Beauty Bargains: Black Radiance Purple Passion

Black Radiance Purple Passion (5004) Lipstick $1.99 your local drugstore

Is there such a thing as a true beauty bargain?  It's a staple beloved of fashion magazines, who always show us the "luxe" version and the "less" version, and usually the "less" version is actually very much less desirable than the unbelievably expensive version.  However, I am going to spill some true beauty bargains in this blog...bargains which I feel live every bit and morsel up to their more expensive counterparts.  

My first beauty bargain is Black Radiance "Purple Passion" Lipstick.  I wore this lipstick today for two auditions and got lots of compliments!  It's fuchsia, but don't panic gentle readers, fuchsia lips have been resurrected from their poor 80's reputation.  If you wear fuchsia lips with a clean face or a smoky eye, they look quite wondrously fresh.

Don't believe me?  A little extemporaneous proof:

Pink lips on the Giles Spring Runway 2013 (also I need these sunglasses!  Perfect for all those times I want to be inconspicuously incognito)

Rochas Spring 2013 Runway, a pot of magic pink

Emily Blunt, rocking fuchsia and green, you are my hero

Black Radiance lipstick must be the biggest bargain of all.  I've had mine for more years than is hygienic to admit, and it has stayed fresh, non-drying, and incredibly lustrous.  Purple Passion is a shade that's a little hot pink, a little fuchsia, and a whole lot bold and sexy and fresh (or rather sweetly cow-maiden on the heath if you were it with clean skin and pink cheeks).  It looks great on porcelain skin as well as dark skin.  If you layer it with red lip gloss, it makes a beautiful, jewel-worthy pink-red.  It stays and lasts more than most lipsticks, and it is $1.99.  $1.99!  That's my parking meter change!

Black Radiance Purple Passion (5004) Lipstick $1.99 your local drugstore

OR

Nars Lipstick in Funny Face $24.00 Sephora.com

The closest shade I could find to my beloved Purple Passion is Nars Lipstick in Funny Face...its's a similar hot pink/fuchsia and it's $24.00.  Total savings with Black Radiance: $22.00.

An Outfit for Every Occasion

As we all know, there must be a proper, practical outfit for every occasion, as this quick scan of the Spring Ready-to-Wear Runway 2013 proves...

Paco Rabanne Spring 2013

The perfect outfit when I need to throw on something to walk to my corner Bristol Farms to buy some soy milk..

Ann Demeulemeester Spring 2013

 Absolutely essential for my next audition as a vampire queen....

Julien Macdonald Spring 2013

A very good ensemble for pysching myself up to overcome my dental phobias and finally go to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned...

Libertine Spring 2013

Two all-purpose outfits for celebrating friend's birthdays and arguing with landlords about rent.

FREE Korres Lip Butter!

Tell your friends and spread the word...the next 50 new followers of my blog will be entered into a drawing to win a FREE Korres lip butter glaze in the color of her choice!  This award-winning, eco-friendly, moisturizing lip butter comes in gorgoeus colors and is perfect for dry lips in this hot weather.  In order to win, your friend must become a follower of my fabulous (tooting my horn here) blog and send me an email at amandacallas@hotmail.com.  I will notify the winner by email.  Stay tuned!

Luscious and Long-Lasting Lips for Fall

Ava Gardner, resplendent as always, in the perfect fall face (or anytime face, really!)

Summer refuses to do die this year, hoarding its final blasts of hellish heat until the last, as we all limp along and wonder when can we finally start wearing our fall clothes?  Our cunning tweeds, our sentimental lace, our school-girl skirts and our beloved boots?

It is only in our makeup that we can embrace a little of the crisp, jewel-pure tones that we normally love to wear in the early days of fall.

Everyone knows I am completely addicted to red lipstick, especially this time of year.  I'm always trying to convert friends and clients into realizing how glamorous and easy and flattering it is, with a shade for every skin tone and mood.  The only flaw in red is how quickly it fades; how eager it is to share itself with your napkins and glasses and friend's cheeks, until there's little left but that What-Happened-To-Baby-Jane-ish reddish-pink smear. 

So off to Sephora I go, exploring some staple and some brand-new long-lasting and utterly luscious reds...at least my lips are ready for fall!

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso $22.00 Sephora.com

Stila's All Day Liquid Lipstick comes in a thick texture that it is somewhere between a stain and a gloss.  It's an utterly ravishing color, incredibly brilliant, in a true red shade that recalls those glorious, rich, Technicolor shades of the 1930's-1950's.  It's my favorite color of all the reds I tried.  It has remarkable staying power.  It's only downside, like many long-lasting reds, is that it does feel a bit drying.  I applied a little lip balm over it which helped add a little moisture.

Kat Von D Foiled Love Liquid Lipstick in Hellbent $19.00 Sephora.com

Of all the liquid lipsticks, this one definitely earns points for originality.  It goes on wet and then in a minute or so transforms into a dry, powdery finish.  It has a completely metallic, foil-like texture with a hint of gold, that looks as if you painted your lips.  Hellbent (what a glorious name for these brutally hot days!) is a very deep, burlesque-dancer red with a whisper of maroon.  It's marvellously artificial and rather sinful.  VERY drying.

Urban Decay Lip Envy in Greedy-Berry $17.00 Sephora.com

This is a red that has deep notes of berry and cabernet and purple, and it colors your lips the most extraordinary shade that is an instant conversion to goth.  The moment I put this on I looked ten shades paler and rather glam in a dark sort of way.  It has a strange, appealing fragrance, and a very willful staying power.  It's a true lip stain, and it's medium drying.

Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Raven $28.00 Sephora.com

This one is very, very similar to the Stila liquid lipstick, with a medium-thick texture and a stain-like brilliance and depth of color.  It's more of an orange-red than a true red.  It's a tad more drying than the Stila.

per-fekt Lip Perfection Gel in Hollywood $24.00 Sephora.com

Saving the best for last, this lip gel is from the cult-line per-fekt, which the Beverly Center Sephora has recently started stalking (oh, all right, stocking!).  Per-fekt is a celebrity favorite, and you can see why: their products are about understated, long-lasting beauty with a glow.   This lip gel is something between a lip gloss and a liquid lipstick, and it's a very rich shade for its moist texture.  Of all these products, it is the least drying, but it has an impressive staying powder.  It's a lovely, ultra-flattering true red, not as a brilliant as the Stila shade, it's a bit more "natural" looking and would probably suit more occasions and complexions.  My lips are so parched in this weather and they loved, loved this product. 

The Single Thing that Ages You

So people ask me a lot, when I'm doing headshots or image-consulting, what is the thing that ages a person the most?  And the answer might surprise you....

It's hair!  Seriously.  Yes, dear readers, those innocent little follicles of protein can turn into fatal follies.  Often the culprit is hair that has not changed style as times have changed.  Every woman in her 70's wears her hair in the rinsed, blue-tinged, short-cropped curls of the 50's, and baby boomers like to wear their hair 70's-style center-parted with bangs.  There are women stuck in the 80s and 90s, and men stuck with 'stashes and mullets and dingy beards.  Hair that is excessively styled and stiff, First Lady / newscaster style is very aging, but so are blunt, short cuts and bobs.   

OLD: Fashion model Agyness Deyn is only 29, but looks positively matronly in stiff blueish-blonde waves.  Is it a deliberate dip into middle-age by this frocliksome young thing, famous for her Armani campaign?

YOUNG: And back to her 20s in a slightly warmer blonde and a fierce punk cut!

OLD: The shades of blonde are a little off for her skin; the conversative, heavily styled bob gives her a middle-aged vibe

YOUNG: Radiant in soft, tousled, carefree curls and a warm, buttery gold that makes her skin creamy

Both men and women, as they age, should usually avoid harsh, cool tones of white-blond and blue-black, and instead should seek out hair colors that have a lot of warmth and subtle variation, tones of buttery gold in the lighter shades and warm eggplant and chocolate in the darker shades.  I recommend consulting with an excellent hair colorist and a good image-consultant or stylist (such as moi, I will add immodestly!).

OLD:  Christina is very cute in all her looks, and part of me really likes this, but blue-black bobs with choppy bangs can be a little aging and are generally best avoided if you're not Edith Head

YOUNG: Tones of cinammon and honey flatter her skin; bouncy waves take the years off and bring back her sex appeal

OLD: I dare you to find a picture of the lovely Jennifer where she actually looks bad, but the cool, dull brunette is a little harsh, and the stiff curls look conservative and maybe a little too grown-up for her

YOUNG: Back to caliente and young in warm, shiny caramel and a light cut with lots of movement

Dull, flat or frizzy hair ages; males and females can take 10 years off with a superior hair masque or leave-in conditioner that leaves hair full and shiny.  After samping more conditioners than Madonna has sampled back-up dancers, I most highly recommend this good stuff: 

