I’ve been on a bit of a rehash lately when it comes to fashion.
It started with leggings a few seasons ago. I mean, I went through the whole leggings-Madonna-wannabe fashion phase the first time around and, I have to admit, I had no qualms about jumping right back on that bandwagon this time around. (That old adage about not wearing a trend if you’re old enough to have worn it the first time around? As relevant today as not wearing white after Labor Day.) Besides, jeans may be comfortable, but leggings you can literally live in.
This fall, designers upped the ante with lots of shine.
Chanel Iman in Gucci.
Stella McCartney.
Then when bold shoulders showed up on the runway, I pounced in an ecstatic furor. For once, a fashion adage I had slavishly adhered to during my lawyer days paid off – the one about buying “investment pieces.” I lovingly pulled out my Calvin Klein Collection and Richard Tyler blazers from my lawyer days, carefully stored somewhere in my parents’ spare closet. Paired with graphic leggings from Alexander McQueen’s McQ line for Target, a men’s white tank, and sky-high ankle booties, the blazer once appropriate for the courtroom became not only current but took on the added cache of being “vintage.”
Chloe Fall 2009.
Du Juan in Derek Lam Fall 2009.
And there’s no sign of the bold shoulder or the legging disappearing any time soon. They both made a strong showing on Spring 2010 runways.
Chanel Iman in Julien Macdonald Spring 2010.
Tao Okamoto in Julien Macdonald Spring 2010.
It’s one of the few upsides of being of a certain age. You actually accumulate quite a lot of good fashion stuff.
One rehash from about the same period is Hard Candy. Remember that cult beauty line from the mid-‘90s, with its off-the-wall colors (Sky Blue anyone?) and kitschy candy packaging? Well, they’re back. Same packaging (plastic rings on nail polishes), same cutting edge colors (a luminous sapphire blue nail polish, neon eyeshadow sticks), but this time they’ve got retro cache.
From left: Hard Candy Just Nails in Frenzy, Walk the Line liquid eyeliner in Sugar Plum.
The prices are retro, too. Sold at Walmart, their nail polishes go for $5, mascara for $6, and baked blushes for $7.
Their timing couldn’t have been better. Eye glosses? Check. Colored mascaras? Check. Even eye tattoo stickers for an over-the-top Halloween look — genius! And another update for the times – the nail polishes are free of toluene, formaldehyde and DBP. It doesn’t get any better.
Hard Candy Eye Candy eye gloss and eyeliner in Queenie.
Make the transition from your beloved dark nails to a sinister green with Hard Candy Just Nails in Envy. Catch the light just so for a flash of blackened shimmering peacock green.
If you prefer your green more straight up, go for Sweet P, a sparkly lime hue.
Scared of color? Try a swoosh of it on the outer corners of your eyes. It lights up dark eyes. I like Hard Candy’s Take Me Out Liner in Bamboo. Line the inner lids with black, dab a touch of Bamboo on the outer corners (which actually looks more like Chanel’s minty jade than a leafy green). Gorgeous!
All available at www.Walmart.com.
Related Articles
Happy Halloween! No tricks, but a major treat — some eye candy, in fact. We’ve been following actress Maggie Q’s career ever since she graced our cover for our June/July 2006 issue. Though she landed on the American media radar with her starring role opposite Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible III in 2006, and Live [...]
Harajuku Lovers “Zoo Animals Candy” tote. Isn’t the name enough? It has all the possible things a girl could like in its name. And it’s as cute as it sounds. Bags that don’t have enough room can drive a girl crazy. But with its 13″ x 15″ x 6″ dimensions, large snap closure compartments, and [...]
A new Asian face appeared all over New York Fashion Week, and we had to find out who she was. Introducing Charlene Almarvez. At almost 5-foot-10-inches, Charlene Louise Alagon Almarvez hails from Sao Paulo, Philippines. After winning Ford Supermodel of the World Philippines in 2009, the 16-year-old went on to win first runner-up of the Ford Supermodel of [...]
We attended Audrey Magazine and KoreAm Journal‘s free screening of Sex and the City 2 at the Americana in Glendale, Calif., last night. With a theater full of enthusiastic SATC fans — many of whom were dressed very Carrie-appropriate — needless to say, it was a fabulous time. And the long-awaited sequel didn’t disappoint. Sure, [...]
Internationally renown actress and L’Oreal brand global ambassador Aishwarya Rai makes a stunning entrance at the 63rd Annual International Cannes Film Festival. Don’t you wish you were there? If all those cameras in the background freak you out, check out this next view. Gorgeous, sunny South of France. Sigh. Photos courtesy of Mercedes Benz Fashion [...]
