Fridays with Felicia: An intimate look behind the curtain as I share my favorite style/ beauty discoveries and ThisThatBeauty shenanigans from previous week

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What a week girls (mostly) and boys! The Ugg Australia Socialista Girls Night Out fête was much needed and much appreciated. The rooftop affair was hosted by everyone’s favorite “Midtown Girl“, Amy Chandra.

Your favorite digital dolls came out to support Amy’s first ever blogger event.

[L to R. . . @fashionpulse, @YuliZ, @MissWhoEverUR, @Clutch_22, @midtowngirl, @themakeupgirl, moi]

Getting a mani with @Cocoabebe

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Here are more pics of the event:

While at the Ugg showroom I had the opportunity to experience the Ugg x Essie Nail Color collaboration. Not sure about y’all, but I find myself totally focused on Fall beauty (in fact, I wax poetically on the topic on @ Bergdorfs blog)…so the deep, purpley, plum shade was right up my alley!

For MORE MORE MORE on Ugg Socialista Blogger event, visit Midtown Girl…she’s got pics galore and lots of fun deets!

[Uhm, Miss Amy....you totally hit a home run on your first event!..looking forward to the next!]

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Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

Clearly, the girl loves red.

Today we pay homage to ThisThatBeauty’s red lip of choice – Stila Long Wear Lip Color in Fiery

Do you have a favorite red? Please share, as I am always on the hunt. Mwah!

Fridays with Felicia: An intimate look behind the curtain as I share my favorite style/ beauty discoveries and ThisThatBeauty shenanigans from previous week

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Happy Friday everyone! For those of us on the east coast, we’re dealing with another dusting of snow. I hope Bloomberg gets in gear this go ’round….my New York peeps were not pleased. At all!

For today’s installment of “Fridays with Felicia” I would like to share a few of my most popular skin care posts with you. Some of you are new followers of the blog…some of you follow on Twitter and ask lots of questions about skincare, my routine, and favorite products.

In this post below I share my skincare philosophy on achieving beautiful, blemish-free, even toned, luminous, and hydrated skin. I show you step-by-step how I took my troubled acneic skin from this:

To This!

Learn how I did it here: http://www.thisthatbeauty.com/2010/03/thisthatbeauty-vs-hyperpigmentation/

Once you have your basic daily skincare regime down to a science, it’s important to incorporate special exfoliant treatments like at-home peels. Here’s my rundown on my current  favorite at-home peels: http://www.thisthatbeauty.com/2010/11/peel-thy-skin-heal-thy-sk’in-thisthatbeautys-favorite-at-home-peels/

If dry irritated winter skin is getting the best of you, try my tips in this step-by-step video. http://www.thisthatbeauty.com/2010/12/thisthatbeautys-winter-skin-care-solutions/

About a year ago I had the opportunity to interview one of my favorite skin care gurus, Renee Rouleau. In that interview Renee shared great insight and tips on maintaining healthy skin. I think my new followers will find this interview very helpful: http://www.thisthatbeauty.com/2009/12/thisthatbeauty-asks-an-expert-renee-rouleau/

I hope this blog post helps you to navigate your skin care challenges and settle into a routine that best benefits your skin. Have a great weekend and stay warm.

xoxoFelicia

Fridays with Felicia: An intimate look behind the curtain as I share my favorite style/ beauty discoveries and ThisThatBeauty shenanigans from previous week.

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During a recent breakout that was on the mend, I pondered the necessary balance of “treatment” and “healing”. Many times with pimples we aggressively work to “treat” and eradicate the pimple…this usually involves drying the sucker out by zapping it with concentrated amounts of drying ingredients like salicylic acid, sulfur, benzoyl peroxide, etc. However, once the pimple begins to subside, it is very important to transition from “treating” the skin to “healing” the skin…or you will be left with a dried out, hyper-pigmented area of skin.

While I like to think I know it all when it comes to skincare, I do recognize when it’s time to turn to the real pro’s for advice. For today’s “Fridays with Felicia” post, I interview Nicole Darmanin, Head of Public Relations and Communications for Mario Badescu. The focus of our interview is the proper balance of treating AND healing pimples.

FELICIA:

Nicole, thank you for agreeing to this interview. As my ThisThatBeuty readers know, I am a huge fan of Mario Badescu. I have written countless glowing reviews…in short, I’ve never met a Mario Badescu product I didn’t like!

Let’s chat about breakouts and skin discoloration. Why do breakouts cause discoloration and how can blemish treatments help us to avoid this?

NICOLE:

Post pimple discoloration, also known as Post Inflammatory Hyper-pigmentation, is the skin’s natural response to inflammation.  When inflamed, the skin will sometimes over produce melanin.  The color of the mark is determined by your skin tone (it can range from pink to red to brown) and the severity of the inflammation.  The absolute best thing you can do is to find a skin care regimen that is appropriate for your skin type. This will help prevent breakouts in the first place.  If you are dealing with a current breakout treat pimples right at the onset.  This will help to disinfect and heal the blemish so that you have less inflammation than if you did not treat it at all.

