March 2012
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Reading List: Madonna's Too Sexy at 53, Audrina...
Phew, we made it through another week and April (and spring!) is just a few days away. We hope you’re out enjoying the weekend but in the meantime enjoy a few of our favorite stories from the week.
Photo: xojane.com
Madonna’s having a bad week (or a great one, depending on how you look at it). First her new music video was restricted to 18+ on YouTube, and now the commercial for her new...
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Before & After: The Great Blotting Paper Test
Before and after using Shiseido’s blotting papers
No matter how much powder I load onto my face in the mornings, by afternoon my T-zone always gets incredibly oily. And by oily, I mean the slippery, gross kind of shine that makes me want to run home to wash my face a million times. Since that’s not feasible during the workday, I rely on every Birchbox staffer’s secret...
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How To Get Pink Roots Video: Guest Blogger
This week’s guest blogger is a lady after our own hearts. Claire Thomas is the genius behind Kitchy Kitchen, a gorgeous, drool-inducing food blog, as well as the host of Food for Thought with Claire Thomas, part of Litton’s Weekend Adventure on ABC. Did we mention she’s also a commercial director? Yeah, we’d hate her if she weren’t so freaking cool.
My sister, Amanda, and I could not be more...
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Seeing Stripes: Mood Board
Our creative team is pretty, well, creative and they come across beautiful imagery all the time. Why not share the inspiration? Keep an eye out each Friday for their Mood Board, a collection of images they’re loving.
1. blogs.babble.com 2.allprettylittlethings.tumblr.com 3.etsy.com 4. marthastewart.com 5. shopbop.com
Stripes offer a great way to add dimension and texture to things that are...
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Burger King: An Unlikely Source of Beauty...
Thanks to Buzzfeed for alerting us to this “tasty” treat this morning. It’s apparently a real ad from Burger King Netherlands and, as you can see, features some amazing eye makeup. It doesn’t exactly make us want a burger, but can we get the name of the makeup artist, please?
—Lorelei
Our favorite eye makeup won’t transform your eye into a burger, but we love it...
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Chloë Sevigny's Sexy New Haircut
Left: Sevigny in December 2011; Right: Chloë on Monday at the Jeffrey Fashion Cares benefit
Back in December, Chloë Sevigny was sporting a brand new look—a short bob and extra-blunt bangs, plus some seriously copper color. We weren’t totally sold on the style, we love her much more as a blonde (though we do applaud experimentation).
Which is why we were so excited when, on Monday night,...
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The Perfect Pedicure Colors to Compliment Marais...
SANDALS
Top: Woven Sandal in Blush, $88, maraisusa.com; Color Club Polish in Peace Out Purple, $8, birchbox.com. Bottom: Espadrille Wedge in Denim, $110, maraisusa.com; Zoya Polish in Sooki, $8, birchbox.com
WEDGES
Top: Oxford Espadrille in Navy, $125, maraisusa.com; RGB Polish in Dove, $16, birchbox.com. Bottom: T-Bar Wedge in Clay, $160, maraisusa.com; Deborah Lippmann Polish in Naked,...
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Today's Obsession: Kate Spade NY Polishes by Poppy...
Photo: style.com
We love Lipstick Queen and color maven Poppy King for her amazing lip formulas, but now she’s teamed up with Kate Spade NY to take on an even more exciting project: nail polish.
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Starting next month, Kate Spade NY will be carrying this collection of cute mini lacquers ($28 for the set). The eye-catching shades are inspired by cult favorite designer Florence...
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What's On The Birchbox Staffer's Desk: Planner...
After a bit of a break, we’re back with another installment of What’s on the Birchbox Staffer’s Desk. Today’s subject is Alexz, who is on our beauty partnerships team. Their team always has fun products coming into the office and their desks are one of the first places we go to make new discoveries. Click through to see some of Alexz’s latest finds.
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1. essie luxeffects in a...
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Where You'll Find Me in L.A.: Guest Blogger
This week’s guest blogger is a lady after our own hearts. Claire Thomas is the genius behind Kitchy Kitchen, a gorgeous, drool-inducing food blog, as well as the host of Food for Thought with Claire Thomas, part of Litton’s Weekend Adventure on ABC. Did we mention she’s also a commercial director? Yeah, we’d hate her if she weren’t so freaking cool.
I’m an L.A. girl through and through. I...
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3 Unexpected Smoky Eye Looks To Try This Weekend
The smoky eye is our go-to look, but the tried-and-true grey and black combo can get old. Jouer national makeup artist Neil Scibelli gave us his tips for updating the familiar style using bold, unexpected colors so we could rock one of spring’s hottest new trends. READ MORE.
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Nair 2.0 Coming Soon!: Stop Hair Before It Grows
Photo: dailymail.co.uk
Scientists at University of Pennsylvania have discovered an awesome new beauty product: a gel that temporarily stops hair growth. Huzzah! Sign me up right now.
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Researchers at the University were originally studying cidofovir, a drug that’s largely used to treat viral eye infections, and found that patients who used it experienced a mild form of alopecia....
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Food Photography How To's: Guest Blogger
This week’s guest blogger is a lady after our own hearts. Claire Thomas is the genius behind Kitchy Kitchen, a gorgeous, drool-inducing food blog, as well as the host of Food for Thought with Claire Thomas, part of Litton’s Weekend Adventure on ABC. Did we mention she’s also a commercial director? Yeah, we’d hate her if she weren’t so freaking cool.
Food photography, or photography in...
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Calling All Bloggers: March Beauty Discoveries!
Photo: Hunger Games-Inspired Makeup from etsy.com/shop/Glamatronic
It’s that time again—we want you to share your March beauty discoveries! Whether it’s a Birchbox sample you fell in love with or something you discovered thanks to a recommendation from a friend, we want to hear about it! Send your blog posts to Birchbloggers@birchbox.com by Sunday night and we’ll choose three...
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The 3 Best Braids to Rock at Coachella
We fell hard for Natalie Alcala last fall, when the LA-based writer and blogger spent a week guest blogging for us. In fact, we loved her posts so much that we asked her to be a contributing editor. In addition to blogging for us once a week, she’ll also be writing for the Birchbox Magazine and keeping us up to speed on all things fashion, beauty, and fun.
Photos: The Fashion Spot
Erica...
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Manhattan Super Nannies Earn $180K: Must Read of...
Photo: NY Times
As much as we love our jobs here at Birchbox, this recent New York Times article about New York’s elite nannies has us pondering a career switch. In case you missed it, here’s a recap:
As one of New York City’s elite nannies, Muneton commanded around $180,000 a year — plus a Christmas bonus and a $3,000-a-month apartment on Central Park West…Today, she says,...
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30 Years Pass, Claudia Schiffer Doesn't Age
Claudia Schiffer circa 1989.
This year marks Guess, Inc.’s 30th anniversary in retail, and the company is celebrating with a new ad campaign featuring Claudia Schiffer. If you’re looking at the image above and having flashbacks to the ’80s, it’s because that’s Claudia in her original 1989 Guess campaign shot by Ellen von Unwerth. According to WWD, the campaign...
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The Ops Team is Blowing Up!: Team Intros
We’ve had a slew of new people come on board recently, but the ops team seems to be growing at record speed. Here’s an introduction to our four newest associates—we’d be lost without them!
Sonia Porter, Operations Associate
After she graduated from Princeton University last year, we were lucky to scoop up this Ivy League grad and call her a member of our Birchbox Team. While in...
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Polyvore Launches New Beauty Categories
Photo: Polyvore
As if you needed one more reason to spend your life surfing the internet, online collaging community Polyvore just released a new beauty feature that lets you create round-ups of your favorite products. Part shopping destination, part aspirational bookmarking site, Polyvore is a favorite site among fashionistas eager to show off their color-coordinating abilities. While...
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Guest Blogger: Kitchy Kitchen on Food Blogging and...
This week’s guest blogger is a lady after our own hearts. Claire Thomas is the genius behind Kitchy Kitchen, a gorgeous, drool-inducing food blog, as well as the host of Food for Thought with Claire Thomas, part of Litton’s Weekend Adventure on ABC. Did we mention she’s also a commercial director? Yeah, we’d hate her if she weren’t so freaking cool. To kick things off, we...
