Who Can Tell Me About Foursquare? Also, More About Genes Day and Our First Video in Spanish!

As many of you know, the Lancome U.S. team is doing a big one-day fundraiser called Genes Day for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital on this Friday. We'll be donating $7 from every bottle of Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate that we sell at any counter or on lancome.com. We've pledged to donate $100,000, but we'd like to raise much more!



As part of all the Genes Day activity, we're asking anyone of you on Foursquare to check-in this Friday when you stop at a Lancome counter. Are any of you on Foursquare? It's the one thing I don't do. I tweet, I text, I Facebook, I Flickr, I Skype (therefore I am, right?), but I don't Foursquare. If any of you can tell me why you like it and what it's all about, I'd be very appreciative. My goal is to master Foursquare by lunchtime tomorrow.



Also, we have another Genes Day video on Facebook. (Did you watch the one starring Tory from Makeup.com?) This video stars our fabulous spokesmodel Arlenis and is in Spanish with English subtitles! If TT, Marie, or any of our other Spanish-speaking friends are reading this, let us know what you think.



Check back tomorrow for more Genes Day news. We're very excited to be working with a charity as important as St. Jude. It reminds me how appreciate I should be about my own health, that of my five nephews, my godchildren and my friends' children.

Fashion's Night Out 2010 with Arlenis, Elettra and Michelle Phan!

We had an absolute blast on Fashion's Night Out in New York City this past Friday Night. As I mentioned, we had a "tango and touch-ups" party at Bloomingdale's 59th Street to celebrate the launch of our French Coquettes Fall 2010 collection. Our spokesmodels Arlenis and Elettra made an appearance and we had professional tango dancers on hand to give lessons to any willing party.



We had a great turnout and even Arlenis and Elettra took a spin on the dance floor.



Then we ran to Sephora where Michelle Phan was appearing. Michelle did a live blog session then met with anyone who wanted to say hi or take a photo. We must have met hundreds of people that night. We're sorry to anyone we had to rush during the photo session! Michelle didn't want anyone to leave disappointed and our time was up so our only option was to move quick quick quick.



If you stopped by, thank you! It was a fun night. The city indeed felt like one big party. And it was for a good cause. If people stop shopping, people lose jobs.



Enjoy the photos. I just posted additional pictures on our Lancome Paris Facebook page. Stop by and take a look.



Check back tomorrow for pictures from backstage at the Chris Benz Spring 2011 presentation.

Join Us on Fashion's Night Out in NYC!

Do any of you live in or near New York City? If so, we'd love for you to join us for Fashion's Night Out on Friday, Sept. 10th. I'm sure most of you have heard of Fashion's Night Out. It's the brainchild of American Vogue editor Anna Wintour. She wanted the fashion industry to do something to help stimulate the economy, so she came up with this idea for a city-wide shopping party. On FNO 2009, New York City was filled with designers, models, celebrities and lots of excited shoppers. It was a fun night and we did events with Daria, Elettra, Arlenis, Chris Benz, Daniel Martin, Sandy Linter and Andrew Sotomayor. Everyone had a blast.



This year, we've scaled it back a bit. To be honest, we were a bit spread thin last year! We tried to race from event to event, but it was impossible because of all the traffic--both cars and foot traffic! So this year we're doing two very special events. The first one is "tango lessons and touch-ups" at Bloomingdale's 59th Street. Our spokesmodels Elettra and Arlenis will be on hand at 6 p.m. to say hi to everyone and we'll have some amazing professional tango dancers doing mini-exhibitions every 30 minutes. If you'd like a quick tango lesson or a touch-up featuring products from our French Coquettes Fall 2010 collection, stop by and say hi.



We were thrilled when we opened September Vogue and saw that they chose "tango and touch-ups" as the #1 beauty event for FNO. (See the article above!) The Bloomingdale's event goes from 6 to 8 p.m.



