Author Archives: McKennaRishmawy

the Fashion stuff., the Hair stuff., the Makeup stuff.

Best of the 2013 Golden Globes … you know you want to.

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Disclaimer:  This post is about fashion.  While my aim is to keep this a beauty blog, every once in a while (read: AWARDS SEASON), you’ve gotta talk about the stuff we wear that’s not on our face.  Cool?  Cool.

Confession- I’ve been bored by the red carpet showings these past years.  So few people seem to take real risks these days, but I suppose not every person who shows up on a red carpet does it with the intent of taking a risk and I can understand that.  It’s just what I happen to value the most on such occasions.  As much as I’m into beauty, I’m also into fashion, and I’m not necessarily into it just for the sake of finding something that looks good on me.  I’m into fashion for the sake of fashion, and I love clothes for themselves and not exclusively for how they look on a body.

You know that whole phrase, “You should be wearing the clothes.  The clothes should not be wearing you”?  Well, I’m not always in agreement with that.  Sometimes clothing is about displaying a piece of art or making a statement, and it won’t always be in the form of a sexy, figure-flattering little black dress (and in fact, skin and body-hugging silhouettes are rarely a true necessity).  Sometimes folks might even call what you’re wearing “ugly”, say they don’t “get it”, and not a single guy will find it attractive.  And who cares?  If something is worn with conviction, no matter how “conceptual” it may be, just roll with it and enjoy the clothing for itself.  And this is what I so desire to see on a red carpet … gorgeous styling with immaculate makeup and hair, sure … but to top it off, an incredible dress that stands out on its own.  I’ll probably never walk a red carpet, and so I’ve often thought about how if I ever got the chance to do so, I wouldn’t want to waste any time on something safe.  And come on, it’s a little hard to be impressed by anything after this happening in 2010.  This what I’m talking about.

So, here are my favorites from the 2013 Golden Globes last night.  Some are obvious, some are not.  But I will say that I’m still waiting for a true jaw-dropper, which I haven’t had in a couple years.  I’m crossing my fingers for this awards season!

#1 The obvious answer for “Best Dressed”

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From everything I’ve been reading all day, it’s been clear that Jessica Alba was a true winner last night.  Brad Goreski styled her in a coral Oscar de la Renta gown with a jaw-dropping diamond necklace, but the other details of this look were what got me.  The coral-red clutch covered in feathers keeps the whole look young and fun, and her hair and makeup are perfect.  The orange lip is the way to go this spring, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited about it.

#2 The not-so-obvious answer for “Best Dressed”

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This woman does not care about conventions.  At all.  And I love her for it.  And you can definitely tell she’s French, where no one else cares about conventions either.  Marion Cotillard (in Dior Haute Couture) wears what she wants and, as I was previously discussing, clearly loves clothing for what it is (and not simply for how it makes her look).  And the extras, including the grey nails, leopard-print clutch, orange heels, and sleek hair, all add up to something so forward. It’s stuff like this that gets me more excited for Fashion Month next month, and you can kind of tell that she is too.

#3  The one that made me scream, “THAT’S WHAT I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR!!!!”

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Seriously!  Gowns like this can take cahones, and I’ve got mad respect for those who wear them.  I remember a year or so ago when Sarah Michelle Gellar got trashed for wearing this dress, and man, just because you want to live your whole life in the same ole’ basic black dress doesn’t mean you get to push around the ones who actually take a risk like Lucy Liu and Sarah.  If I’d had access to every dress on Earth for my wedding and I’d felt stronger about stepping away from traditional white gowns, something like this Carolina Herrera gown would’ve been a strong contender.  Not kidding.

#4  These kicked butt, too.

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Kerry Washington in Miu Miu and Rachel Weisz in Louis Vuitton both had me squealing, as well.  I haven’t been a huge fan of Kerry’s straight hairstyle with the blunt bangs lately, but she still looked beautiful.  And I kind of can’t get enough of glamorous retro waves that give a nod to Veronica Lake, so you know I’m crazy about Rachel’s tresses.

#5  And the one where I might lose you all …

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Now, before you officially drop me as a source of any legitimate information or opinion,  just look at this picture.  Look at the coloring of the dress, that frothy shade of seafoam, and look at her hair.  Look at her makeup and the shade of rose on her lips.  The diamonds on her ears and on the cuff she wore can be taken into account, too.  Now, let me ask you- Is this not divine?  I am convinced that the only thing detracting at all from this look being one of the absolute best of the night is the loose fit on top that by now has been seen and trashed by EVERYONE.  And let’s be clear- Jessica’s bewbs do not need a lift.  It’s the dress that drapes and hangs somewhat low, which gives us the unfortunate illusion of an unflattering fit.  But I will defend this and say that this color is breathtaking on Jessica Chastain, and her hair and makeup are glorious.  The dress has a clear 1930’s silhouette, but it just didn’t work out.  But I don’t mind it!  She looks like an old Hollywood Calvin Klein-wearing mermaid!!

Oh, and who were the worst dressed?  The rest.  The rest were boring.  xo, MR

the Hair stuff., the Makeup stuff., the Me stuff.

Gettin’ all old-timey kinds of purtty. Or, styling myself in a smashing Mojave Desert wedding shoot.

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This is my first post on makeup I’ve done on myself.  Alright, I see that’s somewhat inaccurate.  I should say that this is the first post of makeup I’ve done on myself for a photo shoot (and that’s not many).  It’s easy for me to be overly critical of my own work, and especially work from over a year ago because … I don’t know … something about this year kind of just raised my standards on makeup all around, and it probably has something to do with the fact that I’ve started doing bridal makeup for others and the pressure’s gone from cat-sitting-on-my-chest to elephant-sitting-on-my-chest.  I’m happy to say that I’m still pleased with what I did for my wedding makeup, and I’ll post on that later.

But for this post, I once again invoke the magical name of Bethany Carlson (sorry for the wizard-y phrasing … too much Harry Potter lately).  Nearly a year ago, Bethany developed a concept for a mock wedding that she wanted to shoot, and she asked my husband and I to model for her.  The main point was to shoot in the Nevada desert around 4:00 pm in order to catch the perfect light of the “golden hour”.  The styling of the shoot was something we weren’t entirely sure of to begin with, but we knew we wanted to go for something dramatic if it was possible.  I set out to find some kind of white dress (any kind of wedding-type dress, really) that would hopefully set the tone for the shoot.

