Katherine Chloé Cahoon

With Aerin on my right and on my left, and with a signed bottle of one of her fragrances in my hands, I’m surrounded by cosmetic genius. This stunner is the granddaughter of the late Estée Lauder, and someone to watch.

Her namesake line includes cosmetics, fragrances, jewelry, accessories, fabrics and décor. Launched only two years ago, it’s just a baby—but this baby has become an empire. And this empire is in demand. After hearing that a limited amount of Aerin’s signed fragrance bottles could be purchased at the flagship Nordstrom store, people fast-tracked their orders. When it comes to Aerin’s products, if you don’t move fast, you miss out!

If you didn’t see yesterday’s blog where I blind-tested Aerin’s fragrances on men, you’ll want to check it out. The guys had some enticing responses regarding what would go through their minds if women passed them who were each wearing one of the scents. Their quotes are bound to have ladies wanting to make purchasing one a priority.

And I was honored to meet Aerin’s charming uncle, Leonard Lauder, a few weeks ago. To hear about this top-drawer businessman and gentleman… https://katherinechloecahoon.com/eighty-one-years-of-excellence/

I think it’s safe to say that Aerin and her family are mega stars in both business and cosmetics!

One of my best guy friends once told me, “Girls worry whether guys will like their perfumes. The best way to find out is to bring a man along to shop.” So when samples of six Aerin fragrances arrived at my door, I put them to the test…that is, the Man Test! In case you’ve been on hiatus from the world of cosmetics, Aerin is the beautiful granddaughter of Estée Lauder.

I had already assembled a reliable guy focus group. The first time a Seventeen magazine editor asked me to team up with her on a dating article, I enlisted their help. The editor had some dating questions regarding guys’ relationship preferences. I knew that the best way to find out how men think was to go straight to the sometimes-mysterious creatures themselves. I also knew my friends would be honest.

They had fun with the project and offered their help anytime the need arose. So I decided to run the Aerin scents by them. I realize that every guy is different, but I was surprised that most of their reactions were similar. Here are a few of their thoughts on each fragrance…

Amber Musk.

“This is the scent of a young, vivacious woman.”

“Springtime all year ‘round.”

Evening Rose.

“A woman who wears this is mysterious. I want to know more about her.”

“I think of a Southern girl. Scarlett O’Hara would have liked this.”

Gardenia Rattan.

“This scent says maturity and independence.”

“I’d like to smell that again.”

Ikat Jasmine. 

“A sweet, but appealing, woman who plays by the rules…at least most of the time.”

“A proper girl. There’s something so hot about a proper girl. Every guy hopes that under that exterior there’s a wild side!”

Iris Meadow. 

“A fun-loving, but coy, woman.”

“Nice and subtle.”

Lilac Path.

“Great for a formal, dress-up occasion.”

“This lady is put together.”

That has been my color palette lately, because I’m hooked on Halloween. Hope all you darlings out there have kicked off this holiday right! I don’t know about you, but when I’m dressing up as someone else, my coquettish energy seems to quadruple. If any shenanigans go down tonight, all I have to say is… “It was my Halloween alter-ego!” But before it’s time to dress up for those parties, I’m sporting my orange-and-black fashion.

For this look, I combined old and new pieces. My top is a throwback from my Vandy days, but here’s one with a similar vibe from Free People.

I paired it with J Brand velvet skinnies, a Tildon sweater, and boots. This fall, sweaters aren’t just meant to wear. Tying one around your waist is a style statement.

That’s a motto of Kinky Boots, the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical. This is the story of a reluctant shoe factory heir who teams up with a drag artist to create a niche market and save both the town and the family business.

Along with the flashy costumes, sparkling lights and catchy songs, Kinky Boots is a lesson in the power of love and support among people who initially think they have nothing in common.

When I attended this show, I expected everyone on stage to dazzle—and they did. But I was delightfully surprised by how the audience became part of the action. When Lola, the drag artist, worked those vocal chords with extra pizazz, attendees whistled and applauded with gusto. During the standing ovation, everyone danced along with the cast. I thought I was a bit out there by sporting fishnets, boots, a ruffled mini and Halloween colors, but I was outdone by women adorned in corsets, boas and sparkling eyelashes.

