NEWS

24 of the Best Ugly Crying GIFs

The ugly cry isn't a new thing. Though Beyoncé brought back the unattractive weep—if it can even be called that, since this is Beyoncé we're talking about—in honor of the last show on her Mrs. Carter tour, the phenomenon has been around for a while. Lauren Conrad made mascara tears a thing with her pretty ugly cry onThe Hills, Real Housewives whip it out on Watch What Happens Live on the regular, and Kim Kardashian is in fact, the queen of the ugly cry. To celebrate Queen Bey's bawl, we've collected the 24 best ugly cries in TV, movies, and life. Get those tears ready, people, it's Friday!

Kim Richards

Carrie Mathison

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The 5 Biggest Mistakes You Make Putting on Eyeliner

Everyone knows it's hard to apply eyeliner. But what if you're doing something that you don't even realize messes it up, and if you fixed that one little thing, your eye makeup would look noticeably better? Here, the five things most likely to mess up your eye makeup game. Watch out for them, and your attempts at a cat eye could go from almost-great to amazing.

1. Overdoing it on the bottom lid. 
Heavily lining your lower lid — especially with a very dark color — can make your eyes look smaller, says Mary Clarke, a product analyst in the Good Housekeeping Research Institute beauty lab. Plus, you’re more likely to end up with under-eye smudges. If you want to define your lower eyelid, use a light pencil or, for an even more subtle look, a light brown or taupe eye shadow. Clarke recommends MAC Pro Longwear pencil, a top-performer in our tests.

Related: An Ode to Lorde's Untouchable Lipstick Game

2. Putting it on unevenly, resulting in a jagged look.
It's so frustrating to have to wipe off that line on your upper lid with makeup remover a million times before you get it right. To keep liner straight, avoid tugging at the outer corners of your eyes, makeup artist Laura Geller us. "This can cause skin to crinkle, and your line will not be as smooth." Try pointing your chin up and looking down, so your lids are half-closed but you can still see them. And if you’re using gel liner, apply it with a slanted brush for a smoother look. You can also use a light pencil to draw in the line to give yourself a guideline.

3. Only using black and brown. 
A little white or nude eyeliner on your bottom lid can work wonders to make you look more awake and refreshed. Gently pull on your under-eye and trace the line between the lower lashes and the inside rim.

Related: The Best Celebrity Eyebrows

4. Not knowing the differences between pencil, gel, and liquid.
Pencil eyeliners are best if you’re in a hurry: They’re the quickest to put on and resist smearing, Carl Ray, makeup artist to Michelle Obama, says. (Here’s his easy tip for applying pencil liner smoothly.) Gel liners give you a more glam look, are water-resistant, and allow more control over line thickness. Our top pick: Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner. Liquid liners are the "advanced" kind. They apply more precisely, but you really need a steady hand to put 'em on. If you’re a beginner trying a wing-tip or cat-eye, use gel instead of liquid. "Liquid liner is a powerful product that delivers a strong, fluid line," says makeup artist Sonia Kashuk. "Its intense pigmentation creates definition at the lash line and by controlling the thickness of the line, you can create a range of looks."

5. Not smudge-proofing.
Here’s how to do it: Apply your liner with a pencil or a tiny brush, and then trace over the line with a matching powder shadow. To make it last even longer, wet your shadow brush with Visine first, Jo Davis, artistic director for Trucco Cosmetics, told us.

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François Nars Taps Charlotte Rampling

Call it the age of the elder model (pun intended). A string of labels, arguably beginning withLanvin's fall 2012 campaign, are embracing silver-haired sirens in their collections, campaigns, and look books. Earlier this month, Estée Lauder announced Stephanie Seymour as their new spokesmodel, and late last month American Apparel street-cast Jacky O'Shaughnessy, 62, to pose in lacy underthings with a tag line that read: "Sexy has no expiration date."

