Jorja Smith Is Dior’s New Makeup Ambassador

Jorja Smith's star continues to rise. Both musically—her acclaimed debut album Lost & Found helped earn her a Best New Artist nomination at the 2019 Grammy Awards—and in the beauty realm, as evidenced by her latest coup: being named Dior's new global makeup ambassador.

The 21-year-old British R&B singer made the announcement this afternoon on Instagram, expressing her excitement about joining forces with the storied French fashion brand to her 2 million followers. "Little 14-year-old J would not have even thought about this while stealing my mom’s mascaras!" she wrote.

Needless to say, Smith, who pulled back the curtain on her skincare routine for Vogue's Beauty Secrets series, is an ideal canvas, with her luminous complexion and chameleonic tendencies above the neck. Last November at the annual Guggenheim International Gala party hosted by Dior, Smith seamlessly transitioned from a saturated crimson lip on the red carpet to a dusty rose gloss for her performance while wearing a striking shimmery bronze smoky eye. According to the brand, Smith will be working closely with Peter Philips, creative and image director for Dior Makeup, on upcoming editorial projects.

"Jorja represents my idea of the Dior woman because she’s young [and] is incredibly focused on her goals, and [she] isn’t afraid to let her voice be heard,” says Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior's creative director, of Smith. With her fearless attitude and a natural-born love for high-impact makeup, expect to see lots more vivid and graphic looks from Smith as she embarks on The Kali & Jorja Tour this spring.

Cruel Intentions Is Still a Teenage Fashion Dream 20 Years On

Of all the fashionable ’90s teen movies, Cruel Intentions is arguably the chicest. Sure, Cher Horowitz had an amazing closet, but how many people can really wear yellow plaid with thigh-high stockings in real life? With its urbane perspective on youth culture, the film offered a counterpoint to the frothy Clueless fantasy at the time and returns to theaters this weekend for a 20th anniversary celebratory run. Its characters may have been worried about college applications and standardized tests, but they hid those concerns beneath layers of discreetly chic Prada.

A teen retelling of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, the story hinges on the same combination of lust and betrayal that made Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’s 1782 novel so potent. While the original satirized the treachery of French aristocracy during the Ancien Régime, its ’90s counterpart tackles the insular world of Manhattan’s prep schools and Upper East Side. Step-siblings and occasional paramours Kathryn Merteuil (a brunette Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Sebastian Valmont (Ryan Phillipe at his poutiest) turn romance into a sport, hoping to entrap their fellow students and one up each other. Unscrupulous and conniving, Sebastian and Kathryn would be well suited for each other if their parents weren’t married. They both employ beauty and style as a weapon, scheming and taking bets on whether or not Sebastian can seduce the headmaster’s naive daughter Annette Hargrove.

Through all the backstabbing and bed-hopping, the characters dress impeccably. Costume designer Denise Wingate used wardrobe as a means of defining the characters down to the color palette; Reese Witherspoon’s virginal Annette and Selma Blair’s delightfully dippy freshman Cecile both sport pastel tones and preppy J.Crew cardigans to underscore their innocence. The considerably worldlier Kathryn and Sebastian were dressed in pieces straight off the runways. Their stark, mostly black outfits—is there any shade more appropriate for villainy?—showcased sex appeal and minimalist luxury. Spoiled and unapologetically materialistic—the prize that serves as a catalyst for the entire scheme is a vintage 1956 Jaguar XK140 valued at millions—their aesthetic projected wealth.

Several original pieces were created just for the film, but Wingate mixed them with selections from the era’s biggest labels for added authenticity. The combination made for a moving fashion editorial. No self-respecting 18-year-old girl would wear a wide-brimmed black hat and business suit to lunch in the park, but damn if it doesn’t look good! Several of the best outfits juxtapose Wingate originals with runway styles; the iconic bustier and tulle covered bra combo worn by Gellar was custom but the black suit she wore over it was Dolce & Gabbana. Likewise, Sebastian’s turtlenecks came courtesy of Prada but the rimless glasses were Phillipe’s personal choice.

