lingerie best models Beauty: 05/03/11

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute Gala Red Carpet: The Avant Garde or Avant Gauche!

Fashionista Prom: The Met Gala Red Carpet...Avant Garde or Avant Gauche??

The Fashion World is known for taking itself (sometimes) way too seriously and I for one, have been a victim of this. And this was no where more apparent than last night's Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute Gala. This is the Red Carpet where EVERYONE tries to "bring it" in terms of FASHION! Some did it right and some well...see for yourself.

Here's my Portfolio of who got "Avant Garde" Points (positive) and who got "Avant Gauche" ones (not so good!). Let's start with Miss Daphne Guinness, heiress to Guinness Beer:

Daphne Guinness in Alexander McQueen: Now this is how you get it right! When you are honoring someone like Alexander McQueen and your date is Hamish Bowles, what else can you do but wear a feathered Gown! Avante Garde!

Serena Williams: And this is how you do a feathered gown wrong! I know she must have been inspired by the Royal Wedding when she chose that hat, but she looks like she is going to an Easter Service at a Southern Baptist Church rather than a party honoring a Couture King! Avant Gauche!

Christina Ricci in Zac Posen: This Gown which looks like it was knit from spiderwebs is just the type of gown you would expect from Christina and her edgy/dark personality. For someone who is probably about 5 feet tall, she looks statuesque and commanding...if only she could have done something more with her hair. Avant Garde!

Beyonce in Emilio Pucci: Miss Beyonce. Miss Beyonce. I give it to you in terms of the "overall gown". Beyonce has never met a Mermaid Shape she didn't like. This is no exception. However...it's the "peek-a-boo" lace "boobie things" (sorry for the un-Fashion Terminology) that are questionable. They look like "after-thought tattoos" or something of that matter. Unfortunately, because of this, I have to rate her an "Avant Gauche".

Margherita Missoni in Missoni: I love Missoni and I am a big fan of how the House of Missoni has taken their trademark weaving technique and really kept it alive with fresh and modern RTW Collections, but this dress missed the mark...and wait....are those pieces of her dress she has left trailing on the floor?? Messsss...Avant Gauche!

Iman in Stella McCartney: Admit it...as tacky as a gold sequin, bell-bottomed jumpsuit sounds on paper, Iman is workin' it! And let's not forget, this woman is 55 years old!! Let me say it right here and now: Iman has a CURRICULUM VITAE to wear this! And NO ONE ELSE does! Except maybe Bianca Jagger. Therefore, she gets an Avant Garde! from me.

Rihanna in Stella McCartney: Raggedy Ann-Meets-Pippi Longstocking-Meets Morticia. Enough Said. Lace over nude is all the rage this season, but it is something about the combination of the lace with the single sleeve and side train (?)! along with that crazy hair that makes the entire look all wrong. Avant Gauche. For sure. (sorry Miss Rihanna, still love you!)

Shalom Harlow in Marchesa: I'm on the "Fashion Fence" on this one. Love the gown, Hate the clip-on detail in her hair. I'll leave this one up to you guys: Avant Garde or Avant Gauche? What Do You Guys Think?

Anne Dello Russo in Alexander McQueen: Italy-born Editor at Large and Creative Consultant for Vogue Japan Anna Dello Russo wore an EGG on her HEAD!!! Hello??? Avant Garde. Period. No More Questions. She's just happy someone flew her First Class from Tokyo to NYC (a $15,000 flight thank you very much!) and she got to pack this. Just sayin'.

Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute Gala Red Carpet: Divas and A-Listers

Red Carpet Royalty.....

Diva Supreme!
(and I'm not talking about Ms. Andre Leon Talley trying to upstage her from behind!!)
Anna Wintour in Chanel Haute Couture

Monday Night was the Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute Gala honoring the memory and amazing work of the late Alexander McQueen. This event happened only days after the House of Alexander McQueen ( headed by Sara Burton) was revealed as the designer of Katherine Middleton's Wedding Gown. So you can only imagine the excitement already swirling around in the air.

The Met Gala is always such a fun Red Carpet, because it is thought of as the "Academy Awards" of the Fashion World. The Oscars are often given the label of being safe and cookie cutter by the fashion world, so this is their opportunity to put their money where their mouth is and really give us something to talk about!!

But before we get to some of the more crazy ensembles, I thought I would highlight a few of the A-listers and Divas that really looked great on the RC.

