Archive for the ‘Beauty’ Category

TGIF, my lovelies.

For those of you who live in NYC – and have a little lady with long locks underfoot – you might want to carve out some time on Sunday afternoon to learn how to create this adorable heart-shaped braid, courtesy of Cozy’s Cuts for Kids.

But fret not, all ye who reside elsewhere: A little closer to Valentine’s Day, I’ll be back with a chit-chat with Cozy herself – and step-by-step directions for this crazy-cute hairstyle.

Trust me, no one needs a lesson – or Cozy’s great kid’s detangling and styling tips – more than French braid-challenged Momover Lady. Bon weekend.

Here’s my well-intended but ultimately misguided new habit, which is putting a dent in my bank account while simultaneously not putting a dent in the overflowing stash spilling from the hot pink bins and buckets in my Beauty Armoire: I get an idea in my head – “Let’s try sparkly Kyle Richards eyes!” – and then proceed to round up all the necessary gear to make that idea happen.

And more often than not, I end up buying something.

This is not brills. I need new beauty products like I need a hole in my head. And I don’t need a hole in my head, because I have a hard enough time as it is keeping all my marbles trapped inside my fake-blonde noggin.

Like so many of you – please, I see the search-terms you use, don’t play coy – I’m mesmerized by the disco-ball action on Kyle’s upper lids. And this season, she seems to be glittering around the clock, no matter what manufactured scenario we “catch” her in. No task is too mundane, no outfit too schlubby for the full-tilt eye glitz.

It’s unnerving, but fascinating, too, like viewing some exotic and vibrantly marked creature in its native habitat. I recently caught the last few minutes of “Birds of the Gods” on the Nature show on PBS, which was all about the spectacularly plumed and multi-hued feathered beauties of paradise in New Guinea. Immediately, I thought of Kyle and her sparkly eyeshadow.

So in preparation for a chicks’ cocktail hour for my friend Vix’s birthday, I decided to try to glitz it up myself. Building my little project around my new Tom Ford Eye Color Quad in Silvered Topaz, I started scrolling through my mental Rolodex: Do I have the right brushes? Where are my brushes? Will I need to pick up a few new ones to get the right look?

Um, no, Momover Lady. You will not need to pick up a few new ones to get the right look. (But of course I did. More on that shortly.)

First, on a trip to Target for the express purpose of picking up new undies – but I couldn’t deal with the chaos of those shelves, I need order - I considered buying a Sonia Kashuk eyeshadow brush. “Wait a minute,” I said to myself, “don’t you have the equivalent of a warehouse of Sonia Kashuk brushes at home?” Yay! Saved myself $10 bucks, or however much that little number was.

But today, on a run to the mall to fetch those undies I so desperately needed (six pairs of Vicky Secrets’ lace thongs in nude), as well as a gifty for my pal Vix (sssshhhh…it’s a yummy box of Godiva), I foolishly popped into Sephora.

Ka-ching.

I am now the not-proud owner of a Slanted Eyeliner Brush, a Classic Double-Ended Flawless Complexion Brush for applying foundation and concealer (not that that has a damn thing to do with creating sparkly eyes, but I just had to have it) and a bottle of Daily Makeup Brush Cleaner to spiff up all the brushes I already owned.

Grrr…I could have saved a whale with that money. And I should have saved a whale with that money.

Okay gotta go get Kyle-sparkly for Vix’s girls’ bash.

For those of you eagerly anticipating my first-ever Downton Abbey recap, alas, this isn’t it.

Hubby would only let me watch the first hour before he called lights out, and then proceeded to scroll through roughly eight zillion financial websites on his laptop before officially shutting down Hubby + Wifey Central.

Grrr….

Thus, I must watch the second hour tonight. And while I was literally screaming at the telly during the initial 50 minutes – poor Bates and Anna! – I need to get the full lay of the land before I can do the episode proper justice.

In the meantime, I simply must sing Elizabeth McGovern‘s praises from the rafters.

She was always gorgeous; that isn’t even remotely up for debate.

And now she is an equally luminous 50-year-old woman who is giving hope to all of us who aren’t completely convinced that shooting our faces full of Botox and fillers is the best way to sail into our futures.

Granted, I have no idea what McGovern, who plays the warm and charming matriarch Lady Grantham, does of a beauty nature. For all I know, she’s at the dermatologist for injections every other week.

