I can’t believe it’s Christmas again – 2011 has absolutely flown by. I want to take this opportunity to thank all my wonderful readers who have made it such a great year at MM HQ – where more makeup is NEVER enough and the search for the perfect skincare, nail polish and body products is a never ending quest. I’m planning to eat my bodyweight in unhealthy but delicious foods, put on a pair of elasticated pants (to accommodate those extra pounds), read some trashy novels and generally snooze under the tinsel after unwrapping my presents – for about two weeks. I hope you are all too, and wish you all safe, happy and merry holidays. See you in 2012!
This year I am tardy with my Christmas post – but that’s because I’m tardy with my Christmas shopping. After I write this, I have to sit down and figure out a time when I’m going to get my shopping done as with shoots and prepping for various jobs it’s all been a bit hectic of late. But finally I have my eyes on a few goodies that I thought you might like to hear about as well.
What Santa could bring in his sack for me this year:
NARS Holiday – This is probably my pick of the season and has me more excited than I’ve been about a new collection in a while. At first glance I thought – nice, but not that exciting. Don’t let these little Christmas crackers fool you – they are the type of rich, complex colours that NARS does (I think) better than any other brand on the market. Colours that once you have them you don’t know how you lived without them, and that no other brand does. This is why (like Orgasm and Jungle Red) they rapidly become iconic cult beauty items. Anyway, I digress – why you need some new NARS this Christmas:
Multiple in G-Spot – At first I thought I had a colour pretty similar to this with Malibu, an old but much loved favourite NARS Multiple of mine. But no, this is Malibu’s sweeter teenage sister, more pinky-raspberry and flecked with gold. Even in my two boxes of blushers in the Vault I don’t have anything like this. Gorgeous on cheeks and lips and I fell in love with it on a recent shoot.
Cream eyeshadow in Ponderosa – my stand out colour from this collection. Rich black bronze with a purplish sheen to it, I love this as a liner or as a base for a smoky eye. NARS cream eyeshadows aren’t cheap but they are lovely and the colours are amazing. I have quite a few and I use them a lot – this is my new cream eyeshadow obsession.
Stila Dream Catcher eye shadow palette – Almost too pretty to use, this palette contains 35 different eyeshadows, including the top seller Kitten. In fact, this palette inspired a dream about Jeanine Lobell, the creator of Stila back in the 1990’s when I first got addicted to the brand. (And yes, I am aware that it is quite scary that I dream about other makeup artists but you can’t accuse me of slacking off when I sleep. Top UK makeup artist Lisa Eldridge has also blogged about this beautiful eyeshadow palette for Xmas, and I love it a) as it’s as beautiful as a work of art and b) it’s super-handy for work as I can have it on my work table and dip into it when I’m in a hurry and need a colour quickly, without rummaging through all my palettes. You could not go wrong with this one, there are colours for everyone.
Stila Lip Glaze set – This little number actually made me drool – a box of 8 Stila Lip Glazes in mouthwatering lipgloss colours. Pinks, peaches, luminous milky creams – yum, yum yum. Stila is back on my radar of late after a bit of a hiatus (although a constant devotion to their divine cream blush Convertible Colours is always at MM HQ).
Jonathan Ward Candles – I first came across JW Candles through the incredible British Beauty Blogger in London – this lady has introduced me to more makeup finds than Vogue, and these beautiful bespoke organic paraffin-free soy candles are no exception. This year I would give (and happily receive!) J W Candles in White and Verte as they are so chic and eco-friendly. They are available in the UK at Selfridges and in Australia through http:.//www.ecoluxe.com.au
Tom Ford – Right Santa, just back the truck up, that little sack of yours is not going to cut the mustard as I will be needing all, I repeat ALL of the Tom Ford collection. The whole thing please, (including brushes and skincare). I have yet to find a dud product in this new line that has breathed life into an occasionally jaded product junkie.
Aesop Gift Boxes – this year I’ll be snapping up the Celestial Mechanics set as it contains my favourite products – Fabulous Face Cleanser, B&T Balancing Toner (the only toner I like), Camellia Nut Facial Hydrating Cream and Primrose Facial Cleansing Masque. Plus the box that they come in are the greatest thing for your makeup kit. As in ever. You cannot have too many of those!
