I’ll be radio-silent tomorrow since I (and all of my anti-frizz products) am flying to Miami as Nivea’s guest to attend the Shay Todd fashion show.  Never fear, my dears, as I promise to bring back some swag for you in the form of a product giveaway!  The whole trip is bound to wreck havoc on my skin–I’ll be in Miami for, literally, 15 hours, with barely even enough daylight time to visit the beach or dip in the pool–and part of me is like, “Um…why did I agree to fly across the country for drinks and a party?”  Sigh.  I can never turn down a free cocktail.

Ring?  Who needs a ring?  Kate Middleton chills out at this weekend’s 46664 concert in London, looking gorgeous as always.  Does this chick ever have a bad hair day?  I Googled “Kate Middleton” and “hair” (yeah, make of that what you will) and came across this fascinating article from the Daily Mail that I remember devouring a couple years back.  It appears that Kate visits Richard Ward in Chelsea off the Kings Road, which is hardly surprising, since Richard is one of the most high profile hairstylists in England.  (He does countless celebrities, as well as a few royals like Sophie, Countess of Wessex, but is most famously linked to Elizabeth Hurley.)  I wonder…do you think Richard’s minions make housecalls, or is Kate simply ridiculously good at the personal blowouts?  And how much time does she spend getting ready every day?  Does she wear sweats and sport ratty ponytails on her days off from making fabulous public appearances, or lounge around her house looking like butter wouldn’t melt?  Things to ponder.  (Very frivolous things…but still.)

Photo from People.com

Last night, I attended an LA Film Festival screening of American Teen, the Breakfast Club-like documentary that everybody was raving about at Sundance.  Not only was it one of the best movies I’ve seen in the last year (second only, perhaps, to There Will Be Blood in terms of movies I loved so much I wanted to eat them) but I predict that the cast are all going to be huge stars.  My amigo Eli Gonda produced it, so I scored an invite to the pre-party on the Paramount lot.  As I walked up, I spotted a blond Adonis…a guy so gorgeous that I thought, “He must be a model.  An actor.  A greek God.”  Close enough: his name is Mitch Reinholt, and he was literally the prettiest man I have ever seen in person.  Ever.  (He’s photogenic enough, but in the flesh, I’m talking Brad Pitt handsome.  I cannot overstate this!)  The star of the movie, meanwhile, is Hannah Bailey, an intelligent, vulnerable, ambitious gem of a human being (she’s like The Hills‘  anti-matter) who will rocket into a major, well-deserved career if there is any justice in this world.  By the end of the movie, the entire crowd was cheering and clapping, so invested were we in the compelling lives of these kids.  (The story of “geeky”–yet adorable–Jake Tusing is particularly touching.)

After the screening, everybody headed to Delancey for the after-party, and I made my way for about five seconds before having (annoyingly, and unexpectedly) to leave.  It was Mitch’s 21st birthday, too.  Sigh. Oh, well.

Mitch Reinholt and Hannah Bailey.  Young love gone awry…sob!

Next time you’re in Blighty, pop by the Whisky Mist, the latest venture from the owners and promoters of royal-favorite Mahiki.  It’s located in the Hilton on Park Lane, where the terrible club Zeta used to be, and is aiming for a chic, older, upscale crowd.  Promoter Guy Pelly is one of Prince William’s closest friends, so where he goes, the Sloanies (ah, yes, they’re still alive and well!) follow.

Prince Harry’s girlfriend Chelsy Davy coming out of Whisky Mist last night in London.  I don’t know if this is her natural color (very possible) or just a wonderfully subtle highlighting job, but Jolie likey

Billie Piper has been a huge star in the UK for years, as much for her personal life (at 18 years old, she proposed to and married then 35-year-old English millionaire Chris Evans, who she divorced six years later…without taking a penny…then invited to her second wedding) as for her acting career (not only did she star with David Tennant on Doctor Who, but she released a chart topping pop single called “Because We Want To”, becoming the youngest person ever to have a number one UK hit.)  Her new Showtime series Secret Diary of a Call Girl—based on the popular Belle de Jour blog about a secretary named Hannah who secretly moonlights as a prostitute—all but guarantees she’ll hit household name status over here soon, too.  I’ve always found Billie interesting because, while doubtlessly gorgeous, she’s not a conventional Hollywood-standard beauty: she has thick brows, strong features, a generous mouth, isn’t a size 0 and often is photographed in nerdy Buddy Holly-style glasses.  (Plus, she lives in Midhurst, England, my old stomping grounds.)  The more I’ve learned about her over the years, the more I like her. 

The raunchy, sexy UK ad..

And the cheerful American one for Showtime, which seems to say: “Yay, prostitution!  Isn’t it fun?”

Thanks to Beauty’s Spot for tagging me.  Sure, it’s pointless a time suck…but, um, isn’t that the point of the interwebs in the first place?  (I’m tagging Spoiled Pretty, Temptalia, All Lacquered Up and All About the Pretty.)

1. What were you doing ten years ago?
I was graduating from Cate School, flying back from Santa Barbara to Atlanta for my friends’ high school graduation, and (finally!) embarking on my first relationship (albeit briefly).

