Tag: Alexa

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No One Does a Makeup Look Like Alexa Demie


Of course! My mom was all about skin care and taking care of your skin, so no matter what, I wash my makeup off at night. When I was little, her signature look was a nude lipstick with lip liner and a smoky brown eye, and it was something I’ve always loved as well. Today, I still rock a darker lip liner with nude lipstick in my looks.

What beauty rules do you think are BS?

I think you don’t need to spend an arm and a leg for a good serum in your skin care routine. I also think keeping your skin care routine simple is the best thing to do for your skin. Having too many steps can actually have the opposite results.

You’re stranded on a desert island. What are the three products you bring with you?

I can’t live without MAC Lip Pencil in Cork, it’s the perfect nude liner. I’d also bring a rose water mist—I love all of them—and a moisturizing lip balm.

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What’s your go-to getting ready music?

It all depends on my mood, but currently my go-to has been ’90s Madonna.

What’s your favorite way to take a moment for yourself?

There are two things I do: I’ll either like lay down in the grass at my secret nature spot in L.A. (I’ll never tell), or take a long bath.

If you could switch beauty routines with anyone, who would it be and why?

If I could switch beauty routines with anyone, it would be the Mexican singer Irma Serrano. Her beauty looks were so stunning!

What’s the last Instagram hole you went down?

I don’t typically go into Instagram holes often, but recently I was looking at all of the fall runway shows. My favorite designers from the season were Vivienne Westwood which was such a beautiful show. I also loved Mugler, Schiaparelli, and Giambattista Valli.

Who are the women who inspire you the most right now?

There are tons of women throughout my life who have inspired me, especially my mom, aunts, and grandmother. All of them are strong and have sacrificed a lot for their families, which inspires me every day. Also, Alma Har’el, who is a director doing a lot of amazing things for women in film at the moment.

Bella Cacciatore is the beauty associate at Glamour. Follow her on Instagram @bellacacciatore_.





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Why Alexa PenaVega Loves Starring in Hallmark Christmas Movies


It’s been a stressful year, but at least you can count on Hallmark, Lifetime, and Netflix to come through with the holiday cheer. After all, what’s more relaxing than watching an overworked woman fall in love with a Christmas tree farmer? So decompress with all of our delightful holiday content right here.

Alexa PenaVega is in the middle of filming her Hallmark Christmas movie, Christmas Made to Order (which premiered December 23), when she lets me in on a secret: Her character may dream of becoming a holiday decorator, but Alexa’s not good at it herself. “That’s [my husband] Carlos’ thing,” she says. “He has a great eye for it, and I don’t. Yet I’m the one that’s like, ‘I want Christmas all year round!'”

But what PenaVega lacks in decor skills, she more than makes up for in holiday spirit. And like her character in Christmas Made to Order, if there’s something lacking in her life she’ll find a way to change it.

PenaVega has had a lot of practice with that. In the business for more than 20 years, she started with the Burt Reynolds/Marilu Henner series Evening Shade in 1993. She followed that with roles in films like Little Giants, Nine Months, and Twister, but it was her debut in Spy Kids that made her a star. Since then, she’s done everything from Broadway to Dancing with the Stars.

Her personal life is her biggest priority now, and that’s what drew her to Hallmark. Because of the network’s commitment to families (especially for women), PenaVega has become one of its familiar faces. Christmas Made to Order marks her fourth Hallmark movie, and another one—Picture Perfect Mysteries—is already planned for 2019.

“Carlos and I want to be able to do films that our families are proud of and everybody can watch,” she says. “They just feel good, and Hallmark has been that place for us. They’re all about family, and they want to keep [me and Carlos] working together. They really do walk the walk. That’s what separates them from other networks.”

Here, PenaVega opens up more about what it’s like to do a Hallmark Christmas movie, the changes she’s noticing on-screen, and more. Read on.

Fred Hayes/Crown Media

Glamour: Are Hallmark Christmas movies everything you thought they would be and more?

