Greetings from Hollywood!

Hi, everyone. Lancome's in Los Angeles for Oscar weekend and we've been super busy. We sponsored the Night Before party last night and it was celeb central. We did Demi Moore and Kate Winslet's makeup tonight. And we did lots of things in between! We'll report next week on all of our L.A. activities. Look forward to catching up soon.

Saving Face! And Other Body Parts...

We're going to tackle a not-so-typical topic for The Lancôme Blog today--plastic surgery. Why? Well, a few reasons. One, we did a quiz about plastic surgery a few months ago and it was clear many of you were fascinated by the subject. Two, a friend of mine got BAD plastic surgery from a surgeon who talked her into it after a car accident. (She had to have the surgery redone. Twice.) Three, it's always sad to see people with bad plastic surgery and it's awful to hear about people who have died as a result of plastic surgery. And four, we learned one of our favorite beauty writers, Grace Gold, had penned an e-book about breast augmentation called, appropriately enough, "The Boob Job Bible."

So consider today's post a public service! We're not making any big commentary on whether plastic surgery is good or bad, but we want to help any of you who might be taking the plunge.

Grace said the number one rule is to do your research. "You start at the American Board of Plastic Surgeons website, where you can search board-certified surgeons for free," she said. "Get a list of doctors' names together, and check out their websites. They should be polished. If their website doesn’t look good, how’s the doctor going to make YOU look good? The doctor should have lots of before and after photos with a style you’d want for yourself, and reveal a friendly, patient-focused tone."

"If the site is all about what a rockstar the surgeon is, be wary; patients who get the best results hire doctors whose number one priority is them; not how famous, fabulous and well-known the doctor wants to be," Grace added.

Click here for the American Board of Plastic Surgeons' website.

We learned a lot of other things from Grace's book (for example, breast implants don't last forever! If you get one breast augmentation, you might need another in your lifetime.) but we don't want to give everything away.

The bottom line, according to Grace: Don’t let fame, fortune and a pretty smile sway you. Always do your homework. A few celebs with bad work admitted that they went to doctors who WERE NOT board certified. That's not a regret you want to live with.

Is Fashion Too Skinny?

We already applauded V Magazine for its story featuring the fab Crystal Renn showing that you don't have to be a size 0 to be chic. V has another story featuring more plus-sized models that's generated a lot of chatter. Check out the teaser video above. Also, we need to give Glamour Magazine credit for championing models like Crystal. There's a beautiful story with her in the February issue showcasing pretty outfits in shades of beige.

I hope this isn't a fad. It would be nice to see Crystal break into other magazines too. Your thoughts?

Let us know and you can win a copy of Crystal's book "Hunger" as well as our new Hypnose Drama mascara. If you like big dramatic lashes, you'll love it. We'll pick one post at random. Please post by Thursday night!

Have You Heard of Tavi? (Plus, an Age-Appropriate Juicy Tubes Holiday Set Giveaway!)

If you haven't, you will soon. Tavi's the 13-year-old sensation behind the Style Rookie blog. We just read on Fashionista that Tavi has penned a column for January's Harper's Bazaar. I didn't write for Harper's Bazaar until I turned 30 years old, so well done, Tavi!

(Speaking of Harper's Bazaar, the January subscriber cover with Kate Hudson is terrific. Bazaar always does two covers: one for the newsstand and one for subscribers. Personally, I prefer the subscriber ones. The photos are more interesting and there are no pesky cover lines. Good reason to subscribe, my friends!)

And back to Tavi, she did the above Style.com video about the upcoming Rodarte collection for Target, which hits stores Dec. 20th. Did we mention that we love Rodarte and we're insanely excited for this?

Let's do a Tavi-inspired giveaway. Tell us what you were doing when you were 13 and you'll be entered to win the holiday Juicy Tubes set. I don't think I was doing much at 13. Reading Seventeen Magazine? Collecting Bonne Bell Lipsmackers? Begging my mom to let me wear makeup? Please post your answer by Sunday night and we'll pick one post at random. Good luck!

Julia Roberts Joins the Lancome Family!

Well, I told you we had big news! We're all thrilled that Julia has joined the Lancome family. She's in great company, with our other amazing spokesmodels like Kate Winslet and Anne Hathaway. The advertising featuring Julia will break in 2010.

Today was the first day of our shooting with Julia and it went beautifully. I don't think I'm breaking any news by telling you how amazing she is to work with.

Julia comes to Lancome familiar with the brand. Her go-to makeup artist Genevieve has used a lot of our products on Julia in the past, most recently L'Absolu Rouge lipstick in Rich Cashmere for the "Duplicity" premiere here in New York. Weirdly enough, I am wearing that lipstick today. I guess there's something subconcious going on when we all chose our makeup in the morning!

