Nick Verreos Returns To Washington DC: ARTrageous! 2010 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Guess who is coming back to Washington DC next week? Yes, moi! I first visited Washington DC during the Obama Inaugural in January 2009, to host an Inaugural luncheon and showcase my "First lady" inspired gowns and late last year I returned... to do a speaking engagement at the prestigious Corcoran Gallery of Art-College of Art and Design. Both were great successes. I guess Washington DC really likes Nick Verreos (sorry about the Third Person), because next week, I will be flying to DC to attend ARTrageous! 2010, a fabulous fundraiser and party (and a must-have ticket on the DC social calendar!) at the Smithsonian Art Museum. The event is NEXT SATURDAY FEBRUARY 27Th and by attending, you will be supporting family and public programs at the Museum and its Renwick Gallery (love that!). This year’s ARTrageous! will also celebrate fashion to highlight recently acquired artwork, Reclining Dress Impression with Drapery, by Karen LaMonte. LaMonte’s sensual life-size cast-glass dresses invoke the history of fashion and femininity, from classical Greece to contemporary America. This piece will definitely set the stage for a fashionable and fun night.

Hope to see you there!

Schedule:
7:00-9:00pm Special Dinner with artist Karen LaMonte and designer Nick Verreos

8:00-11:30pm Gala Reception with live music

Where: Smithsonian American Art Museum 8th & F Streets, NW, Washington D.C.

When: Saturday February 27, 2010

For Tickets: Purchase tickets below, or call (202) 633-4550 for assistance.

To purchase Tickets click HERE

Nick Verreos on CNN International World Report Morning Program

Where's Anderson Cooper?
Good Morning World: Nick Verreos discussing the Olympic Figure Skating Costumes on CNN International's World Report Morning Program

Yesterday turned out to be a Figure Skating Bonanza Day for me (and my trusty partner-in-figure skating crime, David Paul, who came with me): First, I went to the brand new Universal Sports Studios--located about an hours drive from Los Angeles--to shoot a LIVE VIA SATELLITE interview for the Figure Skating Review and Preview Show with Kristi Yamaguchi, Peter Carruthers and host Terry Gannon. I had a great time commenting on the Ice Dancing costumes for the Original Dance Olympic Competition.CNN Diva: CNN International anchor Anjali Rao, who is based out of the Hong Kong CNN bureau

Then, later that day, I was contacted by, CNN , to again (quelle surprise?), give my "Nick Two Cents" on the crazy (and not so crazy) Figure Skating Costumes. I went to the CNN Los Angeles Headquarters on Sunset Blvd. to shoot another LIVE VIA SATELLITE segment--this time it would be with the CNN International World Report Morning News Program. Anchor Anjali Rao, interviewed me from the network's Asia Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong. The program is watched in over 200 countries all over the world--it's not the "US CNN" but the version you would see, say if you were in a London or Paris hotel room and you tuned into CNN on the TV.We discussed the "Outrageous": Johnny Weir's Blades of Glory-esque "Rocking The Tassel" pink-and-black costume the Swiss Burberry Logo-a-Gogo Pairs and of course...the Russian Aboriginal "re-worked" but still-culturally-insensitive costumes. We also talked about the "Artsy" costumes such as:

The German's "Send In The Clowns" Marcel Marceau-like get-ups, which over-shadowed and distracted from their performance, and finally, we had to discuss the "Fab" costumes, like Evan Lysacek's Vera Wang Snake Charmer and Shen and Zhao's tastefully beautiful costumes. Before I knew it, the segment was over and we were wrapped, just like that. At the same time I was shooting, guess who else was there? Well, Larry King of course. He was taping his show and after he was finished, I had the privilege of meeting him (thanks to the lovely CNN Make-Up and Hair Team!). The minute I get tape of the segment, I will put it up here on my blog. I promise.

Read this fun blog from someone who was there and who just happened to be having her 1st day at work!: Heather In Hollywood.

Happy Olympic Figure Skating...now we're onto the Ladies!

Clinique Even Better Foundation SPF15

This is the first time I have ever tried a Clinique Foundation and since I have uneven skin tone on my cheeks, this seemed like a good choice for me. It’s designed for oily to combination skin types and it costs £20.00 for a 30ml bottle.

Here’s the lowdown from the Clinique website:

“New Even Better Foundation SPF15 oil free formula, a powerful foundation developed to help combat hyper-pigmentation and deliver brighter skin, both immediately and over time. Includes treatment benefits to help even skin tone and SPF protection to help prevent future hyper-pigmentation. Provides moderate to full coverage, leaving skin instantly perfected with a unique mineral blend”.

(Pic courtesy of Clinique website) - apologies...my camera has gone on the blink again!

The first thing I would say about this foundation is that I feel that it is more a light to medium/medium coverage. Coverage is important to me because I have redness on my cheeks that MUST be camouflaged! I would say that my coverage preference goes a little bit like this…light to medium coverage for days when my skin is behaving itself or I'm more tanned and medium coverage for the days when it’s not, or when it’s very cold outside and I get the dreaded Rudolph nose effect. I don’t agree that it’s full coverage as to me, that means something like Estee Lauder Full Coverage Maximum Cover or MakeUp Forever’s Matt +. It’s totally a personal preference but I don’t like to build up layers of foundation on my face. I always find that the more you layer on, the less of your skin’s texture shows through so it ends up looking too heavy or cakey.

This foundation has a nice consistency that makes it easy to blend, it’s not too thick and not too thin but I personally think it applies best when you use your fingers. It evened out my skin tone and imparted a nice glow/ subtle luminosity to my skin that made it look really healthy and brightened. It’s the kind of foundation that is light enough to wear every day without feeling like you’re suffocating your skin. It looks natural and I didn’t notice an orange tinge developing like some people have reported in their reviews. This could be because I used the Neutral shade.

I tried this foundation when I had a couple of scars from spots on my chin, granted it didn’t cover these effectively but as I have said in previous posts, foundation is not designed to cover spots, it’s just designed to even out skin tone. So when you look at it like that, this foundation definitely does it’s job. I’d say it’s in the same family as Korres Wild Rose foundation and Diorskin Nude in that it gives the skin a slight sheen (not oily or greasy though). I still prefer Diorskin Nude to this foundation but I like the Clinique one for every day use. It had good staying power and still looks good at the end of a working day, I did have to powder my face midday to eliminate any shine though on my T Zone. I don’t think I would use this foundation if I was going out for the night as I don’t think it would withstand being in a hot club enduring copious amounts of dancing! But I always need something with more coverage for that kind of thing so that’s nothing out of the ordinary.

Some people have reported clogged pores/breakouts (possibly due to the SPF) from this foundation however I didn’t experience any of that. It didn’t irritate my skin in any way but I would highly recommend a patch test on an area where you would normally break out, just in case. All foundations will react differently from person to person so it's important to bear that in mind.

So overall, I like this product, it’s good for days when you just want a natural healthy look and time will tell whether it improves my overall skin tone with long term use…