By Laura Medina
Rhona Samuels, Armani Cosmetics' Premier Face Designer, left. The illustrious Rachel Roy.
Rhona Samuels, Armani Cosmetics' Premier Face Designer at Saks Fifth Avenue Beverly Hills' Armani Cosmetics event, "A woman has all of twenty minutes to groom herself."
What do Rhona Samuels and Rachel Roy have in common, other than this scribe interviewed them on the same day? They epitomize today's modern woman, a woman on the go who need key essential pieces in her beauty and wardrobe that typify the hottest and the most current of today's Fall/Winter trends.
Let's start with Rhona Samuels, not just because this scribe interviewed her first in the morning but good skincare is a foundation of a polished appearance then comes the makeup/color and finally, the outfit or that one key piece then today's woman is revving to go.
Rhona just landed in Beverly Hills just as soon as she was done managing the makeup during Milan Fashion Week. No breaks for this woman. Fresh off the runway, Rhona, fresh off the plane, talked about skin texture as the key makeup trend. Ok, she said bold, major eyelashes with a lot of mascara are the facial focal point but overall look was skin texture. At Armani, the foundation or the skin has to coordinate with the textile that the models are modeling on the runway during Milan Fashion Week. The overall makeup look from Milan Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2014, watercolors. A wash of colors on the eyes. A subtle hint of blush. Soft sheen on the lips.
Speaking of textures...instead of passe streaks of powdered blushes and face powder, of yore, to sculpture the face, advanced Armani Cosmetics uses the latest in molecular technology in creating luminous foundations to create natural 3-D effects to sculpture the cheekbones and the face.
Rhona witnessed, first-hand, there were a lot of Italia fashionistas and fashionistos walking around in dewy, moist skin, not matte or dry but well-hydrated skin. But for Spring/Summer 2014, they're switching gears from moist and suede to radiant (not glittery) and illuminated to naturally sculpture the face. The general face texture is going to be glowing, dewy skin. In other words, this dewy-faced scribe will fit right in at Milan Fashion Week.
Okay, let's get back down to Earth and find out how Rhona Samuels stays bright-eyed and glowing during hectic Fashion Week then straight into Beverly Hills.
Armani Skincare's Crema Nera Line
She can't live with Armani Skincare's Crema Nera Line, and she only uses two Armani Skincare products, Crema Nera Extrema and and Regenessence [3.r] Youth Regenerator Serum.
Rhona calls Crema Nera Extrema her "global cream." It works anywhere in the world and any time zone. The key ingredient is the South African Reviscentalis Plant, the "Resurrection Plant." This hardy desert plant isn't much to look at while staying dormant in a ten year drought; but when rain does arrive, it sprouts bushes and leaves. Actually, it doesn't take much water. All you have to do is drop a mere drip of H2O then it springs back to life, imagine what it will to work-weary skin...it springs your skin, your face back to life. It brightens and tightens, all in one jar, a 1.7 oz travel-ready jar.
Rhona uses Crema Nera Extrema all through Milan Fashion Week, flying to LA, and that morning.
Give it an extra boost and what might be a good beginner moisturizer for "transiting skin," Rhona's second skincare item is Armani's Regenessence [3.r] Youth Regenerator Serum.
Developed with help from Stanford University's Dr. Peter Lorenz, Regenessence 3.R technology targets the 3 levels of the skin with 3
powerful ingredients: ProXylan, Linseed Extract, for hydration, and Vitamin CP for brightness.
Maestro Cream Compact
For the main makeup, remember the upcoming trend for both Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer is a well-pampered, hydrated skin (not greasy).
Since today's fashionista is also a woman-on-the-go, Rhona swears by the water-based Maestro Cream Compact. It imparts coverage like a retro heavy cream foundation but the texture is refreshing light with SPF 29. Giorgio Armani was inspired by super organza, the world's finest fabric - a fabric originally used to create exquisite Japanese kimonos-to create a "soft-focus" foundation that is as airy and opulent as organza.
