Um, can we please just pause and thank the beauty gods for giving us this radiant vision of beauty known as Natalie Portman?!

OK, now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's discuss this glamazing look the actress rocked last night at IFP's 20th Annual Gotham Independent Films, shall we?

The makeup is actually surprisingly very simple! Obvs she's wearing hot pink lipstick, but not so obvs are her subtly flushed cheeks (i.e. a lighter shade of pink). Of course, her eyebrows are perfectly groomed, but it's the winged eyeliner that elongates her peepers perfectly...love!

Equally as impressive is that messy side hair bun and it looks so natural that I swear anyone could do it! (Just check out this close look above! But, from working at The Magazine, I know for sure that it usually takes hair stylists a hot minute to create those messy, undone looks.)

And (I just had to point this out) she looks dramatically different from her debut Tuesday night at the Black Swan premiere. I get that she was going for the whole goth beauty look, but that shade of red paired with those curls just make her look old. Or maybe it's just because she's not smiling?

Which look do you prefer, Glamazons? And who else plans on stealing that pink-lipped-side-swept-bun look for themselves?!

xo

Ferocia

Ugh. We told you during New York Spring 2011 Fashion Week that Queen Beyonce walked in the Tom Ford show but due to Mr. Ford's distaste for the internet and fashion media in general, editors weren't allowed to take or share pictures.



Well, finally, Glamazons, the moment has come where the picture they guarded like fossils at the Louvre has been released. The picture will appear in the January issue of Harper's Bazaar. And it may have been worth the wait.



A voluminous blonde curly afro, skin-tight metallic python-pattern dress and fishnet peeptoe knee boots? Fierce! Did she vanish at the end of the catwalk into a pool of sequined glitter? That's the only way this could get hotter.



What do you think of Bey's look? Glam or Sham?



And if you missed it, check out Tom Ford's full Womenswear collection here.



Kisses,



Coutura



Source

Remember when I went to the 2nd Annual WEEN Awards in September and left feeling more inspired than ever? Yes, the night I met my personal she-roes Soledad O'Brien, Nia Long, Valeisha Butterfield (the Co-Founder and Chair of WEEN) and a host of other stars like Kandi Burress, Hot 97's Angie Martinez, Letoya Luckett, Estelle and more!



I had a renewed sense of purpose after leaving the red carpet where my she-roes spoke so passionately about uplifting women and inciting positive change in their communities. I felt honored to even be in the presence of those women, and told them as much (Valeisha and Soledad were particularly thankful and gracious). That night was one of my defining moments this year.



Fast-forward to two weeks ago, and Ferocia and I were approached for an interview for WEEN Online as WEEN Women to Watch by another amazing blogger, Dee of The D Life. Wow!



I never imagined when I was asking questions on the WEEN red carpet that The Glamazons would be recognized by such an amazing organization. Needless to say, we jumped at the chance to participate!

Read our interview here. We cover everything from giving back to Grace Jones to Fashion Week to the celeb in need of a Glamazon makeover. Tell us what you think.



And special thanks to Dee for featuring us, and to Valeisha for being an endless source of inspiration. We are truly honored.



Kisses,



Coutura

oops- a little bit behind on getting this Thanksgiving post out- but what are great time we had! Of course- in true Thanksgiving fashion- we had WAY to much food and ate WAY too much- but that's what it's all about- right?

This is our appetizer spread- yes we had food- before the food.

Papa came into town and he and K just had SO much fun. They played "band" -they are really good. Carlos and Korry also joined in for the festivities- and boy are we glad they did! Yummy! Korry is such a great cook- and she is really good at Trivia Pursuit! and so is Cody-ugh! I hate to admit it but.... shhhhh don't tell him I said that.

 K had fun playing in- and I mean actually IN his toy box-

 check out those teeth! 

 K's 1st Thanksgiving meal- some dressing, stuffing (and yes- there is a difference- and yes we had both), some sweet potato casserole, and of course dessert! Some Pumpkin Gooey Cake-

He loved it all! Especially the Pumpkin Gooey Cake!

