Clinton Kelly: From Fashion Editor to Fashion Police

I'm all about the experience. ~ Clinton Kelly

From Fashion Editor to Fashion Police, stylist Clinton Kelly has seen it all - and his eyes are burning! He sits down to discuss the current state of fashion, his Make Over America tour and the search for Worst Dressed American. Is it you?





















Where does fashion currently rule & why: New York or LA?
Having just returned from a week in LA, I can tell you with absolute certainty that NY rules, fashionwise. The vast majority of American designers use NYC as their home base, and fashionable New Yorkers tend to take more chances than their LA counterparts. That's not to say that there's a style deficiency in LA; it's just that I found most people in the Hollywood scene to be lacking a little in creativity. Still a lot of bleached blondes with fake boobs and hair extensions. And if I saw another guy in an Ed Hardy T-shirt, I thought I would puke. Downtown LA seems to be where it's at as far as fashion goes.

You are about 1/2 way through to your Make Over America tour with Macys. How are things going?

You have no idea how much I'm loving this tour across America, which resumes shortly. In each city I make over 15 women -- all different ages and shapes and sizes -- and use them as models in a fashion show. There is nothing quite like watching a woman who came to me looking like a frump-a-dump on Friday strut her gorgeous stuff in front of a thousand cheering people on Saturday. And it looks like we'll be extending the tour through 2010. We're working on a list of cities for that now. In the meantime, you can go to macys.com/makeoveramerica to stay informed.

You've been a very positive spokesperson for Macys. How did that relationship come about?
Back when I was a magazine editor, I had made many contacts in the PR world. One day about four years ago, one of those contacts called me about hosting some style seminars for Macy's in what are called "special sizes" in the industry, meaning pluses and petites. I jumped at the chance because I believe very strongly that every woman can look and feel beautiful with the right amount of information and a little inspiration. The Macy's customer has obviously responded to this because I'm going on my fifth year of working with the company. I love it so much, I hope it never ends.

How did you get into this field, and on television? Was it an end goal?
Six years ago (or so) TLC was re-casting the male lead of WNTW and a casting agent named Barbara Barna contacted me. I think she had contacted every man working in the fashion industry. I was working as the executive editor of a very highly regarded men's fashion trade magazine called DNR at the time. It has since been folded into Women's Wear Daily. I decided to go on the audition because I figured I had nothing to lose by doing so. When it was over I thought, "Wow, I just bombed that." But I really didn't care because I already had a good job. The next day, they called me back for a second audition, where I met Stacy and we had chemistry from the first instant. A week later, I had quit my job and was signed on to do 45 episodes. Crazy! Was doing TV an end goal? Good question. Not really. I'm all about the experience. I wanted to try something new, so I did. Every job I ever accepted, I did so because I thought it would either be fun or I would learn a new skill. With WNTW, both have been true.

The wildly popular What Not to Wear is coming up on 250th episode. Let's talk about the "Worst Dressed American" you are hunting down.
Well, it's not so much that I'm hunting her down. It's the producers really. I can't even imagine someone who dresses worse than the people we've already had on the show. I feel like I've re-styled the worst dressed American about a hundred times already. But if you know someone, you can go to TLC.com and nominate them or yourself. It's such an honor that the American public -- and people from other countries for that matter -- have embraced WNTW so wholeheartedly. It's fun to be me! When I walk down the street, people tell me they love me or love my work. It's hilarious. Sure, they also ask me what I think of their outfits, and believe me, if you ask, you're gonna get the truth!

Do you ever get tired of the hot mess, or does it only motivate your mission?
I do get a little tired of the frumpy mom look, only because there are polished alternatives that are just as easy. Instead of sweatshirts and hoodies, wear a cotton jacket. Instead of faded, tapered jeans, get a dark wash trouser jean. Instead of T-shirts, wear a blouse. And instead of sneakers, wear a sandal, ballet flat or boot. This is not rocket science. I feel sometimes like I'll be giving this advice until I'm 103.


~ Hillary Fry / solessence

Upcoming Interviews: Miss Universe Pageant Friday, 8/21/09

Set your reminders for the interview here

The Miss Universe pageant completes the final steps on Sunday, August 23 2009 with a broadcasted competition from the Bahamas. We'll have insider info on Solessence Radio from:















Diamond Nexus Labs - We spoke with DNL earlier in the year when they announced they were taking the reigns from legendary Mikimoto, and had been selected as the first "green" jewelery sponsor in the history of the pageants (Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, Miss Universe). Over the last few months, people from around the world have had a chance to vote on one of three possible designs for the Miss Universe crown at www.choosethecrown.com , and Sunday the winner will be unveiled. Listen in to get the scoop on the jewels valued over $200,000 and the design team from Franklin, Wisconsin.






















Stephanie Simons - This stunning Miss California 2004 runner-up will dish on what life is like as a beauty contestant, and how getting pageant ready can translate for the everyday woman. A beauty editor for numerous publications, Stephanie also shares tips, tricks and community at www.taaz.com , and will be sharing exciting news about a joint effort with Estee Lauder. Vivacious, friendly and an expert in this realm.

Upcoming: Transcript for Gilles Montezin Interview

Had a chance to speak with the wonderful Gilles Montezin! This couture designer for Sex and the City and Confessions of a Shopaholic has made his foray into the world of wedding gowns with his trademark corset, Le Cinch. Listen to the show here and check back for the transcript.

Beauty & Brains: Christine Mielke of Temptalia.com

Kickin' beauty shots! Insider launch info! Makeup database spanning from 1996! What's not to like for the nearly 200k readers that stop by every month?

This is a transcript from an interview with Christine Mielke on Solessence Radio prior to blogger/BlogHer week.







By day she's a law student, and one of the top makeup bloggers around. At a height of 200k unique visitors a month, Christine Mielke has crafted her blog Temptalia.com into one of the hottest makeup resources. Her signature closeups of eye and lip applications, along with reviews of different brands, are top notch instructionals for readers. Combine that with her willingness to engage her audience, and you often find a lively comment trail for her posts.

You have a very unique signature for your photos, close ups of your eyes and lips, for your tutorials. How did this all come about?

CM: Well first of all, it's great to be here and thank you for the opportunity and interest in interviewing me. Temptalia really started as a way for me to archive all of the different looks I was doing already, posting with friends and sharing with other beauty addicts. At that point there was already about 100 different looks and I said it would be really great if I could just put these in a permanent spot, in one location, where people can look back on them if they wanted to. So I went with the blog format and it just took off from there.

This is actually a second version?

CM: Kindof. I did have another website, which didn't use the name Temptalia. It was more of a personal site and then I migrated and used Temptalia, which has been my internet user name for ten years or so. I just went with that as a brand because people knew me by that.

It has grown; your traffic is tremendous. What do you think contributes to that? Did you intend on growing it this big?

CM: Originally my intent was not anything ambitious. It was to have fun. Then it started becoming more about writing reviews and doing tutorials, and so it became more things to do and more things to write. Then it was, okay, this could be something really fun if I work really hard and take it to the next level. Now our goal is to continue to grow it as much as we have in the past.

I think one of the major reasons we've grown so much is that we post regularly. We post a couple of times a day. The other thing is that it is a community atmosphere. It's talking to readers, it’s answering reader questions. It's all that reader interaction that makes people want to come back and keep reading the site.

It is very fun to read comments on your different looks. People also look to you to find information first hand. How do you feel about that? You're sort of the bearer of beauty news.

