Another Simple Favor review — Blake Lively at her best in silly sequel
The fun-filled summer vacays have arrived early with this gloriously silly sequel about murder, wealth porn and the inviolable, effervescent chemistry of Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick. The pair are back from the original 2018 hit, reprising their roles as the devious suburban femme-fatale Emily Nelson (Lively) and the 'author, private detective and mommy influencer' Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick). This time round Emily has been sprung from prison by her Italian Mob boss fiancé, Dante (Michele Morrone), and has browbeaten the resentful Stephanie into attending her lavish, White Lotus-style nuptials in Capri.
Once on the island the bodies start to pile up and the outré screenplay from Laeta Kalogridis (Terminator Genisys) and Jessica Sharzer (Nerve) throws everything but the luxe porcelain
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Daily Mail
9 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Blake Lively assembles squad of activists to accuse Justin Baldoni of 'abandoning' MeToo message
Blake Lively took aim at Justin Baldoni Thursday amid her ongoing litigation with her It Ends with Us collaborator, saying that women's groups are abandoning him in droves. A total of '19 leading survivors and organizations devoted to women's rights, children's rights and domestic violence have now signed onto four separate amicus briefs,' a spokesperson for the 37-year-old actress told Us Weekly in a statement Thursday. The statement continued: 'All are united in opposing Justin Baldoni's attempt to dismantle a law designed to protect women who speak up — simply to protect himself.' Lively's team said that Baldoni is going against his own playbook as the complicated legal case progresses, leaving himself open to increased scrutiny in the wake of his past public statements. 'Rather than defend his case on the facts, Baldoni is now contradicting years of his own public persona — abandoning the message of his #MeToo YouTube 's, podcasts, TED Talks, and interviews, where he once upon a time urged men 'to listen to the women in your life … to hold their anguish and actually believe them, even if what they're saying is against you,' Lively's rep said. has reached out to reps for Lively and Baldoni for further comment on this story. Lively's team said, 'All are united in opposing Justin Baldoni's attempt to dismantle a law designed to protect women who speak up — simply to protect himself.' The statement wrapped up: 'These women and organizations are sounding the alarm about his DARVO tactics, and the chilling effect they could have well beyond this case.' Lively on Thursday shared to Instagram a series of posts in which she engaged in a meet and greet in support of her beauty brand. She was seen addressing people who showed up for a hot Pilates session. Numerous products from her Blake Brown beauty brand were on display at the promotional event, where she posed for a shot with social media star Erika Priscilla. Lively has accused Baldoni of sexual harassment in a lawsuit; while Baldoni accused Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and publicist Leslie Sloane of defamation and extortion in a $400 million suit. Baldoni has denied the allegations brought about by Lively, while Lively, Reynolds and Sloane have denied the accusations made in litigation by Baldoni. Baldoni's team has released a website which includes private communications such as text messages that were included in court filings detailing his interactions with the Hollywood power couple over the making of romantic drama. He claimed in court filings they made efforts made to usurp and undermine his input as the director of It Ends with Us. Baldoni's team previously said that the communications shared in court filings on the website makes things clear about the motives of both parties. The website, which is live online at comes amid a spate of high-profile litigation between the collaborators on the film, which was a hit at the box office last August. Lively filed an 80-page civil rights complaint with the California Civil Rights Department against Baldoni December 20, before officially filing a federal lawsuit on December 31. Lively in December sued Baldoni amid claims of sexual harassment during production of the motion picture. In her lawsuit, the Gossip Girl alum accused Baldoni of sexually harassing her in multiple ways - including body shaming her - and orchestrating a smear campaign against her to damage her reputation. Baldoni and his reps have said in response to the lawsuit that Lively twisted the meaning of text messages and mislead the public about their interactions while making the motion picture. In her lawsuit, Lively named a number of Baldoni's collaborators, including his company Wayfarer Studios, the studio's CEO and financial backer, and PR personnel Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel. 'I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted,' Lively told The New York Times the day after she filed the complaint. Baldoni subsequently sued the newspaper for $250 million in a defamation claim over a December 21 story titled '"We Can Bury Anyone": Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine;' the newspaper has denied the allegations. Baldoni on January 16 filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds and her publicist Leslie Sloane, alleging defamation and extortion. Baldoni told the court the trio had concocted 'false accusations of sexual harassment' against him. Since Lively's complaint was filed, Baldoni has faced a number of professional consequences, including a lawsuit from a former publicist; and being dropped by the agency WME, which also reps Lively and Reynolds. WME has denied claims that Lively and Reynolds leaned on them to release Baldoni from their client roster, according to Variety. Lawyers for both parties were in accordance with a plan to compound both federal cases filed into one moving forward. All parties to the litigations have denied the allegations against them. It Ends with Us, which also starred Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj, Brandon Sklenar and Kevin McKidd, arrived in theaters August 9 and was a hit with audiences. The film, adapted from the 2016 Colleen Hoover novel, earned $148 million in domestic box office, and $350 million globally, according to Box Office Mojo. Lively broke out with the 2005 movie The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants opposite Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel and America Ferrera. That led to her high-profile role on the TV show Gossip Girl, which she starred on from 2007-2012, playing lead character Serena van der Woodsen. She has also appeared in movies such as 2010's The Town, 2016's The Shallows, 2018's A Simple Favor and 2020's The Rhythm Section. Prior to It Ends with Us, Baldoni was best known for playing the role of Rafael Solano on the TV show Jane the Virgin from 2014–2019. He also has directed films including 2019's Five Feet Apart and 2020's Clouds, and penned the 2021 book Man Enough, which tackled misconceptions of contemporary masculinity.
