Interviews

After a fun-filled week of Oscar events like the 7th Annual Global Green Pre-Oscar Party (attended by Jessica Alba, James Cameron, Benji and Joel Madden, Nicole Scherzinger, Serena Williams, and more celebs), I finally get to pick the brain of makeup artist to the stars Bruce Grayson, whose work we’ll be seeing all over our TV screens tomorrow at the Academy Awards.

As head makeup artist for the Oscars, Bruce is responsible for touching up every A-list mug in town before he or she goes onstage to present or backstage to accept an award. He has worked on Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Brooke Shields, Rosario Dawson, Kate Walsh, Denzel Washington, Sarah Silverman, Hayden Panettiere, Sarah Rue, the Clintons … the list goes on! (Fun fact: Bruce’s father, David Grayson, perfected the faces of Hollywood legends like Lauren Bacall and John Wayne.) Here, Bruce shares his red carpet predictions and his favorite get-glam-quick tips for special events:

The Daily Obsession: So, Bruce, what are the big trends we’ll be seeing on the red carpet this year?

Bruce Grayson: It’s always about picking the best feature, eyes or lips, and creating a glowing complexion, which makes up most of the face. Getting your skin in shape does the work for you. We’re going to see a more transparent smoky, sultry eye, not too much darkness around the eye, and more shades like slate gray, beige and brown … with a soft, pinky-coral lip, which makes lips look bigger. For red lips, we may see bright, matte, unique colors like the coral shade that January Jones wore to the Emmys.

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Kevia Jeffrey-West is the designer of the beautiful Kevia Jewelry, sold in exclusive boutiques nation wide.  Her amazing line of jewelry has been featured in InStyle, Lucky, and Real Simple granting her some deservedly hot publicity. Using 22K gold vermeil and semi-precious stones, Jeffrey-West handcrafts an exquisite collection full of rich color and texture. Kevia Jewelry also maintains an eco-friendly design process, which is just one more reason to fall in love with the line. TDO caught up with this talented designer to talk about the design process, breaking into the biz, and advice for wearing these extraordinary pieces. (more…)

If there’s anyone who incites inspiration to pursue a great business idea, it’s founder and creator of lip heaven, Sara Happ. A former broadcast journalism major, Sara was happily bound for a career in the male-dominated world of sports media. But at home, she clung to her girly side by whipping up batches of lip exfoliant to cure a case of persistently chapped lips. The next thing she knew, the former Bonne Bell addict had a great breakthrough, The Lip Scrub by Sara Happ, and a blueprint for what is now a small yet lucrative Redondo Beach-based beauty business.

I recently got the chance to sit down with Sara and find out how she got the nerve to create her latest offering, The Lip Slip by Sara Happ, aka “the greatest lip balm of all time.” Behold the secrets of her success: (more…)

To amp up for summer, I’m now going to the gym about 6 times a week.  But as I started paying more attention to working out, I realized that I didn’t know the answer to some very common exercise questions.  So I turned to David Kirsch, celebrity trainer to the uber hot and uber famous to settle once and for all those nagging concerns.

Kirsch has shaped some of Hollywood’s hottest bodies including Anne Hathaway (did you see how amazing she looked in her post-breakup pictures), Liv Tyler and Ellen Barkin.  He is also famous for getting Hedi Klum from baby weight to runway ready in three weeks for the Victoria Secret fashion show back in 2005, just eight weeks after birthing her child.  (The show was recorded November 9 and Kirsch arrived in LA to train Klum on October 13.)

Kirsch has also developed a series of workout related products.  His newest book, David Kirsch’s Butt Book, is out July 13, but we’re giving you a sneak preview of how to do one of his signature butt exercises. Read below for the tips this master trainer shares with TDO readers to make your own workout more efficient: (more…)

Zoe Sakoutis and Erica Huss are the beautiful, energetic ladies behind Blueprint Cleanse,  the juicing sensation that took off in New York a few years ago and is now popular around the country.  I did the cleanse a couple of times, first last November and again this April when I realized that I was still craving their green juice!  (It is much tastier than the stuff I try to make myself.) A three day, delicious menu of fresh bottled juices was everything I needed to shake off the lethargy that had developed and this time I even dared to work out while juicing on the Blueprint Mind Body Cleanse program, offered in conjunction with Exhale Spa.  I was skeptical of exercising while juicing, but as it turns out, Exhale’s yoga and barre method classes were a perfect complement as they focused on toning and muscle definition (rather than cardio).   Three days and 18 juices later, I was sore but energetic and happy.

“Detox” and “cleansing” can be confusing buzz words you may hear in beauty and health media and I took a moment to speak with the ladies to get the DL on their personal experiences, the Blueprint philosophy, and a sneak peek at what the dynamic duo is up to next. (more…)

A few weeks ago I met Dr. Lisa Airan, a familiar face from the pages of Vogue,  Style.com, and various other media outlets,  either noted for her impeccable sense of fashion or her expertise as a nationally recognized dermatologist.  She was speaking at a press luncheon on behalf of BOTOX® Cosmetic, one of the most well known facial injectables on the market and one of Dr. Airan’s most popular requests at her office.

