Celebrity Kids Wearing Makeup: Right or Wrong?
Suri Cruise is by no means on auditioning for Toddlers Tiaras.
Nevertheless, the famous 5-year-old TomKat kitten has raised eyebrows of late with her fashion choices (or more accurately Katie’s), especially having been spotted in New York sporting crimson lipstick and a hot pink hat this week.
This begs the question: Do Hollywood kids grow up too fast?
Yes, this is Hollywood, where the rules are clearly different from the rest of the world, and we are not trying to single out Suri Cruise (normally a fab dresser) here.
She’s far from the only star tot to don makeup, though, and you tend to see more of that sort of thing within celebrity culture than in the quote unquote real world.
Tarting up one’s daughter during such tender years is not a crime or grave parenting error, it just seems a little unnecessary. Wouldn’t you want to put that off?
Soon enough, they’ll be acting and wanting to dress like adults. Why give them that push and hasten the end of whatever innocence they have left in life?
You tell us: Is it okay for celebrity kids to wear makeup?
View Poll »
Glenn Close, Already Thanking Her Makeup Team
Patrick Redmond/Roadside AttractionsGlenn Close in “Albert Nobbs.”
Academy Awards
2012 Oscar Ballot: Cast your votes, create your own Oscars pool and challenge your friends.
The Oscar attention that Glenn Close received yesterday for her passion project, “Albert Nobbs,” was really a triple-fold win. Yes, she was nominated for best actress – her first recognition by the Academy in 13 years (though she’s been nominated five times before, she’s never won). But her co-star Janet McTeer also got the nod, as best supporting actress. They texted each other congratulations on Tuesday morning.
Equally important for Ms. Close was the acknowledgment that her hair and makeup team received: Matthew W. Mungle, who created the makeup and prosthetics that turned Ms. Close into a 19th-century Irishman; Lynn Johnston, who applied it in a daily two-and-a-half-hour ritual; and Martial Corneville, the hairstylist and wigmaker, were nominated as a team for best makeup.
“The three of them were integral to the characters that we were able to create,” Ms. Close said. “The zen experience – it was almost like a meditation every morning, as both Lynn and Martial would do their work. By the time you come out of it, it’s not you anymore.”
She was particularly thrilled that Mr. Corneville, who has been her wigmaker for 20 years, was nominated. “He did my wig in ‘The House of the Spirits’ and he designed and dressed all my Cruella wigs” — in “101 Dalmatians” — “which were unbelievable works of art,” she said. “And Albert is the absolute opposite of Cruella! You can make a beautiful wig but then to be able to dress it is everything. Martial is incredibly innovative and solves certain technical problems with applying a wig. He’s a master of the hairline in the front.”
Ms. Close did not want Albert to have what she called “the slicked back kind of cliché look – the Julie Andrews look that was great for ‘Victor/Victoria.’” Instead she showed Mr. Corneville an old photo of an aristocrat she’d found. “He had the hair that couldn’t be totally tamed by pomade, and I thought that was really important for Albert,” she said.
To have Mr. Corneville nominated for an Oscar alongside her – his first nomination – “it’s been my dream, really has been my dream,” Ms. Close said, “because he has been one of my intimate collaborators.”
“Martial,” she added, “mixes hair color the way an artist mixes paint.”
