From Newsweek.com-R.Mutt Studios Illustration, Tim Graham/Getty Images
Talk about creepy. Newsweek Magazine is doing a commemorative piece on Diana, The Princess of Wales, who would have turned 50 this Friday. The story, by Newsweek's Editor-in-Chief and Diana biographer, Tina Brown discusses what Diana's life would have been like had she not died in 1997 at the age of 36. Newsweek decided to further illustrate her would-be life by superimposing a digitally-aged photo of the Princess at age 50 with her now daughter-in-law, Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge.
In no way can I take credit for this extremely useful discovery but I read about it on BlogHer and had to share with all of you!
As a Gmail user, you probably love the service but have longed for one coveted feature you didn't think they provided: 'the undo an email' option. How many times have you sent an email and immediately wish you could undo your send? You hit 'reply all' instead of 'reply', or included someone you wish you hadn't or sent an all-important email to a potential employer and noticed a fatal typo just as you send it off into the e-universe. Email-remorse is brutal but now avoidable!
Unfortunately, the 'undo' feature is not a default setting on Gmail so a little work is required. Christine McCarthy of Christine.Biz explains the awesome world of Gmail Labs in her latest post. Labs is a testing ground for Gmail features and the 'undo send' feature has been in the Labs section for quite some time.
Check out other Lab features you might want enable here.
After following the basics steps, Gmail will give you 5 seconds as a default to retract an email but by following one extra step you can opt to have as long as 30 seconds to retract a message.
In a recent post I talked about my product picks for smudge-proof eye makeup and ways to prevent your makeup from smudging and traveling down your face. Here is a video makeup tutorial on the same topic. As mentioned, your skin produces a lot of oils and when the weather is warm and humid, you sweat and produce even more oil which causes your makeup to start fading and smudging. By adding concealer and powder to the area directly below your eyes you can create a barrier between your eye makeup and your under eye area. The concealer and powder prevent your skin from getting too oily, which makes your eye makeup less likely to end up there. By using a other few tips and tools to conceal this area you can keep your makeup from drooping and look fresh, bright and like you've just had a full night's sleep, even if you haven't. Check out the video for more details.
Is it me or has Gwen Stefani become even more beautiful over the years? She's such a rock goddess and fashion icon thanks to her slew of hits and her amazing L.A.M.B. clothing and accessories line.
No one knows how to rock red lipstick better than this hot momma (I'm pretty sure she was born with it on) and lately Gwen's been looking even more head-to-toe hot. I wonder if Gwen's partnership with L'Oreal has anything to do with it!? As the new face of L'Oreal Paris, she's been rocking even more high drama hair and makeup and looking like a total movie star in the process.
To get Gwen's look invest in some of her brand's latest treasures.
If you really want to emulate the singer you're gonna have to pack on some punchy red lipstick. Stefani has been owning the look since back in the day when she, of course, paired it with belly shirts and Indian bindi tikas on her forehead. The bare abs and forehead jewelry has long gone but the lips remain her signature. She wears red lipstick like its a tube of chapstick and I love her for it. You know who else loves her for it? Her total hottie husband and my total rockstar crush Gavin Rossdale. Could this couple be any hotter!? Only Gwen can truly pull off red lips in a track outfit and sneakers but I'm willing to give it a shot if that's what makes Gavin happy! In fact, in Gwen (and Gavin's honor) I've been wearing L'Oreal Paris Infallible Le Rouge in Ravishing Red lately and am in love with the bold hue. Ravishing Red is the color she's been wearing in her stunning commercials. All of the gorgeous reds in this collection ooze Old Hollywood Glamour and are long-lasting and creamy. I did, however, look ridiculous when I tried rocking the classic red shade with my grimy gym outfit. Not hot!
The No Doubt singer also has an amazing complexion. To get your own flawless face try L'Oreal Paris Studio Secrets Professional Magic Souffle. The air whipped formula feels light and creamy on and gives you a smooth complexion. The formula is made with microscopic air bubbles that create a light, airy base, which is perfect in the humid, summer weather.
I'm also kinda obsessed with the super smoky eyes she's been wearing lately, a departure from her usual red lips and simple black cat eyes. As evidence by the shots of her on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival this year, it's definitely a look that's working! Her dramatic makeup is accentuated by her long, gorgeous lashes. To get your own false eyelash look try L'Oreal Paris Voluminous Million Lashes Mascara. It has an awesome brush that combines long and short bristles to perfectly define each lash.
Father's Day is around the corner. Have you thought about the perfect way to tell you dad how much you love him and appreciate those little "gifts" he generously drops in your bank account?
