I apologize for the absence of my Project Runway summaries, I just recently returned from my trip to the wonderful Riviera Maya (look for my blog about it later this week!). Now I’m back in full force, and here’s the scoop on Episodes 3, 4, and 5:

                                                (Tiki Barber)

Episode 3 featured semi-recently retired New York Giants football player Tiki Barber as the guest judge. Now a correspondent for NBC, he is asking the Project Runway contestants to design menswear that is appropriate for his position as a television reporter.

A difficult task for the designers, since they are far more accustomed to dressing women, many struggle to produce a runway-worthy style. In fact, Carmen couldn’t even finish her design — sending her model in front of the judges without a shirt. This, inevitably led to her dismissal from the show. On the other hand, Jack did very well, designing a pinstriped outfit that Tiki selected as his favorite.

The following week (Episode 4) the designers were given a “blast from the past,” and instructed to revamp a style from a previous decade. After each of the cast mates selected an outfit that they felt they could modernize, they were then told to split off into groups of three. These partnerships were to make a cohesive collection using the three of their styles.

Well, the group containing Ricky and Victoryia was anything but cohesive, ultimately leading to Ricky’s spot in the bottom two, alongside Chris. Neither of their designs were too impressive, but the judges felt that Chris’s was the worst of the two and sent him packing. Ricky is safe for another week (this wasn’t his first time on the chopping block). The winner was Jillian, who updated overalls in a sassy way.

                     (Chris gets sent home…but is it for good?)

Finally, on to Episode 5, originally airing on Wednesday, December 12. The models last week were women who have lost significant amounts of weight, and their old clothing were the basis of the designs. Using their favorite outfits from the past, the designers were challenged to transform the over-sized items into better-fitting, stylish pieces.

Just when the episode is about to get good, things change…for the worse. Jack, the fun-loving, drama-free designer who won top design on Episode 3 is forced to remove himself from the competition. An infection of the face proves to be dangerous (he is HIV positive). In order to get well, he must leave the show to receive medical attention.

This was definitely an emotional time for all; Jack, the other designers, and the viewers. Since there was a model without someone to create clothing for them, Chris is asked to join the show again and given a second chance.

The biggest design difficulty this episode was felt by Steve. He was to transform a wedding dress into something that his model could wear day to day. Despite receiving help from Kevin and Victorya, it wasn’t enough to keep him around. While we said goodbye to Steve, it was a big congratulations to Christian (the fan favorite of the season).

So, now that we’re all caught up, how does everyone feel about the season?

I know that my co-workers have definitely been enjoying the episodes thus far. Here is a little bit of what they had to say during a Project Runway e-mail conversation in the office…

Chuck: “I was so crying when Jack had to leave. Ohh but I heard a juicy rumor about Jack !!!!!! I read an outzonetv.com interview with Jack and it seems that he is kind of dating Dale from another Bravo show – Top Chef. Juicy huh?

Jacquie: “Jack was one of the best!!! I was so sad he left.”

Chuck: “I love Christian, he is so talented, and I loved his last outfit. I would so buy that for one of my sisters right now.”

Join in on the conversation — I appreciate the opinions of all of my readers!

~ Leeann

Photo Credits: http://www.bravotv.com

It’s been a few days since the season finale of MTV’s The Hills, where things did not initially look good for Lauren Conrad. But they sure did for Whitney Port!  Summoned into the office of Teen Vogue editor-in-chief Lisa Love, Whitney was informed that she would “again” be going to Paris, this time to help out at the Crillon Ball, where the highest of high society teens merge to come out as debutantes. Lauren, on the other hand, “had her chance to go” (two years ago, which she turned down).  Lucky for Lauren, though…it was later confirmed that she would indeed be needed after all. Amidst her lamenting for the heart of Brody Jenner, Lauren could barely contain her excitement.

Over at Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag’s place, a wedding postponement, if not break-up scene, did take place. Whether or not it was authentic is unconfirmed, but the closing scene, which depicted Heidi symbolically driving off into the L.A. sunset alone, was enough to warm my jaded heart.

On Season 3 of The Hills, MTV’s “Aftershow” has mostly been an exclusively online feature.  But for the big finale, hosts Jessie and Dan were at Area nightclub for a red carpet event featuring all the cast members we could handle. Our friend Elodie Otto was there, snapping backstage photos of cast members with her (very Parisian!) Jolie en Rose bottles. But the Big Announcement came from Lauren herself, who told us that, “The season isn’t really over!” What??? Looks like “The Hills goes to Paris” (or insert your own unofficial title) will be coming to MTV soon.

Do you think Beauty Chat should continue its weekly rundowns and follow the Hills to foreign territory?

~ Brook

Photo Credits: www.MTV.com
 

Every day, I connect to Fashion Frenzy – a fashion-driven blog that profiles our favorite stylish celebrities, the latest industry juice (such as the recent “fat” comment Janice Dickinson made regarding Tyra Banks…can you believe that? Was she really joking?), and magazine cover models to discuss.

So of course I contacted Nikki Maria, my now new friend and founder of Fashion Frenzy. She, in turn, is also one of Beauty Chat’s most loyal readers. Nikki Maria is totally in tune with the concept of loving your image by feeling good, and looking good. And of course, we are totally in tune with what she has to say!

Elana: So tell me how you started writing blogs for Honey Magazine…

Nikki: As a freelance writer, marketing yourself is a must. So one day I decided to submit one of my articles to various publications; Honey was one of the magazines I submitted to. I wasn’t expecting to get a response from anyone, but [I was] hoping to create a buzz that would circulate my name throughout the magazine industry. The same day I submitted the article to Honey, someone contacted me with an even better opportunity … I was asked to be the blogger for my hometown Boston, Massachusetts. So exciting! Honey magazine stands for everything that I believe in – sisterhood, culture, fashion, beauty, and success. It’s a great feeling to have been offered such a wonderful opportunity, and the exposure has been fantastic.
 
E: As a writer and editor myself, it can get challenging to equally balance all of my projects!  So how do you allocate your time for each of your editorial responsibilities?

N: Juggling writing and editorial projects can be challenging, especially for freelancers with a day time job (ME!). Honestly, I can’t live without the “task” feature in Microsoft Outlook. Without receiving the alarming alerts that a project is coming due, I’m nothing! But overall, I would have to say that I’m super organized about making sure that I set aside enough time to work on a project. However, I do find myself working on stuff at the last minute. You know … life simply gets in the way. But I love what I do, so locking up in the bedroom with my laptop to get work completed for my clients (on time), is not asking for much. Pressure is a good challenge sometimes—and I stress the sometimes!   

E: Speaking of projects, tell me about Fashion Frenzy, your newest blogging venture?

N: I’m so glad that you asked. Fashion Frenzy is going really well. Coming up with fashion-related content for the site is so much fun. In a nutshell, the mission of Fashion Frenzy is to keep a close eye on haute trends, fabulous wear, designer labels, and inspirational style. Additionally, Fashion Frenzy is giving its readers the resources to determine and embrace [their] own personal style. I wanted to create a space to give information that everyone can benefit from—not just the size 0s to 2s, but the size 10s and up as well. Fashion Frenzy has a solid mission to inspire and embrace.

E: Thus far, what would you say about the success of Fashion Frenzy?

N: The response has been great. The readership is increasing everyday. The last time I checked the stats, I saw over 50 visitors to the site in just one day! As you can imagine, I’m totally happy about this because the site only launched about a month ago. But I’m not the only creative mind behind Fashion Frenzy – the readers e-mail me great ideas and leads for new blogs all the time. I also have a few teenagers that I recently brought on board to keep my content ideas fresh and fabulous for the younger population. 

