Spotlight: Cheryl Cole

It’s time again for one of my favorite posts of the month here at Beausic – the Spotlight post! A whole post shining a spotlight on the different looks and sounds of one artist. I try to always make the subject of the Spotlight posts an artist who is iconic in some way, who has had an illustrious career and shown a wide range of styles both visually and in their music. I also generally try to focus them on somebody who is really relevant at the moment, whether it is due to an upcoming release, a current hit or anything really new and noteworthy. With these qualifications in mind, selecting the Spotlight artist for the month of May was actually really easy. My absolute favorite single of the moment, and of 2012 so far, as well as my most anticipated June album release, are from an artist who meets all of those qualifications and so many more – the most beautiful girl in the world, in my opinion, Miss Cheryl Cole!

Cheryl Cole has sold millions of records throughout her career, both as a member of one of the most successful girl groups of all-time, Girls Aloud, and as a solo artist. She has served as a judge on the UK series “The X Factor,” has appeared on countless magazine covers, is the face of L’oreal Cosmetics in the UK and is widely known as Britain’s Sweetheart. She is THE fashion and style icon of the UK, a tabloid staple and a bona fide, massively bright star. She is also one of my absolute favorite artists in the world. One of the most notable aspects of her career is where it all began…

POPSTARS: THE RIVALS

The “Popstars” franchise is a reality series, aired in several countries across the world, which was a pre-cursor to the “Idol” franchise, in which contestants compete to become a member of a pop group, which will sign a multi-million dollar record deal in the end. The second series of the UK version of the show was entitled “Popstars: The Rivals,” as it set out to create two separate groups who would then compete for the Christmas Number One for 2002, so the competition actually stretched far beyond the show itself. Cheryl auditioned under her maiden name of Cheryl Tweedy, singing the song “Have You Ever” by S Club 7, and charmed the judges with her sweet yet driven demeanor and her stunning beauty, as well as her soft, clear vocal performance. She made it through the boot camp and judge visits and onto the live shows, where she received negative comments from the judges on several occasions but advanced to become a member of the group through audience votes.

GIRLS ALOUD

The group that was formed was Girls Aloud, who have gone on to become one of the most successful girl groups of all-time and Guiness World Record holders for the most successful artists to have come from a reality television competition. Aside from Cheryl, the group consists of Kimberley Walsh, Sarah Harding, Nadine Coyle & Nicola Roberts. Each of these girls are incredibly talented in their own right but when brought together as a group, they managed to create something really special. The sound of Girls Aloud is unlike anything that had come before them. Throughout their career they created a very wide range of unique, interesting and really experimental sounds. They have also created some of the most interesting visuals to accompany their songs that I have seen in ages, mostly in the form of their music videos. It all began with that first Christmas Number One in 2002, “Sound Of The Underground.”

SOUND OF THE UNDERGROUND

“Sound of the Underground” was the debut single from Girls Aloud and debuted at Number One on the UK singles charts, where it remained for 4 consecutive weeks. The song was praised for it’s originality, incorporating elements of surf guitar, alongside electronic beats, gang vocals and catchy hook. This song has also been credited as a “defining moment of the decade” and is said to have reshaped British pop for the new millennium. The single was followed a few months later with the release of their debut album of the same name, which was certified Platinum in the UK and Ireland, as well as being praised by critics for it’s high quality for a group from a reality series.

The music video for the song was filmed just days after the group was formed and features them in various scenes of “underground” and all wearing really interesting, more dark, edgy styles of makeup. Cheryl’s look in this video is one of my favorites, featuring a metallic blue eye shadow blended with a warm brown in the crease, as well as a gorgeous glow to the skin and very sculpted cheeks with a peach-toned lip and blush. I loved this look so much that I decided to recreate it, as well!