After 20 years, some elements of the story no longer hold up—a modern reboot would likely feature the girls banding together to block Sebastian’s toxic masculinity instead of falling for his charms—but the clothes are still perfection. Every ’90s trend that currently dominates, from silk slip-dresses to tiny sunglasses, makes its way onscreen and works beautifully together. As the movie heads to the big screen all over again, its teen dream vision is sure to inspire a brand new generation.

Charlize Theron Reveals a Femme Fatale Makeover at the Oscars

After Charlize Theron shaved her head to star in Mad Max: Fury Road in 2015, it was clear that she was willing to take a beauty risk. Case in point: the actress and producer arrived to the Oscars this evening with a radically bold bob and a new brunette hair color worthy of a femme fatale.

Known for her icy blue gaze and a glow that's outlasted decades in Hollywood, Theron's latest transformation is deserving of an award on it's own. Paired with a sky blue Dior gown that showed off the South African beauty’s seriously toned upper back, Theron matched her dark lengths with a swipe of crimson matte lipstick.

"Decided to chop it all off before the big moment," hairstylist Adir Abergel said on Instagram of the new closely cropped style. The split-second decision to make a change is clearly a lesson in red carpet beauty done right.

Stephen Colbert (And Thousands of Other People) Want Cardi B to Give the State of the Union Rebuttal

Stephen Colbert’s unofficial petition to have rapper Cardi B deliver this year’s rebuttal to the State of the Union address has received thousands of likes and retweets, much more than anyone would give—literally or metaphorically—to the idea of President Donald Trump speaking to the country as around 800,000 federal employees remain furloughed or are working without pay in the partial government shutdown.

If you remember, last week Cardi released a video on Instagram laying into Trump for holding the government hostage in order to build a wall at the United States southern border in response to a manufactured immigration crisis—the real crisis is a humanitarian one in which thousands of migrants are waiting to legally seek asylum but are stuck on the Mexican side of the border or forced to cross dangerously out of desperation. “This shit is really fucking serious, bro,” she said in her video, which prompted a now-infamous tweet in response from Senator Chuck Schumer. “Our country is in a hellhole right now—all for a fucking wall.”

Since then, Cardi has been talking in detail about how the shutdown affects not just government employees but the Americans who rely on government services. “I know 800,000 federal government workers won’t be getting paid ’til the shutdown is over, and government assistance programs are shut down as well as in NO [federal] WELFARE, NO WIC, SECTION 8,” she wrote in another Instagram post.

This isn’t the first time Cardi has gotten political—she endorsed Cynthia Nixon’s gubernatorial candidacy in New York last year and supported “Daddy Bernie [Sanders]” for president in 2016. Cardi would very likely give a much better, much more truthful rebuttal to a State of the Union address, which Trump has now agreed to postpone after trading a series of aggressive letters with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. (Pelosi essentially said that Trump would not be allowed on the House floor while the government is functioning at a fraction of its full capacity, with several very important regulatory and safety organizations unable to do their work, and Trump eventually relented.)

Lil Wayne’s Uggs Obsession Just Went Next-Level

 True Lil Wayne fans will know that the rapper has been wearing Uggs for years, well before their trendy resurgence. A Google deep dive confirms his ongoing penchant for the snuggly shearling-lined boots: he’s been spotted sitting courtside in red and zebra-printed or white and shaggy Uggs. He even wore a neon green pair of Ugg-like moonboots in Drake’s 2011 music video for “The Motto.” But for his performance at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, last night, Lil Wayne upped the ante on his comfy Ugg obsession by wearing his most daring pair yet.

For his set at the WJBL Big Show, the rapper chose a layered Ugg boot by Y/Project, the experimental Paris-based brand that memorably reworked the classic shearling footwear. One will best remember their recent thigh-high Uggs, while some with dramatic slouching and humongous proportions have been worn by Rihanna and Estonian rapper Tommy Cash. Lil Wayne’s style came with three exaggerated folds, each one lined with shearling. Lil Wayne didn’t stop there, though: he matched them with a shearling-lined hat, and then styled his accessories with a light blue hoodie and zebra-printed jeans.

Does this mean classic Uggs are on the outs and the more runway-ready styles are coming in? Perhaps so, but at over $1,000 a pop, you’d need to have Lil Wayne–level commitment to take the plunge.