Jewel & Jewel

Applying lipstick is an art for many women. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a lipstick veteran or a newbie, it never hurts to learn more tips and tricks for lipstick application. As popular as lipstick continues to be, you can be certain that the number of tips for application will only grow. But that works in your favor since the more you know, the better your end result will turn out.

The next time you’re out shopping for new lipstick or are about to put some on, take a look at the following tips for a fun and new twist on makeup.

Did you know that you can use your favorite lipstick as blush? Of course you don’t want your checks to end up looking like a Raggedy Ann doll. You don’t need a lot of lipstick. You can use your fingertip to apply the color onto your cheeks and blend gently with a sponge applicator until the color naturally fades into your complexion. Be sure to use the right shade and if it isn’t already obvious, while lipstick can serve as blush when needed, the process doesn’t work the other way around.

All women have at least one or two tubes of lipstick that contain a shade they aren’t happy with and will most likely never use. But instead of throwing it into the trash, recycle! Sometimes the greatest lip colors can be made by blending one or more shades of lipsticks you don’t care for. Not only can you come up with colors that meet your needs, you’ll also have a shade that is unique and can’t be found in any store.

For those who wear lip liner but can never quite get it right, don’t worry about following traditional makeup rules of applying liner before lipstick. There is nothing wrong with doing the exact opposite. Some women find that it is difficult to find the natural line of their lips but once the color is filled in, the lines tend to become more noticeable. So next time fill in your lips first and then go back over them with your liner for the perfect pout.

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Jewelry continues to be a popular accessory, and that fact isn’t likely to change anytime in the near future. The age of jewelry minimalism hopefully won’t return anytime soon; the truth is that women love jewelry, and for the most part the more, the better.

Gold is still popular but this precious metal is quickly getting out of the price range of the average woman. For that reason, many are turning to new gold electroplated brands like Home Shopping Network’s Technibond or QVC’s 18K Clad. Such processes permanently bond gold over other metals like sterling silver or stainless steel. Many even offer a lifetime warranty. These new processes let women have the look and feel of real gold without the high cost. Look for gold choices in the standard colors of white and yellow as well as in harder-to-find rose and chocolate gold.

Silver continues to be popular as well. With the rising price of gold, silver is becoming a close runner-up in the jewelry market. That fact is causing silver prices to rise right along with gold, and is quickly pushing even this less expensive metal to a price that not everyone woman can afford. All of this explains why stainless steel is suddenly becoming the metal of choice. It is strong, beautiful, and inexpensive when compared to gold or silver. Best of all, gold bonds as easily and beautifully with steel as it does with silver.

Look for metal necklaces in geometric designs like circles, ovals, squares, and rectangles. Many of these will be layered with other geometric patterns or with chains, pearls, and beads. Lengths will vary but many of them will be long, reaching up to 60” so that they can be twisted or wrapped easily.

Pearls are also making a big splash. Whether they are worn in long loops or wrapped into a choker around the neck, pearls will be seen in abundance during the latter part of 2008 and into spring, 2009. While traditional ivory is still the most popular color of choice, there will be many other options to choose from. These will include pale peach, pink, gold, champagne, bronze, chocolate, gray, and black. Sizes will range from 4mm to super sized 12mm pearls. Natural pearls in different shapes will also be included on virtually every woman’s wish list.

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The Birth of Chanel No. 5

Chanel No. 5 is one of the most famous perfumes in history and sells around one bottle every 30 seconds. This famous fragrance was created for Coco Chanel in 1921 by a perfume creator named Ernest Beaux. Something which may seem surprising in a 21st century obsessed with getting back to nature is that Coco’s inspiration behind the scent was to create something very artificial. She is quoted on the official Chanel website as saying “I want to give the world something artificial…. like a dress. Something that has been made…. I want a perfume that is a composition”. Ernest Beaux responded by creating a masterpiece inspired by the midnight sun, the lakes and the rivers of the Arctic circle which he had visited a year previously.

The Scent of Chanel No. 5

• Top note – Ylang-Ylang and Neroli
• Heart note – Grasse Jasmine and May Rose
• Base note – Sandalwood and Vanilla

An Inspiration

In addition to being Marilyn’s favourite scent, Chanel No. 5, like many other iconic brands, secured a place in the art world. In 1959 Andy Warhol, an icon himself, did a series of nine silkscreens of the Chanel No. 5 bottle, once again making it the fragrance to covet.

The fragrance now sells a bottle every 30 seconds and is the top selling fragrance in the world.

Coco Chanel’s Main Fashion Triumphs

Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel was born in 1883, although in a move amusingly similar to many women today she claimed to have been born ten years later. She opened her first millinery shop in 1912, selling simple tailored clothes for men and women, as well as perfume, jewellery and textiles.

Coco Chanel believed that women should wear perfume wherever they wanted to be kissed. In addition to her No. 5 perfume Chanel also created modern classics with the Chanel cardigan, the Chanel Suit and the little black dress, now a staple in most women’s wardrobes. In the ’70s, Coco introduced bell bottoms and pea jackets for women. Coco worked until she died in 1971, leaving Karl Lagerfeld in her stead to as the head designer of Chanel

An Icon

As Marilyn Monroe once famously said “What do I wear in bed? Why Chanel No. 5 of course”.

This is probably the most famous of Marilyn’s quotes and undoubtedly what gives Chanel No. 5 such appeal. Who wouldn’t want to smell like Marilyn? That is not however the beginning and the end of the story. Chanel No. 5 is a very carefully planned and created scent both in the philosophy behind its creation and the inspiration for its fragrance.

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