Sale doesn’t always=Good idea

 

Cosmetic procedures are not the place to scrimp and save!

 

 

 

Sales can be incredibly tempting at times like these, but be careful not to get swept away by this kind of bargain…

Like your mom always said, if it’s too good to be true, it probably is.

-Lisa

Image courtesy www.tvscoop.tv.

Bangs will save you $$$

If your beauty budget has been downsized and quarterly Botox injections are no longer an option, check out my post on AOL stylelist for tips on how to deal.

 

-Lisa

It’s true, old people do smell

 

Check out my blog post on stylelist.com on the latest multitasking fragrance and its magical powers.

 

-Lisa

London calling

 

The M.A.C face chart for the Nicole Farhi show

 

 

Check out my beauty reports from London fashion week on stylelist.com!

Nicole Farhi : beautiful skin and berry lips.

House of Holland : deep purple lips and smoky eyes.

Todd Lynn : Grim, grayish lips and peach-rimmed eyes. Eek.

Vivienne Westwood Red Label : Cat eyes, pretty lips, and goth lips…each on a different model.

Giles : Traffic-stopping red lips.

Peter Jensen : Coppery flushed cheeks.

-Lisa

Lounge lizard

 

 

That's me, blogging from the plush W lounge.

 

 

I must admit, I didn’t mind the W Hotels Worldwide Backstage Lounge at Bryant Park one bit. Having spent most of fashion week hustling between venues scattered along the West Side Highway with nary a taxi in sight, the lounge was a welcome retreat. In theory the lounge was meant to attract celebrities and promote the W brand, in reality I used it as a quiet spot to sit, snack, check my email (yes, I lugged my old, leaden laptop with me) and rest my feet. 

I did have one interesting “celeb” sighting at the lounge—Retro Kids. These guys are a blast from the past. They might be related to Kid n Play and they definitely hold Run DMC in high regard. When I asked the pr person for W who they were she had to Google them. Apparently they’re just a group of 80′s enthusiasts, but I’m sure there’s more to the story.

 

Retro Kids at the Tents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More on the benefits of the W lounge: snacks!! There were Popburgers, Billy’s Bakery cupcakes, Smartwater, Veuve Cliquot, mini Chambord bottles and some weird juice in cans that I didn’t quite catch. All in all, I’d say they were well stocked. Unfortunately, it was too early in the day for me to start on champagne, but I did sample the Popburgers and they were tasty. Oh, I almost forgot about the lovely gal with the old-fashioned cigarette tray loaded with Bliss skincare samples. She was a hit, let me tell you. I snagged a deluxe sample of Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask and a couple of shaving products for Max. Let’s just say I was thoroughly satisfied with my W lounge experience. 

 

Talk about a modern take on the cigarette girl.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adorable, individually wrapped Billy's cupcakes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-Lisa

Sister sister

 

Rodarte designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy

In a nutshell, Rodarte=genius. The Mulleavy sisters put together a fall ’09 show that totally rocked. The makeup (M.A.C) and hair (Aveda) may have been runway-only, but there were plenty of trends to be interpreted for mere mortals. The beauty takeaway is clear: perfect satin-matte skin, subtle contouring, nude lips and sleek chignons are must for fall. See my backstage report on stylelist.com formore details. In the meantime, more pics below…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thigh-high bandaged boots required two dressers to strap on to each model!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The finished look. Ladies, start your lunges now—the skirts are short and the boots are skin-tight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-Lisa

Mulleavy sisters image courtesy www.telegraph.co.uk. Runway image courtesy www.style.com.

Black eyes and nude lips

No, I’m not talking about a boxing match. You can go ahead and stash your classic red lipstick and girly gloss for next year, because Fall ’09 is all about nude lipstick and dark eyes. Oh and there’s lots of perfect matte skin, too. 

