Either you're in or you're out

Hola everybody,
I'm back from a fabulous vacation in Turks & Caicos and have the most inspiring tan, you have no idea. A vacay was deeply necessary, as my backstage beauty investigating duties during New York's Fashion Week thoroughly wore me out. The things I do for you! Girls, it was an extremely eventful week. As usual, most of the shows were hours off-schedule due to the whims of a group of fashionably late It-girls I've christened "The Lollipop Guild." You know who I mean, those teeny-tiny Us Weekly-ettes with bodies that resemble anorexic pencils and heads the size of watermelons. Speaking of...I spotted Nicole at Oscar de la Renta and there is definitely truth to the rumor that her once-chic Bonnie & Clyde bob is looking quite sparse (a tell-tale sign of an eating disorder). Honey, eat! And my mouth dropped at the site of her BFF, Lindsay, as she modeled in the celeb-studded Heart Truth Red Dress Fashion Benefit show. While Fergie, Amerie and Christina Milian looked fetching in their scarlet-colored ensembles, LL resembled a wizened forty-five year old former Vegas showgirl addicted to nicotine and appetite supressants. Someone smack her mother for letting her nineteen year old child "Bungalow 8" herself into the ground! Tsk, tsk. But not all of the week's celeb sightings were so traumatic: J. Lo was working a major goddess moment in a low-cut white (surprise) Versace number at the re-opening of the designer's Fifth Avenue boutique. And her ex, Diddy, was looking very Steve MacQueen in a cream turtleneck and matching blazer backstage at his protegee's Zac Posen's show. Oh, and Damon Dash's absolutely stunning designer-wife, Rachel Roy, was making the rounds at all the parties with the most devastating shade of crimson lipstick--she looked like Dorothy Dandridge. SO inspired by her chicness, my newest obsession is now rocking redder-than-red-lips (my sister Lauren turned me on to the best-ever red for brown girls: TARTE DUAL-SIDED LIP GLOSS IN BONNIE & CLYDE. Blended together, somehow the deep maroon and sheer shimmery red just works). On the lip flip side, I suffered numerous bruises trying to squeeze past Viveka Fox's silicone-swollen trouth pout backstage at BCBG. Hmm, what else? Oh, everyone and their step-mother is dipping their pedicured toes in the beauty pool. Both Christina Milian and Kimora Lee Simmons are debuting makeup collections in the spring, and Serena Williams has just come out with the cutest little accessory for Flirt Cosmetics (Kohl's surprisingly fantastic makeup brand). She created for them a LIMITED EDITION "EXOTIC JEWELS" LIP GLOSS PENDANT (it looks like a funky gemstone, but encases a lovely sheer lip shade), which she was spotted rocking around her neck front-row at all the shows. Good for her!

In the middle of all this star-gazing, however, mama was actually doing some work! In an attempt to bring you the sexiest upcoming trends of Fall 2006, I spent the last nine days observing the hair and makeup geniuses behind the shows as they worked their magic.
But before we get into my favorite looks of the week, allow me to get all insidery on you for a second. I asked the hair and makeup folks to let me in on their secret weapons, the beauty products they use to help make the models look their radiant, catwalk-stalking best. This Fashion Week, these were the top three items stashed in all the pro’s makeup cases.

FASHION WEEK’S PRO FAVORITES:
ELIZABETH ARDEN EIGHT HOUR CREAM SKIN PROTECTANT ($15): This super-rich hydrating salve has long been a cult favorite of makeup artists, because you can use it to moisturize your face, dry elbows and knees, and chapped lips. Backstage at BCBG, makeup legend Linda Cantello was using it on models’ lips in place of lipstick for a sheeny, supple finish.

SHISEIDO THE SKINCARE EYE REVITALIZER ($34): Super-fab designer, Marc Jacobs, sent an assistant to the Shiseido counter to load up on this velvety-smooth undereye cream before his show. Formulated to reduce the appearance of fine lines, dark circles and puffiness, this miracle worker was only thing that made his hungover models look perky and well-rested.

CREATIVE NAIL DESIGN SOLAR OIL ($9.99): Even though you don’t really notice fingernails on the runway, the nail business is MAJOR backstage. Manicurists receive very precise direction from the designer on the polish shades they want, the nail length, etc (my favorite was RESCUE NAIL SALON’S NAIL POLISH IN KILLA RED the rich-girl, blood-red shade I spotted at Tuleh). Anyway, at almost every show I went to, manicurists were slathering this rich, sweet almond oil and vitamin E-blend on models’ cuticles. They all say it’s, hands down, the best thing for nourishing dry cuticles and preventing hang-nails. And its light enough to double as a hand conditioner, too.

