Day Four: Beauty Editors & E-Fluencers

Today is the Teint Miracle/Michelle Phan event at the five-story event space across from The Opposite House, our hotel. The first sesson is for “e-fluencers,” as the top beauty bloggers and vloggers here are called. America’s clearly not the only place with a thriving beauty blogosphere. The second session is for the beauty editors. The e-fluencers are an enthusiastic bunch. They jump around, photographing and videotaping everything: the space, Michelle, themselves, each other. Their style is quirkier too. The beauty editors are more laid back demeanor and fashion wise. I meet the beauty directors from Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar (a guy!), Good Housekeeping and several magazines unique to China, such as Trends Health. Michelle, no surprise, feels more at home with the e-fluencers.



Michelle does a Q&A in front of the audience with Michelle Kwok, a former colleague of mine from New York who is now the assistant general manager of Lancome China. Michelle P. then recreates the “China girl” looks from the video she shot earlier in the week. The whole group moves downstairs for the Teint Miracle unveiling and Michelle demos the product on a model. Afterwards, there are group interviews and one-on-one time with different TV stations and the Chinese versions of YouTube—Tudou and Youku. Funnily enough, both online channels feature bootleg versions of Michelle’s videos. Tudou somehow has more than 700 Michelle videos available, one grainier than the next, even though Michelle’s only made 100 or so videos total. (YouTube is blocked by the Chinese government, as are Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.)



Everyone here is very young. It’s not like New York or Paris where you have career beauty editors and executives well into their second and third decades of work. The fashion/beauty/media industries only exploded here in the past decade, so it’s not surprising everyone is younger. Still, I can’t help feeling like I’m in an Asian version of that science fiction story Logan’s Run, where no one is over the age of 30. But at the same time, it’s exciting. I feel like I’m really witnessing something while it’s happening. Sandy Linter, the amazing makeup artist, and I trade emails. She’s been following the trip via the blog entries and she pegs it: “The Youthquake all over again.”



The Youthquake she’s referring to took place in the 1960s in New York and London and led to so many changes, both political and cultural. It will be interesting to see where China’s Youthquake leads.



It’s a long, long day. We take a 20-minute break then meet in the lobby for the drive to dinner. We have a fun meal with the Lancome China team in a private room at a traditional Chinese restaurant near the Forbidden City. Keeping my vow to try everything, I have the braised jellyfish, a sake-like red wine sweetened with dried plums, and warm, sweet walnut milk. Then it’s back to the hotel, where once again I fall asleep the second my head hits the pillow.



Photos: Michelle and the Lancome team, the e-fluencers, the event space, watching the Teint Miracle demo, Julia & Michelle, gothy attendees, Jerome and the beauty director of Vogue China, me and the beauty director of Harper's Bazaar China, outside the event space at night.

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!

New Product News: The Skinny on Fresh Wear! And...Where Should Lucy Go in Paris?

Quick post before I leave the office! We have a fab new product called Teint Idole Fresh Wear. This is a super modern lightweight foundation with SPF 15, 18-hour wear and a matte finish. It comes in 17 shades, so there should be a perfect match for many of you. Some of you have already asked about it and we just received a shipment in the PR closet, so I tried some this morning. It's very easy to wear and apply. I used my fingers (I normally use a foundation brush) and the coverage was great. I didn't need extra concealer around my nose or my chin, where I experience the most redness. The formula truly is matte. I applied some rather shiny sunscreen prior to application, so I appreciated the matte finish. We just sent some TIFW to Sandy Linter and to Michelle Phan for them to play with. I'll report back on what they think, and the rest of the PR team, once they get to try.



Speaking of Fresh Wear, if you live in the U.S. and you want to try before you buy, check out the new Latina magazine. There's a little card you can tear out that has three actual samples on one side, plus the shade range on the back. If you bring the card to a local Lancome counter, they will color match you and give you a 10-day sample. You can't beat that!



Lastly, if you've been following the blog the past few days, you know that our lucky friend Lucy is going to Paris for the first time on a two-day trip. Does anyone have suggestions for Lucy's visit? I have a million and will share later this week, but I'd love to hear your ideas...and I'm sure Lucy would too!



