Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013

Beauty, Fab Events, Haute Press, Influence, Los Angeles, Luxury

Luxury Lounge with @HBO, @MissJ_Alexander, @JamieLSigler + @LOrealParisUSA

HBO Golden Globes Luxury Suite Jay Alexander Luxury Lounge with @HBO, @MissJ Alexander, @JamieLSigler + @LOrealParisUSA
HBO’s 11th Annual Luxury Lounge was held on Sunday, January 13th in Los Angeles in honor of the 70th Annual Golden Globes. To prepare for the night’s festivities, Hollywood’s elite were pampered from head to toe by the experts at the HBO Luxury Lounge. Featured brands included L’Oréal Paris, Motorola, Pandora, Nautica, Michael Antonio, Staples, Sophia Fiori, Boiron, TiVo, and Eddia Beverly Hills.

For those looking for some jewelry, there were customized Pandora charm bracelets available. Michael Antonio’s completely vegan and eco-friendly shoes were favorites of Lisa and Pandora Vanderpump of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” Braver guests chose to leave their cell phones with the experts and have them set up with Motorola’s S11-FLEX HD wireless headset. Nothing to hide here!

Other guest, like “Dancing with the Stars” Karina Smirnoff and Samantha Harris chose to get their beauty on (like these ladies need any help). Products used by the L’Oréal Paris Beauty Suite included Telescopic Shocking Extensions Mascara, Colour Riche Colour Caresse Shine Stain and Revitalift Miracle Blur Instant Skin Smoother Finishing Cream. These lucky guests even got to have their hair and make up done and indulge in luxurious manicures and pedicures. Sounds like a great way to get ready for a night of award shows and partying.

And what’s a party without an outfit change? Partygoers like Karina Smirnoff from “Dancing with the Stars” decided to pick up some duds from Nautica. The gentlemen who wanted to spruce up their wardrobe could pick up some silk ties from Eddia Beverly Hills. J. Alexander from “America’s Next Top Model” decided to forgoe the ties, though, and instead tried on some serious bling at Sophia Fiori. And for those interested in preparing for the night from the inside, like Jamie-Lynn Sigler, there were Eco Jute Totes from Boiron filled with homeopathic medicines.

Other stars who attended the event included J. Alexander from “America’s Next Top Model,” Bill Maher from “Real time with Bill Maher,” Lauren Bowles from “True Blood,” and Jeff Garlin from “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

And more good news from L’Oréal Paris: they recently announced that Billy “Billy B.” Brasfield is has come on board as one of their consulting makeup artists. Billy B. has made up the faces of some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, such as Beyoncé, Britney Spears, and Lady Gaga. In addition, he has worked the red carpet for the Academy Awards, Emmys, Grammys, and Cannes Film Festival. Billy B. will lend his hand to product development, consumer education and creating trendsetting makeup looks. Hey, anyone who can make Britney Spears look good seems like the kind of guy I want developing my makeup products.

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Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013

Emergent Design, Fashion, High Society, Influence, Politics, Tamed Tresses, Touché

#FLOTUS Bangs & @JasonWu Double Time for @MichelleObama

Michelle Obama Inauguration Gown Flotus Jason Wu #FLOTUS Bangs & @JasonWu Double Time for @MichelleObama

We were experiencing a slight case of déjà vu last night as Michelle Obama dazzled us in yet another Jason Wu stunner. For the evening portion of the 2013 Presidential Inauguration, Mrs. Obama wore a red chiffon and velvet gown by the designer, who also designed her white inauguration gown four years ago.  Obama paired the gown with red Jimmy Choo heels and a Kimberly McDonald diamond ring.

President and First Lady Obama attended the Commander-in-Chief’s Ball at the beginning of the evening, where they shared their first dance together this term. “Ladies and gentlemen, my better half, and my dance partner, Michelle Obama,” President Obama said as he brought his wife on stage. The two danced to Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together,” performed by singer Jennifer Hudson.

The second Ball of the night was the Inaugural Ball held at the Convention Center. Here, more than 30,000 guests watched as the Obamas danced again to Jennifer Hudson. This ball, which first took place in 2009, is open to the public with tickets that cost as low as $60. Alicia Keys, Brad Paisley, and Stevie Wonder performed, among others.

Thanks to his white gown that he designed for Michelle Obama for the 2008 Inaugural Ball, housewives and soccer moms all over America know Wu's name and are fans of his designs. André Leon Talley, editor-at-large of Vogue, introduced Wu to Mrs. Obama and she is said to be a career-launcher for him. While some designers submitted multiple designs for consideration, the red gown was the only one submitted by Wu. Just like the rest of us, he had no idea Michelle chose his dress for the event until she appeared on stage Monday night.

The red gown from Monday night’s festivities was decorated around the neckline by real diamonds. The added glitz not only added some glamour to the ensemble, but also lent an air of maturity and confidence to Michelle, who has become a fixture in fashion magazines and blogs worldwide. This is definitely an appropriate look for the night. It’s vibrant and classy, but at the same time subdued, and the way it flowed behind her as she walked down the stairs onto stage for she and her husband’s first dance was breathtaking. Ahhhhh!

Michelle Obama Power Bangs #FLOTUS Bangs & @JasonWu Double Time for @MichelleObama

Cut to the chase: One thing we couldn’t help but notice about the First Lady’s overall appearance was her bangin’ bangs. Mrs. Obama, who has had basically the same shoulder length haircut throughout her husband’s presidency, recently had a little style makeover in the form of fringe. Everyone’s completely obsessed with it and it’s easy to see why: she looks younger and her face looks slimmer. Who doesn’t want that? Many women, especially those who are middle-aged like Michelle might be a bit weary of chopping off some of their hair like that, but Mrs. Obama is clearly a bossy, no-nonsense lady who knows what she wants and knows what will look good on her. And now if you or a friend wants to rock some Michelle Obama bangs for a day or a night, you can. With Hairdo by HairUWear Clip-In Bangs, you can go from long bangs to short bangs with the click of a clip. Remember when Samantha Jones wore a different wig everyday? This is kind of like that, but much less shocking. For the bossy girl who has everything and isn’t afraid to change her hair like she changes her shoes, this is the perfect gift for Valentines Day, a Birthday, or just any day.

Although it can almost go without saying that Michelle Obama is one smokin’ hot mama with an awesome sense of style, there are some things that require further explanation. Like FLOTUS. Who the hell is FLOTUS? What exactly does that mean? Who made it up? Upon further investigation, we found out that FLOTUS is actually Mrs. Obama’s Twitter handle. The First Lady’s staff manages her second twitter account, which was launched on her 49th birthday last week. The twitter handle is obviously an acronym for “First Lady of the United States,” but what were confused about is why everyone keeps using this as a synonym for Michelle Obama. Like, we get it, she’s the first lady, and it kind of rolls off the tongue, but you don’t see people going around calling Anna Wintour ‘EICOV’ (Editor-in-Chief of Vogue) or calling  President Obama ‘POTUS.’ When did it become cool to use acronyms instead of actual names? Are these the people who go around saying LOL out loud instead of actually laughing? Stop using acronyms, people. STOP TRYING TO MAKE FLOTUS HAPPEN. IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

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Sunday, January 20th, 2013

Celebs, Fab Events, Fashion, High Society, Influence, International, Philanthropy

Sean John Gives Back & Spoils Starlets at Sundace

Sundance and Sean John Sean John Gives Back & Spoils Starlets at Sundace

Once a year, the snowy town of Park City, Utah becomes the mecca for celebrities and movie industry insiders. Skiing the slopes and watching the newest movies by day, partying at the hottest spots at night—the Sundance Film Festival is where it’s at for wintertime Hollywood fun. And while movies and parties are fun, you know the celebrities are probably most excited for all the free swag they get. The Talent Resources Suite at the Sundance Film Festival is where the stars go to try out new gadgets, taste delicious gourmet food, and try on clothes. And the best part is, they get to keep all of it.

The exclusive apparel sponsor at the Talent Resources Suites for this year’s Sundance Film Festival is none other than Sean John, the clothing company owned by mogul Sean “P Diddy” Combs. Stars like AnnaLyne McCord, Paris Hilton, and Karina Smirnoff stopped by the TR Suites to pick up their free Sean John outerwear. But Sean John isn’t just giving coats away to rich people who can afford them—for every coat given away at the Sundance Film Festival, Sean John is donating a brand new coat to an at-risk New Yorker as part of the New York Cares Coat Drive (SMILE).