And now, on to the really good stuff. After some careful consideration, I've come up with my five favorite looks of Fashion Week. Hey, if you're anything like me--and I have a feeling you are--you find yourself in a major beauty rut during this time of the year. Girls, all it takes to bring back your sexy is a little makeup update, whether its switching your lip color or getting saucier with your eyeliner. Here's hoping you find these looks as inspiring as I do! Oh, did I tell you that I figured out how to upload photos, too? Yep, it was a big week for many reasons :-)


TIA’S TOP FIVE FASHION WEEK LOOKS:

1.) THE CUTE-AS-A-BUTTON PALE PINK LIP (left, at Anna Sui): If you’re a Shake Your Beauty regular, you’ve probably caught on by now that I favor sheer, bronzy-red-brown lip gloss. My mind has officially changed. Not only was I rocked to my very core by designer Rachel Roy’s red mouth (see my ravings, above), I was also deeply enamored of the new baby-pink lip I was seeing at shows like Anna Sui, Oscar de la Renta, and Monique Lhullier. I’ve never really been into this moment, as I could never find a pale pink that looked right on brown skin—it always comes out looking ashy and corpse-like. But when I saw the likes of Naomi and Liyah Kebede (the gorgeous Ethiopian Estee Lauder spokesmodel) working the shade, I was immediately empowered! And I figured out how to make it happen—first line and fill in lips with a nude lip liner like ALMAY IDEAL LIPLINER IN COFFEE, and layer on a sheer pink gloss with lots of gold shimmer (this warms up the shade for brown skin) like CHANEL GLOSSIMER IN ZANZIBAR. So good.


2.) THE “DON’T YOU FIND MY EMERALD EYES BEWITCHING” THING (left, at Narciso Rodriguez): I was so into this criminally sexy eyes at Narciso Rodriguez—the models had black liner on top, and a slightly smudged line of deep, deep green pencil on the bottom (it was dark enough not to look teenagery, but still different enough to be special). MAC FLUIDLINE IN SHADE is a long-wearing, ultra-dark teal cream liner that goes on like satin--just dip a skinny liner brush in the pot and go. If you want to take things a step further, go the Baby Phat route and blend a wash of glittery emerald all over lids. So much fun for a night out, right?


3.) THE ARE-THOSE-FAKE-OR-WHAT LASHES (left, at Tuleh): At Bill Blass, Luella and Tuleh, it was all about that seriously glamorous, 1960’s Brigitte Bardot eye—zero shadow, just a skinny line of black liquid liner topped with tons of black mascara. No matter what your style, this moment always looks right. And getting it is easy with BENEFIT BAD GAL GEAR, a kit that comes with black liquid liner, excellent black mascara—and get this, self-adhesive false lashes! Seriously, its like these people read my mind.


4.) THE MADONNA IN THE “LIKE A VIRGIN” VIDEO MEETS ALI MACGRAW IN “LOVE STORY” BROW (left, at Zac Posen): Believe it or not, brows are making a MAJOR comeback. Gone are the days of the super-skinny, plucked-to-death arches (so tacky). Instead of the usual last-minute tweezing backstage, makeup artists at Zac Posen, Calvin Klein and Michael Kors were actually enhancing brows. Using short, feather-like strokes, they filled in the hairs with a brow pencil—sometime extending it slightly beyond the end for drama--and then smoothed it out with a brow brush. Famed makeup artist Pat MacGrath says the way to do it at home is to start by tweezing one row less. I say, start by immediately purchasing the new GOLDIE BROW KIT, which comes with universally-flattering brow shadows, clear brow gel, a brow brush, a highlighting/shading pencil, a magnifying mirror, a regular mirror and tweezers—all in a chic little zippered case. More than worth the $39.


5.) THE “I WOKE UP WITH HAIR THIS GLAMOROUSLY STRAIGHT” LOOK (left, at Carolina Herrera): For the past bunch of seasons, its been all about waves, waves, waves. I think Giselle and Jessica Simpson had something to do with it. But this season saw a huge return to the mid-nineties, Gwyneth-meets-Carolyn Bisette stick-straight blowout. I’m talking flatironed within an inch of its life. But instead of being lifeless and blah, the models at Carolina Herrera, Jill Stuart and Ralph Lauren had bouncy, shiny, Pantene-commercial hair that was so sexy no one noticed the clothes. It was flatironed hair that actually MOVED! To get the look, make sure you coat hair with PAUL MITCHELL HEAT SEAL SPRAY, before using heated appliances. Not only does this thermal setting spray absorb the heat so it doesn’t damage your hair, it magically builds body and leaves a glossy sheen. And its humidity resistant, so you need not fear a rainy day.