Jane Iredale Makeup shoot with Leslie Graham

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The Lovely Chloe from Vivien's models was our stunning canvas for the day and we had a great time showcasing some of Jane Iredale's new PurePressed eyeshadows in our most recent shoot for Professional Beauty Magazine.

Leslie Graham was in the studio with her extensive knowledge and massive makeup kit...
she has worked on some great hollywood projects including, Twilight, Tron, XMen, The Good Wife & Ghostrider.
Leslie has now has been appointed as Jane Iredale's National Educator and Brand Expert and it was a pleasure to work with her on this project.

 we wanted an editorial look but something soft and whimsical to go with the lovely Alannah Hill props that I collected to finish off the look.

As always Cara Leupuscek styled the hair for the shoot and matched the look that we envisaged.

A big Thank You & Good Luck to Jennie Lewis-Teal from Professional Beauty Magazine who booked me for the shoot with her growing bump, I hope we get to do one more shoot before she goes off on maternity leave.

Brandee xxx

Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey

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• In a surge of innovation that hasn't been seen around Lynchburg, TN, in a long time, the Jack Daniel Distillery has put out its second new product in a month, this one following its line of ready-to-drink versions of infused Jack whiskey.

What do you call an alcoholic beverage that is cold, warm and hot stuff all at the same time? You got it.

This new product from the Jack Daniel Distillery that just this week is being rolled out in various U.S. markets should become a quick hit, especially with women and the younger male-female demographic that has shown by their purchasing choices in recent years that they like a robust drink with a sweet component.

There is no coyness about what is in this bottle. It's the standard JD Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey with a touch of a proprietary honey liqueur. It comes in at 35% alcohol by volume, which means 70 proof compared to the usual JD 80 proof.

The makers suggest drinking it straight and cold. I can see why. Following that suggestion, I tried it while expecting the usual too-sweet product that seems to happen so often when whiskey and fruit or honey are combined. This, however, was a very pleasant surprise.

Notes of caramel, charcoal and honeysuckle immediately came through on the nose, followed by a warm rush of the smoothest Jack I've had, thanks to the honey liqueur. The honey, vanilla and oak coated the tongue, and finished warmly and fragrantly.

Jack has a winner here.

Suggested retail price: $22 for the 750ml bottle. It also comes in 50 ml, 375 ml and one-liter sizes.

Go to Dowd's Spirits Notebook.

Karlsson's Gold Vodka

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• Peter Ekelund was behind the creation of a potato vodka in the Cape Bjäre  region of southern Sweden. He had been instrumental in the launch of Absolut a quarter-century earlier, but making a potato vodka revived a style that had been prevalent in Sweden until the late 1970s when all distillers converted to grain bases. Ekelund enlisted retired Absolut master blender Börje Karlsson to help work out the new recipe. This is the result.
The distillers at Karlsson's say their vodka is "crafted from virgin Swedish potatoes." That's comforting, because I'd be thrown off if I had to sample a potato with no morals. (Actually, a "virgin" potato is one on which the skin has yet to form.)

Potato vodkas are, in my view, the best of the breed even though there are many competitors since vodka can be made from any organic matter containing starch or sugar. This particular entry, made at the  Gripsholms Distillery near Stockholm, uses seven different potato varieties in a sour mash method similar to the one used to make bourbon.

Karlsson's is a single distillation and unfiltered, differentiating it from those vodkas that have been purified to a fare-the-well, losing a lot of character in the process. It rests for just 24 hours after distillation, then is sent right to the bottling facility.

I tried it in the obligatory martini, to good results, but found that sipping it straight from the freezer was the best way to enjoy its bold characteristics -- a pleasant amount of heat, a creamy texture and full, round flavor on the tongue.

Suggested retail price: $39.99 for the 750ml bottle.

Go to Dowd's Spirits Notebook.

George Washington's Aged Rye Whiskey

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Photo by Bill Dowd

• The rebuilt distillery at George Washington's home in Mount Vernon, VA, had its grand opening in 2007. Since then, everything distillers have made there has been a hit. For the most part, the uniqueness of the operation has created the demand for its output among collectors. And that was unaged whiskey, the same way it was sold in Washington's day when he was the young nation's top distiller.

It will be interesting to see how fast the 2-year-old George Washington Aged Rye Whiskey will go when the limited edition goes on sale at Mount Vernon on October 22.

The first such bottles, Nos. 1 and 1, went for $12,000 at auction Wednesday night during the anual gala there sponsored by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS). The event raised a total of $214,000 for Mount Vernon.

I was fortunate to have a sampling of the aged rye earlier in the day. A distinctive nose, with virtually no alcoholic heat, enticed me to quickly go further. This is a nice rye, not yet in the class of a Michter's or a Sazerac, but made nicely under master distiller Dave Pickerell, formerly of Maker's Mark and now consultant to numerous micro-distillers.

