Call me crazy, but I really love this peacock-plumed concoction Eva Longoria wore last night in Cannes. Like I can't stop looking at it. Wishing I had it. Imagining all the fabulous places I could wear it. Like grocery shopping or to the gym. Seriously though, a dress this fabulous has a limited window of places to wear it, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of subtle ways to incorporate peacock into your everyday wardrobe. And with green being so hot right now, peacock feathers are a great accessory.

Just read an interesting tip in this month's Self:

"Forming an O with your mouth makes putting on mascara a cinch, says Allyson Murray, a makeup artist in NYC for Jane Iredale. When you hold your mouth like this, you relax your eyes and blink less." (pg. 66)

Makes sense to me. Are you sitting at your computer with your mouth in the shape of an "O" testing it out? Because I totally did that too.

My suspicion that GREEN would be the hot new color for summer surfaced the other day, when I was contemplating how fresh and lovely Ms. Sarah Jessica Parker looked in her short green frock at the Sex and the City film premiere. So imagine my smug lack of surprise this afternoon when I happened upon these new photos of Kristin Davis and Angelina Jolie, both looking glam in green:

Kristin goes the short route like fellow SATC castmate SJP, choosing a shimmery metallic dress and accessorizing with a cute black clutch and platform heels, while Angelina (pregnant with twins!) goes for a floor-length, Empire waist number and accessorizes with Brad Pitt. In my ever so humble opinion, both women look gorgeous - and green is an exciting color trend, because it's easy to make it work for you. Women with darker hair should follow the examples set by Kristin and Angie and choose a deeper shade of green, like olive, emerald or forest green. Lighter haired women (see SJP) are flattered by softer shades, like mint, or brighter shades like grass or even a blue-tinged sea green. (Redheads, of course, can pull off pretty much any shade of green their little hearts desire.) Here are a few cute pieces to get you started:

OPI just launched two new collections of nail lacquers for summer, and they couldn't be more different.

The first collection, Mod About Brights, promises "Totally Mod-ern Shades with a Bright Twist!" Think bold, statement-making polishes in shades that you could find in any kid's Crayola collection. Exciting examples include Dating a Royal, a new spin on the blue polish craze that's less severe than its dark navy predecessors from earlier this year; Green-wich Village, a vivid, grassy green; and The "It" Color, a sunny yellow that is precisely on-point with the recent trends we've been telling you about. If these colors feel a little too loud for you and you're in the market for something a bit more understated and pretty, well, OPI's got you covered.

These three are from their new SoftShades: Beyond Chic collection of polishes, intended "for nails that are effortlessly elegant." Planning a summer wedding? Embracing the Little White Dress? Slick on one of these subtle shades and you can rest assured that your nails will complement your look, not upstage it. My favorites include Makes Me Blush, a creamy pale pink; She's Golden, a white frost with a rich golden undertone; and Pearls Night Out, an opalescent pearly white. Any of these would be an interesting variation on the standard nude or pink polishes. 

My recommendation? Go crazy and buy a few from each collection! That way you'll be able to switch it up all summer long. 

I was flipping through Cosmo and there was a little blurb on their Beauty Q&A about concealer for men. They said that "there are a lot of dude-friendly options now" and my curiousity was piqued.

They suggested Clinique's Skin Supplies for Men as a good option if a man is looking for concealer, siting it's "masculine packaging" as a good way for him not to feel too embarrassed. I, of course, thinks it looks like a good nude lipstick....so as far as the masculine part goes, I'm not too sure.

So I googled "concealer for men" and found The Men Pen which I like for the name alone and John Varvatos has a Makeup for Men line with a concealer that looks "manliest" of all to me. All of these concealers are appealing to men who want to cover up breakouts, razor burn, under eye circles, and the like. I'm all for a man concealing skin issues but I want to hear what you think:

Now, I don't like to give Paris anymore attention than she is so desperately seeking, but what's been going on with her new boy toy Benji is something worth discussing.

She has completely changed her look, style and image to fit in with his bad-boy-all-black-clothing lifestyle. She wears "edgy" t-shirts, hoodies, Ed Hardy designs galore and skulls are apparently her new pink. She used to be all orange and pink all the time! And yes, I'm referring to her orange skin which has now taken on a much more natural pallor.

So the question I'm posing is this:

Do you (or have you ever) completely altered yourself in order to be more in line with your significant other?

I'm dying to hear from you and get your take on this chameleon-act- for-a-guy behavior.  Discuss.

