BuzzSugar

Dove Wants You to Be in Its Latest Ad Campaign

Jaime Richards — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:18:00 PDT

Have you admired Dove's real beauty campaign from afar? Well, now's your chance to actually star in one of the ads. Dove is encouraging all women to be confident in their own skin by uploading a photo to the Show Us Your Skin campaign website or its Facebook page. The ads, featuring women of all ages, will run online and even on a Times Square billboard, making it probably one of the most appropriate times to belt out, "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere . . ."

This isn't the first time we've seen a consumer call to action from a beauty brand. Bare Escentuals, you might recall, blindly cast its Fall campaign. Also in 2011, Lady Gaga asked her little monsters and Viva Glam lovers to submit self-portraits to potentially be featured on a masterpiece of a gown to help raise awareness for AIDS/HIV. With Dove's latest offering, however, the living ad campaign is all-encompassing in who will be spotlighted, although probably not all-encompassing. We're assuming nudity filters will be utilized in some way.

The Descendants: Family Dysfunction Under the Hawaiian Sun

Becky Kirsch — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 03:05:00 PST

You may not believe me if I told you I saw a movie about a family tragedy that made me laugh out loud, but The Descendants is that film. Alexander Payne's dramedy is a deeply moving story about a man, Matt King (Clooney), who struggles to reconnect with his daughters when a boating accident leaves his wife on life support. The film is filled with raw emotion, but it also finds humor in the realism of how people react and rebuild when life deals them a bad hand.

Matt's bad hand isn't just his wife's accident; he's also got rebellious 17-year-old Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) and precocious 10-year-old Scottie to look after, not to mention the fact that he's days away from making a life-changing decision about a plot of land that his family owns. Oh, and did I mention that in the midst of all this he learns that his wife had been having an affair? The premise certainly doesn't sound like a laugh riot - and believe me, it's chock-full of tear-jerking moments - but The Descendants is a gem that perfectly combines tragedy and folly, set against a Hawaiian backdrop.

To see why the film is so poignant, just

Clooney may not play doting dad on a regular basis, but you'd never know it from his engaging performance as a self-proclaimed "understudy parent" who's suddenly thrust into the spotlight of raising two girls. Despite the emotional curve balls that are thrown Matt's way, Clooney's performance keeps you sympathizing for Matt without pitying him. Moreover, his dilemmas - how to confront his wife's lover and how to talk to his daughters about her condition - are the kind of problems that you hope you'll never have to face in your own life, but you still wonder how you'd react in the same position.

Without a love interest for Matt, Woodley is the film's leading lady, and her years spent on The Secret Life of the American Teenager seem to have prepped her nicely to play Alexandra. On the surface, Alex is a typical, foul-mouthed, bratty teen, but Woodley brings the underlying issues to light, and we see that Alex is actually a loyal, independent young woman who's just been looking for some attention from her parents. With no one else to turn to, Matt and Alex spar and come closer together as they slowly build a new respect for each other.

So where do the laughs come in? Clooney is skilled at deftly creating humor in otherwise unsettling situations, particularly as a clueless parent - he awkwardly spanks 17-year-old Alex in one scene, and tells off her dopey friend Sid in another. Sid, who is more or less a live-action version of Butthead, is a constant source of comic relief. Amara Miller also steals her fair share of scenes as 10-year-old Scottie, whether she's throwing around R-rated language or wearing inappropriate clothing swiped from her sister's closet.

The plot of The Descendants moves slowly, as Payne takes his time to immerse us in Matt's Hawaiian lifestyle and carefully map out what he's dealing with. The pace is just part of the film's beauty; Matt initially describes his family as an archipelago, a chain of islands that are slowly drifting away from each other, but what unfolds is quite the opposite. The unforeseen circumstances actually bring each member of the family closer together, in an affecting portrait of the difference between being related and being a family.

Photos courtesy of Fox Searchlight

Gift Guide: Desk Accents For Favorite Girlfriends

Elka Karl — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:53:04 PDT

Whether your best friend is still in college or graduated years ago, everyone knows that a few charming accents will help bring a smile to her face as she tackles that chemistry assignment, tax return, or those endless work emails. Here are some of my favorite finds for adding style and charm to your home office space.

To get everything organized, gift your friend with a tray where she can assemble pens, pencil cups, paper clips, and other desk needs. The Melamine Hummingbard Botanic Tray ($16, bottom row, left) adds a lot of loveliness for a low price point and is perfect for any lady you love who favors romantic style.

If your gal pal is in the writing profession, she'll appreciate this charming Chronicle Books Wood Journal ($5, bottom row, right), which she can write in using the striped Acmestudio Sing Sing Pen ($39, middle row, middle left). This clever little pen is the world's thinnest four-function pen and is made of hand applied lacquer on brass with German made components. When your girlfriend totes her laptop from her desk to the cafe, she can embrace retro technology trends with the
Thomas Paul Luddite Laptop Case ($68, middle row, right), made of hand silkscreened denim.

And while almost all of my choices are quite affordable, I did have to include one major and beautiful splurge. The Rablabs Crystal Frame ($365, bottom row, middle left) is simply gorgeous. It would be perfect for displaying a treasured portrait of a friend, family member, or child.

To shop the rest of the items from my gift guide, just click on each image.

Video: See Lady Gaga "Wearing" Her Little Monsters

Jaime Richards — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 10:45:00 PDT

Earlier this year, Lady Gaga asked her fans (aka little monsters) and MAC lovers alike to submit self-portraits to potentially be imprinted on the fabric of The Masterpiece, a gown designed by Gaga's stylist, Nicola Formichetti. And now the time has come to reveal said masterpiece in this newly released short. Working in conjunction with MAC's Viva Glam campaign, for which Lady Gaga is a spokeswoman, the goal of creating this dress was to build awareness of HIV/AIDS.

