Favorite Soaps of the Past US Presidents

The 256-year-old company of fine milled soaps, Caswell-Massey, has released a new Limited Edition Collection of specialty soap set of presidential favorites. Since 1752, the company has been supplying soaps to the Presidents of the United States. The Limited Edition Presidential Soap Collection features three of the past US presidents’ favourite soap scents. George Washington loved the Number Six, which is a blend of citrus and bergamot, Dwight D. Eisenhower preferred the Almond Cold Cream soap and John F. Kennedy’s favorite soap was the slightly spicy Jockey Club. Each set contains the three 5.8 oz soaps and costs $24. Hurry up as quantities are limited and treat yourself, or some history lover, for some Presidential History delight! You can visit the website to buy online or read more here.

Cleopatra’s Soft Secret: Milk Baths

Throughout history, it has been widely written that Cleopatra bathed herself in milk baths almost every day. The Queen of Nile had the most radiant, soft and young skin and for this, she was known worldwide for her beauty. Today, Cleopatra is still the glowing icon that many women look up to for beauty tips. Even if it means digging in Egyptian BC history. Milk baths however haven’t just been used by Cleopatra. Elizabeth I of England and Elisabeth of Bavaria both have acclaimed the beautifying secret of bathing in milk.

Milk baths utilize lactic acid which dissolves the proteins holding together the dead skin cells and thus, exfoliates the skin. The rejuvenating baths help to exfoliate, soften and smooth the skin, accelerate the skin cell renewal and moisturize and relieve stress. What is crucial though is the use of fresh milk!

Making a milk bath at home is not a hard task and most importantly, it is a misconception that one needs to fill up the entire bathtub with fresh milk. You only need to pour a couple of cups of fresh milk into the tub as the warm water is filling. In general, two to three cups of milk is enough but you may use as much as you want. You may also use milk powder if you would like. For the honey, you may add one or two teaspoons to add fragrance and nutrients to the water. You can also add sea salts, which I love to do, and any other oils you like. You can also add petals and flowers in the tub for that extra sensual luxury and romantic appeal. Definitely worthy of a Queen!

Some people say that the milk baths leave their skin way too oily. You can use fat free milk instead. The oily skin just means that your skin got very moisturized which is a great thing because it cleansed better and you do not need to apply additional moisturizer after your bath.

As an alternative, you can always buy milk powder or milk bath products from beauty stores. Just make sure it is organic and fresh! You may find milk baths in many delicious flavours such as strawberries, vanilla, lavender and the yummy chocolate. I should also note that cleaning your bathtub is a bit inconvenient after your milk bath, but your baby soft skin is certainly worth it!

Paris Spring 2009: John Galliano

John Galliano said that the inspirations for his Spring collection were “James Gillray and the Queen Mum.” This translated into the giant plumed military helmets, transparent dresses and the many florals. However, one does not need to understand British history in order to appreciate the beautiful collection. By far one of Galliano’s most wearable collections up to date, this was a sweet delight for the eyes. The dreamy flowing dresses made of delicate and soft materials in bright colors were as if taken out of a fairy tale. Floral prints, impressive beading details and the romantic sheer transparency made his dresses the highlight. As the models walked on the runway, one could almost feel that they would fly because of the pretty flowing dresses. In contrast, the location was on the harder side as it was in the industrial garage in the outer suburbs where the Paris metro trains are repaired. My favorite? The dresses and the soft combination of pinks, greens, orange and florals.

John Galliano Paris Spring 2009

Heidi Klum Wearing Armani Privé Dress at the Emmys

Supermodel and host of “Project Runway,” Heidi Klum wore a stunning Armani Privé dress at the Emmy Awards for 2008. The German beauty sparkled the red carpet with the asymmetrical gunmetal metallic gray Armani Privé gown and dazzling Lorraine Schwartz lavender jade butterfly earrings paired up with a matching large oval ring. Her hair was fashionably tied back and along with her natural make-up, Heidi was the absolute star at the event.

Armani Privé is Armani’s haute couture collection and it made history being the first haute couture Paris fashion show to be streamed live online. The die-for-collections are strictly made to wear and cannot be purchased in stores. The gorgeous and exquisite pieces can be ordered and tailored at a very high price.

Naomi Campbell’s Fashion For Relief Show

Many celebrities walked the runway for Fashion For Relief, a fashion show organized by supermodel Naomi Campbell to raise money for the charity The White Ribbon Alliance fund to promote safe childbirth. The clothes from the runway were later auctioned. The celebrities walking on the runway included designer Vivienne Westwood, model Chanel Iman, hot Tyson Beckford, Elizabeth Jagger, girl group the Sugababes and Miss Naomi Campbell of course.

