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Nick Verreos Season 8 Project Runway MyLifetime.com Blog/Recap: Finale-Part 1!!!

Lacroix 2.0, Pattaya Bay, Whole Foods Sales Girls and Mommy-Daddy Therapy...Yep, It's Project Runway, the Almost-last Episode!

Is the Camera On: Andy South consoles Michael Costello during "Finale Part 1", Project Runway Season 8

Oh Dear! Yes, those were basically the only two words I could muster after watching Thursday night's "Finale Part 1" of Project Runway Season 8. The episode began cute enough and pretty typical in terms of previous "Road to NY Fashion Week" Project Runway Episodes...

The remaining 4 Designers get their "Congratulations" from Heidi and Tim and then are sent off to their respective home bases to make their Mercedes Benz NY Fashion Week Collections. Tim jets off to Hawaii, Denver, Palm Springs and Portland. After 6 weeks, they return to NY for their last Challenge that will narrow down the Top Three Finalists who will show at NY Fashion Week. The Runway Show at Parsons occurs and then it all heads south from there, concluding in what could have been an advertisement for Mommy-Daddy Therapy sessions.

Highlight: Mondo's Circus

For me, there was one Winner and that's it. When Mondo Guerra's 3-piece mini collection came out, it was like "Done and Done". The judges gave him both positives and negatives, saying he had to somehow learn how to tame the "Print Beast" inside him. Well, he can't do much, because the collection is done kiddies! And I like it , circus prints and all.

It all reminded me of Christian Lacroix (Spring 2009 Haute Couture above), well, the H&M version. After Mondo, in my opinion, any of the other three could have been out. Yes, I might have chosen Andy or Gretchen instead of Michael C. but I KNEW Gretchen wasn't going--she's the "Wendy Pepper" of the Season, so you know they were keeping her!

Lowlights: Andy's Warrior Divas go to Pattaya Bay

What happened to Andy South? I was so looking forward to a whole army of Andy Warrior Goddesses ready for battle in almost all black, fierce, well-fitted dresses. He went from this FIERCE look above...to this below...

Is this what happens when Project Runway Finalists go home. They do great in the pressure cooker of the show's surreal competition environment but then they return home and lose their style? Wassup Andy?

Instead of Warrior Divas, his 3-piece Laos/Buddha-inspired mini-collection was a cross between something Imelda Marcos would wear (Hello Silk Shantung!!??) and...

Something you'd see on the Pattaya Bay Girls in Thailand. Now, mind you those two inspirations sound HOT, but I don't think that's what he had in mind.

Lowlights: Gretchen's Vegetarian Girls Who Don't Want to Get Laid

Her designs were so not exciting, so not NY Fashion Week and so something you might see at some Granola-Crunchy store, as Michael Kors kept alluding to. All that was missing was some Birkenstocks and some incense. Take a look at this lovely example:

Muffin Top Alert: This poor girl is a size 2 or size 4 MAX...AND somehow, Gretchen still gave her a Muffin Top! Seriously.

Lowlights: Housewives of New Jersey Meets Liza Minelli

I really liked (and so did the judges), the one copper silk charmeuse gown he made but the other two choices were not my faves, especially that fringed top (Miss Heidi LOOOVED it!) and lace embroidered pants look: On top, she's a cast member in "Chicago" and on the bottom, she's Liza Minelli!

It looked a little too "Real Housewives of New Jersey" on a night out on the town. Michael Costello was Auf'ed and proceeded to have THE "I'm a Failure To My Parents" meltdown. After he dried his tears, Michael C. actually did get to show at Mercedes Benz NY Fashion Week--along with like 44 of the other contestants (yes, I'm exaggerating!). I know it's not the same, but still. In case you missed Michael C.'s NYC Fashion Week Finale Collection...you can click HERE to see it. I liked most of the looks but I wasn't a fan of...

Nipple Alert: This multi, multi, MULTI-layered ruffled gown with a see-through bustier seen on Season 1 Models of The Runway Model Lisa Blades. I love Miss Lisa, she's my friend, muse, and of course, has modeled LOTS of my gowns and dresses. But I, as a designer, would probably have NEVER put her in this. But what a trooper Miss Lisa! So, there you go. I'm betting on Miss Mondo to win. Anyway, to read what I REALLY thought of this last episode:

Here's the Beginning of my MyLifetime.com Blog/Recap for this "Finale Part 1" Episode:

Road To Therapy (I Mean New York Fashion Week!)

