Val's Vanity - Part 16

Beauty, Body

#ManiMonday: 5 Nail Vloggers to Subscribe to ASAP!

I’ll admit I’m not as talented when it comes to nail art—sometimes just getting the color to lie right can be a pain. But I, like the rest of you, spend hours on YouTube learning new techniques and getting inspired by a slew of mani mavens who create works of art on a weekly basis. With inventive, eye-catching looks and undeniable talent, these are the nail ninjas you need to add to your feed ASAP.

NinaNailedIt — I first heard of Nina when she became a finalist in Sally Hansen’s I Heart Nail Art annual competition, which pits the best nail ninjas against each other to highlight their skill and creativity. So far, Nina’s covered the natural elements, including fresh flora, fauna, and white marble, she’s also taking nail art into another galaxy with her array of tutorials. Though her channel is new, it looks like there’s nowhere to go but up!

April 25, 2016 by Val

Beauty, Makeup

#OnMyVanity: Milk Lip + Cheek Tint

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

Multiple sticks are nothing new these days, but they have increasingly become essentials for those who need to get glam on the go. And with the recent launch of Milk’s makeup line, I was curious to see what the hype was all about since it flew off the shelves faster than retailers could keep up with. So as soon as I spotted a few of the sticks on UrbanOutfitters.com, I immediately clicked “Add to Cart.” And once I got my hands on it, I shared my take on the stick on Snapchat.

April 21, 2016 by Val

Beauty, Hair

Dove Wants You to #LoveYourHair

Whether your hair’s long, short, curly, straight, blonde, brunette, candy-colored, or shaven off completely, we’re all faced with the balancing our individuality with the narrow societal standards of beauty. In fact, a study recently found 86% of US women believe that media and society put a lot of pressure on women to have hair that looks a certain way—namely long, silky straight brunette locks, just ask Google.

April 21, 2016 by Val

Fashion

Danielle Brooks Is the Face of Christian Siriano’s Collab with Lane Bryant

via People Magazine

Danielle Brooks is trading in her Orange Is the New Black jumpsuit for something more red carpet ready as the face of the Christian Siriano x Lane Bryant collaboration, which hits stores on April 28th.

Brooks was a simple choice for Siriano, who works regularly with the actress and even had her wear one of his gowns to the 2015 Emmys. “I thought she was the perfect muse for this kind of figure,” the designer told Refinery29. “She celebrates her body and is a great muse for this world. She is so positive about it, and you don’t always find that.”

Siriano’s goal was to not only show off serious color but also lots of fun with fashion in the form of flirty fit and flares, sheer skirts, and a series of striped tops. “We took a lot of inspiration from 1950s ice cream parlors,” he explained to People. “I wanted there to be a lot of prints and stripes and textures, but still feel modern, with a little vintage feeling as well. I think the clothes are really great, wearable, fun and fresh, and that’s what we wanted to see.”

Brooks was excited about the chance to work again with Siriano, and she clearly had a blast on set.“It was fun to be surrounded by all these sexy men holding my dress and tying my shoes,”she said.“Plus, the clothes helped me to embody the way in which we did the photo shoot—they make you feel sexy, like everyone has their eyes on you. It’s like these are the clothes you want to wear when you walk down the street and want to make heads turn.”

Yes, I need to stop stalking People’s site, but I couldn’t help myself when I heard the good news—I mean, I want to make heads turn too! Brooks has proven to be a formidable actress, not only as the beloved Tastee on OINTB but also in The Color Purple currently on Broadway. Not to mention her chic sense of style (Did you see her Ebony cover with GabiFresh and the gang?). Her love of sultry silhouettes and vibrant colors make her one to watch on any red carpet she struts on, and she prompts fuller-figured fashionistas to hunt for whatever pieces she shows off on Instagram.

Needless to say, I’m shopping this collection as soon as it hits the shelves. But for now, head over to Refinery29 to see more of the pieces that are available in the collection, and check out People for the rest of the chic snaps from behind the scenes of the campaign shoot.

April 20, 2016 by Val

Entertainment, Movies

Elizabeth Banks Gives a First Peek at the Power Rangers Reboot

via People Magazine

Rita Repulsa, is that you?!

A few months back, it was announced that Elizabeth Banks would take on the role of the venomous Power Rangers villain. People was the first to share a snap from behind the scenes.

I have to admit I was surprised to see the stylized updates to the costume. Gone are the sculpted hair horns, Madonna-style cone bra, and the giant Elizabethan collar, and in its place are a more reptilian aesthetic (that gives me Dragon Ball Z flashbacks) with gold accents and Lady Gaga-inspired prosthetics. “It’s definitely a modern and edgy re-imagining of the original Rita Repulsa,” Banks told the glossy.

