MAKEUP MONDAY ♥ COLLECTIVE WELLBEING

I've always received product to try out...especially skincare, makeup and fragrance. It's been a while since I've really done a test-drive, but a few new skincare brands have come to my attention. I think that's one of the great things about the interweb...we now get to hear about everyone's products...even if they're made by a granny in a small town on top of a mountain...not just the big guns who have the financial backing to advertise their goods in all the consumer-variety fashion rags people see whilst in line at the drug store. So you will be seeing a few new products in the next couple weeks. And, rightly so, 'cause I always think it's good to get turned onto something you haven't heard of before. 

The first is a group of products called COLLECTIVE WELLBEING. They're made with good product, are cruelty free and have a low carbon footprint. Plus, a portion of your purchase "goes to those good works that make our world more beautiful," which you can find out about here. And, the packaging is pretty to boot. So...let's go through some of the products I got to try out:

The Corrective Cleanser is made with oatmeal and raspberries (mmmmmmm! and equally mmmm for my skin, too!) and act as a cleanser but also are anti-inflammatory, too. I wasn't sure about it at first. I'm SUPER picky about what I use on my skin. I have sensitive skin. If the product is wrong, I can be dry and break out at the same time. I hate anything that has perfume in it or a lot of funky ingredients. This felt strange on my fingers when I started to use it. But, the proof is in the raspberries...because my skin did actually look great after using it. So, yeah. I liked it. :)

I was super excited to try the Honey Buff. I love honey anything for my skin. I've even used honey directly on my face as a humectant mask. Honey draws moisture TO your skin. It's a natural healer (that's why Egyptians used it a thousand years ago). PLUS this is also a face scrub, which I also love. This felt good and it worked really well and it smells amazing. LOVE it.

I really was interested in trying the Charcoal Body Wash. Sound weird? Sure. Sound pretty? Not necessarily. BUT it does have stuff in it that's good for your skin and any NANCY GIRL would want their skin looking amazing. The active ingredients are charcoal and zinc, two really amazing things to use in a body wash because the charcoal sponges up all the impurities from your skin...like a detox from the outside. And the zinc reduces inflammation and germs that can cause blemishes. It's good stuff. I really loved it as a detoxifying wash in between my Frenchie soaps.

Anyone who has hung out with me for any length of time knows that I wash my hands a lot. I don't have OCD (really...!), but I just like to be clean and I really like to keep my hands clean so I don't accidentally rub my eyes and get sick. (And I worked in a bank when I was really young. There I learned how filthy and gross money is...and if you touch it every day, you need to be washing your hands yo!) I use good soap so my hands don't dry out, and I also need good lotion around at all times. I really liked the Dry Skin Relief lotion because it absorbs into my skin, but still left it soft. I don't want my hands greasy. It's a good basic lotion if you don't want any fuss. 

The Weightless Day- cream was just that. A really light, clean, easily absorbed cream. It's perfect if you don't need to much or live in a climate that's humid and hot. I tend to need a little more moisture. But it was nice. The chamomile and aloe vera felt really cool and soothing on my skin. (Especially with the 100+ degree heatwave we're having in LA.)

The Category 5 Eye Cream sounds MAJOR. I haven't had a chance to try it yet...it's still in the mail...so I'll add the review as soon as I do. BUT based on the other products, I am sure it'll be interesting. It's supposed to do all those things everyone wants an eye cream called Category 5 to do: reduce signs of aging and stress and still moisturize. Even if you don't have any signs, START EARLY. I've always taken care of my skin, since I was in junior high. I'm barely showing any signs of wrinkles, and that's because I've always been a sun bunny. (I should have never sat in the sun for 2 weeks last year in Hawaii...without a hat!) Every little bit helps.


