LisaG's GIFT GUIDE

Can you believe it? 38 days until Christmas. I am 99% done my shopping because for me on top of my baking, home decorating, tree-trimming, wrapping, pre-school participation, and socializing yuletide duties I have little time to shop as the actual holiday approaches. I attempt completion by Dec 1st (at least that's the goal). This year I also get to go home to Canada and enjoy my entire family in the snow too; 2 kids on a plane from LAX to Toronto with all my Christmas gear in tow .. Good Times. Yup, I'm going to be "that person" on the plane this time.
So for the stressed and time crunched, or just for those who have no idea what to give this year I wanted to offer a few suggestions that may help you check the shopping portion of the Christmas program off your list.

LOVE is obviously the BEST gift as is TIME spent with love ones but let's be realistic. We ALL have people on our list to BUY for.

1) EVOLUTION VINTAGE GIFT CARD - Give the gift of FASHION! The card are electronic (emailed - you can print & give!) in $50, $100, $150, $200 denominations. You can use this toward shipping too. If you know someone who has unique taste and loves high quality Vintage this makes a great gift!
2) PICNIC BACK PACK - A gift that makes you want to explore the great outdoors, with some comforts of home dining. Cruise the site too: Red Envelope has a lot of unique gifts (some you can customize!)

3) Book: 100 Unforgettable Dresses – by Hal Rubenstein Fashion. Eye Candy with Great information about each dress.

4) Vestige Jewelry Recycled Vintage metals and jewels. All the pieces are unique!

Read her Evolution Revolution Vintage Feature HERE


5) Visit InvenTORI: A variety of unique gifts! Gifts for your home, baby, pet, library and MORE! The treasures in Tori's Finds are from her own personal collection of one-of-a-kind items!! Stop by the store if you are in the LA area or shop on-line. An amazing assortment of gifts and great prices. There is really something for EVERYONE! EXCLUSIVE to Evolution Revolution readers - SAVE 10% on ALL ON-LINE purchases using the code: HOLIDAY

6)Decades of Style – 60’s & 70’s How to Hair & Make-up. Great information about the decades and the looks along with quotations. EXCLUSIVE for my readers: message the author though her website and SAVE 50% before Thanksgiving and 40% until Christmas!!

7) Dreaming of Chanel & Dreaming of Dior: Vintage Dresses, Timeless Stories Travel though one woman’s inherited Vintage Collection of over 3,000 pieces from her godmother in these 2 books! Great illustrations too.

8)Dragon Voice Software Great for writers, bloggers, or people who can speak/think faster than they can type. Also good for people who have sustained injuries and have a hard time typing or navigating with their mouse. Let the Dragon do the work! Special Christmas sale for home computers on now!

9) Central Coast Sea Scape Calendar Enjoy the beauty of California’s Beautiful Central Coast, with amazing images and quotations. The bonus is 10% of the proceeds are being donated to Breast Cancer. Mention Evolution Revolution and get FREE SHIPPING!! 10) Custom Portrait – Marty Parker ART! Be forever immortalized in pencil by the hand of a great artist. It is a unique and custom gift for friends or family. You can also purchase an existing print from Marty’s collection to be framed for your gift! Mention Evolution Revolution and SAVE $20 on a fine art print of your choice and if you live in the US SHIPPING IS FREE on all items!

11) Raw Essentials Skin care line. If you care what goes into your body give the RAW line a try (the price is right too)! Model Carol Alt has created a line of skin care products that use Raw ingredients that are better for your skin because they are never heated above 115° and retain all the vitamins, minerals, nutrients and antioxidants providing maximum nourishment to the skin SHOP: www.rawessentials.com (FREE Shipping over $75) also available at Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada

12) Kam Bey Jewelry - Scott Kam & Andrea Bey collaboration combining Kam's Vintage Native American Jewelry along with Bey's Contemporary Jewelry Designs. There are some unique pieces in their collection. EXCLUSIVE to Evolution Revolution readers: Buy a Kam Bey Piece and get another piece for 50% off (of equal or lesser value)

13) Pennies From Heaven: A Medium's Two Cents on Life and Death by Christopher Stillar. Not only did I have the pleasure to write the forward to this book I have also witnessed the impact Chris has made in the lives of others by providing them with validations from the other side. Don't take my word for it ... READ IT and GIVE IT to those who believe and the skeptic's too!

I hope this guide will help you get ready for the holidays!!

The real joy of this and ALL seasons comes from giving. Your time, love, service and of course a gift or two!

Lisa's Library: Lexi's Lesson's in STYLE

I love that EVOLUTION REVOLUTION reaches the PC's, laptops and mobile devices around the world. A super Stylish reader in Paris, France reached out recently with her new book: "Decades of Style" (By Lexi DeRock). A Step-by-Step hair and makeup guide to days gone by.

