Dolce & Gabbana Sicilian Lace Makeup

Inspired by the runway trends, Dolce & Gabbana's pre-Fall 2010 Sicilian Lace Collection is all about sophisticated, wearable neutral tones. The limited edition Sicilian Lace Bronzer is a romantic vision of lace and gold - how pretty is that? You almost don't want to use it.

After a chilly July, I'm hoping SF will have a nice long Indian summer season so I can check this line out. Don't be deceived by the nude shades - D&G's makeup is not just decadent, they're also a dream to work with. Curious about it? Check out my review of their original The Make Up collection here.

D&G Classic Cream Lipstick in Caramel 105

Ultra - Shine Lipgloss in Caramel 135

This collection will be available mid-August at select Saks Fifth Avenue counters.

National Watermelon Day Cocktails

Today is National Watermelon Day! Alas, I'm turning up my heater (that darn San Fran fog and wind!) but I hope you're relishing the summery warmth for me. To cool down from the hot sun, I'm including a couple of refreshing watermelon cocktails below. These are quite perfect for your upcoming BBQ or dinner soirée. Stay cool and enjoy!

Peppermelon cocktail

Peppermelon
H. Joseph Ehrmann of Elixir, San Francisco

1.5oz Bluecoat Gin
.75oz black pepper honey syrup
1oz watermelon juice
.5oz lemon juice

Use organic ingredients wherever possible. Combine all ingredients in a boston shaker full of ice and shake well for 10 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish rim with a small watermelon cube that has a coating of black pepper on one side.

Melancia Sour
Kevin Deidrich of The Burritt Room, San Francisco

1 1/2 oz Cachaca
1/2 oz lemongrass syrup
1/2 oz lime juice
1 1/2 oz watermelon juice

Stir all ingredients and strain into a chilled sour glass. Use a pinch of sea salt and alemongrass stalk as garnish.

Guerlain 68 Champs-Elysées Fall 2010 Makeup

Guerlain is truly on top of of the beauty game when it comes to package design and makeup formulas. Their new 68 Champs-Elysées 2010 Fall makeup collection features the ultra-luxe Écrin 6 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette, their star product of this season. As you might have guessed, the collection name is an homage to the House of Guerlain's tony flagship address.

First of all, the see-through silver metalwork on the magnetic "easel" cover is quite dazzling. Once you flip it open, you encounter a big mirror panel (large enough to view most of the face!) that opens to the right side. Six gorgeous and complementary shades are revealed underneath.

This compact is the epitome of French glamour. There are many color schemes you can pull off - you can easily wear a different look for a week's worth of social activities. And, the colors are so blendable. You can't goof up with the suggested application combinations. I got to try 68 Champs-Elysées - a group of grey, browns, violet and iridescent silver. You can achieve few different smoky eye looks and each effect is equally stunning. I also didn't have to use too much product to get the right amount of pigment. I like to use the lightest shade alone for a subtle daytime look.

Guerlain Fall 2010: Ecrin 6 Couleurs in # 68 Champs-Elysées.

All of the eyeshadows contain Moonstone powder - this precious stone powder enables the product to extend its staying power. Each palette offers three different textures (iridescent, matte and satin) within each compact. The Mother of Pearl particles also lend a radiant sparkle within the iridescent eyeshadow formula.

These five palettes bear the address of a Guerlain boutique in Paris. Which Guerlain woman are you?

93 RUE DE PASSY: pink, smoky pink, grey, taupe
10 RUE DES FRANCS-BOURGEOIS: beige, golden bronze, brown
29 RUE DE SÈVRES: taupe, light grey, turquoise
2 PLACE VENDÔME: iridescent ivory, deep grey, intense indigo, navy blue
68 CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES: precious brown, gradations of brown, beige, intense violet

The collection is also introducing the new Kiss Kiss Essence de Gloss. This extreme shine lip gloss contains active anti-aging ingredients (Vitamins A & C) to help your lips look more youthful. With daily wear, it's supposed to smooth and plump up your pout. This product also has reflective mother-of-pearl particles. The neat 'jewel' packaging allows the gloss color to flood the transparent middle chamber as you pull the applicator wand out for the first application. Available in 8 shades, I tried 462 Violine (deep fuschia) and loved it. Coupled with a smoky eye, I like to wear it without lip liner for that messy rock star look.

The Écrin 6 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette and Kiss Kiss Essence de Gloss are now available at select locations of Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, Bergdorf Goodman and Sephora.com.

More Guerlain news: they'll be releasing their new Lingerie de Peau foundation and Les Voilettes loose powder in September, so be sure to check back next month for my review!

For editorial consideration, a product sample was provided for this review.