All in all it was a great weekend- we did some shopping, some running around, and mostly did some relaxing- it was great! Can't wait until next year!

I know that I'm not the only woman in America this happens to, but it happened to me the other day and I was so stricken with grief that I felt it only necessary to share. I don't really have a pic from that night, but I do have this one that was taken at a fashion event that I attended not too long ago wearing no makeup...just to give you an idea of what I may have looked like. Side note: Isn't that graphic wall amazing?! But, let me rewind and begin my story from the beginning so you'll know what the heck I'm talking about.

It was one particularly uneventful day that I finished a full day of work (yay for day jobs!) when a friend asked me to come out for a drink. Maybe it's because I'm so used to hanging out in the fashion realm (i.e. parties/cocktail hours full of gay men, nothing against them but there they are!) so I wasn't really thinking that I needed to look that great. Plus I'd somehow managed to leave my makeup bag at home (I know, serious fail!) but I wasn't expecting that I'd need to do any touch-ups or anything.

I mean, I wasn't looking extremely busted or anything. I just feel like when I'm showing good face I need to have on my three key makeup items or at least be able to touch them up before heading out.

And there I go out without having re-freshened my makeup to a cocktail hour full of straight men. Dear God, why?! Of course, you know I made the most out of the situation (at least I found a lipgloss at the bottom of my bag) but it would have been so much better if I'd had my makeup bag with these three key items.

Here they are (in no particular order):

#1. MAC Mineralize SPF Foundation in NC35

#2. Bobbi Brown Creamy Eye Pencil in Caviar

#3. Urban Decay Cream Highlight in Sin

More M·A·C...

Foundation, eye liner and cream highlighter. That's it! All I need to prettify myself. Side note: I don't have any lipgloss listed because all of my bags contain them somewhere in a pocket or at the bottom so I'm never without color on my lips.

And I didn't tell you all of this for you to just sit on your haunches and not tell me yours. List your top makeup must-haves below in the comments section below! It's a requirement that us Glamazons exchange beauty notes while we sit around stuffed from all that food we ate on Thanksgiving day.....ugh....

xo

Ferocia

Kanye West's fashion sense has certainly evolved beyond backpacks and Polo bears (as evidenced by his design stint at Louis Vuitton and recent ACE award). The question is...to what?



Well, judging from his most recent appearances, Tom Ford, 3.1 Phillip Lim and Burberry are his go-to designers and fur, chains, velvet, cleavage baring tops and slim pants are his new and improved wardrobe basics. Kiss the Polo shirt Goodbye.



Though I'm not surprised that the same creative genius behind his incredible album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and film, Runaway, translates into his fashion sense, I wonder if his more high-fashion, European-inspired looks appear too feminine. I mean, Beanie Sigel criticized him when he was only wearing tight jeans. Now, his shirts resemble blouses complete with glamorous chains. Hmm...





His latest outfit certainly had tongues wagging. At the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Kanye West wore a fur vest, leather jacket and pants, a metallic low-cut tank, layered gold necklaces, fingerless gloves and a head-tie while performing one of my fave songs "Lost in the World." That's so something I would wear (fur and sequins are, like, my thing). Someone remarked that he looked like Mr. T dressed in drag. Ouch.

What do you think of his look? Is he dressing too feminine these days? And check out his performance below:











Kisses,



Coutura

I am sure he could hear/ understand me if I talked in a lower tone- BUT you never know! and why take the chance? LOL!

Remember when I told you that one of the best lipstick shades for you to rock this holiday season would be a red or perhaps even a pastel pink such as MAC + Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday!?

Well, here's a fantastic example of the exact type of red that I think you should be rocking. Estelle hit the red carpet of a recent event rocking this sumptous shade of what looks to me like a matte cherry red. What's so great about it? It pops perfectly against her dark skin and brightens up her entire look. LOVE. (Because no one wants to kiss a sour-faced looking lady underneath the mistletoe! Ew.)

