At First Blush

Personally, I consider blush/bronzer to be a secret weapon.  I was reading an interview with Angelina Jolie's makeup artist, and he claimed that if he were to pick just one cosmetic, it would be bronzer or blush, which highlight and contour the face and give it a sensual, feminine, I-just-ate-chocolate (or Brad Pitt for breakfast!) glow.

That being said, there are lots of atrocious contour powerders and creams out there.  I don't like anything with chunky sparkles or extreme shades that make you resemble a ripe, slap-happy tangerine ready for its bottle-tan red carpet moment! 

The only-if-you-are-a-pornstar bronzer and bottle-tan look.  Christina honey, you're prettier than this!

Personally, as a pale person veering dangerously close to albino territory, I have to be very careful with blush and bronzer if I don't want to look like a psychotic doll.  I find that layering works best: I usually wear no fewer than 3 different products, worn over each other to give a soft, lit-from-within glow.  I like to combine bronzer and blush because they balance each other, giving you a sensuous rosiness without looking either too orange or too pink.  As if you were painting, it's better to apply more wispy-thin layers than one gloppy layer. 

Perfectly executed, sexy/wholesome rosy cheeks on the catwalk at Michael Kors, Fall 2012 New York Fashion Week.  I also want this nummy sweater so I have a reason to travel to Europe this autumn (to wear the sweater, obviously!).

And now, drumdroll, my own personal way to gain perfect, Gainsborough-worthy, sexy-rosy cheeks:

Thomas Gainsborough's 18th century portrait of his beautiful nephew, Gainsborough Dupont.  Put this guy on the CW!

After I've applied a light coat of moisturizer and foundation, I always start with this cheek stain, rubbing in wide circles with my fingers and using only a small amount.   If you have a round face, you will want to create more angularity with your cheekbones by using your contour in a triangle-shape.  If you have a long face or a thin face, you want to give more roundness to your cheeks by using a wide circular motion over your whole cheeks.  :

Tarte Cheek Stain in Flush, $30.00, sephora.com

I let the cheek stain settle in for a minute or two.  Next I use this blush, lightly, over my whole cheeks and a little below, making round, circular sweeping motions.  I use a mid-sized, big fluffy brush blush, Chanel brush #7:

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blends, PURE, $11.49.

I conclude with a melon-y, warm coral.  I use this as my bronzer, applying it with my fluffy blush-brush, going over the top of my cheeks, my forehead, my jawline, and my clavicles, the places where I would get sun if I were not a vampire.  To open up my eyes, I also sweep it just along my eyebrows to the sides of my temples:

Benefit Georgia, unfortunately discontinued!  Horde your stash or steal one from your friends!  Of the other Benefit shades I recommend Hoola, which is a little more toasty brown, and CORALista, which is a little pinker.  $28, sephora.com or that sweet little Benefit Store on 3rd Street that always looks empty and is right near a cupcake place.  Num.  

And now, your cheeks look cute as a chipmunk! 

Coats for Spring and Summer -- Yes, It's Possible!

Hellooooo to all my wonderful fans!  I have become so wrapped up in other parts of my career that I have been absent lately from my fashion blog.  Thanks everyone for your patience!

Do you ever have a day in your life that is absolutely perfect?  I had a day like that recently.  I was the creative director and photographer for an epic, day-long shoot at designer Dori's estate in Beverly Hills.  There were so many fabulous photos from that shoot that I will spread them out through a few posts.   The models I cast turned up bubbly, gorgeous, and delightful, the clothes were ooo-la-la fabulous, the jewelry and bling was sparkling, the makeup and hair people worked magic, the stylist pulled some additional lovely clothes, my enterpising photography assistant Vince was a dream -- and it was the perfect day, warm, sunny, one of those California spring days that make you feel dreamy, all tingly and content.  It was like one big fashion party, but even better -- a photo-shoot!  

In this post I am lingering over the phenomenon of the light, spring/summer coat...

