The Frisky features “Botkier’s Gray & Hot Pink Xenia Boots.”  They are expensive, but a must-have if you can afford them.

Daily Makeover explains “The Most Natural Way To Contour Your Cheeks.”

“Article: Most Dangerous Cosmetics” was posted by Share my Fashion Addictions. This should be required reading for all females, and some males, too.

Head over to For the Love of Beauty to indulge in her “SNEAK PEEK: Stila’s Backstage Beauty Eye Shadow Palette – The Front Row Look. “

View stylish Francesco Biasia handbags on Bag Snob, as they cover the “Biasia Cultural Event- What does your handbag say to you? ”

Check out “Christian Bale’s Mom Insulted His Wife,” on I’m Not Obsessed this week to see why Batman may be innocent.

If you’re a fan of Project Runway, make sure you read “Fashion House: Project Runway with a Twist” on Beauty Girl Musings. With this being the last season to air on Bravo before moving to Lifetime, Fashion House is ready to step into the empty slot.

After a season full of catwalks and catfights, Project Runway season four has officially finished its course. This year the finale consisted of two episodes, because they couldn’t fit all of the action into just one show.

If you remember from a few weeks ago, the judges couldn’t decide to send Chris or Rami to Bryant Park for New York Fashion Week. Their solution: let them both create collections and then select who has the right stuff to showcase their garments. So all four designers, including Christian and Jillian as well, were given $8,000 and five months to create a line concept to debut on a large scale to the fashion world.

Part one of the finale showcased the budding talents at their homes and in their work spaces. Tim Gunn personally went to visit each of them, as he always does, to observe the progress of their designs. Past seasons have led Tim across the country, but this year all of the designers were based in New York, except Rami who resides in Los Angeles.

After getting a peek of what they would bring to fashion week, we next see them as roommates once again, gearing up for the competition. But before they can all begin polishing up their clothing, Chris and Rami must present their collections to the judges.

Both had significantly stepped up their game, Chris trying to tone down the theatrics and Rami steering clear of Grecian draping. Heidi Klum, Michael Kors, and Nina Garcia were all equally impressed with what they saw. While they had little complaints for either designer, the factor that very well may have sent Chris home was his work with real human hair. Although his pieces were amazing, that was a bit too much for them and he was dismissed from the competition, bowing out graciously as usual.

Now that the final three were set in stone, the designers got right to work perfecting their collections and casting models. What was most surprising during this stage of the finale was Christian’s lack of confidence. A self-proclaimed “fierce” contestant, he was unusually nervous and self-doubting.

And finally, the moment came. The designers were each given their chance to show the most elite of the fashion industry what they could bring to the table.

The last piece of Jillian’s 15th Century armor-inspired collection:

Rami’s 12th look, inspired by Joan of Arc:

And Christian ended the show with his self-proclaimed “romantic gothic” looks:

Each had their highlights, impressing the onlookers inside the Bryant Park tent. The winner could have been any of these three fashion-forward contestants. But as all of the shows go, eliminations had to take place as soon as the runway excitement was over.

Victoria “Posh” Beckham was the final guest judge of the season, helping the others critique the collections. First voted off was Jillian, who Nina Garcia felt had too many inspirations in her show. Next to go was Rami, possibly because as Michael Kors expressed, his colors were too “Brady Bunch.” With the other two designers eliminated, 21-year-old Christian Siriano was named the Project Runway season four winner.

On top of the honor of being crowned top designer, Christian received the complement of Victoria Beckham expressing her personal adoration for his clothing and talents. The megastar told him that she would wear one of his pieces any day.

I can’t wait to see Christian grow as a designer. He was named this season’s fan favorite, and whether you agree with that title or not, you cannot deny his ability to push the envelope and redefine fashion.

Who were you rooting for in the finale???

Photo Credits: www.bravotv.com

Meeting Tim Gunn at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the designers were told to take photos of three subjects: Greek and Roman sculptures, European paintings, and the Temple of Dendur. From all that they observed, they then selected one photo that would be their “muse.”

Of course it was no surprise that Rami choose a sculpture of Aphrodite. Creating draped Grecian dresses is just what he does…repeatedly. The other designers discovered the paintings to be their sources of fashion bliss.

