GREEN CHIC: the Week's Best Eco-Fabulous, Cruelty-Free Links

The best environmentally-aware, green, cruelty-free, and karma-correct fashion and beauty blog posts of the week - brought to you by Green Chic: an exclusive (invite-only) group of the hottest fashion and beauty blogs. Who knew it was so easy to be stylishly eco?

the ultimate in eco "fashion"...Agyness Deyn in her birthday suit [Refinery29 Pipeline]
Alex & Chloe campaign for human rights [Ethical Style]
trends in eco handbags [stylelist]
Leanne Marshall for Bluefly [FabSugar]
do your hair & the earth a favor with dry shampoo [College Fashion]
eco designers embrace full figures [Eco Salon]
a Libertas earth-friendly trunk show [fashion fille]
eco-fabulous bags from Chile [Quinta Trends]
Bond No.9 gets the green bug [RedPoppy Fashion]
10 reasons to swap your clothes [Posh Swaps]
hot shoes that happen to be vegan [Fashiontribes]
win an eco-chic chair from IQMatics [Factio Magazine]
eco designers on the rise [Runway to Retail]
an eco-fab giveaway featuring BeadforLife [Looking Sharp!]
Phillip Lim goes green [Fashion Pulse Daily]

Chanel Fall 2009 Venice Makeup Collection

 

Coco Chanel viewed Venice as a city of great intrigue - simultaneously dramatic and fragile...much like herself.  The Chanel Makeup Studio used their imagination to bring this water-themed city to life for Fall 2009 in a palette reflective of its shimmery facades, mosaics, and sparkly aquatic lagoons.  Chanel's Global Creative Director, Peter Philips, recently created Venetian-inspired runway looks for the 2009/10 Cruise show - held on the beaches of Venice - with tones of rich sienna, deep rose, mysterious greys, and dusky greens that can be softened for day or emboldened come evening.  Purchasing info at Chanel.com.

- Lesley Scott

How to Wear Bright Denim Jeans

A fun sartorial antidote to the glum economic news is bright denim: jeans in bold hues like lemon yellow, vibrant aqua, cool coral, emerald green, cotton candy pink, royal purple, and luscious tangerine. To rock the look like a pro, the style experts at Cotton Incorporated recommend keeping the rest of your ensemble toned-down. "When wearing bright denim, your jeans are the focal point. Pair it with tops, cardigans, and tees in neutral colors."  Also, to balance the brightness of the color, keep the cut body-conscious, skinny, and ankle length. "Baggier cuts in bright and bold colors can be overwhelming, causing you to look larger than your actual size."  If you're feeling more daring, add a burst of color with a cotton scarf, a cotton tunic in a contrasting color, or even a shade of nail polish from OPI's BrightPair collection (designed in conjunction with coordinating Paige Premium Denim crops and shorts); alternatively, a graphic black-and-white zebra print looks fab paired with a bright.  And don't forget to care for your investment: before laundering turn your jeans inside-out, wash only in cold water with a color-safe detergent, and NEVER use bleach.  For more tips and cotton care tricks, check out TheFabricOfOurLives.com.

- Lesley Scott

Win a Perricone MD Advanced Face Firming Activator

Perricone MD skincare products and cosmeceuticals are faves of celebs like Oprah...and we have a one of their bestsellers to give away, worth $120!  Advanced Face Firming Activator is formulated with a synergistic combination of Alpha Lipoic Acid and DMAE which resurfaces skin texture, reduces the look of fine lines, wrinkles, and enlarged pores, and reveals a radiant complexion - all while preventing further damage.  Visit PerriconeMD to learn more about this product line and Dr. Perricone's three-tier anti-aging philosophy.  Whoever leaves the most interesting comment here (be sure to include your email; also, the contest is limited to US residents only) by Friday, July 3 wins!

- Lesley Scott

GREEN CHIC: the Best Eco-Fabulous & Cruelty-Free Links of the Week

Green Chic is a new weekly roundup of the best environmentally-aware, green, cruelty-free, and karmically-correct fashion and beauty blog posts...brought to you by an exclusive (invite-only) group of the hottest fashion and beauty blogs. Who knew it was so easy it is to be stylishly eco?

the best green fashion mags [Looking Sharp!]
yummy, paraben-free sugar and acai body scrub [FabSugar]
sandals that are cool, comfy & eco [The Fashionable Housewife]
recycle your unwanted gold this summer for shopping credits [Ethical Style]
hemp, soy, organic cotton & Chicago's first eco-boutique [Factio Magazine]
shop here for guaranteed eco-everything good time [fashion fille]
leggings as good for your legs as the environment [Fashion Pulse Daily]
bags, newspapers & even eggshells get a chic new life [Fashiontribes]
colorful, fabulous fashion made from vintage African kangas [Runway to Retail]
10 fashion tips that never go out of style [College Fashion]
choice vintage finds from Madewell & Brooklyn Flea [Refinery 29 Pipeline]
sexy summer hair sans karma [My Beauty Bunny]
plus-size fashionista Emme proves chic isn't just a 1-digit number [Stylelist]
gorgeous vintage alert: Issey Miyake [Zuburbia]

