Help Rusty see!

I have a story to tell and a favor to ask!

This little doggie right here is Rusty, my roommate's half-Yorkie half-Pomeranian rescue. He's almost eleven, we believe, and C. rescued him when he was about five years old.

We don't know much about Rusty's first five years, but we do know that they were unhappy, neglected, and likely abusive. His skin was so badly inflamed that all of his hair fell out (so he has an excellent wardrobe of doggie shirts and sweaters), he only has six teeth, he is very, very nervous around strangers (especially men) and doesn't like to be petted by people he doesn't fully trust, and he is very protective of his mom. She's completely devoted to him and he's completely in love with her -- he knows that she saved him.

I came in as her roommate because I was the one that Rusty liked best. And I am extremely fond of the little guy, even if he's still not sure about me. We're still working on it; he's definitely warming up, and I know that it takes time. He's the one in charge of our relationship, and I'm following his lead.

In addition to everything else, Rusty also has cataracts that need expensive surgery within the next week and a half or so -- we found out on Wednesday. The vet says he's still in good health, and so it's time to move quickly to save his sight. It's scary as a little dog to not be able to see, especially one who has such big trust and stranger issues.

So I want to help Rusty and C. out with some of the costs for the surgery, since they took such a big chance on me and welcomed me into their home. Therefore, I'm hoping to have a fundraising giveaway where you, the readers, can enter to win neat prizes by both standard giveaway rules (commenting on the giveaway post) and by donating to Rusty's fund for extra entries.

I'm trying to pull some strings and make some things happen, but I'd love to have your help here too -- if you're an Etsy or indie seller and you'd like to participate, please let me know! I'd love to have your shop and your goods featured here at PeriodicStyle to help Rusty and C., so if you're interested, please email me at periodicstyle at gmail dot com by 3 pm Pacific tomorrow, Tuesday the 20th if you'd like to help out.

If you'd like to know more about C. and Rusty, please visit her doggie-cake baking site (so! cute!) at Caroline's Barkery.

Again, if you're interested in contributing as a giveaway prize donor, the deadline to email periodicstyle at gmail dot com is 3 pm Pacific tomorrow, Tuesday the 20th.

Thank you so much, everyone, and hopefully all of this will come together in the next few days, so I will keep you posted!

image from c's facebook

Science Fair for January 12th - 18th

Here's a quick little Science Fair this week -- I have to be helping at the Jonathan Coulton show in San Francisco tonight (woooo!)

- You may have seen this in the New York Times -- the 826 Project has published a book of letters to President-Elect Obama written by kids in the 826 Project all over the US. And if you're in the area, there will be a reading by the San Francisco participants at 826 Valencia this Wednesday at 6 pm.

- I've been devouring the Today in San Francisco History posts at SFist, and so I'm thrilled to discover that they're all written by Richard of Sparkletack.com - the San Francisco history podcast. Awesome! I love it so much.

- I totally dig the aesthetics of Haute Macabre, which Gala Darling has been contributing to. Gorgeous gothic eye candy.

- Finally, I'm not going to Fashion Week next month because a. I don't really think I can afford it and b. New York in February oh my god my little California constitution would wither and die. But as always, Sarah of StyleIT is the best resource, and she's created a whole subsite for her Fashion Week posts and information. Seriously, if you're considering going to any Fashion Week, Sarah's got the scoop.

Have a great, great week!

The High-Stakes, High-Falutin' World of Art Theft

I love a great true-crime book. True crime television is also great, all those stories about women poisoning their husbands with arsenic from the garden shed. Serial killers are always great entertainment, I just cannot stop watching that "Most Evil" show when it's on the boob tube. I sit and stare with my jaw hanging open like an idiot, it's so fascinating. My whole life, watching crime TV, cops and robbers has been a real bonding activity between my mother and I, and now my best friend from college has gotten in on it. We wasted an entire day eating pizza and watching shows about the Manson Family and the Son of Sam, it was great.

