Beauty tips from a bona fide beauty editor

BEAUTY CONFIDENTIAL: A Day in the Life of a Beauty Editor
8:25 am: Wakes up.

8:38 am: Showers, not washing hair. (What’s the need? She washed it two days ago and isn’t due for another shampoo until tomorrow.)

8:56 am: Throws on beauty editor uniform of jeans, flowy top and trendy, feminine blazer. Briefly debates whether or not to wear a certain favorite shirt, then decides against it because there is an event today and the top was gifted by a public relations firm—which means every other editor has it, too.

8:59 am: Slaps on SPF 30 tinted moisturizer, curls eyelashes, applies mascara, adds a few swipes of blush and lip gloss.

9:06 am: Has a quick breakfast of non-fattening, skin-friendly foods—steel-cut oatmeal, blueberries, wild salmon or egg whites.

9:19 am: Out the front door.

9:46 am: Arrives at work. Catches up on emails, phone messages and office gossip. Opens first batch of publicist-sent beauty products and gifts. Moves to side of desk perfumes, body lotions, lip glosses and makeup palettes she plans on taking home to “test” (read: steal for herself and use … maybe eventually write about half.)

10:30 am: Goes out to reception to greet first deskside of the day, where a mid-level publicist, marketing coordinator and beauty executive will spend twenty minutes animatedly explaining why their (unfortunately) unexceptional product is in fact extremely exceptional. Nods and smiles politely while silently wondering if her beauty lunch event will feature actual food this time, or just blueberries and salmon like last time.

10:56 am: Gets back to desk, where another delivery of beauty products from companies and publicity firms is waiting. Score! It’s the new, limited-edition Marc Jacobs perfume that she surreptitiously called in yesterday evening, whispering into the phone that it was for an upcoming story … which it’s not.

11:30 am: Receives an orchid, live goldfish or box of chocolates from a publicist thanking her for last month’s article.

11:55 am: Remembers she has a beauty lunch cross-town in five minutes, grabs purse, rushes out the door frantically, fixes hair and makeup to look presentable in the waiting town-car (called by the company throwing the event, natch).

12: 13 pm: Arrives breathlessly, throwing apologies everywhere. Looks around, realizes she is only the fifth editor to arrive and everybody else is, in fact, running later than she was.

12:30 pm: Event starts half an hour late. Chats quietly with other editors while eating salmon and blueberries, taking notes on the presentation (latest skincare advances) and wondering what the hell is up with that associate editor’s outfit over there in the corner.

2: 05 pm: Cheek kisses editors and publicists as departs with goody bag in tow. Paws through bag in cab, excited to discover that it not only contains full-sized samples of the promising new line, but also a two hundred dollar gift card to Barneys. Awesome! Being a beauty editor is so worth it.

2:28 pm: Arrives back at office, spends the next hour and a half writing upcoming article, taking only short breaks to occasionally read Gawker and open new deliveries of beauty products.

3:50 pm: Calls publicists to request products for upcoming article. Stresses that they need to “rush” them over, because she’s “way past deadline”.

4:05 pm: Flips through the new issues of Allure and Vogue, dog-earing articles to read in detail later. Tears out a few ads of models and celebrities with really, really good hair and tacks them to her bulletin board for inspiration.

4:15 pm: Secretly wishes she smoked so that she could take random ten-minute breaks four times a day like the people in the art department.

4: 17 pm: Freaks out when assistant nervously reveals that she accidentally lost the bag filled with ten “comp” bottles of perfume from last month’s story. Insists that the assistant calls the companies herself to break the news. Wonders for the seventy-fifth time why publicists and beauty executives get so worked up over those stupid glass mock-up bottles, which they insist cost “thousands of dollars”. Wishes again she smoked. Thinks of the free-radicals this would cause, briefly feels both calmer and prettier.

4:30 pm: Interviews world-famous makeup artist over the phone about the best ways to create a smoky-eye.

5:05 pm: Spends twenty minutes going through products on desk, looking for new beauty trends for next week’s memo. Puts more products in a bag to bring home and test, making mental note to call in duplicates tomorrow.

5:25 pm: Quickly touches up makeup and hair, adding eyeliner, bronzer and more lip gloss, puts on spare pair of heels she keeps under desk and heads out the door to evening beauty event.

