E! News-worthy Interview: Giuliana Rancic Q&A

As you probably know, I follow celebrities like it's my J-O-B. As such, E! News is must see TV in my house; Mr. Spoiled Pretty and I have an understanding that he is not allowed to touch the television remote between 7 and 7:30pm. So you can imagine how thrilled I when I recently got the chance to chat up Giuliana Rancic!

Giuliana has been anchor and managing editor of E! News since January 2005; and since that time, viewership has risen over 50 percent! In addition to her news anchoring duties, she often hosts red carpet events like the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards. The award-winning journalist also stars in the Style Network's real-life romantic comedy Giuliana & Bill, which follows Giuliana and her husband Bill as they juggle high-profile careers and marriage while living apart on opposite coasts.

Giuliana, quite literally, lives in makeup and designer duds - which makes her the perfect candidate for a Spoiled Pretty profile. Read on for her favorite fashion finds and how she always manages to always look so cute and camera ready...

SP: When did your fascination with fashion and beauty begin?
GR: I have loved makeup since I was a little girl. I come from a stylish Italian family so we were allowed to wear makeup at a very young age. I would say I started wearing makeup in 7th grade and I have loved fashion since I was about 10 years old.

SP: What is your everyday beauty routine?
GR: I shoot every day, all year round, so I wear makeup from 8am to 10 pm at night. 14 hours straight!!! So my cleansing regimen is super important to me. In the morning, I wash my face with Patricia Wexler, MD Universal Cleansing Lotion. It is very mild and perfect for the morning. I use her moisturizer as well. It gives my skin a dewy and fresh look. At night I use DDF Blemish Cleansing Foam to wash off my makeup and keep my skin clear thanks to it's small dose of salicylic acid. I moisturize with Patricia Wexler's PM cream and use her eye cream as well. Then I put on ChapStick Fresh Effects before I go to bed to moisturize my lips. I am obsessed with Patricia Wexler's products and I do not endorse her in any way. In fact, I have never met or spoken to her in my life but I would love to so I can thank her for making my skin look so darn great!

As for makeup, I start with L'Oreal True Match Foundation. I use Lorac Blush/Bronzer in Hot & Spicy for a great glow. Then I line my lips with MAC liner and use ChapStick Fresh Effects Green Tea Mint before my lipgloss as the perfect base. It tingles while it moisturizes so I love using it.

SP: What are the five beauty products that you can't live without right now?
GR: I always have my Lorac bronzing blush for a nice glow and my ChapStick Fresh Effects. I love the tingle it gives me while it moisturizes my lips. I can't have chapped lips on the red carpet when I'm standing 6 inches from a celebs face so I love this product because it gives me an instant beauty boost and is an amazing base for lip gloss and lipstick. I love my Patricia Wexler, MD Universal Cleansing Lotion and Moisturizer to give me great skin. I am also loving fake lashes right now. I use Andrea or Ardell from the drugstore. I have learned how to put them on perfectly so now it only takes me a few minutes and gives me amazing eyes. Fake lashes are the secret to a gorgeous eye!

SP: What is your signature fragrance?
GR: My signature scent is Quelques Fleur. I've worn it since I was in high school. It's a classic scent that I have never gotten tired of. My fragrance philosophy is to look for scents that are clean. Guys don't like anything too floral or bold. They love a girl to smell like she just walked out of the shower- clean and fresh. I spray it all over as well as my hair to make it smell great when Bill comes in for a hug.

SP: What was your most embarrassing fashion or beauty moment?
GR: The zipper on my dress broke minutes before I was to walk out to the Oscar red carpet two years ago! Thankfully, my backup dress was in my stylist's car on the way back to the designer, so he grabbed it and I did a quick swap.

SP: How has your look evolved over the years?
GR: I constantly change my hair color...platinum blonde, dark brown, warm brown, honey blond...I love changing my hair color every year. It keeps things interesting.

SP: What fashion trends are you loving and embracing right now?
GR: I just bought a few men's blazers in black and navy blue. They are by MM Couture. Very affordable and super stylish. I've been wearing them with a simple neon or bright t-shirt over super tight LNA stretch pants and my new above the knee Balenciaga black leather boots. They are equestrian style with a four inch heel and are very fitted to the leg and tall. So hot!!! I just got two tight leather motorcycle jackets, one in black and one in turquoise from the clothing company Secret Circus out of London. Love!

