LYRA MAG.

MAKEUP LOOKS OF THE NEW YORK, MILAN AND PARIS RUNWAY COLLECTIONS THE MAKEUP SHOW, West 18th Street, NYC- METROPOLIITAN PAVILION, MAY 17th, 2009 4PM Words, Images Judith Ecochard The engaging GORDON ESPINET-VP of MAC COSMETICS - was a keynote speaker at the latest The Makeup Show: New York…dishing all the hot looks for Autumn/Winter ‘09 --as conjured up by the talented MAC team for select RTW shows. With the philosophy that “… makeup is all about beauty and experimenting with different things …not to work to much with pre-conceived ideas of what it should be…”---Espinet et al -formulated four Autumnal themes,: LID VISCIOUS, WHO’S THAT GIRL, NEW ROMANTICS and the SCULPTURE CLUB. All looks are easily translatable to reality and will…no doubt…last well into Spring 2010. The themes were customized for each designer’s runway romp of course---while “adjusting the look for skin tone and model features.” LID VISCIOUS With oversized screens projecting model images, Espinet’s talk started off wi...

Kevin-James Bennett with the new HD Concealer THE MAKEUP SHOW NEW YORK 2009 Metropolitan Pavilion West 18th Street, Chelsea May 17th, 2009 Words, Images Judith Ecochard Lucky us, we got a break time-wise when we walked past the perpetually busy Make Up Forever Professional booth…as Director of Pro Business Development & Artist Relations and the go to guy for the 411--- Kevin-James Bennett had a free moment. Having chatted with him at last year's Blogger’s preview , we new that the big hit would be HD something---as in Make Up Forever’s amazing HD Invisible Cover Foundation, an oil-free lightweight liquid formula - that sold out of several shades at last year’s MakeUp Show. (FYI: This is the product that helps A-listers like Meryl Streep and Jennifer Aniston positively glow). So we asked, “…what’s new?” MAKE UP FOREVER'S glorious palette And got a succinct reply, “…the HD CONCEALER and (HD) ELIXIR.” “We’ve been investing a lot of technology in this category…high definit...

DESIGN EXHIBITS SPONSORED BY BOND Studio and the New York Chapter of the Industrial Designers Society of America (ISDA.NYC), SURFACE MAGAZINE , OLIGHTING , AND ISAORA NEW YORK DESIGN WEEK MILK STUDIOS and The 414 GALLERY MEATPACKING DISTRICT INTIATIVE (MPDI)-MAY 17th, 2009 6:00PM Words by Judith Ecochard Images from Bond, ISDA: NYC & J. Ecochard This year’s edition of New York City’s Design Week and the Meatpacking District 's Design venues had the frenetic buzz of the granddaddy of all contemporary/industrial design fests---the one in Milan. It wasn’t just the packed venues serving up engaging exhibits (and cocktails) after the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) at the Javits Convention Center had closed for the day. Or the impossibly chic eye candy crowd of New Yorkers, ex pats, Europeans and other international exhibitors who donned their sleekest black attire to see what’s new in product design, fashion and lighting. For us, it was the intelligent thoug...

“FOR GIFTS THAT GIVE BACK” Words, Images Judith Ecochard and from the Leakey Collection website. January 6th, Accessories Show, Javits Convention Center, NYC One of our top travel experiences was camping out in Kenya and Tanzania on Massai tribal lands. Visually, the arresting bold colors (RED!!!) of the textiles and beads that adorned the natives were (are) a sumptuous contrast to the intoxicating tones of the grasslands, forests and wild life that abound. The Leakey Collection , a Rift Valley Kenyan based business evolved from sheer cleverness and the natural beauty of this part of the world. MODUS OPERANDI: The Leakey Collection Is… “A design company built on innovative uses of natural materials to create a line of competitive products in the contemporary global market place. Product lines include interior/home accessories, gift, jewelry and women's fashion accessories. A company dedicated to creating employment opportunities for rural Kenyans. A company dedicated to traini...

HIGHLIGHTS FROM OCTOBER 2008 Words, Judith Ecochard, Images from the Company Websites In a previous clip, we noted some of our favorite picks from the large East Coast confab of all things eco. Additions to our list… OLIV’ Eco Cert ® anointed- an European organization with the highest standards, this anti-oxidant organic skincare line with olive leaf extract has a slew of highly moisturizing (and effective) creams and cleansers. We tried the Soins Mains Hydratant (Moisturizing Hand Cream) that sunk right into our skin, repaired our peeling cuticles and chapped paws...leaving behind a light scent and no grease. This is one of the best moisturizers we have ever tried as it lasted for hours – we didn’t feel the need to slather up which we usually do like clockwork... INFO: LA CLARÉE ONE BAG AT A TIME This is one of those great ideas that we are happy is working. Founded by Lisa Forster , One Bag At A Time is a line of durable, re-usable bags – often branded with a customized logo-that re...

October 10th, 2008 19 Christopher Street, NYC “THE UNVEILING” Words, Images Judith Ecochard WHAT: Chair and the Maiden Gallery, a Greenwich Village gem of a gallery/ salon that displays artworks from emerging artists had another packed opening night for the forceful painting by the artist ULYSESS. PHILOSPHY: “Through a continued transformative journey that has surpassed nearly three years, the work of Ulysses has successfully attained the most simple of philosophies: the expression of truth.” SCENE: The global art community joined black clad scenesters to view this incredibly forceful work. Although the passion and artist’s being, so-to-speak cannot be reduced to a few sound-bites, our chat with Ulysses touched us…and at times reminded us of this challenging religion class with took with the noted scholar/MacArthur “genius” grant winner- Elaine Pagels. EXHIBITION: A large canvas with thick paint applied at times “inch by inch…through tears.” We channeled a primal Genesis/The Rapture...

LARGEST VENUE FOR GEAR, GADGETS, PADDLESPORTS, CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES WOWS SALT LAKE CITY ATTENDEES AND EXHIBITORS SALT PALACE CONVENTION CENTER, UTAH Words, Images Judith Ecochard THE SET-UP The economic scene drags …but we never saw spirits lag at this humongous six day business to business extravaganza (two outdoor demo/ four indoor) that attracted over 40,000 people to sell, buy, and covet the latest anything and everything for the outdoors. Sure, this industry, like everything else, has to constantly re-invent itself or suffer the misfortunes of Charles Dickens’s Miss Havisham in Great Expectations . Meaning- a life lost while drifting around in a tattered wedding dress. But we thought this tradeshow, produced by Nielsen Sports Group, was far from THAT. In fact, this end of the retail environment appears to be booming…and frankly, there were so many exhibitors…the Salt Palace Convention Center couldn’t accommodate the eager merchandisers ready to display their products and servi...