Anyone who's flipped through my
pinboards will guess that I have a wee fashion magazine addiction, which has not been allocated its requisite % of drivel. And if you hadn't seen it, here's
Part #1: Vivi Magazine, of what will imminently become a series.
...starting right now.
Marie Claire Beauty Bible is a biannual cosmetics supplement which is sold independently of the main magazine in Hong Kong for the very accessible price of HK$20 (less than £2). It offers a tightly-edited rundown of the latest trends and new products each season with a cleaner layout and less padding/digressive random than Japanese beauty mags, which is why I try to pick up a copy whenever I can but also why I wouldn't keep one past its season.
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| cover |
Beauty trends
I enjoy the more fashion/runway tilt of these collages as distinct from Japanese magazines which focus more on the domestic OL market or target very specific subcultures and rely on a small stable of house models with a fairly narrow range of eye/face shapes.
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| What a delicious variety of looks -- blue eyeshadow FTW |
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| Graphic shapes to play with |
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| The magazine's own spinoffs on the trend, on three different eyeshapes |
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| I prefer their take on the "English Rose" thing to the
minimalist runway pics (umpteenth clean skin, bambi lashes + slick of
lip balm season, yawn) |
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| I'm not sure if this is an intentional Beatles ref or the Engrish adjectival striking again. *ponders* |
Hair trends
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| does what it says on the tin |
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| yep |
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| ....seriously. Call me a saucy pedantic wretch but I think this answers my earlier Beatles question. |
New Releases: false lashes oh wait, mascaras *eyeroll* We'll just look at the wands, then. The ones on the left give a more natural and the right a more dramatic look.
Tutorial: eyeliner
A back-to-basics primer about brushes, the differences between pencil,
liquid and gel, and a few notes on tweaking your line to suit your
eyeshape.
Editorial
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| I'm currently trying to work out ways to wear white eyeshadow and liner; this is both sharp and soft |
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| Judge away, but I think this is kind of awesome and subverts the prim dress |
Skincare articles: 10 pages on on various kinds of acids, some products featuring them and the best bases, concentrations and combinations.
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| incidentally a flattering soft take on This Summer's Colour |
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| most interesting to me: unfamiliar acids used in Asian whitening/brightening products |
And a paean to that Asian beauty staple, lotion -- featuring products split into four types (ultra-hydrating, whitening, oil-production-balancing and anti-ageing) and thirteen ways to use the stuff, from the obvious (use it for facial massage! use it as a daily five-minute mask! mix it with your foundation to lighten the coverage and texture!) to the intriguing (use a cotton pad doused in SPF-containing lotion to blot the face and refresh cakey makeup? likewise, treat it as a makeup primer? and on a cotton bud, to clean up makeup mistakes and prep the skin for corrections).
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| some lotion-massage techniques |
Due to copyright, I posted less than 10% of the magazine, but it should give you an idea of the house style. This issue also included extended features on foundations, nails, fashion, perfume, overnight skincare, 24 hour moisture, and the expected summer-issue pieces on pedicures, hair removal and dieting (boo!)