CM: It's great that I can deliver that news. I like to share whatever news I have with people, because I feel that consumers and my readers want to know what's coming out. They want to plan for purchases, or they want to get tempted by all the different launches that come out every season. So it is really great to provide all of that information for them. In some aspects, sometimes I get asked questions about upcoming launches, and I might not have information yet, so I feel sad I can't provide the information. But I do my best to provide what I can. I never hold on to information if I can help it.

What has been your number one challenge with this blog?

CM: I think the number one challenge is just meeting the demand. How do I spend my time everyday? What do I do to prioritize what should be done first? Answering comments, writing posts, talking with different brands. I feel like that is my major challenge and sometimes it's overwhelming that there are so many things I want to do and not enough time to do them.

For people who have not been to your site (www.temptalia.com) you really need to visit if you have an interest in beauty. You mention you've expended out to the different brand reviews and giveaways, but you also do alot of what I would call polls. You bring up conversations on how people treat their makeup, or different routines. In terms of that, you've created this tribe of beauty lovers. How would you describe your typical reader?

CM: The reader base is really diverse. I have readers as young as 13, then women over 50. I would say the typcial reader is someone who lives and breathes beauty. They may love one brand or they may love ten brands. But they live and breathe it. They may not spend a lot of money or they may spend hundreds of dollars each month, but they still find something that they love. And if they can't buy it, they still love to hear about it. And they love to share their knowledge with everybody else.

What has been your favorite topic? What was really fun for you?

CM: I think interviewing professional in the industry like Eve Pearl or celebrities like Heidi Klum. I think that stuff is really exciting for me because it is really fun and an honor and so flattering to do it. And I feel like it gives the blog an extra dimension that I can give my readers. In terms of stuff I do on my own, I really do like the basic series. Like "Must Have" blue eyeshadow, or the brush series. These are posts that will be really valuable to anybody that comes to the blog at any time. It's not some fall collection that is only relevent for the fall season, it is information that people will find useful time and time again.

How does this change your future plans, being in law school? Where do you see this going?

CM:To be honest, before the blog started taking off - it has taken off in the last year and a half beyond my hopes and dreams - I have been struggling with law school in sense that that is not something I want to do in my life.

I've always been more of an entrepreneur than anything else. I love working for myself. I've been working for myself since I was 13. I've been writing articles in magazines since I was 13. So I think my calling is writing. Writing quick articles, regular basis, so I would really like to see this go forward in the future. I know for my plans I want to do things like consulting, blogging consulting, social media consulting.

Are you looking to speak? Do you want to work one-on-one?

CM: Right now I am looking to work with people one-on-one, most likely showing them what blogging is about, or how to work with bloggers (depending on the client). Showing them how they can utilize social media in a way that works well for bloggers and works well for the brand.

You recently came out with a book. Can you tell us about that and other projects you have going on?

CM: The book is a print archive of 50 looks that I felt were diverse. I think I have done 400 looks so far, so this is the best of. We've done the book as a response to readers. They wanted to be able to see the photo in the bathroom (where they are applying makeup) where the computer wasn't, so that's been the inspiration. It's great for people to have a piece of Temptalia in their home and be able to use it as they want or show their friends.

In terms of other projects, we launched a product in Photogallery recently, that's been really good. And we also launched a MAC database of all of the previously launched products from 1996 until the present, so people can find that long lost discontinued lipstick. In terms of other projects going forward, I think we would like to focus on YouTube presence being a little stronger, and trying to do more regular YouTube videos.

You are getting so popular you are getting hijacked - I saw some bogus Temptalia videos out there. What do you think of that? They did give you credit and they did use your photos, but it's a little unusual to spend time doing that. I guess it's flattering.

CM: They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I do have to look at this as a business and work to protect my copyright and photos. When they run ads and start profiting off my tutorials or looks it is infringing on my rights. It is one of the reasons we are working to put more of our own stuff on YouTube, so it will be very obvious when people do this. It will be hard pressed for them when we've already done it.

With your talent in doing makeup, why didn't the route of becoming a makeup artist pop up first?

CM: I think where my strengths lie, and what I really love to do, is in teaching and educating people. I love sharing whatever knowledge I have, and in addition to that, I love learning from other people and taking it transforming it and bringing it into my own brain. Going through it, internalizing it, and increasing that knowlege. I love being able to reach so many people in this format, this 24/7 format, that being a makeup artist would not be able to offer those things and would not be as enriching as blogging is right now.






















The database had to take an incredible amount of time.

CM: It was quite an ordeal to do all of the data entry. Lot of data entry. But it was helpful for someone like me to see, "Wow, I have this eyeshadow and it's from WHEN?" It was fun putting together as well.

We had a conversation one time where you went through, I can't remember, 80 pounds of makeup?

CM: I did have a point where I went through and gave around 60 pounds of product to a women's shelter, and the remaining 20 lbs to my mom and my aunt, and they enjoyed that.

How much makeup do you go through a month?

CM: I don't think I go through any makeup, ever, but I have alot of it. I can't remember finishing any. That is a problem, it just continues to grow and grow, (laughs) I had to move to a new two-bedroom apartment and it continues growing. I have so much because right now I'm really trying to stay on the edge and I'm always looking for the newest and greatest things. I'm always accumulating and buying all of these products (right now I am going through fall stuff). If I don't use something, I give things away through the blog giveaways, that is how some of that is supplied. If I've used it I pass it on to friends and family. If I can't part with it, it makes way into my personal stash.

In terms of building your site, what has been the #1 thing that has done it for you?

CM: I think photos. In the beginning, that is what set Temptalia apart from the other beauty blogs. Because I posted pictures of myself, which I did not see as many beauty bloggers doing when I first started posting. It made the blog really personal; people could see me and they knew who I was. I had lots of photos and they were very good quality, so people could come and see the colors. They knew they weren't stock photos; it was real product on a real person, so they knew the colors would be accurate with no Photoshop team behind me.

Did you have any photography training? Even in an ad, colors can look one way, but then you compare with the product and they won't match at all. How did you get yours to be true to color?

CM: To be honest, I read the manual. I used to take the worst photos, and I think it was October 2005 when I said, "Let me read my manual." Why couldn't my pictures be crisp and clear? My photos were terrible! I learned macro mode and that set my world aflame, because a lightbulb went on over my head. My makeup literally went overnight from, "That looks okay I guess," to "Wow, that looks pretty good!" I still use the same camera that I used four years ago for point and shoot, and I recently upgraded to a bigger SLR camera in the past 6 months or so. I still use the same point and shoot because it has served me so well, but that macro mode is everything when it comes to taking pictures of your makeup swatches. I can't suggest enough to read your manual.

RTFM. Well it also helps that you are attractive, and you get these super close up shots of your eyes that are so gorgeous. You can see all the details of the makeup, and your eye shape is incredible. Great job.

CM: Thank you.

Can you mention some favorites that you have, or in general trends coming up.

CM: Right now I see a lot of darks for the fall. MAC is putting out a black lipstick, Urban Decay came out with a black lipstick. I then presume that eyes will be a little lighter, because we're not all going to run around like a runway model. So, light on the eyes. I see a lot of liner coming on for the fall, strong liner, liquid liner. But then you've got nude, sheer lids. Black liner, black lips, and of course flawless skin is always in every season.

The Lancôme Indigo collection is probably the best to date. It's just very bold pops of Indigo blue. MAC came out with their collection, which will be dark and vampy, and Goth. I think that's where fall is going.

