Once while home visiting my mom in West Virginia, she nearly threw my Blackberry at my head a la Naomi Campbell because I just would not/could not put it down. She was frustrated that I was constantly tapping away on it and not listening to her (little does she know that I am capable of two things at once!). I do, however understand her concern. I was being a bit obnoxious about it.

So when my phone conveniently fell into the toilet the last time I was home, my mom was secretly elated. (I wouldn’t be surprised if she paid off that toilet to trip me so I’d drop my phone). After that whole “rice” suggestion not really panning out, I was sitting around without a phone until my replacement was shipped. As mentioned, her computer is from 1999 and her home is not equipped with Wifi. Sigh. What’s a girl to do? How on earth was I going to keep up with Twitter updates and update my Facebook status?

We are an incredibly overstimulated society. There are far too many distractions for us. Family dinners are nearly non existent and the ones that are usually are drowned out by the garble on TV. Kids are being diagnosed left and right with ADD when they really are probably just overstimulated with all the Hannah Montana and Dora the Explorer going on. No one remembers how to pick up the phone anymore let alone pen a handwritten letter. We don’t even use full words anymore. “C U L8R!”

It’s so very easy to get caught up in our little social bubbles that we forget to just be totally quiet. When’s the last time you really had a moment to yourself? Complete peace and quiet?

I suggest taking an entire afternoon or even a weekend if you can muster up the courage to completely unplug and disconnect with the outside world so that you can re-connect with yourself. I’m willing to bet that the world will carry on as normal with or without your BBM’s.

xx,

WhyDid

This morning I was lucky enough to be asked to volunteer my face for a makeup class that Linda Mason was teaching at her workshop in Soho. I remembered that many, many moons ago, Ms. Mason was the makeup artist for a runway show that I was in.  That particular show was a bit “abstract” (read- I had plants in my hair and a yellow triangle on my eye), so I wasn’t exactly sure what I had gotten myself into, but was very pleasantly surprised.

Today, the students were learning about “bridal makeup.”   Linda wanted me to tell them what kind of bride I would like to be. Ha! This has got to be a sick joke.  I have no idea what type of bride I would like to be. So, I guess that made me the “indecisive bride.”  Anyway, Linda did a demonstration for the students on my face where she played with different styles. My right eye was a soft, romantic bride while the left was more glamourous and sexy. She filled in my lips with pink and then red. She added shadow and tweaked liner. She was able to create several different looks with just little changes to my makeup. Each one was more stunning than the next. This woman is clearly a genius, I decided. 

The students then took a break and my face was cleaned off. When they got back, the students got a chance to recreate the looks. A young lady taking her first makeup course was in charge of my next look. I was not facing a mirror, so I had no idea what she was doing. I snuck a glance or two and saw that she was using shades of blue and coral, and I’m not going to lie, I got a little bit nervous. I figured I was about to be “80’s bride.”  However, when she was finished, I was amazed. She did a wonderful job and I left Linda’s workshop looking like a supermodel.

Chatting with Linda, you would never realize that she has quite the resume. She’s charming and sweet, but don’t be fooled.  She’s painted the faces of models, actresses, and celebrities (Charlize Theron, Naomi Campbell, Joan Jett, Sarah Ferguson to name a few). 

If you are a bride who knows what kind of bride she’d like to be, you are an aspiring makeup artist, or you just love makeup, you need to get down to The Art of Beauty.  I know that when(if) the big day comes for me, I will most definitely entrust my face to Linda Mason. 

The Art of Beauty -Linda Mason

26 Grand Street

212-625-0490

www.lindamason.com

Which leads me to my real point, since when did models stop gracing the covers of magazines?  Why have they been evicted from the supermodel throne by these sassy little starlets?  Call me crazy, but isn’t that what models do?  Now they are just stuck with the editorials, ad campaigns, runway shows, and (gasp) showroom appointments? 

I read an article once about how models no longer have the star appeal and the personalities of the first generation of “supermodels.”  Well, here’s a thought, maybe if you actually put them on the covers of your magazines and let them be interviewed and have personalities rather than just being lifeless mannequins on the runways, people would sit up and take notice.  Personally, I miss the days of Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, and Naomi Campbell (to name a few).  They were celebrities in their own right.  People wanted to know about them.  Now, the closest thing we have to “supermodels” are Adriana Lima and Heidi Klum (thanks to the brilliant marketing of Victoria’s Secret).  No offense to Jessica Alba and Sarah Jessica Parker, but I will turn on the TV if I want to see you, or better yet, pick up a copy of US Weekly.  Using actresses as models on fashion magazines makes it feel less authentic and more commercialized.  It takes the edginess out of “fashion.”

I miss when fashion was raw and real.  I miss backstage runway catfights.  I miss the supermodels of the 90’s.  I want to see Lily Donaldson and Jessica Stamm on the covers of US fashion magazines.  Take a stand, ladies!  Reclaim the throne.  I’ve got your back.

xx,

WhyDid