From Selma’s Chic Green Fingertips Straight to Your Heart

Selma Blair (and her chic green nails) with my friend Christopher (Tofer) Matthew Papish

Most women herald the arrival of fall with a new sweater, an on-trend bag, maybe a new pair of fabulous boots. Me, I’m looking mostly at nails and lips. By August I pretty much know which two or three new lipsticks I’ll be carrying around with me for the Season, as well as which nail colors I’ll be waiting for, as I always assume my good taste will align with that of other New York women and that I will be waiting for something.


I had heard about my soon-to-be new favorite color before Chanel even released it, but I couldn’t tell from their ads and promos if it was really something I couldn’t live without. The color of which I speak is Khaki Vert, an indescribable creamy green and one of the three new Khakis that also includes Brun (a gorgeous rich greenish-brown) and Rose (a woodsy rose). But it wasn’t until I saw it for the first time gracing the beautiful hands of the resplendent Selma Blair that I realized what a knockout it was…and that I could not, in fact, live without it.

But here the actress was, graciously hosting the Chernobyl Children's International Project (CCPI) auction of Helena Christensen’s photography at Stella McCartney on Fashion’s Night Out, wearing a gorgeous white dress, emerald and diamond ring, with her fingertips freshly painted in Khaki Vert. My friend Christopher (Tofer) Matthew Papish, President of Water, et al., Inc. and Selma were discussing the Fund and its founder’s Angels, both here and abroad. They also stopped to note each other’s outfits. She loved his vintage swank bolo tie over an Oscar de la Renta necktie, and he – being a little like me about these things – was stunned by her perfect nail color.

But I digress from the real point of the evening, which was to benefit Chernobyl Children's Project International, founded in Ireland by the incomparable Ms. Adi Roche, the organization’s Executive Director, who has tirelessly worked since 1990 to provide aid to the children of Belarus, Western Russia and Ukraine. She, along with CCPI, film director Maryanne De Leo, and Kathy Ryan, of CCPI’s U.S. Division, are the forces behind the truly incredible Oscar-Winning Short Subject Documentary Chernobyl Heart.

Now, for the record, my life is not nearly as interesting nor as humanitarian as either Ms. Blair’s or Ms. Roche’s, so I satisfied myself with looking through Tofer’s photos from the event, which included the above – at least to the nail-color obsessed – show-stopper of an image. The very next day I headed off to my Temple of Happiness, the Bloomingdale’s cosmetics floor, where I was able to score the last bottle they had on hand of Khaki Vert.

I have never – and I do mean never – received as many comments on my nails as I did during the week I wore it. Some people said nothing and just stared while I did mundane things like swiped my debit card and signed receipts. Whenever it seemed appropriate, I mentioned where I first saw it, what the event was and who was wearing it. And now that you’ve read this and you know what I know, and how to get more information, you may decide you want to donate your time or resources to the cause where I first saw it make its public appearance.

Can a nail polish be a gateway to doing good for humankind? If it’s this one, it can.

Special note about this post: this would not have been possible without the tireless help and dedication of my dear friend Tofer, my new friend Angela Trofi, whom I am honored to know now because of writing this, and Kathy Ryan herself, who approved the text despite her relentless schedule. If you read this and are moved to action, please consider contacting and donating to CCPI and sharing this information with your friends. Makeup enhances our beauty and confidence, but it's our beautiful deeds that make a better world.

Most of You Are Buying the Wrong Products for Your Skin and Dr. Leslie Baumann Wants to Change That

Note: This post was originally written for HeyDoYou.com, a lifestyle, fashion and beauty blog for the cute, clever and connected. I'm a Guest Blogger for them and attended this event on November 9th.

It’s been five years since women all over America who had been wearing the wrong bra size – 80% of them evidently – cast their old bras aside at Oprah Winfrey’s urging, and got properly fitted for new bras, thus enhancing their self confidence and style. Now it’s time for 80% of women – hopefully not the same 80% – to turn their attention to their skin.