Somehow I ended up finding this for the rental cost of $35.00 at a vintage and costume store maybe two miles away from my apartment.  Believe me- I’m flabbergasted, even ’til this day.  One does not simply find an incredible 1970’s gunnysack wedding gown in decent condition for the rental cost of $35.00!

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I’d really wanted to find a dress with character for the shoot, and upon trying it on and realizing that it nearly fit (being a little big in the waist), I figured I probably wouldn’t happen upon such a unique item at this kind of price, with this kind of close fit, ever again.  I was sold (and to actually buy the dress would’ve only cost an extra thirty bucks!).  Bethany was able to go all-out with prop styling once she’d seen the dress, and the shoot’s aesthetic developed into an almost Downton Abbey-inspired look with some antique Western elements happening (and she even had invitations created!).  Now, I know the dress looks all soft and dainty in the photos, but believe me, it was like wearing a couple of tumbleweeds stitched together.  The thing itched like fresh-cut grass on your freshly-shaven shins.  Some of the lace trimming was tearing, it looked more yellow than any kind of ivory in a few spots, and it smelled old.  It also was lacking any lining or slip, so I had to find a flesh-colored cami and pair of dance shorts to wear beneath it (and I wanted you to be able to see through it more or less, because sheer was going to be big for that spring).  But let me tell you, that dress just seemed to come alive in the desert, in that light.  Bethany found gloves, put together a silk bouquet in sync with the color scheme of the desert, and things just happened.

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Hair and makeup were all on my end, and I was more than excited about it.  Now, I have to confess that for my hair, I tried a new technique I’d learned that proved a bit ambitious.  I blew my hair out straight for the most part that morning, and then proceeded to take 1-2 inch sections of it and twirl them up into pin-curls all around my head.  I secured them with bobby pins and light hair spray, with the intention of leaving them in for 45 minutes.  They were in for nearly two hours.  My bad.  So, you may feel that my hair looks a tad wonky from some angles, but I tried to just do my best Janice Dickinson and werk it.  A couple sections of hair just weren’t able to relax much because they’d been pinned for too long, but that goes for most of us anxious people- Stay wound up for too long, and you’ll find that you’re never able to relax again.  But honestly, it didn’t really matter.

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In doing makeup, I learned the real reason why celebrities have a team of artists there for every shoot- That junk’s gotta get reapplied every five minutes for it to even look remotely similar to how it originally looked.  But did I touch up at all once we got going on the shoot?  Nope.  My bad.  That was a major note-to-self:  Despite however much you may have put on to begin with and despite whatever Armageddon-strength primer you use, it will wear off and you’ll need to touch-up.  How can you get your makeup to last all day?  By reapplying it every three hours, that’s how.  And we weren’t dealing with heat or wind or hostile elements of any kind out there.  In fact, it was decently chilly and still as death.  Seriously!  This is where the mob takes you to put you out for a dirt nap!  See those mountains behind me?  Know where that is?  It’s nowhere.

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For my face, I wanted a navy-blue smokey eye with basically just bronzer on the cheeks.  I can barely remember everything I used for this shoot because I kind of flew by the seat of my pants, but I do know I used an awesome deep navy shadow by Urban Decay called Perversion, and for bronzer I tend to use nothing other than NARS’ Laguna.  I didn’t use false lashes (my bad), but there was plenty of MAC Kohl Liner in Smolder.  Yes, I’m lookin’ at you, Glamberace.  And I seriously couldn’t tell you what I did, if anything, to my lips.

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Bethany and her husband literally piled a room full of furniture in and on top of their car for the drive out to our desert spot.  The two of them found and brought along table settings, chairs, DOORS, everything.  Oh, and we were packed in that car too.  I can’t describe what the whole experience felt like other than Wow … we’re doing this? … we’re doing this … we DID this!  It was literally a game of chasing the light and watching it all come together.  It was thrilling.

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I loved everything about this.  Bethany was on her A-game (though I have yet to see a shoot of hers that presents otherwise), I felt proud of my own styling (even if it wasn’t perfectly executed), and my husband was looking all kinds of old-timey handsome.  And look at the prop concept Bethany designed!  Again, I really can’t encourage you enough to take a stare peep at my dear friend’s work, and who knows?  Maybe one day you’ll find yourself all alone in a desert getting shot.  Hopefully it’s just not by someone named something like Toothpick Charlie or Luca Brasi.  xo, MR

All photos in this post are credited to Bethany Carlson Photography.  For more of Bethany’s work and for more of this shoot, visit her site/blog at http://www.bethanycarlson.com.

the Magazine stuff., the Makeup stuff., the Review stuff.

Stop looking at me with your GIANT EYES! Or, a post on the right eyeshadow for your peepers.

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I’ve often overlooked the fact that makeup, as a skill for many women, doesn’t come easily.  I mean this not in a condescending way, but what I’m saying is that I take for granted the fact that I’ve been seriously messing around with the stuff since early middle school.  And that I read all of Kevyn Aucoin’s books cover-to-cover as a freshman in high school, and have since read literally countless amounts of information on makeup through blogs, books, and magazines during college and beyond.  I’ll sometimes have friends or acquaintances ask me a question or two on how to apply concealer, or what shade of lipstick they should look for, and in a moment of complete ignorance I’ll think to myself, “They … they don’t already know this?”  Stupid, I know.  I should also probably remember that people are busy with other things besides makeup, and I should be grateful that I’m even thought of as a source of helpful information at all.

One common area of interest that I’ve encountered in many of my friends or acquaintances is the question of what color eyeshadow to use on their eyes. Now, you may have seen those Almay i-intense eyeshadow kits at the drugstore tailored specifically for each eye color, but in my humble opinion I think they suck.  I don’t find them user-friendly (as you have to understand how to apply the three colors for proper contrast, etc.), and I’m totally not into the color combinations offered.  Blue eyeshadow is a tough sell to blue-eyed folks considering they’re typically told from day one to not wear blue eyeshadow, and who wants to be limited to three shades anyhow?  Especially when they’re meant to be worn together?

