Curator's corner Archives - Page 7 of 28 - Makeup Museum: Where Cosmetics & Art Intersect

A very long overdue Curator's Corner.

– Not exactly the hardest-hitting piece on beauty, but I was so honored to be quoted in this Slate article! More thought-provoking was this article in The Atlantic.

– Is Kanye trolling us or what? He will have some competition though, what with Rhianna, Lisa Frank and the girl who coined "on fleek" all starting their own lines.

– I'd love to get my hands on these delectable Starbucks-inspired bath bombs but I'm afraid Museum staff would eat them.

– A sobering reminder that glitter isn't always fun. And speaking of knowing where your makeup is coming from, try to buy from a trusted retailer! (I admit I'm guilty of going the ebay route myself sometimes.)

– Not really understanding this "snogging" lipstick trend (a.k.a. "lollipop" lips), it just looks like some horrible allergic reaction. But I'm on board with the neon eye.

– I've always wanted to write a thorough post on the history of fake beauty marks, but Racked beat me to it.

– I guess partnering with a fragrance company wasn't good enough for Hasbro, who is now seeking to trademark the scent of Play-Doh. Is there really that much demand for a perfume that smells like clay?!

– Hygge beauty is the new athleisure beauty.

The random:

– Started watching Desus and Mero about a month ago and I'm loving it. Actually, I'm loving pretty much all of Viceland's programming…although perhaps I should stop watching Needles and Pins, since it makes want to get some gigantic tattoo that I know I'll regret eventually.

– In '90s nostalgia, check out this oral history of TV show Daria, which turned 20 last week. Also, ultimate supervixen Shirley Manson and the rest of Garbage will be releasing an autobiography.

– Another reminder to please, for the love of God, be alert when taking a museum selfie.

– Speaking of museums, I had a delightful time at the BMA yesterday seeing the Guerilla Girls exhibition. Sailor Babo wanted some cultural enrichment too so we took him along. You can see his adventures here. 🙂

How have you been?

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Some mid-February links.

– Thoroughly enjoyed this interview with MDMFlow founder Florence Adepoju…you might remember MDMFlow from my 2014 post on the weird lipstick color trend.

– On the beauty history front, Byrdie had a nice little roundup of vintage makeup products, and I'm head over heels in love with these images from Shiseido's official monthly magazine. More thought-provoking was this piece on the history of women's battle against body hair. I have to admit that if it were more socially acceptable I'd never shave my legs or armpits again.

– Attention, pizza fiends: the eyeliner of your dreams has landed. You could even use this pizza wheel-like cutter to apply it. If pizza isn't regal enough for you check out princess eye makeup. Meanwhile, nail art gets political (and possibly illegal in some states).

– Finally, here are two beauty fads that downright confused me.

The random:

– Edward Hopper is one of my favorite artists, so I'm loving these animated gifs of his paintings.

– There is much '90s nostalgia to be celebrated! I posted a while back that Wayne's World will be making its way back into theaters for its 25th anniversary, but Wayne and Garth's hometown of Aurora is pulling out all the stops. Mike Myers has also done a few interviews about this classic comedy. In other '90s related news, it's very clear there won't be a Pulp Fiction sequel (or prequel), which, honestly, I'm totally okay with. It would never measure up to the original. It's also very clear that some '90s interior design trends need to stay in the decade. Finally, can I get a "woohoo" for the 20th anniversary of Blur's "Song 2"?

– Chocolate Peppermint Crunch will probably always be my favorite Ben and Jerry's flavor, but these new ones sound promising.

What's new with you? Are you doing anything for Valentine's Day?

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Linky time!

– Loved this round up of old Tussy ads.

– Let's hear it for the boy: following on the heels of Cover Girl and Maybelline's use of male models, YouTuber Lewys Ball will be Rimmel's new spokesperson.

– How peaceful would it be to have your makeup done by a Buddhist monk?

