Work It Out: Installment Vingt-Quatre

I promise there will be minimal rambling from me tonight as I am dying (hypochondriac? me?) from a horrendous cold. Between the tissues, Calpol and revision for my upcoming exams my outfit choices have been far from noteworthy this week. Since it has taken every ounce of energy to drag myself out of bed each morning for work and then back home to the books it's been polo necks and baggy trousers (yuck) all the way... not that I'm one to complain or anything ;).

However, last week while the weather was still tolerable and I was tanned (insert wistful smile at your convenience)...

 Dress: Laundry (purchased from Brand Alley). Hair Band: H&M. Shoes: Kurt Geiger.

 

Here is a better (though stolen from google) picture of the shoesies for your admiration. They are deceptively comfortable, and knowing that I got the last ones in my size on sale makes life seem that little bit brighter ;).

I hope you are all keeping well my lovelies! If any of you, like me, are suffering with the weather changes do look after yourself. My current cocktail recommendation of choice is 1 part Berroca to two parts soluble aspirin - tastes like poop, but it gets me through the day ;). xxx

Hand-made decor.

I constantly improvising our home decor. or moving around the furniture setting to give us and our guests a refreshing feel every now and then. Yes... another task to keep myself even busier.

I appreciate hand-made stuff and I'd sew myself everything if I know how to! But since I am not, so I am glad there are so many artisans who knows so much about "embroidery"!! 

If you are looking for cute and unique handmade decoration, Monkey and Squirrel has very cute stuff for you.

Etsy Find: Wall floral decor from Monkey and squirrel. 

Can you see that pretty wall floral decor is almost the same pattern as my pillow. ^^

This morning I took off an old beaded embroidery from a not-being-loved sweater and sew it on my leggings. 

Isn't this embroidery the prettiest little thing!!

What's your recent DIY project?

xoxo Rachel

Next Step~ Alaia!

Don't bother if you can't articulate yourself well enough!?

Let the heels do all the talking!! ^^

 
 Alaia Molten Lace-up gold metallic leather Sandals. (pic. theoutnet.com)

Want a Discount on RiseFashion.co.uk?

Hi everyone! So this is my second post of the day but there's a very good reason for it! I just got a comment on my post I did recently on the lovely clothes available on the Rise website and it was from the owner of Rise Fashion, Janette.  She stumbled across my blog somehow and has offered a 10% discount to all my subscribers on all Rise orders when you use the discount code 'liparazzi'.

I will add a button to my blog as well just so everyone is aware of it...Thanks Janette!

How To Cover Redness

I have been asked a few times to do a post on how to cover redness since I have high coloration in my cheeks and also used to suffer from quite bad Psoriasis.  It can be something that really knocks your confidence so I wanted to do a rundown of my tips on how I cover redness.  You may already know some, or all of this stuff, but the great thing about the blogosphere is that you can share info with eachother and sometimes you learn something you didn't know.

1) Don’t have really hot baths or showers before applying makeup – this will cause the red blood vessels under the skin to become inflamed and emphasise any redness you may have.  Try to stick to warm showers because you may end up overcompensating with too much makeup to cover the redness.

2) Use a skin tone correcting serum or moisturiser every morning and night, like Origins Brighter By Nature Skin Tone Correcting Serum, the Origins Dr Andrew Weil range or Clinique Even Better Skin Tone Correcting Moisturiser or serum. Over time, this should make a noticeable difference in the overall uniformity of your skin tone.  These are products that work for me however if you have chronic problems with redness though, then it would be best to consult a dermatologist to find out which products would be best suited to your skin type.

3) I do an aspirin mask once every week. This is a really cheap way to exfoliate your skin, tighten pores, prevent breakouts and even out your skin tone. Click here to read about the aspirin mask.

4) It’s important to exfoliate your skin gently to smooth the surface using something like Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish with the muslin cloth. Don’t over-exfoliate your skin as this can just aggravate redness even more so just be gentle. What you are trying to achieve is smooth, unclogged, radiant skin without any extreme redness.