FELICIA:

When should you transition from a “drying” pimple product to a “healing” pimple product? Which Mario Badescu products do you recommend for both stages of pimple recovery, and why?

NICOLE:

I generally tell people to switch from a drying product to a healing product when you feel like the pimple has turned a corner and is on its way out.  You will know that the pimple is ready for healing products when you start to visibly see it shrink in size and it ceases to hurt when you touch it. If there was a pustule (whitehead) that should be gone before switching to healing products. Try Mario Badescu’s Healing Cream.

FELICIA:

Once you’ve dried and healed the pimple, what routine steps do you recommend to keep pimples at bay and continue to maintain skin’s smooth complexion?

NICOLE:
The easiest thing you can do for breakout prevention is to use a daily treatment like Mario Badescu’s Anti Acne Serum which contains the pore clearing ingredient salicylic acid.

For the best results, you really want to make sure you are using skin care that is appropriate for your skin.  A common mistake I see, especially for those fighting acne along with the signs of aging, is that they will want to use anti aging products that are too rich for their skin type and will eventually clog their pores and cause breakouts.  There are so many options and formulations to choose from that with just a little research you can find the products that are right for you.

Mario Badescu has great skin care specialists on staff that can recommend a regimen and even send samples to try.  You can call 800 BADESCU or do an online skin consultation at www.mariobadescu.com.

FELICIA:

Nicole, thank you for sharing your skin care expertise with ThisThatBeauty. I also highly recommend that readers check out mariobadescu.com’s online Acne Resource Center to learn about causes and different types of acne, product recommendations and more!   http://www.mariobadescu.com/acne

Have a good weekend everyone!

xoFelicia

Hey everyone – My goal is to always provide with you content that is thorough, timely, relevant, amusing, and helpful. “Fridays with Felicia”, as you know, is like a little slice of myself that I share with you all every Friday. Check out today’s “Fridays with Felicia” post as I share my thoughts  on “5-minute makeup” and do a quick demo. Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts. Do you like these kinds of videos? Am I talking too much, too little? Holler at your girl..I really truly want to hear your thoughts!

xoFelicia

Click here for the full audio from yesterday’s appearance on Afrobella Radio. I chat skincare, beauty, makeup trends for fall, MY top makeup trends for fall….and a very special Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week announcement.

Correction: Christene Carr’s Twitter is @CNicholaC. Follow Christene as she contributes fashion/ beauty coverage for ThisThatBeauty this NYFW!

#NYFW

Fridays with Felicia: An intimate look behind the curtain as I share my favorite style/ beauty discoveries and ThisThatBeauty shenanigans from previous week.

Lately I’ve been keeping up with the Joneses. No, not my highfalutin luxury car driving neighbors…oh no, not those Joneses…These Joneses:

I am referring to JONES magazine, the “insider’s shopping guide for women who know better.” As a woman who obviously knows better, I quickly replied “YES” to JONES magazine’s invitation to visit their NYC digs and learn more about the publication.

JONES magazine caters to fashion enthusiasts like moi, who share a penchant for what’s next! The shopping and lifestyle publication strives to be a resource for multicultural women who crave luxury, glamour, and trends.

JONESMAG.com (an incredibly robust web presence that’s managed by the Glamazon we all love to stalk – Jessica Andrews) offers a daily dose of fashion, beauty, shopping, events and travel advice.

Here is the delightful and beautiful Editor-in-Chief Tracey Ferguson as she walks a very lucky group of bloggers through the Fall preview of JONES

And here’s yours truly participating in the discussion…I’m likely talking up a storm about a recent beauty discovery.

For the complete scoop on the blogger mixer at JONES mag and exclusive pics of your favorite bloggers  in attendance, CLICK HERE

PS: Shouts to my Twitter boo @The GorgeousBlog — I bumped into her in the hall as I was leaving the JONES mag event…

With Fashion’s Night Out just ’round the corner, I want to share with you some of the spectacular events going on all around this great city of ours. Get ready for  complimentary make-up applications galore, stick straight blow outs, and lots of raffles and contests…Oh my!

Who: Thierry Mugler – Where: Sake Fifth Avenue

Thierry Mugler invites you to Saks Fifth Avenue in NYC during Fashion’s Night Out on September 10^th from 6-11pm to view the famous Motorcycle Bustier as worn by Beyoncé for her I AM.Sasha Fierce album.  This legendary couture piece was first shown in the designer’s Prêt-á-Porter Spring/Summer 1992 Collection, worn by model Niki Taylor.  The same year, it appeared in George Michael’s iconic fashion-centric, supermodel-filled, music video for his hit song “Too Funky.”  In 2008 the Motorcycle Bustier was selected for the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute’s “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy” exhibit in New York.  It was here that Beyoncé fell in love with the piece and Thierry Mugler. Come see this true couture display of fashion and music history while receiving a special sample of Thierry Mugler’s legendary ANGEL fragrance.  Drops of gourmand scented heaven will be dispensed from a special sculpture designed by artist Ron Arad exclusively for Thierry Mugler. The sculpture is Arad’s interpretation of Mugler’s innovative Source concept which allows you to refill your precious ANGEL star bottle without discarding, and have a more minimal environmental impact.

For all the latest news and updates follow Thierry Mugler:

Twitter: @Thierry_Mugler

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ThierryMugler

Who: Warren-Tricomi Salon – Where: The Plaza Hotel

Join the Warren-Tricomi Salon at The Plaza Hotel for complimentary hair styles and updo’s to start your Friday night off from 6-8pm. While you are at The Plaza, you can also view the CFDA Incubator Project designs throughout the Shops. Musician, Corinne Bailey Rae, will be performing an intimate concert at The Plaza’s Palm Court. Following the concert, Joel Warren, Edward Tricomi, Douglas Hannant and Frederick Anderson, co-hosted with the CFDA and Shops at the Plaza, invite you to an after party in the Terrace Room from 9 – 11pm to celebrate this night of Fashion.

Who: Votre Vu – Where: Votre Vu’s customized Airstream in the Meatpacking
District

Visit the VuBAR, Votre Vu’s customized Airstream, in the Meatpacking District on Fashion’s Night Out! After testing Vu’s French-made, botanically based skin care with a Party Primer beauty regimen, have your photograph taken on the VuBAR’s red carpet and download them for free online. To finish off your VIP Vu experience, sample refreshing Votre Vu SnapDragon from an ice luge, enjoy custom Votre Vu pastries from an on-site pastry chef and much, much more!

Who: The Plaza Beauty – Where: The Plaza Hotel (New York City)

The Plaza Beauty will offer complimentary mini-facials, hand treatments and makeup touch ups to get you ready for your Friday night out! Meet the creators of top beauty companies such as Alison Raffaele and Kimiko and receive insider tips on how to create the perfect look for fall! Enter to win a custom-made hair accessory from Lucia Tristao Hair Designs and look out for exclusive offers that night from Miriam Mirani and Diego Della Palma. Afterwards, show off your new look at a concert performed by Grammy nominated EMI artist Corinne Bailey Rae hosted in The Palm Court at the Plaza Hotel

Who: Pur Minerals – Where: Duane Reade The Look Boutique (Soho) (233 Lafayette St. New York, NY)

Join celebrity makeup artist to the stars, Jackie Gomez, for complimentary makeup touch ups from 6:00pm – 8:00pm with Pur Minerals. Gifts with purchase will also be available throughout the night from 6pm-11pm.

Who: Completely Bare – Where: Completely Bare (25 Bond Street, b/w Lafayette & Bowery New York, NY)

CONNECT THE Dots
This Fashion’s Night Out, participate in a scavenger hunt-themed styling contest in multiple Soho New York-based locations called “Dots SPOTS.” Follow the clues and choose your favorite Dots pieces to create your own personalized look!

Meet back at Completely Bare and get a free Richie Rich vatoo, enjoy refreshments and have your photos taken on the pink carpet. Celebrity stylist Mia Morgan and fashion legend Richie Rich will co-host and judge your personalized looks! Winning looks will have a day of beauty and styling with Mia Morgan, a new Dots wardrobe and a trip for two to a tropical location! Proceeds will benefit the Family Justice Center, which helps victims of domestic violence put their lives back together.

Follow @Dotsfashions @completelybare @kingcollective on FaceBook and Twitter for more details.

The FNO list of retailers, designers, fashion and beauty brands is still growing! See below for a list of newly registered participants and visit www.fashionsnightout.com for more information.

