By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photo
At the Ala Moana Sephora, Smashbox National Artist Hank Hoffman and his makeup team introduced the company’s new Muse collection. He’s pictured with Sephora’s Savy Wendin, left, and Ala Moana store director Jeannie Higa.

In case you missed Thursday’s paper, this is just a reminder that Smashbox National Artist Hank Hoffman is in town offering makeovers and demonstration’s of Smashbox’s new Muse collection of spring color. Hoffman was at the Ala Moana store Friday and Saturday and will be at the Pearlridge store today, the 18th, to 5 p.m. In case you miss him, you can watch his video demonstration online at www.smashbox.com.

The Martin Luther Day sales are on, and one new stop to add to your list is the new Custo Barcelona store at Ala Moana Center, which is welcoming spring pieces and sending out fall designs at about 40 percent off.

Sadly, the Theory store will be closing its doors at the center — I heard Jan. 25 — and they have an abundance of separates and dresses to move out before the date.

Fighting Eel photo

Downtown, Fighting Eel will be hosting its Martin Luther King Day sale from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 19, with 25 percent off everything in the store, including marked down items and Fall 2008 styles. The FE headquarters is at 47 N. Hotel St. Call 524-1472 for more info.

And at Waikele, Barney’s New York Outlet is hosting its Winter Clearance Blowout, with an additional 60 percent off selected sale items.

Enjoy your day off. I’ll be working.

By Nadine Kam

If you’re in need of a color boost to lift your spirits, check out the bright juicy colors of the new Rock & Republic line on view at the front counter of Neiman Marcus’s Cosmetics department.

Definitely not for those too timid for shocking pinks and other saturated colors for eyes, lips and cheeks.

And, to add to your sales stops, the Stuart Weitzman boutique at Ala Moana Center is having a sale that starts today, the 20th. Get 30 percent off your first item, 40 percent of your second, and 50 percent off your third and beyond, the latter on select styles only. The sales prices are not applicable online. Call 941-4371 if you need more info.

By Nadine Kam

There are so many new cosmetic products delivered daily that it’s difficult to try them all to determine what works best. It’s great that stores like Sephora allow us to sample formulas, textures and color, and makeup counters at other stores also allow sampling with many ops for a makeover.

Faced with hundreds and hundreds of new products and colors, I tend to get overwhelmed, but here are a few things that work for me:

I mentioned Make Up For Ever Eye Seal in the print edition today. It’s not sexy, but this provides one way to get the clean, finished look you see in magazine ads. It’s lightweight but works like a glue to hold color to your eyelid. Pat some on and dab on your shadow in layers that stay true to the color you see in the pan. A little on your liner brush will also transform your shadow into a liner. It’s especially essential if you like mineral or glitter shadows that tend to scatter and fly everywhere on your face. It’s $20 at Sephora.

I like a glow that looks as if it’s coming from within your skin rather than sitting on the surface. Benefit’s Posie Tint ($28) is a pink transparent stain that you can rub in a thin layer over your cheeks for a light, natural-looking flush. My skin is really pale, so I can’t take colors much darker than this. I don’t know how well it would work with darker skin, but it seems to me, with the right primer, it could work. You can find all Benefit products at Sephora and Macy’s.

Before the rest of your makeup goes on, it’s important to wear sunscreen. Dr. Zein Obagi’s ZO Skin Health Oclipse Sunscreen + Primer SPF 30 does several jobs in one, protecting against UVA/UVB sun damage with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide; moisturizing; repairing skin with lipopeptide and vitamin E; and priming the skin with silicone to give makeup a smooth, even finish. It appears to have a slight tint as well, making your skin look good enough to do away with foundation if you have the confidence to walk out the door with a nearly naked face. Set with powder and you’re good to go. It’s $85, exclusive in Hawaii to Nordstrom.

Giorgio Armani Beauty’s Lip Wax compact lipsticks are amazing, delivering saturated color in a formula that’s so smooth and light you barely feel it. It’s not sticky, gooey, wet or all those unpleasant things. For a “wax,” it doesn’t even feel waxy. It is also neither too matte nor too glossy, making it look chic and modern. Use your fingertip to blot on a thin layer for a blush of color, or use a lip brush for a precise, dramatic lip. If you wear no other makeup, this will give you maximum polish with no work at all. This being from Armani, the colors are no-brainers. Even if you don’t trust yourself, the selections have been edited down to flattering, easy-to-wear hues.