Robin Punsalan Fine Art

Sensual, feminine, and utterly romantic, Robin Punsalan's art blows me away. She has painted many interesting subjects over the years but the graceful characters in her "Dancers" series seem so animated they just leap right off the canvas. You can't help but want to join that vibrant fantasy world.

As someone who adores fashion and dance, these particular pieces resonated with me the most. This multi-talented artist is also a writer, stage actress and standup performer. To delve a bit more deeply into Robin's world, we did a mini Q&A to reveal her inspirations and what makes her tick:

"Brigitte"  

What aspects of painting do you love the most?
 
Robin: I love being in the moment of feeling so much love inside me and it just flows over the paper. It makes me giddy and so excited. There's nothing else. No other thoughts. The painting moves ahead of me and I follow. It's just me and the art. There is immense pleasure when I'm in that place.


Your most prized possessions?
 
Robin: There's an ink, a silk dye made by a company in France. The color is Fig. It is a lovely combination of tobacco and aubergine. I have a couple favorite brushes for fine lines. Bamboo brushes. Lots of CDs...having tons of music nearby.

Philosophy to abide by for your art?
 
Robin: If I don't value my art, I can't expect anyone else too.

What inspires you and your craft?
 
Robin: There's so much. I absorb constantly. Music. Lines. Angles. Installation art. Interior design. Architecture. Tension that's found in so many genres of Movement. A dance between softness and restraint in those lines. A tension of desire. Sometimes a fragrance of loss and resignation.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Robin: Obviously, France. But, I have this crushing pull to Switzerland.

To see more artwork, go to www.facebook.com/RPunsalanArt.

Miss Pucci: Interview with Laudomia Pucci di Barsento

When one thinks of Pucci, we imagine ultra-glamorous ski vacations or painting the town red in a sexy European city. The venerable fashion brand just launched their latest scent, Miss Pucci, and we got to chat with Laudomia Pucci di Barsento, daughter of Emilio Pucci, about her involvement with this fragrance launch. 

How deeply were you involved with the development of Miss Pucci?

Laudomia Pucci di Barsento: I was very present in every step of the process - I'm always deeply involved when it comes to the perfume world. Throughout my youth, I saw my father's work in the industry and grew up with his perfumes. I'm delighted to branch out again into this world.

We wanted to align our fragrances with the DNA (key values) of the brand in a contemporary way. The inspiration, design, packaging, and obviously to some extent the fragrance notes are part of a "Pucci world" that's very familiar to me.

Laudomia Pucci (Credit: Antonio Guccione)

Who is Miss Pucci? Who or what does she represent?

Laudomia: Miss Pucci is a young cool aristocrat! She represents a young, fashionable, and glamorous moment.

What were the key inspirations for this new fragrance?

Laudomia: Ora Ito has done an incredible job interpreting the Vivara wave movement (or bubble) to a 3D dimension...I love it! It's just so perfect and so new. The next step was to bring a more "obvious" Pucci factor, the print, to the bottle. The colors represent the fragrance -- floral, feminine, and fresh, with the personality of the Pucci girl.

The fragrance itself represents a bouquet of flowers. I adore two notes that are really important: the magnolia (the essence is amazing) and the jasmine (sampaguita). Last, but not least, to complement all of this, a souvenir from Florence: the Iris!

Name 5 fashion must-haves you can't live without this season.

Laudomia: Look 32 from our S/S 2010 collection (white and glamorous); Pucci sunglasses with big shades or mirrors; cosmetic case to store my SPF 50; my trunk bag in nude colors, and Terracotta makeup by Guerlain.

Look 32 from the Pucci S/S 2010 collection.

What is your favorite weekend look?

Laudomia: A Pucci terrycloth cover up with a swimsuit and flats. Or a long caftan, like those found in the Turkey market.

YOSH Evanescent Fragrance Collection

With a little alchemy and storytelling, local parfumeur and aromachologist Yosh Han weaves her inimitable magic into her luxurious perfumes. Her latest YOSH Evanescent collection consists of six beautiful Eau de Parfum fragrances to suit all your moods and personalities.

Created with organic alcohol and rare, precious essential oils, each scent is assigned a special numerical value to correspond with a fragrance family, chakra energy and numerology. For example, Sottile 1.61 means 'subtle' in Italian. The first number belongs to the floral family, while the second represents the 6th chakra (third eye). The last number reflects the numerology principle.

Truth be told, there really is no favorite. This year-round collection is designed to complement the wearer's ephemeral whims. I dab on a bit of Sottile 1.61 (tea rose, muguet) when I'm feeling romantic and reflective. White Flowers 1.41, an ode to eternal love, is something I might wear on my wedding day.