Italian Vogue and Kim Kardashian sport the no eyebrow & Goth look look
Have you noticed the 'no eyebrow' trend?

CM: No I haven't, I must have missed this trend!

I don't know if it is strictly for shock for runway or they are expecting people to take it on, but they are shaving, covering or bleaching eyebrows out.

CM: Very interesting! I really hope nobody takes that one to heart. It would be a shame for anyone to shave off their eyebrows - those things take forever to grow back.

~~~

To contact Christine for consulting inquiries, please email her at: christine@temptalia.com

Visit Christine's sites at:

blog: www.temptalia.com
book: http://stores.lulu.com/temptalia
guide: www.Gallery.Temptalia.com


~ Hillary Fry / solessence

pur~lisse founder Jennier Yen launches brand on QVC

This is an edited transcript from Jennifer's interview on Solessence Radio.
This morning we have pur~lisse skincare founder Jennifer Yen. Jennifer is joining us from New York City. Her line marries Chinese skin rituals with French technology – and it has taken off fairly quickly. Let’s get her on the line.

Hi Jennifer, you’ve been fairly busy because you’ve got some exciting news to share about this coming Wednesday.

JY: Yes, it’s this coming Wednesday and Thursday AM We’re launching on QVC!

QVC on 8/13 @ 1am EST and 8/12 @ 10pm PST

Congratulations.

JY: Thank you!

So let’s give people a background on the skincare line. You were a working actress, and you started having trouble with your skin. Let’s start there.


JY: Yes. When I graduated college I wanted to be an actress, like so many young women. Moved out to LA, and I did act. I was on a kids show called Power Rangers for about a year and a half, and I was an evil villainous, so they caked on the makeup. There were constant touchups, I had so much make-up on, and within months of the show, four months, my skin went crazy. I broke out in adult acne, I got hives, my skin was very itchy, it became extremely sensitive, and nothing was working for my skin. That’s when I starting asking around, trying everything from natural products to organic products, to high-end luxury brands. Nothing was working. I’ve always been a lover of beauty products and open to trying things, but nothing was working.

That’s when I decided to take a step back and take a very simple approach to skincare. I remembered my grandmother would always talk about the blue lotus flower. She used to use white tea on everything. We drank it, used it as an anti-septic (she would pour it on my cuts and rashes). Then I remembered she would use soy milk. She always drank it, washed her face with it. She believed it left her with a creamy appearance. I wanted to integrate these ingredients she used with advanced French skincare technology, so I found a chemist in 2004/2005, and we started developing it. That’s how I got started. It was a personal need in the beginning. Then I realized there are so many other women, and men, that can benefit from pur~lisse.

I have had a chance to try several items in the line, and it is fantastic. It reminds me of the textures that you get when you’re in Asia, and different skincare lines I would hoard when I would be in Japan. It really is just a different approach over there. I always thought it would be great to see here in the US, and you’ve done that. Now before we go further into the formulations, tell me a little more about how you approached the packaging. Was that outsourced? Was that part of your philosophy with the looks?

JY: Unfortunately I didn’t have the luxury of having a huge budget, so I’ve done everything myself in terms of, I went to every packaging show right before developing the packaging. I sourced each bottle and tube myself because I did, you’re right, I do have a certain philosophy. Because I was traveling so much you can see that. Our stuff is paraben free. We don’t use parabens as preservatives, so we don’t put anything in a jar. Everything is in dual chamber, airless or a tube. It easy for traveling, it protects the ingredients from breakdown of the ingredients. So everything is really protected, travels very well and is functional. So that is number one in what I believe in. Also, from a design perspective, because pur~lisse is inspired by the blue lotus we use a gorgeous blue. But also the product is very clean and natural, so why we use just very simple colors like blue and white, very clean and natural. That’s why we kept it that way.

Packaging is a huge hurdle for most people, initially. Did it come easily to you?

JY: I did work with a very, very talented designer, but she looked to me a lot to me for direction, and of course I had a very specific vision: Clean. Functional. Beautiful.

Also I wanted to focus on the blue lotus because it is (symbolism of) a very powerful flower. It means integrity, resurrection, potential and evolution. It is the flower all over southeast asia, it goes back 5000 years. Chinese women use it, Persian women use it, Indian women use it, to preserve their youth and beauty. It has amazing anti-oxidant benefits, anti-viral, it’s very soothing, and the entire flower can be consumed. Growing up we used to eat the lotus root, and she used to take the leaves and brew it, and also the seeds, she used to sauté and put them in our food. This blue lotus flower is very special because it has amazing detoxifying properties. It is also the flower for yogis. It is a very special flower that has so many positive meanings, and I wanted that to be communicated on the packaging.

Lotus seeds in my pantry, Jen!

I think it does that very well. It’s very striking. You also use peony.

JY:Yes, in the pur~bright, our ultra skin brightening serum. It’s great for skin, creates an overall brightening effect. It’s hydroquinone free, so it safely brightens your skin.

That ‘s very important. Are you full time with the line now?

JY: Yes, I do no more acting! (laughs)

Why don’t you mention some of the locations pur~lisse is in now?

JY: Our first store was C.O. Bigelow in West Village. It is a really great apothecary, they carry the best niche brands. So that was our first store. Now we’re at Studio Beauty Mix at Fred Segal in Los Angeles. We’re at Henri Bendel. We’re at BlissWorld.com, we’re in the Bliss catalog. We’re also on Beauty.com, Drugstore.com, and then we’re also in Woo Skincare & Cosemetics in Tennessee. And then QVC coming up this Wednesday.

How did that happen with QVC?

JY: Last summer I was introduced to a buyer, and we’ve been communicating with them forever. They loved the product, they loved the story, and it was just working out all of the logistics. We had to create a special size for them for a special price. They are value driven, so people can always find quality products with great deals. It took some time to deal with all of the logistics, all of the new production. I met with the buyer in November and it is finally happening this summer.

Are you actually doing the show live?

JY: Everything is live.

And you will be there?

JY: I will be there!

pur~lisse in Ebony Feb 2009 issue
What have you done to create awareness for the brand? How are you using the social media tools? I see you are on Twitter and Facebook. Have you seen things change since you started to use them?

JY: Absolutely, absolutely. We launched September 2007, and during this time I’ve seen so many changes in PR. Since I’ve started, which is two short years ago, all of the press was so focused on hard print. Magazines. The blog world was barely recognized as an important tool.

I love Facebook, I love Twitter. I knew when I started two years ago I wanted to use them somehow to promote. When Facebook started the business pages I immediately got on. Every friend I have, I always tell them to get on and become a fan! But I’ve noticed such a difference with magazines and blogs. Magazines work back five months. Well in five months information can change drastically, whereas blogging is instant, it’s credible. They (bloggers) try the product, and you can get information out fast. And also, one of the most important things is, once you get blogged it is always on this internet if someone searches for you. Whereas a magazine...I’m always traveling so I don’t get my subscription unless I’m at the airport and I get the magazine. So I think that blogging is so important now, and also social media. Twitter is important.

In this day and age, companies need to be transparent and it is a way for consumers to get to know what the company is about if they are authentic. The connection between the consumer and the creator, it builds a lot of trust. Now it is really important for companies to have that trust. If someone is having a problem or an issue, you can address it to someone. Not just call an 800# and get a receptionist. It is so powerful. To me, it builds trust, and is a way I can reach out to people. Because we don’t have an advertising budget. We don’t advertise. Everything we do has been grassroots.

