No no no...

Photo Courtesy of StarTracks

LiLo, this is a tragic Beauty Don't!

Au Revoir InStyle Weddings

Time Inc. announced before the Thanksgiving holiday that InStyle Weddings would be the first of many lay offs coming up for the company. About 15 staffers (including freelance editors) were axed and the winter 2010 issue on stands Christmas day will be the last. It's sad how unexpected these things can be and just to see how the publishing industry is suffering in general. Start buying print again, people! The computer screen will never offer the same satisfaction as a glossy :)

I'm staying on the InStyle team to work on a special beauty project for our April 2010 issue, called "Best Beauty Buys." It's a massive undertaking that I've been working on since August and I'm almost seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Can't wait to see the finished product!

Bridal Hair Tips

Celebrity hair stylist and owner of OC61 Salon & Spa, Louise O'Connor, told me some of her favorite bridal hair tricks and tips!

Should brides treat their hair to weekly conditioning treatments a few months before the wedding?
Yes, brides should begin getting conditioning treatments weekly beginning quite a few months before the big day. They should also get regular trims to take the ends off and keep hair healthy. If they do color their hair they should stick with the desired color up until the wedding day.

What’s the difference between a glossing and conditioning treatment and is one better for a certain hair type than the other?
The difference between a conditioning and glossing treatment is that a conditioning treatment replenishes hair but not necessarily gives a shine to the hair. A glossing treatment is a clear semi-permanent color that just puts a gloss cover on the hair. It is basically a clear color with no pigment that gives hair a shine and some depth but does not condition hair. Brides should get working on conditioning hair months before the big day and get a glossing treatment a couple of weeks before so hair looks healthy and shiny for pictures.

What precautions should brides take if they have color-treated hair?
Brides should only use hair products that are specified for color treated hair like Barex ColourLife Shampoo and Conditioner and the right styling products so that the color is not dried out.

Does you swear by a certain brand of hairspray?
Barex Gloss Hair Spray Strong Hold offers shine and a great hold which can sometimes be hard to find.

Other Tips:
- The day of, hair should be a little bit dirty because if the hair is too clean it won’t hold the hair style.
- If you are wearing your hair in a chignon, make sure it is off to the side and not centered so you can see it in the pictures.
- Make sure to schedule a few hair trials so that you know exactly what style you are going to do. A lot of brides go for a hair style on their wedding day they are not used to and do not feel like themselves on their wedding day.


Photo courtesy of OC61.com

Christina Hendricks

InStyle Weddings fall 2009 cover girl, Christina Hendricks of Mad Men had a lovely ‘30s and ‘40s-inspired wedding at N.Y.C.’s Il Buco restaurant on October 11, 2009.

Celebrity makeup artist and green beauty expert, Tina Turnbow did Christina's makeup look. I received the inside scoop and found out that Tina used Tarte Cosmetics' new Spring 2010 cheek stain in "Flower" and Tarte's 24/7 lip sheer with SPF 15 in "Friday" for Christina's wedding.

To see more from Christina and Geoffrey Arend's wedding, click here!








Photo courtesy of InStyle.com

Ring Around the Rosy

Whether you’re looking for a midday touch-up or a travel friendly fragrance, this chic new solid perfume ring by Marc Jacobs packs a major punch. I’m a sucker for dual-function beauty loot and this oversized floral ring is the must-have accessory. The playful top slides open to reveal a sweet fuchsia peony scent—super feminine and trendy for the glam girl on-the-go. You can also stow away the ring in its complementary sweet violet pouch. Can't imagine a better stocking stuffer. ;)

The Lola Marc Jacobs Solid Perfume Ring ($42) just hit Sephora stores this month and will be available at select department stores beginning January 2010.


Photo Courtesy of Sephora.com

Eco-Beauty Happy Hour

If you want to make your wedding a little more eco-friendly, consider starting with your big day beauty! For beauty buffs in the NYC area, Spirit Beauty Lounge is here to help.

Every Thursday and Friday until December 23, 2009 Spirit Beauty Lounge is hosting beauty happy hours from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. at the Greenfinds Eco Marketplace (greenfinds.com) located at 2 Great Jones Street. Head over to this event to get great discounts, freesamples and free gifts from some of the best eco-friendly brands including, Nvey Eco, RMS Beauty and Intelligent Nutrients.

The treats don’t stop there: you'll receive a free Priti manicure with your purchase all while enjoying complimentary organic cupcakes and cocktails! On Black Friday, November 27, 2009 you could also meet makeup artist and natural beauty expert Jessa Blades who will be giving mini makeovers and makeup demos for stunning eco-beauty looks you could try for your beauty regimens.

Visit SpiritBeautyLounge.com to find all your eco-friendly beauty and bath
needs.

Bridal Beauty Must-Haves

Finally, my first beauty gallery is now up on InStyleWeddings.com for a bride's beauty bag must-have products. I interviewed celebrity make-up artists Vanessa Scali and Troy Jensen to tell me what products brides should carry with them on the big day.

One of the tips including keeping a small tin of cream cheek color like this Laura Mercier product in your bag to maintain a rosy glow on the apples of your cheeks throughout the night.



Photo Courtesy of Laura Mercier

Nail polish for $100?!

Chanel's limited edition nail lacquer, "Jade" debuted in October and is already sold out everywhere! This season's must-have color is so coveted, that it's currently being sold on Ebay for $100.

And I thought this holiday's Make Up For Ever eyeliner set for $250 on Sephorawas a jaw dropper...

Would you shell out Mr. Franklin for the one perfect nail color? If not, try out Essie's "Mint Candy Apple Green" ($8; essie.com) for something a little more forgiving for your bank account.



Photo Courtesy of Chanel and Essie

Backstage: Ports 1961

Romero with a model

Ports 1961 was a really fun and calm backstage experience. The MAC team was running on schedule and I caught the last model getting her make-up done. Conducted a great interview with Romero Jennings who was so excited to be working with Ports for the first time.

C: What's the look we're going for today?
RJ: It's influenced by Japanese 1930s culture. The makeup is the reflection from looking into a pond of koi fish... metallic salmon. We're going for graphic, color intensity, but still elegant.

C: Since the eye is the main focus, what steps did you take to make sure it would last throughout the show?
RJ: I used Prep and Prime (by MAC) eye primer to help the cream shadow stay in place and hold the red pigment.

C: What else with the eyes did you do?
RJ: Curled lashes and brown mascara--not black, so it wouldn't compete with the shadow. And a white eye pencil on the lower eye rim for "reflection" [from the lights on the runway].

C: What's steps should an every day girl take so she could wear this look?
RJ: Any girl can wear this. Maybe just use less shadow and a lot more mascara.

C: And the rest of the face?
RJ:Concealer around the brows, sheer skin using studio sculpt foundation and "Myth" and "Blanketing" lipstick--neutral colors.

Fixing a model's make-up and interviewing with Second Look

Backstage: Ports 1961

I thought I'd make this a separate post because I got some pretty neat pics of a different part of the backstage area where the clothes were!


Loved her outfit




Mega heels!

The Look Board

Runway: BCBG

So I missed Fashion's Night Out (heard it was crazy), but I kicked off Spring 2010 RTW Fashion Week with BCBG. Barely managed to grab a seat and loved skimming my free WWD. When it finally started (1/2 an hour late), I saw lots of fun party dresses with funky prints and cutouts that I could only dream of pulling off. Reminded me of the bandage type outfits in Max Azria's higher-end line, Herver Leger. Couldn't take a crazy amount of pictures due to my nosebleed seat status, but did manage to get a few decent photos.

Hal Rubenstein far right...

Finale and Lubov and hubby Max at the closing


Keri Hilson talking to a reporter; Amanda Bynes sneaking out the oppoosite way of the crowd


Scary.

Hard Candy launch

This week I brought a couple of my InStyle co-workers with me to the launch event for Hard Candy. It will be sold exclusively at Walmart beginning the third week of September. I don't have the rest of the press material with me right now, but D2 Publicity's event at the Bryant Park Hotel loft was great! The make-up is fun with pretty packaging and bright, bold colors. Lots of glitter and glam to go along with many of the products--it would be hard to miss once it hits the shelves. There was a make-up artist and lip reader giving free make-up consultations at the event too. And I have to say there were really delicious hors d'oeuvres!

Cristina and I at the Hard Candy event

Food =9 and the make-up artists!

Jewelry, Bags and Shoes... Oh my

This week was sort of a slow week in beauty land for weddings since we're in between issues. So I offered to help out main book in the accessories department for a few days, which was a very interesting experience since I've never worked in a fashion closet before (but have done tons of staring...). I actually learned a lot about how things work in there and it's nice getting to know different editors from other departments. And okay, I was really close to stealing a 1/2 pair of Louboutins (I learned press samples of shoes usually only come in 1/2 pairs for photoshoots because that's all they need...), but who cares that it's only one shoe? My right foot would be totally kick-ass.

Michelle Obama's Favorite Fragrance

Click Here to see the original post on InStyleWeddings.com.

Photoshoot!

I went on my first photoshoot ever this week. I couldn't believe that it took over 5 hours for just one model, one gown, one perfect picture! Before the work began, we chilled back with some food from Wichcraft (yummy sandwiches) and played with the photog assistant's dog.

One of the editors also thought it would be fun to take a shot of all our hot sandals we all happened to be wearing...

I then helped the fashion director dress the model in a variety of gowns and pick the top 3 dresses. Our top picks from l-r were Reem Acra, Christos and Monique Lullier. The Monique won! And I layed out the pretty jewelry in consideration for the shoot.