6:03 pm: Arrives downtown for the launch of a new celebrity-backed perfume. Heads straight for the open bar, orders the specialty cocktail, then spends the next two hours chatting with other beauty girls, and gobbling up hors d’oeuvres from the trays circulated by hot model waiters. Briefly meets the celebrity in question, marvels at how A) much prettier in person she is (as if that’s even possible) or; B) much of an inarticulate airhead she is (as if that’s even a surprise).

8:30 pm: Heads home in a town-car armed with a beauty bag stuffed to the brim with loot: the new perfume, a copy of the celebrity’s latest DVD or CD, a small pair of diamond earrings, and the latest iPod. Marvels at how she has the coolest, strangest job in the world.

BEAUTY SECRET
Some beauty products and services are worth it. Some aren’t. Beauty editors quickly learn what falls into what category.

WHAT TO SPLURGE ON
Eyeshadow: The more finely-milled powers in prestige eyeshadows (great brands: Dior, Chanel, Lancôme, MAC) equal longer-wear and less creasing. Buy a few staple shades that you’ll wear everyday and which will carry you from boardroom to bedroom, and then save the nighttime-and-party-shade experimentation for the drugstore.

Concealer: Cheap concealers simply don’t cover up shadows, hide imperfections or last as long. They’re also more likely to crease, which will give you that lovely melting-wax look that’s so hot nowadays.

Conditioner: While there are scores of excellent conditioners available at drug and specialty stores (some with nearly identical ingredients to pricier brands—see chapter 2), there’s no denying that an effective conditioner makes a world of difference on hair, especially hair that’s coarse, frizzy or damaged. If you’ve tried various cheapie conditioners but can’t help coming back to your old, more expensive favorite, don’t feel guilty. You just have fussy hair, dahling.

Haircut: I can’t stress this enough: a good haircut is crucial. Keep searching until you find a stylist you love, and if it’s more expensive than you can afford, extend your time between cuts.

Hair Tools: When you’re dealing with several hundred degrees of heat on your hair, you’d better make sure the apparatus is the highest-quality, most evenly-heated one you can find. Unless you only use your styling tools a few times a year, the money you save now will be wasted later on treatments for your split ends and tissues for your tears.

Highlights: Hair is so demanding, isn’t it? There’s a plethora of drugstore, DIY highlighting kits available now, but I’d advise you to use at your own risk. For every success story I’ve heard or seen (which would be zero), I’ve seen literally dozens of haircolor tragedies. If orange streaks are your thing, have fun—otherwise leave it to the pros.

Pedicures: Manicures are easy to do at home when you know the proper tricks. Pedicures, on the other hand, are often more trouble than they’re worth, and can be difficult to make look salon-professional. Get a salon pedicure once a month, then just change the polish yourself every week or two (or three!) if you can’t afford the regular upkeep.

THINGS TO GET FOR CHEAP
Fragrance: Now, I’m not exactly advocating cheap perfume. I, personally, can’t stand many of the lower-end scents on the market. But fragrance is a very personal thing … and what smells cheap on me might smell like gold on you. Before she created her popular scent “Lovely”, Sarah Jessica Parker was known to wear musk oil that she bought for years at the drugstore. And when I was at Lucky, several of the editors confessed to a shameful addiction: Glow by J. Lo, which may not be bargain-bin, but is hardly Clive Christian. The bottom line? If you find a scent that you love, and which smells fabulous on you, wear it proudly—no matter what the price tag.

Cleanser: It’s on your skin for less than a minute and then slides down the drain, so what’s the point of paying big bucks for a designer cleanser? Save the money and spend it instead on an effective moisturizer—with ingredients that’ll penetrate and remain on your face all day.

Nail polish: It always amazes me how otherwise intelligent, sane women are willing to shell out, say, forty bucks for a nail polish that is actually inferior to other brands, simply because it has a designer label. (So not naming names here.) In fact, some of the best quality nail polishes are available at the drugstore, such as Rimmel, Sally Hansen and Revlon. My personal favorite brand, Essie, is also a relative bargain at about $14, and the fabulousness that is OPI only costs around $7. There are some things you need a designer label for. Nail polish—which, let’s face it, chips inside of a week no matter what brand you buy, or how much top coat you slap on it—is not one of them.

