BellaSugar

Frida Kahlo Launches Makeup Collection . . . From the Afterlife!

BellaSugar — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:00:59 -0800

I have, uh, grave feelings about this makeup and skincare collection. The Frida Kahlo line has launched, complete with a boutique in Staten Island. Kahlo, a Mexican painter whose work is appreciated by art historians and feminists alike, has inspired the collection of mineral makeup, body lotions, and antiaging and antiwrinkle face creams.

Frida died in 1954, and recently the Kahlo family granted the name and image rights to Naturals Skin Care, the company that developed the line. The CEO, Antonio Sciortino, spent time reading Kahlo's private journals before developing the line. "Reading her letters was a life-changing experience for me. She was very much into
aromatherapy herself - mixing and creating her own makeup and lotions," he said.

While I think it's cool that a unibrowed, mustachioed woman is being hailed as a beauty icon, I can't help but think that Frida herself wouldn't love the commercial aspect of this brand. (After all, she was a communist.) What do you think of this endeavor? If you're an art aficionado, would you add any of these products to your permanent collection?

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Bella Donna: Dolores Del Rio

BellaSugar — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 07:00:11 -0700

Mexican actress Dolores Del Rio came to America at 16, after her wealthy family lost most of what they had during the Mexican Revolution. Born Maria de los Dolores Asúnsolo y López Negrete in 1905, she was very successful in silent films. However, as speaking films became more popular, she found herself pigeonholed into smaller parts. She acted alongside Orson Welles (who fell in love with her) in 1943's Journey Into Fear and Elvis Presley in 1960's Flaming Star. Late in her career, she took more Spanish-speaking roles, and by the time of her death in 1983, she had acted in more than 60 feature films.

Aside from counting Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo as friends, she had film-star fans as well; Marlene Dietrich called her "the most beautiful woman in Hollywood." With her big, round eyes, flawless complexion, and perfect curls, it's not hard to see why. Channel the silver-screen senorita with brow pencil, dark lipstick, sooty black liner, and cake mascara. And don't forget the nails - Del Rio always wore an almond-shaped manicure.

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The Best of Bella, 11/25

BellaSugar — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 09:30:51 -0800

Check out the new Korres cosmetics collection!
While you're at it, have a looky-loo at holiday collections from Stila and Laura Mercier.
Would you get a beauty-brand tattoo?
Turn Thanksgiving leftovers into a DIY spa treatment.
Are you cute, sexy, or pretty? Join the discussion.
Find out how to get my new favorite mascara for next to nothing!
Is a Barbie spa/salon good for little girls?
Frida Kahlo skin care? Yep, it's true.

Inside The Beauty Routines of The Very Young

BellaSugar — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 12:00:03 -0700

Do you think you're high-maintenance? Wait until you read the two-hour grooming routine of Bethany Conheeny:

After washing her naturally wavy hair, she spritzes, sprays and straightens it with £120 [around $240] designer ceramic straighteners. If there's so much as a kink left, she starts again. She's rigorous in her cleansing, toning and moisturing routine, and before leaving the house, applies a slick of lip-gloss. At the weekends, it takes longer. Bethany - who has £70 [around $140] worth of beauty treatments each week, including a spray tan, pedicure, manicure and eyebrow wax - applies St Tropez blusher, pink eye shadow and mascara.

The catch? Bethany is nine years old. To get my take on this situation, read more

Frankly, when I saw this mentioned on Jezebel, I was flabbergasted. Obviously, I love makeup, hair, spa treatments and the like-and lots of little girls are interested in playing dress-up. But this level of primping and maintenance seems unhealthy, particularly when these girls seem to be buying into the idea that they can't be pretty without spending two hours getting ready. Really, does any little girl need to have her eyebrows waxed? I can't imagine that even the prepubescent Frida Kahlo needed that!

Don't get me wrong: I think there are age-appropriate ways to enter the world of beauty, like painting toenails with Mom or wearing Bonne Bell lip balm. But some of these girls are getting leg waxes, tanning-booth sessions, and begging to wear Chanel foundation-all before they've turned 12 years old. It doesn't seem like healthy curiosity; instead, it seems like an obsession that breeds insecurity at a time when these girls need to believe they're smart, talented and pretty just as they are.

I know what you're thinking: Where are the parents? You'll be shocked-shocked!-to find out that many of them are actively encouraging these beauty routines. Catherine Conheeney, mom of high-maintenance Bethany, is hoping that her daughter's looks can help her become successful. "Bethany will need to be slim to be a model," she says. "But I'm working hard to explain that she needs the right balance of food to make sure she's healthy. I've just entered her for a modeling competition to find the next Kate Moss."

Like I said, I'm flabbergasted. Are you? Or is this merely a sign of the times?

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