As my devotees know, I am in love with the bombshells of classic Hollywood.  As I photographed and posed model Jaylynn, she reminded me of sultry-sweet sirens like Marilyn Monroe and Kim Novak.  Especially in this coat!  A great coat from the Dori Collection,  with a divine collar that frames the face so beautifully.  It's a luscious, seductive satin, and every girl needs a white satin coat to wear with her jewels and her mules at home, or with a little black dress at a summer Hollywood pool party. The jewels are from the Dori Collection, which Dori imported from Italy. I'm a great lover of bling and this spring and summer, the rule is, the bigger the better, and pile it on!  I stole the luscious push-up bra from another model, Jill -- thanks Jill! 

Jaylynn in the Dori white satin coat.  I love it's pearl-like lustre in the light.    I've been focusing on local LA designers lately, and Dori and her seamstress work on all her clothes locally.  Each is hand-made, with couture-worthy care.  The attention to detail in her clothes is exquisite. I loved photographing model and rapper Jaylynn in this sensuous, silver-screen glam coat!

Lovely Russian model Olga was exquisite in this coat.  Look at this coat!  The lace is so delicate, with its frothy sleaves and its winsome little bow.  This gem is from the Dori Collection.  You could wear this with the lightest slip underneath, or with a sheath during the day, and a stunning evening gown in the evening.  It has no heavy, suffocating weight, so it's the perfect summer coat, for those air-conditioned crispy days or chilly LA nights, and it could be sweet-whimsical or ravishing-glamorous, depending on your mood.  It fit Olga so perfectly!

You can really see the wonderful textures of the coat here, from the hand-made lace to the light-as-air, frothy sleaves, to the touch-me satin of the bow.  A note about the background: fashion designer Dori shared a story about Annie Leibovitz shooting by this pool, and I was honored to share the same hallowed ground!  I was really feeling a louche, Helmnut Newton, glam vibe that day, and Dori's home couldn't have been lovelier or more perfect.  Jewels again from the Dori Collection.

Model Carla is wearing a coat from the Dori Collection.  I think it has a light, delicious, classic Chanel feeling.  Utterly fell in love with it!  The colorful, candy-bright jewelry is by Anike, another local designer who creates and models her own designs.  Stylist Adriana supplied the peach blouse and skirt.

Model Carla with my friend celebrity publicist and author Michael Levine.  Michael always photographs well, and I was delighted to shoot him again!   Another angle of Dori's cunning, Chanel-ish spring/summer coat.  Light, minty pastels are the mood of this spring and summer, with little touches of warmth like peach and icy- cool hues like mint and aqua.  There really is such a thing as delightful, absolutely required summer coats, and I would be proud to waste my days sipping whisky sours by the pool in any of these classic, vintage-inspired numbers!

I want to do a little Academy-Award number here and thank everybody so much for their passion, talent and patience during this shoot!  I'm also listing everyone's websites so you can learn more about these gorgeous and talented folks...Thanks to Leanne Hare, hair artist extraordinaire, who did insanely good  hair on all the models, http://www.modelmayhem.com/1442445.  Sarah Michel, makeup artist, who did striking, ravishing different looks for each and every model, http://www.modelmayhem.com/1624385.  Dori, fashion designer, who loaned use of her home and atelier as well as her clothes, and thanks to her husband who made me the best cappuccino ever! http://thedoricollection.com.  Adriana Sanchez, fashion stylist, who worked tirelessly on this shoot, what a great eye!, http://palette2palate.blogspot.com.  Jewelry designer Anike and her husband, thanks for the unique, handcrafted jewels and all your help on set, http://www.anikejewels.com.  PR wizard Michael Levine, it's always great to work with you, http://www.lcoonline.com.  Models, you were so beautiful, each in your own way, and amazing!  Model/rapper Jaylynn, http://www.jaylynnprovenzano.com.  Model/personal trainer/life coach Jill, http://www.fuelrxfitness.com/professionals.htm. Model Olga, http://www.facebook.com/olgaaleksa.k.  Model/actress Carla, http://www.modelmayhem.com/2499463.  Model/actress Arlene, http://www.modelmayhem.com/1859936.  Vince Tanzilli, my assitant photographer, who worked like a demon and made my job possible and much more fun! www.vincetanzilli.com.  And thank you so much to all the other good people who made the shoot sparkle!