– Wire and unicorn horn nails are really upping the 3D manicure ante. Meanwhile, blorange and Lite Brite hair are the latest trends for tresses. And if all of these are too tame for you, try out some star-shaped glitter as seen at Berlin Fashion Week and Dior's spring 2017 couture show.

– Glad to see I wasn't the only one buying all the highlighters last year – sales of this product jumped 44%!

The random:

– In '90s nostalgia, I appreciated this clip of the some of the biggest bands of the decade (save for Nirvana). Plus, Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs turns 25, and Stereogum notes that both the Mighty Mighty Bosstones' hit "The Impression That I Get" and Built To Spill's album Perfect From Now On hit the big 2-0. As always with these milestones, I feel unbelievably ancient.

– Cosmo featured the U.S.'s growing merfolk community and a hilarious mermaid name generator to boot.

– Hooray! So happy that the great signs from the historic women's march will be preserved in museums.

– Yet another exhibition on Riot Grrrl-inspired art…it's great and all but still bummed that my work on it is never acknowledged. Sigh.

How have you been? What's been catching your eye lately?

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Welcome to the first link round up of the new year. Enjoy. 🙂

– Still obsessed with hygge…as it turns out you can incorporate this concept into your beauty routine.

– Maybelline is following in Cover Girl's progressive footsteps with their new male spokesperson. But, as I've surmised in passing before, is marketing makeup to men really so forward-thinking or just a money grab?

– Would love to see this new perfume museum!

– Here are the latest scoops on Bobbi Brown and Pat McGrath – totally different styles but both so influential.

– Broadly covers dumpster diving for makeup (interestingly, this isn't a new practice).

– Smart hairbrushes are the new smart mirrors.

– Big thumbs up to these women.

– Loved this collection of hair product ads from the '80s and '90s.

The random:

– Check out my favorite band doing some amazing covers on New Year's Eve, plus I can't wait for their live album.

– If Gudetama is my spirit mascot, Aggretsuko is my husband's.

– In '90s nostalgia, Wayne's World will be back in select theaters for its 25th anniversary, Cosmo takes a look back at the fashion from the 1999 Golden Globes, and you can also create your very own Big Kahuna burger from Pulp Fiction.

– In other pop culture news, I'm dying to see this movie. Normally I'm not into musicals but this one centers on evil mermaids – how bad could it be?

– Must be nice to have $1 billion to build your own museum. Sigh.

– Could you imagine picking up your prescription in this pharmacy?!

How's 2017 treating you thus far?

A very long overdue link roundup.

– In cosmetics history, these vintage lipstick and powder-making videos have been making the rounds. (I actually received an inquiry about the latter asking if I knew whether the machine was in any museums!)

– As a follow up to my post on "active beauty" it seems the trend isn't fading next year, as Tarte will be debuting an entire line of "athleisure" cosmetics. Apparently this and other products from Supergoop and First Aid beauty will be part of "Sephora's initiative spotlighting athleisure merchandise for early 2017." (Yes I know the WWD article is behind a paywall but I did manage to get that much information from the article intro via Feedly). Also, Racked basically came to the same conclusion I did about athleisure makeup.

– Move over, 100 layers: the new trend is using just one thing to make up your whole face, be it glitter or food. Speaking of which, check out this Nutella hair dye and chocolate manicure. As for me, I was more impressed by these amazing art history nails.

– Korean beauty usually gets all the attention in terms of the most popular innovations to take over the Western world, but China has also carved out a notable place in the Western beauty stratosphere.

– I thought we had seen the holiday lights beard trend before, but I was getting it mixed up with the beard ornaments fad of 2014.

– Don't know whether to laugh or cry at people's confusion of bath bombs with toilet cleaners. On the one hand it's amusing, on the other hand, how dumb do you have to be? But this is definitely funny since no one was hurt.

The random:

– The more I read about hygge, the more I realize I've been trying to achieve it for years (especially with last year's holiday/winter exhibition.)

– On the museum front, check out this list of the world's most bizarre museums (there were a few I didn't know about!), along with this Japanese museum of rocks that look like faces and the first burger museum in the U.S.

