“When I watched Kate two years ago it looked so f***ing easy” – Melissa Leo

The Oscars 2011
Mixed Gems Style Awards

Picture from Amelia's Magazine

The When Bad Dresses Happen to Good People award:

Marmalade is for toast, not for the red carpet. Here’s Jennifer Hudson looking decidedly orange in Versace. Although the shape of this dress definitely shows off her amazing new silhouette, the artificial texture and abrasive colour that she has chosen looks a little more 80′s prom than Hollywood glamour.

The Glitz Doesn’t Always Equal Glamour award:

 Annette Bening isn’t quite hitting the spot in this Naeem Khan art-deco number. Despite cleverly positioned panels to show off her lovely figure, the colour was very average and her hair was stiff. I would have loved to have seen her in something a little simpler like Chanel.

 The Right Dress, Wrong Time award:

I’m completely on the fence when it comes to Nicole Kidman in Dior. The dress itself is very pretty and certainly emphasises her lovely neckline and waist line, but is it really Oscar appropriate? For me, the embellished details seemed more suited to a ball of some kind. Loving the pop of colour from her heels, though.

The Should Have Customised It award:

Rocking her trademark curves and sultry pout, Scarlett Johansson arrived in D&G. A beautiful print and a lovely colour on her, my concern was the shape of this maroon number. I’d have loved for her to have either gone for a slightly lower neckline or perhaps a longer arm length to balance out the overall length of the dress.

The Who Are You Kidding? award:

Draped in Valentino‘s signature red shade, Anne Hathaway arrives on the red carpet in this floor length number. Applause is due for daring to channel the colour of the carpet, but I don’t think she quite has the personality to pull this off. A classic case of the dress wearing her.  

The Yummy Mummy award:

Skimming her baby bump in style, best actress winner Natalie Portman swanned along to the ceremony in Rodarte. The rich tones of her dress compliment Natalie’s golden hair and make-up, and she has remembered the old age rule that you’re never fully dressed without a smile. Divine.

The Sofia Coppola Would Be Proud award:

Mila Kunis used her piercing dark features to add some drama to this romantic Elie Saab gown. A real contrast to some of the bright green shades we have seen her wear at other award ceremonies this year, it is lovely to see her in something so effortless because she is a true natural beauty. Her hair is groomed but relaxed, the perfect accessory.

The Most Beautiful Girl in the World award:

A usual Oscar beauty, Halle Berry stole the show in this exquisite Marchesa number. The soft colours of the dress contrast beautifully with her dark hair and make-up, and the netting at the bottom of the dress adds some subtle distraction from the embellished bodice. We should have known that Halle would add some sparkle to the red carpet this year… take a look at one of her previous Oscar dresses.

 The T for Tacky award:

 

Melissa Leo was overjoyed to accept her award for Best Supporting Actress in The Fighter. Unfortunately, she let her emotions overcome her and became the first ever person to swear during her Oscar acceptance speech.

And now for the rest of the winners…

Best Picture: The King’s Speech
Actor in a Leading Role: Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
Actress in a Leading Role: Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Actor in a Supporting Role: Christian Bale, The Fighter
Actress in a Supporting Role: Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Director: Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech
Original Screenplay:  David Seidler, The King’s Speech
Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
Animated Feature Film: Toy Story 3
Foreign-Language Film: In a Better World (Denmark)
Documentary Feature: Inside Job
Art Direction: Alice in Wonderland
Cinematography: Inception
Film Editing: The Social Network
Costume Design: Alice in Wonderland
Original Song: “We Belong Together” (Toy Story 3), music and lyrics by Randy Newman
Original Score: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Social Network
Animated Short: The Lost Thing
Documentary Short: Strangers No More
Live Action Short: God of Love
Makeup: The Wolfman
Sound Editing: Inception
Sound Mixing: Inception
Visual Effects: Inception

*All photographs were taken from E! Online and the Twitter account of Mr Jay Manuel from America’s Next Top Model!

