The 31st

Dress: homemade for prom, revisited for Halloween

Red petticoat: homemade French Cancan skirt worn inside-out 

Veils: black tulle from G-Street Fabric

Shoes: Filene's Basement

Wool tights (unseen): Forever 21 

Earrings: gift from friend

Necklace: "inherited" from the aunt :)

Photoshoot soundtrack: "Il Dolce Suono" (madness scene) from Lucia di Lammermoor, by Gaetano Donizetti, sung by Maria Callas, and scenes of Donizetti's Anna Bolena, also sung by Maria Callas. Donizetti madness scenes are just ideal for Halloween photoshoots, don't you think?! Haha!

It's Halloween!! Yaaay!!! 

Today, I've decided to inaugurate my new favourite pair of shoes, that I had bought earlier in the summer but not worn once. And the best thing that could possibly happen... did!!! I can't say what happened, but I do officially declare those Filene Basement shoes my Lucky Shoes! (and believe me, they're the prettiest shoes you'd want to have as your lucky shoes!). 

I never was into store-bought costumes. As Miranda said it so well in Sex and the City, the Movie, the only available costumes for women are "witch and sex kitten" (or all sort of variations of sex kitten). I always improvised costumes, starting with a formal dress and adding accessories, sometimes even pulling off a Scarlet O'Hara and using (tulle) curtains. This Halloween, I decided to use my old prom-dress and re-update it. After all, a friend did tell me that night, back in 2009, that I sort of looked like "a 16th century evil duchess who'd marry rich powerful men and murder them, and then remarry and so on". Starting with that idea, I made some sort of a fluffed-out bow with some tulle I had at home. I just love creating things with fabrics and draping them around my body. I did create once, during an outburst of creativity, a very elaborated Greek Goddess costume. Maybe next Halloween, I'll do something less harrowing, like Greek Goddess. The Sophie way. 

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Little blue

Blue cardigan: vintage, from my aunt's 

Black tank top (worn underneath): Forever21

Leather belt with gold buckle: thrifted

Black wool pencil skirt: vintage, from my aunt's

Tights: Target

Shoes: Rocket Dog, TJ Max

1950s/60s Woodward and Lothrop leather handbag: thrifted

Cameo pendant and earrings: Monoprix (Toulouse, France)

Sunglasses: Ulta

Today I'm in the mood for retro, lots of retro... I swear, I'm listening to Frank Sinatra, Serge Gainsbourg and Juliette Greco right now.
Actually, I realized that unconsciously the more I looked like a Pan-Am stewardess (SO in love with the show, by the way!), the better. I don't know how many times I've worn this pencil skirt already in the past days/weeks but I'm in LOVE with it. (Mental note: buy more pencil skirts!!! Or at least ones that don't keep riding up! And maybe a bullet bra and seamed stockings. I'm so happy retro is coming back!)
As to the hair, it definitely doesn't say Pan-Am stewardess (would so not pass inspection! ^^), but I washed it last night and braided it to get some nice wave, except it stayed wet (maybe I didn't dry it well, or maybe I didn't get enough sleep), so this morning I had to whip up this little hairdo of mine (French-braided crown from the side part, braid the rest of the hair and attach it into a small side-bun). My eyes still being rather fragile, I didn't do the classic 60s eye-liner either, although I've bought a gel liner from Loréal and I cannot wait to try it and share it with you!

I had quite a fun day, going to a Brazilian film festival in DC with a friend. The movie, "VIP", was really interesting. Hanging out in DC (I live in a slightly more suburban setting, right outside the beltway, for now) got me to think how much I love this city (despite its crazy traffic) despite missing France or wishing for time to pass until I can finally move to New York, explore the whole world, etc, etc. I was in the mood for taking long walks across the city, photograph everything like I did in Paris, stop at small unknown boutiques, etc. Unfortunately, I wasn't exactly wearing the right shoes. Hahaha! Will do that another day.

Otherwise, I'm very excited for Halloween this Monday! I remember last year spending it in Paris, where it's a less known tradition than here; but I must say I'm glad to be trick-or-treatin' in my neighbourhood with my little girls, following my own traditions. I've got quite the costume idea in mind (I never buy costumes from those temporary Halloween adventure stores, they're always overpriced and never interesting enough). And it's gonna be goood! Can't wait to share it with you on Monday/Tuesday!