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Iceland, The Northern Lights, and Aurora Borealis:...
This time of year, most of us are dreaming of tropical getaways. But Nicole, our office manager (also known as She Who Makes Magic Happen), is about to jet off to Iceland. She is taking a much-deserved vacation to do some trekking and spa-ing. Here’s what she’s bringing.
Cold weather trips are not usually on my hit list. But I jumped at the chance to see the Northern Lights and...
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VERB: Our Favorite Thing To Come Out of a...
Photo: Courtesy of Verb Products
It’s no secret we have a city crush on Austin (sorry NYC, you know we still love you), so it’s not terribly surprising that one of our new favorite discoveries comes straight from the heart of Texas. The Austin natives behind Birds Barbershop, the reinvented unisex chain of barbershops that offers quality cuts and color for a song, have a new product line called...
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Birchbloggers Beauty Tips and Tricks!
Bad hair days are inevitable. So are zits that pop up out of nowhere. That’s why a girl needs an arsenal of hairstyles and skincare products to fight beauty disasters. Last week we asked our Birchbloggers to share their beauty tips and tricks for curing everything from bedhead to breakouts. Here’s what three of our Birchbloggers had to share:
A Quick and Simple Updo from...
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Desperately Seeking Texture
We play with our hair a lot at Birchbox HQ. We do a lot of serious work, yes, but almost every day includes a mini break to test a cool topsy tail updo or try a pretty topknot. Sadly, my hair doesn’t have the kind of texture you need to get these styles. As Katia puts it, my hair is “too healthy.” I don’t know about that, but I do have soft, slippery strands that needs a...
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Video We Can't Stop Watching: Ferragamo The Girls...
We can’t get enough of this video from Salvatore Ferragamo for their new fragrance, Signorina. The video follows the five Ferragamo “girls about town” as they ride around New York, get photographed on the red carpet, and generally look fabulous. You can learn more about the “girls” (who include Alexandra Richards and Rachel Chandler-Guinness), and purchase Signorina...
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Packing List: Belize
Associate editor Candice is currently in Belize for a sun-filled vacation laying on the sand, scoping out some amazing wildlife in and out of the water, and tracking down seriously spicy eats. Here’s what she took with her:
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1. Fresh Sugar Rose Tinted Lip Treatment (SPF 15): This lightly-colored balm is perfect for the trip since it’s a two-in-one moisturizer and lip tint.
...
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3 Ways to Win 100 Teen Vogue Birchboxes!
In March, many of our subscribers opted in to receive a special Teen Vogue Birchbox, filled with items picked by the magazine’s beauty editor, Eva Chen. Our members were psyched to try party-ready products like Peter Thomas Roth Max Anti-Shine Mattifying Gel and Fresh Sugar Rose Lip Treatment. Now we’re giving you a chance to snag one of these blockbuster boxes. For our Birchbox +...
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VIDEO: 5 Stylist Tips For Your Next Hair Cut
We’re in the mood for a change. That usually means a trip to the salon for some new layers, highlights, or sometimes a completely different cut. But all too often we’re not sure exactly how to tell our stylist what we want. Since a bad consultation is a recipe for hair disaster, we asked stylist Jeff Chastain for his super-stylist-approved tips for any haircut. Watch this video and...
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The Best Smelling Hair Products Ever:...
We’re guilty of sticking with the same hair cut for years—if it’s not broke, why fix it?—but that can be a little boring. But not everyone has our issue. Paulina, one of our amazing operations associates, is always eyeing new cuts and styles. She’ll be sharing her tress inspiration and tips every other week here via her feature Hairistocracy.
Almost as important as how well a hair product works...
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Reading List: A Few Items Unrelated to the Hunger...
This week, we may have gone a little overboard with the Hunger Games mania. Who am I kidding? There’s no such thing as too much Hunger Games mania. I digress. In case you aren’t quite as obsessed as us, here are few other fun things going on right now.
