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Beauty, Makeup

#OnMyVanity: The Red Lipsticks I Love to Rock on Valentine’s Day

A post shared by Val’s Vanity (@valsvanity) on Feb 13, 2018 at 11:02am PST

I receive a slew of samples, and when I find something I like, I can’t wait to tell you all about it!

I’ll admit that since I started covering backstage beauty at New York Fashion Week, thoughts of Valentine’s Day has floated to very back of mind. I usually don’t have the time to gather gifts, let alone try to make a reservation at any restaurant in the Big Apple that day as I’m running from show to show, but I try to at least dress up my look a little more on February 14th even when I’m ready to fall over with exhaustion (concealer is a BIG help!). Regardless of your relationship status or your schedule, there’s no reason why you can’t get all dolled up for Valentine’s Day! All you really need is a swipe of a great red lipstick to channel the look of l’amour — no crazy cut creases or hearts necessary (unless you want to, of course). After playing with a slew of fabulous formulas over the years, I wanted to share a few of my favorites reds that you’ll want to stash in your bag should the need to pucker up (or add polish to your look in an instant) arise.

Scroll on to start seeing red!

February 12, 2018 by Val

Beauty, Makeup

You Have to See How This Makeup Artist Channeled Every Sign in The Zodiac!

A post shared by M A R i O N M O R E T T i ♓ (@marioncameleon) on Jan 31, 2018 at 8:59am PST

While some of us spent New Years recovering from champagne-induced hangovers or getting a start on our New Year’s resolutions, I know most of us at some point scrolled through our 2018 horoscopes to find out what’s written in the stars for us. But makeup artist and YouTube sensation Marion Moretti, a fellow Pisces like myself and beauty queen Rihanna, used all of the astrological signs for a spectacular series of makeup looks you have to see to believe!

Moretti started the year off by making a serious splash on Instagram by posting customized beauty looks, even using prothetics, wigs, and plenty of glitter, for each zodiac sign throughout the month of January. But Moretti told me that she had the idea for the extravagant astrological looks in the works as far back as June 2017. “I started with a Gay Pride series last year, and then listed what series I would like to do. Zodiac was one of them,” she said in an email, noting that she pulled inspiration for each look from a variety of sources, building the looks bit by bit with the colors, animals, and figures each sign is based on.

February 12, 2018 by Val

Beauty, Makeup

Christian Siriano Adds His Creative Touch to E.L.F. Cosmetics

Photo: E.L.F. Cosmetics via People.com

Don’t feel bad if you couldn’t make it to the Big Apple for the start of #NYFW because Christian Siriano is bringing a bit of runway glamour to the beauty counter — and for less than you think!

The designer whose gowns have graced countless red carpets has linked up with E.L.F. Cosmetics to curate a capsule collection based on his Spring 2018 collection. The pair initially came together to create beauty looks for that show, and the relationship blossomed from there. In fact, the brand will also be on hand to help realize his beauty vision for his Fall 2018 show this week, which is also is 10-year anniversary show (congrats!!!).

“Literally, I had fabrics on the table and swatches from every piece in the collection,” he told People about the collaboration. “With my team, it was like getting ready to do the collection.”

February 9, 2018 by Val

Beauty, Makeup

YSL Beauty’s Showing Off Halsey’s Amazing Makeup Skills

A post shared by halsey (@iamhalsey) on Feb 8, 2018 at 9:50am PST

Halsey has already become a beauty icon to her millions of fans, thanks to her penchant for switching up her strands. But the singer-songwriter is slated to show off her skills with a makeup brush in partnership with YSL Beauté.

“Recording artist, Halsey, well-known for her music and poetry, will soon be working with YSL Beauté to create makeup looks that speak to the millennial consumer,” the brand told Allure after the Grammy-nominated artist performed at Wednesday’s amfAR Gala in New York City, the unofficial kick off to New York Fashion Week.

But you won’t catch her posing in a traditional campaign, which would’ve most likely included fellow YSL muse, Zoe Kravitz. Nor will she simply rock the brand’s wares on the red carpet. Instead, the “Closer” crooner will serve up a slew of custom beauty looks to share with her 6.5 million followers — and beyond — on a monthly basis. And given her unique takes on beauty, we’ll certainly get some imaginative lip and eye makeup that fans will want to recreate immediately.

