what i'm reading: Style Eyes by Taylor Chang-Babaian

in her new book, Style Eyes, makeup artist Taylor Chang-Babaian shares her knowledge, advice and how-to instruction for creating amazing eye looks, no matter what their shape or your occasion. i love that this book is filled with clear, crisp images (kudos to photographer Albert Sanchez) and great step-by-steps for each look-- Taylor includes sections on everything from the brushes you should have and how they are to be used (but without any brand recs), how to play up eyes based on your eye shape and skin tone, brow shaping, etc., without forgetting to include a chapter on how to create the best flawless eye canvas to start your look.


just a few images from Style Eyes (click to enlarge)

each pic is so fresh and inspiring-- they made me want to play with eye makeup looks all day!-- and the use of different colors to create the classic, and oh-so-popular smokey eyes is fabulous! Style Eyes is very thorough and a great book to own since you can pick it up and read it from any part for tips or to try something new!

check out this book, now available on amazon.com and a bookstore near you.

xo
this book was sent to me for review consideration.

what i'm reading: What to Wear For the Rest of Your Life

Kim Johnson Gross' book What to Wear for the Rest of Your Life: Ageless Secrets of Style chronicles the journey of the author's own re-discovery of her sense of style and helps the reader find her own by offering practical tips to create a wardrobe that begs to be worn.

every woman's closet-- no matter the size-- is a room of her own. in that space hang side by side the special occasions and the everyday, the triumphs and the disasters, the memories we want to keep and those we should jettison.

i like the advice in this book and the personal stories really help made me feel like i was getting to know who the author was. though this read is geared at an older audience (40+), any stylish gal can pull tips and learn from it.



divided into four main parts, What to Wear for the Rest of Your Life begins with part one, "How Should I Look?", which is divided into 10 sections covering everything from evaluating your clothes to assessing how we truly look in our clothes to getting your closet in feel good condition.

part two, "What Do I Want to Wear?", Gross encourages the reader to choose style mentors, while part three, "How Do I Look?", brings up that our closet is always evolving-- especially as we age. makeup, hair styles and shopping advice are also addressed in this section.

in the fourth section, thoughtfully titled "Clothes Meet Life", advice is given about jewelry, dressing sexy, and dressing for special occasions. Gross then ties everything together with a wrap-up section, Wardrobe Wisdom, which gives book recommendations and highlights the women the author interviewed in the book-- loved that!



if you're looking for a style-themed, how-to, semi-memoir book, you might find What to Wear for the Rest of Your Life quite enjoyable-- i know i did! you can find it at amazon.com.

xo
book featured was sent to me by the publisher for review consideration.

what i'm reading: Fierce Style by Christian Siriano

Fierce Style: How to Be Your Most Fabulous Self by Christian Siriano* allows every woman the opportunity to get advice from Project Runway's most successful and fierce winner.

i admit, i was always a huge fan of Christian's-- every week i would tune in to PR, eager to see what he would create. he was even memorable to hubby because of his repeated use of the word "fierce"; the man couldn't remember Christian's name, but if i said "you know, the 'fierce' guy", he instantly remembered, LOL!

with a foreward from Tim Gunn (if you get the book, don't skip this part!), Fierce Style touches on everything from how to create your own signature style, give your wardrobe more pizazz, how to dress your body type, the best places to shop for your style preferences (even on a budget!), beauty and hair tips, what inspires him, and the list goes on...


pic of Christian working, featured in chaper 7 (page 98)

throughout the book, Christian shares his own style blunders and missteps, lists his favorite (and not so favorite) things, and the best part of all? the glossary of terms at the back of the book (i'm glad i'm not the only one who uses the word fabulous to describe everything i love!)!

i really like this book because it's practical, fun to read, has amazing tips (and pics!), and each chapter is broken down into bites, rather than being long and drawn-out. you can literally pick this book up, open it to any page, and get a style tip, beauty inspiration or an idea on how to make the most of your own time and talents so you can be your most fabulous, fierce self.

great job Christian!

you can find Fierce Style: How to Be Your Most Fabulous Self in bookstores now and online at amazon.com

xo
first pic taken by me :)
Christian Siriano photo via amazon.com
*the publisher, The Hatchett Group, sent this book to me for review