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subscribe to beauty counter blog via RSSNatalia Vodianova Shines In Sparkle Motion
November 2, 2009 5:52 pm
OK, OK. We know that we’ve occasionally nay-sayed metallic makeup in this blog, but Natalia Vodianova may make proponents of us yet. Sporting both gold and blue sparkly eye shadows to complement an array of Armani Privé, Givenchy, and Dior couture in the new issue of V Magazine, the Russian-born beauty has managed to make a face full of glitter simultaneously hip and chic, with none of the teen queen-turned-glam rocker kitsch that we usually associate with the look. Take Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics’ (OCC) Loose Colour Concentrates in Authentic and Heroic for a whirl if you want to try this at home—and don’t forget the black liquid liner and multiple coats of mascara for added drama. As for the couture wardrobe, you’re on your own.
tags: Makeup, Natalia Vodianova
Sessilee Lopez Pulls An Irina
October 26, 2009 2:56 pm
When Irina Lazareanu returned to the catwalk for the Spring 2010 shows, she did so with her long raven locks shorn into a bowl cut. The beauty world responded accordingly, getting into a tizzy over this prospective standard-bearer for the latest revival of the Mod style. And by the looks of the November issue of Flaunt, others are following in Irina’s path. Hairstylist Greg Bitterman gave Sessilee Lopez a similar rendition of the blunt cut for the magazine’s Fall collections story, making us wonder if this is the first of many repeat appearances. Do you like the shorter style on both Lazareanu and Lopez, or do you prefer them in their longer hair days?
tags: Flaunt, Greg Bitterman, Hair, Irina Lazareanu, Sessilee Lopez
Green Nails, The Tao Okamoto Edition
October 13, 2009 4:31 pm
Tao Okamoto has officially reached It model status. Forget the fact that the catwalker has been Phillip Lim’s arm candy for the past few seasons or that he had every girl who walked in his Fall 2009 show wear cropped wigs in homage to Okamoto’s signature coif. No, her “I’ve made it” moment came this month with the release of the “All Tao, All the Time” November issue of Vogue Nippon. Paris Vogue gave similar solo honors to both Daria Werbowy and Lara Stone this year, which puts Okamoto in particularly good company. The Japanese glossy features spreads from Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, Søolve Sundsbø, Daniel Jackson, and Mark Segal, but we are particularly fond of photographer Glen Luchford’s work, entitled “My Colorful Furry Friend,” which shows the model in one of Fall’s biggest nail color trends. With everything from Chanel’s pale, shimmery Jade and Envy the deep moss hue from Zoya’s Truth or Dare collection to Oilslick, the blackened forest shade from CND’s new Colour & Effects line, it’s easy being green. Or at least Okamoto makes it look that way. Do you think the color is best left to professionals, or are you considering giving it a real-life test run this season?
tags: Chanel, CND, Glen Luchford, Nails, Phillip Lim, Tao Okamoto, Vogue Nippon, Zoya
Eva Longoria Parker Cracks The Whip
September 29, 2009 5:15 pm
I wouldn’t say I dislike Eva Longoria Parker; there’s just something about her that doesn’t sit right with me. I’m sure she’s a very nice person (insert additional false flattery here)—but I find her frequent editorials, in which she is predictably styled with a perky, almost too-perfect aesthetic, irksome. It’s similar to how I feel about her show Desperate Housewives, which comes across equally…off-putting, to euphemize a bit. Her recent cover shoot for the fall issue of Citizen K, however, in which she is nearly unrecognizable in a cropped black bob, big black cat-eyes, a dark lip, and black nail polish, completely redeems her in my book. There’s something about Longoria Parker the dominatrix-vamp that blows Longoria Parker the petite glamour queen out of the water and shows a certain depth that makes her instantly likable. But maybe that’s just me.
tags: Citizen K, Desperate Housewives, Eva Longoria Parker, Hair, Makeup
Karl And Lara’s Crimson Ties
August 31, 2009 3:52 pm
While we’ve been waiting for our local newsstand to get its stock of our favorite Euro glossies’ September issues, we’ve had plenty of domestic offerings with which to busy ourselves. One of our favorite spreads thus far comes from Bazaar’s take on fall fashion, for which the mag enlisted something of a power trio to interpret the season’s best looks. Karl Lagerfeld is behind the camera, Christine du Puys is on makeup duty, and a ginger-haired Lara Stone plays muse in the Venetian-inspired story. Her huge, ruby red lips remind us of the makeup at Alexander McQueen’s opinion-dividing show. Stone’s pout doesn’t necessarily need augmentation, but a little Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Reflect in Red Stockings certainly doesn’t hurt. Are you feeling the pic as much as we are?
