Taking Back My Lips

Allison Lynn
Friday, July 23, 2010

 

I love lipstick.  It's a total confidence booster; the best accessory on the hottest girl in the room; sex in wax tube form.  It's the makeup equivalent of that crap Steve Urkel used to drink to transform into the suave and sophisticated Stefan Urquelle, able to smooth-talk Laura Wilson into weak-kneed submission. 

         

Yup, lipstick is great.  Until it's gone, half an hour after you put it on.  That part's annoying, but it's never bothered me too much: I accept the endless reapplication process.  Then one day not too long ago my lip prints on the straw of a beverage prompted my boyfriend to say, "That’s very Jewish grandmother of you."

         

Nothing against my Jewish grandmother, but I'm not exactly looking to copy her makeup style (Although my grandmother is quite chic, and might I add has excellent taste in clothing and accessories.)  I became determined to try one of the Outlast lip wear products from Covergirl (That decision was highly influenced by how amaaayyyyzingggg Drew Barrymore looks as Covergirl's latest spokes model!), but I had reservations about doing so.

         

What's the big deal?  It's just makeup.  I could try it, and if I didn't like it, so what?

         

Allow me to explain: the majority of my lipsticks are tubes discarded by my mother, a serial lip color tester.  She'll buy a shade, take it home, decide she doesn't like it, and offer it to me.  This cycle is particularly profitable for me when she's feeling more adventurous with her makeup, because inevitably she just goes back to the same pinkish/mauve shade, and I get the amazing burgundy or fuchsia she wimped out on.  Suddenly, I was trying to make an actual decision about my lipstick, not just choosing from a pile of my mom's castoffs. 

         

And did I mention? I wanted RED. I was dead-set on that.  The problem was my only prior experience with really RED was in high school, and whatever it was that I bought back then just looked ridiculous.  What if I hated it again this time around--and it wouldn't come off?  The Jewish grandmother look doesn't sound so bad when the other option is becoming Clown Girl.

         

So finally, I bought Covergirl's Outlast All-Day Lip color in Ever Red-y.  The good news: I loved how it looks.  The other good news: it came off (with makeup remover).  The bad news: it didn't stay on.  I read some reviews beforehand and many warned that it would make my lips really dry, but none of them mentioned the color itself actually drying out so much that it would flake off and leave me with synthetic rubber-looking patches all over my lips.  It was nasty and in tons of pieces, not unlike the victim of a serial killer who specializes in dismemberment.        

         

I'm still experimenting, but I'm beginning to think the key problem was not waiting long enough to apply the topcoat.  A second time around, I waited to apply it until long past when I thought the color was actually dry, and there were no immediately horrifying problems.  I'd be totally fine with ditching the topcoat completely, as long as that doesn't cause the color to dry out and crack--it does make my lips feel a bit dry, but as long as they don't look parched, I can deal (price of beauty and all that).

         

The upshot is: I would never want to call Drew Barrymore a liar, but her endorsement did instill some false hopes.  It's not a bad product, but certainly not the miracle Covergirl wants you to believe they've created.

Designer Spotlight: New York Couture

Tracy Michelle
Monday, July 12, 2010

 

Calling all fearless fashionistas! You’ve probably seen her on Katy Perry, MTV’s True Life, or adding that much needed flare to your favorite magazine spread. New York Couture’s designer Cassie Kogler is the princess of rocker fashion. Picture yourself turning heads walking down the street in a pair of cute and funky sequined shorts or a statue of liberty inspired jumper. [Too cute!] With a mix of outrageous ballerina style, D.I.Y ethics and a hint of fairy dust this girl knows what she’s doing. Forget blending in the crowd of your next party! New York Couture is one of a kind fashion that turns the streets into a real life fairytale runway. Turning heads is always fun no matter what the occasion.  Check out New York Couture’s VEGAS PRINT Onesie Jumper, Chain Print Peek-a-boo Back Dress, and the new BURGER Skirt at www.newyorkcouture.net

 

Fashion for Freedom

Keisha Frazier
Monday, July 12, 2010

 

Dressed in a black suit covering a white-collared shirt the enthusiastic emcee announces the moment we’d all been waiting for; the first line of models are ready to make their entrance. “Coisha and Ariel” he introduces as the DJ spins the track. Backstage the anxious models await their cue from Jennifer Jackson. Go! The mother and daughter duo approaches the stage wearing a complementary turquoise and beige dresses. Flashing lights from the many cameras of friends and family members do not distract the two as they focus on their walk. Center stage. Center front. Spin. Back. Exit.