Now comes news that Francois Nars has recruited Charlotte Rampling. Held aloft among fashion circles for her powerful, challenging portrayals, the 68-year-old British actress will be the face of Nars for fall, shot by François Nars himself to mark the 20th anniversary of the cosmetic company.

Rampling's last brush with the fashion world, albeit unintentional, was Marc Jacobs' fall 2011Louis Vuitton collection, inspired by The Night Porter. Models resembled Rampling's scantily-clad alter ego in the controversial 1974 film in which she played an S&M-practicing inmate in a Nazi concentration camp.

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'I Hate Perfume' Marks 10 Years of Contrarily Service

New York perfumer Christopher Brosius hates perfume so much that he's infused the sentiment into the name of his own fragrance line, I Hate Perfume. If any industry begs for a contrarian voice, certainly it's the fragrance industry.

But of course he doesn't really hate perfume. If he did, he wouldn't have created the company in the first place, now approaching its 10th anniversary, or his Williamsburg boutique. "I don't really hate most perfumes. Most perfumes simply bore me to tears," he says. "There are those, however, that I do hate and those are the ones that are so overpowering as to make people physically ill, myself very much included. Frankly, any perfume that can do that ought tonever be released."

After ten years, I Hate Perfume has gained a sizeable and loyal cult fanbase, eager to try out each new olfactive experiment. Brosius says the most successful of his scents, which are usually memory-based, is In the Library. "Having an intense passion for books, I find the smell of them to be both comforting and very exciting."

Even his more traditional scents are made to uncommon, exacting standards. Rare Flowers, for example, is literally made from rare flowers alone, without chemicals of any kind. It takes thousands of flowers — neroli, jasmine, narcissus, tuberose — to press enough oil concentrate for a small batch. "I've identified a group of aroma-chemicals that are most likely to trigger ill effects in myself and a great many other people. They're banned from my formulations."

Naturally, Brosius has a list of dos and don'ts that he operates on and wishes others would, too. Among them, "Never wear any perfume so that it's detectable beyond arm's reach. This is an insult to those around you. Also, never rely on wearing one single perfume for years on end. Exposure to exactly the same perfume day after dreary day will cause your brain to stop registering it. You'll wind up wearing more and more and more of it, and you'll wind up one of those atrocious old ladies who reek of some horrible fragrance. Always have a selection of at least three or four perfumes that you love and which reflect your various moods."

Brosius has created a box set to mark his first decade, during which he's exhibited in galleries and twice collaborated with Alan Cumming. Cloth-bound, numbered and signed, and made to resemble a coffee table book, The Box houses a complete collection of his perfumes to date. Like everything else at the perfumery, it is not for timid, costing $6,500 - $10,500. "The Box is the full-on complete CB I Hate Perfume experience up till now — and, because The Box is expandable, into the future as well. It really is an ultimate luxury for the serious collector."

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Is Amber Atherton the Next Victoria Beckham?

It takes 30 minutes for Amber Atherton to get from the Topshop show to her car—even though technically, it’s parked just across the street. But Atherton is the textbook definition of street style bait: She has swishy blonde hair, storybook apple cheeks, towering designer heels, and a hot pink crop top. And so a stroll that should take five seconds is interrupted, constantly, by flashes, clicks, and the constant refrain of “Oh, Amber, just one picture, please!”

Atherton agrees sweetly to every request—the Japanese fashion magazine, the German teen blog, the 10-year-old twins with their mother’s iPhone in hand. “I’m glad to do it, really,” she shrugs once we’ve finally reached the parking lot. “I mean, it is my job.”

Well… kind of. Like Net-a-Porter’s Natalie Massenet and NastyGal’s Sophia Amoruso, Atherton is a maven of fashion e-commerce, steering the accessory siteMyFlashTrash.com towards imminent online domination. Her subscriber base boasts hundreds of thousands of shoppers. She supervises her own factory in China. She boasts angel investors. But Atherton is different than other e-commerce gurus in one key way: Like Victoria Beckham, the 23-year-old is usingherself to sell product.

