Category: Beyonce

Seven Biggest Celebrity Beauty Lies

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“There’s this idea that it’s all natural, but everything’s been staged to look natural,” said [Lady] Gaga of her October 2011 Harper’s Bazaar cover. “Don’t you think that what’s on the cover of a magazine is quite artificial?”  Right.  And have you ever noticed that they use B&W for models/celebrities “without makeup”?

We’re used to celebrities lying to us about their marital affairs. But what about the beauty lies they pass off as advice? See the worst of them now
7 Biggest Celeb Beauty Lies

This is a TotalBeauty.com celebrity hairstyles article
OK, OK, nobody is buying that’s all Kim Kardashian’s real hair, but what about the other beauty lies celebs pass off as fact? See the worst of Hollywood’s beauty lies now.

Your Golden Moment

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I love it when L’Oreal comes out with a limited edition collection. Invariably, the limited edition collection features a beautiful eye shadow palette.

Beyoncé and Eva Longoria Parker are featured in the advertising campaign for L’Oreal’s latest limited edition collection Your Golden Moment. Your Golden Moment features two beautiful eye shadow collections: A Little Bit of Glitz and A Little Bit of Glam.

As with many limited edition collections from mass-market brands, the availability of Your Golden Moment collection is erratic. You might have to visit several stores before you find it. The search is worth it.

Gratuitous Beyonce photo

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Given that I’ve blogged on Beyonce several times already, why not another time?

Here’s a photo of Beyonce as we often don’t see her, with little makeup and casually dressed in a knit cap, oversized hoops, a turtleneck, and high-waisted, wide-legged tie-fronts pants.

But she looks great anyhow. To see more, Music Royalty Eats on the Cheap – omg! photos on Yahoo!

The Style Page interview with celebrity makeup artist Matin – Part 1

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Matin Maulawizada

The Style Page is pleased to present an exclusive interview with celebrity makeup artist Matin (pronounced mah-TEEN) Maulawizada. Matin has an impressive list of credits: his work has been featured in InStyle as well as other major fashion and beauty magazines and his client list includes Angelina Jolie, Beyonce, Gwen Stefani, Liv Tyler, Reese Witherspoon, Salma Hayek, and Shakira. A more comprehensive list of credits may be found by selecting this link.

Because of the length and range of the interview, it will be split over three postings. This post focuses on his upbringing in Afghanistan and what he learned about beauty in Afghanistan.

1. Your biography states that you have six sisters. Were you the only boy?

Yes, I am the only boy.

2. What was your first language?

It is called Dari. A language spoken in Afghanistan and a few other central Asian countries inhabited by Tadjik tribes.

3. What beauty rituals did you observe your mother, sisters, and other female relatives do? A magazine article said that you learned threading by watching your female relatives, but were there any others? What about mehndi (henna), lining the eyes with kajal?

Yes, I learned most of beauty trick watching my sisters go at it decades after decades. My mom would be running around with a masque on her face ordering the staff at the house on what to do and what to cook, a sister would be screaming from pain of waxing her leg, the other would be threading her upper lip, yet another one would be painting her face… It was NICE ;-). My main inspirations were my sister Mina who did incredible eye make-up on herself in the 60’s and 70’s. She cross dressed she had a Beetles style haircut until 11th grade, then did a complete turn and joined miss Afghanistan and got very fem, my sister Shakila is absolutely gorgeous and I used to sit with her and watch her get ready to go out with her fiancé in the 70’s, my sister Trina with her super smokey eyes, pale skin…wow…great 80’s face. So I watched and absorbed these looks not from the books or movies but right in front of me done by very beautiful, very talented women who were my sisters. Kajal and Surma (khol powder) is used by men, women in children in my country (Afghanistan) so it is of course my most favorite thing to use.

