Essence Music Festival 2011: Celebrities in The Belvedere VIP Lounge

Hello Divas!

The Essence Music Festival attracts lots of celebrities.  Celebrities were there promoting their movies, television shows, and music.  Some celebrities participated in informative panel discussions during the Empowerment Summit at the New Orleans Convention center.  And other celebrities came to the festival to have a good time!  Who would not love good music, awesome food, culture, and education all rolled up into one?

Belvedere was the exclusive spirit sponsor of the 2011 Essence Music Festival and sponsored the uber exclusive VIP Lounge located backstage.  The Lounge had two full service bars, comfy couches, and flat screen TVs so the "VIP" crowd could enjoy the show while sipping a Belvedere Intense cocktail.

I was fortunate enough to have access to this Lounge and I spotted some of my favorite celebrities.  Here are some pics:

Garcelle Beauvais

Boris Kudjoe

Letoya Luckett

Letoya Luckett who is currently starring in HBO's "Treme", participated in the Belvedere Charity Celeb Bartending Challenge with Belvedere Ambassador Bevy Smith.  I follow Bevy Smith on Twitter and she is simply fabulous!  Celebrities participating in this challenge created the official drink of the 2011 Essence Music Festival , "The Belve Peach Essence."  Donations from the challenge go directly to The Red Cross of New Orleans.

I tried "The Belve Peach Essence" cocktail and it is a very fruity and refreshing drink.  It consists of:

1 1/2 oz of Belvedere Intense Vodka
3 oz fresh brewed sweetened iced tea
1 oz peach schnapps, and
1/2 oz lemon juice.

Simply shake the ingredients together and pour over ice!

Believe me when I tell you the Belvedere VIP Lounge was the place to be!  People were enjoying "The Belve Peach Essence," socializing, and meeting and greeting their favorite celebs.  And of course, the celebs were having fun too!  I also spotted:


Ledisi (awesome performer!)

Kem

Hosea Chancez, who was also a Belvedere Celeb bartender during the 2nd night of performances.

Tika Supter another Belvedere Celeb bartender.

Lance Gross and Rosci were Celeb bartenders too!

Good times.  Check back tomorrow to get the scoop on my last day in New Orleans!

Toodles!

Lancôme at L'Wren Scott Fall 2011

Hello Divas!

Don't allow yourself to experience or feel doubt.  Remain Faithful and watch everything fall into place.

I have more New York Fashion Week coverage.  Today I am featuring the beauty looks created by Lancôme at the L'Wren Scott show.

Lancôme’s Artistic Director for Makeup Aaron De Mey,  created a look that centered around a  “Dangerous eye.”  I love that he used the word Dangerous because to me that means a fierce woman that is strong, mysterious, and sexy! Love it!  Aaron used black khôl liner, Lancôme’s new eyeshadow palette in Gris Fatale, and multiple coats of mascara to create this "dangerous" look.  Aaron kept the skin bare but dewey with a barely there lip.  With eyes like this, less is more!  I was particularly fascinated with Lancôme’s new fall nail color, Noir 29 (black with a pinch of gold shimmer).  It is HOT, HOT, HOT!!! 

Specific products used:

SKIN:

Teint Miracle Lit-from-Within Foundation  and Teint Miracle Instant Retouch Pen

EYES:

Eyeshadow Palette in Gris Fatale (coming Fall 2011)

Le Crayon Khôl in Black Ebony

Hypnôse Drama Mascara in Excessive Black

LIPS:

L’Absolu Rouge La Base 

NAILS:

Le Vernis in Noir 29 (coming Fall 2011)

And here are the photos! 

Make up

That nail color is nothing to be played with!

Clothes!

I have said this once and I will say it again. I love that Lancôme make up works with all skin tones.  Wow!

Toodles!

Photos Courtesy of Robert Fairer

Lancôme at Victoria Beckham Fall 2011 Collection

Hello Divas!


I hope you are loving life and working on accomplishing your goals.


I have more New York Fashion Week coverage and Lancôme’s make up team created the beauty look for Victoria Beckham's new Fall 2011 Collection. 


Victoria Beckham is becoming a fashion week sensation as her sheath dresses are all the rage.  This season, Victoria went with a "futuristic" theme with her dresses.  She showcased her classic sheath dresses with a slight edge and new balloon type dresses that were designed in gorgeous bright colors.  She paired the look with elegant hoodies and caps.  Lancôme’s make-up artist, Charlotte Tilbury drew inspiration from Victoria's collection and created a "futuristic and glowy" look.  Ms. Tilbury used Lancôme’s new Star Bronzer Natural Matte Bronzing Powder to create the glowing look.  She also used:

FOUNDATION:

Teint Miracle Lit-From-Within Foundation and Eclat Miracle Complexion Illuminator 

FACE: 

Gold highlighter, the gold shadow from Color Design 5 Shadow and Liner Palette in Jade Fever and Éclat Miracle Complexion Illuminator (used above the cheekbones, down the nose and above the cupid’s bow)

LIP:

Nude matte lipstick = L’Absolu Rouge La Base lip treatment and  Teint Miracle Instant Retouch Pen 

EYES:

Bronzy eyeshadow, Color Design 5 Shadow and Liner Palette in Taupe Craze and Aquatique Waterproof Eye Color Base 

Charlotte also used Lancôme’s 

Modèle Sourcils Brow Groomer in the clear shade.  This product was used to keep the brows brushed up and in place. 