Just as I at Evolution Vintage style fashions past current, Lexi is bringing back the Chic 60's and 70's for the modern woman.

She enjoys being an educator and sharing her knowledge. In her words; "Do a girls hair and she'll look good for the night. Teach a girl to do her own hair, and she'll look great for a lifetime."

Her new book was a GREAT read! besides the makeup, hair tips and tricks I loved her use of iconic images and quotations (I'm obsessed with quotations). You can browse her book and tap into your alter-ego; Are you The Studio 54 Sweetheart? The Boho Baby? The Cabaret Singer? Luckily you don't have to pick just one - You can utilize Lexi's guide through 2 decades of hair and makeup and use it over and over again. Information on each look as well as each decade are provided in a FAB and reader friendly way.




I had the chance to chat with Lexi about her book and her style.

LISA: What inspired the book?

LEXI: A very talented painter friend of mine, Marcus McAllister, was working on an art book with my friend and editor Alicia LeBlanc, and a little green monster reared it's head and said "I want a book too! Me, meee!" because it sounded like a fun project. So, I pitched her the idea because I have just always loved vintage styles and wanted to share them with other people in a way that was easy to follow and fun.

LISA: What is your favourite decade for fashion/hair/makeup? and why?

LEXI: I'm not sure that I have a favorite. I do love the 20s, 30s and 50s, but I think the 60s are really one of my faves. The hair is dramatic and fun, and so is the makeup...and the attitude is so liberated and full of spirit. It's so elegant and wild at the same time.

LISA: Why the 60's & 70's?

LEXI: I intend to write books covering all of the decades I love, but started with the 60s and 70s because, while all the looks have their timelessness, these eras seem to be especially relevant again. You see the 60s popping up all over the place like in Mad Men or The Kennedys series, and the 70s styles are all up and down the runways in this season's fall/winter collections. Maybe it is the spirit of revolution in the air all over the world that is making people want to dress and style like the revolutionaries of the 60s and 70s, but something seems to have sparked our interest in the chunk of time and I couldn't be more for it!

LISA: Who are your personal style icons?

LEXI: I've always loved glamour and performance and people whose style is over-the-top and playful. One of my faves is Katherine Hepburn: glamorous, but also casual and strong. Brigitte Bardot inspires a style in the book and she is definitely one of my favorites for hair styles. So sexy and so French. But I also love people with a bit of a harder rock & roll style mixed in, and I love body art, so Kat Von Dee is one of my favorite style icons too.

LISA: How did you get your start in hair & makeup?

LEXI: I started doing hair and makeup as a teenager in theater and have always loved it. I was always that girl cutting and coloring all my girlfriends' hair in high school. When I decided to make my career of it, I attended the Aveda Institute in Minneapolis MN which was a fantastic school. From there I continued to work in the US until 2007, when I decided to move to Paris and work more on the fashion side of things. After four years in Paris, I decided it was time for a change so I am currently in the process of relocating to Melbourne, Australia, this December. I'm really looking forward to seeing where that takes me.

LISA: What are your favourite makeup and hair products?

LEXI: I love hair and makeup so when I go into a beauty supplier or a store like Sephora, I am just like a kid in a candy shop (someday I'll get organized enough to figure out how to write it all off as a business expense!). I am not a brand loyalist and there are lots of things I like from a number of companies, but I do have a few favorites. I love L'Oreal Double Extend mascara and have used it for maybe 10 years at this point. There are others I like too, but my go-to is always Double Extend. I love the liquid and creme blushes that have come out in the last few years, and my favorite one is by Benefit. They have three shades now, a red (benetint), pink (posietint) and their newest one and my favorite which is a tangerine/mango sort of color called Cha-Cha tint. As for hair products, I do love Freeze hairspray by Schwartzkopf because it doesn't flake and it's not too heavy...Goldilocks would have said "It's just right," and I would be inclined to agree.

LISA: Describe your personal style aesthetic. What are you wearing this fall/winter?

LEXI: I guess I have a mixture of those styles in my wardrobe. I love vintage for clothes and for my hair and makeup, and I also love the dark, layered looks the French wear with all the scarves and hats and things, very chic...but I like my style to have a bit more of a rock & roll edge to it. I'm a fan of skulls and studs and leather and things like that, but softened up by a sweet retro hairdo and a cute vintage scarf which keeps it from being too harsh.

Lexy the Author
(center), editor Alicia LeBlanc and the Photographer Steve Wells


A perfect coffee table book at a salon, gift for the Vintage Diva or for your own Super Stylish library. BUY IT HERE

Visit Lexi ON LINE

*Her model in the "Super Model" look reminded me of a 70's Jerry Hall ...

"The most beautiful makeup of a woman is passion. But cosmetics are easier to buy." Yves Saint-Laurent