“I love Redken products,” said Latin Grammy nominated Puerto Rican singer Ednita Nazario. “I heard the Intense Renewal Mask was great!.”

Other artists were already avid users of other products and couldn’t wait to try out the new addition. “I love the products, and I use the Extreme line and Smooth Down Butter Treat,” says Puerto Rican actress, Giselle Blondet. “I’ve never tried the Real Control shampoo and conditioner, but would love to try them.” Emily Estefan, daughter of Gloria Estefan, mentioned it would be a great line for her mom to use since her hair sometimes becomes unmanageable in the hot and humid weather of Miami.

The exclusive talent gift lounge was visited by press and celebrities attending the Latin GRAMMY® Awards rehearsals as well as the actual show on November 13th. Amor gave personal consultations to everyone that passed by and even provided touch-ups for others. Each attendee also received the opportunity to visit the ultra-exclusive Warren Tricomi Los Angeles salon, owned by Amor, in West Hollywood for a blow-dry or Real Control service.

To put the impact of breast cancer into perspective, one woman is diagnosed with it every three minutes. That’s 175,200 a year.

Total Beauty, Total Cure is dedicated to increasing awareness about the importance of prevention, early detection, and educating women and girls about breast cancer. Arming ourselves with knowledge and resources about the risks, prevention, and impact of breast cancer brings us closer to finding the cure.This unique collaboration of beauty bloggers, beauty brands and Total Beauty is one to show a united voice of strength and hope that, someday soon, we will close in on a cure.

Become a friend of our Total Beauty, Total Cure pages on Myspace and Facebook to be entered into a drawing to win some cool prizes!

Beyond Beauty Basics is kicking off National Breast Cancer Awareness Month with a contest sponsored by L’Oreal.  L’Oreal is a leading total beauty care brand that combines the latest in technology with the highest in quality for the ultimate in luxury beauty at mass.  And we are happy to have a beauty-filled giveaway of L’Oreal skincare and makeup (value of $260):

• Skin Genesis Daily Treatment Concentrate
• Moisturizer
• Treatment Serum
• Deep Purifying Foaming Cream Cleanser
• Micro-Smoothing Wet Cleansing Towelettes
• Revitalift UV Daily Moisturizing Cream w/Mexoryl SX
• Bare Naturale Mineral-Enriched Mascara
• Lip Conditioner (2 shades)
• Soft Focus Mineral Finish
• All-Over Mineral Glow
• Gentle Mineral Eye Shadow
• Infallible Never-Fail Eyeliner (2 shades)
• Lipcolour (3 shades)
• Lipgloss (2 shades)

To be a part of the Beyond Beauty Basics giveaway, simply share some trivia, personal story, or information about breast cancer, which you can find on the MySpace and Facebook pages and comment here on Beyond Beauty Basics! We’ll pick a winner by the end of today, October 6, 2008. You only need a comment to win.

Contest ends Monday, October 6, 2008 11:59pm EST. One (1) lucky winner will be chosen at random. This contest is only open to U.S. residents and winners will be notified via email. One comment entry per person, trackable by IP address.

***Winner Update***

Congratulations to Jan L. of New York!

To make a donation to the Breast Cancer Research Fund, visit www.bcrfcure.org

For information, resources, and support programs, visit the American Cancer Society at www.cancer.org

Chansel focused on keeping the face soft and clean by opening up the eyes with matte neutral colors, freshly-pinched cheeks, and natural lips. The application of brown mascara barely defined the eyes but was perfect for maintaining flow throughout the look.

Inside Philippe Chansel’s kit:

1. MAC Face and Body Foundation – A water-based foundation with sheer coverage and a dewy finish, perfect for the fresh-faced nymph look.

2. MAC Matte Squared Eye Shadow - (Using the shades Tete-A-Tint and Brown Script, Chansel was able to achieve the clean open eye he required for the look.

3. MAC Powder Blush in Fleur Power - This soft coral-rose color was perfect puffed on to the cheeks for a pinch-like look.

4. MAC Twig Lipstick - Twig lipstick is one of MAC’s staple shades, and for good reason! The brown-pink shade was used by Chansel to finish off his nymph look.

By definition, a nymph is a beautiful and graceful woman. The genius combination of Philippe Chansel’s vision of a nymph and Chris Han’s creations of flowing fabric and vivid colors proved to be elegant yet mythical.