2. What are five things on your to-do list today?
a) Blog.  Blog.  Blog some more
b) Go see Kung Fu Panda
c) Finish chapter 3 of my next book
d) Download the new Fratellis album (thanks to D. for iTunes gifting it to me!)
e) Grocery shop for my little brother

3. Snacks you enjoy?
Hard-boiled eggs, ginger-based concoctions from the gym juice bar, chunks of frozen papaya or mango, anything with vodka (hey, if it has a twist, I count it as a snack!), popcorn and Sour Patch Kids at the movies

4. Places you’ve lived:
In chronological order: New York City; Paterson, New Jersey; Atlanta, Georgia; Miami, Florida; Baghdad, Iraq; Greenville, South Carolina; Charlotte, North Carolina; Las Vegas, Nevada; San Diego, California; Plano, Texas; Alpharetta, Georgia; Carpinteria, California; New York City; Paris, France; Palm Beach, Florida; London, England; Haslemere, England; Midhurst, England; West Hollywood, California.  Phew!

5. What are 5 things you would do if you were a billionaire?
a) Donate a third of my annual income to charity
b) Pay off my debt and my little brother’s debt
c) Buy cars for myself and my brother
d) Invest in property in Los Angeles, New York City, England and Panama; (live in LA, rent out the rest)
e) Set up a trust for my heirs

6. People you want to know more about?
My perennial obsessions: Elizabeth I, Ernest Hemingway, Eddie Vedder.  Also, I am kind of curious to meet my future children!  And, I have to admit, I would love to spend just one hour with Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes to see what goes down.  They fascinate me.

I just had something called a Vi Peel, and my face feels like it’s on fire and is going to fall off.  Good times!  It uses exfoliating phenol acids, vitamin C and Retin-A to slough off the top layer of skin in 3 -5 days, and is supposed to be good for all complexions, including African-American skin (which typically can’t tolerate peels without hyperpigmentation).  The actual peel only took about five minutes, and I’ve been instructed to use the Post-Peel Towelettes tonight and tomorrow night to help accelerate peeling, and then to expect the oh-so-sexy snake action to begin on Friday.  According to the literature, the peel will get rid of acne and acne scarring, brighten skin and increase collagen production…but right now all I can focus on is the fact that my skin looks like a tomato, smells like formaldehyde, and feels like it’s been sunburned and then scratched.  (Note to self: Eyes on the prize, J.)

I’m heading up to Santa Barbara in a few minutes for the first of my two 10-year high school reunions (hey, two schools equals twice the parties!).  Cate School, the second high school I went to, was small and private, so I don’t really expect any Romy and Michelle-worthy hijinx, but it should be a fun, relaxed weekend.  (Now, high school reunion number 2, in Atlanta in August, has all the makings of a complete fiasco.  Can’t wait.)  I’ll post photos when I return!  xo, J.

Fellow Anglophiles will either delight or disgust in the official start of summer: Big Brother 2008 premiered yesterday in England.  Now, to understand the cultural impact of Big Bruv, you have to realize that England is much, much, much smaller than America, so the 16 initial housemates make up, like 2% of the entire population.  (I kid, but only sort of.)  Housemates are voted off weekly by the nation (much like American Idol), and the program is shown basically 24/7 on various channels, so voyeurs can—and do—watch in real time as things happen.  Finally, there are several nightly wrap-ups hosted by famous English comedians (Russell Brand from Forgetting Sarah Marshall hosted a particularly hilarious version of Big Brother’s Big Mouth), and all the newspapers have breathless write-ups on a daily basis.  So even though the numbers for this season’s premiere were the lowest ever, it’s pretty much everywhere on that side of the pond.  Each year I insist I will not watch, bemoan the crappiness of the new contestants, raise my fists at the gods for the deterioration of society…and every year I get sucked in.

Stephanie McMichael believes the most signifcant moment in her life was her birth.  Deep.

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Women’s Wear Daily attended the Total Beauty blogging conference in Manhattan Beach last month and writer Rachel Brown’s piece on beauty bloggers’ evolving influence appears today.  Special thanks to Anne Fritz from Jet Set Girls for alerting me to the article!  (I should really get a WWD subscription, huh?  But, but…$99 per year?  In this day and age??  Eh.)

From left: Kirsten Lamberton from Beauty Riot, Jolie, Anne Fritz of Jet Set Girls, Tia Williams of Shake Your Beauty and Annie Tomlin of Bella Sugar.  I have girl crushes on all of them

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. — Beauty bloggers, once snubbed and now coveted by many of the beauty companies they adore, are on a bumpy evolutionary trek from detached commentators to industry insiders.

“They are like the QVC of this time,” said Don Ressler, co-chief executive officer of Intelligent Beauty, owner of Redpoint Cosmetics and iQ Derma. “They have been really involved in the [beauty] space. They have really shown they have a voice.”

At the Total Beauty Blogging Summit held partially at Intelligent Beauty’s headquarters here from May 16 to 18, the advantages and disadvantages of bloggers’ rising power were etched out. On the plus side for bloggers, much of the beauty apparatus is taking them seriously as formidable links to consumers, and a support system of bloggers and online networks has blossomed to foster their success.

On the downside, increasing competition has made it difficult for individual beauty bloggers to stand out. Bloggers complain about pesky publicists expecting coverage, and burgeoning media awareness has led to a perception that they’re swag addicts with trigger fingers for positive reviews.

Dangling on the precipice between fringe and mainstream is certainly a tricky place to be. Many beauty bloggers are making an effort to keep beauty companies at a distance since traditional media, they said, often gets too chummy with beauty firms. (more…)