Those whom we lost in 2012 #MusicMonday

In addition to Andy Williams and Hal David, here are other musical luminaries from different genres whom we lost in 2012:

Stage and film composer Marvin Hamlisch died August 6, 2012. This video is a treat for both red-blooded men (Carly Simon) and the Lisa Lupners (Marvin Hamlisch) of the world:
Jazz pianist Dave Brubeck died December 5, 2012, one day shy of his 92nd birthday:
R&B singer Fontella Bass died December 26, 2012. Great song, great voice. I'm proud to claim her as a St. Louis native:

The view from our living room window

Seasons Greetings from our house to yours!

Here's to a Happy Healthy & Prosperous 2013.

Julie and Amit

David Bowie & Bing Crosby (!) - Little Drummer Boy #MusicMonday #Christmas

Happy holidays from my home to yours!

LuMESH #beauty from Costco

The Style Page is all about finding beauty in unexpected places: see my past features on Beauty from Aldi and Bed Bath and Beauty.   Costco, the members-only warehouse club that can literally take care of you from cradle to grave, has teamed up with makeup artist Lu Camarena Meshulam of LuMESH Cosmetics to market two sets of lip glosses.

Coming from a Latin background, Lu found that finding colors that flattered her skin tone was next to impossible. She had clients of many different ethnicities with the same complaint. Thus, her lip glosses are designed to flatter a variety of skin tones.

LuMESH lip gloss set from Costco

The Style Page purchased the blister pack containing the following LuMESH lip glosses:

• Kathlene - Peachy pink that flatters women with fair to medium skin tones.  Works on women with Latin, Mediterranean, and light African American skin tones. 
• Kim- this looks scary-bright pink in the container, but it’s a light pink.  It would lift the complexions of South Asian and Hispanic women.
• Taffi is a universal shade.  When light/dark African American women wear it, it appears to look like a beige nude color. I’m of western European heritage, with a light complexion, and Taffi gave me a “like my lips, but only deeper” (and glossier and better) look.  It was my favorite shade of the three lip glosses, while Kathlene was my second favorite and Kim was my least favorite.  I agree with Bobbi Brown's advice that the best lip color is about 2 shades deeper than your natural lip color.

There is another blister pack, which contains the following LuMESH lip glosses:

• Min - baby doll frosty pink that suits Fair, and Medium skin tones, particularly Asian skin tones.  
• Trischa – shimmery sunset radiance that suits fair and medium skin tones.
• Magaly – shimmery universal shade that suits Fair, Medium, and light African American complexions.

I liked the LuMESH lip glosses.  After the initial glossy finish fades, the color remains.  Vitamin E makes the lip gloss emollient, and there is a mild non-irritating cooling lip plumper.  LuMESH lip glosses are free of parabens, phthalates, sulfates, and synthetic fragrance.  Plus, each lip gloss tube has a mirror on it – very convenient.   Just don't forget to remove the protective film!

Run, don’t walk, to your nearest Costco to get LuMESH in time for Christmas!  A list of Costco locations that carry LuMESH lip glosses is available on request; however, I found my set at a Costco that wasn’t listed.  LuMESH is not available on Costco.com.

Sulwhasoo limited edition SHINECLASSIC pressed powder compacts

The Style Page lives for breaking stories to her readers. It is exciting to see Sulwhasoo, one of Asia’s top luxury cosmetics brands, come to the United States, where it is sold exclusively by Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus. I want to introduce you to the way science and traditional Korean knowledge of medicinal herbs is artfully fused in Sulwhasoo - a comprehensive line of high-end skin care and color cosmetics.

Sulwhasoo’s SHINECLASSIC limited edition pressed powder compacts are works of art that not only satisfy a woman’s concept of beauty but also travel easily in her purse. Every year since 2003, Sulwhasoo has released limited edition pressed powder compacts featuring traditional Korean design motifs, especially crafted to satisfy a woman’s senses at every moment throughout the day. When I saw and held its pressed powder compacts, I instantly fell in love with the sensual and seductive designs, tender composition, enchanting effects on contact, and romantic embrace.

2005 Sulwhasoo 7 Treasure "Chill-bo" LE compact

A closer look at the Sulwhasoo SHINECLASSIC 7 Treasure LE compact

For its 2005 SHINECLASSIC Seven Treasure “Chill-bo” LE compact, Sulwhasoo’s inspiration was a traditional Korean patchwork quilt. From time immemorial, quilts in Korea have signified the belief that endeavors bring good luck. The colorful strips of fabric that are stitched together represent a prayer for good fortune. It represents WEALTH, one of the 5 traditional Korean blessings.

Korean 7 Treasure quilt

Inside the compact, there is a delicately scented soft pressed powder. The pressed powder is embossed with a stylized design motif of the Prunes Mume, or plum blossom, one of the first flowers of spring, with the powder whispering in a gentle, powdery way for a sensual aura of opulence. Beautiful!

Image of plum blossom from Wikipedia; Credit: Kakidai

Other compacts in the series of Sulwhasoo SHINECLASSIC limited edition pressed powder compacts include:

• 2003: lattice pattern – signifies the blessing of Health 
• 2008: Plum Blossom design: signifies the blessing of Virtue 
• 2010: Prunes mume floral pattern: signifies the blessing of Longevity 
• 2012: “Wa-Dang” ornamental tile design – signifies the blessing of Nobility 

Sulwhasoo SHINECLASSIC limited edition compacts

You may see pictures of the Sulwhasoo SHINECLASSIC limited edition compacts at SkinnyScoop. In the interest of space, I will describe the Sulwhasoo SHINECLASSIC 2003 lattice design compact in a subsequent article.

