Soaps & Suds - Bathtime Beauty Booty

There are two types of people: Bath lovers and Shower lovers. Whether you prefer to spend 30 minutes luxuriating in a hot soak or 10 minutes to just get clean, there are products for both that pamper body and spirit. (Note for you bath peeps: all of our soap or suds faves also work for YOU!)

FOR THE BATH:

Go From Drab to Fab Thanks to Laura Mercier Makeup Artist Jerry Johnson

During the holiday season, it can feel like there are more festivities, events, and parties than hours in the day. After 9+ hours of work or schlepping the kids to appointments and play dates - and a mad dash from the grocery store or the office thrown in - there is little time for "freshening" up, leaving a girl looking dreary instead of festive. 

Time for a beauty intervention from Jerry Johnson, the International Makeup Artist from Laura Mercier, who regularly gets clients like Paris Hilton, Renee Zellwegger, and Carmen Electra party perfect...and wants to help the rest of us get glam on the go. "Stock up on cosmetics that are multifunctional," he advises. "They are some of the best transformers." 

Whether you're at your desk, in the bathroom, or in the car, here are the Laura Mercier products to pick that not only do double-duty, but go the distance:

Mad Cool Adam & Eve Split-Sex/Personality Clutch

Dubbed the "Adam & Eve" purse, you're guaranteed to tempt the serpents right out of the trees with this fine piece o' fashion.

The torso is a combination of metallic and lacquer, with a cord rope strap. In extremely limited availability at PatriciaField.com.

- Lesley Scott

A Perfumista's "Boxing" Day

In the UK, Boxing Day originally emerged as a working class tradition; because they typically were made to work on Christmas Day, workers were giving the following day off and exchanged presents then. 

For perfumistas, however, Boxing Day is any day that includes a luscious fragrance in an elegant package.

Here are some of our favorites:

Happy Holidays from Your FASHIONTRIBES Friends in Fashion!

This fun illustration of a Santa Hat-clad Vivienne Westwood, Hamlet'esque skull in hand, for some reason brought to mind Eddie Izzard's genius "Cake or Death?" skit, one of our fave skits ever from the best comedian on the planet (the clip also includes his hilarious bit on capturing countries through the cunning use of flags.) To fully enjoy your holidays, we've oh-so-helpfully compiled this list of activities & time-wasters for when you've eaten your fill of holiday food, gotten your fill of family, and are desperately in need of a (non-fattening or hangover-inducing) diversion.

Why don't you:

1. Watch endless hours of EDDIE IZZARD on YouTube (in particular, we love Learning French, the Death Star Cantina, the Stoned Olympics & Machines That Lie)

2. Get some ideas on what to wear for your New Year's Eve party (vlog).

3. Watch all our fun Daily Dose of Style vlog episodes of The 12 Days of Giftmas, starting with 12 Drummers Drumming (and rocking Wii Guitar Hero Drums) and work your way backwards.

4. Fashiontribes.com's Editor at Large, Michelyn Camen, suggests giving her fave holiday tunes a listen: Noel Blanc, Santa Baby (Eartha Kitt), The River (sung by Robert Downey, Jr.), Christmas Tree by Lady Gaga, Alvin & the Chipmunks Christmas Song, Feliz Navidad, and Dan Fogelberg's Same Auld Lang Syne.

5. Bone up on the most interesting fashion trend for Spring 2010 which we dubbed Futuristic Fashion (vlogs).

...and have fun, stay safe, and be fabulous!

xo

- Lesley Scott

The 12 Days of Giftmas: Day 12 - Twelve Drummers Drumming & Rocking Wii (Video Blog Vlog)

On the:

FIRST DAY OF GIFTMAS, my True Love gave to me: a bejeweled "Partridge" in a Jewelry Tree
SECOND DAY of Giftmas: two Turtle Doves of Love
THIRD DAY: three Delicious French Hens
FOURTH DAY:  four Artistic Calling Birds
FIFTH DAY: five fabulous Golden Rings
SIXTH DAY: goose foie gras with vino fino
SEVENTH DAY: elegant crystal Swans A-"Swimming"
EIGHTH DAY: Maids went A-Milking & served it up at High Tea
NINTH DAY: 9 Ladies Dancing the Nutcracker
TENTH DAY: 10 Lords A-Leaping from a Plane
ELEVENTH DAY: 11 Pipers Piping & Playing Digital Piano

On this, the TWELFTH & FINAL DAY of Giftmas at DAILY DOSE OF STYLE, my True Love bought me an awesome drum set Plus Wii Guitar Hero Drums (for my inner Rock God). And on that note (so to speak), we wish you a very merry, fabulously Rock & Roll holiday season! (For more info on the goodies featured in this episode, CLICK HERE.)

