Jamie Kern Lima: Baywatch Babe

Jamie Kern on Baywatch

QVC fans know her as the founder of IT Cosmetics who struggles with hereditary rosacea and has a love of face sculpting. But Jamie Kern Lima actually started her career in front of the camera by winning the Baywatch College Search Contest in 1998/99 (depending on the source). Check out some pictures here, but be forewarned that whoever posted them is not exactly her number one fan.

Jamie Kern in Miss USA Pageant

Jamie also won the Miss Washington USA pageant in 1999 and went on to compete in the Miss USA 2000 pageant (You can catch her entrance around the 4:25 mark). At the time, according to Pageant News Bureau, Jamie said she "wanted to be the next Barbara Walters"

What is it with these home shopping folks and beauty pageants? Forget baton twirling and insipid questions about world peace, all pageant contestants need to be given a product to pitch during the evening gown competition. Whoever has the most sales by the end of the night, will be crowned the winner.




From there, Jamie was able to land a gig on the first season of Big Brother. She didn't win, but she was the last woman to be banished from the house. She was also given the nickname “Hollywood” by the other contestants since she really wanted to be an actress. You can check out some pics here and here.

Apparently, these Big Brother rivalries never end. Someone went so far as to create a fake twitter account in Jamie's name and tweet out some really nasty stuff. I can’t imagine that she would be stupid enough to publicly make fun of another contestant’s “fake tits" or tell them that they will get cancer from all the Botox they use. I don’t know for a fact that it’s fake, but it wasn't a verified account and it has since been disabled. Take a look at a screenshot of Jamie's fake twitter account here.

Jamie met her future husband, Paulo Lima, while studying for her MBA. They got married at the Seattle Space Needle on 7/7/07. (see really cute picture of Jamie and Paulo on their wedding day). Her maid of honor was CNN/HLN anchor Natasha Curry.

Jamie then worked as a reporter for KNDU and KPTV, but found that covering local murder stories every day was not the sort of glamorous journalism she wanted to do. Inspiration struck after struggling with her own makeup.

The white space just presented itself. [...] I remember in the middle of one newscast—it was during a break—and I wiped my forehead and my eyebrow came off. I started searching for problem-solving products, and there really weren’t any. - Businessweek

In the beginning, she used her middle name to be her own fake assistant and had actresses living in her home in exchange for them doing packaging work. But how did she manage to get on the Q?

I’d been sending my products to them for a long time and always heard “no.” We were at an awards event, and their buyers actually tried the products and freaked out. We launched IT Cosmetics on QVC. I knew our product was amazing and I knew when women get it home it will change their lives – but before any of that happens you have to sell. I was shaking like a leaf and the producer kept telling me in my ear “calm down…..calllllmmmmmmm down.” I found out later he was communicating with the production staff to get ready for me to faint live on air. - Beauty and the Feast Blog

So, all you aspiring QVC beauty product vendors, sending samples to buyers does NOT work! You need to stalk them down at awards shows and forcibly give them makeovers in the bathroom. Also, be sure to wear your beauty pageant crown so they know that you're in the secret club.

IT Cosmetics recently got a big investment from investment firm TSG (they previously backed Smashbox and Elf) . Unfortunately, when the big bucks start rolling in, these cosmetics companies inevitably get too big for their britches and the brand starts to suffer. I certainly hope not. Like Jamie, I have hereditary rosacea and need that Bye Bye Under Eye!

Josie Maran: Sex, Love, and Argan Oil

Are you tired of hearing the Josie “AAArrraaahhgan Oil” Maran story about meeting the 127-year-old woman with skin as smooth as a baby’s bum? Maybe we should cut her some slack. Maybe Josie’s lived a very boring, sheltered life and just doesn’t have any other tales to tell? Oh my, my, my … turns out she has many stories from her past that are way more colorful.

Maybe she could regale us with tales of working for the world famous boy band, the Backstreet Boys. Josie played the love interest of heartthrob Howie in the music video for “Everybody,” which is a dangerous thing to do. If those hoards of little 13-year-old boy band fans think you might be getting your dirty paws on one of their boys, they are more vicious than David Venable guarding the last bowl of mac and cheese! But what did she really think of them?

