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1) Riffs Not For Stiffs
The problem with finding rocker-cool men's clothing: Lines such as John Varvatos and Rag & Bone often come at prices more suited to a banker than a bass player. Comune, a skater-meets-punker brand out of Orange County, mixes 1980s staples (a waxed black denim jacket, shown, $88) with thoroughly modern pieces (graphic print tees, $25). The priced-for-starving-artists act just took the stage at Redeem (1734 14th St. NW; 202-332-7447), which sits near at least one good place to rock this stuff: the Black Cat.
2) Chokered Up
Jewelry designer Justin Giunta's Subversive line transforms heirloom objects (vintage cameos, antique chains) into high fashion — but, sigh, at high-fashion prices. A cheap-chic Target collaboration in 2008 made Giunta realize he had fans who loved his offbeat aesthetic yet couldn't afford his designs. The result: a new, lower-priced collection, Deviated, which swaps his usual precious materials for less costly ones, as in a sinuous brass and crystal necklace ($525). The designer hosts a trunk show Sat., noon-5 p.m., at Upstairs on 7th (555 12th St. NW; 301-351-8308).
Continue Reading "Grab Bag: Rocker Jackets and Silhouette Coasters" »
1) Jumbo Gumbo
In Super Bowls past, we've picked our teams based on the cuteness of the uniforms (or, um, the quarterback). This year, we're voting with our stomachs. Sorry, Indy: New Orleans' tasty homegrown dishes top our list, the best of which are compiled in "Cooking Up a Storm" ($25, Chronicle). Recipes come from local chefs, residents and the city's paper, the Times-Picayune, which started republishing reader favorites after Hurricane Katrina. Shrimp and grits? Sounds like a winner.
2) This Ole Thing?
Flamenco dancers always look sexier than other steppers. (Maybe it's the castanets?) See their drop-dead dresses and other costumes — a paprika-red gown, shown; a lightning bolt-emblazoned matador suit — as they sashay into the Corcoran Gallery of Art's Dressed to Dance ($35, Feb. 8, 7 p.m., 500 17th St. NW; 202-639-1700). Equal parts runway show and dance showcase, the evening highlights creations by Spanish designers and artists such as Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso.
1) Preppy Your Face
Palm tree patterns and other tropical prints cover Lilly Pulitzer's retro-chic tunics, swimsuits and sundresses. Now, the line's bright hues headline on a limited-edition MAC makeup collection, in which tangerine lip glosses, sunset pink nail polish and floral-stamped eye shadows (shown, $19.50, MAC Cosmetics, 3067 M St. NW; 202-944-9771) brighten up complexions — even ones that haven't gotten much sun lately.
2) A Flash in the Pan
In third grade, flash cards helped you learn multiplication and division. As an adult, drill yourself on the difference between achiote and wasabi with a Spice deck from Ghigo Press ($11). Cards simmer with lavish shots of culinary stars such as cilantro and sage, and tips on cooking with them. (Who knew lavender tasted great on asparagus?) Similar decks on wine grapes and coffee also help you go to the head of the foodie class.
1) Mild Side of Wild
This winter, faux fur coats have been spotted on fashionistas from Centreville to Capitol Hill. For those who find even non-animal pelts too cavegirly, Prairie Underground's cotton knit shrug ($190) proves warming and disarmingly stylish. Thrown over a thermal tee — or dressing down a cocktail frock — the versatile piece should attract compliments, not protesters flinging red paint.
2) Chew as Directed
Our New Year's resolution: No sweets no more, at least until February 14. But for serious sugar emergencies, we'll keep a bottle of Chocolate Crisis Center's candies ($9, Apres Peau, 1430 K St.; 202-783-0022) close at hand. The bite-sized treats come in inspired flavor combinations like chocolate cinnamon, tiramisu cocoa or candy apple caramel, all potent enough to help sate a raging sweet tooth with just a few nibbles. Whew. Crisis averted.
1) Sticky Business
The time between mega-sugar benders just got a lot shorter. Peeps, not just for Easter anymore, star at the world's first store dedicated to the cutesy marshmallow treats at National Harbor (150 National Plaza, National Harbor, Md.; 301-749-5791). Expect hordes of trad bunnies and chicks plus T-shirts, plush toys and holiday puffs shaped like snowmen and reindeer (shown, $1.60 for six). Their seasonal cleverness should make up for the long winter's stomachache an overdose will cause.
2) Dapper Wrapper
Local style whiz Mauro Farinelli stocks his Clarendon shop with beyond-hip menswear labels (Rag & Bone, A.P.C., Fred Perry) not easily found in the area. The latest brand to join the natty racks: Wolf vs. Goat, Farinelli's own line of gentlemanly dress shirts, work pants and slim-tailored pea coats (shown, $565). Check out the store's whole snappy assortment Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., when Brit designer Andrew Buckler will be on hand for a trunk show (Farinelli's, 2839 N. Clarendon Blvd., Arlington; 703-647-9856).
Continue Reading "Grab Bag: Peeps and Treats to Adorn Yourself With" »
WHEN IT COMES to good grooming, guys usually catch a break. Forget to shave? A five o-clock shadow passes for scruffily sexy. (Not so much on a woman's legs.) Six months between haircuts? Shaggy hair equals surfer cool. Calloused hands? That';s a sign of a hard-working dude. But in an era of metrosexuals and a manly yet manicured president, those excuses start to fall flat. And, truthfully, there's no good way to justify those long yellow toenails hanging out of your flip-flops, Howard Hughes Jr.
A cabinet full of facial products isn't a stretch for a guy with a longtime subscription to Details mag. But can your average, Capitals-loving dad embrace the pore-cleansing mud mask? This reporter was slathered, scrubbed and softened by a bunch of treatments to see whether he could still feel like a man — even when sporting a good mani/pedi.
