shiseido, shu uemura is probably the best known makeup brand to come out of Japan, although it's now owned by L'Oreal Group. U.S. customers may shop the U.S. site shuuemura-usa.com.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Penguin Mug

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Starbucks will be selling the novel For One More Day by Mitch Albom, author of Tuesday with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven. It's a natural progression (more natural than Starbucks getting into music or the movies), for who doesn't enjoy reading and hanging out while lingering over a cup of coffee or tea?

Here's where these mugs with designs based on the original series of Penguin Classics are a nice adjunct to your reading and coffee-drinking ritual. I selected Wuthering Heights as I'm boggled how Emily Brontë, with her erratic education, could have produced such a masterpiece (read it again, and notice how the multi-generational saga of Heathcliff, the Earnshaws, and the Lintons is related over the course of a night by two servants).

Also clever is this pair of demi-tasse cups - "Sweet Danger" and "Black Mischief."



From Art Meets Matter, the same people who brought us the Christine Keeler chair.

Intentional irony

How's this for intentional irony? This chair, made of recycled paperboard, features the famous photograph of a nude Christine Keeler straddling a chair. Christine Keeler was the call girl whose brief affair with UK Secretary of State for War John Profumo (while she also slept with a Soviet spy) led to the collapse of the goverment of PM Harold Macmillian in the 1960s.


For more information about this famous photograph, visit Wikipedia. This picture has been much imitated: see the picture of the Spice Girls (one phenomenon of the 1990s that many would like to forget) on Wikipedia. Also, Joanne Whalley recreated this image when she played Keeler in Scandal (1989). More recently, Sharon Stone copied the pose for her flopperoo Basic Instinct II:


Treehugger used other styles to illustrate its post Flat-Pack for the Flat. Apparently, the irony was lost on them.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Cool Hunting: Kshocolât

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Here's an example of packaging being better than the contents: after reading the review of Kshocolât in Cool Hunting, I was excited to find Kshocolât at a shop at Heathrow Airport during a layover from a recent overseas trip (more about that later). I bought four tins - Chilli Almonds in Milk Chocolate, Hazelnut in Dark Chocolate, and Candied Oranges in Dark Chocolate - and one bar of Dark Chocolate with Orange and Cardamon.

All were disappointing - the chocolate is dry (despite that the fact that I ate the chocolate well in advance of the expiry date on the pakcage) and has no mouth feel. True, the Chilli Almonds in Milk Chocolate have a nice after-burn from the pepper, but I was expecting a blend of flavors such as that found in the Mexican specialty mole (pronounced mo-lay). I could detect no orange or cardamon seeds in the bar of Dark Chocolate with Orange and Cardamon.
The best stuff from Kshocolât wasn't chocolate at all, but Turkish delight flavored with rose and lemon essences.
Far better were the discs of marzipan and marmalade coated in chocolate from Danish chocolatier Anthon Berg. I tried the varieties with apricot brandy marmalade and cherry rum marmalade, and yes, you can taste the liquor. These chocolates remind me of Pim's, the soft cookies with fruit filling coated in chocolate.

Monday, August 07, 2006

Guardian Unlimited Books | News | Gritty reality of the Brontes

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Portrait of the Brontë sisters, as painted by brother Branwell. Look center right to see that Branwell has been painted out of the portrait.

I don't keep up with the latest movies, but the film Brontë, which is about the writing Brontë sisters - Charlotte, Emily, and Anne - will be a must-see for me (the film is in pre-production). Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights are among my favorite books. In fact, I'm so obsessed that I've read three biographies about the Brontës.

For more about Brontë, visit The Brontes as You've Never Seen Them Before... and click on Comments to see my feedback.

Update on mass-market brands: 2007

This past spring brought several new launches of mass market brands. The Max Factor (owned by P&G) and Almay (owned by Revlon) cosmetics lines were completed revamped, while L'Oreal launched its HIP line and Revlon launched its Vital Radiance line for women over 50. The Style Page wondered how supermarkets, drugstores, and "big box" retailers (Wal-Mart, KMart, Target) were going to accomodate these new brands.
See The Beauty Newsletter for a critique of Almay's dated eyeshadow concept.
HIP appears to have been a success - L'Oreal has recently expanded the line with two new products: Pure Pigment Shadow Stick and Shocking Shadow Pigments, in addition to new colors for its eye shadow duos(another indicator is that searches on "L'Oreal HIP" are a major driver of traffic to this blog).

Max Factor, however, has been a disappointment: many of the main drugstore chains (CVS, Walgreen's, Rite-Aid) do not carry the line, and it is found only at Wal-Mart and KMart. Maybe the problem was the ads that featured Carmen Electra wearing scary makeup.