What are your plans for Halloween? What will you be dressing as?

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The woman wears the (leather) pants {CAPFABB monthly challenge}

{CAPFABB monthly challenge: leather pants}

 One pair of pants, two different female identities: the angel and the demon. The angel softens the sexiness and witty aspect of the leather pants with soft tones, flowery accessories and fabrics like cashmere and suede. The demon, a strong, feline femme fatale with a bit of a dominatrix side, wears leather pants proudly with fur, bold make-up and nail polish, and the highest heels possible to get the sexiest walk. And she wears a suave, addictive perfume to perfect herself as the ultimate temptress.

Funny girl

(The babies dolls behind me have been mine since I was 2... long story. Will tell it one day)

Off-white jacket: New York and Company

Gray woolen miniskirt: Promod (Paris)

Tights: Target

Shoes: Gussini

Off-white lace purse: Forever 21

Earrings: flea market

Hairstyle: Inspired by Keiko Lynn

First, please excuse (again) the lack of proper eye-make up and more generally the zombie look (and the blurry photo... but maybe that one's for the best); my eyes have been stinging horribly and I've actually typed that with them closed (I now realized I typed zombie "wombie" ;)). I guess it's either some sort of a cold or an allergy to the eucalyptus essential oil I put in my humidifier to avoid a cold (BIG FAIL!!!! in both cases) because I'm also sneezing unceasingly. I wanted to do a retro eye-liner look but I couldn't even think of it with my eyes permanently watering, not even the usual mascara, so I stuck to the usual, foundation, concealer, powder and some fuchsia lipstick to look a whee bit less like a corpse (even if Halloween is coming soon...).

As to the hair....In high school, when I was sixteen, I did something like that, but all I had was people whispering, laughing, and telling me "What the f*** is wrong with your hair today". I actually made an excuse about my hair being so long (it's not anymore) that I had to divide the weight evenly on my head to avoid headaches. Still, let's just not talk about my fashion sense when I was sixteen...

Anyways, three years later and after braided hairdos have been featured in magazines, fashion shows, and by fellow bloggers, I've decided to give that one a try again. I like to incorporate braids in my hairstyles, but I don't know if that one's a WIN or FAIL, it's up to you to tell me.


I am supposed to hit the stores this afternoon (if I can drive with my eyes in such a state), and I've decided to sport this look proudly and confidently: Milkmaid braids and sandals over tights (that's another risky fashion experiment I am doing today, not to mention, they're actually dangerous to walk in...), let's see...

For now, I'll get back to my eyedrops and snuggling with the cat, who's in a very loving mood today.
Thus, to better times (my eyes are killing me from staring at my PC screen), my dear and very appreciated readers,




PS: I tried to take pictures of the hair from behind, but I can assure you, with my rather terrible skills at self-portrait (if not photography at all...), and my "little eye problem", with all the editing in the world, they weren't worth uploading... Believe me. Just stick to Keiko Lynn's tutorial and good luck!

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Mad About Red

Glitter shoes , Patent shoes, Suede shoes, Lip Stain, YSL lipstick, Essie nail polishes in Red Nouveau, Escapades, and Lacquered Up, Russian dolls, Cape, Tomato sauce, Wine, Jewelry box, Gloves

I think red is supplanting pink as my favourite colour. Maybe it's because, being a redhead, I cannot wear pink wihout it clashing horribly. Maybe because I'm growing old and thus getting past my Barbie-diva phase. It's odd, because I'm known to everyone as the girl who's obsessed with pink. 

Maybe red symbolizes what I've been going through recently, or how experiences have shaped me. Passionate, fiery, temperamental, operatic, strong... resilient. 

I used to be afraid of red, thinking back in high school that wearing it would attract too much attention, like the target's bulls-eye. But I grew, in the last year, and consecutively in my college freshman year in Paris, and so did my fashion sense. In April 2010, as I was in New York for NYU information meetings, I stopped at The Body Shop by Chinatown and bought my first red lipstick. I wore it for the day, and felt different. Like a woman, not a girl anymore. 

