Lady Gaga Fame

The first fragrance from Lady Gaga came out a bit over two months ago and I have tried it several times at the counters however I have been putting off buying it.  First of all, I have no room for any new fragrances and second of all, I haven't fallen in love with it the way that I was expecting to.  I do like this fragrance and it smells very nice on my skin but this just wasn't what I was expecting from the much-hyped first fragrance from Lady Gaga.  Two years ago, Lady Gaga was my absolute favorite artist and I would have her music on whenever I had the chance to listen to it.  I still like her a lot and enjoy her music but she isn't really my favorite anymore and I feel that overall much of the hype around her has faded over the past few months...

I was still excited to hear that she brought out a fragrance, even though I usually do not like celeb fragrances.  When I first heard that Lady Gaga was involved with the creation, I knew that this fragrance really had the potential to be different than the generic fruity-floral celeb fragrance, I still haven't gotten over the awful line of fragrances from Katy Perry and I was hoping that this one didn't go down the same route.  I was expecting this fragrance to be very floral and gourmand, Lady is not your run-of-the-mill celeb and I don't think that she would put her name on any fragrance that was.

When I talk about what I was expecting, please envision what the following fragrances smell like: Tom Ford Black Orchid or Thierry Mugler Angel.  Something complex and full-bodied with lots of fragrance to it.  This is not a fragrance that will be for the subtle lady or worn for casual weekends.  This was the picture that was in my head when I first reached for the perfume tester at Macy*s.  I have seen the fragrance at Macy*s and Sephora so far and I will pull all the information and the notes from the Sephora website. 

Some background to begin with.  "Two years of invasive experimentation in Paris laboratories have led to the launch of Lady Gaga Fame Eau de Parfum. The first-of-its-kind fragrance technology is an extract of Gaga’s bold and demanding sexiness. Darkness, light, and sensuality merge to reveal an opulent, addictive fragrance that’s black like the soul of fame, but invisible once airborne.  Embrace Lady Gaga Fame, the sultry, black eau de parfum. First of its kind in fluid technology, it is black like the soul of Fame but invisible once airborne. This black fluid exudes a lustful, floral, fruity essence for fabulous little monsters.  Enriched with tears of belladonna, a black veil of incense, and pulverized apricot, this fragrance may cause illicit fits of extravagance, unrivalled rushes of adoration, and prolonged moments of ecstasy and rapture." 

What two words are right next to each other?!?!?  Fruity and floral...this is exactly what I thought this fragrance would never be!  To be fair, these notes are still not the traditional notes that are contained in this style of fragrance.  Here are the notes that Lady Gaga has put into her first fragrance - Belladonna, Incense, Apricot, Honey Drops, Tiger Orchidea, Jasmin Sambac.

First of all, even though this fragrance was not quite what I expecting, I do really like it.  The first aspect of the fragrance that I noticed when I tried it is that the bottle itself is not black, it is clear.  The fragrance itself is black and sprays out black, but turns clear as soon as it hits the skin.  My first worry was that it wouldn't turn clear and create a mess on my skin (if you are a fan of spraying fragrance on your clothes, I would recommend finding out if it stays black on fabric before you try it!!).  Thankfully it turned clear and this aspect of the fragrance disappeared. 

The next aspect of the fragrance that I noticed was that it was sweeter than I was expecting, I was expecting a full assault of the Jasmine note and this wasn't the case.  The Apricot and Honey came out on my skin instantly and then the Belladonna and Jasmine came out.  This is  still a stronger fragrance but not as strong as I really thought that it would be.  This fragrance lasted all day on me and I could still smell it after getting a shower that night, styaing power is very impressive...

So why haven't I bought this yet?!  I have already stated that I have no room on my bureau and really shouldn't be buying any perfumes at all.  I have gone back to Macy*s several times now and keep trying the fragrance, each time that I do, I find that I like it more and more but I know that it must be a fall and winter fragrance for me so I would be best waiting for a bit and then buying it once I have more room.

Overall, one of the best celeb fragrances on the market, it actually smells like perfume and it is obvious that Gaga actually was involved in the creation of the fragrance instead of just slapping her name on the bottle.  This fragrance comes in several sizes of EDP and matching body products.  Now I do see a rollerball version on the Sephora website that I didn't see at Macy*s and we all know that I could fit a rollerball on my crowded dresser...

photo courtesty of Sephora

Lady Gaga's Lippmann Collection Manicure at the 2011 Grammy Awards

Lady Gaga was back at it earlier this month at the 2011 Grammy Awards. She descended on the stage from an egg and went on to deliver a fantastic performance. Not only did she catch the crowd's undivided attention and wow everyone with her voice, her look was classic Gaga fantastic, topped off with a manicure using a new shade from Lippmann Collection.

The shade can be seen on her nails in this photo. The shade is named Yellow Brick Road and is a rich cream yellow. Deborah Lippmann selected this shade with the star to complement the canary yellow outfit chosen for the stage performance. This shade is not out yet and will launch in the middle of April with the Lippmann Collection Summer 2011 shades. I am willing to bet this shade will be a hit against tanned skin in the summer months.

photo courtesy of the Grammy Association

MAC Viva Glam Gaga II

It is the time of the year that MAC releases the newest addition to their famous Viva Glam line. This year's choice for a spokesperson is Lady Gaga for a second year in a row. Viva Glam Gaga sold out within hours last year and spawned a matching Lipglass in the beginning of September and now has inspired a second version for the collection this time around. We all know how much I love Lady Gaga so I don't even need to talk about how excited I am about this new shade.

