Victoria Beckham is featured as The Edit’s/Net-a-Porter’s cover story this week. Victoria is promoting her makeup line with Estée Lauder and all the clothes she’s wearing are from her Autumn line (because Vicks is too romantic to have a “Fall” line, of course). I love this collection. It has stripes everywhere. Growing up as a child in the 70s, I am all about stripes. Plus her silhouettes are so clean and tailored.
As you can imagine, with a fashion designer discussing make-up, the interview is all beauty regime. As Vicks said during the interview, she loves to share what she’s learned and since I think she always looks amazing, I’m listening.
Being camera ready: “I’d be getting on a plane from London, then 11 hours later, getting up, walking out of the airport terminal and being bombarded by so many paparazzi, so I wanted something that I could put on to make me look fresh. That was my starting point, actually; when I began working with Estée Lauder, I said I really want to create a product that does exactly that. And the thing is, everybody is in that position now, because everyone has a camera phone. Whoever you are, everybody has to be ready now!”
Diet fixed her skin problems: “I don’t think you realize how important [a healthy lifestyle is] until you get older. You realize how vital it is to wear sunscreen; to drink lots of water; to cleanse, tone, moisturize; take vitamins; make sure you’re eating the right food. I eat lots of good fats, in avocados, nuts, seeds, salmon… I see a dermatologist in LA, called Dr Harold Lancer, who is incredible – he sorted my skin out. I used to have really problematic skin and he said to me, “You have to eat salmon every single day.” ‘I said, “Really, every day?” And he said, “Yes; breakfast, lunch or dinner, you have to eat it every single day.”‘
Sharing the good news: “There are two types of women out there: there’s the kind of woman who finds something nice and likes to keep it to herself, and then there’s the other type, which is me, who wants to share. I have worked with the best makeup artists, hairdressers and stylists, and I’ve learned so much. I haven’t always got it right, but when I’ve got it wrong, I’ve actually learned an enormous amount from that, too. And I want to share everything I know.”
Her fashion mistakes: “I have made so many fashion mistakes but I actually don’t look at them as mistakes. I celebrate those things, I laugh occasionally but I’m not ashamed of any of that. At some point I thought it was OK to wear a PVC cat suit. When I was pregnant with Romeo, I walked around Disneyland in Christian Louboutin heels, literally at nine months’ pregnant!”
Looking out for each other: “I have no time for women who don’t support other women. It’s the ultimate compliment when a woman tells you that you look good.”
One tip from a makeup artist she shares is to line your waterline with a light color to open the eye and look well rested. My eyes are a problem because they are really small. I was once told a swipe of light/cream eyeshadow right below your brow will also open the eye. That worked wonders so I am giving her light pencil tip a go.
I know you guys have discussed how much diet affects the skin. I loathe salmon so I’ll substitute that with avocados. I realize it won’t work, but I’ll use any excuse to eat an avocado. Of course, Vicky lives on a different plane than most of us. A lot of her tips include dermatologists, makeup artists, nutritionists and other “ists” few of us can afford but at least she’s passing on their advice for free. Her Estée Lauder line is not cheap but I like that she is explaining the idea behind the product. For example, in her first answer about being camera-ready, she suggests her Morning Aura Illuminating Creme. She explained that “dewy” makes you look refreshed so even if you can’t shell out $95 for her product, you can still benefit from her suggestion. Victoria also thinks a beauty routine should be for you, that, “you have to [empower] yourself, rather than rely on other people to do that. It’s great to get a compliment from your husband, or your kids, or another woman, but you also have to make yourself feel good.” And I agree with her.
Photo credit: Tom Craig/Net-A-Porter, Fame/Flynet Photos and Getty Images
Dr Lancer has a great book – I think it’s called “Younger” – I used to follow his regime and it worked very well. I had to stop because I needed to sort out some hormone & autoimmune issues that were making my skin crazy. But now that it’s settled down again, I might go back.
I had salmon for breakfast yesterday, with olives and pineapple. Yay for good fats!