“I also appeared in an old Backstreet Boys video where Howie is a vampire sucking blood from my neck. It was really sexy, kind of an orgasm scene. There was controversy because Backstreet Boys fans thought that I must be his girlfriend. He had to go out onstage and say, ‘That wasn’t my girlfriend in the video.’ He did ask me for my number, though. I said no. They’re nice guys, but butt ugly. And they weren’t all that famous yet, either. I really hate their music, especially when you have to hear it all the time.” – Maxim August 2000

Ouch! But unlike most people in the fashion and beauty industry, at least Josie has always been honest about her shallowness!

“I'm really shallow when I come to guys. I only date really good looking, well-endowed guys, with great bodies. My friends are always going on at me. I'm like "I can't help it! I'm just a woman with high standards!" – IMDB

Or perhaps we could listen to a little ol’ radio program called The Howard Stern Show (part 1, part 2). Back in 2000, Josie made an appearance on the show, known for decades to be raunchy, disgusting, and over-the-top, with her then live-in boyfriend, magician David Blaine.

David Blaine

Fiona Apple

Josie and David met on the set of a Fiona Apple video shoot. He was dating Fiona and Josie was working as a stand in for her. The two girls look very similar, so apparently, David has a type. Probably he was just looking for a less crazy version.

Now if you agree to talk to Howard Stern, you know what you’re signing up for. Being the boring schlub that I am, I would be forced to make something up … like how I like to be flogged with a Quaker Factory rainbow sparkle shirt while I stuff myself with gluten free muffins (doesn’t everyone???). During the interview, Josie and David discuss—among many other things—how they used to get busy eight times a day, but now it’s down to just twice a day, how they’re really into spanking (especially in restaurants? I didn’t quite understand that bit!), and all about the hot tub three-ways they enjoy with her model friends. Seriously. I don’t care what or who you’re into doing. Really, I don’t. Have at it! But broadcasting it to the world? I don’t get that. Maybe she just got caught up in the moment or was under the spell of the magician. Howard did keep asking her if she was high, so maybe that was the problem (although she emphatically denied it).

In all fairness, her original aspiration before the model/actress/beauty product career was to be a sex therapist.

“I wanted to be a sex therapist—a hipper Dr. Ruth. I’ve never had a boring conversation about sex. When you talk about sex, people come alive. My friends told me, ‘You know, guys are going to come to talk about their wives, but then they’re going to want to sleep with you.’ I figured I’d just wear a bag over my head.” – IMDB

And to do lots of hands-on research for the job.

“My dream is to have sex twice a day. Every time I get into bed, I want it.” – Maxim August 2000

Lawdy, I don’t think that I could handle that much Quacker Factory shirt flogging and gluten free muffin eating.

Josie also got in hot water over some naughty farm girl photos. According to an article in Gene Simmons’ Tongue (is that really a thing?), Maran almost lost her contract with Maybelline over a racy photo shoot she did for Sisley involving farm animals (Check out the pictures here. They aren’t porn, but definitely not Maybelline clean.)

Since then, it seems like Josie has tried to clean up her act a bit. She played sultry vampire Marishka opposite Hugh Jackman in in the movie Van Helsing, and played Mia in the video game Need for Speed: Most Wanted (yes, video games use live actors now). She also did a stint on Dancing with the Stars, but unfortunately for Josie, she was the first one to get the boot.

Josie also has a documentary coming out called Where the Sun Kisses the Ocean with fellow QVC vendor Joan Rivers. Described on IMDB as, “Stunning sky beautiful ocean stirring music and poetry weave together to take you on a journey that will leave you uplifted and open your hart [sic].” 

Hey, she’s always been a nature lover!

“I like to hang out with monkeys. I've always had a fascination with them. I feel like I'm very close to the monkey species because I like to play in the trees and get dirty. I have some friends — some chimps — in Malibu that I go and hang out with that are pretty interesting.” – Esquire,May 2004 

I have to agree with her. Animals are my favorite people.

Josie is currently married to photographer Ali Alborzi. They have two daughters, Rumi Joon, born on June 20, 2006 and Indi Joon, born on July 1, 2012. She discusses her home births in a recent People article, sparking endless mommy wars on the safety of home births.

So, next time it’s a full hour of Josie Maran Cosmetics on QVC, and she breaks into that same old lady with the great skin tale, just think about one of these more entertaining stories to get you through!

