As always, the Women’s Mafia is providing an un-paralleled experience for our members and guests to celebrate all things mega-glam and self-loving this Valentine’s Day with a Fashion Week Beauty Bar hosted by Jason Hayes, Hairstylist for The Rockettes, major motion pictures, Broadway and television shows like SNL and Gossip Girl, and Lora Condon, award-winning aesthetician, GMA makeup artist and “The Lash Dr.”  Enjoy special cocktails, valentine’s chocolates and make valentine’s for your sweethearts at this exclusive, private event.

The Love Lounge

The Official Fashion Week Valentine’s Day Beauty Bar

February 14th from 4-8pm

Love Yourself Packages:
The Sweetheart Deal – Glam Lash Extensions by Lora the Lash Dr., A Blowout or Updo by celebrity hairstylist Jason Hayes, and a Beauty Touch-Up – $90*
Brilliant Blowouts – $25*
Retro-Glam Updo’s – $45*
Glam Lash Extensions by The Lash Dr.  - mini-set lasts 4-6 weeks $45*
Beauty Touch-Ups – $25*

Hot House Flowers Beauty, Inc.
315 West 39th St. Studio 509-510. Between 8th and 9th Avenues
Doorman until 6pm, call 212.807.8808 after 6pm.

*A Portion of all proceeds benefits CTI/Suitability, a Non-profit dedicated to helping women become economically independent. www.suitabilityma.org

Private Industry Event by Appointment Only – 212.729.9619. The first 10 Press who book appointments can experience one complimentary service.

RSVP to Marcy@yellowskyagency.com, subject “Love Lounge.”

PATRICIA FIELD PRIMP AND PROSPER NYE PRE-PARTY December 31st!

Get ready to celebrate 2012 with the HOUSE OF FIELD! Come to us for EVERYTHING to get the LOOK!

Get your MAKE – UP done by Celeb Make Up Artist and “Lash Doctor” LORA CONDON! Appointments from 1pm – 7pm!

Makeovers starting at $100! Glam Lashes Extensions starting at $95!

(Lash Extensions also available on Friday December 30th, call Salon for more details!)

Get your HAIR done with one of our Salon’s amazing Stylists!

Prices start at $30 and up! CLICK HERE for more details!

SHOP for your outfit!  Every Salon guest will receive 25% off all full priced items at the Store!

Event by appointment only!

To book an appointment please call 212 966 4066

Patricia Field

302 Bowery (Between Houston and Bleecker)

Store hours on NYE 11am-9pm

Let the House of Field PRIMP you out for 2012!

Start with soft, hydrated and glowing skin. The best way to accomplish this is with a sugar scrub.  Phoenix Rising, All Natural Skin Care, has a healing sugar scrub that is marinated in luxurious natural oils that leave your skin, oh, so touchable. www.phoenixrisingskincare.com

Jersey Girl’s love to be TAN! It doesn’t matter if it’s August or December, they want to be tan, and the darker the better. Maybe being tan in the middle of a blizzard is a good way to find them if their car slides into a snowbank? Girls want 2-3 layers of a spray tan and flourescent white teeth. Scott Barnes, the make-up artist for JLO, developed Body Bling, the world famous instant tan and shimmer in one.  This cream looks beautiful on every skin type and can even be used as a blush.  It’s also incredible at fixing and blending self-tanning mistakes.  The best part is that it washes right off when you have to go back to reality. www.scottbarnes.com

Whether you hail from Jersey, San Francisco or San Paulo, glowing white teeth are on everyone’s list.  Whiter Image’s Chic-Flic, is a rhinestone studded, teeth whitening pen and lip plumping gloss in a convenient dual-ended brush that fits perfectly into any clutch.  www.makeupwithme.com

Everyone loves the look of tousled, day at the Jersey shore hair, so Jersey’s own, celebrity hairstylist, Eric Alt, developed Bayside Ocean Spray, to give you Jersey shore hair without having to hit the beach.  The fresh ocean scent makes me feel like I really spent the day at the Jersey shore! www.ericaltsalon.com

Nothing gets your hair pumping like Big Sexy Hair’s, Root Pump Mousse.  If you plan a long night of fist pumping at the club, you can remain perfectly coiffed with a shot of Root Pump directly on the roots of wet hair before styling. www.sexyhair.com

If you really want to complete the Jersey look for the holiday, get some false lashes or lash extensions for a longer lasting effect.  Lora “The Lash Dr.,” is the preeminent Lash Extension specialist in the New York area, and her clients love giving the gift of Luscious Lashes to their nearest and dearest. www.thelashdr.com

Of course, the most important part of the Jersey look is confidence, so rock your glitter, shimmer and glow right through the middle of the holiday party. Fist-pumping optional… but a whole lot of fun!

