Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe

What Do Marilyn Monroe and the Mona Lisa Have In Common? Lipstick.

One hundred years ago this week, La Gioconda — better known as the Mona Lisa — was nabbed from the Louvre.


One hundred years ago this week, La Gioconda — better known as the Mona Lisa — was nabbed from the Louvre. A century later, that famous smile is making headlines through a new interpretation by artist Duncan Cargill. What's different about his take on da Vinci? Cargill created his painting, along with Vermeer and Warhol re-creations, using cosmetics instead of traditional paints. His Mona Lisa's skin tone, for instance, was made from layers of foundation; Marilyn Monroe's iconic face was made with nail polish, eyeliner, and lipstick. ("It was a bit spooky having those eyes staring at me while I blacked them out with eye pencils," Cargill admitted.) The works were commissioned by UK-based online beauty emporium Feel Unique, which is auctioning the pieces to raise funds for three cancer charities: The Eve Appeal, Look Good... Feel Better, and Breast Cancer Campaign. The auctions, accessible on Feel Unique's site, are live for the rest of the week, should you desire to add to your art collection.

Swimwear

Channel Your Inner Beach Bunny in Retro-Inspired Swimwear

We're loving all of the swimwear options that are out there right now; at Miami Swim Week, we've seen tons of different prints, colors, and silhouettes, and with each season brings a fresh crop of new looks to try.
Retro-Inspired Swimwear: Shop '50s Bathing Suit Styles For Summer

We're loving all of the swimwear options that are out there right now; at Miami Swim Week, we've seen tons of different prints, colors, and silhouettes, and with each season brings a fresh crop of new looks to try. However, one bathing suit trend that never seems to go out of style is '50s glam. Just look at the effortless allure of bathing beauties like Rita Hayworth, Esther Williams, and Marilyn Monroe. Not only did they have killer curves and perfectly coiffed hair, but they were undeniably sexy while still leaving a little to the imagination. Modern-day stunners like Eniko Mihalik and Marloes Horst worked the trend for Bergdorf Goodman and Seafolly campaigns, respectively — proving that flirty ruffles, sweet gingham, and sailor stripes can still be hot combos. If barely there bikinis aren't your thing, or you just want to try a more retro look on the beach this season, click through to see all of our '50s-chic swimwear picks.

Lipstick

This Portrait of Marilyn Monroe Really Pays Lip Service

Look closely at this monochrome rendering of Marilyn Monroe.


Look closely at this monochrome rendering of Marilyn Monroe. From a distance, it may seem to be a simple portrait done in crayon or pastel, but the actual medium is something far more unusual: lipstick. And not only lipstick; specifically, the portrait is assembled out of individual kisses from the lips of the artist, Natalie Irish.

This isn't the first time we've seen art made from lipstick (in fact, Karl Lagerfeld is even known to do some of his drawing in the stuff), but it's certainly a new take on application methods. To see the individual kisses up close, just keep reading.

Marilyn Monroe

How Marilyn Monroe Handled Her Nude Photo Scandal

Whether or not the nude photos making the rounds on the Internet are actually Blake Lively (she says they're 100 percent fake), the young actress can take solace in the fact that similar scandals have rocked past glamorous superstars, including Marilyn Monroe.

Whether or not the nude photos making the rounds on the Internet are actually Blake Lively (she says they're 100 percent fake), the young actress can take solace in the fact that similar scandals have rocked past glamorous superstars, including Marilyn Monroe.

Even before the days of iPhone cameras, sexting, and computer hackers, naked snapshots of the bombshell captured the public's attention in 1952 when they were featured in a calendar, and later in the inaugural issue of Playboy. Everyone speculated that the woman looked an awful lot like Marilyn, and as her movie studio contemplated how to deal with the crisis she suggested she admit she posed for the prefame photos in 1949 for $50. So Marilyn gave an interview in which she copped to going nude for the camera because she needed the money to pay her rent. Suddenly the former struggling actress was sexy and sympathetic.

Marilyn's response may be a PR lesson for today's starlets. She admitted that the photos were of her, while leveraging them to further her career. And she owned the heightened sex appeal they brought her, famously responding to a reporter's question about what she wears to bed with this cheeky answer: "Why, Chanel No. 5, of course."

Celebrity Beauty

See Marilyn Monroe's Beauty Evolution

After all these years, people are still talking about one of the most charismatic actresses of the big screen, Marilyn Monroe.
Marilyn Monroe's Beauty Evolution

After all these years, people are still talking about one of the most charismatic actresses of the big screen, Marilyn Monroe. Michelle Williams plays the legendary performer in My Week With Marilyn, and countless celebrities, from Jennifer Lopez to Madonna, have emulated the iconic star. Marilyn continues to inspire people with her hair, makeup, and overall beauty style — so we've gathered together a few of our favorite Marilyn quotes. Check them out now.

Source: Memory Lane

Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe: Movie Star, Blonde Bombshell, Housewife?

Before Marilyn Monroe was a blonde bombshell married to baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, she was Norma Jeane Mortenson, a 16-year-old housewife married to policeman James Dougherty.

Before Marilyn Monroe was a blonde bombshell married to baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, she was Norma Jeane Mortenson, a 16-year-old housewife married to policeman James Dougherty. It's difficult to imagine the icon as a teen newlywed in the kitchen, but a letter that recently sold at auction for $52,460 reveals some tidbits about her life before the fame, scandals, and her premature death. Read some of what she wrote in this letter to her foster mother, Grace Goddard.

On wifely duties: "He really keeps me busy cleaning the house and fixing meals, everybody told me that it is quite a responsibility being a house wife, and boy, I'm finding it out. But it really is a lot of fun."

On her husband: "Jimmy is so swell to me, in fact I know that if I had waited 5 or 10 years I couldn't have found anyone who would have treated me better. I just think the world of him and we get along so nicely. He is just so sweet about every little thing."

What do you think of the picture of Marilyn Monroe as a housewife?

Poll

Yea or Nay? Movies on the Screen in Home Staging

I've noticed a trend in real estate staging that I'm on the fence about.

I've noticed a trend in real estate staging that I'm on the fence about. Homeowners and realtors have taken a liking playing well-known movies while they photograph rooms with televisions in them. Ashton Kutcher, for example, chose a Marilyn Monroe film to play in the screening room of his bachelor pad, which is on the market for $2.6 million for charity. I've seen everything from Breakfast at Tiffany's to Scarface in these shots, and I get the feeling that the chosen film is intended to say something about the lifestyle of the person living there — and more importantly, any potential future homeowners.

What do you think about this staging technique? Do you think it's distracting, or do you think it adds something to the homes?

Shopping

Fab Read: Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn?

It's an age-old question: are you the bombshell or the debutante?

It's an age-old question: are you the bombshell or the debutante? The flirty starlet or the sophisticated first lady? Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Timeless Lessons on Love, Power, and Style ($16) starts with a fun quiz that will help you figure that out. Whether you identify with one more than the other or happen to be a little of both, this Fab read is part style guide, part history lesson. You'll learn tons about both of the iconic women — like their favorite books and music — and get tips on how to emulate their style and overall allure in all areas of your life. This is a totally useful tome, and as a very proud Marilyn, I'm looking forward to using the tips.

 

Thanksgiving

Yummy Links: From Giada De Laurentiis to Marilyn Monroe