Jane’s Addiction: The Gold Standard
It’s hard to come between me and my beloved greige nail polish, but this season, some new lacquers are tempting me to mix things up. Like Pierre Hardy’s genius shoes, the dozen polishes he created with fellow Frenchman François Nars are sold in pairs ($29, narscosmetics.com), and each combo is inspired by one of his designs. My favorite is a Belle du Jour–esque duo of pale gold and camel called Easy Walking (right center and bottom). Still, no matter how enamored I am with a hue when first applied, I’m often over it by the next morning. Lately, rather than starting from scratch, I’ve been layering on a coat of RGB’s Highlight (top right, $18, rgbcosmetics.com), which adds a pearly warmth over polish. And if I really want statement nails, I dip my brush into OPI’s When Monkeys Fly! (above, left, $9, opi.com), which blings things up with gold and silver flecks floating in a clear topcoat (inset). The best part: No one believes it’s a DIY job.
At Jason Wu’s fall show, I couldn’t decide what I loved more: the hair or the makeup. Diane Kendal’s Yves Klein–esque cobalt lids were stiff competition for Odile Gilbert’s intricate barrette-bedecked coifs (inset). It’s such a fresh, elegant look that maybe even FLOTUS will try it.
Most plastic surgeons offer a veritable smorgasbord of procedures, but Aaron Rollins in Beverly Hills does all lipo, all the time. So we trust him when he tells us that Airbrush Liposculpture, the latest incarnation of SmartLipo, is a big breakthrough. Like its predecessors, Airbrush uses a laser to melt fat before sucking it away, but the difference is a new, smaller cannula, or tube, that rapidly and automatically rotates in a corkscrew motion. (Don’t worry: That’s not it at left!) As a result, says Rollins, doctors don’t have to manually move the instrument back and forth, which can damage tissue: “And it’s more accurate—like the difference between using a sewing machine and stitching something by hand.”
Whenever I visit New York facialist Aida Bicaj, I leave with a dewier, nearly incandescent complexion. But even with that payoff as motivation—and even though getting pampered is part of my job (I know…poor me)—I can’t always carve two hours out of my day. Lately, I’ve been faking it at home with this cocktail of products:
Korres Greek Yoghurt Sleeping Facial $45, sephora.com Before bed, I slather on this overnight cream (above), which contains turmeric extract to fade dark spots, sunflower wax and jojoba oil to smooth, and, yes, yogurt to moisturize. I wake up with supple skin—and sometimes a craving for Fage.
Lancôme Absolue Sublime Oleo-Serum $180, lancome.com While I liked the custardy texture of Lancôme’s original Absolue cream, it was too rich for my skin, so I’m thrilled with this lighter, camellia-and-citrus-oil-based formula (above, left), which gives my complexion a fresh-from-the-spa glow.
Amorepacific Future Response Age Defense Creme $195, amorepacific.com This cream has a nearly whipped consistency that feels great going on. It’s packed with green tea, pine mushroom extract, and a bunch of other botanicals that work to combat wrinkles and dark spots.
L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Miracle Blur $25, lorealparis.com It can’t compare to a professional pore cleaning, but this waxy cream does fill in each one with silicone while also camouflaging spots. As the name suggests, it gives skin that beautifully out- of-focus look—the real-life version of Vaseline on the lens.
Dior Diorsnow UV Shield BB Eye Creme $49, dior.com One reason I look so well rested after a facial is that I usually sleep through it. This cream de- puffs and banishes dark circles almost as well as a nap does. »
