I Read It On The Internet- June 2nd Edition

I didn't do a roundup post last week as I took a little break over the holiday weekend. My friend CharlestonGirl came to town and we had a great time shopping and repulsing each other with our complete opposite taste in fragrance. If you haven't read her recap on Best Things In Beauty, you really should.

More from my friend's blog: A gorgeous Claudio Riaz highlighter. It was hard to resist getting one, too, but I went with a couple of other Riaz items. Details soon.

On Ars Aromatica: Dain takes the mystery out of good manicures and recommends several staple products. She will also convince you that you dearly need a Caron powder.

Cafe Makeup has some excellent swatches of Chanel foundations. They're so good I think I find my shade (of course, I need a new foundation as much as I need a new cat. Oh, wait...)

Sabrina's swatches on The Beauty Lookbook almost make me consider Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet; yet I never do matte lips.

Modesty Brown shares her brush collection. Oh, yeah!

On Birkin Bag Beauty: Some of the best basic French skincare.

Bloomin' Beauty features the spring set from Ellis Faas.

British Beauty Blogger has a serious rant about scam bloggers. These things make me want to pull my hair out with frustration. The idea that some brands and PR firms don't distinguish between people like that and real bloggers is mind-boggling.

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Antigone on Everyday Beauty.

Jane from Daly Beauty and I share the love for Nuxe Dry Oil. I'm on my eleventy seventh bottle.

Shannon reviews an Armani foundation on Lipstick Musings.

Vintage fiends will love this post by Lisa Eldridge.

For more reasons to covet Suqqu makeup see Messy Wands.

Musing On Beauty is not impressed with Le Metier de Beaute.

Jessica from Tinsel Creation takes on a legend.

Other fun stuff:

The diaries of Queen Victoria are now online. I may never come up for air.

More royal stuff: I'm probably the only one who finds Prince Charles kind of endearing, I know. But his reaction to watching footage from his childhood is incredibly cute, and that photo of him, Princess Anne and the corgi is priceless.

The State o'the Interwebs. A long but fascinating presentation.

Happy Jubilee!

Photo of the Queen visiting Prince Charles' school during the summer of 1957 from the British Monrachy's Flickr collection.

Makeup Look Featuring (almost) Everything Le Metier de Beaute

This is the result of a little exercise: using as many products as possible from just one brand. I chose Le Metier de Beaute because I have so many of their products, and because I didn't want to wear a heavier foundation. You can't go wrong with Peau Vierge. As for eye shadows, despite the temptation to go with one of the Kaleidoscopes I decided to use four single shadows from the permanent collection. I did sort of do the "couche de coleur " layering thing and used Le Metier's eye shadow brushes.

Here's what I used:

Face: Lorac Neutralizer as a base (because I'm testing it this week), LMdB Peau Vierge 02, LMdB powder, YSL Touche Eclat under-eye highlighter.
Eyes: Kanebo Sensai eye primer, LMdB eye shadows in Naked, Jojo, Blue Steel, and Midnight Sky. Also: Pencil eyeliner and Precision Liquid liner (I need to get a new one, this look used the swan song of the pen), both in black. Anamorphic Mascara in Midnight, probably the best mascara you're not using.
Eyebrows: I filled them where needed with Clay eye shadow, which just shows you that my coloring is weird. It's a fairly light matte taupe, several shades lighter than my hair, but still does the job.
Cheeks: LMdB cream blush in Tenne, applied with a flat top brush (Stila #21).
Lips: I mixed Dubai and Cannes lipsticks and topped them with Purple Haze gloss.

I had fun with this but have no idea if a one brand look is of any interest to you. Do let me know if you want to see more exercises like this or other special requests (as long as you keep in mind my middle-ageness and coloring).

Some of the products used in this post were PR samples.

Oscar de la Renta: Modern Clip-On Earrings

I know I've mentioned before that my ears aren't pierced. It's a family thing, I guess, as my mom and my sister never had their ears pierced, either, and as far as I know the same goes for both my grandmothers. So it's clip-ons for me, which are not so easy to find nowadays except in vintage stores. I collect vintage jewelry, so hunting for earrings is always part of the fun, especially when I come across a gorgeous and delicate screw-back pair from many decades ago. But I do wish for a lot more options in modern fashion jewelry.

I was browsing Net-a-Porter when I came across several pairs of Oscar de la Renta clip-on earrings. They go from elegant to whimsy, some meant to be worn with an evening gown, others will give some extra chic to a casual outfit. I also discovered that Oscar de la Renta is not the only designer who offers clip-ons. There are several more brands that don't require pierced ears, such as Aurélie Bidermann. A new obsession is born.

Do you wear clip-on earrings? Do you buy vintage ones? Please share the fun.

All photos from Net-a-Porter.

Makeup Look Featuring Lancome Artliner Waterproof Gold Passion

A few people emailed me to ask if Lancome Artliner Waterproof Gold Passion is not too metallic for daytime, prompting me to wear it today in a very low-key neutral look. So, the answer is that while Gold Passion will definitely make a fabulous evening eyeliner (think a tarnished gold smoky eye), it can also be the focal point of an otherwise casual eye makeup. Here's what I have on:

Face: Lorac Neutralizer as a primer, Sue Devitt tinted moisturizer, Giorgio Armani Corrector and Concealer.

