26 Feb 2015

Dreamy Creamy Textures

Lent is upon us, and Mirabelle is trying to be a good girl and resist the sinful temptation of sweets. Whether you follow Lent or try not to disappoint your waistline, here is a happy compromise with your conscience. By only aiming for the pictures rather than the actual subjects, we shall satisfy our visual senses... rather than our palates. Yet those pictures are so darn tasty, the satisfaction goes far beyond the visual! Let's treat ourselves and feast our eyes!



Sources: (1) Vanilla White Chocolate Selector Slab by Hotel Chocolat. (2) Maple Pecan Buttercream Frosting by The Food Charlatan. (3) Cherry Buttercream Frosting from the Cherry Limeade Cake by I Am Baker. (4) Chocolate and Rosewater Meringues (Meringhe Variegate: Cioccolato e Acqua di Rose) by Volevo Fare Lo Chef. (5) Cider Pomegranate Smash by Clara Persis. (6) Spicy Chocolate Bark with Chipotle and Almonds by Foodiecrush.

20 Feb 2015

The Hamptons Lifestyle with Aerin Lauder

Aerin Lauder might have inherited her grandmother Estée's surname, she has nonetheless carved a first name for herself (and in capital letters!) above and beyond the beauty counters and her remit as Estée Lauder's Global Creative Director (now Style & Image Director). She is an icon of East Coast elegance and sobriety of style, which the French in the know would aptly qualify of "bon goût" (good taste), with no fashion faux-pas or brash and erratic statements. Her lifestyle is measured and poised and timeless, with spot-on style decisions and loving consideration for heirloom pieces and heritage. Her brand, Aerin, launched in 2012 and positions itself within the global luxury lifestyle market.

Aerin has been on Mirabelle's radar for a few years now and it was high time to pay tribute to a young lady my generation who chose to make a career rather than sit back and capitalise on grandma's dynasty and legacy and play the wallflowers on the Lauder façade, overshadowed by its weighty limelight. Aerin stepped into the limelight for herself and has been stamping her mark on a wide array of areas under the World of Aerin umbrella, including a concept store in Southampton, NY. By becoming a staple of home design and lifestyle magazines, Aerin has demonstrated that beauty goes way beyond the realm of skindeep and cosmetics.



Sources: (1-2) Aerin's Manhattan offices were designed by Jacques Grange. (1) Office desk detail, part of the Office Studio Tour, photography originally sourced by Mirabelle from Erika Brechtel. (2) The entrance hall features a Paul Lange work. (3) Lineham Table Lamp in Alabaster ($714.00), part of the Aerin Furnishings collection. (4) 'The Ultimate Vanity' (as described by Aerin herself), features her sumptuous range of beauty products. (5) Aerin's beauty products take pride of place in her Southampton NY concept store. (6) Aerin's Rose de Grasse fragrance, presented by the lady herself (screen capture). (7) Rose de Grasse Parfum Spray ($185.00), part of the Aerin Beauty collection. "The hundred-petaled Rose Centifolia, hand picked in Grasse - the French capital of perfumery since the 16th century - is at the heart of this meticulously crafted fragrance. Enhanced by Rose Otto Bulgarian and Rose Absolute, and given further depth by warming Musk, this alluring scent perfectly captures the flower that symbolizes beauty and femininity." (8) Footed Deco Large Bowl ($425.00), part of the Aerin Entertaining collection. (9) Porcelain Gardenia ($150.00), part of the Aerin Home Decor collection. (10) East Coast beach babe of the stylish kind, Aerin features on the Summer Fashion 2013 edition of Hamptons Magazine. (11) "Beauty is the best incentive to self-respect." (Estée Lauder), from Aerin Lauder's book 'Beauty At Home', published by Random House in October 2013, page screen-captured by Mirabelle. (12) The Lauder family country home in East Hampton features an English knot garden. Landscape design by Perry Guillot. Photography attributed to Elle Decor (not formally authentified).

3 Feb 2015

Rich Pickings

Along the centuries, botanical art has purported observation for both science (natural history) and art, transporting its visual accounts as an ode to posthumous posterity, capturing in its intricate minutiae the wonders of nature, conveying the bounties of exotic beauty in their oozing abundance and fertile overtones.

Renowned and respected 19th century artists like Martin Johnson Heade and Alfred Edmund Brehm had a field day recording testimonies of a fragile Eden in Tropics close or remote that have since been either compromised, endangered or - more radically - eradicated off the surface of the earth. In a strange twist of irony, the contemporary viewer surrenders to the beauty that was surrendered to human covet.

 
 


Sources: (1 - 3) Martin Johnson Heade. (4 - 6) Alfred Edmund Brehm. (1) 'Ruby Throat of North America', oil on canvas, 1865, by American artist Martin Johnson Heade (1819-1904), via The Athenaeum. M.J. Heade depicted seascapes, salt marshes, and tropical birds, as well as lotus blossoms and other still lifes. (2) 'Cattleya Orchid, Two Hummingbirds and a Beetle', oil on canvas, 1875-1890, id., via The Athenaeum. (3) 'Heliodore's Woodstar and a Pink Orchid', oil on canvas, circa 1875-1890, id. via The Athenaeum. (4) 'Ausländische Cikaden', from Brehms Tierleben (Brehm’s Animal Life), volume 9, by German zoologist and illustrator Alfred Edmund Brehm (1829-1884), Leipzig and Vienna, 1893-1900. Image downloaded from Imgkid.com, with caption from Unnaturalist. Original source document: Archive.org. (5) 'Two-Toed Sloth', from Brehms Tierleben, id., volume 2. Image downloaded from Old Book Illustrations. Original source document: Archive.org. (6) 'A Spring Day in the Life of Insects', from Brehms Tierleben, id., volume 9. Image dowloaded from Old Book Illustrations. Original source document: Archive.org.
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