Discovering the Power of Kérastase’s Aura Botanica in Morocco

Kerastase_Morocco__000Traveling to Morocco is always a special treat. The coastal African country is rich in traditions of simple daily life with beautiful scents, inspiring riads, amazing tagines, the BEST mint tea and of course, exotic markets. But it’s also known for something else… something you can only find here deep in the dry forests of the Moroccan countryside: Argan Oil. It was this highly effective moisturizing oil that Kérastase sent us to discover for ourselves.

With my travel companions Samantha from California, Yoshiko from Japan, and Marie-Laure from France we landed together in Agadir and began our journey to the Argan forest along the rocky cliffside of the African coast. The farther we ventured from Agadir, the more mountainous and wild the landscape became until the goats were in the trees and acres and acres of Argan trees were all we could see.

We arrived to a co-op run by all women. It is here Kérastase has empowered these women to help them source and produce the highest quality Argan oil for the new Kérastase Aura Botanica haircare range. The process is anything but simple and is quite time consuming. First, women collect the fallen Argan nuts off the ground then leave them in piles to dry for months in the sun. The outer shell is then removed and hand sorted. The nuts move from each group of women to the next, generations mixed from young to old, and on joyous afternoons the women will chant traditional Moroccan songs while they work in harmony.

The next stage is the hardest, I would know because they made me try it! I ended up smashing my fingers more than cracking the hard shell of the Argan nut. With precision and centuries old technique, the women using a rock and a stone, smash the hard outer shell revealing a very delicate, white, almost almond-like nut in the core. Sorted again by hand, the best nuts make it to the pressing phase where the Argan oil that is so powerful for hair, skin and nails is extracted and filtered. This oil, from these photos below, are what make up the key natural ingredient of Kérastase’s Aura Botanica.

“The new Aura Botanica range is made for the woman who believes that responsibility is a must, performance a right and glowing, healthy hair is the essence of self-expression.” -Kérastase

Continue reading “Discovering the Power of Kérastase’s Aura Botanica in Morocco”

Bombshell Beauty

Bombshell_01

We had the privilege of working with some incredible artists on this shoot – not only Maggie herself, a talented and beautiful actress, but also Justin Woods, our hairstylist, and Ashlee Glazer, our makeup artist. They were kind enough to share their techniques so that you and I can get this bombshell beauty look…

How to get that “mack on me” makeup…

MakeupTutorial_01

Ashlee took two eyeliners – MAC Teddy and MAC Coffee – and rubbed them all around the inner upper and lower water line and on the lid in a cat eye shape.

MakeupTutorial_02

Ashlee blended the pencils together, creating a smooth, sexy shape that follows natural bone structure. Next, she used the Tom Ford Cocoa Mirage palette, brushing the dark brown on first and closest to the lash line. She buffed up with the medium brown all the way into the crease, fanning out by the brow bone.

MakeupTutorial_05_2

Taking the bronze color from the same palette and using the NARS #14 brush – “it’s like a pencil smudge brush” – Ashlee rubbed underneath the eye along the lower lash line, following the shape of the eye and eventually angling upward to meet the “V” of the cats-eye.

MakeupTutorial_06

A spread of tools for making beauty!

Continue reading “Bombshell Beauty”

Márcia Ganem

Márcia_Ganem_02One of the joys of traveling is discovery. Discovering new food, a breathtaking view, new smellsa new skyan amazing hotel, a new way to see life and in Salvador da Bahia we discovered fashion designer Márcia Ganem. Drawing from the Bahian tradition of handcrafted lace, Marcia brings it into our modern day by constructing garments and accessories out of salvaged seat-belts! I loved how her pieces look to the eye as delicate as the finest lace but in actuality are almost indestructible. I purchased a beautiful jacket whose construction looks like the intricate and delicate skeleton of a fish in white and reminds me of the lightness of this special city and the inspiring artist we met along the way…

My travel companion Kelly and I put our pieces together at the studio on our beautiful muse Macy Nicol, turning her into something like the exotic birds we saw on our journey through South America with that all important touch of African influence whose roots in Salvador are undeniable.

Márcia_Ganem_03

Continue reading “Márcia Ganem”

Backstage & Upfront at Rodarte

My Habit, Amazon.com’s private designer sale site, sent me into the field to report on what the amazingly talented women of Rodarte were showing at this season’s NYFW! I can only hope we see beautiful pieces like these this fall on My Habit’s new designer tab… which I’m quickly becoming addicted to! BUT.. before the shopping begins we must first see where it all started.

*************************************************************************************

{Backstage} 10:00am Models arrive for hair and makeup.

The Inspiration: Australian Outback

Lead by hairstylist Odile Gilbert for Kérastase Paris, the models were given updated tufted bobs, full yet untamed adorned with *star* clips while on their face makeup artist James Kaliardos for NARS Cosmetics gave the girls a sandy and suntanned complexion. Nail artist Deborah Lippmann used two coats of “No More Drama” and a top coat of “Flat Top Matte Top Coat” to finish the earthly, almost dusty feel for the season. 

Continue reading “Backstage & Upfront at Rodarte”