Allure's Airbrushing of Aniston

I'm no dummy. I realize that all fashion magazines dabble in the evil art of airbrushing, but the latest cover of Allure Magazine is on another level. That doesn't even look like Jennifer Aniston. In fact, it doesn't even look entirely human!

Tell me - what's the point of putting a beautiful and easily recognizable celebrity on your cover if you're going to alter her picture to the point where people can't recognize her?

Winners of the Winter Revitalizing Spa Kit Giveaway!

Congrats to the lucky winners of the Winter Revitalizing Spa Kit Giveaway:

aleksa91

LauraL444

MartiyaJ

pauldine562003

tkeuffel

They will receive a Fabreeze Noticeables Candle, comfy slippers, Olay Ribbons Body Wash and Olay Quench Body Lotion, a reusable bath caddy, and a year’s subscription to Allure.

Check back soon for the next Spoiled Pretty giveaway!

Best Way To Fill In Sparse Brows

I don't know why makeup artist Pat McGrath hasn't legally changed her name to Pat McGenius. Surely, if there were a Makeup Mensa, she would be a member. I mean, consider her advice for filling in sparse eyebrows:

"Use two sharpened brow pencils, one slightly lighter than your own brow color and one that matches. Start with the darker pencil, drawing a few delicate strokes in the direction the brows grow to create the illusion of individual hairs. Repeat with the lighter pencil. This mimics the color variation found in natural brows so you don't get that drawn-in look. Comb the brows to finish. You can use the same technique with powder shadow, though it can appear heavy if you apply too much. Use an angled brow brush to fill in sparse areas with a powder that matches your brows, and follow with a brow comb to distribute the color and soften any hard edges."

Brilliant, no?

Source: February 2009 issue of Allure

Kristen Stewart is Allure Magazine's November 2009 Cover Girl

Twilight star Kristen Stewart is Allure's latest cover girl. The November 2009 issue hits NY/LA newsstands on October 13^th and everywhere else October 20^th.

Spoiled Pretty's got a little sneak peek at the pages of the new issue.

Go behind the scenes at Kristen's cover shoot at the Santa Monica Pier.

See Kristen’s style transformation throughout the years.

Kristen on her role as Bella in the Twilight saga:
"You’re so very much with Bella. You’re so in her shoes that it’s a vicarious experience. It’s addictive."

On her refusal to play by the conventional Hollywood rules:
"I go outside, and I’m wearing a funky T-shirt and my hair is dirty, and people say, 'What’s wrong with her? She needs to invest in a hairbrush.'"

"I’m like, Don’t you get it? I’m not that girl! Like, I never was that girl. It’s not like I was really clean-cut last year."

This Hollywood actress sometimes has trouble expressing her true feelings when speaking with the media:
"I spend so much of my time guarding against sounding insincere about something that I would die for."

"Maybe I’m overcompensating....I care so much. And it gets reported as the opposite. And even seeing this [interview], they’ll be like, Oh, she’s trying to let us know..."

Kristen is not an actress who has to worry about her weight:
"I don’t exercise. I’m skinny fat. I worry about being too skinny."

Click here to read the article in its entirety!

Photo Credit: Michael Thompson for Allure

Allure Magazine: If I Could Turn Back Time

The October 2009 issue of Allure has a very interesting article about our own ability to turn back the clock. The story focuses on a study of 186 identical twins, and how lifestyle choices (weight, alcohol, marital status, smoking, sun exposure) can cause two people with the same DNA to look dramatically different.

Did you know that the longer a woman takes birth control pills or hormone-replacement therapy, and the higher the dose, the more likely she is to look younger? Or that taking antidepressants is generally associated with an older appearance?

The article, Living Young, is on page 228 and the issue is on newsstands right now.

November Allure Magazine Cover Girl: Kristen Stewart

New Moon hits theaters November 20, 2009...so it makes perfect sense that the film's star was spotted on Tuesday at the Santa Monica Pier, posing for the November cover of Allure.

Makeup genius Dick Page and hairstylist Serge Normant prepped and prettified, before Kristen stepped in front of Michael Thompson's lens.

Photos: gossipcenter.com

Allure, You Done Started Somethin'

Peep what Padma Lakshmi wore to the 2009 White House Correspondents Dinner. Yes, you heard me right. Padma didn't wear this transparent little number on a late-night booty call to her man's house. She wore this to party with the President!

I'm sorry, but if I were Michelle, lil miss Top Chef would have seen the bottom of my stiletto as Secret Service and I showed her the door.

What was she thinking wearing this inappropriate dress to such a swank shindig? And before you try sticking up for the usually polished Padma, I want to say that I don't buy the "I had no idea my dress was this sheer" defense. Even Lady Gaga or Aubrey O'Day would have had enough sense to put on something opaque before meeting Obama.