So wherever you are – or will be – this season, you can give yourself a boost by seeing Kinky Boots. Here is the ticket info for the NYC production and touring troupe.

In my mind, a holiday just isn’t complete without homemade treats. My grandma’s rest home friends were the first to remind me of this. So I pulled out a cherished family sugar cookie recipe and got down to baking. Confession—I had to whip up extra cookie dough because much of it mysteriously disappeared. Wonder who the culprit was?!

Here are the ingredients for one batch of Cousin Liz’s coveted cookies…

1) one cup butter, 2) two cups sugar, 3) two eggs, 4) one cup sour cream, 5) one tsp. vanilla, 6) four tsp. baking powder, 7) four and one-half cups flour, 8) one-half tsp. salt, and 9) one-half tsp. backing soda.

Cream the butter and sugar, add eggs, and beat well. Then, add sour cream and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients together and blend in creamed mixture. Refrigerate your dough overnight. Then roll it out on a floured surface to a half-inch thick, and stamp out cookie shapes. Place on an oiled or non-stick sheet. I baked my cookies in a convection oven at 300 degrees for about eight minutes. Your baking temperature and time will vary depending on the size of your shapes and your oven.

I got these adorable Halloween cookie cutters at Williams-Sonoma.

For the homemade frosting recipe, you will need…

1) two lb. bag powdered sugar, 2) one cube of butter, 3) three-fourths cup shortening, 4) one tsp. vanilla, and 5) one-half cup canned milk.

Mix all your ingredients together for five minutes until the consistency is smooth and creamy. Then add food coloring for your desired hue.

Now you’re ready for my favorite part… Decorating!

The most important step in this whole process is to have fun. Isn’t that what baking is all about? And speaking of fun, I hope you all have a terrific Halloween!

As I was choosing my nail color with Julie, my favorite manicurist, a beautiful older lady approached and volunteered her advice. “I’ve lived through many trends and learned that bright nails aren’t always popular. Go big and go bold while you can!” I have to admit that she was a style sensation, so I’m taking her words to heart with this Halloween-inspired nail. Julie began with an orange base, OPI’s A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find.

Then she added a silver/purple diagonal streak of Significant Other Color.

This combo says Halloween, but as Julie pointed out, the look can take you straight through to Thanksgiving!

I’m really hoping the creative nail craze continues.

“I just want to make beautiful clothes.” That’s what Oscar de la Renta once said. When he passed last Monday, this legendary fashion designer had consistently and famously reached his goal for more than four decades.

Some people possess the combination of talent, drive and personality that cannot be overlooked. That was Mr. de la Renta. He was born into humble circumstances in the Dominican Republic. At the age of 18, he went to Spain to study painting. His work caught the eye of the U.S. ambassador’s wife, who asked him to make a dress for her daughter. The dress appeared on the cover of LIFE magazine, his fashion career began, and he never looked back.

In his final month, Mr. de la Renta dressed Amal Alamuddin for her marriage to George Clooney, and first lady Michelle Obama for a White House cocktail party.

Throughout his career, no major red carpet event seemed to be complete without some luminaries donning his frocks. His clothes were so important on episodes of Sex and the City that he could have been considered part of the supporting cast.

He will be missed.

Is a week too early to start celebrating Halloween? Absolutely not! I’ve already attended my first party with the founders of emerging dance-fitness phenom, Rizzmic.

For their Halloween bash, they led all us girls (and the two daring guys who joined this feminine infused get-together) in hot dances to spooky and fun tunes. The only rule? You can’t step foot inside the party without a costume! This year I’m planning on being an array of characters for Halloween, one for each event. In my mind, this is not a holiday to blitz by.

For this cat ensemble, I went all-Wolford, except for my mask. I donned the swimsuit and black leggings that I wore for my National Dance Day tribute. What I adore about Wolford is that their pieces are high quality and versatile. These leggings have gone everywhere with me—from doing aerial silks to attending a luxury fashion show. Here’s a product breakdown.

In Jesús’ mind that is Spain’s El Puerto de Santa María, his hometown. I introduced you to this handsome Spaniard on Meeting Men Monday, and revealed his dating insights. Today, I’ll introduce you to El Puerto. Jesús assures me that if you women visit, the men will all want to meet you.