Bluebird Makeover

 An account of my transformation from girl to Bluebird…

Those of you who have met me for more than five minutes will be well aware that I don’t do anything half-heartedly, and so when I was appointed as the ‘Bluebird’ at the Bluecoat my mind went into overdrive. A bird brainstorm began to take over my Moleskine notebook and winged words were beginning to drive me cuckoo. But as much as I love to write, I couldn’t help but feel that I needed to embrace the visual sense of a Bluebird in order to fully engage with my role. Wanting to feel physically acquainted with my inner bird, I knew there was only one solution… I would simply have to pay a visit to my good friends, the Peaches, at Peaches and Cream!

With elaborate hair nests and Black Swan in mind, Kate took to work on my little pale face. Here’s a guide to the journey that we went on…

Post nest-crafting, here I was bare faced and ready to be made up. We had planned on using Cadbury’s Creme Eggs for my nest so we devoured the spares and cracked open a bottle of Rose wine for some cheeky inspiration!

How amazing were these lashes! Despite being decidedly hen-like, we voted against them this time in order to truly channel the blue theme. A definite must for any future aviary projects, though.

Now for stage one – the eye make up. Lots of make up artists recommend applying eye make up before anything else on your face so that you can remove any residue that may drop to your cheek and Peaches and Cream are no different. (If you’re looking to brush up on your make up skills why not enroll in one of their make-up classes? You can click here for more details.)

With Lancome foundation and MAC blusher applied, the basis of my make-up was complete. Although an exquisite evening configuration, this wasn’t quite birdy enough. Now for the real fun to begin!

Adding a blue trim to my hair line, Kate began to sculpt a new shape to my face to make me look like my flying alter ego. Influenced by the transitions that Nina experiences in Black Swan, we loved the idea of shading the skin on my neck to seem as though feathers were bursting out from under my skin.

Isn’t it lovely when everything falls into place? Parading around the parlour like a peacock, the girls and I came to take some photos and giggled with joy when we took the time to realise what a brilliant background was right in front of us… a section of faux grass on the floor! Laying down (unable to stop laughing – finding a photograph of me NOT in hysterics proved difficult) I embraced my eggs and nest to capture that back to nature shot that complimented the Bluebird theme most.

All of the pampering and posing became oh so tiresome, so it was time to kick back on the Peaches couch with my good friends Elton and David…

So there you have it, a brand new beaky me! These photographs are going to be used on my new blog, Bluebird. I’ll be writing about my experiences at the Bluecoat, Liverpool’s creative hub, from the perspective of a little bird that watches over all of the action. If you haven’t already seen my first Valentine’s post then there’s no time like the present.

www.thebluecoatbluebird.wordpress.com

If you think you’d like to pay a visit to Peaches and Cream then pop along and say hello. They’re located right in the heart of Liverpool on Dale Street and are happy to help you create the perfect look for all of your occasions. With the likes of Rebecca Ferguson and Alex Curran in their little black book, they are the masters in making any girl feel fabulous. Take a look at their website for details of all that they have to offer.

www.fabulousmakeup.co.uk

Thank you so much for my make over Peaches!xxxx

“Time is a dressmaker specialising in alterations” – Faith Baldwin

A little note from me.

 Time has been ticking and I have been so busy that Mixed Gems has been gathering cobwebs…It upsets me so much that I haven’t had time to update this little gem of mine in so long. I have just completed my exams at University and am getting into the swing of my new semester so I’ve been short of time to inform you of all my favourite things over the past few weeks. After much deliberation, I decided that a little sneak preview of what is to come was in need in order to redeem myself for the lack of contact. Here is a sneak peek of what is to come…

- A review of the delightful ‘Black Swan’

- My evening at the Erotic Art exhibition at the Liverpool Gallery

- The fabulous February installment from Liverpool’s Canary Cage burlesque evening

- An account of my first ever burlesque class and an exciting announcement about my new column in Liverpool’s upcoming vintage Gladstone Magazine

- Pillbox Vintage’s latest beauty addition - a boutique that offers the likes of MAC and Benefit cosmetics at amazingly low prices (they’re setting up an online shop for those of you who may be reading from afar!)