So, I wanted to share an article with you that I’ve had saved in an issue of People StyleWatch from October of 2007.  It’s a feature on the most flattering shadow shades for every eye color, and you only need to worry about wearing one at a time.  There are even recommendations on specific shadows to buy and try.  It’s by far one of the most useful articles I’ve ever encountered in a magazine.  I realize I save every issue of People StyleWatch (and am running out of places to put them), but I have to encourage you that if you’re ever feeling you lack a certain degree of aptitude regarding makeup, browse through some magazines!  I know you may not find an answer to your particular question immediately, but seriously- get off Pinterest and give print magazines a chance!  This coming February issue of InStyle features a full how-to article on contouring.  Contouring!  That’s some advanced stuff there that even I’ve yet to get a good grip on!  Don’t take the easy way out and Google it.  Go the paper route!  Anyhow, here’s our first page for brown eyes:

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As someone who has brown eyes, I have to confess that I’ve loved their neutrality because it’s enabled me to use pretty much any shade of eyeshadow I like.  PSW suggests using champagne and gold, intense greens and purples, and rich, smoky gray for the best results on brown eyes.  These are, indeed, all extremely flattering choices.  However, another great method for figuring out the best shadows to use on your eyes is checking out the color wheel and figuring out what the opposite of your eye color is (identify your eye color on the wheel and your opposite is whatever’s directly across from it).  The opposite hue of your natural eye color is typically a very complimentary choice.  Now, there isn’t exactly an opposite of brown, because it isn’t on the color wheel.  But in most brown eyes there tends to be found quite a bit of yellow, and the opposite of yellow is purple.  So, I often like to add my own recommendation for brown-eyed folks and suggest trying navy or even electric shades of blue, as they’re somewhat near the purple family.  You’ll see these appear later as a good choice for hazel eyes.

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Here’s our section for blue eyes.  Now, you may notice the options tend to just range within different shades of brown, but this is because brown tends to have some yellow in it, which contrasts quite well with blue.  Additionally, other colors tend to clash with blue eyes because they aren’t as neutral, but don’t get discouraged.  The article suggests gunmetal gray, golden rose, and pretty much any shade of brown will look great.  Again, most anyone can pull off any color if you consult a professional and find the right shade, but these will be the most flattering options for you.  Additionally, if you’re feeling bold, try a subtle shade of orange shadow as orange is blue’s direct opposite.

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I love doing makeup on green eyes because the opposite of green is violet-red, which tends to manifest as purple when it comes to eyeshadow.  I love me a smoky eggplant-hued eye.  PSW suggests golden beige, pale purple and smoky plum, and burgundy for your more dramatic occasions.  There are a number of incredible shades of purple shadow that MAC features, including Sketch and Embark, which is more of a deep brown with plum undertones.  Oh, and note the color suggestion made for everyone on the right- gold.  And yes, I concur that this is true.

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I love the options that hazel eyes have.  I’ve often felt that too many people shy away from navy blue shadow (and if you’ve got brown eyes, you should be working it!), so please just know that if you’ve got hazel eyes it’ll look awesome.  Tawny pink (think more of a warm shade as opposed to baby pink), dusty violet, and gray-blue and navy are all suggested for hazel eyes.  If you’re going for a smoky look (and this is the case for most all eye colors), playing around with hues other than black can bring some amazing results.  I’ve been forgoing my common black-brown shadows lately in favor of a deep navy, and I’ve been loving it.

Let me know of any other questions you may have regarding shadow, or any recommendations you may like on a color to purchase.  I’ve got oodles of know-how for you!  And I promise to not snap at you for not doing your own research.  That would be far too Christian Bale of me.  xo, MR

the Hair stuff.

Which Disney princess are you? Or, a post concerning hair color.

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Princesses

Truth: Girls tend to favor the Disney princess that has the same hair color as them.  You know it.  I know it.  I’ve known a few to have a favorite princess based solely on their story and what they do, but if we’re honest (and for the sake of this post), we’ve tended to love and identify with the princess that looks most like us, and an undeniably big part of that has been hair color.  If you had blonde hair (speaking in past tense because I’m mostly referring to our preferences as children, though you still may very well favor the same princess today), you were probably all about Aurora in Sleeping Beauty (or nowadays, Rapunzel).  If you had brown hair, you tended to bat for the Belle team, or perhaps Tarzan‘s Jane in later years.  My personal Disney brunette of choice has always been Megara from Hercules, but I admit that I never felt quite on par with her sass to feel like I fully identified with her.  Meg was an embittered, distressed woman who sold her soul to the Devil.  I sang in the church choir and ate Spaghetti-O’s.  And my hair was never the size of Michigan either, least so in a ponytail.

Girls with raven-colored hair have had a couple options over the years (with most of them admittedly being introduced to us just within the past fifteen or so), with each princess varying in ethnicity.  Jasmine, Mulan, Tiana, Snow White, Pocahontas, and Esmeralda all have glorious black hair, with Esmeralda always having been my personal favorite as far as hair was concerned.  Seriously, if you’re some five-foot-eleven, bronze-skinned Eastern European chick that can pole-dance your butt off, Esmeralda is your girl and you ought to be proud (because I’ve seriously yet to meet any girl with enough self-confidence to cite Esmeralda as her I’m-most-like-this-one Disney princess.  Kanye West probably fancies himself as an Esmeralda).  If it was the case that you had a kind of in-between, walnut-y, off-blonde shade of hair, you may have favored Cinderella.  And of course, lastly, if you had even the slightest, most diminutive hint of red in your locks, you were most fiercely a redhead and you most fiercely held allegiance to Ariel, and you would cut the fool who tried to futilely convince you otherwise (though Giselle is now here for those who feel best known as “strawberry blonde”).

Hair color’s a funny thing, it is.  I was recently told that I need to post more about non-brunettes, and I confess that if you’re, say, a blonde and you’ve perused my writings, you have probably felt somewhat ostracized.  Can’t say I didn’t see this coming.  I insist not on remaining an entirely solid brunette all my life (and having my ends ombre’d has already taken care of that anyhow), but I do think we can agree that for most girls there’s usually one kind of hair color that they seem to attach to at least a little bit, and mine’s been brown for lack of a more descriptive term.  But for the sake of diversity (but more so for the sake of proving to you that I don’t immediately throw shade at the sight of yellow hair), I shall now present to you my favorite non-brunettes simply based on their hair color and cut, be they redhead, blonde, raven-haired, or a shade in between.

2012 Golden Globe Awards

Oh, Julianne Moore.  How I envy those deep copper strands of yours.  I’d only wear such a shade with a thoroughly Scotch-Irish complexion like Julianne’s, but boy does it look lovely.  And of course, it’ll come as no surprise to you to say that I’ve loved that she’s never cut it short.