Chris designed a high-couture take on a French noblewoman (which he had also already done earlier in the season, episode eight to be exact). Christian made a woman’s collection, yes several pieces, that was inspired by a Spanish Don. Sweet P translated a painting of a peacock into wearable art. And Jillian made a sassy gold dress, loosely based on a photo of the Argonauts, with a black jacket with gold details.

They all were going into the runway show hoping that their pieces would be enough to secure them spots in the final episode, which would be a designer’s dream – NY Fashion Week at Bryant Park.

To the designers’, and my, amusement, the guest judge was a man of history himself, Mr. Roberto Cavalli. For these emerging talents, receiving advice from this fashion mogul is the highest of honors. Despite his elevated status in the industry, he was very supportive of the designs he was judging — even telling Jillian that she is talented enough to be on his staff.

When the time came to let two designers go, the air thickened. Although we all love her, it was pretty obvious that it was Sweet P’s time to go. Her design could have been taken so far, but unfortunately fell a bit flat and she was eliminated.

Now it was down to Rami and Chris. Both contestants produced dresses that they had already done earlier in the season, but both were fabulous pieces. It was a hard decision for the judges to make, so their solution: keep them both! Rami and Chris will get to show their top three pieces from the collection that they make for Bryant Park. The designer that is favored by the judges will get to show at Fashion Week.

…and now the contestants have been picked for NY fashion Week at Bryant Park (kind of) and are ready to go. I can’t wait to see the end result of this season’s hard work and dedication!

~ Leeann

Photo Credits: http://bravotv.com

So, here’s the scoop for episode 9. It was all about denim…Levi’s to be exact. Provided with rack upon rack of jeans, ranging from light to dark washes, the designers were assigned the task of creating an iconic look.

Back in the workroom, tempers flared a bit under the pressure of finishing their garments and the possibility of going home. Jillian was emotional this week, due to the fact that her fingers and the sewing machine had a few run-ins. Chris and Christian clashed. Sweet P had to create a new design, mid-challenge. And Rami stayed to himself – experimenting with zippers.

When it came to the runway show, the judges ate up Ricky and Christian’s finished products, ultimately selecting Ricky as the top designer. On the other hand, they weren’t too fond of Chris’s take on the classic little black dress (personally it was my favorite!), but they kept him around.

However, their unhappiness with Jillian and Victorya’s jacket designs was strong enough to send the two ladies to the bottom. Their complaint with Jillian lied in the fact that she had created a similar coat just one week earlier, and Victorya’s take out outerwear was too simple in their opinion. The judges considered both a bore. But in the end, Victorya was dismissed.

This was the first challenge that the winner wasn’t granted immunity. Project Runway fans — I believe the stakes just got higher!

Last night’s episode 10 was probably the toughest yet, literally. The models were WWE Divas…a.k.a. female wrestlers. Not only were the women a bit intimidating, so were their costumes. In the ring, it’s all about each individual’s persona, so the designers were asked to develop outfits that were suitable for the sport.

As an over-the-top contestant, Chris was thrilled with this project. But most of the other designers weren’t too happy with the “tackiness” that they would have to embrace. Along with Chris, Christian and Jillian found a way to excel, but Ricky, Rami, and Sweet P all struggled.

From lace to feathers, and a lot of spandex, the materials used were quite…um, I’ll say eye-catching. I think Christian described the outfits best by deeming them as items from the “tranny ice capades.”

The designers’ pieces broke down as follows:

Christian: Chaps and lace…enough said.
Ricky: An orange bathing suit (rather than a sexy athletic costume).
Sweet P: Shinny, iridescent white with feather embellishments.
Rami: Pink…very pink. Think Barbie.
Chris: Leopard print, sparkles, and a whole lotta sass.
Jillian: Blue and white, very provocative boxer.

Guest judges this week were Traver Rains and Richie Rich of Heatherette. With the flashy runway shows that they put on, this challenge was right up their alley. They did a fine job of scoring the styles.

Chris was named the winner, and I loved his design! Has anyone noticed that he has really been producing haute items? Even though it was unfortunate that Jack had to leave the show, it worked out well that Chris was brought back. We are now really getting to see his talent.

This week was Ricky’s time to go. As last week’s winner, he really could’ve used the immunity that the winners received during the first half of the season. It just goes to show that you can be on top one week, and out the next.