You know what I think? I think Allure Magazine started somethin' with their May 2009 spread of stripped-down celebs. Perhaps it made Padma a little too comfortable in her own skin?

In the interview that accompanies the photo below, Allure asked Padma if she's confident about her body. I believe Saturday's wardrobe malfunction answers that question, but anyway...Padma replied, "Yes; I like the way I look. I think I look better now than I did in my 20s, because I'm more confident about my body - and I don't want to look like anyone but myself."

RuPaul Says Practice Makes Perfect

Here's a great beauty tip from dragalicous queen RuPaul, courtesy of the February 2009 issue of Allure Magazine:

"Practice when you have nowhere to go."

Simple and genius. Try it sometime.

You better work!

Product Polygamy Week: Hair

Woo woo! Party over here! Party over here!

Welcome to day three of Product Polygamy Week, Spoiled Pretty’s celebration of the beauty items that get big love from me and my girl, Amber.

SHAMPOO
The Barb: Frederic Fekkai Technician Shampoo For Dry, Damaged, Color-Treated Hair
Looking for a shampoo that will nurture your tortured tresses and restore their good health? Then look no further than Frederic Fekkai Technician Shampoo For Dry, Damaged, Color-Treated Hair. Your hair needn’t be dry, damaged, and color-treated to enjoy this product. As long as your strands are one of the above, they will reap the rewards of this sublime shampoo.

The Nicki: Barry Fletcher Moisture Therapy Honeysuckle Moisturizing Shampoo
This is all I have to say…Barry Fletcher’s Moisture Therapy Honeysuckle Moisturizing Shampoo left my hair so silky smooth that I almost didn't need conditioner. What more is there to say? Oh yeah - an 8 oz. bottle is only $7.

The Margene: Bumble and bumble Creme De Coco Shampoo
Made with coconut oil and murumuru butter, Bumble and bumble Creme De Coco Shampoo gently cleanses, supremely moisturizes, enhances shine and tames frizz. Still need convincing? Peep this - it smells like a frothy pina colada. Bottoms up!


CONDITIONER
The Barb: Barry Fletcher Moisture Therapy Revitalizing Conditioner
Nothing makes my hair softer or more manageable than Barry Fletcher's Moisture Therapy Revitalizing Conditioner. It hydrates, strengthens, and leaves my strands implausibly silken. Plus it smells just like a pina colada (are you noticing a pattern here?) and costs $10 for a tub.

The Nicki: Moroccanoil Masque
The people responsible for the Moroccanoil hair care line must practice magic and wizardry. That’s the only explanation I can come up with that could possibly account for the products’ supernatural powers. Moroccanoil Masque is a rich, creamy treatment, designed to hydrate and repair damaged hair. With continued use, it revitalizes hair, restoring shine and manageability.

The Margene: Joico K Pak Deep Penetrating Reconstructor
If your hair is over-processed, severely damaged and/or you suffer from breakage, then Joico K Pak Deep Penetrating Reconstructor is the answer. This is not - and I repeat NOT - a moisturizing product. This is a hair reconstructor; it rebuilds and improves the structure of your hair. After just one use, you’ll notice that there’s less hair in your comb/brush, your hair looks healthier and it feels stronger. Just remember to follow this up with a moisturizing treatment, because too much protein can make hair strong but also brittle.


STYLING PRODUCT
The Barb: Moroccanoil Oil Treatment
If you go out and buy just one thing off this list, let it be Moroccanoil Oil Treatment. There aren’t enough hours in the day for me to accurately describe how this magical elixir has changed my life. I’m a beauty blogger, so I have to test and review a plethora of products. Which means that I have to switch it up all of the time. But the one hair product I CANNOT take out of the rotation is Moroccanoil Oil Treatment. This amazing oil strengthens brittle hair, softens unmanageable manes, nourishes dry scalp, restores shine, eliminates frizz, protects against UV damage, speeds styling time by 40% and provides long-term conditioning to all hair types. I don’t know one person who’s tried it an thought, “meh.” Use it once and you’ll want to buy it in bulk so you’re never without it.

The Nicki: Redken Extreme Iron Repair
You’ve heard it time and time again…take it easy on the thermal styling tools. But your hair just looks too damn good when you’ve had a nice blowout and you touch it up with the flat iron. I know, I know. I’m guilty too. So if you’re like me and determined to be a blowdrying, flat-ironing badass, please invest in a thermal protector like Redken Extreme Iron Repair. This lightweight, heat-activated lotion protects hair from heat-styling damage while strengthening the internal and external fiber. And it eases your guilty conscience when you’re putting hot tools in your hair every five minutes.

