She’s A Lady

It’s no secret that when it comes to my preferred retro beauty look I gravitate towards a strong red lip and black cat eye. Lately though, I’ve been wanting something softer, but still with a retro edge and when I first saw the 1940s heroines on Carolina Herrera’s fall runway, I was smitten.

Carolina Herrera Fall 2013

The models wore satin pussy bow blouses, wide-legged trousers, tweed pencil and a-line skirts, and dresses with nipped waists and dramatic high shoulders. The look was 1940s sophistication with a touch of vixen. I thought of Lauren Bacall in How to Marry a Millionaire, a tough-as-nails woman driven by ambition whose sexiness came from her brash but classy attitude rather than a wiggle when she walked or a breathy voice – no offense to the incomparable Marilyn.

The hair and makeup was equal parts soft and strong, with hair pulled back into a low victory roll and cheeks and lips kissed with pretty pinks.

Victory rolls and pink makeup at Carolina Herrera

To create the look at home, I tracked down the products you need. For the victory roll, apply Sebastian Potion 9, which is a styling cream with flexible hold, to damp/almost dry hair. Part your hair in the middle and twist each side and pin it to your head as you work towards the back. Gather the ends into a ponytail, roll it inward and pin it in place. To give your hair some high-wattage shine, apply a couple of drops of L’Oreal Professionnel Mythic Oil that leaves hair glossy thanks to avocado and grape seed oils.

L’Oreal Professionnel Mythic Oil, $26 at salons

To achieve a pretty pink flush, I applied Lancome’s new Highlighter Blush in Rose Ballerine from the super feminine French Ballerine collection fronted by the beautiful Lily Collins. I looked to Lancome’s vast range of pinks shades from the Rouge In Love lipstick collection and went with Rose Flaneuse, a bright rose pink.

Lancome Highlighter Blush in Rose Ballerine, $52 at department stores and select drugstores in February

Lancome Rouge In Love in Rose Flaneuse, $30 at department stores

– Jodi Goulart

Fit For A Queen – Get Dolce & Gabbana’s Regal Beauty Look

December’s almost here and with its approach comes all of the shimmery and shiny glitz and glitter of holiday fashion and beauty. Lately I’ve been drooling over the pages of December issues in wide-eyed amazement like a kid staring at a Christmas toy display.

One of my favourite gilded collections this year came from the Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2013 runway. The beauty look was inspired by sultry style icon Sophia Loren and featured a matte powdery complexion, crimson lips and a black cat eye topped off with a chic chignon with volume at the crown. Speaking of crowns, some of the models even sported bejeweled, Byzantine-inspired crowns.

Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2013

To recreate the regal beauty look myself, I turned to Lancome’s new Artliner 24H in Black Diamond. The precision-tip, foam applicator makes it super easy to create a bold line and the perfect cat eye flick. The formula boasts 24 hour staying power, which I haven’t been able to test yet, but come party season I may just have the chance.

Lancome Artliner 24H, $37 at Lancome counters

For the luscious crimson pout, I would recommend Anna Sui’s Drama Queen lipstick collection – shade 401 to be exact, which is a brilliant red. This shade is part of the Vivid Base range, which offers 17 vivid colours in an ultra-smooth and almost emollient-like texture, which is something I love about Anna Sui’s lipsticks, along with the glorious rose scent of course. As well, if you didn’t know Anna Sui cosmetics are now available at select Shoppers Drug Mart locations!! Thank you beauty fairies.

Anna Sui Drama Queen Lipstick, $29 at select Shopper’s Drug Mart locations

If you really want to bring some wattage to this look without going the crown route, then I would add some dangling, chandelier earrings. Below, I’ve included a couple favourites that I’ve found to complete the Dolce & Gabbana-inspired look.

