A Short but Chic Chat with a Fashion Insider: Barbara Adler, Jewelry Designer & Model

Is Barbara Adler a model-slash-designer or more of a designer-slash-model? Regardless, whenever the hyphenated Angeleno isn't working her magic in front of the camera, she usually can be found putting in long days on her eponymous line of jewelry. Currently, her Cali-casual chic collection features a bumper crop of really cute & diamond-festooned monkeys & bananas. Bananas also loom large in her personal life as the wife of music industry exec Cisco Adler of Bananabeat Records.

Modeling & designing...how do you do juggle both?

It's not easy and it's 24/7. I'm either working 10 hours on set or working on my jewelry line 10-12 hours. I don't know what to expect day to day. I keep a schedule and check off everything from my list day to day to keep organized; fortunately, I love challenges and multitasking. My friends call me Superwoman.

Models get to travel all the time. What do you consider your most inspiring or awakening moments?

Skydiving in Mexico. Stepping off the train into Paris. Watching the sunrise in Hawaii. Riding on a speedboat at sunset from one island to another in Palau. Meeting my husband in New York.

Please tell us your favorite...

...local place to eat? Sugarfish. It's simple, affordable & delicious.

...boutique? Fred Segal.

...L.A. based designer? Jeremy Scott

...jewelry designer? Loree Rodkin

...model? Kate Moss

...go-to beauty product? Maybelline Great Lash Mascara

As a working model, what is your secret to great skin?

At night before I go to sleep, I make sure I wash all my makeup off. But mostly I focus on maintaining my skin from the inside by drinking a lot of water and eating clean, especially whenever I get booked on a big beauty photoshoot.

And lastly, can you dish on what we can look forward to with your new jewelry collection?

Old Hollywood. It's a surprise!

- interview by Kelly Croteau

About Kelly:  She recently interviewed Hollywood stylist Anya Sarre as well as fashion insider Laurie Pike of mystyle.com for Fashiontribes. Her work has also appeared in Ask Miss A, Project Lena & Malibu Magazine. She recently interviewed Pose co-founder Alisa Gould-Simon, one of Refinery29's Top 30 Under 30.

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Marilyn Monroe & Chanel No. 5

Rather than say "nude", Marilyn preferred to answer with far more flair. "Chanel No. 5!" she exclaims flirtily on this snippet caught on tape during an interview with the glamorous uber-star. "Because it's the truth!"

- Lesley Scott

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Life Looks Better Thru Celeb-Colored Contact Lenses

 

When the former Mrs. Brad Pitt was still just Jennifer, struggling L.A. actress, she had dark hair & eyes to match - unlike her current blond/blue all-American re-do.  Britney may have born brown-eyed, but seems to be more of a green-eyed girl. While Nicki Minaj likes cartoony hues as experimental-looking as she is. And then there was that fabulous Lady Gaga moment in Bad Romance with those amazing anime-inspired lenses.

Whether you wanna pass for natural or rock something more dramatic, you don't need a prescription. GetLenses.co.uk has a large selection of colored contact lenses, including the fun & convenient Freshlook one-day contact lenses.

- Lesley Scott

[Note: This was written in partnership with GetLenses.co.uk. The words are mine.]

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An Oil Cleanser that's Tough on Makeup, Not your Face

NUDE Skincare is the holistic, complexion-friendly brainchild of Ali Hewson (aka Mrs. Bono) and Bryan Meehan, founder of the UK's Fresh & Wild chain of natural & organic food-stores.

While the notion of topical nutrition for your skin is new, the principle on which their cult-fave Perfect Cleansing Oil is based isn't. Just ask your flawlessly-complected grandma, who is always right about everying, including the fact that when you're cleaning your face, the best way to keep it glowing is using like against like - as in banishing oily residues from your pores with oil. NUDE's is of course free of mineral oils and sulphates and although it's tough on the toughest waterproof makeup, it's loaded with natural botanically-based plant oils which leave your skin, soft, supple & instead of any awful tightness - comfortable.

How to use: Pump 2-3 times & spread onto dry skin. Use some warm water to create a lovely, soothing milk - it's good for removing eye makeup, too - & then rinse it off by gently splashing your face. And remember - as with all NUDE products, a little goes a long way.

- Lesley Scott

[Note: This was written in partnership with NUDE Skincare. The words are mine.]

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Fabulize Your Facebook with a NARS Andy Warhol Makeover

Does your FB cover really reflect the glittery supastar you are? If not, why not Warholize it ...at least for 15 minutes! This fun new app is inspired by the colors of the new collection and promises to add some Andy-approved glitz to your online look.

- Lesley Scott

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It's High Time to Get the Male in Your Life Groomed & Gussied Up

The fall/winter 2012-13 menswear fashion shows were looking pretty slick and snazzy - a vertible parade of modern dandies. Which means proper grooming is back, especially an artfully coiffed 'do, be it a tousled-but-not-really coif a la Hermes, more sporty & au natural (Calvin) or somewhere in between the Italian ladies man stepping out (Prada) or the too-cool-for-school British lad in Burberry Prorsum.