Bonus home shopping tie-in: In 2004, Josie was in the band “Darling” with fellow QVC vendor, Nicole Richie. Doesn’t look like much of anything came of the venture though.

Get Out the Door with Mommy Makeup

Have you ever tried to apply eyeliner with one baby screaming in the crib and the other frantically climbing up your leg?

After becoming a mom, New York City makeup artist Debra Rubin-Roberts realized that if she ever hoped to wear makeup again, she was going to have to re-think her entire makeup routine. Debra simplified the process by cutting out as many time-consuming steps as possible and focusing on a few multi-tasking products. She is also debuting her Mommy Makeup collection on ShopNBC this month. And that’s where I come in! This is Queen Bea’s review of Mommy Makeup’s “Out the Door Kit”:

What’s in the kit?

Mineral Dual Powder with SPF 15 in Lullaby

Small Kabuki Brush

Any Wear Crème in Twinkle

Just so you know where I’m coming from, I have very dry, sensitive, roseacea-prone skin--sounds lovely, doesn’t it? Anyway, since the makeup did not cause a rosacea flare up, I was able to give it a good trial run before I reviewed it.

The Mineral Dual Powder is a pressed mineral makeup. Unlike other mineral makeups, this one is in a compact instead of loose in a jar, so it’s not as messy. Per the instructions, I used the kabuki brush to buff the makeup all over my face. The kabuki brush picked up the product nicely and the bristles did not fall out like some others I have tried. There is also a foam pad included in the compact, but I don't recommend using that. The coverage is sheer, but buildable. However, I found it easier to add extra coverage to red areas first using my own small flat brush for application, allowing me to use less makeup on the rest of my face. The finish is not matte, but more luminescent and I did not notice the makeup settling into fine lines. I also checked the side of my nose, where my pores are the worst, and there wasn't any of that horrible “swiss cheese” look that some makeups cause.

The Any Wear Crème comes in a teeny, tiny jar, but that little jar will probably last forever. This product is extremely thick and pigment dense—trust me, you do not need much! The consistency is very similar to gel eyeliners. The idea of Any Wear is that you can use it anywhere—eye shadow, blush, and lips. The Twinkle color is a nude bronze with sparkle. If you don’t like sparkle, this is not for you. Honestly, with a name like Twinkle, what do you expect?

As eye shadow - Application is simple; you just smear a little on your eyelid with your finger. Depending on how much you use, the coverage can be completely sheer or opaque. However, I felt like I had to let my finger sit in the pot for a few seconds in order for the product melt a little. Probably a makeup brush would have helped to get the product out more easily. Once I got it on my lids, the eye shadow did not budge all day. In fact, I passed out and slept in it (don’t judge!) and it was still there in the morning. The next day, using my own brush, I decided to try it as an eyeliner. Once again, it went on smooth and lasted all day.

As a blush – Because this product is so dense and my skin is so sensitive, I had trouble spreading the Any Wear Crème on my skin without causing my cheeks to get all red and blotchy. You do have to work to spread it around evenly. On a positive note, I did like the highlight it gave my cheekbone.

As a lipstick - The first time I put this on as lipstick, I applied waaaay too much and my lips looked horrible! The next time I tried it, I just dabbed on just a tiny amount with my finger. Apparently, that's all you need. My lips looked so much better. They were a very subtle nude color, but due to the matte finish, I thought it looked best with just a little soft gloss on top. Keep in mind that Any Wear doesn't have the same staying power as a lip product as it does as an eye shadow and a blush.

Overall, the Mommy Makeup “Out the Door” kit gives you a very understated but iridescent look in not much time. If you hate sparkle, this probably isn't for you--not that I looked like a thirteen-year-old going to a Justin Bieber concert or anything! With the addition of some gloss and mascara, the “Out the Door Collection” could actually get you out the door quickly.

Mommy Makeup will debut on ShopNBC 5/20/10 at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. EDT.

You can find Mommy Makeup:
Website: http://www.mommymakeup.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/mommymakeup
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mommy-Makeup/86786773230
You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MommyMakeup
ShopNBC: http://www.shopnbc.com/

This product was provided for the purpose of review.

Doris Dalton Apologizes for Offensive Language

During Friday Night Beauty with Lisa Robertson, beauty vendor Doris Dalton used the word "retard" during the presentation. Needless to say, many viewers were taken aback, if not offended completely.

