The Red Bag

…and such was the POWER of the Handbag of Glory, that ladies wept when they saw it and those who TOUCHED it went straight to HEAVEN…

After the endless fun I had last season with my Russian Silver Fox (faux) fur bag from Rebirth Bags, I was at a loss for what to do for a replacement statement bag for the summer. The fur bag was becoming too hot to wear in the desert, but I wanted another bag that would really stand out, and that was constructed in the same vein.

Tracey Martin from Rebirth Bags came back to my rescue with the fabulous Red Malibu Hobo bag.

Cinghiale! With jewelry designer Michelle Mirkovich of Divinity Jewelry

This bag comes in a variety of shades, styles and finishes, with her trademark 2 1/2 inch wide leather shoulder strap, which not only supports the load of an overfilled bag (mine always are), but disperses and evens out the weight across your shoulder, so you don’t have straps cutting into your skin.
The bags are made from rugs imported from India, each having its own detail and intricacies. I am obsessed with south and southeast asian cultures, so just hearing the story of the rugs made me have to have one.
The soft champagne suede lining interior has perfect pockets for cell phones and such, as well as a large zippered inside pocket on the opposite side.

They have finishes such as Fleur de Lis, antique crosses and peace signs in leather in the lower corner.

Grocery shopping in Cortona.  

On the menu? Tuscan flat bread with olive oil and sea salt, a chunk of pecorino al tartufo, salad and Sangiovese…

And they cause a scene.
Everywhere I go, and I do mean everywhere, I get stopped and asked about my bag.
In LAX I got stopped four times between security and my gate.
On Air France my gorgeous flight attendant put it on and walked around, loving all over it.
And in Italy, home to the fabulous bag, I got asked about it everywhere I went.

 

My work uniform is typically all black, or jeans and a white T,so I’m always looking for that one statement piece that lifts it and makes it interesting. 

As much as I love my Louis’, right now they are everywhere, leaving you to blend in somewhat, just like a wallflower.

Rebirth Bags by Tracey Martin are not in stores yet, but you can find out more by clicking this link to their Facebook Page, (Facebook.com/Rebirth Handbags By Tracey Martin)

Whats In My Handbag???

Everywhere I go, and I do mean everywhere, whether its to a shoot, a coffee shop, walking through an airport or even walking through the garage at Nascar with Jen (race car driver Jennifer Jo Cobb), people stop me and ask me where I got my cool handbag.

image courtesy kellycappelli.com

So lets have a look.

My handbag is a faux Russian silver fox bag, and is made by a company called Rebirth. (find them here on facebook at Rebirth Bags By Tracey Martin)
I think it is by far the most fun bag I’ve ever owned! Its super well built, can carry a lot of gear around in it, and even being dragged around in my crazy life it holds up beautifully!

The next question is invariably what do I carry in it??

image courtesy kellycappelli.com

As you can see, quite a lot! Starting from left to right up top, I have no idea whats under my book, but when we emptied out my bag I found a bunch of airline boarding passes, so that might be them.
I’m re-reading Under The Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes (one of my fave books), there’s always a magazine in there, this time its Vogue Italia, Feb issue I think?
I always have Starbucks Via packs and 5 hour energies in my bag. Long work days = always tired!
Invariably there’ll be Larabars in there too, so that I don’t grab muffins or junk food when I’m suddenly starving.
Nail polish for touch ups – I’m all about the fuchsia thing right now, this one is OPI Thats Berry Daring. Its fabulous!

To the right of the nail polish is my SPF touch up product. Its by ColoreScience and is SPF50. I brush this on as needed over my makeup as the day wears on, keeping my sun-protection at a premium. The SPF 30 you put on at home in the morning has lost most of its efficiency by noon so you need a touch up product. (this one is also great if you live in humid places and sunscreen feels to melty or gooey on your skin)

Next there’s my blackberry, my day planner ( I love the lavender leather cover) with the ever present sharpie, my aviators, EmergenC Acai flavor, and finally my beautiful Stephanie Johnson Pink Mumbai makeup bag, full of good things!
I actually pull out my Pink Mumbai makeup bag and use it as a clutch bag if I need to high speed change into something for evening.

Tomorrow I’m going to show you exactly what I carry around in my Stephanie Johnson Pink Mumbai makeup bag…

Ellis Faas – My New Obsession…

Every now and then a product line comes along that is truly, truly spectacular.
Ellis Faas is one of the most amazing product lines I have ever worked with.
I am in love. I am obsessed…

Ellis is a dutch born makeup artist, who’s work you have seen over and over.

Vogue Paris cited Ellis Faas as ““one of the most influential make-up artists of her time”. And indeed, she has worked with the world’s most pre-eminent fashion designers, photographers, stylists, hairdressers and models. Ellis’ work has been published on the covers of the world’s best-known fashion magazines. Additionally, Ellis has worked for make-up brands, such as Clinique, Lancôme and MAC Cosmetics – and she was asked by L’Oréal to create a make-up line for their skin care brand, Biotherm. After the contract with L’Oréal ended in 2007, the way was paved for her to create her own brand: ELLIS FAAS.

For the past month I have been on a steady stream of shoots, including three magazine covers, and throughout I have been using Ellis Faas products, both on the shoots, and wearing them myself.
Putting them through their paces.

As a makeup artist, my prime concern is the quality of the complexion. I want to see gorgeous, fresh, radiant skin. I want the skin to look healthy and alive, not smothered in makeup. I want it to glow.

That’s where Ellis Faas first got me. Their Skin Veil foundation does exactly that. It is super sheer, so you don’t look or feel like you’re wearing a foundation mask, but also super concentrated and highly pigmented, so you have a flawless coverage.
Its great for street wear and for professional use. And it photographs amazingly.

You can buy Skin Veil Foundation in a bottle, or in these cool bullet style pens.

Each foundation shade has its own matching concealer – there’s no guess work involved. It comes in a bullet pen too.

I carry an Ellis Faas concealer pen in my handbag for touch ups after a long day, before I head out to an evening event/dinner/drinks. It gives the under eye area an instant lift and doesn’t cake into existing makeup. Fab.

Ellis offers a couple of different eye shadow formulations, that also come in the pens. They are liquid to powder formulations that are super easy to apply, layer into and work with, and that quite literally last all day.

There is a variety of fabulous colors to choose from, all designed to be universally flattering to skin tone, so you won’t get home and find the fabulous color you just bought looks less than fabulous on you.

Ellis Faas lips come in three formulations, creamy, milky and glazed.

There are 27 colors to choose from, all of which are paraben free and full of Vitamin E. They keep the lips beautifully hydrated, don’t bubble up or get tacky, and the color lasts and lasts. You can build it as intensely as you want, or wear it as a soft, sheer lip. Lots of options.

The lips come in the bullet pens too, making them very easy to use, as well as convenient to carry around in your handbag.

To streamline your entire makeup process, and to do away with that messy makeup drawer and all its broken and dusty contents, Ellis developed this clever holder.

All your products sit neatly inside, you can see at a glance which product you’re reaching for. And its all incredibly neat and tidy, and very effective. (as well as looking cool)

To learn more about Ellis Faas products, check out her amazing website EllisFaas.com
There are even how to videos taught by Ellis herself, that show you just how quick and simple these products are to use.

Guarantee you love them like I do!

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