Then at 7 p.m. over at Sephora Fifth Avenue (between 48th and 49th streets), our video makeup artist Michelle Phan will be making her very first personal appearance. She'll be doing a special video live in the front window. Then she and Vogue beauty editor Christina Han will be meeting and greeting customers from 8 to 9 p.m. If you have a question about how to make your own video or how to become a beauty editor, come over and chat with us. I'll be there too.



If you can't make it, don't worry. We'll have lots of photos to share after the event.



If you live in the U.S., enjoy the holiday weekend! The rest of you, have a great weekend too!

Eve Asked, We Answered: How to Get Arlenis's Blush Look. And Who Won the Arlenis Giveaway?

Blog reader Eve asked about Arlenis's blush in the picture from the Arlenis makeup.com interview post earlier this week. (The picture is a behind-the-scenes shot from the new Teint Idole Fresh Wear ad.) Alex Sanchez, one of our amazing national makeup artists whom you might recognize from the videos he did with Arlenis (that's them above, obviously!), provided a step-by-step guide to getting the look. If anyone has followup questions, just leave them as a comment and I'll get Alex to answer. As for the winner of the Arlenis product giveaway...congratulations to Poley! Check your inbox for an email from me. Thanks to everyone who left a comment.



From Alex:



In the Arlenis photo, her glowing skin is the focus. To make the fabulous contours of her cheekbone pop, a highligher and a deeper countouring blush was used.



Highligher

No need to purchase a separate highligher when you can use eyshadow to achieve a similar effect. With Large Eyeshadow Brush #17, use a touch of pink, peach or golden pearlized shadow (according to skintone) to brighten the area around eyes.



Fair complexions--use Color Design Eyeshadow in Gaze

Medium complexions--use Color Design Eyeshadow in Vue

Dark Complexions--use Color Design Eyeshadow in Bikini Golden



Apply the shadow in a C-pattern on the high planes of the face with the #17 brush.



Bonus Tip: You can also apply the highlight down the center of the nose to refine the shape and touch just above the cupid's bow of the mouth to create a fuller, more sensuous lip contour. Just remember a little product goes a long way and as with all professional makeup...blend, blend, blend.



Contouring Blush

In the photo, Blush Subtil in Bronzed Rose was used.



To recreate the look on fairer skins, you can use your bronzer as a contouring blush. Just make sure that you use a matte bronzer to achieve the most depth. Tap the bronzer into the hollows of the cheek with Precision Cheek Brush #8 [Kerry's note: My favorite brush ever!] for a chiseled cheek.



Bonus Tip: To recreate the chic neutral monochromatic effect that Arlenis has you can use your bronzer on your eyes as eyeshadow.

From Makeup.com: Arlenis's Beauty Secrets! (And Enter to Win Her Favorite Products!)

We stole tonight's post from makeup.com. Tory Kirby, the editor of makeup.com, did a great interview with our spokesmodel Arlenis, so we thought we'd share it with you. Arlenis has been one of our spokesmodels for two years and she's just amazing. She truly loves Lancome and she's one of the most charismatic, kind people around. I remember when Arlenis came to see us for the first time at the New York offices. She didn't speak a word of English, but she had the most beautiful smile I had ever seen. Today, she's fluent in English and she's considered a supermodel. Not too bad!



Enjoy the interview. Leave a comment by Wednesday night and we'll pick one at random to win all of Arlenis's favorite products!



Celebrities may be “just like us,” but models often are not. Ask them for their beauty secrets, and their answers are typically “water,” “sleep,” or the especially aggravating, “I never wear makeup, I wash my face with Dial, and I don’t own a hairdryer.” Not exactly the kind of practical advice that the rest of us can adopt. But yesterday, I caught up with gorgeous Lancôme spokesmodel Arlenis Sosa and discovered that not only does she wear makeup, but she loves to swap beauty secrets. How refreshing! Another real-girl quality to love about her: She exercises. I caught up with her right after her Pilates class in NYC and talked tips, products, and why she swears by honey as a skin remedy.