 

Like a row of dominos falling in a line, another woman enters the stage as one leaves to change into their next outfit in a fashion show benefit entitled “Rags to the Runway.”  After the first act, the models change into formal wear. Picture the model; she is still as make-up is being applied to her face, make-up similar to that of which a few years earlier might have covered bruises as a result of domestic violence.

 

This new confidence came in part from Jackson, CEO and Founder of Jenel’lae Designs, who created a price conscious company that aims to aid women who are victims of domestic violence and rape.

 

Of the eleven women who paraded the stage stunting Jenel’lae originals from casual wear to formal gowns all made of recyclable materials, a few of the aspiring models were victims of domestic violence and rape. However, in June Jenel’lae Designs will begin the first class of women enrolled in their 12 week program which aims to heel the abused women from the inside out.

 

While statistics report that every two minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted and that more than half of all rapes of women occur before age 18; 22% occur before age 12, Jackson hopes that she can raise more awareness to this cause and encourages men to act if they are aware of a domestic violence or rape situation.

 

These 20 women learn about inner beauty and self-confidence, in addition to receiving aid in career development, self defense, and women’s health issues. Fashion is the final portion of the program. Jackson believes that once the inner beauty has been restored within an abused woman, then she can use her fashion expertise to create a new look for the woman to rid themselves of a battered past and create a whole new look on the outside to match the new woman on the inside.

 

“Fashion plays a big role in helping young ladies self-esteem. It is an outlet for them and it surrounds them with positive role models,” said Aaron Clark.

 

Courtney Jessica Weber, a model within the Jenel’lae Designs program came into the program as a quiet introverted person, Jackson recalls. Now at 17, Courtney has a huge personality and is really breaking out of her shell.

 

“I identify with the cause and I appreciate what [Jennifer] is doing,” commented the seventeen year old model, who has appeared in numerous runway shows, photo shoots, catalog shots and television appearances.

 

Courtney is just one example of women who has overcome a past that could have held her back from pursuing her goals. For Jackson, her passion to help women like Courtney spurs from her own challenges she faced in her earlier years. In high school Jackson was in an abusive relationship. Then, a few years later she was sexually assaulted in the hotel where she worked. Later, she worked in a children’s hospital where she was surrounded by more women who were victims of abuse. These experiences drew her to create Jenel’lae Designs in 2008. 

 

“Sometimes people say it won’t happen to them, but you can never say never,” said Jackson, “[our program] will give them the tools they need if it happens.

 

While Jackson continues to pursue her degree in psychology with Liberty University On-line, she has professional social workers on board to work with the women in the program. She is looking for even more people who are as passionate as she is to help young women. In 5 years, she hopes to have 2 programs implemented in Jenel’lae Designs. She hopes to be able to offer one-on-one attention because she desires to go beyond hotlines to a more personal connection.

 

“It never stops,” Jackson explains, “I want to be available to these women if they need to reach me or any member of my staff. [Ultimately], I want them to have the strength to say ‘enough is enough’ and to leave; a hotline won’t do that.”

 

 

Jackson uses her own personal story to inspire young girls, but she reminds them that they have to find their own stepping stone to reach their goals, she can only steer them in the right path. For now she is planning her next fashion show for a plus size line and back to school fashion scheduled to take place in September. 

 

 

 

 

Topshop Makeup Launch

Vanessa Alvarez

Thursday May 20, 2010

 

It seems the world has been taken by a sudden cosmetic whirlwind. Walk into any Sephora and be hit by an overwhelming wave of product variety. So of course when British fashion chain Topshop announced some months ago they would be releasing a cosmetic line it didn’t exactly come as a shock to many. Even so, fashionistas and beauty lovers the world over probably let out a little squeal of delight when imagining what the creators over at Topshop would whip up to dish out to it’s devoted shoppers.

 

The line hit stores on May 5th and in usual Topshop fashion celebrated by offering makeovers and a free canvas tote with purchase. I shimmied, or shall I say sprinted, on over to the display stand that was covered with hovering shoppers swiping away at the products and makeup artists working away on the faces of those that had the patience to wait their turn to get Topshopfied.