PRODUCTS USED:

FACE:
Calvin Klein Infinite Hydration Moisturizing Foundation in Toasted
Clinique Line Smoothing Concealer in Moderately Fair
Covergirl TruBlend Loose Mineral Powder in Translucent Light
Tarte for True Blood Eye Shadows in The Light and Dusk (highlight & contour)
Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Wonder

EYES:
Stila Backstage Beauty Eye Shadow in Pacific
Tarte for True Blood Eye Shadows in Dusk, Werewolf & The Light
L’ oreal Infallible Never Fail Liner in Black
Urban Decay Supercurl Curling Mascara

LIPS:
Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in Peach
Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in Soft Nude
Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss in Afterglow

LOVE MACHINE

One of Girls Aloud’s biggest hits and signature tracks on each of their concert tours has been the song “Love Machine” from the sophomore record, “What Will The Neighbors Say?” This song has been widely praised for it’s bouncy drums and somewhat ditsy lyrics, including lines like, “We’re gift wrapped kitty cats,” and “let’s go, eskimo.” This is one of my personal favorite Girls Aloud songs and I just had to share it, as well as it’s adorable video, here! The “What Will The Neighbors Say?” album was most notable for it’s experimental sound, having been entirely produced by the brilliant production team of Xenomania, and incorporating much more of an electronic pop/dance element than the previous record. This record was also certified Platinum in Ireland and remains a fan favorite amongst Girls Aloud’s albums.

WHOLE LOTTA HISTORY

I also had to share my second favorite track of Girls Aloud’s entire back catalog, “Whole Lotta History,” which was featured on their 3rd album, “Chemistry.” I was initially drawn to this song because it really showed a softer side of the group’s vocals, as well as being a generally gorgeous ballad and a song that I could personally relate to a lot at the time when I first heard it. “Whole Lotta History” was also the single that kind of revived “Chemistry,” which is the only Girls Aloud record to have never reached the UK Top 10 and dropped out of the top 75 after only 7 weeks. However, after the release of “Whole Lotta History” the album made it’s way back into the top 75 for 3 more weeks. In spite of being one of their less successful albums, “Chemistry was also certified Platinum in both the UK & Ireland and features several of the groups strongest tracks, in my opinion.
I THINK WE’RE ALONE NOW

In 2006, Girls Aloud released a “Greatest Hits” collection, called “Sound of Girls Aloud,” featuring all of their hits from the first three records, as well as 3 new tracks. This record debuted at number one in the UK Charts, making it their first number one album in the UK. It also spawned 2 of the groups biggest singles, “Something Kinda Ooooh” and their cover of the classic Tommy James & The Shondells or Tiffany track, “I Think We’re Alone Now.” The music video for “I Think We’re Alone Now” is one of my favorite GA videos, featuring the five group members in the midst of a Monte Carlo-style casino setting, carrying out a heist, which includes Cheryl disguised as a stage magician, with a gorgeous bronzed and ultra-highlighted makeup look with extreme winged liner! Check out the video and my recreation of this look below!

 

PRODUCTS USED:

FACE:
Calvin Klein Infinite Hydration Moisturizing Foundation in Toasted
Clinique Line Smoothing Concealer in Moderately Fair
Guerlain Meteroites Perles Illuminating Finishing Powder in 03
Tarte Mineral Bronzer in Park Avenue Princess
Wet N’ Wild Color Icon Bronzer in Princess
Urban Decay Urbanglow Cream Highlight in Moonshine

EYES:
Tarte Mineral Bronzer in Park Avenue Princess
Wet N’ Wild Color Icon Bronzer in Princess
L’oreal HiP Color Truth Cream Liner in Black
Urban Decay Supercurl Curling Mascara
Maybelline Master Shape Brow Pencil in Soft Brown

LIPS:
L’oreal Infallible Le Rouge in Ravishing Red
Revlon ColorBurst Lip Gloss in Fire

SEXY! NO NO NO…

Girls Aloud 4th studio album, “Tangled Up,” is probably my favorite of their records. One of the reasons for this is it’s lead single, a track called “Sexy! No No No…,” which was a dramatically different sound for the group, bordering on punk but with really strong electronic and dance elements. It’s got these crazy vocodered vocals, insane guitar riffs, a really catchy hook and a really unique style. This song strays from the standard verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus form you find in most songs, instead consisting of only one verse, a bridge, a chorus and a middle 8, many of which are layered on top of one another. It is unlike any other song out there and one of my very favorite tracks of the entire Girls Aloud catalog. This song was a major step forward for the Sound of Girls Aloud. It also had this insane music video featuring the group in these crazy, flowing red dresses and the most insane makeup, designed to make their eyes look huge, like anime characters. I really wanted to recreate Cheryl’s look from this video but did not have an opportunity. This week was kind of insane. It’s a long story. Anyway, check out the video below!