Here's an exciting development for those of us who are always on a quest for longer, more luscious lashes: Polymer mascaras. These mascaras, which feature elastic polymers that actually coat each of your eyelashes with tiny flexible tubes, claim to both extend your natural lashes to surreal lengths and solve the whole flaking/smearing/fading problem that plagues typical mascaras. I first heard about them when I read a review of Too Faced Lash Injection over on Slice of Beauty, and after a little supplemental investigating, I was immediately intrigued: "This exclusive, 3D formula actually builds tubes around each lash. ...Lash Injection comes off in tiny tubes, like little lash socks!" Little lash socks?! How adorably bizarre! (Slice of Beauty, however, said that the lash socks never materialized for her, mainly because the mascara just stubbornly stays put - apparently you can cry, rub your eyes, go swimming and, presumably, survive a nuclear blast and this stuff will stay put.) Then, today, one of my close friends mentioned that she saw a similar product in Target that claimed to create little "tubes" around each of your lashes for a really dramatic look. Of course, this inspired me to find other examples of polymer-based mascaras. Here are a few more promising prospects:

From left to right, we have Blinc Kiss Me Mascara, Prestige Lash Matrix and Cargo TexasLash. Like Lash Injection, all of them claim to be totally resistant to smudges, runs, flakes and water, all promise to increase your lashes' length and volume to positively unnatural proportions...and all swear that you'll find "little lash tubes" in your hand after removal. Is it weird that I'm just as excited about that as I am about the pretty eyes thing?! 

It's that time of year when everyone starts wearing a little less, showing more skin and flaunting their beach-ready bodies...right?  Beach-ready? Ha!  With our busy lives it's hard to be 100% ready to go and if you are battling some residual body issues, especially in your mid-section, then this post is for you.  We all want to have flat tummies but sometimes it's hard or even beyond our control.  So I've picked out some good choices of tops and dresses that can accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative, without eliminating style. 

 
It's all about the cut... 

I've talked before about the revival of hour-glass figures this year and how tent-like silhouettes are out.  If you have some old babydolls hanging in your close, revive them with a strategically placed belt, like I talked about here.  If you're ready for some new pieces, keep reading...

 
Tunics

Tunics are a great way to look pulled together and fashionable yet conceal any tummy issues.

The long-awaited Sex and the City feature film had its London premiere on Monday, and all four of the ladies were there, flaunting their own individual takes on red carpet style. And - surprise, surprise - their choices were pretty much in line with what you would expect from each of them, considering their fashion history and the personality traits of the women they portray on SATC.

Here's Cynthia Nixon (a.k.a. cynical and brainy Miranda Hobbes), looking every inch the quintessential New Yorker in her elegant yet daring floor-length, low-cut gown. This get-up might be a tad on the flashy side for Miranda, but it suits Cynthia perfectly - it's a risk, but it works, thanks to the forgiving looseness of the skirt, the near Empire-waist cut of the dress and the understated nature of her hair, makeup and accessories. Pretty earrings and a simple black clutch complete the outfit, while a soft bob (yep, again with the bob! - toldya they were hot) and neutral makeup allow the focus to stay on her dress.

Next up, we have Kim Cattrall (a.k.a. the notoriously lusty Samantha Jones) in an asymmetrical knee-length red dress. Red is a great, albeit obvious, choice for the woman who portrays the sauciest of the SATC ladies, but beyond the color, this outfit falls flat. The dress doesn't flatter her amazing figure, the unfortunate updo creates a look that's far too stiff and the strap on those heels cuts into the line of her leg, giving the appearance of thick ankles. Perhaps Cattrall panicked under the pressure of attempting to stay true to her character's over-the-top, aggressively sexy reputation?

Kristin Davis (a.k.a. perpetual romantic Charlotte York-Goldenblatt) was another Lady in Red, with much more successful results. I love the nipped-in waist, full skirt and sheer top of this dress, which really plays to her body's strengths. The nude shoe is a fantastic sexy accent, and I absolutely adore how she left her long hair down and played up the strong shade of her dress with an equally strong red lip. It's also appropriate that Davis has chosen the most demure gown of the evening, with its high neckline and below-the-knee hem. What Would Charlotte Do? She would choose something pretty and classy, just like this!

Last, but (obviously!) not least, we have our heroine, Sarah Jessica Parker, who provides the central voice and narration of the SATC universe as intrepid fashion maven Carrie Bradshaw. I think everyone would've been disappointed if SJP had showed up in some run-of-the-mill, boring dress, so it should come as no surprise that she chose something so out of the ordinary. Her short, strapless green number (green is the new black, my friends!), two-tone shoes and, most of all, that outrageous hat stay 100% true to Carrie Bradshaw's more-is-more approach to fashion. Once again, toned-down makeup and natural-looking hair offer the perfect counterpoint to an otherwise outlandish ensemble. On anyone else, it would look ridiculous, but SJP makes it work.

So what do you think of the ladies' red carpet choices? Who was your favorite?

