I've obviously been very busy given the neglect of this poor little blog, but I was still collecting links over the past few weeks. Here's a massive catch-up.
– Here's a great piece at The Hairpin on the myth of white beauty and how actress Lupita Nyong'o is helping to "loosen the claws of colorism."
– NARS will be collaborating with designer Christopher Kane for a spring 2015 collection. I liked the Pierre Hardy collab so I'm excited to see what colors they'll come up with. Other news of note includes the Hourglass flagship opening in L.A. and an upcoming collaboration between Sephora and jewelry designer Alexis Bittar.
– A study by Lancôme shows that most women start to feel old at the age of 45 but feel 5 years younger up to that point. I guess I'm an anomaly – I've been feeling ancient since I was, oh, 18.
– Oh, take your stupid survey and shove it, St. Ives. I'm with this author over at the Beauty Plus – I don't give a flying fig what men think of my makeup.
– In beauty history, Beautiful With Brains shares some 19th century haircare recipes, while The Cut reports on the recent discovery of the remains of an ancient Egyptian woman sporting hair extensions. XOJane also shares yet more deadly or dangerous historical beauty practices.
– Sigh. Date rape drug-detecting nail polish, like so many anti-sexual assault strategies, puts the burden of prevention on the victim. See why it's a misguided idea here and here. How about focusing our energy on, you know, teaching people not to rape?
– Rouge Deluxe has the full scoop on the Shu Uemura Shupette holiday collection. I know where most of the Museum's budget is going this holiday season!
– Is my dream of an effective hands-free hair dryer finally coming to fruition?
– In beauty trends, faux freckles are making their way back to the spotlight, and Topshop's new freckle pencil is proof. Also check out XOVain's report on it, which includes a very nice shout-out to the Museum and a link to my post from last summer on fake freckles. Additionally, it looks like drawn-on spots are here to stay through spring 2015, as evidenced by several runway shows at New York Fashion Week and London Fashion Week.
– Speaking of NYFW, let's take a quick look at the top trends, shall we? I hate to say it but I'm not crazy about the biggest one: the no-makeup look. Models were sent down the runway with literally no makeup at all at Marc Jacobs, while at some shows they were deliberately made to look as though they were sweating. Ugh. The only beauty look I really liked was Rodarte's slightly punk eyebrow rings, which sadly isn't even wearable for the average woman, i.e. me. I guess we'll see what the spring makeup collections have to say.
The random:
– So I'm not that bright. A new study suggests that children's drawings show how smart they are. Given my god-awful drawings (I couldn't really even do a proper stick figure) I fear my IQ may be lower than I originally thought.
– In other art news: Hershey Park, eat your heart out. A chocolate museum just opened in Brussels, Belgium. Must. Go. And you all know how much I love Morris Louis, so it's great news that images of over 1,000 of his works have been made available online. Of course, there is always some news that pisses me off, like this nonprofit getting serious funding for a museum devoted to the history of video games. Once again I wonder why no one wants to pony up for a beauty museum.
– Coming off the heels of my re-watching of Strangers with Candy, I'm especially looking forward to this new animated Netflix series voiced by Amy Sedaris and Will Arnett.
– Being the huge Sleater-Kinney fan that I am, I have pre-ordered this very special box set. October 21st can't get here fast enough.
– Finally, I am heading north for the Makeup in New York show this week and I can't wait! Last year you may recall I went to see the collection of lipsticks that were on display from the book Lips of Luxury. This year I'm going to see "Praise of Complexion" which features vintage compacts and powder boxes. I'll be back with a full report. Too bad I won't have time to pop over to Brooklyn to see the "Killer Heels" exhibition.
What's going on with you?
This week's links.
– Think today's beauty ads are offensive? Check out this roundup of vintage ones that will truly make you want to crawl into a hole and never come out.
– Autumn at the Beheld posted an excellent piece on the true value of bargain beauty vs. prestige products.
– I got a kick out of these weird lip/chin makeup paintings.
– Nail polish sales continue to decline…my personal opinion is that they've been overtaken by lip and brow products.
