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July 28, 2010
6:55 PM

’80s Makeup Commercials: They Just Don’t Make ‘Em Like They Used To

It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for some midweek comedy relief. While perusing YouTube looking for vlogger videos, I stumbled across the above Maybelline Moisture Whip Lipstick commercial from 1984 starring Lynda Carter, who played Wonder Woman in the hit TV show of the same name (translation: she was the Sarah Jessica Parker of her time). My first reaction when this video started playing was, Is this a makeup commercial or the introduction to an adult video? The aggressively suggestive language makes even today’s Victoria’s Secret ads seem tame in comparison! In fact, this commercial seems more geared more toward men than women. Because the idea of wearing a full face of makeup while swimming in a pool is not something any girl would contemplate, now or back then.

This awesomely ’80s discovery prompted me to dig around for more commercial gems from the era, the best of which I’ve posted after the jump. ’80s makeup ads were overdramatic, cheesy, and unintentionally hilarious—but boy, did they try hard not to be.

1 comment Tags: L'Oreal, Lancome, Maybelline, YouTube, makeup commercials, Isabella Rossellini, 80s makeup

Pastel Eye Shadow for Fall?

July 27, 2010 @ 6:28 PM

The cool quotient of pastel eye shadow previously ranked around the same level as sweater sets and Lifetime movies. But the punchy, full-throttle version seen in Miu Miu’s fall 2010 ad campaign (shown above and below) has me reconsidering its potential. Style.com’s Beauty Counter blog ran a great item today about how makeup artist Lucia Pieroni created the ads’ vibrant eye makeup. With “bold pastel” (which kind of seems like an oxymoron, no?) serving as her inspiration, Pieroni swirled makeup paint pigments all around the eyes first, then swept Shu Uemura eye shadow in either jade or lilac on top, swishing it all the up to the brow bones and under the eyes. (Looks to me like she used Gem Glam Pressed Eye Shadow in Pearl Pastel Sea Green 450 and Gem Glam Cream Eye Shadow in Pearl Light Purple.) Pieroni explained to Style.com: “When working with bright pigments, it’s important to use a sponge applicator to build up an opaque coverage, then use a soft brush to feather out the edges.”

While I can’t imagine many will copy the full-on smoky eyes from the ads, I love the idea of sweeping a vibrant pastel shadow on your lids for fall. Such girlie color suddenly seems fresh and downtown because it’s so unexpected that time of year. If you decide to try the look, two tips to keep in mind:

1. Pastel shadow can sometimes makes eyes appear smaller, so follow Pieroni’s lead and finish the look with lots of black mascara to anchor the color.

2. Purples such as lilac and lavender are generally the most flattering pastel shades. Baby blue works on most skin tones, though it can make very fair skin look sallow. And jade green, though gorgeous, is by far the most daring pastel and definitely not for wallflowers.

PHOTOS FROM FASHION GONE ROGUE

1 comment Tags: bright shadow, eyeshadow, fall ad campaigns, fall makeup, Lucia Peroni, Miu Miu, pastel eye shadow, Shu Uemura, Shu Uemura eye shadow

Guess Who Won Our First Giveaway?

July 26, 2010 @ 6:05 PM

Congratulations to Nicole Ordonez from California, the winner of our first giveaway! Nicole won all of the products from Michelle Phan’s new Natural Beauty tutorial. (Nicole, if you’re reading this, check your Facebook inbox for an email from me!) And a huge thank you to everyone who joined our Facebook page last week. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your support! There will be more great giveaways on here, so stay tuned.

Congrats as well to Michelle the superstar, who just broke an astonishing 200 million views on her YouTube channel. Only three months ago, when I began editing this site, Michelle’s channel had 150 million views. To put it into perspective, it took Facebook three years to acquire 50 millions users, whereas Michelle acquired that many more channel views in just three months. Mark Zuckerberg, watch out!

I was reading everyone’s comments about the Natural Beauty video and noticed that many of you liked the white eye pencil trick to highlight around your eyes. If you have olive or dark skin though, white can sometimes look too bright on you, so try a beige or taupe pencil or shadow instead (the shadow end of the L’Oréal Paris Le Kohl Duo Shadow + Liner in Bronze Brown/Buttercup works well on medium skin, while the shadow from the Black Brown/Hazelnut shade is good on dark skin).

A lot of you also asked about some lower-priced options for some of the makeup used in the video. Here are a few suggestions for products you could swap in:

Long-wear foundation: L’Oréal Paris Infallible Advanced Never Fail Makeup

Undereye concealer: Maybelline New York SuperStay 24HR Concealer

Pressed powder: Maybelline New York Shine-Free Oil-Control Translucent Pressed Powder

Dark brown eye pencil: The Body Shop Eye Definer in Rich Brown

Mauve lip pencil: L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Lip Liner in Eternal Mauve

Thanks again to all of you for your incredible support. In addition to offering more giveaways, which I’ll be doing, I’d love to hear from you the kind of topics you’d like to read about on Makeup.com. If you have an idea for a future post topic, please leave your comments here!

0 comments Tags: Michelle Phan, YouTube makeup videos, YouTube, video how-to, natural beauty, Facebook, giveaways, natural makeup, inexpensive makeup

Beauty Shoots of the Moment: Cat Eyes in Vogue Italia

July 23, 2010 @ 2:05 PM

One reason I love European fashion magazines: They still put supermodels on their covers. Vogue Italia put the super of all supermodels, Christy Turlington, on their July cover (shown above) in gorgeous ’60s-inspired makeup and hair. What I love about this photo (and the fashion story inside, all shot by Steven Meisel) is its slightly faded, beautifully vintage quality. Were it not for Turlington’s instantly recognizable face, this image could be from any number of eras. Another reason the cover stands out to me: The thick, crisp winged eyeliner, which is a look I’ve been seeing in a number of fashion magazines lately. In fact, inside this same issue of Vogue Italia is a beauty supplement (that’s the cover shown below) in which a luscious Sophia Loren-esque model romps about wearing wickedly dramatic winged liner and, quite frankly, little else. If you’re not offended by a little nudité, the story, which was shot by Ellen von Unwerth, is just gorgeous.

Personally, I’ve never quite gotten the hang of creating that perfect little flick at the outer corner of my eyes. A former Allure colleague of mine who mastered the technique, however, swore by L’Oréal Paris Lineur Intense Brush Tip Liquid Eyeliner for drawing the perfect cat eye. (Not surprisingly, it’s won the Allure Best of Beauty Award for Liquid Eyeliner three years in a row now.) If liquid eyeliner seems too tricky, try Maybelline New York Eye Studio Gel Eyeliner, which comes with a stiff angled brush that makes it easy to create a thick, even line. Since the August fashion magazines have this look splashed all over their fashion and beauty stories, I figure it’s time for me to finally learn how to do winged liner. So I’m reaching out to makeup genius Aaron de Mey, Lancôme’s artistic director for makeup, for a step-by-step lesson since he did the look beautifully on Alexa Chung in the August issue of American Vogue. Look for my post with Aaron’s tips very soon. In the meantime, have a great weekend!

PHOTOS FROM VOGUE ITALIA

2 comments Tags: Winged eyeliner, liquid liner, Vogue Italia, Christy Turlington, '60s makeup, L'Oreal Lineur Intense