Revlon's much-hyped launch of Vital Radiance has been a disappointment. Due to lackluster sales of the brand, Wal-Mart, Target, and CVS plan to cut back drastically on the number of stores carrying the brand, while Revlon believes that consumers need more time to know the brand better.

According to WWD, "Market reports indicate that Wal-Mart will trim the line [Vital Radiance] from 2,500 doors to 500, while Target will cut it from 1,500 to 500."

My take is that consumers were turned off by the prices of Vital Radiance products, which are higher than those for other mass-market brands. Vital Radiance's target audience of women over 50 are probably value-conscious and rejected the higher prices.
I am not the only one who thinks this way - see comments on my post Vital Radiance UPDATED 2006-02-22.
Revlon should have priced Vital Radiance lower, or issued discount coupons to entice first-time buyers. Then there's always the dicey proposition of marketing to older women without making them feel ... old. An introduction of skin care products planned for 2007 might change Vital Radiance's fortunes.

Revlon sees a $40 million loss from Vital Radiance. Things haven't been so great on the personal front either: Revlon Chairman Ron Perelman's marriage to actress Ellen Barkin ended in February 2006, after five years of marriage.

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Shop Etc. - Shop Talk - Fall Preview: Stila Fall in Love Eye Shadow Trios

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Fall In Love Eye Shadow Trio in Forest Clove

I want the eye shadow trio in Forest Clove (pictured above), which features shades of shimmery gold, olive, deep brown olive. Available from Sephora.com.

I'm obsessed with olive green eyeshadow (see my profile). Other good eyeshadow trios featuring olive shades are MAXeye Shadow in Baja Bronze from Max Factor (the colors - a yellow matte, a tan "British khaki" matte, and a shimmery olive do not display accurately at all) and Vital Radiance Soft Dimension Powder Shadow in Fresh Meadows.

As a single, I like jouer Eye Compact Eye Shadow, Peridot, described as a "shimmering olive".
NOTE: Sephora.com is discontinuing Jouer, along with Beauty Buffet, Diane von Furstenburg Beauty, Girlactik, Passport, Pinkie Swear, and She She. Shop now to stock up.
While olive green is complemented by golden or yellow shades, I've also used Joe Blasco Eye Shadow in Green Genie, available from makeupmania.com.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

World of Good: Jute totes and bags

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In Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta), India, jute totes with bamboo handles are often used as shopping bags. These bags are often emblazoned with advertising for a particular merchant.

World of Good, an organization devoted to promoting fair trade crafts, is now marketing totes and messenger bags made of jute with geometric designs and webbed straps:



I spotted these at Whole Foods Market.

Friday, July 21, 2006

What's new in Beauty

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Only two weeks after we completed an update of the Bookstand pages, we have completed an update of the Beauty pages on The Style Page website. Check out the many new links, including new links for nearly 30 cosmetics brands on our Cosmetics page.

Also, check our web pages for the linkrolls, which provide links to interesting articles on beauty. For example, did you know that India was a major supplier of human hair for wigs and hair extensions? Find out more by visiting our Salon page.



Fragrances and More is offering our readers a discount of 10% for orders of $50 or more now through August 31. They offer many boutique brands of fragrance, bath and body, skin care, candles, and more. To take advantage of this offer, enter "stylepage" as the coupon code.

Thursday, July 20, 2006

MoCo Loco: WoW Screenfridges

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LG isn't the only home appliances company that is making appliances visually arresting: check out this Screenfridge from European appliance maker Electrolux:


From MoCo Loco: WoW Screenfridges

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Laundry Service, or Life's Good

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Laundry is my favorite household chore. There's something almost magical about running dirty clothes through the washer and dryer and having them come out clean and smelling nice.

Floor plans of newer homes are taking washers and dryers out of a corner of the basement and putting them in open areas. Laundry, which had been a solitary activity, is becoming a communal activity once again. We've seen the same thing happen with kitchens and cooking. It should be no surprise that washers and dryers are getting a makeover as a design element.

Sears created a lot of buzz with its Kenmore HE4t washer and dryer, which comes in fashion colors such as Pacific Blue, Sedona (orange spice), and Champagne. Now LG, the Korean appliances company, has upped the ante with its Steam Direct Drive Washing Machine that comes in prints (source: Treehugger):

LG Direct Drive Washing Machine

Korean companies like LG and Samsung are no longer content to manufacture market appliances and consumer electronics cheaply ... they want to be innovators like the Japanese companies that came before them. View LG's Digital Multimedia Side-By-Side Fridge Freezer with LCD Display.

Friday, July 07, 2006

We've updated our Bookstand pages

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We have just completed an update of our Bookstand on The Style Page web site.

