FASHION AND BEAUTY’S A-Z, part 2

Alicia Keys

N is for No Make-up
The trend recently lead by Alicia Keys was also seen on the Fall/Winter 16 runway shows of Vetements, Rick Owens, Haider Ackermann and Giambattis Valli. How to pull it off? I ask two make-up experts for advice.

Nars International Lead Makeup Stylist, Ozo says “To pull off the ‘No Makeup Makeup Look’ you have to start with great-looking skin. The whole look revolves around skin looking immaculate, glowing and radiant. Always prep skin with a moisturizer to give skin a natural, healthy glow and then a dab of concealer under the eyes to even out any darkness and imperfections. A tinted moisturizer or foundation can also be used to create the illusion of flawless skin.”

M∙A∙C Cosmetics Senior Artist, John Stapleton says “Try a sheer foundation to get the look and use conceal as necessary. Finally, keep lips nourished with a lip conditioner. Eyebrows should be glossed and groomed with a clear brow set. Eyelashes curled and tinted with a thin coat of mascara. These tiny alterations will keep it looking polished and clean.

Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia

O is for Oscar De La Renta
This iconic American brand has seen a lot of change over the last couple of years. First with the death of De la Renta, then, earlier this year, the departure of his successor, Peter Copping. Now it’s a new chapter for the company with wonder kids from Monse, Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia, taking over. We look forward to seeing how they update this classic brand.

Victoria Beckham

P is for plaid
From big to small, from tartan to Glen plaid, the print was seen at the runway shows of Sonia Rykiel, Victoria Beckham and Rachel Zoe. This time around the look is less traditional holiday and more modern and muted.

Q is for Queens
Two new royal biopics are hitting our screens each depicting the early reign of two very different female monarchs, Queen Victoria and Elizabeth II. Both showcase gorgeous period costumes complete with sumptuous silks, fur stoles and of course the crown jewels, all of which will put Downton Abbey to shame. ‘The Crown’ is available to view now on Netflix, while PBS’s Masterpiece ‘Victoria’ will be released this coming January.

Comme de Garcons

R is for Rei Kawakubo
Rumor has it that the Japanese designer behind Comme de Garçons and Dover Street Market will be the subject of The Met’s next exhibition. This will be the second time that the museum has devoted a show to a living designer.

Dolce & Gabbana

S is for Seeing spots
Leopard, the animal print of the season, was spotted everywhere this fall from jackets and bags to shoes and belts. The looks range from masculine tailoring at Dries van Norton and H&M to ladylike at Dolce and Gabbana and J.Crew, to rock chic at Saint Laurent.

Iris Apfel x INC Collection

T is for Teamwork
This season we have seen many fashion pairings including H&M x Kenzo, Iris Apfel x INC Collection, Tommy Hilfiger x Gigi Hadid, Olivia Palermo + Chelsea28 and Fenty Puma by Rihanna just to name a few.

Dior's Poison

U is for Update your look
The easiest (and cheapest) way to update your look is with a new haircut or make-up. The must have shade for fall is a deep dark lipstick, however this time around it’s less goth and more sweet. Try Dior’s new shade, Poison, at Sephora.

Alberta Ferretti

V is for Velvet
Break away from expected jeweled toned colors with fall’s hottest fabric velvet. Instead go for more unusual colors like blush, canary yellow, lilac and Aquamarine to keep it new and fresh. The hottest fabric for fall, velvet, is available in everything from dresses to bag to shoes, but the hot piece is the velvet pantsuit.

W is for White stripes
The iconic white stripe sneaker, Vans, has overtaken Adidas’ Stan Smith popularity with fashion editors at New York fashion week this past September.

Jason Wu

X is for x-tra
These x-tra longs sleeves are definitely more of a fashion forward trend on the runways (Jason Wu, Tibi, Creatures of Comfort, Marc Jacobs, J.W Anderson and Vetements) that may not be for everyone.

Delpozo

Y Is for Yellow
Forget dark and muted colors for the fall instead go for light and bright. This season on the runways (Delpozo, Creatures of Comfort, Marissa Webb, and Ulla Johnson) shades of canary yellow paired with blush pink creates an unusual color combination for the colder months.

