L'Oreal has no doubt about Gwen Stefani

Surprised (yet delighted) by the announcement from L'Oreal Paris that 41 year old Gwen Stefani is their newly appointed global brand ambassador. With her already busy brand-building schedule, it never dawned on me that this dynamic songstress would ever endorse a brand that wasn’t of her own making (perhaps I harboured thoughts about her LAMB label branching into make-up). Nevertheless, I can see why her always perfect scarlet pout has fittingly been chosen to promote the beauty giants' Infallible La Rouge Lip Colour launch- after all, she is SO worth it.

 

What do you think? Is Gwen a good fit for L'Oreal?

Victory for Victoria

When I saw how graceful and naturally beautiful VB looked on the cover of Vogue UK (Feb 2011), I smiled at the image (as if she was smiling back at me), and then had to show her some LnL love. In fact, VB has always had the ability to hold my attention, whether overly pouty as Posh Spice or perfectly coiffed on the arm of her hubby; she’s always been sort of an enigma to me. However, the soft and demure cover is a refreshing and striking departure from her usual polished shots, and so is her frankness about removing her breast implants, her hubby’s not so always good-looks and excitement about her fashion label expressed in the Vogue interview. The only other mystery that remains is whether the fourth baby Beckham is a boy or a girl.

Channel your inner ballerina with a hair look that’s high on your head and low on maintenance. Are you wondering why a hair solution to jumping in a quick shower or lounging around the house has suddenly gained beauty buzz? I am. A long-time wearer of the bun, I’m not sure who I should thank for giving this hair look clout. Whether worn slouchy or tight and sleek, it’s the hair-do equivalent to an LBD: always looks good and is fit for any occasion.

Bun do's:
DO: Spritz hairspray onto a comb and slide over your strands to avoid flyaways.
DO: Add volume and texture to your hair by blowdrying hair upside down and teasing hair once pulled into a ponytail.
DO: Dress it up with a plain or embellished headband (see Jessica Alba).

 



Things that still have my heart in 2011

MAC lipstick in Ruby Woo. I never find a reason not to wear this post box red matte lip colour; it spruces up any outfit and will make any complexion look polished. Just when I think about experimenting with a new lipcolour, this bullet gives me that come hither look and I’m weakly applying it with my ring finger to forego a pretentious bold lip look and aim for more of a “look what I just threw on” vibe.  I’ve pondered about its irresistibility and concluded that it’s the “I’m not really on your lips” effect the un-drying matte texture has on me. 

Chloe Eau de Parfum.  Who doesn’t like the sound of these words, “WOW, you smell amazing!” It’s the start of every conversation when I wear this fragrance (pretty much every time I leave the house). Subtle enough so that it never tires my sense of smell; a non-traditional feminine floral with a daring radiance that will never allow the fragrance to be classified as “too girly”. A definite winner to draw everyone’s attention.

My love of Leighton Meester. Chuck Basss might be afraid to say those three words, eight letters, but I am not. I LOVE YOU! No, it’s not because you’ve broadened your acting span by temporarily ditching the Upper East Side for the country(side) with your hyped appearance in Country Strong or landed a deal to be the face of a new Vera Wang fragrance (it was only a matter of time) or even cozied to the Missoni’s to be the labels new face (there's definitely something Margarita-ish about you).

It’s simply because your lush tawny curls always look covetable while your shamefully flawless skin oozes effortless chic-I think they call it natural beauty. I have a feeling you’ll be hitting more beauty heights in 2011 Queen B, and LnL will be watching. Did someone say minion? Who me? NEVER!

New kid on the beauty block

I’m baffled as to why it’s taken me this long to start a blog about beauty; after all writing about beauty is how I earned a living for three years. Despite possessing an arsenal of beauty know-how, I hesitated to share it with you all because I figured why would the world wide web need another beauty blog? I got over that. Truth be told, I’d like to believe that things will be different around here.

In the spirit of complete disclosure: My goal isn’t only to share what I’ve learnt, but to provide you with insider access to beauty trends, product launches and expert advice...the kind of thing you thought you’d only be privy to by paging through a glossy magazine. I must admit that there’s certain bits of info that come your way when you’re friends with Beauty Ed’s, know the best derms in the city and have worked with the best hair and make-up artists. Come here to get a no-frills approach to products and trends to help you figure out what’s worth your time and money. Think of me as your beauty BF.