• A Little Wicked
• A Man and a Woman
• ADAM
• ALDO (new locations
• AllSaints Spitalfields
• Andrew Yang & The Kouklitas at Barneys New York
• Alton Lane
• Ann Taylor
• Atelier Minyon
• Bara Boux
• Barbie
• Beyond 7
• Bio
• Black Fleece by Brooks Brothers
• Bottega Veneta
• Bump Brooklyn
• Callalilai Atlantic
• China Doll
• Chloe
• Chouchounette
• Crate + Barre
• Derek Lam
• Diptyque Bleeker street
• Donna Distefano Ltd.
• Dots (location change)
• Downtown Doghouse
• Eponymy
• Ernest & Olivia
• Fisch for the Hip
• Flight Club
• Flourish Accessories
• Forever 21
• GANT Rugger
• Generra
• Genuine Motorworks
• George Esquivel at Fratelli Rossetti Store
• Hayden-Harnett
• Helianthus
• Helmut Lang
• Henri Bendel
• In God We Trust
• In&Out Different Beauty
• Indique Hair International, Georgia’s, Polish Bar Brooklyn
• Intermix
• IRIS
• Journelle
• Kenneth Cole
• Kingdom
• Kotur at Saks Fifth Avenue
• La Petite Coquette
• Lauren Merkin
• Legacy
• Lululemon Athletica
• Lululemon Athletica Brooklyn Showroom
• Lululemon Athletica Lincoln Square
• Lululemon Athletica Soho
• Malawi
• Meatpacking District Initiative
• Meg
• Michael Angelo’s Wonderland Beauty Parlor
• Modo Eyewear
• Movado
• Nasty Pig
• Naturalizer
• Nexus
• Nigel Barker at Lord and Taylor
• Ochre
• Only Hearts
• Original Penguin
• Per-fekt Beauty at Henri Bendel
• Petit Boudoir
• Pink Slip at Grand Central Terminal
• PomPom
• POP Lounge/Burger (Ninth ave store)
• Prabal Gurang at Saks Fifth Avenue
• Prabal Gurung at The Shops at the Plaza
• Rapha Cycle Club
• Rizzoli Bookstore
• Rony Tennenbaum 1964
• SACHIN + BABI for ANKASA
• Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired by Camrindy
• Singer22
• Sphatika
• Staley Wise Gallery
• Stella McCartney
• Steven Alan
• Subversive Jewelry at the Shops at the Plaza
• Sugar Cookies
• Tadashi Shoji at Bloomingdales
• Teen Vogue and ASOS.com
• The Brownstone
• The Parlour Brooklyn
• The Sao Store
• The Touring Company
• The Track and Field Store
• The VIllage Scandal
• Thomas Pink
• Trunckshow
• Trunckshow at Tea and Things of That Kind
• Union Square / Grand Central Pop Up
• Vagabondnyc.com
• Victorinox Swiss Army
• Votre vu
• Wendy Mink Jewelry
• Yael Sonia
• Yigal Azrouel

Fashion’s Night Out 2010 PSA from Fashion’s Night Out on Vimeo.

PS: Yes I am still rocking my extensions. Last weekend I took on the task of washing them and I think I did a pretty good job. I used (and highly recommend) Ovation’s complete line of hair care products for extensions.

Here are the products and here are my results…watch out now;)

This past weekend I re-up’d on my OPI Axiuum Soak-Off Gel Lacquer.  I have to tell you…prior to taking the plunge about a month ago, I was sooo apprehensive. My biggest fear was that I would end up with dry, brittle, weak nails. I researched Axiuum for months before deciding to get it done. I even talked with professional friends of mine like @LuxebyTracyLee, manicurist to the stars. Once TracyLee told me it was safe, I decided to give it a go…AND I AM NOT LOOKING BACK.

For my first time time I went with Russian Navy. The manicure lasted nearly three weeks without chipping. The color and intense shine stayed true.

My current OPI gel mani is Big Apple Red

OPI Axiuum Soak-Off Gel Lacquer is, as Martha would say, a good thing! I am addicted. In Kearny NJ near me, the mani runs $35….chump change for a perfect manicure that lasts nearly three weeks!

Have a lovely weekend…xoxo!

Felicia

Fridays with Felicia: An intimate look behind the curtain as I share my favorite style/ beauty discoveries and ThisThatBeauty shenanigans from previous week.

(I visited HSN last week ======> full deets soon)

Let’s kick off “Fridays with Felicia” with you. Yes, YOU!

Hey girl! How you doin? How’s your skin? As you all know, I am absolutely positively obsessed with good skin care habits. I love pretty makeup as much as the next product hoarding Beauty Blogger but a solid skincare regiment is EVERYTHING. Six months ago, my passion and never ending holy grail quest for perfect skin prompted me to pen an epic post on my personal skincare philosophy.

While the article was a little long in the tooth (nearly 3000 words long to be exact) I think it did a lot of good. The post garnered 59 comments – a ThisThatBeauty record. In fact, your responses were so heartfelt and extensive that it lead to the creation of my current ongoing series on Hyperpigmentation which currently has nine articles.

So six months later, I am compelled to check in  with you. Yes YOU!  So many of you commented to say:

• “Thank you”
• “I’m going to take better care of my skin”
• “I’ll try committing to a solid skincare regiment”
• Etc.

It’s six months later and I am curious to hear where you are with yours! Have you stepped up your skin care game? Has you skin improved? Are you taking care of YOU?

Please do me a favor – If you commented when I originally posted the Hyperpigmentation/ skin care piece, please comment today and fill me in on how you’re doing. When I wrote that article six months ago, your comments really meant EVERYTHING to me. I want to know how you are progressing.  Also, your comments help me tailor content to meet your needs.

And because I practice what I preach….and pride myself on “don’t talk about it, be about it”…I will lead by example and provide an update since writing the post six months ago:

So to recap…here’s what my skin looked like about 8 months ago (no makeup):

Here’s what my skin looked like after about 2 months of following the regiment outlined in my ThisThatBeauty vs Hyperpigmentation post (no makeup):

And here’s what my skin looks like today…6 months after writing that epic post on skincare (no makeup…or maybe I’m pulling a Jessica Simpson — I think there’s a little stray smeared eye liner that I didn’t completely remove…but there is absolutely NO foundation in these pics).