Gucci

Z is for Zoo
Animal motifs were spotted on the runway including a snake and black panthers at Gucci, mice and cats at Dolce and Gabbana and swans at Stella McCartney. There is an innate cute factor with animals but go for a quirky look with these prints.

FASHION AND BEAUTY’S A-Z, part 1

Burberry

A is for Athleisure
Fall’s most popular menswear trend, Athleisure, has finally surpassed the heritage trend, which has reigned supreme for the last several years. For this trend pair hip tracksuit jackets with dress pants or try a tracksuit jacket in luxurious fabrics like satin or sequins as seen at Burberry and Neil Barrett.

Essie's After School Boy Blazer, $9

B is for Blue nails
For fall the super saturated nail is hot but the color of the season is blue. A few of our favorites include Burberry’s Imperial Blue ($22), Essie’s After School Boy Blazer ($9) and Deborah Lippmann’s Rolling in the Deep ($18).

Raf Simons

C is for Coup
Raf Simons, who recently stepped down as the designer from CChristian Dior, has been snagged by Calvin Klein. This highly regarded luxury European designer will surely give the New York brand a new life and much needed credibility to the flagging brand.

Dries Van Norten

D is for Diversity
After a new high with the fall collections (shown last spring) the percentage of models of color on the New York runways has taken a slight drop, what’s going on? So although numbers of diverse models are heading in the right direction, they’re still not equal to the reality of our world.

Stella McCartney

E is for Earrings
If you didn’t already know, studs are over! The shoulder-grazing earring trend continues this season and was spotted on the runway shows of Rodarte, Marni, Stella McCartney, Sonia Rykiel, Valentino, Lanvin, Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton and Alexander McQueen. The dangly earrings are perfect for the upcoming party season as it looks killer with bare shoulders and a topknot.

Topshop

F is Fur
To be on trend this fall add a touch of fur into your wardrobe, either a fun accessory (Fendi) or just a collar (Sonia Rykiel). We especially like the faux furboots seen at Topshop.

Fendi

G is for Guitar straps
Handbags have been given the rock n’ roll treatment this fall with extra wide, striped webbing and embellished straps. It was seen in the collections of high-end designers Lanvin, Fendi and Gucci, as well as more affordable brands like Elle & Jae, Steven Madden and Rebecca Minkoff.

Prada at Neiman Marcus

H is for Hiking boots
The must have winter boot is the hiking boot, but don’t worry you don’t actually have to go hiking in them. Available in a flat (Stuart Weitzman and Nine West) or with a block heel (Louis Vuitton and Tod’s), they look especially cool worn with a dress like at Prada and Maison Margiela.

Christian Siriano

I is for inclusive
Three major designers have made a stance for plus size women. Christian Siriano’s spring ‘17 show saw five plus sizes models walking the runway. While Tracy Reese will be offering a wider range of sizes, 0-18, with her spring 2017 collection. And Prabal Gurung is partnering with a plus size clothing brand, Lane Bryant for a Spring 2017 collection.

David Beckham in H&M

J is for Jacket
This season’s must have jacket for guys is the bomber. It might have started last summer but the trend isn’t going anywhere, in fact, it has become so popular that it has overtaken the denim jacket. Spotted in the collections of Jil Sander, Maison Margiela, Topman and H&M. But don’t get rid of your denim jacket just yet, a classic never goes out of style.

Tory Burch

K is for Knits
The knit of choice is the turtleneck, for men, it’s the perfect piece to throw under a suit (Hermes, Boss selection, Reiss) and for women wear it under sleeveless dresses (Creatures of the Wind, Tory Burch and Karen Walker).

Fendi

L is for Loosen up
Menswear changes at a snails pace so we don’t see the slim trouser going anywhere soon but a new crop of looser, wide leg trouser has popped up at Fendi and Burberry shows.

Monse

M is for Menswear inspired clothes for women
One of the biggest trends for fall is taking their cue from the boys. What makes it new this season is the mix of men’s suiting fabrics with a feminine silhouette DKNY, J.Crew and Monse).

