Quick Fashion Week Report: Costello Tagliapietra Fall 2011. Swoon!

Happy New York Fashion Week! I love fashion week in the city. Lots of parties, tons of activity. Everyone complains about how busy they are running from show to show, but secretly they love it. Trust me on that one. We did the Victoria Beckham show on Sunday (divine) and Chris Benz on Monday (so much fun) and we're doing L'Wren Scott on Thursday with Aaron De Mey. We threw a big blogger/vlogger/editor event on Sunday too. I'll post about all of this in the days ahead.



On Friday, I managed to sneak over to the Costello Tagliapietra show. Robert and Jeffrey, the designers behind the brand, are two of my favorite people. The show was beautiful! I saw so many dresses I'd like to wear next season. The makeup and minty green nails were great too. I wish Lancome could take credit, but we can't! Not one of our shows. :(



Enjoy my fave looks above. Costello always has a cool goodie bag and this season was no different. They fashioned this season's bag from one of the fabrics they used for the Fall 2011 collection. It's dyed using an environmentally-friendly process called AirDye. (Oh, and technically, the bag is courtesy of Lexus Hybrid Living!) That's Maggie from the P.R. team above, whom I forced to model the bag.



The reason I'm bringing up the bag? I'm giving it away. I'll throw in a few Lancome fashion week favorites. Just tell me something you did recently to be green and chic. Please leave a comment by Thursday night and I'll pick one comment at random.



RUNWAY PHOTOS FROM STYLE.COM

I Resolve to Wear Red Lipstick!

Thanks for all the great comments about your resolutions. How many of you have stuck to them? It's always tough, isn't it? If you've already slipped, just pick yourself up and try again. You have 365 chances to start fresh each year.



I made a huge list of resolutions, as I always do. The easiest one? Wear bright lipstick from time to time. I'm a lip liner and gloss girl. I love my Le Lipstique, Juicy Tubes and Color Fever glosses so I rarely gravitate towards lipstick. But this year, I'm going to reach for the reds and the fuchsias a bit more.



I have no excuse now that we have those amazing Color Design Matte lipsticks. The Red Haute color is incredible and we get a lot of personal requests from magazine editors for it. Daniel Martin, one of our fave makeup artists, also loves Red Haute. I think he used it on Chloe Sevigny when she was on the cover of Purple magazine.



Emily Weiss, the gal behind of our favorite new blog, Into The Gloss, loves it too, so we commissed her to shoot a photo essay of her pals wearing the Color Design range. Check out her great post and the accompanying photos. (Two of my faves are above.)



The good news about matte lipstick is that the pigment technology is different these days. It's not the drying matte of the past, but a much gentler-on-the-lips matte. So let's do another unannounced giveaway. What would it take to get you to wear red lipstick for a day? Tell me and I'll pick one comment at random to receive the entire matte lipstick range. I think there are seven of them. (This is a good giveaway if I say so myself!) Please post by Tuesday night. And congrats to Diana who won the L'Wren gift set. (Another awesome giveaway. Lucky Diana!)



Have a beautiful weekend.

What Are Your New Year's Resolutions?

Did you make any resolutions, beauty or otherwise? For me, it's the usual. Get more organized, work out more, etc., etc. This year, like Michelle above, I'm adding some beauty resolutions. I had a super busy year, so I slacked in the beauty department a little bit. I learned that the best beauty products are relatively free. (Although not so easy to get or do!) Get enough sleep, drink enough water, eat enough fruits and vegetables, wear your sunscreen, remove your makeup every night, moisturize and floss! If you don't pay enough attention to the basics, it doesn't matter how much makeup you try to hide under.



We haven't done a giveaway in ages, let's do a year-end giveaway. And I'm not mentioning this in the headline, so only dedicated readers of The Lancome Blog will even get to this part! Let's give away a boxed set of the L'Wren Scott holiday collection. It has all the sold-out, limited-edition products--plus the black clutch that L'Wren designed exclusively for Lancome. (If I say so myself, it's the best makeup set EVER.) Just leave a comment with your 2011 resolution(s). Please post by Tuesday.



Here's to a great new year for all of us. I'm so grateful to have such amazing blog followers and even more grateful that I've gotten to know some of you! Thanks for sticking with me in 2010!!

Organic Nail Polish Remover? Really?

I almost never write about other beauty brands, but I stumbled across a great non-Lancome product recently. Shocking, I know. : )



I was in a new indie beauty shop in my neighborhood called Shen when I spotted an organic nail polish remover. (The full name is Karma Organic Organic Nail Polish Remover with Soybean Oil and Lavender.) I never expected it would work, but since nail polish remover always smells terrible, I thought I'd give it a try.