What’s the best trick you’ve learned backstage? “During the shows, it’s almost impossible get enough sleep. A makeup artist once taught me a great trick for relieving puffiness: Wrap a few ice cubes in a washcloth, gently glide it around your face and eyes for several minutes, then drape a warm washcloth over your face for a minute. It’s so simple, but it really makes a difference.”

What’s the one skin product you can’t live without? “I love Lancôme Tonique Radiance Clarifying Toner. My skin doesn’t really feel clean or fresh until I use it! It takes off any makeup residue after a shoot or show, and it calms my skin when it breaks out or gets irritated. I grew up in the Dominican Republic, and my mom always used natural tonics to cleanse her skin. This toner reminds me of the native tonics that mom my uses.”

What makeup do you have in your bag right now? “I always carry Lancôme Hypnôse Drama Volume Mascara and Lancôme Ôscillation Vibrating Mascara. When I’m going out, I like to layer them. I use Ôscillation first to makes my lashes look fuller, longer, and more curled, then I brush Hypnôse Drama on top to make them look really thick and sexy.”

Wow, a model who actually wears makeup when she goes out! What else do you use? “At night, I like a sheer lip color, so I actually pat Lancôme Color Design Cream Blush in Retro Rouge, a deep red, on my lips, then dab the clear Lancôme Juicy Tubes gloss on top. This gives my lips a bit of color and sheen, but it still looks natural.”

What about for your eyes? “I like to draw a thin line of Lancôme Le Crayon Khôl Waterproof Eyeliner in either black or dark blue along just my bottom lash line to make it look more defined. Then I brush a black eye shadow—I often use Lancôme Color Design Eye Shadow in It List—in the crease of my lid to add a little strength. This makes my eyes look sexy without seeming like I have on heavy eye makeup. If I’m going to a really formal event, I’ll also use Lancôme Dual Finish Powder Makeup on my face to cover shine and Lancôme La Laque Fever lip gloss in Spot Pink. I layer it on top of the Retro Rouge cream blush on my lips—this way, you get rosiness plus brightness.”

How do you unwind? “Once a week, I get a mix of shiatsu and Swedish massage. I like the really deep kneading! I prefer to do my own facials, though, because I know my skin so well.”

You do your own facials? “Yes! My mom taught me how to: I mix together a little honey, brown sugar, and splash of water in a bowl, scrub the mix on my face for a minute, then leave on like a mask for 10 minutes. After rinsing, I drape a warm towel over my face for a minute or so. It’s a sticky process, but it makes my skin look so fresh and healthy afterwards.”

Who has taught you the most about beauty—your mom or makeup artists? “My mom has taught me the most about skincare, but the makeup artists I’ve worked with have helped me understand cosmetics. Tarek Abbas [a Lancôme national makeup artist] taught me the trick about using cream blush on my lips and showed me how to choose a lip color that works with my skin tone. He’s so great—he’s always teaching me something new!”

A Bottle of "Trésor In Love" Goes To...? And Beauty Bye-Bye Alert: Color Design Blush :(

Let's start with the bad news. Color Design Cream Blush is being discontinued. As a big fan of CD blush in Petticoat Pink, I'm very sad. I know there are tons of fans for this shade, and for the Freeze Frame highlighter shade. Especially among makeup artists. And our MUA Alex Sanchez did such a beautiful job with the Model Mocha shade layered under powder blush in the Arlenis "Chic Cheeks" video they did together (above, but watch on YouTube! The right side of the video is cut off for some reason on the blog...). The CD blush and our foundation brush are two of my favorite beauty duos. They were like magic together. Sigh.



So if you love CD blush and you're near a Lancôme counter, stock up! You've been warned. The good news? When we discontinue something, it usually means something even better is on the way, so stay tuned.



