Burton Writes of Taylor, Vogue, March 1, 1965

The Welsh actor and Elizabeth Taylor had been married a year when he wrote this description of his first look at her.

"...a girl sitting on the other side of the pool lowered her book, took off her sunglasses and looked at me. She was so extraordinarily beautiful that I nearly laughed out loud...I smiled at her and, after a long moment, just as I felt my own smile turning into a cross-eyed grimace, she started slightly and smiled back. There was little friendliness in the smile...She sipped some beer and went back to her book...She spoke to no one...Was she merely sullen, I wondered? I thought not. There was no trace of sulkiness in the divine face. She was a Mona Lisa type, I thought...ans she is famine, fire, destruction, and plague, she is the dark Lady of the Sonnets, the only true begetter...Her breasts were apocalyptic, they would topple empires down before they withered. Indeed, her body was a miracle of construction and the work of an engineer of genius. I needed nothing except itself. It was true art."

What is it that Rachel Zoe says? "I die." Well puppets, I die reading things like the above. Something about it is so appealing to me. The raw sensuality in being someone's famine, destruction, and plague puts me in a bit of a tizzy. Elizabeth Taylor was a modern day Livia Drusilla. Perhaps it is my love affair with words or  my love affair with dark divas that makes me swoon. Women who demand your attention and are hopelessly unfaltering. Who knows what it is, all I know, is that - I die.

Vobsessions: Hot pink lips and Marion Cotillard

A gigantic thank you to Joanna Goddard at Cup of Jo for the inspiration. I've become obsessed with hot pink lips too. I drooled over recent spreads that included the gorgeous new trend and have even considered (ever so briefly) wearing it for my wedding. Or at least during some of the festivities.

Last week while picking up some last minute wedding items at Make Up For Ever, I purchased a hot pink lipstick and tested it out. Here is a brief instructional on how to test out a new and daring beauty trend:

1. Wear it out during the day while doing otherwise mundane errands. Are people staring? Yes? Good.
2. Wear it at home in front of your fiancé, husband, lover, roommate, doorman, whomever. Did they make a comment similar to this: "Wow that's some pink lipstick you're wearing?" Yes? Good.
3. Lightly apply while wearing an otherwise conservative outfit and heading out for dinner. Do you feel more fabulous? Are you no longer even the least bit conflicted? Good.
4. If you still aren't convinced that you can pull it off, ask yourself WWZZD?

Now I'm not suggesting you splurge on every new beauty trend, if you know me, you know that I don't spend foolishly on beauty products. I am loyal to certain brands and limit my makeup collection to what I can fit in one small pouch (I am low maintenance in this regard). I reserve my foolish spending on shoes, but in this instance I had to give in to the trend.

So what does everyone think? Do I pull it off? Or should I banish the new lipstick to bin?

You know who can definitely pull it off...Marion Cotillard! Isn't she stunning? I'm definitely obsessed with her and the black-lace dress she wore in the July issue of Vogue (Photographed by Mario Testino). Or maybe my real obsession is with French culture and fashion, I have definitely binged on books about French culture in recent years but I digress on that for now. Cotillard is a classic beauty who is only 30 something, but is certainly included on my list of timeless divas.



Isn't this photo glamorous?