Earlier this week, I wanted to switch from wearing my favorite blue-grey Le Gris L'Wren to the ruby Le Rouge L'Wren (both from our holiday collection. Did you read All Lacquered Up's rave about Le Rouge? Amazing! So I grabbed the Karma remover and to my surprise, it worked. Really well! It's also very oily, which I'm hoping is good for my nails.



I'll be sure to break it out again this morning because I'm going to give our spring 2011 purple another test run. It's the coolest color. I wore it once before and everyone asked me what it was. (Even a Gossip Girl asked me to send her a bottle as soon as I could!)



(The photos above are backstage pictures featuring Le Gris, Le Rouge and the spring 2011 purple.)



I'm not sure where you can find Karma, but you can always called Shen. 718-576-2679. (It's Small Business Saturday in the U.S., so it's a good day to buy something from a small business! )



Are you wearing nail polish today? What shade? And did you apply it yourself or get a manicure?

Psst: It's Friends & Family Time!

It's not every day you can get a 20 percent discount on your favorite Lancome products. If you're shopping on lancome-usa.com, make sure to enter HOLIDAY20 at checkout. (The discount doesn't apply to gift cards, gift sets or the Beauty Box.)



But it does apply to all your fave products. If you need to replenish, now's the time. If you just want to treat yourself, buy some stocking stuffers, or update your beauty routine, here are my 10 suggestions for products you can't go wrong with:



1. Bi-Facil eye makeup remover--there's a reason every model and makeup artist ask us for this product. It's the best eye makeup remover in the world!

2. Brust #2--an amazing foundation brush. Makeup artists love this brush.

3. Juicy Tubes in Spring Fling--Angelina Jolie wore this last year to the Academy Awards or the Golden Globes. (I can't remember which!) It's super sheer and works over almost every lipstick color or lip liner.

4. Definicils Mascara--it's the world's best-selling luxury mascara for a reason!

5. Le Crayon Poudre brow pencil--if you've overplucked (I'm guilty) and you need to fill in your brows, here you go. This is easy to use, has great staying power and has a brush at the end that lets you comb the color through.

6. Le Stylo Waterproof in Noir--if you really like to line your eyes, waterline included, you'll never need another liner.

7. Artliner in Noir--the best liquid liner around. If you don't agree, I will personally refund you! :)

8. Anything from the L'Wren Scott holiday collection--We're so lucky to be working with L'Wren. She has such fabulous taste and put together a collection that's chic and wearable. If I had to pick one thing, I'd pick the grey/blue nail polish.

9. Teint Miracle foundation--if you're in the market for a new foundation, this is a beautiful formula with moderate coverage. I like to buy foundation at the counter so I can find the perfect shade. (But if you know your shade, you can stock up!)

10. L'Absolu Rouge lipstick in Rich Cashmere--every celebrity makeup artist we work with loves this shade. It's beige, warmed up with a bit of pink. Julia Roberts has worn it, Kate Winslet, the models in the Victoria Beckham show and L'Wren's show. It's timeless.



What Lancome product would you recommend to someone else? What is it and why? We'd love to know.



Happy shopping!

Julia Roberts @ Glamour's Women of the Year Awards (Makeup by L'Wren! Dress by L'Wren!)

Ms. Julia Roberts was in town earlier this week to accept a Glamour Magazine Women of the Year award. This event is held every year and it's always an incredible gathering of powerful, accomplished and of course glamorous women. You won't be able to watch the video above without getting goosebumps. (And if I can be shallow for a second, how FABULOUS does Diane Sawyer look? Whatever she is doing--or not doing--I want to do the same.)



Julia was honored for her work on behalf of children and the environment. (Guess who presented her award? Um, Oprah.) Julia's longtime makeup artist Genevieve Herr did the makeup and we were thrilled when we heard Genevieve would be using some of the L'Wren Scott holiday makeup. Julia was wearing a L'Wren dress, so it was L'Wren from head to, well, knee.



Genevieve is a great makeup artist. I spent some time with her last month in L.A. when we shot some new Julia ads and she shared so many great makeup tips. She loves Lancome and had lots of tips involving Teint Miracle, our lip liners, Juicy Tubes, even Oscillation mascara. (She loves the brush and the formula, but she uses it WITHOUT the vibration!) There's a great story on Genevieve in the beauty section of December's American Elle, so be sure to check that out.



Patricia put together a little makeup recap on Julia's look, so here it is:



Julia’s subtly smoky eyes were done up with Ombre Absolue Quad in Les Gris L’Wren from the L’Wren Scott collection. Genevieve used two of the shades; the sheer gray was swept onto the outer lid, the crease and outward and the black was used as liner. Topping the look was Hypnôse Drama in Le Noir L’Wren, a shimmering mascara that Genevieve says added “a lot of glamour.”