Neuma is my favorite line of ultra-moisturizing, pampering hair goodness, with no animal testing/products or scary stuff, committed to sustainility and smelling great!  Leave in the moisturizing conditioner; it will tame your frizz and give you silky, shiny, bouncy hair.  Just watch out for the envy!  I buy it from Shades salon on Doheny Drive in Beverly Hills.  You can read about this great brand at: http://www.neumabeauty.com/ 

Also be sure you are getting enough oils in your diet; nuts, avocadoes, seeds, flaxseed, and olive oil.  I particularly recommend this olive oil, it reminds me of the peppery, divine oil I had at a villa in the countryside of Tuscany, and it will be the best medicine you have ever tasted!  Italians like to take a tablespoon or two in the morning as preventive care.  Good olive oil should be cloudy, a rich, viscuous green, and have lots of pepper, spice, and mineral in the taste.  It should have a real kick, like whisky, and burn your throat a little.  Be sure to store it in a dark cupboard so it doesn't oxidize.

Paesano Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Unfiltered, Hand-Picked, Estate Grown in Siciliy

At First Blush

Personally, I consider blush/bronzer to be a secret weapon.  I was reading an interview with Angelina Jolie's makeup artist, and he claimed that if he were to pick just one cosmetic, it would be bronzer or blush, which highlight and contour the face and give it a sensual, feminine, I-just-ate-chocolate (or Brad Pitt for breakfast!) glow.

That being said, there are lots of atrocious contour powerders and creams out there.  I don't like anything with chunky sparkles or extreme shades that make you resemble a ripe, slap-happy tangerine ready for its bottle-tan red carpet moment! 

The only-if-you-are-a-pornstar bronzer and bottle-tan look.  Christina honey, you're prettier than this!

Personally, as a pale person veering dangerously close to albino territory, I have to be very careful with blush and bronzer if I don't want to look like a psychotic doll.  I find that layering works best: I usually wear no fewer than 3 different products, worn over each other to give a soft, lit-from-within glow.  I like to combine bronzer and blush because they balance each other, giving you a sensuous rosiness without looking either too orange or too pink.  As if you were painting, it's better to apply more wispy-thin layers than one gloppy layer. 

Perfectly executed, sexy/wholesome rosy cheeks on the catwalk at Michael Kors, Fall 2012 New York Fashion Week.  I also want this nummy sweater so I have a reason to travel to Europe this autumn (to wear the sweater, obviously!).

And now, drumdroll, my own personal way to gain perfect, Gainsborough-worthy, sexy-rosy cheeks:

Thomas Gainsborough's 18th century portrait of his beautiful nephew, Gainsborough Dupont.  Put this guy on the CW!

After I've applied a light coat of moisturizer and foundation, I always start with this cheek stain, rubbing in wide circles with my fingers and using only a small amount.   If you have a round face, you will want to create more angularity with your cheekbones by using your contour in a triangle-shape.  If you have a long face or a thin face, you want to give more roundness to your cheeks by using a wide circular motion over your whole cheeks.  :

Tarte Cheek Stain in Flush, $30.00, sephora.com

I let the cheek stain settle in for a minute or two.  Next I use this blush, lightly, over my whole cheeks and a little below, making round, circular sweeping motions.  I use a mid-sized, big fluffy brush blush, Chanel brush #7:

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blends, PURE, $11.49.

I conclude with a melon-y, warm coral.  I use this as my bronzer, applying it with my fluffy blush-brush, going over the top of my cheeks, my forehead, my jawline, and my clavicles, the places where I would get sun if I were not a vampire.  To open up my eyes, I also sweep it just along my eyebrows to the sides of my temples:

Benefit Georgia, unfortunately discontinued!  Horde your stash or steal one from your friends!  Of the other Benefit shades I recommend Hoola, which is a little more toasty brown, and CORALista, which is a little pinker.  $28, sephora.com or that sweet little Benefit Store on 3rd Street that always looks empty and is right near a cupcake place.  Num.  

And now, your cheeks look cute as a chipmunk! 

Coats for Spring and Summer -- Yes, It's Possible!

Hellooooo to all my wonderful fans!  I have become so wrapped up in other parts of my career that I have been absent lately from my fashion blog.  Thanks everyone for your patience!

Do you ever have a day in your life that is absolutely perfect?  I had a day like that recently.  I was the creative director and photographer for an epic, day-long shoot at designer Dori's estate in Beverly Hills.  There were so many fabulous photos from that shoot that I will spread them out through a few posts.   The models I cast turned up bubbly, gorgeous, and delightful, the clothes were ooo-la-la fabulous, the jewelry and bling was sparkling, the makeup and hair people worked magic, the stylist pulled some additional lovely clothes, my enterpising photography assistant Vince was a dream -- and it was the perfect day, warm, sunny, one of those California spring days that make you feel dreamy, all tingly and content.  It was like one big fashion party, but even better -- a photo-shoot!  