The coat drive, which benefits New Yorkers in need, has to date given out 61,790 coats to New Yorkers. Although individuals can no longer donate coats (the coat drive ended December 31st), the New York Cares website encourages financial donations. While most companies are just giving away their goods at events like the Sundance Film Festival in the name of great publicity (who doesn’t want stars to be wearing around their clothes or using their gadgets), it’s refreshing to see a company who has figured out a way to benefit those in need through giving away their products.

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Friday, January 18th, 2013

Eye Spy, Fashion, Influence, London, Luxe for Less, Timeless Staple, Touché

FCUK Sub Silky Tie Blouse Bares It’s Royal Highness, Kate Middleton’s Famous Portrait

Kate Middleton French Connection FCUK Sub Silky Tie Blouse Bares Its Royal Highness, Kate Middletons Famous Portrait

We all remember Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge’s very gracious portrait. Can we say grace over glamour, guts over glory? It was… different, to say the least. The very least. Although we hated the portrait, there was one aspect of it that was recently brought to our attention by a very bright British PR birdie. For her immaculate portrait, Kate wore a French Connection Sub Silky Tie Blouse in navy. For 118 royal bucks, you can own the very blouse that the British beauty grinned and beared with class. A fairly reasonable way to look like a princess and to sit still in horror while doing so.

My only question is, why hasn’t the dude who painted her portrait been thrown in the chokey yet? I know he supposedly won some kind of a painting award a few years back but come on, people, there had to be better candidates out there when it came to this. Or maybe he just has a weird old person fetish and wanted to make Kate look older because ideally, that’s how he’d be the most attracted to her.

I think this is definitely a plausible hypothesis that needs to be further investigated. Had he featured Kate’s French Connection blouse in the portrait, I might have cut him some slack because that would obviously mean that he has at least a little taste when it comes to clothes. But he has no taste and he didn’t include the blouse in the portrait. So no slack for him. He can go FCUK himself!

On the other hand, Kate’s beautiful and he totally messed up her face, so who’s to say he wouldn’t have taken this blouse and made it look like trash, no, trash? If it had been of her ensemble as well, however, he probably would’ve made this blouse look dowdy, moth-eaten and faded. In other words, he would’ve made it look old. Get it? See what I did there? I demand a repainting of our favorite princess, straight-away, but if he's the one considering the redo, we'll just have to wait on the bloody bastard to get some painting lessons, Ross?

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Thursday, January 17th, 2013

Haute Press, Influence, News, The Industry

Brands & Retailers Trump Celebs On Social Following

Social Media and Brands Over Celebs Brands & Retailers Trump Celebs On Social FollowingIn our celebrity-obsessed culture, it’s hard to believe that anything could be more popular on Twitter or Facebook or any other social media outlet. But it’s true. According to a recent study by WSL/Strategic Retail, there are things more popular than celebrities—things like Neiman Marcus and other retailers/brands. With more followers on Twitter and more likes on Facebook, these are the social media giants. According to the study, almost two-thirds of Facebook users who “Like” different social media pages follow brands and retailers, while only about half follow celebrities and TV shows.

So why do we choose to like our favorite brand as opposed to liking our favorite celebrity? It’s because of what we get for liking the brand. While liking a celebrity page or following a celebrity on Twitter will blow up your news feed with the selfies, rants, and useless thoughts of the rich and the famous, liking a brand or a retailer will get you deals. The Facebook pages and Twitter accounts of brands and retailers, like Kate Spade or Bloomingdales, blow up your newsfeed with secret sales and last minute discounts.

The survey does say, however, that being aware of these brands doesn’t necessarily lead to sales. “Only 25% of all users go to their Social Networks for information about something they want to buy,” said Wendy Liebmann, CEO of WSL/Strategic Retail. But the fact of the matter is that when it comes to shopping, knowledge is power, and following these brands and retailers on different social media outlets gives us that power. Whether we want to know how to put together an outfit via Pinterest or who’s having a sale at what time via Twitter…Brands and Retailers are more important to us. Sorry, Bieber, we just like Berdorfs more than you.

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