On our Books page, check out links for America's BookShelf, which allows readers to purchase recycled books at a flat price of $3.50 per book, and Who Reads What?, the effort of a retired librarian from Gardiner Public Library in Maine to collect book titles read by public figures.

punctuation flats from paper+cup design
These punctuation flat notes from paper+cup design would be cute with the punctuation bookmarks from bob's your uncle

On our Stationery page, check out links for organizing systems such as Captio and Family Facts, fun stuff from ATYPYK and bob's your uncle, and stationery from lovelydesign and paper+cup design (the last two found through Domino).

At the same time, check out our linkrolls, which are always being updated, and shop Amazon.com for books, magazine subscriptions, and much, much more.

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Review of Jouer Les Essentials d'été Summer 2006 Limited Edition Value Set

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Since my June 23 posting on Jouer Les Essentials d'été Summer 2006 Limited Edition Value Set, I've purchased the set.

Essential Matte Touch does the job of preventing breakthrough shine on my nose. I wear it under the i.d. Bare Escentuals mineral powder foundation.

The Essential Lip Enhancer is another matter. The user is directed to apply it 3 times a day for 29 days to see a difference. It is different from other lip plumpers like DuWop Lip Venom Lite Spicy Lip Gloss, Half Strength, Clear, which includes essential oil of cinammon to create a burning sensation for the lips to appear bigger. Jouer's Essential Lip Enhancer creates a vague sense of numbness upon application and dries to a finish that reminded me of Revlon's anti-feathering treatment sticks. The jury is still out on this one.

Monday, July 03, 2006

MoCo Loco: Doily laser-cut acrylic table

From MoCo Loco, the Doily table of laser-cut acrylic by David Eveleigh and Melissa Evans.
Laser-cut acrylic table by David Eveleigh and Melissa Evans
View other creative re-imaginings of traditional objects in acrylic such as the Louis Ghost Chair by Philippe Starck for Kartell and the Ghost Candelabra by Jon Russell for Innermost.

Floral Etched Brass Vase

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I love the design and green and maroon color of this vase from India. At a distance, I thought that it was ceramic, but it’s really brass.

Floral Etched Brass Vase
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Found at Cost Plus/World Market. See other great vases here.

Friday, June 30, 2006

New Email subscription service

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I had been using Bloglet as an option for people who wanted to get updates to The Style Page blog via email, but now Monsur of Bloglet has announced that he plans to phase out the service in the next several weeks.

For that reason, I have migrated the existing email subscriptions from Bloglet to FeedBlitz. Those readers who would like to get updates via email are encouraged to enter their email addresses in the sidebar at left.

For those readers who like to get updates via news aggregators, there are buttons to subscribe to The Style Page blog via Newsgator, My Yahoo!, and Bloglines. Our feed URL is http://thestylepage.blogspot.com/atom.xml.

Saturday, June 24, 2006

Umbra crunch can

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My husband and I use the fabric Crunch cans from Umbra to stash laundry, magazines, and trash - different cans for different purposes, of course. I use a cheery striped Crunch can that I purchased from The Container Store for laundry.

Umbra printed Crunch can in pink and mocha
Umbra Crunch Can
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The July 2006 issue of InStyle featured these cute Crunch cans, printed with flowers or butterflies. In addition to pink/mocha (pictured above), Umbra offers patterned Crunch cans in brown/ivory, mocha/cactus, and light blue/mocha.

Friday, June 23, 2006

Jouer Les Essentials d'été Summer 2006 Limited Edition Value Set

I posted a positive review of Jouer Cosmetics in December 2004. I particularly like Jouer's unique customizable palettes which allows you to connect individual containers together side-by-side and back-to-back. These cosmetics are designed to be applied with the fingertips - no fuss makeup application for the warmer months.

I'm looking forward to trying its Les Essentials d'été Summer 2006 Limited Edition Value Set, which features Essential Lip Enhancer (admittedly, I am skeptical of lip plumpers) and Essential Matte Touch (I get unwanted breakthrough shine on my nose, so I'd like to see if this is effective). Purchased separately, the Essential Lip Enhancer costs $14 and the Essential Matte Touch costs $24. The set costs $28.00 - a savings of $10.

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Jilbean: The Great Eyeliner Hunt

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SpillToJill has announced Jilbean: The Great Eyeliner Hunt. Here are favorites of The Style Page:

I prefer using eyeshadow with an eyeliner brush to using pencils. Pencils are too much a hassle to keep sharp. I like charcoal brown, almost black eyeshadow for a smoky eye. I've already stated my fondness for Sonia Kashuk's eyeshadow in Night, available at Target stores. My new favorite is ModelCo ColourBox Eye Shadow Ibiza 13 (pictured), available from Sephora.com.

As far as a pencil is concerned, I like Jordana Kohl Kajal Eyeliner in Bittersweet. At less than $2, this is a best buy. Find Jordana at Walgreen's or prowl dollar stores.

Monday, June 19, 2006

What's in my makeup travel kit

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I'm off for two days of meetings. In my makeup bag: