Archive for October, 2011
Halloween’s here: makeup your mind!
If you haven’t yet decided what to be for Halloween, it’s not too late. And (sigh of relief!) you don’t even need to shell out for a costume you’ll only wear once. Walnut Creek’s Avital Beauty Lounge and Miracullum Spa are going all out with unBOOlievably glamorous or downright spooky-chic makeup by appointment. Think fluttering [...]
Free Stuff! Kiehl’s at Westfield Valley Fair Celebrates Move to Bigger Location
Actor Alan Cumming sings karaoke at the Kiehl’s Fashion’s Night Out event during New York Fashion Week in September. (Photo by Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan) Walk into the Kiehl’s store at Westfield Valley Fair this weekend and you’ll be treated to refreshments, complimentary samples of some of their best-selling products and have a chance to win [...]
Suburban-inspired inventions
Ask any woman walking down our well-manicured streets…life is beautius maximus in the suburbs. But just imagine just how much more gorgeous it could be with these snazzy “cosmetic enhancements” in our backyard. I can’t be the only one who dreams of… *Drive-by manicures on every Main Street (the speedy service, easy parking and last-minute appointments at Bollinger [...]
Breakup makeup
Nothing stirs the desire for self-reinvention like a breakup caused by…makeup. Yes, makeup. Rewind to 2007. I’d been dating Willis* for seven months when, suddenly, a weeklong stay at his L.A. digs revealed more than the entire span of our relationship. He never flossed even though his dad was a dentist, used his breakfast dishes [...]
Painted love: fall 2011 nail trends
Nail polish is one of those nifty little must-haves that straddles the line between beauty and fashion. A quick change to your tips has the power to alter your outfit and your outlook. As a writer I tend to think of different colors as a wide range of punctuation marks with varying degrees of statement-making power (brights being the [...]
Six beauty tips you’ve never tried
1. Add a touch of sheer, shimmering gold eye shadow to the center of your lower lip for the same enhancing effect as gloss without the goop. Try Bobbi Brown Metallic Eye Shadow in Gold Dust. 2. Sweep loose powder on your lashes (eyes closed!) to give your mascara more to adhere to and create [...]
Spa-la-la: pampering music
When it comes to do-it-yourself beauty, two things are nearly impossible to recreate in the privacy of home: 1.) A bouncy, salon-quality blowdry (with only two hands, this could turn into a lifelong pursuit). 2.) A soothing environ in which to relax (not as tough to tackle if you take your cues from Changes Salon and [...]
A Behind-the-Scenes Preview of Scene’s Holiday Fashion Section
I spent the afternoon switching out my wardrobe from summer to fall, packing away the colorful, breezy tops and lightweight skirts and replacing them with sweaters, long sleeved dresses and jackets. What got me in the mood for the closet clean-up was our shoot last week for the next issue of Scene. A straight-off-the-fall-runway Dries [...]
Little black book of awesome stylists
Tonsurephobia. It’s the fear of haircuts, or more accurately, the fear of ending up with a ‘do that looks like doodie. I never really understood the anxiety surrounding the search for a new stylist until I experienced the cut from hell four years ago. Layer upon awkward layer. Choppy, crooked pieces in the front. And [...]
Va-va-vroom! Mercedes Benz Nail Polish
Mercedes-Benz is synonymous with Bay Area suburbs (as evidenced by the parking lots at Forbes Mill Steakhouse in Danville and Los Gatos). Turns out its also the maker of a crave-worthy collection of nail polishes matching its fancy fleet of vehicles. The SLK nail polish in Zircon red ($11.50) actually comes in handy for touch-ups…on [...]