This was an opportunity for the teams to create grandiose styles that were fashion-forward. That is, on the condition that they meshed well together. The pairs consisted of: Chris and Christian, Ricky and Kit, Victorya and Jillian, and Rami and Sweet P.

(Victorya and Jillian trying to decide who would relinquish control)

The first two teams seemed to complement one another, while the other collaborations proved to be a bit rocky. Victorya and Jillian had some trouble selecting which one of them would get to be the captain (they had to actually flip for it), but they eventually pulled it together.

On the other hand, Rami and Sweet P were a tragic combination. The two had different visions, and since Rami was the captain, Sweet P didn’t get much of an opportunity to contribute her ideas.

Just when everyone started to make due with their situations, Tim Gunn decided to drop another bomb on them — create a second look. The additional design was to be a ready-to-wear piece that embodied their avant-garde vision, yet only cost $50 to produce.

This was an especially difficult task for Victorya and Jillian who were already behind. Individually they are slow workers, and when paired up together they both lagged to the point where it seemed as if they’d never finish. As for Sweet P, creating a new design was actually a positive move because Rami gave up some control and let her work on the added garment.

The runway show was the moment of truth for the designers. Even though Victorya and Jillian were behind throughout the competition, they managed to complete their look and send two attractive pieces in front of the judges. However, Chris and Christian’s designs trumped theirs. Deemed the most avant-garde, the group’s pieces were featured in a TRESume ad.

That left Ricky and Kit, along with Rami and Sweet P, in the bottom. It was obvious that Rami had full control over the group because their dress looked very similar to everything else he had done thus far this season. They loved Sweet P’s on-the-go look and felt that she was deserving of another week. Ricky was also spared because he wasn’t the team captain, leaving his partner Kit up for a possible dismissal.

The judges felt that Kit’s design just wasn’t exciting or futuristic enough and she was the latest expelled from season 4. I wouldn’t feel too bad for her though, I hear she works for E! now…not too shabby!

Photo Credits: http://www.bravotv.com

(Christian is busy creating a prom dress for his muse – a self-proclaimed designer)

Heidi Klum escorted the schoolgirls onto the runway and had them select their designer of choice. After everyone was paired off, garment ideas were discussed and the action began. Most of the “models” had a good idea of the dresses that they were looking for, but were also open to the creative visions that the designers had.

Notice how I said “most.” That’s because poor Christian had been picked by a self-proclaimed designer, and an obvious diva. Her proposals were a bit over the top. C’mon who requests a train on their prom dress?!

Despite some of the “rough patches” that the dress discussions posed, including the request of a plunging neckline and back by Sweet P’s model, the designers all put everything into their pieces. Many altered the girls’ original ideas a bit, feeling that they couldn’t let a “design flaw” get them eliminated from the show.

In true Tim Gunn fashion, the designers made it work and produced elegant, yet fun, prom dresses appropriate for their teenage models. For the record I just want to say I am a little jealous, my prom dress wasn’t an original Project Runway item (I bought it at my local Windsor store).

Victorya pulled in her second challenge win on this episode while Christian and Kevin faced the chopping block (both of which are designers that I adore). The two were facing elimination for differing reasons; Christian because he didn’t produce what had been asked of him by his model, and Kevin because he didn’t finish the hem (by choice) on the bottom of his dress.Ultimately, Kevin was bid off by Heidi, and Christian was spared.

At this point of the competition things are definitely heating up. It’s almost hard to pick the designer who should be sent home. This week Kevin’s dress wasn’t bad by any means. Had he hemmed the dress, I feel that the judges really would have struggled to find the weakest garment design.

So, had this been your prom, which dress would you want to be draped in?

~ Leeann 

..Oh yeah, and the dress featured here was not the winning Project Runway dress nor the one eliminated — it was my fave designed by Kit!

Once you get a taste of “BITTEN Sarah Jessica Parker,” you will want to go back for seconds! Among the celebrity clothing lines that are popping up throughout affordable retails stores (such as Vera Wang at Kohl’s, Isaac Mizrahi at Target, and Roberto Cavalli’s new collection at H&M), BITTEN proves to be a bit different. Pricing on all items fit into the range of $19.98 or less!

Featured at Steve & Barry’s chains throughout the U.S., the goal of this wonderful retail store and Sarah Jessica Parker, the celebrity designer, is to give customers the ability to purchase fashionable clothing, minus a large price tag. Parker’s catchphrase says it all, “Fashion is not a luxury, it’s a right.” Agreed!