Assessing makeup art for the Oscars takes a bit of detective work
LOS ANGELES – Digital effects in the movies have become so pervasive and so sophisticated that audiences can easily accept an actor who ages decades before their eyes or even morphs into a different species./pp But digital effects also have made it tougher for Motion Picture Academy members to decide which movies get nominated for the Oscar for makeup – meaning the old-fashioned kind applied with a brush or attached to a wig or false nose./pp “As computer images are getting better and better, it’s very difficult for us to tell” what is makeup and what is a computer effect, says special makeup effects designer Matthew W. Mungle, who used makeup and prosthetics to help make Glenn Close look like a woman who could pass for a man in this year’s “Albert Nobbs.”/pp Members of the academy’s makeup and hairstyling branch spent part of Saturday at a meeting narrowing the list from seven finalists to the three nominees, who will be announced with the rest of the Oscar nominations Tuesday morning. Part of the work is making sure the makeup and prosthetics were applied by hand and not via computer./pp “We ask for photographs of them doing the work – more so than years before – in order to prove that it was hand-done. There’s more discussion about it now. It’s made the meetings at least an hour longer,” says Mungle, an Oscar winner for his work on 1992′s “Dracula” and an active member of the makeup branch./pp Even submission packages from Oscar hopefuls are more nuanced. “I never thought about it in 2000, but now I have to,” says Lea Yardum, an awards campaign consultant for more than a decade. “You have to be more thoughtful in how you prepare the (submission) materials. You just want to be sure if you’re working on a movie that’s CGI that you’re differentiating what’s (computer-generated imagery) and what’s hand-applied. You can’t just leave it up to the committee.”/pp Leonard Engelman, governor of the makeup branch, denied that the meetings are taking longer and downplayed any complications because of digital evolution, but he doesn’t dispute that it’s increasingly hard to discern what is traditional makeup artistry and what’s been digitally rendered./pp “A lot of times it’s difficult, very difficult,” Engelman says. “When I saw ‘The Iron Lady,’ I emailed (prosthetic makeup designer) Mark Coulier and asked ‘Was there CGI work done on it?’ because it’s so flawless. And he emailed back saying there wasn’t.”/pp This sort of honor system – contacting makeup artists and hairstylists to ask what if any digital work was done on their films – is the main way the nominating committee clarifies questions. Sometimes, however, makeup artists don’t know what was done to their work in postproduction; in which case, Engelman must call visual effects supervisors and others on the film directly to “detective work it a little more,” he says./pp Digital cleanup on makeup work is a particular concern, he says, because filmmakers sometimes ask visual effects companies to keep it secret. “We want to be recognizing outstanding makeup,” Engelman says, “not makeup that maybe had bad edges and they went in and got rid of the edges through CGI.”/pp Engelman says 2011 was a “particularly strong year” for makeup in movies. Among the seven finalists that were voted on Saturday were two re-creations of historical characters (“The Iron Lady” and “Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life”), three period pictures (“Anonymous,” “Hugo” and “The Artist”), one film involving gender transformations (“Albert Nobbs”), as well as “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.” Makeup artist contenders gave detailed presentations, showed 10-minute film clips and answered questions at the Saturday session./pp “There’s a responsibility to go and present the work and show what we did,” says Coulier, who helped transform Meryl Streep into former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at various ages in “The Iron Lady.” “It’s very difficult these days to know if the makeup has been reworked – and it raises some interesting questions about what can be considered for an award.”/pp Coulier says none of the makeup in “Iron Lady” was digitally enhanced. “It’s very irritating to me when you’ve done really nice makeup and you take a photograph of it and people think you touched it up in Photoshop. Hopefully people will see it up there on-screen and know.”/pp /pp Films often mix digital cosmetics with actors in makeup. Michael Owens, visual effects supervisor to “J. Edgar,” Clint Eastwood and Dustin Lance Black’s dramatization of the life of J. Edgar Hoover, says Armie Hammer’s and Naomi Watts’ characters in the film were significantly digitally aged in postproduction. Wrinkles, bags under the eyes and jowls were added. But no such effects were used on Leonardo DiCaprio, who played Hoover./pp Aging the actor over decades was hand-done by makeup designer Sian Grigg. When Hoover’s receding hairline, vastly different than DiCaprio’s, presented unique challenges, producer Robert Lorenz suggested aging the actor digitally, Grigg says, but she convinced him otherwise. She felt a handcrafted bald cap, which took nine days to create, would look more natural. “J. Edgar looked a bit of a bulldog, really. He had a really big face,” Grigg says. “I was trying to get the essence of Hoover onto Leo’s face in any way I could.”/pp Controversy over the makeup Oscar is hardly new. Debate over what is award-worthy dates to the award’s inception in 1982, according to Rick Baker, a seven-time winner in the category. Baker has a particularly broad perspective – not only did he nab last year’s Academy Award in makeup for “The Wolfman,” he also won that first makeup Oscar for “An American Werewolf in London.”/pp “Even at that time, before CGI was even used, there was some debate about what really is makeup and what isn’t,” he says. “The stuff I did (then) crossed the line between traditional makeup and practical special effects, like mechanical effects. It was a gray area. When I won for ‘American Werewolf’ … people said, ‘That’s not makeup, that’s on a robotic head. That was a special effect.’”/pp Most movies today use elements, he says, of both digital and special makeup effects – to varying degrees. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” in 2008 completely blended the line, aging the characters with a combination of sculpted prosthetics, makeup, motion capture and CGI./pp “Digital is in every film now; it’s hard to draw the line,” says Baker, who calls himself a makeup artist but also creates his designs digitally. “I embrace the technology – any trick in our bag of tricks is a great thing.”/pp Adds Coulier: “In the future, who knows – we may end up with a separate award for best CGI/makeup.”
Makeup crazy market lures cosmetics company
This fact cemented Clinique’s decision to unveil it’s four new products for Asia — the Lid Smoothie 8-hour Eye Color, Quickliner for Eyes Intense, Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm, and Almost Lipsticks — first in Manila and not in other major cities in Asia, said Clinique’s VP and general manager for Asia, Paul Slavin.
“Filipina women like to wear makeup and they buy a lot of it,� he said, noting that the country buys more blushers and lipstick than most countries in the region. “You are over index blushers here and you have a very big blusher and lipstick market.�
He explained that “blushers and lipsticks are about finishing the look. What this tells me is that Filipinas get into detail. A lot of women don’t wear blushers because it’s too fiddly but Filipinas are detailed and are not just quickly running out the door.�
In addition, the country also has a slightly younger demographic compared to other Asian countries, “the median age of our market in the Philippines is 24 to 26 whereas in China, it’s 27; in Australia, it’s 31; and in Japan, 40.1. If you think about it, you are 16 years younger than the Japanese market,� said Mr. Slavin.
He emphasized that the skincare brand is not a fashion brand but rather, a brand for smart, intelligent women. “We have a great proposition that no other brand has. No other brand can claim their products are allergy-tested, 100% fragrance free, and can claim every one of their eye products are ophthalmologically tested.�
Let the lip shine through
Clinique’s number one lipstick is one of the four new products unveiled at the launch.
After 40 years of being number one in North America, the lipstick called Almost Lipstick (price not available) has finally arrived in Asia armed with new Asian shades. All the shades are sheer and allow the natural lip color to come through, creating a custom-fit shade that’s unique to each woman.
“When you look at it, the shades look so intense that you think, ‘I would never wear that, it’s the wrong color for me,’� said Mr. Slavin, “but it’s sheer and so natural.�
He explained that the introduction of Asian shades is the skincare brand’s commitment to formulate products based on specific skin tones. “The base color is different here, Asian skin has a different tone.� He pointed out that “Caucasian skin [like his] need a pink base because our base is pink, our underlayers are pink.� For Asian skin, he said, “you need yellow undertones because of the Asian skin tone.�
An interesting fact he noted is that the vast majority of products sold in Asia — makeup in particular — have different formulations from their Western counterparts. “We reformulate the products and make it exclusively for Asia, making sure it suits [Asian] skin tones.â€�
New products
Meanwhile, the other products unveiled were the Lid Smoothie 8-hour Eye Color, Quickliner for Eyes Intense and Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm.
The Lid Smoothie (P1,550) is a cream to powder shadow that aims to be long wearing and crease-resistant. Using a unique “cooling� applicator, the skincare-infused formula rejuvenates the delicate eye area with an antioxidant-rich blend of vitamin E, broccoli, carrot, blueberry and spinach extracts.
It also has cucumber, aloe vera and caffeine to help immediately refresh the appearance of tired eyes, and collagen-boosting peptides to help smooth skin texture.
Another eye product is the Quickliner (price not available), an eye pencil that has a “fantastic burst of color,� said Mr. Slavin. The pencil is claimed to provide non-fading, long-wearing color and provides a smooth, liquid-liner-like payoff that sets for 12 hours.
The pencil comes in six different colors — black, plum, chocolate, charcoal, ivy, and midnight.
For the lips there is the Chubby Stick (P920) which gives lips a sheer hint of color and, at the same time, a highly moisturizing formula — a blend of decadent butters, oils and antioxidants — that helps protect and pamper lips with immediate and lasting moisturization.
It is also infused with mango seed butter and jojoba seed oil to deliver a surge of moisture.
