Coco Avant Chanel

Yesterday I cast in stone a decision to really do things my way and not to settle for pebbles. You see, tiny doubts and bad idea bears have crept around my cozy crypt (for alliteration’s sake), but not anymore. Do you even know how difficult it is to remain oneself in the world that is constantly harassing you to be a caricature of yourself? Dear Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

Gabrielle Chanel did exactly that.

The first thing I did after watching Coco Avant Chanel is go to The Auteurs and add the film to my profile. There I saw 2-3 reviews by self-proclaimed cinephiles, saying they were disappointed about the lack of flair, flashy fashion and epicocity that the Paris fashion was then. What? Did you even read the title of the film!? The execution was subtle, and increasingly Chanelesque in composition and tone. Look what some idiot wrote: “Was expecting much more nuance and flair in the filmmaking, but all it contained were overdetermined references to Chanelesque style points: black & white, pearls, lace, and whatnot. Riveting?”  Gosh.

I viewed the whole story as a non-stop series of transformations; about the men and women, her surroundings and other elements that influenced her. Subtle, a little slow, but always emotionally vibrant. It’s also about true love, inspiration, determination and support. It’s not about how cool it must’ve been to be mademoiselle Chanel. It’s about being a strong woman going against the current. At least in my opinion.

In fact, what people labeled “plainliness”, I called elegance. Where some were looking for color and fluff, I was sensing the weight and texture, to somewhat speak in fashion terms. I loved Audrey Tautou; in my world she is on par with Anouk Aimee and Anna Karina. I think we all fell for Alessandro Nivola’s  (Yale grad btw) character a little too. But my favorite part is that it was not a rags to riches via marriage (thus complete denial of Gabrielle’s self) story, but a rags to riches via unrestrained imagination, hard work and daring to be different.

Filed under: film , beauty, development, fashion, film, movie, self, work

Tetro

I still have the images from this film in mind. What an excellent work of art. It’s Francis Ford Coppola’s first original screenplay since The Conversation. It is  a beautifully told story of the two brothers and the unveiling of the family secrets. The writing is absolutely fantastic, complemented by outstanding performances of Vincent Gallo and Alden Ehrenreich. Maribel Verdú (from Y Tu Mama Tambien) as the wife of Tetro (Vincent Gallo) does an amazing job, too.

I have never seen Vincent Gallo on screen before, and this film has put him into my favorite actors pool. He’s absolutely mesmerizing, the writer on a perpetual writing sabbatical, a not quite failed genius. And his eyes transmit a lot of emotion. The part where he stares at the blinding peaks of Patagonian mountains carry all the emotion of the subsequent ballet scene (which is also five stars).

Speaking of the ballet – Francis Ford Coppola created some of the most amazing dance scenes in this film. Some of them filled my eyes with tears. Apparently many of them have been shot in the studio only to be decorated with memorable and beautiful backgrounds in post-production. The whole film is actually in black and white – the present is in black & white, whereas flashbacks and scenes from memories are in color. In other words, for Tetro, the present is pretty bleak and not as vivid as the shaky past. I was wondering why the choice of black and white, until I hit the mid-peak of the film. My oh my.

I recommend this movie. It is now in my top 10 favorite movies of all time, filled with fully developed characters that undergo shocking changes as the story unveils. I’m still in a mild coma, and a sea of emotions that I can explain, but won’t. I don’t think it’ll be a stretch to say that Oscar nominations are due, but who knows. Go and watch it. Here’s the trailer:

Filed under: Great Times , achievement, beauty, excitement, film, gallo, genius, movies, review

All That Jelly

Took these shots in Boston at the New England Aquarium. The place was a lot of fun! After conquering the long line to get in, we delighted in the micro-processing, never hurrying jellyfishes, counted as many weed sea dragons as we could, and learned that the giant tank in the middle of the Aquarium is actually tuna can-shaped as opposed to the “apparent” soup can-shaped. 40 feet wide vs. 20 feet tall, ha!

Besides enjoying and photographing unique creatures (and reading their “facial” expressions), I also made a friend with a penguin whom I named Bob. Bob was swimming in the pool as I watched him from above (the pool extended beneath the area where humans walked) and I started waving and calling him to get closer. He looked up and seemed to have gotten mesmerized for a minute there (yay red hair)! Then we continued the wave – swim underneath – swim out – watch for the Karin – swim to where she’s walking – swim out – hear her call – look again… It went on for several feet until he got an ADD attack and quickly swam away with his buddy. I’m telling you, I am princess Mononoke.

