Makeup in a Magic Wand? Also, Pets in the Dorm

Hello-Hello, welcome to a wacky Thursday here at the Prepatorium!

Scads of newsy tidbits abound today, we begin with one of them, word that Thom Browne will be adding a women’s collection to his eponymous line.  The designer is seen below at Monday’s CFDA gala, covered in this post.

Steve Eichner/WWD

While many Princess readers know of Mr. Browne’s Black Fleece collections for Brooks Brothers, they may not be as familiar with his own line of apparel and accessories. Women’s Wear Daily reported about the new line today:

“The designer, known for shaking up American men’s wear with his shrunken suits and avant-garde runway shows, sold a majority stake of his company to Japan’s Cross Company last year, and the partners are keen to sensibly extend the brand.”

Below, looks from a previous runway show of Mr.Browne’s.

The designer does create more commercially appealing merchandise, below we show several current Black Fleece styles.

We look forward to seeing the new collection.

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Next, an absorbing story in today’s Times about summer house shares in the Hamptons.  Sarah Maslin Nir’s story begins by explaining what many already know:

“IN popular vacation spots like Fire Island and the Hamptons, the summer share is a time-honored tradition of weekend debauchery. The Long Island iced teas or mojitos downed on Friday evening typically kick off an alcohol-fueled series of events, and the drinking ends only when the various housemates hop a train or jitney back to Manhattan — with a hangover that stretches to nearly midweek.”

The story offers interesting insight into how one manages to enjoy the summer traditions minus the alcohol and other drugs.

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We have news sure to make many fans of Glee happy, there will soon be Glee-related books.

Little, Brown via Zap2It.com

Glee: The Beginning is a ‘prequel,’ with events taking place before the show’s era. The books are aimed at the young adult audience, a series of five is planned. The first novel is due out in August, and it will include a double-sided poster.  Amazon is already taking pre-orders.

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Also in today’s Times, the paper’s Skin Deep column looks at “Makeup to Help Flaws Disappear“, a gem from Catherine Saint Louis.

Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

The story looks at the use of new techniques for applying cosmetics, particularly foundation, beginning with the Temtpu airbrush system.

“Sort of like a gun that blows a mist of foundation, it promised to make my skin flawless. According to its manufacturer, it had made the faces of the “Stepford Wives” look porcelain smooth (if creepily perfect) in the 2004 remake, and it routinely makes movie stars and television anchors ready for high-definition close-ups.”

Ms. Saint Louis also tests other recent innovations, like the L’Oréal Paris True Match Roller (L) and the Lancôme Ôscillation Powerfoundation (R).

Here is a portion of her reaction to L’Oréal’s product:

“With the L’Oréal Paris True Match Roller, I felt as if I was trying to use a flat paint roller on uneven walls.”

The story is very well done; to read it in its entirety, click here.  Ms. Saint Louis has a companion piece, “Tips for Applying Foundation” that is worth one’s time if interested in the topic.

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Remaining with the cosmetics topic, yours truly was recently contacted and asked to test/review two complimentary products from Cover Girl, the new Smoky ShadowBlast (L) and ShineBlast Lip Gloss.

Perhaps we’re cosmetically-challenged, but we really struggled with the eye shadow. It was difficult to apply, in part because there is not a lot of pigment, or color, in the stick.  Once applied the shadow did not last long, creasing was evident in less than an hour. (We used a Lauder shadow primer.) Our test sample was the ‘Silver Sky’ combination, and while we very much liked the colors in this combination, they appeared darker and richer in the product than they are in reality. Judging from online reviews we are not alone in our reaction to this product.

The company describes the ShineBlast lip gloss this way:

“Light reflecting shimmer layered under a high-gloss finish gives you 4x more noticeable shine*.”

We can’t tell you if it is 1x or 5x more shiny and can’t imagine anyone paying attention to such a precise claim. We can say the gloss went on easily and the applicator is nicely defined for more accurate application. It is *very* shiny, and the taste/scent were not offensive, lasting several hours. In summation, we can recommend the gloss for those seeking über-shiny lips, but we can’t say the same for the shadows. (We note our material connection to the product, as free samples were sent to us, click here for more.)

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We leave you with one last tidbit from the Times, a story pointed out to us by The Queen Mother; with apologies to our Facebook Fans, we offer “Colleges Extend Welcome Mat to Students’ Pets“.

Dilip Vishwanat for The New York Times

The photo above shows Elena Christian and her Chihuahua, Annabelle. In her dorm room. At Stephens College. Where TP matriculated.

Here is another Stephens student, Allison Frisch, and her dog, Taffy.

Dilip Vishwanat for The New York Times

From the story:

“With these efforts, Stephens is hoping to smooth the transition of some students who may be so anxious about leaving home or adjusting to college life that a stuffed animal will not be of sufficient comfort. They want the real thing.”

Indeed.