But I doubt it. Because unlike so many actresses, she actually looks her age.

Of course, when she’s in a scene with the crinkly-fabulous Maggie Smith, McGovern looks like a young hottie in comparison. But when she’s with her TV daughters she just looks like a blissed-out, well-dressed mama hen clucking over her unlined chicks. The antithesis, in other words, of a Real Housewife jamming herself into a pair of bedazzled jeans.

Last night, while I was watching McGovern, I wanted to reach through the flatscreen and give her a massive hug for showing us there is indeed another way to go about this aging business. Writing this blog post is the digital version of that thank-you snuggle.

I trust we all had a wonderful holiday? And that our assorted tot-lets turned cartwheels over their prezzies? The Wee Lass certainly did, especially over her pretty new Schwinn Dee-Lite, as well as her bespectacled Molly McIntire doll and the mega Palomino to go along with it.

And how’s this for perfect? Last Thursday, the Wee Lass thought it would be “fun” to hide one of her Zhu Zhu pets in a box of packing peanuts headed for the recycling center in our building. Guess who freaked out when she realized, much later in the day, what she’d done? Quelle surprise, after begging our super to sift through all the crunched-up cardboard in the basement, he came up Zhu Zhu-less.

But happily – if 1000 percent coincidentally – Aunt Jan had sent her another Zhu Zhu for Xmas, complete with a skateboard and U-turn track. Crisis averted.

Of course, the best news of all is that she doesn’t seem that into her new toy Singer sewing machine. Which is exactly what Momover Lady was hoping would happen. Thus she won’t know, or care, if I spirit it off for a few covert stitching sessions.

Aaaaah life is good. And it was made even better when I nipped off on Friday for a little pre-holiday pampering at the Vinotherapie Spa by Caudalie at the Plaza.

I guess I should have realized how packed the Plaza – perhaps the most storied hotel in New York – would be at this time of year. And indeed, it was Tourist Central, with peeps literally tripping over each other with their shopping bags and packages.

But tucked away on the fourth floor, the Caudalie spa is the very definition of oasis. So quiet and soothing, with a wine bar in the central hub, so you can get a tad hammered between treatments, if you’re so inclined. I didn’t imbibe, shockingly, but I will circle back to the wine bar in a second.

My purpose that day was to test-drive one of the “Beauty Under An Hour” treatments that I’d learned about when I attended the FITist FIT MOM press event several weeks ago. There are four treatments in total – all lightning-fast combo packs for face and body -  and I chose “Vine Power,” which included a full facial, manicure and a “petite” pedicure. (Which basically meant a buffing, sanding and clean-up for the tootsies sans nail lacquer, which I don’t bother with during the non-summer months anyway.)

The facial rocked. My aesthetician, Aniko, was a straight shooter, doling out the stern advice and the compliments in equal measure. On a nice note, she said my skin looked “excellent for your age” but she was not down with my recent Refissa use, which she thinks is rendering my mug entirely too sensitive. Though it might be okay in warmer months when the humidity is higher, right now, it’s giving me the scalies and flakies. Not good. Thus, I agreed to scale back to once every four weeks or so, to see how I fare.

Oh, and she was a little appalled by my messy eyebrows, which are actually kind of growing, thanks to my diligence with the neuVeau Brow. “I’ll just clean up a bit, if you don’t mind,” Aniko said, whipping out her tweezers. “No charge.”

Meanwhile, Gina, my nail technician, was busily engaged in ministering to my feet and hands. I feel like a Kardashian, I thought, as one woman tended to my facial pores as the other buffed and sloughed.

Though I almost never wear nail lacquer on my hands – because I don’t have the patience to wait for it to dry and I abhor chips and smudges – I thought I’d try it to appease the Wee Lass, who is forever up in my grill for not being fancy enough. Her frequent lament: “I wish I knew you in your high heel days.” Sniff sniff.

But I have to say that at the Caudalie spa, waiting for your nail lacquer to dry is a blast – especially for une Francophile comme moi. That’s because the wine bar | lounging area is packed with books like Paris Living Rooms.

