Diamonds (and Grace Jones) Are Forever

Grace Jones eats diamonds by Harry Winston for breakfast.
Photograph by Gordon Munro.

I first met Grace at Le Club Sept in Paris. Upon my arrival to the club I ran into my friend the very beautiful model Danielle Guerra. I was just headed downstairs to the bar and dance area when Dani grabbed me and said "Quick...stay with me, Grace is after me!"


Our next meeting was when I designed the makeup for TER ET BANTINE's Spring-Summer show and Ms Jones was one of the models. (Shown in photo above with designer Azzedine Alaia)


It wasn't until some time later that I went to see Grace Jones starring at the WHISKEY A'GO GO on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood. She opened the show in a hooded satin robe with the hood pulled low over her face so all that showed were her full lips as her deep voice sang into the microphone the beginning of her current disco hit, "La Vie En Rose". Tossing off the robe to reveal herself in full boxer gear with her hands taped and everything, hair short and square, dancing around taking jabs and shadow boxing as if doing a boxers workout. The crowd went wild!


Next the darkened stage slowly came to light only to discover Grace inside a cage on all fours clawing and snarling like a black Panther, escaping from the cage into the audience. Singing "I Need A Man" as she literally clawed at the crowd...afterwards I noticed she drew blood by scratching my hand. Was it pay back for protecting Danielle years before? Who cares, I was clawed by Grace Jones!


It was an electric performance and so exciting, I have to admit, I'm not sure now which song she sang with what costume. I can only tell you that I imagine it couldn't have been any more exciting then when Josephine Baker took Paris by storm in the 1920s.

The thrill of it all will never leave my memory. The Amazing Grace Jones.

I LOVE DONNA MITCHELL

60s model Donna Mitchell's face was made for cosmetics...those eyelids, those lips!

Here's what makeup artist Corey Tippen had to say about her when I first posted about Donna on MakeupBeat.com :

"Relevant , Legendary , Influential , her work with Bob Richardson is the distilled essence of 1960’s sophistication and mystery . She “acted” in photographs rather that “modeled” . And the hands! Look at the hands!
How we all marvelled at the grace of it all ! She had many imitators at the time . Winkie Donovan , Inga Marie Johanson and Maria Badot all had careers that gave more than just a nod to the style of La Mitchell. A true bohemian with principals , she was as comfortable in Max’s as in Maxim’s . Those are the lucky ones indeed that she accepts as her acting pupils today . Of course Steven Meisel continues to use her for the appropriate shoot . We just can’t get enough of her." Corey says it so well, and I agree whole heartedly!
Photo by Hiro.

The Makeup Show New York May 17 & 18

THEIR BACK! FOR THEIR FOURTH YEAR! THE MAKEUP SHOW NYC!
MAY 17 & 18, 2009 @ THE METROPOLITAN PAVILION - NEW YORK CITY!
ENTRY ONLY $45 ADVANCE!
GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY! CLICK HERE!

This is the most amazing cosmetic expo I've ever been to. All the professional makeup lines will be represented on the main floor and there are invaluable free seminars and forums. Plus for an additional low fee you may attend "hands on" workshops with some of your favorite makeup pros. So whether you are a long time professional or just starting out, this is the place to be!

Georgia May

Can you tell this is Jerry Hall and Mick Jagger's
little girl Georgia May Jagger? Photographed for
Vogue Russia by Matt Irwin.


Mum and Dadums...My how time flies!

Margaux Hemingway

Super model/actress Margaux Hemingway made a huge splash when she came to New York from her home town of Ketchum, Idaho.

She was the granddaughter of writer Ernest Hemingway, and was said to be named for the wine, Château Margaux, which her parents, Puck and Jack Hemingway (the son of Ernest), were drinking the night she was conceived. Photo above by Ara Gallant.


The six foot beauty had the fashion world abuzz when she first appeared on the June 1975 cover of Time magazine and then the September '75 cover of American Vogue, which christened her as "New York's New Supermodel". I remember everyone talking about how shocked they were by her dark thick eyebrows (Vogue did lighten them a bit)...which then started a trend.


It wasn't long before Fabergé signed her on as their face for the BABE fragrance and cosmetics line, reportedly with the largest salaried contract of it's day. Covers & photo above from MiniMadMod60s.com.

I soon got my chance to do her makeup on photos by Gary Bernstein for Vogue Italia with Uva one of the top European male models. Once I met her I was pleased to find Margaux to be quite down to earth, very beautiful, and I thought her thick eyebrows suited her face very well. I also was impressed with her modeling style. She didn't so much pose as she did react to what was going on in the moment.


A fixture at Studio 54, a marriage to a maybe not so great guy, Errol Wetson,(he was known as the greasy hamburger heir), an embarrassing movie debut in LIPSTICK, family problems, a string of low budget films, plus an ill-fated second marriage, contributed to her drug & alcohol addiction. I.M.O.

