Wearing Thyself With Love

Do you remember the Turkish astronomer who discovered the asteroid known as B-612 for the first time in 1909? We know from Antoine de Saint-Exupery's diary of his encounter with the little prince, that, when the astronomer revealed B-612 to the International Astronomical Congress, nobody believed in its existence because of his Turkish costume. Only after the Turkish dictator made a law which mandated his subjects to change to European costume, the IAC validated the astronomer's observation in 1920.

The semiotics of fashion is far more democratic than it was back then. As consciousness is spreading amongst us, the beautiful residents of planet Earth, so is the idea of creativity and play. I remember very well a chance encounter I had with a muslim woman, Sunny, whom I met on the canal near Whitechapel, in London. We were both lost and heading towards the same direction so we walked together a late summer walk bathed in glittery sun rays and dancing butterflies.

We discussed the idea of self-love and we both agreed it is the springboard for everything else. That is where freedom starts as well and I wondered how can one express freedom when they are not allowed to wear anything else apart from their religious uniform? How can creativity manifest itself in these circumstances?

First thing one does in the morning is to choose what to wear. It is your choice to make a statement. If you are conditioned in having to wear something - be it the latest trend or a Ridaa - then your free choice is taken away by certain value judgements you adhere to with or without awareness of the circumstances.

Needless to say, love does not care what garments you wear. It loves you as you are and it also loves to cocoon you in soft cashmere or fine silk. Love simply loves to play and create because it is a joy and it feels good. Therefore your choice to be creative when putting clothing on is entirely yours to explore and enjoy!

When we look at the British artist Lubaina Himid's mixed media painting We Will Be from 1983 (in Helena Reckitt's Art and Feminism; Phaidon, p. 145) we see a determined black woman wearing a dress on which it is written 'WE WILL BE WHO WE WANT WHERE WE WANT WITH WHOM WE WANT IN THE WAY THAT WE WANT WHEN WE WANT AND THE TIME IS NOW AND THE PLACE IS HERE.' Social and historical hierarchies must be questioned. We are what we are and we wear what tickles our fancy.

Guided by love one cannot fail in looking beautiful.

On these grounds I would like to explore the boundaries between art and fashion and also the development of freedom within fashion and art in a series of articles that wishes to present good insights into the subject.

Daniela Nedelcu is an Art History graduate from University of Essex, Great Britain. She writes for Bucharest Shopping Guide, the only shopping guide to local fashion designer clothing from Bucharest and Romania. Exclusive design at attractive prices. Visit: Bucharest Shopping Guide for more information, videos, fashion pictures and more.

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Wearing the Ideal Shade for October and November

The orange lip trend has carried over from the Spring into the Fall. Often times when you think of Fall, you think of changing leaves, Thanksgiving centerpieces, and pumpkin--which is exactly the direction that orange transitions into this time of year. More specifically, you think of deep yellows, oranges, browns, and rustic-reds as opposed to bright in your face shades of orange.

Contrary to popular belief, orange lipstick is a shade anyone can pull off. It really can flatter all skin tones. Not to mention, shades range from neon to rust. Here are some pairing tips:

Face: Use a warm toned blush or bronzer to compliment orange lips. I am a huge fan of NARS bronzer "Laguna" which is a warm bronze with slight gold shimmer that compliments most skin tones and is also great to wear year-round. For blushes, I like Benefit's "Coralista," which is a light peachy gold shimmery blush ideal for lighter skin tones and also MAC "Format" frost blush for darker complexions. If you prefer to stick with warm mattes, I highly recommend MAC's "Harmony," "Gingerly," and "Raizin" blushes.

Eyes: Orange lips look best with neutral eyes. This helps prevent the overall look from looking too ornate. I would even advise just wearing eyeliner and mascara to complete the look and maybe a slight dusting of a shimmery shadow at the brow bone.

If you are going to wear eye shadows with an orange lip color, I would stick with light shimmery golds, beiges, and champagne colors. Light taupes are also a great alternative such as MAC "Patina" and "Omega," dusted softly into the crease paired with a nude lid eye shadow base such as MAC "Vanilla."

Let me suggest three orange lip products I'm in love with this fall:

1) NARS "More" Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil - This is a neutral auburn terracotta lip pencil with a glossy finish that provides a lot of moisture and could be worn on the entire lip as opposed to just a lip liner. More specifically, this is a medium orange with slight brown undertone that reminds me of pumpkin.

2) Clarins "Orange Fizz" Joli Rouge #701 Lipstick - This is a long-wearing and moisturizing lipstick in a beautiful deep bright orange with a slight shimmer. This is a great statement lip as it will add a lot of pop to the face but still wearable for the daytime.

3) MAC "So Chaud" Matte Lipstick - This lipstick is an orange red and totally suits its name (chaud is French for "hot"). It's a bolder lip choice that adds instant brightness to the face with amazing staying power thanks to its matte finish.

Meli, a graduate of the Makeup Designory (MUD) in New York City, is a professional makeup artist. She finds inspiration in enhancing a woman's natural beauty and making her feel her most beautiful self from the inside out. Meli believes lipstick should be the centerpiece of a woman's face, and she hopes her site, http://www.lipsticklookbook.com/, becomes the centerpiece of your beauty inspiration.

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What You Need to Know About Buying, Wearing, and Storing Perfume

Perfumes and fragrances for both men and women can be expensive, but with their abilities to conjure up feelings as well a create a pleasant experience for both the person wearing the perfume as well as those close to the person wearing the fragrance, it is worth the cost.

Due to the expense involved when buying perfumes and fragrances, it is wise to know more about how to select and choose perfumes as well as how to store and wear them.

When choosing a perfume for yourself it is important to know that each person has their own unique body chemistry. This unique body chemistry is based on genes, skin type, hair color, and the type of lifestyle the person leads as well as the environment in which the person lives. Because of the unique body chemistry of people, the same perfume will not smell the same on two different people. It is therefore important not to buy a fragrance because it smelled nice in a magazine sample or on someone else. The best way to see whether it will smell just as nice on yourself is to try it on your own skin to see how it reacts with your own body chemistry.

When applying or wearing your perfume remember the following facts. Fragrances are designed to last approximately four hours. In order to continue smelling of your favorite perfume you will have to reapply the perfume once or twice a day.

Don't apply your perfume to your neck or behind your ears only because the fragrance will rise and disappear. Rather apply your perfume all over your body to make sure that the perfume lasts longer. Also remember that an oily skin holds scents much more and for longer than dry skin. Therefore those people who has a dry skin will have to reapply perfume more often.

The different seasons of the year can also have an effect on the intensity of a perfume it is a good idea to wear different perfumes according to the season. Perfumes that are more appropriate for summer are citrus perfumes that are lighter and fresher. For the winter months, choose stronger, heavier perfumes like an oriental type perfume.

All perfumes have a life of about three years. It is therefore important that you make sure you do not buy an old bottle of perfume. Check when the perfume was made to make sure that the quality of the perfume is high.

Perfumes are delicate and can be damaged or destroyed easily. It is important to store them correctly to ensure that their quality lasts. Keep your perfume in a dry, dark place and away from extremely high or low temperatures as these extreme temperatures will destroy or damage a perfume.

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