Photo: bites.today.msnbc.msn.com
When we’re not freaking out about Hunger Games (t-minus one hour until show time, guys!), we’re probably...
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Tired of Your Short Lashes? Do Something About It!
A couple years ago, I was getting lash extensions on a regular basis. I was shocked by how it transformed my look and how many compliments I received. For a number of reasons (mainly time and money), I stopped getting my faux fringe, but I desperately missed my movie star-glam lashes. That was until I started using Talika’s Lipocils Expert.
[[MORE]]I had always steered clear of...
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Cate Blanchett's Photoshop-Free Magazine Cover
We’re already fans of actress Cate Blanchett for her blockbuster talent and unfailingly elegant style. Now we have another reason to love her: the 42-year-old star recently appeared on the cover of Intelligent Life magazine without any photo retouching. If you’ve been following our blog, you’re familiar with all the crazy Photoshopping that goes into magazine photos and...
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Survival Tips For The 74th Hunger Games
We’ve been waiting for months and the 74th Hunger Games are finally here…tonight! Although some of you may have already seen it—the film did make a record-breaking $19.7 million at its midnight showings last night—we’re sure many of you will be there tonight and the rest of this weekend just like us. To prepare you for the thrilling experience, we’ve put together a few survival tips. In...
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Losing Sleep Causes You To Eat More: You’ve Got...
birchboxman:
Once a week, Birchbox’s resident Yoga and men’s product expert, Eric, will gives us girls some insight into his world in You’ve Got Male. Whether he’s giving his expertise on skincare (boys need advice, too!) or highlighting his new favorite grooming trend, this guy has got taste—so we’re lucky he’s on staff and willing to share.
Sitting at my desk this morning, rubbing my eyes...
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Protect Your Nails From The Sun: Nailing It
Operations associate, Loren, has a thing for nails- and we can’t blame her. We love reading about new finishes and fun techniques, so we thought we’d give her a weekly slot on our blog to wax poetic about all things manicure (and pedicure!) related. Check back every week for Nailing It, Birchbox’s dedicated polish series.
Especially in the spring and summer, it’s important to apply SPF on...
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Pretty Pastels: Mood Board
Our creative team is pretty, well, creative and they come across beautiful imagery all the time. Why not share the inspiration? Keep an eye out each Friday for their Mood Board, a collection of images they’re loving.
1. pinterest.com/therosealley 2.tig-fashion.blogspot.com 3.creativecoquette.tumblr.com 4. 26.media.tumblr.com 5. polyvore.com 6.etsy.com 7. citified.blogspot.com 8. style.com...
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Dollars & Sense: Why You Need This Cult...
The best skincare products may not be cheap, but trust us: they’re worth every penny. Every week, we’ll break down the math and show you exactly why that fancy serum or cream is a smart splurge. This week, we’re showing off one of our favorite March products!
Right photo: Vogue Flowers
Our pick of the week: Now that the weather is finally warming up, it’s officially time to swap out...
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butter LONDON LIPPY Lip Glosses Help Us Get All...
We’ve long been fans of boutique polish brand butter LONDON’s kicky nail products. The brand has been a staple at Fashion Week for forever, so the line is always filled with the trendy colors we can’t find anywhere else. Sadly, we’ve always had to satisfy ourselves with just nail polish…until now. We can finally add butter LONDON to our list of favorite makeup lines...
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Ode to Effie: Hunger Games Countdown
It’s finally here! Tomorrow, The Hunger Games (a.k.a the world’s-greatest-movie-ever) is hitting theaters. In honor of our favorite YA-lit trilogy and the release of the much-anticipated first film, we present you with a week of Panem-inspired posts. Today, a tribute to Effie Trinket.
Photo: IFC
Technically, Effie Trinket is one of the bad guys. As one of the official escorts,...
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What We're Loving: Teas That Improve Your Skin
We’re serious tea enthusiasts here at Birchbox: we can tell you the difference between Earl Grey and Darjeeling, and we’d never be caught dead without our oversized mugs in tow. So you know we’re not kidding around when we say that Tea Forté’s skin-smart Teas are the coolest teas we’ve ever come across. Thanks to their sky-high levels of antioxidants, these organic,...