Diane Kruger in Jason Wu: She looks breathtaking and very Old Hollywood Glamour. Love how she is workin' the slit and also the return of the strappy, more delicate heels.

Ginnifer Goodwin in Topshop Unique: Love the color and Ginnifer always knows how to highlight that fabulous face. She accented it well with that STUNNING Van Cleef and Arpels necklace.

Madonna in Stella McCartney: While I am not a huge fan of this dress, Madonna is certainly vibe-ing 1930's Hollywood Glam. We are seeing a return of the Silk Charmeuse Gowns lately and there is no doubt that Madonna is looking flawless in the close-up image above.

Ashley Olsen in Vintage Dior: Love the unexpected quality of the dress on Ashley. While she stayed within her color comfort zone (black and white), it is great to see her reveal a bit more skin and style her hair in an up-do. She looks like a Parisian Chanteuse!

Mary Kate Olsen in Vintage Givenchy: Those Olsen Girls love their vintage! Love the color and ethereal quality. The Emerald jewelry is a perfect accent.

Jennifer Lopez in Gucci Fall 2011: Love this Gucci Collection and love Jennifer in this 70's inspired chiffon halter dress. Not everyone can pull off that floral bolero, but Jennifer, always the Diva, makes it work effortlessly.

Kerry Washington in Escada: Who knew her body was this amazing?! Love the color, cut and fabrication of this gown. If only she could have stopped the hairstylist from making her look like a poodle! When in doubt, pull the hair back into a Chignon!!

Ashley Greene in Custom Donna Karan: Shoot me now, but I have actually never seen a Twilight Movie, so I wasn't completely familiar with Ashley. But she certainly made an impact on me with this gorgeous Custom Donna Karan Gown. Not a style you would normally see from DK, but she looked absolutely radiant in the dress.

Up next....The Wacky, Crazy and "Oh No She Didn't!" of the Met Gala Red Carpet!...

Linda Evangelista

Linda Evangelista, The Candian hot female model looks absolutely stunningly beautiful in this Vogue Magazine Photo Shoot from the past.
Check out Linda Evangelista hot pics.

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Vanessa Hudgens hot pictures

The hot actress Vanessa Anne Hudgens, better known as Vanessa Hudgens is a singer too and has cut two albums but she is better known for the role of Gabriella Montez of "High School Musical" series. She is looking awesome at Teen Choice Awards.
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OOTD - Grecian Inspired

This dress was kindly sent to me by In Love With Fashion a few months ago and I have been waiting for the first rays of sunshine to be able to wear it. Luckily with the amazing weather we have been blessed with I was able to finally showcase it last weekend.

This maxi dress is such a gorgeous deep green that it didn't need too many colourful accessories. I decided to pair it with a metallic bronze waist belt from H&M and nude Dorothy Perkins shoes.

The jersey material is very comfortable and heavy enough to fall without clinging. There is nothing more I hate than thin jersey that showcases every bump (as well as your undies) and looks almost see-through in the light. Even I have been guilty of wearing leggings that were not quite as opaque on the derrier as one would hope ;). The v-neck on this dress is quite deep, and I did struggle a little to keep myself under wraps, but it can easily be adjusted with the stretchy waistband.

Have you seen Love in Topshop? I am currently lusting after a few of their gorgeous sheer chiffon dresses that are completely on trend.

Sage sleeveless dress - £38

Peach sleeveless bow dress - £36

I also spotted this cute rust jersey jumpsuit (£36) as worn by Lydia on TOWIE. I likey! xxx

Hayden Panettiere hot pics

Hayden Panettiere, the hollywood hot actress and female singer who has acted in movies like "Scream 4" looking quite hot .
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How I Curl My Hair And The Products I Use

I got a lot of emails asking if I could do a post on how I curl my hair from beginning to end. When I first got my Babyliss Conical Wand, it took me quite a while to get used to it. My first few attempts weren't great as you can see in the pic below but with time and practice, I've finally got the hang of it! So if you're struggling with yours, just keep practising and it will come to you. Don't feel bad that you haven't mastered it because I don't always get things right first time (or second or third!) round and the great thing about the blogging community is that there's so many different places to read and watch and learn. Hopefully this post will be of some use and show that everyone has to start somewhere.

So here goes...

Firstly, I have tried curling my hair in many ways:

Straighteners - I attempted this and ceremoniously failed (my arms just cen't bend that way!)
Wide Barrel Curling tongs - The curls lasted about 2 hours before falling out
Heated Rollers - Created nice bouncy hair but not enough curl for my liking
Braids - I often do this on holiday to avoid applying too much heat to my hair but it creates more of a relaxed wave.