Photos: Victoria Stiles & Getty Images

Put yourself in my pumps. Imagine you’re a brand new contributing editor for Beyond Beauty Basics. The closest you’ve ever come to the Fashion Week tent is when you passed through Bryant Park last season and bought a turkey wrap from ‘Wich Craft. You sat at a table nearby and ate your wrap to the sound of the booming bass of hot runway music emanating from the tent. Oh, if you could see even a little bit of what goes on in there!

The Fashion gods answer your prayers. This season, your life is suddenly graced with a press pass. Now it’s not a tremendous deal like front row seats to a show, but it’s certainly something. It gets you into the lobby and that lobby is alive with activity. But before getting in there, you have to push through the crowd gathered at the main entrance and clamber up the steps. You flash your press pass at security a la Lloyd Christmas in Dumb & Dumber when he was all, “It’s okay! I’m a limo driver.” *flash badge* And then… you’re in.

You’re greeted by a blonde bombshell all in black — chic, stylish, pretty. And most importantly, she’s holding a tray of beverages. “Red wine or white?” You smile and politely take a glass of red. “There’s more at the bar,” she nasals and tilts her head in the direction of the open bar. Sweet, you think.

It’s gorgeous in there. You’re flanked on either side by a Mercedes Benz - the CLS63 AMG on one side and the S550 Sedan on the other. The perimeter of this makeshift lobby is also surrounded by booths. Verizon, Judith Ripka, Havaianas and other goodies. You decide you desperately need to check out Havaianas because flip flops that combine functionality and cuteness is where it’s at. The booth is closed for 9/11, understandably. They weren’t talking with the press, but there was some sort of hub-bub in there.

It’s then you notice the platinum blonde spiky head - and you think, what a pretty man. There’s a tailored jacket and a hint of eyeliner. Someone definitely got his hands on some L’Homme by YSL products. Man-scara was all up in there. When you re-adjust your newbie eyes, you realize just who you are looking at, and your inner Top Model lets out a dramatic gasp.

It’s JAY MANUEL, the art director of America’s Next Top Model photo shoots. Tyra’s right-hand man. And he is beautiful. Beautiful! Suddenly, you become very aware of his presence. What do you do? Do you smile with your eyes? Do you arrange yourself in a fierce pose? Do you snap your fingers in Z-formation? Do you vogue?! You’re just about to bow at his feet when your eyes go past that tailored jacket, over the a bright skull imprinted on the back, and fall to his… skirt. Yes, a skirt. Fine, it’s probably a kilt. But nonetheless, he’s not wearing pants! But this is JAY MANUEL. He lives and breathes hotness. And you know what? He owned that little kilt!

So what’s next? You raise your little point-and-shoot (because you’re a newbie and you don’t have an digital SLR just yet) and you start to take photos of him. You pray that he’s ok with it because the last thing you want is a fight with Jay Manuel while he is a about an inch away from a wardrobe malfunction. You admire him for just a few more moments before leaving.

There are screens arranged in a circle playing live shows from inside the Tent or Promenade or Salon. But just before the TVs, you also notice that they are surrounded by red artificial posies which serve as the foreground to an abundance of delicious eye candy. No, not David Beckham photos. Better. Red shoes from every hot designer you can think of! Manolo Blahnik. Betsey Johnson. Oscar De La Renta. They were all there, each encased in a glass dome so you can see but not touch. You look and you drool without shame or conscience.

 

Before you know it, the line of fashionistas in their flashiest Louboutins and cocktail dresses are ushered into the tent. The show you’re there to watch (via TVs behind the red hot shoes) is about to begin.

The Zac Posen show is high-energy from start to finish. His ready-to-wear is enticing and sexy, starting with nude shades and transitioning into light pinks. The fabrics are layered: soft, flowy and flirty. The models are all rocking faux-hawks with ultra long extensions. Their faces aren’t heavy with color but there’s definitely a look of glam. In accessories, they are wearing shoulder-brushing earrings with long necklaces that are just as bold. When the tone of the clothes change, you realize that the hair/face/accessories stay the same, giving them a versatile twist. Soon the clothes take on a more avant-guarde shape into creations are worthy of any red carpet. The models strut just a little sexier and their lips are now different shades of violet. Deep purples. And you fall immediately in love with this look. You wonder: Where can I get the hottest violet lip color?

And you realize, there’s no need to ask because Beyond Beauty Basics is so on top of this game that it won’t be long before you know exactly where to get it.

After the show, the free drinks, the Jay Manuel skirt surprise and the man with glittery red shoes, it’s time for you to make a graceful exit. It was an eventful first time at Fashion Week and you look forward to future visits. So back through the crowd you go. Down the stairs, past the crowd and into —some protesters.

… not the happiest of crowds. Yikes. You snap a quick photo and bounce.