The Asian trend
Mr. Slavin emphasized Clinique’s focus on natural beauty. “We want to make you beautiful with your natural look� and dubbed its products as “the makeup that virtually erases the need for makeup,� due to its skincare benefits.
The brand, well-known for its “daytime look,� complements the present trend in Asia. He noted that, “Specifically in Southeast Asia, the sheer, natural look is popular right now,� adding that “Southeast Asian women look to Western countries for inspiration.�
“The four new products capitalizes on the sheer, natural finish that [Asian] women want for the moment.�
Clinique is exclusively available at Rustan’s Department store. — Camille Erika R. Sarte
Makeup crazy market lures cosmetics company
This fact cemented Clinique’s decision to unveil it’s four new products for Asia — the Lid Smoothie 8-hour Eye Color, Quickliner for Eyes Intense, Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm, and Almost Lipsticks — first in Manila and not in other major cities in Asia, said Clinique’s VP and general manager for Asia, Paul Slavin.
“Filipina women like to wear makeup and they buy a lot of it,� he said, noting that the country buys more blushers and lipstick than most countries in the region. “You are over index blushers here and you have a very big blusher and lipstick market.�
He explained that “blushers and lipsticks are about finishing the look. What this tells me is that Filipinas get into detail. A lot of women don’t wear blushers because it’s too fiddly but Filipinas are detailed and are not just quickly running out the door.�
In addition, the country also has a slightly younger demographic compared to other Asian countries, “the median age of our market in the Philippines is 24 to 26 whereas in China, it’s 27; in Australia, it’s 31; and in Japan, 40.1. If you think about it, you are 16 years younger than the Japanese market,� said Mr. Slavin.
He emphasized that the skincare brand is not a fashion brand but rather, a brand for smart, intelligent women. “We have a great proposition that no other brand has. No other brand can claim their products are allergy-tested, 100% fragrance free, and can claim every one of their eye products are ophthalmologically tested.�
Let the lip shine through
Clinique’s number one lipstick is one of the four new products unveiled at the launch.
After 40 years of being number one in North America, the lipstick called Almost Lipstick (price not available) has finally arrived in Asia armed with new Asian shades. All the shades are sheer and allow the natural lip color to come through, creating a custom-fit shade that’s unique to each woman.
“When you look at it, the shades look so intense that you think, ‘I would never wear that, it’s the wrong color for me,’� said Mr. Slavin, “but it’s sheer and so natural.�
He explained that the introduction of Asian shades is the skincare brand’s commitment to formulate products based on specific skin tones. “The base color is different here, Asian skin has a different tone.� He pointed out that “Caucasian skin [like his] need a pink base because our base is pink, our underlayers are pink.� For Asian skin, he said, “you need yellow undertones because of the Asian skin tone.�
An interesting fact he noted is that the vast majority of products sold in Asia — makeup in particular — have different formulations from their Western counterparts. “We reformulate the products and make it exclusively for Asia, making sure it suits [Asian] skin tones.â€�
New products
Meanwhile, the other products unveiled were the Lid Smoothie 8-hour Eye Color, Quickliner for Eyes Intense and Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm.
The Lid Smoothie (P1,550) is a cream to powder shadow that aims to be long wearing and crease-resistant. Using a unique “cooling� applicator, the skincare-infused formula rejuvenates the delicate eye area with an antioxidant-rich blend of vitamin E, broccoli, carrot, blueberry and spinach extracts.
It also has cucumber, aloe vera and caffeine to help immediately refresh the appearance of tired eyes, and collagen-boosting peptides to help smooth skin texture.
Another eye product is the Quickliner (price not available), an eye pencil that has a “fantastic burst of color,� said Mr. Slavin. The pencil is claimed to provide non-fading, long-wearing color and provides a smooth, liquid-liner-like payoff that sets for 12 hours.
The pencil comes in six different colors — black, plum, chocolate, charcoal, ivy, and midnight.
For the lips there is the Chubby Stick (P920) which gives lips a sheer hint of color and, at the same time, a highly moisturizing formula — a blend of decadent butters, oils and antioxidants — that helps protect and pamper lips with immediate and lasting moisturization.
It is also infused with mango seed butter and jojoba seed oil to deliver a surge of moisture.
