By Elma B.
Jane Fonda has been asked how she manages to look so fabulous and beautiful at the age of 75; her consistent answer: a lot of time and a lot of money! When I was 15 years old, I used to look, with enviable eyes, at the models on billboards and magazines; I thought that these girls simply woke-up looking flawlessly and that somehow the rest of the people I knew were just "normal." What I did not realize was that "beauty" required hours of work and lots of professionals involved. For instance, Victoria's Secret supermodel Adriana Lima spent 12 hours when shooting for Vogue Spain in June 2010. In another words, looking "flawless" required a lot of professionals, including make-up artists, hair stylists, photographers, graphic designers, and fashion designers, and a lot of money (to pay for the people on the set). Did I mention the cost of personal trainers and plastic surgeons?
In fact, my make-up in the photos below required around 45 minutes, e.g., toner, primer, bronzer, highlighter, and concealer. On top of the hours spent make-up, I take very good care of my skin on a daily basis: I use Lancome's scrub, toner, face and eye serum, and moisturizer; and I eat food filled with nutrients (e.g., fish and fresh fruits and vegetables). In another words, "beauty" as we see on billboards, magazines and TV requires a lot of dedication, passion, hard work and money. I advise you not to feel badly about yourself and to think twice before purchasing a product that a "flawless" model is advertising because that image does not exist. It is fantasy meant to sell you a product; the model and her reality could not be farther from the fantasy selling that product. Until next time fashionistas, signing-off from New York City, xoxo.