Moisturizer: While it’s true that you get what you pay for—and that an effective moisturizer chock full of skin-boosting ingredients such as glycolic acid, retinol or antioxidants is the quickest and easiest way to keep your skin clear, smooth and glowing— there’s simply no reason to spend hundreds of dollars on a moisturizer when you can find one nearly as good (or in some cases, even better!) at the drugstore. Many top drugstore beauty companies spend millions on research, meaning you’ll find the same technology at your local CVS as you would at Neiman Marcus. The packaging may not be as glamorous, and the name not as exciting, but at the end of the day, your skin won’t know the difference. (In fact, a recent independent study comparing several high-end moisturizers with their drugstore counterparts labeled Olay Regenerist the best … outshining anti-aging creams literally five times more expensive.)

PRODUCTS TO BRING BACK FROM EUROPE
What is it about European products that makes us (okay, well, maybe just me) open my wallet as wide as it will allow, frantically snapping up products as if I’d never before seen shampoo, moisturizer or candles? It’s the thrill of the unknown, as well as the glamour factor that comes from proudly displaying an exotic looking bottle on your vanity, with all of the writing in Italian, French, German, or Spanish (eh, just insert your favorite high school language here), with the fantasy that an old acquaintance of yours might pop by the house, wander into your bathroom, see the array of foreign beauty products, and exclaim, “My God! I never knew you were so worldly! No wonder you always look gorgeous!” That’s the hope, right? Of course, aesthetics and fancy labels only take you so far. The reason the following products are beloved by beauty editors, experts and world travelers alike is because, quite simply, they work. Some are easily bought in boutique drugstores in New York and Los Angeles, but are not-as-easy to find in other parts of the country. So next time you’re taking that business trip to London, or honeymoon to Paris (I’m sure your new hubby won’t mind), swing by the local beauty emporium and pick up these gems:

ENGLAND:
L’oreal Elnett hairspray: A light hold, guaranteed-to-find-it-in-every-single-professional-hairstylist’s-kit favorite, this aerosol is easy to brush out, not-too-sticky, and perfect for when you don’t want anybody to know that you’re actually wearing hairspray.

Jemma Kidd Makeup School Lasting Tint Semi-Permanent Waterproof Mascara: Created by English fashion model-turned makeup artist Jemma Kidd, this hint-of-color, lasts-for-days mascara is perfect for those times (like, say, a camping trip with a new guy) when you need to look naturally pretty but can’t spend any time making yourself up. The rest of the line, with clear, easy-to-use instructions, is pretty fabulous, too.

Louise Galvin Sacred Locks: With no preservatives or synthetic ingredients, London-based celebrity colorist Louise Galvin’s hair care line is designed to revive damaged, fragile, colored hair and nourish it back to life. The cult of Sacred Locks products is slavish, indeed (and for good reason).

ITALY:
Santa Maria Novella: A centuries old apothecary run by monks in a church in Florence, these goodies are the very definition of Italian glamour. With everything from perfumes commissioned by Catherine de Medici (try Ambra or Acqua di Colonia, also available at LafcoNY.com) to medicinal elixirs to body oils, the products are still produced by monks, and are not only guaranteed to impress aforementioned bathroom visitors, but are also deliciously decadent to use.

PORTUGAL:
Claus Porto: The best, most giftable soaps in the world—not to mention adored the world over for more than a hundred years—these are less like body products and more like delectable treats, in flavors like Wild Pansy, Red Poppy and Honeysuckle and wrapped in such divine, visually-stunning packaging that it’s almost a crime to open and actually use them.

GERMANY:
Dr Hauschka: A holistic, plant-based, ecologically-responsible skincare line that doesn’t test on animals and uses as many organic ingredients as possible, beloved by Madonna and those who are just as concerned about what they put on their bodies as they are about what they put in them.

FRANCE:
La Roche Posay Anthelios XL: The ne plus ultra of sun protection, this product is virtually worshipped as a skin saver. To say that it’s considered the best sunscreen in the world is not an overstatement.

Diptyque candles: There’s a candle … and then there’s a Diptyque candle. With a price tag more akin to a bottle of expensive perfume, the many scents in this lush line are just as rewarding as an expert fragrance creation from Grasse. It’s hard to pick only one, but my favorite is the ever-popular black currant-and-Bulgarian-rose-infused Baies.

BEAUTY MYTH #1) French Women Are Inherently Prettier, Sexier and More Chic Than You. Oh. And They Don’t Get Fat Either.
Is Brigitte Bardot to blame? Catherine Deneuve? That cute chick from Amelie and The Da Vinci Code? I’m not here to point fingers, but simply to call a spade a spade. You, my friend, were born under an unlucky star. Why, you ask? Simple. Because you’re not French. French women, you see, have more sex appeal, more style, more je ne sais quoi (the decks are so stacked in their favor on that one, by the way, seeing as the expression comes from their native language and all) in their pinky fingers than you do in your entire Yankee-born and bred, apple-pie loving, “American Idol”-watching body. It’s not a subjective observation. It’s a fact. I mean, it must be, seeing as there are endless books devoted to it. And, it’s pretty much impossible to open up a woman’s magazine of a certain caliber without finding an article titled “Secrets of the French”, or “Ooh La La! Beauty tips from France” or, like, “American Women Should All Just Give Up and Move to Paris, Otherwise You’re Destined For a Life of Ugliness.” Don’t get me wrong—I love France. I refused to call them “Freedom Fries” a few years back; I studied in Paris during college; I cite my high-school exchange student as inarguable proof that there are seriously delightful French people in this world. But the notion that French women are born better, more beautiful and more stylish than you and me? Rubbish. (I mean, no offense to them … but have you been to France? Have you seen some of the dowdy, clunky-soled, black-nyloned, tweedy skirted, Queen Elizabeth-in-the-garden-with-the-dogs outfits they’ve got going on? Sure, the women are chic on the Avenue Montaigne, but privileged women in a small district does not a entire nation of fashionistas make.) What’s really going on here is that most of the magazine editors are in love with Paris and the romance that clings to it—not to mention the idealized version of French women they encounter once a year in the City of Lights during the couture shows. Plus, it’s an easy way to toss off a four-page piece without really trying, since the theory is pretty much accepted as Gospel by the entire beauty world. Hey! Let’s write a magazine article about it! We’ll stuff it with pretty pictures of gorgeous French celebs (of whom there are many … but what about Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Aniston, Cindy Crawford, Aisha Tyler, Grace Kelly, Demi Moore, Diane Sawyer, Tyra Banks, Lana Turner, Diane Lane, Beverly Johnson, Marilyn Monroe, Christy Turlington, Vanessa Williams, Jennifer Lopez, Rita Hayworth, Kelly Hu, Sharon Stone … need I continue?), add some good quotes en Francais, and throw a catchy title on it. Voila! And that’s how a soul crushing, nation-bashing trend is born. Vive la revolution de maquillage!

DIRECT FROM JOLIE IN NYC
I get emailed certain questions over and over to answer on my blog. Here, a real question from a real reader, with my real response. (It’s all so real. I’m so real.)

Q: I was hoping you could offer some advice. I’m a recent college graduate, not much younger than yourself, and contemplating a possible future in magazines, specifically those dealing with fashion/beauty/all the usual suspects. I went to a good school and finished with a degree in Journalism. Writing for a magazine, rather working my way up to a writing position, is always something else I wanted to do. Any advice how to get a chance doing this though I don’t have the internship experience, etc.? Or any advice to steer clear of this? I just know you worked your way up the ladder at a young age and it is inspiring and makes me somewhat hopeful if this is what I choose to do. I appeciate your listening (er, reading)…

A: Okay, here goes: Getting a job in the magazine industry without internships is tough. I wish that weren’t the case, but people are 99% of the time simply unwilling to take a chance on somebody unproven … even if it’s for something as simple as answering phones and opening packages! In an ideal world, you’d have racked up internships during college, since most internships are unpaid and must be taken for college credit—unfair, huh? If, at the present time, you can’t get an internship (either because nobody will hire you or you simply can’t afford it), make friends with somebody who works at a magazine. Unfortunately, it’s still about who you know, and having a friend “on the inside” who can alert you to assistant openings is key. Find a mid-level editor whose work you admire and email them to ask if they’ll let you treat them to coffee; bring your resume, spend twenty minutes or half-an-hour picking their brain, and then check-in every so often to see if they’re heard of any openings or have any advice. You’ll be pleasantly surprised—most women in the industry will go out of their way to help you, often because somebody did the same for them. And finally, don’t be afraid to stalk the HR people at the big magazine companies (you can find their numbers on Ed2010.com) until they agree to set up an informational interview. Following the informational, call once a month just to check-in and see if any positions have opened. Some might disagree with this, but HR reps are only people, after all (not monsters!), and I know many, many people (including myself with my first post-college position) who have scored jobs this way. Finally, check out Ed2010.com and Mediabistro.com daily. It will probably take a few months (maybe as long as a year), but if you’re persistent and passionate, you will eventually find something great that will, down the road, lead to something even better. Good luck!

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