pur~lisse in Lucky April 2009 issue
That is incredible. And it’s great to hear that you are open and embracing (social media) as a way to connect, because consumers do feel it’s thrilling to speak directly to someone they can recognize as part of the entity. When they see the brand rep, like you, the founder, it is a bit of a thrill.

JY: You know, I hope so. Because I enjoy talking to people on Twitter, and I like to hear what they say too. What their skin problems are, what their favorite products are. To me that is just as joyous.

Can we talk about your line? You have seven items. Let’s talk about how you honed in on the seven pieces to showcase.

JY: When I thought about what my needs were in the beginning, I thought “What are the most essential items woman or a man needs?” As you know, it is a very crowded space, there are so many products, there are so many options. For me I needed it to be streamline. I needed it to be essential. So I thought, what does a man do? What does a woman do? She cleanses her face. We have:

• pur~delicate, our gentle soy milk cleanser and makeup remover
• pur~protect with SPF 30, so that’s a daytime moisturizer
• pur~moist, which is our hydra-balance moisturizer for night
• pur~eye adore, which is our quadra benefit serum
• pur~lip comfort, which is our daily lip nourisher

So those are the basic essentials. Then I wanted to address beyond that, so we have two serums. Pur~youth preserve, which we are launching on QVC, and pur~bright ultra, our skin brightening serum.

I think there are three main issues we have. Women (as well as men) are concerned about

1. anti-aging
2. skin brightening (lackluster, uneven tones)
3. acne

We don’t address acne, only anti-aging and skin losing glow. I decided to create this because I’m Asian, and a lot of Asians have problems with hyperpigmentation. But I didn’t create this just for Asians! pur~bright is great for all ethnicities, whether you're African American, Hispanic, because it doesn’t make your skin white, it just makes it bright.

For listeners that don’t understand, hydroquinone has been shown to be a cancer causing agent and is banned in many countries, but still seems to show up a lot.

JY: Exactly. You are absolutely right, and people should be educated on hydroquinone. It is a toxic drug that is banned in countries like Australia. All of UK. All of South Africa. Japan. South Korea. Amongst a lot of other countries, and it’s actually causing a controversy in the States. The FDA is considering banning it because it is very toxic, and if it is not used properly with sunscreen, it can cause irreversible damage.

Touching on the “It’s not only for Asians” thing, all races have problems with discoloration; it just has been a focus in Asia.

JY: Exactly. It can be hormonal. If you’re on birth control it can cause more discoloration. Or if you have sun damage from ten years ago! I’m starting to see a little mark and I think, “Oh goodness, this is from when I loved the sun in high school.”

And pregnancy. I know for myself, the reddening of the skin never went away, and they told me that would happen! It only lightened up. Have you had any other big challenges with this line?

JY: Yes. On a consumer level, I never say we’re organic. If you go to our website, purlisse.com, we are very transparent. It is so clear. We are natural, but not organic. Every ingredient is listed on the back of the product. We are natural, but we integrate French technologies, so I think that consumers need to be aware we are natural, but not organic. During my research, I found people love organic. But for me, personally, organic does not work on my skin. There are some organic lines that have irritated my skin, so I knew I didn’t want that for my line. I wanted something gentle, but extremely effective. Natural, with advanced skin technology.

It’s been a hurdle. Some people get confused about whether we’re organic, but in terms of hurdle? Every day is a hurdle, Hillary, every single day there are new challenges! Everything.

(laughing) That’s great, that is a really honest answer.

JY: No it is, every day is a hurdle. (laughing) I love what I’m doing, I really do, and I’m so happy that I did it. But also, I honestly didn’t know what I was doing. And I say that with pure sincerity.

I was an actress going to auditions, and I decided, “Oh my goodness, I have skin problems. I want to start a skin company,” But the reality is, I’ve never started a beauty company, I’ve never worked for a beauty company. I’ve never worked for any company, period. So there were huge learning curves for me, and I just had to go with it. I didn’t have a lot of training. All I knew was I wanted to develop an amazing skincare line and everything else after that I had to learn on a daily basis. That’s why every day is a challenge, everyday is an obstacle, everyday is learning something new. It’s been fun but, (laughs) goodness, I don’t know if I could do this again.

Do you have mentors that are helping you?

JY: Yes, yes. When I have a problem or issue that I don’t know how to resolve, I usually ask someone who is more experienced, you know, what should I do in this situation? I have several mentors who have been extremely, extremely helpful, and it’s great. Because when you don’t know what your doing it’s good to reach out to people that do, so you can make a decision based on their advice.

It’s good to be open. Sometimes you can be so embarrassed or overwhelmed, but really it’s all about networking and reaching out.

JY: Absolutely.

Once you get past this, do you have any plans for other new launches?

JY: Yes. We’re talking to Sephora right now and Space NK, and we’ll have our schedules out for those two launches.

Are thinking of going international?

JY: I want to! If we get in Space NK we’ll be in the UK. We are in one store in Canada. I want to. I definitely need to hire more people. And I would love to bring pur~lisse to Asia. I think it would do phenomenal there, because of the texture and the way it sinks into your skin, and it’s very calming and soothing but good for age prevention. I think it would do really well. Hopefully by the end of 2010.

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~ Hillary Fry / solessence

Interview: Daphne Brogdon - TV Host, Comedienne, Blogger

"...that’s always been one of my goals in life, to make people laugh." ~Daphne Brogdon

Daphne Brogdon: Wife, Mother, Fashion TV Host, Stand Up, Blogger & Vlogger. Read on how Daphne Brogdon uses her blog/vlog to unite Moms through humor, her husband Mark Peel's success, & the shock of losing almost all to Madoff.

This interview is part of the BlogHer'09 week look at beauty & fashion bloggers.


Welcome Daphne.

DB: Hello! It might be a little noisy for a minute. I’m at my husband's restaurant picking up lunch.

Yes, we should mention your husband is none other than Mark Peel. He was recently on Top Chef Masters.

DB:Yeah, he’s Executive Chef at Campanile and also co-created La Brea Bakery, which he no longer owns. He’ll be back on Top Chef Masters in the fall as a judge. His episode is early September.

Speaking of blogging & food converging, we just were at the Julie & Julia premiere last night. It was really great because it was really both our worlds. It’s a great movie, and he had done a little promotional trailer because he had met Julia Child. It’s actually on my blog because he does a little something called Scrambled Eggs for Daphne. (Ed note: Would you just melt to have your chef husband name a dish after you? Rawr!)


So do I sense a husband & wife blogging team forming?

DB:(laughs) Unfortunately, he types henpeck, so I think he’ll be my sidekick.

Well you have so many things going on, and I want to ask: How did you get here?

DB: Mostly it’s because I was doing stand up, and I got to the point where I didn’t want to leave my kids anymore, and I was taxing for another creative outlet. At the same time, I was going to a lot of the baby sites, like a lot of moms do, and I just felt like they were so neutered, not me. Also, moms don’t have much time. So I thought, what if we do a 1 minute video and plant them on different sites? One thing led to another, then I realized I had to put a stake in the blog world to get this done and, there you go. I’m a blogger, and I didn’t even mean to be!

You’re actually now a Vlogger too because of these videos. One minute apiece and they touch on different topics, and they’re funny.

DB: Well, thank you. There are a few poignant ones in there too, but that’s always been one of my goals in life, to make people laugh. I think comedy helps connect people, and moms feel so isolated. Unfortunately, television, it doesn’t help. It just becomes a friend substitute. And I live in Los Angeles, I’m so driving averse. If a friend lives more than two miles away I’m like eh, forget it.

