My Picks: The Most Beautiful Brides in Movies

June, named after Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage, is the most popular month of the year for frilly white dresses, romantic motifs and traditional and non-traditional unions.

Products for your special day from Vogue's 2013 Wedding Guide

Yeah, yeah. I'm a day late but the internet connection was horrible last night so I'm posting it today. It may not be June anymore but couples get married all year long, right? Anyway, I seriously don't have any plans of getting hitched any time soon but like any other warm-blooded girl, I'm a sucker for gorgeous wedding gowns featured in Vogue and tear-jerking wedding videos captured by Jason Magbanua. Whether it's grand or simple, there's always something magical about the concept of weddings. Movies seem to magnify that concept and you can get an inspiration or two from some of the most beautiful brides I've seen in films. 

Carrie Bradshaw, Sex & the City (2008)

Before Carrie finally tied the knot wearing a labelless dress in city hall, she had to wear the most gorgeous samples for her Vogue photoshoot including this memorable Vera Wang dress. I thought her foundation was a tad cakey but the red lip was a lovely stand out.

Jane Eyre, Jane Eyre (2011)

Jane Eyre might have not gotten the perfect wedding day with Edward Fairfax Rochester wearing this old-fashioned lacey number but she did get her happily ever after in the end.

Liv & Emma, Bride Wars (2009)

With Liv's (Kate Hudson) purple smokey shadow and Emma's (Anne Hathaway) full brows and glossy lip, this film is bound to give blushing brides some ideas on planning weddings and picking out the perfect dress.

Georgiana Cavendish, The Duchess (2008)

If it isn't apparent yet, I'm a big Keira fan so I'm sorry for including her again. To be fair, she makes one aspirational movie bride (Love Actually, Pirates of the Caribbean) and this scene with Ralph Fiennes inspired me to recreate that 18th century makeup look on my BFF. 

Victoria, The Young Victoria (2009)

I've always known Queen Victoria to be the English queen who always wore black never knowing why she did. Now I know that after Prince Albert died, she decided to always wear black to mourn his death. If I married a dashing and loving prince like him, I would mourn him forever, too. And whoever thought proposing to men was a radical idea? Queen V would have begged to differ.

 

Jamie Sullivan, A Walk to Remember (2002) 

I read the book. I cried. I saw the film. I cried. Every time I watch this, I always cry. A Walk to Remember was the most tear-jerking romantic movie I could remember before The Notebook rightfully claimed that title. Mandy Moore made for a pretty bride but I have to ask, where's Shane West now?

In case you want to do a Kate Middleton on your own big day, i.e. do your own makeup, here's a useful makeup tutorial from Pixiwoo.

 

Do you have any favorite movie brides? Would you use any element from their "movie wedding" on your own dream wedding? ;)

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Philippine Fashion Week 2013 Beauty Highlights

Fashion is no forte of mine and my comfort zone is with jeans, sometimes shorts, and a tee. Despite the lack of fashion know-how, I still enjoy looking at runway photos since I like scrutinizing the models' makeup looks. And speaking of runway photos, I've been looking through these photos from Philippine Fashion Week Holiday 2013 from a couple of weeks ago. To my disappointment, I wasn't able to go this year (I did get a couple of invites to two shows but alas, I got confused with the invites somehow - will not go into any more details about it. HA!) but hey, there's always next year. ;)

My favorite collection was "The Librarian" by Oz Go.

So what makeup looks dominated the runway this year?

All Shades of Pink

Pink always looks good on anyone when you're wearing the right shade of course. It's the most wearable lip color so I'm not surprised that this was a common look that week.

Penshoppe

Ruben Santos

SM Ladies’ Fashion and Parisian Shoes

Coral eyeshadow

Coral is so lively and gorgeous against medium to warm skin tones and it's not everyday you see women wear this standout eyeshadow color.

Eric Delos Santos

Jun Jun Cambe

Dark Red Lips

I'm an all year round fan of dark lipsticks since it gives off such a bold and confident statement.

Happy Andrada

Randall Solomon

Norman Noriega for JAG Origins

Return of the Gloss

I don't like wearing lip gloss because it's so impractical especially when you're commuting to and from work like me but on the runway, you'd definitely spot these women from a mile away with those fiercely shiny pouts. What I've learned from looking at these photos is that when the whole face stays matte, you can  easily elevate it with some lip gloss.

Oz Go

Russell Villafuerte

Xernan Orticio

Technicolor

The blue green eye shadow may be wearable but even though the avant-garde multicolored lips aren't, I think this is still one of the brighter and more adventurous looks from this year's runway.

Lizanne Cua

Embellishments

I loved Michael Cinco's collection and I love how the make up blends perfectly with his clothes. Makeup never looked more expensive when you have crystals adorning your face, too. You don't have to wear crystals on your face if you want to get the same pizazz as this runway look. You can use sparkly eye shadows or glitter mascara and liner instead.

