Our last post speculated on what would transpire at the Beauty Breakfast event co-hosted by Harper’s Bazaar and Barney’s this morning.
The event lured ladies (who might otherwise lunch) to the top floor the Madison Avenue department store for breakfast. It started early- 8:30 this morning- and promised expert beauty tips, free gifts, and the newest issue of Harper’s to its early-rising attendees.
The crowd that filled the 9th floor of Barney’s (and kept the skinny-tie clad waiters of Fred’s on their toes) was not disappointed.
Simon Doonan, the celebrity face of the haute retailer, was among them, an unannounced treat for fans of his writing. He began the panel portion of the breakfast with his signature wit, asking for a round of applause for the tiered pastry stands on each breakfaster’s table.
The lovely Glenda Bailey, editor-in-chief of Harper’s, gushed over the style and beauty of her readers in the crowd; a beauty, she noted as remarkably achieved before 9 am.
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| Each guest received the latest issue of Harper's |
Sunday Riley shared her prescription to start anti-aging creams in earnest on one’s 21st birthday, noting that puffy, tired eyes can age the look of "even a three-year-old".
Harper’s Beauty editor Alexandra Parnass shared a tip even simpler than anti-aging creams (which the experts revealed there is a lot more chemistry to than this humanities major can handle) to combat droopy eyes. She recommended a tip from her grandmother- to put 2 teaspoons in the freezer every morning and use the chilled instruments at the end of the day an effective eye-mask.
Before I could run to the bathroom mirror to check out in how droopy my own face was starting to get in light of all this anti-aging talk, the panel turned to Carlos Huber.
The fragrance designer (just as handsome and charming in real life as GQ.com had led me to believe) explained how for him the sense of smell overpowered sight. Each of Huber’s perfumes is designed to capture a specific time and place, and not just vaguely. Before designing fragrance, he was as an architect in historic preservation. The inspiration for Arquiste scent is grounded in detailed research.
The ancient city of Tenochtitlan in August 1400 was waiting for me in the form of little atomizer tucked into the event’s giftbag. I spritzed a little on right away. But, in case someone still notices, amidst being carried away by my scent to an undiscovered Aztec city, what stress and smog have been doing to my skin, there was a Radical Skincare eye crème and some super lux Claudio Riaz make-up in there, too.
SARA MORANO
