May 24, 2012

Introducing SF’s First Fashion Blogger Runway Show

San Francisco will see it’s very first fashion show featuring fashion bloggers instead of models this weekend during the 3rd annual Beauty Expo, a competitive showcase of Bay Area styling and beauty talent produced by the San Francisco Fashion and Merchants Alliance. Read on for more detes and how to win tickets to this local fashion event.

Hosted by Charleston Pierce, the evening derives its main drama from a style-off featuring competing teams made up of hair and makeup pros culled from Bay Area salons and beauty schools. A judges panel made up of Celebrity Stylist Antonio Venegas, former model Joyce Hu of The Bookr, Stylist Dario Smith of Bellwether Project and Gwendolyn Wright of The Wright Consultants will decide the winners.

The evening will be capped off by a fashion show with bloggers as models, including Jules Vasic of The Green Stylist, Alison Messinger of Eclectic à la Mode and Lona Duncan of Lux Resale – each in apparel by designer Jennifer Ly.

Other reasons to go: A chance to mingle with participating designers and folks from sponsor companies such as Styletag, Fizz Marketing, Punchtab, Shopience, Intern Sushi, Wella, AskASalon.com, The Brush Guard, Pigment Cosmetics, Rodan+Fields, Seacret SF, WorkPlayDate, Bachman’s Sparrow and Chloe+Isabel.

Want in? We’ll be giving away tickets later this week, so follow us on Twitter @sfindiefashion or visit our Facebook page. That’s where it will all go down.

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SF Indie Fashion is a Beauty Expo media sponsor

Sebastian Signs Fragrances Arrive at Ver Unica

It’s going to make scents to head to Hayes Valley vintage destination Ver Unica later this week, thanks to a weekend party for the shop’s new fragrance source, L.A.-based perfume line Sebastian Signs.

The vintage boutique is hosting an event on May 12 that will feature Sebastian Signs alongside jewelry by Metal Smith. All are invited to smell and enjoy scents bycreator Sherri Sebastian, who will be on hand to meet and greet customers and talk about her unique use of ingredients.

Originally trained as a chemist, Sebastian boasts a degree in food science and sources her own oils from organic farmers. No. 17 and No. 35 will be carried along with Sherri’s popular goat milk soaps.

You can read up on Sebastian Signs non-chemical philosophy here. You’ll find event details on the SF Indie Fashion Calendar.

Photography courtesy of Ver Unica Vintage

Sneak Peek: Elizabeth Street Cosmetics Launches Spring Hues

Continuing the brand's love affair with San Francisco street names, new Spring hues from Elizabeth Street Cosmetics include a creamy violet named Lilac St (top) and a sheer fuschia gloss dubbed Poplar St.

A fresh batch of lip colors from Elizabeth Street Cosmetics means all new, seasonally-savvy hues from a local source. You can sneak peek them this week during the company’s spring show, and, in the meantime, brush up on your lipstick know-how with expert advice from founder Kelly Crispen.

Five new colors named for Mission streets are out this month from the company, which garners fans with its paraben-free formulas and personalized service (Crispen does house calls, where she helps clients choose colors and dishes out beauty knowledge culled from her 20+ years in the industry).

Expect juicy brights in sheer, glossy formulas.

“It’s an accessory, like a clutch or like a bracelet,” says Crispen of her lipsticks, balms and glosses.

You’ll find Crispen and her spring collection on view this Friday evening at Pixie Hall Studios in Noe Valley during a spring show featuring special guest stylists from Harper Paige Salon (details on the calendar). We recently caught up with Crispen to get her take on wearing spring’s exuberant colors.

We’re seeing bright lip colors everywhere this season. What advice do you have for women who’d like to try out a brighter hue, but usually opt for nude lips?

Bright colors are actually highly wearable, they just need to be “sheered out.” Try a glossy formula. Avoid anything matte or opaque. Use a lighter hand when applying or opt for a lip brush when applying brights, but don’t be afraid to go for a pretty pop of color this season.