Let me know what you think of our news. Have a beautiful weekend.

Fifi Lapin to the Rescue

Thanks for all the great blog suggestions yesterday. I am now officially obsessed with Fifi Lapin. (Thanks to our friend Tofu Poo--yes, that's her name--for the Fifi reco!) I meant to do a serious post tonight about makeup brushes versus fingers, but that will have to wait for another day. I'm feeling under the weather all of a sudden.

So...make sure to check out the fashion adventures of Fifi, the world's most stylish bunny. (Lapin is French for rabbit, btw.) Fifi has her own store and she has a Coach giveaway, so check those out too.

If we send Fifi the Chris Benz lipstick, do you think she'll wear it? We'll have to find out.

Sweet dreams.

ILLUSTRATION ABOVE FROM FIFI-LAPIN.BLOGSPOT.COM

Some Giveaway Winners! (Are You One?)

Hi everyone. I'm on a little holiday road trip at the moment, so we're going to spend this week naming all the giveaway winners from the past few weeks! Thanks to everyone who posted comments for everything.

The winner of the Ashley Greene makeup is zmama09!

The winner of the Karla Sugar giveaway is Elvira! (No begging necessary, Elvira!)

I've sent both of you emails. Check back in tomorrow for more winners' names.

Win Ashley Greene's New Moon Makeup!

How gorgeous did Twilight's Ashley Greene look at the New Moon premiere held earlier this week in L.A.? The Lancome PR team was blown away when we saw the pictures. The genius Vanessa Scali did Ashley's makeup and came up with what I think was a very memorable look for the actress. Ashley has such a great face for makeup.

Vanessa used several Lancome products to get the look, including:
--Effacernes concealer in Light Bisque
--Blush Subtil in Shimmer Pink Pool
--Artliner liquid liner in Black
--Oscillation mascara in Black
--Le Crayon Poudre brow pencil in Brunet
--L'Absolu Rouge lipstick in Chris & Tell (The Chris Benz Pout-a-Porter lipstick coming this February! Call 212-940-2033 to get on the waiting list.)

Tell us what you think about Ashley's look and we'll pick one post at random to win the products mentioned above--even the Chris Benz lipstick! Please post by Sunday night. Good luck!!

P.S. And guess who wore Definicils mascara in Black to the New Moon premiere? None other than Kristen Stewart! So in honor of all the New Moon mascara activity, we'll include Definicils in the giveaway too.

A Close Look at Our Holiday Collection, Courtesy of Karla Sugar. (Giveaway Alert!)

You know we love the Karla Sugar blog because the sweet Miss K does such a great job swatching collections. Well, the latest collection she swatched (is swatch a verb?) is the Lancôme 2009 holiday collection.

If you're going to be shopping for some new colors or great stocking stuffers, definitely check out her posts. They're very informative, honest and helpful. If Karla's not wild about something, she says it. If she loves it, she says that too.

Here's another reason to check out her blog: a giveaway! Take a look at Karla's Holiday Part One and Holiday Part Two posts, then leave us a comment telling us what one product you would love to have. (Cherub powder, Laque Fever, eye-and-cheek palette...?) We'll pick one comment at random and the winner will get whatever product he or she mentioned from the holiday collection. (I hope I didn't make that too confusing.) Please post by end of day Friday. Good luck!! And thank you, Karla!

Lancôme Joins Forces With France's First Lady

Very exciting news from our Paris headquarters. Lancôme has entered into a partnership with the Carla Bruni-Sarkozy Foundation. We are thrilled to be supporting the First Lady of France’s organization as its first corporate patron.

Lancôme will be supporting the part of her foundation that helps young adults in France from disadvantaged backgrounds pursue careers in the arts. For more information, please visit carlabrunisarkozy.org.

Lancôme sponsors similar programs in the United States, including New York's Epic Theatre Ensemble, which brings theater workshops to high schools that have little in the way of arts programs, and the after-school beauty program at New York's Fashion Industries public high school. Then there is the Vik Muniz arts program for teenagers in Brazil that was spearheaded by our spokesmodel Daria Werbowy.

Artistic talent is a terrible thing to waste. I hope these programs help more than a few individuals pursue their passion.

Congrats to Epic Theatre Ensemble!

We'd like to share some great news with you. Epic Theatre Ensemble was presented with a "Coming Up Taller" award by First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House today! This award is given by the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities and recognizes outstanding community programs that celebrate the creativity of young people.

As part of its mission, Epic brings theatre to public high school students in New York City. Some of these schools have very little in the way of arts programs, so without Epic there would be no school plays. If you were or are lucky enough to attend a school that puts on plays each season, that's a shocking fact. For many high school students around the country, things like the TV show "Glee" are total fiction.

