A not-so-stupid love? [reviewing the Stupid Love eyeshadow palette, by Haus Laboratories].

We want you to color your own world. Escape into STUPID LOVE and embrace your color story with 18 shades of full-intensity pigment, inspired by Lady Gaga’s sixth album Chromatica. 

Colors in cool and warm tones clash and come together in new ways each time you create, taking your look from subtle pop to bold celebration. In this HAUS of color, you make the rules, with multiple finishes and silky smooth textures that unite to put the power of love in your hands - Haus Labs.

 For the brand's first limited edition palette, they've focused on blue and teal tones and have added coordinating neutrals in a mix of warm & cool light, medium & dark tones, to make the colour story more wearable. 

This was the first cosmetic item in four months that interested & excited me, so the brand is already scoring points for the interesting colour story and presentation,  plus I've enjoyed all of the other products I have from the brand. Being the  first cosmetic product to  make me go "ohh" in four months doesn't sound like something impressive to most people, but I'm someone with severe depression, anxiety, PTSD and a couple of long-term physical health issues, who spent years buying something new every other week to give myself to look forward to, so to lose interest in my usual vices for a while and not miss them, means that this really stood out to grab & hold my interest. 

Has the reality lived up to my expectations?

Goldie looking chain... [reviewing the Glam Attack Metallic Creme liquid eyeshadow in Chains, by Haus Laboratories].

Multifaceted liquid eyeshadow with longwearing, opaque coverage for a true foil finish - Haus Labs site.

Hmm; so how does the Metallic Creme liquid eyeshadow formula differ from the brand's Liquid Shimmer liquid eyeshadow formula, and why does the price between the two formulas vary by £2 [the Metallic Creme range is the slightly more expensive one]?

This was the question on my mind when I first saw the four-piece Metallic Creme range, which was introduced last winter. I decided that the best way to settle my curiosity about the formulas, was to try the new-to-me one for myself.

So lets go and find out...

I'm addicted to a life of material... [reviewing the Glam Room no. 1: The Fame eyeshadow palette, by Haus Laboratories]

"Unlock your FAME in the new GLAM ROOM PALETTE NO. 1. 

With 10 matte, metallic, shimmer, and sparkle finishes made to perform on every skin tone, this universal palette gives you the power to play up every persona. Silky smooth, blendable shades range from warm pale peach and rose gold to cool plums and deep black for an ensemble of colours ready to envelop you in a new identity each time you want to reinvent yourself"


Haus Laboratories released their first powder eyeshadow in a palette format late last year and being that I really enjoy the formulas for the other product from the brand I have, I was keen to get the palette and try the shadow formulas out.

Read on for my final verdict...

Last-minute Stocking stuffer: Haus Laboratories Le Riot lipgloss in Venus & RIP lipliner in Myth.

Today we're taking another look at products from Haus Laboratories; the new cosmetics brand by Lady Gaga.

For this post I'm focusing on the product combo to pick up this festive season, for either yourself or for those hunting for the perfect nude & glossy lip...

Last-minute Stocking stuffer: Haus Laboratories Glam Attack Liquid Shimmer Powder in Aphrodite

So; Lady Gaga launched her own beauty brand in August and naturally I'd pre-ordered a three-piece set.

Today I want to focus on what I think is the star product in the selection, something I've worn quite a few times now and get compliments from strangers when I wear when out and about...

First impressions: Eau De Gaga by Lady Gaga...

After being left disappointed by the non-existent leather accord in Royal Revolution, I expected another wishy washy "meh" release here too as Coty is behind the Lady Gaga fragrances, as well as the newer Katy Perry ones. Was I right not to expect much, or was I pleasantly surprised?

