Carla Bruni
A followup to Models who sing:
The third album Comme Si De Rien N’Etait by Carla Bruni aka Mme. Sarkozy was released today:
Comme Si De Rien N’Etait by Carla Bruni
Category: celebrities
Eye shadow and eye color
I just sat through the debut of Eyes By Design on HSN. I spent 30 minutes listening to some woman with a grating British accent and the usual hyper-perky TV shopping network hostess, who subjected me to pitches that the eye shadow palettes were created “scientifically” (a red flag word) to enhance one’s eye color.
The presentation so totally bummed me out that I won’t be buying Eyes By Design. I’m disappointed – I expected better from BeautyBank.
The HSN and QVC websites are among the most sophisticated e-commerce sites I’ve seen, with lots of information about products. Download the tip sheets for using Eyes By Design palettes. The tip sheets are available in a printer-friendly version and can be used with other palettes .
I’m not smitten with the idea of selecting eye shadow shades based on eye color alone – refer to Makeup lessons from Di Kennedy to see what other factors should be considered.
Still, if you’re interested in eye shadow palettes based on eye color, I recommend L’Oreal’s recent Made for Me Naturals eye shadow palette collection. All the palettes are beautiful, and you don’t have to limit yourself to the palette for your eye color: I chose the palettes for brown eyes (Penelope Cruz) and dark eyes (Beyonce).
I’m also enjoying the Pop Beauty Eye Class palette in Brown Eyes (although the appliqués make the wallet look tacky). I also like the Play It Up eye shadow trio for green eyes from Almay, and while I grumbled about Almay retaining Elaine Mellencamp after it completely redid its brand, she’s picked up cachet through her husband’s recent – and deserved – induction into the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame!
Share this:
Beauty on HSN
TV shopping networks (QVC, HSN) are so tawdry. The products these networks peddle are tawdry and the chit-chat and banter are irritating. However, I’ll be watching the debut of
On the other hand, I won’t be watching the IMAN Global Chic event on HSN this week. Iman will be debuting her third(!) cosmetics imprint, after Iman and i-iman, this Saturday. If it’s anything like the cheesy Global Chic accessories she peddles on HSN, I’ll pass it up. One item that Iman offers through Global Chic is a cheap knockoff of the ring that David Bowie gave her on their 15th wedding anniversary: she and the show host giggled about how the original ring came from “Fred” whose last name they wouldn’t say – no doubt Fred Leighton.
I give Iman high marks as an entrepreneur (as I say, she’s the biggest success story to come out of Somalia), but Global Chic undermines my perception of her “classiness.”
Share this:
Born on a Monday
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban on their wedding day
I’m glad that Nicole Kidman gave birth to a biological child (she has two adopted children from her marriage to Tom Cruise). I know that it’s something that she sought for a long time. She’s one celebrity who is a class act.
But why did she and Keith Urban had to give the baby girl such a ridiculous name “Sunday Rose”? The baby was born on a Monday! Let’s hope that they simply call her “Rose.”
Share this:
Anne Hathaway in People
Anne Hathaway in SELF
While the July 2008 issues of InStyle and Self with Anne Hathaway are still at newsstands, out comes this week’s edition of People, with a cover story about Raffaelo Follieri and her.
Anne Hathaway in People
I don’t know whether or not she was “stunned and heartbroken” by Follieri’s alleged wrongdoing, but I do know that stories of betrayal play well. Just witness the media attention given to the marital woes of Alex Rodriguez and Christie Brinkley.
Share this:
She hath a way …
Anne Hathaway
I subscribe to InStyle, but I’m thinking about dropping my subscription when it expires next year. I seldom go to the movie theater, and I don’t even have a subscription to Netflix. Consequently, I don’t know the “work” of the stars featured in the pages of InStyle. The only time I catch up on movies is when I’m taking cross-country or overseas flights. On my flight between DC and Copenhagen last month, I watched The Devil Wears Prada. That shows you how out of date I am.
Which brings me to the July 2008 issue of InStyle, with Anne Hathaway on the cover. There’s a series of Q&A with Anne inside the magazine; here’s a very small excerpt:
[Interviewer] Let’s talk about your boyfriend, Raffaelo Follieri. What does he do?
[Anne] Real estate and finance.
Now that’s a terse reply. Follieri made news himself, right on the front page of the Wednesday, June 25, 2008 edition of the Wall Street Journal. He has been charged with fraud, conspiracy and money laundering. Follieri claimed that he had close ties with the Vatican, which would enable him to purchase surplus Church properties at favorable prices for investment. However, money from investors was diverted into funding Follieri’s lavish lifestyle, including the $37,000 a month NYC apartment that he and Hathaway shared.
Fortunately for Hathaway, Follieri’s troubles didn’t spoil the successful opening of her latest movie Get Smart. Moreover, press reports claim that Follieri and Hathaway have split.
Share this:
The keffiyeh controversy returns
Rachel Ray for Dunkin’ Donuts
I know that my last several articles have veered away from discussing beauty, which has been my stock in trade, but timely topics such as Yves St. Laurent’s death and Barack Obama’s clinching the Democratic nomination for President have pre-empted blogging about beauty.
