Movie Club: Evil Under the Sun (1982)

Peter Ustinov. Maggie Smith. Diana Rigg. Jane Birkin. James Mason. Hello great cast in an Agatha Christie! (Plus Nicholas Clay who isn't as famous but is just as good and is also incredibly gorgeous!)

Evil Under the Sun is a Poirot mystery (Ustinov is Poirot), and this is one of my favorite movies. It's a cozy mystery set in the 1930's in an exotic locale, over-the-top characters and even over-the-top-er costumes. (Wait for the very end for Jane Birkin's!) Costumes were by Anthony Powell.

It has some fantastic lines:

Arlena Stuart (Diana Rigg's character) to her step-daughter: "Do stop standing there like a cough drop and say good morning to Monsieur Poirot!"









Arlena Stuart about her taxi ride: "This may come as a nasty surprise to you but shock absorbers have been standardized equipment on motorized vehicles for thirty years!"



 

Daphne Castle: "How about a cocktail, Mr. Poirot? White lady, Sidecar, Mainbrace or Between the sheets?"
Poirot: "Thank you, but if I could have a crème de cassis? Or a sirop de banane? Banana syrup?"





Arlena Stuart arriving for dinner: "Oh dear! I'm the last to arrive!"
Daphne Castle (Maggie Smith): "Have a sausage. You must be starving having to wait all that time in your room."





Daphne Castle: "Arlena and I were in the chorus of a show together, not that I could ever compete. Even in those days, she could always throw her legs up in the air higher than any of us. And wider."





Myra Gardner (Sylvia Myles) to her husband (James Mason): "If you were a man I would divorce you!"

Poirot's swimming scene is also not to be missed. The soundtrack is also very good (Cole Porter arrangements) and the opening titles are charming (and give the murderer away).

There's a funny scene of Diana Rigg and Maggie Smith having a catfight while singing "You're the Top" here.

It's a great movie, and if you haven't seen it, you should!

(Photos from Cineplex, Audio Boo, The Guardian and Movie Actors.)

Nail Varnish Color of the Week: Nails Inc Sugar House Lane

This is Sugar House Lane by Nails Inc. The Sprinkles Special Effects polishes from Nails Inc really do make your nails look edible. This didn't feel bumpy with a top coat, but it was a pain to remove.

Three of My Favorite Famous Engagement Rings

Jacqueline Kennedy - This was from Van Cleef & Arpels. It's hard to find good pictures of it, and she had it altered at some point, but it looks like an emerald and diamond toi et moi ring, with diamond baguettes in a floral motif on the top and bottom, and bands of baguettes on each side. It's an unusual design, and I'm curious if this was a stock design available to anyone who could afford it, or whether it was custom designed for her (and did she pick it out herself?)

Queen Elizabeth II - Designed by Prince Phillip, it's a 3-carat diamond flanked on each side by five smaller diamonds, set in platinum. Elegant, simple and while 3-carats is hardly small, the seamless setting of the flanking diamonds makes the solitare look even bigger. (It's interesting he used 5 diamonds on the side, instead of an even number.) The diamonds came from a tiara owned by his mother -- romantic!

Grace Kelly - There's nothing like a honking great big diamond! In this case, a 10.47 emerald cut with a baguette on each side from Cartier. Emerald-cut diamonds don't look as brilliant as equivalent quality brillant-cut diamonds, but I think they are much more interesting looking.

(Photos from NewsMax, Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor, Pricescope)

A Squishy, Smooshy Pillow

Jewelry is my thing, but I think bags must run a close second. (I am not a shoe person, however.) I've been indulgent lately and bought myself a lot of nice new things, but I think my favorite purchase is this beautiful cervo (deerskin) hobo from Bottega Veneta (Spring 2013 collection).

Bottega's cervo is amazing -- so soft, smooshy and very sturdy. Their classic intrecciato weave, made from lambsin, is more delicate, although still surprisingly sturdy. Most things can be easily wiped off cervo and leave no trace. Example: ketchup, which I got on my bag at lunch today.

It's also extremely light and because there is relatively little weaving the price is less eye-watering than some of the other styles.

I also really like this bag shape. I find bags that are wider than they are tall are much more practical because it's easier to find things. When bags are taller than they are wide things tend to stack inside so you really have to dig around to get your stuff out.

This bag also looks great stuffed to the gills! It looks like a fluffy leather pillow. (It's not stuffed too much in these pictures because I was worried it would be too heavy for Wiki-san.)

Any you sure you didn't put bricks in here?

I was a bit nervous about buying a white bag, but I do like the way white bags look (especially in the winter against a great black or navy coat). And my salesperson pointed out that white, as a staple Bottega color, can always be re-dyed back to white if it gets dirty, which the season, more unusual colors cannot necessarily be.

Every time I buy a new Bottega bag I think "This is it. This is fabulous. I will never need to buy another bag." And yet ...

Beauty Products - March Empties

Ole Henriksen African Red Tea Foaming Cleanser - I love how this smells -- citrusy but not lemony. I would say this is a good product for people with sensitive skin. It's very gentle and doesn't strip. Right now, post-Accutane, I would say I have normal skin and this was perfect. Unfortunately I dislike foaming cleansers so I won't be purchasing this again. I will say though, that foaming cleansers last a longer than other types. And if I did like foamers, I would repurchase it. ($30 for 7 oz at Sephora.)

Clinique All About Eyes Serum - I like to use it in the morning as a depuffer because the rollerball is cold and soothing. It feels particularly good in the spring (puffy eyes from allergies) and summer (just generally hot). I am going to try the cheaper Garnier version and see how that compares. ($28 from Clinique.)

Clinique Airbrush Concealer in 01 Fair - I began using this because Lisa Eldridge recommended it. I have difficultly finding concealers that are the right color for me and 01 Fair is a good match. It's one of those twisty-pen dispensers with a brush at the end, and I (following Ms. Eldridge's example) use it as an all-round concealer. The concealer itself is very light-weight in feeling but still well-pigmented. If you have very dark circles this probably won't have enough coverage, but for average dark circles and blemishes it's pretty good. One drawback - there is not very much product in the pen! ($19.50 for .05 from Clinique.)

Lancôme Cils Booster (sample size) - This is the first lash primer I've tried. This did give my lashes more volume, but not enough to make me add an extra step into my makeup routine. (I should probably add that I am lucky and have long lashes.) This particular version is no longer on the market; Lancôme now has Cils Booster XL.

Have you used any of these and what did you think of them? What were your empties for March?

The Cils Booster was part of a Sephora VIB gift set. All other products were purchased by me.