10 highlights from allure's beauty timeline

Yes, I did go out and buy the March (20th anniversary) issue of Allure.  And I love the fold out cover to set it all off with a timeline of the past 20 years of beauty.
Remember back in ...

• 1991, when Demi Moore was featured "very pregnant and very nude" on the cover of Vanity Fair, causing many to stir?
• 1992, when Veronica Webb became the first African-American to have a cosmetics contract (with Revlon)?  
• 1999, when Felicity star Keri Russell cut off her long curls and the show dropped 20 spots in the Nielsen ratings? (Really, America?)
• 2000, when David Sedaris popularized the term "tanorexic" with the publication of  his book Me Talk Pretty One Day? 
• 2003, when model Gisele Bundschen turned down a multimillion-dollar offer to become the face of cloning service Clonaid?
• 2005, when Dove's Real Beauty campaign featured women who weren't professional models (and caused sales to jump)?
• 2006, when Kevyn Aucoin's Making Faces (still one of my favorite makeup reference books!!) shared the New York Times best-seller list with Angela's Ashes?
• (also in) 2006, when black nails became such a "hot trend" that Chanel's Black Satin polish, normally $18, could be found on eBay for $50? (?!!?)
• 2007, when a photo of Jennifer Love Hewitt in a swimsuit hit the internet, and some folks felt the need to comment negatively, causing her to respond "To all girls with butts, boobs, hips and a waist, put on a bikini--puit it on and stay strong." (yes, hello!)
• 2008, when Helen Mirren was photographed in a bikini, just before her 63rd birthday looking hawt?

Now, those were just the things that jumped out at me, but check it out for yourselves.  Which are your favorite moments of beauty past?

saturday special: man beauty, daddies

If I Were Your Daddy, This Is What You'd Learn is a recently released book touted as the most comprehensive parent-to-parent mentor guide ever put together.  When author Julia Espey, a former aerospace engineer for NASA, became a single mother, she wanted to find out how highly successful men were raising and inspiring their kids.  "This is for all the moms who have to be dads (at any time), dads who want to be better dads and for parents who want to improve their successes with their kids," says Espey. (PR Newswire)

Happy Saturday to all the daddies out there who make it their business to raise their children.  We see you, beauties.

beauty music: k' naan - america

There's no official video for this, but it won't matter.  Close your eyes,  or stare at the photo.  Either way, beautiful ...



Access K'Naan's website here.

locrocker brittany on stylelist

While a lot of ladies go natural for reasons having to do with authenticity and/or identity, Brittany Thomas, who blogs at LocRocker.com, did it because she was broke and tired of spending so much money maintaining her perm in Florida weather.  She cut the relaxer out and ended up in love with her natural hair. Featured on stylelist's natural hair bloggers series recently, she writes:

"There's something about not running from the rain and being able to work out without fear of sweating out a perm that just feels good. Being natural means I don't have to schedule my hairstyles around my life. I can't be the only lady who wouldn't work out before a wedding or an event. My natural hair isn't on a calendar. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. That's just freedom!" (stylelist)

Check out the entire article here to see Thomas' top 5 natural hair care tips, products AND a tutorial on her favorite natural hair style.

natural AND professional, oh my!

photo: getty images

That the appropriateness of natural (and yes, in many cases nappy) black hair in professional environments is still  questioned and debated,  says it all:  We may have come a long way baby, but we are nowhere near there yet.  In a lot of ways we have simply moved sideways and not forward.  Over at Black Enterprise, a recent article tackles the subject, stating:

"The reality is that your chances for getting a job and getting promoted are lessened when you don’t conform/assimilate to an ideal, predefined standard of appearance in certain industries. Is it right? No. Is there something you can do about that? Yes. If you’ve demonstrated that you have an incomparable work ethic, you can tame your company’s most challenging projects, and you’ve dotted every I or crossed every T on your resume but you still aren’t getting hired or promoted, then you have three choices: 1) Change industries 2) start your own company or 3) conform and straighten your hair and/or cut your locs."

It's sobering to remember how real the third choice is.  I have walked out of interviews that seemed to have gone beautifully, not heard back and wondered if my locs had anything to do with it.  It's an unspoken thing.  A thing you notice at random times, like when your white co-worker catches herself saying something about how dry her hair got, after she colored it for the second time over the weekend; when she touches her hair, her eyes fall on your long dreadlocks and her voice trails off just as she finishes saying  "It had the most horrible texture."   

It was only four years ago that former Glamour magazine associate editor, Ashley Baker stood before a room full of lawyers and presented a slide show on dos and don'ts of corporate fashion, during which she reportedly made remarks about dreadlocks being "truly dreadful ... No offense, but those 'political' hairstyles really have to go." (Howard University News Service)  The ensuing media storm included myriad debates on racism, and Baker's resignation (which says nothing about whether or not she has come to see that the way my hair coils out of my scalp is just as natural as the way her hair grows).  And then, just like that, everyone moved on.

