One beauty trend I would have never expected to see come to the fore has been ombre lips. I mean, really. First it was ombre hair – okay – and ombre nails – fun – but on the lips? I thought this strayed a little too far into Crazy territory for the mainstream beauty scene. But…maybe that’s why I wanted to try it? It’s no secret that I’m not exactly a less-is-more kinda gal when it comes to cosmetics (case in point: they say when you’re doing a bold lip you should really tone down the eye make-up…ahem). Something about the ombre lip appealed to me. It was definitely an interesting result, but this particular fade-out look – as opposed to the darker color fading to a light on the inside of the lip – proved to be very time-consuming. I’m one of those people who, when it comes to make-up, absolutely loves a bit of creative freedom but at the same time is very aware of those extra glances one gets when one looks as if they’re late for a dress rehearsal for some extravagant stage production. And the ombre lip, when done in a statement-making high contrast, can easily garner a few stares. I lost track of the minutes that ticked by, by, by as I dabbled with a red lipstick, some nude gloss, concealer for extra brightness and so on. The gloss is necessary after the concealer, as the latter typically tends to be quite dry and cakey. But in the end I did get the look I wanted. I’m curious to play around a bit more with different techniques, colors and the like. I can say that there’s a likelihood this particular version won’t happen again – or, at any rate, I’ll try to be a lot less particular about it!
Image credits: mostly Doctor Macro; Katharine by the fireplace via Google
Two ladies whose styles have been on my mind lately. So often when I think of classic Hollywood ladies meeting menswear I instantly go to that first picture of Carole; it encompasses everything I love about the un-feminine glamour of women’s foray into slacks and masculine jackets and the like. Carole, though, had such an unstoppable femininity that balanced it all out perfectly. And of course there was Katharine Hepburn, who literally wore men’s trousers. She absolutely knew how to start a trend. If fashion wouldn’t bring her what she wanted, she’d darn well find a way to get it for herself. While both women pulled off the menswear look so well, they definitely understood the expectations of above-and-beyond womanly glamour for their eras, too. When it came to dresses and skirts they were more than capable.
Never two more appropriate inspirations for ingenuity in personal style, don’t you think?
In the midst of New England’s latest snowstorm I got the hankering to bake scones, something I’ve never done before. I didn’t want anything with a particular flavor theme because I was keen to the idea of slathering on jam or honey at leisure, so I decided to try concocting my own simple base recipe. You can easily mix it up by adding a bit of cinnamon, honey or even maple syrup to the ingredients, a cup of fruit or chips or nuts, compensating a bit here and there for the additions. The fact that I scrapped this together on such a whim and the result was actually quite good – that tells me you can do just about anything you want with this recipe and you should be fairly safe! And if you manage to wind up with something that doesn’t resemble a scone in either look or flavor…well, you’re a bit more talented than I am!
Basic Sugar Scones
3 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
8 tablespoons butter, sliced
4 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 egg
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon sugar
Slice the butter and let it sit at room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into the mixture with two knives.
In a separate bowl mix cream, egg and vanilla extract. Gently stir the combination into the dry ingredients with a fork.
Set the mixture onto a working surface. Form it into a circular shape, either with your hands or a rolling pin. Cut into triangles (a plus sign, then an X). Gently place onto a greased baking sheet and cook for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven, sprinkle with sugar, and return to the oven for 12 minutes. Serve hot with jams or preferred toppings and a cup of tea, and enjoy!