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According to everything I’ve read on the girl, Amanda Seyfried keeps her natural hair color, and God bless her for it.  I love this gold-spun shade of wheat with it’s more ashy, cool tones.  So many girls I’ve known actually have natural color like this, but they’ve all seemed to move on to something different, either in the bottle-blonde range or beyond.  A bloody shame.

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For the majority of this country’s existence, Westernized ideals have determined what is seen as beautiful and what is seen as less attractive (see PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING ABOVE … Lord help me) here in the United States.  Natural African-American hair has all-too-frequently been seen as undesirable according to those limited ideals, and a great deal of African-American women have sought the help of weaves and relaxing treatments to achieve a look more in line with cultural standards.  However, there’s recently been a wave of women sticking it to the Westernized man and letting their hair go natural.  I’ve especially loved how Solange Knowles has been rocking this style lately.  Not many of us can do the ‘fro like Solange!

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I have a difficult time deciding what to call the shade of Karlie Kloss‘s hair.  It’s the color I was referring to when I was mentioning the walnut-y, in-between shade of Cinderella, so I guess we’ll just call it that- walnut.    If I could go for a complete change in hair color, I’d shoot for this.  I just can’t tell if it’s in the blonde family or in the brown camp, so it counts for this post!  And she just recently ditched her lengthier locks for this shoulder-grazing bob.  In the words of my teacher-friend Amanda, “Le freak so chic!”

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  This is Elin Kling.  She’s Sweden’s most influential fashion blogger (stylebykling.nowmanifest.com) and prolific style maven, and I can’t get enough of her hair.  There’s something to be said for that true Scandinavian shade of blonde, not all yellowy like we see so much of in California.  I love blonde when there’s a touch of ice to it.  Oh, and that haircut is about the hottest thing since Gregory Peck.

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Does Liu Wen color her hair?  I could never tell ya.  Is it a perfect shade of jet-black, nonetheless?  Yup.  I’ve loved the model’s minimalist, almost layer-less cut for some time, too.  It’s actually what I’ve been attempting to grow out my layers for, and I’ll soon be trying a center-part like Liu’s, too.

And there you have it.  There are seriously a million other heads of hair that I obsess over on a daily basis, but we all know that way too many of them are that deliciously bland shade of mud.  Okay, okay, I know that this isn’t exactly bland.  And that’s why I’m so committed!  How can I ever betray my brunette roots with locks like this out there representing?!  HOW?!  I’ll admit though that I always wished that brunette representative Belle weren’t so introverted and independent.  I’m about as independent as a four-month-old, and Belle would probably write me off as petty and superficial while I’d find her pretentious and aloof.  Come on, Gaston.  Let’s hit up the tavern and talk of common-folk things over a cold one.  We don’t need this woman’s intellectual arrogance.  Oh, and I’m pretty sure if a seven-foot-tall beast screamed at me and asked me to join him for dinner Russell-Crowe-the-phone-thrower-style, I probably wouldn’t exhibit patience or the compassion with the power to change hearts.  I’d probably just pee my pants and die.  xo, MR

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BEST OF 2012. ‘Nuff said.

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This one’s a little more straight forward, but probably not nearly as exciting.    Most of what I love in the beauty arena during a year’s time is what I see on celebrities, whether it’s a transformation, amazing styling at an event, or whatever.  I can’t say there will be mention of many trends in beauty as “bests”, because trends are usually either weird and unappealing and too flash-in-the-pan like pink ombre’, or I’ve liked them all along like this year’s braided pleats.  So anyhow, here goes!

#1  Rosie Huntington-Whiteley looking like something other than just a hot model.

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With someone as good-looking as Rosie (I mean, she is dating Jason Statham), it would be easy to go for long mermaid waves, alluring smokey eyes, and a plunging neckline for every appearance.  But her eyes are almost bare here, her cheeks just lightly bronzed, and those berry-stained lips take center-stage thanks to a demure neckline (courtesy of Jason Wu) and sleek, side-parted hair.  It’s a refreshing look to see on a Victoria’s Secret model.  And on a nit-picky note, I love that the lip color is matte, not glossy.  It’s such good editing, such good use of stylistic discretion.  I’ve loved this “wet look” this year in hair, too, and I’ve tried the shiny side-parted style a few times this year on myself.  It’s great use of wet, just-washed hair, limited time, and a case of the lazies.

#2  These products changing my life.

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Prior to 2012, I did not possess any of the items pictured here, either because they weren’t yet available or I just hadn’t gotten around to trying them yet.  What a fool I was (and yes, even if it wasn’t yet available, what a fool I was for not inventing it myself or something).  Kerastase’ Fibre Architecte has extended the life of my hair-ends by weeks, or even months, before needing a trim.  NARS‘s powder blushes in Orgasm and Exhibit A have each been applied to brides, fiance’s, friends, and myself countless times this past year.  CoverGirl Clump Crusher mascara totally beat out any higher-priced mascara I tried in the past few months.  Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner will probably be the only gel liner I’ll ever use for creating cat-eyes, ever again.  And Almay Makeup-Eraser Sticks have been nothing short of life-saving during wedding makeup application.  I’m sticking with all these babies for life!

#3   Drew Barrymore looking like one hot mama.

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Drew had her first little baby bundle just a couple months ago, and my sister-in-law did the same.  Caring for a newborn is NO JOKE, and your hair and skin don’t exactly remain high on the priority list when you’re literally trying to teach a new human how to eat.  You’re loving and savoring life with your new baby regardless of your hair’s condition anyhow from what I’ve come to see, but I’ve gotta figure that having your own hair taken care of can’t hurt.  Drew was probably given this hair makeover for free, or at least she likely had just a little help getting to the hair salon in a caravan of Escalades and leaving her baby with one of a million well-paid nannies, but despite all the advantages her celebrity has brought her and my complaining thereof … that hair looks bomb.  No question.  If that’s post-baby hair right there, sign me up for a Jolie-sized litter.

#4   Severine dominating my world in Skyfall.

