Forever Shine

We are wiser, bolder, richer and stronger because of you!

Loleatta Holloway
11.5.1946 - 3.21.2011
American Singer

Elizabeth Taylor
2.27.1932 - 3.23.2011
English-born American Actress

Geraldine Ferraro
8.26.1935 - 3.26.2011
American Public Servant

Forever Shine

This lady was a champ!

Lena Horne

6.30.1917 - 5.9.2010

Hollywood, Red Lipstick and Sex Symbols: A Celluloid Love Affair

Silent film star Theda Bara was probably the first actress to wear red lipstick. Thanks to the handiwork and make-up artistry of Maximillian Factorowitz, better known to the world as Max Factor, the deep red lips that blazed across the screen in the 1920's ignited a trend that to this day signals passion, romance, love and sex appeal.

In the earliest days of stage and screen, dramatic make-up punctuated by striking red lips separated actresses from the ordinary women who could not easily afford to buy extravagant beauty products. By the mid 1940’s that all changed. Several different make-up companies began introducing seductively named lipsticks and matching nail polishes that were sold in department stores and drugstores all across the country. From the red carpet to the living room carpet, from the ballroom to the boardroom, from the bright lights of Hollywood, to the dim lights of the bedroom, the allure of red lipstick is here to stay!

Some of our favorite red-lipped celebrities from the present and the past: Qwen Stefani, Scarlett Johansson, Krisitn Bell, Lil Kim, Chistina Aguilera, Madonna, Billie Holiday, Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, Naomi Campbell, Kate Walsh, Pee Wee Herman, Anne Hathaway, Queen Latifah, Kate Perry, Mary J. Blige, Ashley Tisdale, Boy George, Hayden Panettierre, Grace Jones, Chloe Sevigny, Diana Ross, Lady Gaga, Alek Wek, Taylor Swift, Angelina Jolie, Lena Horne, Beyonce, Betty Davis, Ava Gardner, Lucille Ball, Lola Falana, Beyonce and the list goes on and on….

There's a red lipstick hue for you too. If you have a cool complexion, a skintone that’s pale with pink undertones, choose cooler reds like a true red or a pinkish red. If you have a warm complexion, a skintone that has yellow, olive or darker undertones, choose warmer reds with a brown base, like a brick or rusty red.

Lip Liners

This one comes from Tom Ford, fashion designer, film director, lover of red lipstick.

On the transformative quality of a polished lip in this month's Vogue, Tom says, "When I was a kid, when someone rang the doorbell, my mother would put on lipstick before getting the door. Lipstick makes you look dressed."

We couldn't agree more.

Lip Liners

This one comes from Maya Angelou, an American poet.

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

Lip Liners

This one comes from Erica Jong, an American writer.

And the trouble is, if you don't risk anything,

you risk even more.

Smack, Dab and on the Money!

Sisters of the Gloss called this shot in a January post (1.28.10), way before Tiger's announced return to the Masters.

http://blog.zap2it.com/thedishrag/2010/03/tiger-woods-wife-elin-nordegren-helps-win-his-sponsors-back.html

Gaga, I Get It!

And for those of you who, at one time or another, chose to sway, shake, swoon or sashay with LaBelle, Cher or Madonna, you get “Gaga” too.

Following in the platform-wedged tradition of these out-of-the-box music and style icons, Lady Gaga defies the norm, takes risks, dares to be different and elevates the art of self-expression. And that, quite frankly, should empower us to sing our own tune, dance to the beat of our own drum and wear a shade of Lady Gaga’s “I’m a Star” to conquer any planet we so choose to orbit.

What Was She Thinking... Elin Nordegren

She's got her Tiger by the tail. People magazine reported that Elin Nordegren wants to go back to her "swinging" husband, golf's fallen sports hero Tiger Woods. With a renegotiated prenuptial agreement worth over 25 million and two kids she'd like to raise with their father close at hand, who can blame her? No doubt, there's more to this Tiger's tale. If Elin forgives Tiger, America will forgive Tiger. If America forgives Tiger, the major endorsements will return -- along with all of the spectators, all of the viewers and all of the fans.

To shield her from the brutal winds of public opinion, Elin should probably continue wearing the protective lip balm named Par For The Course.

What Was She Thinking... Sasha Cohen

After competing in the U.S. Championship last Thursday night and finishing second in the short program, Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen told the Salt Lake City Examiner,"When I ended that program and saw everybody standing, I felt so happy to be here after all the obstacles I’ve overcome,” She continued, “I’ve been to two Olympics and would love to go to a third but it’s not the end-all of my life. To me the accomplishment is being here and skating.” Said with the poise and the polish of a true professional!

Finishing 4th in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships last night could not have been the outcome hoped for by the gifted 25-year-old skater known for her beautiful artistry and effervescent on-the-ice sparkle. Yet, with her Vancouver dream dashed forever, she mustered the irrepressible spirit of a champion, and graciously passed the torch to the next generation of skating super stars, "They're great, they're cute, they're excited," she said as Mirai Nagusu and Rachel Flatt addressed the press after earning the two top spots on the U.S. Olympic team.

Watching her glaze across the ice after a four-year absence, I was so very impressed by her courage and charisma. Only one gloss could mark this occasion -- a shining fuchsia named Triumphant Star.

What was she thinking.......YaVaughnie Wilkins

I suspect she was thinking like thousands, millions even, of jilted women with spurned affections and broken hearts. With funds to put her Oracle executive lover on blast, YaVaughnie, who I suspect wears a shade of “Don’t Cross Me” Berry, has become the maestro of a global chorus chanting “You Go Girl!”

Oh, about Mariah Carey? Loved her in “Precious, based on the Novel Push by Sapphire.”

What Was She Thinking... Mariah Carey

So, there she was at the Golden Globes flashing her very own matched set of bronzed and brazen extraterrestrial orbs! My goodness, dear ones. We know that she is always doing the diva, but squeezing herself into a tight-fitting Herve Leger that's barely big enough to corral her ample cleavage does not a true star make. Even us stalwart devotees of the decollette know that there's a difference between sexy and sleazy. Walking the red carpet is, after all, jus a tad different than walking the street. So next year, Ms. Carey, if you must take the plunge, please plunge less, or not at all.

The lipstick we think she was wearing: Bombshell Gone Bust, an ultra tacky, champagne-colored gloss.