Nothing gets me revved up on a Sunday morning like the prospect of breakfast and makeup samples. So when Bloomingdale’s in White Plains invited me to its “Makeup Date” recently, I shimmied into a navy lace dress and my favorite moody blue and deep purple Stuart Weitzman peep-toe pumps (See WAG’s October “Extremities” issue) and headed over there.
And I wasn’t disappointed. The vibrant Heather Thomson – one of “The Real Housewives of New York City” and creator of Yummie shapewear, ready-to-wear and denim — was the hostess with the mostest for an hour of product demonstrations and tips. I and some 200 other ladies learned how to prep our skin, contour our brows, create a smoky eye, sculpt our cheekbones and smell intoxicating, all with products from Clarins, La Prairie, Kiehl’s, Estee Lauder, Clinique, Benefit, Laura Mercier, Bobbi Brown, Trish McEvoy, Dior and Jo Malone and all while enjoying mini broccoli quiches, mini yogurt and granola parfaits, almond croissants, cranberry juice, coffee and mimosas.
After the presentation, the fun continued. Bloomie’s had given each of us a black makeup bag with white polka dots and hot-pink piping to fill up with samples. What a clever marketing strategy, one that kept the conversation and Champagne flowing and the counters and cash registers humming, all to the beat of a DJ.
At the Crème La Mer counter, business manager Holly Smith treated me to a hand massage with the line’s Moisturizing Lotion and Regenerating Serum, which was just what I needed after burning my right ring finger on some water from my boiler. Holly reminded me that La Mer began when aerospace physicist Max Huber was seeking an ointment to transform his skin after a laboratory accident. Sounds like science fiction, but the results are real enough.
As Holly waited on customers, I struck up a conversation with model and actress Manette Kryger, who was buying some La Mer before heading off to church, rendering unto Caesar as it were before rendering unto God.
And may the deity bless women. They certainly know how to transform making up their faces and shopping into a special moment.
For more on Heather Thomson and on “The Makeup Date,” check out WAG’s January “Super Power” issue, available at the end of December, and check out my new blog at the gamesmenplay.com.