Let me start by saying this….WOW! Those original pics are still so hard to look at. I cannot believe my skin was that bad. On top of that, I was astounded at how much my skin had improved in just 2 months on my regiment. Those products really kicked butt!!!

In looking at my skin today, its hard to believe I ever had any issues at all . As re-read  the regiment I posted back in March, while the principles remain the same, the actual products have changed since then. I currently use different cleansers, toners, serums, and masks. I still use the Evoclin foam to keep my acne at bay. I’ve rotated a few different hyperpigmentation treatment products in and out of my regiment over the last few months. Again, the products may have changed but my skin care principles remain the same…and that, in my opinion, is the most important take-away. Commit to a skin care regiment that is rooted in the fundamentals…and be consistent day to day. If your products work stick with them…naturally, as a beauty writer, I am constantly trying out new stuff. But I definitely recommend that you practice product loyalty…let ME be the guinea pig!

Please leave a comment and update me on how your skin is progressing!

PS: Look out for an equally EPIC hair story that’s in the works…

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This week I was invited to tour the soon to be completed, state of the art, new and improved beauty level at Lord & Taylor – 39th Street.  The space is still a bit raw so I had to wear a brightly colored hard hat that’s certain to protect me from falling debris

The event consisted of a guided tour of the finished and unfinished space. Beauty brands like Clinique, Lancome, Estee Lauder, Nars, Mario Badescu, Bobbi Brown, Clarins, and more presented some of the amazing new beauty innovations that we can expect from L&T once the beauty level is completely renovated. I hope I have the opportunity to get more one-on-one time with the brands but here are a few highlights:

Mario Badescu will have a counter at L&T. I am as pleased as punch to see the brand expand their retail outlets and get more exposure. A simple search of this site using the key words “Mario Badescu” will yield countless product reviews. Be on the look out for an upcoming piece from ThisThatBeauty Contributor Christene Carr. She recently visited Mario Badescu for her first facial EVER. If you’re a facial virgin, you will want to hear all about Christene’s experience.

Clinique’s skincare computer marries technology and beauty

Estee Lauder promises to help you find your perfect foundation match in two minutes in six different lights. Wondering what that crimson lip will look like in daylight vs office light vs candlelight?…Estee Lauder can help!

Lancome boasts that their new state of the art “Diagnos” machine will survey your skin’s texture, pore size, hydration level, and firmness and recommend the perfect products for your skin. I would love to give this a try and report back!

Lancome is also pleased to offer 10-day supplies of their foundation, which comes in 117 shades and 6 formulas. I’m no numbers cruncher but I like those figures!

Lastly for Lancome, the beauty counter at Lord & Taylor features a mascara bar that lets you try out various mascara wands. This is incredibly innovative…no more one size fits all disposable wands. Is the mascara performance not all about the BRUSH? Kudos Lancome!

Want more info on L&T’s new beauty department? Check the Twitter timeline for  #LTFACELIFT and see what your fav beauty bloggers are saying.

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In Fashion’s Night Out News, check out this Three Custom Color Specialists and Talbots collaboration…

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Beauty360.com is the online shopping destination for CVS/pharmacy’s prestige beauty retailer and carries coveted cosmetic brands including Vincent Longo, Paula Dorf, Laura Geller, Cargo and many more.  Through August 23^rd Beauty 360 is promoting an exclusive online makeup sale.  Save 20% on your favorite prestige makeup brands by entering the special code SIZZLE at checkout!  Click the following link for additional details and to start shopping: http://tinyurl.com/29n9rum

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“Find Your Fall Style” with Style Coach, Kim Johnson Gross of Chic Simple.

Sign up to receive daily style tips on how to revamp your wardrobes for fall. When signing up, members are entered to win $100 gift cards to Target to start fall shopping. Check out the campaign http://challenges.ivillage.com/fall-style

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If you love beauty apps as much as I do, iPhone users listen up! Give yourself a virtual makeover with Pur Minerals IPur Beauty iPhone application!

Pür Minerals now offers a commitment-free way to experiment with new looks..and who doesn’t love a good “try before you buy?”

Trying out a new look on the Pür Minerals app is simple and fun:

• TAKE: upload or use a model photo to start your makeover.
• APPLY: Click a product, select a shade and experience a Pür transformation. The customized algorithm will identify the facial co-ordinates for precise application. Don’t like your new look? You have the option of adjusting the facial co-ordinates, undo or start again.
• SHARE: Once the makeover is complete, the finished look can be shared through Facebook for a polished profile picture or send to a friend via email.
• BUY: Love your new look? iPür Beauty offers a direct link to Ulta.com to order products online or to find a location near you for an in-store purchase.

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Up and coming designer Eliza Starbuck of Bright Young Things pays tribute to Coco Chanel by offering a week long sale on her versatile take of the little black dress. You will recall that I participated in the Bright Young Things Style Challenge and modeled the dress of a thousand looks.

In honor of Gabrielle “CoCo” Chanel’s Birthday, The Bright Young Things LBD will be on sale for $150 (reg $185) through Wednesday, August 25  online at www.youbrightyoungthings.com.