Womanhood, indeed. Red is the colour of womanhood, while pink, of girly-ness. And I am transitioning from a girl to a woman. 

Funny, how colours affect us so deeply, so personally. This may sound like bogus, but colours have powers, I think. 

{By the way, I'm in LOVE with that ModCloth cape. If something that is supposed to happen this week happens (I will say more later...), I shall get it as to celebrate... And the ruby slippers too!}

What are your favourite colours and what do they evoke to you?

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Aurora Borealis

[Very First Hair Tutorial!! Yaaay!!! And I've got the best hair model ever!]

Recently, I straightened my cousin Aurélie's hair, as I do when she heavily insists; nothing makes her happier (except perhaps if I did it every day... but I don't want to damage her hair yet).
Aurélie, the first girl in the family to be born after me (and three boys) is very very young, but just like me, she looks older, and is very intelligent and precocious. We're extremely identical and very close, and we love having "girls time" and sleepovers in my room for just us two: she loves getting make-overs from me and wearing my high heels (which she does extremely well); I love feeling like I've got a younger sister who is less and less a baby and more and more a preteen (not there yet but... it'll come soon! Boy, her mum will freak out reading that... haha).

Aurélie's light-brown hair is quite a beauty staple for her: it is long, full, curly, rather coarse, and makes her look like a princess (like the late Russian model Ruslana Kornushova in the Nina de Nina Ricci perfume commercial) so much that her mother never cut it, even though it's quite difficult to manage.

I hadn't straightened her hair in about a year because I was concerned about the damage, and because it had grown longer and coarser. But who could resist such a cute face for too long...?
I first began by blow-drying her towel-dried hair with an ionic hair-dryer and a paddle brush, after applying a few drops of heat protecting serum on her lengths and ends. Then, I applied a little more heat protecting serum before separating her hair in three parts: one on the lower half of her head, and two on the top of her head from both sides. I used the highest heat setting available on my ceramic straightener, and passed it over 1-inch-thick strands (they're definitely longer than one inch). It went faster, at least, than when she was younger and wouldn't stop moving all over despite being told repeatedly that the hot iron could be dangerous.

Then when her hair was completely straight, I parted it again, this time to apply a hot iron spray, over which, following the directions on the spray bottle, I applied the flat iron again, strand by strand, since she wanted her hair to stay straight overnight, so she could flaunt it at school the next day. The strand takes a rather sticky, stiff consistence, but you just need to brush it softly so it looks normal again.
Obviously, I wouldn't recommend that for fine, chemically treated or damaged hair (like mine!), but Aurélie's hair is very thick and coarse and can handle that, if done occasionally. For my hair, I usually spray a little of if on a brush after straightening my hair, and apply the product by brushing through. It helps the hair stay straight overnight and resist frizz. I did that to Aurélie and applied a little bit of shine serum on her strands.

(Isn't she quite a natural at striking a pose? Awwww)

She couldn't be happier!
In a way, I don't want my chubby baby to get old, but at the same time I cannot wait for when she'll be a teenager and when it'll be appropriate to go shopping together for make-up that she can actually wear and nice clothes.... I already promised her baby sister, Julie, to take her to a spa day at Elizabeth Arden's for her 10th birthday, since she asked me that herself when we passed in front of the Red Door Spa by my place!
My friends are right, the girls are totally mini-Sophies... (they're not little redheads but there's no need to! haha!)

Products and tools used:
THE spray: Healthy Sexy Hair Soya Want Flat Hair Hot Iron Spray
(Disclaimer: don't use regular hairspray: it isn't meant to be used with heat and it will leave you with a capillary necropolis... unless that's what you want ^^. And as always, read the instructions for whatever product you buy...)
Redken Smooth Down Heat Glide
Redken Glass 01 Smoothing Serum
T3 Featherweight Hairdryer
T3 Singlepass Straightening Iron
FHI Heat paddle brush
Rat-tail comb, clips, etc


There we go, for my first hair tutorial! I hope it was clear enough, even though it's neither step-by-step nor with pictures (then again, I'm sure people can find that on Wikihow!). As always, I'm open to questions and comments and... constructive criticism (that is... only if you're in the top 20 fashion blogs haha ;))

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...

