#[ regina in the upper city raising henry :o ]

[estarion]

she looks caught, and he’s the look of a man with a sudden armful of pretty blonde doe that he knows not quite what to do with.  once in his grasp, he never releases back out into the wild.  not after that time.  ( oh, miss barmaid.  what big, beautiful eyes you have...  soo, you’re a mother, hm?  well, i happen to be a mother-fucker.  let’s go back to my place tonight...  )  —not a target.  the reminder eases something that was beginning to grip at him. he gently clears his throat.

“... if you’re brave enough to elaborate, you can skip over the drinking bit. unless you just want to get drunk. but you’re still on the clock, right?”  he sounds like he wishes she wasn’t. that she’d play a different game with him. he doesn’t even mean to. his gaze drifts to the bar, his lap, the glass in his hand.  he hates this stupid glass in his hand.  he dribbles a little wine down one knee.  dark and padded, just for such a purpose.  may as well use her distraction to some advantage.   “did you lack support, or... just didn’t feel it was for you?”

❛   aren't you supposed to take a shot if you have done it ? ❜ a curious brow arches as emma watches him , her head tilting as she examines him. his physical characteristics are so distinct ------ he'd be hard to forget. she wonders if he hates that ; if it gets in the way of his plans. she's so lost in thinking about that that his statement surprises her enough to earn a blank , deer in the light stare.

DID HE KNOW ? did she give off mother vibes ? no , definitely not. it was why she'd given up her baby in the first place ---- she was not fit to be a mother.

she catches herself &* smoothes her expression into something more impassive , even if it's a lost cause now. she rolls her eyes &* stubbornly takes a sip of her drink. ❛ for the record , i'm not a mother. i don't know where he ended up.   ❜

[muachronicle]

Met Gala 2019

While most of us have a serious case of #TheMondays, entertainment and fashion’s elite are decked out to the nines for the 2019 Met Gala (formally known as the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute benefit). Every year the Upper East side in New York City closes down Fifth Avenue to roll out the pink carpet at the Met for the gala, which is a fundraiser for the museum’s Costume Institute. The Vogue editor-in-chief of has served as a trustee for the museum since 1999 and has helped the Institute raise millions of dollars. The space was even renamed the Anna Wintour Costume Center in 2014, after a two year renovation.

The Gala also sports a theme reflective of the exhibit that opens to the public just days after the benefit (May 9th for this year) as well as a changing roster of co-hosts. The 2019 exhibit/theme is “Camp: Notes on Fashion”. Camp favors a constructed aesthetic not found in nature, something that can be punchy or satirical in terms of societal norms. Camp can be flamboyant, androgynous, or any definition of an artistic construct.

The event is invitation only, has a heady waitlist, and individual tickets go for $30,000 (with a table going for $125K). Since the event is completely sponsored so all proceeds from ticket sales go directly to the Costume Institute. The closest that most of us will get to the Met Gala was watching Ocean’s 8 on a consistent loop. Don’t let that stop you from dreaming big and aiming high, though. Maybe one day we’ll be choosing you (or your work) as one of our top looks for the night.

Susan Sontag said it best in her essay, Notes on Camp, when she attributed camp as being, “the hallmark of Camp is the spirit of extravagance. Camp is a woman walking around in a dress made of three million feathers.” The primary driver of camp, however, is the dedication to it; extravagance without consistency is not camp. This explains why the co-hosts for this year’s Gala are and co-hosting are Serena Williams, Lady Gaga, Alessandro Michele (creative director of Gucci), and Harry Styles. One can’t imagine a group of individuals more likely to subvert the norm and create magic.

This also explains why there were so many feathers on the pink carpet.

To support the Metropolitan Museum of Art, donate here or become a friend of the Costume Institute.

Products with an asterisk (*) were the actual products used by the artists for the event.

Lady Gaga

The Makeup: Sarah Tanno

The Hair: Frederic Aspiras

The Outfits: Brandon Maxwell

Try: While Sarah made the lashes by hand, you can try Chimera Glitter Lashes ($25) when mimicking the look.

Billy Porter

The Makeup: La Sonya Gunter

The Emsemble: The Blonds

Try: Pat McGrath Labs EYEdols eye shadow in Gold Standard* ($25).

Celine Dion

The Makeup: Justin St Clair

The Hair: Dee Amore

The Headpiece: Noel Stewart

The Dress: Oscar de la Renta

Try: The Chanel Les 9 Ombres ($70) palette, bringing the gold up to (and past, if you’re bold) the brows.

Cardi B

The Makeup: Erika La’Pearl

The Ensemble: Thom Browne

Try: Pair PermaGel lip pencil in Manhattan* ($25) with MatteTrance lipstick in Vendetta* and/or Guinevere* ($38 each) - La’Pearl mixed both shades for Cardi’s look.

Winnie Harlow

The Makeup: Adam Burrell

The Hair: Has Hounkpatin

The Headpiece: House of Malakai

The Dress: Tommy Hilfiger

Try: Use the Monoi Body Glow ($59) from NARS on the body for glowing skin all over.

Katy Perry

The Makeup: Michael Anthony

The Hair: Rick Henry

The Ensemble: Jeremy Scott

Try: Affordable alert! Use the Trublend line from Covergirl for a flawless complexion starting with Matte Made* ($11.49) foundation, which comes in 40 shades.