EAU DE GAGA is described by Coty as being "an enigmatic scent, fusing daringly diverse elements to create a beguiling allure. The fragrance is built around a beautiful heart of white violet, an intoxicating flower that fuses male and female attractions. To counterbalance this opulent woody-floral intensity, the scent opens with an invigorating burst of sparkling lime that exudes dynamic vibrancy. And it evolves into a sensual trail based on leather, adding a primal quality to the scent".

Make my art pop; ARTPOP by Lady Gaga...

ARTPOP is the third studio album by Lady Gaga, and was released in November 2013 by Streamline and Interscope Records. It debuted at number one in around ten countries, including the UK and America. It entered the top ten in some twenty other countries.

✩✩✩✩/✩✩✩✩✩

After the fame: Eau De Gaga EDP by Lady Gaga...‏

“inspired by the adventurous woman and the man who loves her" - Lady Gaga

EAU DE GAGA is an enigmatic scent, fusing daringly diverse elements to create a beguiling allure. The fragrance is built around a beautiful heart of white violet, an intoxicating flower that fuses male and female attractions. To counterbalance this opulent woody-floral intensity, the scent opens with an invigorating burst of sparkling lime that exudes dynamic vibrancy. And it evolves into a sensual trail based on leather, adding a primal quality to the scent.

The singer described Eau de Gaga on Twitter as a clean fragrance composed of the three things she uses every day: sparkling water, lime and leather.

Truth vs lies...

“I hate the truth so much that i'd rather have a giant dose of bulls**t anyday”
- Lady Gaga

Playing the FAME game: A review of Fame EDP by Lady Gaga...

Advantages:	Affordable, easy to wear, largely ageless, pretty unique for price range,
Disadvantages:	may be too heavy in the heat.

"It was taken out of my own blood sample so it's a sense of having me on your skin, I wanted to extract sort of the feeling and sense of blood and semen from molecular structures, so that's where the rumours [that FAME would smell like blood and semen] came from. That is in the perfume but it doesn't smell like that, Actually the perfume smells like an expensive hooker." - Lady Gaga

Fragrance (sort of) review: Fame EDP by Lady Gaga...

I've not had my bottle of FAME long enough for a detailed review yet, but I do have a few initial observations and notes. I want to share these now as there are already tons of reviews online, which are just knee jerk reactions of people, who are basing them on whether they love or hate Lady Gaga herself, rather then actually describing the perfume in any detail...


First; I don't get why this is being described as a fruity/floral - on me there is only the tiniest hint of apricot, but it so very short lived that it doesn't really make an lasting impression on me. I think some people may be confusing the honey accord as apricot/peach, or similar. The belladonna, incense and honey are the main notes on me, so FAME is definitely something that I would describe as a floriental fragrance.

Second; I don't really get the whole push-pull malarkey, but the fragrance is not linear. It even seems a bit different every time I wear it, so a detailed review is going to take a little while to write.

Third; No FAME doesn't stain skin or clothes. I've even sprayed it directly onto my pyjamas, and the liquid does indeed spray clear, despite being black in the bottle.

Forth; FAME does go close to the skin after a couple of hours, but I catch lingering wisps throughout the day. When I wore it to bed, it was still detectable the next day.


I can't believe that FAME is a Coty release!!

Just a little more about Lady Gaga's Fame...

“Fame is an illusion — if you really want it, anyone can have it”

Eau de parfum:
10ml [rollerball] - $19 [£12]
30ml - $42 [£26]
50ml - $55 [£35]
100ml Ultimate Masterpiece (these words are also printed on the bottle) - $79 [£50]
"The Ultimate Masterpiece is Gaga’s “pure vision” for her scent brand, complete with a heavy, clear glass, egg-shaped bottle and a weighty gold-claw-inspired cap, and a number of doors will be carrying that size exclusively"

Bath and body:
black Soap - $15 [£9] (will be released in August in limited distribution)
black shower gel - $25 for 200 ml [£16] (released by November)
black body lotion - $30 for 200 ml [£19] (on counter in November)

[sources: WWD.com and Jonr951 at Fragrantica.om]

The scented soap will be in shops by August? Does that mean that the perfume release date is being pushed up worldwide? Only a little bit longer to wait :)

Be nice to know the prices in British pounds - all I have above is the current rate against US dollars, but [so far] the rough price guide seems reasonable for a EDP.