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I love Bond movies because I loooooooove Bond girls.  They’re like the anti-Disney princesses.  Mysterious, seductive, and just dripping with luxury- you can practically smell the Tom Ford Violet Blonde from this screen.  But what I loved most about Severine from Skyfall, played by the overwhelmingly beautiful Berenice’ Marlohe, was how very over-the-top her styling was for her character.  I know I’m more of a minimalist in taste, but this was a case in which more was fantastically and unarguably more.  Her long, blood-red talon nails!  Her ridiculously dramatic eye makeup paired with no-less-dramatic wine-colored lips!  Her long, wild hair teased and sculpted into all kinds of exotic styles!  I have to also give props to Berenice for the fact that she shamelessly rocks the same over-the-top Severine aesthetic on the red carpet, too.  Seriously, this woman’s fearless.

#4  Achieving victory status.

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I’ll admit that it was a big deal for me to accomplish some kind of different hairstyle on myself other than the most basic ponytail.  I’m not the most skilled when it comes to up-do’s, so the achievement of the victory roll was exciting for me.  However, the submission of some shots of my victory rolls landed my face on page 20 on InStyle magazine’s January issue!  I believe I’ve already discussed this just a teensy bit here.  Did someone stop me on the street and ask me to model for these pictures?  Nope.  Did I take those pictures and submit them myself?  Yep.  Do I even care?  Nope.  I’m in a magazine, fools!

#5  Olivia’s Wilde’s chop.

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I know you’ve heard me go on and on about this before, but for reals, this was THEE hairstyle for me in 2012.  The color, the textured cut, the length, everything.  Olivia debuted this new look at the 2012 Palm Springs International Film Festival, and I don’t think anyone has ever fixated on the phrase “textured long bob” so much as I have since seeing it.  It’s so funny how revolutionary some simple changes can be.  I think I just love that she didn’t have to wear a meat dress … or dye her hair a new primary color every other week … or be accompanied by a pretend Pope on the red carpet while wearing a red hoodie-cape that makes you look like the Don’t Look Now gremlin-surprise at the end of the movie … to gain some decent press.  She cut her hair and got some new highlights.  You know, stuff that we all do.

#6  WhoWhatWear.com’s beauty page.

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I pin the crap out of WhoWhatWear.com.  I seriously do.  It’s basically an online magazine that features an endless amount of styling tips (on the tough trends, too!) and inspiration from both celebrities and the runway.  I’ve signed up for their email newsletter, but I still check the site everyday.  Stylists Emily and Merritt sure do know what they’re doing when it comes to fashion, and I can only suspect that they’re behind the site’s beauty page too, and it is amazing.  But seriously, look at the stuff they do!  A Hitchcock-based beauty inspiration board?!  My wildest dreams have come true!  The beauty page has also been featuring articles that will break down a celebrity’s entire look, including both hair and makeup, while listing the exact products used.  And if you know me, you know I’m always suspicious that Revlon ain’t all that Julianne Moore’s wearing on her face, even if you tell me so.

#7  Emma Stone’s EVERYTHING.

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This.  This whole thing.  Right here.  The oh-so-thirties faux bob, with the deliciously-hued blackberry lip, and the palest, peachy-pink shade on those gooseberry green peepers, with that slightly glossy finish … mmmmmhm.  Styling a look like this takes skill and thought, from literally the top of her head down to her toenails.  People fret and worry over every detail when attempting to put something like this together, but look at the pay-off you get.  She looks stunning, and yet the whole package is unexpected and creative.  I get more excited about upcoming movies for their red carpet premieres, to be honest.  While the movie is certainly something to look forward to, let’s face it- I live for seeing stuff like this happen more than the movie.

#8  Emily Weiss’s utterly wicked how-to videos on http://www.intothegloss.com.

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This woman is my inspiration.  Emily’s range of beauty knowledge, along with her team at “the Gloffice” as they call it, is incredible.  Emily doesn’t post videos that often, but when she does, they just make you want to bust out your whole kit and color your eyes with crayon until you look like the HOTTEST raccoon on the planet.  I also love that Emily’s videos don’t have her awkwardly staring into a camera, narrating every little step in her routine.  They’re set to music, without dialogue, and professionally shot and edited.  You just get to sit and watch, and it makes the whole getting-ready process look so much more glamorous.  This video posted above is Emily giving you her best smokey eye for a winter’s night out (tonight, perhaps?), and I’ve watched it a bajillion times.  Simply enchanting.

#9  She may not be able to smile, but she sure can look pretty in the eye sockets.

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For as much as she drives me batty, Kristen Stewart had admittedly got a gem of a face for great makeup, especially in the peepers.  She’s been looking all kinds of gorgeous at premieres this year, but I sure just hope she’s been enjoying it (because Lord knows I can’t tell).  I’ve been dying to know what awesome team of stylists have gotten hold of her, just so I can send them a baby.  A baby, you ask? Yes, a baby smiles and giggles and makes you smile and giggle.  Kristen does not.  I’ll just have to hand-deliver that baby myself, though.  I can’t picture a baby being game for making you laugh after being air-shipped in a FedEx package.  On the other hand, Kristen often carries the expression that looks like she’s just been air-shipped in a FedEx package.  Hmmm …

#10 FINALLY STARTING THIS BLOODY BLOG .

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And can you believe this gorgeous face has been responsible for bridal makeup four times in 2012, too?!  I know, I’m not surprised either. My beauty is utterly devastating.

But seriously though.  This has all been a really long time coming.  Thanks for reading, truly.  xo, MR

the Hair stuff., the Makeup stuff., the Me stuff.

WORST Beauty Moments of 2012 … or, in which I give cause for everyone to hate me.

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Cool your jets.  Yes, I haven’t even said anything yet and I’m already telling you to cool your jets, just in case.

I initially began writing a post on my favorite beauty moments of 2012, but then I thought to my self, “Self, you’ve kind of sprinkled your favorite bits in posts throughout the entire year already.  No one’s shocked to see another shot of Keira or Kate on this blog.  What may be shocking though, self, is what folks discover that you actually don’t like.  And let’s face it, self- we’re always a little more interested at hearing about what bugs the crap out of us as opposed to what we squeal over.”  And admittedly, many of the “worsts” seen here may not be that shocking to some of you at all anymore.  If you read regularly, you know what I like and what I don’t.  But in case some of the following does take you by surprise and you find yourself wanting to set fire to me, let me just preface by saying this: Relax.  This is just me giving my opinion.

#1  Demi Lovato perfectly demonstrating my concept of “overcooked” and my eternal frustration with extensions.