We all say things from time to time that we wish we could take back and I'm assuming that her intent was not to insult people with mental disabilities, so I'm not going to pile on.

Doris issued a written apology that QVC posted on their website:

It is with sincere and heartfelt apologies that I am writing this. Regrettably, last evening I used a term during my presentation that would be considered incredibly hurtful to certain individuals. It was never my intent to deliberately harm or offend anyone. I am however, personally responsible for my own actions and words, and it should not have been said. I am deeply saddened by the fact that anyone would suffer any ill feelings by something that I would say, and for this I am truly sorry. I hope that you find it in your hearts to forgive me.

If you are interested in how Doris was able to build up her cosmetics business, watch her recent interview on Mary Talks Money.

On a side note, did you catch Lisa's "I Dream of Jeannie" hair last night???

The QVC Reselling Used Makeup Story has Gone Viral

Complaints about QVC reselling used cosmetics have risen from the depths of the QVC message boards and catapulted all the way up to celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton.

The once humble message board thread, which as of this posting you can still view here, has gone viral through the beauty and gossip blogs. Here are just a few of the blogs covering the story: StyleList, From Mascara to Meatloaf, Shine from Yahoo, Styleite, Coco Perez, and Racked.

It's one thing when Queen Bea posts about the dirty underbelly of home shopping, but it's quite another when everyone else does it. Queen Bea pokes fun out of love.

If QVC knows what's best for them, they'll try to get in front of this story before it makes the inevitable leap from Perez to the mainstream media. And, no, that doesn't mean poofing the post! That will only add fuel to the fire.

~qb

ShopNBC Looking for Model Results

ShopNBC has been rolling out all sorts of new products for their big Beauty Discovery Week. And all I can say is that it’s about time! Their beauty offerings have long lagged behind their competitors and it’s good to see them bringing unique, undiscovered products to the marketplace.

I spoke with one of the latest vendors, Lisa Bass, who is bringing a new Model Results to ShopNBC. The line focuses on an oft overlooked area—the hands. Lisa is an artist and a real estate agent, but she’s also a hand model (see the above gorgeous picture ... wow!) She worked to develop a product that would protect her hands without having to keep them in white cotton gloves all day--always convenient when you need to change diapers and wash dishes!

QB: Kathy Levine, a favorite former QVC host with gorgeous hands, wrote in her book that she tried to get into hand modeling, but didn't have any luck. How did you break into the industry and what led you into hand modeling?

LB: It was a catch 22 - can't get work until you have an agent/can't get an agent until you've done work!  It was perseverance and I believed I could do it.  I was going art school at the time and working as a graphic designer for Michael Friedman Publishing Group in NYC.  The book I was working on was called, "Creative Gift Wrapping".  They needed "how to" shots for the gift wrapping shots and they used my hands.  I worked with a photographer named, Tony Cenicola, for this book.  Whenever he needed a 'hand', pardon the pun, he would call me.  After about a year, he recommended me to an agency.  I went to see them and after I left, they called me back that afternoon to ask if I could do 5 commercials the following week?  My immediate response was, "hold on, let me go quit my job!"  Ever since then, I've been extremely lucky and fortunate to have worked with the most important and fabulous photographers, directors, actors, art directors, fashion editors special effects people in the industry.  It's offered me the chance to travel to different places in the world to work, while remaining in my quiet anonymous fame.

QB: Did you work with any celebrities or do you have any interesting tales from any of the jobs you were sent out on?

LB: Yes I have worked with many different celebrities - all of whom have beautiful hands, but for either scheduling on their part or if it was a complicated hand position, I was asked to step in and help.  I've worked a few times with Brooke Shields.  She has gorgeous hands and was great to work with.  We worked together while she was starring in “GREASE”.  And because of her busy schedule there, I was asked to help for her commercials and print work.

Claudia Schiffer, who also has beautiful hands, thanked me for making her look so good!  Can you imagine?  This woman is so incredibly gorgeous and thanked me for making her look beautiful.  I was blown away by her graciousness!

Madonna - I was her hands for a Japanese Sake commercial.

