Learn the Spring Trends and Get a Makeover at Sephora!

Just the thing to brighten up those winter time blues (maybe test out a new trend or two) and snag a few products from Sephora!

Color experts from thirteen of the beauty world’s most renowned brands like NARS, Yves Saint Laurent, MAKE UP FOR EVER and Laura Mercier will be on hand to give customers a complimentary makeover at the Sephora Beauty Studio, as well as a free deluxe sample! These sessions will be held the following weekends:

Be sure to book an appointment with Sephora’s PRO Artists and Senior Artists on how to re-create the Spring trend looks! Master classes are held before the store opens and space is limited to a first-come, first-served basis. An advanced $25 registration fee is required but is redeemable as a $25 Sephora gift card.

Please call your local store or visit Sephora.com for more details!

- Taneisha Jordan

Neiman Marcus Beauty Event: Gift Tote Is Available In Stores Tomorrow!

The gift tote at Neiman Marcus is available in stores tomorrow February 23rd through March 4th during their Beauty Event! All you have to do to receive this summery tote filled with goodies is purchase $100 in beauty or fragrance. You know that is not not hard to do. And on top of it, all of your favorite lines are offering their own gifts with purchase. So you get gifts upon gifts. Luckily, you will have the tote to carry them! It comes in bright pink, yellow and my favorite, metallic gold. I can’t wait to use it by a pool! I had the opportunity to get a preview and try some of the samples at Neiman Marcus in Northbrook. The Tom Ford Neroli Portofino Fragrance is simply wonderful, the Kate Somerville Clinc-to-Go Pads gently and easily exfoliate, and Kiehl’s Line Release Concentrate saved my winter skin.

The Nordstrom Northbrook preview last week

See any of your favorite beauty products here? Many include another gift with purchase!

Shop the Neiman Marcus Beauty Event online today or visit your nearest Neiman Marcus store February 23, 2012 – March 4, 2012

– Carol Calacci

Photos: Second City Style

Yarok. Food For Your Head at Roque Salon

I have a confession to make. I’m in an abusive relationship.

I abuse my hair on a regular basis. Just last week I dyed my own hair not once, but twice within a 36 hour period. I pick my split ends all the time, and I straighten my hair daily without any thermal protectors. That being said, my hair is still very good to me, but my fine (and probably very damaged hair) is due for some TLC.

Recently I walked in to Roque Salon in Chicago excited to get an all-natural and vegan scalp and hair treatment. I thought I’d get a nice little head massage and my hair might be a little shinier afterwards – I got so much more than expected.

When I walked into  the salon I was greeted by Yarok stylist and educator, Theadora and the man who created the revolutionary line himself, Mordechai Alvow. After I grabbed a delicious Sokenbicha tea in Revive I sat down in the chair with Theadora to get my hair healed.

Theadora proceeded to tell me all about this revolutionary line of haircare products. Yarok is a haircare line that might just save the world and your hair. Theadora started by massaging the ‘Feed Your Sunshine Hair Serum’ in my damaged locks. This little bottle is jam packed with nutrients for your tresses. The special formula protects and repairs your hair against all the torture you put it through. Unlike most hair products, Yarok is sucked in by your hair shaft instead of just coating it.

As I sat in the salon a woman next to me turned to me and told me the story of how she got hooked on Yarok. A while ago her scalp starting scabbing over and she said her head felt like a crater. Her hair started falling out and she had no idea what to do. She started getting the Yarok treatments with all the natural ingredients and she hasn’t had a problem since.

After I sat with the Serum in under a heater for a bit, my hair was washed with the ‘Feed Your Volume shampoo and conditioner’. I have never in my life used a natural shampoo with a better lather. After I had been shampooed and conditioned, Theadora told me to feel my hair. Even wet, I would have bet big money that my hair could have lifted weights.

The next step was to style my hair. Theadora sprayed on the’ Feed Your Ends Leave-In Conditioner’ as a protectant against the heat of the blow dryer plus a little bit of grip from the Feed Your Do Styling Whip, she blew dry my hair into shiny, bouncy, healthy perfection. My hair was finished with a nice spritz of the ‘Feed Your Hold Style Sustaining Hair Spray’ with memory hold and no alcohol to dry out your hair.

I walked away from Roque Salon with my abused hair feeling loved again. The day of my hair was bouncy and my bottle-red color looked more vibrant than ever. I’m writing this four days after the fact, and I was STILL receiving compliments on how great my hair looked.

