Why telling someone "your make-up looks good" is not a compliment...

Cindy Crawford used to be my ultimate older lady; she sold me on the idea that you could have no botox, no surgery be over 40 and still look great.  I used to think that way she aged over the years could make one almost look forward to getting older because if someone like her (granted a supermodel) could age so well, then maybe, so could I... I can dream.  At this point I have to admit that I was so convinced by her that I bought her snake oil (aka perfect skin) which was her "secret" to looking good.  Only after my purchase did she admit to having botox.  I cancelled my re-order.

Botox and rumours of cosmetic surgery aside, Cindy looks great. In this month's In-Style magazine, there is a feature on Cindy Crawford and her make-up style tips.  She says that it is not a compliment when people tell you "your make up looks good", what is a compliment is someone telling you "you look good". I tend to agree, but only if you are going for the natural, every day look, no?

www.cindy.com

During the day, the glam and overly made up look tends to be inappropriate and under the scrutiny of daylight would make people say "your make up looks good" (or not). A more appropriate look would be something natural.  Many people are not blessed with perfect skin, full eyelashes or rosy cheeks so a little assistance goes a long way. Personally, I rely on M*A*C select sheer loose powder on my face and natural shades for everything, such as:

1. Mascara - YSL's Volume Effect Faux Cils or Maybelline's Great Lash
2. Eye shadow - some natural shades from M*A*C's mineralise range or the trio Effet Lumiere range by Bourjois (also great for undereyebrow highlighting)
3. Concealer - if it comes in your skin tone then YSL's Touche Eclat is a must 
4. Lips - I like Ample Pink Plushglass by M*A*C because it looks natural on absolutely all skin tones

However, eyeliner can be contentious during the day. It just works on some people and just doesn't work on others. Generally, I think blondes and those with lighter skin tones should avoid eyeliner during the day as it can look too dramatic. I have some blonde friends who maybe started out wearing black and just have never tried anything else and honestly, I think if they did, they would look so much better. If you are blonde and do want to wear eyeliner then go for a brown shade like Chanel's Brun-Cuivre or perhaps a brown eyeshadow along the eyeline (like Cork by M*A*C) with an appropriate liner brush (like M*A*C's 208).  This gives the required definition without the drama.

At night or on special occasions, (almost) anything goes;  dramatic styles and bold colours are fine.  We will give tips on wearing dramatic looks in the future but for now, back to the content of this post. Despite my agreement with the title, there are certain circumstances when someone telling you "your make-up looks good" would be a compliment e.g. at the end of the night when the lights in the club are turned up.  But really, how likely is that?

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Desire & device

I know I am a little late to this party but if you haven't already, you need to check out M*A*C's Fabulous Felines range.  I am particularly enamoured (this is the only word I could find to describe my new love) with the Desire & Device, the Superslick Liquid Eye Liner.

www.maccosmetics.co.uk

I purchased this particular eyeliner on a whim and have worn it every day since.  It is a shimmery dark green colour and for those who are put off by liquid eyeliners, it is a felt-tipped liner so you don't have to worry about getting the shape too perfect. I particularly like it as you can dress it up, or down depending on your mood without it looking too "made-up".  It's biggest selling point is that it gives you the definition you want from an eyeliner without it looking like "I lined my eyes today!" and whilst it is dark, there is a twist of colour and shimmer - keeping things interesting.  From my recent visit to the M*A*C online store,  I think other colours in the Fabulous Felines range have proved slightly more popular as many have sold out, but, if you can still get hold of this one, I would definitely recommend it.  Why? Well firstly, it is an olive shade of green and so, it would work on all skin tones.  Also, we are coming up to party season it is also shimmer season.  M*A*C have kindly also produced colour palates with suggestions of how to wear these colours.  And finally, it is only £14.50.  Do you need any more convincing?

To view the fabulous feline range click: http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/whats_new/collection.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CAT27131&cm_mmc=email-_-september-_-Fabulous_Felines_online-_-burbeau

So, I think the word "icon" is used too loosely these days but, I nominate Kim Kardashian Style Icon

Image from DrJays.com

I don't know about anyone else but I am addicted to Keeping Up With The Kardashians and love to follow the lives of Kim, Khloe and Kourtney (and the rest) as they live a charmed life in Hollywood, Calabasas, Miami, New York or where the hell ever they are based... (it's all the same to me as I am stuck in London and it is raining out.)

Over the years, we have definitely seen a transformation in Kim from young Hollywood hottie to Vixen Vamp (capital Vs for emphasis) and if rumours and some other blog sites are to be believed plastic surgery has played a small part in the transformation; and of course, in true Hollywood style, Kim denies having ever gone under the surgeon's knife.  I am personally on the fence about whether/the amount of surgery Kim has had, however, there is no doubt about the girl's style.  She is constantly snapped looking nothing less than glamorous. Her glam squad make her look so perfect that one could feel that without a black card it would be extremely difficult to copy her style.  She herself has confessed that she is a shopaholic and is constantly sporting the latest looks and pulls them off with finesse!

While I personally believe celebrities, including Kim can look too... hmmm, well... "perfect" i.e. they frequently cross the point where you can't tell the difference between them and their wax work at Madame Tussaud's, the point is that they move around (or should I say above?) us mere mortals looking better than any professional air-brusher could even hope to dream of.  This doesn't mean that one would begrudge them their sense of style or on a slightly reduced budget, not seek to emulate them, the thing that young celebrities like Kim do illustrate is that yes, money can help you look better (or more "perfect"), but it is not just money. It is what you do with it.  The reason I think that Kim is a good illustration of this is that she always had money, but as she has matured she has been able to express her sense of style in an extremely endearing and admirable way. If you don't know what I mean, think Mariah Carey.  I love this woman and since seeing her in concert I know she has the best voice I have every heard, however, try as she might and despite her riches, which no doubt eclipse those of Kim's, Carey's style doesn't quite cross-over into what one would call iconic. Also, her penchant for wearing super-tight and super-short clothes over what necessary suits her cute yet voluptuous shape - in the least emotive sense I could think of - just does her a disservice.

I don't go into what else Kim represents... blah blah blah sextape/playboy/men blah blah blah... as this is not that type of blog. I do like her style and think that as long as she doesn't believe the hype too much (J-Lo please note), she is a great style icon for everyone. But, in particular, the dark hair, dark-skinned and curvaceous girl can definitely identify with Kim. This is more significant if you consider that more people in the world (think Middle East, North Africa, South America, South East Asia, (native) Australasia and Mediterranean Europe) look like Kim Kardashian than other of her peers (e.g. LiLo, Paris Hilton, Britney etc), and unlike other curvy girl icons like the Beyonce's and J-Lo's, Kim is just much more accessible and seems like a nice person. Being the 4th Kardashian sister (in my mind) I personally prefer Khloe's personality but Kim's style is extremely mature very well suited to her figure and beautiful.

Am I using the word Icon too loosely?