Lancôme's Artsy Halloween @ PS1!

OLAF BREUNING AND CYNTHIA ROWLEY FOR MOVE! AT MOMA PS1 from V Magazine on Vimeo.

If you're in New York this Halloween weekend, stop by PS1 for Move!, a series of fashion and performance art collaborations curated by Visionaire magazine. Lancôme will be doing all the makeup. Our lead makeup artist for the weekend will be the lovely and talented Alice Lane. (If you didn't read about Alice in Vogue recently, check out the article above.) Alice and her team will be applying lots of body paint, face makeup and even silver leaf to dozens of dancers and performance artists over the course of the two-day event. We'll be packing a lot of Bi-Facil!



Some of our favorite fashion brands are involved, such as Rodarte, Proenza Schouler, Marc Jacobs and Cynthia Rowley, and several amazing artists. If you're around, stop by and say hi. The makeup area is open to the public. The entire event is free and open to the public.



For our friends who don't live near NYC, we'll have a video and lots of pictures to share with you soon.



Enjoy the video from Cynthia Rowley!

Congrats, Christa! We'll See You Thursday!!

So did everyone have a nice weekend? I worked out for the first time in six months. I took a kickboxing class, so I can barely walk, lower myself into a chair or raise my arms. Guess I shouldn't wait six months between workouts. :)



At least I can type.



Despite the pain, this is going to be a fun week. Tomorrow night is the world premiere of "Eat Pray Love." I'll be going with our boss. (I doubt he read the book, so we'll have to see if he likes the movie!) The makeup artist Genevieve is doing Julia's makeup. We'll have a full report on Julia's red carpet look later in the week. I'm sure she'll be wearing Definicils Precious Cells, the new mascara that she's the face of. It's a very Julia mascara, as it gives a very pretty lash look, but nothing over the top. Genevieve usually keeps Julia's look fairly neutral, but we'll see soon enough.



The new issue of Elle with Julia on the cover is just hitting newsstands. Julia did three separate covers and photo shoots with three different photographers. Very cool. If you pick up the issue, you'll have to tell us which one is your favorite.



Then Thursday night, we're hosting a special screening of "Eat Pray Love" just for makeup artists. The winner of the ticket giveaway is Christa. (Christa, check your email for a note from me.) Not only does Christa get to see the movie, but she'll get the goodie bag with lots of Lancome makeup artist favorites, like Bi-Facil and a selection of Lancome mascaras. We'll give one of the bags away later in the week, so stay tuned.



Christa, we look forward to meeting you on Thursday!

Dear Bi-Facil, I'm Sorry I Cheated on You

I have a confession to make. When I went to Paris recently, I saw a new beauty brand with a cool-looking eye makeup remover as part of its line. The makeup remover had this very interesting flat pump top and some natural ingredients, so I bought it.



Needless to say, it didn't work nearly as well as our famous blue Bi-Facil, and on top of that, it stung! What's with all of these eye makeup removers that sting? I spent the weekend at a friend's house months ago and used the eye makeup remover from a very upscale indie French beauty brand and it stung so badly I thought I had grabbed nail polish remover by accident.



Sometimes the grass isn't greener. There's a reason certain products are best-sellers. If you're ever curious about what Lancome's best sellers are, there's a cool feature you can check out on lancome.com. Click here and you can see the best sellers for the week, month or year. And guess what product is always first?



If you're a fan of Bi-Facil, let us know what you think.

And the Winners are...?

I just read all the comments from the Zac Posen/L'Absolu Rouge lipstick giveaway, and I have to say all of you are amazing. I definitely feel like I'm not doing enough to help others, so starting immediately, I'm going to try to change that.

(@DaybreaksBell, it's a pleasure to read all the comments! We truly appreciate that people take the time to read the blog and comment. Happy early birthday, btw.)

The winner of the Zac Posen giveaway is Joan! Join me in congratulating her. And the winner of the Blush Subtil giveaway is Belinda, who'd like to try the Rose Fresque and Cedar Rose shades. (Good choice!) Congrats to Belinda too!

I've emailed both of you, so please check your inbox.

Speaking of winners, a few of our products have won awards recently. The Creme de Brilliance line of liquid lipsticks won an MVP Award from Redbook. That's Kate Winslet above in the ad for Creme de Brilliance. Not sure if everyone has seen that. How gorgeous is Kate? The classic Bi-Facil eye makeup remover won a Best Beauty Buy from InStyle magazine. If you're not familiar with these products, stop by a Lancome counter and check them out. (The PR department's fave Creme de Brilliance shade? Exotic Orchid. It's gorgeous!)

Win This Zac Posen/Target Dress Before it Hits Stores! We'll Throw in a Pretty Lipstick Too!

