Manolo for the Beauty

First of all, let me state that I am not judging clothes or any accessories other than those worn in the hair.  I only take clothes into account when determining if there is a makeup color match made in heaven, or if the makeup artist was obviously in a drunken stupor.

And let me also say that it was very difficult to find any photos that focused on the upper portion of the actors in question.  Mostly the photos are all about the dresses, and hair and makeup a distant second.

So, on to the standing ovations!

Seriously perfect. Although we will not speak of the boob-smashing.

I love her hair, and her makeup is youthful without being overdone.

Many of the young un’s would do well to look closely at how Helen Mirren does it.

I am coveting that hairstyle (and the hair jewels!)

Somehow, some way, she makes that nude lip work wonderfully with the dress without looking washed out.  I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but there it is.

Wearing Pantone’s Color of 2011 “Honeysuckle” on her body AND lips.  Well done.

You are asking yourself, “WTF, Glinda?” Tilda has no discernible makeup on, and yet anyone badass enough to do that on a red carpet wins in my book. She almost lost me at the hair, but this is SWINTON, people.

And now, click through to the courtesy claps. You know, the ones where you clap just to be polite, but you really don’t want to. Unfortunately, there are more of these than standing o’s.

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Has anyone else had a rough week? I’m glad mine is coming to a close, let’s just say that.

For today I’ve got a picture from the newest Louis Vuitton ad campaign, featuring 90’s supermodel Kristen McMenamy, and models of the moment Freja Beha Erichsen and Raquel Zimmermann. Shot by Stephen Meisel, I can’t decide if I like them or not. Or maybe that’s just because it’s Friday.

Kristin is rocking the gray hair, that is for sure.  At 46, I think she is actually more striking than the younger models.

I think what holds me back from loving these ads are the dead faces and the fact that I sort of hate the purses.  Also, there might actually be a bit too much going on pattern and color-wise, even though I appreciate them trying to incorporate it.

What say you?

via

I’ll confess, I’ve never applied liquid eyeliner. 

Does this mean I have to turn in my Beauty Club Card?

I like to look fairly natural, and in my opinion, liquid eyeliner doesn’t usually qualify as “natural” looking.  Add to that the fact that you’ve got to practice with it for a bit to get the hang of it, and you’ve lost me.

I was a late-comer to mascara as well, only wearing it starting in my early 20’s.  My lashes are already pretty long, and I thought I looked a bit over the top with mascara, but I soon came to love it.  Now I wonder how I went out of the house with eyeshadow and no mascara, which now just looks wrong to me.

I wonder if the same would happen if I went the liquid eyeliner route.

However, my current lifestyle of chasing a toddler around the house and ferrying a minivan full of neighborhood kids to school doesn’t exactly scream for dramatic makeup, so I’m hesistant to spend any money on something I might wear only a few times a year.

I currently use a pencil to do a gentle smudge on the outer three quarters of my lash line, and that’s about it.

Tell me, are you a liquid eyeliner person, or do you prefer pencil? Or possibly powder?  Is there a compelling reason I should try liquid eyeliner? Convince me!

And I will NEVER find out because these pictures scare the bejesus out of me. I can’t unsee them.  Help.

Ayyyy, there are hundreds of them!

One of the things I hate most about my oily skin is that makeup tends to, ahem, slide a bit by the end of the day.  What started out perfect in the morning looks streaky by midday and might as well not even be there by evening.

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer to the rescue.

I had doubts about this product, to be sure.  I had doubts that it was better than Make Up For Ever’s primer, which is mighty popular.

But I’m going to say that despite the high price tag, it is worth it.  And better than MUFE.  Because if I total up the amount of product I put on my face that has pulled a vanishing act by the time lunch hits, then it’s worth it to spend some money on making sure all of it stays there.  And a little goes a long way.

It goes on like buttah, and your skin feels lovely and silky.  It helps to control shine, and even has an SPF 15 built in.  If you are someone who likes to still look like you have makeup on at the end of the day without reapplying, this product is for you.

Last week I wanted to know if you would consider getting a vaginal steam bath as a spa service, and 52% of you voted nay.  30% didn’t know what the hell I was talking about, and 14% said they would consider it.  Only 2% answered in the affirmative.  I posted the question not as a referendum on Western versus Eastern medicine, but curious as to whether people would consider it appropriate that it was being offered as a spa treatment rather than a medical service.  And I really couldn’t resist after the woman I quoted from the article referring to it as a “facial for her private area.” 

Today, I’m all about the green.  Green cosmetics, anyway.

I promise that I had a post for today, but the server decided it was hungry and ate it.   So, let me try again.

Everyone has them.  Those beauty purchases that for whatever reason didn’t work out.  Perhaps you were having an off day.  Perhaps there was an extremely persuasive saleswoman on the floor that day, and she got you in a weak moment.  Whatever the reason, we’ve all got our rejects.  And even though most stores have generous return policies for cosmetics these days, sometimes we are too lazy to ship it back if we purchased over the internet, or we kept it longer than the return window. 

Some women, instead of relegating these items to a drawer, participate in swaps.   The best (and ostensibly, reputable) site for this is here. Some people give to relatives or friends.  I’ve even heard of makeup swap parties, which actually sound kind of fun.

I usually just give my stuff away, and if I happen to get something back, it’s a bonus. 

But I have to say the idea of swapping intrigues me.  And scares me a bit the same time.  I have no idea who the other person I’m swapping with is, and even though the product would be perfectly safe for me to use, I would probably be too paranoid to do so.  Apparently I need some faith in humanity, but it’s a slow process.

What about you?  Would you be willing to swap your unwanted products?  And would you be fine with swapping, say, translucent powder, but hesitant on something like lipstick?

Do tell!

For the record, let me state that I did not watch the People’s Choice Awards this year, nor have I ever watched the People’s Choice Awards.   But that won’t stop me from commenting on what they looked like!

I want to hate Kim Kardashian, really I do. But damn, her makeup is PERFECT.

Her sister on the other hand, looks great with the very dimensional red hair color, but loses me at the lip. Too chalky looking, amirite?

I do not know this Kaely Cuocco, but I do not approve of her lip color choice. I appreciate that she was going for something other than a bold red, but that bright fuschia was not the right direction.

I’m torn on this look.  Some help?

Coming from a Hollywood family, I would have expected more from Emma Roberts. Totally blah.

See what I mean?

Normally I would give a big thumbs down to matching lipstick to nails, but for some reason, she’s pulling it off.

Believe it or not, Amanda Michalka is 20 years old. She has apparently enrolled in the Christina Aguilera School of Premature Aging.

No list of beauty icons would be complete without her.  In 1974 she became the first African-American woman to be featured on the cover of American Vogue, and went on to have a long career as a model, with over 500 different magazine covers.  It certainly isn’t hard to see why she was in such demand.  She is, in a word, stunning.

The one that started it all.

Posing for Cosmopolitan in 1976.

This is actually from an album cover, circa 1979

Looking better with no makeup than anyone has a right to.

An Ebony Magazine cover.

Last week I wanted to know the state of your nails, and 55% of you said they were au naturel.  17% admitted to some upkeep issues, and 16% bravely told the world their nails were kind of frightening.  I applaud your honesty!  Then along came a smug 10% who said their nails were perfect.  Fine, rub it in.

After reading this article, who quotes a woman who says “she prefers the V-Steam to the harshness of a douche and thinks of it as a “facial” for her private area,”  I can’t resist, I HAVE to ask you!