Where ancient beauty secrets meet modern science
Totally smitten by these gorgeous looking soaps from Coach. Called the Legacy Set, they are lightly scented with the brand’s signature perfume: a unique blend of soft florals combined with amber vanilla and precious woods. Lovely to bathe with, even lovelier to stock up in a charming wicker basket to perk up your bathroom decor!!
You know the drill by now – French women can eat everything under the sun, toss in the wine at breakfast, never enter the gym and still not get fat… ever 
But what I truly hate them for is the way they totally effortlessly carry off startlingly red lips, looking pulled together and polished at a moment’s notice!! Yup, nothing says glam and power and confidence and don’t-fuck-with-me attitude, but its a tough one to pull off.
Firstly, because you’ve got to realise that red lipstick is much like a fave pair of jeans: one size does not fit all. So you’ve got to spend an afternoon hitting the counters yourself. If shopping in India, I would highly recommend MAC, as they have proper lighting, a million shades and trained make-up-artists-cum-sales-people who will make selecting the right shade much more foolproof. Else, the best option is to make the choice while traveling abroad, jotting down the name and keep restocking once back home, as most cosmetic counters in India suffer from not-the-best buying environments. The most iconic ones are:
MAC Russian Red (I have found this one usually suits most Indian complexions perfectly, but you still gotta try it out first)
As a rule of thumb, fair skin needs a red that has cool blue undertones, olive skin works better with warm reds with a brown or gold base, while dark brown complexions would look stunning in a bright fuchsia-red. Always wear on perfectly evened-out skin… bring out the high-def foundations if you have even a hint of blemishes as the red lipstick will drag every tiny red mark into the limelight. Keep the rest of your makeup simple – that means low-key eyes and just a hint of blush – or you will look like a retro throwback.
If you are just venturing into this territory for the first time, build it up by parts. Start with a red gloss, then graduate to lightly patting a bit of lipstick onto your pout with fingertips, move on to using a sheer lipstick (like Chanel’s Aqualumiere Sheer Colour Lipshine) straight from the tube and then go the full hog once you are confident enough to carry off the look!!
Maybelline has bagged the position of official cosmetic sponsor for IMG Fashion’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City’s Bryant Park. The two year agreement, which will commence at the upcoming spring collections in September 2009, will carry through to the event’s planned move to Lincoln Center in September 2010. The cosmetics major will support a selection of well-established as well as up-and-coming designers including Charlotte Ronson, Tracy Reese, Michael Angel and Erin Wasson x RVCA. The makeup teams will be led by Charlotte Willer, the brand’s Global Makeup Artist.
MAC, which was the cosmetics sponsor at Bryant Park for the past five years, is now moving its tent downtown. Rumour has it that the brand was growing weary of sharing centre stage with the multitude of other sponsors, including doughnut makers and camera companies. It will instead present its own shows at the Milk Studios in the meatpacking district; Alexander Wang and Proenza Schouler are amongst the designers who have already come onboard. One wonders whether these will be a complement to Fashion Week, or a new competitor????
The event, with the working title of MAC at Milk, will overlap with the established Fashion Week, beginning Sept. 10. As John Demsey, the Estée Lauder group president who oversees MAC, described it, the idea was to create a space for emerging and international designers at a time when they need more corporate support. The designers will not be charged for the use of the studios, whereas the Bryant Park shows typically cost around $25,000 for the smallest space. “Not everybody wants to be in a giant tent environment,” Mr. Demsey said. “And not everybody should be.”
Mr. Demsey said that the MAC at Milk shows are being coordinated with the Council of Fashion Designers of America and will be included in the official calendar of Fashion Week.
While Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week usually includes about 60 shows held in Bryant Park, hundreds of other designers present their collections at other locations, causing endless frustration among retailers and editors trying to see them all. Mazdack Rassi, the founder of Milk Studios, said that there is room for about 25 to 30 presentations in his building.
And because of the relationships of MAC and the studio with top designers, they were able to draw some names at the vanguard of fashion who do not normally consider showing in the same space as anyone else. Band of Outsiders, Preen and ThreeAsFour will also show there. “It’s not just an alternative show space we are creating, but truly a movement,” Mr. Rassi said.
How many times have you woken up with night-old makeup, mascara smudged all over your face, the foundation and powder settled deep in the pores of your skin, blotches and the tiny white bumps that are sure to develop into ghastly zits before the day ends? C’mon, be honest and confess, if only to make me feel better about my own transgressions!!
Yup, as a beauty editor, I have written reams on how you need to take off every single speck of makeup and never, ever hit the bed without skin that’s squeaky clean, but the reality is that we all slip up frequently enough. So let’s talk about damage control instead.
In the morning, start with a power cleanse – whisk away all the makeup with a facial oil or an intense, soap-free face wash like the Neutrogena Deep Clean Cream Cleanser. Let the cleanser actually sit on your skin for at least 30 seconds for the active ingredients to work their way through the muck. Then exfoliate with a granule-based scrub to whisk away the dead cells and step up circulation, brightening up your complexion instantly – Vichy’s Detoxifying Exfoliating Cream has always worked for me. Kick the recovery into high gear with a stimulating face mask – anything that contains peppermint (Lush Mask of Magnanimity) or tea tree oils (Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Face Mask) will perk up your skin in a shot!
Follow with your daily moisturiser – but actually massage it into your skin for a couple of minutes to plump away the lines and bust the puffiness. In a pinch, massage your entire face with an under eye cream – they are specially formulated to banish puffiness. And if even that’s not enough, slather on a flash balm, which adds a layer of light reflecting moisture and stimulates the skin for a fresh flow – my fall-back fave is the Clarins Beauty Flash Balm, so stock up!!
Audrey Hepburn’s favorite beauty tips that she often quoted in public were actually written by the humorist Sam Levenson. And contrary to popular belief, they were not read at her funeral – she lived them in her life.
For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; never throw out anyone.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you’ll find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.
The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.
The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode, but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives and the passion that she shows.
The beauty of a woman grows with the passing years.
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