Ooh la la – how did I not know about this book already? It sooooo has my name written all over it. Why? Well, the very first of the living rooms is Carine Roitfeld’s, stripped down to its bones. I mean, it looks exactly like a hotel. And faithful readers know I am forever on a quest to make my home look as austere, forbidding and utterly untouchable as a high-end hotel. How much does it figure that one of my idols has already completely nailed that look? In fact, it’s even less cozy, because La Roitfeld doesn’t even have a single piece of art on the walls.

Okay, I’m on nanny duty this morning so I better jet. But here’s to successful holiday prezzie-gifting, gorgeous spas and homes that look like hotels. Yay!

An early Xmas prezzie arrived in the form of some truly stunning Tom Ford makeup and one of his gorgeous artisanal scents, Jasmin Rouge.

That Ford has crafted impeccable, covetable beauty products isn’t brandy new news; in-the-know types have been swooning over his richly pigmented, grown-up lipsticks since the 2010 launch. And the full range of maquillage, as well as a tightly edited collection of skincare items, made a rather splashy debut at Bergdorf Goodman last month – helped in massive part by a personal appearance by the dashing designer himself.

Happily, I’d been thinking it might be time to step away from the girlish glosses – at least occasionally – and embrace full-on lipstick again. Ford’s super-hydrating numbers feel great, with a texture that isn’t madame in the slightest.

And clearly I’ve been watching too much RHOBH, because I immediately thought of Kyle Richards when I clicked open the Eye Color Quad in Silvered Topaz.

But here’s what I didn’t expect to happen: To get so taken with the line that I would spend quite a bit of Q-time on the Bergs website, as well as Ford’s company site, learning more about it.

I’m in love with this earnest video, in which Ford discusses his beauty philosophy. It’s a message of glamour and polish and putting your best foot forward, all of which I heartily applaud. He and I are the same age, so a lot of his cultural touchstones – that hyper-glossy, Studio 54-era makeup and windblown hair – are mine as well. I was weaned on late-Seventies Vogue and Bazaar, and all those glamazons. And right now, as I type this post, I can see not one but two copies of Scavullo On Beauty in my office bookcase. (Hard cover and paper, natch.)

If I have two copies of Scavullo’s seminal book, I’m sure Tom has ten. Thank you, Mr. Ford, for bringing all that glamour and luxury back – in spades.

Tomorrow I’m having lunch with my new writer pal Julia Somewhere In Transition Barclay. (Someday I’ll stop referring to her as Julia Somewhere In Transition Barclay, but for now, she’s Julia Somewhere In Transition Barclay.) And I intend to bring her a goodie bag stuffed with beautifiers.

Not that she needs them; this isn’t an indictment of her looks, which are lovely.

Rather, it’s that thing we gals do. We gift. Or, in my case, we re-gift from the cavernous recesses of our Beauty Armoires.

Because she and I don’t know each other that well yet, I only have the most fleeting cues to go by: She has long hair. It’s blonde. She doesn’t wear oodles of makeup, but I’m sure she’d appreciate one or two items along those lines. And skincare.

Yes, I know; it’s a little weird for one woman to give another woman skincare. But since Julia Somewhere In Transition Barclay and I are exactly the same age (whatever, I’m a few months older), I have a sneaking suspicion what some of her complexion concerns might be.

So right now, I’m going on a fishing expedition. When I return, I’ll report on what I nabbed for her.

Okay, I’m back. And I’ve collected:

1. Aveda Damage Remedy Restructuring Conditioner

2. Comfort Zone Renight Recover Cream

3. Tata Harper Restorative Eye Creme

4. Caudalie Vinosource Quenching Sorbet-Crème

5. Murad Eye Lift Illuminator

6. Shea Moisture Organic Raw Shea Butter Soap

And a…

7. Set of Sonia Kashuk makeup brushes, kinda like this one

There, I think she’ll like all that. And it won’t be too taxing to lug all that into the office for her. Yay. A win-win, as they say.

Oops, it’s Tuesday already. I started this post last night, when it was still technically Beauty Armoire Monday, but I was falling asleep over my keypad. I kicked-off my new work schedule this week (Monday thru Wednesday in Gotham, the rest of the week Chez Momover Lady), and I’ve haven’t quite adjusted to the ramped-up pace.

Which brings us, conveniently, to my subject matter.