Of the iconic CoCo Chanel, Eliza Starbuck says this:

“Coco Chanel was the most innovative designer of the 20th Century. She dared to wear and design clothes that challenged the social standards and gender roles of the times. She broke every rule and always looked amazing doing it. She was living proof that it’s not what you wear, but how you wear it that defines style. Fabulous, determined, and outspoken, Coco Chanel made an enormous impact on society and the way people dress. Happy Birthday, Mademoiselle Chanel”

Eliza Starbuck recently experienced an opportunity that most only dream of…and by “most” I mean “me”.

Find your sacred quiet place and savor this — Eliza Starbuck’s exclusive interview with CoCo Chanel. Here is the intro:

To celebrate, I thought I’d give her a ring. She doesn’t get out much these days, and most people seem to think she’s dead, but like Tupac and Elvis, she’s virtually immortal.

Read the complete interview here: http://www.youbrightyoungthings.com/2010/08/18/eliza-starbuck-celebrates-128-years-of-style-with-coco-chanel/

I love you all for reading my lil ol blog week after week!

xo,

Felicia

PS: Happy Birthday two of my bestest friends. We partied hard. Friendship is golden and I thank God for these gals!

Fridays with Felicia: An intimate look behind the curtain as I share my favorite style/ beauty discoveries and ThisThatBeauty shenanigans from previous week.

Happy Friday everyone! Do y’all mind if I kick off Fridays with Felicia with a little self-promotion? It’s all good?..well alrighty!

I would love to have your support in a really cool initiative that I’ve been asked to take part in. It’s called the Bright Young Things Style Challenge. I mentioned it earlier in the week (here’s the detailed post if you missed it) but wanted to make one final plea before the weekend

Along with several fashion bloggers, I was asked to style the same Little Black Dress using my own pieces as well as pieces from Cobblestones — a wonderful little vintage boutique in the East Village. While the Style Council will vote on their favorite take on the Little Black Dress, you “the people” get to vote on your favorite…sort of like the People’s Choice Award.

I think it’s pretty darn cool to see how we each brought our unique flair and inspiration to the same LBD. To vote for your favorite look (not saying it has to be my look but read between the lines…LOL)

Go to Bright Young Thing’s Facebook page

• “Like” the Bright Young Things Facebook page
• Then “Like” the post that features the Little Black Dress Style Challenger that you like the best….I’m hoping you’ll vote/”like” my look but the ladies all do an amazing job. You may vote/”like” more than one lady!
• The best part is that your vote/”like” earns you an entry into the contest to win your own LBD…How cool is that?

Well here’s the LBD, my looks, and a quick video that was shot while I played dress-up at Cobblestones Boutique in the East Village.

For the last week I’ve been testing out an eye liner that you all NEED to know about. If you like the look of liquid but hate the mess…or if you’re tired of your eye liner running all over the place, listen up because ThisThatBeauty’s got you covered.

Meet Pixie Endless Silky Eye Pen. The liner is actually a pencil so I’m not sure why it’s called “pen”…but let’s not lose sleep over that one girls! What matters most is that this hypo allergenic and paraben free eye liner lives up to its claim of long wear and budge proof perfection. I went so far as to sleep in the liner (a cardinal sin for moi…oh the things I do for TTB:)) and the liner was still in tact in the morning. I kid you not.

Finally, the intensity of a liquid in the form of a sharpen-able (did I just make up a word?) pencil. I did my trial run of Pixie Endless Silky Eye Pen in Black Noir, but I hear the liner also comes in stunning shades of teal, purple, and blue.

I did a couple of swatches. Check out the intensity of Black Noir.

Ladies, aren’t we always on the hunt for THE perfect rich black liner? Well my search stops at Pixie Endless Silky Pen.

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In recent years, salon quality treatments at-home have gained lots of momentum. More and more women are forgoing office visits for “similar” results at home. I for one haven’t been in for my usual silk peel in quite some time because I feel I am achieving comparable results at home with the use of various peels, exfoliants, lotions, and potions.

While office peels and special treatments can easily run $200+, similar at-home do-it-yourself options are usually a fraction of the price. Now at-home alternatives aren’t always as effective as the office service but most times (in my experience) the results are “similar”…and if you’re minding your P’s and Q’s (like me) you don’t really mind “similar” results. With regular continued use, I find that many at-home treatments deliver results that very closely mirror professional results.

If you are looking for an alternative to spending hundreds of dollars a month on professional micro dermabrasion treatments, consider Personal Microderm. The home microdermabrasion kit targets rough texture, sun damage, general skin buildup, etc. As someone who really invests in high quality serums and such, I am a firm believer that proper exfoliation is the key to your products working effectively and deeply penetrating your skin. If you frequently receive professional micro dermabrasion treatments, Personal Microderm can save you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in the long run!

I like that the system is affordably priced under $200 and is easy to use. I constantly advocate for stepping up your anti-aging routine at an early age. I’ve been doing peels and regular exfoliation since I was 21. Now my advice is not to get overly aggressiveve, but gentle exfoliation, starting at maybe once a week is imperativeve for healthy glowing skin. Personal Microderm can help you get there!

