I can totally relate to the editor with the broken heels. I once wore a new pair of Proenza Schouler heels to the opera, and on my way down the stairs, a heel promptly broke off- leaving me to limp on tippy-toe for the rest of the evening. They went back to the store the next day, but I was still pissed because an expensive pair of shoes- and by extension, the designers- had let me down.
@PaigeTurner: Leighton is one of those women whose eye's actually look smaller with more eye make up on. As a woman with the same affliction, I think she should stay away from the Lita Ford circa 1985 look.
Re the less make up thing: I was never taught by my mother to apply makeup and I have never really made the effort to learn. Now thirty-one, I feel increase pressure to start wearing makeup to hide the fact that I'm aging slightly, but I still do not know how to apply it. Was thinking about getting a makeover at MAC, but I am still of the opinion that when I wear makeup, I look awful.
I know some women who wake up two hours before they are due in to work to 'put on their face'. I woke up 8:10 this morning, had to be at work at 8:30. Jumped in the shower, threw on my clothes, applied a bit of moisturizer to my face, ran my fingers through my hair (afro), grabbed my bag and made it to work in 20 minutes. I want to look polished, but I don't want to put in the effort to make it so.
And then I wonder, why is this even an issue? Shouldn't I be out marching for world peace or something?
@AtelierCeleste: I think about make-up a lot, and come to similar conclusions. But I think it's nigh-impossible not to dwell on it, given Our Society & Gender Roles etc etc ye gods blah blah fishcakes.
I just started experimenting with wearing it this year, which I call Project: Ladydrag, but I totally can't be bothered to do it every day - try every fortnight. (Where do people learn this stuff? It takes real skill, and I feel like a ten-thumbed putz half the time.) In many ways, I like the freedom of not being shackled to the eye brush and the lip liner. Stick to the moisturiser, I bet you look fab.
@BestEuphemismEver: There's a book called "Making Faces" by the same guy who did The Mane Thing. It covers some basics and not-so-basics very well... I highly recommend it!
@elysse: That rings a bell - Kevin A-summat? I picked up a free book from work, Marie Claire on Makeup, and it was the biggest pile of cobblers ever. Thanks for the tip. I am ashamed to say the most helpful thing I've found so far is watching women on the Tube do their makeup - I would never do that in a trillion years, but boy, is it instructional.
@BestEuphemismEver: Kevin Aucoin! His make-up books are incredible. Even if you never replicate the looks, it's fun to see how he can completely transform someone. I would suggest Bobbi Brown's books if you want something more natural, as her philosophy is "less is more."
@AtelierCeleste: I can relate, since my awesome second-waver mother abjures all tools of the patriarchy like makeup, and thus had nothing to teach me on the subject.
From my experiences with various makeup artists, I have learned this: good skin is (duh) the most important thing, because decoration is a lot easier and more fun than camouflage. Three things you might find useful are: A very light-textured cream concealer, possibly one with some light-reflecting properties like YSL Touche Eclat, or what I used to use, MAC Strobe Cream mixed with drugstore L'Oreal foundation, to go on your spots/under eye circles; A natural-toned blush/bronzer combo like NARS in "Orgasm" to give you some color and set the concealer; And mascara (Maybelline Great Lash is outstanding). Those three product classes are probably all you really "need." (And they can be applied in about two minutes.)
The rest is pretty much just for fun. A good eyeshadow in a color just ever so slightly darker than your skin tone, for contouring over your lid, in the crease, and along your lash line, is also a very subtle way of bringing out your eyes. A dab of some kind of shimmer powder under the arc of your eyebrows and perhaps your cheekbones can also be a nice touch, but you gotta watch that it doesn't get too stage-y.
Also, if you want lipstick to last: exfoliate your lips thoroughly with a wet washcloth (or an old soft bristled toothbrush, or by rubbing some sugar on your lips), put on a light chapstick and let it sink in, then draw all over your lips with a lip pencil in a shade that matches (more or less) the lipstick. Really thoroughly. Then do the lipstick, blot, and repeat. This turns basically any lipstick into long-lasting stuff, without the cakiness. The above process has resulted in lipstick that's lasted 12 hours on shoots, with only the most minimal re-applications. (I won't pretend that I often have the patience to replicate it at home, though.)