We've come a long way, but we are still right here.  The law may say companies can't discriminate in their hiring practices, but let's not get it twisted:  The only place racism has gone is officially out of style.  If the person interviewing you or the one in charge of your promotion has some deep seeded view that hair is 'appropriate' or 'kept' or 'beautiful' or 'professional looking' only when it it straight and flowy, then you (and your locs, 'fros, twists, etc...) are out of the running, unless you conform and change your hair.  

Here's hoping you never have to.

from the mouths of beauties: anais nin

"Luxury is not a necessity to me, but beautiful and good things are."

Anais Nin

2 subscriptions for $9?!

See?  Here is how they get you:  There you'll be, minding your own business, cutting down on paper, preparing yourself for the nook, the I-pad and all their descendants.  Then, on your way to the shredder, you'll notice something in the papers in your hand.  Wait, what?  Both Marie Claire and Bazaar for $9?!  Has it come to this?  Yes, it has.  The future of magazine publishing has been running towards the virtual world for quite some time.  These super cheap subscription rates that are filling your mailbox are the death throes of paper and ink magazines.

So what is an old-school magazine junkie like you supposed to do?  Well, what choice do you have?  You and your paper-loving kind, are the last ones left.  You are now historians of some sort.  Corners in your homes that were once typical have become mini-museums for today's kids.  What do you do?  You detach the top portion of the ad in your hand, check the appropriate boxes, stick it in the postage-paid envelope provided, seal it, walk it to your local post office before it closes at 5pm, and stick it in the mailbox.  That's what you do.  And that, is how they get you.

ah, beyonce (in blackface)

Okay. The March issue of French fashion magazine L'Officiel marks its 90th anniversary.  The celebration features Beyonce on the cover, and includes photos of her in blackface.
Yuh hunh.
L'Officiel writes, "[It is] A return to her African roots, as you can see on the picture, on which her face was voluntarily darkened. All the pictures will be available in the collector's edition, on sale at the end of this month."  (Jezebel)
In addition to celebrating African roots, the issue is also supposed to be a tribute to Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti.  Now, can anybody explain how images of Beyonce in blackface have anything to do with any of this?   And isn't it interesting that the magazine needs to let us know that the darkening was voluntary?  Check out the video.  What do you think? Like it?

saturday special: man beauty, "luther" (idris elba)

... Oh I'm sorry was I supposed to write some text for this post? Because I got a bit distracted ... Carry on.

beauty music: de la soul

allure turns 20 and i want it. (i think)

I haven't purchased an actual (paper) issue of Allure magazine in quite some time.  You gotta trim the subscription addiction  habit somehow, and I have been good: Now I only get Elle, Ebony, Bust, Oprah, Time Out, and New York magazines.  But I just read that Allure turns 20 years old with its March issue (on stands February 22), AND that part of the celebration includes a survey that reveals diversity as the new standard of beauty in America.  Come on.  Sold.  I'm even tempted to re-introduce the magazine to my subscription fold, even if only for nostalgia's sake.

It's precisely because I would make such a move that my partner has been "threatening" to buy me the nook.  "The nook is coming honey," he'll joke, every time he hands me a magazine from the mailbox, "so you should just get use to the idea, it's coming."  We end up in stitches laughing our asses off, with him reminding me that somebody must have felt like me when they invented the wheel.  Can you believe him?  The wheel.


Low blow.
But kind of true.
And I may not have the most solid argument, (ahem!) on paper, but am I the only one who still enjoys thumbing through a paper magazine? Am I the last one?  Do you subscribe to any magazines in paper form?  Have you switched to a digital reader? Howcome?

beauty news: tyra banks launches typeF.com

Can't-stop-won't-stop-Tyra Banks is at it again, and this time she wants us all.  On March 15, she is launching typeF.com, a new fashion and beauty website aimed at appealing to all types of women.  Sounds right up our alley, as our beauties is here to be a voice in the widening of the way we see beauty.  So we're excited to see what Ms. Banks has in store --not to mention being thoroughly impressed by the recent announcement that she is headed to Harvard Business School, as well as launching season 16 (!!!) of America's Next Top Model on February 23.  Perhaps next, a seminar on The Art of Multi-Tasking? Work!



“We’re celebrating diversity with hair color, skin color, hair textures ... Every woman will see a reflection of themselves on this site,” Banks told People StyleWatch.

