Indulge Like "Kings & Queens"

Being a graphic designer myself, I'm always on the lookout for products with beautiful packagings. My philosophy is "good things come in good packages". If a company cares enough to make its product look good, it won't let the quality suffer either. So when I saw these beautifully designed shower-gel bottles at Nordstrom, I was instantly attracted.
This newly launched "Kings & Queens" body-care line is a Nordstrom exclusive. It includes shower-gel, body milk, and body butter. All the products are enriched with a mixed fragrance of Pomegranate, Blue Egyptian Lotus and Malachite. I was totally blown away by the the incredible scent. The show gel actually comes in 9 different flavors: myrrh, vanilla pear, jasmine, lime, honey, lemon flower, myrrh, mango, cedar and cinnamon orange, each properly named after a king or queen in the history. For instance, cedar is for King Solomon, honey is for Queen Nefertiti, lime is for King GeorgeIII, etc. (I thought this idea was kind of fun, as most of us do sometimes fantasize ourselves being a king or queen.) The formulas for this line are so rich, and skin-silkening, not to mention they are paraben-free and mineral oil-free. As the nice packaging is a treat for the eyes, I think taking a shower with a yummy scent and velvety feel would be even more pleasant.
Oh, did I mention the prices are incredibly pleasant too? The shower gel is $9 each; the body milk is $11; and body butter is $15. For a little bit of money, we can indulge ourselves like "Kings & Queens".

身为一个平面设计师，我总是会被有漂亮包装的东西所吸引。我的理论是“精致的包装里面通常是好东西”。如果一个公司花了大把的精力在包装上，没道理会把里面的东西做的不好。所以当我在Nordstrom看见这些用精心设计的瓶子装的沐浴露时，我马上爱上他们了。
这新推出的“国王与王后”身体护理系列是Nordstrom专属的，它包括沐浴露，身体乳液和身体乳霜。所有的产品都散发着石榴，兰色埃及莲花和孔雀石的混合香味，我完全被这味道所迷住了。沐浴露居然有九种类型可以供你挑选，有趣的是每一种用的是历史上的一位国王或者王后来命名，比如雪松用的是Solomon国王，蜂蜜用的是Nefertit王后，等等。我猜这个创意是为了让我们每个人把自己当成国王或王后来善待。除了包装吸引眼球，它的美妙的味道和舒服的感觉把沐浴变得更加美好。
对了，我还忘了说它的价格，沐浴露9块钱一瓶，身体乳11块钱，身体乳霜15块钱，你看，只要花一点点钱，我们每个人都是国王和王后。

Bejeweled

Too early to shop for Christmas (or lunar New Year for us Chinese)? Never. When I stumbled across the limited-edition jewelry collection by Dean Harris at Target.com the other day, I was so impressed that I think I might actually get them as holiday presents for my mom (maybe my mother-in-law too).
Target always has such a nice shopping environment and many greatly designed products (" a chic store" according to my husband), but I never thought of buying jewelry there. Now I learned that Target has been partnering with a series of limited-time-only accessory designers to create beautiful, yet affordable jewelry collections. Dean Harris is the third designer to collaborate with Target. Thanks to the magic of internet, I learned the background of this New York-based designer, viewed his portfolio, and was totally impressed.

Dean Harris has been sculpting beautiful organic shaped pieces since 1999. He believes that "anything can be jewelry", and works with diverse material ranging from gold, diamonds, woods, and opals, For some pieces, he even experiments with organic elements such as fossils, mammoth ivory, beetle wings, and coconut beads. "His graceful approach produces organic shapes, fluid lines and geometric compositions that are at times Spartan in a field defined by extravagance." In 2000, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) bestowed on him the Perry Ellis Award for best new accessory designer. In 2003, his branch tiara was displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 2004, Dean Harris was the only jeweler among the ten finalists for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. In 2005, his work was included in SAMPLE, a book published by Phaidon Press that showcased 100 designers to watch in the new millennium. The fashion world embraces him. His jewelry collection has been used in the runway shows of Marc Jacobs, Bill Blass, Derek Lam, and Doo.Ri., and is currently sold at Barneys New York and other fine retailers nationwide.

The Dean Harris Target collection includes chain necklaces, earrings, and peace sign cuff, ring and charm bracelet. Materials range from sterling silver to semi-precious stones, shells and real pearls. The entire collection is "reminiscent of nature, fusing organic shapes and designs to create feminine and delicate adornments". It is available at Target stores and Target.com August 17 through December 26.


