Red Carpet Prep, I'm Heading to the Grammys

Who's excited to watch the Grammys?  I'm pumped!  I'll be reporting live from the red carpet and the show thanks to Herbal Essences!  (So make sure you're following me on Twitter, Insta and SnapChat - for exclusive behind the scenes pics.)  During the day, I'll be filming commercials for Herbal Essences that will be broadcasted on E! before and after the show.  About what?  Well, read on.  Oh and PS: Which dress should I wear?

On Grammy day, I'll be in LA priming for the red carpet at the Herbal Essences Suite with E! Host, Ali Fedotowsky, my blogger BFF, Sydne Summer and Vine comedian, Brittany Furlan.

Celebrity Stylist, Charles Strahan Baker, will be using the new Herbal Essences Wild Naturals collection on each of us during our red carpet prep.  Have you heard about the new collection yet?  Each shampoo smells divine!  There are three shampoo and conditioner pairings– Rejuvenating, Illuminating and Detoxifying– plus, stylers that go with each.  Made with cassia (an Ayurvedic herb), the products help to strengthen and restore your hair by protecting it from damage and breakage in its most vulnerable state, when it’s wet.  Perfect for red carpet prep.

Want to check out my journey to the red carpet?  Make sure you're watching E!'s Live from the Red Carpet before the show on Sunday and then Fashion Police on Monday to catch the commercials.

*This post is sponsored by Herbal Essences, but all of my thoughts and actions are true.

My 2nd E! Commercial for Dove

And here it is, the second commercial I shot this summer in LA for Dove that's currently airing on E!.  This time red carpet stylist, Micaela Erlanger (who's responsible for everything Lupita Nyong'o wears), joined Alicia Quarles and I.  As you can see, it was a really fun shoot day and great pleasure to work with these talented women.  Make sure you tune into the E! red carpet on Emmys night to see what Dove and I have in store!

An Interview with E!'s Terrence J About His Most Loved Products

Recently, I attended an event for Procter & Gamble hosted by E!'s Terrence J, celebrating some of the brands they own that won awards from various magazines.  As soon as I walked in Terrence J was on fire claiming I was his baby's mama, and all of the press began taking note.  Mortified, we cleared up the rumors and began discussing our love for some of our favorite brands.  Here's a rundown at what the big event was like.

“There's not a morning I wake up that I don't use my Gillette razor," Terrence J said.  When I asked about his relationship with the P&G brands he explained, "It's like when you hear a song you like and then you hear another song you like and find out it's by the same artist." After realizing that Charmin (apparently he's always been obsessed with the toilet paper, yes TMI) was under the same umbrella as Gillette, he wanted to be a loyal consumer and support more of the company's brands.

After speaking with Terrence J about his love for multiple P&G products across the board, I walked around and visited the booths of some of my favorites: Olay, Venus, and CoverGirl...obviously.  Each award winner had stations set up in one big room—I literally went shopping and stocked up on beauty loot and household goods.  Imagine walking through the aisles of your favorite drugstore and grabbing everything you need without having to pay for it.  Pretty sweet.

Here's a list of more award winners from P&G.  What are some of your favorites?  Do beauty awards influence your purchasing decisions?

*This post is sponsored by Proctor & Gamble, but all of my thoughts and actions are true.

My E! News Segment: Celeb DIY Beauty Secrets

Giuliana Rancic and I Talk Career, Beauty and Men

Last Friday I attended a private cocktail party in a suite at the W Hotel in Hollywood with Giuliana Rancic on behalf of DDF skincare.  Picture eight members of the media, Giuliana, her manager (and BFF) and two DDF publicists, it was that intimate.  Now I've met her before, but never really got to know her.  An hour and a half later, she showed me pics of her three Oscar dresses (one for E!'s Fashion Police), chatted about her crush (George Clooney), found out the secrets behind her skincare insecurities and regimen and of course, where she gets her hair extensions done.  What impressed me most?  She's one of the most honest and grounded people in Hollywood. Career

Rancic explained there are two types of actors in Hollywood – those who are a celebrity in every aspect of what they do and those who consider it their job.  She is a business woman.  Hosting and the empire she built is all her job, but she doesn't let it define her at the end of the day.  "I'm true to who I am in all aspects of what I do," she says.  "I'm a business person and a normal person in the industry."  In it for all of the right reasons, when overwhelmed she often takes a step back and reminds herself, "I'm not digging a ditch, I'm reporting on Brad Pitt."