I had horrid acne for YEARS and finally when I sorted my diet — it cleared up. I wish I had known as a teen since I suffered so.
Dairy, sugar, “bad” carbs wreck havoc on my skin!
Me too — I generally eat most of what she’s mentioned plus a range of green veg and it works. Now i want to read this Dr’s book too.
Interesting! I had bad skin (dry, and chin acne) and for decades I blamed foods – I did dairy free, sugar free, I did paleo, I even went vegan at one point.
Nothing diet worked. finally a dr told me I wasn’t eating enough and it was stressing my skin and lady hormones out. Now I glow! And I eat everything – even bread and sugar, dairy and meat, avocados, legumes, etc but no salmon 🙁
I choked enough down during paleo.
it took a year+ to sort my body out and before my periods became regular.
I am glad we all have our acne cures now!
I’m with you! Gluten, dairy and sugar all make my skin weep pimples.
I eat super clean, I oil pull (swear it helps!) I add collagen powder to my teas (elasticity) and I drink a ton of water. All of that helps this 40 year old face!!
I cut out processed carbs and sugar and my skill has never been more clear. I went on vacation last week and off my diet and my skin started breaking out before the week was over.
…I don’t see how Victoria’s being romantic in calling her line Autumn? She’s British, it’s the word we use. If she’d randomly used the French or Italian word for the season, I might understand the ‘romantic’ connotation, but Autumn seems the rational choice to me.
THIS!! Autumn is British (and a lovelier word than Fall :D)
🙂 this
same in french ”automne” !
What do you mean ‘too romantic’ to have a fall line? Simply, ‘Fall’ is not a term used where she comes from – we call it autumn…I know general fashion speak is Fall/Winter, but what does romance have to do with it?
Am I missing something super obvious?
I was scratching my head at that too lol. In Australia we have SS collections (spring summer) or AW (autumn winter)
I’m glad she’s drinking water now. I remember reading once–years ago–that she never drank water (only diet coke) and never read a book (which still makes me sad)
Hopefully she’s developed a lot more since then, because she really used to say/do the stupidest things before reining it in for her fashionista rebirth.
I have her highlighter, which I passed on back in 2011 or whenever. I love it, even though I am so pale I can only use it as a blush. If you’re deeper skin toned and can find it, get it. It’s so pretty.
I love her designs, but can’t afford them. I wish she would do a line for Target or Khols.
Undoubtedly, an ongoing mid-priced label is her end goal because she is not and cannot make money with her line. She will not ever be able to move enough merchandise with the current price structure. I read that hubby David is covering her losses.
Yeah, third’ing the “No British people call Autumn Fall” thing. Although I’m sure she is well aware this is what they call collections in America and possibly did stick with Autumn to try to stand out/sound fancy. Her skin does look amazing compared to how it used to, but bleurgh I hate salmon. And while some of her makeup line looks nice, I refuse to spend even more for an already expensive brand just because it has a celebrity endorsement – same with Tom Ford, etc. it’s the same dang ingredients they use in all of their other Estee Lauder products, you are just paying for the packaging. No thanks.
Pregnant or nursing women and children should limit their salmon to 12 ounces per week. Source: FDA
Eyeliner on your waterline can cause infections.
That was my thought too… At least the salmon here in the U.S., “freshly caught” or farmed… it’s not without risk.
And it’s only my personal opinion, but I really have never liked the look of eyeliner in the water line nor could I stand the feel of it, as I tried it one time. But the technique does work, regarding the lighter color. There is a woman who works in my local phone provider store and when I go in to get any service on my mobile, I’m always in awe of her eyes. She puts white eyeliner on the water line and it really makes her eyes pop.
I’ve tried it too and also hated the sensation. I liked the look a lot but stopped doing it after I read about the risk of infection.
That’s because of possible heavy metal contamination. But you can eat smaller fish lower on the food chain (sardines) or take omega 3 supplements? Omega 3 fatty acids are also good for developing brains (and adult ones! fixed my anxiety). I don’t think you even necessarily need daily fish; 3x a week is good.
