Mother's Day Books: MBFW Look Book, Decades of Hats & Downton Abbey Cookbook

Keepsake books on fashion and cuisine Mom (or you) will treasure!

If you missed Spring 2014 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in NYC -  last fall, here is an amazing consolation prize: The SFP Lookbook - Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Collections New York.(Schiffer Publishing)

Burberry Spring 2014

With this large coffee table book, you can see the runway unfold right before your eyes with your favorite fashion designers from the S/S 2014 shows. All of the top designers and fashion houses are there including two whom I've met through our shared work with the Ice Theatre of New York: Vera Wang and Nichole Miller.

The Vera Wang Spring 2014 show.

384 full color pages allow you to relive the shows with designers like: Herve Leger, Badgley Mischka, Lacoste, Diesel Black Gold, Tory Burch, Zac Posen as well as up an coming designers from the Academy of Art University & Project Runway to name only a few.

Nichole Miller designed these gowns for the ITNY ice show.

 This is a keepsake treasure that you can use now to build your spring-summer outfits. Having a detailed look-book like this allows you to see how to include updated elements from the runway shows to your own wardrobe. Simply exquisite! Edited by Jessie Marth for Schiffer Fashion Press, copyright 2014 or visit SchifferBooks.com online.

Decades of Hats 1900s to the 1970's by Sue Nightingale (Schiffer Publishing)
This VERY entertaining yet informative book takes you right through the "Flapper Era" with all sorts of stops along the way. The book's plates show advertisements for everything from hair extensions, (yes they sold them then too), to hats which look quite similar to those worn by the Duchess of Cambridge (aka Princess Kate) today. In fact if you didn't know better, you'd think Philip Treacy was designing back then. Truth is, up until the late 1960's, hats and gloves were quite common place for going out in public even in America. Queen Elizabeth's Queen Mum never felt "dressed" going out without one of her signature soft floppy brims. 

Todd Smith & Co Hats from circa 1904

Some of my favorite hats in this book are from 1920 - 1929 as many of them have not changed very much down to this day.  The main thing I would note is that the hats are far more ornate than what we would see today but that may also be due to changing styles and availability of raw materials, (can you say "Ostrich Feathers?).

Contemporary felt cap once called a "Clara Bow Hat"

Clara Bow Hat - Similar to what I'm wearing in the photo above was once called the Clara Bow Hat - "Designed for and Posed by the Famous Paramount Picture Star".  During the Roaring 20's, these wool felt hats were tricked out with grosgrain ribbon, flowers, buckles, bows and ostrich feathers. Listed in the Sears Roebuck and Co. catalog for about $2.25!
Historically fashionable, Decades of Hats is gorgeous and shows nothing is new under the sun. See more titles at SchifferBooks.com

Edwardian Cooking: The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook by Larry Edwards
80 authentic recipes from the more upper crust Edwardian kitchens. Recipes for your High Tea, savory delicacies such as Baked Stuffed Mushrooms and dinner ideas. Really everything from soup to nuts! My family has roots in the British Isles (Scotland included) and many of the recipes are quite familiar such as Queen Victoria Rice Pudding. Very similar to my Grandmother's recipe! If you are even remotely English, these recipes will sound very familiar and like true British cuisine, require a limited amount of simple ingredients. Huzzah!

 
Edwardian Cooking offers a rare glimpse into the cooking styles and tastes of the Downton Abbey era, (1901-1919) when there was a fork and utensil for everything...pickle fork, herring tongs, oyster dish. Still the book offers contemporary and much less fussy cooking instructions. I have antique cookbooks from that era and they are so convoluted and difficult to follow. Not so with this cookbook. Now I may not agree with the olive oil in the Abbey Banana Walnut Bread recipe but it's not hard to swap out ingredients that you prefer or have available. Elegant Edwardian Meals in 168 easy to follow pages. Available online from Arcade Publishing.

Downton Abbey buttery Dinner Biscuits

 
Books c/o Schiffer and Arcade Publishing respectively.

