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If you're meant to identify with a celebrity by purchasing his or her fragrance, then here's the only one we can endorse aping: Catherine de Medici, whose signature eau de parfum was just recreated by i Profumi di Firenze. The Florence-born queen of France managed to pop out ten kids while virtually starting the Wars of Religion, but she came through it all smelling like a rose (and an iris and a Lily of the Valley). J-Lo, what have you done for us lately? $79 at Barneys New York, 212-826-8900.
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Should your taste run more jejune than a 16th century, Huguenot-appeasing murderess, how about Disney's version of a mean little scamp? Of the six limited-edition Tinted Lip Balms that MAC has embossed with vintage Walt-created characters, perhaps it's no coincidence our favorite is caramel-colored Tempting Tillie, named for the wee blue-bowed tiger who mercilessly teased poor Elmer the Elephant in the 1936 Disney short of the same name. Does that make her a feline fatale?
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We can certainly understand a commitment-phobe, even when the commitment in question is to a lip gloss. Why should you give yourself over to a full-sized tube when there are countless mini-fish in the sea? The kit with the most universally gorgeous (and useable) spread of colors, in the most disposable sizes, has to be the appropriately-named Tempt Me, Tease Me, Taste Me by LORAC. Each of the eight colors, from tangerine to berry with a gold shimmer, has a nice shot of jojoba oil, which will nourish you a lot more than tying yourself down. Go on, player.
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Because these are the dog days of January, you are deathly pale and probably haven't showered all that much either. Why not fake bake and sort out your stench in one fell sweep of a powder puff? Normally we're averse to body sparklers (too pole-dancer) but Beach Shimmer Body Powder by Bobbi Brown adds a very low-key sheen (especially the new, mauve-y color Pink Sand) and a very delicious dose of her sun-cream scent. $35 at department stores.
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Speaking of powdering on the illusion of health, Prescriptives' genius Pressed Powder Leaves now come in a pinkish, non-tan shade—Rose Baroque—should your tenuous friendships not support a makeup statement like, "I've just gotten back from the Caribbean. What have YOU been up to?" It works a bit more like a blush than a powder, so go easy. $25 at department stores.
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When our beloved haircutter Stephen Dillon moved his chair to Pierre Michel Salon, of course we slavishly followed. But we had a problem: our cut was fresh but our color—a one-dimensional quasi-platinum that didn't look too hot on our yellowy skin—was a little Williamsburg. Begging for a reference, Steven didn't take two seconds before he suggested his colleague David Crandall, a sassy Texan with a penchant for fixing dye disasters. Pleading that we'd need three visits before we'd really get what we were seeking—a textured cool blonde without salt-and-pepperish, high-contrast streaks—David got right to work. And quickly, thank god, because though we have since come to look forward to our time in his chair, who can spend three hours in any seat unless they're awaiting an execution? Even when the guy does a base color and highlights, we're routinely out of there in an hour and a half.
It turns out our David was being modest about the cumulative results. Within one visit, we were looking believably blonde and yet, if we do say so ourselves, quite chic. His lowlights held, even on our over-bleached strands, and best of all, he does not re-bleach those fried bits unlike many lazier colorists, who just slap whatever you've got into a foil and best of luck to you on future breakage. Thanks to the more realistic shade, we can also now go a month and a half without a base retouch, though since we find his company to be quite delightful, that's not such necessarily as good a thing as it sounds.
Single process color from $110; highlights from $250
David Crandall at Pierre Michel Haute Coiffure & Beaute
131 E. 57th St.
New York, NY
212-593-1460
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