The rest of the photos are here

Post title inspired by the homie Egyptrixx.

Filed under: Great Times , animals, beauty, boston, iphone, photography, photos, travels

Gimme 15, Gimme 20, Gimme 30

I’ve been saying this for two years now: “When I graduate and have a decent job, I will get a personal trainer to get in stellar shape.” This phrase became especially important when last semester I fell into Pizza Pizza’s trap and final examinations’ pit. Then I spent three weeks aboard a couch in my home base in Vancouver, and you can figure that my lady self-consciousness and body image concerns shot up (LOL).

So in April, my month of taking control and shooting forward through the highways of life, I went and got a membership at Extreme Fitness gym. Reserve your criticisms of this gym, please, I’ve done my research. Roger complained about Extreme, because there are a lot gym rats and avid bodybuilders that it’s not always pleasant to pump iron around them. On the contrary, this ardent drive sparks my own motivations to work out and PUSHHH TEH LIMITSSS. I just love this whole, YEAH! GO! attitude that’s at Extreme Fitness, because it sets my blood on fire.

I got a personal trainer and now love working out. He’s awesome, but many muscles keep hurting for days (although stopped this week). I am in the conditioning stage for another 8-9 weeks, after which I step into the muscle building stage and meet with a nutritionist to develop a proper meal program. On top of training 3x a week, I burn 1000 or more calories a week by running, however, I’ve yet to make hot yoga a definite staple of my workout week. Besides having to adjust a couple of elements of my current diet and burning even more calories, I’m on the right path and feel energized, happy and in control of my own self. *Runs off to the gym*

Filed under: moving up , beauty, development, exercise, fitness, health, improvements, plans, self

Because You Asked About Makeup

It’s time to talk about girly things because I never really do, and I am not a gang of girlfriends type o’lady. So I will tell this to the Internets and even show a photo of my collection. These are the most valuable and most important players in my makeup collection. Mind you, not all of them are used all at once, because I don’t have an hour to spend in front of a mirror to go get pho.

1. Urban Decay liquid eye liner in – and this is one of the reasons I got it, laughing maniacally – “Perversion”, which is another word for… black?
2. Korres Ginger and Vitamins natural water-based foundation in LF1. Vitamins C, E and ginger moisturize and SPF 10 adds extra protection. I’ve been using it for 3 months now and can definitely say that the effects are amazing. I wrote about it here as well.
3. Cargo Texas Lash mascara. Cargo is known for producing a fabulous line of High Definition makeup, which is what apparently is used on movie stars. Now that the masses have access to this miracle, I thought I’d test it out. I was expecting bull, but was pleasantly surprised when this super soft and easy to remove (but long-lasting at the same time) mascara increased the length and volume of my lashes in an instant. Perfect for smokey eyes, and for those that don’t have too much time to twist and curl their lashes. Respect.
4. Lorac brow pencil in Auburn. What a shock it was to see its dramatic effect. Soft pencil that lasts long and doesn’t smudge easily. Perfect shade for my red hair.
5. Korres 98.8% natural primer. Again, a miracle. Smooth baby face guaranteed.
6. Korres concealer in WC3 – this thing actually conceals and is a perfect tone for my skin – tad bit lighter than my own. Really covers and really stays.
7. Sephora blush me! in No 12 adds a soft touch to my cheekbones.
8. Hally Hansen Insta-Dri nail polish in Wined Up really does dry fast and utilizes a non-traditional wide brush for more effective application. I’m impressed. (Not shown are my shades of red and black, both by Revlon actually)
9. Korres lip and cheek butter in Wild Rose is another miracle from this Greek brand. I was shocked as to how smooth, pleasantly aromatic (how many wild rose lip glosses/butters have you encountered in your life?) and incredibly moisturizing it is. Love the tint of color it leaves as well. Definitely the purchase of the season!!
10. Christian Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Reflect 757 is what I use when I feel like taking it up a notch. It really does wonders with its maximum shine feature and fantastically 3D color. A must for every sexy lady.