Julia Roberts  - I was hired to be her hands for the movie, “The Pelican Brief”.  My hands were that of 'Darby Shaw'.  Julia Roberts hands are also so beautiful.  But I think because of her honeymoon with Lyle Lovett, it was easier to get me in to do the hand parts rather than getting Julia back from her honeymoon!  That was an interesting job in that the director asked me to get into Julia’s wardrobe and I looked at him puzzled?  Did he not remember I was just the hands and not the full thing?  Julia was a size, what, 2?  And there’s a real big reason why I wasn’t a full model!  I had to wear her clothes for the shot because that’s what she was wearing in the scene.  After I squeezed into here skirt and shirt, I then had to tuck in my shirt!  Only a woman can understand where I’m coming from with that -  and spanx was not yet invented!  I was fine as long as I didn’t breathe!

What's in Queen Bea's Beauty Bag?

Shalini Vadhera Resigns from Global Goddess

Shalini Vadhera, celebrity makeup artist and CEO of Global Goddess Beauty, which is sold on HSN, announced her resignation from the company via Twitter today. Here are the tweets in chronological order:

It comes w great sadness that on April 8th I resigned as CEO of Global Goddess Beauty. I will no longer have anything to do with GGB. ... Although there may be an attempt 2 use my name & picture 2 promote the brand, I won't be able 2 guarantee the integrity of the formulations ... nor will I be able to guarantee the authenticity of the beauty secrets ... It was my lifelong dream 2 create a brand I truly believed in 2 empower women worldwide. With ur help I was on my way to realizing my dream ... It was shocking & immensely disappointing 2 learn an investor brought on 2 support my business has ultimately decided to take it over ... I want to sincerely thank each and every one of you for your support. ... And for giving me the opportunity to create products I truly believed in to help women look and feel beautiful around the world ... I look forward to our paths crossing in the future... Signing off of Twitter as Global Goddess

Although the website for Global Goddess Beauty still exists, all the products have been pulled and it is now "under construction." Her beauty blog is still up at HSN, but there aren't many products left to speak of and most of those are on clearance.

Shalini is also the author of the book Passport to Beauty. And she recently took a twitter swipe at Jessica Simpson:

Jessica Simpsons show complete knock off of my book and brand. 2 bad she doesn't do it justice. Lack of authenticity is speaks volumes 

Here is a screenshot of the tweets. They're a little hard to read since you have to start at the bottom and read up!

Connie Stevens Forever Springs

Connie Stevens ... 70 and beautiful

Actress and singer, Connie Stevens, had a hugely successful skincare line on HSN in the 90's called Forever Spring. And then suddenly Connie and her skincare line disappeared from the network.

So what happened that caused Connie and HSN to split?

According to a Los Angeles Magazine article from March 2000, sales of the Forever Spring line dropped from a peak of $30 million per year to just under $6 million in 1999.

HSN VP David Ender said that it's all about "dollars per minute" and that "when her products began to sell less, we had to cut back her airtime." Ender also said that Connie did not take the news well. (Honestly, who would?)

HSN was obviously interested in keeping the sales volume high and pressured Connie to lower her prices. This would have forced her to lower the quality of her packaging and ingredients, and that wasn't something Connie was willing to do.

I just want to point out that one of the most commonly heard complaints from customers is that the longer a product line is on a home shopping channel, the more the quality goes down. This story only serves to reinforce that belief. If Connie would have listened to them, her returns would have increased and her reputation gone down. I can't say that I blame her for sticking to her guns on this one.

Relations between Connie and HSN continued to fall apart. At one point, she even openly questioned HSN's integrity during a national interview with Larry King.

During Connie's time on HSN, she was also being sued by her manager, Norton Styne. He felt that he was due a ceratin percentage for all the sales she made on HSN for originally landing her the deal with the network. Connie did not agree and stopped paying him. The case went all the way to the California Supreme Court.

Connie's case was cited in a similar case involving Billy Blanks, which summed it up nicely:

Connie Stevens, a well known entertainer, developed a restorative skin care line known as Forever Spring, Inc., which she personally sold on the Home Shopping Network (HSN) through infomercials. Profits from Forever Spring, Inc. exceeded everyone’s expectations. During the first couple of years of selling this skin line on HSN, Stevens regularly compensated her manager, Norton Styne. Payments, however, ceased at some point resulting in Styne filing a breach of contract lawsuit against Stevens seeking more than $4,000,000.00 in unpaid profits. The issue of whether Stevens acted as an “artist” when selling her products on HSN via her infomercials, was raised in the talent agency controversy. In concluding that Stevens’ show-business life and her wholesale business enterprise life were “inextricably interwined,” the Labor Commissioner noted that Stevens used her name, personality, charm and charisma to sell the product on television. Additionally, HSN required Stevens to appear on television as a condition of the sale. The Commissioner also noted that a rough script was followed and entertaining stories were told by Stevens during the infomercials.