Vivienne Westwood walked with a big smile down the runway wearing her own design. Naomi Campbell showed her supermodel walk down the runway a couple of times. She opened the show wearing a stunning Zac Posen green dress which raised $50,000 in the auction and then changed into an Yves Saint Laurent black outfit. Naomi also paired with young model Chanel Iman as they both wore the same Azzedine Allaia design dress; Naomi’s in black and Chanel’s in white.

The Fashion For Relief Show was presented during London Fashion Week for Spring 2009 at the National History Museum on September 17, 2008 in London, England. You can watch a short clip from the Fashion Show, although the quality is not very good. For more detailed pictures look below.

For Relief

Giorgio Armani, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen and Sir Paul Smith Design for Whatever It Takes

The great designers Giorgio Armani, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen and Sir Paul Smith have collaborated to design unique tote bags for Whatever It Takes, an artwork campaign launched by the 21st Century Leaders Foundation charity to raise money for charitable projects worldwide.

Whatever It Takes has a long artwork history by many celebrities and designers including Heidi Klum, Claudia Schiffer, Nicole Kidman, Donna Karan and George Clooney. The latest designers will add dual strap tote bags to the campaign, like Armani’s “Hope,” Paul Smith’s cute Rabbit style tote, and McCarteny’s “Happiness on Planet Earth” bag. A portion of the proceeds from each bag will go to the charity of the designer’s choice.

For further information, visit http://shop.whateverittakes.org/. Bags start at £10.

The Tiny-Great History of The Bikini

This swimsuit garment may be tiny, but do not underestimate its great impact. The bikini has taken over the beaches and swimming pools all around the world. There are fashion designers that devote their entire collections and brands in seducing us with their hot new style bikinis, like the exclusive designs by Rosa Cha. Bikinis on the runways, on the covers of magazines, in films and in videos, and most importantly, in our never-ending desires (and men’s too.) But did you ever wonder how it all got started?

Although, the term “bikini” has been in existence since 1946, the two-piece swimsuit actually dates back to 1400 BC. Back then, Greek gymnasts wore bandeau tops and bikini bottoms. From Ancient Rome, we can see paintings and mosaics showing women in garments closely representing our modern bikini style swimwear, such as the one here from the Villa Romana del Casale. Historians believe that in ancient Roman times, the cultural and moral norms were very relaxed and so the bikinis were very popular garments for women.

Two piece swimsuits began to be popular because of stars such as Ava Gardner, Lana Turner and Rita Hayworth. These famous film stars were sporting high waist bottoms that covered their hips and full back in the early 1940s. But is this the modern bikini?

The modern bikini was invented in July of 1946 in Paris. Jacques Heim was a French fashion designer from the world famous beach resort Cannes. The designer introduced his bikini invention in a local beach shop in July of 1946 and named it “Atome” (after the newly discovered atom because it was the smallest particle yet) and advertised it as the “world’s smallest bathing suit.”

And then came Louis Reard who was a French fashion designer with a degree in mechanical engineering. I bet mechanical engineering is much more wanted now among fashion lovers, right? And merely three weeks after Heim’s swimsuit, Reard introduced his perception of the swimsuit, a much smaller version of the “Atome,” that was sold along the French Riviera. Reard named his style “Bikini,” taking the name from the Bikini Reef which is an island in the South Pacific. And this is how Reard went in history as the man who invented the bikini. Since Reard’s bikini was so small, no one really wanted to advertise it. Finally, Louis hired a nude dancer from the Casino de Paris named Micheline Bernardini as his model, pictured on the left.

In the 1950s, Brigitte Bardot popularized the bikini in Europe. This photo was taken at the Cannes Filk festival in 1953. Catholic countries like Spain, Portugal and Italy banned the bikini, and in the United States the bikini was banned to be featured in Hollywood movies. It was seen as scandalous because of its tiny amount of fabric and as a “suspect garment favoured by licentious Mediterranean types.” It took around 20 years for it to be embraced in the United States, but after that both women and men began a love affair with the tiny desired garment.

The sexual appeal of the garment was used for many films in the 1960s. Dr. Strangelove, How To Stuff a Wild Bikini and One Million years B.C. were among the first movies that featured memorable scenes with bikini. In 1962, Bond Girl Ursula Andress emerged from the sea wearing a white bikini in the movie Dr. No and she became an icon.

Today, we can find any type of bikini we want. From briefs and square cuts to the more revealing thongs and g-strings. The thongs, originally called “tangas,” first became popular hitting the beaches of Brazil in 1977. They are not yet as popular in the United States as they are in Europe, but it is only a matter of time, if we have to judge by the so-far tiny-great history of the bikini.