Has the addition of another infant into the mix changed dynamics greatly, or is it merely adding another kid?

I’d say the hardest thing of course is the lack of sleep. The sleep deprivation. In a way, it’s less difficult than I thought it would be. Rex is a pretty easy baby, but of course you never know what you’re going to get. What’s difficult, with my daughter, I would try to sleep when she took a nap. Of course, you can’t do that with two kids, and I’m working now, I wasn’t working before. Fortunately my daughter has not been a little psycho kid, she’s been really sweet to Rex, so that helps too. She hasn’t tried to smother him with a pillow or anything.


Do you write your material in advance or is it a lot of improv?

DB: It actually is a lot of improv, which is my background. I did improv for years and I love it. But I think my blogs are better when I can craft them more, but that’s not always possible. I was so pooped for the last few months with Rex, that I felt like some of my blogs were a little flat or just me being extemporaneous. I’d really like to craft them more. My thing is I need three beats in my minute.


What’s your favorite piece so far?

DB: Wow. Sometimes I can’t even remember them all. Well, recently, one of my favorite pieces I did is called “Princesses”. I really like the way we shot it. Either I shoot the pieces myself or there’s a guy I hire and then we shoot about 12 at once and we string them out. It’s the most economical way to do it and look halfway decent. But my daughter was playing in the background in her princess outfit, not knowing what was going on. I was in the foreground, as if I were making a confessional. My confession was that I was trying to keep her off it, I was trying to keep her clean, but she found the princess thing anyway.

It’s going to happen, they’re getting corrupted no matter what

My kicker is, let’s face it, no matter what we do, when they’re teens they’re going to find drugs. I mean, if they find the princess thing. Disney was not allowed in my house until very recently – I just cried uncle.
You live in LA, how can you be anti-Disneyland?

DB: Well it’s not that I’m anti-Disneyland, although it is a nightmare unto itself. You’ve got to time it right – don’t go in the summer. No, we definitely went there all the time when growing up. But it's the big beast of Disney. Like when we were growing up there was Cinderella, there was Snow White. Then some marketing guy said “Hey, let’s put them all together and make The Princesses!” Then it’s a gateway to Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers. So I just sort of resist that. It’s my hippie upbringing.

Speaking of, I like the Spitup King of So Cal. You had a fabulous top on in that, I have to tell you.

DB: Oh! That was one where I made an effort to get clothed, because you know, the body ain’t what it used to be. Then it was, “Well that’s nice but I can’t nurse in it,” and so I did recently go out and spend for new stuff.

Can I ask – are you really breastfeeding?

DB: Oh yes!

I’m impressed.

DB: Well, when I leave the house, my husband or sitter gives a bottle but it’s all breast milk, 100%. I just taped (an episode), give you a little preview here - we started on the rice cereal. Next thing you know he’ll be dating some b*tch who won’t let him come over to the house for Christmas.

Well, I do know mothers that have breastfed up to five, so you’ve got a few more years to choose. I think that’s stretching it a little but..

DB: I breastfed my daughter until two, but I think if you want to do it until five you can’t do it in public because it freaks everyone out.

What has having this blog done for you personally?

DB: Good question. I didn’t think of it and didn’t want it to be a dear diary. It was, hey I can make the funny and connect with people in real life, connect with moms. I would say - god that’s such a good question. I would say, I have to be more honest, because friends and acquaintances are reading the blog. In some ways, obviously, there are things you just don’t say. I don’t say “Mrs. Smith at the nursery school makes my teeth rattle” or whatever because I have to see her everyday. And I think I have to think my opinions one beat through before I put it down, because the blogosphere will slap you back if they don’t like what you wrote. And it certainly in turn has made me more vulnerable.

Have you had any bad experiences?

DB: Oh sure, sure. I’ve had some people say some mean things, and it’s made me want to pick up my marbles and go home. So then I look at it as, well, just don’t come to my blog. If you don’t like me, get lost, go start your own blog.

I don’t know if you want to touch on this right now, but you have been very open on some painful, and personal topics that have occurred. You can mention it if you want, but was it really tough being open that way with a spouse?

DB: Yeah. Are you talking about how we lost so much with the Bernie Madoff debacle? It was, and that’s why I couldn’t even talk about it for a good seven months after we got the bad news. I just couldn’t. I couldn’t. I had to think about my kids, and my step kids. I was getting calls from lawyers and my husband was getting calls from the Times. Complete strangers were coming up to me and saying “I’m so sorry you had to sell your house." I was like, well, there’s no hiding it. I would rather be the one that screams about it than walking into a room and going, “Do people know what happened?” You know? Because it was pretty devastating, the most devastating thing I’ve ever gone through. To in one day drive home from work and be told our retirement was gone, and we have to sell our house.

I have to say it was really brave of you, and it had to be very tough. For people that are reading or watching the blog, we empathize. Obviously you didn’t do anything wrong. Do you feel freer now?

DB: I got a couple of cruddy comments. Like “Well you had a nice house, I don’t have a nice house, so go stick it." Well, last time I checked, robbery is robbery, whatever level, and our retirement is gone. Our children’s and stepchildren’s college fund is gone. Those are the people that can take a hike. I don’t need them around.

But most people were so sweet. And one of the big reasons I decided to be open about it was I started to get clues on my site from other people struggling from the recession. I thought we could help each other. Like how a mom with a special needs child can feel so isolated can meet another mom and they can help each other.

When we first got our bad news, it was like we were hit in the head. In the ensuing weeks, (we were in a feeder fund, we thought it was a little boutique thing) we found out it was a world wide scam. People that were much smarter about money than we were, or are, frankly made me feel better. Then my husband and I came down to this: Bernie may have ruined his life, but he didn’t ruin our life. We still have our family.

I love that, and I think that is important to remember. How does your husband feel? Is Mark comfortable that you’ve shared it with everyone? Has it helped him handle it?

DB: He was always better with it than I was. I think he was down in the dumps five days. He really was “I’m moving forward. I’m not letting this get me down.” I have to say I felt more traumatized, maybe because I was pregnant. Not exactly the news you want to get when you’re pregnant. He did initially say “I don’t want you to blog about this,” and I said fine. We were still coming to terms with it, and also, he’s a businessman. I didn’t want this in any way to reflect on him. It has nothing to do with his business, it’s totally separate, but I didn’t want any stink on him because of it. But you know, you can’t control information, particularly on the web.

Going back to this whole idea of helping people to not feel alone, I want to touch on something you are involved with called Momversation. How did that evolve?
100th episode of Momversation
DB: Well, it’s kind of an offshoot of CoolMom. In order to develop CoolMom, I paired with a company called Decca, because I wouldn’t know how to build a website, even if I was given my Madoff money back. I just wouldn’t know how to do it. So in a sense, they are a business partner for me, and if there are ever an ads on there they will have gotten them for me. So in conversations, I told them there was a big mom market out here and they should tap into this more. They were able to get a sponsorship and asked me to be a part of it, asked Heather Armstrong (Dooce.com) and other people to do it, and that’s been great! So there is another web venture I accidentally started.

