Judith Leiber Evening Clutches

The evening clutch is essential to pull together an outfit for an important event. Unfortunately, I tend to spend more on bags that are more functional than the little gems worn with cute cocktail dresses. But if I had an unlimited budget, and I had a fantastic dress that called for an equally amazing clutch, I would get a Judith Leiber crystal creation. These clutches are total works of art. In fact, Judith Leiber handbags are even on permanent display at the The Victoria and Albert Museum in London, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, The Smithsonian Institute in Washington, The Houston Museum of Fine Arts and the Los Angeles Museum of Art. So to say they are prestige pieces would be a bit of an understatement.

They are crystal encrusted and very structured (mostly hard case with a framed top enclosure) pieces. And come in shapes such as the classic rectangle and oval, or dolphins, parrots and Buddhas. All of the crystal work for these bags is done by hand, which accounts for the amazing precision of the beading and crystal work with which other beaded bags, no matter the designer, just can't compare.

I tend to like the more classic shapes, in the art deco inspired patters such as the Enchanted Minaudiere (the silver rectangular clutch above) and the Crescendo Rectangle Minaudiere (the black and silver rhinestone clutch pictured right). They are beautifully crafted and have a timeless look that won't go out of fashion next season. These are pieces that you would pass on to your daughters for generations. If you would like to see the other incredible pieces of the crystal collection, visit Judith Leiber.

DuWop Twilight Lip Venom

It cracks me up when brands decide to jump on the fad bandwagon and release a product that has a tie in with a movie or book. DuWop is the latest cosmetic line to go vampire crazy with the release of Twilight Lip Venom. This Venom is a little different from the the venoms that they have released in the past because rather than just being a lip plumping gloss, the Twilight version has a shimmery red lipstain that is suspended in the venom laced lip conditioner that packs a little more lip plumping sting than the other venoms.

If you look at the container you can plainly see the red stain floating in the clear venom lip conditioner, and according to DuWop, (and this is where this product makes me giggle a bit) you are supposed to shake the bottle before using to "represent the blending of the human and vampire worlds." I guess that's why the Twilight Venom has more of a bite as well, to represent the sting of a vampire kiss perhaps? So yes, the cheese factor is a little high on this one for me, but I have to say I kind of dig the product, and yes I admit, I am a Twilight movie and book fan, but that didn't influence my review of the product. I like the lip venoms: they plump, have a nice glossy finish, and this one has a minty-cinnamon flavor, very nice and spicy. The red stain is flattering if you like a real red lip, and it can be layered to achieve deeper color. But there is a catch, you have to shake the bottle quite a bit to make sure you get the color evenly distributed on the applicator. The product has a tendency to want to stay separated even when you're applying which means you could end up with a lot of the clear venom and very little stain. If you're a fan of Lip Venom, you will most likely like this product regardless of the catchy marketing. If you would like to read more about the Twilight Lip Venom, check out DuWop.