I know a lot of you live in fear of your favorite products being discontinued because you've said so in the blog comments. The lancome-usa.com website has a handy tool called "Beauty Bye-Bye" that tips you off to things that are limited edition and almost sold out, or discontinued. Another thing to look for on any product page is a sentence that says "last call item." I hope that's helpful.



Much better news? The winner of our Trésor in Love giveaway is...Mel! Congrats, Mel. You'll be smelling sweet in no time. Please check your email. Thanks to everyone who commented. I'm happy to so many of you like theTrésor in Love ad. It's really charming, thanks to Miss Elettra. And Toussled Kitten, hope your neck is better!

Welcome Penelope Cruz! (& Last Paris Giveaway!)

Well, the cat's out of le sac. Actress Penelope Cruz has joined Lancôme and will be the ambassador of Trésor, our iconic fragrance. Penelope is beautiful, kind and a true artist. We are sincerely thrilled that she is now part of the brand.



We filmed the new Trésor ads in Paris this week with Mario Testino and they will debut sometime this fall. I can't wait to see them. The shoot was a very nice experience and we were blessed with beautiful weather for all the outdoor portions. Above are some signs from the set, and a pic of me and my colleague David, the head of public relations for Lancôme International (and one of the chicest men in Paris!), on a balcony overlooking the Place de la Concorde. David's giving his best Blue Steel there!



We have such amazing women representing the brand today: Penelope, Julia Roberts, Kate Winslet, Anne Hathaway, Daria Werbowy, Ines Sastre, Arlenis Sosa and Elettra Wiedemann. (Not to mention Sandy Linter and Michelle Phan!) It's really a thrill to be part of Lancôme in 2010.



Speaking of Elettra, I'm at Orly Airport outside of Paris and her Trésorin Love ad is everywhere. (I've been here more than SIX hours waiting for my Open Skies flight to Newark. I can understand flight delays. It's part of life. But I can't stand when the airline doesn't share ANY information!)



So our last giveaway of the week: The Golden Croisette bronzer from the international summer collection, which I bought at the Paris boutique, and a new Hypnôse Precious Cells mascara, which I bought at Orly's duty free. Both products are fab. The bronzer has three small blocks of blush, so you can customize the color. The mascara is conditioning and creates a very pretty full lash look. Leave a comment telling us which Lancôme spokesperson is your favorite and why and we'll pick one name at random. Please post by Monday night.



Good luck and have a lovely weekend.

Paris When it Sizzles! (Giveaway #2!)

Bonjour, everyone! Great entries for the Tresor in Love giveaway. Thank you! There's still time to enter if you haven't yet. Nancy, sadly, not much time to sit in cafes and we have a shoot everyday. But the weather is beautiful and every cafe with outdoor seating is packed. Also, Atelier Gal, I saw your question. What is BB cream?



We shot this morning at Place de Furstemberg in St. Germain. Our brilliant set director recreated a mini-flower market filled with roses, peonies, lilies and more. It was quite beautiful. (See above.) Dozens of tourists stopped to stare and take pictures. Then I ran to the Lancome boutique on Faubourg St. Honore (above, with picture of Julia Roberts in the window) to see what's new and found lots of products we don't have back in the U.S. I tried to buy the new Hypnose Precious Cells mascara for a blog giveaway, but it's sold out already! Both black and brown are gone. (But they'll be restocking soon.) What else was there? The Yayoi Kusama Juicy Tubes, which I mentioned the other day. They are adorable. I bought one set for a certain Lancome ambassadress who loves the natural formula and another set for a blog giveaway. (Shown above with full-size JT for scale!)



To enter, post whether or not you own a Juicy Tube or Tubes already. If so, what shade? Any random Juicy Tube thought is fine too! Idea for a shade, constructive criticism, all welcome. We'll pick one comment. Please post by Thursday night.



I need to stop here because I have to run to part two of today's shoot. (Actually, part three. A small crew went to the Eiffel Tower to film after the flower scene.) Enjoy the pictures, enter the giveaway and have a beautiful day!