4. Would you care to comment on beauty as an act of resistance under the Taliban?

On one of my trips back to Afghanistan, I met a brilliant man that produced lipsticks, nail polishes, facial bleaching creams etc in his garage during the reign of Taliban and sold them to the underground beauty parlors. Make up is IS a form of expression in today’s Afghanistan, it is theatrical and it is a way to show the world that you are modern. You don’t wear it at all and when you do… you go ALL OUT.

In Part 2, Matin talks about coming to the U.S., breaking into the beauty business, and making it.

Beyonce and the "Roboho" costume

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I stayed up past midnight last night listening to the shout-out between the Rev. Al Sharpton and Harvey Levin of the TMZ.com celebrity gossip site on Fox News concerning TMZ’s describing the costume that Beyonce wore at the BET 2007 Fashion Awards show last month as “Roboho.” The Rev. Al thought that the term was demeaning and racist; Harvey Levin said it was all in good fun.

What was missed in this whole shout-out was the similarity of Beyonce’s costume to that of the female robot in the 1927 film classic Metropolis.



Madonna riffed on Metropolis for her video Respect Yourself.

Is Beyonce’s look really that bad?

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OK, this is certainly not Beyonce’s best picture and might not be her best look, but is it really the fashion disaster that Cynthia Nellis of fashion.about.coom says that it is?

Ms. Nellis writes:

What’s missing in Beyonce’s outfit goes way beyond a pair of pants or a skirt (although either would’ve helped): Beyonce is missing dignity. She owes it to her fabulous self to skip the trends — like these almost-invisible teensy shorts — that don’t flatter her and stick with what does (which is pretty much just about everything else).

A slightly longer boy short might be better, but who needs thigh coverage with legs like these?

My criticism? The bright pink lipstick. Mally Roncal (her longtime makeup artist) or the beauty professionals at L’Oreal (for which Beyonce is a spokesperson) were not paying attention here.

Demystifying eye makeup

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Perhaps I was a bit critical of Stila’s Smoky Eye Palette – I’m not adverse to pricey brands (particularly if they provide something I can’t find in less pricier brands) and some folks seem to like the palette. Still, I think it was nervy to insert an audio commercial advertising other Stila products on a $40 item.

That said, eye makeup is the trickiest part of makeup application, and it’s to a makeup company’s advntage to provide guidance on applying makeup to sell product. Here’s a rundown on products with accompanying guidance:


Bare Escentuals Get Started Eyes

Bare Escentuals Get Started Eyes and Bare Escentuals Tutorials – Lesson 1: Smoky Eye provide guidance with the set. I think that the lid and eyeliner shades on the model are great, but I’m not smitten with the pale pink highlighter, especially with deep-set eyes like mine (and the model’s). I wish the Chocolate Raisin liner was sold individually – it sounds like the dark-dark brown-plum I love (see also Constant Color Gel Eyeliner)

Jemma Kid Eye Wardrobe Eye Shadow Quartet
Jemma Kidd is a London-based makeup artist. She’s also the sister of model, champion polo player, and race car driver Jodie Kidd; great-granddaughter of press magnate Lord Beaverbrook; and wife of the grandson of the current Duke of Wellington – whew! Advice on application may be downloaded from Jemma Kidd’s website, as well as her columns for The Mail on Sunday (UK).


Mally Beauty City Chick Smokey Eye Kit

Mally Beauty is a makeup line from celebrity makeup artist Mally Roncal (she’s the one who makes Beyoncé always look fabulous). Originally available through QVC, Mally Beauty is available at Amazon.com. Mally Beauty City Chick Smokey Eye Kit comes in five different color themes: Brownstone (browns), Skyscraper (slate/gray), Central Park (greens), Nolita Navy (blues), and Plum Chelsea (guess). Each palette comes with eye shadow base and eye liner pencil.

Pop Beauty Eye Class – Smokey Eyes is the most diversified palette of the lot, and features these shades: jet black, smokey steel gray, sapphire blue, silver, deep plum, deep violet, burnished bronze, emerald green, olive gold, nude glow, opal gold, and sparkling white. Examples of application are provided with the palette.