You can buy all the Yarok goodies yourself and give yourself the treatments at home, or you can go to Roque Salon where they’ll give you a fabulous scalp massage along with it for a great break from the real world. Your hair will be so happy with you, it’ll cooperate for days to come.

-Kat Bremhorst

Photos: Second City Style

Beauty Beat: Why Not Smell Like “A Dozen Roses?”

A Dozen Roses newest fragrance: Electron

Lilies are my favorite flower, but I do love a really good rose-based fragrance. When I was 15 years-old, my friend Sarah came to visit me from London, England. She wore this beautiful rose fragrance which I have never forgotten. To this day, I have been trying to find something like it. I think I found it.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day (sorry, but we were covering New York Fashion Week) A Dozen Roses launched it’s newest fragrance ELECTRON at Neiman Marcus & Bergdorf Goodman. I ask is there anything better than the clean, fresh smell of roses? This new fragrance is an alluring  combination of Electric Pink Rose blended with a jolt of green tea, violet leaves and cattalyea orchid then supercharged with neon musk, and A Dozen Roses’ signature rose absolute. Even the bottle is a work of art!

I am truly obsessed…you will be too!

A Dozen Roses Electron Eau de Parfum Spray 3.4 fl. oz., $95

- Lauren Dimet Waters

FTC Disclosure: Sample provided for review.

New York Fashion Week Fall ’12. Backstage at The Blonds

For The Blonds Fall/Winter 2012 show, the designers knew that they wanted a biker edge. Achieving this look is actually easier than it appears. Playing up heavily lidded eyes and bold lips, this look will be a great addition and put a little more “party” in your normal nighttime makeup.

Designers Phillipe and David Blond called in MAC key artist Kabuki to transform the models into a biker gang. “They wanted large ‘speed demon’ eyes with a smoky look,” Kabuki said.

Mac artist Kabuki hard at work

First, the face is primed with both Studio Sculpt Foundation and Studio Fix Concealer to make the skintone perfect and Studio Fix Powder to set. The skin is matte as to not compete with the eyes and lips of this look. Next, the skin is contoured with a brown “Bone Beige” Sculpt Powder under the cheek bone for a chiseled look. A pop of shiny Vanilla pigment is applied along the cheekbone as a highlight and Well Dressed blush is added to give some light.

Eyes are large, smoky and black as midnight.  First, the lids are rimmed with Feline Powder Kohl Pencil to carve the cat-eye shape for the eye. Carbon Kohl Pencil was then added to buff out the cat-eye shape and make it look less harsh. Blacktrack Fluid Eyeliner is used to fill in the shape on the eyelid. Club Eyeshadow, a green-brown pigment, is added all around the lid in a slight cat eye shape. Highlights of strategically placed iridescent green-gold pigment gives the eyes its panther-like intensity. Pure Show Super Slick Liner was also added to give the eyes more shine. Spiky lashes in #7 Eyelashes are added to give the eye extra dimension and finished off with Opulash Mascara.

For lips, the look was to keep them deep and velvety matte. The lips were first lined with a maroon burgundy lip pencil and then blended with Redd Lip Pencil applied in the center. Both of these are added and then blended into a blood red color at the center of the lips.

The cutting of the blond ponytail!

Hair was kept very simple. Because the girls were walking in custom Blonds motorcycle helmets, the models’ hair was wrapped and pinned under a wig cap. The helmets were placed on and a long platinum blond ponytail was added to the top and custom cut.

Nails from CND were a big hit. Between the leather nails and custom Phillipe Blond imprinted nails, all of them had a bright splash of color. Some of the darker gold and brown nails were derived from the tribal print directly from the collection. There were also crystal nails and red and black nails. Cues were taken from Micheal Jackson’s “Thriller”.

- Taneisha Jordan

Photos: Second City Style

Today’s Fashion Headlines. February 15, 2012.

Diesel's Black Gold First Shop in SoHo

Liliane Bettencourt Says Goodbye to L’Oréal

The biggest makeup company is the world is having their largest shareholder, Liliane Bettencourt, step down from the L’Oréal board. In her place her twenty-five year old grandson, Jean-Victor Meyers, will be stepping up. The Bettencourt family holds a thirty-one percent stake of the company and have maintain a long standing support for L’Oréal, whose second-largest share happens to be Nestlé. Liliane’s father, Eugène Schueller, was the founder of the company.