Lora Condon
“The Beauty Buster” and “The Lash Dr.”
4 Time National SPA WEEK Award Winner
Author of SPA WARS: The Ugly Truth About The Beauty Industry
www.makeupwithme.com

Exciting news!!! Our favorite makeup artist, esthetician and hilariously truth-telling New Jersey author and spa owner Lora Condon has won for the 4th time in a row in the National SPA WEEK awards! This is her 3rd year winning best facial, and her 4th year winning Best Treatment. I wanted to know, what makes the best facial in the nation?!?

What Constitutes “The Best” Facial?

Two times a year Spa Week runs a national program where spas around the country offer customers spa treatments for only $50.  Customers then vote for their favorite spa in different categories and Lora Condon’s, Magic Hands Skin & Body Spa recently won for the 4th time and 3rd time in the category for Best Facial. Lora, The Beauty Buster, now shares her secrets on how to give the best facial and what customers should look for and expect while visiting the spa.  Lora will also reveal the number one mistake estheticians make during a facial.

1. Choose An Esthetician with Advanced Knowledge – The more knowledge the esthetician has at her fingertips, the better result you’ll get from your facial.  Just like a college graduate won’t have the experience and knowledge of a CEO, the same goes for your facialist.  A quality esthetician will take a few classes every year to learn new techniques and stay on trend.
2. Use Your Senses – A quality esthetician will use all five senses to send you to heaven and back in an hour. She should have a firm but gentle touch with massage as well as extractions. The products should smell good with essential oils as the natural fragrance not artificial perfume. One of the most important senses is actually hearing and listening to what the client asks for and give it to them if possible. If they have acne and want deep cleaning, focus on cleaning not massage. Talking during a facial is a “touchy” subject.  The client should determine how much talking goes on during a facial.  Conversation should be about the client’s skin, beauty needs and beauty goals.
3. Educate the client – An educated client is the best client and many times it is the esthetician’s job to dispel beauty magazine or internet myths.  A great esthetician helps with homecare in a non-pushy way and show them the benefits of using professional products.
4. Passion For The Job – You’re in luck if your esthetician actually owns the spa or has an incredible reputation aside from the spa.  Big name spas tend to hire people right out of school with no experience; basically because they’re cheap labor and they make their money on volume not returning clients.  If the esthetician is the owner or highly regarded, you’re more likely to be in good hands.
   

The biggest mistake that estheticians make is over-steaming the skin.  Some estheticians say the reason for steaming the skin is to open the pores. This is false.  Pores do not open or close like gills on our face.  This is a lie that salespeople made up to sell products like toners.  Steam or warm, moist heat is used to soften the dead skin cells and should not be used for more than three minutes far away from the skin in order to make the skin pliable enough for extractions.  After three minutes, the skin starts to become irritated, red, more sensitive, flushed and dehydrated.  This is the reason that people are often red and blotchy after a facial.  Warm, moist towels are the perfect way to achieve the same result without irritating the skin.  Clients might miss the steam, but they sure won’t miss the blotchy, red patches.

For more on Lora Condon, her beauty and esthetic services and her spa Magic Hands Skin & Body call visit www.makeupwithme.com

Tel. 973-467-0992 Salon Hours

Tel. 973-715-3826 After Hours

Also, check out her amazing SPA WEEK specials starting October 10th:

Spa Week Specials Starting October 10, 2011

Check out these incredible $50 spa treatments for only $50 each

1) Semi-permantent mascara called Lash Dip with FREE gift – 55 min.

2) Partial eyelash extensions with FREE gift

3) Organic medical ultrasound facial with FREE gift – 55 min.

ASTONISH MAGAZINE & ASTONISHWORLD LAUNCH EVENT
Guests Previewed The First Print Edition of ASTONISH Magazine and New Ready-to-Wear and Couture Collections by Designer Phuong My

Featured Guests & Host Committee:
ASTONISH Publisher Ryan Chua, ASTONISH VP of Operations Brandon Leong, EngieStyle Founder Engie Hassan, Jewelry Designer J. Rudy Lewis, Financier & MyModel.com Founder David Cote, Publicist & Women’s Mafia Founder Marcy Clark, Philanthropist & Seven Bar Foundation Chairwoman Renata M. Black, Seven Bar Foundation President Kim Hoedeman, Designer Sabina Les, Yellow Sky Agency Founder Alejandro Beitler, Music Producer & Airgo Music Founder Jimmy Greco, Rock Artist Ming Vaadka, Producer Patrick Terry, R&B Artist AC Lincoln, Gossip Queen & Radio Host Flo Anthony, and Lita Asscher of Royal Asscher Diamonds, Grammy Nominated Artist Emily King, DJ Poet of The Black Eyes Peas, Jazz Legend Kim Kalesti, GenArt Founder Ian Gerard

Event Partners:
Sakiri Vodka Founder Sath Nop, Biso Wines Founder Mike Bazzini, John Sweiss of Bite Size New York, Lisa Mecray Rogers of Luxx Chocolat, DJ Jay McElfresh, DJ Von Kiss, Eric Alt Salon, Makeup Artist Valerie Vonprisk, Kett Cosmetics, Yaby Cosmetics, Pamela Quinzi Shoes, Kitty Andrews Millinery and The Gansevoort Park Avenue