- Lesley Scott

The 12 Days of Giftmas: Day 11 - Eleven Pipers Piping & Playing Piano (Video Blog Vlog)

On the:

FIRST DAY OF GIFTMAS, my True Love gave to me: a bejeweled "Partridge" in a Jewelry Tree
SECOND DAY of Giftmas: two Turtle Doves of Love
THIRD DAY: three Delicious French Hens
FOURTH DAY:  four Artistic Calling Birds
FIFTH DAY: five fabulous Golden Rings
SIXTH DAY: goose foie gras with vino fino
SEVENTH DAY: elegant crystal Swans A-"Swimming"
EIGHTH DAY: Maids went A-Milking & served it up at High Tea
NINTH DAY: 9 Ladies Dancing the Nutcracker
TENTH DAY: 10 Lords A-Leaping from a Plane

On this, the 11th Day of Giftmas at DAILY DOSE OF STYLE, my True Love rounded up Pipers to play for me: on a fabulous downloadable CD and a state-of-the-art, limited edition Yamaha Digital Piano in a beautiful Chinese lacquer red that was created in honor of Elton John. (For more info on the goodies featured in this episode, CLICK HERE.)

- Lesley Scott

The 12 Days of Giftmas: Day 10 - Ten Lords A-Leaping from a Plane (Video Blog Vlog)

On the:

FIRST DAY OF GIFTMAS, my True Love gave to me: a bejeweled "Partridge" in a Jewelry Tree
SECOND DAY of Giftmas: two Turtle Doves of Love
THIRD DAY: three Delicious French Hens
FOURTH DAY:  four Artistic Calling Birds
FIFTH DAY: five fabulous Golden Rings
SIXTH DAY: goose foie gras with vino fino
SEVENTH DAY: elegant crystal Swans A-"Swimming"
EIGHTH DAY: Maids went A-Milking & served it up at High Tea
NINTH DAY: 9 Ladies Dancing the Nutcracker

On this, the 10th Day of Giftmas at DAILY DOSE OF STYLE, my True Love made me feel like royalty - like a Lord A-Leaping...from a plane! In this episode, we find skydiving experience gifts - one for under $200 (!) and, if you wanna jump with Lords, ie. in the presence of aristocracy, a skydive with King of mountains as company: Mount Everest. (For more info any of the goodies featured in today's episode, CLICK HERE.)

- Lesley Scott

The 12 Days of Giftmas: Day 9 - Nine Ladies Dancing the Nutcracker (Video Blog Vlog)

On the:

FIRST DAY OF GIFTMAS, my True Love gave to me: a bejeweled "Partridge" in a Jewelry Tree
SECOND DAY of Giftmas: two Turtle Doves of Love
THIRD DAY: three Delicious French Hens
FOURTH DAY:  four Artistic Calling Birds
FIFTH DAY: five fabulous Golden Rings
SIXTH DAY: goose foie gras with vino fino
SEVENTH DAY: elegant crystal Swans A-"Swimming"
EIGHTH DAY: Maids went A-Milking & served it up at High Tea

On this, the 9th Day of Giftmas at DAILY DOSE OF STYLE, my True Love took me to see (way more than) Nine Ladies Dancing at a fabulous Holiday performance of the Nutcracker Ballet.  To keep the magic alive, I also received the gift of supporting the arts with a membership in the American Ballet Theatre. (For more info on any of the goodies featured in this episode, CLICK HERE.)

- Lesley Scott

On the Corner of 5th & Zen...

Shopping Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan is unlike any experience in the world. The finest luxury stores line the Avenue, and yet, well-dressed sophisticated New Yorkers barely raise their eyes to marvel at the sumptuously appointed store windows as they dash to their next appointment.  Brief cases bump you, and your ears are assaulted by businessmen screaming into their cell phones. During the Holiday season, El Tourtistos blind you with their cameras, while last minute shoppers - men and women both - dressed in designer furs and cashmere coats run you down like so much ‘streetkill’.

But there is a haven: Takashimaya NY, a distinctively tranquil and serene emporium of unique treasures, where one can browse for hours amidst unique and hard-to-find niche fragrance, fashion, and beauty brands. When Takashimaya NY’s management decided to create an exclusive signature scent that captured their brand in a bottle, they turned to independent perfumer Neil Morris (who resides in Boston). Neil is a self-taught perfumer who could melt 8 inches of snow with simply a hug.