While sharing creative makeup looks for beauty brands is a relatively new type of partnership, it’s not to say that sharing these kinds of selfies hasn’t been done before — just not on social media. Lady Gaga shared similar images as part of a New Year’s partnership with Shiseido to kick off 2015. The songstress snapped over 50 makeup looks for the campaign in which 46 of her photos were featured in ads in Japanese newspapers on January 1st, with the last four popping up on January 5th (but not int he U.S., unfortunately). And she even appeared in a more traditional commercial for the brand.

But regardless, I’m already turning on my Instagram notifications to see what Halsey whips up first!

February 8, 2018 by Val

Beauty, Makeup

Here’s How to Get NYX’s New Mascara — for Free!

My mom has always said, “If it’s f-r-e-e, it’s for me!” And when it comes to scoring free product samples, every beauty buff would agree. So you might want to clear out tomorrow’s morning schedule now for what NYX Professional Makeup has up its sleeve.

This Saturday, February 3rd, NYX will be giving away free (yep, free, not as a “gift with purchase”) tubes of its brand new Worth the Hype Volumizing and Lengthening mascara. All you need to bring is an old tube of mascara, regardless of the brand, from your own kit to swap for the fresh lash enhancer. The only catch is that you can’t just drop by your local Walgreens in order to get in on the free swag. You’ll have to be one of the first 100 to head over to a participating NYX store in order to snap up the full-sized sample while supplies last. (You can find out where the closest retailer is to you right here.)

But even if you don’t have a chance to score the freebie, there’s no need to lash out! According to Glamour, the stores will also offer free beauty tutorials to help your lash-building technique to celebrate the launch of the new makeup must. Plus, you can still pick the mascara for less than $10 as well as anything else from NYX you might want without much worry about breaking the bank. Sounds like a win to me!

Let me know if you manage to snatch one of up for yourselves in the comments below or tag me on Insta!

February 2, 2018 by Val

Beauty, Hair, Makeup

GTL: The Boldest Beauty Looks of The 2018 Grammy Awards

GTL – Get the Look, not Gym, Tan, Laundry, duh!

Embed from Getty Images

The Grammys are one of my favorite award shows to tune into annually, not just because of the slew of artists I know and love will take to the red carpet but also because it allows everyone (whether they can rock the mic or not) to go a bit bolder when it comes to their beauty looks. And they didn’t disappoint! Alongside the wild fashion, many of the attendess, including Lady Gaga, Cardi B, Kelly Clarkson, Halsey, SZA, and more carried white roses in support of the Time’s Up and #MeToo movements against sexual harassment and gender inequality while Lorde (who wasn’t offered a solo slot to perform while her fellow male Album of the Year nominees did) added her own spin by wearing a note of solidarity stitched onto her gown. It’s a problem which has plagued the industry (and many others) for decades but has come to light in recent years with Taylor Swift‘s recent win against a DJ who groped her and Kesha‘s ongoing legal battles. In fact, Kesha brought the issue into the spotlight with an incredibly moving rendition of her rallying cry “Praying,” singing with the likes of Cyndi Lauper, Camila Cabello, Andra Day, and the Resistance Revival Chorus.

With the night’s mix of glamor and girl power, I decided to share the details on the some of the eye-catching looks from the stars’ glam squads just in case you want to snag those tips for yourself for anything special coming up on your social calendar.

January 29, 2018 by Val

Beauty, Body, Makeup, Skin

Soap & Glory’s Ups It Spa-Worthy Supply of Beauty Buys

A post shared by Soap & Glory USA (@soapandgloryusa) on Jan 24, 2018 at 3:01pm PST

When it comes to self-care (which I think we all need more of), sometimes all it takes to soothe yourself is a spa-worthy shower or a super indulgent soak in the tub. Soap & Glory is enhancing the experience with a stockpile of bubbling bath and beauty buys — complete with punny names you won’t get enough of — that won’t break the bank. In fact, the bubbles kept popping up Wednesday night as editors were treated to a first look at all of the upcoming products with a fresh array of fizzy cocktails, a shower outfitted with a bubble machine, a few faucets that dispensed a mix of seltzer and champagne (really refreshing!), and a cute clawfoot tub that I couldn’t help but slip into myself.