Hempseed is a pretty good source of omegas also. Hempseed butter is a curious shade of camouflage green but tasty. I think flaxseed is high in omegas also? I sure hope she likes salmon… Yikes, every day? But then I never could stand fish.
Yep, hemp and flaxseeds are also sources of omega 3, but they’re in a different form that still needs to be converted to the long chain omega 3s we need. Fish contain the long chain form. I feel like eating salmon every day is a great way to make yourself hate salmon! There are so many other fish out there too . . I’m partial to smoked mackerel and eels.
It’s not the salmon you need it’s the onega 3 fatty acids, which are in wild salmon but not farmed salmon. Other wild fish contain omega 3, and you can buy omega 3 supplements (be careful though, you get what you pay for). So actually eating salmon is unnecessary.
There are omega-3 supplements now that claim to not taste “fishy”. I’ve seen at least one vegetarian one also, so they probably use plant sources.
12 ounces of salmon is three or four adult servings. That’s a lot of fish!
I like her line. I would like to read an interview with her creative director. VB afaik, has no design training i.e. she does not know how to draw or drape which means she must rely heavily on a skilled design team behind the scenes who can communicate her ideas.
Her Estee Lauder Autumn collection, when the individual components went on sale, sold out almost immediately. Although now they’re selling the “collection” as opposed to individual components of it – and the “collection” costs over a thousand dollars.
I really wanted some of the eye makeup. The colors were great.
Check net-a-porter; they still had a bunch.
Thanks! Yes, they do! And just the things I want.
Avocado toast is my new go-to lunch so I will await my glowing skin soon, lol. I also drink a ton of water and always have and I do think it’s been a big part of keeping my skin looking pretty decent through my 30s and 40s.
I was never a Spice Girls fan so that photo of her in her garb was funny to me. I almost can’t even tell it’s her.
Avocado and salmon are delicious foods that are good for you. Both are good for your skin. I am a rosácea sufferer so foods like coffee, alcohol, hot peppers, acidic fruits are a big no no for me. It is so frustrating. When I get a flare-up it takes days to heal.
Have you tried Prelief? It’s a form of calcium that supposedly takes the acid out of food without affecting stomach acidity needed for digestion. I sometimes take it when eating tomatoes or drinking soda (if I remember) and it does seem to make a difference. People with interstitial cystitis and sensitive bladders have said it really makes a difference for them, otherwise they can’t eat the foods you indicate without triggering painful episodes. So I’m wondering if it would help with rosacea also.
Oooh, thank you! Interstitial cystitis sufferer here and I’m definitely trying this.
Greenturtle – the forums at IC-network have some comments about Prelief. Also reviews on Amazon.
Totally agree with the light color on the lower waterline trick. It totally works! But finding the right color is a challenge. White is way too bright for most. Tarte makes a great beige-y liner for just this purpose. It’s perfect!
Thanks for the rec, I have yet to find one that doesn’t look sort of unnatural/zombie-ish! What is the shade called do you remember?
I used a light blue for years & that worked nicely.
She wouldn’t call salmon fat ‘good fat’ if she knew a thing or two about how salmons are really kept and bred.
I avoid eating salmon now after reading an eye opening article about it.
But Posh certainly never eats farm-raised salmon. I’m sure she only eats wild-caught.
true.
I secretly like the taste of farm raised salmon. It’s like bacon to me. I know that I should eat the wild caught, but I just like the fattiness of the farm raised salmon. I am ashamed.
Whole Foods has Sea Bacon which is smoked salmon skin. I love that stuff but after I eat it I just am itchy all over. So i think I have a slight allergic reaction to it but I just love that stuff.
Lol @annaloo The farmed salmon tastes better to me as well.
I’m ok with frankenfish. Pretty sure this organic chicken I bought the other day had a huge tumor, so who am I to quibble about genetics?
Yeah, eating farm raised salmon is never a good idea. And I just heard a radio story last night about how their Omega 3 levels — the main reason to eat salmon — are decreasing, too, so scientists are developing genetically modified fish for their feed. No thank you!