FASHIONABLE DISCOVERIES: 2017 Pirelli Calendar

The new direction of the Pirelli calendar continues with Peter Lindbergh’s 2017 images entitled ‘Emotional’.

Uma Thurman

The calendars, first published in 1964 to promote the Italian tire company, are famous for featuring supermodels like Naomi Campbell, Helena Christensen, Cindy Crawford, Gisele Bündchen and Miranda Kerr. They are often photographed scantily clad in exotic locations focusing on themes of sexuality, however, the times they are (finally) changing! Last year famed photographer Annie Leibovitz took the calendar in a much needed new direction instead showcasing inspiring women of all ages like Yoko Ono, Fran Lebowitz, Patti Smith, Tavi Gevinson, Serena Williams and Amy Schumer captured in statuesque black and white portraits.

Julianne Moore

Lindbergh continues the trend photographing a more stripped down and raw looking images of Hollywood actresses including Uma Thurman, Nicole Kidman and Helen Mirren.

Robin Wright

Lindbergh said at today's Paris press conference "beauty is just commercial interest, as you see in magazines, women are washed out from every experience. That's just the opposite of what I wanted. These are the most talented women that I admire in the entire world. They are emotional and I wanted to show that."

Nicole Kidman

Lindbergh goes on to explain that the women appearing in the calendar are “nude while being fully dressed” because the camera had “stripped them to the very soul. It’s another kind of naked, more important than body parts. What is more than being naked is to show yourself the way you are.”

NEW WORK: Birmingham Magazine

FASHIONABLE DISCOVERIES: Nordstrom x Nike

Nordstrom have launched a sneaker boutique, a lifestyle concept shop that brings together fitness and fashion. Nordstrom x Nike will each month introduce limited-edition product, as well as curated collections of activewear, sneakers for runners and sneakerheads alike, activewear and athleisure, accessories, tech and more.

The vice president of creative projects, Olivia Kim, has curated the shop with select seasonal items from the store’s different departments and merchandised alongside Nike product, such as denim, leather jackets, designer handbags, exclusive jewelry, curated beauty products, workout accessories, polaroid cameras and more.

Currently 3 locations exist including Seattle and Toronto, not even NY or LA have it yet!

FASHIONABLE DISCOVERIES: Tom Ford Lips & Boys

Tom Ford Lips & Boys

“I love seeing a woman in a man’s suit. Why not have a lipstick named after a man? Tom Ford

Yes ladies (and gentleman) the Lip & Boys are back! The third adaptation of this collection named for the boys Tom find ‘admirable and inspiring’.

25 new shades have been added including 10 matt finishes can be purchased individually at $36 or you can purchase a customizable three-piece collection for $108. However, if you want to splurge, you can go for the 50-piece set for just $1,950.

Customizable three-piece collection Austin, Luciano and Collin, $108

The collection launches today on the tomford.com, at sephora.com on Thanksgiving and worldwide on Black Friday.

A video posted by TOM FORD (@tomford) on Nov 21, 2016 at 7:41am PST

NEW WORK: Chicago Tribune

CHICAGO TRIBUNE, High-tech Beauty Solutions for the Modern Girl

With technology entering every aspect of our lives, as you might expect, it's now infiltrating the beauty industry. This year sees two major brands using advanced technology to give its customers a more specialized experience and products.

I decided to test them both out to see if they were all hype or actually useful.

LANCÔME LE TEINT PARTICULIER CUSTOM MAKEUP

After becoming a Lancôme brand ambassador in 2014, Lupita Nyong'o had trouble finding a foundation color from the company's 35 shades that would match her skin. That's when Lancôme realized this was a problem not only for Nyong'o but for thousands of other women.

With that in mind, Lancôme created Le Teint Particulier Custom Made Makeup. Developed using state-of-the-art digital technology, women can now create a foundation color made specifically for their skin tone.

My olive skin isn't always the easiest to match, so I'd thought I give it a go. The process starts with a one-on-one consultation. A beauty adviser uses a small color scanner, no bigger than a smartphone, to capture your skin color in three photos, and these are analyzed against a database of 20,000 shades.