The King of Melrose

This post was inspired by my fortutious discovery of the new boutique "King" by costumer Terri King on Melrose.  Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, BB King, Billy Idol, Bon Jovi, Chicago, The Cranberries, David Bowie, Enya, Grace Jones, Guns n' Roses, Gloria Estefan, INXS, Marilyn Manson, Metallica, Natalie Imbruglia, Nine Inch Nails,  Ozzy Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne, Peter Gabriel, Ringo Starr, Will Smith, and The Rolling Stones are among some of the many celebrities who have called Terri King their costumer.  Now she is bringing her sexy rock star clothes to Melrose.

Terri's clothes are unusual, one might even say, poetic, and I have been wanting to focus more on the amazing fashion scene in LA.  I decided to do a shoot exploring the dark glamor and sensuality of her clothes.  Working as stylist and creative director, I pulled my favorite pieces from her store, and brought them to the studio of Johanna Siegmann, a photographer whose iconoclastic portrait style has earned her comparisons to Annie Leibovitz.  Together, we collaborated during one long afternoon in Los Feliz on a magical shoot.  Photographer Johanna captured us beautifully, as you can see in all these great photos.  It was our first time working together, but she read my mind about the vision I had for this shoot, and brought her own considerable creativity and inspiration.  The models in the photos are me and dear friend and fellow model Arlene Sara.  Arlene and I have done a couple runway shows together, and I asked her to model with me because I knew that her exotic, feline looks and sweet soul would be perfect for the shoot.  Mario, Angel, and Angel's assistant all did hair + makeup wizardry on us.  I loved my huge curls and dramatic eyes and lips.  

I'm wearing the V-Moda trench dress, which is convertible using its zippers into gloves, a waist-cincher, a bolero, a skirt, a jacket and more.  Currently on sale $575.  V-Moda is a lifestyle brand that Terri designs for, in addition to her own eponymous Terri King line.  She carries both lines in her store.  This piece has a great sheen and fit that I loved.  Like many of Terri's pieces, it has an element of conservatism mixed with a sexy silhouette.  Terri cites Gaultier and European tailoring as a big influence in pieces like this.  I am wearing my own Charles David boots.

You can see the convertible trench's lovely corset detailing in this shot from behind.  Terri loves doing convertible pieces that can change into other things with a woman's mood and occasion.  Terri: "I love designing bridal gowns and do it on a custom basis only. My favorite one was made from 30 yards of silk taffeta. It was worn as a ballgown for the ceremony and converted into a mermaid silhouette for the reception. "

Arlene is wearing a few incredible pieces here.  The bustier is made from Italian prada leather.  It looks like an armored breastplate, but the metallic details are actually recycled V-Moda headphones!  The skirt is made with the same metallic shrunken leather and has a removable peplum with pockets.  The "wings" are a piece she calls "the butterfly bolero."  Commissioned by Genlux magazine for a sculptural shoot, these wings have become a cult favorite.  They are made of airy tulle and come in multiple colors.  Corset: $1750.  Skirt: $450.  Butterfly bolero: $300.  Like Arlene, designer Terri loves bright lipstick, saying that she couldn't live without Mac Russian Red and Ruby Woo lipstick.

Another great shot of Arlene wearing the metallic silver corset and skirt.  Terri King has a very diverse clientele, making clothing for everyone from business executives to musicians and athletes. When I was in the store, several people came in purchasing pieces for the Grammy's.  She  frequently creates custom pieces for her clients, which are made in her  loft in the Brewery in downtown Los Angeles, and all her clothes are made by local contractors in LA.  Terri on her craft: "I love everything about it. I love sketching, fitting the client, and finding the right fabric for each piece. I love seeing my projects go from a concept and sketch to fruition, and my favorite part is seeing the clients face when they try their custom piece on for the first time."