"No Bad Romance here. We're unveiling a hot new shade inspired by Lady Gaga and her passions, in both Lipstick and Lipglass. And by now you know every cent from the sale of MAC Viva Glam goes toward the MAC AIDS Fund." I loved last year's pale pink shade (Lustre finish) but this shade is more warm and so I don't think that this year's will work near as well for me. I have been wearing the original for the past few days now since pinks are really popular this spring.

Viva Glam Gaga Lipstick - The Viva Glam and Lady Gaga collaboration takes off again with a shade as enigmatic as the Diva's star persona. A light warm beige with an Amplified finish, the look is as cool as only she can be. All monies raised go the MAC AIDS Fund to help support people living with HIV/AIDS. Limited edition.

Viva Glam Gaga Lipglass - The Lady Gaga lovefest continues with the debut of this seductively pale milky-beige Viva Glam Lipglass. Wear it alone or with its Lipstick namesake. All monies raised go to the MAC AIDS Fund to help support people living HIV/AIDS. Limited edition.

This shade is not for me, it is too warm and brown based lip shades never work with the undertones in my skin. I might (but I doubt it) make the Lipglass work if it is sheer enough but I have no hope for the Lipstick since it is the Amplified formula and therefore is not at all sheer. Looks like I will just be wearing the original shade this spring too...

photo courtesy of MAC

MAC Viva Glam Cyndi and Gaga

This fall just got even more exciting! Based on the fantastic success of the latest Viva Glam release last spring, MAC has added more items to this collection. Translation - more Gaga items for me to buy! MAC states, "Time to wham up the GLAM in VIVA GLAM! It's a gaga-glamorous look at our abiding passion: The MAC AIDS fund and the VIVA GLAM program are the heart and soul of MAC Cosmetics. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you the sensational Cyndi Lauper and the electric Lady Gaga!" The collection which originally only included lipstick now includes a special Lipglass and makeup bags.

Let's check this out...

Viva Glam Cyndi Lipglass - A slick and shiny match to its namesake lipstick, this limited edition VIVA GLAM Lipglass features all the wanna-have-fun fabulousness of its namesake spokesperson, Cyndi Lauper. As with all VIVA GLAM lipcolour, 100% of the purchase price goes to help men, women, and children living with HIV/AIDS.

Viva Glam Cyndi Bag - The commemorative touch to the limited edition VIVA GLAM Cyndi Lipstick. A poly/nylon makeup bag featuring two colour-coordinated stripes and Cyndi Lauper's signature in black on one side, and a digitized image of a lip on the reverse. Size: 8.5" x 5" x 1.5". All proceeds from this purchase go to the MAC AIDS Fund.

Viva Glam Gaga Lipglass - A slick and shiny match to its namesake lipstick, this limited edition VIVA GLAM Lipglass features all the cool, alt-glamour style of its superstar spokesperson, Lady Gaga. As with all VIVA GLAM lipcolour, 100% of the purchase price goes to help men, women, and children living with HIV/AIDS.

Viva Glam Gaga Bag - The commemorative touch to the limited edition VIVA GLAM Gaga Lipstick. A poly/nylon makeup bag featuring two colour-coordinated stripes and Lady Gaga's siganture in black on one side and a digitized image of a lip on the reverse. Size: 8.5" x 5" x 1.5". All proceeds from this purchase go to the MAC AIDS Fund.

Like you need to ask what I will be buying from this this collection! I am looking forward to adding more items to my Gaga beauty collection.

photo courtesy of MAC

MAC From Our Lips Preview

The promo pictures of MAC's newest addition to the Viva Glam collection have been released and have me sitting on pins and needles until the collection's official release in mid March. I have just purchased the new Lady GaGa cd and it had only added to my love of her music and style and I am so excited that I will be able to wear lipstick colors that she is promoting and the proceeds go to the MAC Aids Foundation at the same time. This collection will also have Cyndi Lauper promoting it also and after seeing the promo picture, I think that they make an awesome team.

As of right now, the release date is March 18th, so we have three months to wait to get this collection. But I have included the promo pic here to tempt and tease you all into anticipation. Now the promo pic has both of the ladies with prominent smoky eyes so I am wondering what the lip shades are going to be and how the color charts are going to work.

photo courtesy of specktra.net

Lady GaGa VMA Outfit

Following the Lippmann Collection post, I was inspired to post pictures of Lady GaGa at the VMAs. This is one of the outfits that she wore, the other was black and the other one was red. Was she wearing the Ruby Red Slippers polish the whole time? I hope so.

photo courtesy of eontarionow.com

Lady GaGa's Bright Pink Lips

Lady GaGa recently graced the cover Rolling Stone, clad in a bubble dress, big hair, and bright pink lipstick. The article was very interesting and make listening to the CD even better for me and now I added Lady GaGa to the group in my mind that contains Brit and Madonna.

And the part of the interview that I was most excited about is that GaGa is going to be one fo the new faces of MAC, along with Cyndi Lauper. Rolling Stone was talking about the photo shoot where both of them were posing with bright pink lipstick statues.



To celebrate...more pictures of GaGa! This picture, taken around last Valentine's Day, shows GaGa's love of bright pink lipstick. Hopefully all of the pictures of her in bright pink lipstick hint at an upcoming MAC collection being all about pink lipsticks and glosses.



photo courtesy of Rolling Stone

Lady GaGa's Red Lips

My current celeb obsession is Lady GaGa. From her style to her debut cd that almost never leaves the player in my car (it exits only to hear Lily Allen's latest).

This picture was taken about three weeks ago in Auckland. I love the red lipstick, that is agreat lip look for her. Her stylist has managed to find the perfect deep red cream shade to suit her complexion.

But the bow hair? It that actually her mane tamed into that shape or it is hair piece. I hope that her real hair was not subject to that...

photo courtesy of Rolling Stone