Here is the look:

The Clothes:

 

Toodles!

Aveda Twisted Ponytails Backstage at Jason Wu

Hello Divas!

Always forgive and let go.  Harboring anger and resentment only poisons your body and soul.

As promised, I am updating you Divas on some fabulous beauty looks being created for Fall 2011 at New York Fashion Week.  First up, hairstyles from Aveda:

At the Jason Wu show, lead Aveda stylist Odile Gilbert created a sleek and elegant gilded twist using Aveda Smooth Infusion Glossing Straightener, Aveda Brilliant Spray-On Shine, and Aveda Control Force Firm Hold Hair Spray.   Odile also coated the hair with 24 karat gold leaf to echo the gold accents and feathers from the collection.  Now walking around with 24 karat gold leaf in your hair is definitely not "everyday practical" but the twisted ponytail is definitely different and intriguing.





And of course Jason Wu is a fashion star and never disappoints.  Love these clothes!








All photos are courtesy of Aveda.


Toodles! 

Christian Siriano and Victoria Secret Beauty

Hello Divas!

I hope you had a wonderful Wednesday! Only two more days and then we all can just relax!

Today's post will conclude my New York Fashion Week coverage. One of the "hottest" shows around was the Christian Siriano show. As you Divas know, Christian Siriano was an instant hit on Project Runway and since he won the grand prize he has become a major celebrity and fashion designer. I tell you backstage and the line to get into his show was insane! Plus he did not disappoint. The clothes were GORGEOUS!!

I had the opportunity to interview Polly Osmond, the Lead Make-up Artist for Victoria Secret Beauty. Polly said her inspiration came from Siriano's collection which derived from his love of the beach and water. Polly also stated her inspiration came from the Almafi Coast which is Christian's favorite beach in the world! Nice!

To create the look for the show, Polly used Christian Siriano for Victoria Secret Beauty products! Yes, Christian has created a make-up line for Victoria Secret! She used Black Mascara, White eye pencil, bronzer and a highlighter for shading and pale lip gloss. I was particularly fascinated with the lip gloss. The color is called Embrace and it is a pale champagne color.

Here is the look

Polly working her magic

Here are the clothes!




Toodles!

MAC Cosmetics Backstage at Georges Chakra and Alice + Olivia

Hello Divas!

Due to computer issues, this post is a day late but the "Beach Chic" look created by MAC Make-up Artist, Gregory Arlt, was well worth the wait.

Artlt wanted to create a look that was "straight from the beach to the red carpet." As a result, he created beautiful glowing bronze Goddesses to compliment Georges Chakra's gorgeous gowns. He used warm tones like golds, peaches, and bronzes.

The MAC products used were:

Cheeks: Sun Basque Blush

Face: Motif eyeshadow as a highlighter underneath the eye.

Lips- Love Nectar, which Arlt called the "American Express of Lip Glosses..Never Leave Home Without It!"

Eyes- All That Glitters on lids and Dip Down Chocolate Brown Eyeliner to line the eyes.

The result is simply gorgeous! This was one of my absolute favorite looks for Spring 2010.


MAC also did the make-up for the HOT design house Alice + Olivia. The look created by Lead MAC Make-up Artist, Nadine Luke, was inspired by the movie Pretty in Pink! Pretty in Pink is one of my favorite movies of all time! The look was Rock & Roll with a soft edge. Nadine used soft washes of color including lilacs, pinks, and mauves.

The MAC Products used were:

Face - Mineralized Foundation and So Sweet So Easy on Cheeks

Eyes- Rosy Outlook, Turkey, and Jessie in the inner corner of the eye

Lips - Angel lipstick and English Accents and Underage Lip Glosses.

The look is soft and pretty! Love!

I also had the opportunity to speak with the Lead Fekkai hair stylist, Andre Rodman. The hairstyle he created was classic Alice + Oliva...funky and fun! He created a "Rocker Sheek" look that included waves waves waves! He created this look curling the hair with a double barreled curling iron in a figure eight pattern. He used Fekkai Coiff Strong Hold Volume Mousse before curling and finished with Fekkai Coiff Magnifique Ultra-Light Finishing Creme. The look is soft but sexy!

Beautiful Alice & Olivia multi-pink colored dress!


Toodles!

