And the Oscar goes to....

My Fabulous Girl Oscar goes to Miss Reese Witherspoon! That divorcee looked HOT on the red carpet last night. It's as if she got a complete fabulous girl makeover, including showing up disheveled ex-husband. I loved her straight hair, which gave her a very young, fresh and modernly chic look. I absolutely adored her purple crepe dress with subtle violet ombre highlights at the bottom. Now that's the way to wear the new purple trend, completely original and a great color choice for her.

Preppy Chic Part Deux

The Look: Preppy right off the Hamptons Jitney
(More Dsquared on the right)

Key Items:

The Mini Skirt

Chino Sailor Mini J.Crew, $39.99

White Denim Mini Skirt J.Crew, $49.50

The Oxford Shirt

Polo Candy-Striped Oxford Polo, various prices

The Original Tennis Shoe

Keds Champion Chatham Mini Slip On Keds, $39.99 also available in green & navy

The Essential Tote

Hamptons Weekend Tote Coach, $198

I want it NOW: with inspiration from Dsquared

I adored what Dsquared had to offer for the Spring/Summer season. Preppy is most definitely chic once again (as if it ever went out of fashion in my closet!). I can’t fit all the great preppy items I found into one section, so I’ll do it in a series of posts. Here is my first, with my inspiration coming from the Dsquared runway.

The Look: Meeting your sailor boyfriend for cocktails post Block Island Race Week

How to get it:

Wool Hacking Jacket J.Crew $235

Sail Striped Roll Up Short AE, $39.50

Guess? Laralyn Shoe Nordstrom, $84.95

Sea-side Charm Bracelet J.Crew $195

I didn't include an oxford shirt, because I'm sure everyone has a white oxford shirt to wear with the blazer.

Sorry the pictures are so small, click on the links above to see the larger images.

I want it NOW: Eye Make Up in March's Elle

I want it NOW: Chloe’s emerald green eye

How to get it:

Nars Duo Eye shadow in Sea, Sex, Sun – for base yellow/gold tones
Nars Duo Eye shadow in Misfit – for the deep emerald color at the outside corner of the eye, and outside under the lower eye lashes.
M.A.C Eye shadow in Surreal – for the inside corner of the eye and bottom lid

Nars can be found at Sephora, and M.A.C at MACcosmetics.com

I want it NOW: Guess's doe-eyed liquid liner

How to get it:

Stila Eye shadow in Ecru (matte baby pink) - for base color all over lid

L'Oreal Line Intensifique Liquid Eyeliner in Black - I couldn't find this eyeliner at my local Harmon, but L'Oreal did have a liquid liner with a small brush that I really love. This one is basically the same product as Lancome's Artliner for a lot less.

Stila can be found at Sephora, and L'Oreal at your local drugstore.

A Lipgloss/Lipstick Guide For All Seasons

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, I’ve been a little uninspired. But a Fabulous Girl always bounces back and I have three must wear lip trends for the Spring, Summer and Fall.

Spring

Purple hues are everywhere for this spring. I prefer to call the new color violet, because I doubt that many girls are going to put anything close to purple on their lips. I actually discovered a few violet lipsticks and glosses last summer, which are absolute perfection. Not too purple, with a subtle shine and a breezy freshness.

For Gloss: Chanel Lipgloss in Summer Plum, $25
Obviously Chanel lip gloss is a personal favorite of mine, and this shade definitely lives up to the Chanel rep. It looks a little skeptical in the tube, but it’s gorgeous on.

For Lipstick: Nars Lipstick in Klute, $23
Nars lipstick is always a top Sephora pick and I love this frosted lilac hue. Wear a clear gloss on top of it, or even the Chanel lip gloss above.


Summer

The nude lip has made its resurgence for this summer. I like the nude lip for that ‘just off the beach’ look during the day. I also like it with lots of shine and sparkle, forget matte. Some designers were showing matte, but I think the corpse look is a no-go.

For Gloss: Dior Addict Ultra Gloss in A Delight of Apricot, $23.50
Dior gloss has a very high shine factor and I love the alternative square tube. This is one of my most used lip glosses.

For Lipstick: Clinique Long Last Soft Shine in Honey Gloss, $14
Clinique lipstick is a staple of any true lipstick maven. There a ka-zillion colors, and the product is always very moisturizing. I like the honey gloss color as a base for the nude lip, then add the Dior Ultra Gloss on top.

Fall

Red lips. You know you want to be able to pull of the red lip. Well it takes a little patience, but I think everyone can wear a red lip gloss or lipstick. The trick is to find the shade that compliments your complexion and isn’t too overdone. One way to get around the big matte red lip is too do a lip stain, or a high color gloss. Both of these colors work for me (fair skin, brown hair, tans in the summer)

For Gloss: Stila Lip Glaze in Strawberry, $20
Stila’s now legendary Lip Glaze has this great red color, just in case you’re not ready to take the red lipstick plunge just yet. It also smells like strawberries, but not so much to make you sick from your own lip gloss. This would also be great as a top coat over the a red lipstick.

For Lipstick: Bobbi Brown Lip Color in Burgundy, $21.00
I think this is currently out of stock on the Bobbi Brown website, but I’m sure you can find it at the counter. Since it is such a dark color, dab a bit of color on the center of your lip, apply a red/clear gloss on top and spread the color around. I find this work well when you want a demure red lip.