– I'm glad more and more companies are getting rid of phthalates in products, as evidence keeps surfacing that they can lead to hormone imbalances. Plus, LUSH has unveiled a series of self-preserving products so no harmful preservatives will be added. But maybe soon we won't even have to worry about ingredients once we can apply makeup electronically.
– If this woman thinks that's what makeup hoarding looks like, she'd probably have a heart attack if she saw my makeup closet. I have, uh, considerably more products.
The random:
– I'm both skeptical of and really excited about this new technology that may make it possible for the nearly-blind among us (like me) to see a computer screen without glasses/contacts.
– While I love chocolate, the idea of having a bathroom made out of it is kinda gross to me.
– I love this. Reminds me a little of Color Connections but with fashion.
– 7:35am, 1872: scientists have pinpointed this date and time as the exact moment Impressionism was born.
– One of the ways I'm gearing up for MAC's Marge Simpson collection is watching the Simpsons marathon on FXX. Here are 10 tips to further enhance your viewing experience.
What have you been up to? Anyone else tuning in to the Simpsons?
Links for the week.
Shark Week is over, but you should still check out these amazing shark-inspired makeup looks.
– September 9th is shaping up to be an important date. Not only is the killer mermaid movie I've been dying to see since February finally coming out, a new book featuring MAC ads will be released as well.
– This $1.3 million manicure makes Louboutin's $50 nail polish seem like a bargain.
– Did you know that one of YSL's Touche Eclat highlighting pens is sold every 10 seconds? Neither did I. For more cool stats check out this post at beaut.ie.
– The Beauty Plus explores rhytiphobia, a.k.a. a fear of wrinkles.
– I'm intrigued by the online salon booking system Allure is launching.
– Snail slime facials were kinda yucky, but this bird poop one takes the gross cake.
– Don't try this at home (or, like, ever.) Beautiful with Brains shares an old recipe for lead face powder.
The random:
– Worn Through examines whether handling museum objects with gloves is really necessary. For me personally I find they do help cut way down on fingerprints left on my collectible palettes, but they also make them a little more difficult to handle.
– The National Gallery in London removes its photography ban, hooray! Read a collection of reactions here. And congrats are in order for Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum, which welcomed its millionth visitor this year.
– Loved this underwater crocheted mermaids and divers project. I also enjoyed this roundup of depictions of dolphins in ancient art and this new-to-me hilarious Tumblr.
– In things-that-make-me-feel-old news, internet shopping turned 20 this week.
– It's a little soon for me but I'm still super excited to see that Starbucks Pumpkin Spice lattes will be back earlier than usual.
What's been catching your eye this week?
Links for the week.
– The Onion does it again with this faux Maybelline ad for the "ideal woman" rubber face mask. (via Jezebel)
– Here's a fascinating video of men's reactions to wearing makeup for the first time.
– $50 for Louboutin nail polish is nothing compared to Givenchy's $300 crocodile-encased lipstick, which will go on sale for the holiday season in October.
– Kinda gross but at least it's sustainable: sunscreen made from cod fish bones. BellaSugar rounds up a few more weird beauty ingredients. Who wants to try kale nail polish?
– Urban Decay is opening its first stand-alone store…in California (not NYC, as I had assumed when I saw the headline!)
The random:
– Things that annoy me, along the same lines as last week's Curator's Corner: what's up with all the toilet exhibitions? I can't get any funding or even interest for beauty-related exhibitions but people will flock to see chamber pots or slide down an oversized toilet. The mind boggles.
– Nevertheless, I will say I'd rather have people take their children to exhibitions even if I don't find them worthy. This artist claims that taking kids to museums is a waste of time, as "children are not human yet." Ugh.
– Need another Pulp Fiction fix? Check out this awesome interview with the film's costume designer. I'm learning more Pulp Fiction trivia every day!
– Not sure how I feel about this possible Miley Cyrus/Kathleen Hanna collab. I do know, however, that I'm elated to finally get new music from Self.
What's happening with you?
I can't believe I went a month without doing a Curator's Corner. It may be related to the fact that it's the same amount of time I've gone without running. Unfortunately I'm injured again which is making me even more listless and unmotivated than usual, not to mention crankier. Anyway, here are some links (and a couple of rants – like I said, no running makes me incredibly grouchy.)
– Autumn at the Beheld writes a great piece on beauty and conspicuous/inconspicuous consumption – very timely considering the release of Christian Louboutin's $50 nail polish.
– Did you know July 29th was National Lipstick Day? Neither did I.
– Popular beauty subscription service Birchbox opened a brick-and-mortar store in NYC.
– If NARS had a men's line, this is what it would look like. Impressive, no? Equally impressive is this gorgeous wooden box for Shu Uemura. I think it's just a concept but I'd totally buy it if were for sale. And I love this diamond-shaped lip balm.
– We got our first glimpse of the MAC Simpsons collection, which was available exclusively for pre-sale at the San Diego Comic Con. Can't wait till it releases online on August 28th!
– Another exciting upcoming collection will be a second collaboration between Shu Uemura and Karl Lagerfeld…or rather, the designer's cat Choupette. From the pictures so far I do like that Choupette bears no resemblance to an evil Dora the Explorer, the mascot for last year's holiday collection.
– People I want to shut up: the marketing folks at Lululemon, for suggesting that their customers go without sunscreen; the author of this ridiculous article listing 10 beauty products that one is no longer allowed to wear after turning 30 (I will happily continue experimenting with hair chalk and rocking colored mascara, thank you very much); and this gem of a Men's Rights Activist (MRA) for his specious claim that men are somehow oppressed by women's use of makeup. Come to think of it, MRAs should ALWAYS keep quiet. Or, you know, not exist at all.
– Yes, this is a thing that actually exists in the world. So is this. Seriously?
– What's the latest in gadgets, you ask? Take a gander at the IlluMask, which is aptly described by Jezebel as "Hannibal Lecter meets a medieval Iron Maiden at a Daft Punk show." Yikes.
– Equally cringe-inducing is the Korean technique of using a flame (yes, actual fire) to curl your eyelashes. I always heat up the curler with a blowdryer for a few seconds, but I think this goes a little too far.
– Into the Gloss concludes an enlightening series on the history of soap. Other beauty history links include the rise of MAC, sunburn remedies from the Regency era, and a woman's "duty to stay beautiful" during WWII.
– Finally, I've been watching Strangers With Candy on Netflix (gotta get my '90s/early aughts fix) and was floored when out of nowhere Kevyn Aucoin appeared for a cameo as a funeral makeup artist! I was a little sad watching him…not only was the man incredibly talented, he seemed like a genuinely nice person. I had only read about him but when I actually heard him speak, it cemented my belief that he was a good guy – there was just this warmth and kindness about him. I wonder if he made it on there because I remember reading in his column for Allure that one of his favorite books was Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris, the brother of Strangers With Candy creator/actress Amy Sedaris.
The random:
– In mermaid news, we finally got a release date for Nymph, which I've been waiting for since February when I first found out about it. There's also another dark mermaid movie in the works, but it needs your help funding. Definitely check out the sizzle reel and you can donate here. Oh, and I want to go to mermaid school!
– Things that made me mad in the past few weeks: an art forger as well as "Awkward Family Photos" each got their own exhibitions (uh, where's MY exhibition?); people paid over $55,000 via Kickstarter for some random dude to make potato salad (you know if I put the Makeup Museum on Kickstarter no one would give a dime, yet f*cking potato salad gets 55,000 bones); and after only 2 years of work, a museum devoted to Nikola Tesla got a cool $1 million. I've been at this for 6 years and no one's handing me that kind of cash, or any cash for that matter. So, yeah…beauty culture and history are at least as worthy, if not more so, than the other projects I've mentioned but no one else seems agree with me.
– I think that's it for my rants so now onto some good art news. There was an exhibition paying homage to the great Pee Wee Herman in Los Angeles, while a beautiful glowing jellyfish tank was installed in the wall of an abandoned building in Liverpool, England. I also enjoyed reading about these museum renovations in the U.S.
