Meet Danny Roberts, Illustrator Extraordinaire!

So "Entrepreneur Week" continues. As I mentioned yesterday, this week we're featuring some artists, designers and entrepreneurs who inspire us with their work. This is in honor of the 75th anniversary of Lancome, which started all those years ago as a small brand with a few fragrances.



Today, we'd like to introduce Danny Roberts, the talented illustrator behind the Igor + Andre blog. Hopefully, many of you already know about him and his beautiful work. We first read about Danny on the Fashionista web site and the entire P.R. team fell in love. We ordered some prints from his Etsy store and decorated our P.R. closet (where we store all the product) with them.



Since then, Lancome has comissioned two illustrations from Danny. One was a drawing from the Chris Benz Spring 2010 collection at which we launched the Chris & Tell Pout-a-Porter lipstick. The other was for our Holiday 2009 card.



We had the pleasure of meeting Danny and his brother backstage at Chris's Fall 2010 show. They took pictures for future sketches and Danny even did some preliminary sketching. Danny's very inspired by the world of fashion and it's wonderful to see clothes and models come to life through his imagination. I look at Danny's blog a few times a week and it's almost like meditation for me. There's something so peaceful and lovely about his work. Even the inspiration photos and videos he posts are beautiful to look at.



He's a very special invididual and the team and I consider ourselves lucky to work with him!



In honor of Danny, we're giving away a Chris & Tell lipstick from our secret stash (the lipstick sold out this past spring so it's a bit of a collector's item), our new Definicils Precious Cells mascara, a Bi-Facil makeup remover and one of the Chris & Tell prints (the size is 19 inches by 13 inches in case you want to measure your wall space!). We'll also pick five runners-up to receive just the print. To enter, take a look at Danny's blog or his Etsy boutique and tell us which of his drawings you like the best and why.



Please post a comment by Thursday night. Good luck!!

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!)

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.

What a Week! And...Are You The Winner of the "Valentine's Day" Celeb Lip Giveaway?

As promised, the winner of the "Valentine's Day" lip giveaway is...Maranda, whose last lippie purchase was, well, not a Lancome product. That's okay. We like you anyway, Maranda! Check your inbox for a message from us.



I'm afraid I am totally wiped out and won't be writing about fashion week as promised. But I will next week! (A little taste of L'Wren Scott backstage above.) So much to share with you because it was a great fashion week. We had a very fun P.A. with Chris Benz last night and sold all the lipsticks we had on hand. It was terrific to see so many women wearing Chris & Tell and it looked beautiful on everyone. Kessa, your package is all bundled up and will ship out on Monday! Be on the lookout. Thank you again for giving us such a great name for Chris & Tell. I just saw that seven of the lipsticks are on eBay and the bidding is as high as $85.01. Crazy.



I hope everyone has a peaceful, restful weekend if possible! Look forward to talking to you next week.

Running to the Chris Benz Personal Appearance...and Sorry MNK!

MNK was right. There was another Valentine's Day giveaway and we haven't announced that person's name yet. So we will tomorrow, along with backstage reports from The Row and L'Wren Scott. Both shows were completely different and completely gorgeous. I'm running to the Chris Benz personal appearance at Saks to see Chris and mua Daniel Martin. I need to get my Chris & Tell signed!! If you're in town, stop by! It's from 5 to 7 p.m.

Come Meet Chris Benz on Thursday! Plus, Who Won the Michelle Phan Giveaway?

Thank goodness for Chris Benz. The boy loves color! And that extends to the makeup for his fashion shows as well. He and the brilliant MUA Daniel Martin cooked up a look for his Fall 2010 presentation that was as fierce as it was glamorous. They called it Gothic Chic and that's spot on. The models above look gorgeous, don't they?



Everyone backstage was really blown away by Daniel's artistry. First off, he used Le Crayon Poudre in Sable as lip liner. (We've said it before, we'll say it again. Lip liner is back.) He did this gorgeous, gradated lip inspired by a picture of Kate Moss from the 90s. The lip liner was topped with our new Color Design Matte lipstick in Bronze Show. (Wait until you see the matte line. I'm playing with it right now and it's beyond. It's launching at Macy's in mid-March.) Then some shine was added to the center of the bottom lip ONLY with Juicy Tubes in Hallucination.



Every time the models rubbed their lips together, Daniel's masterpiece was smooshed a bit. Oh well. We all know makeup is precious, albeit temporarily. I'll talk about the eyes, cheeks and nails in another post because I don't want this to get too long, but they were amazing too.