Knowing I needed to get beyond-organized, I went on a tear over the weekend, attacking the Sephora-level amount of war paint in my bathroom and arranging it in such a way that it’s – gasp – actually functional. And – double gasp – pleasant to use rather than slit-your-wrists frustrating.

I have to know exactly where all my maquillage is, because I’ll have approximately five seconds to cake it all on.

Sooo…I already had one small, three-tiered trunk in play for a while. And while it started out fairly tidy – divided by eyes, lips and face – it had eventually gotten topsy turvy, with a lot of dead wood that needed weeding out. Cobalt-blue eyeshadows I never wear, mascaras past their sell-by date, pencils with the tops broken off.

To up the organization ante, I brought in another small trunk – one without tiers, which I’m assuming is for bottles that need to stay upright. I decided to designate that one solely for complexion items – foundation, tinted moisturizer and concealer. Nothing else. Not even blush and bronzing powder, which are just six degrees of separation from complexion. I wanted to be a purist.

Not to mention a geek of the highest order. At least I can admit that about myself. This is the type of stuff that floats my boat; makeup so hyper-organized that complexion gets its very own trunk.

It’s not that I wear a lot of foundation. I can’t remember the last time I used a liquid formula, for instance. I’m pretty sure it was custom-blended Prescriptives, which is basically out of business. so that should tell you how long ago it was. Wait, now I’m confused – I just visited the Prescriptives website, and it says they’re “refreshing” the line for 2011, so who knows what’s up with that once-fabulous brand.

I’ve blogged many times about my abiding love for Bobbi Brown stick foundation. That’s my desert-island must-have.

But here are the complexion items in heavy rotation:

1. Philosophy Hope In a Tinted Moisturizer

2. CoverGirl & Olay Simply Ageless Foundation

3. Murad Skin Perfecting Primer | Dewy Finish

4. Yves Saint Laurent Touch Éclat

5. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20

6. Sonia Kashuk Concealer Palette

7. L’Oreal Paris Feel Naturale Light-Softening One-Step Makeup

OMG, that’s a lot of spackle. But I said “heavy rotation,” which means I rotate. And speaking of which, I need to go rotate right now and get out the door in a timely manner.

I have a problem with beauty compliance. AKA stick-to-it-ive-ness. AKA ADD. AKA I get super-excited about some new potion or gadget, use it for a spell and then wander off, only to get super-excited about some other new potion or gadget. In that regard, I’m like a two-year-old confronted with a pile of shiny toys.

With entire categories of beautifiers, this compliance stuff doesn’t matter. Like, say, with makeup. If you’re using a particular blush one week, and then switch gears to another brand, or formula or shade, the Earth will not stop turning on its axis. Really. It won’t.

But if you’re itching to solve an actual beauty dilemma – e.g., brown spots or frizziness or thyroid-induced bald patches in your brows (grrr times a million) – you kinda gotta stick with the program.

First, of course, you need the program. That’s why, last Monday, after I blogged about the wonders of matte bronzing powder, I moved “Find That Damn Missing neuveauBrow” to the top of my Beauty To Do List.

And after a lengthy search, I finally fished it out of my Beauty Armoire, along with its kissing cousin, neuLash.

It’s at this point in the blog post that I’m supposed to tell you that these were given to me for free, right? I sort of don’t get that whole “I didn’t pay for this” scenario, because I certainly never felt any such disclosure obligations as a magazine editor. But whatever, Momover Lady is perfectly happy to move into the 21st century, kicking and screaming. Besides, I spend tons of cash-money on beauty products and services, so it’s not like there’s never any shortage of stuff to write about that I did pay for.

Wait – is “for” a preposition? And am I therefore, grammatically speaking, not supposed to end a sentence with it? Sheesh. I’m a mess. First I get a bunch of free beauty products, and then I have the audacity to end a sentence with “for.” And looky there, I just did it again.

Okay, so back to these two baldness-eradicators, and where compliance fits into the mix. Of course now I can’t find the brochure that came with the neuveauBrow (where is Iris, my Clutter Whisperer, when I need her?), so I was forced to visit the website to find out how long I might need to keep at it before I start seeing some bald-patch fill-in action. Thankfully, the site has info on both products – lash and brow – so it was essentially one-stop info shopping.