The tang of the rye base is evident, and notes of citrus, leather and perhaps a touch of cardamom are layered, a pleasant surprise from such a relatively young spirit. A tip of the hat to Pickerell and company, working with the only operating 18th Century-style equipment in the nation.

Retail Price: Better get yourself or a surrogate to Mount Vernon early on opening sales day. Just 300 limited-edition bottles will be sold for $185 each beginning at 10 a.m. that Saturday. Proceeds will go toward upkeep and operation of the Mount Vernon Estate, Museum & Gardens.

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Go here for "Recreating the past at Mount Vernon distillery."

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Go to Dowd's Spirits Notebook.

Woodford Master's Collection Rare Ryes

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• For its sixth annual release in its Master's Collection, Woodford Reserve has created a change of pace with a pair of 375ml bottles of rye -- one aged in a used, charred cask, the other in new wood.
Woodford master distiller Chris Morris hates being predictable. Thus, the "Rare Rye" version of his Master's Collection, to be released sometime in November.

The two are a triple distilled rye bottled at 92.4 proof. I obtained samples of both and evaluate them side-by-side, as Morris suggests doing.

The New Cask Rye has an enticing aroma, heavy on the brown sugar caramel with a hint of spice. On the tongue, both elements expand to go along with a noticeable heat one might expect from being matured in new wood. The finish is lingering, spicy and smooth.

The Aged Cask Rye has, surprisingly, a much more restrained nose and lighter color -- both more of a lemon honey than the pale brown and brown sugar, respectively, of its companion. On the tongue, there is a distinct tarry edge before the semi-sweet chocolate, thyme and burnt sugar notes kick in. A long finish, smooth to the very end.

To be frank, I'm not wild about the execution of either, but like elements of both.

Suggested retail price: $99.99 for the two 375ml bottle.

Go to Dowd's Spirits Notebook.

Quiksilver Few Words Teaser Commercial Song Black Water by Apparat.

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Very Great background for this commercial. The world is covered with snow and ice. And, We can see the free skier. He is very nice and awesome. And He looks very free. And He seems to enjoy the nature. Very nice video by Quicksilver. Actually, I love winter. So, During seeing this commercial, I feel very awesome and surprised. Great commercial it is. In addition, the music helps this commercial to be more touching.


Quiksilver: Few Words Teaser Commercial
Song: Black Water by Apparat

This long anticipated movie has finally become a reality for Candide Thovex , while we take a look back at his youth and early days skiing Candide shows you what it took to get to this point in his career, winning X-games gold's and breaking his back before winning the free-ride world tour.

Now embarking on a mission spending 2 winters and summers filming and traveling over the world to get the best conditions possible Matt Pain and crew have captured Candide in his element and the stunning nature surrounding.

A song that played in this Quiksilver commercial is "Black Water" by German electronic musician Apparat, which came out on August 1, 2011. and it is their ninth album "The Devil's Walk". Buy the song on Amazon or iTunes here.


Lyrics used in the commercial
Shapes still melt into the smoke
Looking down at scattered bones
I used to keep a slender hope
'Till they spread above the stone
'Till they spread above the stone

I pulled the trigger by mistake
Floundered at the aftermath
Slowly recognised escape
We will be ephemeral
We will be ephemeral... ...

Official music video by Apparat performing Black Water. From the Album The Devil's Walk. (C) 2011 Mute Records.


Song: Black Water by Apparat
Release: August 1, 2011 (From the Album The Devil's Walk)
Buy the song on Amazon or iTunes here.
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Windows Phone Commercial Song Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee.

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So cute commercial for Windows. The characters for this commercial are so cute and interesting. More, The story for this commercial is very charming. When I see this commercial, I think Microsoft has a lot ideas for us. In addition, Microsoft makes us happy with IT. You can enjoy variety something interesting in the world. The music is also pretty for this commercial.


Microsoft: Windows Phone Commercial
Song: Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee

See how the Abominable Snow Monster of the North Pole (he prefers Bumble) uses Live Tiles to get the information he wants on his new Windows Phone.

Windows Phone is the only phone with Live Tiles. Pin your favorite people, then see their latest profile pic, tweets, posts, and updates in an instant. Pin your favorite apps, music albums, Web sites, directions, games, podcasts, photo albums, documents, notes, and more as Live Tiles, so you can quickly get to the things you want. Pin as many as you want, wherever you want.

You can move your tiles around until they're laid out just how you like them—and with three tile sizes and tons of color choices, you can personalize your Start screen so it's unmistakably yours.

A song that played in this commercial is "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee, which came out on 1958. You can download the song from Amazon or iTunes.


Song: Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee
Released: 1958
Buy the song on Amazon or iTunes here.
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