Sulwhasoo SHINECLASSIC pressed powder powder compacts may be purchased ($150) through bergdorfgoodman.com or niemanmarcus.com. Bergdorf Goodman is offering free 2-day shipping for the holidays: check its home page for the promo code. 

DISCLAIMER: The Style Page received two SHINECLASSIC pressed powder powder compacts from Sulwhasoo’s PR representative. It also received remuneration for this article. Opinions are The Style Page’s own.

Softlips® holiday limited edition review and giveaway!

Softlips® has released a limited edition collection of Christmas-y flavored lip balms, available exclusively at Target, purveyor of all things cute.

Softlips 2-pack Jack Frosting lip balm

The Style Page recent sampled Softlips® Jack Frosting lip balm from the LE collection. Dimethicone guarantees a smooth application, while sunscreen agents provide SPF 20 protection. Softlips® Jack Frosting lip balm also includes emollients such as squalane, petrolatum, and vitamin E. Softlips® describes its Jack Frosting lip balm as having a flavor like buttercream frosting. When I first opened the tube, it smelled like burnt sugar, like crème brûlée. On subsequent applications, I became aware of the buttercream flavor.  After applying the lip balm, you become aware of the cooling sensation of menthol: no wonder, as Softlips® is a trademark of The Mentholatum Company.

Softlips Vanilla and Winter Mint Holiday Gift Tag Pack

The Style Page is hosting a giveaway of limited edition Softlips® products! There are 4 prizes, for 4 winners:

• Softlips® Jack Frosting 2 pack with bonus Softlips® Vanilla and Softlips® Winter Mint Holiday Holiday Gift Tag Pack 
• Softlips® Jack Frosting 2 pack with bonus Softlips® Vanilla and Softlips® Sugar 'n' Spice Holiday Gift Tag Pack 
• Softlips® Jack Frosting 2 pack with bonus Softlips® Raspberry and Softlips® Sugar Cookie Holiday Gift Tag Pack 
• Softlips® Jack Frosting 2 pack with bonus Softlips® Raspberry and Softlips® Sugar Plum Berry Holiday Gift Tag Pack 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Black Friday

Source: someecards.com via Julie on Pinterest

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to our U.S. readers!

Source: beforeitsnews.com via Julie on Pinterest

Tell The Style Page: what are you grateful for?

Lisa Hoffman Japanese Agarwood Variations

Lisa Hoffman Japanese Agarwood Variations is a set of four fragrances for different times of the day: Morning, Daytime, Evening, and Bedtime.

Lisa Hoffman Japanese Agarwood Variations

Source: lisahoffmanbeauty.com via Julie on Pinterest

Here is how the Lisa Hoffman website describes its Japanese Agarwood fragrance:

“The rare, woody scent of Japanese Agarwood is accented with the refreshing zest of Bergamot, the zen-like ambiance of Spiced Ginger, and the comfort of Warm Amber to inspire feelings of clarity and warmth as your journey of Japanese Agarwood unfolds.”

What is Agarwood?  Wikipedia describes agarwood, variously known as aloes wood, oud (a popular note in Middle Eastern fragrances), and aguru, अगुरु, in Sanskrit, as “a dark resinous heartwood that forms in Aquilaria and Gyrinops trees (large evergreens native to Asia) when they become infected with a type of mold.”  Who knew?  Surely there has to be a metaphor somewhere: something beautiful (fragrance) coming  from something ugly (mold).  Kind of like the lotus arising from the mud.

When I tried the Morning and Daytime Lisa Hoffman Japanese Agarwood Variations, however, the most obvious note is bergamot.  If you like citrusy fragrances, these are for you.  I prefer the sensuousness of the Evening and Bedtime fragrances.

Don’t box yourself in! Lisa Hoffman encourages play, so don’t restrict yourself to wearing a particular fragrance at a given time of day.  Layer the fragrances, or blend with other fragrances.

The Lisa Hoffman Japanese Agarwood 4-Vial Set in a leather wallet costs $95.00. You may purchase the set of 4 roller balls at lisahoffmanbeauty.com.

What about you?  Have you tried any of the Lisa Hoffman fragrance variations?  What do you think about Lisa Hoffman’s concepts and products?

beauty.com friends and family event ends November 12

This event from beauty.com has to be one of the most attractive of all the Friends and Family events that I've seen:



And I'm not saying this just because I'm a beauty.com affiliate!  Beauty.com offers many premium brands, with terms more attractive than those of Sephora:

• Single checkout with drugstore.com
• Free shipping for orders of $25.00 or more, whereas Sephora has a $50.00 minimum
• Credits of 5% off every order that you can redeem later.  Sephora offers a crummy sample for 100 points earned (or $100 spent) - I say "crummy" because invariably I don't care for the samples offered.

I took advantage of the beauty.com Friends and Family event myself!  I purchased a two-fer set of Beautyblender sponges and two Lipstick Queen Sinner Lipsticks, one in Rouge and the other in Rust.

Hurry, the event ends Monday, November 12!