Although L’Oréal is loosing a long time board member who provided much dedication and support, the company continues to grow. All the divisions are expanding, with sales rising 5.6 percent ($7.1 billion). L’Oréal Luxury has done very well due to Lancôme, Giorgio Armani and Kiehl’s. Profits are expected to increase over 2012, where new markets will be set for the company.

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Action Plan

Diane Von Furstenberg, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney  met this week about the future of American designers. Bloomberg spoke about about fashion shows are expected to generate $865 million in economic development. With the shows bringing in 232,ooo visitors every year those involved in the meeting wants to make sure the fashion industry will continue to grow. The mayor’s administration Fashion NYC 2020 plans on using five tactics to help build the industry.

Free mini M.B.A.-type programs for thirty-five lucky students will be offered at the Fashion Institute of Technology and a search for NYC’s most innovative retailer will lead to temporary free retail space, marketing, and public relations. A fund to provide loans to up-and-coming designers that use local manufacturers will be created, and a fellowship program for fashion management will be offered through collaboration with Parsons The New School for Design. Bloomberg also plans on setting up a job placement program for recent college graduates. With the fashion industry employing 173,00 people and generates $2 billion just in tax revenue annually, the New York City government is making sure than anyone within the city is able to benefit from the fashion industry and continue on the legacy.

Diesel Starts New Beginnings in SoHo

Diesel is finally showcasing the work of their contemporary division Diesel Black Gold by opening a store in SoHo. The four year old division has advanced styles including sportswear and jackets along with accessories and leather, which is the heart and core of the division. The 2,500-square-foot store will feature mirror monoliths, dark wood floors, suede walls, zebra print rugs, and vintage furniture within the interior design. A thirteen foot long window will give plenty of room for displays and graphics along with a 800-square-foot raised area for accessories.

Black Gold has been given a cleaner look than the typical Diesel line, with sophisticated shapes, and higher quality materials for an older target market with more discretionary income. Denim sold through the Black Gold label are between $250 and $800, some skirts as high as $900, clutches around $430, and leather items for men priced around $950 to $1,800. The company is also planning on opening more Diesel Black Gold stores in Los Angeles over the next year along with Japan and Europe being considered.

– Lindsay Grundy

Source: WWD

Photo: Style.com, Evan Sung

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall ’12. Backstage at Badgley Mischka.

Key Artist for MAC Cosmetics, the Great Tom Pecheux, at Badgley Mischka

On the morning of one of the final days of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, I found myself standing in a human tornado of activity, filled with hairspray, brushes, curling irons, makeup wands and any kind of beauty paraphernalia one could imagine, And it wasn’t even 9 a.m. In the middle of the fray, a calm Tom Pecheux for MAC cosmetics carefully applied a dark maroon lip to a model and spoke to us on the look he created.

He told us in his rich French accent that the look was meant to be “pretty crazy, pretty dramatic, but fun.” He said he wouldn’t call it sophisticated because the look contained a very heavy eye look with tons of mascara. The inspiration was a combination of Fritz Lang’s 1920′s era film “Metropolis” combined with a Tim Burton-like fantasy. Clearly Pecheux wanted the lids and the lips to really pop. He started with pale, matte finish skin. He then applied burgundy/black eye shadow from the top lashes all the way up to the brow bone. Pecheux created a kind of ombre effect, making the color most intense close to the lashes and then fading as it went up to the eyebrow. Under the lower lash line, he swept a very strong stripe of gold metallic liner and coated both upper and lower lashes with black mascara. For the lips, he chose a deep burgundy lipstick with a matte finish, to stand out dramatically against the pale pallor of the skin. He put nothing in the way of color on the cheeks. He said he wanted it almost to look like the face was black and white, but with a small, subtle hint of color in the purplish-red tones. The look was indeed very dramatic up close but we knew it would create the perfect pop under the stage lights on the runway.

MAC artists creating a smokey burgundy/black eye

A model shows off her finished makeup look as she begins hair

Next we squeezed ourselves over to Morooccanoil’s hair station and spoke to key stylist Peter Gray on what looked like a very complicated creation. Gray reiterated the “Metropolis” theme in the collection and noted that the clothes channeled the light, angles and geometry of the city scapes that make up the movie. To counteract the structured silhouettes, Gray  wanted to create a softer, ethereal style that would be appear to be literally floating around the head. “These beautiful styles look almost as if they’re breathing and moving as the models walk. For contrast we created a smooth, elegant, glamorous wave shape in the front that flows back into a big fluffy mass.”