We had a lot of fun with this sultry, playful look.  The purple shorts are high-waisted and made from Italian leather.  The corset is made of embroidered Chinese silk and has flexible spiral boning.  Terri studied ballerina costumes to find a way to make a corset that would still allow the wearer to breathe and dance.  Spandex on the sides gives everyone an hourglass silhouette.  The necklace is fashioned by King's mother, Sandra King.  Sandra is a visual artist as well as a jewelry designer.  She sifts through thrift stores, estate sales, yard sales, and antique stores for vintage jewelry treasures that she re-fashions into something more fresh.  She and her daughter share a certain fashion sensibility, and even though she didn't plan to orient her jewelry collection around Terri's pieces, they fit naturally and gorgeously together.   Necklace: $145.  Corset: $325.  Shorts: $375.

Here I am wearing a pinstriped dress that comes with its own detachable shrug, inspired by the film Beetlejuice.  It's an hourglass, princess-seamed dress, something you can imagine Sophia Loren wearing.  Terri's styled philosophy is simple: "Think less about trends and dress for your body. Always make sure what you are wearing speaks for who you are as a person."  I find that her pieces tend to flatter female curves and have a certain timeless, iconic quality.   Dress: $225.  Butterfly bolero: $300.  Vintage art deco pendant by Sandra King: $45.

Another great shot of the "Beetlejuice" pinstriped dress.  Designer and costumer Terri King has been working in the industry for many years, and had this to share with my readers as advice for those breaking into the industry: "My best advise is to become educated and perfect your craft. Be tenacious and never give up, even when the road isn't smooth."  A woman after my own heart!

Credits for the shoot.  Clothes: "King" boutique by Terri King 7218 Melrose Avenue Los Angeles and phone 323 271 8372.   Jewelry: Sandra King, carried by "King" boutique.  You can explore her visual art at: http://sandrakingart.com. Photographer: Johanna Siegmann http://www.johannasiegmann.com/.  Arlene's hair and makeup: Mario Llamas.  Contact me for his info.  My hair and makeup: Angel V Prado and assistant.  http://www.angelvprado.com/.  Models: Arlene Sara http://www.arlenesara.com/.  Special thanks to Sugano, Johanna, and Debbie Rankin.  I had lots of fun playing the many roles of model, fashion stylist, and creative director of the shoot: Amanda Callas, www.amandacallas.com, www.amandalive.com, and www.glamorandsoul.com.  Thanks for tuning in to my blog!

Secrets for New Year's!

One of my New Year's resolutions this year is to be more generous, sooo....I'm spilling some of my tightest-kept beauty and fashion secrets!

The Thread Bar was recommended to me by a dear friend, and now I'm passing the goodness on to you!  How do we love the Thread Bar, let me count the ways:  it's very fast, no appointments necessary, the threading stings but is faster and far less agonizing than tweezing, and I was given a nice, neat, sexy look -- no overplucking!  And the real surprise: it's about $9 for deliciously good eyebrows!  In my area, it's standard to pay $40-$60 for brows , so this is a real treat.   It's located on the second-story of a little building on the Little Tehran stretch of Westwood, with delicious ice cream just a block or so away.  Street parking, bring money for the meters, and prepare to be wowed.