What do you think, Glamazons? Are you in love with this shade of red on Estelle just as much as I am?!

xo

Ferocia

Another glamazing collaboration to add to the recent wave of masstige collections (Lanvin for H&M and Valentino for Gap)? Karl Lagerfeld for Macy's.



WWD reports that the only man to make me stop breathing in his presence, Kaiser Karl Lagerfeld is penning an affordable ready-to-wear line for Macy's of jeans and party dresses that will be sold online and in 250 Macy's stores starting September 2011. Squeals!



Karl Lagerfeld's collection is part of a new designer initiative that Macy's is launching in 2011 where designers will create masstige collections for their Impulse department rotating every two months. Kinder Aggugini and Matthew Williamson's diffusion lines will precede Karl's.



Though they're late to the high-end/mass retailer party, Macy's will certainly increase sales and cause pandemonium with Karl Lagerfeld on board.



Do tell: are you excited for Karl Lagerfeld's diffusion line? Will you shop the collection? I can only pray these furry boots make an appearance.



Kisses,



Coutura

While Valentino for GAP isn't a pairing we ever saw coming, we couldn't be happier for the ruffled coats to come out of the collaboration. With its belted waists, dramatic ruffles and soft bows, the collection presents a dichotomy of military chic and feminine flourishes.



In GAP's signature neutral hues, the elaborate ruffled necklines mix Valentino's couture imagination with a down-to-earth, utilitarian style.



Given the embarrassing logo debacle and a slump in sales, it seems GAP could use a boost from the media madness of masstige collections. Because no one can resist basics with a touch of couture!

Atleast that's what Valentino designers, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, are hoping: "We love mixing different cultures and we have been excited to mix GAP's timeless essentials with our roman culture of Couture," they said. "It brings together the iconic world of Valentino and Gap's fashion staples, synthesizing the current trend of combining luxury with basics."

Available in Milan since November 20th, the seven-piece collection which includes cargo pants and jackets will go on sale November 27th in London.



What do you think of the collection? Do you plan on shopping it UK Glamazons? If you shopped already in Milan, what did you score and how was your experience? And by the way, I'm jealous.

Kisses,



Coutura

If there's one thing that you NEED to live this holiday season, it's a good pink lipstick. Why? Well, because there's only one other shade that you should be wearing (red, obvs) and you can't really show up to every single holiday party rocking that same shade. Sidenote: If you're like me, then you plan on going to/crashing a lot of holiday parties this season hahahaha. 

Luckily, MAC teamed up with rapper/singer Nicki Minaj and allowed her to create the perfect shade of pink lipstick. I mean, personally, I'm not like a huge fan of Nicki but I respect her hustle. Now she's risen like 8 million notches in my book because of this GLAMazing lipstick that she's created. Like I NEED this to live.

And you do, too! So here's how you can get your hands on this super exclusive shade: beginning this Friday (11/26) and three more Fridays after that (12/3; 12/10; 12/17) it will be available exclusively online at maccosmetics.com for $14.50. ($17.50 in Canada). Keep in mind that quantities are extremely limited, so once it's gone, it's gone!

Oh, and for those of you that might be wondering why it's only offered on these four Friday's, it's because there's a tie-in with the upcoming launch of her first studio album, "Pink Friday" (which, according to MTV.com was officially released 11/22).



Here she is modeling the new shade at the MAC store in Times Square. I mean, thank GOD I was nowhere in the vicinity while all of this was going down! I can only imagine how horrid and annoying that group of screaming teenagers must have been...ugh.

While I love her dress and the glitter eyeliner, I'm not really sure how it all matches up with her platinum, rainbow-colored locks. But, whatever. If her look made sense, she wouldn't be Nicki Minaj, right?