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Get The Katniss Braid!: Hunger Games Countdown
It’s finally here! This Friday, The Hunger Games a.k.a worlds-greatest-movie-ever, is hitting theaters. In honor of our favorite YA-lit trilogy, and the release of the much-anticipated first film, we present you with a week of Panem-inspired posts. Today: how to get Katniss’ signature badass braid.
Despite the fact that Katniss, the heroine of The Hunger Games, is dealt a pretty terrible...
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New Fashion Site Shoptiques Launches Today!
After beauty, fashion is our second love. We get downright giddy when we discover a new site that’s well-curated and full of covetable finds—and today we found our new obsession: Shoptiques. We sat down with the founder, Harvard Business School grad Olga Vidisheva, to discuss the site’s unique concept and some of her fave picks.
What’s the idea behind Shoptiques? Boutiques...
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Calling All Bloggers: Send Us Your Beauty Tips and...
We all have little tips and tricks for overcoming a bad hair day or covering an annoying blemish. This month, our editors shared some fast fixes for major hair downers and tips for preventing shiny skin. Now we want to hear from you: what are your beauty quick fixes? Share your beauty secrets in a blog post, and submit the link to birchbloggers@birchbox.com. We’ll pick three to feature on...
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Loving The Ombré Nail Polish Sets From The New...
We fell hard for Natalie Alcala last fall, when the LA-based writer and blogger spent a week guest blogging for us. In fact, we loved her posts so much that we asked her to be a contributing editor. In addition to blogging for us once a week, she’ll also be writing for the Birchbox Magazine and keeping us up to speed on all things fashion, beauty, and fun.
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of...
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It's National Fragrance Day! What Scent Are You...
If you didn’t get the memo, today is National Fragrance Day! (No, we’re not making this up. If you don’t believe us, you can verify the holiday here.)
In honor of this sweet-smelling occasion, we thought we’d roundup three of our go-to perfumes for spring. If you don’t have a signature scent for the season yet, read on to find the perfect fit for you.
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Jessica Alba Trying To Be The Next Martha Stewart
Photo: newsgab.com
Jessica Alba is now an author! The 30-year-old mommy of two is releasing a how-to handbook on creating a non-toxic, natural home. The book will include everything from DIY home design advice, to family recipes, to the best ways to find natural materials for your home.
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Alba told People magazine, “I’m not extreme. This book is for people who are in the...
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Tatcha Launches a Skincare Line (Finally!)
Fun fact: Tatcha blotting papers were in the very first Birchbox, way back in September 2010. Katia, Hayley, and I were cray-cray for the handmade sheets, which are embedded with real gold leaf. We even shot a video of ourselves running around New York demonstrating the many uses of blotting papers (why this never went viral, we’ll never know). Since then, we’ve been waiting for the...
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Our Must-Read Moments from the Book: Hunger Games...
It’s finally here! This Friday, The Hunger Games a.k.a worlds-greatest-movie-ever is hitting theaters. In honor of our favorite YA-lit trilogy, and the release of the much-anticipated first film, we present you with a week of Panem-inspired posts. Today: MAJOR SPOILER ALERT! We’re recounting moments that made us tear up or cheer from the paperback version.
Photo: salon.com
Everyone...
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Easy Ways To Wear Neons and Neutrals Courtesy of...
At Birchbox HQ, we are loving neons paired with neutrals for spring—but we want to know how you will be wearing the trend. So, we asked our network of Birchbloggers to send us posts about their plans to rock the combo and we picked our three favorites.
Birchblogger: Chelsea Blog: A Curated Life
Chelsea has some great ideas about making the neon trend appropriate for work by incorporating the...
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Karl Lagerfeld Likes Disorganization: Notable...
Notable Quotables is a weekly series featuring a great quote. Whether it’s the founder of a beloved beauty brand, an eccentric makeup artist making headlines, or even a super-stylish celebrity, our favorite tastemakers always have something worth sharing. Today’s quote is by the awe-inspiring Karl Lagerfeld, who just launched his own website, appropriately titled Karl.com. While we’ve always...