Michael Cinco

Smokey eyes/Bleached brows

Who doesn't like a good smokey eye? It's so modern and sexy and with bleached brows like Lisbeth's, the contrast makes it even slicker .

Jerome Salaya Ang for Jag Origins

What were your favorite makeup looks from this year's Philippine Fashion Week?

*Images courtesy of Status

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MAC gone PUNK

Thanks to the Met Gala - and now MAC- for putting the spotlight back to punk.

MAC is definitely on the bandwagon right after the MET Gala's successful (and some unsuccessful) punk-themed beauty and fashion looks. They've released their "limited edition" Punk Couture Collection which is comprised of dark shades - shades which I am a BIG fan of. But be warned, these products are actually permanent stuff they already have and they're reintroducing/repackaging it as a limited edition deal. I think their promo pic is gorgeous though.

(L-R) Boot Black liquid eye liner, Blacktrack fluidline, Dark as Night pro longwear lipglass, Darkside lipstick, Cyber lipstick, Dark Angel nail lacquer

Any thoughts on this "collection"?
 
*Images courtesy of MAC

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On-screen Portrayals of Lois Lane

The love interest of Superman's life - Lois Lane is beauty and spunk in a high-flying (no pun intended) reporter's suit.

I'm excited to see Supes back in the forefront and it's about damn time. Henry Cavill (The Tudors, Immortals & The Count of Monte Cristo) is donning the red cape & a slicker suit with the famous Superman sigil and Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen), as director, is doing much needed damage control after Bryan Singer's (boring) Superman Returns. I have a number of reasons why I have high hopes for this film: 1) I like Snyder's style of editing films, 2) Christopher Nolan's name is attached to the movie, 3) the cast (Russel Crowe, Laurence Fishburne, Kevin Costner & Diane Lane to name a few), and 4) this gorgeous teaser trailer from last year.

Amy Adams would portray the very first ginger-haired Lois Lane.

Now thoughts on the upcoming movie aside, we also have a new Lois Lane. I think Lois is one of the more modern and relatable comic book heroines. She's a strong female character and a brilliant and accomplished journalist with a Pulitzer Prize under her belt. Amy Adams has proven to be a versatile actress (Enchanted, The Fighter) so I'm looking forward to see her own portrayal of this persistent, sometimes pesky, investigative reporter. Take a look back down memory lane with me and see the "Lois Lane" actresses I've watched on the big and small screen.

Kate Bosworth (Superman Returns, 2006)

Erica Durance (Smallville, 2004-2011)

Teri Hatcher (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, 1993-1997)

During the 90's, Dean Cain made one cute Clark Kent/Superman.

Margot Kidder (Superman, 1978; Superman II, 1981; Superman III, 1983)

It's exactly a week from today before the premiere of Man of Steel (and more importantly, Philippine Independence day!) so get your movie/DC comics geek caps on and see you at the theatres. ;)

*Images courtesy of Wikia & Rotten Tomatoes

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Movie List #4

It's been a busy month for me - moving to a new home among other things - so this will be my movie list for the entire month of May. I haven't watched a lot of movies this month (so it's a short list) since a Community marathon (seasons 1-4) and a re-watch of Game of Thrones (season 1) have taken a bulk of my down time.

Intermission (2003)

There's some heavy Irish accent going on in this film and I had to watch this without subtitles. So imagine my effort in understanding what they were saying. Better yet, you could go watch this film and after your ears adjust to the thick accent, you'll realize this is well-directed with an excellent ensemble and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I sometimes enjoy Colin Farrell's performances especially when he's playing the bad boy (the first scene of him chatting up this girl was the best scene to me - proof here) and I always enjoy Cillian Murphy. This is a dark comedy, an indie film set in Dublin, with a handful of stories intertwined and chaotic with a purpose. Oh, and I'm happy to read that Roger Ebert gave this movie 3 1/2 stars.

Warm Bodies (2012)

Remember that little boy from "About a Boy"? (This was the time when Hugh Grant was still making decent movies that I cherished. Anyway...) That young boy Hugh starred with was Nicholas Hoult and in Warm Bodies he's the teen zombie R who does lengthy but witty voice overs and happens to be the love interest of Aussie Teresa Palmer. The story's a no-brainer (by the way, zombies in this story are like the zombies from Plants vs. Zombies - they eat brains) and the turns are predictable but this is a better love story than Twilight and with a much agreeable ending.

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Ms. Kathryn Bigelow - I'm a fan. The Hurt Locker was a fine piece of work and so is Zero Dark Thirty. Even if I (and the rest of the world) knew how the story would end, I still found myself holding my breath during the last minutes of the film, which is the same feeling I got from Argo. Jessica Chastain makes one fierce CIA officer.