More info on Lady Gaga's Fame...

"Photo from Haus Laboratories of Le Masterpiece FAME: the premiere edition my fragrance, cap is solid metal not plastic. There are 2 versions of fragrance. One is more affordable. The other is Le Masterpiece, larger bottle, metal cap & eau de parfum. My baby! All my fashion fragrance dreams coming true!" - Lady Gaga

"30 dollars for affordable. Over 70 for Le Masterpiece."

So there will be two editions of Fame? Is the cheaper one a EDT and the expensive one a concentrated EDP? Guessing on the prices, I'd say yes, that does sound like the prices of most mass market fragrance releases.

[based on current rates]
$30 = £19
$70 = £45

Then again more concentrated parums tend not to be sold in larger sizes, so baring that in mind I'm guessing that 'Le Masterpiece' is a collectors edition - you know, a limited edition bottle.

Also; the worldwide release date was given as September, but Macy*s customers will begin receiving their pre-ordered bottles one month earlier. Will it be the same for the rest of the world, or is a Macy*s [U.S.] only promotional thing?

finally; A Spanish fan apparently got to buy a bottle [the bottle is being made in Spain] and thinks that Fame is similar to Paco Rabanna Black XS. So you can give XS a sniff to see if Fame is likely to be your cup of tea whilst we wait for the release.

New fragrance: Fame EDP by Lady Gaga...

 

"It was taken out of my own blood sample so it’s a sense of having me on your skin, I wanted to extract sort of the feeling and sense of blood and semen from molecular structures, so that’s where [the rumours] came from. That is in the perfume but it doesn’t smell like that, Actually the perfume smells like an expensive hooker."

I'm a Little Monster, so I was thrilled when I came across Lady Gaga's tweets about her debut perfume ten minutes ago. After tons of rumours we get our details. So drumroll please...

Lady Gaga presents her first fragrance in collaboration with her own The Haus Laboratories Paris and fragrance company Coty. The perfume, called Fame, comes out on the market in Sept 2012.

Fame is composed in an unusual way; the fragrance does not respect the pyramidal structure of the composition, but uses so-called. "push - pull technology” by which the ingredients are mixed to highlight different aspects of each fragrant note at the same time, without any hierarchy.
The fragrance is built on three main accords: dark accord, sensual accord and light accord. The dark accord includes poisonous flower Belladonna and incense, which evolve into the sensual and opulent wave of honey drops, saffron and apricot. Floral veil of Sambac jasmine and tiger orchid embody light and beauty.

The liquid of the perfume is also innovative – it is colored in black but becomes invisible when it touches the skin. Just like the fame itself - "It’s black like the soul of fame, but invisible once airborn."

I like all of the listed scent notes, so I'm very much looking forward to the release. I'm not just saying that as a Lady Gaga fan; I'm looking at the bottles of my favourite perfumes right now and every key scent note in FAME is amongst them a few times. Couple that with the gothic bottle design and black juice and FAME could have been created for my personal tastes :)

On the downside; I'm anticipating that people will rush to buy FAME once it is released, meaning that it will sell out almost immediately, causing a backlog. So yeah, we may still have to wait for a little while longer until we can get our hands on it...

Review: Born This Way by Lady GaGa [music album]

Rating:

Advantages: Totally different to her previous work, meaningful lyrics, rockier edge to the music,

Disadvantages: None for me; I really did love every second of the album.