ASOS Filigree Chain Chandelier Earrings, $22.51 at asos.com

Forever 21 Floral Chandelier Earrings $6.80

– Jodi Goulart

Dior’s Boudoir Beauties

In last week’s ‘Cause She’s A Lady post on how to get the look of Christian Dior’s party-on-the-top, business-on-the-bottom (or vice versa) ensembles from the Fall 2009 Couture collection, I promised to bring you the makeup finds on how to create the beauty looks. There were really two different looks in this collection. The first was a strong, classic retro beauty look with silver eyes, sharp black winged eyeliner and bright red lips.

Christian Dior Fall 2009 Couture

How to get this look:

1. Urban Decay Cream Shadow in Moonshine, $22 at Sephora
2. Estee Lauder Gel Eyeliner in Black, $23 at select The Bay counters across Canada for a limited time
3. Lancome L’Absolu Rouge Lipstick in Absolute Rouge as part of the Gold Fascination Collection, $35 at The Bay counters starting January 1

The second was a softer, though no less stronger,  sugary look with with lilac on the eyes, black winged eyeliner and pale pink or fuchsia lips. Both of these are perfect looks for your holiday parties, depending on whether you want to go more tough vixen or bad-girl-next door.

Christian Dior Fall 2009 Couture

How to get this look:

1. MAC Mineralize Eye Shadow Duo in Devil-May-Care, $23.50 at MAC counters and stores
2. Estee Lauder Gel Eyeliner in Black, $23 at select The Bay counters across Canada for a limited time
3. Revlon Creme Gloss in Fiercely Fuchsia,  $11.95 at drugstores and select department stores

— Jodi Goulart

Too Faced’s Royal Treatment

Remember how I wrote about my obsession with the French Revolution in “Vive Le Lancome Revolution” about Lancome’s royally chic Declaring Indigo collection? Well, you can imagine my delight when I discovered that Too Faced’s holiday collection is inspired by Marie Antoinette – mon dieu! Too Faced, experts at making me fawn over their sexy fun and retro chic collections that make my heart go pitter-patter when I enter Sephora, have unveiled four limited-edition kits filled with “everything a glamour queen needs to overthrow an old beauty routine.”

The punk rock by way of boudoir packaging is reminiscent of Sofia Coppola’s film Marie Antoinette and the eyeshadow and lipgloss shades aren’t far off from the film’s sugary colours of pink frosting, turquoise, dusty rose, mint green and lemon cream yellow.

Sofia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette"

There’s the French & Fabulous palette, travel-size Glamour To Go III kit and Queen For A Day makeup bag filled with popular and exclusive products. The piece de resistance is the Glamour Revolution makeup book that contains nine eyeshadows, three lipglosses, bronzer, blush and an eyeshadow primer along with cards on how to create different looks. So run out, pick up one of these kits and have fun — just don’t lose your head in the process.

Too Faced Queen For A Day Set, $58.50 at Sephora

Too Faced Glamour Revolution Kit, $52 at Sephora

— Jodi Goulart

Vive Le Lancome Revolution

Anyone who knows me well knows about my obsession with French Revolution history.  There’s something about the decadent and indulgent opulence of that time that was found in everything from the powdered wigs to the silk stockings, gold gilded furniture and architecture that when contrasted with the violent social upheaval is absolutely thrilling. So when I discovered that Lancome’s Fall Makeup Collection, called Declaring Indigo, was inspired by the French Revolution, I became completely giddy.

Marie Antoinette

For inspiration, Lancome’s Artistic Director for Makeup, Aaron De Mey, looked to the rich colours of the Parisian coat of arms and the emblems of Paris and the French Revolution. The collection’s colour scheme of bright blue indigo, flaming red matte, iridescent gold and sooty black with a gold sparkle are nothing if not avant garde, luxurious and, depending on how you wear them, rebellious. Like Marie Antoinette’s reputation, Declaring Indigo is far from boring.

Here are some of my favourites items from Declaring Indigo, which is in stores now:

Lancome Palette Liberte "Bleu Royaute", $54 at department stores

Lancome Color Fever Matte Lipstick "Red Avant Garde", $31.50 at department stores

Lancome Le Vernis "Indigo Paris", $21 at department stores

— Jodi Goulart