Photos: Trina Poon, Victoria Stiles, Getty Images

After a long morning, I made it into the tents. Displayed in a circle at the center, there were enough gorgeous red shoes to make Dorothy (and probably even Toto) jealous. As a sponsor of Fashion Week, Mercedes Benz also had several of their luxury cars on display. The scene seemed to change completely every few seconds as the busy people buzzed about the tent.

Armed with my press pass, I decided to walk around and talk to people. I have to admit that the idea of talking to such fabulous strangers terrifying, but nearly everyone seemed willing to dish their opinions on the event. Kyle Anderson, Accessories Editor of Elle Magazine, sat down on the bench next to me, and it became all to natural to ease into a conversation about his stylish outfit.

It was great to just sit around in between the DKNY and Leela Rose shows and talk to people.

I decided to talk to some of the other workers. I noticed that the women working the event were all wearing black outfits with a bright array of tights. The bold playfulness and contrast of colors was extremely eye pleasing. I approached the girl nearest to me and asked her what she thought of the look.

“We have a different theme for everyday, but this look feels good,” said Audry Ong. “They’re really comfortable and were sponsored by Hue.”

I was also lucky enough to talk to some designers. Diego Valencia, a Colombian designer, traveled so far to be here. He didn’t speak very much English, but he was very happy to talk to me. He talked about how he loved Fashion Week and how he drew much inspiration from designers John Galliano and John Paul Gaultier.

Later, I got to talk to Jack Mackenroth from Project Runway, Martin Richie from the reality show Janice Dickinson’s Modeling Agency, and Avshalom Rave a fashion designer. Jack Mackenroth told me he was going to be co-hosting a design show. I begged to know more, but he insisted that the name and details of the show are top secret and he was not spilling!

After the shows I stepped back outside to make my way back to the hotel, when the most bizarre thing caught my eye – bright pink fluff! I did a double take. Right outside the tents with protesters with picket signs, faux blood, all dressed in bunny suits chanting “NO BLOOD FOR VANITY!” The bunny suits caught me off-guard, but it was something to think about as I made my way around.

I sat in front of the hotel for a few minutes, watching the models and celebrities use the back entrance. Only a few hours ago I was anxiously waiting for my press pass, and now I was sitting against the stone wall admiring celebrities from afar. They were decked out in some of Fashion Week’s finest pieces.

As I look back on my first Fashion Week experience, I am so grateful to have had to opportunity to have been a part of it.

Sunday night Beyond Beauty Basics had the great fortune of attending the MAC Cosmetics Fashion Week dinner in New York City at the chic and fabulous Suba restaurant on the lower east side.

I got all dolled up in my favorite pencil skirt and power woman red heels, and of course, MAC makeup. I mean, I was going to a party in its honor; the least I could do was wear my faves! I had on their shadow in Carbon, Silver Ring, Electra, and Vellum (I like to play), and Eye Kohl in Smolder. (Don’t you just LOVE the names?!) Finishing off my face was their powder blush in Ambering Rose and Touch lipstick - which had just the right amount of luster for my lips.

After meeting the fabulous Heather Park of MAC, as well as Javier, we sat down to an AMAZING dinner. We sat with Annie Tomlin, the gorgeous, chic, Californian from Bella Sugar (hello, one of our favorites!) and got to talk about beauty, the industry, and how Annie will one day light up CNN and MSNBC with her ingenious political commentary. She has charisma to spare, we love her! She also, a great haircut… but I digress (I have a habit of digression).

Also seated with us was the Beauty Alchemist herself, who happens to be a fellow Sagittarius!

Rounding out those in attendance were some of the fabulous bloggers from All About The Pretty, The MakeupBag, The JetSet Girls, Beauty Blogging Junkie, Elke Von Freudenberg, and a few others.

MAC Cosmetics also sent along a present for each of us beauty bloggers, essentials for surviving Fashion Week in New York:

