Hi guys! I am back & trying to catch up and look back on everything that happened this last week. I just wanted to let you guys know that I a starting to upload some of my backstage videos to my YouTube page, if you want to get a look at what I was seeing before I post about them.

I had a chance to do and see so many things - I can't wait to tell you about it all! :)

You guys - it's September *already*. You know what that means? Yes, I know it's almost Fall, but that's not what I'm talking about. It's time for "Mercedes Benz Fashion Week" in New York City! And in September, they show the collections for Spring/Summer wear for next year.

Well, I'm excited to tell you guys that I will be getting to go to NYC this season and bring you all kinds of coverage - everything from backstage, talking to makeup artists and hairstylists; front of house, watching the actual clothing presentations; checking out hair and beauty salons; and even reporting from some of the best parties during the week. Now, not only will I be attending MBFW, I will also be in NYC for "Fashion's Night Out", which is a night to celebrate shopping and fashion. As of right now I think there is something like 950 events lined up in NYC alone! But, it's not just a NYC event - it's global - make sure and look to see if there are any events in your town so you can participate, too. (*You may want to google if your town isn't listed. I know for a fact several Oklahoma City places are doing something, but it's Oklahoma isn't listed on the page. Boo!)

I will be nice and give you guys fair warning - if you are following me on twitter you know that when I travel I tweet *a lot*. Well, considering everything going on this trip, expect my tweeting to be in overdrive. I can't help it - I wanna share what I am doing THAT MINUTE with you guys & that's the best way to do it. So, if you wanna take a break from me for a week, I totally understand. (*Just come back on the 15th). But, if you want to feel like you are there with me, then make sure to follow me and you'll get all the up to the minute stuff that I have going on.

I'm excited to head out there on Thursday & hope you are excited to go with me, too!

*UPDATE* I just wanted to include some links that I found about happenings around Oklahoma City for Fashion's Night Out OKC: The MOOD blog lists several of the participants, here is the Facebook page for the event and here is Alex, from "The Makeup Bar" (*who is primarily spearheading this event) speaking with the Fox 25 Morning Show about FNO. So, all you local OKC folks have no excuse for not getting out there Friday, because you can't say you didn't know what was going on!

So here's something I didn't know - Estée Lauder has never participated in Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. Until this season. I'm actually really surprised by this - you would think at some point in it's 64yr history that they would have been a part of it.

And boy, did they jump right in, with "bold blue eyes, copper lips, matte skin, bare cheeks and neutral nails" at the Derek Lam Fall/Winter 2010 show. Estée Lauder Creative Makeup Director Tom Pecheux led a team of 15 artists to create the stunning look on 22 models - While famed manicurist Jin Soon Choi and her team polished their nails with a new color that was tested backstage!

"When Derek showed me the fabrics that inspired his Fall 2010 collection – bold and muted tones mixed with earthy pigments including terracotta, greens and browns – I thought the makeup shades should be complimentary. So we chose a blend of bold blue shadows on the eyes, shimmering copper lips and flawless, matte skin created with a light foundation -- an on-trend beauty preview of what we will see for Fall 2010." Tom Pecheux, Estée Lauder Creative Makeup Director.

One of the things that Tom is doing as the new Creative Makeup Director is working on new high-impact colors that will be on Estée Lauder counters in Fall 2010, but he runway tested some of them backstage for this show:
Eyes: New Estée Lauder EyeShadow Tested Backstage – Shades Launching Fall 2010
Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Eye Pencil in Midnight Blue
Estée Lauder TurboLash All Effects Motion Mascara in Black
Lips: Pure Color Crystal Lipstick in Crystal Beige
Cheeks: Bare
Skin: Estée Lauder Double Wear Light Foundation
Nails: New Estée Lauder shade Tested Backstage (*I hear it is a sheer, milky white kind of color with some, not a lot, of sparkle to it.)

I can def say that I look forward to checking out these new colors when they hit the counter this fall.

(*Credits)
Makeup: Tom Pecheux for Estée Lauder
Nails: Jin Soon Choi for Estée Lauder
Model Photo: Liu Wen (Marilyn) Photo Courtesy of Estée Lauder

You might remember that I had a chance to chat with Marco Santini at the Jeremy Laing S/S 10 show last season. Well, I didn't get a chance to see him in person this time, but I still wanted to know what he did for this season, besides just speak in a gorgeous accent. *sigh*

This is what I found out: this guy is crafty - literally:

The look was inspired by a "sketch of a whimsical fairy – the sketch isn’t perfect – there are no hard lines, but rather soft blurred lines that manage to form into a picture".

To achieve this look Santini used the following:
· An old-fashioned sewing needle
· Elastic string
· Davines DEDE Conditioner
· Davines For Wizards No. 4 Glossy Modeling Putty

"First, Santini wet hair with Davines DEDE Conditioner to condition and strengthen the hair without leaving it heavy. He then dried the hair and separated it into two sections. Backcombing by the nape of the neck, Santini used an old fashioned sewing needle and some elastic string to weave the hair together to create an organic ponytail. Lastly Santini applied Davines For Wizards No.4 Glossy Modeling Putty, a paste that creates texture and separation with natural movement, to the hair to finish the look."

The result had all of the models looking similar, but slightly different.

Davines products can be found in salons - just check on their website for locations.