As I was walking through Nordstrom the other day, I couldn't help but do a double take on what appeared to be Marie Antoinette-inspired statues. I didn't think they were for sale, really. I just assumed they were jewelry displays. That is, until I saw the Juicy Couture inscription on the base of these statues. Wow, I thought. This is a great example of what happens when packaging upstages product. The jewelry themselves are okay, I suppose, but not spectacular. Though I wouldn't spend $62.00 on either the earrings or necklaces, I did covet the packaging.
Now, this is what I call a parcel!
{ Sorry, semi-unboxing only... presents for a friend. :) }
If you're ever in West Portal in San Francisco, remember to pass by Gloria Garrett. I promise that it will be worth your while. It's a beautiful, cozy shop and it's well stocked -- lots of pretty stationery, note cards, vintage-inspired postcards, socks, soaps, Butter London nail polish, books, lots of Cavallini -- in short, a whole lot of good stuff.
Anyhow, I bought a 2010 agenda by Cath Kidston and set of Cavallini bird sticky notes. I really had no intentions to blog about this and I only decided to share my experience right after I paid for my things. I was expecting my purchase to be handed to me in either a paper or plastic bag. Instead, my purchase was carefully gift-wrapped and it looked like this:
Isn't the packaging sweet? :)
I love lipstick. Can you imagine how I felt when I received a review package from Lipstick Queen, filled with her latest line of Lipstick Queen products? Ecstatic. Okay, so what did I get?
I had a blast trying each one with the Invisible Lip Liner. I'm especially fond of Medieval and Black Tie Optional (and Shine). Medieval was particularly intriguing since it was inspired by an era obsessed with the appearance of purity. It replicates the lip color worn by women in the Medieval period. Apparently, women during that time used lemons to stain their lips a see-through blood red and Poppy King, the Lipstick Queen herself, replicated the color by squeezing lemons to sting her lips a blood red color and then had her chemist match the exact shade. Unlike the pain lemons bring, Medieval is all goodness, full of Vitamin E and pigment.
Now, Black Tie Optional. This one was inspired by the flapper girls of the Roaring 20's, who challenged the stereotypes of their day by wearing their hair bobbed, their dresses slim fitting and their lips devilishly deep. Black Tie can be applied over other lipsticks or gloss shades to add depth and finish to any shade from red to nude. Personally, I like to wear it all by itself. Though it's not touted as a *Goth* color, it's very reminiscent of the Beetlejuice cartoon -- of Lydia's subtle gray lips.
Following the *details* link below will show how the colors look on me. But, keep in mind that Medieval and Black Tie Optional deserve to be seen in person. Lipstick Queen is available at all Barneys New York and online at LipstickQueen.com.
