Summer Makeup Ideas Interview

Celebrity Style Maven: Unplugged

LTK: Please tell us a bit about your background and how you have been branded as the Celebrity Style Maven.

RcW: Oh my, I have an incredibly varied background. I grew up in retail, my mother owned a succession of boutiques in and around NYC and was a buyer for several department stores and designed for a couple of well known designers as well.

I literally grew up around fashion, designed my first line when I was in high school. I always loved fashion, designed my own clothes, experimented with makeup. I spent some years as a celebrity makeup artist, I had my own line of cosmetics and also developed (and still do) products for numerous top cosmetic brands and celebrities.

These days I work more behind the scenes in building and promoting brands and as such have also produced or co-produced events around the Golden Globes, Academy Awards, Fashion Week and the Grammys and many star studded charity events. In my work as a marketing consultant and president of GTK Marketing Group (Good To Know!) I do everything from developing brands, to helping famous famous enhance their personal brand and product lines.

I'm pretty outspoken about gratuitous celebrity nips and tucks though and tend to stress inner over outer beauty. Top media outlets nationally and internationally regularly come to me for comments on celebrity trends and pop culture, and it's very important for me to try to explain to women that it's a celebrity's job to look beautiful, and it's an unnatural and unhealthy lifestyle to try to emulate.

LTK: We’d love to about the inspiration behind Hello Gorgeous! Beauty Products in America '40s-'60s

RcW: As hinted to, I've always loved makeup and fashion. I especially loved the era of the bold, brash beauties in the Mid-Century. These days it feels like so much about the beauty industry is about conforming- being too thin, having too much hair or lips or boobs. In those days there wasn't a particular look that was considered beautiful, (Look at Kim Novak's figure or eyebrows just to get an idea) but rather shapely, sexy and frequently over the top looks.

The cosmetic industry also recognized perhaps for the first time the incredible buying power of women. A series like Mad Men is a microcosm to what was going on during that era, almost the 'just before' it all changed....I wanted to celebrate the fun, the celebration of femininity while also drawing attention to the subversive messages in past and modern ad campaigns.

LTK: In reference to your book, Hello Gorgeous! Beauty Products in America '40s-'60s, could you share how beauty and fashion trends have changed since the 1940's-1960's?

RcW: Well, everything from formulations, to packaging, to needs have changed and keep changing. There's also social responsibility- we're more cognizant of the effects of aerosol spray on the ozone, the need for recycling, the fact that certain dyes aren't safe to be used near sensitive body parts.

Sadly though, women are being fed a message that beauty these days can and should be altered surgically, the insecurity model is not only alive and well but thriving. It makes me sad when I hear about young girls asking for breast implants, and sadder still that there are books out there for mothers to explain their cosmetic surgery procedures to their children.

Summer Makeup Ideas

LTK: What are some great summer makeup ideas and products we should fill our beauty bags with right now?

RcW: I'm all about ease of use, so for me it's got to be something that makes me look polished, is easy to apply and lasts without leaking. Right now I'm loving the trend towards bright pedicures- the Chanel limited edition collection is brilliant. I also have a product crush on Almay Pure Blends Mineral Makeup - the one that comes with the applicator brush and product in one piece- it's great for when I have to have a professional finish, but don't want to sweat through too much goo. I'm still deeply in love with Clean Shampoo Fresh hair fragrance which is a lighter version of my usual scent and makes my hair smell just freshed. For summer I also like the idea of anti-shine products instead of heavy powders. Laura Geller Matte Skin enhancer takes away shine on your T-zone without hiding your skin's natural glow.

LTK: Could you share what’s in your beauty bag right now?

RcW: I'll have to whittle it down so that it doesn't go on for pages and pages. Okay, I'm teasing. I think that one of the things that tends to surprise people is that as a former professional makeup artist, I generally do not wear a lot of makeup. If I'm going to be on camera though, I'll always try for an incredibly polished look. (I'm taping a pilot on Tuesday, I won't spill details yet though- but wish me luck!)

I absolutely adore Dior cosmetics because the pigments are so rich, but they don't overwhelm your look. I am blessed with good skin and rarely wear base, but have been doing a lot of photo shoots and video interviews, so I've wanted a more polished look. Dior HydrAction deep hydration skin tint just kind of evens everything out without making it look like I'm wearing a mask and best of all it has SPF 20.

My favorite liquid eyeliner is actually by Prescriptives, but the one I carry around is Chanel Automatic Liquid Eyeliner since the application is pretty much dummy proof (for those who love liquid eye liner that is!) I used to love the Sephora brand, but they changed the applicator and it's a bit tougher to apply. I will not leave the house without Sera Anti-Aging Technology eye wrinkle serum (full disclosure- this is a client) it's a line of cosmeceuticals and all but one of the products come with a roll on applicator - so even if I'm out all day and incredibly exhausted my eyes always look refreshed.

I'm a bit eyebrow obsessed (yes, the rumors are true, I've been said to have the best eyebrows in New York a distinction that makes women swoon and men mostly look at you with a quizzical expression) and am always searching for the perfect shadow to apply directly over the brow bone and below the arch- Maybelline has a fun and extremely silly new product called Define A Brow Highlights which just brightens up my eyes at any point during the day. I never leave home without pressed powder- either YSL or Stila. I'm not a makeup snob incidentally, I'll try anything from $.99 brands to extravagances- this just happens to be what's in my bag now!

LTK: You know the drill…if you were stranded on a remote island, what one beauty product could you not survive without?

RcW: I should say SPF 10,000, but who am I kidding? I'm addicted to Christian Dior lip gloss- the pigments in the shadows and glosses are so rich and glossy- I'm obsessed with lip gloss so my desert island product would have to be Dior Addict Ultra Gloss in 777. I have never gotten so many compliments in my life as with this product.

Timeless Beauty Tips

LTK: And now, it seems only fitting, could you tell us the five key cosmetics every woman should own?

RcW: Must I limit it to five? Okay, I would recommend for most women choosing your best feature and then finding the cosmetic products that best enhance you. But as a general rule:

1. A terrific pressed powder, eliminates shine and makes your face look polished, in a pinch can double as an eye shadow or will even out skin tone. If you have blotchy skin then a powder foundation can work as powder or foundation. (that was profound)
2. An eye cream that suits your skin type- I don't care how old you are- use it religiously. You'll thank me in 10 years or 10 minutes. Be gentle though,
3. SPF: winter, summer, rain, protect your skin from damaging rays
4. A lip product that can be worn alone when you're in a crazy rush, or which can pull together your perfect face - if you only wear lipstick try to avoid matt or overly dramatic shades in favor of one that highlights your skin tone and teeth!
5. A great neutral eyeshadow, can hide puffy eyes, when applied wet can be used as an eyeliner,

LTK: Could you give us one retro beauty tip or product recommendation we should all know and love?

RcW: Be more playful. Loving cosmetics and playing up your looks does not make you any less intelligent. Have fun with your looks without trying to be someone else. Lucille Ball was a brilliant business woman and comedienne, but man did she have a gorgeous wardrobe, incredibly hennaed hair and fabulous makeup. Revel in your own look whether or not it's the look of the moment.

LTK: Red lipstick. Do or don’t?

RcW: Do then Don't. In other words, experiment, be brash and have fun, but if it doesn't work for you, if you see it starting to leak into the lines around your mouth, or if you're not going to commit to the care and upkeep of intense lips, you're better off without.

LTK: Thank you so much for taking the time to share your vast knowledge and passion of the beauty and fashion industry with our readers here at Love to Know!

RcW: Thank you! Always happy to stop by...