Madonna Looking Good - Courtesy of Votre Vu

I'm not a huge Madonna fan. Actually, I'm not a Madonna fan at all. I find many of her looks outrageous, which I understand is her intention. However, I think she looked fabulous for the premiere of the MDNA Tour documentary.

Madonna’s makeup artist, Sammy H. Mourabit, used Votre Vu products to create her look for last week’s premiere in New York City. He drew inspiration from Marlene Deitrich’s iconic 1930’s look from the movie “Morocco.”

To achieve Madonna’s flawless complexion, Sammy first hydrated her face with Votre Vu Attentive Crème de Jour for Sensitive Skin without forgetting the neck where he used Portrait Collar Restorative Neck Crème. He then dabbed Votre Vu’s Love Me Deux Concealer in Champagne under her eyes - and also on the darker areas of her skin to even out her skin tone.

One of the tricks he used was mixing the Love Me Deux Nourishing Moisture Tint in Champagne with the Attentive to achieve a dewy look. Next, he accentuated her cheekbones by contouring them with Votre Vu’s Beaute en Bronze Tantalizing Bronzer Duo.

To create a '30's eyebrow, he first groomed her brows with a brush. Then he applied the Arch de Triumphe Daily Brow Definer in Warm inside the natural eyebrow line. The thinner line captures that '30’s look. To cover the excess natural hair, he dabbed on some Votre Vu’s Love Me Deux Concealer in Champagne, giving the illusion of a clean groomed eye without the need for over-plucking.

For the lips, Sammy first contoured them in a heart shape reminiscent of the '30’s style with the Drawmatic Lip Liner in Naked (coming out in September). He followed by mixing two shades of the French Kiss Moisture Riche Lipstick (coming out in September) for a luminous and voluptuous effect. He applied the darker tone, Margaux, to the outer lines of the lip and the lighter tone, Annette, to the inner lip.

On the lashes, he used Eiffel Power Mascara only in the center of the eyelashes. To intensify the '30's look, he added some false lashes to the outer corner of the eye.

The last touch was the Vu-On Rouge in Bouquet Rose on her cheeks and a little bit of the Belle Poudre HD Sheer Face Finish in Light. The result was a modern Marlene Dietrich look.

What do you think? Try to forget the fact that her choreography drew criticism. The first act of her tour relied heavily on the use of guns. She compared their use to action films with the stock comment, "Guns don't kill people, people kill people." Straight out of the NRA's playbook. Always stirring the pot.

As for Votre Vu, I wish it were easier to see and test here in the backwaters of the DC area. It's one of those brands that constantly entices me, but is always out of arm's reach.

Photos courtesy of Votre Vu

Celebrity Culture and its Influence on Fashion

There's no way one can deny the influence of celebrities on American culture - particularly on fashion and the aspirations of their fans. I wish it weren't so. Some of the most popular have proven lately that they aren't worthy role models.

I used to think that Beyoncé had a pretty good handle on her image. She's shown above, glamorous in H&M's new summer advertising campaign - just as her single, Bow Down, marks a tasteless turn in her image. As the Telegraph said, "Say what you will about Beyoncé, this is a woman who throughout her phenomenally successful singing career, has nailed the powerful, sassy superwoman act down to a tee. So much so, that none other than Barack Obama hailed her as being the perfect role model for his two daughters." I wonder if he would say that today.

One could not miss the news this week that she is now calling herself "Mrs. Carter" in a bow to her subservient marital status. In Bow Down, she sings,  "I know when you were little girls/You dreamed of being in my world/Don't forget it, don't forget it/Respect that, bow down, b**ches," with the refrain “bow down, b**ches” aggressively and tediously repeated throughout her song with a message. It's a message that could backfire on her - at least with her older admirers, like me, who thought of her as a classy, independent woman who sang the right message for young, "single ladies." I am very disappointed in her. She's certainly no longer a Gucci-type gal.

What's gone wrong with cute, little Justin Bieber? The clean, parent-approved kid from Canada seems to have morphed into a thug. Why were his fans kept waiting for two hours before he showed up on stage weeks ago? Then he collapsed during a subsequent performance. Were there drugs involved? At that point, I felt sorry for the kid - until he crudely flashed his underwear in a photo he tweeted from the hospital. He has been kicked out of ritzy hotels, fought with photographers, tattooed his body, turned to a vocabulary laced with profanity, and bragged while blasting his critics. It looks to me like he might be on his first steps toward Lindsay Lohan's disastrous life. Child star gone bad? Where are his parents?

Here "she" is, showing up for court with her clueless attorney (the one who told Billy Bush she is an "iconic Hollywood treasure"). Not everyone arriving for a court appearance for a car accident she caused is showered with glitter. Given her shopping habits (she went shopping after she accepted a plea agreement that includes a 90-day stint in rehab), you would think she could have worn something a bit less revealing. The white two-piece dress was gorgeous - and entirely inappropriate. I doubt 90 days in rehab will change her ways. If I had been the judge, I would have given her a sentence she could remember. Apparently she has forgotten the prior ones. In her case, I won't ask, "Where are her parents?"

I'm glad I don't have children. Raising kids today is a challenge. Our society seems to hold out celebrities like these as role models. Beyoncé and Bieber have been cited frequently as worthy idols. LiLo could have stayed on that track, but she jumped off the train long ago.

Back to my original blurb/rant. Beyoncé's H&M campaign will be prominently featured during her upcoming world tour. In the print advertisements and billboards, she will be referenced as, “Beyoncé as Mrs. Carter in H&M.” Known for its edgy corporate branding, is H&M putting its stamp of approval on her message or just her look?

Photos courtesy of WWD, Justin Bieber, and Vanity Fair

Did She or Didn't She?

Appearing at the White Fairly Tale Love Ball, Anne Hathaway "was a vision in fluttering vintage Valentino with a floral tiara by Stephen Jones," according to WWD. Indeed, she looked charming - except for one thing. To my eye, her normally full lips looked too full - out of proportion with her face.

Perhaps it was the red lipstick. Maybe a photographer caught her at a bad angle. I could be delusional. Anne Hathaway is a gorgeous (and talented) woman. She needs no help from a dermatologist or surgeon.

Take a look at her photo below, taken a year and a half ago at Harvard. Try to account for the difference in lipsticks. I found the photo at right in an attempt to do that. Granted, the older photos were both taken with a full smile. Perhaps that accounts for the difference?

What do you think? Did Anne Hathaway succumb to Hollywood's mania for lip augmentation?

Photo at top by Stephanie Feugere for WWD; other photos courtesy of sexydesktop and celebrityrush

Get the Look: Julie Bowen at the Golden Globes

When I watched the Golden Globes, I was struck by how pretty Julie Bowen looked. It turns out her makeup look was created using tarte products - one of my favorites lines! Celebrity makeup artist Heather Currie helped Julie prepare for the Golden Globe Awards, where she was a presenter.

This from Heather..."Think gorgeous and elegant, yet still modern. Julie has amazing bone structure and looks stunning with a smoky eye. When I saw her dress, I was reminded of a John Singer Sargent painting. I wanted to create a metallic eye that was in the same tone as her dress, which was a taupe-y gray with a hint of silver."

Here's how Heather created the Julie's smashing look.

Makeup/Complexion
"Julie has glowing skin; I only wanted to enhance her flawless complexion."

• Prepped her skin with tarte's clean slate natural primer
• Applied tarte's ReCreate anti-aging foundation with Wrinkle Rewind technology with SPF 15 in cool bisque #04
• Applied tarte's dark circle defense natural under eye corrector in light-to-medium
• Dabbed tarte's new smooth operator illuminating serum on cheekbones

Makeup/Cheeks
"Keeping her look soft, I used a light peach with a touch of flush on her cheeks."

• Swirl of tarte's NEW Amazonian clay 12-hour blush in blissful on the apple of her cheeks, with a touch of the tarte's new Amazonian clay 12-hour blush in flush (available only at Sephora)
  

Makeup/Eyes
"We really wanted Julie's look to focus on her gorgeous eyes. I created a metallic smoky eye based on her textured, taupe-y gray gown. I love layering shadows and using my fingers to smudge and blend the colors."

• Prepped eyes with tarte's smooth operator Amazonian clay eyebase
• Used a combination of shadows from tarte's NEW neutralEYES eye shadow palette tarte's femme naturale eye shadow palette, as well as tarte's emphaseyes aqua-gel eyeliner

"I love to layer eyeshadow with liner; I first used the darker brown shadows and smoked them at the lash line. I then applied the shimmery gray-silver on her lids (her dress had a hint of silver). I used the medium brown on the outer corner and upwards at the crease. I then re-lined the outer areas of her eyes."

• Curled lashes with picture perfect lash curler
• Coated lashes tarte's lights, camera, lashes! clinically-proven natural mascara

Makeup/Lips
"To compliment her smoky eyes, I wanted Julie to have a sheer hint of rose on her lips."

• Prepped lips with tarte's frxtion sugar exfoliator and lip balm duo
  
• Used tarte's LipSurgence natural matte lip tint in hope

Finishing Touches

• Dusted tarte's smooth operator Amazonian clay finishing powder under eyes and in T-zone area to prevent shine and ensure it lasted through the evening
• Dusted provocateur pressed mineral powder in light

You can recreate the look Heather created for Julie's Golden Globes look. Head over to tarte's Web site, where you will find the products listed above. It's a glamorous, but natural look, one any of us can wear!

Photo courtesy of tarte

Jessica Szohr's Mark Look at the Piranha 3D Premiere

Normally, I don't write about mark, but I buy mark makeup now and then, and I'm impressed with the price to quality ratio of this incredibly affordable makeup line. I know you gals love an occasional "affordable beauty" feature, so here's one that interested me.

Recently, mark's Celebrity Makeup Artist Mai Quynh shared her expert tips for creating Gossip Girl's Jessica Szohr's gorgeous makeup look for the premiere of Piranha 3D. Since I'm not a big movie theater fan, I missed the news of Jessica's red carpet look. Luckily, a PR friend shared it with me so that I could share it with you.

The film was a remake of the 1978 comedy-horror Piranha. In the film, Jessica played Kelly Driscoll, a hot young townie caught up in the excitement of coeds who have descended upon the area for spring break. From what I understand, the movie is an R-rated blood-n-babes extravaganza - probably not my kind of film. Makeup, however, is right up my alley!

Here is the skinny from Mai Quynh herself on how she created Jessica's sulty look. She used a lot of products, but you could use a few of the mark products to fill in what you already have and be ready for the red carpet yourself! As for the sexy, strapless red dress? You're own your own.

“For Jessica’s face, I started by applying mark Calm & Composed Super-Soothing Moisturizer to create a nice canvas. Next, I applied mark Face Xpert Flawless Touch Makeup in Golden with the mark Foundation Brush to even out her skin tone. Then, I used the mark Concealer Brush to dab on mark Good Riddance Hook Up Concealer in Medium/Deep around her nose and under her eyes and blended into the rest of her skin to create a smooth finish. Next, I set her foundation with mark Powder Buff Natural Skin Foundation in Golden using the mark Powder Brush. After the powder set, I dusted on mark Bronze Pro Bronzing Powder in Bronze Pro using the mark Angled Contour Face Brush to create a healthy glow. I finished her face by lightly brushing mark Good Glowing Mosaic Blush Custom Color Palette in Hush Baby onto the apples of her cheeks.” There's something to be said for those cheekbones! The right makeup application can give all of us cheekbones to die for.

“For her eyes, I used the mark Flat Eyeliner Brush to apply mark Keep It Going Longwear Eyeliner & Shadow in Surreal (bronze color) along her upper and lower lash line, blending upwards onto her lid. I then used the mark All Over Eye Shadow Brush to dust mark I-Mark Custom Pick Eye Shadow in Plum Velvet to her eyelid, from the lash line to her crease to really make her eyes pop. To finish, I carefully rimmed her eyes twice with mark No Place to Run Eyeliner in Jet Set followed by two coats of mark Lash Splash Hook Up Waterproof Mascara in Black.”

“For her lips, I used mark Lipclick Full Color Lipstick in Bare Hug. This nude shade is universally flattering and really looks great on all skin tones.”

As I'm sure you know, mark is a trendy line developed by Avon for younger women (well, younger than me). We know Avon rivals some of the best brands in the business, and mark is Avon's "little sister." The "age thing" doesn't matter to me. If I like a color, I'll buy it. That's why you can find mark in my "makeup pileup."

You can find mark at this link online. There is a representative locator at this link.

Photo courtesy of mark