A Foundation for Every Style

When asked about my personal style, I often sum it up in three words: feminine and flirty with a bit of an edge.  My core style never changes, however depending on my mood and the atmosphere I'm in, I change up my look from my lipstick to my pumps.  Feel me?  If you're anything like me, you'll love this new personal style video by ELLE and Revlon.

It's a film that you dictate depending on your mood and atmosphere and it concludes with your style personality for the day.  Mine today is 'flirty.'  Obviously.   After it diagnosed me, it recommended five Revlon products to help me achieve a look that matched my mood and day, really taking the guess work out of getting ready. Truth is, no matter what my mood is, I like Revlon ColorStay Makeup, because it's lightweight, lasts all day and a good complexion complements all of my styles.

Check out the film and play for yourself.  I'd love to know what your personal style results are!

*This is a sponsored post by Revlon & Style Coalition, but all of my thoughts and actions are true.

Marchesa for Revlon: Nail Art as Intricately Designed as Their Coveted Gowns

The invite read: Comes see the inspiration behind the first Revlon by Marchesa collections and speak with the designers, get fitted for a bespoke 3D Jewel Appliqué nail art design, and earn more about the future of the collaboration over champagne cocktails and elegant bites.  I died.     

It was just about a month ago I was trying on Marchesa wedding gowns after swooning over their collections from season to season.  To have cocktails at The Plaza with the designers, Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig was, after all, just another day in the life.  Only this time, I was a bit more excited than usual.  I couldn't wait to see what they were doing with Revlon.

"Marchesa and Revlon are both about empowering women through beauty and making them feel happy about themselves, so it was a perfect fit," Georgina explained.  "Nail art's been such an exciting entrance for us and now we're a bit addicted to it."

Let's just say that my nails are now coated with the most intricate, texturized detail inspired by an actual Marchesa gown from their fall 2013 collection.  Throughout the Plaza's Oak Room, all of the gowns were on display next to photos of their coordinating Revlon nail wraps.  Stunning!  The stickers just launched in drugstores.

Vogue 'CoverGirl' Taylor Swift Wears Revlon, The Truth Behind Magazine Cover Credits

Last week while at the Revlon event I recently blogged about, I had my makeup done by Gucci Westman, the same makeup artists who did Taylor Swift's makeup for her February Vogue cover shoot.  (I know, I was honored!)  Of course, finding this out I had to ask her details about the shoot and products that were used and as I was getting the 411 I realized, I felt conflicted reporting them as it was more than the makeup that bothered me.  However, as a blogger here I go... It's a dirty industry and here's the scoop.  Westman filled me in on how she took Taylor Swift's look from the innocent girl we know her as and transformed her into a more mature woman for Vogue.  Her trick: contouring.  Normally we see Swift with a pale complexion and a pop of color on the apples of her cheeks, which screams girly.  Using Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadow in Not Just Nudes, she contoured Swift's cheeks making her Vogue appropriate.

Now, if you look inside Vogue and go to page 64 where you see "Cover Look Taylor Made" you'll notice that all CoverGirl makeup was credited for creating her look.  No mention of Revlon at all.  Of course, with Swift having a contract with CoverGirl, this has to be.  However, when I used to work at Cosmopolitan, the cover credits never matched up, contract or not.  Here's what we'd do...

We'd get a proof of the cover shot from the art department and look and see which magazine advertiser could use a boost in credits that month.  Then, from that advertising cosmetic's latest collection, we'd match up the look the best we could.  Of course, the art department would work with us to enhance a lip or touch up a shadow if needed.

Of course, Swift's whole package makes her a perfect Spokeswoman for CoverGirl, but on shoots and tours, you'd be super naive to think that that's all she wears.  This is just one case in point and an explanation of cover credits.  As a journalist and blogger who's free of being owned by advertisers, it's nice to be able to report the truth.  Cover credits are never the truth.

I Surrendered to Celebrity Makeup Artist, Gucci Westman for This Photo Shoot

Last week I attended a Revlon event with makeup artist Gucci Westman and ended up in a photo shoot wearing green eyeshadow.  I was super stoked to attend, because Westman is a celebrity makeup artist that I always interview backstage at NY fashion week, but never have quality time with her.  The fact that she was doing my makeup had me so excited that I surrendered to her talent and wound up with green eyeshadow!

Being a girl who never wears color on her eyes, I was frightened when I saw what she was doing at first using Revlon ColorStay EyeShadow in Luscious, but trust me, you don't question Westman.  The shadow palette is brand new and has 16 hours of staying power.  My finished look consisted of mossy green runway eyes complimented by Revlon ColorBurst Lip Color in Gumdrop, which I loved and natural skin.

My eyeliner was fierce and I loved it. I always have trouble with eyeliner.  It never stays put on my inner rims!  "When you line the upper and lower inner rims it makes your liner last longer," Westman explained.  "The color transfers from one water line to the other."  She used Revlon Luxorious Color Eyeliner in Black Velvet, which was strikingly black and super sexy.  It lasts all night long!

Of course, the above pics are from my photo shoot, which you can see I couldn't stop laughing.  Sorry you can't really see the eye makeup, but posing was super awk!

My Today Show Segment: Age Appropriate Holiday Glamour

This morning I was on the Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda again and brought along eight models to showcase "Age Appropriate Holiday Glamour."  It was a great morning and another fantastic day with the Today Show crew.  Check out my segment after the jump!

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Urban Eskimos Invaded the Runway at Rag & Bone

Backstage at Rag & Bone the inspiration was urban eskimo.  Loose braids sporatically placed throughout the hair that "look as if a girl did them herself as she day dreams about her boyfriend" were paired with windswept skin and rosy lips. The Redken lead stylist didn't want the braids to look too perfect.  Each model had two that were secured with a clear hair band and then pulled out a bit to make them looser.

Gucci Westman was the lead makeup artist for Revlon and leaned on a new Revlon compact that comes out in October to complete the look.  It featured a quad of what looked like a mix of lipsticks and eyeshadows. The lipstick was used not only on some of the models' lips to make them pinker, but also on the eye lids to create more texture.

Check out this video of Gucci Westman doing a model's full face: