Luxe Life: Shiseido Spring Makeup Preview at the Oval Room

Deacon was lucky enough to have a paw up on the competition last night - not only did he score an invite to an exclusive spring makeup preview hosted by the Shiseido Americas Corporation, but he walked out with a swag bag featuring about a grand worth of awesome new products.

You'll see our full writeup live on Washingtonian.com later today, but Deacon readers get an exclusive peek!
Photo:
Heather Freeman and Lindley Thornberg, the PR forces behind last night's event.

Spring Beauty Preview: Shiseido brings a colorful peek to DC

PR mavens, magazine editors and media elite mingled last night at DC’s classic resto, the Oval Room, for an exclusive preview of Shiseido America Corporation’s spring collections from NARS, John Varvatos, Issey Miyake and of course, Shiseido itself.

Heather Freeman PR, the media force behind restaurants like BOURBON Steak, Brasserie Beck, and Minibar, began her foray into makeup with this first-ever DC spring preview event.

For the publishing world, it was a sea of boldfaced names, a rarity on such a snowy evening. DC Modern Luxury Editor in Chief Karen Sommer Shalett, Project Beltway blogger Rachel Cothran, former Miss DC Kate Michael, Mix 107.3’s Bilingual Aly, and Where magazine’s Corinne Whiting, to name a few.
As guests sipped champagne, wine and nibbled apps like tuna tartare on tapioca puffs, poached lobster, and mushroom wontons, perfectly coiffed and made up New York agents displayed the very latest in color and fragrance trends straight from the tents of Bryant Park.

We made a beeline for the NARS counter, one of our all-time favorite makeup brands due to its high degree of pigment (green shadow actually comes out green, not some muted shade of beige) and of course, the perennial favorite blush, Orgasm.

Francois Nars, (who sadly wasn’t present) the designer and force behind the line, showcased a spring collection seen on models from 3.1 by Phillip Lim and Obama favorite Thakoon, to name a few.

“My inspiration for spring was a very sexy woman,” said Nars. “I wanted a bit of the ‘70s feeling, somewhere between Guy Bourdin and Chris Von Wagenheim’s photographs – aggressive but very sensual and fragile at the same time.”

Neutral shimmers and new displays of multi-use products mingled with new packages to bestsellers like the aforementioned Orgasm and South Beach, a blush and bronzer combo highlighting nearly every skin tone. A shimmery blush appears a must for spring.

Additionally, guests enjoyed a peek at NARS hard-to-find skincare line, featuring a night serum using “it” ingredient Acai, which promises to add much-coveted antioxidants to the skin.

At Shiseido, partygoers sampled the must-have lip look of the season – a fierce red. We learned a new trick, approved by head makeup artist Dick Page himself. Apply lipliner AFTER lipstick (not before, as previously thought) to help set the color and prevent smudging. Voila – our chosen shade for the night, Tourmaline, stayed put through not one but two sparkling waters.

The “Perfect Rouge” collection provides the perfect way to achieve a dramatic yet feminine nighttime look – or daytime centerpiece, if you so desire. We’re an admitted lipstick phobe, but Shiseido’s moisturizing piece feels more like a gloss, and looked surprisingly natural against our winter-pale features.

We also sampled new fragrances from John Varvatos, Issey Miyake, Shiseido and Nars, each a different yet alluring mix of scents. Our favorites included Shiseido’s ZEN, a sensual, spicy fragrance, and the citrusy ARTISAN by John Varvatos’ JV Fragrance and Skincare line.

As guests disappeared into the snowy night, they were weighed down with a luxe assortment of product samples – the entire spring line of NARS cosmetics, skincare and lipstick from Shiseido, plus fragrances from Issey Miyake and John Varvatos.

Want updates daily from girl-about-town McLean Robbins? Check her out twice weekly on the Shop Around Blog, but don’t miss the exploits of McLean and her trusty puppy, Deacon, on DeaconDoesDC.com.