It helps me to justify makeup wearing by thinking of it as the equivalent of male shaving of the face. You don't GOTTA do it, but if you choose not to, it's sort of a statement that you might not want to be making in every context in your life.
And as a long time makeup wearer, I'd like to share a couple of tips for anyone who feels uncomfortable with it. Stop reading if you care to, obviously, and don't lay into me if you don't.
If you're over 30, I promise you your skin has lost some smoothness, and the colors in your eyebrows and lips have faded out a bit.
Here is the minimum you need to do: smooth out your skin -- you don't have to wear liquid foundation, but dab out circles and redness with a little concealer, and then use powder foundation (Clinique makes a good one.) It's just like putting on powder from a compact.Then, color in your lips with a Revlon Colorstay product -- I like Pomegranate -- it will stay all day. Finally, pencil lightly over your eyebrows, and if you are worried at all about their shape, go to a salon for waxing.
Lips, skin, eyebrows -- you are good to go.
I seriously, seriously hope this is helpful to someone.
Ah, the JC Penney catalogue. When I was in 5th grade or thereabouts, I used to hotly anticipate the arrival of this thick tome, and dog-ear the pages which featured stuff I liked. I don't my mother ever ordered me anything! :(
@Mary McCarthyite: I miss those catalogs! It was so exciting. I would sit with them for hours. I know I've gotten clothes from the regular, small catalogs before but never from the huge one. I definitely never got a guitar or motorized scooter, or other awesome things on the pages with turned down corners.
Leighton, I watched your music video the other week. After seeing that, I agree that you WOULD look much better without makeup (or at least with a lot less). Get on it.
Also, I'd much rather dress like Blair than you in that video or on the red carpet. Don't diss Blair. You look amazing as her.
Elements of Style, By Lauren Conrad, Chapter 1: "Never wear waterproof mascara. Nobody will believe in your fake drama on your scripted reality show unless your fake tears cause your mascara to drip down your face."
I happened on Daul Kim’s blog a few weeks ago and updated my Gawker status accordingly. This is quite possibly the first time I’ve ever been ahead of the curve on things fashionably now.
I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't like Elyse Sewell. She always seems so snooty, like she thinks she's better then everyone else. That post about her bulimic roommate isn't helping.
Girl's not at all concerned about the well being of the person she lives with just annoyed because it's affecting her.
I know we don't always respond it situations in the "correct" way, but just because you think something doesn't mean you have to post it on the internet. I'm sure her roommate felt great when she read what Elyse thought about her.
On a more positive note: I've seen Coco Rocha's blog before and it's great.
@Laura Enriquez: I think she is a great writer and model, but I don't warm to her either. Her infamous ANTM rant isn't awesome to me, just nasty and mean. I know several of her competitors were assholes, but in my eyes that speech made her one as well.
Also, not to quibble, but I think "the most successful contestant to ever survive the Tyra Banks modeling school" is Mollie Sue.
Elyse Sewell's blog is wonderful- she's an excellent writer, terribly funny, and the pictures add a lot to the day-to-day travails of a working model in Asia, often with rueful humor. I remembered her from ANTM- ("you...bitches!") and started reading her blog when I read Michael Chabon was a huge fan of it. Who knew?
I do wish there more frequent updates, but she really puts a lot of care into each post, so I understand- she's busy with the ladyposes in any case..
@Baroness: I love her and am glad to be reminded of her blog. I laughed when she lost because her other alternative was medical school. And instead she's a working model. Love it!!!
Too often women are made to feel that beauty and brains are exclusive of one another. And that beauty for women is more important. Elyse proves that you can have both and brains seem right up there on the scale of important.
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/19/09
"I actually think I'm prettier without makeup."
I think you're right, Leighton.
11/19/09
@PaigeTurner: Leighton is one of those women whose eye's actually look smaller with more eye make up on. As a woman with the same affliction, I think she should stay away from the Lita Ford circa 1985 look.
11/19/09
I know some women who wake up two hours before they are due in to work to 'put on their face'. I woke up 8:10 this morning, had to be at work at 8:30. Jumped in the shower, threw on my clothes, applied a bit of moisturizer to my face, ran my fingers through my hair (afro), grabbed my bag and made it to work in 20 minutes. I want to look polished, but I don't want to put in the effort to make it so.