I had to sneak into NYC this past weekend for non-Latest Beauty-related business but I couldn't go there and not stop into Barney's to check out the Rogan for Target line! It's going to be out here in the LA Barney's on the 16th and in Target on the 18th but I thought it would be fun to check out the hoopla on both coasts. Especially since they had some sort of red-carpet opening on Friday:

With fashionable Diane Kruger and Amanda Peet getting in on the action, how could I pass up the opportunity? And I'm excited to say that Rogan's line does not disappoint!

I was expecting a bit of a madhouse, but the display was very clean and clutter-free and the crowd was very minimal. I don't know if going on the last day had anything to do with that (it was also Mother's Day, so maybe people were still at brunch?) but I found plenty to check out. Since it was the last day though, the choices in sizes were not as bountiful but I'm totally going the first day here in LA so I can get the romper I'm lusting for.

So the first little number I checked out was this classic halter dress. What I liked most about it is that it has a very subtle zebra print running through it. You can't even see it in the picture, that is how quiet the pattern is but that totally ups the class factor in my book. The fit was amazing and it is going to be a great summer dress to just throw on and go to dinner, looking effortlessly chic.

The shorts I picked out are both fun pieces, but the zebra ones were a little too young for me. I would have worn them with confidence in my teenage years, but I'd feel funny in them now. The black ones fit a little more comfortably but I wasn't in love with the snaps on the side to roll up the shorts, so I passed.

I didn't take pictures of the bathing suit because it was cut for a woman with a much shorter torso than mine and it would have been indecent. And the jeans are great and I highly recommend them. They didn't work for me though because I have a terrible time finding jeans that fit my "little in the middle, but she got much back" body type.

I'm looking forward to checking out the display this Friday at my local Barney's. And once this hits Target on Sunday, you're going to want to get in on the action. The line has classic, comfortable pieces that in addition to being organic, are going to become staples in your wardrobe. They are pieces that you can use as building blocks for an entire look. And if you can make it to Barney's on the west coast, you get the canvas tote I'm sporting in the top picture of this post as your shopping bag with purchase. Is it weird that I was as excited about that as finding a new dress?

Check out the new line of makeup, brushes and bath and body products from E.L.F. (it stands for Eyes Lips Face) - it all look so enticing, and it's cheap. Not even drugstore cheap; more like unbelievably, can-this-be-the-right-price?! cheap.

Hardly anything on the site seems to be over $10 (in fact, the few things I could find in the over $10 range were multi-piece gift sets) and many things are, incredibly, $1. This is a particular point of pride for E.L.F.: "We at e.l.f. believe that innovative technology, quality ingredients and superb delivery systems should not be limited to prestige retailers. Every woman should have the opportunity to participate in innovation, without sacrificing her budget." Hear, hear! Both the multitasking All Over Color Stick and the Candy Shop Lip Gloss tins shown above will set you back a mere dollar a pop; the Vanilla Coconut Body Butter will cost you 4. Judging from the website's Store Locator, E.L.F. seems to be available at the discount retailer BigLots! - hey, if Target can invade Barney's, why can't the store formerly known as Pic'n'Save have fantastic beauty products, right?

When it comes to necklaces, I've always been partial to chokers or delicate charms on a shorter chain. Lately, however, I've been obsessed with pendants - big, chunky, eye-catching baubles at the end of a longer chain so the charm hits halfway down your chest as opposed to resting lightly at the base of your throat. They're so elegant and attention-grabbing without crossing over into gaudy territory! And I love the simplicity of having a pretty, unusual pendant (like the owl, globe or seahorse pictured above) as the only accessory to a simple outfit, like a white button-down shirt and slim black pants or a laidback maxi dress.

Pendants also come in such a variety of styles that collecting them becomes irresistible once you're hooked! Here are a few that I currently have my eye on:

The multicolored, patchwork feel of the Murano glass disc at left goes perfectly with this season's updated hippie/boho looks, while the translucent garnet heart appeals to my goth sensibilities. And the silver urn on the right? Well, it can be filled with anything from a few drops of your favorite scent to the ashes of a loved one (I can't decide if I find that prospect poignant or creepy...!) - or you could just leave it empty and keep people guessing as to its contents. In any case, I love the shape and the detailing. Finding a versatile pendant necklace that works for any look should be easy! It's definitely the jewelry to have this summer.

Fell. In. Love. with this nesting bowl set from Koo de Kir. How pretty are they???  This is THE gift for any upcoming weddings or a last minute score for Mother's Day.  These pretty bowls would look great displayed on the counter just as decoration. And then the fact that you can actually use them?  For whatever serving purposes you want?  If I could serve everything from my cereal to chips to pasta in these?  Sigh. They just make the mundane seem so exciting.  And!  They are dishwasher and microwave safe.  So practical.  So pretty.  So my new obsession.