Lancôme has been a proud supporter of Epic for several years. The Epic artists and the students they work with are an amazing group of people and we've thoroughly enjoyed their Shakespeare Remix productions of such plays as "Othello," "Hamlet" and "Romeo and Juliet." Our ambassador Kate Winslet even spoke to Epic student artists last year as part of an "Inside the Actors Studio"-type Q&A. (That's Kate with the students above.)

Congratulations again on this well-deserved award. Click here for info on Epic's upcoming performances.

It's Almost Halloween! Check Out Michelle Phan's Latest Video (& Make Sure to Watch The Ending!)

Looking for Halloween costume ideas? Make sure to check out Michelle Phan's latest round of videos. She's got some fun ideas, from the Sailor Moon video above to Snow White and a seductive vampire. Even if you're not looking for costume ideas, you'll still pick up some great tips from Michelle. Her techniques are terrific.

Not familiar with Sailor Moon? I wasn't either. (Sorry, Michelle!) But this adorable anime character really inspired Michelle when she was little. That said, make sure to watch the ENTIRE video. There's a really nice ending.

If you watch, let us know what you think.

As Emili the Intern would say, peace.love.lancome.

What Magazines Do You Love? (Tell Us and Enter to Win a Juicy Tubes Holiday Gloss Set)

We're doing a little consumer research tonight. What magazine or magazines are you passionate about these days? We'd love to know what magazines you read regularly, subscribe to or run to the newsstand to buy. If the answer is none, that's okay too. (But tell us why.)

We'll pick one post at random to win a Juicy Tubes holiday gloss set. (Who doesn't want that as a holiday gift?) We'll also send a set to the first person who can identify the photo above. Please post by Sunday. Good luck.

P.S. We'll announce winners from past giveaways this week, so stay tuned!

Harper's Bazaar Precious Cells Giveaway!

Make room in that medicine cabinet! We just launched a new supercream you might find interesting--Absolue Precious Cells. Billed as our "advanced regenerating and reconstructing cream," this high-tech moisturizer helps restore skin density, reduce wrinkles and boost radiance.

The beauty editors at Vogue, Elle and More have written about it and it's already out of stock at several counters. Would you like to try it? Well, Harper's Bazaar is giving away a set of Absolue Precious Cells day cream, eye cream and night cream every day in October. I know, I know. The month's almost over. But there are 11 days and 11 chances left. Each day's prize is worth $385.

Click here to enter and good luck to you and your skin!

Taaz (Rhymes with Oz) Yourself!

TAAZ.com : Virtual Makeover. Real Beauty.
http://www.taaz.com/makeover/180083764013984-b22a5db49c1ea9835a97c36dad07deac/70150693.html

Before

After

Quick post tonight because I have to dash out the door, but have you visited Taaz.com yet? It's a virtual makeover site and it's amazing. All you need is a picture of yourself that you can download. Make sure you have a close-up shot of your face with your hair pulled back. Obviously, I neglected to do that!

Oh, and make sure you have at least a half an hour to fool around on Taaz because it's addictive.

Can you guess whose hairstyle I'm wearing? Post your guess and we'll pick one at random to win a new Hypnose Senses fragrance and a Hypnose Drama mascara. Please post by Friday night.

Have you visited Taaz? Let us know what you think! I've asked the entire PR team to Taaz themselves, so we'll be posting more Taaz makeovers in the weeks ahead...

Oh Lolli Lollipop!

If you've ever been stuck in a hospital for an extended stay, you know what a drag that can be, even with the most dedicated professionals tending to you.

Fortunately, there are amazing human beings around like Evelyn Iocolano. She's the founder of Lollipop Theater Network, a terrific group that brings first-run movies to children and teens hospitalized due to chronic or life-threatening illnesses. Lancôme ambassador Anne Hathaway introduced us to Evelyn and Lollipop and asked what we could do to support the organization.

We decided to take the lollipop theme and run with it. We came up with three lollipop-influenced gloss and nail polish sets and drawings created by some of the Lollipop kids for the boxes. The sets cost $35 and are available exclusively at Nordstrom. We'll be donating $5 from each set. It's my personal mission to make sure each and every one is sold so we can give a nice big check to Lollipop.

My fave: Bon Bon Strawberry. Every time I wear the nail polish, people stop and ask what it is. But Mademoiselle Grape is equally fun. Check it out on actresses Ryan Newman and Rachel Nichols above (lips & nails!). Christina Ricci wore Ma Cherie Cherry as a lip stain.

Regular readers of the blog know that I rarely insist you go out and buy one of our products. But go buy this. It's a nice treat for yourself, and an even nicer treat for someone else.