Kiehl’s is a brand of skincare that I love and I’m well aware that it’s not been getting the MM love that it deserves (more on Kiehl’s in 2012). My pick of their gorgeous Christmas sets is the Holiday Icons set, which includes Kiehl’s Crème de Corps body moisturiser (which I use on celebs and for serious body shoots), the Kiehl’s Number 1 Lip Balm and the Ultra Facial Cream which is my go-to basic cream in my kit for normal skin.
NARS and Stila are available in Australia through Mecca Cosmetica, and in the UK through Space NK,
Tom Ford is available at David Jones in Australia and Selfridges in London.
Kate Moss. Lara Stone. Milla Jovovich. Natasha Poly. Malgosia Bela. Isabelli Fontana. This is such a beautiful video of Mario Sorrenti shooting the 2012 Pirelli calendar in Corsica using nature as a backdrop, with very simple hair, makeup and styling on some of the world’s most gorgeous women.
Today I am super, super excited as Kay Montano’s new makeup blog is live! Filled with gorgeous How To videos, interviews with cream of the crop experts as well as A-list celebs, breakdowns of her superstar clientele and proper Tips and Tricks (not the usual run of the mill ones we’ve all seen a zillion times before), plus a peek into her gorgeous archive. Oh and did I mention pics of real beauty icons (like Catherine Denevue?) This is a proper glimpse into a top makeup artist’s brain, one who has been there, done that and got the t-shirt to prove it. And yes, she does talk about what products she REALLY uses – and I know it’s all true as I know what’s in her kit!
Get on board the world’s newest and best beauty blog! www.kaymontano.com
I am so into pink at the moment. Pink eyeshadow, cheeks, and definitely lips. Don’t ask me why – I didn’t get it from the recent show season but perhaps a spot of pink is in the air, as October’s Paris Vogue features this divine pic of Arizona Muse looking, well, Pretty in Pink to say the least.
Maybe because it makes you fresh and amazing, even when you roll out of bed looking half-dead. Maybe because it suits everybody and we associate it with the bloom of youth, and flowers. Or maybe because it’s an excuse to post this video of a film I watched MANY times back in the 80’s, when we all wanted red hair and a pink wardrobe like Molly Ringwald:
So my picks for Best in Show. First let’s be clear, in all my years of makeup I’ve not had a pink moment before. So my pink stocks are low. Dangerously low. Worryingly low. Which I’m in the process of rectifying at the moment, but it’s taking a while. For some reason I’ve always got by without an extensive collection of pink lipsticks – I have a few and I just kind of cook stuff up out of my cream makeup or my pencils. But now I want flirty pinks, 60’s pinks, lady like pinks – hell, even scary nanna pinks can be great if you rock them with the right attitude (and wardrobe). So without further ado, here’s what I have been experimenting with in the pink department:
Chanel Rouge Coco Lipshine in Boy – Boy oh boy is all I can say. This one is going in my kit AND in my handbag as it’s the perfect little nothing mouth – insouciante but done at the same time. That ladylike polish you want from a lipstick when you don’t want to commit to full on colour. Now I know what the fuss about the Chanel Rouge Coco Shines is about. Sheeny, moisturizing, not pearly but gives your mouth a lift. It’s a grey-ish pink as opposed to a full on one, but I happen to love that (so there).
Chantecaille Powder Blush in Laughter. Chantecaille blushes are awesome and I’ve been meaning to blog about them for ages. This one is gorgeous as it has a gold shimmer in it, so the cheek area gets a very subtle iridescence (indisputably flattering). This has been in my personal makeup bag for awhile.
NARS Baby Doll Lip Lacquer – No one understands baby doll pink like NARS – this gloss in a pot has been around for over a decade yet it’s still as fresh and fabulous as when it was launched. Do use if you want your lips to look like sweet, shiny petals.
Chanel Blush in Rose Ecrin – the latest addition to my Chanel wardrobe arsenal, and these make my job hard – as in hard to choose which ones to use. This is the perfect mauvey pink which is surprisingly flattering – and gorgeous for those with blue eyes. It’s quite a sophisticated pink so I think this might be my blush colour for Christmas parties (although I haven’t quite decided yet. I’ve penciled in some time to think about it over the weekend).
Chanel Poudre Tisee in Brompton Road, from the current Knightsbridge collection. Strawberry pink and shimmering pearl powder luminser, mm-hmm, oh no you DIDN’T. Oh yes Chanel did. Kay Montano sent me one from London but it’s too gorgeous to use. I can’t bear to ruin the sweet texture of it and those interlocking C’s. I may have to get drunk to do so. I don’t have to use it to know it’s divine. (Plus now with the magic of the internet I can see swatches from other bloggers and it is heaven in a compact).
