Smashbox Cosmetics Reign Collection was designed by makeup artists, photographers and models in the interest of creating a flawless look. The 2009 “Reign” Color Collection is allegedly inspired by the “rule of the English Tudors” so as to “epitomize the lavish extravagance of royalty.” Despite the more than slightly pretentious choice of muse, Smashbox delivers a series of products that may very well be worthy of royal use. The collection includes Lip Gloss, Lash DNA Mascara, Fusion Blush, and Jet Set Palette; all of which come packaged in what could only be interpreted as a convoluted Smashbox-logo-meets-Tudor-Crest design.

Although this reviewer would not dare assume to know whether any product is worthy of a queen’s application, it does seem that in some cases Smashbox has conjured up some luxurious and high-quality cosmetics:

Jet Set Palette ($48): Conveniently housed in a leather compact, the Jet Set Palette is this reviewer’s favorite product of the collection. Such high praise is primarily due to the fancy leather casing and the Mini Arced Liner Brush, which allows for smooth and steady application. Colors include matte black and matte dark brown eyeliner for top eyelids, and metallic gold and metallic brown colors for bottom lashes to achieve a brightening effect.

Fusion Blush ($32): Like the Jet Set Palette, the Fusion Blush also arrives in an impressive leather compact, complete with a mirror; however, the mirror loses all purpose when closing the compact results in the glass surface coming in direct contact with the blush itself. That being said, the product meets its promise to deliver a “naturally-flushed appearance,” as a result of the subtle mixing of both the shimmer and matte shades, which are presented side-by-side in the same compact casing.

Lash DNA Mascara ($19): Encased with a convenient application guide, the Reign Collection Lash DNA Mascara in plum is certainly unique, perhaps fit for those seeking spotlight much like that highlighting a royal throne. The wand is thick, as is the pasty liquid, but application is smooth. Although the color is not conventional, this product’s effect is actually rather subtle and not at all as purple-y as would be expected. Also of note: this product is marked “cruelty-free.”

Lip Gloss ($18): The Reign Collection Lip Gloss’s somewhat tacky application is overcome by a sweet aroma and a charming keychain cap. Smashbox encourages users to “indulge lips in extravagant color and scandalous shine,” yet the effect is actually rather dull and reminiscent of this reviewer’s pre-lipstick adolescence, made up mostly of drugstore finds affordable on a babysitter’s budget.

Smashbox’s 2009 Color Collection is available at The Plaza Beauty by Warren-Tricomi, One West 58th Street at The Plaza Hotel’s Grand Concourse Level.

Jessica Stein

Depending on your style, a morning after a late night out may be associated with a hangover ,headache, a craving for bacon, a desire to recall the name of the person sleeping alongside you, or perhaps all of the above. Regardless of one’s day-after agenda, those of us who adorn mascara and other eye products similarly inspired by Cleopatra, are also inclined to struggle with blurry eye-rubbing resulting in dark makeup-drawn streaks across the sides of our index fingers. The solution? A safe and effective eye-makeup remover.

Finally, the morning after need not be so blurry! This is because Physician’s Formula now introduces to its Organic collection 100% paraben-free, cruelty-free Eye Makeup Remover Pads.

As the skin around our eyes is particularly delicate, this organic formula that is also 100% free from harsh chemicals, is ideal for frequent use. Furthermore, Physician’s Formula also incorporates an aromatically pleasing “eco-aroma” to “condition and soothe” eyeliner/mascara/eye shadow-laden lids.

Pads are effective in a manner of strokes; however, individual pads do stick together and may be somewhat of a nuisance to detach. In addition, multiple pads will be necessary to fully free eyes from all traces of makeup. Despite these minor criticisms, Physician Formula’s new organic family member should be a welcome addition to any users’ cosmetic collection, especially those who loathe the morning-after penalty that comes in not using this product the night before.