• A good-sized makeup bag (every girl needs one).
• Sexy false eyelashes (I am DYING to try these).
• Paint Pot eye shadow in “Bare Study,” which is amaaaazzzinnnggg. Ours has a gorgeous pearly finish. It goes on so smooth and creamy and dries to long lasting, vibrant, beautiful, cake-free finish. Loves it.
• Technakohl Eyeliner – in two shades: “Steelpoint” and “Photogravure!” The first is a steely charcoal and the second is a raisin brown. They are gorgeous.
• Facial wipes – I tried these last night to remove my bronzer (hey the summer tan is fading fast), charcoal shadow, and liner. I am so happy they included these! They left my face feeling clean and fresh, and with Vitamin E, I know it’s good for my skin. Best of all, they’re completely portable so you can freshen your face on the go.
• Tinted Lip Conditioner (SPF 15) in “Fuchsia Fix.” It is so hard to find good lip products that also have SPF (I for one, get freckles on MY LIPS!) The color is so pretty and sheer.
• Slimshine Lipstick in “Rock Out.” Simply gorgeous. With full lips I am sometimes afraid of bright colors but this is glamorous enough for the evening yet soft and pretty enough for work.
• Cleansing Tips – how you can live without these is beyond me. Well, maybe it’s JUST me. I seem to always make boo-boos with my eye makeup. The best is, these can be used on the go, and you can toss an individually wrapped one in your makeup bag!

Loves it!

Before we left, I had to ask the gorgeous Heather Park what color her gorgeous gold eye shadow was. I had been coveting it all night! It’s MAC’s new Blackened Gold Reflex Glitter. I really can’t wait to get some of my own, it’s going to be perfect for Fall and Holiday parties.

Thank you so much MAC Cosmetics and Heather Park for hosting this wonderful party and letting us be a part of the MAC Cosmetics Fashion Week experience.

Viva la MAC!

Photos: Jennifer Long

We arrived (fashionably late, of course) to Arena nightclub at about 8:20 PM. The Bryant Park and Times Square areas were pulsing with the excitement of Fashion Week and we were positively surrounded by Fashionistas.

After walking the RED CARPET and posing for the flashbulbs, we were inside one of the hottest Fashion Week parties. There were giant movie screens to the left and right showing fashion highlights from the last century under sparkling fuchsia lights that adorned the ceiling, a classic medallion with a crystalline chandelier in the center, reminiscent of the history of New York City’s theater district.

Hairstylists from Ted Gibson were there, offering hot hair makeovers; suspended from the ceiling was a trapeze artist, working her limbs in and out of giant cloth ribbons; unlimited champagne and an open bar (I am a champagne girl); a dessert bar complete with chocolate fountain; and…

A sample of the new line from the up-and-coming fashion designers at Chloe and Reese!

I was so excited to check out their line. The silhouette was both feminine and chic; with clothes to wear out and clothes you can wear to the office. (Well, if your office can handle this much style!) Think ruffled plackets and satin frocks. Lace and Swiss dot blouses with sophisticated skirts. The season’s hottest colors were all present in the collection, along with your classic black, creams, and whites.

I was quick to point out that all the samples were in my size (tee hee). I got some good shots of some of the clothing on display as well as the representative from Chloe and Reese, who was decked out in a fabulous black dress from their line, paired with some great black gladiator-inspired pumps.

I cannot wait until I can find some Chloe and Reese in stores!

We met so many other beauty bloggers and got to chat with the staff from Total Beauty. We’re still reeling from the excitement (and the RED CARPET)!

The Total Beauty and AOL/StyleList.com party was the perfect way to kick-off Fashion Week! We can’t wait to bring you more behind-the-scenes news and tips!

Photos: Jennifer Long

TotalBeauty.com, one of the top destinations for anyone who has a love for the beauty industry, partnered with Intelligent Beauty to host the most incredible and info packed summit since the beginning of beauty blogging! I personally had the oppotunity to meet the faces behind the beauty blogs that you visit daily, as well as some of the the Total Beauty brand partners: L’Oreal, Murad, IQderma, Redpoint, and Raw Natural Beauty.

I have to take this opportunity to thank TotalBeauty.com because it is the people that I have met that inspires us here at Beyond Beauty Basics and shows us that we can make a difference in this ever changing world of beauty. TotalBeauty.com has welcomed over 120 beauty bloggers into their community and we are proud to be one of them. CEO and founder of Total Beauty, Emrah Kovacoglu, mentioned that the goal of Total Beauty is to educate and support their beauty blogger partners through “building the best beauty community on the Web”. This passion for the success of Beauty Bloggers around the globe is why we do what we do and I am so honored to be a part of this incredible network!

We at Beyond Beauty Basics got a special sneak preview on some of the new upcoming products from Redpoint, IQderma, Dr. Hirsch’s new diet program SENSA, Lisa Hoffman Beauty, and lots of other must have new brands. Be sure to check back to learn more about what these new and innovative makeup and skincare products have to offer with one-on-one personal testimonies of efficacy and how to use them to maximize results! See you soon!

Also a special thanks to Steven Barston, photographer extraordinaire, for his amazing photos and full coverage of the entire Total Beauty event!

photos: Steven Barston for ibinc.com