It’s really enjoyable to have all of these different takes on topics. I just recently saw the topic on circumcision, which is probably the heaviest topic I’ve seen. There are some very strong feelings going on there, but those are things people don’t often talk about.

DB: Yeah, it’s all different ones. We try to mix it up between heavy and light. We also do some topical ones like “Are you sick of John & Kate + 8?”. My heavy one, because we all start conversations, is “What are you planning for your children if you and your spouse pass?” That was inspired by the whole Michael Jackson debacle. We were in the midst of the Madoff issue and we had to scrap that will, because there isn’t that money to leave anyone. You still have to figure out everything else.

I’m just so sorry that has happened to you. Do you feel like you are getting back on course now?

DB: Oh yeah. You know, there are moments where I just miss my house.

There’s nothing wrong with that. That’s something you had worked for, the place you lived. We do get attached to our homes and that was the place you were creating (your life & coolmom series). It's okay to grieve. It's important to grieve.

DB: I just think, like my daughter, her birthday is coming up and she wants a big, bouncy house. I don’t think we have room for that. But I do consider us extremely lucky. There is a girl who went to my children’s school and she was just abducted and killed and, nothing, there is just no problem that compares to that. You’ve just got to keep perspective. Everything is fine, we live in a fine place, knock on wood we are both working, and Top Chef has been a lot of fun.

The Fashion Team is still going, and I just did a little bit of that at the Julie and Julia event, checking out the fashions. It’s been really fun.

Tell me about it.

DB: Well, it’s like a little hidden gem on the basic cable landscape, because it’s just, get your knife and fork and let’s dig in to celebrity fashion. You know, when you just want to gaze at dresses and fashion and celebrity? And that’s what we do. We do a lot of trying to find the funny, but we also strike a blow for the regular gal. Sure, that outfit could be fine if you’re a size 0, but it’s not going to work if you have hips. It’s just fun. Finding looks for less. Also, if you can only afford one trend for summer, what should it be? BTW, it’s the maxi dress. Things like that. Our average viewer makes about $35k a year, so while we talk about highbrow things we always try to make it accessible.

Thank you Daphne.

What's Ahead?

TV Guide Networks' The Fashion Team airs on Sundays at 7pm/P

Mark Peel has cookbook coming out on Classic American Cooking. He’ll take things like Chicken ala King and make something new.

Thank you Daphne!

Follow Daphne here: CoolMoms.com and here: Momversation


~ Hillary Fry / solessence

I'm so excited! Daphne Brogdon - 7/24 12:30pm central

To read the interview transcript please click here
I think of good blogs to write but I don't have the time and I'm too tired. Ah, the irony of mom blogging. ~ Daphne Brogdon

Kudos to the Blogosphere during BlogHer week continues on Friday, July 24 at 12:30pm Central, when Daphne Brogdon joins Solessence Radio. Daphne is co-host of TV Guide Network's The Fashion Team, with Lawrence Zarian.
















She's also a very funny comedian, and one of the original mommy bloggers. Author of CoolMom , Daphne vlogs and posts on marriage (to renown chef Mark Peel), pregnancy, dynamics of a second child, feeling out of shape, family vacays and the very revealing and heart wrenching personal loss of their savings and retirement from the Madoff scandal. While she is a blast on her TV show, she especially shines in her writing. Women seem to bond with her. Men declare her MILFy.

This interview will be taking place during BlogHer conference. If you aren't able to catch it live, we'll have transcripts and downloads available later.

Have a question to ask her? Please feel free to post or email to solessencenews AT gmail DOT com.
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Daphne's Bio:

Daphne Brogdon is a comic and a TV host. Daphne used to go anywhere for a job, but now that she is a mom she is glad to have a gig close to home. She is a host of TV Guide Channel's weekly series, The Fashion Team, a fun romp through celebrity fashion. In her segment, "Fashion Mommy Must Haves," she focuses on fashion stories that relate to the mom perspective. She also makes fun of how famous people dress every week in Star Magazine's "Worst of the Week." Daphne is a somewhat regular contributor to CNN Headline's Showbiz Tonight, a contributor to Pregnancy Magazine, and the host of FOX's web show 24 Inside. She's also been seen on Dr. Phil and The Oprah Winfrey Show.

An improviser, Daphne's shtick used to involve dating advice from a woman's perspective, because prior to marriage, she dated a lot. She has appeared on "The X-Show" where for a time she was the only female late-night host on television. She has also hosted the controversial dating reality show "Playing it Straight," on FOX.

As a stand-up comic, she has performed at the Riviera Comedy Club in Las Vegas, the Improv in Hollywood, the Comedy Store in Hollywood as well as synagogues and weddings, countless laundromats, dive bars, and rooms she wasn't sure what they were, but there was a mic.

Daphne is from Culver City, CA where her father John Carl's foray into local politics (Mayor pro tem of Culver City) gave her an interest in politics early on. Another part of her act now is her family. Daphne is married to Mark Peel, Executive Chef and owner of Campanile Restaurant and co-founder of La Brea Bakery. They have a toddler, Vivien, an infant son Rex, and Mark has three children of his own. They reside in Los Angeles.

Tonight: Temptalia.com, Christine Mielke

Check back next week for the transcript of tonight's show.

Set Reminder for Tonight's Show

It's a busy week with the BlogHer conference starting. In honor of all things internet, we'll be featuring Christine Mielke, founder of Temptalia.com By day she's a law student, and one of the top makeup bloggers around. At a height of 200k unique visitors a month, Christine Mielke has crafted her blog Temptalia into one of the hottest makeup resources. Her signature closeups of eye and lip applications, along with reviews of different brands, are top notch instructionals for readers. Combine that with her willingness to engage her audience, and you often find a lively comment trail for her posts. Come for a half hour discussion to find out how this all started, some of her favorite makeup brands, how she recommends creating a buzz for blog brands.

Interview: Syd Curry - celebrity hair stylist

I am not about a blow dry ~ Syd Curry

He's coiffed an incredible client list, from supermodels to award winning actors to the President of the United States. Now he's opened a new salon in...Aberdeen, Mississippi? Find out who inspires Syd Curry and his take on stylists trying to make it into the business today.

This article is dedicated to Syd Curry's mother, who passed away on March 7, 2009.

This is a combination of transcript from his interview on Solessence Radio and subsequent phone calls and emails.


Hi Syd. Today we’ve got you down in Aberdeen, Mississippi. First, I was wondering if you would give everyone a little bit of background on how you started. Of course, you are a celebrity hair stylist; you had a big break with Mariah Carey.

SC: I did have a big break with Mariah Carey, but I started my career years before her. I started beauty school when I was 16, got my license at 18, and moved to Hollywood from Simi Valley, this small little town in Ventura, California. I got my break from Chantal Cloutier, who owns the Cloutier Agency, and my first editorial was with Matthew Rolston [photographer], who was just starting at the time. I started my career with Paul Starr, who sadly just passed away a few months ago, and we started doing catalog. There really was no fashion work to speak of at all in LA, but there was a lot of catalog, which taught me everything I know. I was fortunate I got to work with girls like Gia, and Jerry Hall, and the young, pre-surgery Janice Dickenson – who is probably the best model I’ve ever watched work, by the way.





















Those girls taught me what to do for a camera. I did that for years and years, and I went to Las Vegas to do one of my first videos for Buster Pointdexter, who is David Johanson, lead singer of the New York Dolls, and met my business partner and best friend, [celebrity makeup artist] Billy b. Twenty something years ago. Way longer than we care to talk about. And we became best friends. I found out he was from Mississippi, my whole family is from Mississippi, and we started testing together. I used to go and I’d sleep on his kitchen floor in New York and he’d come to LA and we’d do jobs for free, and years later, he started working with Mariah. They came to LA and he introduced us, and then we spent about the next four years traveling all over the world with Mariah, which was my really huge break.