All and all, I liked the line and the packaging. It's something to try if you you're experimenting. At the very least, the Charcoal Body Wash is a really good must-have all the time. You can check them out and find out how to buy them HERE. ♡


more makeup monday ♥ lollipop girls

all images courtesy of Collective Wellbeing

SUNDAY MATINEE ♥ THAT GIRL

Ok. Usually I'd write a bunch of stuff and show a ton of images that go along with the "film" I'm showcasing on my Sunday Matinee Post. BUT I just thought the best way for you to see why I think they should start showing this show on TV again and why I don't understand how they don't is to just play a show for you. The only show I could find online, in fact. All I kept hearing and have heard every time someone brings up Marlo Thomas or her successful show "That Girl" is that it was fun and that she wore the best clothes. !!!! So good was her wardrobe that they have a "That Girl Barbie", clothing patterns, paper dolls and more. I guess she was the SJP of the late 60s and early 70s....though I'll def do a post on how SJP and SITC are really a knock-off of the one-and-only Party Girl , Parker Posey (oh yeah...I wrote it. yep!). When I finally saw That Girl, I was so annoyed that no one plays these shows ever anymore...because the clothes are amazing! So, yeah...I'll put the show on here, and I guess I'll end up putting some images, too. I really wish they'd show reruns of this show instead of a lot of crap that's on...at least we could watch the clothes...and the furniture...and the cars....and the.... ♡ 

(I even found a fashion exhibit of vintage designer pieces, where they styled all the mannequins as That Girl!)

more sunday matinee ♥ vidal sassoon movie

images from 

http://rdujour.com
http://www.museumofplay.org
http://www.thevintagepeddler.com

SATURDAY SHOPPING ♥ ALVINA ABRAMOVA

Sometimes I get a press release from an agent I've never heard of before who is repping people I have never heard of before. And, most of the time, it ends up just not being up my alley. Usually it's for more "normal" editors and publications. BUT I always take the time to look and listen (if it's a band). I check everything out. And, if you're an aspiring editor or stylist or anything else creative, you, too, should really open your eyes. If you judge it by the cover, you might miss out on something charming. (When I was pretty young, on my first trip to NYC...I ended up in Pat Fields old shop on St. Marks in the East Village back in the day when it was seedy and filled with club trannies and druggies and kids. It was fantastic, actually. Like another planet. Anyway, I was so young and new and naive. But I had very young family there who took me everywhere. And I never forget walking into Pat Field's, which was tiny at the time, and hearing them say Madonna was just in. It was the era she was still street and hot in the street. And a Downtown kid working in the shop always had his tape with him. His singing/music/band tape. So he gave it to her. And she told him, "I listen to everything..." I never forgot it.) So...I did check out this jewelry designer for the first time, Alvina Abramova. At first glance I saw a lot of pretty pieces, but not edgy enough to profile. BUT then I kept looking and I did find some super cool pieces mixed in with the daintier lot. Which makes it so interesting. And the prices are incredibly reasonable. (Great for gifts!) I had to ask her some questions about her design concept as well. Have a look for yourself. ♡

Frida Skull Earrings with black Swarovski crystals! Chic and cheeky.

WHERE ARE YOU BASED AND HOW DID YOU END UP A JEWELRY DESIGNER?

I'm based in my hometown, Brooklyn, NY.  I graduated Fashion Institute of Technology with a Bachelors degree in fashion design and worked in the fashion industry as a women’s wear designer.   I transitioned to designing jewelry a couple of years ago when a friend of mine suggested I make some pieces for her.   Since then, I've made a lot of custom pieces and much recently decided to make a more accessible collection that would appeal to many. 

Gina earrings with deep Amethyst

WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE JEWELRY DESIGNERS AND MAYBE TELL US ABOUT A COUPLE OF YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE PIECES...
I really love Solange Azagury Partridge.  I think her pieces are really unique and timeless.  She really captures the juxtaposition of soft and edgy all at the same time.   I absolutely adore the Stoned-multistone necklace and the MaryJane Ring of hers.  

Razor earrings!

I SEE A LOT OF SWEET PIECES...MIXED IN WITH A FEW CHEEKIER PIECES...
WHY THE MIX?
I've always loved to mix the two in my own personal style.  I like simplicity mixed with a little bit of playful edge.  I think it's fun to play around with different styles, especially if they are on the opposite side of the spectrum and create something unique of your own.  