1321 Westwood Blvd, Upstairs, Los Angeles 90024 310 444 9494 

http://thethreadbar.com/

It's a Wrap is my permanent home-away-from-home.  I have found absolutely everything here: exquisite vintage jewelry, workout clothes, hats, scarfs, evening gowns, cute tops for headshots -- everything.  It's a Wrap features clothes from the studios, and if you're lucky, the day you come will be sale and there will be lots of great stuff everywhere.  It's not always super-cheap, but it can be, and the quality of the clothes is often good.  This shop is THE place to go around Halloween, when the costumes are unbelievably detailed and gorgeous and totally affordable.  It's always a good place to go for browsing, and for getting great clothes for headshots or costumes for a film without spending a lot of money.  Occasionally you will find treasures -- one of the studios was liquidating some of its vintage stock here and I found the most lovely sequined clothes from shows like "The Brady Bunch Variety Hour" and "Laugh-In."  Priceless.  Parking is abundant in the rear lot -- take the alleyway just south of the building and you'll find it.  There's also metered street parking.  Wear comfy shoes, the floors are a little hard.  Each piece of clothing will have a tag with letters on it -- it's the abbreviation of the show/film in which the clothes appeared.  At the front desk, there is usually a list that will tell you what the abbreviations stand for.  There are two sites -- one in Burbank and one on Robertson.  I slightly lean towards the one on Robertson, but they are both good.  There are great clothes for men too!

1164 South Robertson Boulevard  Los Angeles, CA 90035-1404.  http://www.itsawraphollywood.com/

(310) 246-9727

DryBar is an amazing invention: a beautiful, loft-like, princess-y ode to the blowout.  For a while I never understood the blowout craze.  Now I have drunk the keratin kool-aid.  Why is this place the best?  Well, the charge is only $35 a blowout, much less than most salons, and they truly spend time doing your hair, not trying to rush you out for the next appointment.  They have a book of looks and you can also bring a photo showing what you want.  The products they use are good and smell fantastic.  Romantic comedies frolic on the silent, subtitled TV screens, and there are usually free cookies near the front desk.  I repeat, free cookies alert!  If you need your hair done for a film, an audition, a photoshoot, and so on, this is a fantastic option.  It's also a great pick-me-up, for a life-is-beautiful, my-hair-now-belongs-in-a-shampoo-commercial kind of day too.  Nothing inspires joie de vivre like the perfect supermodel blowout.  They accept walk-ins but they can be very busy, so it might be best to make an appointment.  There are multiple locations across LA including Studio City and Brentwood but I'm partial to the one in Sunset Plaza.  Lots of free parking behind the building.

8595 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA - (310) 442-6084

http://www.thedrybar.com/

Blue Christmas

Wondering what to wear in our balmy winter season at all those parties?  Cobalt blue and textured blue were everywhere on the runways.  A reason to rejoice: it's a very flattering color, from the palest of pale skins (me!) to caramel and cocoa skin.  If you are pale or moderately pink, be sure to add some rich bronzer and lip color to avoid fading, although paleness is actually considered attractive this season (yay!).  

Sometimes the holiday happens and everyone suddenly starts thinking "black."  Maybe it's to mourn all that  lost time in the mall?  It's like a wormhole that will brutally suck you through spacetime and torment you with bad Christmas music!  I myself keep putting off my routine trips to the Beverly Center's Sephora and Aveda stores, just to avoid hearing "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" and going certifiably insane.  This year, my family and I have decided to forgo presents and donate to charities instead.  Luckily, I can still give a couple presents to myself!   I think striking, texure-y blue is the color of this winter season.  And if you haven't bought yourself a present yet, you could make yourself very happy with these:

Sergio Rossi Sude Pumps $895: a piece of art. 

Or if your budget is a little more modest and your idealism burning a little brighter?

Tiana Hobo Bag by Reveal $165  www.revealshop.com

 What is so amazing about this beautiful peacock-jewel-tone-blue bag?   Not only is it nummy and gorgeous, but the innovative satin fabric is made from recycled plastic bottles!  The leather is vegan, and even the zipper is made from recycled materials. 

Blue satin, daring, touch-me sensuous, and elegant, is all over the red carpet:

It's surprisingly how lavish and flattering the right tone of blue can be in a statement gown.  If you are going to less formal parties, I like a little blue dress like this:

Rebecca Taylor Paneled Silk and Satin Dress $375 netaporter.com

This still has that very au courant shiny satin, sexy feeling, but with a more versatile cut and shape.  You could wear this out shopping or on daytime jaunts, but with the right shoes and a pretty deep pink or red mouth this could be a gorgeous little holiday dress.

