Vogue's Met Ball 2010 Red Carpet Fashion: Best and Oh No They Didn't!

Met Ball DRAMA!
Duvet Crazy: Andre Leon Talley and Whoopi Goldberg in Chado Ralph Rucci

Last night was the Met's "American Woman: Fashioning A National Identity" Costume Institute Gala. This year’s exhibition, organized by the curator Andrew Bolton, looked at styles between 1890 and the 1940s, relying on pieces from the Brooklyn Museum’s collection like Worth gowns and gray wool walking suits. And as it has been in the past, it was a collision of Fashion and Hollywood. It has become the fashionista sister to the Academy Awards red carpet. Actresses take more risks and there are more "editorial" looks. Some things stood out: Lots of "So-and-So for The Gap" (the entire exhibition is sponsored by The Gap). We know that several US designers have collaborated with The Gap and Miss Anna Wintour is "in charge" of choosing who gets to do it-or at the very least, suggesting it (see "The September Issue"). Now I know that this silk charmeuse $10,000 bias-cut gown by Sophie Theallet (for The Gap) on Jessica Alba AIN'T going to be at my Glendale Galleria Gap Store any time soon... But it WAS , one of my favorites.
There were several "Silhouette Themes": SLITHERING and SLINKY, as seen on Iman, wearing Prada--who has just signed on as the new co-host of Bravo's "The Fashion Show" (Bye, Kelly Rowland, Hello Iman!)--as well as model-turned-actress Amber Valetta, who I thought looked very elegant in RM by Roland Mouret. There was also some BIG and BOLD statements:Anne Hathaway, in gold/nude silk tulle Valentino which was very "Dior-esque" and...Jennifer Lopez, wearing Lebanese red carpet-favorite Zuhair Murad. There were also some Tulip-shaped Gowns:Eva Mendes wore a strapless Dolce & Gabbana flower-printed gown. Some designer-and-actress collaborations tried to pay homage to the Met's "American Woman" theme, giving a nod to the late 19th Century/ early 20Th Century American Woman: Like in actress Christina Hendricks' L'Wren Scott chiffon gown and Bee Shaffer's (Anna Wintour's daughter's) Worth-like Balenciaga Edition gown.
Some of my other favorites from last night's "American Woman" Met Gala's red carpet were:
Naomi Watts , in Stella McCartney raspberry silk, one shoulder, blouson gown (with Liev Schreiber).
This was THE BEST mini-cocktail dress of the evening: Blake Lively, in Marchesa
Australian actress Melissa George in J. Mendel mustard draped silk gazar was truly beautiful.Speaking of Mustard: Stylist Extraordinaire Rachel Zoe, looked AMAZING in this Marc Jacobs velvet draped plunging-neck creation. It was modern yet still gave a subtle "I got you!" to the Met's theme. Her hair and make-up were sublime, naturally, because my good friend Joey Maalouf did it! (congrats Joey!)
I also loved this very Donna Summer-meets-Studio 54 gold lame Michael Kors jumpsuit on model Chanel Iman. This is another, very modern way, of giving red carpet. Models can usually WORK this look much more effectively than actresses.Finally, I must give a nod to the MEN. And one man stood out for me: YSL Designer Stefano Pilati, who dressed actress January Jones. But it wasn't her I was interested in, I think he looked SMASHING! If I had an extra $5,000 to spend on a tuxedo for an event such as this, THIS would be it!

Below is WWD.com video from the red carpet, Met Costume Exhibit Ball 2010:

My Favourite Concealers

Hi guys, I hope you had an amazing bank holiday weekend! I certainly did and I also managed to get loads of wedding stuff done like the table plan, food menu and music.  There's only about 12 and a half weeks to go! We have finally managed to get our honeymoon booked too.  We are going to Kuala Lumpur for 3 days, then Borneo for 4 days, then Hong Kong for 3 days.  I CAN'T wait! Check out the hotel we will be staying in when we get to Borneo here .  And you know what this means...I have to buy lots of honeymoon outfits!ha ha.

Right onto today's post which will be a collection of my favourite concealers for various different reasons.  I would definitely say that concealer is a must have in my makeup collection.  I have really bad undereye circles, redness around my nose and I get the occasional blemish so there's no way I would go a day without my trusted concealers.  I really rely on this stuff to get that polished look to my makeup.

I always like to use different consistencies for different uses simply because you need a lighter formulation for the delicate under eye area whereas thicker concealers generally work best on the rest of the face.  I use Bobbi Brown Colour Corrector or Benefit Erase Paste as a base concealer (applied lightly) and then either Estee Lauder Maximum Cover in Light/Medium or Mac Moisturecover concealer to set the base.  Because the BB Colour Corrector and Benefit Erase Paste can set quite tacky, I always like to add a more fluid formula over the top to set them, stop them from settling in fine lines and ultimately to make it last all day.  I have to say that Estee Lauder Maximum Cover deserves a HUGE mention because it has become an every day staple in my routine.  I remember ages ago that Holly over at The Yummy Mummy's Beauty Blog advised that it could be used as an amazing concealer and boy was she spot on about that.  The thing that makes it so amazing as a concealer is the fact that the formula is so so light and easy to blend.  Also, you only need the tiniest amount to cover even the darkest of circles which means it's fantastic value for money.  This product definitely has HG status for me, it covers problem areas but it never ever looks heavy or obvious.  Overall, they are all great concealers but I have found that the best combination for a flawless, bright eye is Benefit Erase Paste with Estee Lauder Maximum Cover over the top to set.  Once you have swept some Benefit Powderflage over that, your eyes will look perfect.  I think of them as my holy trinity of concealing!

The concealers that work brilliantly for blemishes or any discolouration on my face are creamier, thicker formula's like that of Benefit's Boi-ing Concealer, MUFE's Full Cover or Mac Studio Finish.  Although Estee Lauder's Double Wear concealer is more fluid, it still works amazingly well on blemishes.  These all cover effectively but my favourite hands down is MUFE's Full Cover.  This stuff is waterproof and doesn't budge on my skin at all.  It covers blemishes with ease and makes my complexion look perfect.  I can't rave enough about this and I know that loads of other bloggers really rate this product.

A good concealer is something every girl needs and I would highly recommend any of these products if you're looking for a reliable go-to concealer.  What concealers do you rate as holy grail?