On August 9th, I had the pleasure of sitting in on the dress
rehearsal for the fifteenth annual Chicago
Macy's Glamorama, “Fashion In A New Light”. Without a doubt, this is one of the city’s most important fashion
extravaganza of the new season and most anticipated. As a professional performer, I know all
too well the importance of a dress rehearsal. For those that had any
involvement in structuring the performance, but especially the on-stage
performers, show time is always a time of excitement, peppered with nerves and
anticipation. For those attending the
show, dress rehearsal or not, there is always an aura of excitement, and for an
event such as this, it’s THE fashion highlight for Chicago's media, sponsors
and fashionistas. www.macys.com
The palpable excitement of this show combined artistry with
showmanship and also philanthropy, as a fundraiser for Ronald MacDonald House Charities.
For entertainment, there was Sheryl
Crow, Cirque de Soleil, and Summer Set (winners of Macy's iHeartRadio
Rising Star contest). For fashion, there
were some of fashion's hottest designers, including Philosophy, Weekend Max Mara, Tommy Hilfiger, Diesel, Jean Paul
Gaultier, Rachel Rachel Roy, Maison Jules, and TALLIA Orange.
Well-scripted, rehearsed and executed, the visuals for each
exciting fashion segment were carefully choreographed to spotlight fashion’s
hottest trends. The use of lighting, where colors changed dramatically
within each segment, underscored the show’s theme “Fashion In A New Light” by transforming individual looks into
personalities of their own. The show was a feast for the eyes with a
rapid tempo that never dragged and kept you wanting more.
While the show's costumes were the designer fashions and the main attraction, noted Lancôme
National Makeup Artist Alex Sanchez performed his makeup wizardry by bringing each designer's outfit to life with flawless looks in the season's latest and greatest colors. He and his crew
turned out some of the most exquisite looks for the show by using iconic Lancôme Paris Cosmetics. The color
palates and finished looks beautifully accentuated each individual designer
fashion segment, emphasizing the show's theme. While each
designer fashion represented individuality, so too did the Lancôme Paris
colors, which were transformed from subtle to intense, natural to glam.
Before the start of the dress rehearsal, I had a few moments
to chat with Alex Sanchez backstage and what I took away from our time together
was his incredible passion for art and architecture, especially design elements
of form, function and beauty. This passion was apparent in the variety of
looks he created throughout the designer segments. The gamut ran from unstructured, casual, funky,
classic, dressy to tailored. Adapting makeup to a "look" is key
in how one develops that "look", no matter the clothes or
label. Beauty is universal and lies in how one perceives it. A person must feel "dressed" in
their own skin. Like any work of art, a clean canvas is key and when
dealing with the application of makeup to the skin, it is critical that the
individual maintains a skincare regimen that maintains their "canvas"
in a healthy condition. As I’ve written so many times before, it’s great getting
validation from someone like Alex Sanchez.
Good skincare is indeed the basis for all great looks. 
I also had a chance to try some of the new Lancôme Paris colors and test how easily
they went on, how easy it was to take the colors from a natural and subtle
look, to an intense glam look; I was also interested in seeing the endurance or
staying power of the colors and to see if there was any fade. For
the eyes, there were two palate compacts; Hynose Star 'It Accessories (Midnight Rush) and the other in browns, Hynose Drama 'It Accessories' (Taupe Craze);
both all-in-one color compacts included base, lid, crease, highlighter and
liner/contour colors. Ease of application was wonderful and pulled double
duty, dry or wet; staying power was favorable and I loved the ability to be
subtle or intense with the applications; the browns especially flattered my
fair skin tone. 
For thick lashes, there was Hynose Drama Mascara (black); sometimes it clumped and I had to
separate the one in blues, lashes, but the look was intense and lashes appeared fuller and longer.
For the cheeks, there's Blush Subtl (Cedar
Rose); used sparingly, this color accentuated my cheeks beautifully; the loved
the brush, which had a luxurious feel to it. For the lips, there was Gloss In Love (Peach Show) and Rouge In Love lipstick (Soft Peach);
application was easy and colors went on smoothly without smudging or
feathering; the lipstick went on first, followed by an application of the
gloss, which intensified the colors, while maintaining the natural subtlety of
the colors.
Lastly, there was an intense True Red Vernis In Love nail color, which I didn't get around to
trying, but when I do, more than likely it'll be on my tosies; there’s nothing
like having red nail lacquer on the toes to glam-up the peds! To see the entire line of beautiful colors, go to http://www.lancome-usa.com
The beautiful Lancôme Paris colors made the fashions looks in
the show come to life, and while I'll never be a fashion model, at least I can
wear beautiful colors inspired by fashion on my perfectly maintained
skin. In closing, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the performances by
Cirque de Soleil, Cheryl Crow and Summer Set at the dress rehearsal.
Cirque's Mystere was well represented with the phenomenal talents and
body-perfect athletes, whose ballet movements were a marvel to watch. The
musical numbers of both Cheryl Crow and Summer Set were obliterated by too
heavy a bass that should've been adjusted by the sound engineers as the dress
rehearsal progressed; it was disappointing to lose out of these acts and their
respective performances by not being able to hear a truly balanced representation
of each musical group's harmony and solo bits; even portions of the music in
Cirque's presentation were obliterated. I realize that it was the dress
rehearsal, but in every dress rehearsal I’ve performed in, sound, lighting,
blocking, script and movement were always adjusted as it was occurring if it
was off even a miniscule amount. I hope
that the necessary sound adjustments were made in time for the actual show,
which was later that evening, so those in attendance had a much better
appreciation for the individual talents of each group.
In closing, always remember that being fashionable is enjoying
the skin you're in and not being affected by someone else and what they look like
or what they’re wearing. Dress for yourself and enjoy whatever you wear
and whatever look you’re going for that defines your individuality and
uniqueness. That is part of real beauty.
That's it for this edition. Until the
next one, remember to take care of yourself and those you love.
By Terry Herman
Terry Herman is a
recognized expert in the industry, and regularly covers issues that include
business, management, operations, customer care, treatments, products, and
trends. In the 1990s, she authored an extensive "Glossary of Spa
Terminologies" and holds two copyright registrations. Consumer and
trade publications have also interviewed her as an expert. She also conducted an extensive nationally
broadcasted interview tour on aspects of creating an at-home spa, interior
design, stress and time management. Her
work has been published extensively in print and online in both consumer and
trade publications. In addition to writing, reviewing and being
interviewed as an expert, she is also a management consultant and motivational
speaker. She currently serves on EXPERIENCE | PREMCHIT Journeys In Retreat
To Wellness Advisory Board,
which is comprised of ten international experts in various fields of wellness
and spa. She also served as a Group
Manager for the popular LinkedIn group, The Spa Buzz. You can email her at
terrysspabeautywellness@gmail.com.
ALL MATERIALS COPYRIGHT PROTECTED
(Introductory photo from blogs.chicagoshopping.com. Photo of Alex Sanchez from primpandpout,
Instagram. All other photo credits as represented
by Lancôme Paris.)
N.B. Google’s blog platform is incompatible with my
Mac OS X and Firefox browser latest software versions, which is why some web
links appear in different colors and why when attempting to have embedded
images their sizing is consistent and/or can’t be sized.
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