The Asian trend
Mr. Slavin emphasized Clinique’s focus on natural beauty. “We want to make you beautiful with your natural look� and dubbed its products as “the makeup that virtually erases the need for makeup,� due to its skincare benefits.
The brand, well-known for its “daytime look,� complements the present trend in Asia. He noted that, “Specifically in Southeast Asia, the sheer, natural look is popular right now,� adding that “Southeast Asian women look to Western countries for inspiration.�
“The four new products capitalizes on the sheer, natural finish that [Asian] women want for the moment.�
Clinique is exclusively available at Rustan’s Department store. — Camille Erika R. Sarte
Makeup crazy market lures cosmetics company
This fact cemented Clinique’s decision to unveil it’s four new products for Asia — the Lid Smoothie 8-hour Eye Color, Quickliner for Eyes Intense, Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm, and Almost Lipsticks — first in Manila and not in other major cities in Asia, said Clinique’s VP and general manager for Asia, Paul Slavin.
“Filipina women like to wear makeup and they buy a lot of it,� he said, noting that the country buys more blushers and lipstick than most countries in the region. “You are over index blushers here and you have a very big blusher and lipstick market.�
He explained that “blushers and lipsticks are about finishing the look. What this tells me is that Filipinas get into detail. A lot of women don’t wear blushers because it’s too fiddly but Filipinas are detailed and are not just quickly running out the door.�
In addition, the country also has a slightly younger demographic compared to other Asian countries, “the median age of our market in the Philippines is 24 to 26 whereas in China, it’s 27; in Australia, it’s 31; and in Japan, 40.1. If you think about it, you are 16 years younger than the Japanese market,� said Mr. Slavin.
He emphasized that the skincare brand is not a fashion brand but rather, a brand for smart, intelligent women. “We have a great proposition that no other brand has. No other brand can claim their products are allergy-tested, 100% fragrance free, and can claim every one of their eye products are ophthalmologically tested.�
Let the lip shine through
Clinique’s number one lipstick is one of the four new products unveiled at the launch.
After 40 years of being number one in North America, the lipstick called Almost Lipstick (price not available) has finally arrived in Asia armed with new Asian shades. All the shades are sheer and allow the natural lip color to come through, creating a custom-fit shade that’s unique to each woman.
“When you look at it, the shades look so intense that you think, ‘I would never wear that, it’s the wrong color for me,’� said Mr. Slavin, “but it’s sheer and so natural.�
He explained that the introduction of Asian shades is the skincare brand’s commitment to formulate products based on specific skin tones. “The base color is different here, Asian skin has a different tone.� He pointed out that “Caucasian skin [like his] need a pink base because our base is pink, our underlayers are pink.� For Asian skin, he said, “you need yellow undertones because of the Asian skin tone.�
An interesting fact he noted is that the vast majority of products sold in Asia — makeup in particular — have different formulations from their Western counterparts. “We reformulate the products and make it exclusively for Asia, making sure it suits [Asian] skin tones.â€�
New products
Meanwhile, the other products unveiled were the Lid Smoothie 8-hour Eye Color, Quickliner for Eyes Intense and Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm.
The Lid Smoothie (P1,550) is a cream to powder shadow that aims to be long wearing and crease-resistant. Using a unique “cooling� applicator, the skincare-infused formula rejuvenates the delicate eye area with an antioxidant-rich blend of vitamin E, broccoli, carrot, blueberry and spinach extracts.
It also has cucumber, aloe vera and caffeine to help immediately refresh the appearance of tired eyes, and collagen-boosting peptides to help smooth skin texture.
Another eye product is the Quickliner (price not available), an eye pencil that has a “fantastic burst of color,� said Mr. Slavin. The pencil is claimed to provide non-fading, long-wearing color and provides a smooth, liquid-liner-like payoff that sets for 12 hours.
The pencil comes in six different colors — black, plum, chocolate, charcoal, ivy, and midnight.
For the lips there is the Chubby Stick (P920) which gives lips a sheer hint of color and, at the same time, a highly moisturizing formula — a blend of decadent butters, oils and antioxidants — that helps protect and pamper lips with immediate and lasting moisturization.
It is also infused with mango seed butter and jojoba seed oil to deliver a surge of moisture.