Eyes: Paula Dorf eye primer, the two lightest colors from Louise Young's eye shadow palette (both are matte), Guerlain Terracotta Kohl Liner in Mirage (it's the powder one), used on the waterline and to tightline, a smidge of the medium shade from the Louise Young palette under the lower lash line, By Terry Terrybly mascara.

Brows: Natural Born Cosmetics brow powder in Smoke.

Cheeks: LMdB cream blush in Poppy.

Lips: Kjaer Weis lip tint in Passionate.

No contouring, finishing powder, bronzer etc., as the sun was already playing games. All photos were taken outside in natural light, but it's partly cloudy and breezy so the huge trees in my backyard were casting random shadows, hence the differences in light.

Oh, and before my mom freaks out (hi, Mom!), the earrings are clip-ons (a vintage find).

Rochas- Madame Rochas (Vintage Perfume)

In honor of perfumer Guy Robert who passed away this week, I'm using the last drops I have of a very old bottle of vintage Madame Rochas. This fragrance was created in 1960, commissioned by Hélène Rochas and poured into a bottle of her design  five years after Marcel Rochas' death. In 1944 Marcel Rochas had Edmund Roudnitska compose Femme de Rochas in honor of Hélène, his gorgeous teenager bride. In later years she commented (to Time Magazine) that her late husband played Pygmalion with her, and apparently did so with great success, as his still young widow took control of the Rochas brand and as its CEO turned the label into a huge perfume house. She also became a style and etiquette authority in her own right, which explains why in 1960 she wanted to redefine her perfume identity and do it her way.

Hélène Rochas told W magazine in 1984: "Women should have a fragile air, even if they are not". One can agree or disagree with her, but it's interesting to see how this statement reflects in her perfume. The voluptuous Femme, a Mitsouko cousin, could be called many things, but it has no fragile air. As a powerful executive, 33 year old Hélène Rochas chose to go the dainty way with a floral-aldehyde perfume that holds itself high and may have a spine of steel, but it keeps a very proper ladylike facade.

I admit that up until the last decade this entire genre of aldehydic florals (with the exceptions of Chanel No. 5 and Arpege) smelled pretty much the same to me. Up until I started spending some serious quality time with Caleche (a 1961 Guy Robert creation), I doubt I would have been able to tell them apart, and probably also  confused them with the chilly 1969 Paco Rabanne Calandre or 1971 Rive Gauche (neither are buy Robert, but the influence is quite evident). I've reformed since then, and have fully embraced Caleche in vintage extrait de parfum. Madame Rochas is a bit more difficult for me. I perceive Caleche as somehow warmer (yes, I know), while the very distinct muguet note in Madame Rochas sends chills down my spine. Madame Rochas is greener in the top notes, and while the old formula definitely smells mossy it is not a chypre and is less plush.

I wonder if back in the early sixties one of these fragrances was considered younger and more delicate than the other. My money is on Madame Rochas with its silver bells "voice", though interestingly enough it is Caleche that held slightly better through reformulations and the revolving doors of fashion. Madame Rochas is still a crisp floral, a bit soapy (according to Tania Sanchez in The Guide it's a cheap soapy, but I don't have any of the current juice on hand to confirm) and very proper. I know this style is considered dated, but I love the green chill of aldehyde-infused hyacinth and narcissus especially on hot summer days. It doesn't last beyond a couple of hours (might be deterioration due to the bottle's age), but it leaves behind a clean green powdery feel that never turns sour.

Notes (via Jan Moran): hyacinth, neroli, aldehydes, greens, lemon, Bulgarian rose, jasmine, iris, lily of the valley, violet, narcissus, tuberose, amber, cedarwood, sandalwood, moss, vetiver, musk, tonka bean.

Images: vintage Madame Rochas 1960s ads via hprits.com, photo collage of Hélène Rochas from http://theredlist.fr.

Want: Gerard Darel Syracuse 24 Hour Bag

Gerard Darel Syracuse 24 Hour Bag  says and spells summer. They're not new, and apparently have been celeb favorites for quite a while, as you can see in the photos of Sarah Jessica Parker, Cameron Diaz, and Angelina Jolie:

Another version of the knit Gerard Darel 24 Hour bag is the Woodstock, as seen here on Olivia Palermo.

Now to find someone who sells them locally...

Photos: fifislkn.blogspot.com and gerarddarel.com

Eve Pearl Dual Salmon Concealer (Light/Medium)

Eve Pearl's Salmon Concealer enjoys a cult-favorite status in the makeup industry. Between the soft creamy texture and pinky-peach shades that were made to counter under-eye darkness, it is definitely an versatile product worth of our attention.

I was interested in the Dual Salmon Concealer because it allows you to mix and customize your shade. The Eve Pearl rep matched me to Light/Medium, which seems about right. I use various ratios of the orange and the light peach according to the level of death-face I see in the mirror. Eve Pearl's concealer is extremely soft and pliable, and can be sheered to almost nothing, which is what thin under-eye skin likes best. The formula contains good-for-you ingredients that are meant to moisturize and protect, resulting in a lightweight texture that doesn't cake.

I should be completely in love with Eve Pearl Dual Salmon Concealer, yet I'm not. It's not the product, though. It's me. My eyes are set very (very!) deeply. This means that what appears as "dark circles" is more shadow and the result of my bone structure, not pigmentation or wacky blood flow. Thus, an under-eye concealer that doesn't include light-reflecting/brightening ingredients, will not perform well enough.

Bottom Line: Not a replacement for Touche Eclat.

Eve Pearl Dual Salmon Concealer ($37) is available from evepearl.com.