Over the course of two years, Gaga has already helped raise $55 million for Viva Glam, and she is encouraging little monsters everywhere to purchase one of her MAC Viva Glam Gaga lip products ($15 each), as 100 percent of the proceeds go straight to the cause. So, "Go out and buy a lipstick for your girlfriend, your boyfriend, your mom, or your sister," as Gaga says, and watch the short now.

Buzz Blabber: Ashton Kutcher Ain't No Charlie Sheen

BuzzSugar — Sun, 15 May 2011 05:30:00 PDT

There was a ton of TV news to chew on this week as the networks start making plans for their Fall schedules, but one of the biggest stories came from CBS, as the network announced that Ashton Kutcher will be replacing Charlie Sheen on Two and a Half Men. Though Kutcher has an appeal all on his own, fans aren't exactly ready to welcome him with open arms. Check out what they had to say, along with reactions to other big topics of the week.

Ashton Kutcher can't fill Charlie Sheen's shoes

"This is terrible. And I was so excited about the Hugh Grant news." - cibele
"Sure Kutcher would be funny but he's no Charlie Harper. What was great about Harper was that he was aging...older and still a ladies man. Ashton is to young." - care0531
"I'm surprised that Ashton Kutcher would want to do TV after so many successful movies." - nickpirce

To see reactions to The Office and Chuck just

Fans are satisfied with one more season of Chuck

"I think some shows are drawn out too long and then it's no longer good. I'd rather see Chuck end in a bang than on a sour note or even worse: canceled. At least this way fans will get closure." - millarci
"I am so in favor of planned endings for shows. So hooray for 13 more episodes! That'll let me say a drama-free goodbye." - kimretta
"I love Chuck, but I'm glad they got a final season to wrap everything up. Canceling a show in the middle of a storyline really sucks." - bluesarahlou

The Office may not need Steve Carell after all

"I found myself laughing out loud throughout most the episode! Loved it! The scene where Dwight is giving Kevin a massage had me in stitches. I agree, let's get Andy and Erin together already. Overall a great and really funny episode. The cast CAN do bad all by themselves! (And by that I mean, be awesome)." - SMBR
"Weird without Michael, but not too bad. Love the Dwight/Jim interactions. And loooved Dwight's portrait!" -dreamalittledream
"I thought this was the funniest episode in a while. It gave me hope that the show will be able to go on without Michael Scott!" - bhilb

Something Borrowed: More Blue Than New

Becky Kirsch — Fri, 06 May 2011 05:30:00 PDT

Something Borrowed presents the kinds of conundrums and moral dilemmas that we've seen on screen a million times before: what do you do when you have the hots for someone who doesn't want you in return? Or what if he does return your feelings, but he's already spoken for? These issues may exist beyond teenage years, but Something Borrowed is so fluffy that the film is more like an extra long episode of Gossip Girl than a realistic portrayal of love and friendship.

At the epicenter of the tangled web is mousy lawyer Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin), who's spent her life loyally playing second fiddle to her outgoing, obnoxious-but-hot-so-she's-forgiven best friend Darcy (Kate Hudson). Rachel's self-esteem is at an all-time low on her 30th birthday, and after a few drinks she inadvertently admits to Darcy's fiancé Dex (Colin Egglesfield) that she had a crush on him during their law school days together. They end up in the sack, thus inciting a Summer of longing glances across the room, weekend rendezvous, and a whole lot of secret keeping. Though there are plenty of jokes along the way, ultimately there's no way to make light of the fact that we're supposed to be rooting for a relationship dripping with betrayal.

To see why Something Borrowed falls flat, just keep reading.

New App Proves Symmetry and Beauty Aren't the Same Thing

Miriam Lacey — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 04:00:54 PST

Self conscious that one of your eyes is a little bit bigger than the other, or that your smile's a little lopsided? Well, you shouldn't be, because being symmetrical is impossible and highly overrated at that. Enter Muggum, an app that creates "mirror" portraits by bisecting your picture and then doubling the image, letting you see what you'd look like if both sides of your face were exactly the same. To show how the program works, they've created mirror portraits of several celebrities, including this Natalie Portman dual image.

I don't think being uniform could make Natalie any lovelier. If these images are any indication, we're actually all better looking for being a little uneven. Muggum has also done Scarlett Johansson and Angelina Jolie, so if you're interested in seeing what those lovely ladies would look like if each half of their face was truly "perfect", check out the images below.

Sugar Shout Out: Snackable Goodies to Try at Home!

PopSugar — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 23:55:00 PST

See Kate Middleton and Prince William's Official Wedding Portraits!

Molly Goodson — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 09:22:59 PDT

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, posed with their immediate families and wedding party for this official portraits in the throne room at Buckingham Palace yesterday. The photos were taken by Hugo Burnand and included in the picture from left to right in the front, Miss Grace van Cutsem, Miss Eliza Lopes, her majesty The Queen, The Hon. Margarita Armstrong-Jones, Lady Louise Windsor, and Master William Lowther-Pinkerton. In the back, Master Tom Pettifer, HRH Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, HRH Prince Harry of Wales, Michael Middleton, Michael Middleton, James Middleton, and Philippa Middleton. It was a day full of celebrations for the newlyweds, who exchanged their I dos in a morning ceremony, followed by their receptions. This morning, Kate and William were whisked away by helicopter to a secret weekend destination, though it's not their official honeymoon just yet. In case you missed any of the action yesterday, check out all the best royal wedding pictures and the most gorgeous moments of Kate Middleton's wedding dresses!