The Asian trend
Mr. Slavin emphasized Clinique’s focus on natural beauty. “We want to make you beautiful with your natural look� and dubbed its products as “the makeup that virtually erases the need for makeup,� due to its skincare benefits.
The brand, well-known for its “daytime look,� complements the present trend in Asia. He noted that, “Specifically in Southeast Asia, the sheer, natural look is popular right now,� adding that “Southeast Asian women look to Western countries for inspiration.�
“The four new products capitalizes on the sheer, natural finish that [Asian] women want for the moment.�
Clinique is exclusively available at Rustan’s Department store. — Camille Erika R. Sarte
Snooki without makeup? We don’t see that every day [Poll]
Snooki without makeup? Isn’t that against some law of nature? Or at least a law of man?
Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi of “Jersey Shore” infamy bared it all this week on Twitter — all of her face, at least, captioning the shot, “No make up day 
and IDC ” (That would be “I don’t care,” for those who don’t speak fluent acronym.)
She followed up the Wednesday shot, above left, with a couple of cuties in which she’s threatening the life of her boyfriend Jionni LaValle’s plant — oh c’mon, she was only kidding — and flaunting what appears to be relatively natural-toned skin.
What do you think of the departure from her trademark spray-tan orange, a few shades darker than her look shown above right? The Ministry votes in favor of the natural look!
Which Snooki do you prefer?
RELATED:
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Anderson Cooper and Snooki go on a spray-tan date together [Video]
Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi talks at Rutgers for $32,000 about what it takes to be Snooki
— Christie D’Zurilla
Twitter.com/dzurillaville
Photos: Snooki without makeup, left, and with. Credits: Twitter, left; Ethan Miller / Getty Images, right.
PHOTO: Snooki Goes Sans Makeup
Courtesy Snooki; Inset: Andrew H. Walker/WireImage
Usually covered up in layers of spray tan, false lashes and hairspray, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi stripped down for a TwitPic posted Wednesday — and we have to admit we like the look.
The pint-size Jersey Shore starlet, who wrote, “No make up day and IDC [I don't care] ” earned raves from followers for her photo, which showed her with clean, straight hair, bare eyes and healthy skin.
When Snooki — who one admitted to regularly hitting the gym in full makeup — first came onto the scene, she was known for her hair “pouf,” which she ditched in 2010 in favor of a more “mature” look. Since then, she’s added red highlights to her hair, but the makeup and routine spray tans have stayed. Maybe her barefaced pic is the sign of a new beginning? Tell us: What do you think of Snooki without makeup?
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The makeup of Alex Smith
Alex Smith is not the same Alex Smith that he was six months ago. Everybody agrees with that, including Alex Smith. The parts are the same. The engine and electronics aren’t.
The 49ers’ quarterback has evolved from a basic-transportation vehicle into a utility truck with some very nice features. Including the very popular “come from behind twice in the last three minutes” feature.
But how did Smith get to this point? Everybody seems to want one secret key, one magic answer. But football is a team game. So there is never one key or one answer. Steve Young, the former 49er who endured his own nasty journey before emerging as a champion, is only sure of one thing about Smith.
“The guy has been through hell as far as quarterbacking,” Young said this week in a conference call with reporters.
Yes. And it’s been quite the unpleasant tram ride.
I believe, however, that even Smith knows this season has been the product of so many elements and people along the way. So let me try to assign percentages for each of those elements in terms of making up the solid and impressive package that Smith has become.
If I did this correctly, these numbers will add up to 100 percent. Let’s cleave it up this way:
ONE PERCENT: Mike McCarthy, Jim Hostler, Ted Tollner, Mike Martz, Jimmy Raye, Mike Johnson. These men constituted the revolving cast of offensive coordinators that Smith had to deal with, beginning with his rookie season in 2005. Some were worse than others. (McCarthy went on to win a Super Bowl with the Packers.) But the combined effect was to pile too much information and not enough confidence onto Smith’s brain. It taught him how to politely introduce yourself to new instructors. But not much else.
TWO PERCENT: Mike Singletary. Any respect or boost he gave Smith was subtle at best, though some of the intensity might have rubbed off.