Which all lead, sadly, to her taking an overdose of phenobarbital on July 1, 1996, in Santa Monica, California, at the age of 42, one day before the anniversary of her grandfather's own suicide.

And Then Came Bea...

Farewell Bea Arthur. You will be missed.

Drew Barrymore

Ms. Barrymore is getting rave reviews for her
role as Little Edie in the HBO special Grey Gardens.

I love this photograph, very old Hollywood glamour.

Makeup Diva

IT'S JACKIE BEAT! Photo by Austin Young.

Susan Boyle's Transformation Complete

"It's none other than Susan Boyle – the breakout star of "Britain's Got Talent" who has been dubbed a "hairy angel" by the British press for her formerly frizzy and gray streaked cloud of hair.

The singing phenomenon was photographed Friday outside her home in Scotland with newly dyed hair in a more stylish cut and even some make-up to even out her ruddy skin tone.

She also had her eyebrows thinned and shaped in recent days and stepped out in chic high heels.

Friday, Boyle was again wearing her new fitted leather jacket – a huge leap from the dowdy mustard-hued lace dress she wore on her initial television appearance – and added flair with a Burberry plaid scarf.

The producers at "Britain's Got Talent" are "frantic" over the changes, according to the British Daily Mail.

They apparently hoped she would maintain her unpolished appearance for the program's live finals as Boyle's dowdy looks paired with her angelic voice seem to be the secret ingredient to her astronomical success".

* That's what I was thinking too. What made her talent all the more surprising was her raw unpolished appearance. I really thought the make over would come much later.
Source NY Daily News

DONNA JORDAN

Editor Anna Piaggi and makeup artist Corey Tippen
worked on this cover of Andy Warhol Super Star Donna Jordan
photographed by Chris Von Waggenheim for Italian Vogue 1972.

Gotta love the bleached eyebrows...she was the first to feature
them I think. And I'm sure that they were Corey's idea. Donna also
had a gap toothed smile way before Lauren Hutton. Too bad you can't see it here.

The Seychelles Collection by (3) Custom Color Specialists

"The exceptional beauty of the secluded Seychelles islands off the east coast of Africa once inspired the tale of the Garden of Eden. On a recent trip, one of our Founders, Chad Hayduk, was so moved by the legendary allure of the Seychelles that he was inspired to create this luscious collection. Each irresistibly fresh shade celebrates the natural beauty and vibrant colors of some of the rarest species of flora on earth".


Coco De Mer Eye Shadow ($22.50) – A rich, medium brown with a playful dose of green shimmer for added dimension, inspired by the round, suggestively-shaped nut that can be found only in the prehistoric Vallee De Mai forest of the Seychelles. Use wet as a subtle liner or dry to create a sultry smokiness around the eye.


Frangipani Sheer Lipstick ($21.50) – Vivid fuchsia with gold sparkle that can be worn soft or bold. The award-winning sheer lipstick formula delivers buildable coverage and rich moisture in a smooth, balm-like texture.



Peacock Flower Lip Gloss ($21.50) – A pinky, peach shade with light-catching violet opalescence, inspired by the rare and dazzling Peacock Flower. Our moist and creamy lip gloss formulation is a makeup artist favorite – smooth and shiny, but never sticky.

I'm so intrigued by the look of this color palette by (3) Custom Color Specialists. Wouldn't these just be the perfect colors to wear this spring and summer?

Susan Boyle's Caterpillar Brows

BEFORE

AFTER

As a makeup artist I couldn't help but focus on British
singing sensation Susan Boyle's bushy eyebrows.

But I'm a bit surprised they would change them so soon.
I really thought her virgin brows were part of her charm,
but as you can see they have been sacrificed to the tweezers already.


But as this other photo proves Ms. Boyle is no stranger to cosmetics.
Just the tweezers, dearie.

Lovely...

Do you know who this lovely rose could be?

"I LOVE LUCY"

With thanks to Linda Morand

Daria Werbowy is Paris Vogue

Daria Werbowy on the cover of Vogue Paris photographed
by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin.

Fabu seeing Daria in two completely different looks.
Casual chic on the current May cover and sophisticated
sexy on the cover earlier this year. Love the contrast.

The Faces of the Moment

Liya Kebede, Natalia Vodianova, Anna Jagodzinska, Isabeli Fontana,
Lara Stone, Jourdan Dunn, Raquel Zimmermann, Caroline Trentini,
and Natasha Poly are the May 2009 Vogue Cover models.
Photographed by Steven Meisel. Hair by Guido and makeup by Pat McGrath.

