The Allure of Beauty: Saks Fifth Avenue + Allure Magazine Beauty Symposium, moderated by Allure Magazine’s Executive Editor, Kristin Perrotta.
photos by Michael Blanchard PhotographyThe panel of beautiful Beauty Experts included (from left to right):Guido Campello of CosabellaSaks General Manager, Gretchen PaceTim Quinn of Giorgio Armani Dr. Gregory Brown from ReviveKristen Perrotta from AllureShawn Rowan of Jo Malone
Saks Fifth Avenue's unique Beauty Symposium was formatted as a question and answer session that gave us a serious peek into the panelists minds, beauty cabinets, and even their social lives, as questions like "What do people always ask you at cocktail parties?" were posed by Perrotta and answered by the panelists. ("What celebrity are you working with" is a cocktail party question that haunts Quinn, which he hates to answer, and "How old do you think I am?" is a question that Dr. Brown finds himself dodging frequently!)
Here are some of my favorite points from the discussion:
Shawn Rowan, backstage with Tim Quinn and Dr. Brownphoto by Michael Blanchard PhotographyShawn Rowan of Jo Malone:
Everyone can have a custom, signature scent! Don't be afraid to experiment with blending and layering scents, starting with the strongest scent first, followed by the more subtle ones on top.
A lot of Jo Malone's new fragrances are inspired by scents not necessarily typical of perfume, like nectarines, farmer's market herb offerings, and four types of London rain. With Jo Malone's touch, these everyday comfort-scents become beautiful and elegant fragrances!
Match your Jo Malone home candles to the smaller version - the travel candle - as a way to feel connected to home in hotels. (Wish I had thought of this back in Middle School - I could have braved summer camp a lot better!)
Campello and Quinn thoughtfully ponder questions from attendees.photo by Michael Blanchard PhotographyGuido Campello of Cosabella
Women should execute a complete lingerie-drawer remix every 6 months. Bras should only last roughly half the year!
Rotate your bras daily - wear a different one each day to prevent stretching and underwire-mangling.
photo by Michael Blanchard PhotographyTim Quinn
Cheek contouring and highlighting can take years off! With age - and gravity - skin begins to sag, but a bit of well-placed highlighter can instantly lift cheeks, cheekbones, and eyes. The Designer Lift Smoothing and Firming Foundation is an ultimate in-house go-to for achieving this effect.
My top must-try products:
I loved Armani's Fluid Sheer liquid blush, above, and I also took Armani's Luminessence CC Cream for a test-drive. Spoiler alert: was instantly converted. I truly avoid wearing any product on my face (which elicited a gasp of shock from the woman at the Armani counter!) and was skeptical about trying this. Armed with my "Ok, I'll give it a try but I won't like it" attitude, I was pleasantly proven wrong - this has built in subtle shimmer and looked and felt was as light as a lotion. There was no sudden tinted- makeup alter ego, where I go from looking like a 20-something to a Miami housewife (or worse, a corpse!), and I used my free sample all through the weekend. Will definitely be stocking up!
photo by Michael Blanchard PhotographyJo Malone's Lime Basil and Mandarin Cologne is a completely addictive scent that is actually quite masculine. The fearless, and powerful, and sweet-smelling fragrance will immediately brings to mind cool evenings and throwing your dates blazer over your cocktail dress. Instant toussled hair and LBD not included, but they may as well be.
Thanks for the 
The radiant Kristen Perrotta, in a Banana Republic dress and Reed Krakoff bangle, with Guido Campello of Cosabellaphotos by Michael Blanchard PhotographyTakeaway lesson: There's no excuse not to look - and feel! - beautiful every second of the day. Arm yourself with a copy of Allure and your credit card (the other indispensable CC) and run, don't walk, to Saks to stock up!
Cheers,Renata
