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I’m a pretty low-maintenance kinda girl. It sometimes surprises people to find that I really don’t enjoy endless primping sessions with tons of products.
As a beauty editor, and more importantly as a consumer, I aim to ferret out products that give me the most mileage for my money and also streamline my life, making things easier instead of more complicated.
With summer upon us and flesh on the radar, clear, beautiful, blemish-free skin is even more a priority, but achieving perfect skin can seem hopeless, unless you know my secret…
I am deeply infatuated with the Rodan + Fields Proactiv Deep Cleansing Wash, and I keep it in the shower for one-stop skin care after a long day or a sweaty workout.
Honestly, it’s really a bargain beauty product if ever there was one. It keeps body breakouts at bay with a powerful 2% salicylic acid that’s buffered with botanicals and jojoba. The gentle exfoliating beads polish your skin, leaving it squeaky clean yet baby soft.
Say hello to clear skin on the horizon.
Sometimes the best things in life don’t last long. Marilyn Monroe—a confection of a human being, a bubbly bombshell, a cinematic icon—died at age 36 of a barbiturate overdose, leaving behind a troubled history of glory and controversy, grandeur and scandal.
Further immortalized in song by Sir Elton John, Marilyn’s candle burned out long before her legend ever did.
MAC cosmetics strikes a match to relight the flame that was snuffed out 50 years ago: Norma Jean Baker, a.k.a. Marilyn Monroe.
Goodbye, Norma Jean.
The MAC Marilyn Collection drops in October.
Elegant cinema legend Audrey Hepburn, when asked for her beauty secrets, quoted Sam Levenson who said,
“For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people…”
For inner beauty, Levenson was right on the money. For outer beauty, makeup artist Eugenia Weston is.
Eugenia, founder of Senna Cosmetics, continues to revolutionize cosmetics with her new Velvet Lipstick as part of her Mod Muse face for 2012.
I am enamored of this lipstick. It really lives up to its name in the department of unparalleled smoothness and velvety texture.
The colors are offered in delectable shades for every skin tone–shades that are so subtly nuanced it makes them difficult to describe.
“My color collage tunes into the 1960s and twists it with fresh chic,” Eugenia said. Baby rosebud lips in kitten colors of pearly pastels or feline pinks merge naiveté with worldliness for playful, experimental mod style.
“This mod style of beauty energizes and brings back the fine art of female expressionism,” Eugenia said. “It’s liberating and gorgeous.”
The irresistible Dusk is a dusty rose; First Love, a mauvey-beige nude; Naturelle, a luscious caramel, and Lolita, a ripe vivid coral that’s pretty yet plausible.
Plus, in typical Senna style, Eugenia’s new Velvet Lipstick is also reasonably priced and treatment based, so unlike certain lipsticks, which can actually be toxic believe it or not, due to known cancer-causing ingredients, something good is bound to come from it.
Spiked with vitamin E, castor oil, squalane and the powerful skin protectant dimethicone, the formula is creamy and lasting, the colors rich and believable, so even if you are copping a counterfeit smile, none will be the wiser.
No matter how tiresome or boring your social encounter, you can always veil any baggage under your eyes during a hostage moment with a finely-crafted pair of OG shades; as for attractive lips however, feel free to fake it while wearing Senna’s new Velvet Lipstick, $22.
Peace. Love. Beauty.
A recurring theme ruled the runway at Elie Saab’s fall 2012 fashion show, pictured above and below, and it wasn’t just gown after glistening gorgeous gown…can you guess? Hint: it has something to do with living on the edge.
Yes, bangs are where it’s at.
There’s something simultaneously schoolgirl and siren about the look that is sure to attract attention. Cleopatra was clearly onto something and would no doubt be an admirer of such close cropping, as bangs continue to crop up everywhere.
Keeping up with the fringe? Kim Kardashian certainly is, as seen below with her brand-new batch of bangs.
Straight bangs like this are incredibly high-maintenance, so if you are hoping to make the cut be prepared to see your stylist, or measure and cut them yourself, often.
There are several critical factors to consider before you bang. Your hair’s natural texture and wave pattern really matter. If you’re a curly girl, you might want to forget this look altogether because high-maintenance will take on new meaning as you find yourself a servant to the flatiron and smoothing products, at the very least.
Your environment is also important. If you live in a humid climate, or a windy area, it almost doesn’t matter how much work you put into your ’do because once the heavy moist air hits your hair, it will ’do its own thing. Working with and accepting nature is, unfortunately, a reality.