Jessica Stein

A living legend, Chico Hamilton has played with the likes of Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Nat King Cole, and Sammy Davis Jr. and recently celebrated his 88th birthday with a show at Le Poisson Rouge in Greenwich Village. I had a chance to speak to the NEA Jazz Master for a very, very brief talk about his illustrious career and found that his craft for conversation was not as developed as his skills on the drums. He was a bit like “mean grandpa jazz” calling my questions stupid but I did coax a few replies out of him before his nap or Matlock or whatever 87 year old Jazz musicians do when they aren’t onstage.

I asked Chico what it was like being a jazz musician coming up in the heart of the depression in California and he thought it was a stupid question but did relent to say that “at that time in jazz, you were considered a sinner and there was only one kind of music being played at that time which was swing music.” After brushing aside a few more questions with Andy Warhol like short answers, I inquired about his experience in teaching and why he wanted to work as an educator to which he replied that it was his way of giving something back because music has always been very good to him.

Mr. Hamilton has had a few choice parts in the world of film, such as his role playing in Fred Astaire’s backing band onscreen in the 1941 hit You’ll Never Get Rich (which featured Rita Hayworth’s first big starring role) so I asked him about how he ended up in the world of movies. He told me that he had been in films ever since he was a kid in L.A.- “I was in all the Tarzan movies- you know those natives running around the jungle, I was one of those kids.” When asked about his feeling about contemporary music Chico stated that “it takes all kind of music to make music- that’s my philosophy” going on to say that music was “God’s will and God’s will, will be done.” Finally as for his advice to young people who want to make it as musicians Chico said to “save your money” and with that nugget of sunshine we bid adieu and I looked back on our five minutes together and thought about all the good times we shared as a montage of dead silence and aggravated short answers played in my head to the hit “Through the Years.”

Tim Needles

Weather changes are imminent and thus, it is time to once again alter our skincare regimens from sun-wary to wind-wary in light of the all-too-familiar damaging effects of colder weather.

Darphin is a Paris-based skincare line founded in 1958 by Pierre Darphin who became renowned for his individualized approach and transformational results. Most unique to the Darphin line of cosmetics, according to the line’s website, is its Aromatic Care formulas, as they are highly concentrated and designed to “purify, balance, tone, [energize, soothe and relax]” the skin through the inclusion of restorative essential oils.

Darphin’s aromatic qualities are meant to enable consumers to enjoy a “multisensory experience” and trigger more than just the skin in the transformation process. This approach brings to life Darphin’s belief that one cannot look good if one does not feel good. There is no doubt that the fragrant nature of this particular product enhances that freshly clean post-use feeling.

Darphin Aromatic Cleansing Balm with Rosewood itself is waxy to the touch and upon mixing with water results in a subtle lather. A little goes a long way, which is very, very, very ideal for an item such as this balm, which sells for $95. Despite it’s not-so-recession-friendly pricing, there is no doubting that this cleansing balm lives up to its refreshing promises. The rosewood scent is delightfully not overpowering and is indeed a very aromatically pleasing scent to apply so close to the nose. Furthermore, skin feels entirely cleansed without also experiencing that drying sensation that other, too-harsh formulas cause.

Darphin Aromatic Cleansing Balm is a splurge worth making for the skincare savvy consumer with a nose for high quality, nourishing formulas. With the onset of autumnal winds and hints of winter ahead, I must warn that one whiff of this rosewood heaven may lead you to consider this one indulgence.

Jessica Stein

Babes In The Woods
(Microcinema)







You just gotta love early 60’s ‘nuddie’ films. Naked girls romping with their pre-silicone breasts (well not completely ‘pre’ but certainly not common at the time) bouncing, as they enjoy the sun, fun, and seclusion of summer camp settings or private beaches and backwoods. It was a simpler time way back then, in 1962 precisely when Babes in the Woods was filmed, when harmless movies like this could be and would be made, with the absolute only intention to show women naked.

“Babes” is basically a silent film with narration and dialogue put on after. The three ‘babes’ in question pretty much strip at a waterfall, at a gas station rest area, and at the side of the road while an insipid plot written by Edmund Kerwin (and I do use that word ‘written’ loosely) unfolds from the narrator’s telling, he the dead proprietor of the cabin-in-the-wood motel the trio have been trying to get to.