El Puerto is located near Cádiz, one of the oldest cities in Western Europe. Because of its proximity to the Bay of Cádiz, El Puerto is teaming with some of the world’s finest seafood. It is also the home of beautiful beaches with golden sand, and hotels in palaces. I want to book my flight already!

Jesús explained that what sets El Puerto apart from some other places he’s been is that people there “take to the streets every day.” Regardless of how busy they are, they slip in time to go out, grab a drink and mingle with friends. Their big-time parties are reserved for the weekends though.

Before signing off, I want you to know this tantalizing tip. Jesús says that men from the south of Spain make excellent dates. They are very romantic and practice what is called, “The Surprise Kiss.” You never know when it might happen, but you know it will be passionate, and will often come when you least expect it. So ladies, visit El Puerto and be ready:)

It’s my second day of the Tinker Bell love fest. If you’re planning on being this famous little fairy for Halloween, you might want to see yesterday’s hair-and-makeup tutorial. Then all you’ll have left to master is the Tink costume. After today, you’ll know how!

Every year that I’m able to go to my parents’ home for Halloween, I greet the trick-or-treating kids in this costume. The tiny ones often take me for the real Tinker Bell. Those pint-sized visitors line up to get glitter (aka fairy dust) sprinkled on their feet and make a wish!

I designed my costume and a friend of mine sewed it. When I danced ballet, I created my own leotards. The mom of a girl I trained with at Pacific Northwest Ballet worked in the costume department. On the side, she’d whip up leotards for her daughter’s friends at half the price of the store-bought ones. She let me go to town drawing up my designs.

So when it came time to create my Tinker Bell costume, I used some elements from my ballet leotards—the pinched front, mesh bodice overlay, and plunging back.

For the wings, we used wire, netting and glitter glue. They stay perfectly in place with the help of Velcro on a strap that went around my waist and slipped under the costume.

One of the most loveable aspects of being Tink is that you can keep the look authentic while adding your own style.

Thank you, Henredon & Schnoener, for letting me take these pictures in your store.

If any of you need Halloween decorations, their selection is incredible…and if you need any other home décor, this is the place too. They build, design and decorate.

The countdown to Halloween has begun. Only ten days left! I’m so taken with this holiday that I never settle for just one celebration. My Tinker Bell costume is a perennial crowd-pleaser. So I’m sharing my secrets for creating her look, and posting them now to give you time to gather your products if you plan become this beloved fairy.

Tink makeup is fun and bright, but ethereal…and Ben Nye has her hues.

Here’s how to use them: First, dust a yellow shadow, like Pearl Sheen Gold, all over your eyelids, from lash to brow.

Second, evenly distribute something like Pearl Sheen Turquoise all over your lower lids. This color can go on a bit strong, so spend a little extra time on it with your blending brush.

Third, use a product like Lumière Grande Colour LU-8 Chartreuse shadow as dry eyeliner to create a long, wide cat eye. Normally, makeup artists draw the lower line more narrow than the upper line, but fairies are allowed to break the rules, as you can see:)

Fourth, return to the turquoise and gold shadows and use them to draw in thicker rainbow-like streaks above the green cat eye line.

Fifth, bring out a green eyeliner pencil that is a good compliment to the shadows. I use Bobbi Brown’s Pacific.

Use it to draw a narrower, shorter cat eye line on top of your original green-shadow line.

And a fairy just isn’t complete without her sparkle lashes!

When I attended the Pacific Northwest Ballet School, we took stage makeup workshops for some of the Company’s productions. One that I loved was A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The head artist explained that the most important factor for doing fairy makeup is using bold colors. But she warned us to use them sparingly, which is why I add the gold to Tink’s greens.

Now it’s time to tackle the iconic Tinker Bell hair. I put mine in a high ponytail, backcombed the front, and swooped it to the side. I don’t have short bangs, but if you do, then you can go for Tink’s adorable poof-bang look.

Next, I pulled a ½ inch wide section of the ponytail to the side and wrapped the remainder around a bun fill, pinning the strands as I went. Finally, I took the ponytail section that I had pulled to the side, twisted it, and wrapped it around the bun for a finished effect.