Fashion Week - Runway Makeup Secrets with KETT Liquid Metals #MBFW #MBFWB

Backstage runway makeup secrets from Fashion Week! Kett Cosmetics Liquid Metals

Lincoln Center, NYC Mercedes Benz Fashion Week
Fashion Week is off and running in NYC this week so I'm going to share some hot trends and makeup tips from some of the top runway shows. After all, the world is YOUR runway. People are going to stare so give them something to look at! Here's the latest word on the catwalk: Metallics  Now don't get scared off thinking this is totally for the theatre (Phantom of the Opera at that). No, you can bring the drama everyday. Here's how to get my look of bold gold:

Kett Cosmetics Liquid Metals
At first, these freaked me out and I said, "Gorgeous, but I don't think I could wear those...WRONG!" Using the Kett Jett Airbrush System, you can build the intensity you want and even mix these Liquid Metals with their Hydro Foundation for a more muted effect. Closely related are the Kett Shimmers which I mix into my Hydro Foundation for my face as well. In the photo below, I am wearing only two Liquid Metal colors, (you get six in a set): Stardust and Gold Rush. I don't like tugging and pulling on my eyelids so airbrushing offers a quick, flawless application. Even so, Liquid Metals can be applied with or without an airbrush.

Prep and Prime (Sort Of)
I spend more time and products prepping my skin than adding layers of primer which for me only bead up, roll off or look cakey (sometimes all three)! What I do is treat myself to G. M. Collin's Instant Radiance Anti-Aging Eye Patch and pop them on for 20 minutes. They soften the under-eye area but I also put them on my eyelids. After that I use Embroylisse Artist Secret Radiant Eye Balm 
I don't know how they do it but it is so cool on contact and instantly diminishes any puffiness or dark circles. That's basically it! I use a tiny touch of Miracle Blur on the lids but the Liquid Metals go on so smoothly with NO creasing or lines that you don't need much.

Embryolisse Radiant Eye and GM Collin Instant Radiance eye prep.

Airbrushing Kett's Liquid Metals
I like to do my foundation first and my eyes last. This is so the eye makeup has a little something to adhere to, that is my Kett Hydro Foundation. I take the longer edge of a moist makeup sponge wedge and angle it out from the corner of my eye. I add about 3 drops of the Liquid Metal of choice, (usually the darkest color of the two) and do my crease. Next I top my lids and inner corners of my eyes with the lighter color for highlight, in this case Stardust. I use a little extra on the tops of my cheeks, forehead and nose. It dries quickly and is not going anywhere until you take it off. The Liquid Metals are a modified version of the Hydro Foundation, so it is incredible from outdoor photo shoots to the hot lights of the runway. It won't easily transfer to your clothes when changing either. To see the full line of Kett Cosmetics and pro makeup artist tools, visit KettCosmetics.com online

The finished Look...Black Elf Shimmer Eyeliner and Mary Kay Mascara

The Finished (Daytime) Look
This is more of a daytime look just to show that the Liquid Metals can also rock a natural, understated vibe.  

Eyes: I use a Black Elf Shimmer Eyeliner along the outer 3/4 of my eyes, including the upper and lower watermark. I curl my eyelashes and add mascara. If I'm walking or doing promotional modeling, I wear false eyelashes.

Lips: Yves Saint Laurent Golden Gloss Shimmering Lip Gloss is like a nude shimmer and adds a bit of polish to the look. Made in France and infused with 24K gold, it makes the perfect topper to darker shades of lip color as well. 
Skin: Something new which also has 24K gold is Orogold Exclusive Nano Silk Serum. It is a waterless formula rich in fruit and plant extracts along with the benefits of gold which has been used by Egyptian, Roman and Chinese cultures throughout history. I love how it feels and completely disappears into the skin. I'm golden!

Metallic Accents: China Glaze, butterLondon and Orogold Serum

Metallic Accents for Spring 2014
butterLONDON and China Glaze offer some beautiful metallic accents to the overall look. I just read in my February 2014 Issue of Harper's Bazaar, that Metallic Lids are the NEW Smokey Eye for Spring according to Jason Wu makeup artist, Diane Kendal. She applied brown shadow topped with gold glitter in the center of the lids just for a hint of light when the eyes open. You'll find Kett Liquid Metals and Shimmers definitely on trend this spring!  

 Makeup c/o Kett Cosmetics, NYC