New York, NY. September 2011. On September 7th, the eve of New York Fashion Week, 300 guests received a coveted invitation to the launch party for ASTONISH Magazine and ASTONISHWorld at the elegant Gansevoort Park Avenue Hotel. Press, Fashion Glitterati, the Bloggerati and celebrities of music and film were treated to a raging event and an unforgettable Fashion Show by fast-rising designer Phuong My. Guests were greeted with advanced copies of the premier issue of ASTONISH Magazine, a game-changing new high end fashion publication that features emerging photographers, stylists, designers and models. Once inside the Penthouse, fashion insiders, models, artists, press and VIP guests enjoyed hip cocktails by Sakiri Vodka, fruity Lunae Moscato by Biso Winery, Mediterranean delectable’s by Bite Size New York and gourmet confections by Luxx Chocolat, all whilst dancing to the tunes of DJ Jay McElfresh.

Backstage, Engie Hassan and the team at EngieStyle worked with designer Phuong My and her atelier to fit and finalize garments on models. Eric Altimore and the pitch-perfect team from Eric Alt Salon managed hair while key makeup artist Valerie Vonprisk worked with teams from Kett Cosmetics and Yaby Cosmetics to create a signature fresh, high-fashion face. Phuong My’s looks were finished with shoes by Pamela Quinzi and custom hats by milliner Kitty Andrews. EngieStyle provided jewelry by the Royal Asscher Diamond Company and Jewelry Sponsor J. Rudy Lewis for featured looks and VIP guests.

Super Model Lorianna Izrailova in Phuong My Couture, Runway Photos by Jodi Jones

After Yellow Sky Agency PR seated the VIP guests, DJ Von Kiss played music as Phuong My thrilled the crowd with 25 elegant, structural and inimitable ready-to-wear women’s looks and then 10 couture looks that showed off her mastery of manipulating shapes. An ovation of applause greeted designer Phuong My and ASTONISH Publisher Ryan Chua alike. Designer Phuong My embodies the magazine’s essential mission of showcasing the best emerging Fashion Artists of today.

The highly anticipated first print edition of ASTONISH Magazine hits major US newsstands on September 27, 2011. It is the answer to an industry starved for smart, unique and visually stimulating Fashion & Art content. Its goal is to inspire, reinvent and revolutionize the fading publication industry with stunning imagery, insightful social commentary and interviews with emerging artists and industry professionals. ASTONISHWorld offers a unique experience for fashion students, photographers, designers, stylists, models, makeup artists, hairstylists and bloggers to participate in the magazine and connect them with fashion industry leaders in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Russia, Japan, China, and Korea. Become a part of the movement at www.astonishmagazine.com.

#  #  #

Guest, ASTONISH Publisher Ryan Chua, Publicist Marcy Clark, Jeweler J. Rudy Lewis, VP of Operations Brandon Leong and Model Lorianna Izrailova

ASTONISH Publisher Ryan Chua, Magic Johnson's son EJ Johnson, Doug Melville of Red Carpet Runway and VP of Operations Brandon Leong

Models with Milliner Kitty Andrews

Team ASTONISH

ASTONISH Men's Editor Kristen Irby with Designer Ninh Nguyen

Model Lorianna Izrailova, Gen Art founder Ian Gerard, Astonish Publicist Marcy Clark and Model Ash Mirza

Engie Hassan and the EngieStyle team

Grammy Nominated Singer Emily King, Trum Thuy, Event Producer Marcy Clark, R&B Artist AC Lincoln, Jeweler J. Rudy Lewis & Jazz Legend Kim Kalesti

Author and Beauty Expert Lora Condon with Montana USA, Men's Wear Designer Alexander Tedford and stylist Jaymz Crow

Event Sponsor J. Rudy Lewis and his associates at the J. Rudy Lewis Jewelry Design Atelier

Guests from Women's Wear Daily

Douglas Melville of Red Carpet Runway & VIP Guests

Gossip Queen & Radio Host Flo Anthony, with Philanthropist and Film Producer Dhonna Goodale and The Salon Guy

ASTONISH VP Ryan Colby with his model clients

The Salon Guy Stephen Marinaro Interviewing Engie Hassan

J. Rudy Lewis being interviewed by The Salon Guy

Luxx Chocolat founder Lisa Mecray Rogers with guest and Tatyana Titkova

Members of the NYC Fashion Bloggers with J. Rudy Lewis and guest

Financier and MyModel.com Founder David Cote, Philanthropist Lisa Goldman, guest Jeff Zee

Socialite Guests of Engie Hassan

Ashley Crossman, Alejandro Beitler, Mike Bazzini

Event Produced by Marcy Clark of the Women’s Mafia and Yellow Sky Agency PR. More photos and Video Links:

August Young – Photographs
http://augustyoungphotography.zenfolio.com/p874270276

The Salon Guy – pictures and video
http://www.thesalonguy.com/media/astonish-magazine-launch-party-with-designer-phuong-my-for-ny-fashion-week

Sunny Norton -  Photographs
http://sunnynorton.smugmug.com/Events/ASTONISH-MAGAZINE-Launch-Party

More coming soon at www.ASTONISHMagazine.com. Say you are with the Women’s Mafia to secure your coveted subscription to ASTONISHWorld and join the movement!