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Too … much … everything.  I literally want to rip the extensions right out of her scalp.  Or brush them like a crazed maniac until they cease to look like Disney princess wig strands.  And if these are not, in fact, extensions, well, they look like it and that’s still a problem.  And the shape of the hair looks rather like pigtails with a life of their own as opposed to healthy, curled locks.  They’re so perfectly positioned, it’s like someone’s taped them to her blouse.  Just makes me wanna chop ’em.  Chop ’em right off.  And then there’s always the very makeup-looking makeup.  And the nose piercing.  And the tan.  And the door knocker earrings.  And the cleavage.  And you get it.

#2  Julianne Hough doing it wrong.

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By now you all know that I love me a messy topknot.  I like ’em nice and unflattering, and right there at the top of the head.  So very Je ne sais quois, so very Man Repeller.  However, when you find yourself in a fancy dress at a fancy premiere, it might be time for a touch of effort.  But what gets me about this  particular topknot is that I’ve got a bad feeling that whatever stylist responsible for this (maybe even Julianne herself) tried too hard to not seem like they were trying too hard.  Know what I’m saying?  Like, I get the whole 21st-century irony of going for a messy topknot in a designer gown, but you can still detect the hard work that unfortunately went into this.  You see the pins.  You see the pretty, well-done makeup oddly-yet-intentionally juxtaposed against the haphazard hair.  You see how the knot is so obviously off-center on her head with its plainly uneven shape, almost as if it was planned.  The point of topknots is to not give a damn.  This one, all too clearly, does.

#3  People cut their hairs off.

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2012 New York City Ballet Fall Gala

I know, I KNOOOOOW.  But before you get your panties all in a wad, keep this in mind- I am simply very strongly attached to hair with length.  This one is truly more of a personal “worst”, and there’s no expectation to agree that Miley’s or Anne’s or anyone’s pixie cut is bad (and I wasn’t exactly a fan of Miley’s look before anyhow).  In fact, it’s pretty safe to say that these haircuts are quite good.  Anne looks great, and the cut does nothing if not frame her beautiful face and earn her that Oscar that she’s so desperately been jonesing for.  But again, just bear in mind that I’ve got a thing for long hair that you can do stuff with.  It’s just me.  I couldn’t do what Anne did, or I’d at least do it and then shamelessly plop a Kate Beckinsale wig on my head for the next six months to come.  In her own words, “I dreamed a dream of times gone byyyyyy, with lots of hair and lots of braidiiiiiiing …”.

#4  Taylor Swift still looking like Taylor Swift.

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Fine.  Hate me.  Hate me with everything you’ve got, but I don’t care.  It’s time for a change with this one, it is.  And this one looks like nothing if not Disney princesses personified, so you know that’s really saying something when it comes from me.  I applaud Taylor for sticking to her stylistic guns, but you’ll have to forgive me for saying that there’s just not enough excitement for me in her look.  I’m bored.  To tears.  Taylor made the Earth-shattering change of adding red lipstick to her look some years ago, then shocked the world by styling her hair straight instead of with those teenage curly-cues we were so used to!  THEN she cut BANGS!  What WILL she do NEXT?!  I mean, Nicki Minaj must’ve gotten a hold of her or something … BANGS!!!

#5  People pinning airbrushed, Photoshopped, Kim Kardashian-esque eyeshadow looks to their Pinterest boards.

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Because nothing inspires more confidence in a makeup artist (for brides, no less) than seeing something like this and a caption below reading “PERFECT FOR WEDDING!!!  EXACTLY WHAT I WANT!!!!”.  Yes, you pin looks for the purpose of suggestion, for inspiration.  But bear in mind that the perfection typically exhibited on such images like the one above usually involves Photoshop editing, like that used for photo spreads in magazines.  It takes a steady hand to create this look, along with a steady few clicks of a mouse.  But I will, however, submit that I could recreate this look to the best of my abilities, given all the proper resources.  Just don’t freak out when you see a tiny bit of eyeshadow fall-out on your cheekbone, and relax!  I’ll have these with me!

#6  Speaking of Kim Kardashian …

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Yes, Kim.  Thank you for the contouring tips.  But now that we all know that you have to paint A TREE on your face everyday to look the way you normally do as you stomp the pavement with Tracy Jordan Kanye West at your side, I can’t say that we’re all that interested anymore.  Or at least, I’m not.  And that tree on your forehead isn’t including the rest of the clown mask you’ve got going on there.  For the runway, yes.  For the pavement with Tracy Jordan, no.

#7  THIS IS NOT THE FACE OF SNOW WHITE.

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This … I … I can’t even.  I.  CAN’T. EVEN.  Yes, I know we’re going for the face of the I-pull-myself-up-by-my-own-armored-bootstraps, I-play-in-the-mud-and-I-wield-a-sword-and-I-won’t-be-gender-stereotyped feminist Snow White.  And toward that I have no qualms.  But THIS is not even THAT face.  This face may have remained fixed with this EXACT expression for the entirety of the film (that so sorely disappointed me that I can hardly bear to discuss it).  And in fact, I’m pretty sure we can find this expression on Ms. Stewart’s face  throughout every other film she’s been featured in this side of FOREVER.  But the red lips, the alabaster skin, the hair a shade of raven’s black … I got none of it in Snow White and the Huntsman.  I get that the point wasn’t to Disney-fy Snow White in this case, but the look just wasn’t there.  I don’t know.  Maybe that’s the problem.  Maybe I just don’t know what I want, and maybe it’s not such a problem with the styling as it is with the confession that I just didn’t want her.

#8  Christina Aguilera looking like she rolled around in the MAC stockroom.

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We’ve already discussed this situation, so I won’t add much.  But the lavender ombre’ really caps it off for me.  It’s subtle, like a garlic sandwich.

#9  Justin Bieber looking prettier than Kate Beckinsale.

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Those baby pink lips.  That perfectly smooth skin.  Those fluttery eyelashes.  Those immaculate eyebrows!  That shiny hair with those beautiful diamonds!  No, I’m not talking about a Victoria’s Secret Angel strutting her stuff in the Fantasy Bra on the catwalk, or some girl that George Clooney is seducing in Lake Como.  I’m talking about Justin Bieber.  Yes, this guy, the alleged heartthrob of this current generation of young teenage girls.  Maybe I’m just partial to the scruffy, rugged look, or maybe I’m not being patient and allowing puberty to catch up with ole’ Justin, or MAYBE I’m just NOT cool with the fact that this, *ahem*, young man so clearly spends more time in front of the mirror applying his Creme de la Mer and strawberry-scented Bonne Bell lipgloss than I ever have or ever will.

