Even at 8 in the morning, the women at Fred’s were impeccably turned out: not a hair out of place; nary a mascara-less eyelash to be seen. But of course that makes perfect sense considering the occasion: a beauty panel and breakfast hosted by Harper’s Bazaar and Barneys New York.
Simon Doonan and Glenda Bailey, the magazine’s longtime editor in chief, were on hand to kick off yesterday’s event; then, while guests nibbled on pastries and berries, Bazaar’s Beauty Director Alexandra Parnass lead a lively discussion on all things beauty. Panelists included the creative minds behind a few of our favorite XO brands: Sunday Riley, Claudio Riaz, sisters Liz and Rachel Edlich of Radical Skincare and perfumer Carlos Huber of Arquiste.
A few interesting tidbits from the conversation…
Sunday Riley declared that anyone who tells you genes don’t play a role in aging is lying. That said, how you treat the skin you’ve got matters more. Her prescription? The aptly named Good Genes, which contains unneutralized lactic acid (yeah—things got technical) that penetrates deep down into the skin, pulling in other healthy botanical ingredients with it. This is one product every woman should own, Sunday said. (But if you’re getting two, throw in her Start Over Eye Cream).
Next, Alexandra asked Claudio Riaz, who has a line of must-have makeup brushes and cosmetics at Barneys, “What’s the one beauty mistake that really makes you cringe?” His answer: bad blending. He sometimes wishes he could go up to women on the street and offer to blend their makeup, he joked. As for the three brushes every woman should own, Claudio named the Instant Smoke brush—the easiest way to create a flawless smoky eye—along with the Instant Brow brush and Double Blush brush. Another tip: wash your makeup brushes with your shampoo.
Next up: the charming architect-turned-perfumer Carlos Huber. Asked what made him switch careers, Carlos told a story about working on a building restoration in Venice and wanting to capture everything about the moment: the clinking of glasses in the cafe downstairs, the lapping of the water, and so on. For him, scent was the natural way to do that. Not surprisingly, all of his scents evoke a specific place and time in history. His parting words: “Remember, you’re not just spraying for other people; you’re spraying for yourself.”
Meanwhile, there was an audible gasp when Rachel Edlich, one of the two founders of Radical Skincare, admitted her age. Unless she’s found the fountain of youth, whatever they’re doing must be working because she looks at least 10 years younger. (Their line focuses on combating free radicals—the number one cause of aging—by harnessing the power of antioxidants).
After the panel (and a few mimosas), there was a well-heeled stampede down to the newly reopened and redesigned beauty floor. You can get in on the action here, but first, take a look at some of our party pics below…
Photographs courtesy of Brendan McCarthy.
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