Enter Dr. Leslie Baumann, who has dedicated her practice and research to ensuring that her patients are properly educated on the actual type of skin they have (not the type they think they have), for only then can they treat it properly and protect it, nurture it and make it look its best. Dr. Baumann was in New York today to promote her book, The Skin Type Solution, her new PBS special airing this month (check your local listings) and her website, skintypesolutions.com. 

Dr. Baumann’s 16 skin types are based on being either Oily or Dry; Resistant or Sensitive (i.e., having acne, rosacea, burning, etc.); Pigmented or Non-Pigmented (this is not related to ethnicity but rather to unwanted brown spots); and Wrinkled or Tight. “Eighty percent of women think they know their skin type and they’re wrong,” Dr. Baumann said. “Oily people think they’re dry and wrinkled people think they’re less wrinkled..."

You get the idea.

Dr. Baumann’s system evolved from 400 questions and her work with thousands of patients’ skin. The result is a questionnaire that literally anyone can fill out online. Based on the type of skin one has, Dr. Baumann and her team then recommend a full complement of skin care products from a range of brands that are best for you (“I’m not affiliated with particular brands,” she says).

Once you go through the process of getting properly typed – which I did today – it makes you wonder why we are all so willing to spend our hard-earned money on products that promise the world but might be totally wrong for us. Vanity? I think it’s safe to say that’s certainly a component of caring for our skin, but if that’s the case then wouldn’t we want to do it right? I can’t recall a department store cosmetics salesperson asking me if I ever smoked cigarettes (I did but don’t anymore), how much cumulative time I’ve spent in the sun (quite a bit ages ago but never now), or if I am usually able to use hotel soaps on my face without incident (I am). But Dr. Baumann did ask me, and she will ask you, too…

I won’t tell you my type, but I will tell you I’m now in the 20%.

Dr. Leslie Baumann addressing the group on Tuesday

The Devil in the Details: Job Interview Makeup

When we see Anne Hathaway as Andrea Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada getting ready for her Human Resources interview at Runway Magazine, her entire beauty regimen – even for this important occasion – comprises brushing her teeth and putting on ChapStick. This scene is juxtaposed with the über-fabulous fashionistas who are getting ready for their jobs, curling their lashes and putting on eyeliner, lipstick and shadow. It clearly draws the conclusion for us that a lack of makeup is a component of being frumpy, particularly for an interview. Now, nevermind that Anne Hathaway is one of the most gorgeous women alive and could have swine flu and probably still look stunning, but it got me thinking: when mere mortals go on job interviews, we spend time choosing our clothes to look appropriate and professional, but, for women, should our specific makeup choices also be a factor?

I decided to ask an expert, someone who sees job candidates day in and day out. Jenn Marcotte is an Associate with Chaloner Associates, a national executive search firm specializing in communications, marketing, advertising and interactive recruitment. With offices in Boston and New York, Chaloner works with corporate, agency, consulting and non-profit clients in all industries across the US and Canada.

When you sit down with a candidate, you certainly notice their appearance overall – whether they are dressed appropriately and appear well-groomed and neat – in short, professional. But with women, does makeup play a part in your overall? If so, what would make you notice a candidate’s makeup?

I have to admit that when I reflect on all the elements that comprise a candidate's overall appearance, makeup is the last thing that comes to mind, and that’s a good thing! To me, this means that most women are wearing an appropriate amount of makeup to interviews. Well-applied makeup shouldn't jump out at me - it should just enhance your overall appearance. When I do notice makeup, it's when there's too much of it - or it's too loud.

Do you ever meet candidates who are well-dressed and professional in their clothing but are wearing too little or no makeup at all? What sort of impression does this leave you with? How little is too little?

