The 70th Anniversary Wizard of Oz Celebration!

Follow the Yellow Brick Carpet?

Friend Of Dorothy: Nick Verreos poses with all the Dorothy's at the 70Th Anniversary Wizard of Oz Opening Night Exhibition Gala

If anyone had any doubt that I was NOT a "Friend Of Dorothy", just look at these photos and read this blog! This week, I was invited to the Opening Night Gala Party for the 70Th Anniversary of The Wizard of Oz in Los Angeles. The location: Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising/FIDM. I decided to wear a blue gingham dress shirt and white dinner jacket. I was in "Dorothy Drag". Fuschia and Gingham: Nick Verreos and Tarina Tarantino, 70Th Anniversary of The Wizard Of Oz Opening Exhibition Night Gala

If you've been reading my blog, you may know that about a month ago, I was asked to be the Mentor of four FIDM alum who we hand-picked to design a gown (or a dress) inspired by the four iconic characters from The Wizard of Oz. Designer Tarina Tarantino also mentored FIDM students in the Jewelry Major, helping them create jewelry and accessories that were also inspired by the wonderful movie. Tarina also gave me a stupendous red crystal Heart Pin to wear for the night, which I proudly displayed on my jacket of course. The Finished Wizard Of Oz Creations: L to R: The Cowardly Lion, Dorothy, The Tin Man and The Scarecrow, all designed by former FIDM fashion design students

I was very nervous because this was to be the unveiling of their creations, and at the same time, a "graduation" of sorts for me, since I mentored, guided and helped these students in bringing to life these 2009 "high fashion" versions of The Cowardly Lion, The Tin Man, The Scarecrow, and of course, Dorothy. Tim Gunn...With a Beard: Wizard of Oz Fashion Design Mentor Nick Verreos stands with the FIDM alumni designers

Dorothy Couture: Designer (and FIDM alum) Valentina Vardanyan and her "Dorothy" dress

The Exhibit--located at the FIDM Museum and Gallery-- showcased the designs from my former FIDM Advanced Fashion Design students, as well as The Ruby Slipper Collection. For that collection, nineteen designers, from Manolo Blahnik, to Betsey Johnson, Giuseppe Zanotti, and many others, created one-of-a-kind shoes inspired by the Ruby Slipper--with the help of Swarovski crystals--all on display in glass-encased "bubbles" that hung from the ceiling. Can I Wear These? Nick Verreos and a Roger Vivier design inspired by The Wizard of Oz Ruby Slipper

Take Me Away: The 70Th Anniversary Wizard of Oz Hot Air Balloon in Grand Hope Park/FIDM

Warner Brothers and FIDM conjured up a fantastic "set" for the evening's festivities. There was a "Yellow Carpet" and greeting me as I walked in were (what seemed like) a dozen Dorothy's, all in their blue gingham dresses. Of course, you know I had to pose with them! One of them, in fact, was the Grand-daughter of the writer of The Wizard Of Oz, L. Frank Baum (I know, crazy!). In the heart of the Grand Hope Park (unofficial "backyard" of the FIDM campus) was a HUGE Wizard of Oz Hot Air Balloon, which was brought here especially for this Opening Night Party for the Exhibition.

LC Who? Nick Verreos and Kristin Cavallari on the "yellow carpet", 70Th Annniversary of The Wizard of Oz Opening Night Party, FIDM

George Lopez showed up with his daughter Mayan, all done up in pink Juicy Couture and sporting lots of Tarina Tarantino jewelry. She saw me from afar and had mini-convulsions, telling me what a "big fan" she was of me and Project Runway (how cute is that?). I posed with the new "bad girl" of MTV's The Hills, Kristin Cavallari, who looked very sexy in an Herve Leger by Max Azria black "bandage" mini dress. I also spotted actress Debbie Mazar, in a long evening sun-dress and sandals; Lisa Loeb, and Linda Ramone, widow of Johnny Ramone. She was looking every bit a Rock Star's Wife, in a fringed and fur black coat, zebra print ensemble and knee-high boots. And of course, the requisite "don't-look-at-me" sunglasses. In one word: Fierce!