Skincare

She's been using DDF skincare religiously for years and approached the brand about becoming the spokesperson.  "When they asked me to go foundation free at the Emmys last year it was a struggle," Rancic explains.  "My makeup artist and I played with different strategies so I would still look done under the red carpet lights."  Weeks leading up to the big day, they experimented on E! News with tinted moisturizer.  "If your skin can look gorgeous without foundation and a ton of makeup then you succeeded."

George Clooney

Balancing professionalism with her crush on Clooney has never been an easy task.  She confessed that when she started at E! she promised herself not to ask to interview him (even though she was dying to), but to let her producers assign it to her.  About ten years ago, when the day came she had eight minutes with him. "The whole time he was talking all I can hear in my head was, 'Will you marry me,'" Rancic laughed.  At the end of the interview she asked!  His reply, "The word 'marriage' sends sweat beads down my back."  Turns out, Rancic got kudos from the E! producers for getting Clooney to discuss the topic of commitment!

Relationship

"Bill and I know what's at the core of everything," she states.  "First and foremost were best friends and husband and wife and all of the craziness is for a common goal.  If we ride the wave now, one day it will all pay off and we can relax."  After the Oscars they were planning on heading to Cabo to relax with four other couples.

Cancer

"You can't control what life hands you, you can only control how you handle it," she says.  Filling her life with positivity, she's doing just fine.

My Style Network Shoot

Last year I ventured out to LA to meet with talent scouts for The Style Network and E! channel right when I decided to quit my job and go freelance.  Go big or go home right? Well, right away I landed myself a gig doing a segment on the Emmy red carpet for the E! channel but that was it for a while – or so I thought. Until just last night at about 4pm I received a call from The Style Network.  They quickly interviewed me asking what I carried my laptop around in (my answer: a Louis Vuitton), if I have a pair of black patent pumps (what girl doesn't, mine: Louboutins) and if I can wear my hair straight in a high pony tail (my answer: no, I won't).  I thought I might lose the gig because I wouldn't budge on putting my hair up, but after all if I'm going on camera, I have to feel like myself and trust me, I don't look pretty in a high pony.  They wanted me anyway and compromised letting me wear my hair down... Thank God!

We shot today with some other industry professionals from celeb stylists to designers outside in the freezing cold of Times Square.  So what we're we shooting? A special for Lucky magazine's 10th anniversary on beauty and style trends of the decade.  It airs on The Style Network in December so keep your eyes out.

Emmy Beauty Predictions

This time last year I was in LA getting ready to do a beauty segment for E! on secrets of the stars beauty habits on the red carpet during the Emmys.  The experience was incredible!  I was with E!'s own Ashlan Gorse and chatted it up for the rest of the day with people like Padma Lakshmi, Blake Lively, Drew Barrymore and the cast of Mad Men. This year, I cannot wait to watch the Emmys and have some beauty predictions of what type of makeup looks the nominees will be sporting from Physician's Formula Celebrity Makeup Artist, Joanna Schlip.

"At this year's Emmy's we'll be seeing two very distinct looks," remarked Joanna.  "I'm betting on retro glam and and feminine using monochromic, knock-out neutrals."

Last year, Leighton Meester sported the rocked glam look in a chic white dress perfectly.  It's all about flawless skin, defined brows and a sharp red lip.  Joanna also thinks the cat eye will be a huge focal point, but this time, more exaggerated.

Will you be tuning into the Emmys this year?  Who are you excited to see on the red carpet?

Cosmetic Surgery Report and Rant

Ever think about what you'd look like with a smaller nose, more defined cheek bones or plumper lips?  How about thinner thighs?  Yea, you thought of that... who hasn't? Despite the downfall in the economy, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reports that the demand for plastic surgery procedures in 2009 only fell 2% with liposuction and rhinoplasty being the top two.  It seems no matter what the cost, people are willing to put their money where they believe their imperfections are.  As a matter of fact, Americans spent over $10.5 billion on cosmetic surgery procedures throughout the year.