Questions? Write a comment. I’d be more than happy to discuss. I’m also open to challenges if you provide me with a contending product. (I just calculated how much all this costs, and we’re talking $250 value. No wonder I purchase all these things over time )

Filed under: Great Products , beauty, korres, makeup, obsessions, product, self

We Got 5 Years

5 years ago, when I was 17 and about to finish high school – first let me tell you, it was an exciting time because I was a genius in History 12, secured two hot career preparation program placements, got into the university of my choice, had a rockstar boyfriend, grand plans, read the some of the most influential books and was just so happy to reach the peak of my teenage days, – I wrote a collection of prose poetry a la Dreamtigers (you can read parts right here!).

Called From A Dreamtiger, with its mantelpiece is My Baby Krishna (the pictured object on the left), the collection centers on my perceptions of colors, relationships between numbers, memories of friends of the past, and travels. I was really proud of it because it was my first non-childish collection of pieces that really channeled . My writing instructors liked them, as well as MFA writing candidates that I used to talk to a lot. Back then I used to say that every five years I feel like writing about things from the past, and I will probably write about 2004 five years down the road.

In the past month I started to recall more and more little and big things from roughly 5 years ago – events, details, light, people, words exchanged. I remember the walks to the theatre in the falling snow, picnics in the forest, writing papers on the horrors of The Satyricon, frantically trying to comprehend the stock market in a race to win, Spanish visitors, multiple bars in Vancouver with equally multiple sins and vices, music and music and music, the film and modeling, bright future, eternal union, new member of the family, utter confusion borne out of fear of loss and changes, and more and more, expressed in frail and sensitive terms.

I feel the coming of the second chapter of my recollections, which I will add to the first and start looking for publishing opportunities.

Filed under: memories , beauty, changes, creative, development, memories, self, vancouver, writing, youth

L’Oreal Does It Again

Even though I am sad that L’Oreal may have discontinued my hair color, they introduced a product which made me ditch Lancome and seriously consider the Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara. Hence I was curious to try this offering from Matchstick.

This mascara easily comes off with warm water. I know, every mascara eventually comes off with water, but the whole eye area turns black and it takes some time. Also, the “tubes” in the product name play a big role – once applied, the mascara solidly wraps around your eyelashes, making them stronger, much, much longer, non-smudgy and alluring. I completely forgot about the tubes at first, so my heart skipped a beat when, after washing my face, I saw tiny little “lashes” all over my eye area. It was the tubes, and the easy removal is no myth.

There are some tricks when it comes to application. For amazing results, slowly apply a thin white basecoat, fully covering your lashes – white extensions will attach to the tips – and let dry for a moment before proceeding. While some people complain that the wand’s too short, I just learned maneuver, and my lashes turn out twice as long! I got more than I expected. The retail price is $14.99, but click here for a $5 off coupon (use this reference code: 71MF). Since Beauty Tubes don’t require a makeup remover, thus saving some bucks, every recessionista should consider the lush value for such a bargain price.

(Did you read this article? What are your thoughts on L’Oréal Paris Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara? Click here to let us know!)

Filed under: Great Products , beauty, fashion, product, review

H2O

In case you are still shopping for last minute Christmas presents, may I suggest the H₂O products for the lovers of bath and body goodies. As a hunter and tester of the best such products myself, I’ve been around the block when it comes to shower gels and hand creams. I bought my mom a Naturally Gifted Collection which has a shower gel, body lotion, spray mist and a body scrub in the Natural Spring scent, which is simply divine! Divine! To add to that, Natural Spring Mineral Bath will sway any bath-loving person: natural sea salts, sea kelp and aloe with magic bubbles! My mom (and I, since I got to try it) absolutely adore it. It is gentle, not overwhelming and wonderfully natural. Yum Yum Yum.

The product definitely aligns with the H₂O concept: “It’s water, but it’s so much more. It’s the thrill you had when you were seven and played Marco Polo in the deep end. It’s the roar of the ocean at night. It’s blue. It’s mysterious, deep and wet. It’s where you wish you were going. It’s personal, comforting, and serene.”

Vancouver store is on Robson & Nelson, Toronto store is in the Eaton Center upstairs. Great if you’re not looking to spend a whole bunch. If you do want to spend a whole bunch, I suggest KORRES natural products.

Filed under: Great Products , beauty, joy, marketing, obsessions, presents, product