Behind the Scenes at the Arlenis-Latina Party. And Happy B'Day, Fab Over 40!

So Monday night we had a party to celebrate that Arlenis is this month's Latina cover girl. It's a gorgeous cover and I'm so happy it's a makeup-y cover rather than a fashion-y cover, if you know what I mean. The party was held at our boutique on the Upper West Side of New York (many people are surprised to learn we have a boutique there! It's at 69th and Columbus. Visit!) and dozens of people dropped by to say hi and congratulate Arlenis.



Among those in attendance were Latina editor in chief Mimi Valdes (rocking a great haircut and cool lace stockings), Latina beauty director Angelique Serrano, photographer Marc Baptiste, MTV's Julissa Bermudez, singer Kat DeLuna and Beauty Logic blogger Mildred Almodovar. (Several of Arlenis's fellow Domincanas, if you're keeping track!) The music, the Champagne and the little truffled grilled cheese sandwiches were great and the guests were gorgeous and fun.



We had some all-star makeup artists there too. Lancome's Beauty at Every Age Expert Sandy Linter, Ross Burton, Scott Barnes and Renee Garnes, who did Arlenis's makeup for the cover. Ewa Szwed, one of the best makeup artists at our boutique, did Arlenis's makeup and used the following products:



--Color Fever Shine lipstick in Bronze Heat

--Le Lipstique Sheer Plum lip liner

--Color Fever Plumper in Puckered

--Hypnose Drama mascara (everyone's favorite these days)

--Blush Subtil in Shimmer Violet Sunrise for contour

--Blush Subtil in Rouge Glow on the apples of the cheeks

--Color Design Cream Blush in Model Mocha as highlight

--Le Vernis in Untamed Plum on nails



Ewa also mentioned that two of Arlenis's favorite products are La Base Pro primer and Nutrix Royal body lotion. I'll ask Arlenis why next time I see her.



Arlenis's dress was by Alexander Wang!



For more pictures, check out the Lancome Paris Facebook page. If you're not a Facebook fan, please become one!



As for birthday wishes, today is the second-year anniversary of one of our favorite blogs, Fabulous Over Forty. Congratulations to Kari on all her hard work and for doing so many great posts. Well done, Kari!



It's snowing out--again--so time to bundle up and head home!

I Need Your Help with a Top Secret Project!! Also, Who Won Our Final Chris Benz Lipstick Giveaway?

I need your help. I'm working on a very cool project and I need great pictures of girls and guys wearing makeup. If you want to be a model or a makeup artist, or both, here's your chance. The makeup can be extreme or natural, or somewhere in between. It just has to be a good quality photo of one person's face. Nothing blurry or shadowy or taken from far away. If you have a friend who always applies her (or his!) makeup in a beautiful or interesting way and looks great wearing it, forward this to them!



Send any pictures to thelancomeblog@gmail.com. If we'd like to use your picture, I'll send you an email. And we certainly won't use without your permission!



Sorry to be secretive, but I'll tell you more about this in the weeks ahead!



Lastly, the winner of the final Chris Benz Chris & Tell giveaway is...Janet Cao! Janet, please email me at thelancomeblog@gmail.com. Congratulations. If you'd like Chris to autograph your Chris & Tell, let me know!



Check back tomorrow for a post on the party we hosted for supermodel Arlenis Sosa at the NYC Lancome boutique in celebration of her Latina cover. (See above!)

Arlenis Sosa in Harper's Bazaar! LOVE. IT.

I've been meaning to post these pictures for ages. I put them on Facebook the other day, so if you've seen them there already or in the actual pages of Harper's Bazaar, sorry! But they are so cute, I just have to post them again. On top of that, Arlenis is the nicest thing in the world. All that sweetness she radiates in the pictures is genuine.



(Plus, it's ZERO degrees outside, so the idea of riding a bike past palm trees is very enticing right now...)



