Happy New Year

I will be leaving for India tomorrow. I'll be logging in only sporadically for the next three weeks - maybe to update my Facebook status, but likely not to blog.

Visiting my in-laws is the purpose of the trip - it's been two years since I last saw them (my mother was doing poorly last year, and I didn't want to go overseas in those circumstances). I also plan to shop for textiles while I'm in India: talk about serendipity - I found an issue of Departures devoted to India at the seniors' home where my mother lives, and found out all the great places to go shopping.

Here's to a Happy, Prosperous, and Successful New Year for all!

An idea: Use January 6 (Epiphany) as an opportunity to share gifts (post-Christmas sales, perhaps re-gifting). Epiphany marks the arrival of The Three Kings with their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Learn more about Epiphany on Wikipedia.

Top Mascaras for Length & Volume

What clumped, what ran and what truly transformed our real-woman testers

We had 12 beauty-junkie members of our Total Beauty Squad test out so-called lengthening and volumizing mascaras. Their verdict: You could spend a fortune on the best -- but you don't have to. See what was tops. Their findings

Your Golden Moment

I love it when L'Oreal comes out with a limited edition collection. Invariably, the limited edition collection features a beautiful eye shadow palette.

Beyoncé and Eva Longoria Parker are featured in the advertising campaign for L'Oreal's latest limited edition collection Your Golden Moment. Your Golden Moment features two beautiful eye shadow collections: A Little Bit of Glitz and A Little Bit of Glam.

As with many limited edition collections from mass-market brands, the availability of Your Golden Moment collection is erratic. You might have to visit several stores before you find it. The search is worth it.

Dramatic Hair and Makeup Makeover

She's had the same hair since high school. TotalBeauty.com's about to change that

Check out this hair and makeup makeover -- you wont believe the transformation -- and find out how to get a makeover yourself! See makeover

Givenchy's Sparkling Holiday 2008 Collection

Givenchy, as a cosmetics brand, looked like it was about to disappear. The brand retained its signature prism palettes, but otherwise didn't generate much excitement. That changed with the hiring of makeup artist Nicolas Degennes.

Degennes' Holiday 2008 Collection for Givenchy features sparkling pink and purple shades. I sampled Givenchy Rouge Interdit Shine Lipstick - Holiday 2008 07 Rose Shine and Givenchy Pop Gloss Crystal Rose By Night from the Holiday 2008 Collection. I also tried Givenchy Mister Bright Touch Of Light Pen Dawnlight.


Givenchy Rouge Interdit Shine Lipstick - Holiday 2008 07 Rose Shine

Rouge Inderdit Shine Lipstick is my favorite of the three products I tried. It's smooth on the lips and features subtle sparkle. And the fragrance is delectable as well! Also, check out the special packaging, with the purple acrylic case embellished with gold starbursts, for the Holiday 2008 collection. I'd buy Rouge Inderdit Shine Lipstick again.

Wand gloss is not my preferred way to apply lip color; moreover, I found Pop Gloss Crystal Crystal Lip Gloss sticky. However, Rose by Night adds subtle color, shimmer, and shine.

Mister Bright is a liquid eye brightener that begs comparison with cult favorite Touche Éclat Radiant Touch from YSL Beaute. Mister Bright is more glimmery and has a thicker consistency than Touche Éclat. While Touche Éclat use a "click" mechanism to dispense the product, Mister Bright uses a twist mechanism.

Holiday Make-Up Is A Deal - Don`t Buy

This article Holiday Make-Up Is A Deal - Don`t Buy confirms what many of us know: that many cosmetics last long after recommended replacement dates (for example, 3 mos. for mascara).

What is stunning, however, is the admission by Estee Lauder representatives that makeup is a safe bet to apply six years after purchase.

The recommended shelf life for cosmetics sounds a lot like the received wisdom for "shampoo, rinse, repeat," which was to encourage people to go through shampoo quicker so that they buy more often.

This article provides tips on salvaging cosmetics. In her monthly newsletter , Carmindy offered another great tip: salvage crumbled eye shadow by putting into a container. Sifter jars, sold by Sephora, or empty containers for loose mineral cosmetics, are excellent for this.