5) Fake tan is a life saver for anyone with high coloration on their face.  It does an amazing job of evening out the skin tone and camouflaging any colour difference.  You can use a gradual tanning moisturiser like the Dove one or something with more colour like St Tropez or Xen Tan.  If you have a bit of a glow, then you also don't have to use as much foundation which is a bonus.  Bronzer will work in the same way and I think it's best to stick to matte formulas to get the most natural finish.  I love Dior's Matte Sunshine Brozing Powder in Honey Matte.

6) It can really help to use a good primer after your moisturiser such as Loreal Studio Secrets Resurfacing Primer which will help to smooth skin, fill in any fine lines, even out skin tone and make your foundation last longer.

7) Use an appropriate medium to full coverage foundation like Estee Lauder Double Wear, Revlon Colorstay, Estee Lauder Maximum Cover Foundation or even something like Cover FX Total Coverage Cream Foundation. It’s best to opt for a yellow based shade as this is fantastic at covering up redness and brightening the complexion. Try and pick the shade that is nearest to your skin tone but airing on the yellow side. I personally use Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation everyday, which covers the high colouration in my cheeks perfectly and lasts all day long. I would say this is medium to full coverage so if you suffer from something like Rosacea then the full coverage foundation like EL Maximum Cover or Cover FX one would be better for you. It’s important to use very thin layers of the foundation because the secret of getting flawless foundation is layering. Don’t try and slap on a lot at once or it will look cakey and unnatural.


8) I would steer clear of green concealers.  I know alot of people would advise this in the first instance but to be honest, it can often give a very opaque and unnatural looking finish, especially if you only have redness on certain areas of your face.  It would be ok if the whole of your face was red but if there are just certain areas, then it can make the rest of your face look strange. It’s always just looked weird on me and I was told by my wedding makeup artist that yellow toned concealers/primers like Benefit Lemon Aid are a much better option as they give a really nice finish and brighten your skin without looking weird! 

9) It can often help to use a light dusting of a yellow toned finishing powder like Clinique Redness Solutions Instant Relief Mineral Powder. This will have a similar effect to the yellow toned foundation.  It will set your makeup and help brighten your complexion and conceal your redness further.

10) The last and most important point of all is to remember not to get down about the fact that you don’t have the perfect, flawless complexion naturally. Most people don’t, but once you learn how to conceal your redness with makeup, it won’t be an issue anymore and you can feel confident that your skin looks even, natural and radiant!

If you have any questions at all about this subject, just drop me an email and I will happily answer them.  I hope this has helped some of you out there who struggle with the same problem.  All of these things have helped me and I don't think you can tell from my photos or in real life that I have discoloration in my skin so I hope they work for you!

Nick Verreos Hosts--and Judges--Cadillac Couture: Red Carpet Gowns at Style Week Orange County 2010

Driven To Couture!

Cadillac Runway: Nick Verreos interviews the "Cadillac Couture: Red Carpet Gowns" FIDM Designers, Style Week Orange County 2010 (photo courtesy of Evans Vestal Ward)

As you may know--if you are a faithful NickVerreos.com reader--I had the pleasure of showing my NIKOLAKI Spring 2011 Collection, along with my design partner David Paul, a couple of weekends ago at the Third Annual Style Week Orange County in Irvine Spectrum Center.

Well, of course, there were other fashion shows happening and one of them was the First Annual "Cadillac Couture: Red Carpet Gowns", a contest sponsored by Cadillac, where 7 designers--all graduates from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising/FIDM--were asked to create a "Red Carpet-worthy" gown, inspired by--and even using materials from--Cadillac cars. And then, they would be judged for the best one.

Purple Pant Bachelorette: Nick Verreos with ABC's "The Bachelor" couple, Kiptyn Locke and Tenley Molzahn

The judges included Reality Show Contestants Tenley Molzahn and Kiptyn Locke from ABC's "Bachelor Pad", Garry R. White from Tustin Cadillac (of course, there had to be an actual Cadillac automobile expert) and myself. The winner would win a $4000 prize!