"The vision is of me in an endless journey. I am a vehicle. I am a vehicle for all of the ideas. And I'm not riding away or towards anything, I'm just in endless state of creativity" -- Lady Gaga

Nick Knight is the photographer behind the artwork for the album and singles. The fashion director for Haus of Gaga and creative director for Mugler Nicola Formichetti styled Lady GaGa and artists who work with her regularly - Sam McKnight and Val Garland - did Lady GaGa's hair and make-up.
When the photo for the regular album edition cover was released it was a case of WTF? Is she meant to be a transformer? She's half human, half motorcycle - like a Hell's Angel centaur [the deluxe edition cover is just a closeout of her face mid growl]. After a while the covers grew on me; she's not bothered about simply looking all pretty and sweet - every last little detail of the album has a message.

Lady GaGa has fully wrote You And I and has co-wrote every other regular and bonus track. Her co-writers are RedOne, Jeppe Laursen, Fernando Garibay and Paul Blair [aka DJ White Shadow]. Lady GaGa has referred to her co-writers/friends and herself as the "Banditos".

Vincent Herbert is Born This Way's executive producer, Robert "Mutt" Lange has produced You And I and Lady GaGa and her co-writers are the co-producers of the other tracks.

Beauty buys of the year: MAC Viva Glam GaGa and Cyndi

GaGa Lipstick [Lustre]

I wasn't expecting to like MAC's VIVA GLAM GAGA, but as soon as I swatched it I had to have it. It's a beautiful light, bright bubble-gum pink, and it's blue-based so it is ideal for my fair skin.

It's a lustre lipstick, so while the staying power isn't really bad, it isn't great - around two hours max.
I have dry lips, but have not yet experienced any flaking or chafing after I’ve been wearing this.


* Lady GaGa's favourite lipstick is Pink Nouveau, so she asked MAC to create the VIVA GLAM GAGA around that shade

GaGa lipglass

If you like MAC's blue-based powder pink VIVA GLAM GAGA lipstick, then you need the lipglass edition too. This is almost exactly the same shade as the lipstick; The pink colour is just a bit milkier. The finish to the gloss is a cream and seems to have a thicker formula then my other MAC lipglasses, but it still gives a lovely polished shine to my lips. A single coat gives a more natural polished look to my lips, however layering it gives a milkier look that is great for pairing with strong eyes.

Cyndi lipstick [Lustre]

I wouldn't class this as a real red - it leans strongly towards coral - but I'm loving it. Not being confident with wearing red lipstick I love that this doesn't scream look at me!" and I would actually class this as subtle enough for every day wear. The lustre finish to the lipstick tones down the shade even further.

Rumour Mill: Lady GaGa to front MAC 2011 Viva Glam campaign?

Perez Hilton thinks so.

There's no information right now, but seeing how successful this year's campaign [also fronted by Cyndi Lauper] has been I'm sure MAC are indeed seriously discussing it.

Upcoming release: Lady GaGa's debut fragrance with Coty.

So the previous rumours about Lady GaGa releasing own fragrance with coty were true, as Coty have now confirmed that everything has been signed!

MONSTER is due for release in 2012. Sounds like a bit of a wait, but I'd rather wait as it means they are working on something unique, rather then planning a quick money-making scheme.


Exciting stuff.

Rumour mill: Lady GaGa to release fragrance?

The First Fragrance by Lady Gaga Created by Coty Inc!

After a lot of speculation about the first fragrance by Lady Gaga, WWD publishes that a contract has been signed for her fragrance with Coty Inc. The first fragrance for women by Lady Gaga can be expected on the market in spring 2012!

Stephan Mormoris, vice president of global marketing for Coty Inc. states that the contract was signed last week and that Lady Gaga is a 'phenomenon' and a 'fascinating culture force' of today's world scene.

 [Credit: Sandra Raičević Petrović at Fragrantica.com]

 

Interesting. I love Lady GaGa and I love perfume, so my fingers are tightly crossed.
 
This is a highly reliable source, but I'm aware that previous rumours in this vein have been denied by GaGa's camp, so best not to get too excited just yet.