Did you intend to break into music and fashion?

SC: Yes, absolutely. I like to cut hair, and I like to do color. But styling is always what I love. It’s what I’ve always been best at, and it lets you be creative. It’s what I always wanted. Right about the same time I met Mariah I met Sally Hershberger, who is a very famous hairdresser, who couldn’t do a job and recommended me to Cindy Crawford. At the time Cindy was hosting House of Style for MTV, and that really took my career to another level. She was at the height of the 90’s supermodel.

That was one of my favorite looks – I loved her hair.

SC: It was an amazing time. The 90’s were good to me. Many years before, like I said, there wasn’t a whole lot to do in LA, and I was never interested in living in New York, I don’t know why. And then everything changed.

What do you mean by that?

SC: Well, everything changed for LA. They started shooting fashion there. Then all of the magazines started putting celebrities on the cover. So LA became the place to be. The celebrity thing is a whole other story. It’s a lot of babysitting. It's very fun, I love it, but you know, it’s a lot of babysitting to be perfectly honest.

You started beauty school at a very young age - 16. Were your parents supportive?

SC: My parents were very supportive of me going to beauty school. I didn't do well in school and they were smart enough to know that my talents lay elsewhere and let me go to continuation school. At 16 I went to high school half day and beauty school half day. My ma passed away March 7 and she was my biggest fan. She NEVER got tired of telling people that I did President Clinton's hair, even though she didn't vote for him.

Did you have any professional challenges you had to overcome?

SC:Yeah. Well, it’s well documented, my drug addiction. I’ve been clean, in April; knock on wood, three years. I had a little drug problem that lasted 30 years. You know, it took its toll. And when I talk about this in the context of work, I don’t want anyone to think I’m glamorizing it or anything. But I was able to work. I was on heroin for 30 years. I was also on methadone for 20 of those years. And the methadone allowed me to not be sick at work, so nobody really knew. It had nothing to do with the business – I didn’t do it with anybody I worked with – it was my thing. A lot of people, when they talk to me about it they say, “Well it was the time, there was drugs on set.” I never did drugs on set. With anyone. Ever.

It all came crashing down at the end of ’99. It’s going to catch up with you sooner or later, and it caught up with me. I walked away from my career and didn’t work from 2000 until 2005. It was a very dark time. I thought my career was over for sure. Fortunately, I had a great agent then who realized there was a problem and stopped sending me out before I ruined my reputation. Billy b. thought I was dead. Nobody knew where I was, and Billy finally tracked me down. When I finally went into rehab I had my mom call him and he was just really supportive and there for me.

It was a long process, and when I got out, Billy introduced me to Patricia Field. My first job out of rehab was doing Pat’s hair for her Academy Award nomination for The Devil Wears Prada. What a way to comeback, right? You know, there’s a whole lot that goes into that story. It was a very dark time, and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy, but the business I’m in is very forgiving. People have been amazing, and welcomed me back with open arms, because it’s about me being clean and sober now, and doing a good job with what they hire me for.

And you are still very definitely in demand. Just last year you did the Oscars.

SC: Yes, I did Daniel Day Lewis for his Oscar win. Long story short, this past year Pat’s been my main client. I bought a house in Mississippi in Billy’s hometown and my whole family was from here. We opened this business, but my mother was also very sick and passed away this past March, just a couple of months ago, so I really focused on being back here with her. Sunday, in two days, I go back to LA to do some fun stuff. It’s an exciting time for me.
Let’s touch on that.

SC: We launched in January. This is Billy’s hometown, Aberdeen, Mississippi, and he’d been trying to get me back for years. I hadn’t been back to see my family since ’86. I’m the only one in my family not born and raised back here, and me and my mom moved back to be with her family. So I came back to Billy’s hometown and found a 102-year-old Arts & Crafts home and restored it and fell in love with it. Billy has a big old Victorian house and one day we were having dinner or something and we said “Why don’t we turn this into a salon?” Just kind of joking around – but we did it. You can see the gallery pictures on www.billyandsyd.com. It’s just great, very steel magnolias. It is a beautiful old Victorian house that we put our spin on. Well, Billy did, I don’t have the decorating gene. Billy’s the kind of person that walks in and says Tear that Wall down, put that up and I just go “ok.”

You’ve collaborated for years

SC: Yeah, close to 25 years

I was just thinking about this. I met him with Arianne Phillips, Madonna’s stylist, and I’m going to work with Ari who I haven’t worked with in, gosh, I can’t remember the last time I worked with Ari and Billy, all three of us. I’m going to do a fragrance campaign for Christian Audigier. The beautiful Guinevere Van Neesus for Numero with photographer Jeff Burton. I’m doing Numero with Ari, and I think Billy, or my friend Katy Young. And then I’m shooting Kathy Rodriquez, LA designer, and three models. She owns Resurrection Vintage stores, amazing stores. I’ve been doing her shows and campaigns and we’re shooting her for Vanity Fair.

With the traveling, how much time do you spend at your new shop? If people want to call up and book, what kind of schedule should they expect?

SC: Originally I was going to spend a week a month, but my house is done, I’ve got a new dog, and I’m getting to know family for the first time. So I’m really kind of here, and kind of loving it. I think this is going to be my base. I say that for now. I will always consider LA home. I was born in Santa Monica, my best and dearest friends are there, but I’m kinda loving Mississippi.

New experiences are good.

SC:I may be 500 pounds when I get out of here (laughs)

All of that southern comfort food

SC:Yes, all of that comfort food, fried which is my favorite. Fry it I’ll eat it.

Do you have a new favorite?

SC:Fried pickles.

Fried pickles?

SC:Yeah yeah , I love friend pickles. My dad always made them, and my mom, my mom moved to California and became my California beach girl and made everything out of a box. My dad fried everything. And down in Jackson, by Aunt Gertie’s house, is a great catfish place I’m in love with.

Do you actually fish yourself or just eat it?

SC:You know, I haven’t fished while I’ve been here,but I grew up fishing, I love fishing. We could walk to the lake. Kind of amazing, everybody should come to Mississippi and check it out. It’s not what everybody thinks. We get a bad rap here. And there’s some very stylish people. And the cool thing is, where we are, we’re about an hour and a half from Memphis. I’ve been getting people from Memphis, from Atlanta, from Nashville, from all over have been coming. Billy is very well known here and I’m kind of guilty by association.

Atlanta’s becoming the next hot beauty hub so I can understand the big traffic draw from there. What kinds of products are you using?

SC:I’m using everything that I love. I keep my backroom stocked with everything I like over the years. I keep (L'Oreal) Elnett Hairspray, I love Moroccan Oil, but we’re in this really small town and there’s not a lot of people who are going to want to spend money on Moroccan Oil, so business wise? It’s not a smart thing.

I love Paul Mitchell Super Skinny line, I love the serum, but you know, you can get it at the drugstore. So I’m not so focused on the product thing, I’m focused on what I use to achieve the look on women and then I tell them what to get. You know, you can get Elnett at Target! Aren’t you the one that told me? You did tell me that! I almost fell over, I was so excited.

Yes, you're right (that was from a conversation in 2008. He’s got an good memory)

