8
The big Rihveal
My best friend Shailagh and I were devastated to hear Rihanna express shame for dressing scandalously pre-motherhood (“I’m like, ‘Oh my god, I did that? Nipples out?’”) especially since the sequin slip and durag she wore to the 2014 CFDAs is one of our favourite moments in contemporary fashion history!
7
Celebrity skin
How do you guys feel about Taylor Swift? I thought she could not be a bigger deal over here, and then her most recent album came out to mixed-positive reviews and a deafening critical roar. I’ve always been a little fascinated by Swift’s presentation, which the fashion critic Cathy Horyn recently described as “not entirely comfortable… and maybe that’s something she shares with her young fans and why they instinctively relate to her.” I would like to extend this critique to her hair, which persistently has the quality of being intentionally 4-6 brushes shy of camera-ready at all times. (Though the two are hardly comparable, when it comes to the mane aesthetics of the genre itself, Beyoncé really does seem the country-er, no?)
6
Embrace the tingle
I won’t comment on my preparation for the upcoming bathing suit season other than a public reaffirmation of my body exfoliation routine. It’s the Dr. Dennis Gross body pads for me; maybe it’s the Ren Clean Skincare AHA Body Serum for you?
5
… and buttered buns
I also won’t comment on the nascent trend of ‘butt care’, designed for the skin around the rear, other than to say I am working on a longer story getting into it all. In this light, a bidet is considered a skincare device.
4
Ye olde maquillage
A 4,000 year-old tube of lipstick, perhaps the oldest artefact of its kind, has just been found in Iran. Do you think it was expired?
3
Pick your stick
Summer is dawning in New York City, which means soon the weekend traffic will become untenable – in exchange for better chances of getting restaurant reservations at primetime. So it goes. It’s about this time that we select our ‘Summer Multiple’, that lip-cheek-eye colour capable of diffusing into a full face of makeup. Last year I used a dusty rose with an unfortunately sexual shade name that performed its final act of duty in a bar bathroom on Martha’s Vineyard, and we salute her; this year I’m hoping to get my fingers into Ere Perez’s Carrot Colour Pot in ‘Happy’ (if I’m brave) or ‘Healthy’ (if I know myself).
2
Smells like teen queen
If you would have told me as a young beauty writer that Sol de Janeiro, of the deliciously scented butt-smoothing cream, would go on to capture the hearts and noses of Generation Z, I would not have believed you – and that is a gorgeous thing about this crazy industry we all toil in service of. The kids are obsessed with Brazilian Crush Cheriosa 68 Perfume Mist, according to several birthday lists reviewed by The MECCA Memo. Go figure!
1
Much love to Mum
America and Australia may be experiencing different seasons, but we do have one thing in common: Mother’s Day on Sunday 12 May. Get her what I know she wants: a gift voucher to her favourite restaurant, 12 perfect flowers, and one Nécessaire body set.