Dear (few, but very) appreciated readers, subscribers and followers,

I just wanted to let you know that I haven't abandoned this blog, even though I haven't posted in a while. I've had certain issues, some technical, in the past 10 days that prevented me from posting, but I will be back tonight or tomorrow, because I'm not ready yet to leave the stage :D and I have a lot of exciting content to share with you and with all those who deem my blog worthwhile.
Since I am currently taking time off from college and with very few occupations, blogging is rather vocational for me, and I intend to use the time I now have on my hands to this blogging project, which, I hope, will grow very large.

In the meanwhile, you can find me on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/mademoisellesonushka) and Twitter (@miss_sonushka)

He's such a ladies' bag

I recently was at a thrift store, trying to find some unique vintage treasures, and I very much did! Among the cheap and damaged knockoff bags, I found this classic 1950s or early 1960s leather handbag. 

The design is typical of this fashion era, with the crisp rectangular shape, the simple clasp, and the simple leather handles. It's just my favourite: chic, ladylike, and deliciously retro! 

I haven't mentioned it before, but I am collecting these bags, and I am hoping to have as many as there are baby-boomers alive today!!

So now, for the interesting part, the content! Starting from the top left:
* my car and house keys (I need to get a different keychain, I've bought that one from Dulles Airport to show my DC pride, but it seems to be falling apart. Such a tourist trap!),
* sunglasses (I'm a little bit of a diva/prima donna, not to mention I have sensitive eyes),
* small wallet with ID, credit card, change, etc.,
* Innoxa Gouttes Bleues eye drops (they're excellent, hydrate dry eyes and make them look whiter! but sadly I can't find them anywhere in the States),
* notebook with pen
*H2O hand cream (I got it in a free H20 sample gift bag at Ulta),
* Wet and Wild lipstick (just felt like trying it out... It's been a lifetime I haven't bought W&W cosmetics, which was the first brand I began experimenting with when I was 14),
* Urban Decay waterproof mascara (the best thing EVER!),
* Altoids,
* my ever-faithful Blackberry Bold,
* a mirror and it's case that I've gotten from a souk in Lebanon,
* ... and my contact lenses case.

Tadaaa!!! Doing handbag posts is fun! The main challenge is that this tends to be heavy sometimes in a vintage bag, so I try to leave as much stuff as possible behind/at home/in the car. At least I don't carry as much as I would in, say, one of my tote bags. Aaaah, I wish I had Hermione Granger's bottomless bag (in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which, coincidentally, I happen to be reading right now).

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Danse avec moi

Woolen black v-neck sweater: "inherited" from my aunt
Woolen black pencil skirt: "inherited" from my aunt also (a lot of my stuff is, really)

Capelette (also wearable as a skirt): gift from my mum's fashionista friend (She also considerably contributed to my wardrobe... haha!)

Chain and English phone booth pendant: Forever21
Shoes: Target
Handbag: vintage

First and foremost, excuse the lack of make-up, hair looking "n'importe comment" (I don't know how to translate best this french expression), and mostly lack of smiling. It's just been one of those looong days, when you feel exhausted for no reason. Yet it ended very happily: I had decided to join my old high school's choir and we had our first meeting today. Singing, with people who were as passionate about it as I was, was simply exhilarating. Not to mention, I was really thrilled that I was completely comfortable singing the soprano range... Maybe my dreams of becoming the next Maria Callas will come true someday!
*daydreams, sees herself in a geisha outfit singing "Un Bel Di Vedremo" on the stage of the Kennedy Center...*

(hoping that one day, I'll be able to give away opera tickets to my faithful readers... LOL)

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Cat Lady in Red

Red top: TJ Max

Belt: gift from my mum's (fashionista!) friend

Black pants: Rainbow

Flower hair pin: Leila Rowe

Blue necklace: made by meee! (Yes, I'm handy enough to put pearls on a thread!!! Yipiie)

Shoes (the crème de la crème <3): Target

Scarlett the Cat: my neighbour's! (she's always at my house though!)