To round out your face, Armani Cosmetics debut "Color & Care" Lipstick, the first CC Cream lipstick on the market. This scribe had the perk to be one of the first to try this CC lipstick. They ought to add another "C" for "cushion." As in, it cushions the lips. It imparts opaque color coverage like those old-fashion drying lipsticks but the softness it imparts into the lips is just like today's lip balms. The softness stays and so does the color. Unlike lip balms whose color or shine fades away fast or the traditional lipstick that dries your lips parch, Armani's "Color & Care" Lipsticks stays soft and colorful, long after this scribe interviewed Rhona Samuels then went onto interviewing Rachel Roy...
The illustrious Rachel Roy striding to her Macy's Beverly Center appearance.
Rhona Samuels was really in awe when this scribe told her that Rachel Roy is the next interviewee.
She'll be glad to know that this scribe went straight to covering Rachel Roy while wearing and test-driving the latest Armani Cosmetics' sultry eye makeup, dewy skincare, and that marvelous CC Lipstick in classic Incognito rosy-beige.
Which is fitting considering Rachel Roy is the zeitgeist (a.k.a. trend setter) of the moment. She has been strutting the empowered Seventies' "Foxy Lady" aesthetic for the past two years now. It is only now that she had hit her Seventies stride with hedonistic "Rush" and "Mad Men" ending by diving deep into the Seventies.
Despite striking it big in the New York fashion industry, she still hasn't forgotten her roots. Growing up, Macy's was the most upscale department in her hometown. She still remembers that. For her, the goal has always been how to make the most fashion-forward friendly to the everyday customer, the real women on-the-go.
At her Fall/Winter 2013 launch at Macy's Beverly Hills, she offered an easy guide to pick the ten key elements from her current collection but there is one particular piece that is her favorite....
Her Sweater Coat.
Cardigan-cum-coat a.k.a "the sweater coat" has been around for a good four or five years thanks to knitting and draping technology but Rachel Roy is one of the very few who had the bravery to bring back Seventies' Native American Blanket Pattern Knits into a draped knit coat thanks to today's knitting technology.
Oh, this Sweater Coat is her favorite. This Sweater Coat was the stand-out piece out of Macy's Glamorama Fashion Show three weeks ago. It makes her swoon whenever this scribe mentions it. Rachel is a select few who has the guts to say if she can bring back the Seventies, she would.
Another Seventies-inspired piece that makes Rachel swoon, her deftness in creating bold, maximum graphic prints...then using it all-over a stove-pipe burgundy pantsuit and a contrasting blouse in white, even the color palette is Seventies' deep and luxurious.
Rachel gathered and mixed up three major Seventies fashion trends: the Native American knit patterns or prints; the Lower Eastside New York Punk Rock DIY embellishment and that iconic motorcycle jacket, and that louche but oh so luxurious Parisian love or animal print/texture (don't worry, it's faux) and black leather (again, don't fret, it's waxed or faux-leather).
How does all this apply to today's speedy, "liberated" woman on the go?
"Bim. Bam. Boom!" according to Rhona Samuels, this is how a real woman lives.
The most maximum of skincare and beauty like Armani's Crema Nera Extrema as your go-to moisturizer, Maestro Cream Compact as foundation then CC Lipstick for color pare down your grooming routine in nano speed.
As for updating your wardrobe, at a reasonable price, don't fret. Rachel Roy always think about bringing the freshest and finest of fashion at the best price for the customer. The best bets to rush your wardrobe into Fall/Winter 2013 is the bold Native American Blanket-inspired Sweater Coat. Against a basic black turtleneck and a basic black leggings/jeggings as backdrop, that Sweater Coat should be the stand-out.
A minimalist can get maximum usage out of Rachel Roy's graphic bold Printed Suit. Wear the trousers alone with a basic black top (turtleneck for now, halter top for Spring), the blazer goes everywhere, and the graphic black & white blouse is the tunic of the moment, a fashionista gets three looks out of one outfit.
There isn't a whole lot of money going to waste; and there isn't a lot of clothes taking up space. In fact, combine Rhona Samuels' skincare/beauty items with Rachel Roy's two picks, you'll get a travel-ready, global-trotting kit, just like those Seventies Jet-Setters.
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