Beauty Intervention: Paz de La Huerta
By GlindaI’ve not watched HBO’s Boardwalk Empire (although I love me some Steve Buscemi) so before this year’s award shows, Paz de La Huerta was a name I was only vaguely familiar with. Now, I’m a little too familiar with it, but for all the wrong reasons.
This is Ms. de La Huerta at a Golden Globes after-party.
This is her at an Elle Women in Television event.
Walking the red carpet at the SAG Awards.
I’m seeing a trend here.
Girlfriend has got some looks, there is no doubt. Her face is not what I would call conventionally beautiful, but it is a very nice face to look at. And she’s got a bod that goes on for days, lucky her.
I think she is right to emphasize her mouth, which is very lovely.
BUT, the rest of it she’s doing all wrong.
I, along with the rest of the world, would like for her to discover powder, or at the very least, blotting papers. It is possible that on the first event, she was caught unawares by the bright lighting and whatnot, not realizing that it can get hot under the spotlights.
That doesn’t excuse the next two outings. I mean, there is a dewy complexion and then there is just flat-out unattractively shiny. And even though she looks as if she doesn’t have any other makeup on, she does. However, it seems to be just some sort of liquid or cream foundation. I’m all for a natural-looking eye when paired with a dramatic lip, but this goes a bit too far on the natural side. There is too much dissonance going on with her lips versus the rest of her face.
I think what I’m missing most is a little color on the cheeks. If her makeup artist (who should have an arrest warrant put out for them, seriously) had just done a slight sweep of something, it would not have been quite so tragic. And she has an olive skin tone, but you would never know it looking at the mask that is her face. I don’t know if they actually applied some sort of shine-factor to her face, but it was a big mistake. All three times. I’m not kidding when I say I think I myself could have done a better job. And I would work for cheap!
I think she wanted to replicate the look in this O Magazine shoot, which is very nice, but she should know that there is a big difference between photo-shoot lighting (not to mention Photoshop) and real life.
Paz, call me! And I promise never to mention your brown lips of sadness. Well, maybe once.
February 3rd, 2011 at 8:13 am
Don’t work for cheap, Glinda: whatever you know and put to use here will mean millions of dollars for Paz. Or even just thousands. Or just consider how valuable it is if it just stops people from laughing at her.
I think Paz is a victim of the “this is really in style right now–you have to have it” approach to “style”. That orange red is fantastic, yes, but only on pale blondes wearing rich 50′s era shades of tailored clothing. During the day. In my opinion. Back in 2010. Otherwise, it’s more attention getting than any makeup wants to be. Brown lipstick to match a brown dress–that’s an amateur at work. Brown lipstick is aging, and not very flattering, unless the tone is subtle (if you look like you slurped a taste of Nutella right out of the wide-mouthed jar, it is not subtle). In each case, the lipstick shade is wrong on Paz, though a variation more suitable to her own natural colouring would have worked just fine. It’s like the make-up artist just chose the trendy lippy and slapped it on her, as if she were just a mannequin and not a person. And the lack of powder, properly applied, makes her look like she’s dying from flop sweat.
Save her, honey, but make sure your bills get paid too.
February 3rd, 2011 at 6:35 pm
It looks to me like they skipped right to the lips, and forgot everything else. That may speak well for the evenness of her foundation, but her eyes are… non-existent. I mean, they’re there, but you can’t see anything but the lips. There’s no balance.
And the Brown Lips of Sadness are… well, they look like she used one of those chocolate lip glosses that kids love.
February 5th, 2011 at 10:33 pm
She looks plastic. Barbie-doll like. Is she going for the plastic doll look?