The 'f'' in the name of the website has a flexible meaning.  For Banks it means 'fierce', but she encourages you to decide for yourself (suggesting 'fashionable', and 'feisty' as examples).  And besides not having to wait a month to see the site, early visitors can also pre-register to enter to win prizes like an iPod Touch and a trip for two to New York City, along with a $5,000 shopping spree. Well?  What are you waiting for?  Click away!

from the mouths of beauties: dr. maya angelou

"Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.

I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size

But when I start to tell them,

They think I'm telling lies.

I say,

It's in the reach of my arms

The span of my hips,

The stride of my step,

The curl of my lips.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me." 

— Maya Angelou (Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women)

grammy beauty, esperanza

Isn't it beautiful when the Grammy for Best New Artist goes to the actual Best New Artist?  Not to take anything away from the so-called favorites in this category, just sayin'...(enjoy)

in the kit - kryolan (beauty tech) dermacolor mini concealer palette

photo: y. diggs

Whether it's just a touch to cover dark circles and/or brighten the under-eye area, or a little more to conceal that teardrop tattoo from wilder times, Kryolan Dermacolor Mini Concealer is the way to go.  (Also works really well as a base for eyeshadow!!)
Get it here.

saturday special: man beauty, tim gunn

For enriching vocabularies everywhere, keeping it all aesthethically pleasing and standing up for what he believes in, Tim Gunn, host extraordinaire of Project Runway, is our man beauty this week.  Gunn wants designers to stop using fur in their collections and he's talking about it:

“I’m on a campaign to get as many fashion designers as possible to stop using it,” said Gunn, who is the chief creative officer of Liz Claiborne. “I’d just like to sit with them and have a talk and ask, ‘Is it really necessary?’” (ecorazzi)

To that we say, beautiful.

What do you think? Do you dabble with fur?  Fur trim? Fur from your grandmother?  If so, is it really necessary?

beauty music: india arie

fashion week: essence.com brings it to you

It's Fashion Weeeeeek!
No tickets?  No worries:  Starting today, ESSENCE.com brings you an unprecedented multi-media experience, live from Mercedez-Benz Fashion Week 2011, that is aimed at making you feel like you're sitting front row.  Featuring treats like real time wall-to-wall coverage, fashion reviews on designers from around the world, and ongoing video streams, "you can bet your last money, it's all gonna be a stone gas, honey." (Don Cornelius)

carte blanche: beauty a la 1920s

An absolute joy to be around, and talented through and through, Carte Blanche.
(hair and makeup for this video by yours truly)
Enjoy!

from the mouths of beauties: ani

"so i walk like i'm on a mission

cuz that's the way i groove

i got more and more to do

i got less and less to prove

it took me too long to realize

that i don't take good pictures

cuz i have the kind of beauty that moves"

ani difranco

(evolve)

beauty in the news: susan taylor at the 2011 harlem fine arts show

Susan Taylor, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus at Essence Magazine will be at the helm of the opening reception gala for the 2011 Harlem Fine Arts Show (HFAS) on Friday, February 25, 2011. The show is a continuation of the tradition of the National Black Fine Arts Show, which has been held at New York’s Puck Building for 14 years. The HFAS runs from February 25-27 at the Riverside Church in Harlem, and features paintings, photographs and sculpture by African-American artists - established and emerging - from around the world. One of the largest, most prestigious collections of works in the nation, the HFAS is sure to be yet another great way to celebrate Black History Month. As Taylor states, "The show is a cultural celebration and nourishing to the souls of people from every walk of life." (PR Newswire)

Check the clip below for peek!

21 days, 21 ways (to do a face)

photo: Phyllis Li/ELLE

Feel like switching the look up from time to time?  Blogger Phyllis Li (of Makeupforlife.net) has got you covered.  Recently featured in Elle magazine displaying her prowess with a makeup brush (or two), Li  takes on the challenge of creating twenty one unique makeup looks for 21 days.  From the understated sophistication of a lip stain to Bollywood inspired rainbow lids, Li reminds us that beauty is a moving thing.  Yes?

saturday special: man beauty, clyde

Former NBA star and now Knicks broadcaster Walt Frazier. 
They started calling him Clyde during his playing days when he bought a wide brimmed hat that reminded folks of the movie (Bonnie and Clyde.)

"The first time I wore the hat, everybody laughed at me. My teammates and, I remember, the guys on the other team, because they'd never seen anything like that. But that's part of my individuality," he says. "Like, when I was in high school, I never drank, because I'm not afraid of being ostracized from a group if there's something I don't want to do." 

-excerpt from a One On 1 segment with Bud Mishkin (on NY1)

His recently re-issued 1974 book, Rockin' Steady-A Guide to Basketball & Cool includes a chapter entitled  "A General Guide to Looking Good and Other Matters."

