If you are in the Chicago area, check out this NARS Cosmetics event at Barneys. I just got a peek at the summer collection myself and it is fabulous! Watch for more on that with swatches next week!

WHO: Lena Koro and NARS Cosmetics

WHAT: Renowned makeup artist Lena Koro will be making a special Personal Appearance at Barneys New York.  Koro has worked with François Nars (NARS Founder and Creative Director) for over 15 years – including the recent AW10 Marc Jacobs runway show, numerous campaign and editorial shoots, the NARS 15X15 Project, Nars’ books X-Ray and Makeup Your Mind.  Customers will have the opportunity meet with Koro one-on-one for a personalized makeup consultation.

Additionally, a talented team of NARS makeup artists will be offering customers in-store makeovers with the newest NARS Summer collections.

WHERE: BARNEYS NEW YORK, 15 East Oak Street, Chicago, IL 60611

Make an appointment: NARS Counter: 312-587-1700 x1175

WHEN: Friday, May 7 – 11:00am-6:00pm – NARS National Team

Saturday, May 8, 11:00am-6:00pm – Lena Koro and NARS National Team

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Julia Roberts had a fresh and pretty makeup look for the Golden Globes.

Celebrity makeup artist Genevieve created her look:

First, Genevieve applied Lancôme Bienfait Multi Vital Teinté to Julia’s flawless complexion. Just a hint of color was applied to the cheeks with Lancôme Color Design Cream Blush in Petticoat Pink. Genevieve used her finger to apply and pressed the color on to Julia’s cheeks. To create a dramatic eye, Le Crayon Khôl in Black Ebony was used. Several coats of Lancôme Définicils Pro Mascara in Black created lush, dark lashes. Genevieve opted for a soft natural-looking pout. She applied Lancôme Le Lipstique lip liner in Natural Mauve then coated the lips with Lancôme L’Absolu Rouge in Coquette and topped with Lancôme Juicy Tubes in Hallucination for a high-shine finish.

You can order Lancome at Nordstrom.

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Kate Winslet looked a beautiful as ever at the Golden Globes.

Celebrity makeup artist Jillian Dempsey did Lancôme ambassador Kate Winslet’s makeup.  Here is how:

Kate’s look was clean and luminous. Armani Luminous Silk Foundation showed off Kate’s naturally beautiful complexion. To create contoured cheekbones, Jillian used Avon Be Blushed in Blushing Nude and highlighted the cheeks with a brightener. Jillian Dempsey For Avon Professional Kohl Eye Liner in Navy played off the midnight hues of Kate’s dress. Several coats of Lancôme Hypnôse Mascara in Excessive Black really made Kate’s eyes pop. For Kate’s matte lip, which she requested, Jillian topped lip liner with Lancôme L’Absolu Rouge in Rich Cashmere for a soft, pretty finish.

For Kate Winslet’s hair, Renato Campora for Frederic Fekkai was inspired by the idea of a glamorous woman leaving her hotel room in a rush. He created a sexy, low chignon with an undone feel and lots of texture.  Here is how to get the look:

On wet hair Renato applied FEKKAI COIFF™ STRONG HOLD VOLUME MOUSSE mixed with FEKKAI ADVANCED™ BRILLIANT GLOSSING™ CREAM.  These two products together provide the right balance to create a texture that leaves the hair hydrated.  With the hair still wet, he created a side part and placed pins curls throughout the entire head and dried the hair with a diffuser. Once the hair was 80 percent dry, he removed the pin curls.  Renato used his fingers to produce texture and finished drying the hair with the diffuser. He then applied FEKKAI Salon Technician Color Care™ Anti-Fade Top Coat throughout the hair for shine.  Next, he softened the ends by using a curling iron. He then applied the FEKKAI Au Naturel Dry Shampoo all over the head to give the final look some modernity and volume. After that, Renato formed the chignon, by pulling the hair down into a low pony tail; he wrapped the rubber band around once and created a loop with the hair when you take it through the pony tail the second time. Campora used long hair pins to secure the pieces to the side and played with the texture to make the chignon. He left loose pieces in the front to frame and soften the face. This allows the hair in the front to blend with the chignon in the back perfectly, so there is no contrast.  Finally, he finished with FEKKAI Full Blown Volume™ Lifting Hairspray and dried with a diffuser to maintain the look.

By the way, Armani foundation is incredible, I can’t recommend it enough. Look for it, along with Lancome and Fekkai items, at Sephora.com.