While the model, Nicole (who happens to be a regular on Gossip Girls in Blair's posse!), got her hair and make-up done. I helped the assistant editor interview the makeup artist about why he chose certain beauty products for this shoot/story. We then put on the Monique Lullier and finally got to picture taking. It was a very lengthy process and it's interesting how a couple strands of hair out of place warrants the hair stylist to come rushing with his giant hairspray and brush. We probably took at least a few hundres shots and several different make-up and hair looks until we finally got the "perfect" one... though I thought they were all pretty good!

Inside InStyle

The ceiling of the elevator bank

When you walk in

I only got the chance to take a couple pictures before my camera's battery died, but here's the beginning of the inside look at one of Time Inc.'s many magazine pubs. The assistant job's been not as hectic. We're done with our run-thrus so I've pretty much breezed through the week. Starting to see all the holiday gift guide products shuffle in. It's hard to think about it when it's only July!

The Early Show

Last week I was CBS' The Early Show showcasing the clothes from InStyle's July issue in a story about making your workout clothes wearable for daytime. It's kind of funny I am the freeze frame to the video clip on the website. I wore LNA leggings with awesome zipper detail, a Calvin Klein tunic and Rebecca Minkoff clutch. Though I had to wake up at 4 a.m., it was pretty sweet getting picked up from a car service and kicking back while CBS provided breakfast and someone to do hair and makeup! I loved the star treatment even though I was quickly snapped back to reality when I had to show up at 9 a.m. back in beauty land at Instyle.

Max Factor Maxes Out

Just in time for Max Factor's 100th anniversary, by the year 2010 P&G will phase out the makeup brand in the U.S. in hopes to make more pocket money for CoverGirl. Though Max Factor products will still be available overses where its sales are the strongest, I'm sad to bid farewell to one of America's most wallet-friendly makeup brands. It seems like Americans are opting for more of CoverGirl's easy, breezy, down-to-earth look (a la Drew Barrymore) than the straight-off-the-runway look (like Max Factor spokesmodel Giselle Bundchen), which happens to be more appealing for Europeans. If you're a Max Factor fanatic, it's time to stock up!



Photo: Max Factor

Another Beauty-ful Beginning

I'm finally done slaving over papers and studying for final exams. But now I can be a voluntary slave to beauty with my new position as InStyle special issues (Weddings, Hair, Makeover...)!

I went into the interview thinking it was an internship position. Though a full-time, permanent job in magazines right after college is often the dream, it's rarely that easy. I figured that I'd get more experience and make more contacts in the industry, so there wasn't anything to lose by applying. During the interview, I found out that it was a freelance position and I get the luxury of calling myself a beauty assistant. When I met my now boss, she said the beauty team is very small--basically just me and her. It's the perfect situation--though it means a ton of responsibility, it also means a ton of experience.

Though I'll be busy blogging for InStyleWeddings.com and doing my beauty assistant duties, I want to keep my beauty blog alive to keep track of my journey as I slowly claw my way up the editorial ladder. It's fun seeing familiar faces at Time Inc. and it's good to know everyone in the messenger center remembers me from People because of all those bags of beauty products I made them bring up...

Wave like Whitney

Wearing her signature bohemian style, Whitney Port reunited with her former cast members of The Hills at the Paley Television Festival last night in LA. Staying true to her Californian roots, Whitney accessorized an ivory floor-length tiered dress with pretty bangles and beachy waves. To get waves like Whitney, spritz hair with Bohemian Beach Spray by David Babii for Wild Aid, $11.95; db4wildaid.com. Then wrap your hair around a 1-inch curling iron (to mix in tighter waves, try a ½ inch iron!) and hold for 30 seconds.

Beauty Face Off: Side Pony

Last weekend Carrie Underwood and Miley Cyrus both sported side ponytails at the Academy of Country Music Awards.

Photos: Retna

Who rocked the curly side pony better? I'd definitely say the winner is Carrie! (Who also won the CMA's top award: Entertainer of the Year)

Her soft curls and longer hair also lengthens her face just right and balances out her one-shouldered dress. The length of Miley's hair falls a little short--making it look more like a beaver's tail than a sophisticated sidekick. Miley also wore a one-shouldered gown and her frilly frock does nothing but hide the pretty jeweled accents.

Shecky's Girls Night Out

Last week was Shecky's SOLD OUT "Girls Night Out" event in New York City at the la.venue & Terminal Stores on 28th Street. Shecky's gives out complimentary cocktails and treats (the free smores were a nice surprise), discounted fashion (anything from designer labels to vintage to up and coming artists) and of course the famous goodie bag, which includes a hodge podge of items.

I also got the chance to meet up with Glamour.com's fashion editor, Tracey Lomrantz and had a great chat about her attending the Inauguration this year and her upcoming trip to Amsterdam.

Shecky's events are an awesome opportunity to look for unique fasion pieces, catch up with old girlfriends and meet new ones! I'm looking forward to this summer's "Girls Night Out" :)