Taste of L.A., Part 2
Kooey and Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics
If I had to choose just one piece of swimwear from Kooey’s Desert Dreaming/Sunset Collection… well, I couldn’t. I love the fact that all the prints were designed by Aboriginal artist Anne Hanning Kngwarreye, who takes the vast Outback of her homeland and distills its raw beauty into pure, bold patterns that are both invigorating and calming.
Anne’s prints are inspired by the Australian Central Desert in the Northern Territory, clothed in red earth and spinifex bushes. I’m particularly drawn to the Desert Sands pattern, a vibrant orange and yellow mosaic of concentric circles — I want to wrap myself up in its warmth, dig my toes into a bank of white coral sand and never come home. But I’m also beguiled by the Desert Sunset pattern of teardrop medallions that radiate mango, crimson and indigo into a midnight black sky.
As delightful as the bikinis are (I have my eye on a bandeau top that could have been lifted from an evening gown), Kooey’s resort wear choices are perhaps my favorites. The butterfly top in Desert Sands and V Neck Kaftan in Desert Sunset are loose, flowing and effortlessly stylish for any body shape. I’d probably layer the sheer kaftan over a tank top and leggings and wear it to a party.
And as long as I’m in the party mood, it’s time to mix things up — literally — with Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics. Everything they sell is 100 percent vegan and never, ever tested on animals. As if that weren’t enough, the products are made to be played with. Grab yourself a palette and a handful of colors and start stirring up a secret concoction of your own. It’s almost ridiculous how long-lasting the products are, since all you need is a dab for intense color. What you see is what you get, every time.
Forget lipstick, lip gloss or lip stain and treat yourself to OCC Lip Tar. It almost feels like wearing nothing at all — if it weren’t for the slight tingle of peppermint oil on my lips, I’d swear the stuff never made it out of the tube, but the matte color is as rich and strong as if I’d applied it like putty. The loose color concentrates for eyes are milled finer than baby powder and shimmer like fairy dust (but it lasts all day when applied over eye primer). In short, OCC does nearly everything right when it comes to beauty products. Their colors are so stunning, their formulas so kind to skin, that it seems petty to quibble over the one thing that I didn’t like. Still…
I love inventive names, and OCC’s gorgeous lineup of eye powder doesn’t disappoint. Nori, Wasabi and Ginger are just waiting for a dash of ponzu and sesame seeds, while Pollencount and Chlorophyll go perfectly with antihistamines (I’ve probably just named next season’s pigments). The nail lacquers are equally fun — Anime or Traffic if you’re feeling snappy, Blackboard or Fondue for a dark mysterious look — and the lip colors Tarred and Feathered (ultra black and brilliant white) make me giggle. I’m eager for more, reaching for tubes of red, plum and pink, and then…Harlot? Trollop? Strumpet? Hoochie? Aaack! I know, I know, a rose by any other name — but I can’t help wishing they’d settled on Courtesan, Cocotte, Vamp and Minx instead.
Coming next: Rebekah learns what stars wish on, and warms up to a fiber that’s softer and more eco-friendly than cotton.
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