 

The products were everything I expected and like the clothes besides them very useful and pretty yet unconventional in that Brit Chick cool kinda way. A true winner in my eyes from their permanent collection had to be the lip polishes, with their lip balm consistency bit almost lipstick pigmentation. In fact, they kind of seemed to be what MAC tried to go with their cult fave, Tendertones (gasp! Hope I don’t get struck by lighting or stoned to death by MACkees!!) Another great thing about them is the color range, simply pretty colors that will work on most skin tones and be easy to swipe on and go without spending time on trying to make the color look good on you.

- Coral is a gorgeous, well, coral color, that is super on trend for summer and very wearable

 

Their lipsticks were very pretty as well and felt like a true lipstick, creamy and pigmented unlike a lot of the disappointed lipstick lovers are usually faced with when swatching a lipstick that looked gorgeous in tube and an absolute fail on the lips. These also came in a great array of colors from a creamy clean nude to a deep vampy berry color.

-Rio Rio and Brighton Rock are both bright stunners that would be great for a sophisticated yet still summery look

 

My last must have from the lips section would be the glosses. These are definitely not for the faint of heart but, of course, maintain their prettiness. These puppies are PIGMENTED especially the creamy, non-pearlized ones. These glosses can be patted on by themselves or on top of coordinating or contrasting lipsticks, polishes etc. for more depth or can be slicked on for a sexy, vinyl-lipped look. They have no particular strong smell, which can be a pet peeve to a lot of beauty lovers, so no worries here.

 

- Heatwave  (orange) and Statement (bright pinkish coral) are perfect for the summer with some mascara for day or a sheer, sexy smokey eye for a hot night out.

 

If we scoot on over to the eyes, the prize goes to the eye crayons, and these sure ain’t for use in no coloring book. These chubby sticks of gorgeousness can be used to line for a drama, smudged for some hot come-hither eyes or layered for a fun, unexpected look. The colors are wearable with just enough color for those that like to be a bit more experimental. There are your usual black, brown and navy, re-invented with a splash of sparkle, a white that is great for highlighting and a bright teal and periwinkle thrown in the mix for some eye candy.

 

The eye shadow trios for their SS 10 Trend collection come in beautiful metallic shades of rust, gold and navy or silver, pink and  plum.  These go on like butter by themselves or up the hotness of these by layering them on top the SS10 crayons in Moonshine (a creamy silver) or Sunshower (Egyptian gold). Add a sprinkle of their muted purple of mauved-pink glitter and you’re good to go.

         

When it comes to giving your best face, Topshop saved the best for well, your face. No matter where you are right now, the best advice I can give you is to find a way to get your hands on their highlighter in Sunbeam and their tint in Bitten Berry. It is a beautiful powder that goes on with an almost cream like gleam in a sunny pale golden yellow shade. It can be applied densely as a shadow or on lips on dusted on with a fan brush for a true ethereal glow.

         

Bitten Berry is the perfect, universal berry stain for cheeks and lips, which can be layered for intensity. It gets better with the tube packaging that allows for precise dispensing and it’s gel-like consistency, which makes it easier to spread and work with.

 

-         Try dusting Sunbeam it onto your wet nails before the topcoat for an unexpected gleam in your tips.

-         Try Bitten Berry on your eyes! Scary but finding the right amount and intensity for your own eyes can be very sexy instead of scary and will make green eyes pop like crazy.

-         Mix powders, glitters or other lip products with Bitten Berry for custom lip looks.

 

Last but not least, I’m going to talk about the nail polishes, and they well, sucked….

 

I’m joking they were actually kind of amazing. Shimmer haters of the world skip on over to Topshop and get your hands on these little bottles of awesomeness. The colors are super on trend and, say it with me, wearable! Also, it doesn’t hurt that these all went on great in two coats.

