Last month I wrote about the Chanel Paris-Moscou collection of nail color and I was confused how a royal color such as purple wasn’t included in a collection heavily influenced by the folklore and charm of Czarist Russia.  I went to a Chanel boutique a over the holiday break to pick up Or de Russe (”Russian Gold”) and I found my reason why:  Chanel DOES have a very regal purple as part of their Spring collection so I guess they didn’t want to double up.  It doesn’t matter to me what collection it’s a part of.  I’m just happy that Chanel’s newest shade, Vendetta, is here.  Vendetta is a gorgeous, deep violet with just the right amount of shimmer.  I normally don’t like shimmery nail polish and always opt for matte nail color, but Chanel always manages to give you just a touch of shimmer that’s the perfect amount.  And, what a great name!  This color is not for sissies!  You can purchase Vendetta at Chanel boutiqes and online here.

A while back Uslu Airlines came out with nail colors including French emporium Colette’s signature blue.  In its newest series of nail colors, Uslu Airlines turned to people that log lots of air travel miles - DJs.  Four DJs  chose their favorite color and Uslu Airlines mixed it up for them.  In exchange, each DJ created a music mix to go with their polish! Each DJ also acts as an ambassador for their own color which promotes the entire project, they are:  Check THF - Tempelhof by Fetish, ZRH - Zürich Kloten by Headman, JMK - Mykonos Island by Rollerboys and PSG - Petersburg James A Johnson by Ed Banger.  I’m loving the purple shade and the silver looks like liquid platinum.  You can get the polish at Colette or online at the Colette website.

This week’s pick is Planned Parenthood. Most of us are familiar with the organization, but if you haven’t actually been there, you may not realize the multitude of services they provide, including: STD/HIV Testing, birth control methods (Morning After Pill, they supply FREE condoms), pelvic exams, abortions, and treatment for men’s sexual health as well. The cost of your Planned Parenthood visit and applicable prescriptions are determined by your household income (get an approximation and find your nearest location at their website here). For instance, those that are eligible are able to receive up to a full year of a birth control method at no cost, for which you are given a Planned Parenthood membership card that links your information to your selected pharmacy. The Planned Parenthood facilities are clean, modern, and not nearly as sterile and uncomfortable feeling as most hospitals are, so you are more than likely to have a favorable experience there.

REVIEW:
Cost: $0+ (Depends on household income)
Value: Excellent
Accessibility: Good
Where: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/index.htm

Enjoy and stay posted for more beauty tips and picks to come next week!

“Partner let me upgrade you,” yeah Beyonce said it best. 2009 ladies, it’s all about the UPGRADE! Whatever it may be: your job, your bank account, your kit, your man . . . you’re worth the best, so think big, go hard and trade-up! To inspire you on your journey for success we are starting the year on top . . . and what brand wouldn’t be more goal worthy than Chanel? Yeah, we thought you might agree. Presenting M.I.S.S. January 2009, lovingly nicknamed, “Chanails,” we bring you a mani inspired by all things Chanel: interlocking CC’s, the cap-toe, tweed, chain-link, quilting . . . luxluxlux!!!

Your mantra for the new year: “Two Thousand and MINE!” We here at M.I.S.S. wish you a year of love, health, wealth and the real deal . . . no Canal Street specials here ya’ll! This is the Fo’ Real not the Faux Real and yes those boxes are full.

You can download the M.I.S.S. January 2009 Calendar here and the Desktop here.

Three finger pearl ring by Chanel (2001), Chanel Sneakers (year unknown), Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colours: Black Satin, Gold Fiction and Blanc Ceramic.

Lovely images from Cucina con Amore a cookbook by Sophia Loren. Originally published in 1971.

Via Let Them Eat Cake

My latest iTunes download was the 2007 album What’s the Time, Mr. Wolf? by The NOISEttes. Fronted by the astonishingly fashionable Shingai Shoniwa, The NOISEttes have a sound that’s an amalgamation of punk, soul, blues, and good ol’ rock and roll. Their music is dark, heavy, sexy sexy sexy and I just had to have it!

Shingai Shoniwa sings like a songbird raised by Billie Holiday and Siouxsie Sioux and godmothered by Beth Gibbons of Portishead. She patrols the stage like a Runaway (Joan Jett, Lita Ford, Cherie Currie, Sandy West) and the way she rips on the bass would make Ann & Nancy Wilson of Heart proud.

They’ve been likened to the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s and the White Stripes but the dynamic collaboration of guitarist Dan Smith and drummer Jamie Morrison, who complete the trio, has the Noisettes in a category that teeters on Afro-Punk and indie-rock at it’s finest.

But let’s get back to Shingai’s eye for fashion. This girl is hot. The fiery frontwoman flaunts feather-and-war-paint stage attire mixed with elements of the London punk scene, all while pulling from her Zimbabwan roots, where tribes express themselves in the way they dress.