You also choose type of coverage (sheer, medium or full), the finish and whether you want an additional moisturizer added to the formula. Now for the cool bit, right at the counter, you get to watch your foundation being made in a machine that uses eight peristaltic heart pumps for color accuracy and airtight dispensing. Then the formula is shaken at high speed for thorough blending.

You get to take away your tailor-made foundation in a refillable bottle personalized with your name and a complexion ID. This number represents your unique color, allowing you to re-order the foundation anytime.

When I first applied the foundation, it didn't seem like the perfect shade, but once blended, it was a good match. What I liked about the service is that everything can be adjusted to your needs at no extra cost. As the consultation is free, I can get re-scanned in the winter when my skin is paler. I can even add more moisturizer when my skin tends to be drier.

The custom-made makeup is $80 for 1 ounce and is available at select Nordstrom stores. To find the nearest location, visit http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/lancome-le-teint-particulier.

KERASTASE FUSIO-DOSE HAIR LAB

Personalized in-salon hair treatments aren't new for Kerastase, but the company has upped the ante this year by adding a high-tech hair and scalp profiler camera to the process.

The camera is a smartphone that uses a high-power magnification lens specially designed for Kerastase. The process allows the stylist to zoom into the hair fiber at 600 times magnification and analyze how oily your scalp is, your hair density, dryness and hair loss. You are able to view the hair fiber and scalp images on an iPad as the stylist is taking the pictures.

Finding out details like this was incredibly eye-opening as it helped me understand what products I should be using to achieve optimal results.

Once the diagnosis is complete, it's time for the fun part, your bespoke beauty treatment. The treatment consists of two components.

The first is called the Concentre, which addresses your primary hair concern: nourishment and softness, color radiance, reconstruction or density. The second component, known as the Booster, tackles a secondary hair issue: nourishment, radiance, reconstruction, density or anti-frizziness.

After the analysis, the treatment gets blended by the stylist and then applied to your freshly washed hair. Like a conditioner, the treatment is left on for five minutes before it's rinsed out.

After the treatment, my hair was definitely less frizzy and softer, but like all treatments, the results, unfortunately, aren't permanent. But it's a great temporary solution to perk up your hair for a special event. For me, getting a better understanding of my hair was the most valuable part of the process.

Prices start at $30 at over 75 locations nationwide. Visit www.kerastase-usa.com to find a salon near you.

You can see the original Chicago Tribune article here

REAL V DEAL: Gucci v Topshop

REAL: suede mid-heel pump, $750, Gucci
DEAL: metallic fringe loafers, $120, Topshop

FASHIONABLE INVITES: Jayson Home Warehouse Sale

WHO: Jayson Home
WHAT: Warehouse Sale
WHERE: 701 N Albany, Chicago IL 60612
WHEN: November 11 - 13, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
WHY: 50% to 90% off sofas, chairs, tables, casegoods, lighting, rugs, accessories, pillows, planters, art, mirrors, books, gifts, antiques, props and more!

REAL V DEAL: Acne Studios v Zara

REAL: 'More She Sue' shearling coat, $2,700, Acne Studios available at NET-A-PORTER.com
DEAL: Oversized suede effect coat, $189, Zara

FASHIONABLE INVITES: Nordstrom Fall Beauty Trend Week

WHO: Nordstrom
WHAT: Fall Beauty Trend Week
WHERE: Nordstrom, Michigan Avenue, 55 East Grand Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611
WHEN: October 30th to November 5th
WHY: Get one-on-one time with Nordstrom beauty experts, tips and tricks to nail the newest trends and beautybuzz intel from industry insiders. From makeup recommendations specific to your look, to in-store treatments/services such as mini-facials, to consultations for hydrating winter skin savers, it’s all free to attend AND you’ll get free samples and exclusive gifts with your purchases (while supplies last).

Go to Nordstrom.com or call 312.464.1515 for more info.

FASHIONABLE DISCOVERIES: Kenzo X H&M

Known for their hotly anticipated designer collaborations and this time is no exception. This November sees H&M collaborating with French brand Kenzo.

Like with last year's Balmain collection, the collection does not come cheap. Larger pieces including jackets and layered dresses range from $349-$549, with smaller accessories like beanies and sunglasses starting at $24.99.

Set your alarms Kenzo X H&M launches on November 3.