On a recent trip to the library, I got my hands on a whole new realm of fascinating crime non-fiction: ART CRIME. Can you imagine my excitement? A whole shelf of books, combining two of my favorite things: art history and federal criminal investigations! I've chosen three to review for your reading pleasure.

1. FAKE: Forgery, Lies, & eBay by Kenneth Walton. What started as curiosity about a local story turned into full-fledged incredulity about Mr. Walton's autobiographical story of transformation from a bored lawyer in Sacramento to a forger of signatures on yard-sale paintings. Oh, this book brought back memories of the early days of eBay auctions, the obsessive nature of it all, and how I amongst many of my friends and family were sucked in by the allure of online auctions. Similarly, Walton got sucked into a life of crime rather innocuously by an old Army buddy whose full-time job was searching for high-quality paintings at antique malls, yard sales, and local auctions, only to pawn them off to unsuspecting eBay buyers as high-value "real" art.

Walton's descent into eBay and art madness, as it were, is largely self-propelled and thus, fascinating to behold. The book itself makes drama out of his foolishness, the eventual federal case built against him, and the depths of obsession a website can drive you to. By the end of it, I just couldn't feel sorry for Mr. Walton--every other page, I wanted to yell, "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, YOU IDIOT?" His crimes would be ingenious if only he hadn't been caught. Mr. Walton is obviously a self-taught art aficionado, and not a great crime writer, but his case is a compelling precedent for the internet crimes of today. It certainly makes me want to avoid eBay altogether.

2. The Medici Conspiracy: The Illicit Journey of Looted Antiquities--from Italy's Tomb Raiders to the World's Greatest Museums, by Peter Watson. By contrast, Peter Watson's account of tomb raiders and European antiquities is an elegant and infinitely complex adventure through the world's greatest museums. Mr. Watson, an art critic for the New York Times and hardcore investigator into art theft (see the fascinating SAFE website for info about looted, stolen, and missing antiquities), writes for the art crime connoisseur. As a lover of museums, it was alternately upsetting and captivating to find out the number of entire exhibitions that came from looted sites and a vast criminal network. Mr. Watson's chronicle of art curators taken in by art thieves, knowingly or not, will make you see a Greco-Roman art collection in a different light altogether.

3. Stolen Masterpiece Tracker: the Dangerous Life of the FBI's #1 Art Sleuth, by retired FBI Special Agent Thomas McShane. Who doesn't love FBI stories? I picked up this book after reading The Last Undercover: The True Story of an FBI Agent's Dangerous Dance with Evil, which despite the glowing review by my heroine Mariska Hargitay was sort of disappointing. (The episode of Law&Order: SVU where Munch infiltrates the man-boy love group is much better--the author was a consulting producer on it.) Tom McShane's life of undercover work is straight out of the 1970s-80s, and the alternate personae he created to bust art theft rings are exactly the kinds of guys you'd expect to be wheeling and dealing in the world of stolen masterpieces. Mr. McShane worked on some of the most high-profile thefts of the twentieth century and was the first to introduce a forensic approach to verifying stolen paintings were the real deal. He cobbled together a portable x-ray from bomb squad castoffs and spent hours in hotel rooms with criminals, getting arrested alongside them to maintain his cover identity. Fascinating stuff, and the entire book is a rollicking ride through his career.

One case is especially deserving of attention. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, one of my favorites from the ol' college days, was hit in 1990 by two men who escaped with a stunning array of Rembrandts, a Vermeer, a Manet, and more. The FBI's Art Crime Team is still hunting for these criminals, and in the most heartbreaking part, the Gardner keeps those frames empty on display for all to see. The Miho Museum in Japan is not only funded by cuckoo cult money, but is filled with stolen artifacts and masterpieces from around the world--trust me, I've been there, and it is astonishing.

On your next visit to your local museum, check up on the news stories surrounding it and there may be some juicy heists hidden in the history of those oils on canvas and marble statues!

Back to Brunette from Blonde... and a bit o' Redhead!