THREE PERCENT: Norv Turner. He was the lone offensive coordinator, during the 2006 season, who appeared to make positive steps in developing Smith. But then Turner left in 2007 for the Chargers’ head-coaching position, and Smith regressed.
FOUR PERCENT: Mike Nolan. He gets credit for drafting Smith, but not for throwing him right into the fire as a starter, just one month into his rookie season.
FOUR PERCENT: Scot McCloughan. The former 49ers general manager was one of the few people inside the team offices who believed Smith had potential and kept him on the roster when outside voices (and some inside voices) wanted him gone.
FIVE PERCENT: Luck. No, not Andrew. Talking here about good fortune. You always need some of that to succeed. Remember last Saturday’s fourth-quarter pass by Smith that was batted into the air and then recovered by Frank Gore before it hit the ground? Could have wound up in a Saint’s hands. And what about Smith’s later touchdown run? It almost didn’t happen. The 49ers, facing a third-and-3 situation, had an entirely different play called (“I won’t tell you what it was,” Smith said). Then a pre-snap penalty moved the ball back 5 yards to make it third-and-8. The original call was scrapped for the quarterback sweep. But what if . . . ?
SIX PERCENT: Trent Baalke. The current 49ers general manager bought into Harbaugh’s belief in Smith and worked out a quick contract arrangement with Smith after the lockout.
EIGHT PERCENT: Jed York. The 49ers owner opened his checkbook to hire Jim Harbaugh and was always a quiet supporter of Smith. And since York signs the checks, that was important.
TEN PERCENT: Smith’s family. He doesn’t talk much about his parents, siblings or wife. But you know there had to be plenty of nights over the past seven years when Alex needed to hear supportive words. I’m assuming he heard them.
ELEVEN PERCENT: Vernon Davis and Frank Gore. It’s important for your best offensive players to never throw the quarterback under the bus. These two guys never did, even after the ugliest defeats.
ELEVEN PERCENT: Joe Staley and the 49ers offensive linemen. Staley arrived two years after Smith, and the two struck up a friendship. Even better, Staley was the left tackle every right-handed quarterback needs. Staley has kept track of Smith’s maturation and tells a story of how, in the Monday night game against Pittsburgh this season, Smith saw Staley arguing an official’s call and barked at his friend to get back in the huddle, using an obscenity. Wouldn’t have happened three years ago, Staley said.
FIFTEEN PERCENT: Jim Harbaugh. He sloughs off the theory that as a former NFL quarterback, he’s injected some sort of special sauce into Smith’s veins. But maybe Harbaugh’s just a good coach, period. And telling Smith it’s OK not to force things and to take a sack if necessary has given him a comfort zone he needed all along.
TWENTY PERCENT: Alex Smith. Ultimately, he had to find his winning mojo inside himself. One day, he may talk about how he was able to do it. And somewhere deep down inside Smith, he would surely like to tell everyone who helped him on the tram ride through hell that they can all go to straight to . . . um, Green Bay. But he again declined to do so Wednesday when offered the chance.
“I’m not thinking about that right now,” Smith said. “I really feel like winning games as a quarterback this time of year speaks for itself. That’s how you do your talking.”
Going by the percentages, he’s right.
Who had the best makeup and hair at the Golden Globes?
It’s a good thing I was on an airplane during the Golden Globes broadcast last weekend. After witnessing Saturday’s devastating Saints playoff loss in San Francisco, I was hardly in a good mood, and celebrity preening would no doubt have brought out my claws.
A day later, though, I was ready for a little Monday morning quarterbacking of the hair, makeup and dress variety.
First thought: when is the nude dress trend going to end? With so many actresses choosing gowns devoid of color, it was like they were trying out for a sequel to “The Artist.”
Second thought: the Golden Globes fall with great timing in New Orleans, and not just to serve as a distraction from the nerve-wracking idea that Drew Brees could soon be a free agent.
Hollywood awards season coincides with Carnival ball season, and, really, in what other city do you have as many opportunities to get dressed up in formal wear?
This year, the red carpet hair and makeup trends — loose, chignon buns and soft, luminous skin — were particularly easy to emulate. To dish on the looks, I dialed up Tommy Centanni, a Paris Parker hairstylist who’s quickly becoming one of the city’s go-to guys for wedding and special events hair, and Tisa Camet, the whiz makeup artist at Tisa’s Beauty Bar on Magazine Street. We clicked our fingers sore, scrolling online through photo after photo of tousled hair, dewey makeup and red lips (Yes, we’re looking at you, Angelina Jolie).
