Beauty pro division

Makeup artist Ken Mendelson talks about mineral cosmetics, color trends and Jane Iredale at New York fashion week.

Project Runway is Bravo’s biggest hit. Over 2 million viewers tune in each week to watch 15 up and coming fashion designers compete for a chance to win a cash prize and jump-start their career in the fashion industry.

According to a recent WWD article, since the debut of Project Runway, fashion design programs nationwide have experienced a huge surge in their enrollment rates. In 2003, 250 students graduated with a fashion design degree in the US as compared to 700 students in 2006. Project Runway has not only demystified the fashion industry for viewers, it has also served as an inspiration for hopeful designers who would not have pursued fashion design as a career otherwise.

It’s 5 o’clock on Friday, time for some much need R&R, so what do you chose, superficial self indulgence or happy hour? Martinis vs. manicures? Well ladies (and you metro-men), you can stop fretting. The age old dilemma has been solved. You can now have your cake and eat it too at the Beauty Bar. Kill two birds with one stone, buy a ten dollar martini and receive a free manicure. I would like to personally applaud the geniuses behind this ground breaking concept. If the thought of complete nirvana has ever crossed your mind while receiving a manicure, then you haven’t tried it with a dirty martini in your other (manicured) hand.

Seen above is Masela Lusha having her eyes adorned with minerals from Jane Iredale. Jane Iredale was one of the sponsors at the Ultimate Green Room. Jane believes "The most beautiful cosmetic you can wear is a healthy skin" Other celebrities who visited: Daphne Zuniga, Nick Gonzalez, Ashley & Courtney Peldon, Kathy Griffin, Kathy Najimy, Bahar Soomekh & Daryl Hanna. Take a walk around with Daryl Hanna and view the video below. The first interview is on Jane Iredale.

This month Heidi Klum had her first appearance on QVC to launch her collection for Mouawad. This highly anticipated debut certainly got a big piece of the QVC pie. Her appearance was well received and everyone loved her pieces as the collection sold out of 14 of 16 styles in the first 36 minutes. Klum’s collection is inspired from a four leave clover as well as the pattern from the Duomo in Milan. (Duomo is the Italian word for the church in the middle of the city/town. Most Italian cities have a Duomo—Milan’s is the most well known for its gothic architecture.)

Personally, I really like this collection. I love the playfulness of the shamrock but I love that it can also be dressed up (ie. Heidi at the Emmy’s this year.) It could also be that I love Heidi Klum and everything she does! The nice thing is that, if one can’t afford the pieces from Heidi’s collection, there are options with similar designs and styles. My favorite kind of steal is from Endless Diamonds. They have similar pieces with a diamond in the center of the pendant.

Either way, we can all look beautiful in diamonds! After all, they are a girl’s best friend!

Are you like me - a guy on the go who never has time for the sun but longs for the lust look that has been kissed by the UV? If I go three days without the rays I swear I turn blue. I have always admired Hong Kong's beauty obsession with porcelain skin. Do you think that trend will ever hit the USA? I hope so, then my self tanning expenses wouldn't be so high. But will American's put Mercury on their face to inhibit the skin from getting darker? According to a recent study in China SK-II the brand owned by Procter & Gamble says yes. Now that Reuters has released this story on SK-II the prestige line at Saks Fifth Avenue that competes with Cle de Peau, Natura Bisse and will need to do some serious beauty PR damage control in the USA if this leaks.

I am thinking "NO MERCURY" stickers like "NO MSG" when I go for lunch on the side of the bottles, yes? (kidding)

Liza Ng, a public relations executive living in Hong Kong, has no time or inclination to cultivate the sporty, tanned look either. "I love to be pearly white because that is more beautiful," the 38-year-old said. Ng is not alone.

Women across Asia pay exorbitant prices for cosmetics that promise to whiten their skin and give them a fair, frail look which for centuries has been considered a sign of beauty in women in China and across much of the region.

But the demand for skin-whitening cosmetics -- which can cost as much as $385 for a 50-ml bottle -- has more than a monetary cost. Health experts say that mercury -- a potentially deadly substance that helps to keep skin white -- has been found in a number of skin-whitening cosmetics.