I wore this vintage blue dress recently for one of my "Amanda Holiday Show" charity performances at the VA hospital.  It's from that era in the 70s when "prairie dresses" and 19th century antebellum touches were beloved:

Wearing a vintage blue dress with white lace I found on Melrose

 

 

I love it as a winter season dress because it feels Dickens-Christmas whimsical and formal while actually being very light, perfect for our warm winter days. Here's a similar blue and white lace dress:

Alice by Temperley Esmeralda Gown $795 netaporter.com

This dress could go to a party or for a picnic -- it's ready for anything!

So what about when it's actually cold?  We've had a couple 40-something degree nights when this poor California girl thought she would turn into Frosty the Snowman!  In that kind of frightening fashion emergency, I recommend a stunning coat:

Burberry Coat Fall 2011

The great thing about a classic, tailored coat like this one is that in the 60 seconds it takes to put it on, you have suddenly become instantly polished, like a magic fairy waving her "perfect attired" fairy dust on you.  And coats like these, with faintly military references, never go out of style. 

And what if your little toes are cold too?

Mysuelly Carmen Wedge 345 Euros

 

Aren't these just adorable?  There are so many delicious wedges this season, but these are really quite winning, the sort of thing one could add to stodgy, conservative winter outfit and make it suddenly chic.  Also, they actually look comfortable.  The perfect Blue Christmas shoe!

Beauty Within: Meaningful Makeovers from celebrity artist Eric Devezin

 Recently I attended a wonderful event orchestrated by dear friend and kindred spirit celebrity makeup artist Eric Devezin.  He asked me to be one of the judges of the fashion contest -- a serious day of fun!  His "Beauty Within" event provided free makeovers, panels on raising teen self-esteem in age of teen suicide, depression and bullying, and guests ranging from comedians, rappers, dancers, models, celebrity chefs to a mayor.  In addition to providing some serious heart, the event was exploding with cool fashion!

 Red hair is so in this year, if I do say so myself, and I loved the full-on anime-style color on this makeup artist as she prepares her palette!

 My makeup artist Yesenia Avila works her magic on me!  Aaaah.  I love hair and makeup in the morning.  Better than coffee, it brings me from sleepy bear to superwoman powers! 

 Not one, but two stylists pamper my hair!  Regina and Raquel give me serious fluffy barrel curls.  I don't know what I'm thinking here, but it probably goes like this: "Why can't I have this every morning?"

 A young fashion-lover gets some fairy-dust!

 Lots of great performances!

 Me and Yesenia my makeup artist on the red carpet!

 Striking a pose!

 I'm wearing my own fashion collage: pink tutu meets silver sequins meets my favorite hat by English designer Philip Treacy.  Every outfit is better with a hat!

 Fellow redhead hairstylist Raquel Rubin rocks 40's pinup hair and has such a gorgeous smile.

 Red carpet heaven!  You have to drag me away!

 I totally love these Egyptian-style eyes in beautiful starry midnight -- jewel tones and cat's eyes are so this season.

 More Egyptian eyes -- elegant, mysterious, and sexy.

 Rocking feathers!  We've had feather extensions, feather dresses, but these have to the biggest, baddest feather earrings I've seen.

Dance troupe Makadoutious shows us how it's done.

Me on the red carpet with Eric Devezin and some young fashion stars.  Thanks Eric for having me! :)

Old Hollywood New Hollywood

Everyone who knows me cannot help but notice my adoration of Old Hollywood -- the glamor, the style, the wit, the charm, the polish, THE CLOTHES.  I grew up watching black and white films and feeling sure that once I turned of age I would enter a world of civilized magic where I could wear a different Adrian costume everyday! 

I cannot help but be completely charmed when modern stars embrace Old Hollywood glamor....here are a few favorites!