Lancome, Darais, and Orso

On Monday night I ventured to Orso in Los Angeles to meet up with Lancome's Celebrity Makeup Artist, Darais along with other beauty writers. I was the first one there which is always intimidating for me. I sat on the patio, reading the menu and sipping water until Darais walked in.

Darais is tall and tattooed, very hip and funky, just how I like my makeup artists. We chatted a bit and were joined by Amber from Beauty Junkies Unite. Soon Charli and Stacey from Daily Obsession came in, followed by Erin, a Lancome executive who reminded me of a raven haired Nicole Kidman, all pretty, thin and chic. Last to come in was Sarah from Beauty Banter. I couldn't tear my eyes away from Sarah's impossibly long, healthy, gorgeous hair.

Orso is amazing and I loved my food. Since I'm constantly watching each calorie with the dedication and discipline of a biblical scholar, I let loose and devoured fresh bread with Parmesan cheese, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The thin crust pizza ordered to share was consumed and digested before everyone got a slice. Don't ever try keeping me away from the fresh mozzarella, basil and tomato or you will be hurt. I'm sure you are drooling now. The main course was succulent veal with giant mushrooms. And dessert, which I can usually skip but not this time, was an Apricot tarte with creme fraiche. What a treat! For someone who is used to kid friendly restaurants with crayons and paper table cloths, Orso was a huge treat!

Now that we have that out of the way, I can tell you about Lancome's new products.

Not so terribly new but new to me is the vibrating mascara, officially named Oscillation. The photo of my eyes above, features this mascara lengthening and thickening my paltry lashes. The technique takes a minute to get the hang of and I find it easier to use the vibrating option on my lower lashes. All I do is stand there and let the mascara do its thing. The best remover for eye makeup is the BiFacil which took the mascara off easily when I arrived home.

Lancome's fountain of youth is the new Genifique, a multi-patented serum. It boosts the production of youth proteins and promises to make us all look like we have the skin of a newborn. It helps if you use a French accent when you say Genifique.

LaLacque Fever is a gloss that feels good not sticky, imparts great color, and lasts for hours! I wore it to the dentist yesterday and it lasted through a fancy tooth polishing and several beverages.

I learned that Juicy Tubes Pure is available now. Juicy Tubes have long been a favorite of many beauty loving ladies. The new version is almost 100% pure, contains shea butter and comes in beautiful sheer colors. I have to get my mitts on this!

Read up on Darais who is so talented. He's painted the faces of many top actresses and models. He's in demand! You can tell that he just LOVES what he does and is so passionate about it. I think that's the key to happiness, love what you do. And that's a beautiful thing.