The Fashionista

                         When I get home from a long day of hair and makeup, I bust through our door, throw down my bags and stand in front of the open refrigerator with my coat on like a famished animal. The only thing that stops this ritual is if there is something shiny and new waiting for me on the counter. This time, it was a chic little white box adorned with a simple W. My husband laughed as I curiously opened the box and pulled out lipsticks, glosses, nail polish and other products. It was like Christmas morning in the middle of spring. What is this little white box? Wantable, a subscription…

How do you tackle hair and makeup for 25 models walking in a top-notch fashion show? Well, Miranda Levy decided to enlist me for hairstyling and local makeup artist Michael Weiss.. We were pretty honored. Held Friday Feb. 28 at the Intercontinental Hotel, I wanted to give you a look at what went on behind the scenes.  We each put together a team, and got to work on the looks for her “Return to the Runway.” Michael had to come up with a makeup look that worked well with blues, plaids, and bright colors. He put together a fresh-faced, slightly…

Let’s start with the obvious: I’ve been blond my entire life. But going brunette always sounded like a fun idea. I would look at my brunette friends and love how shiny their hair was, how good their skin looked, and think they were just more exotic-looking. Twice I tried going darker, and days later I would be begging and bribing one of the poor stylists at my salon to bring me back to blonde. So why is it so hard for a lifelong blonde to go brunette? After watching not only myself but my clients go through this process for…

Image via Shutterstock. As a follow up to my last post on what men think every woman should have, I asked various women of different ages and backgrounds what make them weak at the knees. Here are the most popular responses: 1. Facial Hair  This was the most popular response. A little scruff is manly, and apparently we love it. 2. Good Hygiene I’m going to put this as delicately as possible: Well-groomed everywhere. 3. Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male Cologne Quite a few ladies said this was a must. I went to the nearest perfume counter and gave it a good sniff,…

Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I work with Harper’s Bazaar as a beauty product tester and a small (but I hope significant) voice of opinion on fashion. Lately they’ve been doing a lot of top 10 lists that are so fun to read. So with their tactics in mind, I decided to ask local Milwaukee men what they think every woman should have. I told them to keep it fashion and beauty-related, but… guys are guys. These men (some single, some not) come from various backgrounds; from hair stylists, to makeup artists, photographers, musicians, designers, construction and more. 1. Red Lipstick  This…

Right now is a heavy wedding planning time for brides-to-be. I had the honor of chatting with Rani Totman, president and designer of St. Pucchi, a bridal collection she launched in 1985. Rani grew up in Thailand, and her parents owned one of the largest purveyors of fine lace. After receiving a degree in English literature, Rani went against her parents’ wishes and went in to the fashion business with no formal training. And to say the least, her success is inspiring. Her gowns are now worn by celebrities such as Tara Reid, Emmy Rossum (my favorite!) and Candice Crawford,…

Just when I think it’s the dead of winter and we have nothing to look forward to, the awards season starts. In fact, it’s a pretty big deal for me. I even give myself two options for viewing attire. I either A) Wear my pajamas and shovel popcorn in my face sans makeup, or B) Dress up in my fanciest dress and drink champagne.  My favorite look for hair was Cate Blanchett’s faux bob at the Golden Globes, which was created by hairstylist Robert Vetica. I created the look on my creepy mannequin Catherine to show you how to do…

Last calendar year was yet another big year for Milwaukee fashion in many ways; two of our locals made it all the way to “Project Runway,” the introduction of Milwaukee Fashion Week, and fashion charities were bigger and better than ever. There are more instances of Milwaukee inching ever fashionably forward than I can mention.  I was also honored to meet a lot of new people who are making waves in the Milwaukee fashion and beauty scene. Here are my top five leading ladies: 5. Molly Rasmussen, Blogger, Heart of A Blonde A 23-year-old style blogger, Molly Rasmussen inspires us…