Wow! So many blush comments and so much good advice. I'll work on some future blush posts so we can answer the questions many of you posted. And Angelina. yes, we read all the comments! Thank you for sharing that story about your grandmother. That's really beautiful that you have her compact.

If you read the blog regularly, you might remember that the Lancome team bumped into designer Zac Posen at the Night Before Party in L.A. right before the Oscars. He was very nice and very charming, and trust me, not all designers are. Target was one of the sponsors (along with Lancome) and they had a booth featuring the upcoming Zac Posen for Target line. Each guest was given the Zac outfit of their choice, a Zac tote bag and a Zac scarf. (Lancome gave all the guests Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate, Genifique eye cream, BiFacil eyemakeup remover, Oscillation vibrating mascara and Creme de Brilliance liquid lipstick. Not bad, right?)

I picked the dress above (in a size 5--there weren't many sizes left!) because I thought it would be fun for a blog giveaway. To enter, just leave a comment telling us a good deed you've done recently. We'll pick one post at random and that person will get the Zac dress, bag and scarf, plus a L'Absolu Rouge lipstick in Exotic Orchid (my new fave), a gorgeous deep pink that will look pretty with the dress. Please post by Sunday night.

Check out Fashionista.com for the Zac Target lookbook. The collection goes on sale April 25th.

Have a nice weekend and good luck!

Who Named the Chris Benz Chris & Tell Lipstick? Introducing Kessa Thea!

So the Chris Benz lipstick is pretty much sold out (although I did hear the NYC boutique might be getting the last few pieces...) so it's time to say farewell to the project. I wanted to thank everyone who made this so much fun over the past several months, including Chris and his team, makeup artist Daniel Martin, Gracemarie and Mollie on the marketing and product development teams, and all of you who cheered us on. Maybe it's crazy to get so excited over a lipstick, but there's something nice about wearing a product and knowing the whole story behind it.



Speaking of which, a few facts about the lipstick. Chris & Tell was almost a nude shade. It took our labs four tries to get the shade to match the exact color and texture Chris wanted. And the name came about through a Facebook contest we did last summer. The winner was a lovely woman from the Philippines named Kessa Thea, who is now an honorary member of the Chris lipstick team. "It is so heartwarming to know that I have in my own little way contributed to the beauty world," Kessa told us. We sent her a few questions because I thought it would be nice to know more about Kessa and officially recognize her.



How did you come up with the name Chris & Tell?

It was a play on the phrase "Kiss and Tell." I just thought anyone who wears the shade would be telling everyone about it if not being asked upfront by people who would admire/like/adore the shade. It is a very catchy name that I felt would readily register into any beauty junkie's mind. I suggested nine other names (Chris and Tell, Sweep Me Over, Benz-aholic, Lip Crave, Insatiable Desire, Divine Hue, Stolen Kiss, Hello Rouge, and Le Benz Affair).



Did you ever think you would win?

I never thought I would win this contest. It still feels surreal right now.



What did you think when you found out that Chris picked your name?

I was ecstatic, a bit in shock. My mouth was open for quite a long time, not knowing if I should scream or not. I stood there in front of my work computer, staring at my name and the name of the lipstick shade. I thought it was awesome and yes, I blogged about it as soon as I got home. [Click here for Kessa's blog post.]



How much of a beauty junkie are you?

I am a late bloomer when it comes to makeup and stuff. I grew up just using the essentials and going to the salon and having someone do my makeup on special occasions. I had the basics in my makeup kit, nothing special, nothing expensive not until June of last year when I started reading fashion and beauty blogs and getting hooked on tutorials. I decided that I needed to up the ante in terms of me taking care of myself and enhancing my features and learning the basics of "painting" my own face. I joined theme contests in the blogging world and never once won but that didn't dampen my spirits.



I now have a treasure trove of makeup, high end to local brands, and I am now a go-to person in my circle of friends when it comes to makeup. My friends now come to me and ask me what product to buy that will suit their complexion and the like. It feels good to be able to help other ladies/women like me. I don't think I consider myself a beauty junkie though, I think I am still starting to be one.



What is your favorite Lancome product?

My super favorite Lancome product is the Bi-Facil makeup remover. I swear by it and it is my HG among makeup removers. It thoroughly removes makeup in the littlest amount of time. I say it's worth what I've paid for.



What is your favorite piece of beauty advice that you can share with us?

It's not something that I only know, it is something that everyone knows already. This advice is for everyone to always smile. Smiling makes you feel happier and when you are happy everyone around you is happy. But then again, if you didn't have a good night's sleep, it sure will be a hard task to smile let alone plaster it on your face the whole day. So the best beauty secret is to not deprive yourself of beauty rest and before you rest remove that makeup!



Tell us about your new workout blog. What's that all about?

