clothes, boys, and makeup

When I was a teenage girl, my mother (in exasperation because I wasn’t that interested in studying) sniffed in irritation: “all you are interested in are clothes, boys, and makeup!!!”

I remember (back then) being rather hurt by her comment, and I did manage to study, go on to college, and graduate school, make a living, find a husband, and have a decent life (see Mom? I made good!)On the other hand, if I took a cold, hard look at what I do now, I write about relationships, about makeup, and of course, fashion.

So if you REALLY break it down, although I have spent the better part of my adult life helping to make my local community and the world, a better place to live, and even helped to start NYC’s recycling programs, I really DO spend most of my time with…clothes, boys, and makeup!

Which brings me to the shows I’ve been attending lately. For starters, I attended some shows at the Javits Center in Manhattan including the Fame, Moda Manhattan, and the Accessories Show. Most of the booths were taking wholesale orders for items that will be in your stores, probably in late July or August. I saw a dizzing display of everything from amazing, rhinestone studded handbags so loaded with bling that they were nearly blinding under the artifical lights, to clever products that would make cute gifts as well as affordable fashion accessories, such as the photo charm accessories of MemoryMakers, They have bracelets, keychains, even a bracelet watch with silvery metal “frames” into which you can place your own, mini-sized photos (I put photos of my cats in mine….but left one for my wedding photo with my husband, just so people wouldn’t think I was really nutzy!). I will be reviewing MemoryMakers in my July/August What Works Beauty, Cosmetics & Fashion Review column at http://www.advicesisters.net/whatworkscol3.html so watch for it! I didn’t see a lot of themes in the fashions and accessories…any more so than what I saw on the runway during Olympus Fall fashion week a few months ago. The colors were fairly somber, neutrals and black, white and grey, with a bit of khaki or deep brown, thrown in. But I did like the embellishments that seem a bit hippy/artsy-craftsy and lots of tunics with beads and semi-precious stones. They’re not inexpensive, but a long-ish tunic festooned with stones and beads can take you from a dinner, to a special event with a change of pants or skirts and shoes (you won’t need accessories with something this ornate) and so they’re a good investment. Ditto the handbags that are seriously embellished–great for evening, dates, and special events. One I particularly liked was a “kidney-shaped” black leather bag literally studded all along the wide spine with large rhinestones, just large enough to hold a wallet, sunglasses, and a small makeup bag, small enough to be elegant and festive. I hope to visit the showroom and maybe will be able to review these in an upcoming What Works column.

Moving right along from clothes (boys don’t figure in here, this time) I attended the Makeup Show at the Metropolitan Pavillion today, courtesy of Michael DeVellis of The Powder Group and another makeup artist/cosmetics executive–Yana Chupenko, who used to be part of the creative force of Tony & Tina Cosmetics, and is now developing her own line (go Yana!). This is the first year for the show, and from what I saw, it was not only very well attended (by makeup artists and other industry noteables) but well received. My friend, Nancy Konipol (she is the talented photographer who did the black and white head shot on my web site) and I went from booth to booth, checking out the makeup items. I found some new lines I haven’t reviewed in “What Works” and also said “hi” to some of the reps of lines I do know and review, including Alcone, Makeup Forever, and M.A.C. Cosmetics. We also listened to a speech and demonstration by Eve Pearl, a four-time Emmy Award winning makeup artist who is the key makeup artist for The View, talk about how to do makeup for television. Although I am a certified image and color consultant and have been trained to do makeup, I’m not a makeup artist, so it was really interesting to see this pro at work, learn a few tips (eg. put on a client’s eye makeup first, so if any drops on her face, you can corect it more easily than if her foundation was already applied) and see how she handles a client. We also liked Eve’s Makeup Line which will be launching soon, and her books and DVD (plastic surgery with the surgery) which I HOPE I will be able to review for you in my What Works column in the not-too-distant future. Downstairs back at the exhibits, Nancy was so impressed that she purchased Eve’s concealer trio containing a salmon-colored wedge which helps reduce dark circles without producing a “raccoon” look under your eyes. We also visited the Alcone booth (you’ve read some reviews about Alcone in past What Works columns) and investigated a new concealer palette there as well (and I’ll be reviewing that in an upcoming column). Another nifty product is by Nurturing Force, they have these nifty, plastic containers that look a bit like mini wax paper dispensers. Inside, 29 feet of blotting paper helps de-shine the oily glow off your face–great all the time but especially when the weather gets hot. And these are scented: aloe vera, rose, and lavender (plus an unscented) versin. We’ll be reviewing these in an upcoming What Works Column. Finally, we visited the SeneGence makeup booth. We loved the lipsticks that stain two layers of your lips, so that they DO NOT rub off easily or quickly. They’re waterproof, too. The colors come in a wide range, but manage to translate differently (and beautifully) on everyone we could see wearing them. They are not budget-priced, but if you consider how many times you have to re-apply a traditional lipstick, they’re actually reasonable. I really hope to review some of the products from this company in an upcoming column if I can get them to send samples.

There were so many makeup demonstrations and products to consider, I could have stayed all day (and, in fact, the Makeup Show started yesterday) but I had to tear myself away and do other things. All in all, a GREAT show and I know that this one has got to be a smash hit–there are bound more of these in the future!

Clothes and makeup…the “boys” part comes later this week, when I update my Advice Sisters Web Site http://www.advicesisters.net with wedding and relationship advice!

ALISON

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