Monday evening I asked Jace' to join me for an exercise in restraint. I wanted to challenge myself to a stroll through a book store WITHOUT purchasing a book. Over the weekend I moved furniture around opening up my grandfather's old bookshelf to house my books. I thought I could find a nice space for each one of my treasured children. NOT EVEN CLOSE! I realized...it's just a disease...my book buying (and refusal to lend, re-sell, give away, etc.) disease.
Ever the friend to set me straight, Jace' met me at Barnes and Noble. I grabbed an Iced Tea and we wondered upstairs where the REAL challenge was on....FICTION AND NEW RELEASES! John Irving has a new book out. So does Chuck Palanhiuk...so do a lot of people. What I needed was a diversion and FAST. (Lest Jace' have to knock me out...as I ordered her to do.)
And there he was....Dimitri James....IN PERSON! My temporary savior was introducing himself to a group of women (and a few men). Jace' and I grabbed two seats and were handed two tickets by his publicist Kelly. (Now...it must be noted...Dimitri looks EXACTLY like Chris Klien and Kelly bears a striking resemblance to Cameron Diaz. I was confused for a moment!)
As I listened with rapt attention (mostly to get my mind off the new Chris Cleave novel) I found myself laughing out loud, nodding my head in agreement, cringing in conviction as Dimitri shared his inspiration for his second publication.
Apparently Dimitri's friend, Jill, is the consummate nice girl who gets overlooked for everything! (Ever felt like Jill?)
She often calls him for advice and he has told her (time and again) to kick the double strand pearls and Tory Burch flats in favor of a tailored pencil skirt or a one shouldered dress with classic platform heels. Apparently Jill is still a work in progress...but the message was clear...and it resonated with me! What was the message? The message is a mantra:
"Sexiness does not belong to the beautiful, young, thin, adorable. Naughty knows no size. It doesn't matter what shape I am in, how old or how much time and money I have to spend on myself. I can still be sexy, fun, flirtatious and pulled together with clothes and make up customized to accentuate my positives and distract from my negatives." -Naughty Makeovers for Nice Girls
And, so, the mantra became a book!
(At this point I was thinking, "Thank goodness I have make up on and fixed my hair today. Unfortunately these glitter Tom's aren't doing much for my 5"2' frame. I hope he doesn't notice.")
Dimitri hails from a long line of European-trained aestheticians, his mother and both grandmothers, showed Dimitri how to create soaps, toners and masks using pure and natural ingredients. He says his
"desire to make over anything that stood still long enough" manifested itself in 4th grade as he got in trouble for using colored chalk as eye shadow on his female classmates. The makeovers led to eye infections and subsequent phone calls from the nuns!
Dimitri enjoyed a career working for cosmetic giants including: Estee Lauder, Chanel, Revlon, Lancome and Borghese. Additionally he trained students at Adrien Arpel Salons and spas. Through his years in the industry he learned even more about the types of ingredients which go into cosmetic products.
He launched his own line of cosmetics in 2002. SKINN Cosmetics includes treatment, color and makeup products. Jace' and I were lucky enough to trade in our tickets for a GENEROUS portion of SKINN Cosmetics swag!
Stay tuned for my review of the products in the swag bag!
Did I walk out with a book? You BET I did! Like I said, it is a disease! I am now half way through my (signed) copy of Naughty Makeovers for Nice Girls and have to admit...despite the wealth of information my impeccable mother has shared with me over this lifetime...I have learned quite a few things! Thank you, Dimitri! You were absolutely delightful!
Coming soon: Naughty Makeovers for Nice Girls: Part Two-The Products
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