Not every woman can pull off bangs; it can sometimes end up looking abrupt and quite severe. You must consider your bone structure, face shape and coloring.
Last, and most critical, if you opt for bangs remember that you are making a long-term commitment. Don’t forget that hair grows at an abysmal rate of only half an inch per month. That’s six inches a year. So be prepared to work with a professional for a transitional haircut and implement plenty of creative tactics such as headbands and braiding, while your hair grows out, when you say adios to bangs.
Luxe haircare guru Philip B. has managed to accomplish something that leaves me ecstatic in under three inches and less than 30 seconds. It’s his ingenious Hairbrush Cleaner. It only costs 15 bucks, and every girl must have one.
The tiny tool lifts and separates hair in your most clogged brushes within seconds, paving the way for your Mason Pearson to do its duty right-quick.
With an oak handle sourced from non-endangered forests and stainless steel forked prongs, it’s one accessory that’s sure to please. It just goes to show that size doesn’t always matter. Thanks Philip B. We love you too.
I’m the kind of girl who loves adventure, so I’m headed down under. That’s right, I’m going to Australia!
Please join me as I introduce you to this magical land and a few special friends. They’re obsessed with beautiful stuff, just like I am.
First I want you to meet Rachel, a gifted Australian makeup artist whose work is nothing short of awe-inspiring.
Rachel is up on all the latest trends, products and techniques and has worked on many of the most celebrated faces in the world. She has agreed to share some of her favorite products and trade secrets with us.
I love the shot above, by Fiona Quinn for Remix Magazine NZ with model Amanda Booth from Storm Model Management…
…And this one, of model Loren from Chic, photographed by Sebastian Kriete. Rachel is gifted at creating many varieties of looks. We are going to have a lot of fun playing with the products she recommends.
Here’s Rachel, below, working on Caitlin Lovecat Lomax.
Ron Wooley, pictured here, is also from Australia, but he’s all about jewelry–opals, primarily.
Most of us have seen a beautiful opal stone. Neither clear nor opaque, they fascinate because they change as the light hits them, alive with prisms of fiery colors and depth and radiance. I love the giant vintage art deco opal diamond ring set in platinum, from Lang Antique and Estate Jewelry, below.
The Australian desert regions, Ron told me, are home to the most stunning opals in the world due to the fossilization process there. It’s Australia’s unique geological environment that makes Australian opals so spectacular, and quite expensive.
I was riveted as I looked at Ron’s collection from the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, below.
To call Ron a jeweler is an understatement. He does the most magnificent pavé diamond workmanship I’ve seen, but humbly refers to himself as proprietor of Dreaming Down Under, specializing in Australian opals.
He’s designed a unique ring that I’d like to show you, plus he’s a cool guy. I like his style. He knows a lot of famous people and has fascinating stories to tell. Maybe someday he’ll let me tell them to you.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Model, muse, and mother of two, Monica Bellucci is the new face for Dolce Gabbana cosmetics.
“Monica expresses perfectly the Dolce & Gabbana woman,” said Stefano Gabbana. “She is ravishing–a true Italian icon.”
Her limited-edition collection of lipsticks, the Monica Collection, are exclusive to Saks Fifth Avenue and will debut this summer.
“Lipstick says a lot about a woman,” said Monica. “It is her most traditional gesture.”
Below, Monica is pictured in a recent D & G campaign shoot, being serenaded by a smitten young man.
“We love Monica and have worked with her many times over the past 20 years. Her beauty is timeless,” said Domenico Dolce.
Check out our homage to the sizzling screen siren, who appeared in films such as The Matrix Reloaded, The Passion of the Christ, and Don’t Look Back, as well as the French flick L’Appartement, for which she was nominated a César Award.
This 30-second video for Dolce Gabbana parfum, above, stars Monica portraying a beautiful widow being sought after by many lustful young men.
Monica shines in her collaboration for Dolce Gabbana with Martini Gold, below. So much drama packed in just over 90 seconds!
And of course every Monica-lover must see this three-minute, 27-second tribute to the majestic Monica, below, based on the Italian film “Malena,” directed by Giuseppe Tornatore featuring the intriguing original music “Donna Malena” by Gigi D’Errico.
Many strive to replicate the rare qualities of precious Monica, though few can hold a candle to her incandescence. There is only one Monica Bellucci. Ciao, bella.
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