I cannot believe it's almost OVER! We are in the last lap of this season's "Project Runway" and it's been a KRAZEE marathon! This episode left me shaken. To be honest, immediately after watching, all I could focus on was that I may need to re-think my recap and instead write an open letter to all parents entitled "How Not to Mess Up Your Children's Lives." But then I wouldn't be able to discuss this last DRAMATIC (and oh-so-fashion-boring) penultimate episode. So here we go…

Click HERE to read my Entire Recap and make sure to leave your "two cents".

Style Crush: Jessica Alba

Seeing celebs like Jessica Alba reminds us all that just because you become a mother, does not mean you have to instantly become a frump.  Her casual attire is fabulously simple but with a cool edge and her red carpet looks are beautifully girly with an ever so slight side of toughness.

I would love to raid her shoe closet because I love everything she pops on her tootsies!  I really love how she doesn't over-accessorise and she leaves the clothes (and her beauty) to speak for themselves.  Alot of celebrities try to to develop a style but more often than not, it looks like the clothes are wearing them instead of the other way around.  Jessica manages to look feminine, chic, cool and stylish all rolled into one.

Now, onto one of the products that have been hopping into my favourites box this week.  Basically, I have a box that I keep all my daily makeup items in and I change it up every week to make sure I'm not falling into a rut with the products I use.  This also makes it easier to identify the overall favourites because they are the ones that stay in the box week after week.  Here's one of the products that has been living in the box for a while now... 

I often struggle with my eyebrows because, as I have mentioned many times before, the outer half of my brows are so blonde that they don't show up.  So, I have to draw my brows in every day which is a bit of a pain as it often depends on how steady my hands are on that day!  There have been some days when I think I have done a good job, then on later inspection, I realised that my brows didn't match at all!  I have always loved the saying that brows are sisters, not twins but I think I took that too far.  Because of this, I always welcome any products that can make the job easier. 

Clinique Superfine Liner for Brows in Soft Blonde has been my saviour because the ultra fine, self sharpening tip is perfect for people like me who need extra help with shaping their brows.  The colour is perfect for me and with soft, feathery movements, I can create perfect (matching) brows every day.  Phew!

I have thought about getting my eyebrows tinted but I've never had that done before so i'm not sure how much of a difference it would make.  Any advice/tips anyone?

Now onto a hair product that has blown me away this week...Phyto Pre-Shampoo Intense Hydrating Oil Treatment.  I am often dubious about oil treatments because I have fine hair that gets greasy at the roots and dry at the ends.  I have tried oil treatments before and have never been that enamoured with them - with the exception of Macadamia Oil Treatment which I use on damp hair before styling.  This oil treatment contains essential oils like Castor Plant Oil, Sage, Rosemary, Juniper Berries and Lemon Oils.  The difference with this Phyto product is that you apply it to dry hair, leave it in for 30 mins and then wash it out.  You get 6 vials in the pack and also a little spray bottle to apply it to the hair.  Now you may be thinking the same thing as I initially did..."how can it make that much of a difference to the condition of my hair when I will be washing it out?"

I followed the instructions and used a mild shampoo to wash my hair, then I used my normal Sebastian Penetraitt Conditioner.  My hair felt 'squeaky' clean afterwards which is always a good sign for me as I don't want anything weighing my fine hair down.  This formula is water soluble so you can be sure that there won't be any oily residue left behind. The first thing I noticed was that my hair was that little bit easier to comb through when wet.  But the real difference could be seen when I dried my hair.  I noticed as I was drying it in sections that my hair felt really soft and smooth and seemed to just fall into place without being weighed down with any product.  The shine was incredible though, so much so that Chris even commented and asked me if I used anything different on my hair!  The true sign of greatness is when your partner notices something!

My hair just looks totally revitalised and I couldn't believe how healthy it looked after the treatment!  I am at that stage where I need to get my highlights done so my hair wasn't in the best condition i.e. the ends were getting split and dry.  But this treatment managed to conceal the damage to the ends of my hair and make it look sleek again...Fab!  This treatment has also been recommended for use directly before colouring your hair because it locks in the colour and prevents any damage.  I love it!