Illamasqua Collide Nailpolish – One of the things I love most about Illamasqua is their hot nail colours, and a hot nail is a great look for the summer party season, which is just around the corner. This is an amazing shocking pink.
Bobbi Brown Creamy Lipcolour in Dry Rose – This is one of my favourite lip colours of all time for your lips but better – it looks like nothing special in the tube but when it’s on, well you know about it. I’m a huge fan of Your Lips But Better (wow, I may trademark that) lip colours. Laura Mercier’s Baby Lips is another nice one.
Revlon Mock Snob Top Speed nail colour – my favourite colour of the season! Speaking of crazy nanna colours, this is just the one. It looks like a polish colour from 1963, a shrimp cocktail peachy pink that would look perfect poolside in a Frank Lloyd Wright home overlooking LA. Imagine Betty Draper in Season 4 of Mad Men (her nails, not the brittle vindictive crazy).
NARS Schiap lipstick – the best fuchsia around. Exactly the colour of Schiaparelli’s Shocking Pink – she invented it, don’t you know. I love this lipstick quite matte without gloss and a simple, elegant eye for tout le soirees de Noel.
But I’m still on the look out for more pink divinity – if you guys have any pink favourites, please comment below!
Perhaps it’s because it reminds me of a time when women weren’t just women, they were the ultimate glamazons – wearing Versace and Alaia whilst they were photographed in a power suit, or a swimsuit, looking incredible with massive hair and perfect makeup (or at least Vogue would have us believe). It was the time when more was never enough and there was no such thing as excess. Models like Elle McPherson, Stephanie Seymour and Cindy Crawford had the bodies that women (and men) admired. They had boobs and hips and waists and muscles and looked like they could crush a small car without flinching. Or without crushing their Christian Lacroix taffeta ball gown in the meantime.
I love them because their faces encapsulate my youth – a time when my bedroom walls were plastered with their faces. Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington in Chanel in St Tropez. Claudia Schiffer’s tiny waist was clad in acid wash for Guess jeans and the lens of Ellen Von Unwerth, Cindy C cavorted on the beach for Herb Ritts and Arthur Elgort, and Elle McPherson was on the cover of Time. I loved them then because they were the ultimate in all that a woman could be – strong, and powerful and beautiful in an Amazonian but still attainable way. There was a wholesomeness to them, a girl next door quality that also promised a life beyond your wildest dreams. They were business women, who built empires and fortunes and offered a world where your wardrobe was Chanel and Gaultier, and you partied with Madonna at Gianni Versace’s mansion. They were the original superstars, the top models who reinvented the glamour of the celebrity world we know today.
Having been lucky enough to work with a lot of them whilst in London (Claudia, Yasmin Le Bon, Kate Moss, Elle McPherson, Kristen McNenamy), I can attest to the fact that getting older does not mean losing anything in any way. If anything, it’s about gaining – wisdom. Self knowledge and grace. And designers and advertisers are listening, as the original Supermodels speak to us in a way that a fourteen year old never can. Harpers Bazaar UK has five of the original Supers on their latest cover – and let me tell you, if I look anywhere near that good at forty five I won’t be complaining.
And now as we all grow older, and women my age look ahead to their middle thirties and beyond to their forties and even fifties, middle age is being completely reinvented by them too. They are still beautiful, and powerful, and strong. Their empires have grown and away from the camera they now helm massively successful businesses and prove that women can have children and fortunes and wealth and beauty. They provide a stunning antidote not only to traditional notions of what happens as you age, but also to the legions of undernourished teenagers that currently populate our magazines and runways. May the tide turn permanently and bring back real women. Maybe we can have a return to the ideal of the amazon woman from my girlhood, where women had power and strength and beauty and grace. Long live the Supermodels.
Here is a beautiful trailer from the 1991 film by Peter Lindbergh, simply entitled “Models”. The Supers at the height of their beauty: www.peterlindbergh.com/#FILMS/10
Died & went to Fashion Heaven RT@kaymontano: *FASHION'sICONS WAY BANDY(mua), LAUREN HUTTON(model),PAT CLEVELAND+ AVEDON http://t.co/iLIqZj9315 hours ago
RT@nohometv: We are so impressed by all the talent featured in this year's No Home 12 Film + Fashion Project! Tickets ..http://t.co/6XJNrrN523 hours ago