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Lancome did the Golden Globe makeup for Tina Fey. I love this look, and by the way, I also really appreciate the stars who carried their own umbrellas!

Here is how to get the look:

Tina Fey was made up by celebrity makeup artist Ana Marie.  The inspiration, she says, was Old Hollywood/1950′s with a twist.

Tina’s skin was prepped with Lancôme Secret de Vie Toner (Ana Marie’s favorite!) and moisturized with Bienfait Multi Vital, a combination that keeps the skin looking vibrant all day. Lancôme Absolue Foundation in Pearl evened out Tina’s complexion. Ana Marie applied it with a foundation brush and blended with a damp sponge to make the foundation more transparent. To create a sun-kissed look, Ana Marie layered a cream blush (Lancôme Color Design Creme Blush in Petticoat Pink) with a powder blush (YSL Blush Variation in #18 Coral Sand). Layering the different textures allows for long-lasting color. For the eyes, Ana Marie lined the top and bottom lash line with Lancôme Le Crayon Khôl in Black Coffee and curled the lashes using a Shu Uemura eye lash curler. Lancôme Défincils Waterproof Mascara in Black was applied to create separated, dark lashes. Lips were lined and defined with Le Lipstique in Sheer Natural and filled in with Lancôme Color Fever Shine Lipstick in Tempt Me. For a fresh, glossy finish, Ana Marie used Lancôme Juicy Tubes in Cherry Burst.

I like the soft, yet still glamorous look. Need to shop? Head to Sephora.com.

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Info on this neat event hit my inbox a few days ago and might be of interest to Chicago folks! For more on the Philosophy Supernatural line, read my recent review.

PHILOSOPHY “SUPERNATURAL SATURDAY” EVENT

ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10th, PHILOSOPHY AND NORDSTROM WILL OFFER MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS IN THE CHICAGO AREA THE CHANCE TO RECEIVE MAKEOVERS AND APPLICATION TIPS FROM PHILOSOPHY’S NEW SUPERNATURAL LINE

WHAT: Look your natural best with supernatural makeup tips and makeovers from philosophy supernatural makeup artist, John Trau. Learn how to accentuate your best features, while playing down your worst with a personalized supernatural makeup consultation, and get the answers to all of your makeup and application questions in the supernatural  makeup Q&A session. Create and share your own supernatural video in the supernatural video booth- which allows you to make a video and email it to five of your closest friends or family members. Share some of the unique makeup tips you learned from John or share thoughts on the supernatural makeover you received.

Receive a FREE 4oz award winning Purity Made Simple cleanser with purchase of any two supernatural philosophy products, and a FREE “be supernatural” philosophy cosmetic bag with any $100 philosophy purchase.

Enter a chance to win a private supernatural makeup party with five friends.

HOW: TO RSVP: call or stop by the Michigan Ave. Nordstrom to book your appointment, or log onto http://www.philosophy.com/supernatural/events.html for more information. Space is limited.

WHEN: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10th from 11AM – 6PM

WHERE: Nordstrom-Michigan Avenue, 55 East Grand Avenue, Chicago, Il 60611, 312.464.1515

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This looks like a fun event and I’m told that the goody bag is going to be fabulous! Plus there are drinks, snacks, and beauty treatments. What else could you want?!?! Here is the press info that I received on it:

CHICAGO GIRLY GIRL AND RED 7 SALON USHER IN SUMMER WITH THE ULTIMATE GIRL’S NIGHT OUT – SUMMER SOLSTICE BEAUTY EVENT

Beauty Enthusiasts Indulge in a Whimsical Evening of Girly Fun, Beauty and Shopping

CHICAGO – The boats are back in the harbor, the town is a flurry with fans dressed in red and blue making their way towards Wrigley Field and the countdown to the Old St. Pat’s Block Party has officially begun. It’s summer, ladies! Before you head to the beach, you’d better make sure those toes are in tip-top-shape!

Fortunately, you can get all dolled up and do some shopping at the Summer Solstice Beauty Event at RED 7 Salon (210 W. Kinzie St.), Thursday June 11 from 6-8:30 p.m. Guests will enjoy wine tasting from Mad Housewife, sinful, gourmet hors d’oeuvres from Fig Catering and beauty treatments from RED 7. Fashion Designers Kate Boggiano, Lara Miller and Serpico will unveil their summer lines and jewelry designers Sarah Radford (Chic Gems) and Julia Failey will showcase their latest adornments. Attendees can also shop from clothing, cosmetics and accessories by retailers like Votre Vu, Tallulah Cosmetics, Ciao Bella, Hubba Hubba, Kiss My Face, Lucky Day Boutique, Arbonne and The Honeymoon Bag.