SP: What tips do you have for women who want star style on a budget?
GR: Shop at H&M, Forever 21 and Express. There is no reason to spend a lot of money on trendy items.

SP: What are three fashion accessories every woman should own?
GR: Tall leather black boots, a great trench coat, and a big, long scarf.

SP: Current handbag obsession?
GR: I love my new gray woven leather Cole Haan bag. It just came out and it's the perfect size.

SP: If you could only use one brand of makeup for life, which would it be?
GR: MAC. Most of my makeup is from MAC. I wear makeup for up to 14 hours a day and MAC stays on my skin the longest.

SP: What’s the best beauty tip/secret you’ve ever heard?
GR: Moisturize! My mother is in her late 60s and looks 50! She has moisturized her entire body, especially her face, every day of her life and it shows!

Watch Giuliana Rancic on E! News, weeknights at 7 and 11:30pm. She's also very active on Twitter...follow her tweets at twitter.com/GiulianaRancic.

Thanks for such a fun and informative interview, Giuliana. See you at 7!

Award Winning FOTD

Last night, I attended the PRSA/Philadelphia Pepperpot Awards - a celebration of outstanding performance in public relations by practitioners in agencies, industry, government, and non-profit organizations. The American Cancer Society’s Marketing Department (of which I am a member) was nominated for our efforts to pass Clean Indoor Air (smoke-free) legislation in Pennsylvania.

The Pepperpot Award has grown into one of the most coveted awards in the field of public relations, so I pulled out the big guns and went all out with my makeup. It’s a good thing I did, because my team ended up winning first place in the Public Affairs category! Yay us!

And the icing on the cake? Charm City Cakes, the bakery featured in the Food Network series, Ace of Cakes, created a magnificent confection that looked just like an actual pepperpot!

Here are the products I used to create my award-winning look:

Skin/Face:

L’Oreal Skin Genesis Daily Moisturizer Oil Free Lotion
Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Cover Foundation in 173

Cheeks:
* MAC Beauty Powder Blush in Sweetness

Eyes:


* Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
* Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero
* MAC Fascinating Ruby: 6 Smokey Eyes (from Passions of Red holiday collection)...I used Ambience, a cool mid-tone grey with silver sparkle.
* Exceptionnel de Chanel Intense Volume and Curl Mascara

Lips:
Besame Enriched Lip Glaze in Crystal

Interview With Nathan Johnson, Project Runway Makeup Artist

For months, I have been absolutely ravenous for new eppys of Project Runway. Every now and again, Bravo throws me a bone in the form of late-night or weekend marathons. But while these re-run nuggets are tasty and entertaining, I need sustenance. I require my Project Runway fix on a weekly basis or I get fussy.

So you can imagine how keyed-up I am that the Season 5 premiere of Project Runway is mere hours away. Can you even stand it? How have I survived without Tim's quirky chuckle or Michael Kors' one liners? "It looked like Comme des Garçons goes to the Amish Country!" Ah...the good old days.

My fellow PR junkies, brace yourself. Today, time is gonna move like molasses. So to tide you over until tonight, I have a little treat. Recently I had the opportunity to interview Nathan Johnson, Makeup Artist for Project Runway. Read on to learn about Nathan's favorite products, and how he makes them work - on the runway and in real life.



When did your fascination with makeup begin?

It began with Boy George. I was blown away with how he would use color to make himself stand out. I found it astounding that he could even make himself look beautiful. I suppose that's when I fell under the spell of makeup. Another biggie for me was Cyndi Lauper. She was (and still is) never afraid to go all the way. When she first came out, she would paint swatches above her lips and use eye colors no one else would ever have dreamed of. In a lot of ways, I think she was a force in creating the make up trends of the 80s.

How do you describe your makeup style?

That's a hard one. Since the majority of my work is for film, television, stage and public appearances, what I do is usually set for me (by the script or the image the celebrity already has). Still, I make sure everything I do has my flair, which is romantic glamour. When I work, I plan very little before I see the woman’s face. I use makeup to bring out all of the things that are uniquely beautiful in each woman.