What do you think of her look from today, Glamazons? And who plans on purchasing this lipstick?!

xo

Ferocia

I've sacrificed a lot for fashion this week. Like my Twitter bio reads, I'm a Fashion addict and sometimes that gets me in trouble. This week, however, it hit an all-time high. Let me start at the beginning.

I should be arrested for the way I stalked the Christian Louboutin PR girl for an 'in' at the super elite sample sale this year. I go every year, of course, but this year, I was especially in need of a pick-me-up as work has been more stressful than ever.



Enter Blake Lively.

I was less than thrilled to learn as I waited in line for three hours (where women who weren't on the list were shooed away like pigeons in Central Park) that Blake bought an entire rack's worth of shoes the day before (that's 40 in total by the way). And I bet you she was the same size as me: 7.5. I'm crying now.



Why does a celebrity need to even shop at a sample sale? Somebody, please explain. Especially one that's on the cover of Vogue every other month due to her bestie status with Queen Anna Wintour. Especially one that has a shoe named after her.

Aren't shoes, like, gifted to you, Blake? And aren't you rich? If so, please spare a 7.5 Louboutin for someone with an editor-in-the-middle-of-a-recession income? Sigh.

Still all that didn't stop me from waiting on line in Midtown from 10AM to 1PM (while women on the street came by and whispered they "would pay money to be [my] plus-one") until I finally got checked off the list and let inside.



People were begging to get inside saying they know so-and-so who knows the PR rep...one girl even tried to sneak on the elevator and got pulled out by security! Um, wow. Upstairs, there was a sane and organized display of shoe racks labeled with European sizes "37, 38" etc.



From experience, I know I have to go up a size in Christian Louboutin in order for my toes not to bleed at the end of a club night like Kim Kardashian's. I looked through every box in the 37, 38 and 39 sections and walked away with a pair of gold sandals I can wear regularly and a pair of white lace sandals for summer outings that were my little treat.



Check them out below:

I was happy with my purchases, and am generally very blessed that I can feed my addiction for Christian Louboutins at an affordable, bi-annual sample sale. But I will say, there totally needs to be a better selection in 7.5, or I need to come earlier in the week (with the really important people, i.e. Blake Lively). The Christian Louboutin Madame Butterfly Sandals or Christian Louboutin Toggle Boots were nowhere to be found.



My good friend who is a size 10 walked away with these babies---coveted sequined pumps perfect for the holiday---as her size had the best selection. Don't you love them?

Me finding a pair of shoes like that at a Christian Louboutin sale? Not likely. But at $100-$300 in price, I am happy to score a pair of sandals, period. Add Dr. Scholl's inserts for comfort, and I will be stepping out in these shoes everyday next summer.





What do you think of my purchases, Glamazons, and the down side of sample sales? Has anyone else had trouble finding their size at sample sales? Any horror stories, or amazing finds, you can share? And what do you think of celebs getting access to sample sales?



Discuss.



Kisses,



Coutura

I don't know what came over me Saturday morning. It could have been delirium from working late five days in a row, or my unhealthy obsession with Lanvin, or the fact that I haven't went clothes shopping in months, but something possessed me to wake up at 6AM and head to the Lanvin x H&M sale.



Okay, that's not true: I know exactly what it was. I missed the editor preview event and fashion show so I feared this would be my last chance to get my hands on Lanvin. And you know I wasn't letting that opportunity pass me by!



I plotted to hit the H&M store on 86th and Lexington, because obviously everyone would crowd the 5th Avenue and Herald Square stores, right? Wrong.



When I arrived at the Lexington store, a line of 100 shoppers had already formed. In fact, one shopper divulged that they had been there since 7:30PM the night before. I don't love any collection that much.



Anyway, the line was full of impossibly skinny, mostly foreign shoppers who wore shades, chain smoked and sipped from Starbucks coffee cups.



While we waited, H&M workers in bowties served us coffee and croissants (a sartorial and cultural nod to French Lanvin designer, Alber Elbaz), security guards demanded that we not block the door to Sephora and fashion bloggers took advantage of the opportunity and handed out fliers.