The film is based on the ’90s TV show that pits five super-powered teens against Rita Repulsa’s (and eventually Lord Zedd’s) plot to conquer Earth. The Power Rangers were a phenomenon that kids like me devoured, nabbing everything from toys to costumes to tickets to its own movie back in ’95. But surprisingly enough, Banks was initially introduced to the Power Rangers by her brother. “It might be his favorite show of all time,” she joked.

Though Banks admitted that she’s never played a villain, her hilarious roles in The Lego Movie and Pitch Perfect give me a feeling that she’ll do the character justice. But for now, we’ll just have to wait and see who else may emerge from a space dumpster to take on the Rangers in their quest to defeat Zordon of Eltar.

April 20, 2016 by Val

Beauty, Entertainment, Hair

Nexxus New York Takes the Tribeca Film Festival

nexxus-tribeca-intro

Hair and makeup are as important to a film as its sets and wardobe—the look has to come together to tell the story. So it made perfect sense when I learned Nexxus New York Salon Care sponsored this year’s Tribeca Film Festival and invited a gaggle of beauty editors like me to experience the festivities first-hand on Sunday.

April 19, 2016 by Val

Beauty, Makeup

MAC Says Don’t Feed The Trolls, Wear Their Look Instead

Courtesy of MAC

A mere week has passed since MAC gave us a look at the upcoming Selena collection, but the brand already has a new collaboration in the works that taps into our craving for ‘90s nostalgia.

The cosmetics company has linked up with DreamWorks to bring the troll dolls you collected as a kid to the big screen and the makeup counter. Makeup mavens will be enticed by the vibrant array of essentials for eyes lips and face with unexpected color combinations and gobs of glitter. Plus the iconic doll is all over the packaging, even embossed on a pair of the beauty powders.

Oh wait, you didn’t know there was a movie in the works?! Well, the kid-friendly feature will star the voices of Anna Kendrick, Zooey Deschanel, Justin Timberlake, and many more as the bejeweled-bellied creatures who have their world rocked by the presence of a giant.

Though the film won’t hit theaters until November, you won’t have to wait as long for the vibrant makeup musts will hit shelves in August—perfect for those end-of-summer soirees on your social calendar.

April 19, 2016 by Val

Beauty, Body

Lily James Is Burberry’s Newest Beauty

via Lily James’ Instagram

Lily James‘ Cinderella story will be continued, as the star has been named Burberry’s newest face.

The actress will follow in the steps of fellow British beauties, Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne, for the brand’s new scent, My Burberry Black. James offered a quick glimpse of what fans will see in the Mario Testino-lensed campaign that will launch in August via her Instagram, telling fans how excited she was to be collaborating with the iconic brand.

While details on the scent are scant at the moment, we can only guess that My Burberry Black will offer an evening perfume with heady notes of amber and jasmine to enhance the sister scent‘s heart of Centifolia roses. I expect James will pay homage to Lady Rose McClare in the campaign by painting the town red in her airy LBD without a care in the world. I can’t wait to see the final product!

April 18, 2016 by Val

Beauty, Skin

Holy Sheet! Fab Face Masks You Have to Try

Face masks always offer instant gratification, but who wants to get your hands dirty with a mushy paste or gel to do so? The sheet mask has rapidly transformed from an Asian skincare sensation to the lazy girl’s go-to for good-looking skin. As we all wind down from the week, I searched through my stash of sheets to find five of my favorite formulas to take care of some of your biggest skin gripes. Simply apply one of these prior to your Netflix binge, and you’ll be glowing and gorgeous before you know it—no rinse required!

April 15, 2016 by Val

Beauty, Makeup

Katy Perry Digs Her Creative Claws into CoverGirl

Courtesy of CoverGirl

After a series of successful scents, Katy Perry‘s coming back to the beauty counter with a namesake collaboration with CoverGirl.

The pop star shared the new via Twitter on Friday, stating, “After several wonderful years of BEING the face, I now get to CREATE the face!” Her profile on the platform even offered a sneak preview of the collection, which features a new mascara and 13 highly pigmented (yet hydrating) demi-matte lipsticks that range from classic reds, pinks, and nudes, to pumped up purples and even a black one, aptly named Perry Panther. (Meow! ?)

Like most beauty buffs, Perry turned to the internet to find inspiration. She admitted to developing a mild Tumblr addiction—haven’t we all?— as she spent a year curating a covetable color palette. “You know, a black lipstick or a blue mascara is very Tumblr—I told them, this is what’s happening online, this is what everyone’s Instagramming.” she told Vogue. “Tumblr to me is a safe place because it’s more about the art than the conversations—it’s not about likes, so it’s not a narcissistic social platform. I like that it’s a more pure place that is more creative.”

The cool cosmetics won’t hit shelves until July, but everything’s already up for pre-order exclusively at Walmart.com where the first 100 Katy Kats and makeup mavens can receive a tube of Perry Panther signed by the songstress herself. If I get to rock black lipstick like I did in my goth hey-day in high school, I’m signing up ASAP!

Check out a few snaps from the collection below:

April 15, 2016 by Val

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