Tickets are $20 and include a goody bag.

Click here to purchase your ticket with paypal.

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If you take a look over in the right sidebar about half way down, you will see that I have added two applications especially for the Academy Awards.

The first will be running a stream of photos from the Oscars. This is a great way to get all of the latest celebrity red carpet photos as they come in. Why wait until Monday to browse the blogs and news services for photos. Get them as they happen!

The second application is called Tweet the Oscars. On this one, you can get updated Glam TV news and also read the ongoing twitter feed for the twitter tag #Oscars. You can also add your own Oscar tweet right from the application here on Beauty and Fashion Tech.

In the meantime, want to get a great red carpet look for less? Heidi Klum and makeup Linda Hay developed a look for this year’s red carpet that is available in a kit from Victoria’s Secret.

From the company:

This year, red carpet beauty is all about soft romance and classic Hollywood glamour. Supermodel Heidi Klum and celebrity make-up artist, Linda Hay, provided an insider’s look at Heidi’s red carpet look for the 2009 Academy Awards.  To achieve Heidi’s subtle, yet elegant look, Hay uses a flirty, pink palate finished with chocolates and nudes for a soft, smoky effect.  Now for the first time, anyone can achieve Heidi’s look with simple step-by-step instructions and only five products, all featured in the Victoria’s Secret Makeup Spring Look kit.

The set includes:

· Highlighter/Blush Duo in Fresh

· Eye Shadow Quad in Devoted, Primal, Rich and Champagne

· High-definition Mascara in Blackest Black

· Lip Gloss in Blush

The spring look is available exclusively at Victoria’s Secret stores for $49.

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Welcome to September, the time of year when it is suddenly OK to wear fall colors and not so OK to be sporting those neon pink summer nails. It is the month where the season has not officially changed, but posts abound about fall trends. To confuse the matter, it is also a month of coverage about what spring will bring, thanks to the presence of fashion week in New York City beginning this week and in other cities later this month.

So with that in mind, what do I plan to cover this week and next? Well, I have a few pink summer nail features planned, a reader giveaway, and some miscellaneous product reviews. Yes, I will cover the fall trends sometime this month, and yes, I will keep a bit of an eye on fashion week news, but mostly I am avoiding both until I reach the end of my denial that summer is officially over in the fashion world. So instead of writing about new trends, I am avoiding the fall trend set by the multitude of websites and blogs that will be covering nothing else for the next few weeks. I’m sure that they will do it quite well and I see no real need to duplicate to the process. Instead, I will read the blogs of my friends who are covering the spectacle that is New York fashion week and perhaps point out a few of the best posts. Meanwhile, I will enjoy my period of extended summer in September.

You see, I am not going to New York Fashion Week, and I am OK with that, perhaps even rather glad of it. Earlier this year, I made conflicting travel plans for something much more amazing to me–a vacation. Initially I regretted that I would miss the opportunity to go to New York,  but as time went on, I was able to ponder just what it was that I was missing. There would be no expensive plane fare and no bunking up with several strangers to save a few bucks on an outrageously priced hotel room. I would not get the pleasure of waiting for invitations to shows that might never come, or juggling the ones that came scheduled at the same time. There would be no agony over what to wear or how to behave, and I would not be faced with being treated as a second class citizen because I am a blogger. The more I considered it, the less I cared that I was not going to be there.  I don’t even cover fashion extensively–I write about makeup, and it is mostly product reviews at that. Thus, on the whole, the expense of New York fashion week is a bit difficult to defend as a business expense. I might visit the nearby Milwaukee fashion week in October instead.

For those of you dying for some fashion week coverage, the Beauty Blog Network Website is running a widget with a feed of its member’s fashion week headlines. I have also included the widget on Beauty and Fashion Tech.

For a few different angles on fashion week, the following are also particularly good reads:

* From the New York Observer: oh Lowly Blogger? Your Seat’s in the Back. Feel gossipy? Take a look at Jossip’s different take on the matter:  Fashion Week vs. The Blogs: Kelly Cutrone Plays Hardball. Yes, Fashion Week definitely has its drama.