Do you have any tips or tricks for keeping lip color on longer, making it last?

The best trick for making your lip color last is to dab a hint of concealer or transluscent powder on first. Avoid pencil liners, as they can look drying and accentuate tiny lines and imperfections.

Are there colors you’d recommend for any skin tone? Sometimes it’s fun to give lip color as a gift, but hard to pick out a color for someone else.

Most skin tones do well with a neutral rosy brown such as Church or Noe Streets from my line, Elizabeth Street Cosmetics. Church is a creamy satin with more color payoff, as opposed to Noe, which is a super sheer tint or glaze.

How can we use lip color to complement what we’re wearing, but without looking matchy-matchy?

Staying in the same color family works but vary the hues. For instance if you’re wearing an orange silk top, try a fresh peach or apricot sheer lip color like ESC’s new Linda Street. If you’re wearing a pale rose top, opt for a bolder fushcia lip color like ESC’s new Rosemont Street. Think of your lip color as another accessory in your wardrobe, one you can change up on any given day.

You’ll find Elizabeth Street Cosmetics in San Francisco stores such as Mira Mira, Two Birds and Rare Device.

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Runway Recap: Ginger Rubio Salon’s “The Hunt”

A model and party-goer smile for the camera

Looking for wildly inventive New Year’s Eve hair inspiration? Maybe you’ll pick up a few ideas from Ginger Rubio Salon‘s The Hunt fashion and hair event, held at DNA Lounge this fall. Channeling Little Red Riding Hood and Twilight, the model’s moody up-dos, “boho meets barbarian” men’s cuts, feathers, braids and exaggerated extensions were inspired by German forests, supple leather, utility, fantasy and history.

Party-goers packed the massive venue to its gills and danced to the beats of house DJs Adrian and Mysterious D while waiting for the unveiling of the Ginger Rubio crew’s transformation of the models waiting in the wings.

When they appeared, models with hair by the Ginger Rubio team and makeup by Nikole Elaine made their way down the runway sporting  smokey eyes and muted tones just as Mysterious D kicked up the beats on the ones and twos in time with the models on the stage. Hot on their heels were oohs and ahs from the audience and satisfaction from the stylists and curators backstage.

Below, a few more shots from this avant garde San Francisco style event.

A model working it on the runway

Backstage, a model shows off her Twilight-inspired hair

A model with a feathers and smokey eyes

Two models, backstage, show off the Ginger Rubio crew's skills

Smiling and happy for post-show success

Photography courtesy of Nathan Koch and Eric Stein

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How to Apply Nail Foils + Unique Designs from a Local

Black and white dots in an all-over graphic print

Nail foils are gaining traction as a quick, not to mention cheap, way to get a wildly patterned mani at home. Selections can be small at local drugstores, meaning you might end up with the same print as the chick next to you on Muni. To the rescue: limited edition non-metallic nail foil sets from Mariposa Allure in designs that range from graphic dots to Halloween-themed ghosts and ghouls.

Launched in September, the San Mateo-based company offers European-made foil sets ($9.99 for hands, $12.99 for toes) in over 30 designs. Yes, there’s animal print. And python, as well as girlie flowers and sporty soccer balls. Each comes with 20 foils sized for different nail beds, a cuticle stick and a file to shape them into place.  A less expensive, just-for-teens line made to fit smaller nails is in the works.

For those new to the nail foil process, it’s pretty simple, but there are a few key tips you can use during the application process, which takes about 20 minutes from start to finish.

Mariposa Allure founder Veronica Maldonado gave us a few tips:

“Make sure the nail is completely clean of old nail polish. Then apply a clear coat. I find this helps a lot to ‘glue’ the foils together with the nail bed. Apply the product as close as possible to cuticle without touching skin. File off the excess and apply another coat of clear, and you are done,” she advises.

To view designs, visit the online shop.

Sets for your toes let you match hands and feet.

This Halloween set featuring skulls and stars - like all sets - comes with 20 different foils in different sizes. You choose the foil that best fits each finger and file into shape.

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