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Let’s talk drugstore beauty. While I’ve never been able to resist the intoxicating call of the drugstore cosmetics aisle (I guess this sort of explains why I am a beauty writer and makeup artist) as of late, the drugstore is really putting it down and offering products that until recently mainly existed in high end department stores. While recently trolling cosmetics in my local WalMart, I spied lots and lots of products that are certainly taking their cues from high-end prestige lines. Naturally, with iPhone in hand, I thought this beauty observation would be perfect for Fridays with Felicia. So shall we?:

L’OREAL offers DE-CREASE, a priming base to be applied prior to eye shadow to help prevent shadow from creasing. Wow, remember when Urban Decay Primer Potion was the top dog in the eye shadow primer game? I wonder how DE-CREASE compares. Have any of you tried DE-CREASE? Leave a comment!

For reals???…Black Radiance makes a self adjusting lip gloss? I hope the folks at Smashbox aint mad. Black Radiance Perfect Tone is a dead wringer for Smashbox O-Gloss. *insert “wow” bob* Wow wOw Wow…

Is Neutrogena’s Healthy Skin Brightening Eye Perfector the poor man’s YSL Touche eclat? Hmmm…

Almay offers a mascara that allows you to adjust and “dial up” the coverage. #FancyHuh

L’OREAL’s True Match Naturale line offers “expert” brushes to accompany their powders. I imagine that your every day consumer who’s clueless about brushes must really appreciate the added bonus.

For about $5, REVLON gives you the “Beyond Natural” lash collection with three different lashes to choose from and a lash glue with applicator.

The pigment on the new eye palettes from Physician’s Formula is quite intense. I think these are great for makeup newbies who want to experiment with color!

Lastly, since we’re on the topic of bargain shopping for makeup, I’ve got a special offer to share with you. Now through August 10 LORAC’s current “Sweet Steal” is the Perfectly Lit Luminizing Powder in SPOTLIGHT. Normally priced at $32 the “Sweet Steal” price is only $9 and is available exclusively at Sephora stores and Sephora.com. The luminizing powder gives the radiant lit from within look that we all desire. By optimizing the effect of the light to diminish imperfections, Perfectly Lit Luminizing Powder blurs imperfections and brightens complexion. I know you all love a great deal so I figured I would share!

xo, Felicia

Fridays with Felicia: An intimate look behind the curtain as I share my favorite style/ beauty discoveries and ThisThatBeauty shenanigans from previous week.

The highlight of my fashion and beauty filled week was the opportunity to attend the sneak peek event for the Target Harlem Grand Opening. The star studded press event occurred on July 20 and on July 25, Tarjay Harlem will officially open its doors. Yay Team Harlem! So spread the word New York – For style, design, and great value: take the 6 train to 116th street.

Naturally I represented and wore a strong red lip (Lipstick Queen Red Sinner) for the grand opening. I mean c’mon, it’s Target…their logo is red!

Since I haven’t done a good old fashioned Face of the Day post in forever, let me go on and break this down for you

• FACE: Cover FX Skin Prep Primer. Make Up For Ever HD Concealer #360. Lanccome TEINT IDOLE FRESH WEAR (shade Suede 2w).
• CHEEKS: Lancome Ageless Minérale Blush in Brilliant Berry
• EYES: It Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Eye Brow Pencil. Kevyn Aucoin Volume Mascara
• LIPS: Lipstick Queen Red Sinner

Selita Ebanks walked the red carpet at the Target store opening. She added a bit of glamour to her nude Sir Alistair Rai dress with a gold braided necklace from the Melania™ Timepieces & Jewelry collection.The piece is available at QVC.com and retails for $39.00.

Selita was indeed a vision on the red carpet. I appreciate that she went high/low and combined her designer frock with a frugalista friendly accessory piece.

I too went the high/low route with simple black Christian Louboutin pumps, Fiona Paxton necklace,Mossimo v-neck pocket tee (From Target) and this Aqua brand gold/black metallic skirt from Bloomingdales. I snagged it on sale for about $18!

And you couldn’t tell me a thing as I hit my hottest contortionist model pose on the red carpet! Hilar!

Ok, next time I’ll leave the “posing” to the real models

While perusing the aisles (makeup aisles, of course) at the grand opening, I spotted one of my beauty faves. She was carefully inspecting her product line on the shelves — crossing t’s and dotting i’s! See if you recognize this iconic makeup artist and entrepreneur…

It’s Sonia Kashuk. Yep, THE Sonia Kashuk — the woman behind the popular exclusive target cosmetic line. We chatted for a spell and did a quick interview regarding her new eco-friendly beauty tools. More deets on the interview soon…

Here’s Sonia Kashuk’s new line of bamboo and cork brushes….

Culture and lifestyle maven, Bevy Smith was in attendance and I was lucky enough to snag a quick flick (and rub the hem of her DVF garment). If you’re not following @bevysmith on Twitter you’re missing out on a daily dose of invaluable “Bevy-isms”.

