Makeup in Wonderland
As the Red Queen in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, Helena Bonham Carter’s face is turned royally huge by special effects. To make the magnification convincing, her makeup had to succeed as her face got bigger and bigger. Inspired by Bette Davis as Queen Elizabeth, Oscar-winning makeup artist Valli O’Reilly proved herself up to the challenge. Typically, O’Reilly operates freehand, but the precision essential here forced her to resort to stencils for the brows, shadow and lips. She did, however, place a beauty mark on Bonham Carter’s cheek over and over again using only the actress’ facial landmarks as a guide. Product-wise, she relied on Il Makiage foundation, blue eye shadow from Yves Saint Laurent and Make Up For Ever, Senna Cosmetics eyeliner for the brows, Stila lipstick and false eyelashes sent by the box from Frends Beauty Supply. To ensure consistency, O’Reilly scrutinized photos by hitting the zoom button to check each brushstroke. She noticed, for example, that the bands of the lashes were detectable under close inspection unless painted black. “Everything shows up. The makeup had to be applied perfectly,” says O’Reilly, adding: “I’m proud of my work.”
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—Rachel Brown
Next: Over-the-counter lash treatments>>
Growth Spurt
Inspired by the megasuccess of Allergan’s prescription lash grower, Latisse, a host of over-the-counter versions are launching this spring. Avon’s May offering, Lash Transforming Serum, claims to promote growth with a formula designed to improve hair fiber bonds. Meanwhile, L’Oréal Paris’ 24-Hour Lash Boosting Power System promises results in four weeks and is formulated with the plant extract centella asiatica, peptides and amino acids. Cargo’s LashActivator Night promises thicker, longer lashes in 30 days, thanks to marine algae extracts and a peptide-biotin complex. “As women get older, they start to feel like they don’t have as many lashes,” says Avon’s Jessica Friedman. “Over time, lashes fall out unless you do something to strengthen them.”
—Belisa Silva
Next: Beauty insiders discuss the possibilites of Apple’s iPad>>
Digital Antenna
It’s possibly the most-talked-about tablet since Moses presented the Ten Commandments, but will Apple’s iPad herald a digital paradigm shift for the fashion, beauty and publishing industries? We asked insiders whether they rate or slate technology’s next big thing.
Vipanj Patel, chairman and chief executive officer, Taaz.com
“The iPad opens up the potential for a ‘what-if’ world. What if in malls and boutiques a scan of your body was taken that renders a 3-D image? You could walk through the store, which, once you’ve given permission, would have a digital ‘you’ appear on-screen. If you want to try on a shirt, why go to the dressing room? In mass retailers, you can’t [usually sample makeup]. With this, you could check if a lipstick matches a liner you have at home.”
Lynda-Louise Burrell, co-founder of NailGirls
“I would like to be able to scan in any color you come across—from the perfect dress to a vividly colored flower, then have it find all the brands that offer it. Alternatively, you could send the color scan to a company who would be able to reproduce it for you.”
Jeanine Recckio, founder, Mirror Mirror Imagination Group
“What if you could hold up the device to your skin so that it can read it and tell you what you should use? There are also applications in health and wellness. It would be great if it could tell you, ‘You’ve not had enough vitamin C today,’ for example. People don’t want to have to input data, so it would have to be automatic.”
Alexia Inge, co-founder, Cult Beauty
“An iPad would make it easier to have research at hand. I can imagine brick-and-mortar stores setting up intranets, so that if a shopper doesn’t find what she’s looking for at one counter, she can be directed to another and the store isn’t losing out to an online competitor.”
—Brid Costello