Key stylist for Moroccanoil, Peter Gray, explains the bouncy curls in his hair look with the help of a wig

To obtain the look, Gray used only one Moroccanoil product: the new Moroccanoil Luminous Hairspray. “Though highly textured and matte, the hair itself had to stay healthy-looking and flexible. This has amazing hold and reduces frizz so it was all we really needed for the whole look to stay in place,” Gray noted. The hair was brushed out and separated into sections. Each section was sprayed with Moroocanoil Luminous Hairspray and then wrapped around one of three different sized curling irons (3/8″, 1/2″, and 5/8″). Once the hair was curled it was then pinned to the head through its center to assure the most grip at the scalp. Once the hair was completely set, Gray sprayed the whole head with Luminous Hairspray again and used the Morrocanoil Ionic Ceramic Hairdryer with a diffuser sock (an actual sock!) to heat set them. After 5 minutes, they were set into a perfect spring formation.

A made up model starts the process of getting her hair curled

Moroccaonoil stylists spray each section of hair with Moroccanoil Luminous Hairspray

The models kept their complicated arrangement of hair pins until right before the runway. Just before the show began, Gray unpinned the curls and brushed them out, starting at the back and working his way forward. He also backcombed random sections of hair and sprayed more Luminous Hairspray once he had achieved the correct shape in back. For the final look in the front, Gray combed and smoothed down the hair shaped what he called an “undulating form” with his fingers. After more hairspray, he then blended the front wave into the back fluffiness and sprayed it one last time to secure the look together. The end result was an impressively intricate style that coincided perfectly with the drama of the makeup and clothes.

Gray's secret weapon: his holster of Moroccanoil Luminous Hairspray (for easy access!)

-Alia Rajput

Photo Source: Second City Style

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Fall ’12. Backstage at Betsey Johnson

You can always expect a party at a Betsey Johnson show. Backstage for her Fall/Winter 2012 ready-to-wear runway show, the party had just begun! Inspirational handmade Betsey posters, cupcakes, candy, champagne were in abundance bringing laughter and fun to a long day. Even a DJ was on hand to play the latest hits! And this is all before the show!

Betsey has her own special chair to watch the show. How cute!

Snacks for everyone!

She even had a DJ!

"Sparkling Personality" and "What's a Tire Jack?" used for the nail design

Nails were bright and colorful, just like Betsey! This season, Sephora for OPI debuted its new Betsey Johnson Collection, which of course, reflects the outrageous and flashy colors that the designer is known for. And just as an added bonus, each of the neon nail polishes are infused with Too Too, Betsey’s latest fragrance.

Renee Meyers from OPI gave some secrets on the newest colors of the collection being used for the show. “Sparkling Personality”, a silver pink glitter, was used on the nails to give the stripe effect on top of “What’s a Tire Jack?”, a basic black base, which gives a dense black coat on one coat. The striped design was based off of the tights design used in the show.

The Spring 2012 Sephora by OPI Betsey Johnson Collection consists of seven full sized chip resistant nail polish shades, a six piece mini nail polish set, long lasting trend tips and flashy nail designs. Price points range from $9.50 to $24.50. “I am Too Too excited for my first nail collection with Sephora by OPI!  The collection is just how I like it – loud, outrageous, pretty, pinky, and kickass rock and roll,“ says Betsey. Look for the collection exclusively available at Sephora stores and sephora.com in March.

The finished look!

- Taneisha Jordan

Photos: SCS

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall ’12. Backstage at Carmen Marc Valvo

Key artist for MAC Cosmetics, Romero Jennings, creates his Fall '12 look

Everyone knows that the SCS team looks so forward to our time backstage at the Carmen Marc Valvo show. Amid he stress of the Lincoln Center tents, it’s always SO nice to go a little bit downtown to Times Square, hop on over to the NASDAQ and hang out with Romero Jennings from MAC and Ted Gibson, It is by far, one of our favorite New York Fashion Week moments every season. This season the mood was no different than it always is: friendly, laughing, laidback (as much as they can be) and just generally relaxed.

The MAC makeup station backstage at Carmen Marc Valvo

We spoke first to Romero Jennings, key makeup artist for MAC who always has a great story to tell on how he came up with the season’s makeup look. He said that he had recently seen Sunset Boulevard and was blown away by Norma Desmond and how she looked, even in the black and white coloring. In fact, he noted, the lack of color actually allowed to him to pay more attention to the light and contouring on the face. And he decided from that moment, that he wanted to recreate that kind of look for the CMV show. He said the clothes in the collection were fantastic and so detailed, and the workmanship was so incredible that “everyone here is going to want it.” After talking to Valvo and seeing the clothes, Jennings knew he could bring the movie in as his muse, citing also the dramatic looks in the recent release, The Artist, which takes place in 1920′s France. “I was just thinking about what I could do if I wasn’t able to use any color.” So the end result was a mostly matte face with the nose, lids and cheekbones highlighted, a mega-watt smokey eye (what Jennings refers to as the “Power eye of the fall”) and a rosy matte lip for some sort of just bitten flush.