Getting a gift for your dad can be tough. The stuff he wants he usually gets on his own. You want to get him something he doesn't even know he needs. You want to wow and impress him with a creative idea that's a little out of the ordinary.
Your dad is a total class act and therefore needs a gift to reflect the gentleman that he is. Enter Forgetful Gentleman a company that provides stationary and related-leather accessories for their stylish and style-conscious customers. The company is all about bringing attention to the philosophy, mentality and lifestyle of a true gentleman. Think Barney Stinson without the slutty dating life.
A real gentleman keeps it a little old school. Instead of crafting a generic, impersonal email, a gentleman takes a more sophisticated approach to written correspondence by crafting a hand written note. Old School. A gentleman has impeccable stationary that reflects the man he is and wants to be perceived as.
Forgetful Gentleman offers elegant stationary with letterpress and linen designs. Stationary sets include notes for important events and occasions including a Happy Birthday card, a Congratulations card and a Thank You card. Other stationary options include personally engraved cards, hand-lined envelopes and notebooks.
Gift your dad or the man in your life with these classic stationary designs. You know he's unique and stylish and now everyone else will too.
While at The Makeup Show in NYC I visited beauty brand Beauty Addicts and tested some of their amazing products including their illuminating facial highlighter. Here's a video interview with Janine from their team explaining how to properly apply their highlighter, GlimmerSHEERS, on your face.
Highlighter is a great way to draw attention to your face. If applied in the right area it can make your cheekbones look higher, brighten your eyes and make your skin look dewy and glowing. It's a great secret weapon to have in your beauty arsenal. Apply highlighter directly below the arch on your brow bone, in the corner of your eyes, on your cheekbone and lightly on the length of your nose. You'll instantly see a brightness to your face and a youthful glow.
I love cream highlighters which come in sticks or compacts because you can apply them easily and blend with your hands or a brush as Janine recommends. They're a great summer accessory. You don't want to cake makeup on especially when the weather is hot. A gorgeous highlighter will add the right amount of color to your skin and give you a flushed, illuminating look. The formula is light and you can throw it on while walking out the door and look summer ready with a beachy-frill-free glow.
I'm a big fan of the Beauty Addicts GlimmerSHEERS highlighter used in this video because the compact comes as a duo with two formulas in complimentary shades. The Glimmer is a soft focus luminizing luster for a sun-kissed sheen while the Sheer is a clear highlighter that hydrates and enhances glowing skin. Janine used shade combination Motivate on me.
In addition to this great highlighter set I also love The Multiple by NARS in Portofino. This stick can be used on the eyes, cheeks, lips and body. It's a creamy consistency with a beautiful sheer finish. I'm also a fan of gloCheek Sheen by Glo Minerals. The stick comes in Peachy, a universally-flattering shade that subtly illuminates the cheeks and eyes.
Summer is in full swing and with that comes the influx of weddings and bridal related events. A bride wants to not only look and feel like the best version of themselves, but feel like they’ve been transformed into a bridal goddess.
Bridal makeup is its own sub-genre of makeup application. It’s a special mixture of enhancement, correction and transformation.
By using the right tools, any makeup artist can hear the bride’s gasp of joy after she’s been spun around and shown what she’ll look like on the most important day of her life.
When doing bridal makeup a few products and application tips are essential to achieving your client’s desired look. Blending is of utmost importance as harsh lines can easily be detected in photos. Building an even-toned, blemish-free canvas is essential to keeping your makeup lasting all night. Applying a matte, shine-free foundation is as critical as properly applying fake lashes. Both need to look flawless and last all night.
If you haven’t already done it invest in:
An airbrush makeup kit
Face and body primer
Eyelash curler
Fake eyelashes
Adhesive eyelash glue
A great set of brushes including a foundation and powder brush
Here are some of the steps I used to create my latest bridal look:
SKIN:
I applied a layer of NYX HD Studio Photogenic Primer using a foundation brush all over the face. I then dabbed Guerlain Terracotta Touch Highlighter around her nose, on her brow bone, and around the corners of her mouth to cover dark areas.
Airbrush makeup feels light on, gives a bride a flawless, even complexion that lasts all day and is able to withstand sweat, tears and environmental elements. Using the Luminess Air System, I sprayed the bride with a foundation one shade darker than her natural skin color to match her more tanned body.