For the lips, Genevieve used L’Absolu Rouge Crème de Brillance in Le Rouge L’Wren. This intense berry gloss provided the perfect contrast for Julia’s dark dress and eyes, says Genevieve. Lancôme’s Teint Miracle Lit-from-Within Foundation delivered flawless skin, while Blush Subtil Powder Blush in Rose Romantique added that finishing touch of color.



Let us know if you have any questions about Julia's look. Comments welcome too!

Fall's Most Fashionable, Versatile Eyeshadow? Ombre Magnetique!

If you're in the mood for a new eyeshadow, I'd argue that the most fashionable of the season is our new Ombre Magnetique shadow.



We used Ombre at three of the Fall 2010 fashion shows we did the makeup for--Victoria Beckham, Chris Benz and L'Wren Scott. Aaron De Mey used the Black Macadam and Urban Silver shades at L'Wren Scott. Aaron laid down a base of the black shade and used the silver to accent the inner corners. When he layered the black and silver, the resulting color looking blue under some lights, medium sparkly grey in other light.



At Victoria Beckham, makeup artist Francelle also did a soft wash of color, this time with the silver shade. At Chris Benz, makeup artist Daniel Martin used a soft wash of Black Macadam layered over espresso brown shadow for an eye that was pretty yet gothy.



The pix above are backstage photos from all three shows. All the models featured are wearing Ombre shadow.



Ombre comes in a pot with a screw top and has a soft, cushy texture, but it's powdery rather than gel like. The end result is a beautiful long-wearing finish. If I were going to buy one, I'd buy the silver, but the black might be the most versatile if you're a major eyeshadow gal. Ombre Magnetique has sold out in some locations, so if you're looking for it, check lancome.com.



If you have questions about Ombre, let me know. Happy to answer what I can or get our makeup artists to answer! If you've tried Ombre Magnetique, let us know what you think.

Le Gris L'Wren Nail Polish. Swoon.

The L'Wren Scott holiday collection has just hit lancome-usa.com. L'Wren worked with Aaron De Mey, Lancome's artistic director for makeup, to create the limited edition set. I try not to gush too much on the blog, but this is definitely one of my favorite collections. It really feels like L'Wren's fashion but in makeup form. Chic and fashion forward, but very wearable and very pretty. If you're familiar with L'Wren's designs, you know that she always tries to make women look sexy, never weird.



I'm wearing the blue/grey Le Gris L'Wren nail polish today. Two different men commented on how cool the color is. (Neither man was my boyfriend. Maybe he'll say something later!) I don't think a man has commented on my nail polish in...years.



I'm sure that Le Gris L'Wren will sell out. (Don't say I didn't warn you!) We used the color in L'Wren's Fall 2010 fashion show and a lot of the beauty bloggers wrote about it. (Pix above from backstage!) L'Wren also sent sample bottles to several of her friends and top editors. I'm sure one or two made their way to eBay, but I forgot to check!



Le Gris is slightly hidden on the site. Click here and scroll down to find the color. It's $14.50 and comes in a special mini bottle, but it still has the fabulous Lancome nail brush that makes it so easy to do your own manicure.



The L'Wren Scott collection will arrive at the Lancome boutiques, Bergdorf Goodman and select Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus locations in the weeks ahead.



Let me know if you have questions about the collection!

Behind the Scenes: L'Wren Scott Spring 2011

The third show that Lancome did during New York Fashion Week was the L'Wren Scott show. As some of you know, it was the third time we worked with L'Wren. Aaron De Mey, our artistic director for makeup, worked with hair stylist Odile Gilbert on the beauty look for the show. Aaron created a dozen custom eye shadows for the show and each corresponded to a different fabric shade (blue, purple, gold, green, red...). Odile then took the eye shadows and painted the part of each model's hair to match her shadow color. By the end of the show, everyone was calling it "hairliner." (I think L'Wren came up with the name!)



L'Wren wanted two different nail polishes for the show. As one of the colors, she used the sparkly red (above) from her upcoming holiday collection for Lancome. (More on this in the weeks to come. It's very exciting!) For the second shade, she asked Lancome to create a brilliant shimmery orange inspired by the Serengeti sunset. I didn't get a good picture of it to share with you, but I'm checking with the other photographers backstage. It's a gorgeous color.



The lip is a mix of Color Design lipstick in Oh My and Juicy Tubes in Touched by Light. Aaron also used the new Teint Miracle foundation (which I'm obsessed with!) and Hypnose Drama mascara.