So Connie had two new beauty lines, Serious Skin Care and Signature A Club, nipping at her heels while she was being sued by her manager for $4 million. And then HSN cut her airtime and demanded that she cheapen her product. No wonder she cut ties!

Now at 71, Connie is still continuing to reinvent herself. She most recently wrote, produced, and directed the film, Saving Grace B. Jones, which starred Tatum O'Neal. You can read an in-depth review of the film at The Passionate Moviegoer blog.

And if you want to purchase her skincare products, they are still available on her website.

Fava Beans and a Nice Chianti

"A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti." --Hannibal Lecter



no!no!--famous for their hair removal device that is painful or not painful to use and works well or doesn't work at all depending on who you talk to--just came out with something to help tone your saggy, wrinkly face. Like a Total Gym for yout face, the FaceTrainer is supposed to provide resistance training that gets your face muscles in shape.

Clinical studies have shown that 10 minutes a day through 30 days of use will result in 71% reduction in sagging and 42% reduction in wrinkles. The FaceTrainer™ enhances the muscle activity by up to 93%. ... Facial exercising has been proven clinically for many years to help tone the underlying muscles of the face and neck, increase blood flow and reduce wrinkling and sagging.

While I appreciate anything that helps me stay looking younger without surgery or injections, this contraption scare me and reminds me of something else entirely ...



It's already on HSN and is selling for $200(!) and, personally, I think that if I want to try the whole face muscle workout thing, I'd much rather try the Facial Flex from the Q. It's only $30 and it's far less scary looking. Ridiculous looking, yes ... but not nearly so terrifying.

If I help you, Clarice, it will be "turns" with us too. Quid pro quo. I tell you things, you tell me things. Not about this case, though. About yourself. Quid pro quo. Yes or no? --Hannibal Lecter

I can't wait to see them demonstrate the Hannibal Lecter mask live!!!

It Costs a Lot to Look This Cheap!

QVC's Beauty Day was awesome!!!!! So many bargains ...

I got the Clarisonic Facial Cleansing System for $195.00 + $9.22 s&h.




The Tria Beauty At Home Laser Hair Removal System for $795.00 + free s&h (hello! bargain alert!)




The NuFace Microcurrent Facial Toning System for $295.00 + free s&h (they're practically giving it away!)




And, the coup de grace, the Rock & Republic Bronzer & Highlighter Duo with Crystal Compact for only $225.00 + $8.97 s&h.



So for ONLY $1,510.00 + 18.19 s&h + tax, my face is clean, hairless, toned, and beautifully bronzed ... I'm also homeless now, but at least I look good, y'all!

Who said we're in a recession?

It's a Beautiful Day

Check out the QVC It's a Beautiful Day sneak peak over at the Beautiful Makeup Search blog here and here and here (she's got a lot of ground to cover!)

Rock & Republic will also be making their debut on the Q. Never heard of them, but the name has me intrigued. Will I come out looking like Pink?

And Philosophy will have the TSV ... check out the Philosophy Advanced Make-up Optional Skincare Set.

So will you be glued to the couch all day tomorrow with QVC set on speed dial???

I *Heart* Adrienne Arpel

I don't know what it is about Adrienne, but whenever she's on HSN, I am completely hypnotized by her.

I love the way she sweeps her bangs out of her face and leans in towards the camera when she's getting serious about educating you on the finer points of argon oil or hyaluronic acid.

I love how she smears lotions, potions, and makeup all over the models' faces without much regard for how much she's using or where it ultimately ends up (the demonstrations with the multi-colored concealers are by far my favorite part of the Adrienne show).

I also seriously appreciate that she uses ... ahem ... more "mature" models to demonstrate her products. Seeing a smooth-skinned, dewy-faced 18-year-old model happily using an anti-wrinkle cream just doesn't do it for me.

