Venus Vixen of the Week...Jennifer Hudson!

Look what God can do! This was an obvious choice for Venus Vixen of the Week after Hudson wins the Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress and giving America the best Cinderella story ever! Jennifer Hudson says she feels like she is dreaming an incredible dream. After amassing numerous acclaims for her role as Effe White in Dream Girls, her first movie role ever, Jennifer Hudson went on to win a Golden Globe Award in January. Hudson began her singing career at Progressive Baptist Church, where she sang with the choir. She credits her Grandmother as her inspiration who she remembered her during her Oscar acceptance speech.

I'm Just Happy to be Here!

Like it or not, Oscar is the gold standard of the motion picture arts. And like it or not, there will always be the perennial fashion parade, canned speeches and corny jokes but, last night's Oscar awards ceremony seemed just a little hohum. The jokes were too tame and politely unoffensive, fashions were a little too safe and there were way too many nominees that were just happy to be there.

I dozed off three times, but here's what I didn't miss:

Nicole Kidman in Balenciaga (what was she thinking?)

Kate Winslette's (Little Children) in Valentino, Jennifer Lopez in Marchesa

Helen Mirrin (The Queen) looking absolutely exquisite and every bit the Queen in her 50s in a golden Christian Lacoroix dress.

Gweneth Paltrow in Zac Posen. Beautiful dress. Some may hate me for this but, I think it would have looked better on someone else.

Penelope Cruz (Volver) in Versace, Cate Blanchette (Notes on a Scandal) in Georgio Armani Prive'

I've read that Cameron Diaz was considered one of the best dressed last night, but it looked more like prom night than Oscar night.

Beyonce' (Dream Girls) in Armani Prive'

Its An Honor Just to be Nominated!

Almost like being there, no?

It’s Oscar Night! The night where either spirits will soar or be dashed to the floor! The 79th Oscars Awards Show airs tonight on ABC at 5:00 pm Pacific Time/8:00 Eastern Time).

All eyes will focus on the swath of red carpet flowing from the famous Kodak Theater entrance tonight to a countless convoy of limos and hybrid vehicles as stars glide into the theater amid a human wave of paparazzi, reporters, fans, PET activists and wannabes. As a style watcher of course, I’ll be watching too, but from the comfort of my couch.

Serious Oscar chic from recent years.

From left to right: Minnie Driver, Heather Graham, Jodie Foster, Halle Berry

This year’s nominees will be wearing their best designer gowns, custom and RTW, their best poker faces, and enough diamonds to feed a starving third world country for the next ten years. Oscar night is just as important for D&G, Versace, Cavalli, Gucci, and the names roll on.

Not just the designer gowns, Harry Winston, known as the jeweler to the stars and Michael Katz of Beverly Hills, are perennial favorites for providing beautiful, jaw-dropping pieces for actresses strolling the red carpet also. In 1999, Whoopi Goldberg, hosted the 1999 Oscars broke the record for wearing the most diamonds wearing $41 million of Harry Winston jewels, the most worn by any person at the Oscars.

And then there’s the $500,000 Diamond Dream shoe created by Stuart Weitzman.

Anika Noni Rose, star of Dream Girls will be strutting her stuff in the most expensive shoes to stroll the carpet tonight. This eye-popping shoe is a silver stiletto heel with more than 30 ctw of 1,420 individual brilliant cut Kwiat diamonds set in platinum.

Back to the Oscars…

Some strong contenders this year for best motion picture of the year:

Little Miss Sunshine...........The Departed......................The Queen

Best Actor in a Leading Role:

Ryan Gosling................Forrest Whitaker.........Leonardo DiCaprio

Peter O'Toole..................Will Smith

Best Actress in a Leading Role:

Meryl Streep.................Penelope Cruz..............Helen Mirrin

Judy Dench..................Kate Winslet

and the winner is...

In Black and White

I LOVE BLACK AND WHITE! And so did the designers at London's and Milan's Fashion Week. The Fall and Winter shows featured a lot of classic updates. This looks like a return to serious chic. Check out the evening wear:

Just Cavalli... Ben Di Lisi... Ferragamo

Venus Hot Picks for Spring '07

What’s hot? There are tons of great products in the stores right now, but these are my picks for the best of what's around.