Previously a shop for men’s casual clothes, Steve & Barry’s first real launch into women’s clothing is with BITTEN. Other famous females who have recently followed Parker’s lead and joined the Steve & Barry’s team include Amanda Bynes with her line “Dear” and Venus Williams with “EleVen.”

Aside from the amazing prices, Parker has taken into account that not all women are the same size, tailoring the clothing to fit differing body types. BITTEN features sizes XS-XXL in tops, bottoms ranging from 0-22, and sizes 5-11 in shoes. Infusing her personal style into her line, this star has developed a multitude of pieces, some of which include outerwear, sweaters, suit separates, jeans, lingerie, bags, accessories, footwear, and much more.

My co-worker and fellow Beauty Chat gal, Andrea (“Dre”), is the resident Steve & Barry’s expert here in the office. Dre has visited the store and purchased some hot trends from a few of their lines. Here’s what she had to say about her BITTEN jeans and Dear t-shirt: “The jeans are comfortable and great for casual wear, or you can dress them up for a night out.  The tee is comfortable as well and goes great with the jeans.  I would definitely recommend both clothing lines!”

 Sarah Jessica Parker is a busy woman these days! With her perfumes “Covet” and “Lovely,” a “Sex in The City” reunion, this clothing line, and her recent appearance on “Project Runway” a few weeks ago, she seems to be dabbling in a bit of everything. And lucky for us, we can all enjoy these endeavors. To shop for her wallet-friendly, deliciously attractive line, check for Steve & Barry’s locations, and get BITTEN!

Check out this recent YouTube video featuring her line:

P.S.…You can still purchase the dress/vest duo designed by Project Runway’s Victorya, I just saw it at my local Steve & Barry’s last weekend — the Ontario Mills in the Inland Empire. The pieces look adorable worn together or separately!

~ Leeann 

Finally! After what seemed like an eternity, Project Runway is back from its break and sweeter than ever. We caught up with the designers for, what I feel, was their most interesting assignment of the season thus far — designing with candy and/or candy paraphernalia. Here’s how it all went down:

Everyone was sent to the Hershey’s store in New York and given five minutes to grab anything that they felt would make their outfit stand out. With no budget, the designers ravaged the store, grabbing all that they could get their sticky little fingers on…for better or worse.

Back at the design studio, Jillian found out the hard way why she was the only one who selected actual pieces of candy, to create her look. Because it is nearly impossibly to get edible accessories to cooperate! While the other designers used materials such as pillows, stuffed animals, and candy wrappers, she chose to work with Twizzlers.

Despite the fact that she was stressed out beyond belief, Jillian “made it work” and sent a yummy creation down the runway. Because she pushed herself in a way that no one else did (and created a wonderful dress), she deserves a ton of credit.

This week was pretty successful for the designers. I thought most of the pieces shown were delicious, and I still cannot pick my personal favorite. Rami was ultimately selected as the winner with a futuristic approach to candy-inspired clothing.

And for the ousted contestant…Elisa. Just when I started to understand the lady, she loses the challenge. For those of you who missed the last episode, we got to peek into a tragic event that took place in Elisa’s life a few years back while she was in London with her T-shirt line. Hit by a car (she was a pedestrian), her skull was cracked open almost 4 inches, putting her in a coma for five days. Project Runway was Elisa’s attempt to get back into the business.

Despite such a sad story, it was her time to go and she left the runway with extreme grace and poise. Kudos to the good attitude Elisa!

So, as Kit pointed out last night, season 4 is at the half-way mark. I can’t believe it! How do you feel this round of Project Runway has stacked up?

~ Leeann

Photo Credits:  http://www.bravo.tv.com
 

                                                (Tiki Barber)

Episode 3 featured semi-recently retired New York Giants football player Tiki Barber as the guest judge. Now a correspondent for NBC, he is asking the Project Runway contestants to design menswear that is appropriate for his position as a television reporter.

A difficult task for the designers, since they are far more accustomed to dressing women, many struggle to produce a runway-worthy style. In fact, Carmen couldn’t even finish her design — sending her model in front of the judges without a shirt. This, inevitably led to her dismissal from the show. On the other hand, Jack did very well, designing a pinstriped outfit that Tiki selected as his favorite.