Media Contact: Marcy Clark
Yellow Sky Agency
212.729.9619
Marcy@yellowskyagency.com

Graphic Design by Dustin Drankoski

From garage-punk like The White Stripes and The Sex Pistols to the musical theater and burlesque of Kurt Weill, Kander & Ebb and Django Reinhardt. Sound like a tall order? It is. But Minq somehow manages, like a mad perfumer, to combine notes of each into an originally explosive fragrance. Last year, he crashed onto the NYC circuit with his debut album The Plastic Masquerade, and was greeting with a glowing review from The Original Hipster, a sold-out debut at Joe’s Pub, gigs at Galapagos Art Space, CSV and 3LD and a nomination (as Adam Cochran) for a Drama Desk Award for his junk-folk score to the world premiere of NAATCO and Theater Mitu’s A Play On War. On March 24, 2011 came his second release: a half-hour-long EP called Minq Vaadka Will Take Your Elektro-Küsse in Queens, Please, including six new orignal songs and a cover of a favorite Tom Waits tune. Opening on August 26th, he will unleash a brand new cabaret theater piece with all-new, original music called Minq Vaadka’s Narcischism: Un Cabaret d’Adieu, directed by Chantel Pascente and produced by Patrick Terry and Te Ilum Theatre & Arts at the Robert Moss Theatre. Click here to buy tickets now (Women’s Mafia members can enter code MINQ10 for special $10 tickets, which includes beer!) and look out for the accompanying album of the same name to be released sometime during the 2011 holiday season!

And now, enjoy an exclusive Q&A with Minq Vaadka himself and Director Chantel Pascente!

WM: Who is Minq Vaadka? Can you describe the genesis of the act and how did this collaboration with Patrick Terry and Te Ilum came about?

Photos by Bridget "B." Waterhouse

Minq: Even though he’s a very theatrical presence and might even say or portray things that are not always actually true, I’m very careful to refer to him as a persona, not a character. That’s because Minq Vaadka is actually, well… me! My alter-ego. Minq started as an identity I developed for a cabaret course at NYU (taught by Salty Brine of Pepper & Sam fame) and, after the first set of performances, I realized that not only did I enjoy letting my impulsive, manic, unfiltered side loose in front of people but it could also be a useful tool for publicly exorcising some of my personal demons. And this sort of Weimar Germany-inspired palette seemed to create a perfect aural and visual landscape for a lot of the themes I wanted to deal with: bipolarity, bisexuality, theater, glam rock, humor, anger, mimesis, honesty, trickery. So it’s been fascinating learning how to navigate those waters and really make the iconography my own. How can I nod to my inspirations but sound contemporary? How can I use some of these visual idioms but not be misinterpreted as a Cirque du Soleil clown or a screamo act (God help me)? How can the music push compositional boundaries but remain accessible to a mainstream ear?

As for Patrick Terry and Te Ilum, I actually brought them together. Patrick introduced himself to me after he saw me perform at the new Galapagos Art Space in DUMBO. PT invited me to drinks at some schwanky bar on 59th St., got me soused, did a few card tricks (he’s actually a very talented magician) and before I knew it, we realized we had to make something happen together this year. Meanwhile, I’ve been with Te Ilum from its beginning. I met Chantel Pascente (Te Ilum’s Artistic Director) at NYU and we have since collaborated on a number of projects, so once we decided to undertake a Minq Vaadka theater piece, it seemed natural that I should hook her and PT up.

WM: What makes a Minq Vaadka concert experience unique?

Minq: Theatricality and honest passion. Minq Vaadka’s Narcischism is in fact a theater piece but even when I’m playing a regular gig at a music venue, the show is still highly theatrical. You’re NOT paying to see a bunch of scruffy bros in jeans and plaid shirts lean on their amps while they make their best “I’m Kurt Cobain and I don’t care” faces. You’re going to see me working my ass off to imbue the performance with showmanship and a sense of the delightfully weird. You see, I’m not at all into creating a “scene.” I don’t care how you’re dressed when you watch my show. I don’t care if you dance or mosh or stand there with a drink. But what I do care about is that you’re engaging this room with me — I want to see your eyes lighting up. I want to see the cogs turning in your head. I want you to judge me or love me or be confused by me, whatever. I just want you to chemically react somehow with the event I’m creating in the room. First time listeners to my music will notice that there are a lot of lyrics, lots of odd chord progressions, lots of sections and lots of tempo changes. It’s not music to sit back and zone out to. It’s music to reckon with, to engage with and to actively think about. Which turns some people off. But that’s what literally turns me on. And that’s why sexuality finds its way into a lot of it. I want to light up your sexual side via your brain. If that happens, then I’ve done my job for the night. And I think the stage show reflects that.