Best Beauty Buys

Best Beauty Buys Under $60

If T3 blow-dryers and Viva La Juicy are too far out of your budget, here are great alternative investments

In times like these, we don't want to waste our money on a lame product. Enter the TotalBeauty.com editors' guide to fun yet practical (read: affordable) items worth a bit of your hard-earned paycheck. See products

A Handful of Dust

A Handful of Dust
by Evelyn Waugh

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
(This review is also posted at Amazon.com)

For the uninitiated, Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) was a man. Today, he is probably best known for his novel Brideshead Revisited, due to the popularity of a 1981 TV mini series adaptation.


Evelyn Waugh (from Evelyn Waugh Newsletter)

His novel A Handful of Dust is a comedy of manners, even a farce, for the first four chapters. Tony Last is devoted to his estate Hetton, with its Victorian Gothic monstrosity of a mansion. His shallow wife Brenda has an affair with John Beaver, a cash-strapped momma’s boy. The cuckolded Tony becomes aware of the affair only after the death of their son in a riding accident, when he receives a message from Brenda that she’s going to marry Beaver.

The main conflict is between Tony and his devotion to Hetton (three of the chapters are titled English Gothic) on one hand and Brenda on the other. Aside from being Brenda’s paramour, Beaver’s role is incidental.

Brenda makes demands in their divorce case that would compel Tony to sell Hetton. Tony will not acquiesce to her demands, and goes on an expedition to Brazil. He tells Brenda’s brother that, upon his return to England, he will divorce Brenda without settlements.

A Handful of Dust takes a dramatic turn beginning with Chapter 5, In Search of a City, when Tony leaves England for Brazil. The pace picks up rapidly, and there is menace and doom as Tony makes his way through the jungles of Brazil with his traveling companion Dr. Messinger. The novel ends with startling turns in the fates of Brenda, Tony, and his beloved Hetton.

A Handful of Dust was slow going and didn’t engage me until Chapter 5. There were times I put it aside. I’m glad that I held on to read the surprising ending.

View my book reviews at Goodreads

Nordstrom Holiday 2008 Cosmetics Trend Show

Last Saturday, I attended the Holiday 2008 Cosmetics Trend Show at Nordstrom Tysons Corner outside of Washington, DC. The show began at 8 am. The first person arrived at quarter after 6.

The event was like a pep rally, and Nordstrom Midwest/Capital Beauty Director Julianne De'Chaump was head cheerleader. The show had three scenes, in which representatives from various cosmetics companies showed their latest products. While each of the scenes focused on makeup looks, attention was also given to skin care, bath & body, fragrance, nails, and hair products.

Scene One: Bright Metallic Textures was best exemplified by Bobbi Brown's Shimmer Brick from her Copper Diamond holiday collection:


Bobbi Brown 'Copper Diamond' Shimmer Brick Compact

This compact features shimmering shades of candlelight, gold, copper, beige and sand that would be great for highlighting the browbone, inner corner of the eyes, and top of the cheekbone.

Scene Two: Winter Berry Lips was exemplified by lip colors from MAC's Red She Said collection:


MAC Red She Said Collection

Scene Three: Black, Smoky Eyes was best exemplified by Laura Mercier's Eye Colour Quad in Tuxedo:


Laura Mercier Eye Colour Quad in Tuxedo

This eye shadow quad features both shimmer and matte shades of black and white, just like its namesake. It's from Laura Mercier's Black Tie Collection.

Actually, all these trends are perennials for the winter holiday season.

Wode by Boudicca now at Lucky Scent

Wode by Boudicca is certainly the most unusual fragrance I've seen: when you spray on the fragrance, it turns blue and then gradually loses all color. I had written that Wode was available only through Barneys (not that I patronize Barneys).


Wode by Boudicca

Barneys is clearly out of my price league, although I did spring for a set of 2 candlesticks that I saw in Domino and absolutely had to have. I wouldn't patronize Barneys if I could afford to shop there, as it has since been bought out by the Istithmar investment firm based in Dubai. Oftentimes, Middle Eastern firms are governed by Sharia, or Islamic, law which requires that 2.5% of earnings be given to charity. Sounds good, but too often Islamic charities are fronts for terrorist activities. I do not shop companies owned by Middle Eastern firms, at least not knowingly, which is why I refuse to patronize Caribou Coffee.

Now there's an alternative to shopping Barneys for Wode by Boudicca: you may now buy it at LuckyScent.