Modern Grace: Christmas Gift Guide 2021

                             Merry Christmas! You can find my 2021 gift guide here.

Modern Grace: Christmas gift guide 2019

You can view my gift guide here with links provided. There's only 9 days until Christmas, but my most loved site was Uncommon Goods. They have such neat items.  Merry Christmas!

Modern Grace: Christmas gift guide 2018

Click here for the list with all the shopping links (no affliate links ever). 

Merry Christmas!

Modern Grace Gift Guide 2016

I'm sharing just a few favorites from my gift guide here. It includes all price points and the links. 

Happy shopping, and Merry Christmas! 

Olivia von Halle Perminova silk-satin nightdress

Aamaya by Priyanka Moon and Star rose-gold plated topaz earrings

                                                                     Joia Ornaments

You've Got Mail: Kathleen Kelly in The Shop Around the Corner

                                                             

                                                               

You've Got Mail is on my fall movie list, and it's one of the only successful remakes in movie history. Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks were magical together in the 90's, and You've Got Mail was their second best movie after Sleepless in Seattle.  Besides a beautiful NYC in autumn, I'm kind of obsessed with Kathleen and Christina's wardrobe of tights, chunky heels, cardigans, and turtleneck sweaters throughout the movie. It's much easier to recreate the makeup than raid your closet for 90's throwback clothing, so here is how to do just that.


First, I've lit an oud and moss candle, so my home is smelling moss-y.

                                                                     

Start with your beautiful skin that's clean and soft. This time of year you want moisturized skin before applying makeup.

1. Kathleen and Christina both have natural foundation. My three favorites to achieve that are Bourjois Healthy Mix, Guerlain Lingerie de Peau, or Rimmel Wake Me Up. Just use your hands, or any way that you like best. The goal is that it looks like good skin. Conceal with Maybelline Fit Me. Then add some powder where you need it. I think people often go overboard on powder thinking it will stop shine during the day. That's what blotting papers are for, or a handkerchief.

2. Do what you will with your brows, but does anyone want 90's brows back? I personally do not. Use a soft brow powder to fill in any gaps, or a pencil to fix the shape. On to the eyes... I had to use my trusty Viseart 01 matte for this look, but Sonia Kashuk's Eye on Neutral Matte Palette works too. You need a skin tone shade to sweep all over your lid, a very natural crease shade, and a dark espresso one for the liner. In that order. Then curl your lashes and sweep on some mascara.

3. Apply a tawny blush (we loved tawny in the 90's, and still do), like Clinique Soft Pressed in Totally Tawny.

4. There are so many lip options. Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey, Revlon Super Lustrous in Rum Raisin, Revlon Toast of New York, MAC Spice It Up, MAC Capricious, or Bobbi Brown Art Stick in Cassis.  Kathleen's lipsticks ranged from pinky nudes to spice, and Christina's were bolder berries and reds.

Now go buy some pencils and sharpen them! That's the smell of fall in NY.

Modern Grace Christmas gift guide 2015

Modern Grace gift guide 2015 

Click here for the list with direct links.   

Merry Christmas!

Christmas specials of years past.

                                                               

1. The X Files- How the Ghosts Stole Christmas
2. The Simpsons- Roasting on an Open Fire
3. Alf's Christmas Special - Long forgotten, but one of the best of the 80's. I've seen it on Dailymotion. 
4. Growing Pains- The Kid
5. Parks and Recreation- Ron & Diane- Jerry's Christmas party is as festive as Pawnee gets. 
6. My So Called Life- So Called Angels
7. 30 Rock- Ludachristmas
8. Laverne and Shirley- Christmas at the Booby Hatch
9. The Office- Dwight Christmas- Who wants to break the pig rib with me? 
10. Prancer- My favorite. 
11. Amazing Stories- Santa 85'
12. Meet Me in St. Louis
13. The Shop Around the Corner
14. The Christmas List- 1997- A little gem about a girl at a perfume counter. 
15. A Smokey Mountain Christmas and Unlikely Angel- Classic Dolly Parton. 
16. Yes, Virginia
17. Twas the Night Before Christmas- 1974
18. Ebbie- Susan Lucci tv movie
19. Little Women- 1933, 1949, and 1994.
20. Ally McBeal- Boy to the World
21. Cheers- Christmas Cheers
22. Friends- The One with the Holiday Armadillo
23. All of the claymation cartoons from Rudolph to The Little Drummer Boy.
24. Scrooged
25. A Muppet Christmas Carol

Christmas Music party playlist 2016

                             