So here’s what I learned:

1. In the testimonials section, Anne from Florida, age 60, is a happy, bushy-browed camper. And Daniele’s endless lashes are distracting her co-workers to such a degree that several corporate projects have now been derailed. (I embellished a bit on the end there, but Daniele is distracting her co-workers. She said so herself.)

2. Results for neuveauBrow can be seen “in as little as four weeks.” For neuLash, get set to distract your own co-workers in approximately 30 days. Hey, four weeks and “approximately 30 days” are basically the same! Close call. But at least this admitted math moron caught her mistake before she hit “publish” on this blog post.

3. Ouch, they’re quite spendy. For a 60-day supply, the neauveauBrow is $100 and the neuLash will set you back $85.

That’s actually a lot of dough. So I really need to stay the course and report back honestly to you Momoverettes about whether I think they’re working. So far, I’m eight days in with both of them. And while I thought I saw some regrowth on my “problem brow,” it was just a mirage (or wishful thinking.) Hold on, if you’re a thirsty camel in the desert, a mirage is wishful thinking.

Feeling very bubble-headed this morning. Bubble-headed and bald-patchy.

As we speak (or, more accurately, as I write and you read), there’s an entire fleet of handymen in front of our condo building, converting what is cheerfully known as “Elephant Plaza” into an ice skating rink.

They do this every year, moving the water-spouting Daddy, Mommy and Baby bronzey-brassy pachyderms off into the bushes nearby, along with the curvy stone tables and benches that the neighborhood nannies are camped-out on all day, every day, during the warmer months.

And over the next week or so, those same worker bees will build-out the rink, put down the ice and cover the adjacent concrete with rubber mats so all those would-be Johnny Weirs don’t destroy their blades.

I feel sad. Not swallow a handful of pills sad. Or even max-out the credit card sad. Just a little blue because it’s so official: The winter is upon us and the elephants are in the bushes.

So just now, as I was rousting around in my Beauty Armoire for that darn neuveauBrow (we’ve reached a crisis point with the thyroid-induced bald patch, and I know it’s in there somewhere), I came across about 90 other unopened goodies I want to try.

Beauty Junkie, thy name is Momover Lady.

But one product, in particular, will help me make the mental leap from Elephants to Ice – Lancôme Star Bronzer in Natural Matte 02 Sunkiss.

There’s a way to use bronzing powder in winter that reads more Hot Mom, and less Exotic Dancer, and I’d like to think I’ve perfected that technique. Here, my rules:

1. First, make sure your mug is very moisturized. Color on top of flaky skin is a massive no-no. Blech.

2. Next, even out your complexion before applying bronzing powder. Since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, I’ve been dabbing Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick on any stray bits of redness – around the nose, chin, etc. I go through tubes of it. And I pay for it myself, which should underscore how addicted I am.

3. Only bump up your natural color two shades, max. My Lancôme was gifted to me by my publicist pal Patricia, who knows how ghostly pale I get this time of year, so the shade is mellow and manageable. And don’t even think about going the sparkly, shimmery route right now. At least not during the day; if you want to be all lit up like a Christmas tree at night, that’s your prerogative. But as long as the sun is shining, hit the matte.

4. Use a super-fluffy brush to apply it. You want an all-over wash of color, not a 1970s “contouring” vibe. (Though contouring is making a comeback, because it’s pretty brills for optically slimming noses and carving sexy cheekbones, sans surgical scalpel. Fodder for another blog post…)

5. Add a bit of blush on top. That looks sooooo purdy. And don’t forget a swipe of lipstick or gloss, perhaps in one of those universally flattering nudey-rose shades. It’s probably just my age (sniff, sob), but I can’t really get away with bronzing powder and blush without some lip action. Momover Lady needs some lip action.

Before anyone gets their knickers in a twist and starts going all Occupy Wall Street on me, let me just state upfront that this blog post is mostly aimed at preggos and new moms who have a bit of disposable income at their….disposal. Maybe not Petra Ecclestone-level dough, but definitely a bit of pocket change.

I know people get really pissed about that these days; I can’t tell you how many blogosphere wrist slaps I’ve gotten for admitting I belong to Harry & David’s Organic Fruit Of The Month Club. Sheesh, the venom. You’d have thought I’d traded the Wee Lass for a Birkin.