"In Hong Kong, there are no strict rules for product labeling and you can buy cream that says it is mercury-free, but when we examine it, it is full of mercury," said Christopher Lam, a professor of chemical pathology at the Chinese University.

If you're too busy to make an appointment at a day spa or can't spare the cost for skin care treats such as facials, read on to see how a few key organic ingredients and homemade recipes can help you become a do-it-yourself skin care specialist.

Many devoted skincare users have long celebrated organic ingredients and products as an alternative to the sometimes chemically enriched skincare products being churned out constantly. However, knowing what specific ingredients do to benefit skin care practices can help anyone concerned about whether such products would suit them and their skin type. While there are literally too many such ingredients to account for, there are a few whose roles definitely deserve to be in the spotlight.

If the paper of note (New York Times) says it is a trend then it must be true: buttock facials With the recent fixation on the junk in the trunk, spas are promoting special “facials” for the posterior in Miami, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Boston, as well as in New York.

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Bree Williamson of ABC's One Life To Live asks, "How well do you know your breasts?" in this PSA for breast cancer awareness.

When Lucinda Hughes heard she would have to drink sea moss elixir while vacationing in the Bahamas, she was certain it would make her sick. Sure enough, three months later, Hughes is very sick - every morning - and expecting her first baby in April. She got pregnant after she and her husband went on a three-day Procreation Vacation at a resort on Grand Bahama Island.

It's part of a trend in which hotels around the world are luring couples who are trying to have a baby. Resorts are offering on-site sex doctors, romantic advice and exotic food and drink calculated to put lovers in the mood and hasten the pitter-patter of little feet.

Even some obstetricians are promoting the trend. Dr. Jason James of Miami said he often encourages couples trying to have a baby to sneak away for a few days, and he often sees it work.

Just as with pin straight hair, wavy locks, bobs and any other hair style, bangs have a way of going out and coming back in. For a long while, my hair was all one length, but one day I looked in the mirror and so tired with what I saw, I promptly went to my hair stylist and asked for bangs several months ago. When you get bangs, it's important to take into consideration the shape of your face, but also your forehead size. You certainly don't want to drown your face in your hair or to look wider or heavier.

Unfortunately, I was given bangs that went straight across my entire forehead, which wasn't very flattering on me. When they were almost grown out, I decided to take to the scissors myself, create a part and then give myself angled bangs. What a difference! I look younger (yes!) and my face appears to look thinner, as well.

Many of the models gracing the catwalk now are sporting various styles of bangs, as well. There are those who have choppy bangs, those with angled bangs, some straight across and those with that thick bang look. Getting bangs can create a whole new look for you, but be sure that you talk with your stylist first on which type would be best.

Nudes and the pale look of lips made its way out of the trend this past Fall and were replaced by red and bold lip colors. Fall into this winter have seen many celebrities and beauty experts making a statement with color. I know that many times color is feared, most especially red, but if you find the right mix of a bold color to match your skin tone, then anyone can wear the colors of the Winter season.

My favorite celebrity to make a statement with color is Gwen Stephani. Many pale-skinned women shy away from cherry reds, but Gwen always looks glamorous, as does another pale skinned music diva, Christina Aguilera.

Spring and summer will have some reds and fuscia’s remain, but it will make the transition to peaches, corals, and browns. The matte look will be back in and glosses out, which I will sorely miss as I love shine.

As we are only weeks away from Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in NYC, I’m already looking forward to finding out what the trend will be for this time next year. What are you predictions?

John gets a car for his 16th birthday, while Vanessa gets a nose job. Sound unrealistic? It’s not and it’s a growing trend among the youth of our country and abroad. Actually, the high holidays are when most of these procedures are done so be on the lookout for very refreshed and well rested teen with effervescent perkiness! Plastic surgery as birthday gifts and graduation presents; what used to be reserved for adults and cosmetic purposes, slowly creeped into the world of those under 18. It began with microdermabrasion and facial peels to help with severe acne, then breast augmentation in respect to reductions or leveling out unevenness, but now has turned into something teens do “just for fun.”