I’m pretty sure men will like it too, because we always hear how they hate to kiss gooey, overglossed lips. I even know men who are just plain frightened of women with overdone, overlined lips. The compacts are $26; exclusive in Hawaii to Neiman Marcus.

Pores seem invisible on childrens’ skin, but somehow start growing into deep chasms during teen years. For this there is spackle for the skin, like Clarins Lisse Minute or Instant Smoother ($28), one of the brand’s Instant Beauty Perfectors. Instructions tell you to lay it down before applying makeup, but to avoid heavy layering, I just spot dab it where there are major potholes, a remnant of childhood chicken pox. This melts onto skin and smooths areas that look and feel like our city streets. It amounts to filling in your pores, so make sure you wash thoroughly when using such products. Find it at Nordstrom.

I see a pattern with my faves in seeking lightness and ease. Would love to know what works for others. Also, the biggest news lies in mascaras, but I’m still trying them out. There are so many considerations with mascaras, including the look you’re going for, like Urban Decay’s Big Fatty Mascara ($19) will deliver a thick, high-impact lash. I guess I’m looking for the ultimate defining, curling, smudgeproof, waterproof formula for lashes that normally head straight south.

By Nadine Kam

One more contest: Head to Bar 35 July 26 for the “Harajuku Lovers Live” hair and makeup competition. Ulupono salon, W-Salon, and Sanctuary Salon will be in the house with a photographer on site taking pics of all the excitement.

Hawaii Red magazine, at www.hawaiiredmagazine.com, will feature the contest winner in an upcoming issue, promising virtual immortality, second best to instant fame and notoriety.

For those who crave neither, the opportunity to gawk is also a wonderful thing. Starts at 9 p.m.

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Speaking of Harajuku Lovers, check out these cute totes/back-to-school book bags from the line: Juku in Navy, $58; Candy in Green, $95; Bishoujo in Red, $58.

By Nadine Kam

Photos by Nadine Kam
Makana Esthetics Director of Education Malia Sanchez, left, with former classmate, the Star-Bulletin’s Rose Bernardo.

With the growing interest in the spa industry and physical well-being, Malia Sanchez and Christine Hall saw a need for advanced esthetician training for those aspiring to work in high-end resort spas or medi spas, and created the Makana Esthetics Wellness Academy, an accredited Esthetics Certified training program that celebrated its grand opening May 29.

Melissa Samiano was one of the beneficiaries of her sister Melanie’s hand and arm massages.

Those who attended were able to walk through the treatment rooms, enjoy hand massages, sample the lines of Peter Thomas Roth Clinical Skin Care and June Jacobs Spa Collection carried by the school, as well as enjoy food, including shrimp scampi and spicy ahi on tortilla chips, catered by Pearl Kai’s newest restaurant Off the Wall.

The school’s Core Esthetics Course consists of an intensive 15-week curriculum designed to help students pass the Hawaii State Licensing examination. Summer courses open for registration start up July 14 and Aug. 25. Call 591-6090 or visit www.MakanaAcademy.com for more information.

Model Karen Vance showed up with her fringy dog-shaped purse from Anteprima Plastiq.

Where there are students, there’s a need for guinea pigs, and what that means for you is the availability of facials running $35 to $45, with add-ons such as a single microdermabrasion treatment for $25, or single glycolic treatment for $25.

They’re at 1168 Waimanu St., across from the Ko’olani condominium. Park on the street.

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Among restaurateurs in attendance were Ed Kenney (Town, Downtown), Donato Loperfido (Pasta & Basta, Elua), Philippe Padovani (Elua) and Henry Adaniya (Hank’s Haute Dogs). The room was so packed it was hard to back up far enough to get a photo, and the only reason this one was possible is because these party guys were among the last to leave.

After dropping in on the Makana Esthetics Wellness Academy, it was off to Waikiki for Nobu Waikiki’s one-year anniversary. I couldn’t believe a year has flown by, but so it has.

In a small room in the back of the restaurant, the fashionable — including a bunch of magazine eds., party girls and a contingent from Louis Vuitton — mixed with the foodies. It was near impossible to back up for a photograph, and among the restaurateurs able to take a break from their own kitchens to congratulate Nobu were Henry Adaniya, Kevin Aoki (Doraku Sushi), Ed Kenney, Donato Loperfido, George Mavrothalassitis (Chef Mavro), Philippe Padovani, and Ana and Tushar Dubey of Hokulani Bake Shop.