And then I wonder, why is this even an issue? Shouldn't I be out marching for world peace or something?
11/19/09
I just started experimenting with wearing it this year, which I call Project: Ladydrag, but I totally can't be bothered to do it every day - try every fortnight. (Where do people learn this stuff? It takes real skill, and I feel like a ten-thumbed putz half the time.) In many ways, I like the freedom of not being shackled to the eye brush and the lip liner. Stick to the moisturiser, I bet you look fab.
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/19/09
I want a chapter entitled, "On Not Poking Your Eyeball Loose With The Wand Thingy."
11/19/09
From my experiences with various makeup artists, I have learned this: good skin is (duh) the most important thing, because decoration is a lot easier and more fun than camouflage. Three things you might find useful are: A very light-textured cream concealer, possibly one with some light-reflecting properties like YSL Touche Eclat, or what I used to use, MAC Strobe Cream mixed with drugstore L'Oreal foundation, to go on your spots/under eye circles; A natural-toned blush/bronzer combo like NARS in "Orgasm" to give you some color and set the concealer; And mascara (Maybelline Great Lash is outstanding). Those three product classes are probably all you really "need." (And they can be applied in about two minutes.)
The rest is pretty much just for fun. A good eyeshadow in a color just ever so slightly darker than your skin tone, for contouring over your lid, in the crease, and along your lash line, is also a very subtle way of bringing out your eyes. A dab of some kind of shimmer powder under the arc of your eyebrows and perhaps your cheekbones can also be a nice touch, but you gotta watch that it doesn't get too stage-y.
Also, if you want lipstick to last: exfoliate your lips thoroughly with a wet washcloth (or an old soft bristled toothbrush, or by rubbing some sugar on your lips), put on a light chapstick and let it sink in, then draw all over your lips with a lip pencil in a shade that matches (more or less) the lipstick. Really thoroughly. Then do the lipstick, blot, and repeat. This turns basically any lipstick into long-lasting stuff, without the cakiness. The above process has resulted in lipstick that's lasted 12 hours on shoots, with only the most minimal re-applications. (I won't pretend that I often have the patience to replicate it at home, though.)
11/19/09
11/19/09
And as a long time makeup wearer, I'd like to share a couple of tips for anyone who feels uncomfortable with it. Stop reading if you care to, obviously, and don't lay into me if you don't.
If you're over 30, I promise you your skin has lost some smoothness, and the colors in your eyebrows and lips have faded out a bit.
Here is the minimum you need to do: smooth out your skin -- you don't have to wear liquid foundation, but dab out circles and redness with a little concealer, and then use powder foundation (Clinique makes a good one.) It's just like putting on powder from a compact.Then, color in your lips with a Revlon Colorstay product -- I like Pomegranate -- it will stay all day. Finally, pencil lightly over your eyebrows, and if you are worried at all about their shape, go to a salon for waxing.
Lips, skin, eyebrows -- you are good to go.
I seriously, seriously hope this is helpful to someone.
11/19/09
11/19/09
In between, they got stacked on my chair so I could eat at the dinner table.
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/19/09
Also, I'd much rather dress like Blair than you in that video or on the red carpet. Don't diss Blair. You look amazing as her.
11/19/09
11/19/09
@hortense: i want to forgive you, and i want to forget you.
11/19/09
11/19/09
04/30/09
04/30/09
04/30/09
04/30/09
04/30/09
Girl's not at all concerned about the well being of the person she lives with just annoyed because it's affecting her.
I know we don't always respond it situations in the "correct" way, but just because you think something doesn't mean you have to post it on the internet. I'm sure her roommate felt great when she read what Elyse thought about her.
On a more positive note: I've seen Coco Rocha's blog before and it's great.
04/30/09
04/30/09
04/30/09
04/30/09
Also, not to quibble, but I think "the most successful contestant to ever survive the Tyra Banks modeling school" is Mollie Sue.
04/30/09
04/30/09
I do wish there more frequent updates, but she really puts a lot of care into each post, so I understand- she's busy with the ladyposes in any case..
04/30/09
04/30/09
Too often women are made to feel that beauty and brains are exclusive of one another. And that beauty for women is more important. Elyse proves that you can have both and brains seem right up there on the scale of important.
04/30/09
04/30/09
Hee.
04/30/09
05/01/09
04/30/09
04/30/09