The models Adrienne uses also appear to be clean-faced with no makeup on before she starts slapping on her various face paints (and I do mean slap, Adrienne is not know for her gentle touch!), which is much more than I can say for many other beauty vendors *cough*BE*cough* who seem to put an entire face of perfect makeup on with one easy sweep of their magic kabuki brush.

I love her big jewelry, her pulled face, and her pouty fish lips. I've never tried any of her products, but I'm always tempted.

The Brains Behind the Beauty

This is a great interview with QVC cosmetics buyer, Michele Tacconelli. If you love all things beauty and makeup, it's definitely worth going to the Sparkle and Gloss blog for a read. Michele is sort of the "woman behind the curtain" of QVC beauty brands.

Here's a little snippet ...

Michele Tacconelli, buyer of color cosmetics for QVC in the U.S., has been with the network 10 years and is credited with discovering and/or nurturing some of its biggest successes – Bare Escentuals, philosophy, Laura Geller and one of her more recent finds – 100% Pure that she expects will become a “huge” success due to its use of natural ingredients. It is currently the only brand in the world using fruit tints for color, claimed its creator in a broadcast in early October.

Why do you think women are willing to buy beauty products without seeing them or touching them?
At QVC we have the top expert on the brand, whether it is the president or a makeup artist, to really explain the product. You can’t get that kind of expertise and passion at traditional retail. That is an unmatched experience that QVC offers and that is the biggest difference between us and traditional beauty retail. It is about the story and the passion. There is a personal connection with the consumer that is really important. Plus the show is live and that develops a trust factor. You have to keep it believable.

Who is the QVC shopper? Do you have a target market?
Our customer is a shopper of the world and very sophisticated. They read the beauty magazines and they know this category well. They want you to excite them. So the brand and the products have to have unique qualities. Our customer loves to shop in store, on the Internet or anywhere. We do not see her as a target age group. She is someone who is looking for something new and different.

Do you have exclusives on brands? What do you look for in the brands you bring on?
We have a lot of brands that are also in traditional retail. But we have some brand and product exclusives as well, and that helps drive our business. [For instance, QVC has the exclusive on the 100% Pure cosmetics products until January.] We really look to build long term relationships with our brands. One of our strengths is in brand-building. For instance, we introduced Mally Beauty, the cosmetics collection by makeup artist Mally Roncal. I had seen a lot of celebrity makeup lines, but she had a unique point of view. Mally took the techniques she used on her clients and created products that made it easy to duplicate the looks at home. Her brand launched on QVC on March 5, 2005, and the one-hour show ended 22 minutes early because all the items had sold out.

Down the Rabbit Hole: My First trip to Sephora

Yesterday, for the first time, I ventured into the holy temple of beauty … Sephora. Wow … just, wow!!! I was so overwhelmed that I could barely take it all in. It was like I fell headfirst down the rabbit hole and landed smack dab in the middle of QVC-land. Aisle after endless aisle of products that I’d been hearing about for years were on display.

I finally got the chance to smell all the Philosophy not-really-perfume perfumes—Amazing Grace, Inner Grace, Baby Grace, Pure Grace, and Falling in Love. After smelling them for myself, I can say that yes, in fact, these are perfumes. I don’t know why Philosophy likes to pretend otherwise. And, they weren’t what I was expecting. I suppose after listening to long-winded and flowery descriptions by numerous hosts and Philosophy founder, Cristina, I had certain preconceived notions going in.

My favorite? Baby Grace. I never would have guessed that. Although I have to confess, I had just spent twenty minutes at the Yankee Candle store sniffing the new holiday candles so my smeller was a little spent.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to really test out everything since my husband, Mr. Queen Bea, and my son, Queen Bea Jr., were not-so-patiently waiting for me (Sbarro pizza was calling—Yum-O!). I plan on going back when I have more time and less men with me and I can’t wait!

And, for the record, most of the deals on the Q for the products really are deals. As Dolly Parton said, “It takes a lot of money to look this cheap!” Amen, sister.

A Star is Born!

So I found these pictures of Sly and the kids a few weeks ago. But I didn't put them on the blog because I wasn't sure if Jennifer wanted her kids to be in the public eye. Hey, Queen Bea is a mom too!