The following week (Episode 4) the designers were given a “blast from the past,” and instructed to revamp a style from a previous decade. After each of the cast mates selected an outfit that they felt they could modernize, they were then told to split off into groups of three. These partnerships were to make a cohesive collection using the three of their styles.

Well, the group containing Ricky and Victoryia was anything but cohesive, ultimately leading to Ricky’s spot in the bottom two, alongside Chris. Neither of their designs were too impressive, but the judges felt that Chris’s was the worst of the two and sent him packing. Ricky is safe for another week (this wasn’t his first time on the chopping block). The winner was Jillian, who updated overalls in a sassy way.

                     (Chris gets sent home…but is it for good?)

Finally, on to Episode 5, originally airing on Wednesday, December 12. The models last week were women who have lost significant amounts of weight, and their old clothing were the basis of the designs. Using their favorite outfits from the past, the designers were challenged to transform the over-sized items into better-fitting, stylish pieces.

Just when the episode is about to get good, things change…for the worse. Jack, the fun-loving, drama-free designer who won top design on Episode 3 is forced to remove himself from the competition. An infection of the face proves to be dangerous (he is HIV positive). In order to get well, he must leave the show to receive medical attention.

This was definitely an emotional time for all; Jack, the other designers, and the viewers. Since there was a model without someone to create clothing for them, Chris is asked to join the show again and given a second chance.

The biggest design difficulty this episode was felt by Steve. He was to transform a wedding dress into something that his model could wear day to day. Despite receiving help from Kevin and Victorya, it wasn’t enough to keep him around. While we said goodbye to Steve, it was a big congratulations to Christian (the fan favorite of the season).

So, now that we’re all caught up, how does everyone feel about the season?

I know that my co-workers have definitely been enjoying the episodes thus far. Here is a little bit of what they had to say during a Project Runway e-mail conversation in the office…

Chuck: “I was so crying when Jack had to leave. Ohh but I heard a juicy rumor about Jack !!!!!! I read an outzonetv.com interview with Jack and it seems that he is kind of dating Dale from another Bravo show – Top Chef. Juicy huh?

Jacquie: “Jack was one of the best!!! I was so sad he left.”

Chuck: “I love Christian, he is so talented, and I loved his last outfit. I would so buy that for one of my sisters right now.”

Join in on the conversation — I appreciate the opinions of all of my readers!

~ Leeann

Photo Credits: http://www.bravotv.com

Due to the skipped post last week (sorry Thanksgiving  threw me off), I was looking forward to presenting you with a double dosage of Project Runway. But, um, I sort of fell asleep. So here is a look back at episode 2.

First off, can I retract my previous statement that Marion was going all the way?! Uh, yeah…got that one way wrong. Maybe by me dubbing him as a finalist this season I jinxed him, because Marion is no longer with us. Oops!

So why was he cut? Well, his design wasn’t exactly attractive. The assignment was to create a 2-piece outfit for Sarah Jessica Parker’s BITTEN clothing line (found in Steve and Barry’s stores nationwide). One of the designers, Chris, was ecstatic, crying at the sight of the starlette. He revealed to viewers that he actually moved to New York City because of “Sex in the City.” Although many may have thought that Chris was being over-dramatic, I thought it was cool that he was able to meet his idol.

 After pitching their ideas to Parker, she decided upon her favorites and those were the pieces that were created. Paired up in two’s, with the winners picking their partners, teamwork seemed to be abundant. The only team that was in real danger of clashing was Sweet P and Elisa. Despite some amazement with the spitting (yeah, Elisa spits on her garments to measure them!), the two cranked out a design that the judges really ate up this week. Heidi, however; didn’t appreciate the spitting too much either.

 Victorya’s design was selected as the winner, executed perfectly by her and last week’s winner Kevin. The outfit was definitely the best, kudos to the judges’ decision. The dress and vest is to be produced under the BITTEN line and is currently being sold at Steve & Barry’s stores nationwide.

I look forward to watching episode 3, which I’ll probably catch a rerun of tonight. Because I am going on a two week vacation, look for my thoughts on the following episodes lumped in with the sixth show recap when I get back.

Seems like I’m going to be gone forever, but I promise…I’ll be back with a Project Runway vengeance!

~ Leeann