The Margene: No Frizz by Living Proof
Okay, I lied. Remember when I said if you buy one thing on this list, make it Moroccanoil Oil Treatment? Well, I forgot that I would also be including No Frizz by Living Proof on said list. No Frizz is a revolutionary new hair care line that contains a brand new molecule that does what silicones can’t: eliminate frizz by blocking out humidity. No Frizz by Living Proof is the winner of Allure Magazine’s most coveted beauty honor: the ‘beauty breakthrough award’ of 2008. Already an insider favorite to stylists and celebrities, it hasn’t been available to the general public until recently. Then it hit the market, but you couldn’t find it anywhere because beauty zealots were snatching it up in bulk, like they were on an eppy of Supermarket Sweep. Sounds crazy, but this stuff is serious; it was created by a scientist at MIT!

Since I’ve been using this, frizz isn’t even a word in my dictionary. I forgot what it meant because - rain or shine - my hair looks exactly the same. Hot mess, puffball hair begone! And one thing I absolutely love about these products…it instructs you to apply as much as you want, that you can’t overdo it. I love glopping on some styling products, so a product line that lets me go hog wild (but won't let me overdo it) gets an A+ in my book.

My partner in crime, Amber, is hair obsessed. So you know she’ll have some great product picks. Go check her out and I’ll see you tomorrow…same time, same place.

Now I Understand Why Cosmetic Surgery Is So Addictive

Ever wondered what you'd look like after having some work done? Well, now you can - in theory. Thanks to a tip from Allure's Daily Beauty Reporter, I happened upon LiftMagic - a website that offers "the world's most advanced facelift, anti-aging, weight-loss, and cosmetic surgery simulation application, offering fully automated one-click makeovers in just seconds!"

To use LiftMagic, all you have to do is just upload your own photo and play digital plastic surgeon.

I'm not a fan of cosmetic surgery, so I was pretty surprised by how much fun I had with this site. After I uploaded my headshot, the psycho-perfectionist in me took over and made a trillion tweaks before she was through. Yes...LiftMagic is fun and funny. You'll want to email your before and afters to everyone you know. But at the same time, LiftMagic gives you a glimpse into the addictive nature of cosmetic procedures. Except with real surgery, mistakes aren't so easily undone.

Bottom line: Don't let LiftMagic feed your insecurities. The most serious thing this website should be used for is "enhancing" your Facebook profile photo.

Check out my before and after* pics...




*My before pic had the following work done: eyebrow lift, around eye enhancement, beside eye enhancement, inner cheek enhancement, cheek lift, slight nose reduction and eyelid fold. I shudder to think how much I'd have to pay for someone to cut me up and make all of these augmentations. I bet I could also achieve the results above with some light-reflective concealer/highlighter, volumizing mascara, and contour powder.

I'll Never Apply Blush The Same Way Again

Jillian Dempsey is a smart cookie. She's the lucky lass who took McDreamy off the market. So when Jillian, a makeup artist and Global Creative Color Director for Avon, shared her tips for choosing and applying blush...you best believe I'm taking copious notes.

"When I'm working on a client, I smile so she'll smile, which accentuates the best part of the cheeks to apply blush. I put the the highest concentration of color just outside of the fattest part of the cheeks - not directly under the eyes. You don't want that flush of color to be too close to the nose or the temples because that screams 'too much blush.'"

Since reading Jillian's advice in November's issue of Allure, I have been applying my blush exactly as she recommends. And I have to say that I am amazed at the difference a few millimeters can make. For the first time in what I fear is too long, I actually look like I'm blushing.

Carrie Underwood Is Just Like Us: She's a Makeup Junkie!

Carrie Underwood is Allure's cover girl for their September 2008 issue.


Makeup artist Brigitte Reiss-Andersen was inspired by glamorous Bond girl Ursula Andress. "The idea with Carrie's makeup was to showcase her eyes and give them that 'pop,'" says Reiss-Andersen.

First, she sponged on a light wash of foundation and dabbed the apples of Underwood's cheeks with a peach cream blush. Then she rimmed Underwood's eyes in charcoal liner and blended cranberry and nude eye shadow from the lash line to the crease. She added "tons of fake lashes" as well as mascara. Finally, Reiss-Andersen applied a sheer and pearly lip gloss so it "didn't compete with her eyes."

To re-create the look, try:

* Chanel Soft Touch Eyeshadows in Cinnamon and Beige
* Chanel Powder Blush in Horizon
* Chanel Aqualumiere Gloss in Bonbon

Reiss-Andersen offered to tone down Underwood's makeup before she headed out the door, but the singer loved it so much that she kept it. She signed a few autographs for the crew before heading off to shop for cosmetics at a local mall with her mom and sister - fake eyelashes and all!

Source: Allure

Allure Passes The Mic To Spoiled Pretty

Today, Allure's Daily Beauty Reporter, Jessica Matlin, passed the mic to some of her fellow bloggettes - to find out which skin care products they're obsessing over at the moment.