WM: Growing up on the west coast, how do you find living and working in New York? As a writer/performer where do you get your inspiration these days?

Photos by Bridget "B." Waterhouse

Minq: I knew from an early age, somehow, that I was destined to come live in New York. It’s always called to me (even before I knew that I wanted to be in music and theater) and it’s made me feel like it would be an ideal place to flourish as an artist and as a human being. And now that I’ve been here for about seven years or so, I would say that I was absolutely correct in that assumption. New York, as this sort of benevolent-but-fearsome beast in my life, has most definitely made me who I am today. I thrive on it’s nonstop hustle and bustle. The architecture feels severe and important. The changing of the seasons provides for starkly dramatic backdrops in art and emotion and memory. And most importantly, the circle of people I work and play with here fill me with life because they challenge me as much as they support me. That being said, the city often stresses me out and causes sometimes unbearable anxiety, so I find that I really need to go somewhere warm and easy (like back to my folks’ place in Los Angeles) for a little respite and some mental health days.

Inspiration comes from everywhere. Of course there are things that I love and gravitate towards: Tom Waits and Robert Wilson collaborations, Sxip Shirey’s happenings, Trash and Vaudeville and St. Marks Place, Kander & Ebb movies, Marilyn Minter’s photography, the latest Iggy Pop album, McQueen at the Met, Jack White etc. But I think an artist isn’t really doing his job if he’s not completely open to all sources of inspiration. I’ve been drawing a lot of it from my neighborhood in Queens lately: the trifecta of the Noguchi Museum, the Museum of the Moving Image and Socrates Sculpture Park, the rambling collection of graffiti out by Ditmars, the bridge to Roosevelt Island, the Bangladeshi quarter immediately surrounding my apartment and/or Alex, the dude with no fingernails who runs the hardware store on 31st St. and 36th Ave. who sold me a bottle of industrial-strength Drano by telling me it would “melt flesh and bone.”

WM: Whats the rehearsal process been like? Is it difficult to separate yourself from the material, especially when working on something that has such autobiographical connections?

Photos by Bridget "B." Waterhouse

Minq: Absolutely, it’s difficult. Because I am the material. Events have taken place in real life since we’ve been in rehearsal that have found their way into the piece already. And, as someone with Bipolar Disorder, we’re trying to dramatize these crazy mood swings that happen to me on a daily basis. We’ve actually run into places where I’ve taken a crack at writing us some dialogue and failed miserably because, when I show it to the team they go, “uh, that’s not what it’s like at all.” And I’m like, “yes, it definitely is!” And then Carly McCollow, our dramaturg, clears her throat and says, “well maybe it’s like that for you when it’s happening to you, but to everybody on the outside it looks a little more like this other thing.” So, there are parts of the show that I’ve handed completely over to Barrie McLain (my girlfriend; she plays Horseradish) so that she can write the scene from the perspective of someone who’s not inside my head in these situations.

WM: Chantel, as a director, what are you hoping audiences take away from this production? And how is MINQ VAADKA’s Narcischism – Un Cabaret D’Adieu different from some of your companies previous work?

Chante Pascentel: I think this piece can give the audience an experience that is unique in that they are watching something that completely blurs the line between reality and theatricality. Who is Minq Vaadka? Who is he to these characters we are watching, and who is he to himself? Maybe most importantly, who is he to the performers and how does the reality of their relationships and conflicts play into the piece? I hope the audience is able to immerse themselves in this challenge with us and walk away thinking about the relationship between an artist and its art. This piece is incredibly personal to all of the performers and myself. We have allowed ourselves to work in a new way, a way that for me was risky and revealing and I believe has led to results we can be proud of. Yes this piece is incredibly autobiographical for Adam, but it for me has become a universal story not just of artist and art, but of a person who’s world looks one way through his eyes and the people who adapt to that, who find their own ways of living in his universe. How would the world look if you were to see through anyone’s lens? Minq’s may be an extreme, but I hope that by us inviting the audience to look through his lens, they are able to walk away thinking about the implications in their worlds.

Te Ilum is committed to producing new and innovative theatre that is created in non-traditional ways. We focus on creating work that uses alternate artistic frameworks, and experiential theatre that engages the senses and arrests the audience, forcing you to be present with us in the room. This piece is our first to be co-created by the performers, and my first piece with no text or album as a jumping off point for the creation. Our previous works include a radical re-imagining of Cocteau’s “The Infernal Machine” where we used dance and the music of Electric Light Orchestra in conversation with the surrealist version of the story of Oedipus, combining these elements with the physical structure of Greek Tragedy. We then embarked on a movement piece “at Sixes & Sevens,” created by choreographer/performer Chloe Kernaghan, examining the struggles of a person abandoned or left behind through the lens of the 1950s housewife. “at Sixes & Sevens” became a part of a collaboration with James Franco in his piece “Collage” at Stella Adler earlier this summer, and is now being featured in an REM music video directed by Franco. These works have all been steps for us to find our voice as a group and as individual artists working with the support of a company behind them. We are currently in development for an installation movement piece directed by Teff Nichols, “Night-Song”, based on the short stories and poetry of Melanie Jane Parker.