But how? Atherton is neither a model (she quit at age 18) nor an actress. And though she did do a stint on the British reality show Made in Chelsea (think “The Hills” with more crumpets), she’s not exactly a household name—“just a girl who learned how to code websites when I was young,” she grins. “But once you know how to do that, you can do almost anything.”

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A Philanthropy-Meets-Fashion Design Award Has Been Created in L'Wren Scott's Honor

With the world still reeling from the news of designer L'Wren Scott's tragic death, one Los Angeles-based non-profit has created an award in her honor.According to WWD, The Art of Elysium's L'Wren Scott Amber Award will celebrate emerging fashion designers who will in turn donate their time to help hospitalized children. In addition, winners will design a line to benefit the Elysium, which uses art, fashion design, and music to aid children with serious medical conditions. Scott's family is on board as well, and has asked that well-wishers donate to the Elysium in lieu of flowers.

The organization counts many celebrities among its fans (many of whom had made appearances at the nonprofit's annual gala), including Matthew McConaughey, Ashley Olsen, Courteney Cox, Scarlett Johansson, Johnny Depp, and Robin Wright. Elysium Collections is the fashion program, which encourages young designers to pay it forward by helping kids with their own fashion aspirations achieve their dreams. To this end, the L'Wren Scott Amber Award isn't just named for the late designer, but for Amber, one of the first children to participate in the Elysium Collections workshop.

So while we grapple with this tragedy, it's a comfort to know that Scott will live on through this amazing charity—and through the designers and children that this award inspires.

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Making the Case for Rihanna's CFDA Award

Iman. Sarah Jessica Parker. Nicole Kidman. The CFDA Fashion Icon Award is traditionally reserved for people whose singular style transforms the way we see fashion. Rihanna, a pop star with a penchant for swearing and smoking, doesn't fit neatly into that category. Where Iman, SJP, and Nicole are perennially poised, Rihanna has no qualms flaunting her love for marijuana and strip clubs, or flashing her pink panties under a see-through Simone Rocha skirt.

Photo: Rihanna at the 2009 Met Gala

But if you look closely at Rihanna's sartorial impact, you'll find that her role as a provocateur has served her well. She consistently pushes the envelope with fashion choices that are both thoughtful and progressive. As far back as 2009, when her peers walked the Met Gala red carpet in satin gowns with trains, Rihanna showed up in a puffy-shouldered Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo and bright blue eyeshadow. She relishes in risk-taking, attending the 2011 Grammy Awards in a white, sheer-striped Jean Paul Gaultier gown and vibrant red hair. A talented and fearless dresser, there's no look Rihanna can't wear with aplomb, making her a coveted muse for any fashion designer. In recent months, she cemented her role as a visionary and astute businesswoman with three River Island collections designed with her main costumier, Adam Selman, several successful collaborations with M.A.C cosmetics, and a high fashion ad campaign with Balmain. 

Photo: Rihanna at the 2011 Grammys

When we look back on the legacy of CFDA Fashion Icon Award winners, Rihanna will be lauded for having it all. She boasts the trendsetting magic of a Sarah Jessica Parker, singlehandedly turning the asymmetrical bob into a ubiquitous sensation. She wields the power to make fashion merchandise fly off the shelves like Iman, evidenced by her success at M.A.C and River Island. She can mix any manner of trends and historical references for a street style that's uniquely her own, in the tradition of previous Icon Award winner Kate Moss. And like the 2011 recipient, Lady Gaga, Rihanna keeps us talking with sheer tops worn bra-less at fashion week parties and doobie wrap hairstyles worn onstage at global awards shows. She abhors rules and pays little attention to contemporary trends, thus transcending them all. With her try-anything approach to hair colors and willingness to wear anything once, she embodies the culture's "devil may care" attitude. And therein lies Rihanna's greatest asset: She is a true reflection of the times. Icon, indeed.

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