YouTube Brings Beauty to the Small Screen

The popularity of video is growing exponentially. Through sites like SlingBox and other services that stream online video conventional television is becoming less popular. Like radio, television is threatened by the need to eliminate commercials and pick and choose content on demand. Television shows can be streamed online, downloaded on iTunes or illegally via file sharing sites like BitTorrent. Even though TV reaches over 70 million homes, on YouTube alone, 40 million videos are viewed daily. The beauty industry has capitalized on this trend by having their own TV channels online to advertise their products. Rather than having a television show, companies like Smashbox  take the more economical route by posting tutorial videos on YouTube. Among the thousands of beauty tutorials online, videos put out by large companies have the authority of CNN over citizen vloggers. At the same time, this free access to television outlet puts everyone on a level playing field, giving bloggers, like myself, the opportunity to freely share my knowledge and my passion.

Lady Gaga: Better Blonde or Brunette?

Lady Gaga wasn't always the platinum blonde sensation she is now. Back in the day, she used to rock long, dark brown locks. Below are two vids: one from a talent show when she attended NYU in 2005 and the other the music video for her newest hit from her album The Fame Monster, entitled Bad Romance. I'm a huge fan of LG's avant-garde hair and makeup choices but which do you prefer. Blonde or brunette?

Radio is dead. It's okay, I brought my iPod.

In CBC’s series The End, host Jian Ghomeshi, explores how radio, TV and print are quickly on their way to being obsolete. With podcasting, satellite radio, digital radio, and downloading people are given the opportunity to be more selective about what they are listening to. Listeners can be their own deejay and choose to fast forward through commercials, rewind and re-listen to their favourite parts. As a student, podcasts make it very easy to use as part of a presentation in class or to cite in an essay. Rob Farina, Program Director of CHUM FM, notes that radio is one of the only technologies out there that "is free, reaches 95% of the population, ubiquitous and portable"; however, it does not have the personalization features that podcasts offer. Having an RSS feed, mp3 capable phone or an iPod  make fiddling with the dial on the ye olde FM/AM radio and listening to commercials a thing of the past.

My take on the end of TV and Print to come...
(photo: FriendsKorner.com)

Glow Like an Angel

Style.com sent fashion blogger, Tommy Ton to photograph behind the scenes at the filming of this year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. The VS Fashion Show airs on CBS, Tuesday Dec. 1 @ 10pm or 9pm central time. One of my fave holiday traditions is to curl up on the couch with my roomies and yell at the screen at the musical acts who are trying not to gawk at the models while they are performing. Besides the showstopping costume-lingerie, no one does glowing skin like Victoria's Secret!

Makeup artist Tom Pecheux applies glow on cheeks, brow bone and in the inner corners of the eyes. Because VS's makeup line isn't available in Canada (La Senza boutiques carry some lipglosses, shadows and some body products) I turn to M.A.C.'s Iridescent Loose Powder in Golden Bronze.

First Video Hair Tutorial!

If anyone has any requests let me know in the comment box below.

Where the Trendy and Beautiful Things Are

Tonight, I'll be attending the Charity Ball Theme Release Party at The Barking Frog. There are bound to be some hair masterpieces and beauty blunders that await me! Pictures to follow!

Pretty Peeves: Dark Lipliner

"Pretty Peeves" is going to be a series of hair/makeup/grooming habits that many people think look good, but makes my blood boil. This season, I am a huge fan of the deep burgundy lip and lip liner worn on the entire lip to make the colour last longer. But lining the outside of the lip and filling it in with a light lipstick--or even worse--not filling it in at all should not happen.

It was a very brief trend at one point in the Nineties and its intention was to make the lips appear fuller. Leave this trend in the past where it belongs and use a lip plumping lip gloss instead. My pick? Smashbox's O-Plump Intuitive Lip Plumper.