Papierdoll Recommends…

Swearing by this after one week of personal use. I never recommend without using first and the Body Shop’s Pomegranate body polish is the truth in advertising and application. Took a swab of it last night, ran it down my arm… I’ll just say what was on the swab was not pretty. You want this. Get it here.

They also have a neato eco-shopping bag that you can re-use to your heart’s content:

$2 from each sale (the bags are $5) go to National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, an organization working to stop violence in the home. Get it here.

photography Danielle Le Moine

We often get questions on achieving the looks that you see in photoshoots on Papierdoll and in other publications. The questions that constantly come up go something like this:

a) How do I get that look?
b) Do all models have flawless skin?
c) How long does it take to put something like that together?

The short answer is yes, no and it depends.

For more detail I actually talked to a makeup artist who worked with us in the past, Shelly Stevens, and asked her exactly what it takes to get some of the looks you see in photoshoots. For example, what can a person with combination skin, or with issues applying their own makeup do to get a great look for fall?

Here she came with several tips to help almost everyone:
I hope this pleases your readers as I am going from off the top of my head here. Models come in many different skin textures just like we all do. Some models have great skin, others have skin that look like land mines but have great bone structure or some other discerning feature that make them a model.

“You’ll never look exactly like a model from a photoshoot because she is her and you are you. What that means is that everyone is different and has their own look. You can attain a similar look and in many cases you might even look better. Find out what makeup is being used and test the makeup out in a shade, hue and tone that you are comfortable with. There are so many different varieties and textures of makeup one size does not fit all.

The most important thing I can tell your readers above the makeup tip is to take care of their skin. Moisturize when necessary, drink water (they say it’s an old wives tale, but water helps the skin), use cremes as opposed to lotions and stay away from products heavy with chemicals or with alcohol. Alcohol is a major no-no. Hope that helps.”

So while there’s some sort of return to old-world styling in fall fashion trends, we’re now looking at what’s next overall in beauty and hair. I’m planting a flag in the ground near all those other flags to go for that bushy full haired look for the fall. It’s dramatic, not necessarily sweeping at all but unmistakable. Most of us can get the bushy hair look by spending about 45 or so minutes in a hot sweaty club. For those not wanting to deal with that their are several products that can get you to that look including volumizers and picks that pouf up the hair.

The trend in makeup I am not getting is neon. It’s fall. Fall requests the presence of darker more drawn-out colors, but magazines are imploring all to make it light and bright. The style.com website remarks that in Paris and Milan fall shows neon was omnipresent:

in Paris, neon makeup was all over the catwalks: lacquered orange lips at Dior, moonbeam-bright eyes at Comme des Garçons, and press-on nails in hot pink at Karl Lagerfeld.

This bodes well for manic panic and makeup companies on the fringe looking to “glam it up” with embellished colorful looks. What’s on your head and face this fall? Let me know. Leave comments or shoot me an e-mail eva@papierdoll.net

[tags]hair, trends, makeup, fall, neon[/tags]

I’ve always found the Will it Blend videos particularly entertaining. So when Tom Dickson decided to use a complete makeup kit, I thought it would be particularly entertaining. It really, truly is. Click this link to see the video.

Looking at the makeup trends being used this fall, neon hues are exploding on the runways, and with reason. These neon colors can express a fun and flirtatious side to one’s personality. Even if you’re not aware that it exists. Accompanied with nude lips, neon eyes can draw the attention they crave.

If neon doesn’t please you, fall designers all also using the sultry looks of the forties with their clothing lines. What can draw more attention than deep red lips or dark smokey eyes? To achieve success in this look, keep your face balanced by not caking on foundation and blush, you dont want to over dramatize your look.