NEW for Spring -- sheer shades to flatter a wide range of skin tones! The Violet Face Palette has everything you need to create Bobbi's NEW Violet Look. This limited-edition palette includes seven shades: three Eye Shadows, one Blush, and three Lip Glosses. All shades, except Mahogany Eye Shadow, are only available in this palette.




Bobbi BrownAvailable for a limited time only! The Violet Collection features a vibrant crop of violet-inspired shades for eyes and true beige shades for lips. www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com



Photo Finish Foundation Primer

Smashbox makeup artists use this product to create a perfect canvas for foundation application. The silky blend of vitamins and antioxidants does double-duty as a primer and a mattifier, while the unique formula helps to inhibit the destruction of collagen, and fills in fine lines. www.smashbox.com



FINISHINGS™ SPRING 2007

This spring, Fashion Fair adds three beautiful colors to their Finishings collection. Spice of Life, Pamper-Me-Pink and Strike It Rich. Spice of Life is a bronzed peach that kicks earth tones up a notch with deliciously glamorous results. Pamper-Me-Pink indulges the lips with a deep rosy shimmer. Strike It Rich lavishes lips with an overlay of pure golden bling. www.fashionfaircosmetics.com














TRUE FINISH® POWDER MAKEUP A new shade was added to their mineral powder makeup collection increasing the collection to eight shades. FF8, a rich dark brown it's perfect for individuals requiring a more intense shade of brown. Visit www.fashionfaircosmetics.com

BROW ZING Brow Zing is the ultimate brow kit that includes all the essentials you need to create perfect arches.Kit includes a soft, pigmented wax that defines and shapes brows and a complementing setting powder to keep brows perfect and in place, plus tweezers, a hard angle brush, and a blending brush. www.sephora.com

The Replacements

What’s worse than rummaging through a bulging, slimy, dirty bag with a scary assortment of makeup that has spilled, dried up, and has become downright toxic and teeming with all sorts of things you hope no one will ever see? Rummaging through it on a regular basis for that perfect shade of plum lipstick.

If you have makeup in your bag that has celebrated its 5th birthday before your eldest child, it’s time for a serious makeup make over. You’re not only hauling around makeup that has long outlived its fashion relevance, you are also dragging around bacteria that can pose potentially serious health risks. . . bulging red eyes from seven year old mascara?. .NOOOT PRETTTTY!!!
First things first, if your bag is gross, a lot of that makeup probably is, too. Toss it out!

Good thing is, you define what a good makeup kit is for you after all, you’re the one that will be using it. But there are some basic elements that that you should have for
Your Ultimate On the Go Kit:
You don’t need to tote the entire palette you use to apply your make up every morning. Think small. Touch up items take up less space.

Here’s the short list:

Blotting paper – absorbs the oil on your skin to make your makeup look freshly applied
Bronzing powder – gives a fresh sun-kissed glow
Loose Powder brush - retractable brushes are compact and sanitary
Lip liner – in a natural, neutral shade
Lip gloss with a hint of color
Brow pencil - in a shade that natural color that matches your facial hair (for fair skinned
women go a little darker)
Mini mascara – Lancome’, Dior, Smashbox

A bag with these essentials will serve you well in a pinch.

Top Tips to Keep it Clean.

1. Sometimes you just have to let it go. Some items last longer than others , but my number one rule is to get rid of old mascara. All makeup is susceptible to germs and bacteria, but mascara is used closest to your eyes which are sensitive and more susceptible to contracting any bacteria your wand may be carrying.

2. Powder. It gets cakey and also carries bacteria.

3. Clean your bag regularly. Turn it inside out, wipe with a clean cloth if it is lined in plastic. Alcohol will kill many of the germs that may be living rent-free in your bag. Since you’re at it, while your bag dries, wipe off and dry your tubes, containers and bottles.

4. For cloth bags, wash in with mild soap and water. You can wash in the gentle cycle of your machine or hand wash.

5. Make sure your makeup caps are screwed on tightly to prevent spills.

When to Part Ways.