– George was my favorite Beatle so I felt really bad for laughing (hard, I might add) at this story.
– I went to the beach and had a grand time, even though I was only there for 2 days. This cartoon sums up my approach to sunbathing when I was a teenager vs. now.
– So who else watched Sharknado II? If you missed it you can still see it tonight at 9pm on SyFy…I think it's one of the greatest things I've ever seen.
What's new with you?
Did everyone have a nice 4th of July weekend? I did! Here are this week's links.
– MAC will be teaming up with designer Prabal Gurung for a special holiday collection. I hope the packaging is spectacular.
– Refinery29 brings us one beauty junkie's plea to stop judging her for using chemical-laden products.
– In an unsurprising effort to get men to use more products, Neutrogena launched a "junkface" campaign urging men to use a dedicated face wash rather than the same bar soap for the rest of the body (including their "junk".) The accompanying infographic is hilarious, make sure you check it out!
– Eyebrow makeup sales are booming: they increased a whopping 28% in the past year, compared to only a 3% increase in overall prestige cosmetics. I'm not sure whether it's really the "Cara Delevingne effect" or whether companies are simply introducing more brow products, but either way brows are definitely on the beauty radar of many women.
– My own experience with Botox was less than stellar and I decided I wouldn't get it again, but some new evidence shows it can help cure depression. Maybe I should reconsider?
– Finally, in the truly absurd new beauty/health product category, we have the Kgoal Activity Tracker, which, as you might have guessed, helps women to "exercise their pelvic floor muscles correctly". Do we really need this?!
The random:
– The Center for the Future of Museums discusses a MOOC (massively open online course) being offered through Harvard on "Tangible Things", i.e. the study of material culture and how items can become centers for interdisplinary study. Wish I could take it!
– Here's a warm welcome to art history joining the 21st century in this piece on how Instagram can be used in art history courses.
– A macabre new show that examines the history of funeral wear will be opening at the Met. Since I am rather morbid at times I'd like to see it.
– I plan on downloading this Curator app, which has just been redesigned. Sounds pretty neat.
– Finally, who's watching the first part of The '90s: The Last Great Decade? tonight on National Geographic? I will fall asleep well before it's over but it's a must-see for this '90s woman…been salivating for it since April.
What have you been up to this week?
So no summer exhibition this weekend. :( I realized I had made several mistakes in the labels and had to reprint them, plus one item I was waiting on has yet to arrive. But it will go up over the 4th of July weekend! In the meantime, here are some links.
– The Hairpin offers an interesting take on beauty YouTubers. I can't say I agree, but it's a good read.
– The FDA is finally getting around to making some kind of effort to discuss the topic of paraben safety in cosmetics and skincare.
– Happy 5 year blogiversary to the Unknown Beauty Blog! Keep up the great work!!
– I thought this "random act of beauty" by British Beauty Blogger was just lovely.
– I can't resist reading about absurdly expensive products, so naturally I had to check out Into the Gloss's review of $100 toothpaste.
– I'm intrigued by this new kid on the beauty blog block. The Beauty of Apathy is a no-rules beauty blog that "welcomes diversity and encourages open discussion." I'm excited to see what's in store.
– At the request of a U.S. journalist, artists in 27 countries photoshopped her likeness to meet their own beauty standards. The results were as varied and fascinating as you would expect.
– A Weighty Subject shows yet another hilariously awful vintage diet ad.
The random:
– You thought beauty products were dangerous what with lead face powder and belladonna, but apparently fashion could be deadly too.
– Wish I could see this exhibition at the National Gallery in London on the techniques and materials artists used to create color over hundreds of years.
– On the local front, I am very excited for Insomnia Cookies to be open, as is Makeup Museum staff.
– Finally, you may remember last year I had gotten many many tiny shell beads with which to make a proper mermaid necklace. With marathon training I never got around to it. This year, however, I have even more beads and more determination to actually make something with them! How cute are these?!
What's been catching your fancy this week?