Last Saturday, I came back from Copenhagen, where only one Starbuck’s was spotted (in the airport) and Dunkin’ Donuts is non-existent. I came back to learn about the controversy concerning an ad for Dunkin’ Donuts, in which spokesperson Rachel Ray wore a fringed scarf suggesting the keffiyeh, which is closely associated with the late Palestinian terrorist Yasser Arafat.
The campaign was driven by conservative blogger Michelle Malkin and the strongly pro-Israel blog Little Green Footballs. Dunkin’ Donuts has since pulled the ad, thanks to Ms. Malkin and LGF and their thousands of followers. However, other conservative writers think that Ms. Malkin and LGF are reading into the adthings that really weren’t intended.
In Copenhagen, street fashion includes scarves, even keffiyehs, loosely worn around the neck. No wonder that dELiA*s called their version the “Euro scarf.” I don’t know if the kids have any knowledge about the keffiyeh and its associations and are merely buying into radical chic. It would help if there were a campaign to inform people about the terrorist attacks guided by Arafat and to prod them into questioning if they can justify wearing an item so closely associated with a terrorist.
Share this:
Models who sing
ABC News has a slideshow about models who make the transition From Runway to Big Screen (curiously it omits Rene Russo, who’s had a fair amount of success in the movies).
But models who sing? Here are three:
Rosie Vela
Zazu
Rosie Vela was a top model of the 70s who had liaisons with pop artist Peter Max and musician Jeff Lynne (ELO, The Traveling Wilburys). In 1986, she released her album Zazu, which featured support by members of Steely Dan. Zazu was critically acclaimed, and her video received play on VH1. However, she never really broke commercially as an artist.
Milla Jovovich
The Divine Comedy
Milla’s the triple threat: model (L’Oreal), movie star (Resident Evil, The Fifth Element), and fashion entrepreneur (Jovovich-Hawk). The Onion had a facetious article Milla Jovovich Inducted into Basic Cable Hall of Fame about her movie career. Her album The Divine Comedy, featuring songs that she wrote, was released in 1994, when she was only 19. At that time, she was better known for Return to the Blue Lagoon. Milla received critical acclaim for The Divine Comedy.
Carla Bruni
No promises
Carla Bruni is now Mme. Sarkozy, the new wife of French president Nicolas Sarkozy. Among her liaisons were Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton. I will refrain from talking about the more scandalous episodes of her life. The above picture is the cover of her second album No Promises, which features poems in the English language set to music. Perhaps this was her bid to attract English-speaking audiences.
I like this cover. She looks like she’s deep into a book, but the picture also highlights her long legs – she’s 5’11” while her husband is only 5’6″.
Her song Quelqu’un M’a Dit (Somebody Told Me) was a hit in Europe. It’s also featured on the Starbucks CD compilation Songs of the Siren.
Share this:
Look what’s happened to Stacey Dash!
Ondo Lady noted that Glam.com selected Clueless as the top chick flick of all time.
 |
| Clueless |
Alicia Silverstone (Cher) has had her career ups and downs since Clueless was released in 1995. Today, she’s better known for her vegan lifestyle than for her work. Brittany Murphy (Tai) has probably has had the most consistent career of all the principals, including a steady gig as the voice of Luann, Hank and Peggy Hill’s live-in niece on the King of the Hill animated TV series (I’m a fan).
Stacey Dash (Dionne) appeared in the short-lived TV spinoff of Clueless, but otherwise seemed to drop off the map. What happened? Wonder no longer – she’s on the cover of the June 2008 issue of King magazine, which appears to be Maxim or FHM geared to the African-American male.
 |
| Stacey Dash |
Lord have mercy. BTW Although Stacey Dash played a teenager in Clueless, she was already in her late twenties. She’s now 42.
Share this:
AVON Pro-To-Go lipstick
Avon Pro-To-Go lipstick
Avon has been working hard to keep relevant in the ever-changing market for beauty. The launch of mark, geared toward teens, appears to have been successful, and mark’s customizable Hook Ups have become popular. In addition, Avon has hired Jillian Dempsey of Delux Beauty as its Creative Director (husband Patrick Dempsey has signed on to promote men’s products from Avon).
Avon has gone all out to promote its new Pro-To-Go lipstick, with SMS to get a free lipstick upon the launch and full-page ads featuring Reese Witherspoon, Avon’s newly named “Global Ambassador.”
The sliding button opens the lid and even the lipstick. Clever packaging, but how does Pro-To-Go perform? The application is smooth, and the lipcolor feels smooth and comfortable. The Style Page gives it a “thumbs up.”
Avon Pro-To-Go lipstick comes in 15 different shades and is available for an introductory price of $5.99 (after that, it will cost $9.00). You may buy Avon Pro-To-Go lipstick via the Avon website or, of course, your Avon rep.
Cold Cream 'n' Roses 
You must be logged in to post a comment.