So I have developed the perfect routine for getting my hair exactly the way I want it and I will go through which products I use and the do's and don'ts I have learned through experience.

So these are my tried and tested perfect products for creating voluminous, bouncy curls that last all day:

1) Aussie Aussome Volume Shampoo

2) Aussie Lusciously Light Mega Instant Conditioner

3) Pantene Colour Protect Instant Nourishing Shine Spray

4) Tresemme 24 Hour Body Root Boosting Spray

5) Aussie Dual Personality Volume & Gloss Hairspray

6) Tigi Catwalk Volume Collection Your Highness Weightless Shine Spray

Because I have fine hair that needs a helping hand when it comes to creating volume, I try to always use the most lightweight formulas when it comes to shampoo and conditioner. I find the Aussie ones are great, easy to get hold of and very good value for money. I use the Pantene nourishing shine spray to make sure my hair stays silky, smooth and soft and I forgot to include my Tresemme Heat Defense Styling Spray in the list above. I apply it whilst my hair is damp, followed by the Tresemme Root Boosting Spray which I apply directly to the roots. I then spray some in my hands and comb my fingers through my hair to lightly coat all my hair. I find it's always best to dry your hair upside down for maximum volume, especially when you're wearing your hair wavy or curly. Once it's 80-90% dry, I then section my hair and dry it by always gently pulling the hair upwards with my brush and concentrating the hairdryer nozzle into the hair to create a smooth and shiny finish. You could also add an extra step if you have time by putting rollers in at the roots to further lift and volumise the hair.

It's really important to make sure your hair is completely dry before you even think of trying to curl it. Otherwise the curls will just drop out within a couple of hours.

Once I have finished drying my hair, I spray it with the Tigi Shine Spray and I section it off using metal clips that you can get from any supermarket. As you already know, my weapon of choice is the Babyliss Conical Wand because I find it is the easiest tool to use without getting weird crimps in your hair like with curling tongs. It's important that you don't try to curl too much hair at one time. The sections you wind around the conical wand should only be about an inch. I always use the maximum heat setting which is 25 and I hold the hair in place for 10 seconds for the lower half of my hair and once I get to the top sections around my face, I only hold it for 5 seconds as I don't want those bits to be REALLY curly. I always angle the conical wand with the thicker end to the top and I always curl my hair away from my face. To create maximum volume at the roots, once you have curled most of your hair, you should bring the conical wand as close to your scalp as you can to create uplift at the roots. This video by Tanya Burr at Pixi2woo is a good demonstration of how to use the Babyliss Conical Wand with regards to how you should hold the wand and generally how to style your hair...

I also don't use the heat protectant gloves that are provided because I find it's hard to get hold of your hair whilst you're wearing them! I have burnt myself a few times so please be careful when you are doing this.

If you still want to wear a glove to protect your hand but don't like the two-finger version supplied with the Babyliss wand then you can purchase a full glove here for £17.22. I like to get a small mirror, stand with my back to a full length mirror and just check that I haven't missed any pieces at the back.

Now this is one step that I only started doing recently and it's made a massive difference to the finished look of my hair. Once I have finished curling my hair, I brush it with a vent brush like this one:

I had heard lots of people talking about brushing the hair after curling it but I had always thought "noooo, I've spent so long curling it...why would I want to brush all the curls out!?". However, this has proved to be the missing step in my routine that took my hair from looking too styled to extremely bouncy, full and natural- looking. When you brush the curls, it doesn't brush them OUT of your hair, it simply blends everything together more so you don't get ratty ends or 'piecey bits'. It's exactly how the hair is styled for the Victoria's Secret models so who am I to argue?! I then turn my head upside down and spritz my hair from underneath with the Aussie hairspray. I give it another spritz on top just to hold everything in place. It's important not to go overboard with the hairspray though because the last thing you want is to weigh your hair down or make it look too solid and crispy! this look is all about natural waves, curls and bounciness.

My usually limp, flat hair lasts all day when I go through these steps and it makes my hair appear twice as thick!

You could backcomb the undersections of your hair but I choose not to most of the time because I prefer to be able to run my fingers through my hair. You could also curl hair extensions and add them in for more impact and a fuller look. I would only do that for special occasions though. The pics of my hair above were styled using only my own hair.

If you want to see how to get a similar look with extensions, this is a good video that demonstrates how to do that using wide barreled curling tongs and a slightly different technique...