Happy New Year! Beautyscopes for each sign will be back in February. This month, I offer you insight into navigating the astrological minefield that is 2012 with a wink and a smile (or at least a sigh of relief!).

In the Chinese zodiac, 2012 is the Year of the Dragon. The Chinese see dragons as powerful, wise and able to get things done. People born in Dragon years (recently 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988 and 2000) are seen as leaders. If you’re a Dragon, go forth and conquer the world this year! Pace yourself, though, or you’ll end up in an exhausted (if highly effective) heap. One great way to keep yourself fortified is by taking a multivitamin like Oxylent from Vitalah. It packs all the vitamins and minerals your body needs into a yummy, stevia-sweetened, effervescent drink. It even comes in prenatal and children’s formulas in case you’ve got a little dragon running around (or you’re growing one) who could use some help with conquering the world. Lead the charge to http://www.oxylent.com and prepare yourself for an epic 2012!

The three biggest astrological minefields of the year will hit us on March 12 – April 4, July 14 – August 8 and November 6 – November 26. These are the periods when Mercury will be in retrograde, so hold on to your hat! During these times yes will be no, north will be south and the whole world will be one big, simmering cauldron of bad ideas. Instead of getting that full-back Foghat tattoo you’ve wanted since you conquered Slow Ride on Guitar Hero, sit back and count to 100 … or 1,000. Actually, why don’t you really put the time to good karmic use and listen to a CD like Deep Relaxation with Zoe Samath? Zoe is a relaxation and stress reduction specialist with over 20 years of experience helping people increase their energy, creativity and focus. You can then use your new focus to avoid all things you’ll regret like crazy in six months! Invest in your own sanity at http://www.zoesameth.com.

Another fascinating astrological (and astronomical) event this year will occur June 5 – 6, when Venus will align almost perfectly between Earth and the Sun. While it’s not exactly a big cosmic whoop, it is pretty cool! When the planet of romance and beauty gets almost close enough to touch, toast it with a flute of Laurent – Perrier Cuvée Rosé Champagne. Crafted by the largest family-run Champagne house (and one of the most highly esteemed), it’s fresh, vibrant and pink … perfectly Venutian! Find it at your local fine spirits shop or at http://www.laurent-perrier.com.

Whatever the stars have in store for us, let’s make 2012 our best year ever. See you next month!

National Ice Cream month is here! And he’s way more fun than his other Awareness Month siblings. Whether we order it up from Dean & Deluca or swing by our beloved local Sweet Rose Creamery, Angelenos are spooning in style this summer! But no one is serving it up with more panache than Koi Los Angeles. Say, “adiosu” to the days of the classic Japanese dessert, and welcome the debut of Koi’s Buzzed Mochi Tasting Menu!

With six NEW cocktail-inspired dipping sauces, Koi has transformed ordinary mochi into fabulous, booze-infused after-dinner delicacies! A flavor for every palate, diners can sample the Chef’s Selection or mix & match their own pairings.

The menu is to-die-for!

Whether you prefer fresh fruit or rich indulgence, there’s a mochi pairing to satiate every craving…

KOI LOS ANGELES: BUZZED MOCHI TASTING MENU

• Vanilla Mochi – Calvados Apple Liqueur Sauce
- The Asian-fusion interpretation of classic Apple Pie àla Mode, this pairing is the perfect alternative to the traditional American dessert.

• Mango Mochi – Malibu Rum Sauce
- Tropical mango topped with a sweet Malibu Rum sauce transforms this simple dessert into an island vacation.

• Passion Fruit Mochi – Grand Marnier Sauce
- A truly indulgent fruit salad, this exotic mochi is highlighted with the citrusy notes of Grand Marnier.

• Chocolate Espresso Mochi – Irish Cream Sauce
- The perfect substitute to an after-dinner coffee, this pairing will satisfy a coffee craving and impress your taste buds to a rich, chocolate finish.

• Mint Chocolate Mochi – Kahlua Sauce
- Mint chocolate chip ice cream has been taken out of the cone and topped with a rich Kahlua sauce to highlight the cocoa flavors.

• Strawberry Mochi – Dark Chocolate Chambord Ganache
- The familiar flavor of chocolate covered strawberries enhanced by the soft mochi texture and a hint of Chambord.