Lola feather earrings

Keyhole earrings! When have you ever seen keyhole earrings?

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE IN THE FUTURE AND WHERE CAN YOUR JEWELRY BE PURCHASED?
There's going to be more edgy and playful pieces coming soon.  I'm doing a lot of stack rings in various metal.  Some of them will be sweet and some are more edgy.  As of right now,  my jewelry can be purchased online at www.alvinaabramova.com.

Lenny Bow earrings with a chunky pink-hued magnestite and howlite

saturday shopping ♥ limited pucci book

all images courtesy of Alvina Abramova

GIRL FRIDAY ♥ HEIDI HARTWIG

Heidi Hartwig is one of my all-time favorite photographers and someone I love working with. I've done fashion shoots with her and she's also shot rockers like The Bravery and Ratatat for me. She is a blast! And she's a real New Yorker, too. She knows EVERYONE. There's something about her that is so intriguing to me... anyone who knows me knows I have a roster of photographers (or "photogs", as I tend to call them) that I like to work with for various reasons. Maybe one does more ethereal portraits. One does action shots best. Some do straight-forward fashion editorials really well. Well, though Heidi does all of these really really well, for me she is really the one I go to to capture a sexy girly-girl shot. She almost takes the shots like she's a straight man. It's magical. And I can't wait for her to take some shots of me! We did a ton of work together for Oyster magazine when I was the US editor (she's also shot for I-D, The Fader, Zink and many others). Then I moved all around and worked on a novel and for Nike, and she took off for Berlin with her man, musician and singer Walter Schreifels (they also had an adorable baby girl named Ryo). Now that I'm getting back into the magazine game (some news will be on here soon!!! stay tuned), I can't wait to start working with her again! We just have to figure out where since she's back and forth from NYC and Berlin and I'm still figuring out where I'll be...would be nice if we both ended up back in New York City. I did manage to catch her on her way back to Berlin from a trip to Amsterdam so she could answer some questions, because you really do need to see her work so you know what I mean...(so Nancy Girl!)...

 
WHERE ARE YOU NOW AND WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON?

I've been enjoying the summer months in Berlin, having hooked up with a gallery here that represents contemporary artists and beginning a portrait series of the artists they represent.  It's exciting because you tend not to see images of artists themselves. I have also ventured into the video directing scene , just finishing a kids video for an online magazine called Small . I'm starting to exercise the treatment-writing process for my ideas and hoping to do more fashion/music videos in the future.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT BERLIN AS OPPOSED TO NYC? HOW DOES THE STYLE/FASHION DIFFER? AND WORK?

Oh man,  I love Berlin for so many reasons...most don't relate to fashion though. It's more for being able to buy a good bottle of wine for 2 bucks or less, partaking in organic healthy food without feeling like I have to be a privileged rich person, and the awesome drugstores here with fab products that don't cost much. In terms of fashion, there is a laid back, comfortable, practical quality to everyone. People are dressing for themselves as opposed to hoping they get noticed on the street and photographed. There certainly a lot of cute boutiques; I really like the jewelry being created, but I feel really laid back about fashion--almost like a hippy--here.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF BEFORE YOU'RE GOING INTO A SHOOT? WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING TO CATCH IN THE SHOOT? I MEAN, YOU HAVE SUCH A KNACK...YOU'RE VERY VERY HELMUT NEWTON...I'VE ALWAYS SAID THAT. YOU CAPTURE A GIRL THE WAY I THINK A PERVY GUY WOULD. YOU MAKE EVERYONE LOOK AMAZINGLY GORGEOUS AND SEXY. BUT YOU ALSO KNOW HOW TO CAPTURE A SERIOUS PORTRAIT, LIKE THE SEAN PENN PORTRAIT ON YOUR SITE THAT I LOVE. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT'S NOT TOO SECRET/PRIVATE THAT YOU CAN SHARE ABOUT THAT PROCESS?

