Beauty Blog » valentina

Blue and braids ruled the Gareth Pugh Fall 2008 at London Fashion Week.  Are you ready for it?

Hi all,

Well, it’s very sad, but I will no longer be writing the Smarter Beauty Blog.  I’ve been offered a copywriting position in the beauty industry, so I’m moving on.  I leave you in the hands of Michelle, who writes the Smarter Home & Garden Blog.  She’ll be bringing you beauty tips, news and deals.   Thanks for reading.

Stay beautiful,

Valentina

• The New York Times reports that Perfume sales are dropping.

• The Beauty Brains tell us if sleeping on Silkskin Antiaging Pillowcases is good for your skin.

• Makeup Bag has a rundown of M.A.C’s new Fafi collection.

• Bellasugar tells you 7 ways to look better naked.

Well,this is a new one. I’ve heard of religious controversy, but religious cosmetics controversy? It’s happening! Looking Good for Jesus is a BlueQ cosmetics line that uses images of Jesus and taglines like “Redeem your reputation and more” on bubble bath, compacts, lip balm and more. Some find it cheeky and harmless, but others, like the Catholic citizens of Singapore, find it downright offensive. So offensive, in fact, that they’ve successfully pressured Topshop to pull the such items as “Get Tight with Christ” cream off its shelves.

The protesters argue that the products “trivialize Jesus Christ and Christianity.” They also don’t appreciate the “sexual innuendos sexual in the messages and the way Jesus is portrayed in these products.”

I say, to each his own. What do you think?

Source.

M.A.C. has tapped Fergie for the latest Viva Glam ads, and while I’m all for the cause, I’m rarely pro-Fergie.  However, for some inexplicable reason she seems to have a lot of fans, so I guess this was a good match.

Fergie told WWD:

I have been a fan of Viva Glam for a long time — I have been following the campaign for years and I think it’s a great outreach…MAC picks people like RuPaul, Mary J. Blige — people that are a little controversial and aren’t afraid to speak their minds. I’m very proud to be a part of it.

• Beauty Addict has the much-anticipated Vanity Fair Hollywood Issue cover.
  

• The Beauty Brains explain why MAC Liquidlast Eye Liner lasts so long.

• SheFinds asks what’s the most awful Valentine’s gift you’ve ever received? Enter the Worst V-Day Gifts Contest for a chance to win prizes that will heal all of your heartache.

• Bellasugar tells you how to use your fingers to get the most out of your makeup. Intrigued?

Maybe it’s the nostalgia of having a Clinton running for the White House, but I think a revival of the 90s revival of the 1960s is on the cusp of happening. At least if Anna Sui has anything to say about it–check out the beauty at her Fashion Week Fall 08 show.

New Fashion Week is happening this very second, and while I love the clothes, I’m also into the makeup and hair. Here’s a roundup:

At Thakoon, hair was big and messy (kind of like Tippy Hedron in The Birds), while plums and pinks ruled the face.

Diane Von Furstenberg opted for high glamour and smoky eyes.

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Electric eyes and natural hair defined the runway look at Proenza Schouler:

Kayleen Schaefer caused quite a stir in the blogosphere this week with her article, Beauty Blogs Come of Age: Swag, Please! The piece is about the power of beauty blogs, freebies, and the negative effect that swag could have on the authenticity of product reviews. I get the concern, but I also think that those mentioned in the article–biggies like Beauty Addict Kristen Kelly and Shake Your Beauty’s Tia Williams–were unfairly depicted by Schaeffer as beauty freeloaders who write their blog simply for the perks.

I read a lot of beauty blogs on a daily basis, including the two I’ve just mentioned, and I’ve never been under the impression that anyone is being paid off to write raving reviews. I will also say that free samples get sent to me all the time at Smarter Beauty Blog, and I’ve never once felt pressure from a company to gush over gifted products. Usually, you just get a box filled with cool (and yes, sometimes expensive) stuff along with a nice note saying they hope you like it.

Can bloggers really be expected to pay for all the products they post about?

Schaeffer tells of free trips to Paris, champagne-drenched parties, and free designer bags being lavished upon beauty bloggers. Well, those kind of perks are out of my league completely, but I really don’t begrudge any blogger who accepts such gifts. Magazines receive millions of dollars for advertising the same products they review, and cosmetic and other beauty companies get big bang for relatively few bucks when they hand out free stuff to bloggers.

It is true that some bloggers don’t post negative reviews. Ms. Kelly even says, herself,“If I don’t like a product, I try to approach it sensitively since I don’t want to defame a company’s good name or hurt their business by slandering their product.” However, a policy like that is a far cry from promoting something that you hate. Plus, the thing about a blogging is this: if people sense that you’re a fake, they won’t read; the popularity of a blog is based on readers liking you and trusting what you have to say.

If a beauty blogger influences you to buy something, and their claims are untrue, then you probably wouldn’t listen to them again. Especially since you actually have to pay for your makeup.

• BellaSugar gives you tips on how to fight off winter frizz.

• Afraid to show off your pasty white legs? The Beauty Brains have the answer: try Pretty Polly leg make up!

• Blogdorf Goodman tells you how to get America Ferrera’s SAG look.

• Makeup Beat sings the praises of Ukrainian model, Yulian Bondar.