Check out my beauty report on stylelist.com from yesterday’s Chris Benz show. See backstage pics below for more color:

The pot of Lancôme indigo cream shadow on the right formed the gorgeous deep base layer of the eye look...and I want it. Sadly I'll have to wait for it to hit the shelves in fall '09.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-Lisa

Backstage pass

 

Check out my backstage beauty coverage of Fall 2009 Fashion Week for stylelist.com: 

Alexander Wang: Sweet ‘n vicious

Pep-talk poster for models at Alexander Wang—hands down the funniest thing I've seen backstage. Oh, and Hooters catered the snacks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vena Cava: Rockabilly chic

 

That's Vincent Longo applying nude lipstick.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And there's Ted Gibson working on rocker hair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VPL: Supernatural glow

 

A shot of the venue for VPL's show, entitled "Exquisite Corpse."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-Lisa

Brace yourself—it’s Fashion Week

It’s that time again, when editors, buyers, celebrities and loyal fans flock to the tents at Bryant Park in addition to countless other venues all over the city. There’s a frenzy for certain shows (MJ) every season and then there are the newer more up-and-coming designers who garner buzz around town. I wonder how it will feel the first time I walk into a venue or the tents this week with recession on the tip of everyone’s tongues. I’m guessing the clothes, hair and makeup will be a bit more restrained than in seasons past. It’s amazing that designers can even afford to put up a show (which costs upwards of $50,000, and that’s in an alley on the LES) at all in times like these. Actually, some of them can’t and have downscaled to formal presentations or have canceled altogether. The Fall shows are supposed to rev everyone up, inspire big ideas and set the tone for the coming year in retail and all the other industries that feed off of the trends. I’m still looking forward to Fall ’09 Fashion Week as a source of creative inspiration.

Of course, it wouldn’t be fashion week without a Barneys Warehouse Sale. I remember when the sale was cause to queue up at 7:30AM on West 17th Street with all the other die-hard shoppers. Bargains could be found after a thorough excavation of sweater bins and jam-packed racks. There would be a fabulous shoe lurking on the top (why always out of my reach?) shelf. Those were the days. Now it seems like the sale is filled with mass-produced weird merchandise that never graced the loft-like vignettes of the Madison Avenue store. Fortunately, men can still find some really good buys in the way of suits and overcoats and cashmere sweaters. 

I’m staying hopeful and I’ll be blogging about beauty for stylelist.com from behind the scenes at a bunch of shows in the next few days, so please check back for updates on hair, makeup and whatever else happens in the trenches.

-Lisa

Image courtesy www.forbestraveler.com

things to keep in mind for v-day

I received a funny Valentine’s Day press release yesterday with tips from several well-known dentists. Some of them are hilarious and may even score you points in a useless trivia contest. At the very least, read them and laugh:

“Kissing burns 12 calories every 5 seconds, and 3 passionate kisses a day will lead to losing 1 lb a month.  In fact, kissing gets 30 facial muscles working,” says Dr. Emanual Layliev.

I say, kiss all you want, but please don’t do it at the table next to mine.

“Cavities are no different than a common cold.  Yes, natural causes of cavities include bacteria, sugar, and not brushing, but you can increase risk of cavities by kissing someone who has no history of cavities based on the level of bacteria in their saliva. The good news is, you can also build up immunities to cavities by kissing someone who is more cavity-prone,” explains Dr. Jeffrey Golub-Evans.

So please, please ask your date about his or her dental health before leaning in.

The last tip, not surprisingly, is my favorite tip and all the more reason to indulge in the 70% cacao dark chocolate bar in my fridge,

“While chocolate does contain sugar, researchers have concluded the cocoa bean in chocolate will inhibit tooth decay, ” offers Dr. Mickey Bernstein.

As far as I’m concerned, Valentine’s Day is pretty cheesy. All those prix-fixe menus with heart-shaped desserts and supposed aphrodisiacs are enough to make me hurl. Every woman wants to be wooed, but some of us prefer a little more creativity and quirkiness with our romance. For anyone who is still thinking about how to celebrate the “holiday,” consider surprising your significant other with breakfast in bed (cappuccino and croissants from Balthazar), a movie date (anything but Revolutionary Road), a home-cooked meal (pasta bolognese), or even a walk in the park followed by a glass of wine at a cozy neighborhood spot (Danal).

-Lisa

Image courtesy www.extrahelping.org.