Manolo for the Beauty

Uhhh, yeah, I don’t know who is getting paid to write stuff like that when these celebrities CLEARLY have makeup on. Yes, it is natural-looking, but nobody has pink shiny lips without some kind of assistance. Not even Jessica Biel. Er, Timberlake.  Whatever.

It started with this photo of Cindy Crawford. “CINDY HAS NOT A STITCH OF MAKEUP ON!” the article screamed. Uh, no, she does. It’s a bit hard to see in this photo, and the makeup is very low-key, but I have yet to meet a person who has perfectly golden eyelids. That, my friends, is Make up Beauty

And remind me to get to researching how the phrase “not a stitch of makeup” became a phrase.

My last poll asked how you felt about Rita Hayworth’s 40’s hair, and it was split pretty evenly between lurve and lukewarm.  Me, I’m a big lurve on that one.

Hey, have you heard that eye crystals are trying to be a thing? The above was taken at Dior’s Spring 2013 runway show.

So you’ve got an especially well-endowed set of lips?  Most women would be panting with jealousy, as there are bajillions (seriously, bajillions) of products designed to make your lips appear larger than they really are.

However, let’s say that you aren’t comfortable with your lip size, and possibly for certain occasions, would like to minimize their appearance rather than highlight them.

Glinda is here for you.

I’ve done a bit of research for you so that you don’t have to wade through articles that tell you to commit to an exercise routine for your lips so that you can get rid of their extra fat.  Yes, someone actually DID write that.

Anyhoo, for those times when you would rather your lips not take so much of the spotlight, here are some tips:

1) Use matte colors, no shine.

2) Try applying foundation on your lips before lip color application.  This can help reduce their outline a little bit.

3) Soft neutral colors rather than dark or intense ones.

5) Highlight another part of your face to draw some attention away from the lips, but don’t overdo it.  It’s a fine line, to be sure.

There seems to be some disagreement about the use of a lip liner, and I myself am torn.  Usually a lip liner is used to make lips larger, but I could see that it could help define a smaller lip when using the foundation trick.

Good luck!

Some of us can pull off wearing specs effortlessly; others need a bit more help. But whether you naturally rock your glasses or not, applying the right makeup can really enhance your eyes – and the wrong kind can be a fashion disaster.

When choosing the right makeup for you, a lot depends on your prescription. If you’re far-sighted, your glasses magnify your eyes, while if you’re near-sighted they make them look smaller. To start with, here are some of the best tips we’ve found for each:

Far-sighted
Muted, matte tones or bold colours work best with far-sighted lenses – the things to avoid are shimmery, light or pale makeups which can make you look bug-eyed. Adding definition with smoky tones and using colours close to the lashline helps reduce the eye-magnifying effect of your lenses.

Near-sighted
With near-sighted lenses, you want to enhance your eyes – so get ready to frame them with plenty of eyeliner and mascara. Stay away from dark shades when it comes to eyeshadow, use a bit of shimmer and apply highlighter under your brows, along with lighter shades which really brighten and widen the eyes.
You’ll also find the kind of frames you wear have an impact on how your makeup appears – it may take a bit of experimenting to find the right combination! In general, chunky black frames can carry off more makeup, and look especially good with smoky eyes and winged liner. Thinner, wire-framed glasses lend themselves more to subtlety – try for a natural look with just a few highlights.

It’s also important not to overlook your brows, and don’t fall into the trap of thinking they’ll be hidden behind your frames – eyebrows tend to arch up over the rims of your glasses, making it all the more important that they’re well-kept and groomed. If your brows are closer to your eyes, do enough plucking to open up the area, before adding pencil on top if you think they look too thin.

So, we hope we’ve shown you that eye makeup isn’t a lost cause if you’ve got specs appeal – in fact, with a bit of work and forward planning, you can use your glasses to your advantage to really enhance your beautiful eyes. However, if you really don’t like the way your eyes look with glasses and you can’t find a look that makes it work, it may be time to consider contacts – or even eye surgery with a firm like Ultralase for a more permanent solution .

Last week’s poll found that the majority of you, 47%, disliked the term “witchy poo” when it came to describing long, gray hair. I would have to agree.  29% felt that it wasn’t a good look for someone over 40, while 22% disagreed.

Today I’ve got some Emmy beauty fails.

One of the many flash sale sites I browse through had a discount on an at-home laser hair removal kit.

I briefly considered it, but thought three hundred bucks was too much for my budget.

But that also got the neurons in my brain firing (which these days is practically a miracle) about how much I already spend on hair removal products.

I get my razors/razor refills at Costco, my foam hair remover at the drugstore, and I use my Dr. Bronner’s soap as a lathering agent in the shower.  I have never spent money on the special lady-foams for shaving, so I don’t know if I could be dramatically altering my shaving experience if I did.

I also live in a pretty warm climate that has me shaving my legs far longer than most, so I figure I spend at least two hundred a year on the hair removal process.

Which, if the laser works for me, might actually be a pretty good investment.

Some initial research on my part reveals that my would-be laser of choice works best on light to medium skinned women with dark hair.  Also, it can be painful enough at higher settings that it requires over the counter pain relievers.

Ouch.

I consider my pain threshold to be fairly high, but I’m not sure if I could willingly subject myself to it in order to have less hair.

But, would it be worth it to hopefully keep a bunch of hair growing back for a very long time?

What say you all?

Well, most of you think that Queen Latifah looks juuuust fiiiine for a hot August night.  57% of you, in fact.  12% of you thought she could have done something more, and the rest just respected the thought of not having to worry about makeup melt.   Personally I thought she looked fresh and lovely, as always.

Today I want to know how you feel about the dip-dye trend for hair.

Sorry, I couldn’t resist the title.  I was in high school when Ferris Bueller came out, and my husband and I watched it not too long ago.  It holds up after all these years fantastically.

And speaking of aging fantastically, some recent pictures of the female lead from Ferris Bueller have been making the rounds on the interwebs.  Basically because Mia Sara looks damn good.  I can’t tell you how much I love her picture, the fact that she has crow’s feet/laugh lines and owns them!  She was lovely then, and is lovely now. This is what real, non-surgical aging looks like, people!  I want more!

25% of you have broken my heart by saying that you do not have a positive self-image.  I obviously cannot speak to the experiences that have placed you in that mindset, but I want you to know that I truly believe that each of us in our humanity is impossibly and breathtakingly beautiful.  It has nothing to do with the shininess of our hair or the trendiness of our lip color.  It has everything to do with the way we reflect ourselves and our attitudes to the outside world.  I mean, I don’t even know you, and I think you are fantastic!  And if a complete stranger on the internet thinks you’ve got it, then you have got it going on!

59% stated that they mostly do have a positive self-image, and you go, girls! I think it is safe to say that everyone has their off days.  Re-read above.

3% of you say that you absolutely do, and you are my people.  There is nothing to be gained by beating ourselves up, is there?

51% of you would choose clothes, if given the choice between clothes, shoes, and makeup.  30% chose shoes, and the remainder fell into the makeup category.  Surprisingly, I was among those who chose shoes.  If I was a betting woman, I would have bet on makeup, but recently I’ve been on a mini shoe-buying binge. 

Clothes aren’t holding much for me lately, as my hormone therapy for my missing thyroid isn’t going all that well and an unpredictably ballooning waistline isn’t making me all that enthusiastic about shopping for clothes.  Now, if I knew what weight I was going to be from month to month, I’d be fine, but I never know exactly where I’m going to be due to the meds.

Speaking of bodies and the changing of, I’ve got a self-esteem question for you today.