Thursday, March 14, 2024

John Galliano’s High & Low” Documentary, the Crash & Burn then Galliano’s Phoenix Rising.

                            By Laura Medina

Before Dior then Maison Marigela, Creative Director John Galliano crashed when in an exhausted burnout or nervous breakdown, a drunk Galliano spewed antisemitic and racist anti- Asian slurs, slurred as his speak. When he realized the average French Parisian don’t give a damn about his high-level, high-pressured haute designer status, they burst his designer bubble, sending him and his career crashing onto Earth.

Coming back from the ground up, John Galliano is coming back as Maison Marigela, sprinkling his theatrical magic dust onto the runway.

His self-destructive documentary, “John Galliano, High and Low,” traces his antisemitic Catholic roots while his extreme low of alcoholism followed by his extreme highs in working out, to detox the drugs and alcohol.

It also shows you, what it means to be a designer of today.

What apprising designers really want to be, is be a Creative Designer.

What most folks call a design house, is really brands.

As Dior’s Creative Director, John isn’t afraid to say, he was in charge of two design houses with their own four lines of haute couture, contemporary ready to wear street/urban wear, accessories, makeup and skincare. Times two, John was designing 8 lines every year, non-stop.

There were no vacations, just research trips to create fresh fashion trends.

In-between, he had to do party and press, media blitzes.

No rest for the weary, no personal life, all that dedication and hard work accumulated into episodes of drugged and drunken nervous breakdowns.

Even his right-man committed suicide due to the responsibilities and demands.

When you hit rock bottom, your true friends come to your rescue.

Ironically, it was the predominantly Jewish fashion that came to John’s rescue. They owed up to saying the fashion industry that they’re part of and own and run, is reason why John had that infamous nervous breakdown.

After leaving Paris and resetting on a farm, John Galliano recovered enough to make a comeback as Maison Maricela’s Creative Director. 

Of course, he’s now a different person. No longer hogging the spotlight as celebrity designer, he still sprinkle his theatrical magic dust on another genre-busting runway show but this exhausted bad boy hid behind the curtains.

In a “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris,” 1950’s period fashion piece, a young smart fashion executive said why don’t Dior expand into accessories of purses, shoes, and makeup, lipstick and powdered foundation mirror compact for the average woman to have touches of haute couture?

That idea have proven to be any fashion brand’s bloodline, the foundation holding the lofty ceiling of haute couture.

John Galliano was the real life, flesh and blood of that, burning out on non-stop treadmill of designing 8 lines of clothes, accessories and the beauty lines.

Those demands killed Alexander McQueen but John Galliano survived it.

Renewed and wiser.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Oscar Beauty, 2 Days of Makeup & 3 Months of Skincare.

                                 By Laura Medina


After 23 years learning and living then the next 16 years reporting and covering, this scribe discover and cherish time-honored Hollywood tradition, such as Oscar Week! Awards Season, Hollywood dream come true!

A locals-only, the Miss Dior pop-up beauty cafe. Now, the cat is out of the bag! 

Last year, it was a real cafe with lattes and savory snacks and fancy desserts, worthy of “Emily in Paris,” with Dior makeup makeovers and J’Adore Dior rose perfumes.

This recent one for this year’s Oscar weekend, Miss Dior pop-up was a fancy ice cream parlor with a rose floral shop with the mandatory makeover stations and the J’Adore perfume bar. Don’t worry, they still had a latte cafe. You need makeovers fueled by rose-tinted, strawberry-flavored caffeine to get you through the rounds of nonstop pre-Oscar parties and soirées leading up to the Oscars.



Oscar Week or Oscar Weekend is the ideal time to launch beauty and fashion products when nervous, anxious nominees and their way more nervous dates, need stuff now, that work immediately.

Ilia Beauty launched their brand, new skincare-based Skin Rewind Complexion Stick on Saturday, day before Oscar Sunday.  Their promotional pop-up was a treat trying out the new Complexion Sticks as foundation, concealer, and contour. They had their tinted sunscreen with their tinted lip balms. 

This is two days of makeovers.


Remember, this and any Awards Season starts in January with  Golden Globes launching it, during Winter.

Oscars complexion starts in January, during Winter.

Sweet July by Ayesha Curry’s Castaway Cream’s shea butter, castor oil, and meadowfoam seed oil moisturizes with antioxidants while niacinamide keeps the greasiness at bay.


For stressed, nervous adult skin, it can’t be too oily to pop up stress pimples and pimple scars, yet it can’t it be so drying that wrinkles and crow’s feet show up,.. for all the world to see.

This is where Ayesha Curry’s Sweet July Irie Power Face Oil comes in handy. 

This clarifying oil has the olive oil and neem seed oil to moisturize during the harsh winter while salicylic acid and turmeric clarifies the skin away from clogging pores and debris from pimples. Prepping skin while preventing blemishes, for those close-ups on those big nights, when everyone is watching tv, picking flaws for sport.