WE HAVE COCO CHANEL to thank — or blame — for the buzz about bronzing. Alabaster skin was the norm until the influential Parisian designer returned from a Mediterranean vacation in the 1920s with a golden glow, single-handedly turning the tan into a fashion craze on par with her quilted purses. We'd like to think that if Mademoiselle C were alive today, she'd turn her nose up at the thought of exposing her precious epidermis to the wrinkle-causing, cancer-spawning sun (or its not-any-better-no-matter-how-much-you-kid-yourself cousin, the tanning bed) and get her brown in a newfangled way — by bottle, booth or airbrush. A trio of staffers gave their hides to the latest fake-bake techniques and came back in a range of easy-to-get, natural-looking hues (well, mostly). Even picky Coco might be fooled. B.L.
BOTTLE BRONZED
» What it is: Bronze Goddess at-home self-tanner set ($22.50-$28.50).
» How it works: Slather on the lotion, which is loaded with dihydroxyacetone (DHA), a sugar-derived, FDA-approved chemical that reacts with amino acids to darken skin.
» On your mark, get set: As a pigment-challenged American, our unable-to-suntan tester was persecuted throughout childhood, accused of being an albino, a ghost and glow-in-the-dark. In an attempt to find a less shockingly pale hue, she turned to DIY products. Of course, the risks of self-tanners are well-known (and well-documented by Lindsay Lohan's paparazzi photos): streaks, splotches and extra-dark knees, elbows and feet (the skin is dryer in those spots and thus absorbs more product). Be sure to spread on the stuff as evenly as possible, working it into the skin like lotion. Hit joints and feet last with a lighter amount. Then (and we can't stress this enough), wash those hands. Our tester ended up with dark blobs of color at the bases of her fingers, giving the threatening appearance of brass knuckles.
» Tan marks: It takes a few applications to get a deep (but, thankfully, non-orange) tan. But if you're going to commit, you need to bronze your face and neck, too, or you'll look like a bobblehead someone got tired of painting. Also, unless you have a devoted partner, child or servant who's willing to rub your hard-to-reach places, at-home tanner is not the best for all-over bronzing. It's more about dulling the radioactive glare of snow-white limbs.
» High marks: We like the tinted formula best — it lets you see which areas have been covered and it offers some instant gratification. It also instantly colors sheets and towels, however.
» Low marks: The infamous metallic smell. The Estee Lauder line includes a perfume, perhaps meant to nullify the stench, but nothing worked other than time. And, make a mistake? Not even those "self-tan remover" products can fix it until it fades.
» Tip: The key to any good faux tan: exfoliation. Be sure to slough skin with a scrub (like Bliss' Hot Salt option, $36) before applying bronzer. — H.J.M.
Continue Reading "Best in Glow: The Right Tools to a Perfect Tan" »
WHEN YOU SIGN up for a facial at Takoma Park spa the Still Point (7009 Carroll Ave.; 301-920-0801), your skin might be exfoliated with fruit enzymes or hydrated with honey. "We're incorporating local farmers market foods into treatments," says aesthetician Sara Damelio. "We treat the skin as you would your body. What you put on your face goes into your bloodstream, just like what you eat."
In these days of hormones in beer and salmonella in peanut butter, it makes sense that we should carefully consider the things that go into our face creams and shampoos. Labels now reveal ingredients from the new to the natural to the bizarre, such as algae concentrate or diatomaceous earth.
It seems like using such exotic potions requires a Ph.D. in chemistry. But in the spirit of exploration (and beautification), we tested products that contain some of these "What-the-heck-is-that?" ingredients. We discovered what these odd components were and why you might want to pat some cream with L-malic acid under your eyes or treat your locks with a bit of cassia.
1. CASSIA
» What is it? An herbaceous plant originally native to India used by a variety of cultures as everything from an expectorant to a ringworm treatment
» Where is it? In Pantene's new Pro-V Nature Fusion Collection ($3.99 to $5.99, drugstores and grocery stores).
» Why's it there? To give you a model-worthy mane. "If your hair is full of cracks and crevices, it will have a dull appearance," says Jeni Thomas, senior scientist for Pantene. Cassia protects tresses when wet and helps them absorb conditioners when dry. This equals a shinier, softer crowning glory.
» Our take: We're sold. It made our hair uncommonly smooth and well-behaved.
Continue Reading "Face Oddities: Wild Ingredients for Skin and Hair" »
MAKEUP MAVEN BOBBI BROWN has built an A-list following: Jennifer Aniston, Sienna Miller, Barack Obama. (Yep, he wears Brown's cosmetics for TV appearances.) She won't say whether she's beautifying any big names for the balls (in the past, she's done both Michelle O. and Jill Biden), but she shared some party prep makeup advice that anyone can use.
» EXPRESS: You'll be in D.C. for the inauguration and parties. Any tips for black tie-worthy makeup?
» BROWN: You definitely don't need to go out and buy a whole new makeup set. Look at what you already have and add a little shimmer or some sparkle. A few easy things can turn your everyday makeup into a special evening look.
Continue Reading "Beauty Bigwig & Makeup Maven: Bobbi Brown" »
YU-BE MOISTURIZING SKIN CREAM ($15-$24, Sephora) was invented in 1957 by a Japanese pharmacist and, we are told, is huge in its home country. Despite the suspiciously unsophisticated packaging, we found within it a product that would cost upward of $50 if it came from Lancome or Clinique.
It's pretty magical, Yu-Be. We slathered some of the camphor-smelling stuff on our heels, and cracked, dead skin was transformed into a tough, but no longer hideous, surface. The lip balm ($5) did the same for cracked and peeling kissers.
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