THE PROMISE

in 2008 the group released their most recent record, “Out Of Control,” which is Girls Aloud biggest-selling album to date. It was certified 2x Platinum in the UK & Ireland, as well as debuting at number one on the UK album charts, making it their first studio album to do so. “Out Of Control” was led by the massively successful, chart-topping single, “The Promise,” which is one of my personal favorite songs of theirs. Inspired by the 1960s Phillip Spektor sound, “The Promise” is an upbeat, fun love song, which went to number one in the UK charts, continuing Girls Aloud’s 6-year streak of Top 10 singles in the UK. The video for this song was gorgeous, as well, featuring the group at a Drive-In Theater, watching themselves on screen performing as a 1960s girl group. The makeup that they wear in this video is amazing, as well, and I also would have loved to have recreated Cheryl’s look from this video but decided not to as there are actually tons of videos on YouTube and blogs out there who have recreations of her look from back when it actually came out, including a Pixiwoo tutorial, which is the one I would recommend if you would like to see a tutorial for this look.

OUT OF CONTROL TOUR

Girls Aloud are also quite well known for their massive stage productions, having embarked on five full-length tours, four of which were in arenas. Four of the five tours were also released on DVD, so I have actually gotten to see them. I must say that Girls Aloud put on quite the brilliant pop concert, with huge production numbers and including all kinds of fun cover songs and re-workings of their hits, etc. My favorite of the Girls Aloud tours was definitely the “Out Of Control” tour, the last tour that they embarked upon together before taking a hiatus from the group in order to pursue solo projects. This tour featured some of my favorite performances from the group, including my favorite song of their entire career, “The Loving Kind.” Check out video of this performance from the “Out Of Control Tour” DVD below.

I also really loved Cheryl’s makeup look from the “Out Of Control” tour and wanted to recreate it for you all. This look features a really gorgeous, extremely glittery bronze eye shadow, Cheryl’s signature sculpted cheeks, including TONS of highlight! Check out the look below.

PRODUCTS USED:

FACE:
MAC Pro Longwear Foundation in NW20
MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NW20
Tarte Mineral Bronzer in Park Avenue Princess
Sedona Lace Contour & Blush Palette (coral blush shade)
NYX Tango With Bronzing Stick in Tango With Highlighting

EYES:
Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo in Bad To The Bronze
Stila Jewel Eye Shadow in Sparkling Topaz
Clinique Quickliner for Eyes in Black Brown
Urban Decay Supercurl Curling Mascara

LIPS:
Beautique Lip Liner in Nude
L’oreal Color Riche Lipstick in Fairest Nude
Revlon ColorBurst Lip Gloss in Rosegold

3 WORDS

In 2009, directly after Girls Aloud decided on a hiatus, Cheryl was the first member to release a solo record. This solo record, “3 Words,” debuted at number one on the UK album charts, has spawned three top 5 singles and been certified 3x Platinum in the UK. “3 Words” is also one of my top 10 favorite albums of all-time. It is packed wall-to-wall with gorgeous tracks and doesn’t have an ounce of filler to it! I adore this album and really felt that it solidified Cheryl, who was always my favorite member of Girls Aloud, as a bona fide force to be reckoned with in Pop music.

FIGHT FOR THIS LOVE

Cheryl’s first solo single, “Fight For This Love,” was a massive success, debuting at number one in the UK album charts and was the fastest-selling single of 2009. The song set the tone for Cheryl’s solo work, which has a much more “urban” feel to it than anything Girls Aloud ever did. The video also showed a pretty drastic change in style for Cheryl, featuring this really severe, extreme makeup look with a really heavy contour and blush at the temples, really dark shadow coming down from her inner brows, etc. It was Cheryl in a way that nobody had ever seen her before, and it was a massive success – she looked absolutely stunning in this video. When I decided to do a Spotlight post on Cheryl Cole my very first thought was to recreate this look. Check out the video and my recreation of this look below!