It's coming up on almost nine months since I initially went blonde back in May, and I'm transitioning back to brunette. My last haircut (in November, so I am super-shaggy), I asked my hairstylist to get to work at cutting out the blonde. She did about half (there's still some blonde going on in the front half, since it would have been too short had she cut it out), and so my next haircut, scheduled for next week (she was out of town for all of December, thus the super-shaggy), will be the end of the blonde days o' Jeanne.

So when Brunette Blonde Redhead hit counters last week, I went to Brunette... and Redhead. I think I figured out the theory: Brunette eyeshadows are designed for brown eyes (deep navy, creamy gold, olive-green gold) while Redhead shadows are for green eyes (pink, bronze, burgundy-purple). Since I'm a warm-toned nearly-brunette, the cool silvers and greys for Blonde weren't right for this still-blonde-for-now. (Plus I already have a lot of silvers and greys -- I do love 'em!)

That said, I still did pick up one thing from the Blonde section of the display: Strawberry Blonde lipglass (as predicted by Laurie!). I knew I was interested, I tried it on, and I love it. So of course it came home with me too, along with Henna and Deep Shade (Brunette) and French Cuff and Flip (Redhead).

Finally, as you may recall, I always dreamed of being a redhead like Scully or Anne Shirley. I think my experience with being blonde has confirmed that I probably can't go red. I don't think it's a personality thing so much as an upkeep thing -- dark brown roots with bleach-blonde hair is one thing because it looks cool and intentional, but big old roots on a redhead, not so much. Part of the reason why I'm letting the blonde go is that my cousin S., who's now a full-time colorist, does such good work that I can't afford to pay her what she's worth, and she can't afford to give me a discount. Ah, the struggle of living in the big city! And so going red, even if I did decide to go kitchen-sink on it, would be a lot of upkeep that, frankly, I am kind of lazy about. That and I'd want to have long red hair, like Cintia Dicker (note: I will never have hair like Cintia Dicker), and I'm in no hurry to grow my hair long again, as it will look like an upside-down yield sign.

But I do have the magic of Photoshop and widgets! MAC has released a Brunette Blonde Redhead widget where you can upload your face into the various models' hairstyles. So, of course, I needed to have the giant red bouffant. It's so me, right? (Umm. Sure!)

If you're thinking of switching up your hair color soon, what would you pick? Or are you already rocking something new? (I know Kati is!) And let's see your widget photos if you have them!

images from maccosmetics.com and sproutmixer.com

Favorite Things 2008

Jeanne:

Throughout the year, I kept a running tally in my mind of my favorite things just for this post. I'd be applying lipstick and I'd go, "Oooh, I like this. This is going to go on my best of '08 post!"... in March.

So here we go!

- Charred eyeshadow from MAC Originals - This was released in late '07, so technically it's an '07 pick, but it hung around on MACCosmetics.com for a while, and it hung around in my make-up box for a while too. But this year I took it out, played with it, and realized it makes for an awesome, awesome, and easy smokey eye. I love it.

- Strawbaby lipstick from MAC Fafi - This is from... February?, and is a coral pink/red with rainbow pearl. I love it, as I tend to do well with corals, and was stoked that in Cult of Cherry, there was a very similar lipgloss (Rich'n'Ripe) to Strawbaby. (My only complaint with Strawbaby, and the rest of the Fafi lipsticks, was that the decorative sleeve slips off of the tube.)

- A TIE: Mure et Musc Extreme and Dzing! from L'Artisan Parfumeur - I went poking around a beauty boutique in the spring, wasting time before having to be somewhere, and I was eying the L'Artisan shelf. The saleswoman (who I think might have been the owner, or at least the manager) talked to me about perfumes and I said things like "oh, I like citrus, I like flowers..." She sent me away with samples of Mure et Musc Extreme, Dzing!, Ambre Extreme (nice but not for me), and La Chasse aux Papillion. Of those four, only La Chasse Aux Papillion smells like flowers; the rest are musky, leathery, smoky, and AWESOME. I fell hard for Mure et Musc Extreme (blackberries and musk) and Dzing! (supposed to smell like the circus, smells like AMAZING). I took my mother to Barney's fragrance counter to find a new cologne for my brother (we got him Navegar, and when the sales rep took us over to the L'Artisan counter, I said, "Oh, Mure et Musc Extreme, that's a perfume I want for Christmas..." and so I now have a lovely full bottle. Dzing! will be my next one.

- Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask from Bliss - I went in to Bliss for a facial in January (since I had a day off in the middle of the week) and while I almost had a minor claustrophobic freakout, I really did like the Triple Oxygen mask (even though it was a little creepy). I first tried out the little travel-sized one from the Travel/Trial Essentials kit, and then went for the full size afterwards. I like how my skin feels after using it, I like the smell, and I like watching it foam up and then all the bubbles popping on my skin. Woo!

- China Glaze, period - This was the year that China Glaze rocked my socks off. I love OPI, but I kept reaching for China Glaze's fun colors over and over this year. From For Audrey to Ruby Pumps to Rodeo Fanatic to Tree Hugger to the entire Bahama Blues collection, I had to have all of it this year. And the best place to get it, I found, is Head2Toe Beauty.

- Imperial Bedroom palette from Fresh - I mentioned this in the second Sephora University post, but this is a great little palette. Sometimes when you get a palette of something, you only use one or two colors, but this is a complete face right here. I've used this for going out, for Halloween, for Christmas eve, for everything. It's easy to throw this (and an eyeliner brush) into an overnight kit and just take it traveling with you.

- SkinFlash from Dior - I just told you all about this magic trick illusion, but it has absolutely been a lifesaver for me and my dark undereyes. I use it pretty much every day if I'm going to be leaving the house for any reason.

- Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer with SPF - I've been trying out tinted moisturizers left and right, since I want decent coverage without looking cakey and SPF without it smelling like sunscreen (I'm looking at you, Revolotion!). And I think the Laura Mercier is the best one I've tried out. I'll dust some powder over and my skin looks amazing, which pleases me (as it is not amazing).

Karen:

Hi, folks! It's not often that I get all ga-ga over beauty products. This year, mostly thanks to Ms. Jeanne up there, I've invested a bit more time and energy into finding the right products that are worth my hard-earned dollar. I like to parse out my products sparsely and hold onto them for ages and ages--case in point, I've been using the same Neutrogena MoistureShine lipgloss in Chic for probably the last five years. Definitely at least three, since I had to throw out the last one at my brother's wedding when another bridesmaid PICKED IT UP AND USED IT...in 2004. Isn't that just terrible? Here are a few of my favorite products from 2008 that have left a good impression:

- Rimmel London 60 Seconds Nail Polish in Delicious Dark. Believe me when I say that I have tried every brand and shade of dark-purple nail polish on the market today, only limited by price. (I refuse to pay over $7 for a bottle of nail polish I'll inevitably spill.) Rimmel's quick-drying polish took a few coats and a very steady hand to achieve a chip-proof end result that was positively dramatic. The paint job lasted a good ten days until a bout of dishwashing and stovetop-scrubbing caused some chips.

- Laura Mercier Lip Colour Creme in Mistress, a la Joan Holloway. This was a lovely, lovely gift from Jeanne and I've worn it for work and play at least three times a week since she gave it to me! It truly brightens up my face without looking garish or too orangey-pinky. I feel like a fancy-schmancy lady when I wear lipstick instead of just chapstick, doubly so when I get to use Laura Mercier's.

- The Almay Bright Eyes Liner/Highlighter Duo is super smooth and easy to use, I keep one in my purse when I don't have time to put on makeup in the morning before I leave for work. The two ends are very complementary and frankly, I like the way it looks when they smudge together for a shiny, smokey eye.


images from artisanparfumeur.us, fresh.com, and strawberrynet.com