Music, outfits, and big earrings—all the makings of a fashion icon.

Check the shots of Shingai’s style below:

More on Shingai Shoniwa, The Noisettes and the Afro-Punk movement after the jump!

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This week’s picks and tip: Glitter and Gold - Make Up Forever’s Star Powders are a Jem! are inspired by my favorite childhood cartoon character, Jem, and my ladies, Sophie (color selection) and M.I.S.S. Reina (look). Rock n’ roll, romance, rival girl bands, secret identities, eighties excess, awesome outfits, and a non-profit, Jem was the It cartoon for young girls in the late 1980s, and is my muse for this year’s New Year’s Eve look.

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Staying fit during the holiday season is one of the most difficult things to do, especially for a food lover like myself. So to get me through the holidays without bursting my seams, I depend on healthy snacks like this week’s pick: Rachel’s Essence yogurts.

I fell in love with Rachel’s Essence yogurts a few months ago when I was handed some free samples during my commute home from downtown San Francisco (FYI: Marketers – FREE SAMPLES WORK!) I am VERY picky when it comes to yogurt, and I was so impressed by the delicious and palatable flavors Rachel’s was offering in their variety of yogurts that I went ahead and bought a dozen to try them out. Flavors like Plum Honey Lavender (Calm Essence) are uniquely wonderful, but my absolute favorite is Pink Grapefruit Lychee (Refresh Essence), which is pure heaven, totally the nectar of the gods in my book.

The Essence flavors aren’t only to die for, but are good for you too, since they, as most yogurts do, contain probiotic cultures, (microorganisms that help maintain your body’s intestinal balance), and are made from all natural ingredients. Most importantly though, Rachel’s yogurts are rbST-free, which means the cows that provide Rachel’s milk are not given any artificial growth hormones. They also include omega-3 fatty acids (see my post on the benefits of omega-3s), which help maintain healthy cholesterol levels. One serving of Rachel’s Essence yogurt has approximately 150 calories and 2.5 grams of fat, and 10 mg cholesterol, and 8 grams of protein. I am totally satisfied eating half a serving at a time, which cuts my caloric intake to 75, perfect for any snack attack!

REVIEW:
Cost: $1.19 for 6 oz.
Value: Good
Accessibility: Moderate
Where to Buy: Whole Foods Market

Enjoy and stay posted for more beauty tips and picks to come next week!

Earlier this year I set out to find the perfect FLAT grey nail polish. Was it really that hard? Was I really asking for too much? Apparently, at the time, yes. It was that hard and I was asking too much. It only made perfect sense. Nail polish trends in recent years have gone from black to white…With companies like Chanel causing a wait-list frenzy for their version of black polish. Um, I hear White ‘n Wild makes a black polish, ya’ll! Anyways, I digress, that’s old news. Imagine the killing and frenzy Karl would have made had he introduced grey polish, not that he’s hurting but it’s something I would have expected from the house of Chanel. So I said, “FINE!” to the nail supply industry and decided to make my own. And I did. And the people freaked out.

Learn how to make your own and if your not so D.I.Y. inclined, find where you can FINALLY (it’s taken a couple of months for the nail polish industry to catch-up) get your shade of grey after the jump!

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Whether it has to do with your relationships, job, or family, it’s all too easy to get caught up in your head sometimes when things go wrong. This week’s tip, M.I.S.S. Michelle’s D.I.Y. Wish Box, is a quick and inexpensive approach to being beautiful and healthy on the inside as well as on the outside, starting your own thoughts. A few years ago, after researching Creative Visualization or the technique of using positive thoughts and feelings to influence the attainment of your goals, I gave Wish Box Kits to friends and family as Christmas gifts. Books like The Secret, and spiritual gurus like Deepok Chopra suggest using Creative Visualization in order to form the life you want and to improve your overall well being by bringing your goals and desires to the forefront of your consciousness. The Wish Box is a fine example of how anyone can incorporate Creative Visualization into his or her life in a few simple steps, and is this week’s D.I.Y. Tip.

What you need:
1) Box with a lid in any design that is important to you.
HINT: I like red boxes, since red is the Chinese color for good luck and prosperity.

2) Objects symbolizing your goals.
HINTS:
Objects symbolizing romance are hearts
Objects symbolizing wealth are coins.
Objects symbolizing travel is a photo/picture of the destination.
Objects symbolizing stability are rocks.

Instructions:
Take the box and place objects in it representing what you are wishing for (i.e. romance, new job, wealth, happiness, travel, peace of mind). You can also write down specifically what these goals are, and/or how you envision your life, and include this in the box as well. Just being conscious of what you are wishing for usually helps destiny fill its course. Remember, the Wish Box is all about YOU, so anything you feel is important to you can go inside. Trust me, this really works!

Enjoy and stay posted for more beauty tips and picks to come next week!