Lucy Boynton

The Makeup: Jo Baker

The Hair: Jenny Cho

The Dress: Prada

Try: Run (don’t walk) to grab the Duo Bronze Et Lumiere* ($95) from Chanel. We say run because it’s part of the brand’s Cruise 2019 collection and once it’s gone it’s gone for good.

Lily Aldridge

The Makeup: Quinn Murphy

The Hair: Bryce Scarlett

The Ensemble: Richard Quinn

Try: Quinn Murphy kept Lily’s skin flawless and clean and added a pop of color around the eyes using Marc Jacob’s Glitter Highliner in Glam Jam* ($25). While red can be intimidating for some, the pencil comes in seven shades for your to ease into glitter and is a gel texture so it won’t budge.

Jared Leto

The Ensemble: Gucci

Try: Jared’s hairstylist, Chase Kusero, is the cofounder of IGK Hair so naturally we recommend the brand’s Beach Club ($29) texture spray for volume and wave.

Lizzo

The Makeup: Alexx Mayo

The Hair: Shelby Swain

The Dress: Marc Jacobs

Try: The Eye-Conic palette in Provocouture* ($49.50) from Marc Jacobs goes from pastel pink to hot pink with hues and sparkles along the way. The perfect palette to recreate Lizzo’s look or get the perfect pink smokey eye, even if you’re easing into color.

Gemma Chan

The Makeup: Monika Blunder

The Hair: Owen Gould

The Headpiece: Raven Kauffman

The Dress: Tom Ford

Try: Might as well make this a Tom Ford look head to toe with the Orchid Haze ($88) eyeshadow quad from the brand. Use this one palette for the metallic shades on the lid and a pretty violet along the lower lash line.

Ezra Miller

The Makeup: Mimi Choi

The Hair: Sami Knight

The Ensemble: Burberry

Try: While most of us were shocked by this look, it’s just another day for Mimi and her work. Grab her Illusion Palette ($69.95) from Mehron and watch one of her tutorials for a glimpse into her process.

Tessa Thompson

The Makeup: Alex Babsky

The Hair: Lacy Redway

The Ensemble: Chanel

Try: Use Chanel’s Joues Contraste in Pink Explosion* ($45) to amplify those amazing cheekbones.

Julia Garner

The Makeup: Sofia Schwarzkopf-Tilbury

The Hair: Bobby Eliot

The Dress: Zac Posen

Try: Sofia is the niece of Charlotte Tilbury so it was make total sense that she would use her aunt’s line for this look. To recreate Julia’s perfect red lip, use Hot Lips Lipstick in Tell Laura* ($34). The chiseled tip gives you definition or you can pair it with Charlotte Tilbury’s lipliner in Walk of Shame* ($22).

Darren Criss

The Makeup: Jessica O

The Hair: The Vélo Barber

The Jacket: Balmain

Try: We’re so happy that Shiseido came back into the color cosmetics game so that you can pick up the Essentialist Eyeshadow Palette in Kaigan Street Waves* ($34) to recreate this look.

Florence Welch

The Makeup: Lisa Aharon

The Hair: Ryan Richman

The Dress: Gucci

Try: While Florence doesn’t really wear makeup, she is big into clean beauty skincare. Lisa used Lapis Facial Oil* ($72) from Herbivore Botanicals on the star to keep her skin hydrated and dewy.

Hammish Bowles

The Hair Color: Lena Ott

The Hair Styling: Teddy Charles

The Cape: Maison Margiela

Try: Use the semi-permeant hair dye that’s a part of L’Oreal’s Colorista ($10.99 each) collection - it comes in five shades of pastel magic to choose from.

Whembley Sewell

The Makeup: Jeannie

The Suit: Christopher John Rogers

Try: Grab the Killawatt Highlighter from Fenty in the shade Diamond Ball-Out* ($34) and let it double at your eyeshadow for the night.

Danai Gurira

The Makeup: Kim Bower

The Hair: Larry Sims

The Ensemble: Gabriela Hearst

Try: Sorry but we have another limited edition product for you. From Charlotte Tilbury comes the Iconic Palette* ($65), the brands most extensive palette to date.

Jordan Roth

The Makeup: Maud Laceppe

The Hair: Rutger

The Ensemble: Iris Van Herpen

Try: To recreate this universally (and unisexually) flattering smokey eye, go for an all encompassing palette like Laura Mercier’s Extreme Neutrals Eyeshadow Palette ($58).

Alessandro Michele

The Ensemble: Gucci

Try: For the beardos in the audience, the Conditioning Beard Oil ($20) from Port Products will keep your facial hair soft and manageable. For the rest of us? Use it on the ends of your hair to help with breakage and split ends.

Zendaya

The Makeup: Sheika Daley

The Hair: Ursula Stephen

The Dress: Tommy Hilfiger

Try: Grab the Color Design Palette in Teal Fury* ($50) from Lancome. It includes five eyeshadow shades as well as a guide on the back of the case giving you advice on color placement.

Regina Hall

The Makeup: Lewina David

The Hair: Shornell Mcneal-Young

The Dress: Gucci

Try: Invest in the Rolls Royce of eyeshadows with Pat McGrath’s Bronze Seduction Palette* ($125) to achieve Regina’s winged out smokey eye.

Janelle Monae

The Makeup: Jessica Smalls

The Hair: Nikki Nelms

The Dress: Christian Siriano

Try: For a beautiful wispy look to your lashes, use the Lashify Control Kit* ($145). Even false lash novices will find application easy and lash extension enthusiasts will find themselves converted.

See you next year!