What would be your dream makeup assignment?

I would be a staff makeup artist on a morning show. That would be awesome for two reasons: I love to be home at night and having normal hours. Second, the thrill of always having new people to work on and never knowing who’s going to sit in my chair is very exciting for me. I also love working with the everyday woman. I think make up should be taught to women in high school. So many ladies have no idea what to with color. They apply it wrong, or stick to the same three colors for their entire life. I get a lot of fulfillment from showing women how to bring their beauty to a new level.

What is a typical day like, for you, on the set of Project Runway?

Except for start of day and touch ups, it's always different. A half hour after call time, the models come into the L'Oreal room. From the second they sit in the chair, we have 30 minutes to hear the concept and execute the makeup. Touch ups only happen once and they happen in such a tiny window of time that we are only able to do what is necessary to the string of 10+ models. There are four makeup artists on the show and, between us, we keep track of every color used on every model. To work on Project Runway, you have to be ready for anything.

On Project Runway, is the model's makeup look a collaborative effort between the makeup artist and the designer? Or do you look to the garment for inspiration and let your imagination go wild? The show glosses over that process, so I am very curious.

It’s both. The designer comes to me with an initial idea or thought and I delve deeper by asking about the garment, the style, feel, fit, mood, colors, etc. Taking everything into mind, I tell the designer my concept and we reach a common ground. It is necessary to guide them at times. I tell them what works on TV, what works for the runway, what will read under the lights, what the judges like, how the colors compliment the look, etc. They know fashion, I know makeup...when we listen to one another, amazing things happen.

Can you share with us some on-the-set beauty tricks?

Have the powder already on your puff! Under those hot lights everyone shines and a pre-powdered puff saves so much time. Also, disposable lip brushes are a lifesaver. You can pop on lipstick or gloss, and then just throw it away. You don't have to keep track of each models brush, just get a new one every time. One thing I do on set that you can do at home is highlight and brighten. Want to make darkness disappear and features pop, use a lighter face powder. After you conceal under the eyes, press in the lighter powder with a dense brush, it will brighten the whole area and banish darkness. Want to make your structure pop, brush the lighter powder onto the top of the cheek bone an along the jaw line. I love the Three Custom Color Specialists face powders, they go on smooth as butter. Just be sure to choose a shade 1-2 lighter than your tone.

What are the trends in makeup this summer?

What I’m doing for summer evenings is a dark black red lip (try Three Custom Color Specialists 'Flapper' from a Century in Red Lip Collection) with a very shiny gloss on top. For daytime or evening, I’m brightening the lid with a champagne shadow and lining the inner upper rim of the eye with black, this gives appearance of a super lush lash line without the eye liner effect. It is fun and flirty. I am also using multiple colored liners on the bottom lash line. Apply the color below the lash line and smoke it out. Of course it depends on the woman’s coloring, but some of my favorites are Three Custom Color Specialists’ Navy Eye Liner, MAC Jade Way Technakohl Liner, and MAC Purple Dash Technakohl Liner.

Which brands or products are staples in your makeup bag/toolkit?

From Three Custom Color Specialists: Champagne, Bronze, Copper, and Silver Eye Shadows, and the Clarifier Pencils (they’re great for brightening the inner rim of the eyes, covering up stubborn spots and blemishes, and adding a nice strong highlight under the brow bone). Bellini Lip Gloss is my favorite. I use it over lip colors because it compliments everything. I also use it on its own because it is universally flattering. MAC Fluidline is a staple. I use it in lots of different colors. I also use some of their Pro eye shadows. Makeup Designory: I love this brand’s eye colors.

What is your number one beauty secret/tip?

Skin is a beautiful thing. Don’t cover it up unless you have to. In my opinion, the biggest mistake a woman makes is layering on too much foundation. Cover only what you need to cover. If you don't start with clean beautiful skin, nothing else will be beautiful. Makeup should say “Look at beautiful woman!” Not “look at that mess.”

Thank you, Nathan, for this glimpse behind the scenes! Be sure to catch the Season 5 premiere of Project Runway tonight on Bravo...it's sure to be fierce.

Carry on!