Summer's Last Licks

Wait, what? How can summer almost be over?? By way of protest, I am spraying just the right amount of sea, salt and gold onto my hair. That should do it.

- rony

Captian Blankenship Golden Waves Sea Salt Shimmer Spray, $28 (pretty reasonable in exchange for a few extra weeks of summer)

A rambling way to say I really like this toner.

I am awfully fond of:
1. toners
2. roses
3. French Girl Organics

Ergo, a rosewater toner by French Girl with the added benefits of hyaluronic acids (excellent for plumping the skin, NB I am only interested in plumping my face skin), is a toner for me...for us! Mist all over the face (after cleansing, if you're inclined to double cleanse, sometimes I am, sometimes not), pat dry with a washcloth (or cotton, but a stack of small white washcloths is very nice, even if you, like me, do not have a linen closet, but rather a drawer where such things are folded in a very satisfying and usual way), and follow with your favorite serum or moisturizer (Shiva Rose Glow Balm is the Catbird favorite).  A good rule of thumb for slathering stuff on your face is light to heavy, texture wise. I also really like the smaller size (2 oz) because it's nice to try things for long enough that you can tell if you really like it, but not so long that you lose the romance and get bored and neglect your face.

-Leigh

French Girl Floral Toner, $18 at Catbird and catbirdnyc.com

Summertime Routine

Scrubbing with French Girl Sea Polish after exercising in the summer, is one of the best feelings you could possibly treat yourself to. You know when you can't stop sweating, even after a shower? It does the trick! Like brushing your teeth, on your whole body. 

Lay Lady Lay

We're snowed in though there's not much snow - a delightful excuse to putter around and practice the magic of tidying and preen just a little.

 Bianca Jagger via Pinterest

 -Leigh

You Go To My Head

Following an exchange of Tweets with Bumble and bumble. last week, we had an impromptu photo shoot with them at Bb. Salon Downtown, a sun-drenched space in the heart of Meatpacking. The idea behind the shoot was conceptualized by Allen Thomas Wood, one of Bumble's incredibly talented stylists whose work can be seen everywhere from Bobbi Brown campaigns to the pages of Vanity Fair.

Allen's vision consisted of romantic tousled waves and messily wound-up plaits dripping in tiny gold Catbird jewels. Obviously we had to find out what this looked like. Read on for a few of the looks that Allen whipped up in 30 minutes flat (seriously, he's a pro), along with some tips on how to recreate the look at home. Not guaranteeing that you'll be able to nail this in the same time frame, but how inspiring is it to see jewelry repurposed in such a refreshing way? After all, that's how the knuckle ring started. And it's where the fun is. 

Dancing Swans

What a delight, on this beautiful fall Monday, to stumble across these mesmerizing images.
xo
Rony

The Swans by Lar Rattray, via Miss Moss.

(Our own, more static Swans, can be seen here.)

In the Studio with Goest

If a picture is worth a thousand words, Jacqueline Steele's narrative scents are comparable to the most vivid vignettes. She is a purveyor of stories, moments in place and time that are preserved through her fragrance house, Goest. For instance, Dauphine is a scent inspired by Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette not in that it’s reminiscent of the ill-fated queen herself but because of the layered notes that encapsulate a scene from Coppola's film: rose-water pastries with cream, powder and soap on skin, an abundance of fully bloomed roses. 

We’re thrilled to now offer four scents from the Goest library, both in the tiny beauty corner of our Bedford shop and online. Available in classic square cut mini flacons, they can be tossed into a clutch as a travel go-to, or tied to a handwritten note as a teensy and perfect present. 

Catbird caught up with Jacqueline recently to hear more on running a one-woman fragrance house, how she found her start, and the most memorable custom fragrance she’s created.

Hats (and tats) off.

Wow. Kelly Framel (aka The Glamourai) takes styling to a whole new level in this shoot. Those eyebrows, the cornrows, the flash tattoos. I am awestruck.
xo -Rony

And she was, quite literally, starry-eyed.

Solving all your beauty dilemmas. Wham, bam, thank you ma'am.

-Leigh who aspires to be similarly starry-eyed

Found via Pinterest. From Kushandwizdom (I think!)!

Speaking of Moms...

Man Repeller has a post up about the foxiest mom ever. (Sorry, Mom). 