We're working to see if we can do the eye shadows and the nail polish as a special set for Spring 2011. Stay tuned!



Thanks to L'Wren and her team for a wonderful show. It's always a thrill to work with talented designers who love makeup as much as we do! Make sure to check out the collection on Style.com.

So You'd Like to be a Makeup Artist?

Get ready to schlep a lot of stuff!

These are pictures from four different shows we've done over the past few seasons. (L'Wren Scott, Victoria Beckham and Chris Benz, I think.) Even though I've been covering shows and working backstage at shows for more than a decade now, I'm always surprised at the amount of stuff makeup artists have to lug around.

I've even heard or read, can't remember which, about a very famous makeup artist (you know who she is) who travels to shoots with six suitcases, five full of makeup and one full of art books.

I guess you have to be prepared for anything.

The L'Wren Scott Nail. Coming Soon?

Here's a great backstage photo of the nail polish that designer L'Wren Scott and our artistic director for makeup Aaron De Mey created for L'Wren's beautiful Fall 2010 collection. L'Wren wore it that day, as did all the models in the show.

To say I am dying for this nail polish is an understatement.

Will it ever hit counters? I still don't have an answer. But the second I do...

P.S. Check out the groovy manicure on the manicurist. Usually manicurists have terrible nails (occupational hazard), so this is impressive.

P.S.S. I'm off to L.A. tomorrow for some Oscar-related festivities. We're doing Demi Moore's makeup for Sunday, so stay tuned!

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.

Dramatic Eyes with Lancome at L'Wren Scott Fall RTW 2010

Earlier today, L'Wren Scott paraded models dressed in elegant, ultrasexy silhouettes down the catwalk showing her Fall RTW 2010 collection. Tophat, pencil skirts and tuxedo influences abound, mainly in greys and black, sprinkled with a bright green and snowy white here and there.

I loooooove this look! The eyes, the nails, the skin, the cheeks, the lips ... absolutely gorge!

Lancôme Artistic Director for Makeup Aaron De Mey once again teamed up with L’Wren Scott, designer and stylist extraordinaire, to do the makeup for her seasonal presentation at the all-white Gagosian Gallery on Manhattan’s West Side. The makeup look Aaron created was decidedly glam rock and complemented Serge Normant’s cotton candy brands and L’Wren’s sexy, structured silhouette.

After prepping the skin, Aaron applied a layer of Teinte Idole foundation with his fingers, then added a layer of Shu Uemura loose powder for a matte finish. Teinte Idole is my aboslute favorite foundation Lancome makes. It applies smoothly, yields great coverage, is great for oily or combination skin type, and has a beautiful matte yet fresh appearance.

Aaron used Blush Subtil in Shimmer Mocha Havana on the apples of the cheeks and along the cheekbone, all the way to the hairline. The result was a major cheek.

Next came the most dramatic element of the beauty look - the eyes. Aaron used Ombre Magnétique in Black from his upcoming Fall 2010 collection all over the lid and all the way up to the brow bone. Then he used the silver Ombre shade around the tear duct to catch the light and add impact. (Ombre Magnétique, a gel-like shimmery shadow, was Lancôme’s standout product for the fall shows. The artists at Chris Benz and Victoria Beckham also used it.) Le Crayon Khôl in Black Ebony was used along the waterline. Multiple coats of the new Hypnôse Drama mascara on upper and lower lashes completed the look. (Hypnôse Drama was also used at Chris Benz and Victoria Beckham, making it THE Fall 2010 fashion week mascara!)

Aaron kept the lip color neutral so as not to distract from the hypnotic eyes. He used L’Absolu Rouge in Rich Cashmere over which he put La Lacque Fever in Sensation, a glossy nude shade coming this fall.

The most fun part of the look was the models’ blue-grey manicures with a special color that Lancome customized just for L’Wren. I want, I want, I want! Will we be seeing this color on counters soon? Stay tuned.

THE LOOK

Glam rock eyes
Nude lips
Statement cheeks
Matte skin
Blue-grey lacquered nails


THE PRODUCTS

Lancôme Teinte Idole Foundation
Shu Uemura Loose Powder in Colorless
Lancôme Ombre Magnétique in Black (coming Fall 2010)
Lancôme Ombre Magnetique in Silver (coming Fall 2010)
Lancôme Le Crayon Khôl in Black Ebony
Lancôme Hypnôse Drama Mascara in Excessive Black
Lancôme L’Absolu Rouge Lipstick in Rich Cashmere
Lancôme La Laque Fever Gloss in Sensation (coming Fall 2010)

images: wwd, lancome-usa