WM: As young artists, how do you deal with today’s media landscape? New technology makes it easier to produce and distribute music, but how can bands (and similarly, theater companies) hope to maintain a following in such a competitive and disposable market place?

Minq: I would say that that’s the biggest struggle we face as artists today. The great hope of the Internet, as it was fighting its way out of Al Gore’s birth canal, was that it would give everybody an equal chance for recognition and distribution. Kind of like an inverted version of “trickle down” economics, right? Trickle up! We now have access to everything and everybody, so the best of it should rise to the top of the heap, right? But the reality is a little different. What’s actually happened is that we’re oversaturated. Go ahead, stick your music on Reverb Nation or YouTube. See how many hits you get. Post it on Facebook or Reddit. See what kind of following you develop. And when was the last time you heard of the Internet launching any act or an album on a huge scale (without them having big record label bucks behind them, thus disqualifying OK Go, Radiohead’s In Rainbows and Justin Bieber)? The trouble is that very few people have the patience to wade through entire oceans of junk in the hopes of finding a diamond in the rough. And even when they do manage to find something worth consuming, they just pirate it. So the answer I keep coming back to is that artists these days have to find ways to fuse different disciplines together to create something that is unique, fashion forward (to co opt a scion Tim Gunn-speak) and un-pirate-able. Yes, I release music and videos but now they tie in with a piece of theater. So, even if you’ve downloaded it for free, if you really want the whole context, you’ve got to come buy a ticket, sit in my audience and let me entertain you personally, baby. That’s what makes theater more important today than it arguably ever was. You can pirate a movie. You can pirate a song. But you can’t steal an experience.

WM: What can The Women’s Mafia make happen for you?

Photo by Christopher Shea

Minq: Hopefully, to remind a cross section of smart and stylish women of the idea that your daily dose of art (and fun) does not have to come from Lady Gaga on the radio or RuPaul’s Drag Race on your TV. You can actually head out into New York City (or wherever you live) and have an incredible (not to mention original) visceral experience delivered to you by a living, breathing human being standing six feet away. Also, to remind them that skinny, bisexual boys in white face and a corset are the new George Clooney. Just saying.

Marcy Clark and the Women’s Mafia were thrilled to host the first (of many to come) press-only Fashionable Friday Gifting Events. Celebrity Stylist Nick Arrojo (you will remember his excellent cuts and sexy accent from TLC’s What Not To Wear) hosted us at Arrojo Studio in lower Manhattan last Friday July 22nd.

A group of selected bloggers and journalists, many from the fab NYC Fashion Bloggers Meet-up group, were treated with makeovers including hair & make up treatments by the professionals at Arrojo Studio, as well as gifts from latest jewelry collection by rising-star designer J. Rudy Lewis.

The bloggers were excited to meet J. Rudy Lewis and pick a piece to wear at the event and be photographed rocking his designs. He is rapidly becoming one of the darlings of celebrity stylists, publications such as Vogue, royalty (such as Her Highness Princess Ameerah of the Saudi Arabian Royal Family) and various fashion editors.

Guests were also treated to an exclusive reading by author Lora Condon with excerpts from her recently published book SPA WARS: The Ugly Truth About The Beauty Industry and afterwards they got a signed copy of SPA WARS. Lora Condon is a well-known Esthetician, Make-up artist and Beauty Industry Consultant who has been working in the beauty and spa industry for over 15 years and put together hilarious anecdotes and experiences in her book, which was recently featured in the New York Times. She is also known as the Lash Doctor for her excellence in applying fabulous lash extensions, working with clients such as the cast of Good

Morning America, among other TV and fashion shows. For the first hour of the event the Lash Doctor applied Xtreme lashes on the lucky bloggers who made it early!

It was an exciting time for all of those involved and all the girls looked beautiful with their new ‘dos and J. Rudy Lewis jewelry.Bloggers and editors at the event also got to meet Women’s Mafia Media Partner ASTONISH Magazine and sign up for their new ASTONISHBloggerati program. Women’s Mafia and Yellow Sky Agency will launch the stunning new Fashion & Art publication at this Fall’s Fashion Week.

Pop-Up Studio, a great new enterprise by photographer David Christiansen, captured the event and entertained all the guests with an authentic Photo-Studio experience. It will be the first of many collaborations with Pop-Up Studio!!!

Stay tuned for future possible Fashionable Friday’s for Women’s Mafia members!

To see more pictures from this event at PopUpStudio.com, click here

Neon nail polish was all over the place at Christian Dior’s Spring/Summer 2011 runway show last fall, where models were wearing eye popping orange nails. Yes, that is the trend this season! Everything from neon orange and yellow, to tropical colors including tangerines, corals, greens, ocean blues, and my favorite: pink!