What was my answer? You'll have to click here and see. And can you believe I was even asked in the first place? I'm still pinching myself. It's like a belated birthday present (last week, Spoiled Pretty celebrated one year in the beauty blogging biz).

And your cosmetics connoisseur is in good company. Jessica also polled Amber, Erika and Nadine. You go, girls!

Best Makeup Tips. Ever.

Fancy yourself a makeup junkie? Then you won’t want to miss the August 2008 issue of Allure Magazine. Flip to page 101 for some of the best makeup tips – eva. “These 59 bits of wisdom from the top pros will take your skills to a whole new level,” promises author Danielle Pergament. Here are a few of my favorites:

Eye Openers
To create a smooth line along the upper lashes, start at the outer corner and draw a series of dashes with an eye pencil, as close to the lashes as possible. Then connect the marks. “This is the best trick I ever learned,” says makeup artist Laura Mercier.

No matter what makeup you use, always choose a remover designed to take off waterproof formulas, says makeup artist Charlie Green. “The best ones look separated, like salad dressing. The oil takes off makeup, and the water gets rid of some of the greasiness.” As with vinaigrette, mix well.

Lash Rites
If you have especially straight lashes, curl them and immediately brush on waterproof mascara, advises makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury: “It holds lashes up much better than a regular formula.”

To elongate lashes, work from the outer to the inner corners of the eyes. “You’ll deposit more on the outer corners that way,” says makeup artist Pati Dubroff. “By the time you get to the inner corners, you’ll have just the right amount of mascara left.” To increase the effect, apply another coat at the outer corners only.

Face Facts
If concealer collects into any lines, dip a cotton swab in eye cream and run it over the area.

If you run out of concealer, use whatever makeup has collected in the cap of your foundation bottle – it’s somewhat thicker and perfect for covering up flaws.

Blush Well
After foundation, apply blush before any other makeup, says makeup artist Dick Page. “Often, you’ll be surprised by how much it can brighten your face, and you won’t need anything else.”

To fake sun-kissed skin, apply bronzer, then follow with a rosy blush on the apples of the cheeks. “The cheeks naturally get a pink flush when the skin is tan,” says Page.

Mighty Mouth
To add richness and longevity to lipstick, cover the entire mouth with liner that’s the same shade as the mouth, not the lipstick. And use the side of the lip liner, not the point, to fill in lips completely.

To make lip gloss last longer than 30 seconds, makeup artist Christian McColloch says to blot the mouth with a tissue or a dry cotton swab first: “The wetter the mouth, the less likely the gloss will stick.”

High Browed
Tweeze brows in natural sunlight – it illuminates all the teeny strands a bathroom bulb will miss. And never tweeze them in a magnifying mirror – it’s too easy to overdo it.

The most natural-looking ay to fill in the brows is with cream shadow that’s the same shade as the hair. “This product glistens like hairs do, and gives the brows a healthy sheen,” says Dick Page.

L'Oréal Skin Genesis Daily Moisturizer Oil-Free Lotion

L’Oreal says...

This unique, lightweight hydrator creates a more flawless complexion. The oil-free formula instantly smoothes skin’s surface and evens tone.

Strength building benefits:
* Builds strength deep within skin’s surface
* Reinforces skin’s matrix to add fullness, improve elasticity, and renew skin’s eveness from within
* Strengthens from between skin’s layers
* Helps promote healthy collagen production to fortify skin’s structure and support
* Smoothes the surface layer
* Boosts cellular renewal to help erase fine lines, and instantly hydrates for more even, light-reflective skin

Spoiled Pretty says…

As part of their 2007 Best of Beauty Awards, Allure Magazine honored L'Oréal Paris Skin Genesis line with the Breakthrough Award. Here’s why…the products are formulated with patented Pro-Xylane, an exclusive L'Oréal molecule seven years in the making that strengthens skin and reignites cell activity layers.

I’m no chemist, so I can’t really speak to the science behind Skin Genesis. But as a beauty addict, I can safely say that the Skin Genesis Daily Moisturizer Oil-Free Lotion ranks up there with the best facial moisturizers I’ve ever tried.

First, I love how my skin literally drinks it in. When I apply the lotion after exfoliating, better shield your eyes because my skin is positively luminescent. It also does an excellent job of keeping the greasies at bay - so if your face is on the shinier side, I would absolutely recommend this lotion. And in the few weeks that I’ve been using it, I have noticed an improvement in my skin’s firmness and tone. I’m not the best at using skin treatments consistently – I’m forgetful and easily distracted. But I never leave the house without moisturizer, so I love that this one has multiple benefits.

There’s just one caveat. Skin Genesis Daily Moisturizer Oil-Free Lotion doesn’t contain sunscreen. It just seems a little odd that a product aims to prevent and reverse signs of aging, yet doesn’t offer sun protection.