Like her or not, there's no denying that Nicki Minaj has really paved the way for female rappers as far as their business pursuits are concerned. In the past few years she collaborated with everyone from M.A.C to OPI and of course, is currently promoting her debut fragrance and now rapper de jour, Azealia Banks, is slowly following suit.
This week M.A.C confirmed that they have partnered with her on a limited edition lipstick named Young Rapunzel, after her alter-ego. The shade comes in a deep semi-matte aubergine colour and will be available online for $15 from September 5 and to celebrate the launch, Azealia will perform at a the brand's Soho store on Fashion's Night Out.
Adidas aren't strangers to using celebrities in their TV commercials. In the past the sportwear mega brand has enlisted everyone from Katy Perry and David Beckham to longtime collaborator, Missy Elliott and for their new commercial, the line-up has had a shake-up.
The main stars are Nicki Minaj and designer Jeremy Scott, as well as people like Sky Ferreira and rapper Big Sean. According to the release, the commercial, titled 'All Originals Represent', 'zooms in to the sidewalks across the globe, showing the creative spirit from New York to Tokyo and from Paris to Rio De Janeiro.' To support the campaign, Adidas have gone all interactive by allowing customers to go to their website and 'reprrsent what they're all about, as individuals and as part of a bigger whole - their crew.' According to Fashionista, fans will then be able to vote their favourite individuals or crews in each given country.
As far as nail lacquers go, it doesn't get much better than OPI. Aside from the great colours they offer with their collaborations like their most recent one with Nicki Minaj, their own staple colours are just as good. Take their new A/W12 collection for example. The range features everything from subtle rosy nudes to shimmery red-oranges, ruby reds and rich purples, which will be perfect pick me ups when the weather gets colder.
Each bottle is £11 and for nationwide stockists called: 01923 240 010
Yesterday I wrote about Azealia Banks' confirmation that she will perform at the Met Gala next week but according to the New York Post, she wasn't the first choice. Nicki Minajwas reportedly Vogue's first choice of performer but will not perform because her people failed to sign the papers the organizers needed, leading them to call Banks as a replacement.
The news isn't really a surprise. The magazine has made it clear that Minaj is and has been on their radar for a long time but what is most interesting is fashion's love of rap music at the moment. Minaj has appeared on the cover of leading fashion titles like Wonderland and W and performed at the Versace for H&M party last year. As you'll recall, Banks was invited to perform at Karl Lagerfeld's Paris apartment after the Chanel couture show last season and at Kanye West's A/W12 after show party.
Carine Roitfeld by Mario Sorrenti for the campaign
Carine Roitfeld without her signature black eyeliner and bold brow is like Nicki Minaj without one of those bright coloured wigs that she insists on wearing. For all you who have tried to recreate her looks over the years, I come baring good news. Finally a make-up giant has decided to tap into Roitfeld's look and collaborate with her on a line of cosmetics.
Naturally, the company behind the line is MAC. When it comes to make-up collaborations, it doesn't get much better than them. Over the past few years they've teamed up with everyone from Gareth Pugh to Minaj on hugely successful ranges and Roitfeld is the perfect addition to their line-up. According to WWD the line is set to hit stores this winter and as you would expect, eyes and brows are the focus points. The former Vogue Paris editor was allegedly involved in the whole creative process from packaging to product names and shades and the shot above is the campaign image which was lensed by Mario Sorrenti.
Nicki Minaj has everything to smile about. Her new album 'Roman Reloaded' is currently number one in the Billboard Charts and over the years she partnered with everyone from MAC to OPI on her own lines and things are only getting better. Today the rapper's reps confirmed that she has been working on her own debut fragrance.
The scent, which is set for release this Autumn, is part of a lucrative deal that she's signed with Give Back Brands, the company behind Justin Beiber's extremely successful women's fragrance 'Someday'. 'I have always been a huge fan of great fragrances,' Minaj said. 'This is yet another extension of my creative expression. I designed the scent and bottle with my Barnz in mind.'
Last month's profile of Nicki Minaj in the New York Times was revealing for many reasons, but more so because it detailed her flourishing relationship with Vogue. The magazine's director of special events, Slyvana Ward Durrett, has had her eye on the singer for a long time and the rapper's agent was said to be pitching to the magazine for a cover. And last week, Minaj spoke of Anna Wintour being really nice to her when they sat together at the Carolina Herrera show last season
Although the cover is yet to happen, we're more than happy with this shot of Minaj that appears in the magazine's latest issue. In the Steven Klein-shot editorial titled 'True Colours', Minaj is painted blue and smolders in a red dress. Although she's had a few good editorials in the past, this is by far my favourite.
As always the looks on the red carpet at last night's Grammys were a bit hit and miss. Rihanna looked sexy but sophisticated in a black Giorgio Armani gown, Gwyneth Paltrow looked great in a black dress from Stella McCartney and so did Taylor Swift who wore a gold Zuhair Murad couture gown. Unfortunately outfits from Katy Perry, Fergie and Jessie J were disappointing.
The big winner on the night was Adele who looked beautiful in a black sequined Giorgio Armani gown and quite rightly walked away with six awards.
I was screaming out loud inside my head... Me sitting next to the Queen of Vogue! It was such a strange experience. I felt like I was dreaming. And I thought she would be snobby or something. But she was so incredibly sweet to me.
Nicki Minaj is doing really well. Admittedly, I was part of the camp that thought that here allure would fade after the initial attention she garnered but so far, she's proved me (and everyone else) wrong. We all know that she has a nail polish line for OPI, is the current face of MAC's Viva Glam line along with Ricki Martin and had a Barbie doll created in her honour, but her big profile in this weekend's New York Times Sunday Style section revealed a lot of things that we didn't know about the rapper.
Interestingly, it was Minaj who approached MAC about working collaborating, which resulted in her lipstick collection with them despite Minaj pitching to be their Viva Glam spokesperson. Also new was the revelation that her November cover of W came as a result of her being unable to appear in their July music issue due to touring commitments and her people pitching for a cover. What was most interesting, however, was her flourishing relationship with Vogue. According to the profile, the magazine's director of special events, Sylvana Ward Durrett, has had her eye on Nicki for a long time predicting her to 'hit it big' and her agent revealed that he is "in talks" with them about a possible cover. “That’s on my wish list. I hope. I hope.”
Do you want to see Nicki Minaj on the cover of Vogue?