Happy weekend! Did you enjoy the solstice? I was a little bummed it wasn't sunny here yesterday to fully appreciate the longest day of the year, but c'est la vie. Anyway, here are some links from the week.
– Bobbi Brown starts her new post as Yahoo Beauty's editor-in-chief…very interested to see how this will pan out.
– PJ at A Touch of Blusher digs up some fantastic Shiseido commercials from the '60s.
– The latest thing beauty woe for women: "pre-cellulite". Well, I don't have to fret – I'm already well into the full-on cellulite stage. 😛
– Gio at Beautiful With Brains presents some of the most dangerous beauty practices in history. I knew about lead face powder, but not belladonna!
– Refinery29 rounds up some of the latest and greatest beauty apps.
– Beautylish gives a brief history of Inglot Cosmetics.
– An acne sufferer explains at XO Vain why makeup isn't "false advertising". Damn straight.
The random:
– Mental Floss celebrates 29 "weird" museums. I was surprised I hadn't heard of all of them.
– Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal discusses a new study that shows how the human brain is hardwired to appreciate art. (via Art Observed)
– The Oatmeal had me in hysterics this week between "The Do's and Do Not's of Running Your 1st Marathon" and "Why Dieting Is Hard".
– Equally funny (or maybe not) was the fact that Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino was arrested for brawling at…wait for it…yes, a tanning salon. (Come on, don't pretend you don't remember Jersey Shore!)
– In other entertainment news, Vulture votes H. Jon Benjamin the best male comedy performer of the year, and rightly so. Vulture also named Bob's Burgers the best comedy of the year.
How was your week?
Whew! There is much to catch up on. As you've probably guessed I've been either too busy or too drained from the workweek to blog, but I have a brief respite now. Let's see what's been catching my eye over the past few weeks, shall we?
– Thoroughly enjoyed this piece on why loving makeup does not also make you any less of a feminist.
– I had heard of Make Cosmetics, but what I didn't know prior to reading this profile of the company is that the packaging is based on the work of Donald Judd, plus part of the proceeds go to a foundation "dedicated to accelerating women-led, worker-owned cooperatives to drive large scale change."
– Meli at Wild Beauty explains how, despite the frenzy surrounding 3D makeup printing, it's all a hoax.
– The Dieline gives a shout-out to Marc Jacobs Beauty. It's all in the "smile".
– So pleased to see that one of my favorite beauty and lifestyle blogs is back!
– Next on my reading list is Nails: The Story of the Modern Manicure, reviewed over at Nailed It. I feel more validated now in looking to fashion museums for guidance in establishing a beauty museum, since the book was written by a fashion researcher at the Met's Costume Institute.
– Too-Faced's latest mascara ad takes the "better than sex" theme to the next level.
– Glamour Daze covers beauty tips from the '30s.
– Avon calling! Beautylish provides a brief history of the company. Refinery29 also gives us some beauty history with their slideshow of men in makeup.
– One of my favorite sources for vintage images, Found in Mom's Basement, has some great roundups of both ads for red lipsticks and beauty ads from the '80s and '90s.
– The latest in crazy plastic surgery includes a "hand selfie" in which a woman's hands are injected with Juvederm to make them appear younger in engagement ring photos, along with the "internal bra", which I don't even want to describe. *shudder*
The random:
– On the pop culture front, check out this interview with the fabulous Carrie Brownstein, along with an interview with Scott Aukerman and Reggie Watts of Comedy Bang! Bang! Oh, and one of my favorite comedies turned 30 and another favorite turned 10 – I can't believe it!
– Chloe Sevigny hits the nail on the head as to why '90s nostalgia is so powerful among my generation. I also liked this revisiting of 1998's radio hits. How many do you remember?
– Baltimore simultaneously makes the list of best cities in the world and gets called an "uninhabitable wasteland" by Stephen Colbert.
– Have to admit I'm pretty excited for this H&M/Jeff Koons collab.
– In other art news, a German museum replicated Van Gogh's ear through growing his relative's cells. Kinda creepy but also pretty cool. On a different art note, I chuckled at 500 years of women ignoring men and cats in art history.