KOI Los Angeles
730 N. La Cienega Blvd. | LA, CA 90069
(310) 659.9449
http://koirestaurant.com

L’Oreal Paris kicked off the 2011 awards show season with more glam than ever! A highlight brand of the HBO Golden Globes Luxury Lounge this past weekend, L’Oreal epitomized celebrity pampering. The Four Seasons Hotel suite in Los Angeles was magically morphed into an intimate bungalow à la Old Hollywood for VIP guests to come and find refuge during the chaotic weekend. The L’Oreal Paris Beauty suite hosted manicures, hair styling, make-up applications, and men’s mini facials.

Guests also sampled from a buffet of the brand’s hottest seasonal launches, including a Double Extend Eye Illuminating Mascara and Hydra-Energetic Ice Cold Eye Rollers. We fell in love with the new Infallible lip color in Intensely Mauve! The warm shade stayed put and kept us camera-ready all afternoon…

Can you recall an instance when you were kicking yourself for not having a video camera on-hand? Send us your story! If we like yours best, we’ll post it on our Facebook page and send you a congratulatory Ultra HD Flip Video camera in appreciation!

Entries should be sent to cityofglossangeles@gmail.com and must be received by February 28, 2011. No more than three stories per entry.

Good luck, Gorgeous!

I have a little candle burning brightly in my kitchen and it may be my favorite candle EVER. NEST and White Castle have come up with an adorable and fun way to raise awareness for autism. The Slatkin & Co. White Castle Craver Candle is a burger scented candle that smells scrumptious…pickles, onions, bread…it makes me hungry and happy just to light it up. It comes fancied up in a ceramic slider wrapper that is a dead ringer for the iconic wrapper that a REAL slider comes in. I am in love. It’s just a cheery bundle of fun. And clever.

I cannot for the life of me figure out how the smell of a Slider candle can be, so, well, yummy. This happy little candle also has a message. The $13.00 retail price raises money that goes to Autism Speaks. This little candle, fondly known as, “The Little Candle That Could”, has raised a half a million dollars that goes towards children with Autism. This is AMAZING considering that the candle is sold at White Castle to people who are spending about a dollar a slider. These candles were so popular that they initially sold out in 48 hours! Fortunately, they are now back in stock and still adorable. They are also available at HouseofCrave.com.

My fantasy Slider Party is Slider candles with the smell wafting all over the kitchen, with Sliders being passed, along with mozzarella sticks, chicken rings, sweet potato fries, and martinis”¦..oh wait”¦.that was the party I attended on December 14th, where a White Castle was transformed into a lounge and Martha Stewart, The Slatkins, and Vera Wang each showed their support for Autism. Feel free to show yours by snapping up this candle.

Retail Availability: White Castles nationwide, HouseofCrave.com

Enough with the neutrals, mauves, grays that I blended piously this fall. I am looking for something more vivacious and inspiring for the last weekend of the year! If you share my mood, make way this New Year’s Eve for the vibrant turquoise, mermaid and deep sea blues, peach and gold, coral and salmon hues in the Napoleon Perdis Swept Away make up collection. It inspires none of the frozen barrenness of our current season but the lushness of Australian tropics, the emerald depths of its ocean and the golden light of the Winter solstice in the land where a white Christmas alludes to a beach of immaculate sand. Napoleon Perdis is well known for his color palette with an upbeat, bold escapist vitality that defies all trends to elevate the spirits and build confidence by enhancing a woman’s natural beauty.

The Tropical Heat limited edition includes Ocean which boasts a Prismatic Eye Shadow Quad, a “Cheek to Chic” Blush Duo in peach and pink and a Luminous Lip Veil with lychee extract in nude tone. This is my favorite to enhance my blond complexion but I would go anytime for the Coral kit with silver, purple, gold and pink, the Blush Duo in coral and salmon and a Luminous Lip Veil in strawberry. The Sand Kit which might look best on a matte or darker complexion contains ivory, beige, tan and gold for the eyes with pink and terracotta for the cheeks and a flesh color sheer Lip Veil that reflects light like nothing your lips ever saw before. All colors blend smoothly with one another without a smudge leaving a satin-like coat to play up or down. You can combine any of these shades tomorrow night with the Bronze Bombshell duo, a coconut ““ scented lotion and shimmering gold flecked powder to create glowing skin that will challenge any frost bite even if you are standing on Times Square to hail the New Year in five feet of snow.