Anyway, the only reason I’m being so gauche as to discuss money is that I’m about to tell you about a very smart – if indulgent – plan called FIT MOM that can help you ace your pregnancy and | or new mommyhood feeling vibrant and energetic and up to the challenge. That’s really important. Given how much our hyped-up, modern lives have cut us off from a more natural, slower approach to having babies and recuperating postpartum, a qualified support team can be a godsend.

So first, I’d like to tell you the specifics of FIT MOM, which is brought to you by FITiST, the members-only “one-stop booking website for wellness and fitness,” based in New York and L.A., that offers a range of curated regimens and access to many top fitness studios and spas. Then I’ll summarize some very useful advice I got from the press event to launch the program.

FIT MOM

Monthly Plan

* 12 classes customized by Pregnancy Fitness Expert Andrea Orbeck. Via Skype, Andrea will tailor a program perfectly suited to your body, goals, lifestyle and needs.
* Weekly nutrition advice from Dr. Oz Garcia
* One private yoga session
* Caudalie Limited Edition Spa in a Bag: Tone and Slim Collection
* Price: $525 for New Yorkers; $440 for Los Angelenos

FIT MOM PRESS EVENT

There was a panel of super-smarties at the press event, including Orbeck, whom I’d never met before, and celeb nutritionist Oz Garcia, whom I’ve known for years and have blogged about several times. Rounding out the group were Pilates whiz Brooke Siler; yogi Kristin McGee and Mathilde Thomas, co-founder of the lovely French skincare brand Caudalie.

Here, excellent preggo + postpartum tips from each:

1. Andrea Orbeck: Having whipped Heidi Klum into shape after baby number four (!), Andrea is known as “the Pied Piper of sexy bottoms and long, lean legs.” She’s all about re-orging your fitness routine to fit your new post-newborn life. Only have 10 minutes to work out? Go for it, no excuses. “Intensity is a surrogate for duration,” she says. “You have to re-invent and be creative,” breaking one long mega-session into do-able chunks.

2. Oz Garcia: I felt vindicated when Oz mentioned that pregnancy can wreak havoc on our thyroids. Since my own GP scoffed when I posited this theory, I loved hearing this über wellness guru basically tell me that I wasn’t insane. According to Oz, a lot of what gets diagnosed as postpartum depression may in fact be thyroiditis. So to that end, he suggests that every new mom who isn’t feel up to snuff get her thyroid tested. Wearing his nutritionist’s hat, Oz urges a largely plant-based diet, with a bit of low-mercury seafood thrown into the mix (or fish oil capsules) for the omega 3 essential fatty acids they provide. “Eat small,” he says, “trout, bass, grouper, salmon and sardines.” Other healthy musts: Nuts, lentils, beans. But if you’re pregnant, he says, stay the hell away from coffee. Caffeine easily leaps the placental barrier, and you don’t want to subject your little Miss or Mister to that.

3. Brooke Siler: A Pilates pioneer of sorts – not that she isn’t totally young and amazing! – Brooke says to make the playground your new fitness studio. In other words, instead of sitting on that bench yakking with the nannies and checking your CrackBerry, do some pull ups on the monkey bars, or run a few laps around the perimeter. Just move it. Also: If you’ve never done Pilates before, pregnancy is not the time to start. Wait until you’ve delivered – and fully recuperated – before you embark on a beginner program. Another cute tip: Use your baby as a weight for squats. Trust me, they’ll love it.

4. Kristin McGee: While standing balance poses can really help shore up your confidence around carrying your ever-growing bundle of joy, McGee says that Plank, an all-over toner that’s fairly easy to execute, is pretty much her desert island must-have move. And to keep your energy high, she recommends keeping an empty Altoids tin packed with almonds.

5. Mathilde Thomas: To prevent the dreaded “mask of pregnancy,” Mathilde says SPF is crucial. And make sure to OD on body moisturizer, despite the fact that your face might actually be producing more oil during pregnancy and require a lighter formula. Not gaining too much weight while pregnant is also a great idea, she says. I happen to agree with her. But bear in mind she’s French, and as we all know, French women don’t get fat.

More on Mathilde in an upcoming blog post. I’m going to visit the gorge Caudalie spa at the Plaza Hotel, so I’ll report back on my yummy experience. Just because the Wee Lass is pushing six doesn’t mean I don’t need to pamper myself, oui?