 

So makeup junkies of the world, I conclude this review by imploring you to go check out Topshops beauty gems. Not only are the products great, but they have come up with some really beautiful and youthful looks that they have put tutorials up on their site for. They also have this little thing called the virtual makeover but, let me stop and you just go ahead and play around for yourself and maybe discover you look drop dead sexy in red lipstick or simply stunning in a wash of glitter…

 

McQueen's Farewell
Vanessa Alvarez
Monday, May 03, 2010

The Alexander McQueen house has never been known for its ads, such as say, Lagerfeld’s Chanel, Tisci’s Givenchy or Jacob’s Louis Vuitton. So, whenever the label has dropped an advertisement, the fashion world and its followers have flocked to magazine stands and blogs to see the images that McQueen had pulled from his mind for the public. This year, McQueen created ads not only for his regular label but for McQ by Alexander McQueen as well, in other words, a fashion goldmine. Of course, the publications of these ads are bittersweet as they are a reminder that McQueen is no longer with us. They are a reminder of the morning of February 11, 2010, when we were greeted with the news of his death. 

The ads for his McQ line are the most recent to come out to the public eye and frankly, quite a few people were surprised, even baffled at the results. The ads are a definite striking image amidst the glossy, polished, posed images with the beautiful faces and bodies of gorgeous supermodels. In fact, these ads do the exact opposite of what a high fashion ad is supposed to do, which is in short, to show off the clothes and show them off as best as possible. Instead the only thing advertised is the McQ logo, which is the only hint that this is an ad, much less a fashion ad. The logo is accompanied by black and white, grainy, and sometimes, unfocused images of what seem to be snippets of life in a working class English neighborhood. There are no Nordic, blonde, six-foot tall beauties snaking their way up the muscular body of a swarthy Italian model, all the while holding a bag with the brand’s logo fully visible. The only faces in these ads are those of scrawny, freckle-faced, unkempt kids, whose ages could be anywhere from ten or seventeen, smoking cigarettes and fighting along with close-ups of smiling faces. While this may not sound as appealing as a supermodel couple oiled up simulating some sort of sexual pose involving the female’s mouth in some state of not being closed, there is something very beautiful in these images that could easily be found in the photography section of any renowned museum. 

An argument for these ads could be that McQueen’s work and style is so singular and well known that showcasing glamorous shots of his clothes isn’t completely necessary. People that would buy or are interested in the McQueen label know what to expect from him, and images so unattached from the fashion world may in fact peak interest on what the collection holds in store.  McQueen may have been forty when he passed but in the fashion world, 20 might be considered over the hill for a model. For these models that are usually being fitted for a gown for the biggest fashion houses by a man, that could easily be their grandfather. McQueen reached a kind of admiration that most designers do not receive until they are well into what would normally be their retirement years. Or after already they have been working for multiple labels. Yet, after less than twenty years in the high fashion world, people came to expect a certain level of maturity in his work that is sometimes not even seen at fashion shows of decades older labels. 

What these ads are doing is in a way working backwards, showing the inspiration for the clothes not the outcome; the images and ideas that could have very well been churning in the mind of McQueen as he sketched the ideas for the pieces of his collection. The kids portrayed in the ads are tough kids from industrial neighborhoods. The actual clothes have a look inspired by the working class of London and the skinhead culture of the eighties. Think the Stephen Frear’s film, My Beautiful Laundrette or even certain looks from the film Trainspotting, although the latter has a slightly more 90’s flavor. The clothes in the collection for the McQ Spring/ Summer 2010 has McQueen’s polish he always lends to his clothes and his impeccable tailoring skills he honed as a young teenager training at Saville Row. Fun fact: it was while training at Saville Row, that, according to McQueen himself, he stitched the words ‘I am a cunt’ onto the lining of a suit for Prince Charles of England.  

 The images of the ads themselves are very poignant, and in ways endearing as there is a definite innocence about them. McQueen was obviously influenced by his teenage years spent in a lower income family as a high school dropout. They show a nostalgia you wouldn’t expect from what most people assume a mentally distraught person is like. The truth is nothing is simple about the human mind, especially one as creative and enigmatic as that of McQueen. These ads were shot during a time McQueen’s friends insist he was doing better and has turned a corner in his personal health and happiness. What adds to the tragedy of his death is the release of the coroner’s report that McQueen was indeed not in the right state of mind as there were high levels of cocaine, tranquilizers and sleeping pills in his blood. 

 The McQueen ads as well as all of his body of work will always be something his fans will have as a reminder of the beautiful mind of Alexander McQueen. It also leaves us looking forward to more creative minds in the fashion and art worlds.