Magazine Review: InStyle April 2010 - Gwen Stefani

This is hands-down my favorite magazine. I get it the second I see it on newstands but often save it to read last. I might not mark tons of pages, but like Women's Health, there are a lot of small tidbits that make it great, like the mention of the new Revlon collection, of which I already bought the Coral Reef gloss & can't wait till May to buy the peach (the lilac is out now & popular but wouldn't work on me). They also had some pics of the Rachel Roy/Estelle jewelry collaboration for Macys. A lot of horn pieces, which are suppose to be very hot this season. Plus I always like reading the Where Can I Find?, The Look & Instant Style sections.
As far as other fashion sections, the Her 10 Best Ever! section was on Eve Mendes (love her), Derek Lam gives you 10 ways to update your look for spring, Rachel Zoe shares her favorite jewelry pieces & pieces from her new QVC line. There is also an article, 15 Reason to Get Excited About Jewelry, that mentions trends & shows some nice & some affordable pieces.
Since this is the Color Issue, they have an article about clothing color combos to try, makeup recs to do the bright eye-pink lip/cheek look, ways to add color to your home, etc.
Towards the back of the issue they had a spring cleaning challenge which had some good tips as well.

Total pages: 318
Pages Dog-earred: 8

GET IT!!!!!

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

Movie Review: Coco Before Chanel

I will start by saying that I *love* Audrey Tautou. I've seen quite a few of her movies, including Venus Beauty Institute, which is one of her first films. It's nice that she's become so popular, probably in part because she does fit the image so many of us have about what a French actress should be.
Like many others, I wanted the Coco Chanel movie on Lifetime (which BTW, was completely ruined by Shirley MacLaine who didn't even bother to try to cover up her American accent). They both followed a very similar storyline but this version was much more realistic (and sad).
As far as the fashion goes, I loved seeing Coco compared to all the other women of the day. Hearing how the other women were afraid of losing all their OTT embellishments & accessories in fear of people thinking they were poor. I also liked how, when Coco was just starting to make her own clothing, everything wasn't finished perfectly or fit precisely. Which was more realistic since she was making these items with whatever she had on hand. Towards the end of the movie we get to see the super chic version of Coco, with clothes that would work just as well today as they did they.
On a beauty note, when Coco was feeling sad and/or depressed, they made it very apparent by forgoing concealer and, well, almost all makeup. Something most American films would never do in fear of making any actress look anything less than perfectly beautiful. She becomes much more polished later on of course, with that great finger-wave bob and perfectly defined eyebrows.
Overall, this is a great film. I would recommend it to anyone who has even the slightest interest in fashion or in French culture in general.

Magazine Review: Cosmo April 2010 - Lady Gaga

When I saw this issue in store, my first thought was "How appropriate. Lady Gaga is perfect for Cosmo."
Now overall, I only read Cosmo for the beauty/fashion sections. They have some wearable & affordable fashions and more beauty articles than many other comparable women's magazines.
In this issue, nothing in fashion really stood out to me but there are several interesting beauty tips/ideas. The first was How to Create Captivating Cleavage, which tells you where to apply bronzer & highlighter to make your breasts appear fuller. There was also an article about using colored eyeliner and they had a few fresh new looks to try. The last was a hair article about how to recreate 11 popular celeb looks. I haven't tried any of the looks yet but the instructions appeared fairly simple.
As far as the rest of the issue, same old sex, guys, blah, blah, etc topics. Two standouts: One was weight-free arm-sculpting and the other were 3 pasta recipes from Giada.

Total pages: 240
Pages Dog-earred: 5

Product Review: N.Y.C. Blushable Creme Stick in Plaza Pink

This is the lightest shade available, a shimmery peach color. I already have a few peach blushes so didn't really need this but WTH, figured I'd try it anyway. It's fine. lol. It doesn't really thrill me & its not going to replace any of my other peach blushes. I also tried it on lips, eyes & cheeks (since I've really been wanting a product for that). The color is slightly off (on me) to use it that way but I might check the other shades for something pinker or bronzer since it does apply nicely, even to lips.
Overall, they are worth checking out. Good quality for the price

Product Review: Physican's Formula Bamboo Bronzer in Light

I decided to get this bronzer after seeing it almost every April magazine (Earth day is in April so everyone had eco spreads). I got this in Light, which you can tell in the pic above is quite light. Well, even being *super* pale, this is still too light for me. I sat in front of the mirror in broad daylight & applied to one side of my face & even at close inspection couldn't tell I had anything on.
I plan on experimenting with this a little more before putting it in the giveaway pile. Its an odd feeling to have something be too light for me.

Here is a pic comparing it to my HG bronzer Rimmel Natural in Sun Light (the lightest shade & matte).

Overall the texture is nice & if you truly are a ghost this might be perfect for you. I'm considering trying the Medium shade but since I don't really need it... IDK.

Product Review: Jergens Natural Glow Firming Daily Moisturizer

I tried a lot of gradual tanners when they first came out. I stopped using them mainly because they were smelly plus I could never seem to get an even application. Plus I'm mainly around very dark-skinned people so even if I get a slight glow, I'll still be the whitest person around. lol. But since I want to be able to wear more skirts & dresses this year without having to spend 20 minutes mixing foundation, lotion, bronzer etc to put on my legs to make them safe to uncover, I decided to try the gradual tanners again. When I last used them I preferred Dove Energy Glow but since they didn't have any at the Walmart near me, I got this instead. I chose the Light/Medium one since I am super pale & wanted less of a chance of streaks, etc.

When I applied I didn't notice the self-tanner smell (but don't worry, it comes out later. Fairly light but still recognizable). I applied to everywhere except my arms & face (since those 2 things were already a bit darker than the rest of me). Just one application gave me a nice glow & evened me out (wish I would've been using this on my neck & chest, would've saved me a lot on bronzer).
Two things I had forgotten about self-tanning. Put lotion on knees, ankles & elbows before applying (yes, even the gradual ones) & if you're just going to be lounging around the house or sleeping, wear pants. I have a tendency to cross my legs or put a hand between my knees while lying on my side, both of which can mess up the self-tanner.
Overall, I'm not thrilled but its ok. Think I will try a few others, including my old HG, Dove Energy Glow.