P.S. Lucy, when do you arrive?

The Dog Ate My Blog!

Hi, everybody. So sorry I disappeared. I celebrated the blog's birthday and fell into a big black hole! Here are a few things that are going on:

--Our new matte lipsticks have launched on macys.com. Chrisitine at Temptalia raved about them and Michelle Phan, who loves them, has already used them in a few of her videos. If you're a red lipstick fan or a matte lipstick fan, you definitely need to check these out. It's not your mother's matte. It's a very modern matte formula.
--Speaking of Michelle, she was in the Lancome offices this afternoon. We always love when Michelle stops by. She was invited to speak at the Teen Vogue beauty awards breakfast tomorrow morning and we'll all be there to cheer her on. Michelle's next Lancome video is coming soon. Maybe as early as next week!
--We just received the new Juicy Tubes 100% Natural Origin glosses. Very exciting. We'll do a giveaway in the weeks ahead. The 10-year anniversary of Juicy Tubes is next month, so lots of celebrating to do.
--Did you see the new Marie Claire? Star stylist Rachel Zoe shares the contents of her handbag and Genifique Eye Cream is in there! Rachel has access to EVERY beauty product on the planet, so we're glad she likes some of ours.
--You also need to check out the new InStyle. There's a whole page on our fab m.u.a. Sandy Linter! She shares her fave products and a few of her secrets. Congrats to Sandy on a great article.

(The picture above is of a fabulous Jeff Koons balloon dog sculpture that was part of an exhibit on the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art last summer. I took it one Friday afternoon. Jeff's work always makes me smile!)

That's all for now. The Teen Vogue breakfast is early so I need to get to bed. Talk to you soon!

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!

Check Out Our New Videos Starring Beauty at Every Age Expert Sandy Linter!

When we asked what you'd like to see on the blog in 2010, many of you said beauty advice for women 40+. Well, great timing! We have a series of how-to videos that we filmed with Sandy Linter, the celebrity makeup artist and Lancôme's beauty at every age expert, and the gorgeous model Jane Powers.

There are two videos live on YouTube right now and we'll be adding three additional videos over the next few weeks. If you have questions for Sandy relating to the videos, feel free to leave them in the comments section on YouTube and she'll answer them. Click the "more info" line if you'd like to know what products Sandy used. She has lots of her favorites in there, from Effacernes concealer to Poudre Sôleil bronzer to Color Fever Gloss in Hotness. Also, if you like the videos, please give them five stars!

Lastly, for even more Sandy advice, check out this story on AOL Stylelist featuring Sandy called "5 Makeup Mistakes That Make You Look Old."

Let us know what you think of the videos!

P.S. If you click on the video, you can watch it full size on YouTube. Better viewing!

Bonjour, New Jersey! Come Meet Makeup Artist Extraordinaire Sandy Linter!

Before we get into today's business, I don't want to name names, but what was with that red carpet makeup disaster? (If you don't know what I'm talking about, Google those words.) MUA Andrew Sotomayor is in my office with the PR team as I type and we can't stop talking about it. Let's hope Allure, AOL Stylelist or one of our favorite intrepid beauty bloggers gets to the bottom of how it happened. Inquiring minds, with too much time on their hands, want to know.

So the real business at hand...Sandy Linter! If you follow the blog, you know all about Sandy, celebrity makeup artist, beauty icon and Lancome's Beauty at Every Age expert. Well, Sandy's going to be at the Lancome boutique in the Short Hills Mall in Short Hills, N.J., on Tuesday, Dec. 22nd. She's doing hour-long one-on-one appointments. This is a great opportunity to meet one of the best makeup artists on the planet and get a makeover, some new tips and tricks, or your makeup done for a holiday celebration. Sandy's worked her makeup magic on the most beautiful women in the world, from models to actresses to royalty. Who wouldn't want to be part of that special sorority?

The pre-pay is $175 and it's redeemable towards product. Call 973-258-0790 to reserve a space.