Love it or hate it, it's just a fact that overall appearance will play a part in how well a candidate does during an interview. And ladies, before you get too upset, this doesn't apply only to females – an unkempt beard or mustache on a man can be just as distracting. An employer needs to have confidence that you'll represent them well while on the job. In the industry for which we recruit, PR and communications professionals often serve as corporate spokespeople and may need to be interviewed on camera. So while employers aren't looking for a movie star, they want to know that you'll come across as polished and put together while representing their organization. For women, makeup is a part of the overall appearance equation. Not wearing any makeup could give you that "just rolled out of bed" appearance and you want to demonstrate to a potential employer that you care about your job and take it seriously.  A nice foundation to even out your skin tone, a dab of blush and some lip gloss can go a long way!

On the other hand, if a candidate is overly made-up, what kind of an impression does that give you and what would you recommend to women who tend to err on this side for interviews? How much is too much?

My advice is always to err on the safe side. Save the bright colors for the weekend and stick with neutral tones. When you're being considered for a position, all of the choices that you make are being evaluated. This means everything from choosing to show up 15 minutes late without calling or sending a quick e-mail to let me know, to choosing to wear bright blue eye shadow. Interviewers often only get to spend an hour or less with a candidate before recommending them for a position, so they have to learn to trust their instincts. And if your instincts told you to wear bright blue eye shadow to a conservative law firm, then you might not be the right candidate for their place of business. Think about it this way: you want to be remembered for the great ideas you brought to the table and the success stories you shared from your current job - not for the bright red lipstick you wore.

Is there a “golden rule” you would recommend to women about interview makeup, and do you think this changes according to the industry for which a woman is interviewing?

We recently hosted a talk with stylist and personal brand image consultant, Darcey Howard, of LifeStyled, Ltd. Darcey gave a great piece of advice that I'd like to borrow: Before you leave the house, quickly turn around in a mirror and glance at your reflection. If your eye is drawn to one particular part of your face, you may want to rethink your makeup choices in that area. You don't want too much blush or too dark a shade of lipstick to be a distraction to your interview. You want 100% of their attention focused on what you have to say. 

As for the industry, know your audience. Certainly creative or entertainment-focused industries could be more open-minded to bolder makeup choices than the corporate world so there may be more room to have fun with your look. In 95% percent of cases, however, I'd still recommend sticking to neutrals to even out skin tone and lightly highlight your best features. If you're unsure of your makeup choices, ask a trusted friend, or stop by a Sephora or Bloomingdale’s for some professional advice. 

Prescriptives: The Wonka Factory of Cosmetics

Some months ago, nearly a year now, when the announcement was made that the beloved Prescriptives would be closing its department store counters and phasing out its products online, you could practically hear the collective cry of dismay rise up from women everywhere. It was painful. First the counters ran out of everything, leaving the Prescriptives make-up artists and skin analysts standing around looking simultaneously bored and apologetic, halfheartedly pointing women toward Clinique. Then the counters closed for good, and we all started clamoring for the website, where when something was out of stock we assumed it was out of stock forever. I stockpiled three concealers and two powder compacts, while most of the other products I used were long gone. One girlfriend told me that she used the bulk of a paycheck from a freelance job – delaying financial allocations to things like rent and food – to stock up on her Prescriptives favorites. 

Why all this fuss and dedication? Because Prescriptives is that one line that, above all others, makes it truly look like you aren’t wearing any makeup. This is because they have, hands-down, the best color matching system I know of for base makeup (foundation, powders, concealers), and if their basic range of colors didn't work for you they would - and still will - mix a custom color just for your skin tone. What could be better? 

But then something strange happened. Once we all had stocked up on what we could get our hands on, or found what we thought were suitable replacements, mysterious AVAILABLE NOW e-mails started coming from Prescriptives again. It started to remind me of how Willy Wonka’s Factory shut its gates for several years, only to begin production of chocolate treats again without ever opening its doors. “Nobody ever goes in…nobody ever comes out.” And that’s kind of true, since Prescriptives is now just a website.