Dorothy Heaven: Nick Verreos kisses Momma on the "yellow carpet", 70Th Anniversary of The Wizard of Oz Opening Night Party, FIDM

One of my favorite guests of the night was Momma. Bigger-than-life Momma, besides being a DIVA, runs EC2, one of the world's best costume houses, so you KNOW she had to "bring it on" for this 70Th Anniversary Party. Momma sauntered into the party wearing a "Dorothy" costume to outdo all Dorothy costumes darling! She even had a basket with a miniature Toto. Well, I died and went to "Gay Heaven" after that!

LA Scene: Audrey Kitching, Nick Verreos and Clint Catalyst, 70Th Anniversary of The Wizard of Oz Opening Night Party, FIDM

The LA Fashion "world" was also well represented with LA designer Kevan Hall (a FIDM alum), Jared Gold, fashion pr goddess Margaret Schell, as well as others. Stylist and fashion/arts personality Clint Catalyst was also there, with his date, the very sexy Audrey Kitching. Both looked FABULOUS in their ensembles!

And that's not all kiddies, I have even MORE to say on this Amazing Event! Check out my Guest Blog for California Apparel News HERE.
Also check out Towleroad and the Advocate for more DISH!

Nick Verreos attends the 3rd Annual Reality Check

WeHo BoysHousewives of Garmento County: Nick Verreos and Gretchen Rossi of "Housewives of Orange County"(with co-star/boyfriend Slade Smiley acting crazy in the back!)

Last weekend, my good friend, Woody Woodbeck invited me to attend the Third Annual REALITY CHECK, an event he created back in 2007, as a once-a-year party that brings fans together with their favorite TV, reality, musicians, and performers. All for a great cause. To date, it has raised over $10,000 for various organizations, such as the Trevor Project, which in fact was the event's 2009 beneficiary. It was held at the Eleven Restaurant and Nightclub in the heart of West Hollywood. Of course, I didn't go alone and in fact, asked several of my best friends to be my dates.Happy Early Pride: Nick Verreos, John Wade, Erik Moreno, and Colin Murphy, REALITY CHECK, Eleven Nightclub and Restaurant

The 2-story location was packed; lots of people watching, drinking and munching on some very tiny finger-foods (after all the GAYS do not eat--or so they say). I instantly ran into the beautiful Gretchen Rossi and studly Slade Smiley, from Real Housewives of Orange County. I dished on my new obsession with the "Housewives of New Jersey" gals, and their brown lip liner and "Ceasars Forum Shops" ensembles. Nick and "the girls": Calpernia Adams, Nick Verreos and Ashley Love at REALITY CHECK 2009, Eleven Nightclub and Restaurant

REALITY CHECK also featured performances by the new all-girl band The Paradiso Girls and recording artist Countre Black. There was also a sexy Andrew Christian fashion show of his underwear (or were they bathing suits?). No H8 Winner: My friend Erik Moreno and his winning photograph

Finally, there was also a raffle where lots of special gifts were up for the lucky winners. One of those "gifts" in fact, was a one-year lease of a brand new 2010 Subaru Legacy. No such luck in winning that car. However, one of friends did get a fabulous photo from Adam Bouska from the now-iconic No H8 Campaign. I left empty handed. No car, and no sexy underwear, but I did have a fun time for a great cause, at yet another successful REALITY CHECK.

My secrets to flawless skin

A few people have commented that I have flawless skin in my pics...not so people, not so! I have my blemishes and red bits, the same as everyone else. I have just perfected a method of camouflaging my not so flawless bits. I could just be telling you all things you already know but for anyone that's not sure what to do, this is for you. I have just listed a few pointers to show how you can go about getting the flawless look:

I have dry skin so I use Dove soap coz it's the only one that doesn't dry my skin out. I then use face wipes (currently using ASDA own brand sensitive wipes, 3 for £2.50 deal at the mo) to remove the remainder of my eye make-up etc. I use Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth cleanser with the muslin cloths (pictured above) to gently exfoliate my face and get rid of any dry patches, this is amazing at retexturising it. I then put on my moisturiser, which for the moment is just Dove Silk Body moisturiser (pictured above also) - it's gentle enough to use on your face. Every second night I seal my moisturiser with Alba Un-Petroleum lotion, which is organic and made from natural plant oils and waxes. It seals in all the moisture and you wake up with super soft hydrated skin (got this tip from Kandee The Make Up Artist on YouTube and it definitely works!). If I get any spots, I simply dab on a tiny amount of Sudacrem with a cotton bud (pictured below) onto the spot before I go to bed at night and when I wake up in the morning, the spot has dried up - genius!