I learned some pretty cool things about BOTOX® and BOTOX® Cosmetic.  For example, I had no idea that BOTOX® could be used to treat anything from eye muscular dysfunction that results in crossed eyes to oversweating.  I also learned some important safety information.  Now that the market is flooded with different types of injectables, if you choose BOTOX®, it’s important to know that you should not mix BOTOX® with other botulinum toxins.

As I’m still in my early 20s, I haven’t seriously considered BOTOX® Cosmetic and passed on the opportunity to receive the treatment myself.  However, I have always been curious to learn more about the product.  I am not opposed to cosmetic dermatology, dentistry, plastic surgery, or any other kind of procedures as long as the consumer has been properly educated and makes the decision on his own terms. Truth be told, I believe that looking and feeling healthy and youthful brings a lot of self empowerment and there’s nothing wrong with seeing a dermatologist to blast away a wrinkle if the consumer feels that is the right option.

Below, Dr. Airan talks to TDO readers about the safety, effectiveness and even some alternatives to BOTOX®.  Plus, we also got her beauty secrets to how she, herself, always looks so amazing! (more…)

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of having Armani Beauty’s Celebrity Face Designer and National Director of Creative Artistry, Tim Quinn, do my makeup for an event.  Tim has been with Armani Beauty since the line launched in September 2001.  Almost a decade later, it has become one of the most luxurious cosmetics brands even within the prestige market, and in no small part due to Tim’s leadership.  When I first met him, I wasn’t sure what our rapport would be like but Tim mixes his celebrity stature with a such a generous dose of warmth and practicality that we were Facebook buddies within the hour. Over conversations of mascara and the Met, I snuck in a few questions for an exclusive TDO interview.  Below are his answers: (more…)

While prepping for my interview with Killian Hennessy, most of the material I found described his disposition as being “Byron-esque.” After seeing a few pictures of him, I couldn’t agree more; he looked like the epitome of tortured poet and I easily imagined him scribbling furiously away on an unrequited love poem in an attic garret somewhere in the darkness of Paris. But one thing I didn’t count on was his ardent and intense love of Fragrance, which I immediately detected from his passionate and sincere replies to my interview questions.

Killian Hennessy may be a new name in luxury fragrances, but no stranger to luxury- it is entrenched in his bloodlines, as grandson to the founder of the LVMH group. Since his childhood, Fragrance has been a huge part of his life and some of his favorite childhood haunts included the family cellars in Cognac, with the sugar in alcohol and wood of cognac barrels serving as the inspiration of many of his scents today.

He joined the corporate world of perfumery by working for some of the most famous noses in the business such as Christian Dior, Giorgio Armani, Paco Rabanne, and Alexander McQueen.  With experience like that and a envious luxury pedigree to boot, it would have been easy for him to stick to the corporate path; but Killian decided to create his own line of fragrances, By Kilian.  Read on to get some additional insight into his reason for creating his own line of fragrances, his creative process for coming up with the scents in his collection, and where he thinks the sexiest place is for a woman to apply her fragrance: (more…)

Editor’s Note: We sent one of our Fashion Week correspondents to get the scoop from design maven Yigal Azrouel. Read on to find out what the designer has to say about his current work and of course, his obsessions.

By Christine Cameron

The Daily Obsession: First of all, I love your work. How do you feel when you see women wearing your clothing?
Yigal Azrouel: I find it really rewarding when I see that women are relating to my designs and going out and buying my pieces. It is such a good feeling.

TDO: What is it like designing in this economy? Is it difficult to find inspiration in these trying times?
YA: I have given this question a lot of thought actually and I think that during a recession, for me as a designer, I push myself more. I look at it like a challenge and like to take it to another level. As far as inspiration, when it comes to each collection, I try and weave in the influence I get from traveling and experiencing different cultures. But, it also comes from the fabric. I love to start out by draping right away and experimenting by mixing and matching materials and fabrics. Like I mentioned before, I am very hands on and very visual, so I don’t just work from my sketches, I need to feel the material. I need to go visit showrooms and see it for myself, and then it just begins to evolve from there. It is a very exciting process for me. (more…)

Will Kate Winslet finally take home an Oscar this Sunday? Back when Winslet was just 22, she became the youngest actress to receive two Oscar nominations – an honor (and a curse perhaps) that she’s repeated for her next four nominations.  Already a double winner at the Golden Globes and SAG, this year could be her year. But as she told TDO, she doesn’t really have an acceptance speech planned.  “One thing I’ve learned this award season is that I’m not really cut out for it,” she said.  “I’m too emotional to lose and I’m clearly too emotional to win.”

I caught up with Winslet a couple weeks ago while she was taking a breather in between shows. When I mentioned to my friends that I had been granted the amazing opportunity to interview her, they all responded in the same way – by declaring their own regard for the actress. In fact, it’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t like Kate.  Often described as an actor’s actor, Winslet’s rise to fame has been a result of her truly becoming an expert in her chosen craft.  Her genuine  demeanor and level-headed nature are also incredibly admirable.  While watching clips  of Winslet’s interviews to prep for my own, I never saw the actress be anything less than warm and gracious…humble even.  And when we talked, Winslet was incredibly nice, funny, honest, and self deprecating. (more…)