I just realised the other day that new Bond Girl, Olga Kurylenko, is the face of KenzoAmour and KenzoAmour Indian Holi. And because I’m slightly obsessed with all things Olga right now (I’m even loving the cornrows she rocked at the Tokyo premiere of the Quantum of Solace – controversial, I know), it got me thinking about Kenzo, and what a gorgeous brand it is. It’s one of those quiet achievers of the beauty world and one that I think I have been a bit remiss in talking about in recent times. (more…)
I am currently spluttering away on the couch and feeling sad and sorry for myself (don’t you hate how when you’ve been at your healthiest, that’s when you get sick? It’s like the toxins all get together and say, “So she thinks she can get rid of us? We’ll show her.”) So I thought I’d stop whingeing and brighten the day by showing this gorgeous new commercial for Miss Dior Chérie, directed by Sophia Coppola, starring Maryna Linchuk, Paris (31 sleeps to go until I’m there! now that has definitely cheered me up), and Brigitte Bardot on soundtrack:
I had a very relaxing and zen-filled morning yesterday, pattering around the Lost Buddhas exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. And I’m hoping that somehow good karma (we followed it with vegan yum cha, what else) will repay me by keeping my slightly-stressed-right-now brow Buddha-smooth for at least a week. Without wanting to sound flippant or superficial (me, never), those Buddhas sure knew how to keep their skin looking serene. I guess living in a near-permanent state of meditation has something to do with it. Although even the busiest Buddhist-inclined people I know, who only manage to spend ten or twenty minutes in medication each day, seem to float around in a wrinkle-free cloud. (more…)
Beauty Signature: Shimmering skin, lots of long dark hair, dash of red lipstick with a smile. Plus one spritz of Serge Lutens Un Bois Vanille ($150 from Mecca Cosmetica).
Beauty Icon: Blair Waldorf AKA Leighton Meester. Always has fantastic skin, never over-the-top and when she wears a red lipstick she really rocks it. I also adore the contrast of her hair and skin - something I’m a tad too tanned for, but a girl can dream.
All-Time Top Buy: Becca’s Shimmering Skin Perfector in Pearl ($66 from Adore Beauty) - lights up your face like nothing else, and the tube lasts forever. Opal is also brilliant for a more sunkissed look, and a daub of Rose Quartz on the apples of my cheeks adds subtle pink shimmer. (more…)
Or at least she could, with these massive Chanel baubles that are hanging off her ears. It’s actually giving me lobe pain just looking at them. Which reminds me: Did you know that ear lobe rejuvenation is an increasingly popular procedure overseas? – that’s where a hyaluronic acid injection, like Restylane, plumps out a droopy or hollow ear lobe and makes it easier to wear earrings again. Just call it the lobe lift. An interesting concept, but it all begs the thought: if we didn’t wear crazy earrings in the first place …
I’m not a girl who likes getting her hands dirty. Yet I’m forever scrubbing my nails of grime that seems to accumulate throughout the day. Nicole, on the other hand, is the opposite. I have seen her in the dirtiest and dustiest of roles (Cold Mountain, Australia, which I saw last night – more on that in a minute) and yet her nails always remain super-annoyingly pristine. It’s like they have their own clause in her contract. Somewhere near the one that goes “My facial muscles must not be expected to move more than 10 degrees” there’s probably one that reads “Under no circumstance shall my cuticles be forced into any kind of stressful situation.” (more…)
I’m not a hands girl. Rings make me feel a little claustro and I’ve never been able to grow my nails beyond a short square shape - they start to feel too claw-ish and I have to chop them off before I do any damage. So this trend is most definitely not for me. But in the interests of beauty reporting, it must be said that long oval nails, after a very long style hiatus, seem to be back in business. Along with super-statement rings. Witness the latest Dior jewellery ads, and Selma Blair stepping out with long French-tipped talons, and a ring snaking all the way along her middle finger. I can’t quite work out if the look is fabulous – or if there’s little too much morphing with her Kath & Kim character going on. But at any rate, it’s something different to the usual black-nailed celebrity look, and a nice excuse to go jewellery shopping. And if Dior is out of the budget, no doubt Diva will have some version of the look any moment now.
I’ve been up in Far North Queensland for a few days, doing little more than lolling around and reading books. I’ve just finished the gorgeous Love in a Cold Climate (ironic because I’m looking very sweaty, frizzy and generally un-lovely in a very hot climate) from the fabulous Popular Penguin collection. I don’t know if it’s the book’s orange-covered influence or the general Queensland love for all things bright, but I’ve just succumbed to an urge to paint my toenails Penguin-orange – Bloom Nail Polish in Bettina 1, $19.95 from Bloom, is actually a very close match.
Just a quick fyi today: I’ve noticed a trend coming through in hair that I’m really warming to. It’s all about moving everything forwards – as opposed to out or up, which the recent runways have all been about. Vanessa Hudgens kicked it off by chopping a fringe and letting her curls run loose, Helena followed with a minxy moppish style, and now Jessica has come out with this fabulous Farrah-Fawcett-featherish look. Things haven’t been this shaggy since Meg Ryan’s heyday. But whereas Meg was tomboy-cute, this is much more grown-up and sexy. And the best thing about in-your-face hair: it covers a multitude of skin sins. A good hair and skin day in one, now who’s going to argue with that?