Romero Jennings shows the French Nougat color he used in the Fall Trend Lipc Palette

To achieve the look, the skin was prepped with MAC Prep + Prime Moisture Boost. MAC Matchmaker foundation was applied with a #190 brush and MAC Smooth Finish concealer was dabbed on only where needed. The face was contoured with MAC Sculpt + Shape powder and MAC  Pearl Cream Colour Base was swept down the bridge of the nose, under the outer eye and along the cheekbones as a highlighter.

For the dramatic smokey eye look, MAC Smolder eye shadow was smudged into the top and bottom lash line and sketched out over the corners and into the crease. MAC Omega shadow was then added to the top and bottom of the eye to add dimension and Saddle was dabbed onto the outer center of the lids. The artists then manually pressed MAC Pressed Pigment onto the center of the lip for the maximum amount of pop. The lashes were topped off with MAC False Lash mascara.The brows were also brushed up to appear fuller. The lips were painted with the French Nougat lip color from the Fall Trend Lip Palette, which was pressed into the lips to create a dewey, stained look.

The final makeup look

After bidding Romero adieu, we then moved over to hair and our beloved, Ted Gibson. Clad in his signature cotton candy pink polo, Ted was all smiles as usual and ready to dish on his latest look. He said that when he and Valvo first got together, they discussed how the clothes were this season were very couture. But Ted did not want the hair look to be “pretty couture”, he wanted it to have a masculine edge to it. So he decided to focus on one of the products in his eponymous haircare line called “Fix It Gel”, which provides a power hold and when applied in a certain way, an almost glass-like sheen. He wanted to do a twisted knot but in the the middle of the head to again, not look too feminine and pretty.

Ted Gibson puts the finishing touches on his hair look for Fall '12

The hair was given a deep side part and the “Fix It Gel” was rubbed onto the hair (after being flat-ironed straight) and then pulled back into a glossy ponytail. Gibson explained that if the ponytail was too low, it would come off as too sophisticated so the middle of the head was key in maintaining the masculinity. Also, the knot was formed into more of a triangular shape, rather than what Gibson referred to as “the classic ballerina bun”, since that was more architectural and akin to the structure of the clothes. The final step was a touch of Ted Gibson Beautiful Hold hairspray and the models were ready for their Demille closeup!

Ted Gibson stylists apply Ted Gibson "Fix It Gel"

The slicked back ponytail, ready to be wrapped up in a knot

A close-up of the architectural knot from the back

The glass-liek finish of Ted Gibson "Fix It Gel"

Time to get dressed for the runway!

-Alia Rajput

Photo Source: Second City Style

New York Fashion Week Fall ’12. Backstage at Sally LaPointe.

For this Fall/Winter 2012, Sally LaPointe decided to try a more subtle approach to the makeup with the same ideal. Last season, all of the makeup was focused around the lips and the skin and this season was no different.

For the inspiration, LaPointe was still playing off the basis of the short story “The Metamorphosis”. With the help of key MAC makeup artist Kabuki, they brought that idea to light. “Sally told me of the inspiration and I decided to take a dramatic but stripped-down approach.”

First, the skin is prepped with Studio Sculpt Foundation and the eyebrows are lightened with Studio Finish Concealer. The whole sin is pressed with Studio Fix Power. There is no eyeliner or mascara with this look so all of the focus is on the lips and porcelain doll skin.

The eyes, cheekbones and temples are contoured with Sculpting Powder in neutral shades of light and dark. The bare etheral effect is emphasized by the contrast of the deep metallic lip. Macroviolet Fluidline in Blacktrack, Heritage Rouge Pigment eyeshadow and Carbon eyeshadow are all used on the lips to create a deep metallic hue with a rich shine. Kabuki explained that this gives the effect of a beetle’s wing.

For added richness, Shine Mixing Medium is dabbed onto the eyelids and the upper cheekbones for a glass-like shine. This completes the look and also adds definition to this look. Hair was kept sleek and simple with pin straight hair and a middle part.

- Taneisha Jordan

Photos: SCS