How is all this happening? They say: “We are pleased to tell you that due to the continuing high volume of online demand for certain Prescriptives products from our loyal customers, we have made the decision to resume production of our top-selling products at this time.”

I say: it might just be that Oompa-Loompas have turned from chocolate to Makeup Development and Cosmetology.

Tarte Knew What We Needed Before We Knew We Needed It

It's always nice when a cosmetics line anticipates what you need next, like a partner in a healthy relationship. So it was with Tarte this year.  Amid the frenzy of lip stains that came out last spring, ranging from the horrendous felt tip pens of Cover Girl Outlast Lip Stain and Revlon Just Bitten (even more work than CG with its annoying two-step process of covering the gross, dry felt tip pen with balm), all the way to goopy glosses by the major cosmetic houses that could hardly call themselves stains at all, came a parting of the clouds known as Tarte's Lipsurgence.

Already a perennial favorite of mine starting with its Flush cheek and lip stain many years ago, Tarte introduced Lipsurgence this spring claiming that it would increase my lips' moisture content by 6000% in 28 days. Really? Well, I don't care and I really have no idea how I would even figure out if this were true. All I know is that I totally fell in love with this product, and the timing could not have been more perfect. Spring turned into one of the hottest and driest summers on record, a summer when it was hard to be bothered with makeup at all (or what we all had on melted right off) and here was this lovely-textured lip color and balm, sheer enough to put on without a mirror but pretty enough to be noticeable, with its jojoba oil, its peppermint for awesome taste and smell, and vitamins C and E.

But now this wretched summer is over and, as if on cue, my Lipsurgence is running out. It didn't seem right to replace it with more of the same - Tarte seemed to have made this product just for summer.  So imagine my glee when I walked into Sephora for my usual survey of new products, only to find a whole new line of Lipsurgence natural matte lip stains, custom-made for fall in matte colors! The colors are similar to the original line-up, but more muted and subtle, more...well...fall-like. The texture is, as expected, drier (although they're holding to that 6000%!) but the colors are lovely and the matte finish is just what the season needs when you don't really want to go all lipstick-y but you want more than a lip balm or your ChapStick. My favorite is Lively.

 

Thank you, Tarte, for knowing what we needed, when we needed it!

New Sponges (Not Peace and Love) Solve Bacterial Warfare

You go to the makeup counter or drug store (or wherever you buy your products) and purchase your powder compact, either for home or handbag take-along use. It comes with an applicator sponge or puff, usually round or rectangular in shape. You use it for a few weeks and notice that it becomes a little, shall we say, gunky on the applicator side, as well as perhaps a little dirty on the side you have had your hand on. You decide on the lesser of two evils and flip it over. A few more weeks go by. Soon the "new" side is indistinguishable from the first side. But, wait, your sponge is spent and you haven't even worn a hole in your powder yet? What are you supposed to do? Please don't answer this question (even in your head) by saying "keep using the sponge until the powder runs out." This is the wrong answer and will lead to a sponge that looks like this:

This formerly-bright white specimen (for that is the only word I can think to use for it) is, alas, real, and belonged to a dear friend of mine who now knows what I am about to tell you: The sponge that comes with your compact will never last as long as the powder! Why is this important to know? Because as your sponge becomes more used, it's accumulating oils and dirt from your face, and every time you use the powder (perhaps to cover a breakout or two or to absorb oily shine?) you are doing yourself a great disservice because you are merely clogging your skin up further with your own dirt, oil and dead skin cells from earlier, which has now become all mixed together with the lovely powder you spent your good money on. This witches' brew of bacteria and grime is going back into your pores every time you whip out that sponge. Moreover, if you're prone to breakouts to begin with, you are probably breaking yourself out even more.  