I won’t eat farmed salmon, only wild-caught Pacific – stay away from Atlantic salmon.
Interesting. I don’t know much about farmed salmon or why Atlantic salmon is bad. But I’ve heard that Pacific salmon is absolutely a no no. What with the Fukushima leaking hundreds of tons of radioactive waste into the ocean for a few years already, I’m not sure how safe Pacific fish are for consumption.
As for hemp and flax. Apparently it is a lot harder to absorb it than animal omega 3.
Noodle – absorption is so individual, I think that people who have been successful dealing with a particular health issue by eating fish but would like to cut back could just try the plant sources to see if they get the desired effect, with or without smaller amounts of fish.
I love makeup and also watch a bunch of YouTube videos weekly about it. Some tips:
Always wash your brushes after a couple uses. Also wash your face before applying makeup. — this prevents bacterial infection.
Light eyeliner on lower waterline works!
Tight lining your upper lash line gives the illusion of thicker lashes.
Always use lip liner for a perfect pout!
Bronzer. Bronzer. Bronzer. No matter your skin color, bronzer instantly warms and defines the face.
I keep seeing beauty bloggers put white eyeliner on their waterlines too, but it freaks me out a bit. Plus, I think it might be a bad idea if you have dry eyes because the particles might get onto your eyeballs—which could be bad if you don’t have enough tears to wash those particles away fast enough.
Anyway, Victoria looks wonderful as always.
I think any oily fish is good for your skin? Salmon makes me ill! I’ve tried avocados and I just don’t like them.
Here is just the article for you:
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/natural-health/skip-the-salmon-and-eat-these-healthy-fats-instead/
They mention walnuts, acai berry, flaxseed, chia seeds, and pumpkin seeds as good sources of omega-3. Maybe also hempseed. Chia seeds are slightly sweet and easily made into pudding or added to oatmeal. Hempseed makes a nice butter. They all can easily be added to smoothies.
Thanks 🙂
Yasssss JWoolman!! Flax, chia, pepitas, hempseed…all AMAZING add ins to smoothies or oatmeal. I have all every day.
Kat – try putting 1/2 an avocado into a smoothie with berries, almond milk, honey and some plain yogurt. You can’t taste the avocado but it gives it a lovely creamy texture and you reap the benefits of the healthy fats.
Sounds delicious! Will give it a try.
I like sardines, even canned ones. Lots of Omega 3s. Not for everyone, but a major yum for me!
I don’t like avocados either. I try to just choke them down. I also struggle with knowing when they’re ready to eat. I’ve googled and still can’t get it right.
Isa: to determine how ripe they are, squeeze them. Unripe avocados are as hard as stone. As they ripen, they soften such that you can squeeze (gently) the flesh gives under the skin of the avocado. The softer it is, the more ripe it is. You have to make a subjective judgement as to degree of softness good for you.
For what it’s worth, avocado used in restaurants, shop prepared sandwiches is unripe or vaguely unripe and i think unripe avocado is disgusting. I don’t know how anyone can stand to eat those avocados.
Oh, Isa- please don’t eat avocados if you hate them! Life is too short to eat foods we don’t like just because we think they’re healthy. There are plenty of other foods to eat for good fats.
I like to eat avocado straight out of the shell with a spoon or on crackers or in corn taco shells, mashed up with lime or lemon or pineapple. But I can’t imagine eating them if I didn’t really like them.
Posh > Goop
Hands down.
Anna Wintour needs to retire. Did you look at those shoes and outfit in general?! I think my 82yr old polish babchia has those shoes and she wears them on her comfort days not going to the store days. How would she allow anyone to dress like that around her let alone her herself is beyond me. I think its time for a fresh perspective for VOUGE. Just saying.
Yep! Lots of water, avocados, salmon, no dairy, vitamins and yoga (stress relief) have helped my skin so much.
LOOOVE her. She doesn’t try to be “relatable” which I enjoy. She just seems like a decent chill person.
When is she doing another style/fashion/makeup book? Is what I want to know. She should, it’s been ages since the last one.