The Eagle (2011)

Whose idea was it to make this two hours long? I think Channing Tatum is an OK actor (you can even say a great one if you just can't look past that body) and I seriously thought he could pull off  playing a Roman soldier in a period movie. He's put on an accent (I think) but it's not believable. His character, Marcus Aquila, can't hold a candle next to Russel Crowe's Maximus. Jamie Bell should have been the soldier and not the slave. As for the plot, again, why does a story about looking for a small eagle statue have to be two hours long? 

If I could take Channing out of the equation and leave Mark Strong and Jamie Bell, could this film suck even less?

21 Jumpstreet (2012)

This Channing Tatum movie I like way better than The Eagle. Who would've thought there would be so much comedic chemistry between him and Jonah Hill? They were so cute together and the jokes got funnier and funnier until the end. There's a surprise cameo at the latter part of the movie from an original cast member of the 21 Jumpstreet TV show which I'm sure you'll be delighted with. And if you've already seen 21 Jumpstreet, I hope to be the bearer of good news that a sequel is in the works and is scheduled for release next year.

Mama (2013) 

This is a fantasy-horror film presented by Guillermo del Toro and stars Jessica Chastain and Jaime Lannister, also known as Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. There are elements in this movie that reminded me of del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth which is why I liked it even more and there's also a couple of cute kids here who definitely upped the creepiness level of the story. I thought this was a good, stylish horror flick that's my type of scary.

*Images via Rotten Tomatoes & Wikipedia

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Redheads for Rainy days

Rainy days are here and the skies are getting gloomier but there are some redhead gorgeousness out there who can try to keep you warm and toasty. 

Grace Coddington as her cartoon self

Whether they're natural or faux, there's something about these redheads that would brighten up my day, especially on a day like this since I got my feet soaking wet coming to work. Ugh. I hope this rain doesn't go on all day.

Nicole Kidman

Nicole's a superb actress and some of my favorite scenes of hers are as Satine in Moulin Rouge and Gillian Owens in Practical Magic, which is also the first movie I saw her in. She'll be Grace Kelly in the upcoming 2013 film, Grace of Monaco.

Moulin Rouge (2001)

Practical Magic (1998)

Karen Elson

Karen looks otherworldly and this top model/musician is known for her trademark crimson hair and no eyebrows look.

Sophie Turner & Carice Van Houten (Sansa Stark & Melisandre)

One is a caged bird and the other is wild fire. Sansa and Melisandre have absolutely nothing in common except the color of their hair and how good they look with it. Well there is a lot of gorgeousness happening in that show.

Emma Stone

Emma's got so many makeup looks I want to steal and I think she's the cutest one in my list, too.

Loving this killer stare down look

Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth I

Before Galadriel, Cate played the iconic monarch, Queen Elizabeth I, in Elizabeth (1998).

Alice Burdeu

Alice is my favorite top model winner (from cycle 3 of Australia's Next Top Model) and by far one of the most successful winners of the franchise. Good thing she complained during her makeover otherwise she would've been stuck with her bland..err.. blonde roots. 

Julianne Moore

I don't know why she keeps playing the adulterous wife in her recent movies (Chloe, The Kids Are All Right and Crazy, Stupid, Love.) but at 52, she looks amazing without the aid of cosmetic surgery. I wish I could look as good as she is when I reach that age (Ha! I wish.)

Hayley Williams

Hayley's got the brightest hair with a matching spunky personality. Even if summer's ended in these parts of the world, MAC gave us summer in a tube with Hayley's brand all over it.

Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson

This is the only time Kirsten sported the auburn mane onscreen and this was the perfect role for her to change it. She did the Mary Jane character justice and I'm still pondering on how the new MJ (Shailene Woodley) would fare.

Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg

Buffy the Vampire Slayer was one of the best shows to come out of the 90's. Willow, who was part of the famous Scooby gang for 7 seasons, started out as a shy and nerdy student but remained a kind-hearted and caring character eventually becoming a powerful witch. In my opinion, Willow will always be Alyson's best work as an actress.

Lily Cole

I took notice of her work after she played her first leading role as Valentina in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009). She's one lucky lass to have worked with Heath Ledger in his last movie.

Geena Davis

A League of their Own (1992) is a favorite Star Movies rerun and seeing Geena play baseball with Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell couldn't be more memorable.

Kate Winslet

Kate's been a redhead twice - as Rose in Titanic and as Clementine in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. 

Titanic (1997)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Jessica Chastain
Jessica's a recent favorite of mine after watching Zero Dark Thirty & The Help and I have YET to watch The Tree of Life. I have a copy of it in my laptop, waiting to be double clicked.

Grace Coddington

After watching The September Issue (2009), I admired her for her creativity and passion in her craft as Vogue's creative director.

She's a former model, too!

Conan O'Brien

I got to include Conan here. His humor and intelligence make him one sexy redhead. 

Who's your favorite redhead? Did any of your favorites make my list? ;)

*Images courtesy of About, Vogue, Wikia & Rotten Tomatoes

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