Mascara – every three months*.
Loose powder – once a year, or sooner if it starts clumping.
Powder blush – once a year, or sooner if it starts clumping.
Foundation – every six months, or sooner once it starts to smell weird.
Concealer – every six months or sooner once it starts to smell weird.
Liquid eye liner – every six months*.
Powder eye liner – once a year*.
Eye shadow – once a year*.
Lipstick – every two years or sooner if it starts to smell weird or if the color changes.
Lip Gloss - every couple years or sooner if it starts to smell weird or if the color changes.

*if your eyes ever become irritated from using any makeup product, get rid of it!

Here are a few cool alternatives to upgrade to:

Bobbi Brown leather makeup bag at www.gloss.com makeup bag, $30.00

Trendy Wendy Train Case

Kate Spade

Sephora


Sephora

Elf Cosmetics

And where would the most fun place to start a beauty blog than with the Barbie Syndrome? We all love Barbie because she comes in all shades and ethnicities, has the most slamming and fierce wardrobe, has her pick from any non-biodegradable dude from Malibu Ken to G.I. Joe (my brother's Mr. T. from the A-Team even dated her for a few hours) and has an ass-kickin' fleet of vehicles and homes from shoe boxes to condos. But, Barbie's darkside: she would be freakishly disproportionate if she were human and would definitely be in the minority.

But, despite all of the warnings and cautionary tales of the Barbie Syndrome and extreme cosmetic surgery (Michael Jackson), there are still countless women and men who will spend more hours recovering from surgeries than they do eating, reading, watching television or for some people, even sleeping, over the course of their lifetime.

I certainly care about how I look and loved Extreme Makeover. Some women (and men) do take the quest for perfection too far (Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton, Tom Jones). I am an advocate for plastic surgery and am always excited when new products come out that promise to make you slimmer, younger, sexier, toner, sultrier, and every other 'er that embraces looking good. I applaude the advances medical technology and am anxious to give facial rejuvenation a try. But, can you imagine spending countless hours under a surgeon's knife and hundreds of thousands of dollars on cosmetic surgery? At some point, don't you stop looking human and begin looking more like an android?


Cindy Jackson has set the Guinness world record with more than 30 procedures since 1988. She looks great and probably would have looked equally fabulous after the tenth or fifteenth visit, but now with so much 'plastic' I wonder how much of her will actually decompose when she dies. She's beautiful, but she'll never reach Barbie's pinnacle because she'll always be subject to gravity and will always be too biodegradable.

I'm not throwing stones and don't think I'd be hesitant to have someone slice my face open to put it back together better than it was before, but I cannot afford cosmetic surgery of any kind except the one that Avon sells in jars! I'm dying to try some of them. If anyone else has used the Avon products that claim to paralell going under the knife, let me know.

I'd like to see some posts about your experiences with extreme cosmetic surgery. You may help someone.

The Upside is. . .

The majority of us want to look our best, be gorgeous, without our soul being the price tag. There are countless products and procedures available today to force gravity to work a little harder to make us look like our grandmothers before we are ready to.

Today's Hot Beauty Product Pick


Lancome’s HIGH RÉSOLUTION with COLLASER-48™
Claim: To renew collagen in just 48 hours.

It'sIn just 4 weeks, 82% feel firmer skin, 69% see age spots reduced, 67% experience younger-looking skin.***In Vitro testing shows that production of new collagen begins in 48 hours.**Percentage of women who reported visible improvement in a 4-week consumer test.

This information was obtained from Lancome's website. Who's tried it? Share your thoughts on this product.

M.A.C. loves Barbie, too.







M.A.C. Couture Sheer Mystery Powder

Claim: Mysteriously silky-soft in texture, it glides on to give the skin a velvety matte, slightly luminous and altogether flawless finish to the skin.

One of the best weapons against the effects of aging: a sense of humor! Its fun, its effective, its free!

Please note: Products featured on this blog are for comment and review only. Not for purchase. The comments and reviews on any product listed on this blog is purely the opinion of the poster.


Next Month..Big Lips & Big Butts and Even Skin Tones for the Tone Deaf