The products are remarkable for their texture and perfect finish that blend very well with the skin. This is due in part to the Auto Pilot Primer, a pre-makeup base formulated with chamomile, yarrow extract and Vitamin E that you should apply to prime your skin beforehand. Another one of my favorites is the NeoNoir Liquid Liner which offers exquisite definition and that will absolutely not run even as the wind fills up your eyes with tears (I checked this first hand in the after Christmas blizzard). The Napoleon Perdis Swept Away collection is retailed at Dillard’s and Stage Stores, Planet Beauty, Amazon.com and more.

To heighten another notch the shine and gold, sparkle and spirit of the night this New Year’s Eve, add some Glisten hair jewels by MicaBeauty. Glisten has become the coolest fashion hair accessory with its tiny sparkling blings that can be affixed to hair with a straightening iron to add real spark and glitz. The pink, rainbow, blue, green and clear acrylic crystals adhere to strands of hair in seconds. Keep the transparent film that covers the jewels on while you iron your hair and when the charms are affixed just gently peel it off. You now have a bejeweled mane like a Thousand and One Night princess. But in your case these hair jewels can be simply removed with shampoo the next day, thanks to modern water pipe technology and are available at http://www.micabeauty.com or in over 150 MicaBeauty retail kiosks and carts.

So if you are in the mood for drama, spice and tropic heat like me this New Year’s Eve try these luxurious colors and pair them with hair jewels to shimmer like a goddess of light and make a kaleidoscopic splash into the new Year! You are sure to have music in your step and inspire your crowd wherever you go.

One of my favorite make-up lines, MAKE UP FOR EVER, is giving away the gift of great lips this holiday. The French brand, who this past fall popped up in Sephora for us American gals, is launching an online Lipstick Shade Finder Tool, to make it easier for women to buy lip color. As we all know, it’s really hard to find the right shade when you can’t try it on before buying. The color depicted on a website or on packaging never appears exactly the same as it will appear on your lips. MAKE UP FOR EVER wants to help with that.

The Lipstick Shade Finder Tool was created to help women find their perfect shades of red, nude and pink lipstick by taking both hair color and skin undertones into consideration. To use the tool, go to Sephora’s website http://www.sephora.com/go/makeupforeverlipstick or to MAKE UP FOR EVER’s Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/MAKEUPFOREVERUSA and click on the tab Rouge Artiste. First select your skin undertone (there is a guide to help you determine your undertone) and then your hair color. You will receive a whopping four pink lipstick recommendations, three red lipstick options, and two nude lipstick selections. It’s super simple and take less than 3 minutes.

Want to know what the best part of all of this is? Starting today through December 22nd, 10 people will win their favorite shade of Rouge Artist lipstick each day. Simply try the new Lipstick Shade Finder Tool on the MAKE UP FOR EVER USA Facebook page and then choose your favorite shade to be entered to win. 10 winners will be selected from each day’s entrants on December 23rd. 160 winners will get their favorite Rouge Artist lipstick! So be sure to enter for your chance to win!

On Thursday, September 30th Variety hosted their annual Power of Women awards, where some of Hollywood’s most influential females were given top honors at the Beverly Hills Hotel. An impressive room of 400 A-listers and insiders filled the room to “˜inspire and encourage women from all walks of life to get involved, give back and make a difference.’ Among the gorgeous guests of honor were: Jennifer Garner, Eva Mendez, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Katie Holmes, and manager Susan Bymel.

All were celebrated for the significant impacts of their efforts on different philanthropic and charitable causes – as opposed to on-screen accomplishments. Honorees spoke with a mélange of humility, passion, and optimism. Weaved throughout the heavy causes at hand were light-hearted quips and commentary from emcee Lily Tomlin, John Malkovich, Anne Hathaway, and Maria Bello.

The event was sponsored in part by L’Oreal Paris. Very apropos, as the brand only seems to support the most worthy of causes for occasion. Turns out, they’re worth it. Ba dump bump. Actress and L’Oreal Paris spokesperson Kerry Washington was also on hand to honor Shannon Lambert, the founder of Pandora’s Project – a non-profit organization providing support and resources for victims of rape and sexual abuse.

L’Oreal Paris partnered with accessory designer Judith Leiber to create special crystal-adorned compact mirrors and lipstick holders, worth $475 and $495 respectively. They were signed by celebrity guests and then auctioned off, supporting Pandora’s Project with 100% of the proceeds.

As far as midday events go, this one was outstanding. Definitely not the usual Chicken with a side of Lecture luncheon.