Wine and lychee martinis flowed, and waiters made the rounds with trays of lamb chops, Nobu’s famous black cod, temaki rolls, seabass and jalapeno-topped hamachi, one of my favorite dishes.

The party didn’t end after it was over, as many just took their celebration to the sushi counter or to the bar.

Congratulations, Nobu!

By Nadine Kam

Diorshow Artist Thuy Pham, who visited Hawaii twice during spring to show Dior’s latest makeup tips, tricks and trends, is featured in the June issue of Elle magazine, demonstrating how to “indulge your inner diva” with Diorshow products.

Of interest to beauty junkies is Dior’s, Elle’s and Macy’s invitation to be an Artist in Action, featured in the January 2009 issue of the magazine.

Give it a try by grabbing a friend and digital camera and heading to a Macy’s Dior counter. Make over your friend using Dior products and snap a photo of your work. Email the photo to ArtistinAction@Elle.com. The deadline to enter is Sept. 15, 2008. You’re limited to one entry per person or email address. Full details are available at Elle.com/Promotions/ArtistinAction

Good luck!

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
From left are Chihana Onozeki, Maria Garrido Gabaldon — who some scene observers like to call Hawaii’s Penelope Cruz — and Susanne Sjodin.

mixmix celebrated the opening of store No. 2 at 1440 Kapiolani Boulevard across from the Ala Moana Center branch of Bank of Hawaii Wednesday night with champagne, chocolates and a peek at designs by Diane Von Furstenberg, Dries Van Noten, McQ, and more for women, and Veronique Branquinho, Kris Van Assche and Super Fine for men.The Bethel and Pauahi street original remains open, although there are plans to branch out into other directions, so keep your eyes open.

Unlike the white party that marked last fall’s opening, there was no dress code this time.

Maria and Tomoya Tsuruhara.

From left, stylist Crystal Pancipanci, N. Trisha Lagaso Goldberg and Lesa Griffith. Crystal will be in tonight’s episode of “Lost,” as one of the paparazzi/reporters participating in an international press conference. (Just so’s she doesn’t get into trouble, I found out about it from other sources before I saw her.)

ABC photo
Crystal’s not alone with her TV closeup. Honolulu Nightlife Diarist Christa Wittmier — complete with apparently non-working camera (pictured behind Cheech Marin) — will also be in the episode, as well as Shana Peete. Wish I could watch in real time but I’ll have to catch up later online. I hate that because I find the resolution distracting. I can see the makeup tricks and think, “Hey that’s not dirt; that’s Guerlain Terra Cotta or Stila Sun.”

By Nadine Kam

Sephora is promoting “Five reasons we adore Dior” through its Beauty Insider program

Reason No. 1 is Dior Addict High Shine Lipstick ($25) for long-lasting, smudge-proof wear and intense color. But I was checking out the Midnight Blue Dior Vernis nail lacquer ($19) manicure in the photo.

I was just talking to someone about how fast my fingernails grow, faster than it takes to ruin a manicure, and how great it would be to promote something like a reverse French manicure so I wouldn’t need a do-over so quickly, and here it is in the ad:

By Nadine Kam

M.A.C illustration

Just did a story on M.A.C and they have struck again with a new limited-edition Heatherette collection with pink-cased lipstick and lipglass, plus two eyeshadow trios—one with peach and turquoise colors plus a darker liner color, and one in shades of pink and purple. You can finish with any of M.A.C’s glitter or pigments for a look that says “Superstar” and living up to Richie’s and Traver’s rep as 24-hour party people.

Alliway photo

Meanwhile, if you’re looking for something to do this Good Friday, you might head over to Ward Warehouse to check out Alliway’s 3-2-1 Easter sale. That is, 30 percent off Alliway jewelry, 20 percent off handbags, 10 percent off other merchandise. The sale is on through tomorrow.

Alliway, along with Ginger 13, are among the local designers selected to be showcased in the second-floor jewelry section at Nordstrom. Congratulations Alli and Cindy!

By Nadine Kam

Have all five winners for the M.A. C contest. Thanks for entering. I’ll be in touch with you all.