The new lip glosses (from left to right) Chanel Summer Plum, Dior Addict Ultra Gloss A Delight of Apricot, and Stila Strawberry

The Science of Skin

Smashbox O-GLOW

There has been a beauty trend lately that is just a little too scientific for my liking. It’s make-up that produces a color that is unique to you by matching your skin tone or reacting to your skin chemistry. Everyone remembers that weird lipstick first marketed in the 70’s or 80’s (either way it was gross!) that changed colors depending on your lips. The colors were hideous and many women were unintentionally walking around with orange lips.

I think we might have another “orange lips” situation on our hands here. Smashbox has just come out with a blush that ‘reacts with your personal skin chemistry to turn cheeks the exact color you blush.’ Who wants to look like they’re embarrassed all the time? That being said, I am a little curious to see what this embarrassed O-Glow blush looks like on me. I’m pretty sure Smashbox is counting on the curiosity factor to sell this product. Stay tuned for the final verdict, for now I’m highly skeptical.

O-GLOW, Smashbox, $26

You're Not Getting Roses This Year Baby...(Untraditional Valentine's)

Homemade Ice Cream Cake

I recently made this amazing cake for my boyfriend’s birthday. It was easy and required very little baking which is perfect for you non-domestic divas. So if you’re still looking for a Valentine’s present, skip dinner and just have this cake with a little champagne. Perfecto!

Fool-Proof Ice Cream Cake

Prep: 30 min.
Bake: 10 min.
Freeze: 5 hrs.

Ice Cream/Toppings
2 1-quart containers of your sweetheart’s favorite ice cream
(I went with Longford’s Mint Chip and Reese’s Nightmare)
2 cups chocolate hot fudge or caramel sauce

Crust
2 packages chocolate wafer cookies (the ones in the yellow box)
1.5 sticks butter very soft

Equipment
Oven
8 inch round spring-form pan
Freezer

Directions:

Crust:

Crush 1.5 boxes, about 3-4 cups, chocolate wafer cookies until they are the consistency of bread crumbs. Combine crushed chocolate wafers with butter. It is easiest to combine with your hands. Once butter and crushed wafers are fully incorporated, press into a prepared (with butter and flour) spring-form baking pan. Be sure to press chocolate crust about 2-3 inches up the side of the pan. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 350º F. Allow to cool until completely cold.

Filling:

Take 1 quart of ice cream and place in crust. You don’t want the ice cream to be too soft or it will get freezer burn when you put it back in the freezer, but it should be easy to spread. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours.

After 2 hours, take 2 cups of fudge or caramel sauce and spread over first layer of ice cream. Make sure the sauce is not hot, out of the frig is best. At this point you can take some of the extra chocolate wafer crumbs and layer them under or over fudge. Or even some nuts if you like them. Cover the pan again with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 1 hour.

Finally after 1 hour, take second ice cream flavor and spread over the fudge layer. Allow to freeze for at least 2 hours. Before serving, sprinkle remaining chocolate wafer crumbs over the top of the cake and gently remove the spring-form pan by releasing the clip.

The best gifts are tied with heartstrings! Enjoy!

Photo: Susan Branch www.susanbranch.com Check out her adorable love keepsake book Love: from the Heart of the Home

Fur, Fur Everywhere

Fur made a huge comeback this week in the Fall collections. Not only did NYC have temps in the teens, but the runway showed there’s nothing like fur to keep you toasty, this season and next Fall too!

As you can see from my previous post, it’s pretty easy to go from fur chic to prostitute panache (in a horrible way). Avoid the road kill look at all costs, and wear just one fur item at a time. I tried to find a picture of Audrey Hepburn wearing an adorable fur caplet and black cigarette pants, which is the look I mean here, so once I find it I’ll post it.

In the meantime, a few designers got the fur, fur everywhere trend right.

Top left: Badgley Mischka

Top center: Myself by Kai Kuhne

Top right: Michael Kors

Bottom: Michael Kors

Fur Fashion Police!

Fur is definitely back in vogue, but Ashley Olsens' fur looks too much like roadkill. ewwww. And don't even get me started on the hair/makeup/"I look like a cheap hussy" that both of them have going on!

Swing into Fall

Ah, New York in the Fall. The changing leaves, the crisp nippy air, the swing coats. Wait, swing coats? That’s right, this Fall is going to be all about the swing coats. At this past Fashion Week for the Fall 2007 collections, everyone had at least one swing coat and some had several. I’ve always liked the swing coat because it brings back a little of that 60’s flair sans the bubble folds and weird Balenciaga bustleness. I actually started wearing one of my old black swing coats out at night because it’s so warm, who knew I was ahead of the fashion curve?

So how do you do the swing coat without getting swallowed up by it, or looking overly fashionable in a non-fabulous way? The key is the cut and the length. If you’re petite, find a coat that is cropped and pair it with slim pants. If you’re a bit taller you can wear a longer coat that hits a little below or a little above the knee. With both versions, you don’t want the fabric and cut to be too voluminous. Yes it should have a distinctive swing, with a slight flair at the bottom, but avoid mountains of fabric.

Other swing coat trends include tons of fur and black fabric; more to follow on that later.

Here are some beautiful and practical swing coats from Fashion Week.

Top left: Michael Kors

Top right: Michon Schur

Bottom left: Zac Posen

Bottom right: Vera Wang