I prepped her eyes for shadow using Maybelline FIT ME Concealer in Light on her lids and under her eyes. I set the concealer with Julie Hewett Translucent Oat Powder. Using DUO Adhesive Glue, I added MAC False Lashes in 7. The key to adding false lashes is bending the strip into a semi circle so they’re a little more pliable and then taking the lashes and measuring them on the eyes to see if they fit or need to be trimmed. I took a Q-tip and applied a thin layer of glue on the top of the lash strip. I then put the lashes a few inches away from the inner corner of the eyes so the lashes are exaggerated out and the eyes look elongated and dramatic. I then placed them on the edge of the lids and held them down for 30 seconds. Once they dried I took an eyelash curler and curled them along with the bride’s actual lashes. This lifted the lashes up and brightened the eyes. I then added a highlighter called Mary-Lou Manizer by the Balm onto her lids and blended together taupe shades from a Maybelline Eyeshadow Quad in Mocha Motion and a Clinique Eyeshadow Trio in Rain Forest on the outer corner and crease. I added a dab of the gold from the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick directly underneath the eyebrow in her arch to highlight and lift the brow bone and then darkened the brows with a Model Co. eyeshadow in Portofino.
LIPS:
I lined the lips with Clinique Lip Liner in Nudey and filled the lips in with the pencil to create a more natural color. I then added a swipe of All Heart pink lipstick by Clinique with a layer of 15 Minutes of Fame lip gloss by Lipstick Queen in 10 Minutes. Lipstick will come off at some point so having the colors on hand is key for reapplication. More importantly however, is keeping the focus on the eyes and keeping the lips low key rather than relying on lipstick to last all night and tie the look together.
After you’ve applied all the makeup, take a powder brush and go over the face to make sure everything is blended. If you see a streak or excess makeup that has fallen from the eyes, take a foundation brush and blend it off. Both brushes will blend the makeup you do want and remove the makeup you don't want.
I attended the Makeup Show in New York a few weeks ago and met with tons of amazing brand reps, makeup artists and experts. It was a ton of fun and I got to test out so many new, exciting products.
One of my favorite meet and greets was at the Anastasia Eyebrow Booth. Anastasia Soare is the eyebrow expert and has a roster of celebrity clients. We all know how essential it is to have well groomed brows. It literally makes or brakes your look and can lift your whole face, making you look younger, more polished and more put together. Eyebrows are the perfect frame for the face and this woman has framed some of the most glamorous women in the world: Madonna, Oprah, Jennifer Lopez, Claudia Schiffer, Debra Messing, Heidi Klum and many more. She also has her own line which is, of course, a celeb and makeup artist favorite.
I met some of the Anastasia team and got a little brow makeover from one of their beauty experts. Check out how my brows got the Anastasia signature look below and click here to get your hands on some of their amazing brows tools.
Check out more brow tips from Anastasia on Oprah.com.
You probably have a go-to lipstick right? I personally don't but then again I have beauty ADD and can't settle on anything when it comes to products. Have you noticed that lipstick-wearing is on the rise? A shiny tube of color isn't reserved for special occasions anymore. It's certainly still totally glamorous to wear perfect red lips, black liner and your best Mad Men outfit with pearls, of course, but today everybody seems to be rocking bright, punchy colors for a day or night look. Lipsticks are way more versatile and have become more creamy, wearable and moisturizing. The consistencies range from sheer, stained, matte and glossy which make them more appealing to the strictly gloss-wearing consumers of the past. These new characteristics have lured scores of younger customers who in the past stayed away from the overly matte, overly done-up look of lipstick. Now a celeb can't be seen on the red carpet without a perfectly filled-in pout and red isn't just reserved for the winter. A splash of cherry, crimson or coral-rouge can consistently be seen on your fave starlets.
So with all the choices out there, which tubes have been ruling the roost so far? According to the NPD Group, (think Billboard Top 100 for beauty) MAC grabbed the top-earning spot. Having a mega-superstar (Lady Gaga) as your spokesperson probably doesn't hurt. Gaga did look pretty fierce at the recent CFDA Awards with crimson lips and heavy black brows with of course a blue wig. The woman knows how to do color.
Featured in an article from Stylelist.com, the rest of the top five tubes include Lancôme, Estée Lauder, Clinque, and Chanel. No big surprises there. NPD Group VP, Karen Grant explained that people love to play with products and color despite the recession. "Coming out of the recession, it seems that the consumers' thirst for color and play was reawakened. In 2010, we saw the preference for rich as well as retro colors and in 2011 we are seeing new neutrals come to the fore. As the fashion industry increasingly features bold as well as understated lip statements on the runway and in advertisements, lip color appears to be getting its groove back."
So in conclusion, don't be afraid to throw on some Gwen Stefani red and prance out of the house-ready to conquer the world or at least look Coco Chanel glamorous during an otherwise boring work day!
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