Best of 2007

Best Finds of 2007

I going to place an homage to All Laquered Up and Blogdorf Goodman by listing my favorites of 2007. Being that I'm not the product junkie that these bloggers are, but being rather particular about chemistry and application, my list is very different from these lovely ladies. Additionally, these aren't products that were necessarily released in 2007, just the ones that I used in 2007.


Best Shadow - Physician's Formula Matte Collection Quad Eye Shadow

Best Lip - Cover Girl Triple Lipstick (discontinued, of course)

Best Foundation - Cover Girl Smoothers SPF Tinted Moisturizer

Best Eye Liner - still looking

Best Mascara - Almay One Coat Nourishing Mascara

Best Perfume - i Profumi di Firenze's "Ambra del Nepal", I smell like an exotic dessert all day long

Best laquer - Zoya

Best polish bottomcoat - OPI Nail Envy Sensitive and Peeling (Formaldehyde Free formula)

Best polish topcoat - CND Air Dry (hands down, no competition)

Best accessory - scarves (they dress up a work outfit like nothing else, you can wear them in a hundred different configurations, and they don't cost a great deal)

Best vitamin - DEVA Vegan Multivitamin (digests easily)

Best jewelry - classics with a twist in true gold, regardless of color: yellow, rose, white, green, etc.

Best computer accessory - keyboard condoms rock, aka silicone keyboard protectors


Worst Products of 2007:

Ann Taylor -
Haven't they heard of the pear shape? Even when I find "curvy" pants to fit my hips, the waist is still two sizes too big.

Why is their product so poor? I've had a least one hem fall out of every pair of pants I've ever purchased from them, I've had the hem fall out of both legs in some pairs. I've had the hem fall out of an un-lined jacket I purchased from them.

Why does their interior finishing fall so short? I've had two pair of AT pants grow by at least one size though the day ... in the waistband. When I took them back to customer service I had a real fight, because I'd "worn" the pants. They told me, it is common for the pants to grow a size, you are supposed to buy them one size small. Excuse me? If they can't be bothered to properly interface the waistband of a pair of pants, I'm NOT going to pay the price.

*ETA* I just read about their closing of a bunch of stores due to poor performance ... *sigh*, if they would just raise their quality by a smidge. Look at it this way, if I can get 100 wearings out of a $200 pair of pants, I've spent $2.00 per wear on those pants. If I can only get 4 wearings out of a $50 pair of pants, I've spent $12.50 per wear on those pants. Yes, classic, well made styles, will last you much longer and cost you less in the long run.


Urban Decay Smoke Out Pencil - I've never had a pencil dry out on me soooo quickly.

Vincent Longo Duo Eye Pencil - I've loved the application, but I'm allergic to one of the ingredients. If I remember correctly, it has castor bean oil.

Almay Hydracolor Lipstick - This caused my lips to burn badly. I'm definitely allergic to something in the formulation ... I think it has a citrus extract in it, but I'm not sure that it caused the problem. And since I reacted to 3 different shades, it wasn't a fluke.

Fashion and Adapting

Fashion

I'm not a big runway watcher. My mouth does not start watering when the latest collections are released.

But while while I know what I like, what flatters my figure and coloring, I can always use a little help in putting together a working wardrobe. Enter Lucky Magazine. When I decided to buy a subscription to a "fashion mag" I purchased a handful at the grocery store, and set about ripping out pages that appealed to me. After 3 months, Lucky Magazine was the clear winner. Their ripped pile was towering over the others. Lucky fits my style much better than any other. I almost felt like Little Red Riding Hood as I went through the others - Vogue was too much, Instyle was too celebrity based, Harper's Bazaar was too chatty.

So I purchased my Lucky Magazine subscription and await its delivery for useful hints that I can put together. My only ding for Lucky is their coverage of styling and makeup products. Probably due to the fact that I don't style my hair much, and I get by with the bare minimum makeup that keeps me acceptable in the corporate world.

While I read the magazine cover to cover, some sections really stand out in my mind.

Does this outfit work?
Here's what they did last time:



All the "models" are fairly cute before, but Lucky comes along and makes a few switches here and there. I always come away with a "hmm, I bet I can ..." feeling.













Editor's Picks, and this month's favorite of mine is a TDF top. I wonder if it will go on sale?

I love everything about it. The asymmetricality, the obi sash, the color.

Foley + Corinna

I'm not the only reader with a deep lust on for this one. Splendora Blog











They've also got the One item 4 ways. The dress in this instance.

I was really struck by the cardigan (the dress, not so much). I love the looks, the length, not the color. I'll be morphing HotPatterns, Miss Moneypenney Coco Twinset cardigan for this. Trudy, what work you are making me do!!!














Wear it now, wear it later
Check Lucky's flipbook for a sample.

I love this look, talk about distilling the shirtdress to the lowest common denominator: placket, rolled sleeves, slight A-line. I must have it.

Looking through patterns, Butterick has a somewhat similar item, 5037. Granted, it's a shirt pattern, but those are easy to lengthen. However, I have a confession ... the big4 drafting sucks "Slurm." So, it is unlikely that I will run out and buy the Butterick pattern.














BUT, I have this lovely, lovely Burda magazine from January of 2004. Inside is model 113.

Empire waist, A-line ... well, you are going to have to picture it morphed into the dress above. I'll probably rotate the darts, slim the skirt, and get rid of the extra seaming and collar.

Perfect. And probably perfectly well drafted.

This will become my lowest common denominator shirtdress.







Speaking of shirtdresses, and slightly off topic, I've got this Patrones pattern cut out (model 64 from issue 241, Feb 2006):

I'm not doing the pleated inserts, but I've got the fabric picked out and the pattern morphed as need be: take out a chunk for hollow chest, DEEP sway back darted out (1 and 7/8"), and sleeve adjustment.

Sleeve adjustment ... I can only assume that Trussardi (the designer) was draping this on a model closely related to Loes Hinse, her patterns have what I consider freakishly thin bicep areas. My unflexed bicep is 12" around, this size 40 pattern has, get this, a 12 and 5/8" measurement. Okay, check the size 44, I think it had a 13" measurement. That was never going to work, so off to the old large upper arm adjustment
(scroll down a bit past halfway). This is a rare adjustment for me in big4, Burda, or KnipMode, but common in Loes Hinse.


I suspect I should run up a muslin of the bodice before I cut into my fashion fabric. I only have a couple yards, and my hubby picked it out. He hates fabric shopping, but he has an amazing ability to pick out the neatest prints that I've passed by. I don't want to waste the fabric as I have one time in the past (regret for that failure will sit with me the rest of my life).