SC: I know who we didn’t talk about that I worked with this year – Tina Turner! That might have been the biggest highlight of my career. Little back-story: I never wanted to work with Ann-Margaret, Tina Turner or David Bowie because they are my favorite (celebrities). Tina Turner, I used to hitchhike to go see, by myself. Her music meant so much to me, and I didn’t want that rock star fantasy in my head to be blown. If they were jerks, I didn’t want to know it. Fast forward from age 15 when I used to hitch hike to, well, I just turned 55 this year. That’s a lot of years later. And I get a call to do her hair, and I’m like sure, why not. She was everything I wanted her to be. She had the (Rolling) Stones playing the whole time,

Were you nervous?

SC:No! Which is the cool thing about it. I’m old, you know? I’ve worked with the President of the United States. I’ve done Madonna’s hair. I’ve done a lot of work with nasty people, I’ve worked with amazing people, and when I was a mess, and younger, I would make myself sick being nervous. Things are so different now. You know what? I can do hair. And I go in and do my job.

I was nervous driving over but as soon as I met her she said “What do you think I need?” I told her and she said “You’ve done your homework” and I’m like, “Honey, I know every hairdo you’ve ever had” (laughs). She invited me to come sit on the couch, and I told her about all those times I went to see her as a kid, and what her music meant to me. It couldn’t have been more perfect.

I was talking about Paul Starr, and I hadn’t seen Paul for seven or eight years. He did her makeup, and so I got to spend two days with Paul. He passed away a couple of months later. It was a special memory, that whole job. Paul and I both loved her, and we both used to crack up and sing her songs, you know, lip sync with the little headphone sets. It was a full circle kind of thing.

You mentioned your resume, the names you can drop, yet you are so down to earth.

SC: It’s one of those things like at work, people are, “Well you’re really nice.” Well, why wouldn’t I be? I’m just a hairdresser. You know? It’s like most people think celebrities are going to be nightmares, but in fact, most are just regular people who happen to be famous.
Syd created the raven bob for George Michael's video Father Figure

Now don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of them that aren’t. But on the whole, there’s a handful of people who I won’t name, that I would never set foot in a room with again. But 85% of the people I’ve had the pleasure of working with. They‘ve been great and decent and really fun. You know, even the drugs, all that stuff, I wouldn’t change a minute of anything. Because it’s all made possible what is happening today, which is living my life, enjoying success and a million things to be thankful for.

For people trying to become stylists today, what are the challenges?

SC: I think everyone wants to become hair and makeup artists now. First of all, we have to go to the times we are in. It’s hard out there for everybody now. To put it into
numbers, without saying what the numbers were, in the 90’s they threw money at us. Stupid money. It was great to get, but crazy. You know, now they pay you for your job. It’s not excessive. It’s a very different time and I think what’s happening, not so much in big fashion, but, if you want to make a living doing catalog , there is always someone coming up that is willing to do it for a little bit less, and that is what I think people are doing. I think it’s a hard time in this industry. I know it’s a hard time for people in the film business, I know that for a fact.

I never was in the union, but I know people in the union and they are losing their benefits because they can’t get jobs to work enough hours to keep them. It’s not a good time anywhere, but I just think there’s a million people that want to do hair and makeup, freelance, celebrity stuff. And again, I don’t mean this the wrong way at all, but I think a lot more need to pay their dues. Let’s put it this way: people who I idolized before I had any kind of a name were Oribe and Garren and Danilo, who are still very famous, and there is a reason for it. Because they all do quality work. They are famous, they make top money, but they don’t slack on anything. They are new and they’re inventive.

You see a lot of people who are new and come on and they latch on – that’s the wrong term - but who get attached to one celebrity, but it makes their career big. But it’s just one look. Do you know what I mean? And I don’t mean that mean spirited at all. I just appreciate someone who’s worked hard and can do more than one thing. Which all of those people I named have proven over and over and over again. And there are a lot of others. Chris McMillan I think is very talented. There is a different person for every job. Sally Herschberger is incredibly talented. Sally’s great at one thing, Chris is great at another, Oribe is great at another thing, you know what I mean? I don’t know, it’s a weird time in the business. I’m just happy to still be a part of it.

What has been your favorite look?

SC: I’ve had a few. My favorite thing right now is in my salon. It's huge, it's almost wall sized. It' - is the story I did for Prestige, the Queen Mary story - the Asian girl with the big white wig I made. Kathy Young did the makeup, my friend Paris Libby, who is now living in Hong Kong and is one of the editors of Prestige, was “Ok, we’re going to put a ballcap on her, and you’re going to need you to make a wig. It was one of those things where I didn’t have time to think about it and I just did it and did it and went “Oh my God, did I do that?” (laughs). And it’s absolutely my favorite thing from the past few years. I love the Pat Field Destination campaign. Tthere are a million other things but, I love stupid little things. Like giving Mariah (Carey) pigtails for the Dream Lover video. It completely changed her look without changing it. I love all my stuff that has a retro feel to it, you know that looks done without being done. I’m not about a blowdry. Even if I’m on the beach. The stuff I did with Chante and Cindy is great, but that hair is work. My first and only Vogue cover was with Chante, with Stephanie Seymour. It was my first job with Chante, we shot for British Vogue and that will always be a huge huge, well, you know, I had no idea it was for a cover. My agency called and said “The Vogue’s out, go pick it up” and it was the cover. It’s one of those moments. So I have some favorites. But right now it’s the Chinese girl. And it’s kind of hysterical in Mississippi. People come in and they go (in a southern accent) “I don’t wanna look like that!” (peals of laughter) I love it.

Thanks so much Syd.

SC:Thanks so much, it was fun and say hi to Billy, well, I’ll see Billy before you will I’ll see him Sunday.

Syd returns back to Los Angeles this week for a shoot with German Vogue.

Directors Cut: Bonus questions answered

1. Billy is such an important person in your life. Have you ever been involved on a personal level?

a. No no no never have been, never will be. He is my best friend.


2. There are always tough customers, the types of jobs you mentioned requiring babysitting. What is the best way to handle this type of customer?

The way I handle it is:
i. Smile
ii. Do your job
iii. Get your check
iv. Don’t look back

3. You are placing an open call here for Los Angeles based assistants. An incredible opportunity. What are you looking for?

SC: I need to find new assistants based in LA. Anybody listening in based in LA? I have been away, or when I work with Pat, I often work by myself. My friend Johnny Stumps works with me all of the time, but he’s a hairdresser in his own right, not an assistant.

I’m looking for somebody who knows what hot rollers are. Somebody that knows how to do something besides blow dry and flatiron, and I’m not being nasty at all. I just feel like a lot of schools don’t teach the old school things you need to know. Like I said, I learned so much from all of those women that taught me when I was very young coming up. Like Jerry Hall, she made me set her hair wet, and had a portable dryer. It’s all of that old school stuff, like everything I learned in beauty school – pin curls and finger waves. It is all stuff I use everyday.

I always love to meet a kid who’s hungry. I love new talent and ideas, which is how I learn, and is also exciting for me. If you show me something new – hey. I love that. That’s one thing that has been good working in a salon for a change. I have some people around me where I go “Hey, I’ve never seen that before.” Because usually when you are on a set, it’s you. You don’t get to watch other people work. When I did Pat (Field) for fashion week, her show, I think I had 18 assistants and it was so much fun watching everyone work. That’s what I want. I just want somebody that’s hungry, that maybe I can learn from too.

To contact Syd Curry about an opportunity to assist, or to book him for a shoot, please use one of the following contacts:

• Website
• Agent

~ Hillary Fry / solessence