Since you now know that your sponge will never last as long as your powder, you should always have an endless supply of replacement sponges of similar size and shape ready to switch out every few weeks...more frequently in the summer (sometimes I switch out once a week during the hot months). These sponges are fortunately easy to find, and - best of all - cheap. You can find them at any drug store, Target, Bed, Bath and Beyond or other store that has a healthy supply of beauty products. If you are fortunate enough to live in New York, the best place to find replacement sponges in my humble opinion is that incomparable Temple of Beauty and magenta wigs, Ricky's. There, among many other things (more on that in another post) you can find my personal favorites, the 24-pack replacement sponges for $4.99!

And there you have it...one of the secrets to clean, clear, bacteria-free skin! And so easy!

The Red Lipstick Hall of Fame: Part I

I know for a fact that I am not the only woman who has long wandered the vast desert of red lipsticks, searching for "the one" - the one that isn't too orange, isn't too blue, isn't too pink, the one that looks glamorous enough for a night out on the town with a date or for a special party but could also be worn straight out the door for no other reason than it just makes you look great.

I also know that I am not the only woman who has bought, sometimes at ridiculous prices, the red lipstick that, in the store, appeared to be "the one," only to come home and find out that I was dreadfully, horribly wrong. I know now (as should you) that most department stores will take back these bad decisions - even if used - particularly if you are willing to exchange it for something else. The best advice for anyone searching for a red lipstick is to do it during the day, try one on and then step outside and look at yourself in natural light. SMILE. If you like what you see, you're in business. That said, several years of research has led me to develop what I will affectionately refer to, going forward, as The Red Lipstick Hall of Fame.

My current favorite, which has sent all the other reds rattling around in my makeup bag to the Makeup Purgatory of my bathroom drawer, is Giorgio Armani Rouge d'Armani #400. It's a true red with just enough blue, just enough pink and no orange whatsoever. The texture is a dream and it lasts, while maybe not the advertised six hours, longer than most products with this texture. Availability on this is pretty good now, although when it came out a few months ago I was waitlisted along with a lot of other people. It should be available on their website, if not at your nearest department store.

If this red doesn't strike your fancy, runners up that I've tested, purchased and used during the past couple of years that are also worth mentioning are:

• Chanel's New York Red, a gorgeous color although its texture is a bit on the dry side. I used this faithfully, day and night, until Armani #400 came out. Also by Chanel is Rouge Allure Lacque #75 in Dragon, a notable exception to my no-lip-gloss rule. The color is divine, and you can glob it on if you are a fan of the I-just-ate-some-greasy-fries look, or you can blot it so it comes up more as a stain (my personal preference). 
• Nars Red Lizard is quite cherry and quite matte...a lovely, lovely color all the way around though some may find it a bit dry.
• At the drugstore, you can find Max Factor's #44, an inexpensive alternative and quite a nice red with a good texture. Revlon's In the Red, also available at drugstores, and Mattese's Approachable, available at Ricky's, are both brick reds that I would highly recommend. In fact, I mentioned Approachable on Facebook the day I found it, and at least three friends are still using it!
• If you have a darker complexion, you can skip all of the above advice and go straight to MAC's Ruby Woo. I have long wished I could wear this color, but alas it looks terrible on me, as I am fair-skinned and light-eyed; however, on darker complexions this shade is a knockout. I have literally stopped Asian and African-American women on the street or in stores and asked them what lipstick they are wearing, and in many cases this has been the answer. 

While we're on the topic of MAC, you may be wondering why more of them are not in my Hall of Fame. Much has been written about MAC's reds (Russian Red, MAC Red, Brave Red, etc.). Women everywhere, Madonna and Gwen Stefani included, have sung the praises of Russian Red in particular. If it works for you, that's great, I've just never found that they've worked for my complexion or coloring.  

Let me know what your votes are for your personal Red Lipstick Halls of Fame, and in the meantime, I hope you're wearing them during the day! Red lips are not just for evening...they are for any strong, sexy, confident woman, and if you think you are none of these things, I swear, red lips will turn you into one!