Speaking of Twitter, I finally met one of my Twitter faves in-person. Please meet @theelegantthrifter aka Stan Williams. His book, The Find: The Housing Works Book of Decorating With Thrift Shop Treasures, Flea Market Objects, and Vintage Details (Clarkson Potter) shows you “not just what to look for, but also how to look at an object to identify a great piece.”

Also follow Stan’s blog at www.theelegantthrifter.com

Here I am with world-renowed chef Marcus Samuelsson. Check out his kitchen collection at Target! Five-percent of each product’s purchase price will go to The Fund for Public Schools in support of the library at PS 180: Hugo Newman. www.schools.nyc.gov/site/M180

While I certainly enjoyed the many wonderful humans I met in Harlem that evening, it was a four-legged friend that sent my heart sailing….

Most folks at the event took “one” picture with Bullseye the Target mascot. Yours truly could not resist requesting a second picture with Bullseye…this one with a kiss! MmmmmmmmmmMWAH Bullseye!

Definitely check out the Harlem Tarjay! What a wonderful win for the community. #TeamHarlem!

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Beauty360.com, the online shopping destination for CVS/pharmacy’s prestige beauty retailer Beauty 360, carries coveted skincare brands including Ahava, Bioelements, Borba, Canyon Ranch Skincare, Mario Badescu and many more.

Today thru July 25 shop Beauty360.com for 20% off all your suncare and skincare purchases! By entering coupon code GLOW at checkout you will also receive free shipping when you spend $49 or more. Click on this link for additional details and products: http://tinyurl.com/337cyau

You may follow Beauty360 at www.twitter.com/beauty360 for beauty tips and news, event details and upcoming promotions.

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Here’s one for my brides — NYC Smile Design announces a cosmetic dental makeover contest for one lucky bride –to-be to win a FREE dental makeover worth up to $30,000. NYC Smile Design’s “Extreme Bridal Makeover” is a contest based in the metropolitan area. Women who are getting married are encouraged to share their stories for a chance to win a makeover worth $30,000.

In order to enter, the contestant must submit a story about why she is unhappy with her smile along with a picture. Dr. Ramin Tabib and Dr. Mello of NYC Smile Design will choose the person with the most compelling story to win the makeover and they will then work their magic to create the perfect smile for the big day.

In order to enter for a chance to win, you must first become a fan of NYC Smile Design’s Facebook page. Visit NYC Smile Design’s Facebook page for details to enter and for daily updates about the contest follow NYC Smile Design on Twitter.

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Visit Youngblood at the Plaza Hotel to get your ultimate mineral makeover. Through July 24, join the artists behind Youngblood to learn about flawless foundation application. For purchases over $150 you will receive an organza bag filled with a full size lip gloss, deluxe Primer sample, deluxe Hi-Def powder sample and a Kabuki brush.

Youngblood offers a comprehensive collection of natural-looking makeup. Visit the Plaza Hotel’s beauty level and learn more!

WHO: The Plaza Beauty

WHAT: Youngblood Cosmetics

WHEN: Now through Saturday, July 24th, 2010

WHERE: The Plaza Beauty One West 58th Street, Concourse Level NY, NY 10019 212.223.4694

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On July 26 one of my favorite makeup brands will debut on ShopNBC. (See previous BECCA posts here, here, here, and here)

BECCA Cosmetics will premiere on the network this Monday, July 26^th at 11am and 7pm ET. The line is a fave of mine because its complexion range satisfies from Nicole Kidman to Alek Wek. The line features natural looking cosmetics that focus on a flawless and fresh finish, while benefiting the skin with anti-oxidant vitamins and high levels of broad spectrum sunscreen.

Of the launch on ShopNBC, BECCA founder, Rebecca Morrice Williams, has this to say: “We’re thrilled to be launching BECCA on ShopNBC. Offering women the opportunity to create flawless, natural looking skin is what the BECCA line pivots around. We’ve chosen many special, best-selling products for the face, eyes, lips and cheeks, and are very excited to introduce them to the ShopNBC audience”.

Tune in and learn more about BECCA!

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Last, but certainly not least, here’s a deal from Stila that I just had to share…..

• Do you need makeup? (of course you do. LOL)
• Do you have $10?
• Ok, buy this!

Stila just launched limited edition Stila Girl Travel Palettes! The first of the series is Road to Radiance Across the USA inspired by Kylie’s road trip across the US!

The frugalista friendly palette includes:

Four Eye Shadows:
- Snow Bunny (shimmery champagne)
- Southern Belle (mauve)
- Valley Girl (pink)
- City Chick (alloy)

Convertible Color:
- Hibiscus (I lurrrrve Stila Convertible color cheek colors. “Fuchsia” is one of my faves)

Each palette is ONLY $10, a $65 VALUE! Collect all Five (check back next month for the new palette!)

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Have a great weekend everyone…I hope to do some crabbing down the shore! Nom nom!

xo,

Felicia