January 25, 2018 by Val

Beauty, Makeup

Ashley Graham Joins Revlon’s ‘Live Boldly’ League

A post shared by A S H L E Y G R A H A M (@theashleygraham) on Jan 24, 2018 at 7:39am PST

“Lipstick does not have a size.” And the new face of Revlon, Ashley Graham, is absolutely right!

The mega model is one of the first plus-size models to land a major beauty contract in the U.S.,. But Graham has been kicking down doors in the industry for a while as the first curvy model to be featured in Sports Illustrated’s 2015 Swimsuit issue in an ad for SwimsuitsforAll and becoming the cover girl of the iconic issue the year after, not to mention strutting the runway in Paris for H&M, as well as creating her own designs for SwimsuitsforAll, Nordstrom, and even DressBarn. But even with all of that under her belt, the beauty counter has been a rare place to find a plus-size model. In fact, according to The Cut, the last curve model to serve as the face of a beauty brand was Robyn Lawley, who had a two-year contract with Pantene in Australia.

January 24, 2018 by Val

Beauty, Makeup

Bite Beauty Launches a Line of Lipsticks For Every Zodiac Sign

Courtesy of Bite Beauty.

The next time someone at a bar asks,”What’s your sign?” Bite Beauty wants you to tell them: “Read my lips.”

The brand has launched a limited edition Horoscope collection of its popular Amouse Bouche lipstick for each sign of the zodiac, with inventive takes on each horoscope’s attributes. To suss out the signature shade for each and their subsequent descriptions, the brand enlisted the help of psychic astrologer Tara Greene, who has over 25 years of experience of reading the stars, tarot cards, tea, and, yes, lipstick.

Aquarius, the first shade in the lineup, is a modern take on a berry with a blue-based hue and a satin finish (an up-close-and-personal look at the shade’s swatch is under the cut). This cooler color is meant to evoke the sign’s association with inventors, pioneers, and radicals, like Angela Davis, Amal Alamuddin Clooney, Joy Mangano, Oprah, and more — “unique individuals who like to disrupt the status quo,” according to Greene. “Aquarians are on the cutting edge, tapped into higher consciousness, and aware of the cultural current, ‘what’s next,'” she said in a press release. “Find them motivating groups, managing teams, and totally ruling (or even inveting) the latest social media app.”

Aquarians are the early adopters of the zodiac. And they clearly got the message early because since its launch on Monday, the lipstick has already sold out at Sephora! Pisces (my sign) is on its way, as it’s slated to hit shelves in February. But I still have my fingers crossed for a re-stock. I mean, why not collect all 12?! Even if the signs don’t always suit your mood or aesthetic, pulling out the shade of your S.O. could be a fun way to add flair for date night. Plus, it can be fun to mix and match if your love of astrology reaches further into your birth chart — a Pisces base blended with an Aries rising hue could look pretty cute!

January 23, 2018 by Val

Beauty, Hair, Makeup

GTL: The Boldest Beauty Looks of the 2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards

GTL – Get the Look, not Gym, Tan, Laundry, duh!

Embed from Getty Images

Sunday’s night Screen Actors Guild Awards appeared to be an almost 180 of the Golden Globes‘ sea of solidarity in the form of black gowns. The sentiments of the #MeToo movement still reverberated throughout the evening with Marissa Tomei saluting Rosanna Arquette and the many others who spoke about the sexual harrassment they faced in the industry. But the 2018 SAG awards red carpet seemed to offer a hopeful look at the future, which might’ve been sparked by the high spirits after the second Women’s March just the day before, as actresses fully embraced color from the clothes to the cosmetics.

As such, I decided to dig for the details on some of the vibrant beauty looks from the stars’ hairstylists and makeup artists should you want to snag the look for a date night look, a festive formal, or anything else on your social agenda.

January 22, 2018 by Val

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