I must say I just love Essie’s latest collection, which includes the tropical colors that everybody should be rocking this season. My favorite one has to be super bossa nova, which is the most amazing fuchsia nail polish I’ve seen in a long time. I also love how these nail lacquers are not just named after a color, but they are named after the exact feeling that you immediately get when you see the color, and that just made me fall in love with it!

The colors of the season (shown above) are: Super Bossa Nova, Meet Me At Sunset, Absolutely Shore, Too Too Hot, Smooth Sailing and Braziliant.

For our girls who are looking for beautiful and long-wear nail colors with fewer chemicals, you might have heard of Zoya.

Zoya Nail Polish is a nail polish free of toluene, formaldehyde, DBP (phthalates) and camphor. It was specifically formulated to deliver the longest wear possible on natural nails. Zoya Nail Polish can be found in better beauty salons, spas and online at www.zoya.com. Zoya brings bright colors in both matte and sparkle this season. I must say my favorites are Zoya Matte Nail Polish in Mitzi, Phoebe and Lolli (shown above).

You’ll also find awesome brights from your favorite nail polish brands: from Chanel to OPI and Sally Hansen. Go ahead and show off your bright nails this summer, I know I will!

Photos: Style.com, Essie, Zoya

Celebrity Hairstylist Eric Alt, Music Impressario Lori Michaels, SPA WARS author Lora Condon, Television Personality Cognac Wellerlane

By Carlos Aparicio

After months of anticipation we could barely hold our excitement on the day of this colorful, rambunctious evening. In the company of colleagues from the beauty and fashion industries, TV personalities as well as friends and family, author Lora Condon officially launched her book SPA WARS: The Ugly Truth About The Beauty Industry on a night filled with glamour, joy and delicious treats from Empanada Mama, Butternuts Beer and the royal Château de Chambord (actually, throw some glitter in that equation to get a better mental image).

Hosted by Sex and the City’s Patricia Field and the Women’s Mafia at the House of Field (known for its fashion extravaganzas) to benefit GLAAD, people walking by wondered what the fuss what all about “Are they filming a movie?”, “Is it a rave?” were some remarkable guesses. In actuality, guests were enjoying something much better: Shopping at special rates, Music by DJ Sharri Model, makeup by Alicia Oliveri, Salon Services by the renowned Salon at Patricia Field and a Fierce Photo Contest with photographer Montana.

VIP Guests at the Event included: Project Runway Lead Hair Stylist George Ortiz, Celebrity hairstylist Eric Alt, Gossip Queen Flo Anthony, Music Impresario Lori Michaels, Award Winning Beauty Queen Miss Tiffany, Television Personality Cognac Wellerlane, “The Salon Guy” Stephen Marinaro, top tier Beauty and Fashion Editors and many more guests.

Enjoy some pictures from this magical evening after the jump.

SPA WARS author Lora Condon with Gossip Queen, Radio Host and Columnist Flo Anthony

Christa Williams Collett from Glamour Nerd, Project Runway Hair Stylist George Ortiz, Women's Mafia Founder Marcy Clark and Blair from Glamour Nerd

Our Media Partner Stephen Marinaro "The Salon Guy" and Project Runway stylist George Ortiz

Author Lora Condon with Designer Lace Rose Allenius

"SPA WARS" special guest judge Miss Tiffany Richards

Women's Mafia Founder Marcy Clark

Women's Mafia Writer Carlos Aparicio and Stylist Patricia Parenti

Writer Hillary Devers and Astonish Magazine Editor-At-Large Jenny Baker

The Salon Guy, Lora Condon, Makeup Artist Alicia Oliveri, Our "Fierce Photo Contest" photographer Montana and Marcy Clark

The amazing styling and management team at Patricia Field

Our wildly popular DJ Sharri Model, Marcy Clark and Photographer Montana

Astonish Magazine VP Brandon Leong with editor Jenny Baker, publicist Marcy Clark, author Lora Condon and Stephen "The Salon Guy"

SPA WARS

Beauty, Shopping and Book Signing Event

Official Book Launch for “Spa Wars: The Ugly Truth About The Beauty Industry”
by Celebrity Makeup Artist, Esthetician and Consumer Advocate Lora Condon

Friday, May 6th 6 – 10pm

House of Field and The Salon at Patricia Field
302 Bowery Street, Between Houston and Bleecker

Expected Guests and Judges of the SPA WARS Fierce Photo Contest include: Countess LuAnn De Lesseps, Celebrity hairstylist Eric Alt, Radio and Television personality Flo Anthony, Royal Stylist Engie Hassan, Music Impresario Lori Michaels, Award Winning Beauty Queen Miss Tiffany and surprise guests.

DJ Sharri Model will be spinning electro-rock tunes all night long and Montana USA will be our official SPA WARS photographer. VIP’s will be getting glammed up by Makeup Artist Alicia Oliveri and the amazing Salon at Patricia Field team and interviewed on the Red Carpet by Cognac’s Corner, Flo Anthony and our esteemed media partner The Salon Guy.

Enjoy Cupcakes from The Stuffed Cupcake, Empanadas from Empanada Mama, Butternuts Beer and Chambord and Fris Vodka cocktails throughout the night!