Award-winning ’dos
This was not a year for lacquered locks or pumped-up bumpits. Overall, the makeup and hair was soft and natural, from the loose, hot-roller curls sported by Diane Lane, Paula Patton and Salma Hayek to the stress-free ponytails worn by Sarah Michelle Geller, Rooney Mara and Amanda Peet. Nicole Richie also did some sort of hybrid pony, but it was a little too complicated for our taste.
With a forecast threatening rain, you can just imagine the anxious conversations between starlets and stylists about the safest way to avoid a frizzy mess in front of the cameras. Ponytails were an obvious solution, and also a way to tone down the overall oomph when wearing a complicated dress, like that tiered and tie-dyed mess sported by Geller.
“I like a ponytail for a night out on the town, but they could do better for a ball or a red carpet,” Centanni said.
A more sophisticated up-do was the messy chignon, worn by Kate Winslet, Charlize Theron and Emma Stone, among others. It was a hard call on who wore it best, but Centanni particularly liked Winslet (love the hair, hated the dress) and Theron (loved the hair, wasn’t in love with the diamond headband).
“The side chignon is a great look for a Mardi Gras ball or a cocktail party. I do a lot of it for bridesmaids,” Centanni said. “It’s trendy, so it’s better for a bridesmaid than a bride. In 10 years, you don’t want to look back at yourself on your wedding day and go, ‘What was I thinking?’”
“It’s sort of a half-formal half not-formal look,” he said.
It’s also humidity-proof. “When you live here, especially in summertime, I like hair up for a big event,” Centanni said. “Hair down can become a frizzy mess.”
Other standout hairstyles were Octavia Spencer’s parted-down-the-middle bun and Glenn Close’s shoulder-length flip.
Centanni, who has styled Close’s hair in the past when she was visiting New Orleans, thought she looked great. “It’s blown out, with a little texture to it,” he said, “and a little fringe, which softens the face.”
And the award for best makeup goes to…
“Nobody is doing smokey makeup. This year, it’s all about a really natural look and very luminous skin,” said Camet, who quickly ticked off a half dozen or more actresses with envious complexions.
“Angelina Jolie, Michelle Williams, Charlize Theron, even Dianna Argon — she’s wearing a doily, but look at her skin — it looks so beautiful,” Camet said.
The trick, she said, is to spritz your face with a mineral mist after you apply your foundation. “It achieves two functions: it hydrates your skin and sets your makeup,” Camet said. “It’s the secret to this luminosity that everybody had.
“When I’m looking at anything on the red carpet, I’m looking to be inspired; I want to say ‘Oh, I love that dress, those cheeks, or those lips,” Camet said.
As for lips, you couldn’t miss Angelina Jolie’s bright red pout, matching the slash of crimson on the collar of her snowy Versace gown. The look is a little stark, but it was definitely full of the drama.
“You could easily do that look for a Mardi Gras ball,” Camet said, but she advises toning it down a little. What works on the red carpet can look over-done, almost campy, in real life. “When you’re doing that much strength on your lips, you could just apply corner lashes instead of all this gray shading around the eyes, so you’re not competing with your lips.”
Too much lip is one problem. Too little is another. That’s what happened to Mila Kunis, poor darling, who looked completely washed out with her flesh-toned lipstick, light eye makeup and jet black dress. “You have to be careful with a nude lip,” Camet said. “She has really natural makeup on her eyes, and so they didn’t pick a strength to play up. Nothing stands out.”
By contrast, Camet said, Theron nailed the natural look. “She has strength at her lash line, not with color, but with definition, so she still looks natural but her eyes just jump out and sparkle.”
As for other winners in the beauty department, Camet loved Octavia Spencer’s pretty complexion (“She got it all right; she complimented her skin tone to death”) and Emma Stone’s sparkly, metallic eye makeup.
“That’s definitely something you could do for a Mardi Gras ball,” Camet said. “She went with a strong, metallic eye and definition at the lash line, a toned down lip, but not nude, to make it balance. Beautiful.”