Indigo Declared Fall's Must-Have Makeup Hue

The Lancome team just unveiled "Declaring Indigo", their Fall 2009 color collection which celebrates the vibrancy of Paris in shades of indigo blue, bright red, and luxurious gold. Earlier in the year, Le Vernis nail colors in Golden Audacity, Indigo Paris, and Rouge Liberty made their debut on the Chris Benz Fall 2009 runway.  Daria Werbowy is the face of the collection, as photographed by Mario Sorrenti.  "Declaring Indigo" will be available starting in August, but you can pre-order the limited-edition brush-and-makeup set (featured in the new issue of W with Bruce Willis and his hottie wife) at Nordstrom.com.

- Lesley Scott

An Interview with DelRae Roth of Parfums DelRae

The complexities of relationship between the owner or Creative Director of a perfume brand and ‘le nez’ is one that is still kept a secret by many companies. One of the most successful such collaborations involves the visionary behind Parfums DelRae and the renowned perfumer Michel Roudnitska.  To gain rare insight into the creative process of one of niche's most celebrated lines of perfumes, Michelyn Camen recently talked to the dynamic DelRae Roth, CEO and Creative Director of Parfums DelRae and Michel Roudnitksa about collaborating, being an American in Paris, and the melon-scented tale behind her latest fragrance, Emotionnelle (available at Barneys and LuckyScent.com) - a "gourmand" mix of melon, tangerine, bergamon and Ylang-ylang (top); violet flowers & leaves, jasmine, rose, prune, and iris (middle); and a base of cedarwood, vetiver, labdanum, cloves, vanilla, amber, cinnamon, and honey.

Michelyn Camen: Please give a very brief description of what inspired you to create Parfums DelRae, and why you decided to create a line of fragrances?

DelRae Roth: The simple answer is that I wanted to change my life!

Kenzo Ryoko Fragrance Pebbles Get a Colorful Makeover

Each of the five pocket-sized, ultra-light "pebbles" contains a fave Kenzo scent, three for her (FlowerbyKenzo, KenzoAmour, L'eauparKenzo) and two for him (L'eauparKenzo & Kenzo Homme).  Designed by Karim Rashid to fit ergonomically into the palm of the hand, they make it easy to live up to their name - Ryoko, Japanese for travel. Available at KenzoUSA.com.

- Lesley Scott

Meet Jean-Claude Ellena, the In-House Perfumer for Hermes

A student and friend of the legendary Master Perfumer Edmond Roudnitska (Diorella, Diorissimo, Rochas Femme (the pre-1989) original formulation), Ellena is himself an influencer of the 21st century fragrance industry. As in-house perfumer to Hermes since 2004 when he introduced Un Jardin Sur La Nil, Ellena has furthered Roudnitska's “simplification and clarification of perfume formulas, creating truly innovative and fluent fragrant writing” according to Michel Roudnitska - a contemporary perfumer (Parfums DelRae Bois de Paradis; Noir Epices for Editions de Parfums by Frederic Malle) who followed in his father's footsteps, and has long been a friend of Ellena's. 

Ellena's new book, The Alchemy of Scent (Arcade Publishing), is out this month; Michelyn Camen - fragrance journalist, expert, owner of FifthSense N.Y.C. - recently interviewed the author, providing a glimpse into the life of an extraordinary man and perfume industry icon.

THE MAN

 MC: Mr Ellena, please describe yourself in ten words or less 
JCE: A quiet smiling man, who prefers to listen than to speak.

 MC: If you could dine with two dinner guests, alive, deceased, historical or fictional who would they be and why?

Star in a Short Film & Meet Candace Bushnell, Just for Being Fabulous

Perhaps you started a thriving business based on a personal passion, or you're everyone's go-to gal for advice on everything from what to do to what to wear. Perhaps you dedicate your time and energy to a cause, or use art as a means of creative expression.  The enter the Maybelline New York and MORE Magazine contest celebrating America's Most Colorful Women. If your tale of how you exude confidence, optimism, and personality while balancing a variety of roles with grace, flair & style is beguiling enough, you could be one of 3 lucky Grand Prize winners.  Loot includes a fabulous, all-expenses paid trip with a guest to NYC, starring in a Maybelline New York short film plus a makeover, the chance to meet Candace Bushnell at her new Webisode Premiere Party, along with appearing in a behind-the-scenes webisode.  Contest ends June 30, so hurry and enter at Maybelline.com/ColorfulLife.com.

- Lesley Scott