Need I say more?
Run to the bookstore.

beauty music: damian marley

from the mouths of beauties: paulina

"Personally, I believe that every woman in the world is beautiful. Sometimes the distribution of her attributes is not immediately apparent; sometimes it’s a little uneven, but if she knew how to celebrate the things she was given, whether it’s a beautiful pair of eyes or legs, or intellect, or a sense of humor­– she could see how uniquely beautiful she was."

Paulina Porizkova

shirin neshat (and those eyes)

I thought I was walking away from a t.v. commercial break while watching a PBS series called Circus (phenomenal by the way), but then I caught a glimpse of this woman, and the way she wore her eyeliner. The image stopped me. Suddenly all I wanted to know was who she was. Turns out she's a force of nature.

Shirin Neshat is a filmmaker and visual artist of Iraninan descent, as well as a recipient of the award for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival for her film, Women Without Men. The commercial I thought I was walking away from was for a program she was featured on called SundayArts. Check out the clip below. And then if you're so inclined, as I was, go to your mirror with your favorite black eyeliner and try to emulate her eye makeup. I call it The Shirin, and I wear my version every chance I get. Brain candy beauty.  I love it.  Don't you?

Watch the full episode. See more SundayArts.

beauty babies

 From blue eye-shadowed Barbies to baby beauty pageants and growth spurts like Hannah Montana's, we were always headed right where we are, with American girls wearing makeup sooner and sooner in their lives.  This Wall Street Journal  article gives us a glimpse into the world of cosmetics marketed specifically towards pre-teens.

Hm.  It's no surprise, yet it does cause a whisper of a twitch somewhere in me.  And I don't even have children.

What do you think?  Is there a 'too soon' when it comes to young girls and makeup use?

everyday beauty

I had the nerve to be shocked recently when I came across the following on stylelist in a post by Grace Gold:

 "According to a study of 3,000 women conducted by U.K. chain store Superdrug, one in three refuses to leave home without first putting on makeup -- even if she's just running errands or making a quick stop at the grocery store."

And it doesn't end there:  The same study found that 1 in 6 won't go to work bare faced, concerned that it could damage their reputation and career.

"What?! Say it ain't so," lamented the purist deep down in me,  "Has it come to this?  Are we this fical?"  I mean yes, I work as a makeup artist, and yes, there is a lot of fun to be had in that realm, but I have never crossed over to the zone where folks think makeup is some kind of requirement. 

And then I slowly remembered, as I sat pondering the state of womanhood in light of all this, that even with no plans to leave my apartment that day (mounds of dirty snow everywhere, icy sidewalks, no real reason to...) I had 5 products on my face.  Quick somebody cue the Thanks-For-Playing-This-Round-of-Misguided-Righteousness music.

See, what had happened was...Over time, my 'basic everyday face', a look that takes me less than 5 minutes to achieve,  has come to feel more like an extension of washing my face every morning than an application of makeup.  My hands move naturally and without pause into this routine - concealer, a light dusting of powder, subtle brow pencil, mascara, and lip balm and/or lipstick.  And I come away, I think, looking like the grown woman that I am, as opposed to the child I think I look like in bare face (not complaining, just saying).  That's my excuse.

Now beauties, tell me I'm not the only one.  What does your everyday face encompass?
And for those of you who are looking to shave time off your beauty routine, check out makeup artist Carmindy's 5-minute face tutorial below.  Enjoy!

in the kit-kiehl's ultra facial

I use Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturizer, in some way, on every shoot.  It works for most skin types and is so lightweight, it sinks right into the skin leaving it soft, nurtured and primed for foundation (or nothing at all).
Besides being my favorite everyday moisturizer, I find that Ultra Facial is also

a. an awesome picker-upper of any excess/errant product that should happen to fall where you don't want it (powder eyeshadow that wanders during application for example).  dip a cotton swab/tige in a bit of ultra facial and dab lightly over the area in question.

b. a superb mixing and thinning medium for my favorite concealer in the world, to achieve lighter coverage or when custom blending a shade.

black history beauty, zora.

"Sometimes, I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can any deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It's beyond me."

Zora Neale Hurston



Zora Neale Hurston celebrated the beauty of black self expression. I love reading about her as much as I love reading her work. She was gorgeous, and she did outrageous things with no hesitation. Things that make me wish I'd been there:

"Lest anyone forget her, Hurston made a wholly memorable entrance at a party following the awards dinner. She strode into the room--jammed with writers and arts patrons, black and white--and flung a long, richly colored scarf around her neck with dramatic flourish as she bellowed a reminder of the title of her winning play: "Colooooooor Struuckkkk!" Her exultant entrance literally stopped the party for a moment, just as she had intended."

-excerpted from Valerie Boyd's biography on the official Zora Neale Hurston website.

beauty, defined

In the spirit of starting at the beginning, Merriam Webster's first (and my favorite) definition of beauty:

1: the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit : loveliness.