Descriptions & (very much affordable)prices:
Three-Pebble Charm Necklace $44.99, Quartz Marquis Vine Earrings in Green $49.99
Flower Pendant Necklace with Yellow Stone $39.99, Flower Cuff with Purple Stone $79.99
Cascading Leaf Earrings $29.99, Multi-Leaf Necklace $29.99
Necklace with Green Pebbles $39.99
Peace Sign Earrings $19.99, Peace Sign Ring $19.99, 7 Signs of Peace Bracelet $59.99
Domed Three-Leaf Earrings $34.99, Necklace with Faux Pearl Pendant $29.99
Wide Wood Bangle with Dot Details $39.99, Narrow Wood Bangle with Dot Details $24.99
Double-Oval Vine Necklace $249.99, Double-Circle Vine Bracelet $99.99
中文由阿萍翻译
想过现在就买圣诞礼物吗？当我偶然在Target.com发现了这个Dean Harris 限量版首饰设计之后，不禁想在这个夏天就给我妈甚至我婆婆买好节日礼物了。
Target在我老公眼里就是家女人店，我却总能在那里找到又便宜又极富设计感的东西。但我还是没想到我居然能在Target发现专业设计师的限量版珠宝！他们现在正在搞一个饰品设计师的作品专卖，别以为设计师的东西都是天价，Target就能做到设计师的东西卖
Target的价格！Dean Harris就是这其中的第三个设计师，幸亏有了网络，我很容易就查到了他的资料，原来他在圈内已经是小有名气了呢！
Dean Harris从1999年就开始做一些天然造型的小东西，他的宗旨就是“任何材料都能用来装饰”，所以黄金，钻石，木头，蛋白石，甚至化石，大块的象牙，甲虫的翅膀，椰子珠都是他作品的材料。2000年，CFDA颁发给他Perry Ellis奖，2003年，他的皇冠头饰在大都会艺术博物馆展出，2005年，他的作品被SAMPLE收录（这是一本由Phaidon Press出版的收集100位新世纪设计师作品的书）时尚圈也都看好他，他的作品频繁的出现在Marc Jacobs, Bill Blass, Derek Lam, Doo.Ri的时装秀上，Barneys New York和其他的一些全国连锁零售商都开始卖他的作品了。
他的Target collection包括项链，耳环，和平标志的手链、耳环，还有手镯，材质有银质，
宝石，贝壳，和珍珠，所有的设计自然，女性，不失装饰性。因为是限量的，所以只在8月17日到12月26日期间的Target店和网上销售。

Navy Blue

For some reason, I always like tops that are navy blue (can't remember how many navy-blue T-shirt I've own). The combination of navy-blue and white is even more appealing, almost irresistable to me. So I when saw this printed cami top for baby girls at Old Navy, I just had to get it for my 2-year old daughter. I don't usually think navy-blue is pretty enough for toddlers, but this one is an exception. The flower motifs at the bottom gradually change color from solid to outlines (almost sketch-like, arty and delicate). Two horizontal navy bands create a nice contrast to the white color below. Details like stripes and pleating make this summer top so pretty for little girls. I just can't wait to see how it looks on my daughter.

Another navy-and-white look I'm loving so much is this chemise from Vera Wang's Simply Vera collection. (Like every fashion conscious woman on this planet, I just love, love, love Vera Wang's design.) Only she could make a nightgown so artistic looking yet still feminine and sexy. The abstract brushstroke pattern reminds me of the kind of expressive paintings I did in college, edgy and expressive. Yet the color choice as well as the pretty details like pleating and bow make this simple cotton chemise very bit of sexy and sophisticated as a silk nightgown.

（中文翻译－阿萍）不知道为什么，我总是喜欢海军蓝（我的海军蓝T多的数不清），尤其是海军蓝配白色，所以当我看见这件印花的海军蓝小背心，立马就买下给我们家两岁的小胖囡。以前我总觉的海军蓝不适合小孩，但是这件衣服是例外。底部的兰色印花就象素描一样，艺术感很强，两条兰色边以及一些条纹的细节，还有蓝白色的搭配，使这件衣服显的这么好看，真想马上套到小胖囡身上看看效果。
无独有偶，VERA WANG的这件裙子同样也是海军蓝和白色完美搭配（就象所有的时尚迷一样，我鈡爱VERA WANG）只有她才能把这件裙子设计的如此艺术感又不失性感，裙子上的抽象图案让我想起在大学时创意絵画課里的作品，颜色的选择还有那些底部和边的细节使这条棉质裙子就象真丝的晚装。

Go Green

Just when everybody is going "green" these days, I find myself falling in love with green too. Not that I didn't like the color green before. (Apple green is always refreshing to look at; metallic green is incredibly edgy.) It's just I didn't think a green top or dress would look good on me, until that day I tried on this emerald green T-shirt. It had large areas of graphics in steel gray on top of the green. I couldn't help wondering if it was the luscious emerald green, or the cool steel gray, or the combination of two colors (plus modern graphics) that made a simple T-shirt look so eye-catching. Until later on I hit the internet and found out that jewel tones are actually a big fashion trend for this fall. Emerald green is certainly there on the runways. Designers like Alberta Ferretti, Oscar De La Renta, Amanda Wakeley, Badgley Mischka, Bill Blass have all created stunning pieces in luscious greens. My favorite one has to be this skirt from Bill Blass (as shown in the last picture). Paired with a fancy blue top like that, the whole look is so trendy and dramatic yet still beautiful and feminine.

Roll Away the Puffiness

My latest favorite in skin care is the Anti-puff eye roller from GARNIER Nutritioniste. When I first saw the commercial on TV, I was instantly attracted to the product design. It is shaped like a pen with a metallic rolling ball on top as applicator. Since I'm the kind of person who's always willing to try out new things, I went to Target and bought it the very next day, and have been loving it since. The fact is, this eye roller not only looks "cool", but actually rolls on refreshingly cool thanks to the metallic ball applicator. I keep mine in the refrigerator and use it to massage the under eye area every morning. The light serum contains Pro-Vitamin B5 to hydrate, and caffeine to decongest puffiness and diminish dark circle. The gentle massaging ball rolls on so icy cool that l feel instantly awaked and refreshed. It's also perfect for on the go. I can just throw it in my purse, and give my eyes a mini massage whenever they feel tired or puffy, or just need a little stimulation. It's truly a "little green magic wand"!