Your Style Star

There’s nothing I love more than buying eye shadow. Okay.. So let me back up and correct myself. I love shopping for clothes but I really feel that having killer eyes completes any look. Eyes are the windows to our soul and my soul likes to be seated behind a pair of killer peepers.

Smashbox cosmetics has created the perfect holiday gift set for all you eye shadow fanatics like myself. The Rapture Eye Shadow and Brush Collection features 16 dual eye shadows and 2 brushes. Each container holds two shadows that complement each other and can be paired together to create a variety of looks. The eye shadows in this kit come in a matte, luminous or shimmery finish. My favorite eye shadow duo is Gala which features a black with sparkles. I love all things glittery. Gala is a great shadow to create smoky or panda eyes.

As an added bonus you get a definer and shadow brush to help you achieve flawless application. Everyone knows high quality brushes cost quite a bit. In my opinion the brushes are wonderful. They are very dense and soft. I’m able to apply my shadows easily and the color is distributed evenly. Best of all they don’t shed.

Smashbox Rapture Eye Shadow and Brush Collection is available at Smashbox.com, Beauty.com, Sephora, Ulta, Nordstrom, and select Bloomingdale’s.

Katrina Kelly is a jewelry designer based out of New York. She shares with us her love for architecture and the reason she designs jewelry with and old world flair.

What inspired you to design jewelry with an antique influence?

I believe it was inevitable for my designs to have an antique influence. I grew up surrounded by antiques. My parents exposed me to a mostly classical ideology. They are aficionados of French furniture, Persian rugs, Venetian glass and so many other collectibles. My father especially has an aesthetically astute eye. My parents instilled this love in me at the age of 10 when they bought me a French Louis XV Mahogany bedroom set for my birthday. Growing up, almost every Sunday we went to church then went to the antique market. I was taken to estate sales and antique auctions. They could not get enough “antiquing”. I recall turning rugs over to see the knots at a very early age. I certainly did not appreciate any of these activities until much later. In college I think I rebelled and intentionally studied Modernism. I became well versed in The Bauhaus School, Dadaism, Surrealism, and just anything Modernist and Postmodern. I feel that a very subtle hint of Modernism comes across in my pieces as well. As much as I appreciate all these movements philosophies to break from the past and realism, it is the past innovations and style that I am always drawn to historically and aesthetically. It is my ideal notion of what beauty is. One inspiration of my designs is a period when I lived in Florence, Italy. A more non-classical antique inspirational experience was when I worked at a Turkish company where I was surrounded by jewelry and objects inspired by the ottomans period. When I studied in Florence years ago there was nothing more powerful and awe-inspiring than walking by Filippo Brunelleschi’s dome every day. This type of technique and skill stands the test of time in construction and style. I feel it challenged my mind to be quite driven. I never grew tired of seeing any works from The Renaissance or any other master’s work. They constructed intricate timeless pieces that are to be admired for eternity. I hope that my work will be thought of this way as well. [Read more →]

Happy Turkey Day! Take a peek at this week’s wonderful posts and as always read a blog save the world.

• 39thandbroadway - Ever wonder where fashion trends come from and how they develop, long before they hit the stores?
• A Few Goody GumDrops - A Few Goody Gumdrops asks…Who needs a Mink Coat when you can have a Mink Bag!
• Being High Maintenance, not Bitchy - Being High Maintenance, not Bitchy gushes over Freeman’s Replenishing Body Lotion - the effective, but stinky moisturizer
• Capitola Girl Jewelry Blog - I’m saying no to gift cards this holiday season, and looking to the indie sellers on Etsy for some great guy gifts.
• Clutch 22 - Tackling Black Friday and Cyber Monday this holiday season.
• Couture Allure - Couture Allure shows how to dress up your holiday hairdo with vintage accessories.
• dapper kid - Essay on the impact of the Industrial Revolution on Men’s Tailoring.
• Diary of a Style Addict - Diary of a Style Addict Reviews Paint Cosmetics fab mineral eyeshadows [Read more →]

I’ve been spending all week gearing up for the biggest shopping day of the year. Although I must admit I’ve been hitting up the outlet malls because their sales have started early. I simply couldn’t resist buying a much needed winter coat from Banana Republic for 40% off. Luckily Mr. Kiss was happy to oblige. I love the thrill of finding a good bargain. I spend much of my shopping time surfing the web’s endless array of coupon forums. However there is a certain rush about waking up at the wee hours of the morning and joining hundreds of people in a mad shopping dash. I love Black Friday shopping, even though admittedly it isn’t a sport for everyone. For the brave few here are my tips for surviving black Friday. [Read more →]