FASHION Magazine

See the Sephora + Pantone Universe Radiant Orchid collection »

Last week Pantone announced Radiant Orchid as the official colour of 2014, putting an end to the reign of 2013’s Emerald. While we may take a few more months to say goodbye to our favourite statement-making pair of green pants, when it comes to beauty, we’re more than happy to usher in a colour that is so very versatile.

Think about it: from nail polish to lipstick, eyeshadow to blush, Radiant Orchid is an ideal shade—and one that wears well on all skin tones. Of course, Pantone is one step ahead of us, releasing the details today for their forthcoming cosmetics collection with Sephora.

See all the Gwen Stefani by OPI nail polish shades »

When we think of Gwen Stefani’s signature style a few things come to mind: platinum hair, a midriff-baring top and, of course, red lips! Now, thanks to OPI, the musician’s covetable style is being bottled up for an exclusive nail polish collaboration. The seven-piece Gwen Stefani by OPI collection will hit shelves in January 2014 and features a number of finishes that are new to OPI, as well as a super-exclusive nail art set.

“Over & Over A-Gwen”—a luscious red that no doubt took inspiration from Stefani’s go-to lipstick shade—will be paired with Swarovski black crystals and metallic studs  in a boxed set that’s sure to be on every nail art fan’s must-have list. (Even better, it will sell for less than $20!) As for the new polish finishes, “Push and Shove” may just rival the nail art in terms of flashiness. It’s a chrome polish with a mirror-like finish, but unlike other chrome polishes, “Push and Shove” requires a special base coat (named “Lay Down That Base”) to ensure maximum reflection. We cannot wait to see swatches of this high-shine colour in action.

After months of teasers and anticipation, Scarlett Johansson and Matthew McConaughey are finally making movie magic together. However, their debut is of the small screen variety: they come together for “Street of Dreams,” a short film for Dolce & Gabbana’s The One ($66, sephora.ca) and The One for Men ($48, sephora.ca) fragrances.

Both actors have been the face of D&G fragrance for years now, but this is their first time appearing together on screen. What makes this 60-second stunner of a commercial even more exceptional is that the luxe brand enrolled the legendary Martin Scorsese to direct and film.

Because we are obsessed with everything Miley Cyrus, our radar is blowing up with the star’s latest radical alteration. She’s ditched the full dark eyebrows we’ve come to know (and secretly covet) for a pair of platinum blond arches.

Cyrus’s barely-there-brows sent the internet into a frenzy last night, after making a debut on Lily Allen’s Instagram. (The pair were out partying in L.A., as young, popular stars tend to do.) Never one to hide from social media, Cyrus also shared a snap of her new brows—while posing with Miranda Kerr, no less.

Given that The Hunger Games: Catching Fire comes out tomorrow, we have to ask: Could our favourite limit pusher be channeling the over-the-top women from the Capitol with their bleached brows? On the other non-fictional hand, the notable lightened arches of Lady Gaga and just about every model on the Gucci Fall 2013 runway could have also inspired the bleach job.

Jennifer Lawrence keeps going shorter and shorter! Earlier today the Oscar award winner revealed that her trend-setting lob from the summer is no more: she debuted a new, short pixie style via her Facebook page. Lawrence is just one of many celebs keeping the short hair trend going strong in Hollywood, with Jennifer Aniston, Pamela Anderson and Jennifer Hudson all showing off shorter styles in recent weeks. (Not to mention the dozens of stars who went short over the summer!)

Lawrence seems clearly happy to surprise the world with her piece-y new cut. It’s undeniably fresh and thanks to the honey-blonde highlights, it’s also perfectly textured. It’s probably no coincidence that this new short cut coincides with the the premiere of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, as Lawrence will be hitting up dozens of red carpets, interview junkets and photo calls over the next month. Meaning no matter your thoughts on how it’s styled today (mom cut, anyone?) we’ll get to see Lawrence’s short hair in an almost endless array of styles throughout November.

While we hardly require a reason to spend an afternoon relaxing at the spa, Toronto’s Beautylicious makes it easier than ever to justify. The annual spa event is in its fifth year right now, so drop whatever you’re doing and book an appointment (or two… or three…). Think of it as a prix fixe for […]

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See the entire M.A.C holiday collection for 2013 »

Makeup lovers rejoice! It’s that time of year again and M.A.C Cosmetics is offering not one, but three new limited-edition holiday collections.
 
The first M.A.C holiday collection for 2013, Divine Night, includes lip, eye and nail colours in rich, iridescent pigments that range from velvety gold to plum and burgundy. The five-shade quad compact sports a limited-edition U-shaped design separating one bold shade from the other. Available now, this collection is about to become the newest addition to your evening out.
 