PRODUCTS USED:

FACE:
Calvin Klein Infinite Hydration Moisturizing Foundation in Toasted
Clinique Line Smoothing Concealer in Moderately Fair
Covergirl TruBlend Loose Mineral Powder in Translucent Light
Sedona Lace Contour & Blush Palette (deep contour shade & coral blush)

EYES:
Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo in Bad To The Bronze
Urban Decay Eye Shadow in Smog
Urban Decay Naked2 Eye Shadows in Half Baked & Bootycall
MAC Eye Shadow in Espresso
Clinique Quickliner for Eyes in Black Brown
Urban Decay Supercurl Curling Mascara

LIPS:
Rimmel London 1,000 Kisses Stay All Day Lip Liner Pencil in Nude
Revlon ColorBurst Lip Gloss in Peony

MESSY LITTLE RAINDROPS

Cheryl’s second solo record, “Messy Little Raindrops,” also debuted at number one and was certified Platinum in the UK and Ireland, although it received much more mixed reviews from critics. This album was seemingly much more personal than the previous record, coming on the heels of a very high-profile divorce from her husband, footballer Ashley Cole. The promotion for this record was also cut short due to a pretty scary bout with Malaria. As such, only two singles were released from this record, “Promise This” and, one of my favorite tracks of Cheryl’s solo career, “The Flood.” Although “The Flood” was Cheryl’s first track, solo or with Girls Aloud, that did not make the top 10 in the charts. Still, I do think that it is one of her very best songs and had an absolutely stunning music video, as well. Check out the video below.

CALL MY NAME

CHERYL IS BACK! At least, that is the tagline featured on her website and such right now, although I never really noticed that she had gone away. Still, she “returned” with a brand new single in April 2012, called “Call My Name.” This is my absolute favorite song of the moment, and my absolute favorite track to be released in 2012 so far. “Call My Name” was produced by noted dance music producer Calvin Harris and features a much heavier dance influence than anything Cheryl has released in her solo career so far. It is an absolutely amazing track and has got me insanely excited for the release of her 3rd studio album, “A Million Lights,” which is set for release on June 18, 2012. The music video for “Call My Name” is absolutely amazing, as well, featuring Cheryl in an array of 1980s inspired fashions, including parachute pants! I never imagined anyone could make parachute pants sexy, but Cheryl has gone and done it! Check out the video below!

I love this video so much and think Cheryl looks perhaps the best I’ve seen her in this video, so I knew that I had to record a tutorial for one of her looks in the video! Unfortunately, with the hectic nature of the past week, I got in a rush and forgot to take still photos of this look after filming the video. Sorry about that. Please check out my tutorial for this look below, anyway!

PRODUCTS USED:

FACE:
Calvin Klein Infinite Hydration Moisturizing Foundation in Toasted
Clinique Line Smoothing Concealer in Moderately Fair
Covergirl TruBlend Loose Mineral Powder in Translucent Light
Tarte Mineral Bronzer in Park Avenue Princess
Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blush in Coral Reef
Smashbox Loose Shimmer Powder in Burlesque

EYES:
Tarte for True Blood Eye Shadows in Dusk, Werewolf, Waitress and Legend
Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Stingray
Urban Decay Supercurl Curling Mascara

LIPS: 
Rimmel London 1,000 Kisses Stay All Day Lip Liner Pencil in Natural
Revlon ColorBurst Lip Gloss in Peony
A MILLION LIGHTS 

With “Call My Name” and it’s 2 b-sides, “Make You Go” and “Telescope,” as well as the recent debut of the albums supposed second single, “Love Killer,” I could not possibly be more excited for “A Million Lights” to come out! I have included below the video posted on Cheryl’s official YouTube Channel featuring the song “Love Killer,” which is absolutely stunning, with a heavy dubstep influence and a slight reggae tinge to it! I am obsessed with this song right now, as well!

So, there you have it, folks! I know that Cheryl and Girls Aloud are not exactly massively well-known here in the United States but their music is readily available on the internet and the music in this post, as well as so many other songs by Cheryl and GA, have meant so much to me over the years that I really wanted to showcase them here. If you are not familiar with Cheryl, I absolutely recommend downloading both of her solo records. They are absolutely stunning and have both meant so much to me since their release. I also find Cheryl such an inspiration and really think you should all get familiar with her if you are not already.

I also wanted to apologize that this is being posted so late. Unfortunately, my personal life has gone a little haywire this past week and there has been a LOT to deal with. I am okay, though. I just had to put all of the personal stuff before the blog this week. Fortunately, it only caused a delay of this post and not a cancellation! I assure you, we won’t be missing any posts any time soon! I’ll be right back here on Monday with a brand new Music Monday post! In the meantime, I wish you all a beautiful rest of the weekend and a beautiful life!

Jason