The problem with teens is in how casual they take plastic surgery and do not understand the risks, or are mature enough to handle change or even worse, severe complications. In regards to maturity, most teens want the perfect nose, perfect breasts or to lose the extra pounds simply because they see their Photoshopped idols in a magazine and want to be just like them. Teens see plastic surgery as a quick fix.

The most sought after plastic surgeries for teens are liposuction, breast augmentation and rhinoplasty. The issue young teenage girls don’t take into consideration when opting to have the liposuction or breast implants is the obstacles later in life should they settle down and have a family. Such issues are not being able to breast feed if you have implants and the weight gain when you are pregnant which post-pregnancy may result in dimpling of your skin from liposuction. Should you be a candidate for bariatric surgery in your late teens, getting pregnant means that all of the nutrition goes directly to the baby and little to the mother, which then requires close monitoring and possible health risks.

Education of the risks, both short and long term, as well as the emotional changes are things that need to be discussed at length with a teen wanting to go under the knife.

Add another celebrity to the mix in the fragrance industry. Christina Aguilera has signed a long–term deal with Proctor and Gamble Prestige Products to create a fragrance line in her name. Aguilera, a Grammy winner and popular singer-songwriter, P&G feels Aguilera targets a demographic they are looking to market to according to Women’s Wear Daily.

Aguilera’s deal comes on the heels of many other recent announcements of celebrities launching fragrance lines such as Gwen Stephani, Kylie Minogue and reportedly Kate Moss. There were 37 celebrity-endorsed scents over the last few years and the trend continues to surge. P&G says that they signed with Aguilera not to keep up with the trend, but because they wanted to reach a demographic and that the loyal fan base of Aguilera that is part of that demographic.

In a previous post I mentioned the surge in celebrity fragrances, but I have to wonder if soon the market will see an over saturation of it. While Jennifer Lopez has show staying power with her fragrance, will the over abundance of celebrity fragrances dilute the success of each new celebrity brand that makes it onto the shelves?

What do you think?

From PR Web: A little over a year ago, eyelash extensions were just another new buzz beauty treatment on the beauty scene. Today they are the hottest service in town! LA Times' Reporter Elizabeth Snead went to Frederick Fekkai's Beverly Hills salon days before the Oscars to check out what stars were doing this year to prepare for the big event. According to Elizabeth's 'Styles and Scenes' article about her experience, "Xtreme Lashes were the most popular beauty treatment at Fekkai, ranking above mani-pedis and blow-outs." She said "99% of Hollywood actresses" are having them applied this week to "get noticed at the Oscars," including stars Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson.

So, what is it about eyelash extensions that have these stars and others hooked? Beverly Hills Celebrity Stylist and trends expert Billy Lowe has some thoughts on the Hollywood lash boom. Lowe believes the high demand is due in part to a combination of busy lifestyles and the perpetual beauty that eyelash extensions provide. For celebrities and other high profile women Billy said, "Eyelash extensions can provide a time saving step in the hair/makeup beauty treatment process and they have the added bonus of never tearing up, running or smearing. Less fuss, less touchups and the mornings go by that much faster when pressed for time. Everyday these ladies can virtually get up and go, whether at home or on vacation, and look fabulous with little or no makeup." Xtreme Lashes can last indefinitely if touch-ups are done every two to four weeks to replace lashes lost due to natural shedding. For stars that are photographed daily, even while running to the grocery store, eyelash extensions have become almost a necessity.

As we begin the Spring and Summer months there’s a new hairstyle trend becoming more noticeable to go along with the season’s fresh and sassy style: texture. The textured look isn’t just curl, it’s anything from volume and lift to soft waves and extreme curls. This new trend had me thinking about adding life back to my hair, which is currently pin straight. In the past I used to perm my hair for texture. I know what you are thinking, “A perm?” Yes, a perm, and perms are not what they used to be—smelly, poodle curled, brittle hair.