E: If you could snap your fingers and make it happen, which celebrity would you love to spend all day shopping with?

N: Gosh, that’s a tough one because I would love to shop with so many people. But if I had to choose, it would be Tyra Banks. I just love her waste-cinching techniques. Tyra’s overall look is so sophisticated and exudes confidence. But … if I could snap my fingers a second time, me and Reese Witherspoon would get our fashion frenzy on. Reese’s curvy dresses, solid colors, and fabulous handbags always have her looking absolutely stunning.

E: If you didn’t write and love what you do, what other type of career would you consider?

N: What a fun question, Elana! Let’s see … I think I’d be one of those detectives on CSI. The whole crime lab thing fascinates me. *Laughing*

E: In closing, what would you like to share with Beauty Chat readers and your Fashion Frenzy fans?

N: I absolutely heart Beauty Chat, the level of professionalism and positive approach is refreshing. Lastly, I have to thank all of my readers for the amazing support with Fashion Frenzy—you rock! Keep sending your ideas, feedback, and bundles of love.

 ~ Elana

Photo Credits: Courtesy of Nikki

Amongst sorting through tons of e-mails, still feeling jet lagged from my vacation in Riviera Maya, Mexico, and showing off my golden tan (!), I am happy to be back chatting with you.

…So I’m not quite at the point where I’m considering anti-aging procedures; I am still enjoying my “fountain of youth” at the moment. But a new type of procedure definitely caught my eye: the removal of hand veins. Amongst the more traditional plastic surgery procedures such as breast augmentation, and bizarre cosmetic surgeries such as “toe shortening,” looks like this is another one to add to the list.

 A relatively new type of cosmetic surgery; this procedure is designed to remove bulging veins from aging hands. By doing this, a plastic surgeon can restore a smoother, rejuvenated quality to the phalanges.

Removal of hand veins seems to be a relatively simple procedure. From what I found, it consists of administering a local anesthetic, making small holes on the back of the hand, and removing several veins with a hook-like instrument. In about an hour or less, the surgery is complete! Because the incisions are so small, a compression garment is used with no stitching needed. Only one hand is performed at a time so that the patient isn’t rendered “helpless” during recovery.

At this point you’re probably wondering, “Aren’t those veins there for a reason?!” Well, not too many of them are removed, and if you’re undergoing this procedure in the first place – I’m guessing you won’t miss them much. Only the prominent veins are taken out, so there is no impairment of blood flow to the hand.

In a September article posted in the Daily Mail, the first three British women who underwent this procedure are interviewed. When describing their experiences, two of the patients explained that they felt nothing during the vein removal, while one said she “could feel an unpleasant tugging sensation.”

Hand vein removal surgery costs a little under $4,000. What do you think? Is it worth the money or just an unnecessary procedure?

~ Leeann

I LOVE scarves. If I had one that didn’t overpower or clash with the printed headbandish-tie I am wearing, then I would soooo be keeping my neck warm right about now! Southern California weather will do that to you – allow you to invest in cozy accessories when need be.

And depending on your personal style, a splash of holiday flair may be just what your outfit, or your loved one’s outfit, could use. Whether you prefer to wear a scarf with a matching beanie or hat, wear it strictly for practicality to and fro in the cold, or prefer a splash of cozy, chic style – scarves are a must-have for any gal.

Can you believe that among my 15 + scarves hanging in my closet, I don’t have a velvet one? I am actually surprised myself. My Chic Things, one of the most trusted online boutique-blogs that Beauty Chat can’t get enough of, offers a Velluca velvet scarf that is “plush, lush, and fabulous!”

Handmade in the U.S. with imported fabric, it comes in a variety of brilliant colors that will brighten up any drab winter day, such as garnet red, hunter green, sapphire blue, and chocolate.

You can order soft, velvety goodness by visiting MyChicThings.com. Now that’s a great holiday gift idea, if I don’t say so myself!

~ Elana

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Beth!