P.S. A big thanks to the gals on Lancôme's makeup marketing team who worked overtime to make Lollipop a reality!

What's On Your Lust List Today? (Enter to Win Our Very Lustworthy Dillard's Bag!)

Half a dozen November magazines landed on my desk this morning—Bazaar (Tina Fey on the cover! Yippee!!), Vogue, Teen Vogue, French Vogue, O, Lucky—filled with cool new stuff to covet. Why is it you always want the things you can't afford? But there was something else on my desk. Our latest gift-with-purchase makeup bag in glossy black and candy apple red—something I can afford!

The new bag, sported by our gorgeous intern Gina above, is super cute and practical and available only at Dillard's through Oct. 18th. (Don't you wish everything in life was super cute and practical?) It's yours with any $29.50 purchase and you get to chose six beauty goodies to fill it with, out of a list of 11 items. Two of my Lancôme obsessions are on the list: a travel-sized bottle of Génifique youth activating concentrate (new obsession) and a Color Fever Shine lipstick in Old Flame (old but ongoing obsession).

We're giving away one of the bags and all the goodies inside. To enter, tell us what's on your lust list today, the thing that you'd buy if money were no object. We'll pick one post at random. Please post by Friday night and good luck!

P.S. Gina is wearing the new Le Vernis nail polish from our holiday collection, Untamed Plum. This is the shade that all the models wore in the L'Wren Scott show last month. Talk about lustworthy.

We Heart The Makeup and Beauty Blog

We've been meaning for ages to pay tribute to one of our favorite blogs, the Makeup and Beauty Blog, so tonight's the night! If you're not following this blog, you need to add it to your blog list. Karen, the beauty enthusiast behind MABB, does a great job of keeping it fresh.

Too many blogs today just post press releases sent out by the beauty companies and call it a day. But many bloggers out there work overtime to bring you original content. And those are the blogs that deserve your love.

The pics above are from Karen's fun post on Whitney's nail polish on "The City." She thinks it might be Indigo Paris from our Fall 2009 collection. Looks close to us, but only Whitney and her manicurist know for sure.

I hope all of you are pushing the envelope when it comes to your nail polish this season. I'm not suggesting you wear green nail polish or anything like that. : )

But go ahead and be bold.

We Want to Be Your Facebook Friend--And We're Giving Away a V.I.P. Beauty Box to Prove It.

Are you a Lancôme fan on Facebook? Of course you are. It's the best way to communicate to former classmates, strangers and old boyfriends trying to track you down that you are a refined beauty addict with impeccable taste. And for all they know, you could very well spend half your time in Paris, shopping, powdering your nose with Dual Finish and eating macaroons.

But maybe you're not a fan and maybe you don't even know Lancôme Paris is on Facebook. Well, we are. We post product and spokesmodel news, links, giveaway info and more Monday through Friday on our Lancôme Paris page.

If you're not a fan, we'd love for you to become one. We'll be picking one person from among the new and existing Facebook fans to win a V.I.P. beauty box worth $250. (Just become a fan by Oct. 12th.) We send these boxes to celebs, models, designers and other V.I.P.s, and trust me, they are lust-worthy. It will be packed with some of our best new products, including Ôscillation mascara, Ôscillation Powerbooster lash booster and the amazing Genifique eye cream.

Have a great weekend and hope to see you on Facebook!

Remembering Mr. Penn

I was saddened to read that Irving Penn passed away yesterday. For those not familiar with Mr. Penn, as he was called, he was one of the most amazing photographers around. He was a regular contributor to Vogue for decades and was known for both his engaging portraits and elegant still-life work. I loved seeing his pictures that accompanied the beauty articles in Vogue. (In fact, if I remember correctly, the bee-stung lip photo above accompanied an article about lip injections written by pre-"Sex and the City" Candace Bushnell. And I think the makeup was by Kevyn Aucoin. Please post a comment if this isn't correct or if you know who the model was!)

Our Sandy Linter worked with Mr. Penn on dozens of shoots with several supermodels, including Janice Dickinson, Kim Alexis, Patti Hansen, Kelly LeBrock and even Gia Carangi. Her favorite assignment with him was a rare trip to Paris (Mr. Penn prefered shooting in his studio over traveling to locations) with model Rosie Vela to photograph the Paris collections. "It was hot, no air-conditioning. I remember his wife, Lisa Fonssagrives, visiting the studio. She was tall, gray hair. Gorgeous."

Mr. Penn could be tough on models. "He wanted visually to get the girl off guard, but to catch her at her most beautiful," recalls Sandy. "He was hard on them because they had to hold the pose. They always had to be thinking. If they went vacant, he knew it."

"He did everything he wanted to on his own terms," said Sandy. "He was an artist."