#10  And lastly, the kicker …

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Um, ma’am?  Excuse me, ma’am?  You … you’ve got a sock on your head. I know you’ve shaped it into a purty little Cinnabon roll the size of a cabbage with your hair, but … you’ve got a sock on your head.  Oh, but I can’t see the sock?  Well, here’s the problem- I still know it’s there.  And it’s bothering me.  I want to poke it.  I want to poke it bad.  I want to shove my foot in your sock-hairs so I can keep warm in the winter cold.  Oh, you’ve cut a hole in that sock?  Well then lend it to me as a wristband for my awesomely sweaty workout.

Consider sock-buns the Bump-It of 2012.  Every time I saw some girl last year with a conveniently-placed tuft of volume at the top of her head, I so desperately wanted to play Whack-A-Mole and throw down a hammer on that bump just to see if it was some Bump-It impostor or if it was just real hair, teased and sprayed for height.  Same game goes for sock-buns this year.  Should you ever feel some bony finger poking your giant bun on the back of your head, I apologize in advance.  It’s just me being curious.

Welp, there you have it.  I’ve got a feeling I’ll be cranking out a “Best of” list sometime soon in order to make up for this one, but in the meantime, enjoy.  And you be sure to let me know if you’re feeling particularly enraged by any of the aforementioned.  I’ll send you a complimentary sock in the mail.  xo, MR

the Makeup stuff., the Me stuff.

The talented magician and the beautiful girl that the magician saws in half.

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I shall be raving about *two* people that I love on this particular post.  Let me begin by saying this:  It takes two components to create a good magic show.  First, you must have a talented and crafty magician.  And second, you must have a beautiful girl that the magician impresses his or her audience with, an assistant of sorts that the magician then magically saws in half (or something like that) that causes everyone to gasp and say their “Oohs!” and “Aahs!”.  Both are essential for a great magic show.  I’ll also admit that I got to play a little part in this show, too- I got to be the makeup wizard for the beautiful girl that gets sawed in half.  I would’ve been glad to simply have been the rabbit that gets pulled out of a hat for this one, so needless to say, I was quite thrilled with my role.

For this particular magic show, let me first introduce you to the beautiful girl that gets sawed in half.

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This is Ali.  It’s Alison, really, but everyone calls her Ali and she is beautiful.  I’ve known her for a while now, and for as long as I have known her she and Mike have been together.  These two are awesome, to say the least.  Their engagement is one that a lot of folks have been excited for, and needless to say I was ecstatic when Ali asked me to be one of her bridesmaids next summer.  In addition to this though, I shall also have the honor of being Ali’s makeup artist for her big day.  Double stoked.

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Ali and Mike had their engagement shoot in early December at Disneyland on a Friday morning, and I was initially so bummed because I already knew I’d be teaching that morning so I’d have no chance to do her makeup.  But then it dawned on me- Ali lives right by the school I was booked for, and I was going to have a free hour in the earlier part of the school day, so why not do her makeup beforehand at the school?!  Let me tell you, it’s a little awkward doing someone’s makeup in a teacher’s lounge as teachers pass you by and whisper, “Maybe it’s Maybelline!”, but hey, I was asking for it.  And it was worth it.  And there’s nothing better to give me energy before teaching high-schoolers than doing makeup for a friend!

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I went for a more dramatic eye on Ali (because let’s face it- those eyes are too much fun) using L’Oreal’s eyeshadow that I talked about here, and we did some false lashes too because she’d never done them before!  And of course, falsies are great for photos because they ensure that your eyes will not be ignored (Dan!).  I used my trusty neon-hued NARS blush in Exhibit A to also help Ali’s cheekers not go unnoticed, too.  And Ali and I are both huge fans of BareMinerals Original SPF15 Foundation, so we naturally stuck to it.  And check out Mike!  Ain’t he a regular ole’ Captain America?!

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Ok, now let me introduce you to the talented magician behind this magic show.

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This is the lovely face behind Mike and Ali’s amazing Disneyland shoot- Bethany Carlson.  I had the privilege of having Bethany as one of my own bridesmaids, and there are few individuals I know so personally that are so deeply talented.  Seriously, I mean it when I call Bethany a magician.  I’ll be posting in a bit on a bridal shoot she did of my husband and I (I’ll give you two hints- Downton Abbey and Mojave desert), but all I can really do now is encourage, no, implore you to check out her site here for some of what I’d shamelessly call the most stunning wedding and engagement photography you’ll ever see in your life.  All Bethany seems to see through her lens is romance and beauty, and some of her work from this past year is nothing short of breathtaking.  I also have to briefly toot my own horn and say that I had the pleasure of doing Bethany’s hair and makeup for this particular shot, which is credited to Damaris Mia (and I so wish I could credit you more, Damaris!  Please send me a link if you have your own blog so I can share it!).

I can hardly wait to be part of Ali’s wedding next year, whether it’s by helping her into her dress, applying those finicky false lashes, or being photographed alongside her by Bethany!  xo, MR

All of the shots in this post are credited to Bethany Carlson Photography, except for the shot of Bethany which is credited to Damaris Mia.  For more of Bethany’s work (and in case you were silly and didn’t follow the previous link), check out her site at http://www.bethanycarlson.com.  The girl does not disappoint.

P.S. Oh, and if any of you caught the Fatal Attraction reference in the middle of this post, a million points for you.

the Hair stuff., the Makeup stuff., the Me stuff.

On January, drugstore makeup, and why Olivia Wilde may hate me after reading this.

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January is a funny month.  The huge climax of the holiday season has worn off, it’s consistently cold out, and things go back into their typically mundane routines.  You’ve got all your new gifts (and might be over them already), have probably returned from your vacations, and are perhaps well on your way to breaking keeping any resolutions you’ve made for the new year.  You work out, you go the movies, you shop around for yourself … nothing particularly special.  Nothing particularly new.