Sorry to those of you who live no where near New Jersey. But if you do, I hope we see you. Patricia from the PR team will be there, so make sure to stop and say hello.

Sandy Linter & The Breast Cancer Sisterhood

Our Beauty at Every Age expert Sandy Linter spent some time recently with Brenda Coffee, the dynamic founder of the Breast Cancer Sisterhood. This is an online support group with information for breast cancer patients, survivors, their families and their caregivers. Brenda and Sandy teamed up to do a series of videos about makeup for women undergoing chemotherapy. If you know anyone who could be helped by these videos, please pass them on and let them know about Brenda's organization.

Remembering Mr. Penn

I was saddened to read that Irving Penn passed away yesterday. For those not familiar with Mr. Penn, as he was called, he was one of the most amazing photographers around. He was a regular contributor to Vogue for decades and was known for both his engaging portraits and elegant still-life work. I loved seeing his pictures that accompanied the beauty articles in Vogue. (In fact, if I remember correctly, the bee-stung lip photo above accompanied an article about lip injections written by pre-"Sex and the City" Candace Bushnell. And I think the makeup was by Kevyn Aucoin. Please post a comment if this isn't correct or if you know who the model was!)

Our Sandy Linter worked with Mr. Penn on dozens of shoots with several supermodels, including Janice Dickinson, Kim Alexis, Patti Hansen, Kelly LeBrock and even Gia Carangi. Her favorite assignment with him was a rare trip to Paris (Mr. Penn prefered shooting in his studio over traveling to locations) with model Rosie Vela to photograph the Paris collections. "It was hot, no air-conditioning. I remember his wife, Lisa Fonssagrives, visiting the studio. She was tall, gray hair. Gorgeous."

Mr. Penn could be tough on models. "He wanted visually to get the girl off guard, but to catch her at her most beautiful," recalls Sandy. "He was hard on them because they had to hold the pose. They always had to be thinking. If they went vacant, he knew it."

"He did everything he wanted to on his own terms," said Sandy. "He was an artist."

Do You Take Good Care of Your Skin? Plus, A Customized Skincare Giveaway!

Back in August, we invited several beauty editors to our boutique for a preview of Oscillation Powerfoundation. Andrew Sotomayor, our fave mua, was there to do the demo and the editors' makeup. One of the things we couldn't help but notice was that every editor had a great complexion.

Were they born that way? Maybe, but this is a group that takes care of its skin. They have skincare regimens, many of them stay out of the sun, etc., etc. I know a few who took Accutane in the past to deal with bad acne.

Then there's blogger Julia Coney of All About The Pretty. Julia (above top pic) has the most amazing skin I've ever seen in my life. Celebrities would kill to have what she has. But boy does that girl work for it. I did a little interview with Julia that I've been meaning to run forever, but in the meantime you can check out fellow blogger Felicia Sullivan's post on Julia and her routine.

Here are a few simple, universal skincare rules. How many do you follow?
--Limit your sun exposure.
--Wear sunscreen.
--Don't smoke.
--Drink a lot of water.
--Wear moisturizer!
--Take off your makeup before you go to bed.

Sandy Linter, our beauty at every age expert (above bottom pic), has another great piece of advice. You should not use the same skincare you were using 10 years ago. Your skincare needs change, so make sure to update your product.

Sandy's a huge fan of Absolue Lotion, so I recently switched from Secret de Vie (which I absolutely love) to that product. I was kind of dying to try it because she uses it on all of her celebrity clients. (I know. Lame reason.) I have to say it's a very cool product. It leaves my skin very glowy and it does something miraculous with my makeup. It's almost like my makeup sticks to it like a primer and lasts longer. Maybe Sandy can weigh in with a comment later.

Anyway, because we're all skincare junkies around here in the P.R. department and we really believe in our skincare products, let's do a giveway. To enter, tell us what skincare advice you follow or any advice you'd like to share. We'll pick one post at random and that person can pick any two items from our skincare range on lancome-usa.com. Please post by Sunday night. Good luck!