Cologne attended the Erin Fetherston show and went backstage, where she interviewed makeup legend Bobbi Brown; her dispatch, below!

With the Spring 2009 pastel-swirl-marshmallow-poof look surrounding me backstage at Erin Fetherston, I had a chance to chat with some of the beauty specialists that make the magic happen–including Bobbi Brown herself!

In an attempt to embody Fetherston’s collection, while at the same time capturing the trends for the upcoming spring (and they talk about spring as if it were just around the corner…don’t we wish), Bobbi went full-blast on the shimmers and glitters that she has been experimenting with for years. The new trend on the runway is sparkly jewel-toned metallic eyeshadows, which gives a look Bobbi describes as “sophisticated ballerina.”  The key, however is not overdoing the shimmer; Bobbi recommends just a bit on the eyes or high on the cheekbone over blush to look “natural in a beautiful way.”

Cologne’s photo from the 2nd row at the Erin Fetherston show

(more…)

I love me some Rihanna, but the metallic brown talons she sported yesterday at BET’s 106 and Park?  Yeeeah.  Not really digging…  (Snaps for experimentation, though!  Keep it up, Ri!)  What do you think?  Are you willing to take chances with your own nails, or are you middle-of-the-road, safe pink girls?

Photo from USmagazine.com

Excepting a brief period of high school weirdness when I dyed my locks magenta, wore grungy boys’ clothes and painted my nails neon green, I have always been a preppy sort of girl.  (I believe the proper word is “prissy.”)  Pearls?  Polos?  Ballet flats?  Tasteful-yet-boring ensembles displaying zero cleavage or flair?  Bring it.  Since that neon-green polish moment, my nails have charted a tight course, alternating between Essie Mademoiselle pale pink and OPI I’m Not Really A Waitress candy-apple red with yawning precision.  My disapprovement over others’ nail polish experimentation calls to mind a sexually repressed schoolmarm from the 1950’s chaperoning a school dance.  (”Gasp!  So garish!  So bright!  Well, I never!” ::Shudder:: ::Faint::)  Some sort of madness has overtaken me these last few days, however.  I have painted my nails orange—shiny, glittery, effervescent, technicolor orange—and not only have my fingers not shriveled up and fallen off in protest, but I find myself in love.  Look-at-me nails are, of course, a big trend for spring (with coral and silver leading the pack), but I’m not a “Follow-the-Trends” sheep.  I’m a firm disciple of the “Wear What Looks Good on You” school of thought, so the fact that I can turn my nails into mini replicas of The Gates and still look (excuse the pun) polished?  Who knew?  (PS, I’m trying to track down the exact shade of polish used.  All I can recall is that it was called “Ginger.”  More to come!)

UPDATE: Indeed, it’s Zoya in Ginger!

Nails in bright, beguiling jeweled tones of burgundy, blood, and licorice are oh-so-appealing, but maddening to remove from the nail once you decide you’re suddenly having a pale pink moment.  (I am usually left with red-tinged hands that make me look like I’d spend the afternoon murdering somebody.)  I’ve used lemon juice in the past to get rid of the nasty tinge, but Glamour has another answer: use whitening toothpaste.  “‘Just buff them, brush it on and rinse to lighten,’ says celebrity manicurist Jin Soon Choi.”  And, of course, help prevent stains from starting by always using a base coat under polish.