Graziadaily
12 hours ago
- Graziadaily
How To Contour Your Nose According To A Professional Make-Up Artist
Like most millennials, the first evidence of nose contouring I saw came courtesy of Kim Kardashian and her make-up artist Scott Barnes in 2015. The grainy image uploaded to Instagram caught the SKKN By Kim founder mid-glam with a paint-by-numbers-style arrangement of contour streaks all over her face, which, even before being blended out, proved how effective light and shadow trickery could be when creating a sculpted look. Kardashian and Barnes weren't inventing the wheel here, this artful face contouring hack is steeped in history - it was once most closely associated with stage performers. Ballet make-up in particular has long drawn on the art of contouring to emphasise character traits in productions. Nonetheless, a decade ago that candid snap spread like wildfire, igniting a whole new generation of beauty buffs intent on snatching everything from their cheekbones to their décolletages, legs and noses. Nose contouring especially is enjoying a revival at the moment, with 34.2K TikTok tutorials dedicated to mastering the art. The latest viral nose contouring video to blow up our feeds is all about lifting - so can you really paint on a nose job in seconds? With a cool 5.4 million views and counting, the video sees beauty content creator @velabeauty draw up what she calls a 'lifted nose contour'. Inspired by TikToker @kittyprincessgat, using the E.l.f Cosmetics Halo Glow Contour Beauty Wand, £9, the lifted look begins with two dots of contour at the base of the nose near the nostrils, followed by a horizontal line over the tip of the nose and two lines painted down the bridge, before everything is carefully and thoroughly blended out with fingertips. The results are impressive and @kittyprincessgat even questions, 'is this nose catfishing?' From lines to dots, circles and crosses, in the last few years we've seen a real evolution of nose contouring hacks crafted to alter the look of our noses with a few quick swipes. Some rather niche methods - presumably produced to pick up views on TikTok - have promoted using tweezers, bobby pins and forks to take the guesswork out of product placement. As someone who contours her nose every day, I can attest to its transformative powers. Before getting a liquid nose job, I looked to contouring to help me define and lift my nose shape. Even thought I unapologetically adore my post-filler nose, I still never consider my make-up routine complete without a little Kim-Kardashian-style contouring. 'Nose contouring is all about defining the nose,' says make-up artist and Grazia Beauty Panel member, Lan Nguyen-Grealis. 'You can create the illusion of more symmetry (if that's your MO) with make-up. It's standard practice with a lot of my clients and it's a long-practiced way of balancing features where there's the desire to do so.' When picking the right products to contour with, Nguyen-Grealis advises sticking to cream sticks and powder that are 'no more than two shades darker than your skin tone and they should have taupe undertones rather than orange'. As for highlighting, again use a cream stick or powder that is one to two shades lighter than your skin tone. Sameeha Shaikh, beauty writer, trying the nose contouring hack It's easy to get this hack wrong because the placement is pretty precise. To avoid mistakes, Nguyen-Grealis recommends being light-handed when it comes to application. 'Using a small brush to apply will help give a more natural and accurate finish as you'll end up with less product build-up and it affords greater precision. Sometimes applying the contour direct to skin delivers a look that's too harsh and obvious, because the resultant streak is more difficult to blend out, especially if you're a beginner.' Nguyen-Grealis warns against using shimmery products, 'they reflect too much light to look like a natural contour,' she adds. Now for the fun part, Nguyen-Grealis explains her three steps to the perfect nose contour: Base: Start off with your usual base and ensure everything is blended in well. Contour: Using your contour stick or with a straight edge or angled brush, draw two straight lines down the sides of the nose. Start from the inner corner or your eyes following the side of the natural bone structure. Add some shadow under the tip of your nose to lift it and blend. Highlight: Using a concealer or highlighter apply straight down your nose bone in the centre and dot it at the highest point of the tip of your nose. Then evenly blend with a small fluffy brush or beauty blender sponge. Sameeha Shaikh, beauty writer, trying the nose contouring hack 1. Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Contour Wand What the brand says: This creamy liquid formula that is both buildable and blendable, and provides a natural-looking sculpted finish. What we know: Viral and frequently duped for good reason, the wand is enriched with treated pigments that lend a natural, uniform contour, and siloxanes that give the product its light and breathable consistency. Sameeha Shaikh, beauty writer, says: 'I havent been able to part with this since I was first introduced to it last year. Having always favoured cream compacts, this wand offers a featherweight yet seriously pigmented formula that is easy to apply just about everywhere thanks to its sponge applicator. Importantly, the shades on offer are rich and cool, so I was easily able to find my match with Tan, which offers up a