Louise Trudaine and Kari Gran

This week's Style Imitating Art inspiration is Portrait of Louise Trudaine by Jacques-Louis David. To check out other modern interpretations of this classic, check out Salazar's blog, 14 Shades of Gray.

In other news, I won the Kari Gran giveaway on Fresh Jess's blog  and received a lovely package of travel sized goodies.  It's very rare that I win anything, so I was especially delighted that it was something made by a local woman with natural ingredients!  I completely stopped using my regular moisturizer because I really wanted to see what Kari Gran could do.  And I have to say, I'm quite impressed!  If you don't know already, my skin is incredibly sensitive.  A strong breeze is likely to give me a rash!  But Kari Gran's stuff is keeping it quite happy.  I went to read more about the products and learned that Kari originally created the products for her own private use when battling an autoimmune disorder.  Here are her words:

After I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder in my late twenties I started taking a more informed look at what I was putting on my skin.

It turned out that the beauty products I was using weren’t so pretty after all, but instead, chemical concoctions—many of them hormone disruptors.

My endocrine system did not approve.

Undaunted, I began searching for natural alternatives. After finding an abundance of what I’ll call “earthy” products and packaging I was left yearning for something simple, elegant and subtly scented—the little black dress of eco skin care.

Fast forward to my forties, when I started thinking about developing my own, personal, back- to-basics approach to elegant skin care by seeking out the fundamental ingredients our skin requires in order to thrive.

I have developed a thorough understanding of our most basic skin needs, as well as the elements that nourish a healthy complexion. Combining these elements with a simple, daily ritual yielded fantastic results.

My skin approved!

My skin approves, too!  I have to admit I was a bit dubious about the cleansing oil, but after reading and following the directions, I now look forward to cleaning my skin!  It smells and feels so good!   It's like my evening moment of zen.  The essential serum works very well- it moisturizes my dry spots and doesn't grease up my t-zone.  My skin actually looks and feels better than it did a week ago (in my opinion, without photographic evidence.)  Also, the lip whips are lovely, I haven't been able to decide if I like the cinnamon flavor or mint best.  I love that their ingredients list for the entire line is readable and contains things like sweet almond oil, rose oil, avocado oil, and vitamin E.  I'm definitely going to order products from them in the future! (It's also less expensive than what I've been using!) Also, Kari Gran is not paying me to write any of this,  I just wanted to spread the word because I'm so thankful for receiving such stellar products that have improved my skin!

Do you love your current cleanser and moisturizer?

Daily Details:

- weather: warm

- dress, old, approximate current cost per wear (accpw) $10

- scarf, old, accpw $10
- sequin flats, old, accpw less than $1
- blue belt, accpw $8

- ethical ensemble evaluation: B