– Oh, shut up Jezebel. Mermaid blankets are awesome. Also, since we now have unicorn hot chocolate, how about mermaid hot chocolate?

– August can't come quickly enough! Also, here's a sweet little piece on the family dynamics of Bob's Burgers.

How are you? I'm still sick, meh. But I'm determined to be healthy in time for Christmas!

Whew! I don't know about you, but for me it's been a whirlwind of nonstop eating and shopping for the past few days. Thought I'd take a quick break from overindulging with some links.

– I wish I could have seen the cosmetics portion of this symposium. I also wish I could pitch the design-related exhibition I'm working on to an actual design museum…but I'm not going to get to it anytime soon. Sigh.

– Move over, Korea: Estonia might be the next big beauty influencer.

– Wacky trends for the past 2 weeks include color-changing hair and penis eyeliner. Yes, you read that second one correctly. Also, be sure to check out this new bronzer to give you a certain President-elect's (ugh) orange glow. I can't help but wonder whether Cheetos took this parody tutorial a little too seriously.

– Would absolutely kill to have this blogger's '90s makeup collection. Also kicking myself for not hanging onto to any of mine!

– "We shouldn't moralize makeup." Why talking about cosmetics and fashion post-election isn't necessarily shallow. Racked also had some other good pieces on beauty store design and several new beauty magazines intended for black women.

– Whoops!

The random:

– In '90s nostalgia, Elle had a delightful oral history of My So-Called Life, while NKOTB announced a tour with Boyz II Men and Paula Abdul. Also check out this article on the relevance of Rage Against the Machine's debut album nearly 25 years after its release.

– Here's a great little read on the history of Christmas lights. If you're still feeling Grinch-like after reading, perhaps these marshmallows will inspire you to make extra fancy hot chocolate this season.

– My inner punk and my inner art historian are truly at war over the destruction of all this memorabilia. In other art news, I would dearly love to meet the person who purchased this rare Pokemon card for nearly $55,000.

How are you? Excited for the holidays? And if you took advantage of any Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals I'd love to hear about your hauls. 🙂

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Been a rough week. Hopefully this link round-up will lift your spirits.

– Allure has a fascinating report on Muslim beauty, while the Smithsonian shares the history of black beauty salons' role in the civil rights movement.

– Just in time for the festive holiday season, candy cane eyeliner and glow-in-the-dark hair are trending. As for me, I want to try tiger-eye hair.

– One my favorite blogs turns 10!

– Must visit this store on my next trip to NYC.

– Love bath products of all kinds, especially food-scented ones, but this just grosses me out.

The random:

– "The fact that we lost doesn’t make us wrong; the fact that they don’t believe in us doesn’t make us disappear." I enjoyed this piece by Lindy West, but if you need more bandages for your election wounds check out this letter by Leslie Knope and these photos to make you laugh.

– On the local front, can't say I'm surprised Baltimore currently ranks as the U.S.'s least attractive city. I mean, I live here, right?

– Is this really necessary? Couldn't you just spread Nutella on a hamburger bun?

– I must be the outlier in this new research, as I tend to assign human qualities to many objects but I don't consider myself lonely.

– In '90s nostalgia, HuffPo remembers the frenzy whipped up by Baz Luhrmann's 1996 film Romeo and Juliet, while Vice discusses the Spice Girls and the rise of "girl power".

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Your bi-weekly link roundup.

– Need some last-minute Halloween costume ideas? Slime eyeliner or Super Mario hair should have you covered. To really up the creepiness factor, you could also glue dead scorpions to your nails. (WHY??)

– In other trend news, succulents seem to have taken the beauty world by storm in both hair color and nails.

– Collecting Vintage Compacts shared another in-depth post on Italian enamel compacts.

– On my radar for purchase: this new book on the history of Dior makeup (would have given my eye teeth to help research!) and Pat McGrath's newest release, Metalmorphosis. Also this beautiful Chanel palette, but it's looking doubtful I will be able to get my hands on it, which is killing me.