I love shoes. And cats. And I love wearing a rose in my hair. In the closet right behind me in the pictures, you've got my HUGE collection of shoes, and many other delightful things that will be featured on this blog in the days/weeks/months to come!

I've maybe already said that I like to dress elegant, chic, lady-like. This is definitely, unless I'm heavily mistaken, not how your average nineteen-year-old would dress on a (very unusually) cold October Sunday, to go have breakfast at Starbucks with her six-year-old cousin, then prepare oatmeal cookies with her, then run around for a few errands. But well, as to this outfit, I tried the top with and without the belt, which one's your favourite? The pants are just my favourite, because they're comfortable and can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. Not to mention, I think they slim me down (By the way, my hips look HUGE in those pictures).

Now the shoes. The shoes are a different matter. Let me tell you their story. They're the highest (casual) shoes I have. I own them in black, but I like red shoes. I've got a red shoe fetish (JUST KIDDING!). Maybe it's related to the whole Dorothy thing. Or the 1948 movie "The Red Shoes" with Moira Shearer. Anyways, I drove two hours each way on a Saturday night to get them at a Target in Virginia where they had them in my size. I fell, I stumbled, I lost my balance, I even dropped hot tea on myself at Starbucks (ow). Still, I feel GREAT in them, and not to mention the dozens of compliments I get about them.

Talking of the hair, this is a hairstyle I generally do when I let my hair air-dry without doing anything to it (I get crazy waves/curls that get worse if I brush them). I won't dare to do a tutorial because I'm quite a novice at French Braiding (One out of two times I end up with... knots. Bad knots). But here's how I did it: I applied some serum to tame frizz and create some texture, then created a side part, made a headband French Braid until over my ear, then I just braided the whole thing. Yeah. Way to explain. Haha!).


And that's all for today! I'm going to sit on the couch and watch tonight's Desperate Housewives! I'm SO excited about this new season, although I'm quite sad it's the last, especially there's SO much that still needs to happen. I hope they'll do a good job fitting it all through the plot.

A demain,

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Vanity of the Month: October

{What’s the Vanity of the Month? 

The idea: I've decided to create every first of the month an assortment of various beauty products and tools that would answer to current trends and seasonal needs. I’ve tried most of the products featured and they’ve worked on me, but sometimes I try to make an assortment that’s more general, which would help much better my readership than my own very specific needs.}

Korres Lip balm in Wild Rose

Benefit Cosmetics Boi-ing Concealer in Light

Bare Minerals Eye Shadows in Passionate Plum, Pebble, Vanilla Sugar 

Frizz serum, L’Oréal

Nail Polishes : Essie in Who’s She Red and Limited Addiction

l’Occitane Shea ButterUltra Rich Face Cream

Vanity Bag: Forever 21 

I see October as a transitional month into fall. Fall, by the way, is my favourite seasons for many reasons, including colder weather and beautiful tree colours, apple-picking trips to the farm, Halloween, the ability to layer warmer clothes (after three months of wearing the warm weather uniform, the Dress and Sandals).

October makes it possible to wear deeper colours than the usual palette. I choose to stick with classic dark red tones for the nails and lips, and chose a palette of eggshell, taupe and aubergine for eyes. These three colours are classic, chic and not overwhelming. They can be worn alone or together.

As for skincare, I currently use the L'Occitane face cream, which is extremely moisturizing but not at all greasy. I also like the Korres lip balm a lot, because it doubles as lip colour. At last, I add a concealer to hide dark circles that can be due to late night studying/working/procrastinating. I’ve used it in the past and definitely recommend it.

And finally, when it comes to hair, I think at this VERY humid time of the year, when the air is full of static electricity, a good serum is necessary to tame all that frizz. I always carry a travel-size one in my purse, to touch up my hair when I'm out.

All this pretty stuff goes into a pink vanity from a Forever 21 line that donates 10% of the proceeds to the research against breast cancer (October being, as we know, breast cancer month). Talking about that, I’ve read a very interesting Marie Claire article on charities and scams. I strongly recommend it, because what you may be donating may not be helping the research at all.

So there we go, for the very first Vanity of the Month! Hope you enjoy it!

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