Style Week OC Hosting: Nick Verreos on the Style Week Orange County runway stage (Photo Courtesy of by Evans Vestal Ward)

I was honored to have been asked to host this competition, especially since I am a graduate of FIDM as well as an Instructor there. In addition, several of the designers for this "Cadillac Couture: Red Carpet Gowns" contest were former students of mine. So yes, I was a "Proud Poppa". The Contestants/Designers were...

Silver Bird: Clay Sadler Cadillac Design (Photo Courtesy of Evans Vestal Ward)

Clay Sadler, who created a gray and silver ensemble inspired by the Cadillac CTS Coupe, featuring a jeweled bodice, dramatically structured sleeve and very dramatic over-skirt. My favorite part of this ensemble were the Tail Light hat and wrap around orange cuff bracelet created from an actual Cadillac headlight. Very Lady Gaga at the VMA's.

Lipstick Red: Natalia Romano Cadillac Design (Photo Courtesy of Evans Vestal Ward)

Natalia Romano, who graduated last year and debuted her first collection at FIDM Debut 2009, created a red taffeta satin princess-seamed fitted gown with diagonal "Cadillac-leaf"-motif gold chiffon and leather strap detail. She even created a custom clutch adorned with a golden Cadillac emblem. Imagine that in the Cadillac Catalog!

Seatbelt Pretty: Grace Sori Hwang Cadillac Design (left) (Photo Courtesy of Evans Vestal Ward)

FIDM Designer Grace Sori Hwang decided to also go the red taffeta route for her Cadillac Red Carpet Gown. It was a Mermaid/Trumpet-style princess seamed ankle-length gown featuring actual Cadillac seat belts as "bow/ribbon" over-bust details. The back also had a big ol' bow as well.

Let Them Eat (Cadillac) Cake: Adrienne Young Cadillac Design (Photo Courtesy of Evans Vestal Ward)

FIDM Advanced Costume Design-graduate Adrienne Young, was inspired by the big-and-bold Cadillac Escalade. And as you can see, also did a big-and-bold "Red Carpet" design. It was a high-low Marie Antoinette 18Th Century-esque gown featuring actual Cadillac seat belts as shoulder straps in the corset and a pointed mini hat featuring the Cadillac emblem. Her accessories were Auto-Couture: The earrings were actual keys and the necklace was made of car steel and washers. This was very Helena Bonham Carter meets Vivienne Westwood.

Silver Chic: Alejandro Ortega Cadillac Design (Photo Courtesy of Evans Vestal Ward)

Alejandro Ortega's CTS-V Coupe-inspired design was silver-gray taffeta and had a very dramatic stiffened sleeve, princess-seamed fitted silhouette and sequined "Cadillac" emblem accents. Alejandro said that the gown was "made to walk" just like the Cadillac was "made to drive"!

Royal Blue Mermaid: Nick Gaska Cadillac Design (Photo Courtesy of Evans Vestal Ward)

Orange County-native Nick Gaska, chose royal blue taffeta for his fitted Mermaid-style gown. As you can see from the photo, the Cadillac emblem was very prominently displayed as a waistband belt-buckle. Up close, the intricate seaming on this gown was fabulous!

But the Winner was (Drum Roll...):

Dark Goddess: Julia Nish Cadillac Design (Photo Courtesy of Evans Vestal Ward)

Julia Nish's black fitted Mermaid/Trumpet-style gown (a very popular silhouette!) which prominently showed the Cadillac steel "Wreath" emblem on the front as well as the back. The top was made of actual Cadillac interior charcoal mesh fabric and she also created petals and rosettes for the bustier--as well as a clutch purse--of the same fabric.

It was our favorite and definitely the best representation of a "Red Carpet" gown. It was elegant, not too over-the-top, but yet still creative--and featured the Cadillac logo very well. I think her creative use of that aforementioned car interior material was also well-received by the rest of the judges. Congratulations Julia!

Click BELOW for a video of the Cadillac Couture Red Carpet Gown Contest and Runway Show, Style Week Orange County 2010:

And Stay Tuned for my Next Posting on Style Week Orange County and the 2nd Ezekiel "Needle and Thread Competition" as well as Style Week OC 2010 Wrap-Up!!!