– I am constantly cutting out pictures of beautifully styled cosmetics from magazines and catalogues, so this peek into a day in the life of a makeup stylist was an incredibly fascinating read.

– I'm firmly with the author of this Nylon piece, which comments on a new campaign shaming women for applying makeup while commuting.

The random:

– Another book on my wishlist.

– Fellow Hillarys of the world, unite!

– Unlike most food that gets the pumpkin spice treatment, this sushi actually sounds delicious.

How are you? Any fun Halloween plans?

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Your bi-weekly round up of links…and as you might have guessed, no fall exhibition this year. Nothing was really coming to me (I don't even have a color trend for this season!) so I decided to skip it than put up something I wasn't happy with. Hopefully I'll get my act together for a holiday exhibition though. ;) Onto some links.

– Congrats to 17 year-old James Charles, who has become Cover Girl's first, well, cover boy! How cool is that?

– In beauty history, Collecting Vintage Compacts shares the fascinating Golden Peacock brand's story, while XO Vain neatly condenses the 6,000 year old history of mascara.

– Are any other Gen X'ers confused by this article? I don't think we're being left out. Certainly not catered to the way millennials are, but I still find plenty of products that suit my needs.

– I wish I worked in an office like this.

– Recent trends: mirrored sunglass nails, chocolate mauve hair, and for the guys, beard jewelry. Also, everyone has seemed to have lost their minds over Harry Potter-themed makeup and brushes, which I bet was no doubt influenced by this Redditor's amazing mock up of a Harry Potter line. I wish I had their Photoshop skills, as I have so many ideas for collaborations!

– As I pointed out a little over a year ago, I'm someone who can't handle the flaws pointed out by basic magnifying mirrors so I think I might have a nervous breakdown if my skin were analyzed by this Panasonic Smart Mirror, which has finally arrived overseas.

– This is for everyone who doesn't think makeup design and packaging is important.

– Just for fun.

The random:

– Yay for my favorite band, who were inducted into Oregon's Music Hall of Fame (and were also an answer on Jeopardy!)

– In '90s nostalgia, the car from the 1992 classic comedy Wayne's World is for sale.

– If you think pumpkin spice-inspired sneakers are ridiculous, then brace yourself for these fake food accessories. Not gonna lie, I'd wear the hell out of that bacon cuff bracelet.

– Loved this profile of a professional merman.

What are you up to?

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Your bi-weekly link roundup.

– Geode lips and a very authentic PSL manicure were the latest crazy trends dreamed up by beauty addicts.

– On the tech front, Smashbox has 3-D printed lipstick, while lip powder is poised to become the latest K-beauty craze taking the Western world by storm. (Also, stay tuned for a post on MAC's Liptensity range.)

– The original rainbow highlighter is long gone, but as I predicted, the big companies stepped in with their own versions. As these have reached cult status I'm debating whether to try to obtain them for the Museum if they ever come back in stock…and I'm sort of kicking myself for not buying the original. The good news though is that I can still buy these Halloween-themed highlighters – too cute!

– Has the death knell for the Clarisonic arrived? I hope not because I still love mine.

The random:

– OMG OMG OMG! Okay, it's just one song but I'm still so freakin' excited!!

– In '90s nostalgia, Nirvana's Nevermind turned 25 (!). Less momentous was the 20-year anniversary of Weezer's Pinkerton.

– This guy's collection of hamburger memorabilia makes me wonder who has the largest makeup collection on the planet. I'm almost at 900 items so maybe someday I'll be in the Guinness Book of World Records. 🙂

– Deeply, deeply, deeply sad these blankets are sold out. I liked the color selection more than that of the ones I found last year.

– As with the aforementioned pumpkin spice nails, these fries are making me question whether the pumpkin spice craze has gone too far.

How are you doing? Excited for fall? I sort of am but still mourning the loss of summer, as I do every year.