The U4EAHH! 2.43 (pomegranate, aloe, cucumber, pear, waterlily) is perfect for those days when I'm feeling flirty and carefree. Ginger Ciao 2.27 is made for the sexy, adventurous explorer while the dreamy and versatile Stargazer 7.71 takes you day to night. For a magnetic unisex scent, the peppery and irresistible Omniscent 0.96 fits the bill.

Yosh conducts perfume workshops throughout the year - there's one coming up in early August if you're interested in learning more about the seductive elements of perfume. Should you have a nice and healthy shopping budget, she can also create a custom scent, just for you.

To learn more: eaudeyosh.com

Recchiuti Confections 2010 Taste Projects

Local gourmands: If you haven't been to the chocolate Taste Projects from Recchiuti Confections, you might wanna think about attending one this year. I had a blast last summer at the Olive Oil & Chocolate tasting with Fran Gage. On top of this extravagant sugar and carb overload, we also learned a lot about buying, smelling, tasting, and storing olive oil.

Michael Recchiuti at the Recchiuti Confections Taste Project.

There will be three special Taste Projects for 2010. The August event is all about Soy & Chocolate with Hodo Soy Beanery. In this classroom style tasting, tofu master Minh Tsai and chocolatier Michael Recchiuti will cover the extensive production processes of soy products. You'll learn how the humble soybean is transformed into tofu, soy milk, Yuba (tofu skin), infused tofu and savory tofu dishes.

This is not where you take a bite of chocolate and eat it with a slice of raw tofu - it's much more interactive and sophisticated than that. For example, attendees will taste caramelized chocolate-covered soybeans (dragée style) as a starter. The second course might be a semifreddo made with a soy base and 64% semisweet chocolate. You'll also sample the burnt caramel soy chocolate milk and a savory Yuba dumpling with a wild mushroom and chocolate custard filling.

Recchiuti with the Hodo Soy Beanery team.

To make things even sweeter, Recchiuti will demonstrate a soy and chocolate bon bon filling in his kitchen. Lastly, you'll finish with a tasting of his private collection of rare origin chocolates, with a soy twist of course. Each guest will then be sent home with a tasty gift bag. Talk about a mega sensory overload!

In addition to this taste project, the Cheese & Chocolate tasting in September will be conducted with Laura Werlin, a prominent national cheese expert. I'm rather tempted to check out the Salt & Chocolate tasting with Mark Bitterman (of Portland's The Meadow).

For event schedule and menu info, head over to www.recchiuti.com.

Anti-Eco Tees and Totes

I saw these humorous Anti-Eco T-shirts and tote bags and I had to chuckle. They all feature tongue-in-cheek quotes like "Ceci n'est pas un soybean," "Acid rain tastes like chicken," or "A little radiation brightens my day."

All totes and T-shirts are made with 100% organic cotton. They're not cheap, but a percentage of each item purchased will be donated to the Gulf Coast oil spill clean-up. They also offer free shipping to the U.S., Canada and Europe, so what are you waiting for? Go save the planet by snagging one of these items.  

Where to buy: www.anti-eco.com

Radley London Fall 2010 Collection

Inspired by the iconic Bloomsbury Group of the 1920's, Radley London's 2010 Autumn/Winter collection is a nostalgic homage to English eccentricity. As with all their products, the buttery-smooth leather and charming little details make this brand so popular.

I love the vibrant colors from this new collection. The Kelley Green Grosvenor Large Flapover Shoulder Bag is currently out of stock online, but they'll soon offer similar styles that will feature tweed! The interior fabric linings on these purses are so girly and fun.

The broguing detail on this Ramsey A4 Grab Workbag makes for a stylish work accessory. Love the contrast stitching and tomato red color. You can even carry a standard-sized laptop in it.

For a limited time, they're offering free shipping on orders over $150. Head on over to radleylondon.com to check out more Fall 2010 styles.

Ramsey Multi-Way & Carrington Small Grab Bag

Blow Faux Dry Shampoo

The next time you're heading outta town, don't forget to take a bottle of Blow Faux Dry with you. Made by the folks at Blow (the popular NYC blow dry bar), this dry shampoo contains their proprietary Pure Protein Blend of amaranth, lupine and wheat. Within seconds of application, excess oil is absorbed and your pretty locks will be clean and fresh-smelling again. Your roots will also get an immediate volume boost and there's no messy powder residue.

This is great for camping trips or any travel destination where you can't take a shower. Plus, it's in powder form so you can easily tuck it into your carry-on. For busy gals it's a real time saver when you're always dashing out the door. And, if you want to re-create a sexy I've-just-been-to-the-beach look, check out their Beach Blow texturizing mist. It will give a soft tousled look without that gritty salty feel.

To purchase, go to blowny.com.

For editorial consideration, a product sample was provided for this review.