The Stroke of Midnight collection, available October 24, features colour-coordinated palettes for lips and eyes, ranging from pale-nude to deep-violet. The highlight of this M.A.C holiday collection are the face palettes, which contain shadows, liner, lipsticks and face powder for a full dusk to dawn makeup look. If it’s tools you’re into, look for the brush kits in Mineralize (for skin perfecting), Essentials (covering the basics), and Smoky Eye (for advanced smoky eye application).

In the name of getting us to be even more enthralled with its products, L’Oréal has announced two new faces to represent its skincare brand, Biotherm, and its all-encompassing beauty brand, L’Oréal Paris.

No stranger to the brand ambassador role, Leighton Meester will grace up and coming Biotherm skincare campaigns starting next year. As reported by WWD, the actress was praised as “a contemporary icon, a young star whose natural talent, energy and beauty have made her the face of a generation,” by the brand’s general manager, Patrick Kullenberg. This is not a beauty first for the Gossip Girl actress: in the past, Meester has been involved with Herbal Essence, Vera Wang and Missoni campaigns.

Over at L’Oréal Paris, Lara Stone ends her post-pregnancy modeling hiatus to become the brand’s newest global spokesmodel. Stone joins seasoned ambassadors including fellow model Doutzen Kroes and actress Freida Pinto. The gap-toothed beauty will be involved in hair care, hair colour and makeup campaigns for the brand. Stone is also no stranger to being the face of a brand, having lent her beauty to campaigns for DKNY, Tom Ford, Calvin Klein and Giorgio Armani, among others.

While Miley’s been dominating magazine covers and Britney’s locking down Vegas, Katy Perry is supporting the launch of her forthcoming album with a beauty contract. And not just any beauty contract: Katy Perry is the newest Cover Girl.

News broke this morning on Perry’s Twitter, when she shared the first of many campaign images. “In addition to music, I’ve always considered makeup to be a powerful creative avenue of self-expression for me. I’m honoured to partner with Cover Girl and share more colours and textures of my approach to beauty to inspire my audience,” she said, via press release.

The Cover Girl ad seems to confirm that Perry has officially softened her theatrical approach to beauty—a transition that’s been in the works since she started promoting Prism. Her skin is fresh, glowing and save for the berry-stained lip and shimmering metallic nail polish, Perry’s mastered the no-makeup makeup look.

See Natalie Portman’s Dior lipstick shade picks »

Although Christian Dior the brand is celebrating the 60th anniversary of its Rouge Dior line this year, the truth is that Christian Dior the man made his first lipstick four years earlier. He conceived it in 1949 as a sort of limited-edition gift with purchase, sending it to the most loyal clients of his Colifichet boutique on Avenue Montaigne in Paris as a Christmas present. No doubt those ladies treasured their new makeup staple, as would Marlene Dietrich, Josephine Baker and Grace Kelly some years later.

Since then, Rouge Dior has encompassed 1,500 shades—from the first eight colours designed to match different couture outfits to the lurid ’70s brights dreamed up by former cosmetic artistic director Serge Lutens to the two newest additions: Darling (a vibrant pink) and Trafalgar (a punchy coral). The latter takes its name from Monsieur Dior’s old “Coup de Trafalgar” trick of throwing a notice-me bright red dress into a long runway presentation to make sure his audience wasn’t dozing.

It terms of “collaborations we’ve been dreaming of” M.A.C Cosmetics’ just-announced partnership with Proenza Schouler certainly sits at the top of the list. While little information is available—and the launch date is a whole season away—the cool-girl campaign imagery is enough to get our imaginations running.

But let’s talk details before we start speculating. Proenza Schouler has had a longstanding backstage beauty partnership with the brand, with makeup artist Diane Kendal keying many of their all-natural looks. “Beauty has always played a huge role in what we do on the runway and M.A.C has been one of our biggest supporters,” said Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez via press release. “We wanted to create something that the Proenza Schouler woman could relate to off the runway, and the M.A.C brand is so deeply rooted in fashion that we knew they would understand our vision.”

When it comes to sharing news or a sneak peek at a new collection, brands are starting to feel a little “been there, done that” with the major social media channels. Thankfully, with apps there’s always something new waiting in the wings. So move over, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram: Snapchat is quickly becoming the publicity tool of choice for fashion and beauty brands.

This morning, Nars shared its upcoming Guy Bourdin holiday makeup collection via the blink-and-you-miss-it app. The 10-second preview was sent out to those who had added the Narsisisst account to their friends list and it’s a move that successfully combined every-gal access with insider exclusivity.

However, they’re not the first brand to use Snapchat: Earlier this month, Rebecca Minkoff embraced the app during New York Fashion Week. The unheard of marketing move was announced via Twitter and allowed users to receive Snapchats of looks from the Spring 2014 collection before they hit the runway.