Halle Berry's New Cropped Coif

Halle Berry looks amazing no matter what she's got going on with her hair, save for her recent Harper's Bazaar cover. (Whose harebrained idea was it to put a Raquel Welch-esque wig on Halle Berry?)

But I'm absolutely loving the new short do she debuted yesterday. When you've got a face like Halle's, a cropped coif that frames her delicate features seems like a no-brainer.

What do you think of Halle's return to short hair?

Photo: gossipgirls.com

Get The Leona Lewis Look

Every morning, while I get ready for work, I tune to the Weather Channel – to figure out what I’m going to wear, and how I’m going to wear my hair (no need fussing with it if rain or humidity is going to render it limp or frizzy). Then I flip to VH1 for some background noise. Recently, without fail, just as I’m about to head out the door, Leona Lewis appears on my screen to serenade me with her hit, "Bleeding Love." The last few days, I have switched from being mesmerized by her voice to being totally obsessed with her makeup.


I’ve performed one exhaustive search after another trying to find out which products she used for the video, but turned up empty-handed. I did manage to track down her makeup artist’s website.

Jane Bradley has more than 15 years of experience under her makeup tool-belt, and her work with Leona Lewis has put her career on the fast track.

Her website’s blog doesn’t divulge the products used in the "Bleeding Love" video, but it does offer some of Jane’s techniques and favorite products.

For Leona’s February 2008 Harper’s Bazaar shoot, Jane used shades of black and brown on the eyes and kept everything else skin toned – even the lips. This look worked well with all the rather theatrical clothes that Alison Edmond (fashion director Harper's Bazaar) had chosen. This look draws all the attention to the eyes which looks very seductive. Jane opted for a nude shade lipstick instead of a gloss to make it look more editorial and recommends shades by MAC in High Tea and Nars lip shades in Belle du Jour and Dolce Vita. If your natural lip colour is quite strong try rubbing in a little foundation or concealer before the lipstick. Jane also discovered a great lip pencil recently by ModelCo in Erase which may also help neutralise very pink lips.

In complete contrast, the shoot for You Magazine was another story altogether. This time the clothes were very feminine and girly with lots of long hippy inspired prints and flowing fabrics (summer’s going to be divine!) Jane and Leona decided to go for simple yet dramatic flirty eyes; no clever shading or strong eye shadow here, just lots of individual false lashes applied both to the top and bottom eyelids to give the freshest dreamiest eyes ever. Leona’s favourite colour, pink, was used to gently add colour to the cheeks using Daniel Sandler’s Watercolour blush in Icing. Lips were enhanced using lip balm and a slick of Bobbi Brown lipstick in Pale Pink.

Here are some of Jane’s beloved beauty products:

*Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage concealer compact
*Laura Mercier Secret Brightener (use it under the eyes before foundation then followed by the concealer; it has an iridescent hue which bounces light off the dark area giving extra help for really stubborn eye bags)
*Products from The Organic Pharmacy
*Products from the Stella McCartney Care organic skincare line

Jane also has an instructional DVD called Lips to Lashes, in which she shows how to apply make-up correctly, dispels myths and reveals tricks she uses on celebrities and models. To check out a clip, click here.

Fashion Week: Movin On Up, To The West Side

So after meeting with Samara, but before the MAC dinner at Indochine, I made a pit stop at the Lancôme Boutique on the Upper West Side for an evening of fashion and beauty. Julia, Marina, Amber, Erika, and I sipped on mocktails, picked up copies of Violet by Design, and got our hands on the limited-edition (but not yet released) Christopher Kane Juicy Tubes. Amber picked up a tube of the Tokyo Plum Blossom gloss, while Julia couldn’t decide to wear, smell, or eat the butterscotch scented/flavored Grand Café Crème Brulee.

My favorite part of the event was the opportunity to meet Kerry Diamond, Vice President of Global Communications at Lancôme (she is the former Beauty Editor of Harper’s Bazaar). I talked with her for at least ten minutes - and she was absolutely delightful.

We vowed to warn younger generations against plucking their eyebrows, and chatted about the plight of the nearsighted. While on the topic of contact lenses/glasses/Lasik surgery, Kerry told Amber and me the cutest/funniest story. Not too long ago, she fell asleep without removing her contacts – which she says she never does. The next morning when she woke up, she turned to look at the alarm clock and was shocked by how clearly she could read the time. She said that, for about 45 seconds, she thought it was a miracle and that her eyesight had been restored. How hilarious is that? I enjoyed talking to Kerry so much; I was a little in awe of her, to be quite honest. She’s so chic and successful, but completely unpretentious and personable!


Erika and Kerry Diamond


Me and Lancôme Spokesmodel Selena Breed