(See our favorite Mother's Day picks here.)

Sparkling into the new year!

Holy WOW! All of the kittens nearly fell off their chairs when we saw this incredibly sparkly spread in the January issue of NYLON featuring Catbird stacks! We need these manicures ASAP! xx coco

Start stacking right here: https://catbirdnyc.com/shop/home.php?cat=397!

What we Love Today: Spuma di Sciampagna Soap

Weekend plans: coffee, Lula #17, newspaper, The Goldfinch, and a bath or three, with a big, fat, fresh bar of Spuma di Sciampagna, which I prize for it's soft, champagne scent and for transforming my century old Williamsburg tub into a gleaming, marble bathtub in mid-century Milan. Spuma di Sciampagna, take me away.

-Leigh

Spuma di Sciampagna soap - $6 in store and online

Jessica Paré, Violet Grey & Eyelashes

Amongst many of her wonderful qualities - including an electrifying smile and top-notch acting - Jessica Paré's eyelashes are envy-inspiring.
xo
Rony

From the beautiful Violet Grey.

What We Love Today: Scrubbing Our Faces Off

I (along with many of my fellow Birds) am addicted to Clarisonic-ing with Eggwhite Facial Soap. After my daily sunscreen, topped with a layer of sweat and New York grime, I would scrub my whole face off if I could - so using a very gentle soap is probably recommended.
xo
Rony

Egg White Facial Soap, $5

Catbird Pop-Up shop tomorrow!

Shop, drink, snack and mingle! We will come equipped with rings for all of your fingers and many of your knuckles - plus many other treats!

Tuesday, July 30 from 5 - 8.30pm

Bumble and bumble Downtown Salon 

415 West 13th St - 8th Flr

PS - the view is killer

P.S. - Did we mention there will be snacks?

Hey, Mrs. Timberlake!

We like your look! Kayleen McAdams shares her beauty secrets to achieving the Patti Smith inspired look Jessica Biel wore to the Met Ball - including her rad septum ring. For the record, we think Miss Biel ahh-hm Mrs. Timberlake can pretty much do no wrong.

Sterling Silver Ear Cuff, $38.

What We Love Today: Rosewater Cleansing Gel

Days are longer, dusks are pinker, and I am slowly parting ways with my beloved winter. There are lilacs drooping from a vase on my bedside table towards my pillow, and as it goes for me, this time every year, I'd like the world to smell like roses. And so, I'm cleansing (face and body) with our new arrival, Roberts Florentine Rosewater Cleansing Gel. It's light, mild, and redolent of rose, and the arrival of springtime.

-Leigh
Roberts Florentine Rosewater Cleansing Gel, $18, available in store and online

Dream Date: Beautiful Birds.

Bedhead, bouffants, black, and baubles, oh my!

Front row at Dolce & Gabbana, by Garance Doré

I Spy, with My Little Cat Eye

Keeping it close to the couch this (every) weekend, Alice Coltrane on repeat, a cracked, worn copy of Another Country in my hands, lots of baths, even more coffee, and some internet armchair travelling. Thus far, my wanders have confirmed my yearning for Stila's pale, rose gold Kitten gel liner: Into the Gloss tells me that it is Sofia Coppola's pot of choice.

-Leigh

What We're Giving: Courtnay

Courtnay picks our sparkly and special gifts for her Grandma, sister and mom!

1. For my lovely gramamma, Yiye, Isa's Restoratives Lilac Rouge, $22.00, some of Catbird's Travel Candles, $12.00, for her porch (especially when the Southern Spring comes back) and finally, the Up in The Air Gold Bottom Dish, $42.00, so she can stow her finger's worth of amazing rings.

2. For my ever picky (yet classy as a mofo) younger sister, it's a grab bag of the Gold Sparkler Star Bobby Pin, $18.00, Roberts Florentine Rosewater, $10.00, and Deborah Lippmann's Cleopatra in New York, $16.00, a representation of her ever-evolving commitment to simple beauty.

3. I'd love to give my amazing momma John Derian's Rose With Ant Plate, $48.00 - a lovely reminder for when winter has taken all the flowers away. Add onto that, a dedication to my mom's spirit, the Slip Into The Darkness Gift Set, $132.00 (perfect for the gothic Southern narrative embedded in our veins).