Media Partners:

PRESS CONTACT:
Marcy Clark
Founder, The Women’s Mafia, Social Club & Online Magazine www.womensmafia.com
cell: 212.729.9619 fax: 212.208.2579 Marcy@womensmafia.com
Director, Yellow Sky Publicity www.yellowskyagency.com

MEDIA ALERT:
PATRICIA FIELD PRESENTS: THE OFFICIAL BOOK LAUNCH OF “SPA WARS” BY LORA CONDON
Beauty, Shopping & Book Signing Event to Benefit GLAAD

New York, NY. May 6, 2011 - This Friday May 6th at the House of Field, Fashion & Beauty insiders will gather together to support the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and be among the first to get a signed copy and face-to-face with Author Lora Condon. Style icon Patricia Field and the New York Social Club, The Women’s Mafia, are hosting this glamorous book launch event for SPA WARS: The Ugly Truth About The Beauty Industry.

In addition to being able to snag one of the first signed copies of SPA WARS, guests of the event will also be able to enjoy Salon & Beauty treatments at special rates all day at the Salon at Patricia Field and they will be able to compete in the SPA WARS themed Fierce Photo Contest, judged by special VIP guests including Countess LuAnn De Lesseps, Celebrity hairstylist Eric Alt, Radio and Television personality Flo Anthony, Royal Stylist Engie Hassan, Music Impresario Lori Michaels, Award Winning Beauty Queen Miss Tiffany and surprise guests.

In “SPA WARS: The Ugly Truth about the Beauty Industry”, Celebrity Makeup Artist, Esthetician and Consumer Advocate Lora Condon reveals the true secrets of the Spa and Beauty Industry, along with tips and advice to get the most out of your investment in beauty products.

This unique benefit for GLAAD, the nation’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy and anti-defamation organization, features a red carpet, top shelf Chambord Cocktails, Butternuts Beer, treats from Empanada Mama and the Stuffed Cupcake, a 20% discount throughout the store and prizes all night long! Guests will enjoy electro-rock tunes by DJ Sharri Model, makeup by Alicia Oliveri and get their photo taken by celebrity photographer Montana.

Lora Condon, aka “The Beauty Buster,” is a recognized expert on revitalizing Spa and Beauty businesses and her popular new memoir and call for greater integrity and transparency in the beauty industry, is being reviewed extremely favorably. American Spa Magazine compared it to “Kitchen Confidential” for the Spa Set. And Spa Wish called it “a candid memoir” and “a hoot.”

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) amplifies the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively. By ensuring that the stories of LGBT people are heard through the media, GLAAD promotes understanding, increases acceptance, and advances equality. www.glaad.org

“Spa Wars: The Ugly Truth About the Beauty Industry” the new book by Consumer Advocate, Beauty Myth Buster and Certified Esthetician Lora Condon brings together the funniest true stories and the professional insight gleamed from over 15 years in the Spa and beauty industry. Irreverent, insightful, hilarious and actionable, “Spa Wars” is an invaluable tome for beauty junkies and wellness purists alike.

Lora Condon is known for her healing hands, professional demeanor and no-nonsense approach to beauty and skin care. As a professional makeup artist for film, television and celebrities, a licensed esthetician, a Reiki master and a consumer advocate, Lora is a sought after Beauty Expert, Spa Consultant and Motivational Trainer. As a professional make-up artist, Lora’s work has appeared in publications such as, Ladies Home Journal, The New York Times, Time Out New York and on television in spots for Good Morning America, The View, Larry King, CNN, Fox News and ESPN. As the owner of “Magic Hands Skin and Body Spa” she he has won awards for her esthetic work such as the three National Awards by Spa Week readers and she has served as the Director of Esthetics for a 5,000 square foot day spa in North Jersey. After being personally trained and working for the “brow guru”, Anastasia of Beverly Hills, Lora honed her skills for the perfect brow. She served as the Northeast Sales and Training Manager for Anastasia. Lora is also a certified Xtreme Lash technician and is known affectionately as the “Lash Dr.” among her celebrity and socialite clientele. For more on Lora Condon and “Spa Wars” visit Lora’s site www.makeupwithme.com.

Save the Date, RSVP and Book Today. We look forward to seeing you!
RSVP: rsvp@womensmafia.com

Call 212-966-4066 to reserve hair and beauty treatments.
Editors can submit press accreditation to reserve one complimentary Salon Treatment while space permits.

Treatments Packages:

1. The Full Patricia (blowout, haircut or hightlights, lashes and glam make-up) $125

2. Scalp Treatment, Blow Out and Style $50

3. Blow-Out $35

4. Lashes $20

5. Trim $50

6. Partial Highlights $75

7. Men’s Cuts starting at $30

8. Glam Makeup Applications Starting at $35

For more details on SPA WARS and LORA CONDON visit www.makeupwithme.com
For more details on PATRICIA FIELD, the House of Field and Salon at Patricia Field visit www.patriciafield.com