I know, even the thought of smelling like a skunk for several days is nothing short of appealing, but I recently found that Zotos has come out with a new perm formula called Texture EFX that is the perm minus the smell. I currently use a few Zotos products, so I am always checking out their site to see what’s new. Texture EFX’s has two formulas, one for normal and resistant hair and one for color treated or previously permed hair so that women who chose to also color treat their hair can also perm their hair without worrying about fading and breakage. Both of the formulas use the cysteamine chemistry technology to produce healthy curls full of shine and texture. A fortifying splash is also introduced during the process to strengthen hair and eliminate that traditional odor from yesterday’s perms. So there goes that notion that perming your hair means living in isolation until the smell has disappeared. Another benefit is that the color treated formula processes in as little as 2-3 minutes, which is nothing short of amazing.

The processing tools that you can use with this product are also not set to the typical time-consuming perm rods of the past. You can get creative using bridal tulle, large bender rods and even aluminum foil to accomplish a variety of textured looks. If you are interested in achieving this no-smell textured look, be sure to discuss it with your stylist, as they can purchase it at Sally’s Beauty Supply for about $6. So no odor, great price and I can have a long lasting textured look in under 5 minutes? I’m sold.

Over the last several months, I’ve noticed more and more beauty brands announcing that they are going on tour. Of course, what better way to capture a beauty addicts attention than to lure her in with a beauty tour. I’m sure anyone who has a favorite beauty brand or just loves all beauty products in general will admit to the fun of indulging in some pampering while socializing with others who share their same love for beauty products.

Since last year we’ve seen several beauty tours make their way across the US, most only going to major cities. Last October CoverGirl promoted their new LashExact mascara by traveling to 8 US locations and giving away the mascara for free when guests turned in their department store brand. They traveled in a hard to miss purple van to generate the buzz as they traveled.

Last month Laura Geller didn’t just hold a tour, she had a cruise. On March 25th fans of Laura Geller booked their 7-night cruise on Carnival Cruise Lines and headed to the Bahamas. While on the cruise Ms. Geller gave makeup seminars. What a great way to relax while traveling with your favorite beauty brand and learning directly from the owner herself? Beginning last month and continuing into this month the Style Network has Garnier and Maybelline hitching a ride on their tour bus as they travel the country to give makeovers and promote the charity Dress for Success. Then of course, there is the BE Fan Tour traveling the country. Bare Escentuals has a cult-like following that has made them very successful and already their upcoming tour date in Chicago is sold out.

It’s obvious that the brands listed above understand that interacting with their consumers on their home turf promotes a relationship that is incapable of being established just from making a purchase at the store. Not only will it create loyalty and a buzz, but it will get the brand’s fan’s talking and doing much of the promoting for them. A happy customer, after all, is your best advertisement.

What do you think? Are beauty tours something we will see more of this year?

Women’s Wear Daily had an article today that brought attention to one of the newest beauty trends going on that involves pomegranate. Last year we began to see the trend when it came to food products, but now it has made the cross over to skin care and cosmetics as well.

Studies have shown pomegranates to have powerful antioxidant properties. These properties are not only beneficial to our health when we eat the fruit or when it is an ingredient in a food product, but it is also beneficial in topical skin care. Pomegranates are said to promote the regeneration of cells in the two most important layers of healthy skin, the epidermis and dermis. One of my favorite facial moisturizers is Korres Pomegranate Balancing Moisturizer. It’s perfect for my combination skin and also the elasticity as I get older. (The scent is pretty intoxicating as well.)

One of the cosmetic lines that I use is Jane Iredale’s, which is mineral makeup with skin care benefits. Most of Jane Iredale’s products contain pomegranate extract. As Jane notes on her website:

"According to researchers from the University of Wisconsin, it’s also a promising agent against skin cancer. Researchers assessed the effect of skin application of pomegranate extract on induced skin tumors. The skin pretreated with pomegranate extract showed substantially reduced tumor incidence.”

Jane Iredale’s Pom Mist is a facial spritzer that contains pomegranate extract to keep your skin healthy and as a base to set her mineral powders. Some of her other products that contain pomegranate extract are her Matte Loose Finish Powder, Pure Gloss, eye shadows and so on. You can check out her website and type in “pomegranate extract” to pull up the complete listing of products that contain this ingredient.

The pomegranate bandwagon is definitely one trend that is advantageous to get in on. With nothing but health benefits for our skin, it’s one ingredient that I don’t mind seeing so many brands adding to their beauty products.