My new workout blog is dedicated to the burning motivation that drives me to attain the healthiest and fittest me ever. Just last October, I decided that I need to change my lifestyle and start a healthy one. The blog aims to chronicle my exercise regime and the food I eat (I sometimes cook) and the results. I thought it would be fun and a little challenging if other people read my thoughts and the things I have done to attain my goal. I told myself that I am accountable to my reading public. Sure it was, as I have started to influence other people and in fact because of this blog, I am not running alone anymore. I have organized a running club at work and we are starting to grow in numbers. I am now running with at least 10 other people who have embraced the call to start a healthy and fit lifestyle. I will continue to update my blog as often as I can in attempt to win and inspire other people and at the same time lose some little extra pounds.



Please join me in congratulating Kessa! Thank you again for such a great name. I hope you enjoy your prize as soon as it arrives and that you wear your Chris & Tell lipstick with much health and happiness.

Coffee with the Mascara Master, Jean Louis Gueret--and an Oscillation Giveaway!

Oscillation_final4
envoyé par lemodalogue. - Regardez plus de vidéo vie pratique.

Presentation de l'exposition Soulages
envoyé par centrepompidou. - Films courts et animations.

Day four in Paris. Had coffee at the Ritz Hotel this morning with a Lancome legend, Monsieur Jean Louis Gueret. JLG, a very dapper Frenchman with his red pocket square, cuffed gray flannel trousers and striped shirt, guided us through his mini-Lancome museum of mascaras from the 70s to now. JLG helped create all of them. His most recent baby is Oscillation, which is my current fave. (I put it on this morning, then reapplied to the tips before I went out for dinner. It's incredible stuff.) We learned some interesting things, such as the number of bristles on a Definicils mascara brush. Answer: 210. That's JLG above, from 2008. If anyone wants to translate the video, please do!



We were at the Ritz to talk about our top secret new mascara coming to Europe soon and to the U.S. later this year. It's completely different than Oscillation, but very, very exciting. I promise I'll give you the details as soon as I can.



From there we headed to the Centre Pompidou museum, which the Lancome Paris team refers to simply as Beaubourg. There was a mesmerizing exhibit by Pierre Soulages, France's most famous living painter. His early paintings were mainly black and white and morphed to all black in later years. The texture he achieved with a single color in a single painting was beautiful. (See what I mean in the video above.) It was an interesting exhibit to see after visiting with Jean Louis because several of the all-black paintings looked like giant cakes of mascara formula. When JLG visited almost two years ago for the launch of Oscillation, the labs sent over a big plexiglass box of gooey black mascara formula. (I honestly don't remember why. Maybe we wanted something cool to decorate the room with for the editor appointments?) It had dried out a bit and resembled soft black candle wax.



I'm not sure what Mr. Soulages would think of this.



Kae asked what I'm eating every day. All bad stuff, Kae! Macarons, crepes, pasta, hot chocolate, wine, lots of coffee. And a salad here and there. I'll detox a bit next week. But at least I've been walking a lot. Makes me feel less guilty.



Let's do a quick giveaway. In honor of the effervescent JLG, let's do a fab lash trio giveaway--Oscillation mascara, Oscillation Powerbooster primer/lash booster, and Bi-Facil eyemakeup remover, which everyone in Paris loves. They pronounce it bee-fah-seal.



Please post by Thursday night. We'll pick one winner at random. Off to check out a fragrance commercial shoot tomorrow starring one of our lovely spokesmodels. We'll do another giveaway and name some past winners. Talk to you soon!

It's 2010! New Year, New Giveaway Winners!

Wow! I just read everyone's comments from the last two posts and I'm blown away. The team and I will work very hard to bring you what you've asked for. Thank you for taking the time to comment.

The winner of the "people who inspired me most" giveaway is E. Walsh. Murfreesboro, you won the VIP train case, but please email me at thelancomeblog@gmail.com. I need your address. Congratulations to you both!! It's always nice to start the new year as a winner. : )

Speaking of winners, the Temptalia Editor's Choice Awards for 2009 have been announced. I'm happy to report that Bi-Facil won for best high-end makeup remover--second year in a row! If you're not familiar with Temptalia, it's a terrific blog for serious makeup fans. It leans a bit towards one certain brand, but we won't hold that against them! In addition to the awards, Temptalia has picked several pretty lipsticks for the upcoming spring season, including Lancôme's Voile de Rose. (That's Temptalia's VDR lip pic above.)

Speaking of lipsticks, Chris Benz's Chris & Tell was featured in The New York Times Style Section this weekend. Very exciting! We'll be checking in with makeup artist Daniel Martin, who helped create the lipstick, on the different ways to wear the peachy-coral color. I'm dying to start wearing Chris & Tell, but it's definitely a spring wardrobe kind of color. Not zero degrees and freezing kind of color.

Stay tuned!