Which means Yas and I are back in the land of stubbies and dunnies. Thank goodness we each have several cloth hydrating masks at our disposal (SK-II, Biotherm), so that the skin on our face doesn’t crack from that whopping great big trip to NYC, London, Milan, Paris and a small stop over in Iceland on the way home for some hakarl (literally: rotten shark). Yep. That’s five weeks of high fashion we’ve Primped on about right there, guys. Man, do those fashion types know how to take their sweet ass time.... more

Lilac is a fairly predictable spring/summer makeup shade. We tend to gravitate towards pinks and purples and oranges when the weather becomes warmer because obviously we are inspired by the soft pastel tones of the heavily-fragranced country roses that grow in our gardens, or at the very least the fashion that hangs on the racks at Myer. Chanel is a long-time lover of lilac, as evidenced by Peter Philips, Chanel’s Creative Director using it at both the Chanel cruise 2009 show, and this week at the spring/summer 09 collections. But he always keeps it fresh with a new take on the lips or cheeks or something.... more

Well, I never. (I have no idea what that means. Do you? Do tell. Please. I do so dislike using phrases out of laziness/habit when I don’t even know what they mean.) Over here at the Paris spring/summer 09 shows, Louis Vuitton and Miu Miu have openly spat on the idea that the spring/summer collections can’t feature strong lip and eye makeup, going all the way to town with both. Kind of fun but kind of a lot of work when it’s 29 degrees outside and you can barely be assed to apply mascara.... more

Which is good, because we adore her. Tash was ‘specially busy in Milan, where she was the first face for Gucci, Roberto Cavalli, and Versace, opened and closed Dolce & Gabbana and Blumarine and closed the Moschino and Etro shows, too. (Closing is equally as important as opening a show, for the record. Ok, maybe 98% as important.) And she’s been just as visible in Paris. Especially since our beloved Catherine McNeil has taken ill.... more

Some of them must have been reading PRIMPED, with all my bitching and whining about same hair, same makeup again and again, no drama, no crazy, because just LOOK at the present we’ve been given today! (Like, SO ask and ye shall receive).... more

Old mate John Galliano, he doesn’t mind a bit of ‘80s excess. Not at all. Which may be why the models on the runway at the Christian Dior Spring/Summer 09 sported a total hair and makeup overload. Let’s see what we had: Crimped hair. Fringes. Hair pieces. Strong brows. Strong eye makeup. Strong lips. Fierce cheekbones. And all topped off with some big earrings. But joo know what? It looked incredible.... more

I’m sorry, I know I should be the one geeing everyone up about all of the amazing trends exploding from the Spring shows, but after only one day at the shows over here in Paris, in my stripy top and beret, chomping on a bread stick, I have to say COME ON, HAIR AND MAKEUP TYPES. Yes, it has been only one day, but I already kind of have a bit of a hint as to what we’ll be seeing here… just like what we saw in NY… and London… and Milan: Centre parts. “Nude” makeup. Red lips. Backcombing. Slicked back hair. Of course, there is nothing wrong with any of these (The Big Five, we’ll call them) we’d just like a bit of a shake up, you know? Maybe some curls? Some lilac lips? A new part?
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Gucci always gives good show. Always sexy. Sizzly. Nothing silly, frumpy or cutting edge here, just fabric-based SEX. The hair and makeup, of course, is no exception. But that was to be expected. Literally: Yesterday I said to Yas, “I bet Gucci does huge, soft waves and smoky eyes.” And what did they do? Red lipstick and plaits. KIDDING. Obviously that anecdote ends in the Gucci show again doing huge, soft waves and smoky eyes. Only this year, they ditched the gold and brown shadow for emerald tones, and swapped their beloved centre part for a delightful, swinging side part. ... more

And even though we’re over here at the shows, eating Panini and sipping on Chianti and riding Vespas, we NEVER forget that the absolute bottom line of playing with hair and makeup is that yes, it does serve to make us look good and feel great, but ultimately, it serves to allow us to be creative, and playful and experiential. And I must say, the spring/summer 2009 collections have not been exploding with playfulness and craziness. It’s been quite conservative indeed. And then Moschino stumbled in, all wild quiffs and silly sunglasses. And we sighed a collective sigh of relief. ... more