I go into every shoot thinking in my mind I'm shooting for Italian Vogue. Even though I think of myself as a portrait photographer, I really want to capture the fashion and beauty of a person, especially with the young actresses I'm shooting a lot lately. So many of these actors have no clue about fashion clothing, photographers such as Helmut Newton etc; I just try and make them feel as sexy and comfortable as possible. I certainly want women to feel open and sexy with me, and I can certainly imagine being intimate with any person I connect with while shooting. I think a camera is a powerful instrument and the way you look at someone can make them feel open to giving you the sexiness we all carry inside us. I do talk a lot during my shoots letting the person know when they look absolutely gorgeous and sexy. Having assisted an over-the-top fashion photographer (Michel Comte) certainly got me talking. 

WHY DID YOU WANT TO BE A PHOTOG?

I love holding and looking through a camera. I always felt totally at ease with the tech part of it as well. The camera and exposures always made sense to me. At a very young age it was something I carried around and it felt precious to me. I love making people feel beautiful and special in front of something that can be so intimidating and uncomfortable.

Heidi Hartwig with her little angel, Ryo.

YOU ALSO DO A LOT OF FASHION FILMS...DO YOU HAVE A PREFERENCE?

I'm starting to get a grip on the moving picture. It's certainly a whole new experience for me. I know how to compose a frame make something look right but then to have to move its not always so easy. I think that's why with my first film I did a lot of static shots where the person would be the thing moving around in the frame. Slowly but surely I am getting more confident. Even with motion I want to see drama and emotion in the person.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS MASSIVE SHIFT IN OUR INDUSTRIES? MAGAZINE AND COMMERCIAL AND ALL THE BLOGS VERSUS MAGAZINES?

There's certainly a lot of content out there; it's hard to keep up. It's the Wild West feel out there online , and I appreciate what people are experimenting with. But I am hoping we will soon understand what works and what makes you feel connected and inspired the way a magazine or book can. Books, magazines represent who I am. I enjoy walking into someone's home and getting know who they are by what they have on the bookshelf. So I am holding onto the actual thing as long as possible.

I traveled this weekend to Amsterdam and wanted something to read for the plane ride. I was so pleased to pick up the newspaper version of the magazine 'Monocle'.  The paper was called 'Monocle Mediterraneo'. It had all the content I was interested in as well as making me look like I do more than just listen to an Ipod or look at some screen. The paper matched my outfit.  I was happy to carry it around. When traveling,  it will always be the real thing for me. The magazine version is so nice that it's a collectible in itself.  I do feel nostalgic for old forms of communication these days. I've been shooting more film recently, listening to records, and using my landline as much as possible. I even appreciate my analog clock more than trying to find my cell phone to see the time. But all that aside, I love the internet and have a project in the works myself that I am hoping to launch come the fall.

WHAT DO YOU HAVE COMING UP OR WHAT WOULD BE YOUR DREAM JOB OR BOTH?

I'm really excited about making videos and want to continue shooting fashion content as well as music video. It would be a dream to hook up with a magazine and be in charge of creating video content for them with the fashions that they provide. I think the moving picture is the future for online magazines. We want to see the image move and breath as much as possible online. Another project I'm super excited about is this online gallery/shop that I am starting called FriendsFromNewYork.com . It's a small-town shop for a big city like NYC. I curate people I grew up with as well as other friends or friends that are creating art, apparel, music etc and giving them a platform to sell their work. It's one-stop shopping as well as info on all things NYC and I am hoping that it will bring a lot of people there that want to know what's going on in our town. We are hoping to launch this fall so look out!!

WHEN WILL YOU TAKE MY PICTURE? I WANT TO LOOK HOT!!
I could make you look gorgeous with my eyes closed! All I need is a ticket out west to see you and access to your bedroom!

AAAAW....THANKS, LADY. HMMMMMMMM....I'LL HAVE TO TRY AND ARRANGE THAT. ANYTHING ELSE?

The future looks bright I better wear shades! ♡

Heidi's gorgeous fashion film:


and her music video with her man Walter Schreifels:

more girl friday ♥ maja sten

all images and videos courtesy of Heidi Hartwig