 Everyone was happy to see the coffee guy!

After waiting forever, we were each given a wristband with our 'appointment time' to shop the collection. Despite waking up at what felt like the crack of dawn, my time was for 10AM. And I got my wristband at 8AM. Insert Sigh.



While you could shop the rest of the store once it opened at 8AM, the Women's Lanvin for H&M area was sectioned off and guarded by security like President Obama was hiding beneath the tulle dress rack.

 Security guarding a precious tulle dress.

While waiting inside the store for my appt time, I chatted with a shopper who had dental surgery on Tuesday and came out to H&M with a swollen face just to get her hands on Lanvin. Another came out at 4AM and brought her husband to hold her dresses.

A man that holds your Lanvin x H&M? A keeper!

Though no one was attacked like at the 34th Street location, there was drama. An argument broke out when someone tried to skip to the front of the line and when the first batch of folks left the shopping area, a guy exclaimed to me "Those people are animals!"



As for me, I tweeted away and danced happily to the tunes of DJ JVC until it was my turn to shop. My life won't end if a coat isn't there in my size.

DJ JVC somehow managed to calm us all down with tunes from Rihanna, Kanye and Jay-Z.

Lucky for me, unlike most H&M stores in the US, the NYC Lexington H&M restocked after every group so I was able to get most of what I wanted.



Since I had my shopping list already in mind, I ran in and grabbed my fur and animal print trench before the other shoppers even sorted through the first rack. I also picked up a yellow dress in my rush to the dressing room in a size 4, my normal size at H&M.



When I went to try it on, I couldn't get it up over my chest. I tried everything---shimmying, not breathing, pulling over my head---and the zipper was literally going to pop, ripping the dress down the middle. Umm, what fit models/mannequins did Alber Elbaz use?



I heard that fit was a huge problem with the collection, but that wasn't the only issue.



After I got my hands on my beloved yellow dress in a size 6 (after harassing the store clerks so much that one finally exclaimed "just get her one from the back!"), I realized the hem was fringed and unfinished...on a brilliant, ruffled cocktail dress. Not what I expect from Lanvin.



At any rate, you couldn't pull me out of the fur, trench or yellow dress if you wanted to. I am sooo in love with these garments, unfinished hem and all. Check them out below:

 This felt like a steal! A luxurious, designer fur at H&M prices!

This pose was a 'What Would Beyonce do?' moment.

Love this trench coat! Adorable silhouette, expensive fabric, great fit.

I'm going to love throwing this over a sundress and having a ready-made outfit this Spring.

You guys know, I fell in love with the yellow dress from the lookbook. Finding a great fit though was harder than I anticipated. 

Also, was shocked by the unfinished hem! Still, a lovely dress overall thanks to the color, ruffled neckline and cinched waist. 

Did you brave the crowd for the Lanvin x H&M launch? If so, what did you pick up? How was your shopping experience? Do tell!







Kisses,



Coutura







P.S. For those that slept in Saturday instead, the good people at H&M swear that there's a chance to pick up the collection from returns this week. Shop at your own risk!

While Nicki Minaj is known for some outlandish looks (and camel toe-inducing leggings...sideeye), last night she took her freakish fashions to new haute couture heights. She turned to an uber-creative designer, Manish Arora, for a head-turning look straight off the Spring 2011 runway.



The dress incorporates Nicki's favorite colors: pink (hello, the Pink Friday album) and green (yup, color of her ombre hair tips) as well as blue, gold and yellow embellishments. The gold sequin straps literally popping out of the dress resemble ribs and claws and the neckline sticks up like ears. Very creative, very Nicki.



I usually sideeye her leggings and catsuits, but I do applaud her creativity and high-end fashion in her latest look. And love those gold Christian Louboutins she paired with the dress!



I say Glam in a futuristic, Nicki-esque way but what's your opinion? Glam or Sham?



Kisses,



Coutura