Over the last two weeks, the photos of the Miss Korea 2013 contestants had gone viral around the web, causing a stir with debates over plastic surgery and standards of beauty (“One Dream, One Face”), among some issues. However, more photos emerged on the web – and this time, the revealed photos of the contestants sans makeup. Of course, disappointment ensued from Korean netizens, with commentary ranging from polite to downright insulting. Upon closer glance, when you compare the before and after photos side-by-side, it seems like the after photos are result of photoshop and not a result of plastic surgery (although it could all be arguable).
Plastic surgery or not, I feel that the Miss Korea 2013 campaign still promotes a problematic standard of beauty: that there is only one standard for us to follow. Check the photos below the cut. What do you think, Audrey readers?
Dove released a “Real Beauty Sketches” Ad campaign which questioned whether or not women viewed themselves the way a stranger viewed them. Are we too hard on ourselves? Do we focus on the negative features?
Apparently so.
Dove sent seven women to describe their facial features to an FBI-trained forensic artist so that he could sketch them. As expected, the women generally focused on qualities they pay the most attention to- the negative ones. Afterwards, a stranger was asked to describe the same person and the two separate portraits were hung side by side for comparison. The tagline for this ad campaign? ”You are more beautiful than you think.”
DEPT Mind and Body
Issue Fall 2013
Author Anna M. Park
HED: Fight the Blight
Acne affects 40 to 50 million Americans; nearly 85 percent of all people have acne at some point in their lives. And while acne medications abound to treat this most common skin disorder in the U.S., more and more experts are recommending lifestyle and diet changes to fight adult acne.
The best explanation I have ever found on adult acne is in celebrity dermatologist Dr. Jessica Wu’s book, Feed Your Face (feedyourface.com). Contrary to popular belief, Dr. Wu espouses that what you eat does affect your complexion. According to Dr. Wu, “women with adult acne also tend to have higher levels of insulin in their blood, elevated androgens (the male sex hormone), and higher rates of insulin resistance than those without.” Androgens naturally spike around ovulation, which can lead to hormonal acne, usually showing up on the chin, neck and jawline. While there’s not much you can do about PMS, there hormone associated with increased oil production and clogged pores. are things you can do to minimize the hormonal effects on your complexion.
Manna Kadar Cosmetics was the exclusive make-up sponsor of the 2013 LA Fashion week providing make-up for the runway shows last month. While some might think this was a daunting task (handling every show!), Manna of Manna Kadar Cosmetics takes it all in stride. This could be because of the long-wearing make-up she designed for the everyday woman. Says Manna, “The premise for the line is [that] all the items are long-wearing, double duty so once you put the make-up on, it doesn’t move, it doesn’t smudge.”
Manna got her foot in the beauty industry door at an early age as she owned seven cosmetic stores by the time she was twenty-two while attending USC. Operating cosmetics stores was the best hands-on training for her as she was able to truly test every product constructing her own analysis on what product performed well and what product didn’t. She would go on to take some time off and venture into the financial world as a banker for seven years. But her passion for beauty consumed her and she jumped right back in, acquiring a few more salons and spas. What did she gain overall from this experience? “I kind of learned both sides of the business…the combination of the two is what led to creating Manna Kadar Cosmetics,” says Manna.
AUDREY caught up with a busy Manna in between one of many shows during Fashion Week and we got the lowdown on her collaborative working process with fashion designers, one of her key products and how to achieve beauty “fabulousness” in a mere seven minutes.
Nigel Barker, the host of “The Face” on Oxygen (and a former judge on America’s Next Top Model), recently talked to Juju Chang of ABC News and provided some refreshingly great tips on taking a selfie. Click on to find out how you can take your best selfies for your next Instagram or Facebook profile picture!
The Hong Kong de Chanel Collection is that perfect gift for the about-town gal – especially the one who dreams of those sultry nights out in Hong Kong. What I love about the colors in this collection are the metallic hues that are inspired by the city lights of HK. You can’t go wrong with Chanel, right?
Buy the collection here.
Last Friday, Japanese cosmetics company Shiseido announced they would stop selling animal-tested cosmetics, going in effect in April. This decision was due to the fact that the European Union is on it’s way to finalizing their decision on banning such products by the end of March. Since Europe is a big market for the company, Shiseido will use other means to prove their products are safe (human volunteers, other forms of tests, previous test data). However, Shiseido says they will still sell animal-tested products if animal testing is the only way to prove the products are safe or some products require animal testing.
Designer collborations are not coming to an end anytime soon: Lancôme announced that they have teamed up with Jason Wu for their next beauty designer collaboration. The collaboration will be out in September, but no other details about the line have been released yet. Of the upcoming makeup line, Jason Wu said “What was so intriguing about partnering with Lancôme, beyond the quality and luxury of their products, is the notion that the brand doesn’t impose a model of beauty but rather invites women to embrace themselves. This is the embodiment of a truly sexy, modern and confident woman, much like the women I design for.”
Our breathtaking Winter ’12-’13 cover girl, Maggie Q!
Click on for more pictures!