* From Slate comes the answers to your burning questions that you were afraid to ask. Check out The Fashion Week FAQ and The Fashion Week FAQ Part II. Slate is full of interesting Fashion Week commentary. For more, simply run a search of the term there.

Finally, lest I appear overly cynical about New York fashion week, I must say that I will truly miss the opportunity to meet some wonderful people who I have connected with online through networks such as Splendicity, The Beauty Blog Network, Total Beauty, and Glam Media–all of whom will be providing online coverage of the events quicker and generally more in depth than the print sources–even if the writers get sent to the back row. I also will miss seeing colleagues whom I have met before, but in the end I am happy knowing that I will enjoy reading their coverage of the events while I search out oysters in Boston and lobster in Maine a week later. Keep an eye out for me, I’ll be the one still wearing summer pink nails.

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This right hand ring, the sun ring, was donated by Diamonds are Forever for the Skin Cancer Foundation. The ring includes an exquisite 4 carat cognac diamond set in 20 karat pink gold, surrounded by multi-colored diamonds. Designed in the shape of the sun to reinforce the Foundation’s sun safety messages, it is being auctioned on CharityBuzz.com.

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I had the pleasure this past week of meeting up with representatives of M.A.C. Cosmetics and watching M.A.C. senior makeup artist, Konstantine Mironychev in action before the GEN ART Fresh Faces in Fashion show, a show held the evening before the start of Chicago Fashion Week.

Held in Millennium Park in downtown Chicago, the show highlighted emerging area designers. For the makeup, Konstantine developed two looks–A Modern 70′s era inspired look, and a smoky eye look. Salon Blonde provided the hair services.

First off, backstage at a fashion show tent is a cramped experience. If you thought such a thing would be high glamor and luxury, think again. Instead, there are numerous models, makeup artists and hair stylists working at once in a rather small area. Nails were being done in the center, and everything was moving at a pretty good pace. It was also a rather warm day, so the tent was a bit on the warm side for the artists and the models.

To get the makeup started, Konstantine performed a demonstration of each look for his assistants, who would later duplicate the looks with each overseen and checked by Konstantine. The assistants were all Chicago based, and well trained. Konstantine told me that he is a rather strict trainer, with high standards, but also happy to witness his artists succeed. As a result each artist in Chicago represented a high level of expertise and quality.

Konstantine described his 70′s era inspired look as a modern version of Debra Harry. Red lips and 70′s eyes and brows, but modernized–no blush or foundation. He began with an application of concealer only where needed and used M.A.C. Mineralize Skinfinish for contour. The eyes were done in brown with large amounts of mascara, and the brows were brushed upwards. The look was finished off with a gorgeous red lip.

Above: Konstantine demonstrates the 70′s inspired look. Below: The finished look:

The focus of the second look was a smoky, sultry, multi-textured eye. For this look, Konstantine began with a base of one of my favorite products, a painterly paint pot, in a light brown shade. From there, he created a dark brown corner and applied a silvery black from the smoke signals collection around the lash line. The inside rim of the eyelids were lined. The eye was finished off with a bit of mascara. There was no blush and the look included a nude lip using a shade from an upcoming collection. This look was all about the eye! It was gorgeous, and unfortunately doesn’t really show as well as I would like in my photo (below).Talking with Konstantine and Heather Park, M.A.C.’s Manager of Global Communications, I learned that M.A.C. utilizes items from upcoming collections for shows well ahead of release. This allows the company to use input from the artists and re-blend or reformulate products as needed. At the Gen Art show, the artists had available lip products from a future collection.

When asked about upcoming trends, Konstantine stated that the modern 70′s inspired look continues to be in style. When he was in New York and other areas this fall, he observed that gold or silver also remained popular with metallic “eye bling” seen as an accessory at many shows.

I asked about regional trends, curious if anything is done differently for a Midwestern show. Konstantine explained that nothing is particularly changed regionally. Trends develop from across various shows, resulting from the communications among the makeup artists and the designers. Each designer takes what he or she likes from various traits for their collection. Thus, the current looks are not particularly regionally based.

I also got a sneak peak at some of the items from M.A.C.’s upcoming holiday collections, including some gorgeous mineralize eyeshadows, a deep red shimmery lipglass that makes me want to try to break out of my fear of dark colors, and an interesting nail polish set consisting of a white polish, and if I understood correctly, a gold polish that will crackle when applied on top of it. I have them and will give them a try soon. So stay tuned!

Shop for M.A.C. Cosmetics

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