However, last night when I was watching Jennifer on HSN (there is just something about Jennifer's SSC presentations that just sucks me in every time), her oldest daughter, Sophia, made quite the appearance! In any case, now that I know that Jennifer's ok with her kids being seen, I thought I would share the pictures. They are so cute! And Sly is so buff! Enjoy!





Photos by PR/Flynetonline.com

According to Celebrity-Babies.com, "Actor Sylvester Stallone, 61, and his two youngest daughters -- Sistine Rose, 9 ½, and Scarlet Rose, 6 today -- were spotted out and about in Beverly Hills, CA on Saturday, May 24th. Mom is Jennifer Flavin."

In case you missed it, here is Sophia's big debut. :-)

beautyADDICTS Coming to ShopNBC

ShopNBC is premiering beautyADDICTS cosmetics on June 19th. I've never heard of it, but that's probably because if was sold in froofroo boutiques and salons. So I took a peak at their webiste and noticed that everything was separated into four categories: glow, express, seduce, and motivate. This seems like an updated version of the four seasons concept, but I could be wrong. I was a spring by the way!

Makeup artist, John Henry Edington, will present this “Total Look Collection” - a set of eyeshadow, lip quad, blush duo, mascara and travel brush set. The set will have a retail value of $135, and will be selling on ShopNBC for the special promotional price of $59.50.

This actually doesn't look too bad. I like getting everything together so I don't have to think to hard about coordinating everything.

Bare Escentuals Wants to be Your BFF

Alright all you swirl, tap, & buff chickadees, be sure to register at the Bare Escentuals website ASAP--run, don't walk ... or just click the link and type real fast! Anywho, they are going to be sending out emails soon for all their very close "friends and family" to get a 20% discount between June 19th and June 22nd.

If you are shopping online, use the code FRIEND8, but if you want to use the discount at an actual brink & mortar store, you'll need to get that email so you can print out the coupon.

BTW, that Genuine Jade Body Minerals looks oh-so-tempting and shimmery-licious!

New Smashbox on QVC

Bronze Lights - An antioxidant-packed powder bronzer in Sunkissed & Suntan.

Item# A82594
24K Mascara - A little gold lame for the eye ... Sparkly gold mascara that you can wear alone or combined with your regular mascara. Not sure what I think about this. Kinda reminds me of the wacky colored masceras from the 80's!

Item# A82592
Jet Set Waterproof Eye Liner & Brush Set - Smashbox's best-selling gel eyeliner in a a new Navy Blue Shade. Looks purple to me though!

Item# A82595
Photo Finish Foundation Primer Light - Light as in oil-free and 60% water-based, not light-skin color.

Item# A81309
Doubletake Lipliner - A lipliner on one end and a lipstick on the other end of a pencil. Available in shades: Cranberry, Praline, and Sugar Spice. This is a great idea! Does someone make one with liner on one end and gloss on the other?

Special Note: Item# A81310 Smashbox Desert Chic Fusion Body Bronzing Powder & Brush. There isn't much left of this bronzing powder and once it's gone, it's gone. They can't get anymore in.

New WEN is Finally Here (Almost!)

Mr. Chaz Dean himself finally announced that his new products are about to roll out. And all the people rejoice! Amen.

He's using the same wash-with-conditioner concept and applying it to the rest of the body. And I heard from a few lucky ducks that got to try a samples of the new WEN Lavender Body Cleansing Crème and WEN Lavender Lotion and they said it was fabulous.

For both skin and hair, there is the new WEN Bath, Body & Hair Oil formulas (Lavender and Cucumber Aloe). I love the idea of just one product that you can use from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. I might just have to try that one.

And he's finally releasing his overnight conditioner, WEN Re-Moist Hydrating Mask (Lavender, Cucumber Aloe, Sweet Almond Mint, and Fig). He's been pampering his numerous celeb clients--like almost every Desperate Housewife on Wisteria Lane--with this product for 15 years. Better late then never, I suppose. You know this must mean that there's a newer, better magic potion that the celebs are getting now. They couldn't possibly use the same products as us little folks (even though I am a self-proclaimed Queen, my kingdom is very small).

Finally there's the WEN Styling Crème that's supposed to eliminate frizz, add shine, add volume, provide hold, and protect against damage from styling tools. Can one product really do all that??? I can't wait to read the reviews on that one.

Even though I've been scared to dip my toe in the cleaning with condition pool, any man who loves dogs as much as Chaz, must be good peoples.