Jennifer Romolini, Shine staff’s Blog
By Jennifer Romolini, Shine staff Last updated: Wed Jul 2, 2008 10:41am PDT-
Exclusive from Glamour: Diva Christina Aguilera becomes a chill, low-maintenance mom
There are a lot of things I like about the Christina Aguilera interview in the August issue of Glamour (on newsstands July 8th)*. In it, the singer comes across as someone you might want to hang out with, especially if you were a new mom and just really in love with your husband and kid. And I feel like—unlike a lot of spoiled, annoying stars—Aguilera has one of those hard-working, rags to riches stories that makes her success seem especially sweet. Read the interview's highlights. You'll like her too.
Photos by Robert Erdmann
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Today in Retro Beauty: What's the deal with cold cream?
So my friend and co-worker Annette and I were sitting around a few weeks ago bemoaning the many, many grooming indignities of modern womanhood: The facial (not to mention other) hair maintenance, the never-ending skin hydration, the constant nail upkeep, etc to infinity. Then we were wondering if maybe it was easier in generations past, when there were not only fewer areas to groom, but fewer magic products and potions to own.
Case in point: Remember cold cream?
Do you know how much this stuff does? OK. Let me fill you in. There are women of our mothers' and grandmothers' generations who seriously used nothing else on their skin. It was just cold cream to take off the makeup, cold cream to moisturize, cold cream to wear overnight with curlers and be a 50's housewife cliché. You know what else? Lots of these women continue into their 70s to have truly amazing skin, soft, supple, not-completely-wizened-like-a-prune-that's been-left-on-the-counter skin.
So what's in cold cream? Read More »- Let’s talk: Comment (25) | Blog
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Is the economic downturn forcing you to give up your favorite beauty products?
Oh, man. You know things have gotten bad when we can't afford lipstick. According to a story in last week's WWD, 59 percent of female consumers have curbed their spending on beauty products, compensating by using less, trading down to cheaper brands and finishing the absolute last of an item before buying anew.
This trend is especially worrisome, the story reports, because in past downturns, cosmetics have been the last little splurges to go—even in a weak market, consumers would regularly indulge in, say, an expensive tube of lipstick or a hair product over dropping serious money on a new bag.
Financial analysts are viewing this as an "economic transformation," the last layer in a series of cuts... Read More »- Let’s talk: Comment (55) | Blog
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Britain's Next Top Disabled Model—I don't know, I just don't know...
Um. Where to begin with this one? There's a new BBC series called Britain's Missing Top Model, which debuts on Tuesday and will feature eight women with disabilities—ranging from missing limbs, deafness and a neuro-muscular disorder that makes it nearly impossible for one contestant to walk—all striving to become models.
Photo: BBC
According to the BBC, the program is an attempt to "challenge the artificial boundaries that seem to exist in the beauty and fashion industries." But I really worry that this show will just end up major, tragic exploitation—like a sad freak show. And that would suck. Read More »- Let’s talk: Comment (16) | Blog
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New study shows a super-skinny face makes you look older (We say: No duh)
Have you ever noticed how haggard extra-skinny celebrities start to look as they get older? It's kind of scary, actually—while their fannies remain tight and tiny and youthful, their faces start to look sad and sunken, a bit of a Tale From The Crypt.
Katy Winn/Getty Image
This "choose your ass or your face" dilemma was first expressed publicly, weirdly, I think by Mae West, and has been voiced recently by super-fit stars like Madonna (it's also one of the cornerstones of Howard Stern's "butter face" theory). But I always remember it from Courtney Cox, who once said:
“In Hollywood, you get your bottom half to be the right size, your face may have to be a little gaunt,” says Cox. “You choose your battles.”
Hollywood wisdom aside, a new study out of University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center proves Cox's theory true. Read More »- Let’s talk: Comment (24) | Blog
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Spending too much money on my cats, part one: The Climber
Two hundred dollars for a cat scratcher/climber? I can hear my critics now. But even though I know, actually, I am absolutely certain that I should not invest in this cool modern cat scratcher and instead just buy an ugly one from my local pet store that's made of rope and wood and rug remnants, I just cannot resist. The thing is, the cats and I have to learn to co-exist peacefully, they have certain needs and so do I—they need to jump up on things and cut their little nails on them and I need to live in a nice (ish) home. And, if I buy one of those slopped-together rope and rug scratchers I will look at it every day with complete disdain. In some weird way that might translate to my relationship with my kittens, as they will be the reason I now own ugly things.
So, I'm gonna go ahead and splurge on this crazy/ridiculous (but quite handsome) Climber. And, in the long run, I know we'll all be happy.
Do you spend too much on your pets? If so is your rationale as transparent and shallow as mine? Read More »- Let’s talk: Comment (16) | Blog
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More stuff under $50! This time, from the awesome online surfer store, Swell
Oh my freakin' God. It's a rare and exciting day when I come upon a store that I haven't heard of before, that has all the stuff I'm looking for in one place and that sells this stuff at prices I can afford. But all of this is true of the truly great surfer website Swell. I first... Read More »- Let’s talk: Comment (11) | Blog
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Online lust: The Scottish site Papa Stour is a great spot for unusual wedding gifts (and future me)
When it comes to my apartment— though I'm really an Ikea/West Elm/Target girl with two destructive cats, clutter and some chairs found in the trash—I like to fancy myself a design person, one of those humans whose home is spare and clean and peppered with sleek furniture and just a few beautiful, well-chosen objects.
The incredible online store Papa Stour deeply fulfills the latter part of my fantasy. Based in Scotland, the site is stocked entirely with products that have been handmade by local artists. And the resulting inventory is rustic and special-feeling... Read More »- Let’s talk: Comment (0) | Blog
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Janet Jackson to design lingerie (insert wardrobe malfunction joke here)
I have nothing against Janet Jackson. In fact, if pressed, I would have to say she's my favorite Jackson (a close second is Jermaine, if only because he named his son Jermajesty—perhaps the awesomest name for an heir of all time). I like Janet fine, but I don't find the lady particularly sexy. To me, she has two modes. She's either sweet and too cute or kind of sweaty and, well, I'm just gonna say it, Nasty. And, because of this dichotomy, her sexiness feels weirdly contrived, a persona that maybe she's not all that comfortable with but she knows sells records. And that makes me sad.
Michael Buckner/Getty Images
So, when I found out yesterday that Ms. Jackson is launching a collection of lingerie, I didn't think... Read More »- Let’s talk: Comment (13) | Blog
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Because your summer wardrobe shouldn't cost more than $50: Sandals edition
I've been thinking a lot about how, in the summer, it's almost as if I can't get enough clothes and shoes. Everything feels so breezy and loose and I just want to try a new thing every day (unlike the winter when I buy a pair of boots, jeans and a sweater and sulk in the corner of a bar until spring). This season I've been particularly obsessed with shoes, especially nearly flat-to-the-ground sandals (the true, high, complicated gladiators are a little too unfeminine for me, I've been going for more simple variations). Anyway, I love the versatility of this footwear, how you can wear it with dresses or skirts or with jeans and a tee. Check out some of my favorites here—they're all under 50 bucks.
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