Heidi Montag probably contributed about $1 billion herself.  The Hollywood effect is taking place and it's all trickling down.  E! recently reported that now a days, getting breast implants or a nose job is almost like a right of passage for girls on their 18th birthdays.  I am by no means against cosmetic surgery (everyone needs a little nip and tuck sometimes), but some allow it to get out of hand.

There's actually a site called PostYourFace.com where you can upload your photo, address all of your facial concerns (even having your ears pinned back), and get a free consultation from a plastic surgeon.  Wait, it gets better... then, like American Idol, (yes, a reality show), America gets to vote on whether or not you should go through with your surgery!

Share! What are your thoughts on cosmetic surgery?

Jerseylicious? Another Reality Lie

I received a startling phone call this morning from a long time friend, Liz, who I haven't spoken to in a few years. Excited to catch up, I was disturbed when she began ranting on the reason she called.  No, she wasn't angry at me, but the fact that the hair salon her and I went to all through high school together and partially in college is being portrayed as pure Jersey trash on E! in the new show Jerseylicious. The salon, The Gatsby in Green Brook, NJ is portrayed to have Snookie-esque, Manolo wearing stylists with a Staten Island attitude.  Since when?  "I went there a year ago and not one person looked like that," stated my friend Liz.  "My stylist is on the show and has completely revamped her look from a mom with red hair to some sort of MILF, it's ridiculous."

I haven't been there since the beginning of college, but it was a normal, upscale Jersey hair salon that had clientele from Warren (The Jersey Hills), Scotch Plains and other surrounding areas.  All of the assistants used to have funky style with unique tattoos and the beauticians were relatable and likeable.  My mom even went there.  I cannot see this salon's normal clientele adapting well to the remake of their stylists and their attitudes all for this trashy show.

What was once a respectable New Jersey hair salon is now a disgrace and I cannot believe it actually crossed over into Snookie Poof's and Paulie D. blow outs.  Reality TV is killing New Jersey and idiots like these salon owners are letting it!  It's amazing what some would do for 15 minutes of fame.  It's reality TV people, get a grip.

Oscar Party & Dove Giveaway

Last night to celebrate the Oscars I hosted a Red Carpet inspired party sponsored by Dove. Starting at the beginning of E!'s red carpet coverage promptly at 6pm, ten of my good friends piled into my tiny NYC apartment and we had our own version of Fashion Police in my living room. Overheard at the party:

"Obsessed with Rachel McAdams!  Dress, hair, everything!"

"Zoe Saldana looks like a purple monster!  The bottom of her dress looks like hair scrunchies!  Tragedy!"

"Julianna's boobs have to be fake and Ryan Seacrest looks like a frat boy."

"Dove is the only thing that touches my face and my body."

"Richard Gere should go for the buzz cut."

Thank you Dove for supplying me with everything needed to make this party a success! My friend Crystal who owns Tasty Morsels Bakery even made branded Dove cookies that had a gold foil dove in the center.

Dove Giveaway!

How did you celebrate the Oscars?  Celebrate Dove's new product launch of Visibly Smooth, their latest deoderant that will leave you stubble free for longer, by participating in my giveaway!  Comment below by telling me how you celebrated the Oscars and five winners will be chosen at random.  Winners will be announced on Friday.  Good luck!

Monday's Muse

This Monday's Muse is Kathy Griffin.

Nominated for a Grammy for a second year in a row, the comedian looked fab on the red carpet last night. Obviously some credit is owed to all of her plastic surgery, a nose job and a ton of lipo, but she spilled some of her other secrets to E! personality Guliana Rancic. 

"It's frustration and starvation," Griffin blamed for her thin figure.  As far as her breasts, "They're real!  I'm not pulling a Montag."  So maybe she hasn't had 10 plastic surgery procedures in one day, but I definitely think she's close to having ten in her lifetime!

Either way, Ms. Griffin was looking fantastic and credited her style to Mr. Robert Verdi, who I love.  Way to work the carpet lady!