The next important step for flawless skin is to prime your face properly befoere you apply your make-up. This will help you get a dewy glowy complexion and will also make your make-up stay put all day. I like to use an illuminating lotion like The Body Shop Tinted Illuminator in no.2 and then use an oil free primer like Lancome La Pro Base.

• Onto the make-up...I always put on foundation before I apply concealer. Some people do it the other way around but in my experience, you end up rubbing off most of the concealer when you apply the foundation so it's kinda pointless to do it that way. I always apply my foundation with my fingers as the heat helps to blend it into my skin. Some people prefer to use a sponge or brush but I never get the right finish when I use a tool other than my hand.
  
• I get undereye dark circles and so I use YSL Touche Eclat to cover them up, although on really bad tired days, I use Estee Lauder Uncircle Smoothing Concealer and this works really well for me. It also helps if you apply the concealer in a V-shape with the point facing towards your cheek, using the sides of your nose as a guide and then blend...sounds weird I know but Kandee the Make Up Artist gave this tip in a vid on YouTube and it works!Check out the vid for more detailed instructions http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL3m0E8xULk. If I have any marks or spots, I cover them up with a tiny make up brush and Mac Studiosculpt concealer. It's best to build it in very thin layer rather than trying to put a thick layer on all at once. Make sure you dust your face with a fixing powder afterwards to seal everything in and take away any oily shiny bits.


• The next important stage of getting flawless skin is choosing a good bronzer (you can skip this step if you like the paler look). I use either Lancome Star Bronzer in Dore or my new fave is Prestige Baked Bronze Powder in St Tropez. I like bronzer with a very subtle shimmer effect as these act like a soft focus tool, they blur lines on your face and give the illusion that you have smooth perfect skin. I then apply a highlighter to my cheekbones, down the centre of my nose and on my browbones.
  
• The best advice I could give you is that 70% of the flawless look depends on skincare rather than makeup. I never ever leave my make-up on when I go to bed and I try and use products that compliment my skin type. I use face masks every week. I exercise regularly, take multivitamins everyday and drink at least 8 glasses of water a day - I think these things also make a difference to your skin. I think everyone struggles with their skin at times and I'm no different! If anyone has any questions, please just ask, I am happy to answer them.

FAITH website offer!

Just to let everyone know that the Faith website are offering free P & P on all orders in the UK (ends Sunday 14th June at midnight). There's a sale on at the mo too so you can grab yourself some bargains!I'm lusting after the cream platforms pictured on the left (£80), in case you're interested!

Generally when I've been shoe shopping (never the initial intention but always ends up that way!), I find myself getting back to the flat and placing the shoe boxes directly into my overflowing cupboard and neatly filing away the shopping bag in a drawer. You may be thinking "wow, this girl is very neat and tidy!" or you may be thinking "OCD alert!!!"...however you have completely missed the point of this routine...it's actually performed in the hope that my boyfriend won't realise that I've bought yet ANOTHER pair of shoes that he deems "the same" as a couple of the other pairs I have. How could he not notice the different coloured trim, the fact that they're suede not leather and the subtle differences in the straps! Silly boy...what does he know!ha ha. I know full well that if he sees my purchases he will drone on about how I "don't need another pair of shoes" and "you haven't worn all the ones you have yet", blah blah blah...so, the easiest way to avoid this tirade of lecturing is to just neatly file them with my existing shoe collection and then when I choose to wear them and he asks if they're new, I simply say the classic female 'get out of jail 'statement..."no, no, they're not new, I just haven't worn them in ages"(I often wonder why my shoe collection worries him so much coz it's my money I'm using to feed my obsession). He goes away happy (fool,ha ha), I get to wear my new shoes with pride - everybody's happy! You know what they say...ignorance is bliss!