Backstage at Chris's show is always a lot of fun. All our blogger friends stop by and plenty of our favorite beauty editors too. It's buzzy but calm because Chris is so organized. Same as Daniel. Our video makeup artist Michelle Phan worked on Daniel's team and did an amazing job. (That's Michelle and Daniel above.) Michelle's used to working on herself, so it's always a treat for her to do models. And Danny Roberts, the amazing illustrator behind the Igor & Andre blog, stopped by as well. Let's hope he was inspired to do some Chris illustrations for future blog posts.



Speaking of Chris, if you live in or near New York City, stop by our Chris Benz personal appearance tomorrow (Thursday) from 5 to 7 p.m. at Saks Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. It's on Fifth Avenue between 49th and 50th. If you're looking for the Chris & Tell lipstick (that's it above), it's probably your last chance to buy one as it's almost sold out everywhere. If you bought one already, stop by and have Chris sign it! The Lancome PR team will be there along with Daniel Martin and maybe even Sandy Linter, so make sure you say hi.



We're running low on Chris & Tell lipsticks, but let's give one away. Tell us which designer's fall collection you are or were dying to see and we'll pick one post at random. Please post by Friday night.



And the winner of the AMAZING Michelle Phan giveaway? Congrats to JT (June Tam). Please email us at thelancomeblog@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Daria's on the Cover of French Vogue Again! And Who Won the Erika F. Giveaway?

I love French Vogue. They still put models on the cover and they love our spokesmodel Daria Werbowy. The top one is the current issue on newsstands. Which is your favorite?



Thank you for all the great Erika F. posts. I'm glad so many of you have favorite Lancome eyeshadows. And a big merci to Kate for the info on the 2003 Urban Eve collection where Erika F. originated. Fred Farrugia was our artistic director and lead makeup artist back then, but I sadly don't know Fred. If anyone does, please ask him who Erika F. is.



A few shoutouts. Hi to Robby Raynebow. We haven't heard from you in a while! Lexi920, welcome back to the brand. Obsessed Makeup Addict, I sent an email to the Lancome Canada team, so stay tuned. Muireann, in case you return to Paris, the Erika F. number is G40. Sorry that didn't work out for you. Bree, I'll try to get one our MUAs to answer your question about green eyes and green eyeshadow. Karen K, do not hit yourself with a hammer.



Instead of having to pay so much money on eBay, why don't a few of you organize swaps? You can trade Chris Benz lipstick (did you see it in the new J. Crew catalog?) for Erika F. Why not?



Okay, without further ado, the winner of our Pop N' Green palette is Awesome! (Awesome, please send an email with your name and address to thelancomeblog@gmail.com) And guess what? I can't say what it is, but our Paris office (hint, hint) is going to be sending you a little something.



Thanks again, everyone.

Bonjour from Paris!

Hi, everyone. I'm in Paris for Lancome biz. I'll have some fun things to report in the days ahead, so stayed tuned. Up for tomorrow--the new Genifique facial at the Lancome boutique and spa on rue du Faubourg St. Honore. I'll check out all the O My Rose products that we can't get in the U.S., like the green nail polish and the baby kiss lipstick pastel.

The blogger Belle du Jour asked where everyone can find Chris Benz's Chris & Tell. Unfortunately, it sold out much faster than we expected on Lancome.com. But it will be available shortly at Saks Fifth Avenue. So call your fave Saks Lancome counter and tell them you want it. Otherwise, and I hate to say it, but your only source will be eBay. Belle, by the way, has an awesome blog and I'm completely ashamed to admit I didn't know about.

Did you catch the Golden Globes last night? I missed it, but I'm dying to see pictures of all the actresses whose makeup we did. More on that later this week.

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!

Fifi Lapin to the Rescue

Thanks for all the great blog suggestions yesterday. I am now officially obsessed with Fifi Lapin. (Thanks to our friend Tofu Poo--yes, that's her name--for the Fifi reco!) I meant to do a serious post tonight about makeup brushes versus fingers, but that will have to wait for another day. I'm feeling under the weather all of a sudden.

So...make sure to check out the fashion adventures of Fifi, the world's most stylish bunny. (Lapin is French for rabbit, btw.) Fifi has her own store and she has a Coach giveaway, so check those out too.

If we send Fifi the Chris Benz lipstick, do you think she'll wear it? We'll have to find out.

Sweet dreams.

ILLUSTRATION ABOVE FROM FIFI-LAPIN.BLOGSPOT.COM