What I love about the fashion and beauty spheres, however, is that everything is always new.  Everything is always forward.  You are more than welcome to enjoy the present moment with all its current trends and styles and happenings, but you also have every right to anticipate the coming season with all the excitement and future-minded thinking in your being.  In fact, it’s the only way to operate in such a world.  In fashion and beauty, it’s never too early.  The magazine issues you are seeing on stands today are the January issues (and they’ve been there for at least a week now), and they will all have some kind of spring preview in them.  The spring previews will only continue to grow bigger in the February issues, until the March issue comes out and there you’ve got the second biggest month for fashion and beauty publications of the year next to September.  And I love that things work this way.  There’s always something to look forward to.  In fashion and beauty, today is pretty much yesterday, and tomorrow can be seen everywhere today, and yesterday will probably serve as the inspiration for tomorrow so be sure to hold on to yesterday’s stuff today just in case for tomorrow.  Yes, fashion just got meta, Looper style.

So, where in the beauty world can we see tomorrow, today?  Well, if you keep up with any beauty blogs or magazines, you may have noticed articles or features over the past month beginning to drop the names of products that you’ve never heard of.  Like, you’ll see a feature on some makeup guru’s “must-haves” and they’ll mention some kind of lipstick or  whatever that you’ve never found in a drugstore.  For all you know, it doesn’t even exist.  That’s because us low-life plebeians can’t get our hands on such things yet because the product hasn’t been launched to retailers, but January is usually the time that you’ll see them making their first appearances!  Now, the new products have all been sent in advance to important folks in the beauty world (celebrity makeup artists, etc.) to get the word out early, and of course, part of getting the word out is mentioning them in magazines and interviews to ramp up public anticipation.  January is also a common time to release advertising campaigns featuring a new spokesmodel.  My best example I can think of for this year would be Lea Michele for L’Oreal Paris.  Next time you see Lea in a magazine, you can bet your butt that she’ll be either in a L’Oreal ad, pictured alongside some kind of L’Oreal product, or she’ll speak about it in any kind of interview for the next couple months.  Last year around this time, it was Emma Stone and Olivia Wilde for Revlon.

I admit that I get a bit cynical about spokesmodel campaigns because I feel those kajillion-dollar contracts seem to discourage these women from being truthful about what products they really use and really enjoy.  I mean, prior to being paid enough money to support all of Indonesia for a year by Almay for her current spokesmodel campaign, did Kate Hudson really love and use their products?  Somehow, I think being paid what I’ll probably make in thirty years of work for a single two-to-three-year contract makes that drugstore makeup and box-dye haircolor a lot more effective to you- yeah, I’m looking at you, Gwen Stefani.  You will literally never convince me that the QUEEN of platinum blonde hair regularly uses L’Oreal Preference box dye for those icy perfect locks of hers.  Never.  And isn’t Olivia Wilde some kind of proud vegan?  Why, oh why, would you agree to be a spokesmodel for Revlon, a brand that (like most drugstore cosmetic brands) is notorious for animal testing and nowhere near natural in it’s ingredients, if you’ve claimed to adopt such a lifestyle?  Oh, they’re paying you my dad’s salary times a thousand to do it?  Yep.  Sounds like a good time for looser vegan standards to me, too.

Anyhow, for as much as I bash on drugstore products and all the advertisements they come with, it still is exciting to see them make their debut.  A junkie is a junkie is a junkie, and I’ll come clean and say if I were extended a whopper of a contract to grin and bear it for Maybelline, I’d take it (or at least, with what I’m currently earning I would).  I was wandering through a Walgreens earlier today and it looks like January came early (which is no surprise, since, again, everything is early in these spheres)!

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As you can see here, we’ve got all kinds of newness coming from the folks at L’Oreal.  New hair products for the EverCare line, new shadow palettes, all sorts of stuff.  And there’s Lea, peeking out from behind the Telescopic Shocking mascara!

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Here’s what’s new from Revlon.  I think they’re trying to make a pretty big deal out of that Nearly Naked makeup line, as Revlon threw a giant launch party for it complete with an appearance by Emma as its spokemodel.

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Additionally from L’Oreal- A huge new line of hair care products (and not just in addition to the sulfate-free EverCare line).  This line is simply called L’Oreal Advanced Haircare, but there are five types of product families within it to suit all kinds of needs (like dryness, color treated, etc.).  And there’s Lea’s face again!  I doubt these items will match up to salon quality or beat more natural care for your hair, but time will tell if any of these products give effective results and become household staples.

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I took a shot of all the five families in this line except for the kind tailored toward “dry” hair (and it’s minty-green packaging).

So as 2012 winds down and 2013 begins to take the stage, be anticipating all these items to appear in your local drugstores very soon.  And just learn to deal with the lies of Halle Berry saying that Revlon has made her “photo ready”, while failing to credit her skincare routine that costs the price of Brazil with tax and consists of a moisturizer made with one drop of blood from every endangered species on the planet and hand-crushed tea leaves from the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.  And something called “Adobe Photoshop”.  xo, MR

the Makeup stuff.

Now THIS needs no explanation.

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See … this is what I’m talking about.  It’s just enough.  The styling is subtle, and yet it would still be hard not to notice Jessica looking like this.  These are the kinds of looks for makeup and hair that inspire me (and make me anxious to grow my hair out a couple inches and go lighter again).  Her hair has obviously been styled, and yet you know you could probably work this same look on yourself, too.  It’s been styled, but it hasn’t been fussed over.

Try creating this look the day after washing and blowing your hair out semi-straight … it’ll be more pliable and it’ll hold wave better.  Create a center-part and then use a 1.5-2 inch barrel iron to create waves in two inch sections of your hair, going in different directions as you curl.  Brush through the waves to give it that soft and natural feel, and gently gather it all to one side.   Use the tiniest amount of styling gel or spray to tame the frizzies around your center-part.  And remember … nothing has to be perfect.

For the makeup, use a warm blush with almost ruddy tones on the apples of your cheeks and bring it upward toward the ears as you apply it.  I’d probably try NARS blush in Liberte for this look, but I’m going to try and dig to find out what was actually used on Jessica.  Fill in and groom your brows, and then draw focus to your eyes by using metallic, shimmery shades of silver, gunmetal grey, and even blue just barely up to the brow bone and around the lid, using the darker shades around the rim and in the crease.  If you’re not comfortable with how some of these colors work with your skin tone, just try varying shades of grey.  Add a couple coats of mascara (or some modest false lashes), and then top it off with a natural lip.  I’m not even sure if she’s wearing anything on her lips here!  Perhaps the lightest, slightly frosted pink or nude shade, but surely nothing more.  So simple, so beautiful.  xo, MR