Now where are my wings and fairy dust? I’m ready for a little Tinker Bell mischief:)

After we finished filming this video, Jesús, the Spanish enchanter asked with complete sincerity, “Am I your first?” I was really confused, so he clarified. “Your first man to interview from the south of Spain?” I laughed and assured him that he was.

As you’ll see, this man is hilarious, charming, complimentary, and – like most Spaniards – enamored with women.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. We can channel whoever we want…if only for a night! And while we’re deciding, we can enjoy Halloween decorations and parties. I began my decorating with a trip to the pumpkin patch.

The little kids there taught me that choosing the perfect pumpkin is a journey, not a jaunt. One four-year-old cutie ran through the whole patch with her dad in tow. She finally settled on a tiny find covered in mud and puncture marks. Kneeling down to pat it, she screamed with delight. “This one!” Her bewildered dad asked, “Are you sure? That pumpkin’s a mess.” She nodded and waxed philosophical. “He’s had many adventures.”

I’m also all about wearing Halloween colors all month. So for this Fashion Friday, I chose a cream peasant top with a floral, embroidered orange-and-green trim. It’s sold-out; however, Macy’s has something similar. The key to this look is the smocking on the neckline, sleeves and bottom. I layered a pumpkin pie-colored cardigan (similar) over mine.

To complement the look, I went for black leggings and Frye boots (similar)…this combo has been taking over fall.

Just because summer has slipped away doesn’t mean the festivals have ceased. Fall beckons these events.

And what isn’t there to love about them? I recently went to one in a country town. There were friendly faces, stands of merchandise to stroll through…

…and the mandatory festival food—aka something sweet!

So wherever you are, you should be able to find a fest to enjoy the golden days of fall. Here are three unique ones in three different countries, and three different parts of the world.

Blue Ridge Folklife Festival. Music on three stages, over 50 artisans demonstrating old-time hand skills like blacksmithing, and families serving country foods prepared from treasured family recipes…all of this will converge on the Crooked Road Music trail Saturday, October 25th. It’s a 40-year tradition in the state with the motto, “Virginia is for lovers.” Need I say more?!

Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queens. On the flip side, for anyone seeking high-brow entertainment, this is the place to be.Opening today, October 16th and running through November 1st, Ireland’s leading contemporary arts festival lives up to its moniker as a “Passport to the Arts.” The festival draws quality acts from music, film, theater, visual arts, and dance. One of this year’s highlights is “From Bolshoi to Belfast,” a UK and Ireland premiere.

Pushkar Camel Fair. If you’re looking for adventure, this is the festival for you. For five days, starting October 26th, more than 300,000 people will flock under a full moon to see 50,000 animals and enjoy attractions only India can provide. I’ve heard that the rides may not be up to the level of safety some of you are used to. So thrill seekers, proceed at your own risk!

Until today, my coffee table has been void of decorations. It has faithfully served as a spot to lay out drafts of my books and screenplays, a faux dining table for takeout, and a place to prop up my phone while following my barre app. But I started to feel sorry for this lonely structure devoid of embellishment, so I enlisted my friend Tara to help decorate it. She is a design mastermind from Henredon & Schoener.

When Tara and I rendezvoused, she first looked at the entire living room. Then we went to her workroom, and this is what we chose. Throughout the process, she gave me a crash course in design. So I’m passing on some of her tips. Then if you decide to clear away the takeout boxes and give your coffee table some décor, you’ll have inside knowledge.

Find a Focal Point. It’s best to create a theme to pull through a room. I chose the color green. It is prominent in the print on my upholstered couches and the textured fabric on my occasional chairs. The room also has gold, cream, brass and brown. So for the coffee table, Tara and I included touches of those.

Appeal to All Senses. When entering a room, decorations that target multiple senses are the ones that leave a lasting impression. That is why we chose candles with an inviting scent, and accessories with varied textures.

Be Balanced. A landmark coffee table design is one that feels balanced. The proportions of objects placed on it need to fit both the table and the room. And this may sound strange, but a balanced number is often an odd one. Aesthetically pleasing groupings often come with three parts, which is why we designed our tablescape with three points.

Thank you, Tara, for your expert advice. When it comes to design, you really can’t get better than this lady!