Yeah, Oscar beauty and Awards Season skincare is all about saving face closed up, on a global stage. But yeah, it sets you up for years of good skincare habits.




Thursday, February 22, 2024

“Demise,” A Latina Take on “Fatal Attraction,” A Guilty Sex Thriller Treat.

                                        By Laura Medina 


Nothing deep, nothing meaningful yet a guilty treat of an emotional rollercoaster of sexual thriller, according to a real triple threat of “Demise” movie director, producer, and screenwriter, Yara Estrada-Lowe.  Growing up, she’s always a fan of Eigthies and Ninties erotic thrillers.  But it’s 2024, with exploding Hispanic market, she thought it would it be nice to have a Latin spin on a love triangle and desire.  She did it with “Demise.”


Good looks and sensuality runs in the Mendez family. Eva Mendez’ half-brother, Carlo Mendez is an actor in his own right and long, established career.  Yes, he plays the cliche hot Latin lover, but in today’s “Demise,” he’s portrayed as a player who’s served with karma, both good and bad.  His character, Caleb, undergoes a real character journey riding life’s rollercoaster.


“Demise” is a contemporary erotic thriller set in present day with real, current, and common problems that majority of people deal with everyday, infertility affecting infidelity, revenge while rebounding, and desire versus jealousy.  Liz Fenning’s “Celine” is the woman done dirty by life, that this scribe does feel empathy for. 


In today’s life, every woman needs an objective gay buddy who sees it for what it is, to tell her what it is. This is where a strong supporting character comes, “Miguel” played by Morris Jude Martinez.  Being supporting to be supportive, never means being minor. 

Come February 27th, you can devour this sexy, erotic eye candy, “Demise” on Apple TV, so you can have something naughty while munching on your chocolate bonbons, French macarons, candy truffles, and toffees.  “Demise” is naughty, sexy treat.





Monday, February 19, 2024

Fun Market Research is Burger King’s Carnival Pop-up.

                                 

                             By Laura Medina


In quest for the next fast food hit, in addition to mass question to the mass public in an advertising campaign asking people in creating the next, great Whooper, lucky Los Angelenos were treated to a Burger King pop-up carnival on the massive Santa Monica Pier.

Amongst the fun and games, with swag, Burger King will discover the next, new Whooper.

In order to get their free Whooper, there are three menus, Santa Monica Whooper, Impossible Burger, and Customized Whooper. The Customized Whooper was the secret sauce. Anyone can put anything in their Customized Whooper. Whatever and whichever combination is the most popular, will be the next Whooper.

While munching, folks gulped down oceans of Orange Fanta and Coke and Coke Zero Ice Cream 🍨 floats while getting limited edition swag and designing their dream Whooper on t-shirts.

It was a Whooper Weekend all afternoon.

Got your mouth watering?

The Oscars for Makeup Artists & Hairstylists, the MakeUp Artists & Hairstylists’ Awards.

 By Laura Medina 



Let’s hear it for the behind the scenes makeup artists and hairdressers and hairstylists who help actors get into character or get then posh and polished for red carpet’s flashion glare. That extra confidence boost.

Last night was the Oscars for hair and makeup, the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Awards for the best in special effects and anywhere where celebrities need help.

TV legend, Marla Gibbs and Cheryl Hines showed up.

Diane Nyad made an appearance.

Remember, it’s awards season.


Monday, February 12, 2024

Cupid’s Secret for Valentine’s Day

                                 By Laura Medina

If you’re running out of idea of what to do for and on Valentines Day, go hang out at the mall.

Specifically, the Beverly Center.

If you go all the way to the very top, you’ll discover a secret.

Cupid’s Secret, a burlesque cabaret club with aerialists, dancers, singers, and yes, strippers who are also aerialists.

Talent is sexy and brave.



Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Tarte Gifts Kindness on Its 25th Birthday

                                     By Laura Medina


It was a mere moment in time.

Tarte Cosmetics’ bus tour celebrating its 25th birthday.

Since Tarte is big enough to treat influencers with overseas and international city trips where influencers have to test drive Tarte’s goodies in various climates and environments then makes fun of those who don’t get the assignment, Tarte is big enough not to get, but to give back for thanking fans while giving those who deserve the most-teachers.

At each bus stop, they’ll stop at a select Ulta for a mere one hour then they hop onto a school where they gift teachers well-deserved goodies that will be much appreciated.

Tarte’s founder’s mom was a teacher. With her success, Maureen thought giving back to under-paid, unappreciated, and over-worked teachers, treats, would a wonderful idea.

It is.

At each one hour Ulta stop, Tarte encourages fans to show, be on the local morning news then be gifted with the freshest and newest Tarte’s products, always healthy.

Instead of get, Tarte gives.