**In the spirit of celebrating powerful women, email the correct name of the person who articulated the quote below to webmaster@beautynewsnyc.com, and be entered to receive an exclusive L’Oreal Paris/Judith Leiber crystal lipstick holder ““ complete with a Colour Riche® Lipcolour inside! (scroll down for more details)**

“I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; You need to be able to throw something back.”

Some witticisms worth repeating from the actual Power of Women 2010 event were…

- “So it seems giving back is the new “˜putting out’”¦” – Lily Tomlin, on charity work

- “Thank you all for having me”¦ well at least some of you.” ““ John Malkovich, on his invitation to the primarily female event

- “Women: We don’t mean to do too much. But if we don’t do it, who will? No…really?” ““ Maria Bello

** Emails must be received by October 31, 2010. To be eligible, all entries must include name, address and phone number. Winners will be drawn at random.

So you were satisfied seeing the movie-version of “Chicago,” Lady Gaga came and went, and the Tour de France isn’t high on your to-do list. Here’s a tour you won’t want to miss: The John Frieda® STYLE ON SITE TOUR is finally rolling up to Los Angeles this month! For those who haven’t heard, this mobile destination is the latest way to quickly update your look for the summer. The John Frieda® expert artists hit the road for real women to experience the best in styling and on-the-spot hair care. Led by celebrated stylist and John Frieda® International Creative Consultant Harry Josh, the team will be providing complimentary 15-minute consultations and styling lessons to address every hair issue. Each guest will receive a styling lesson and walk away with a personalized “hair prescription.”

Following hair sessions, visitors can top off new hairstyles at the BCBGMAXAZRIA mini boutique where fashion must-haves will be on display. Guests will have the opportunity to log on to bcbg.com shopping kiosks and order exclusive items only available through the Style On Site Tour.

WHEN: FRI, May 28, 2010: 11:00am ““ 7:00pm
SAT, May 29, 2010: 11:00am ““ 7:00pm
SUN, May 30, 2010: 10:00am ““ 6:00pm

WHERE: Hollywood & Highland
6801 Hollywood Boulevard (Hollywood Blvd & N. Highland Ave)

GIVEBACK: Throughout the duration of the tour, the John Frieda® hair care brand will be donating two dollars for every hair session to HAIRraising – an organization created by founder and hair stylist John Frieda, to benefit Children’s Hospital Boston. http://www.johnfrieda.com

Keeping up with the latest in what to wear (and how to pull it off) is hard. Fashion styles come and go, and beauty trends fade in and out. One thing that’s always in style: quality time with your friends. At Girls Night Out, you and your fabulous entourage will discover this season’s hottest fashions from emerging designers and experience pretty pampering with our beauty services. While you shop, enjoy delectable complimentary cocktails and beverages. Plus, score Shecky’s Famous Goodie Bag, filled with this summer’s must-have products. LOS ANGELES When: Wed.-Thu., May 19th-20th; 5pm-10pm Where: Santa Monica Civic Auditorium; 1855 Main St. (Pico Blvd. & Colorado Ave.)

TICKET SPECIAL
Shecky’s Goodie Bag + General Admission: $15 with code BEAUTYNEWS (exp. 5/10) | Usually $25 in advance

Buy your tickets today!
http://girlsnightout.sheckys.com/la/spring2010/?rf=SP10_LA_BN_E1

NOTE:
You must be 21 years or older to attend this event. Proper ID will be required at the door. All promotions and offers for tickets are subject to change at any time.

Calling all shoppers to the Westside – Throw on your Chuck Taylors, SPF and floppy hat! It’s time to hit up the annual Montana Avenue Sidewalk Sale. On Saturday, May 15th (10am-6pm), more than 60 of the famous avenue’s high-end boutiques will be offering between 15% and 80% off. Come out and stroll the tree-lined shopping district destination of over 100 shops, salons and restaurants.

Among participating retailers:

• Aveda: 15% off all products
• Benefit Cosmetics: 15% off all products
• Blue Jeans Bar: 50% to 75% off, Sizes 24-40
• Cabochon Jewelry: 40% to 50% off
• Janie and Jack: Up to 60% off select items
• Lucy: Up to 70% off
• Moondance Jewelry: 20% to 70% off
• Only Hearts: 50% to 80% off
• Planet Blue: Entire store up to 70% off
• Pom Pom Interiors: 30% to 50% off

Montana Avenue outdoor shopping is tastefully tucked away from neighboring boulevards ““ west of the 405, north of Wilshire, south of Sunset and San Vicente.