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.

ANAIS NIN

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." ~ Anais Nin

I think this is such an interesting photo of novelist Anaïs Nin...it must be from a film or something. I wonder how they created that lighting effect around her face?

Was she the inspiration for the fragrance Anais Anais?

IMAN...back in the day

Iman, Gia and Lisa (who was married to photographer Marco Glaviano) in a early ad for Diane von Furstenberg. Look closely at Iman's face. That's the face I remember making up early in both our careers, except that the first time we worked together I remember her having puffy deep grooves under her eyes which were a challenge for me to conceal as a makeup artist. I realized later they were the effects of a fresh nose job and that she didn't have them a while later.

Also don't forget that much, much later Iman was in a very serious taxi cab accident that required extensive plastic surgery to restore her looks. Fortunately she only became more beautiful afterward, looking like the diva we all know and love to this day.

Sayoko photographed by Serge Lutens

Gia was the pride of Philadelphia

As the cover line states from soda-jerk to super model, but that wasn't enough
to take away Gia's inner demons and the drugs she used to block the pain she suffered. AIDS ending her beauty forever.

How sweet and lost she looks in this mug shot from the first of her drug arrests. Fame & glamour were not enough.

Amy Adams W Cover Girl for May 09

Oscar nominated for the film Doubt, sweet Amy Adams was photographed wearing head to toe Marc Jacobs for the May cover of W magazine.

Aging with Grace

Audrey Hepburn

Aside from cleaning and moisturizing your skin at least twice a day, not over doing alcohol, smoking, or sun exposure, keeping active so your blood circulates well, and being blessed with good genes. The most important thing you can do is to be accepting of the fact that you are growing older.

There is a calmness that comes with the acceptance of life's changes. An inner peace from realising we don't have to be perfectly frozen in time. To be proud of your expression lines. They show that you have lived a full life. And if your fortunate the lines will be caused more from laughing than crying.

I've heard people say they are going to fight aging to the bitter end, and if that's what makes you feel good, more power to you. Personally I'd rather fight the propaganda of our society and a media that wants to convince us that only youth has value. It's OK to be older...we were all young once...been there done that. I'm glad to be free of all the anxiety and doubt that goes with being young.

Besides where's the the wisdom in that old song "die young stay pretty". Now that's just plain silly. Oh, the folly of youth.

So glad to know that at this age I've learned something....
The best is yet to come.

Veruschka by Jorge Serio

Having learned of makeup artist Jorge Serio recently,
I now find these photos of the iconic super model Veruschka
painted by Jorge for Quest Magazine. If I get more details
I will update you. UPDATE FROM JORGE..."The photographs of Veruschka
were taken for Quest which is a German publication and photographed by
their photographer. Sadly, I don't remember his name. The concept was about
the "East'. Vera, a good friend, contacted me to conceive the make up.
I drew my inspiration from Chinese Opera, Kabuki and Classical Japanese paintings of Samurai." Source: A Shaded View On Fashion.

Halle Berry on May Harper's Bazaar Cover

Halle Berry is such a beautiful woman, one has to wonder why Bazaar would want this photo of her on their newsstand issue. Someone needs to explain to me the reason to obviously play down the glamour for the cover? Just look at her hair, and I hate to point out the baggage under her eyes.

Also I wonder why Ms. Berry feels the need to keep changing her hair style? Now she's a blonde, does she or her 'people' think she needs to keep reinventing herself to keep her fans interested? For my money Halle has never looked more beautiful then when she wore her hair super short. It's as if that style was made for her and really brought out her features. All of the other styles she has tried since then seem to overpower her face and just make her look very ordinary. Plus this new hair color washes her out.


The subscription issue below at least ups the glam quotient, although in a rather retro way. So there must be some editorial logic that tells them a clean modern glamorous cover just alienates buyers on the news stand, that I just don't get. Because I know the cover choice is studied and given great care before being printed, right down to the retouching and cover lines.

*Savage*Smoky*SmashBox*

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