"We Wish You A Merry Christmas","The Christmas Revels","A Victorian Christmas Revels"
"Christmas Day Dawning","The Christmas Revels","A Victorian Christmas Revels"
"Suite From the Polar Express","Alan Silvestri","The Polar Express"
"What Christmas Means to Me","Stevie Wonder","Someday at Christmas"
"O Tannenbaum","Vince Guaraldi","A Charlie Brown Christmas"
"Happy Holidays","Bing Crosby","Christmas Favorites"
"Christmas Song","Carpenters","Christmas Portrait"
"Christmas All Over Again","Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers","A Very Special Christmas 2"
"Run Rudolph Run","Chuck Berry","Unknown Album"
"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year","Andy Williams","Songs for Christmas"
"You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch","Dr. Seuss w/Boris Karloff","How the Grinch Stole Christmas"
"The Spirit Of Christmas","Ray Charles","National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation"
"Please Come Home For Christmas","Ray Charles","Home Alone"
"Burl Ives - It Came Upon A Midnight Clear","Christmas","Joy To The World"
"Santa Baby","Eartha Kitt","Janet's Swingin' Tunes for the Holly Daze"
"Theme Song","Edward Scissorhands",""
"O Come All Ye Faithful","Josh Groban",""
"Medley: We Three Kings/The First Nowell/Hark, The Herald Angels Sing","Shaw, Robert Chorale","Time-Life Treasury of Christmas, Vol. 2"
"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day","Bing Crosby","Voice of Christmas (2 of 2)"
"Pennies from Heaven","Louis Prima","Elf"
"Johnny Mathis / Silver Bells","Now That's What I Call Christmas!","Now That's What I Call Christmas! 2 (Disc 2 -Then And Always)"
"Step Into Christmas","Elton John","Rare Masters"
"Carol Of The Bells","Home Alone","Home Alone"
"The First Noël","Josh Groban","Noël"
"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen","Bing Crosby","White Christmas [MCA]"
"The Polar Express","Polar Express","The Polar Express"
"Please Come Home for Christmas","Bon Jovi","Ultra Rare Tracks"
"Merry Christmas Darling","Carpenters","The Golden Age of Christmas Music Disc 6"
"Merry Christmas Baby","Chuck Berry","Rock and Roll Christmas"
"Last Christmas (Wham! Cover)","Florence and the Machine","Last Christmas- Single"
"Rocket's Red Glare","Aunt Bethany","National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation"
"Home Alone - Main Theme","John Williams","Home Alone (Soundtrack)"
"Christmas Star","Home Alone","Home Alone Soundtrack"
"I'll Be Home For Christmas","Bing Crosby","20th Century Masters (The Christmas Collection)"
"Santa Claus is Comin' To Town - Frank Sinatra","Various Artists","The Polar Express"
"Tchaikovsky: Dance Of The Sugar-Plum Fairy","Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy","Smart Symphonies"
"Baby, It's Cold Outside","Leon Redbone/Zooey Deschanel","Elf [Orignal Soundtrack]"
"Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight)","Ramones","Anthology - Cd2"
"O Christmas Tree - Charlie Brown & Friends","A Family Christmas","Kids Christmas Collection"
"The Christmas Waltz","Kristen Chenoweth","A Lovely Way To Spend Christmas"
"A Holly Jolly Christmas","Burl Ives","Det Bästa Med Julen"
"The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole","Christmas Song","Christmas Song"
"12 Days of Christmas","The Andrews Sisters & Bing Crosby","The Rat Pack - Christmas With Friends"
"The Ice Dance","Danny Elfman","Edward Scissorhands (Complete)"
"Winter Wonderland","Louis Armstrong","Now That's What I Call Christmas, Vol.3"
"It Came Upon A Midnight Clear","Julie Andrews","Christmas With Julie Andrews"
"Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer","Burl Ives","NOW Christmas 2 CD2"
"Hard Candy Christmas","Dolly Parton"
"I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm","Dean Martin","A Winter Romance"
"Nat King Cole / All I Want For Christmas","Various Artists","La maison du Pere Noel"
"Nat King Cole / Jingle Bells","Various","Christmas Crooners"
"The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)","Johnny Mathis","Johnny Mathis Gold: A 50th Anniversary Christmas Celebration"
"Christmas Lullaby","Cary Grant","Deck the Halls"
"I'll Be Home for Christmas","Michael Bublé","Christmas (Special Edition)"
"Make Someone Happy ","Jimmy Durante","Sleepless in Seattle: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack"