Fifty-cent Head

What do tattoos smell like?

I guess tattoos probably smell a bit gross, if you want to get down to it, and I certainly don't think most tattoo parlors smell so hot, either. But if you could take traditional tattoo art and bottle it I wonder what it would smell like?

Ed Hardy thinks he knows (or at least his marketing folks do!). Women's tattoos apparently are delectable florals (freesia, linden blossom, muguet) with a virtual fruit basket (apples, mangoes, wild strawberries, and ruby red grapefruit) layered over amber, musk, tonka bean and a splash of vanilla.
Men's tattoos, quite surprisingly, citrusy goodness (bergamot, mandarin) in a pool of cool greens (thuja, clary sage, mint julep accord) that then mellows a bit to airy sensuality (ozone, musk, sequoia forest and amber).

To me, it sounds like they just tossed in a bunch of notes and shook 'em up just to see what happened (especially the men's fragrance). What do you think!?

You can check them out for yourself at most major department stores.

For the record: I have multiple tattoos. I love the culture, so my comments above weren't meant to offend.... but let's face it: there aren't that many tattoo parlors I'd love to bottle!

MAC Heatherette swatches & review

Just for you, my swatches of Heatherette...

Not enough? Need more? Want to hear my opinions of the collection? Keep reading...

Have you seen these? HOT!

Christina Aguilera will be the spokesmodel for jeweler (and friend) Stephen Webster. The above are the images, shot in July when Christina was 4-months pregnant. The inspiration for the ads was Hitchcock - you may recognize the posing from Rear Window and Dial M for Murder? Read on past the jump for images from the movies...

What do you think of Christina's look? Is the retro look over, or should she rock it as long as she can? What are your opinions of the makeup?

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Want to recreate the hair at the Jenni Kayne Fall '08 show?

The video below is courtesy of Oscar Blandi. Take a look to recreate the looks seen on the Jenni Kayne runway - hot, sexy bedhead; touseled night-after low updos, and just all around sex appeal!

Possibly the best runway theme ever!

“The inspiration is Amish girls who secretly listen to disco.”

- Sam Bryant, MAC makeup artist at Richard Nicoll, Fall Ready-to-Wear '08 London

 

To create the look:

• Face - Was innocent with Face and Body foundation topped with Cream Color Base in Nude on the cheeks.
• Eyes - Brow pencil softly defines tousled brows, but was used in a straight line, while lashes were curled.
• Lips - Were sweet and innocent with Burgandy Paint Stick blended from the center of the lip and topped softly with Desire lipglass.

That's hot.

Looks I'm loving from NY Fashion Week - Fall '08

I have decided to compile a bunch of looks I particularly liked from Fall '08 Fashion Week in NY. Rather than break down each show for you, which can be tedious, I thought maybe I'd just give you a little peek into my head and the way I think, by telling you the looks that really grabbed my attention. By the way, the looks below are all courtesy of MAC.

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Carmen Marc Valvo - Feb 8

"It's all about the girl and her lips! A Robert Palmer girl." Tom Pecheux - Key Artist

Tom Pecheux is one of my favorite MAC artists -  I love to see the looks he's created for the runway!

Skin...was matte, courtesy of Studio Fix, softly applied.

Eyes...were nude - literally. Just curl the lashes and fill in the brows with Taupe Brow Filler - that's it!

LIPS...were the focus, as with any good Robert Palmer girl: fill in the lip line with Magenta Lip Pencil, then pat Russian Red lipstick in the middle of the lip and use a lip brush to push it out towards the lip line lightly.

Do you not love the look of that lip!?

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Richard Chai - Feb 6

"Graphic and precise - a design that feels new." James Kaliardos - Key Artist

At first blush, this is another nude face, but take a closer look at that neat eye contouring, courtesy of James Kaliardos, another of my favorite MAC artists.

Face... dewy, glowy, lit from within. How? MAC Face & Body Foundation on the face, with Strobe Cream and Pearl Cream Colour Base mixed and applied to the cheeks and nose. Cheeks were Fleur Power Blush, a color I really like, high on the cheek.

Eyes... nude - but not. Everyone's favorite eyeshadow, Naked Lunch, was swept from lashline to the crease. Phone Number Eye Kohl and Print Eyeshadow were applied to the crease in a line - clearly visible in the image to the right. Use the shadow to soften the line a bit. Place Pale Yellow Eye Pencil in the inner corner of the eyes, then put MAC Hollywood Eye Shadow in Kitty on the outer corner. No mascara.

Lips... nothin' but nude with MAC Pro Lip Erase in Dim, with a topping of 3N lipstick.

Wait- did you catch that!? "MAC Hollywood Eye Shadow in Kitty"!?!?! Expect "Hollywood Eye Shadow" coming around the corner. Piqued your interest? Mine, too.

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Carolina Herrera - Feb 4

"It’s all about a strong mouth. It's sophisticated, but playful at the same time." Diane Kendal - Key Artist

I'm tired of the nude face, strong lip look - anyone else? But this is a great twist on it. Rather than having to look at (and apply!) a meticulous layer of lipstick with all of its hard edges and intensity, check out this softly nuanced, just-bitten look.

Face... Skin, and not matte! This look is refreshing no matter which way you look at it! Studio Tech applied where needed and nowhere else, topped with Burgandy Paint Stick on the apples of the cheeks- smudged in with the fingers.

Eyes... A 210 brush pushed Blacktrack into the lashline, and curled lashes were dosed with Plushblack mascara.

Lips... almost vampiric but innocent, still. Chestnut and Nightmoth pencils blended and sheered-out and topped with a touch of Media lipstick. A dab of Black Cream Color Base was placed in the center of the mouth and blended with a 310 brush.

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Ruffian - Feb. 2

At least here we have another interesting mouth! I really like purple lately, and the idea of it on the lips really catches my eye. May be trying this out sooner rather than later...

Skin... Just MAC Blot Powder - that is to say matte and no makeup, because Blot Powder is only 3% color pigment and the rest is silica. No color, no texture, no oil.

Eyes... Nude, again. Taupe eyeshadow under the lower lashline to create a shower, and also on the outer part of the lid. Satin Taupe, a fabulous color most MAC addicts have already, was applied to the center crease.  A surprising twist: Forgery, a silver eyeshadow, was  used as a highlighter not only under the brow arch and inner corner of the eye (expected) but also on the bridge of the nose and cheek (unexpected).

Lips... Precision in purple. If it has to be a precise lip, which I just mentioned I'm tired of, at least it's bright and a hot color! Lined with Magenta Lip Pencil, and filled in with Violetta lipstick.

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Wanna see MAC + Heatherette collection? Wanna buy it before anyone else?

Take a look at that, won't ya!? A rare glimpse of the elusive MAC + Heatherette collection... in the wild, it's natural habitat! Want to see more and/or learn how you can take it home with you ?  Keep reading!

DISCLAIMER: The images in this post came directly from ebay, and apparently the person who posted them got some/all of them from Specktra without attributing them, along with the product descriptions - I don't condone that behavior! So: thanks to Specktra.net for the images, and apologies for inadvertently posting them without the disclaimer for a few hours.

Also, Janice at Specktra posted on her blog that these items were given to the press at a press event - and the person who has posted them on ebay is making money on these things she received for free. NASTY behavior. Not nice at all. Please do NOT purchase this lot- but feel free to gawk at the images (thanks again Specktra for those that came from you).

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Pout-à-Porter: Lancôme - Thakoon lipstick Pixel Pink available online tomorrow!

Pout-à-Porter. The collaboration between Lancôme and rising stars in the fashion industry. Lipsticks made when Lancôme and the designers put their head together to plan a product and a runway concept.

This collaboration is between Lancôme's former creative director, celebrity makeup artist Gucci Westman and Thakoon, emerging designer. This is the 4th of 4 Pout-à-Porter lipsticks; the first 3 were made for Behnaz Sarafpour (Fall 2006), Proenza Schouler (Spring 2007) and Peter Som (Fall 2007).

Starting tomorrow (!) this lipstick, a Color Fever Shine lipstick called Pixel Pink will be available only in limited quantities and only at lancome-usa.com. If you want to wait until you can see it in person to buy it, you'll have to wait 'til March 1st and head quickly on over to your Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, or Lancôme boutique (of which there are only 5).

Pixel Pink will be $25US.

 

MAC Spring Looks

MAC has released their Spring/Summer '08 trends, available in the Picks section of the website. These are makeup combinations that are pivotal for this Spring and Summer. As we know, MAC sets the standard for makeup trends, so take a look at these and see what works for you (and what you see imitated by other companies!). All looks are available at the MAC website, as are detailed methods to reproduce them, by the way.


Lovin' that purple lip there, in Acrylic! I may have to try that one. I really like the use of color in this trend- I think it's fresh and sassy.

Make sure if you're doing a vibrant lip like this, that you keep the lines precise. If it's blurry or sloppy you risk looking like a crazy cat lady. Grab some of MAC's Cleansing Tips which contain an oil-based remover to help neatly clean up slip ups.

And don't pair the lips with a strong eye- these looks are meant to be used sparingly. Keep the rest of the face fairly neutral and soft!

In Alabaster, everything goes white!

I am not too sure how much I care for this look. I love the light eye, top left, and I'm definitely a fan of a bright shimmer in the inner corner of the eye (not like that in the bottom right!).

The milky look on the lips is nice, but not for everyone. If you can't wear a milky pink, try a warmer Lip Conditioner like Soothing Beige or Gentle Coral or try C-Thru liplass.

MAC has a few great products for highlighting the cheeks. The soft pink cheeks here can also be adapted for warmer complexions by trying shades like Tenderling or Peaches. In a pinch, try going through your eyeshadows to see if there's a shade that will work!

Slated is probably my favorite of these trends. It's dark, but not quite a smoky look. Never heavy, this use of greys and taupes seems light and fresh.

Love that eye, top right! In fact, all of these eye looks are amazing.

As shown, keep the rest of the skin soft and light so as not to appear weighed-down by the greys. That's pretty much the key to wearing this trend!

Fashion Week Makeup Notes

Fall '08 Ready to Wear Fashion Week has begun, and as always it's going to be a great way to see what the makeup trends will be for the upcoming season!

Here are some highlights from the shows so far (all images are "clickable" thumbnails):

At Erin Fetherston, the look was a little bit naughty schoolgirl. Hair was semi-tamed in sweet headbands, or parted down the middle in an innocent way. Some models sported Rapunzel-like curls that varied in size. Makeup was glowy-dewy with neutral eyes, fair brows, and just-bitten lips dabbed with matte berry and red lipsticks. Some of the models had their lipstick placed only in the middle of the mouth, enhancing the innocent doll appearance.

 

Rag & Bone defined a trend I'm sure we'll see crop up this Fall. I thought this makeup was stunning, and therefore was not surprised to see that the lead artist was Gucci Westman (see last pic). Eyes were done in stormy blues with the concentration of color on the inner eye, near the nose. Colors faded to neutral then to skin as they moved towards the outer eye. Since this is a striking eye, lips were natural and soft. Skin was matte and contoured, brows were groomed and fairly strong. Hair was storybook-inspired again, with braids weaving in and out of long locks.

Renaissance hair at threeasfour - braids  captured by hairnets were everywhere! (Not a look I love, by the way, but it's runway hair- I don't have to wear it!) Strong brows framed very nude eyes with vibrant electric-blue lashes.  While nude, eyes were contoured heavily, with much emphasis in the crease - but to recreate this look make sure you stick with neutral tones within a few shades of your own skin color. Skin was downplayed and matte, with contoured cheeks and flushed pink cheeks on some of the models. Lips were amazing in a gorgeous shade of plummy nude (I need to get my hands on that color!). Great look!

OMG - MAC News Abounds! Specktra Scoops Revealed...

Specktra always has the latest and greatest MAC news, and as I always promise: I scour the web, the magazines, and the beauty world so you don't have to!

Here's what Specktra has for us:

• Details on the Heatherette and MAC collaboration
• Information on the new MAC mineral-based foundation
• News about the new Strobe Collection
• Breaking details about the Beauty Powder Blush Collection

Keep reading for details...

Alberta Ferretti fragrances, skincare and cosmetics on the horizon

Designer Alberta Ferretti has announced a signature fragrance in the works, to be licensed to Elizabeth Arden. This seems a logical choice, as Arden has worked with other celebrities to create fragrances: Danielle Steele, Elizabeth Taylor, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Nanette Lapore, Hillary Duff, and others.

The scent, as yet unnamed, will be available in Spring, 2009 and a line of cosmetics and skincare will follow on its heels.

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Viktor & Rolf, Shu Uemura collaboration - lashes!

Like Viktor & Rolf? Of course you do.

Love Shu Uemura lashes? That's a silly question!

Enter stage right: Shu Uemura lashes inspired by Viktor & Rolf's Spring line.The lashes will be limited edition, naturally, and will be about $109 US each. Three styles will be offered: "Wing", "Wing 2", and "Rhombus".

Really, not much more info has been released, but if I can get some pics I'll share them with you.
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Fafi for MAC- more.

OK- this collection is so discussed, so posted about-- it had better live up to the hype. I guess we'll know in less than 2 weeks, won't we?

More information about this collection surfaced today at Specktra. Here's what Janice had to share with the world (quoted directly from Specktra):

This isn’t confirmed, but…it’s pretty close to it I believe, and it’s got the descriptions of the Paint Pots to be released with this collection.

Specktra.net member makeupmag was so kind as to share this information with us in the Fafi & MAC discussion thread.

LIPSTICK
Fun ‘n’ Sexy Blue pink with blue pearl (G)
Not so Innocent Sheer tan with pink and peach pearl (G)
Utterly Frivolous Rosy coral with pink pearl (L)
High Top Grey purple with blue pearl (G)
Flash-n-Dash Intense tangerine red with pink pearl (G)
Strawbaby Coral rose with rainbow pearl (L)

LIPGLASS
Cult Face Blue mid-tone pink with white pearl (F)
Sugar Trance Creamy soft pink with white and rainbow pearl (F)
Squeeze It Brassy plum (F)
Totally It Sheer bright pink with intense pink pearl (F)

EYE SHADOW x4
Fafi Eyes 1
Howzat Deep grey with silver sparkle (S)
Hey Neutral tan with pearl (VP)
Pink Venus Washed pink (L)
Vanilla Soft pale-peachy-ivory flecked with shimmer (V)

Fafi Eyes 2
Bold as Gold Yellow gold with gold pearl (L)
You’re Fresh Pale green with silver sparkle (L)
Shockwave Intense orange with silver sparkle (V)
Prankster Muted dark blue (S)

PAINT POT
Nice Vice Dirty purple with purple pearl (F)
Girl Friendly Creamy grey pink (C)
Layin’ Low Creamy beige (C)
Cash Flow Green gold with gold pearl (F)
Perky Cream coral with white pearl (S)
Rollickin’ Aqua blue green with white pearl (F)

FLUIDLINE
Blacktrack Solid flat black

EYE KOHL
Smolder Intense black
Fascinating Snake-eyes matte white

ZOOM LASH
Zoomblack Rich black

POWDER BLUSH
Hipness Intense coral with soft white pearl
Fashion Frenzy Mid-tone blue pink

IRIDESCENT PRESSED POWDER
Sassed-up Soft coral pink with gold sparkle
Verve-acaious Intense yellow gold with gold pearl
Belightful Gilded peach bronze

NAIL LACQUER
Girls Will Be Girls Pink with coral pearl
Boom! Rich eggplant with purple pearl

BRUSHES
210 Precise Eye Liner - Firm, extra-fine tip brush for precise lining with emollient or water-based products. Replacement to old M.A.C 210 Eye Liner Brush.
129SH Powder/Blush (with decorated pouch) Soft natural fluffed domed brush for application of powder products on cheeks and face. In a special decorated Fafi-theme pouch.
208 Angled Brow Brush Firm, angle-tip brush for precise application of brow and eye-lining products.
182 Buffer Brush Ultra-soft, large, rounded dome tip brush for use with powder face and cheek products.

BAGS
Rectangle M.A.C/Small/Clearly Fafi
Rectangle M.A.C/Mini/Clearly Fafi

FAFI DOLLS
Fafinettes

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Ok, if I had to guess what's going to really catch my attention it would be:

• Fun ‘n’ Sexy
• Utterly Frivolous
• High Top Grey
• Sugar Trance
• Squeeze It
• Totally It
• Nice Vice
• Girl Friendly
• Cash Flow
• Hipness
• Sassed-up  
• Girls Will Be Girls
• Boom! (DEFINITELY. I love purple nailpolish- why???)

And maybe a bag...

Then again, once I see a collection I usually change my mind.

What do you want from this collection? And are you buying anything just for the packaging??

Fashion Week- Armani Privé

Armani Privé.

Now that's what I'm talking about. I just loves me some Armani.

Source: Style.com

Now, do me a favor and go back to those images and study them if any of the following apply:

• You want a stunning evening look for an upcoming event.
• You don't think runway makeup is ever classy.
• You want to know how false eyelashes should look.
• You want to know how brows should be enhanced to look sexy but not crazy.
• You don't know where to place highlighter on the face.

The makeup in this show is flawless. Last year's makeup was done by Peter Philips- I haven't quite gotten my hands on who is responsible for this year's show but I will be checking!

I love the eyes- smoky lids with brilliant highlight in the inner corner. The play of light is amazing! The lashes are sexy and obvious without being tacky. Brows are defined and even strong, but not too dark and not overdone. They are there- but they don't scream.

Skin is matte (of course- this is a strong trend!) and highlight is employed to make the high points of the face gleam. The overall effect is of candlelight.

Lips are nude but not chalky- this is nude done right! Soft caramels were used for the most part- but the colors were cool enough to look lively and not orange or lifeless.

Perfection.