Manigram from Cannes: Day 3
In addition to our live updates from the Cannes Film Festival, L’Oréal Paris global nail artist Tom Bachik will be keeping a daily diary for Style.com as he finger paints the brand’s ambassadors, including Inès de la Fressange, Liya Kebede, Freida Pinto, Julianne Moore, Natasha Poly, and more.
Hey, Ho, Hey, Ho…1,2,3, I belong with you, you belong with me! The Lumineers, live at Le Grand Journal—directly in front of our hotel!
Next, a few interviews and a workshop for editors where they learned all about L’Oréal Paris’ newest nail innovations, then back to glam for the red carpet. Here are shots of L’Oréal Paris spokeswomen Aimee Mullins in a sophisticated rich chocolate, and Sonam Kapoor in a youthfully chic neutral gray.
Are You Ready For This Jelly?
Primers, once considered an extra step in the foundation-application process, are now fundamental to getting a smooth, flawless finish. They’re so popular, in fact, creams and liquids that fill in fine lines and wrinkles to properly prep skin for makeup are now a dime a dozen on retail counters, which make mind-blowing developments in the category few and far between these days—something that was not lost on Illamasqua. The British brand that appreciates a little shock and awe when it comes to product development (the unisex cosmetics line created “for your alter ego” already includes white foundation, green lipstick, and glow-in-the-dark nail lacquers galore) was looking to carve out a niche for itself in this growing share of the market, and managed to do just that with its new Hydra Veil. The result of actual consumer feedback that highlighted the fact that heavily pigmented foundations often appear cakey when applied to dehydrated skin, its unique gel texture is part moisturizer, part base, and all intrigue. The antioxidant-fueled formula comes with a little scooper that you actually need to help portion out a small amount of the buoyant jelly, which melts into your skin once it is spread over the face and neck. It hydrates on impact and can be applied under—or over—makeup; a light patting of Hydra Veil on the under-eye area is a clutch concealer-reactivator come 4 P.M.
EXCLUSIVE: Miranda Kerr’s Kora Organics, Now On Net-A-Porter
Two years ago, when Miranda Kerr was quoted saying that she “will not go a day without coconut oil,” pointing out that she typically ingests about four tablespoons of the essential fatty acid-rich elixir a day, sales of the stuff spiked. That’s just a small window into how influential the Victoria’s Secret model has become on matters of health and wellness. An avid yoga practitioner and a fan of eating raw and organic, Kerr caught the attention of the beauty world when she launched her own all-natural skincare line, KORA Organics—a twenty-one-piece lineup of face and body essentials—that is as eco-luxe as it gets. “The range is exactly what I was looking for myself but was unable to find,” says Kerr. “I receive daily testimonies from customers all over the world who have firsthand seen the benefits of using KORA,” she insists—although getting a steady supply of the natural-ingredient-packed range is easier said than done if you live outside of Australia.
But that’s all about to change. This week, Kerr has announced an exclusive partnership with Net-a-Porter, whose newly launched beauty section will now stock select KORA items for a broader, American and European audience. “I personally love to shop at Net-a-Porter. It’s an easy, luxurious experience,” Kerr admits, adding that her Revitalizing Body Pack is a great place to start if you’re new to the line. “It includes my essentials for radiant, glowing skin for your body: Exfoliating Cream, Energizing Citrus Mist, Enriched Body Lotion, and Luxurious Rosehip Body Oil. [The oil] is one of my all-time favorite products.”
As for Kerr’s other tips for maintaining an angelic body—and lifestyle—she’s all about balance. “I live by the 80/20 rule. Moderation is key and essential. I try my best to fill my body with healthy organic food when I can, but enjoy a little indulgence every now and then! I believe if we choose to fill our bodies with healthy food, our minds with healthy thoughts, and nurture our spirit with rituals we enjoy, it can lead to a solid foundation of happiness.” Noted.
Beauty And The Beat: Charli XCX Talks Britney, Baby Spice, And “Loads” Of Black Eyeliner
If you spent much of your time as a 14-year-old going to raves and staying out until 6 A.M.—with your parents, no less—you might have also wound up spending your later years in rehab, not topping the pop charts. But don’t tell that to British hitmaker Charli XCX. The well-adjusted 20-year-old and the voice behind the song that is currently stuck in our heads, a collaboration with Icona Pop called “I Love It (I Don’t Care)” (Girls watchers will remember the jam from the dance-party scene during Hannah’s short-lived cocaine addiction), Charli—short for Charlotte—is a different kind of pop princess. Accented by mounds of black eyeliner, punky lyrics, and midriff-baring T-shirts, her sound isn’t so much candy-coated as rich with rhythm-backed synth riffs that are immediately catchy. As for the XCX bit, “it was part of my MSN screen name when I was 13, and it kind of stuck,” she told us when we caught up with her in the middle of a tour in support of True Romance, her debut album that features the addictive track, “Nuclear Seasons.” Here, the “nineties chick” at heart, talks about late-night clubbing, being inspired by Britney and Baby Spice, and her unconventional secret to the perfect dark lipstick.
How did you get into music at just 14?
As soon as I saw “Hit Me Baby (One More Time),” I knew I loved Britney and music videos, and I was in awe; it inspired me to start making music. I started writing, but it was just me kind of experimenting. I posted demos on MySpace, and a guy who ran a club in East London brought me up to play these raves. I started performing and became a regular in that scene. My parents came with me. They’d drive me and stay at the parties; usually I would play at 2 or 3 A.M. and leave at 6 A.M. At the time, I wasn’t into hanging out with my parents. We’d drive home in the morning and stop for breakfast. They were really supportive. We were always the weird family at the warehouse parties.
Um…Amazing. Why is the new album called True Romance?
All of the songs are about love and my experience with relationships and how I’ve changed my opinion on love, how the relationships have changed me. In true romance, you don’t have just walking on clouds, amazing, happy, beachy moments. To have true romance, you also have to have isolating, depressing moments of crying. The songs are about both. Some are happier and some are darker; some are pop; and others are more mysterious—and that’s what romance is like in real life. “Stay Away” is about an unhealthy obsession with someone, making yourself ill over them, but I haven’t been through that, so it’s more of an imagining.
Your Icona Pop collaboration “I Love It (I Don’t Care)” is the theme song for Snooki & Jwoww—do you watch the show?
That made me really laugh. I don’t watch the show religiously, but I’ve seen it. I think Snooki is pretty cute. They’re both hilarious.
Rooney Mara Gets A Fragrance Deal
There are a few celebrity beauty deals that stand out from the increasingly crowded pack, for both the caliber of the celebrity in question and the brand they choose to partner with. Time stood momentarily still, for example, when Lancôme nabbed Julia Roberts; when Dior signed Natalie Portman; and when Coty got Beyoncé’s fragrance license. But as of this morning, Calvin Klein appears to have scored this year’s biggest beauty coup: The iconic New York design house, whose fragrances are produced by Coty’s Prestige arm, has just announced that Rooney Mara will front its latest fragrance, Downtown. The Italian cedrat, bergamot, Tunisian neroli, gardenia, violet leaf, Texan cedarwood and incense eau, which launches in September, has another big name to its credit, too: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo director, David Fincher, has signed on to create the television ad campaign starring Mara.
It’s Rooney’s first foray into beauty, a move that was certainly a long time coming, although one that we always assumed would involve Parfums Givenchy, considering the actress’ close ties to Riccardo Tisci. But partnering with Klein—he of such groundbreaking fragrances as ck one and Euphoria—is certainly nothing to sneeze at. One question remains, however: Who will win over Mara when skincare, makeup, and hair-care deals are on the table? Let us know your bets below.