artist spotlight: Norman Parkinson’s fashion photography still bring’s glamour

British photographer Norman Parkinson is best known for his work during his Vogue years-though a bit dated now, these timeless images are still adored by women young and old.  Many of these iconic prints can still be seen in dorm rooms and  apartment’s across the country…despite the fact that they were taken over 60 years ago, they remain a best seller on sites like allposter.com and art.com

Mr Parkinson worked for Vogue as a fashion photographer from 1945-60 and is credited for taking fashion & photography out of the studio and into the urban environment.  His work made fashion more spontaneous and dynamic than ever before and his use of color gave these now vintage prints a fresh, modern and timeless appeal.   Here’s a compilation of just some of his work I adore, which combine ultra-feminine couture and beauty with refreshingly unexpected and exotic locales.

       

 for more information on Norman Parkinson please click here

xo,

Lauren

red carpet review: best dressed

When I think of Hollywood’s best dressed at award’s shows, the starlets’ that tend to stand out for me are those who wear the elaborate, haute couture gowns (think almost anything Penelope Cruz has worn, gowns by Elie Saab, Atelier Versace, Oscar de le Renta and Jenny Packham.)  This year, at the Golden Globes, the best dressed were all about minimal, clean lines and low, open-backed gowns in retro, juicy, pinks and peaches.  My two favorite dresses were both by Calvin Klein and they transformed the actresses wearing them; Claire Danes and Emma Stone looked unbelievable and neither women had ever looked better. 

 

 

I think Emma Stone especially stood out with her flawless hair and makeup (she looks unreal as a blonde- remember her in Easy A as a brunette? Yeah, me either…)  She looked amazing with her platinum blonde up-do and her makeup was natural, glowy perfection.  Here’s a run-through of what her make-up artist, Mai Quynh used to create her Golden Globe makeup look.

Face
Mai started by applying mark Calm & Composed Moisturizer all over the skin. Next, Mai applied mark Face Xpert in Honey with a foundation brush and put mark Good Riddance Concealer in Light/Medium around Emma’s nose and under her eyes and blended it with a concealer brush. The foundation was set with mark Powder Buff in Natural using a powder brush and mark Bronze Pro Powder in Pro Glow was dusted onto Emma’s cheeks, forehead and chin using a angled contour face brush. Mai then added mark Good Glowing Blush in After Glo on Emma’s cheeks with the angled contour face brush.

Eyes
Mai applied I-mark eyehadow in Biscotti to Emma’s inner eyelid and I-mark eyeshadow in Gioia to her middle and outer eyelid, from the lashline to her crease. An angled contour eyeshadow brush was used to blend Gioia into the crease of the eyelid. Mai then applied I-mark eyeshadow in Java along the upper lashline using the hookup eyeliner brush and smudged Gioia along the bottom lashline. To finish the eyes, two coats of mark Lash Splash Mascara in Black was used.

Lips
Mai applied mark Lipclick Full Color Lipstick in Bare Hug on Emma’s lips- available here

All products mentioned above are available here

xo,
Lauren

long live the Queen

It’s been almost a year since the untimely death of fashion legend Alexander McQueen, but his brand, runway collections and spirit are still thriving.  I was blown away by the 2011 Spring/RST collection, now under the reign of Sarah Burton, who worked directly with Alexander “Lee” McQueen for over 15 years.  She wowed critics and his long-time fans with a point of view that maintained McQueen’s signature style while executing her own vision- creating a collection that’s slightly softened and a bit more mature than we’ve seen in the past from the Haus of McQueen.  Here are a selection of look’s that really stood out to me:

xo,

Lauren