THISDAY ARISE AFRICAN COLLECITVE AND JUAN CARLOS OBANDO FASHION SHOWS: MAC COSMETICS

Hello Divas!

Remember no matter what you are going through, you can always turn it around!

So far Mercedez-Benz Fashion Week has been simply fantastic! MAC Cosmetics is definitely setting the tone for Spring make-up. The face for spring includes healthy looking skin with natural warm colors.

At the Thisday Arise African Collective Show, the lead MAC Makeup Artist, Fatima, created a simple but classic look. Her inspiration for the look was the fiery orange red color used in the Jewel Collection. Specifically she used a strong red lip with sheer lightweight foundation, black smudged gel eyeliner, and no mascara. Here is the look:

The MAC Products used were:

Lips - Mix of Pure lip Pigment and Park Side lipstick

Face- Face and Body Foundation

Eyes- Fluid Gel Eyeliner. No Mascara just curled lashes.

At the Juan Carlos Obando Show MAC Lead Make-up Artist, Fulvia Fanolfi created a look that was reminiscent of "Old Westerns", which was Obando's inspiration when he created the Spring 2010 Collection. Fulvia used colors that included the colors of the desert. As a result, she used browns, bronzes, and taupes to create a dusky look.

The MAC Products used were:

Face - A blend of MAC NC45 and NC55 on the cheeks, Bronzer, and the color Taupe for countouring.

Eyes - Brown Breeze eyeshadow was used on the eyes.

Lips - Brown Breeze eyeshadow was used on the lips as well.

Here is the look:



As Fulvia stated, "the look is very monochromatic and cinematographic as if the model had been exposed to the sun for a month."

Stay tuned for more Spring Beauty Trends!

Mercedez-Benz New York Fashion Week Day One

Hello Divas!

I hope life is grand! Remember life is what you make it, so make it beautiful!

I am in New York for Mercedez-Benz New York Fashion Week, Spring 2010 Collections! Last year I set a goal to attend and I am here! I will be reporting on beauty trends for Spring 2010 and will also throw in some fashion trends. It has been an exciting and fun filled day.

Yesterday morning, I attended the Total Beauty Summit hosted by Loreal Paris. The Summit was held at the Loreal Paris corporate headquarters and we received an amazing presentation on hair color from celebrity Loreal colorist, Patty Slattery. She stated that you can achieve your desired color at home or in a salon if it is applied correctly..."Its all about application." The Loreal technical color team gave us a class on how to properly apply color. Here is the mannequin I worked on:

Loreal Paris then treated us to a fabulous lunch. I dined with some of my favorite beauty bloggers. Here is Kia of Yummy411 and Nikkia of Silverlips.

I had to leave the summit a little early to attend the Ports 1961 show. Ports 1961 is a new line that is all the rage. The pieces are modern, fluid, creative and gorgeous! The new line, Fluere Spring 2010, "draws inspiration from the elements of nature." The colors in the collection included peaches, mauves, reds, grays and yellows. There was a gorgeous yellow and gray jumpsuit that I simply adored! I also loved that the pieces were very simplistic and realistic. Any woman could wear the pieces. Here are a couple of pics. They are not great because I was in the absolute last row! LOL! Hey you have to start somewhere.

I then attended a few Fashion's Night Out events. Fashion's Night Out was like a big fashion shopping party. Hundreds of retailers kept their doors open until 11pm and encouraged people to shop with music, food, cocktails and special discounts. My first stop was the Milly/Clinique event. Michelle Smith, designer of Milly created a signature bag for Clinique using her signature pink. HOT! I did interview Michelle and I will post the interview later. Check out the Milly bag in the pic:

I then attended two Lancome events...of course. LOL! Lancome hosted a blogger bash at their SOHO Bloomingdales Counter. I met the new it girl, model Arlenis. Simply gorgeous. She is tall beautiful and her skin is like chocolate silk. Plus she is the absolute sweetest person ever. So personable. Lancome did a fantastic job picking Arlenis as one of their "faces" of the brand. She represents Lancome well! Here is a pic!

Lancome intern Ilene. She is so sweet!

I also met my girl, DE of Beautylogicblog. Remember she turned me on to coconut oil. It was like we were old friends! Love her.

My next stop was backstage at the Julie Haus show. Stila's lead make-up artist, Sarah Lucero, created a gorgeous look for the show. The focus was on the eyes and she used purples, plums, and navys on the eyes with lots of Mascara. The rest of the face is a matte neutral. I was given the opportunity to interview her and can't wait to share her inspiration for the look. Stay tuned.

I then went to another Lancome event at their boutique store on 69th and Columbus Circle. The highlight of my evening was meeting Keri, VP of Public Relations at Lancome. She is VP and still writes the Lancome Blog! She is personable, sweet, and super nice to the blogging community. It was so nice to finally meet her in person. Here we are:

My first day was fun and jam packed with beauty and fashion. I will regularly post updates as Fashion Week continues!

Toodles!