- Lunch and a catch up with the fabulous lady behind Just Cake Sutton Coldfield for those who are in need of edible treats in Birmingham

- The night I met Jimmy Corkhill from Brookside!

Forgive me my absence and I assure you that lots of insightful posts are to come!

Love from Rose x

“If it can be written, or thought, it can be filmed” – Stanley Kubrick

My favourite thing about Christmas is having a break from your usual routine (University in my case), getting home to rummage through the Radio Times and deciding exactly which films you’re going to watch for the next fortnight. At the best of times I am an absolute film junkie, in particular I love independent cinema and horror films, but Christmas gives me the opportunity to watch everything imaginable. Whether its a brand new film or a golden oldie, something you’ve heard of but never seen or something that you’ve watched to death, you can guarantee that almost everyone will settle to watch some kind of film at Christmas. Here is a little selection of what I watched over the festive period.

Mr Magorium’s Wonder Imporium – 2007
Who will enjoy this?
The young at heart.

This stars Dustin Hoffman as an eccentric toy store owner and Natalie Portman as his assistant. In a tale that is magical, ridiculous and very quick witted, it is the perfect film for all of the family to enjoy. Natalie Portman brings her usual combination of subtlety and quirky chic to the role. Is anyone else incredibly excited to see her in Black Swan? I follow Raindance Film Festival @raindance_fest on Twitter and they sent me the script today. Be sure to follow them for similar treats! I also got Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere the other day.

Enchanted – 2007
Who will enjoy this?
Anyone sarcastic and girlie girls.

Enchanted stars Amy Adams as a fairytale princess lost in a modern New York city. Completely naive to everything that she encounters, this princess leaves a trail of destruction everywhere she goes. People think that she is too pleasant to be true and assume that she is joking with them in everything that she does, and all that she does is approach everything with a high spirit! It is a really funny demonstration of how pesimistic the world is and well worth watching.

Carrie – 1976
Who will enjoy this?
Anyone who loves to be scared and likes to laugh at 70s special effects!

Carrie tells the unnerving tale of a young girl who is bullied at school and further tormented by her mother when she goes home. It is eerie and unusual throughout – definitely not one to watch alone or in the evening. Special effects in this film are hilarious, as is the appearance of a very young John Travolta. Keep this one on the list for your next Halloween party.

Whip It – 2009
Who will enjoy this?
Independent cinema fans, feminists, rebels.

Film goddess Drew Barrymore stars in and directs this tale of a young girl (Juno‘s Ellen Page) who is desperate to escape the sickeningly sweet lifestyle her mother seems hellbent on exposing her to. Rather than swanning off on a motorcycle and staying out until all hours drinking like the usual fictional rebel, she joins a roller blading team and attempts to outskate the likes of the Licks’ Juliette Lewis. A little slow at the beginning but absolutely brilliant as it goes on, I dare you to watch this without wanting to skate or steal into the night in some scandalous act of outrgage.

Death Becomes Her – 1992
Who will enjoy this?
Anyone that wants the jazz of Disney and the drama of Jeremy Kyle.

Featuring a much younger Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn and Bruce Willis, Death Becomes Her is a fantasy tale of two rival best friends who seek eternal beauty and youth, fighting over a man along the way. With a segment in which Goldie Hawn lives in a flat riddled with cats and eating ice cream all day, this film was also of particular use to me as it gave  a very clear visual of what the future holds for me.

Itching to watch a classic now? Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is on ITV2 tomorrow at 6.45pm tomorrow if you’re yet to indulge a magical movie this holiday.