Magazine Review: Elle August 2010 - Drew Barrymore

Lets start with the most interesting part of this issue: the article They Like It Like That?, which is about the sexual fantasy life of men. It's gross, the phrase "flesh Slinky" was even used. lol. Disturbing but worth reading.
Other articles included The Choice (about selective reduction in pregnancies of multiples) and Secrets & Lies (about whether you should share relationship details w/other people).
In Fashion, Style A to Zee is on Faux Fur and has anyone else noticed that leopard seems to be bigger this year than usual? Yes, I know its back every fall but it seems more hyped up this year.
In Beauty, there is the required-for-August hair section. This time the focus is on bangs (Nicole Ritchie inspiration), pixie (Halle Berry), long, straight (Reese Witherspoon), and waves (Kim K). And, duh, Jennifer Aniston has the most requested color (pretty sure her cut is the more requested too). There is also the Beauty Editors beauty picks.

Another thing worth noting is that in the Drew interview she mentions there possibly being a Charlie's Angels tv show. Could be interesting. Love Drew, BTW.

Overall, not bad. Try to read the article I mentioned above but there weren't many other standouts.

Magazine Review: Elle July 2010 - Rihanna

This issue is all inspired by musicans. Unfortunately for me, thats not something that appeals to me at all. I can appreciate fashion & beauty trends started by influential people in the music industry but as a theme, it leaves me feeling very... eh.
The only notes I ended up making were about Beauty & the Articles.
For Beauty, they had a short writeup on the popularity of blue eyeshadow (not 80s baby blue but bright teals, turquoises, etc), the Beauty Insider column was on Beyonce (guess she does her own makeup quite frequently), how long bangs (ala Zooey Dechanel) are the rock n roll hairstyle of choice & several hit musicians' beauty picks.
In Articles, Afternoon Delight (about sex hotels) & Turn On, Tune In & Drop Out (tv addiction) both stood out.
Again all of the Fashion articles/photo spreads were music inspired & themed.
Overall, it was a good issue but if you are very inspired by music, it might be a must-get.

Magazine Review: Elle June 2010 - Kristen Stewart

I want to start out by saying that I'm really not fond of Kristen Stewart. She's very pouty & I don't think she can act (plus Twilight was just too teenage-emo for me. lol). So I won't be reviewing her interview, since I skipped it.
The standouts in this issue were *definitely* the articles. SO SO many good ones!! Here's a list:
~ The Body Issue
Find Your Bliss
Peak Performance (science & sexual healing)
Satisfaction Guaranteed (eating more = never dieting again)
Saving Face (popular diets & how to adjust them to help your complexion)
Happy Meals (7 mood foods)
Follow Your Gut (how food drives mood, outlook & happiness)
Brain Train (workout to be quick-witted)
The Shape of Things to Come (new realistic weight ideal?)
Show & Tell (lingerie)
Massage
~The Parent Trap (should men have the right to choose?)
~Access Hollywood (celeb crush turns into a IRL romance)
~ I'm OK, You're a Disaster (divorce chick-lit)

Also the Fall 2010 Runway Report (lots of neutrals, very demure & ladylike) & the Swim Guide (categorized by beach - Newport, Jersey Shore, Cape Cod, etc).

Get it for the articles!!

Magazine Review: Elle May 2010 - Fergie

To be honest, this issue was a bit of a letdown. Maybe because it was the Green Stars (eco-smart beauty) & Gold Awards issue (eco-innovators). Now don't get me wrong. I'm very pro-Earth, I try to do my part & I was raised in a home where we had diesel vehicles that had been converted to run on used vegetable oil. But all of these special sections w/eco-products are kind of annoying. Why do they have to make such a big deal about it? In the beauty recs, why can't they just include the eco products alongside their other product recs? And the same goes for fashion. It's like they think that the eco-products couldn't "compete" with the non-eco. And as far as the innovators go, I read Popular Science so anything in a fashion magazine is going to seem kinda petty compared to that (but it's great that so many people are working towards "saving the Earth"). Sorry, didn't mean to rant. Onto what was in this issue...
As far as Beauty, nothing really stoof out in the Green Stars section. The article Gold Standard was about "how to glow from head-to-toe" but there wasn't any new info in it. A few articles were about the psychology behind plastic surgery.
For Fashion, the Style A to Zee column was about how to edit your closet, beauty routine and makeup. I found a few cute pieces in this issue, namely some straw clutches, "country" wedges, etc but holy 90s revivial! Calico, a-line denim skirts, jean jackets. Doesn't sound too bad when I'm writing it out but once you see the pics you'll know what I mean.
In the Articles, they had an interview w/Sarah Silverman because of her new memoir The Bedwetter?. The article Everything is Illuminated, about how you & your friends influence each other, was quite interesting.
This is a magazine I normally enjoy but I just wasn't impressed this month.

Magazine Review: Elle April 2010 - Taylor Swift

Wasn't thrilled about seeing Taylor Swift on the cover, I still think of her as being 15. But the photoshoot of her was interesting. They straightened her hair, gave her bangs & she was completely unrecognizable. Probably why they didn't put a straight hair photo of her on the cover. Curly-to-straight or the other way around doesn't usually change a person's appearance *that* much.
On to the fashion. I found out that Eugenia Kim is making hats for Target (which will be out April 18th). I've never been able to pull off the hat look (I blame it on my glasses) but I am a bit tempted by these straw fedoras, etc. They had a great spring accessory spread. Lots of gorgeous pieces. Style A to Zee can be a hot or miss for me. This month it was a miss. He had Today Show ladies Kathy Lee & Hoda modeling different looks that are good for being on-air. But every look he said he liked, he said didn't work on-air. So it felt a little pointless.
For beauty, they had the 2010 Genius Awards. I didn't really pick up any good tips but they beauty photography had some nice makeup looks. They also did a review of all the buzzing beauty products (mascara, foundation, etc). It didn't interest me much but I think most got positive reviews.
Found several interesting sections in the Intelligence section (entertainment). One was the page article inspired by the new book Classy by Derek Blasberg (Advice for the Extremely Modern Lady). Think I'll have to get on the library wait-list for it. Another thing of interest was the mention of the new Demi Moore movie The Joneses, about a "family" that is paid to have a lifestyle that will be the envy of their neighbors, thus encouraging their neighbors to buy what they have. I definiately plan on watching that. Onto another book mention, the article was about Rachel Cusk's new book The Bradshaw Variations, but the article talked more about her previous book A Life's Work: On Becoming a Mother. The article says that it's a cult book among mothers. I just got it from the library & plan to start reading it soon. (I will post a review when I finish. )

Total pages: 312
Pages Dog-earred: 5