Patricia and Erin from the PR team went to our labs in New Jersey recently for a tour with Arlenis and everyone had a great time. We have funny pictures of Arlenis in a hair net and safety glasses that I WON'T be posting because she'd kill me. Not that they would ruin her career. Amazingly, she still manages to look like a supermodel while wearing them. Go figure.



Tyron Machhausen did the makeup. I don't know Tyron, but he's clearly genius! I just looked at his agency portfolio. If you love makeup, you seriously need to scroll through this. There's some fab stuff going on. I'll try to interview him for the blog soon.



Stay warm!

Your 2010 Resolutions, An Awesome Genifique Giveaway and More Blog Winners!

Okay, Tammy, as promised--why 2010 will be more glamorous. We signed Julia Roberts and her gorg Mario Testino ads will start running next year, along with Mario's beautiful new Kate Winslet and Arlenis Sosa ads. Also, we've having a special Julia event to welcome her to the Lancome family. We'll report on this for the blog, of course. We'll be working with some new designers in 2010 and I think everyone will be really excited to learn who they are. Lancome will celebrate its 75th anniversary next year, and it's the 10th birthday of Juicy Tubes. And that's not to mention all the exciting new products, from Chris Benz's Chris & Tell to our spring color collection, a major new mascara and very cool skincare. And lots more...

And in terms of how people are rocking their makeup, the lipstick and nail polish trend shows no sign of abating. That's glamorous, no? It's great to see people experimenting with color and putting some effort into their makeup. Speaking of which, take a look at the big Craig McDean fashion story in the current W magazine. Two of the spreads are above. Forget the clothes and just focus on all the different lipsticks, eye makeup and nail polish. If you love makeup, it's very inspirational. (A lot of pale, platinum-haired models, I know. But I just read in Allure that's a trend too, love it or hate it.)

So today's giveaway. Tell us your new year's resolutions and we'll pick one post at random to win a Genifique three pack: youth activating concentrate, the new, not-yet-in-stores cream-serum (cult product for 2010. You read it here.) and the eye cream. These are great unisex products, so get your boyfriends and brothers to post too.

Please post by Thursday night!

Lastly, we have some more blog giveaway winners to announce. Congrats to Blinky Daisy who won the Juicy Tubes holiday gift set. SJ won a set too for correctly identifying the picture as a still from the movie "Singles." Charity won a bottle of Miracle from the holiday gift guide giveaway. Austrian Babe won the Tresor roller ball. And Chuck, you won the "Important Dinner for Women" gift bag giveaway, but I don't think we ever heard from you because the bag is still in my office. Sorry if you did email us and it slipped through the cracks. If you're a winner and didn't leave your email, please contact us at thelancomeblog@gmail.com.

A Little Sumthin for Them, A Little Sumthin for You (It's a Giveaway Alert, My Beauties!)

Does it drive you crazy when stores start promoting the holidays before Halloween even begins? I don't want to see Christmas ornaments and candy corn or tinsel and turkey at the same time. But then there are lots of organized people who don't mind because they like to get their shopping done early.

Whether you're an organized holiday shopper or not, you'll enjoy our Lancome.com holiday gift guide. Why? Because it features options at lots of different price points and four of our favorite people: designer Chris Benz, mua Daniel Martin, spokesmodel Arlenis and sweet sweet Evelyn Iocolano, who created the Lollipop Theater Network charity. Each picked a few Lancome products that would make perfects gifts for their friends, family and other loved ones.

Make sure to take a look. You might get some cute ideas for stocking stuffers or little gifts or even, to quote fashion blogger Bryan Boy, a little sumthin sumthin for yourself. Let's do a fun giveaway. Tell us what gift you'd like to get right now and we'll pick one post at random to win all the gifts on Arlenis, Chris, Daniel or Evelyn's page. (Just tell us which page is your fave.) Please post by Sunday night. Good luck!