medium-deep hue that chisels while lending my skin some glow.' Pros Easy to use wand appliator Shades are cool not orange Cons 2. Victoria Beckham Beauty Contour Stylus What the brand says: 'A slim, targeted sculpting stick that takes the guesswork out of contouring, for smooth, controlled application.' What we know: Victoria Beckham certainly knows how to set a trend and her beauty brand's take on contouring has just done that. Pulling away from chunky contour sticks that don't allow much room for precision, this Contour Stylus fashions as the antidote with a blendable, nifty stick that allows you to get really precise. Sameeha Shaikh, beauty writer, says: 'As a nose contouring obsessive, this product has been a real game-changer. I can forgo brushes and beauty blenders completely and rely on this stick and my finger tips alone. I especially love being able to create precise lines around the tip of my nose for a more believable, lifted look.' Pros Small and precise Super blendable Cons Won't cover larger areas easily 3. E.l.f. Cosmetics Halo Glow Contour Beauty Wand What the brand says: This contour wand features a cushion-tip applicator that helps to create a natural-looking sculpted and radiant complexion. With a liquid texture, the formula is easy to work into the skin and blends with ease. What we know: Another viral beauty buy, this is the same product used by TikTokers @velabeauty and @kittyprincessgat, and we can see why. Its foolproof applicator and easy to blend formula means you can contour your nose in 30 seconds flat, plus the formula is enriched with 2% skin-loving and hydrating squalene to make you glow. Sameeha Shaikh, beauty writer, says: 'With an easy-to-use applicator, blendable glow-giving formula and accessible price point, it is hard not to love this product. It provides natural definition that can be built up and always leaves my skin with covetable radiance.' Pros Affordable Small and easy to carry Cons Shades can appear more warm than cool Sameeha Shaikh is Grazia's beauty writer, covering all categories to bring you insights on the latest trends, industry news and the products you need to know about, viral or not (most probably viral).
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Blake Lively fiercely slammed over her beauty brand's latest PR move
Blake Lively has been fiercely slammed online over her beauty brand's latest PR move. The actress, 37, has been embroiled in a bitter battle with her It Ends With Us costar Justin Baldoni since December, and the messy and ongoing legal saga has resulted in her receiving immense backlash in recent months. Most recently, the Gossip Girl alum found herself in hot water again after her hair care line Blake Brown enlisted a popular influencer to promote its products. Social media star and fashion guru Danielle Pheloung uploaded a video of Blake doing her hair to TikTok on Thursday. It showed Blake - dressed in a black tank top and high-waisted trousers - spraying Danielle's wavy blonde locks with some hairspray. The mother-of-four then ran her hands through the TikToker's hair and styled it before they hugged each other. 'POV: Blake Lively transforms your hair in seconds with her magic tough and Blake Brown products,' Danielle wrote in a text overlay. She added in the caption, 'Best day ever and these products are incredible,' while tagging Blake's brand. The actress, 37, has been embroiled in a bitter battle with her It Ends With Us costar Justin Baldoni since December, and it has resulted in her receiving immense backlash Most recently, the Gossip Girl alum found herself in hot water again after her hair care line Blake Brown enlisted a popular influencer to promote its products But the 14-second video - which contained a sound byte from the show Gossip Girl in the background - resulted in more fury for Blake, as hoards of viewers rushed to the comment section to bash her. Some criticized her hair products and styling, while others urged Danielle to 'run.' 'Hair literally looks the exact same lol,' one user wrote. 'The way it did nothing,' agreed another. 'How much were you paid for this vid?' quipped someone else. 'Blake is looking for new friends after Taylor [Swift] kicked her to the curb,' read a fourth comment, while a fifth simply said, 'Justice for Justine.' 'Oh this is interesting marketing,' a different user added. 'No run for the hills don't look at her too long or even hug her… you don't wanna get sued,' someone else sarcastically penned. But the 14-second video resulted in more fury for Blake, as hoards of viewers rushed to the comment section to bash her 'Let's be on the right side of the history girls please,' urged another viewer. Blake and Justin starred in the movie It Ends With Us together last year, and the blonde beauty filed a lawsuit against her costar in December, in which she accused him of sexual harassment and creating a 'hostile work environment on set.' He retaliated with his own $400 million filing against the blonde beauty, along with her husband, Ryan Reynolds, 48, with the brutal melee now scheduled for a trial on March 29, 2026. All parties have denied the claims. The messy feud has completely captivated the nation, and has resulted in Blake facing immense criticism; there's rumors that it also strained her relationship with Taylor Swift. Back in April, fans threatened to boycott the National Geographic docuseries Secrets of the Penguins after she narrated it. Viewers branded her as 'horrific' and claimed she 'ruined' the show.