tags: Alexander McQueen, Christine du Puys, Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss Reflect, Hair, Karl Lagerfeld, Lara Stone, Makeup
Dolce & Gabbana’s Rose-Colored Glasses
August 24, 2009 12:06 pm
More on ScarJo…It’s been a busy beauty year for Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. The design duo launched their cosmetics line, The Makeup, this summer, and their Fragrance Anthology—with an ad campaign featuring a trio of naked supermodels—grabbed headlines long before its highly anticipated Fall release. Next week, their The One fragrance franchise will get an update when Rose The One hits counters exclusively at Saks. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Scarlett Johansson, D&G muse and “the person that represents actual femininity most in this world,” as Dolce told WWD, will front its campaign, her second big spot for the brand this year. Shot by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, the ad shows Johansson in a custom-made, curve-hugging Dolce & Gabbana pink tulle dress, lounging on a bed in a boudoir, her hair colored a particular shade of strawberry blonde to further the rose-hued effect. Pretty standard fare for the actress—pursed lips, accentuated waist, requisite T&A—but gorgeous nonetheless, no?
tags: Dolce & Gabbana, Fragrance, Rose The One, Scarlett Johansson
Anna Sui Paints Agyness In Full Color
August 12, 2009 4:35 pm
Anna Sui’s cosmetics range became a favorite with beauty gurus and editors alike when it debuted almost ten years ago. After disappearing for a while due to some unresolved licensing “issues,” the collection of brightly colored, boudoir-inspired eye shadows, lip glosses, and nail lacquers has been in slow-moving comeback mode (elaborate “beauty bars” were erected backstage at the designer’s Spring and Fall shows to preview upcoming launches, although the products are still only available for purchase at her Soho store). This week, the blogosphere is abuzz with news that the CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award winner has not only decided to dabble in haircare, but has also chosen model Agyness Deyn to front the new range. The influx of intelligence put us into information overdrive, so we called our trusted sources to get the inside scoop. And here it is: Yes, there is indeed a haircare line and while it’s not necessarily new (it’s been out in Japan for over a year), the rose-scented shampoo, conditioner, and hair oil finally arrived at Sui’s flagship in late July. Re: Agyness, she’s fronting the campaign for Sui’s new Fall colors, not the haircare line. Thoughts on her Prism Beige lipstick and Glassy Silver and Glassy Purple eye shadows?
tags: Agyness Deyn, Anna Sui, Hair, Makeup
Eva Herzigova Makes Runway A Reality
August 10, 2009 2:25 pm
First Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, and Eva Herzigova graced the cover of Vogue Korea’s August issue. Now Ms. Herzigova has taken solo control of Numéro Tokyo’s September book. The creative direction for the spread, shot by Alex Cayley, is strikingly similar to something we’ve seen before. A sheer pink lip; clean, perfect skin; that piercing, veiled glance: It’s screaming Valentino Fall Couture. An homage to Karl Templer’s runway styling prowess, perhaps? Regardless, we’re glad to see Eva is still getting work along with the rest of the supes. She’s looking just as good as she did in her heyday, no?
tags: Bi-Facil Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover, Claudia Schiffer, Eva Herzigova, Karl Templer, Makeup, Naomi Campbell, Valentino
Kate Moss Practices What She Preaches
August 6, 2009 1:50 pm
Fashion enthusiasts are counting down the days until their favorite glossies release their September issues, but the mystery of at least one cover girl has been solved. Kate Moss appears on the front of British Vogue’s fall spectacular in a cleavage-bearing Burberry trench with one hell of a black cat-eye and her blond locks in a loose 1950’s-era set. Curiously, the super-est of them all has no editorial spread to accompany her cover image, but no matter; there’s enough intrigue in that one picture to keep us content. Moss wears a face full of Rimmel makeup, which seems to confirm that her lucrative contract with the beauty firm is alive and well despite ongoing reports of a split. Meanwhile, the expert hand that painted on those precise eye-framing lines belongs to one Val Garland, editorial makeup artist and artistic advisor for YSL Beauté. The model will also front the campaign for that brand’s new Parisienne fragrance, due out in October. Thoughts on the cover image?
tags: British Vogue, Burberry, Kate Moss, Rimmel, Val Garland, YSL Beaut�
Twiggy, Still Making Headlines
August 3, 2009 2:59 pm
Twiggy quips that Olay’s Definity range is her “secret for brighter-looking eyes” in a new ad campaign for the company’s antiaging line, but the 59-year-old model’s strangely wrinkle- and blemish-free skin suggests that other covert operations might also be at work. At least that’s what one governing body in the U.K. thinks. In what’s poised to be the biggest uproar yet over the ongoing issue of Photoshopping in mass media, members of the British Parliament are calling for a ban on digitally altering ads aimed at children under 16, and disclosure of these modifications in ads aimed at adults, reports Jezebel. The house’s more liberal types have even gone as far as to recommend compulsory “media literacy” lessons to teach kids that such images should not be viewed as realistic portrayals of beauty. Seeing as how government legislation on advertising encroaches on free-speech territory, we’re curious whether similar regulations would ever fly stateside—and furthermore, if they did, would you support them?