Model Icons Portrayed by Natalia Vodianova

DOVIMA

VERUSCHKA

LAUREN HUTTON

Natalia portrays Dovima (Dorothy Virginia Margaret Juba, Avedon’s muse), Veruschka (Vera Gottliebe Anna Grafin), Lauren Hutton, Suzy Parker (Cecilia Ann Renee Parker, Coco Chanel’s favorite), Marisa Berenson, Twiggy (Lesley Hornby, Diana Vreeland’s perfection), Jean Patchett, Penelope Tree, and Jean Shrimpton, in the May Vogue 2009.
Photographed by Steven Meisel. Hair by Guido and makeup by Pat McGrath.

Anne Saint Marie

"Our absolute favorite supermodel of the 1950's is, paradoxically, the one we know the least about. Anne St. Marie fascinates us because she's simultaneously completely of her time, and absolutely outside of it: the quintessential elegant, distant, detached 1950's mannequin, yet somehow alive and fresh and modern and real."

"Unlike many of her contemporaries, St. Marie's beauty seems peculiarly contemporary, whereas the remarkable Dorian Leigh, for instance, seems permanently frozen (if spectacularly so) in 1954, or thereabouts. There was a canniness, an amused half-smile, a knowing raised eyebrow about Anne St. Marie, and in some of her photographs, it's near-impossible to pinpoint a date or decade."

"Unlike many of her contemporaries, St. Marie's beauty seems peculiarly contemporary, whereas the remarkable Dorian Leigh, for instance, seems permanently frozen (if spectacularly so) in 1954, or thereabouts. There was a canniness, an amused half-smile, a knowing raised eyebrow about Anne St. Marie, and in some of her photographs, it's near-impossible to pinpoint a date or decade."

My friend Todd is not in the fashion biz, but he jolly well could be due to his passion for everything chic and fashionable.
Read the rest of his post here.

Here she comes again...

How is it that our Ms. Naomi Campbell gets herself into every photo op?
Here it looks like she sneaked into a shot with First Lady Michelle Obama during President Obama's official visit to London. Wasn't this supposed to be a photo of all the wives of the visiting dignitaries?
It looks more like a "Where's Waldo/Naomi" shot.

Brooke Shields tells it like it is...

A 43 year old cover girl today.

Brooke Shields has her own Pretty Babies now.

Her first Vogue cover at 18, Brooke was 22 for this one in 1987.

A 13 year old cover girl for Seventeen magazine.

Brooke Shields is the current cover story on MORE magazine
photographed by Ruven Afanador.

Brooke talks about being an actress in her 40s:

"For years, I've been the youngest person on the set, and it occurred to me recently that I wasn't 26!" she says. "I'd read a script and say, 'Oh, that's a great character, that's something I'd love to do.' And they'd say, 'Um, no, we're thinking of you for the mother.' And then I'd say, 'Oh, of course! Of course! I knew that.'"

The child star of "Blue Lagoon" and "Pretty Baby," who started working as a baby model for Ivory soap, Shields tells More she feels like she's in that "middle place" in Hollywood at the moment.

"There aren't a lot of movies out there for my age," says Shields. "They're still stopping at the mid-30s. Then you're Diane Keaton or Glenn Close." (Keaton is 63 and Close is 62). Although she did play the Mother of Miley Cyrus recently in the Hanna Montana movie.

Shields says that this "fortysomething" limbo extends to advertising as well.

"I always find it funny that so much skin care advertising features, like, Jessica Alba....she's gorgeous, and like what 12! Okay? And all the models are that age! I don't care how much face creme I put on my skin, I'm not going to have Jessica Alba's face." Thank gawd, I say.


What makes this so very funny is that Brooke was on the cover of women's magazine's when she was close to 12 herself. So in a way she started that whole trend. Talk about life biting you in the arse...

The Shih Tzu Knot

"TOPKNOTS, the sleek up-dos of Shih Tzus and sumo wrestlers, have become a hot hairstyle among off-duty models. During the fashion shows earlier this year, quite a few women were spotted sporting the look, a kind of cool girl’s take on the informal ponytail."

"At Christian Lacroix, there were tight braids interspersed throughout; at Erdem, the upsweep was a bit softer. And for Yves Saint Laurent (near left), the hairstylist Julien d’Ys took topknots from really adorable to striking by wrapping a swatch of black leather around the bun. “It’s a very elegant look, It’s in the same mood as a French twist. It makes a woman look very beautiful.” said Mr. d’Ys."

The New York Times first shows us how model girls are putting their hair up into casual topknots and then how that translates into fashion runway hairstyles. And it's hard to tell which is which picture. In fact it looks as if the dog groomer is the one that spent the most time and effort on the hair.

So the difference between what you might do yourself very quickly to just get out of the house, and what a top hairstylist would charge you big money for at a salon, is a VERY thin line. I really don't get it but...I do like the idea of wrapping the knot with leather.