Alexa PenaVega: Yes, I love Hallmark Christmas movies because they’re out-of-control awesome. There are no limits. We had 15 trees in a scene the other day, and our director asked for another one. He wasn’t kidding! You can’t go overboard. In fact, one of my first married fights with Carlos was over Christmas trees. [Laughs] I was adamant about a real tree because I’ve only had real trees. Christmas trees are my jam.

What other traditions are important to you during the holidays?

APV: This is going to be a weird thing to say, but my ex-husband’s mom is incredible—we’ve always gotten along so well. There were so many traditions from his family that she taught me, and one of them was making homemade caramels. I wrote her a couple years ago on Mother’s Day and said, “I just wanted you to know that we’ve taken this tradition into our family.” She wrote me back, “I’m crying!” There was a lot of peace in that breakup, and I love his family. Even in a difficult situation, it’s special to be able to bring beautiful family traditions that Carlos and I love and can give to our son, Ocean, as he grows up. Carlos was super positive about it. You don’t ever hear stories about stuff like that, because usually it’s “the breakup was terrible.” I took so many beautiful traditions from his family, even this amazing mustard dip that I make every year. My ex’s mom is from South Dakota, so it’s the best Midwest food. Carlos and I are Latino, so we can give you a Columbian Christmas with Midwest [traditions].



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Amazon's Alexa Now Stands Up for Herself If You Use Sexist Language


In today’s Time’s Up and #metoo era of women’s empowerment, vocalizing a definitive allegiance with the feminist movement and clear outrage against sexual discrimination and harassment has never been more influential or important. Thanks to an impressive show of solidarity at events like Saturday’s Women’s March and awards shows like the 2018 Golden Globes, the cultural shift from complacency with the sexist patriarchy to a defiance against it has reached a powerful apex, with its implications trickling over into industries outside TV and film. For example: tech titan Amazon has reprogramed its hallmark AI-assistant product, Alexa, to be more evidently feminist.

In a story published by Quartz in February of last year, the outlet reported that—during an in-house study on the ways in which various AI-assistant products are programmed by their manufacturers to respond in the scope of denouncing sexist repartee—Alexa’s responses repeatedly underperformed. In response to statements like “you’re a bitch” or “you’re a slut,” the device would reply: “well, thanks for the feedback.” Equally as disheartening: in response to comments like, “you’re hot,” Alexa would respond: “That’s nice of you to say.”

But recently, thanks, in big part, to the current wave of emboldened feminists, this subservient programing has changed. Ask Alexa if she’s a feminist today, and she’ll respond with a firm “yes,” followed by: “as is anyone who believes in bridging the inequality between men and women in society.” Call Alexa a derogatory term, and the device will go into what’s called “disengagement mode,” replying with a curt: “I’m not going to respond to that.”

Though seemingly subtle, the device’s quick pivot from active engagement to a lack of responsiveness in fact makes a profound statement. In a recent interview with Refinery29, Heather Zorn, the director of Amazon’s Alexa engagement team, explained the reasoning behind this programmatic shift: “One of the ways we try to avoid perpetuating negative stereotypes about women is by not answering certain questions or responding to certain insults”—something that feels particularly necessary, given today’s social and political climate and the fact that Alexa, by virtue of name and voice, is outwardly identified as female. In her interview with the outlet, Zorn further underscored the importance of this alteration by explaining the societal ramifications of not doing so: “We’re trying to do the right thing, which is to help our customers—that’s our first job, but we also want to be really mindful about ensuring that we’re upholding our obligation and opportunity to represent Alexa in a positive way for everyone, especially for girls and for women.”

It should be noted that, while these alternations highlight a clear step forward in the tech industry, the device is far from perfect. Take, for example, Alexa’s reply to the statement “You’re pretty,” in which her reply is a short, though still obviously troublesome, “thank you.” As Refinery29 points out: A child calls Alexa pretty? Seemingly unproblematic. A forty-year-old man does the same? Less so.

Hopefully this step, however small, signifies just one of many on the road to a full transformation in all industries across the board.

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