Whether your man digs a laid-back look or enjoys getting his primp on, he's gonna need to shampoo. Like this Bed Head Clean Up daily shampoo which is formulated with botanical goodies for healthy hair growth - including saw palmetto, sunflower seeds, lemongrass extracts & menthol - but most importantly: looks cool and manly lining the bathroom shelf. Available at Jacks of London - The Home of Male Grooming where they only stock stuff they've actually tried for themselves & belive in.

- Lesley Scott

[Note: this was written in partnership with Jacks of London. The words are mine.]

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Brad Pitt as the Surprising (in a Good Way) New Face of Chanel No. 5

Coco Chanel, Marilyn Monroe, Catherine Deneuve, Lauren Hutton, Nicole Kidman, Audrey Tautou...Brad Pitt?!

"What’s important to remember about CHANEL N°5 is how revolutionary this fragrance is," notes the newest male visage of the fragrance - for chicks. "When it was introduced, it broke all the rules." Indeed, perfumer Ernest Beaux, who had created fragrances for the last Russian Czar and was Chanel's first Master Perfumer, made a mold-breaking masterpiece in 1921 with No. 5 and its unusual blend of 80 ingredients. Mademoiselle was convinced 5 was her lucky mystical number & on the fifth day of the fifth month, a flacon of this fateful juice was presented to her - the fifth selection.

To pay proper homage, director Joe Wright was commissioned to capture the allure of No. 5 from a different vantage point: a man's.  "Each commercial resembles a short poem," explains Wright, who is known for Pride and Prejudice, Atonement and the upcoming Anna Karenina, as well as two Coco Mademoiselle commercials starring Keira Knightley. For Wright, No. 5 is "a phenomenon that continues to invent and reinvent itself." 

Wright shot Pitt in black and white and speaking directly into the camera, inspired by the much-simpler ads from the late 60s and early 70s. "I really admired the simplicity of the Deneuve ads," reveals Wright. "When you have Deneuve or Pitt, why would you need to decorate that?"

Or, for that matter, a fragrance on the level of a No. 5.

“It does not feel like a perfume that is designed to attract a male, yet it does. It is such an iconic perfume. So many perfumes are easy to recognize and associate with a time but you can't do that with N°5."

- Lesley Scott

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Shine on this Holiday Season with Sequins on Your Tips & Glitter on Your Toes from Maybelline New York Color Show!

A fun way to extend the festivities to your fingertips is with one (or all eight) of these limited-edition eyecatching Sequins by Color Show, a show-stopping nail "candy" in a sweet array of hues.  The pigments are suspended in a transparent gel which resists chipping & is easy to apply.  Even the names are as colorful as their glam-tacular contents: Ruby Rhinestones, Lavender Sparks, Silver Gleam, Gold’s Night Out, Sea-Quins, Rose Bling, Sapphire Masquerade & Cocktail Dress.

Available only in November 2012.

- Lesley Scott

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Cheap Beauty Tricks That Deliver Expensive-Looking Results

From caring for your tresses to your skin care routine to your tips 'n toes to your ... well, let's just say that being a girl can get expensive!

Here are a few ways to look like you have team of beauty pros on your payroll even if you're currently budget "challenged" (& don't worry - I'll never tell!).

BYO polish. When you get a mani/pedi, be sure to bring your own bottle of polish. The $8 (or less) you invest will pay you back if you chip a nail buy buying you more time before your next appointment.

Cut the cost of your cut. Many upscale salons have regularly scheduled days when, in exchange for letting one of their senior student hair stylists do your cut - under the watchful eye of their instructor! - they charge a steeply-discounted rate. Not only is this a savvy way to save a few quid on a simple trim, but if you have the time, you can always experiment with a fresh new style as well.

Make your own beautifying lotions & potions. From rinsing your hair in beer to give it a glossy shine to tightening your pores with an egg-white face to using sugar or oatmeal as an effective body scrub, there are a ton of tried & true homemade ways to solve all your beauty needs. In fact, many are probably in your kitchen right now (thankyou, Google).

- Lesley Scott

[Note: This was written in partnership with QuickQuid - the premier online provider of cash advances in the United Kingdom. Its focus on savings in your everyday life and its quick, convenient services has helped over half a million Britons successfully bridge the gap between paydays.]

(image via source)

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Convertible Handbags by Alexandra Satine. From Tote to Satchel to Crossbody to Clutch. In a Single Bag. Genius!

Ask not what you can do for your bag, but what it can do for you! Like these wickidly-clever contraptions by the Venezuelan-born designer that will appeal - whether you're climbing the corporate ladder & need your accessories to adjust to your insane schedule or a working mom who has no time to purchase five bag but needs one that provides five options.

"I want my bags to be ageless, timeless, and the one piece that puts your whole outfit together," says the jetsetting graduate of the Sorbonne who spent a number of years working for clothing giant Jones Apparel Group in NYC. These bags come in a number of stylish neutrals & textures and convert quickly from cross-body to clutch, tote to satchel. And look snazzy doing so! (To see one of the bags in action, be sure to check out the video on her site.)

Available at Verve and Delfino (both NYC). More info at AlexandraSatine.com.

- Lesley Scott

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