In this post I am lingering over the phenomenon of the light, spring/summer coat...

As my devotees know, I am in love with the bombshells of classic Hollywood.  As I photographed and posed model Jaylynn, she reminded me of sultry-sweet sirens like Marilyn Monroe and Kim Novak.  Especially in this coat!  A great coat from the Dori Collection,  with a divine collar that frames the face so beautifully.  It's a luscious, seductive satin, and every girl needs a white satin coat to wear with her jewels and her mules at home, or with a little black dress at a summer Hollywood pool party. The jewels are from the Dori Collection, which Dori imported from Italy. I'm a great lover of bling and this spring and summer, the rule is, the bigger the better, and pile it on!  I stole the luscious push-up bra from another model, Jill -- thanks Jill! 

Jaylynn in the Dori white satin coat.  I love it's pearl-like lustre in the light.    I've been focusing on local LA designers lately, and Dori and her seamstress work on all her clothes locally.  Each is hand-made, with couture-worthy care.  The attention to detail in her clothes is exquisite. I loved photographing model and rapper Jaylynn in this sensuous, silver-screen glam coat!

Lovely Russian model Olga was exquisite in this coat.  Look at this coat!  The lace is so delicate, with its frothy sleaves and its winsome little bow.  This gem is from the Dori Collection.  You could wear this with the lightest slip underneath, or with a sheath during the day, and a stunning evening gown in the evening.  It has no heavy, suffocating weight, so it's the perfect summer coat, for those air-conditioned crispy days or chilly LA nights, and it could be sweet-whimsical or ravishing-glamorous, depending on your mood.  It fit Olga so perfectly!

You can really see the wonderful textures of the coat here, from the hand-made lace to the light-as-air, frothy sleaves, to the touch-me satin of the bow.  A note about the background: fashion designer Dori shared a story about Annie Leibovitz shooting by this pool, and I was honored to share the same hallowed ground!  I was really feeling a louche, Helmnut Newton, glam vibe that day, and Dori's home couldn't have been lovelier or more perfect.  Jewels again from the Dori Collection.

Model Carla is wearing a coat from the Dori Collection.  I think it has a light, delicious, classic Chanel feeling.  Utterly fell in love with it!  The colorful, candy-bright jewelry is by Anike, another local designer who creates and models her own designs.  Stylist Adriana supplied the peach blouse and skirt.

Model Carla with my friend celebrity publicist and author Michael Levine.  Michael always photographs well, and I was delighted to shoot him again!   Another angle of Dori's cunning, Chanel-ish spring/summer coat.  Light, minty pastels are the mood of this spring and summer, with little touches of warmth like peach and icy- cool hues like mint and aqua.  There really is such a thing as delightful, absolutely required summer coats, and I would be proud to waste my days sipping whisky sours by the pool in any of these classic, vintage-inspired numbers!

I want to do a little Academy-Award number here and thank everybody so much for their passion, talent and patience during this shoot!  I'm also listing everyone's websites so you can learn more about these gorgeous and talented folks...Thanks to Leanne Hare, hair artist extraordinaire, who did insanely good  hair on all the models, http://www.modelmayhem.com/1442445.  Sarah Michel, makeup artist, who did striking, ravishing different looks for each and every model, http://www.modelmayhem.com/1624385.  Dori, fashion designer, who loaned use of her home and atelier as well as her clothes, and thanks to her husband who made me the best cappuccino ever! http://thedoricollection.com.  Adriana Sanchez, fashion stylist, who worked tirelessly on this shoot, what a great eye!, http://palette2palate.blogspot.com.  Jewelry designer Anike and her husband, thanks for the unique, handcrafted jewels and all your help on set, http://www.anikejewels.com.  PR wizard Michael Levine, it's always great to work with you, http://www.lcoonline.com.  Models, you were so beautiful, each in your own way, and amazing!  Model/rapper Jaylynn, http://www.jaylynnprovenzano.com.  Model/personal trainer/life coach Jill, http://www.fuelrxfitness.com/professionals.htm. Model Olga, http://www.facebook.com/olgaaleksa.k.  Model/actress Carla, http://www.modelmayhem.com/2499463.  Model/actress Arlene, http://www.modelmayhem.com/1859936.  Vince Tanzilli, my assitant photographer, who worked like a demon and made my job possible and much more fun! www.vincetanzilli.com.  And thank you so much to all the other good people who made the shoot sparkle!