– I was very inspired by this marathoner – I hope to still be this active if I live to 91!
– Speaking of running, I ran the Baltimore 10-miler this weekend, my third year in a row. It's a great race, although I was so disappointed in my time – much slower than the previous two years. Shouldn't I be getting faster?! I had fun though.
At the start:
At the end modeling the swag:
And I made a friend:
Since my parents were in town, I made a few desserts for them to enjoy, including a strawberry pie.
Babo Bear loves berries (obviously, since he's part bear) and was very eager to chow down:
I also made honey vanilla ice cream with crumbled Speculoos cookies and raspberry sea salt brownies:
The berries are sooooo delicious and abundant this time of year at the farmer's market.
– Finally, the most exciting news – a Wizard of Oz Uglydoll collection is coming in September! Naturally I have to have Cowardly Lion Babo.
(image from curiozitycorner.blogspot.com)
So what have you been up to?
Links from the past couple of weeks…I haven't been able to keep up with blogging lately as I was away last weekend and, as I did last year, I got completely sucked into planning an epic birthday party for my niece. I love party planning but can't multitask, so the blog had to take a back seat. Anyway, enjoy…lots of great links!
– There was some truly awful/dangerous 19th century beauty advice over at Mental Floss, while Glamour Daze shared less offensive 60-second daily beauty routines from the '50s as well as eye makeup tips from 1941.
– According to the NY Times, we may not even need beauty advice anymore as the "no makeup" trend grows, and apparently we're all wearing too much makeup anyway. However, I greatly doubt the industry will take a hit as a result of the barefaced trend, as evidenced partly by this genius 3D makeup printer.
– Autumn at the Beheld writes yet another scintillating piece, this time tackling the idea of intrinsic motivation when applying makeup.
– Oh, how I love crazily expensive products, like this $14 million mascara. I also love vintage beauty ads and the '90s so I was particularly enamored of this round-up at Into the Gloss.
– Weird lip colors are still trending strongly, with Rihanna rocking green lipstick and Joan Smalls wearing deep violet lips at the Met Gala. Meanwhile, NYX launched their Macaron Lippies collection, featuring concrete grey and bright yellow lipsticks (among more normal colors.) I have to admit I am greatly tempted by the grey!
– Cosmetic Candy reviews a must-have new nail product for the mermaid wanna-be (and no, it's not Deborah Lippmann Mermaid's Dream.)
– “Your existence is a dismal and feeble one, and no amount of mascara is ever going to change that." Loved this new ad "campaign" from Revlon. 😉
– I was just in NYC last weekend and was bummed the NARS new flagship boutique on Madison Avenue hadn't yet opened. It will debut on May 16th so I will make sure to check it out next time I'm there.
– Possibly the most exciting beauty news I've heard in a while – Marge Simpson will be getting her very own makeup collection!!
The random:
– Did someone say art and '90s pop culture references? I'd love to see this exhibition in Seattle.
– Hey Pantone, you were not the first to detail every single color in the universe.
– The Awl confirms what I've always known – Sundays are really awful.
– On the local front, some delusional Yahoo! Travel writer mistakenly claims that Baltimore is the new Brooklyn. No, just no.
– I mentioned I'm planning my niece's birthday party. This year, per her request, the theme is Disney's Frozen. In my party research I came across a lot of great Frozen-themed stuff, including this Frozen/Thriller mashup. Not party related at all but I still got a kick out of it.
– Okay, Tokyo, I'll see your Moomin Cafe and raise you an Uglydoll restaurant. Could you imagine getting to have lunch with some adorable Babos sitting right next to you?!
– Bitch Magazine has a wonderful article on my favorite character on Bob's Burgers and her burgeoning sexuality.
– Yay! Uniqlo is inching ever closer to my reach, with stores opening soon in Philly and Boston.
Finally, Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there and especially to my own awesome mom. I like to think that growing up I never gave her any brutally honest cards like the ones rounded up at Buzzfeed.
What's up with you?