Lost for over 40 years this one hour film is now available through the Independent International company and while a little scratchy, if kitsch and naked girls are your thang director A.A. Krovek’s Babes In The Woods is a gem of this type of film making from yesteryear.

Ralph Greco, Jr.

Observe and Report
(Warner Home Video)





Sometimes your kids grow up and they don’t know what they want to be, the same is true in the world of film and such is the case with Observe and Report starring Seth Rogan. Its one part romantic comedy, one part psychological thriller, and eight parts question marks as the film weaves in and out of genres rather than evenly blending them together. Seth Rogan plays a mall cop ala Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver and it’s a tough pill to swallow after the sentimental everyday guy “won’t you please love me” antics end early on in the story.

The film is like the evil stepchild version of Paul Blart: Mall Cop and when it goes dark it means it with heavy drugs, date rape type situations, violence, and a touch of psychosis, and these are the elements that are actually most redeeming in the film. There are some worthwhile macabre laughs but getting to them is tough at times when the plot becomes overt but it’s worth sticking with for the moments.

The movie is not bad but it is certainly unsuccessful and really doesn’t find its way until the last act when it’s a case of too little too late. As Hillary said- it takes a village to raise a child and the same is true in producing a film, so who knows who messed this film up. But it clearly had some potential and it’s a shame to see it stuck in therapy and going nowhere in life.

Tim Needles

Niagara Bar
112 Avenue A
New York, NY 10009
Tel# (212) 420-9517
Hours:
7 days a week: 4PM to 4 AM
Happy Hour: 4 PM to 8 PM daily



New York City has some of the most historical locations in the entire country. At least the most notable. You can walk into any restaurant or bar and they’ll tell you all the stories about celebrities, politicians, and other such folk who frequent their establishment. In keeping with the historically important vein, take a trip to the East Village, and you’ll find a bar that has tried, and is now succeeding, in regaining the old artist and musician culture that used to permeate every brick in the area below 14th Street. Niagara Bar has a history, as a rockstar hangout for the likes of Joey Ramone and Joe Strummer (yeah, it’s that bar with Joe’s giant portrait on the side of the building). It is a hub for meeting other artists, located in a central spot on 7th and Ave A. Since the passing of the golden age of rockstars, places like the East Village have struggled to retain their allure, and though slowly, Niagara is one of the bars that is again giving artists the place to reconnect with the lost culture of the Village.

The layout of the bar is simple, there is an upstairs and a downstairs. Upstairs has a long bar, manned usually by one or two bartenders, some simple seating, and a back room area with a photo booth. The downstairs has just been remodeled so there is another large bar and seating (but more often lots of dancing). On the surface, it’s just your average bar. What is above average are the things that go on behind the scenes. Niagara is one of the homes of the Antagonist Art Movement (which is a whole other article altogether), who put on weekly art and music shows. And they’ve been doing this for years. The music shows began as part of the Thursday art shows, but have since broken off and created its own night, Mondays. One Sunday a month there is also a writer’s night, and at any time there is some crazy group of artists hanging around the bar, just shooting the shit.

The newest artistic addition to the bar is its permanent wall art, courtesy of Yoshitomo Nara. Completely drunk one night, he was given a sharpie and told to draw on the walls, which he did, before continuing into the subway system and subsequently was arrested for defacing public property. Niagara has become a name in the East Village for allowing artists freedom to express themselves, without asking for much in return: just bring folks into the bar and you can show your stuff.

Marissa!

A Place to Bury Strangers have been blasting speakers with their breed of doomy noise rock for several years now, having recently gained greater attention on the strength of their self-titled 2007 debut album – a collection of mostly preliminary or demo recordings that few were supposed to hear. The band has toured extensively since, and have even joined MGMT and Nine Inch Nails on respective tours. I met the band – singer/guitarist Oliver Ackermann, bassist Jono MOFO and drummer Jay Space – at Death By Audio, the custom guitar effects pedal company founded by Ackermann, which is perhaps the only place that can be responsible for crafting most of the more hair-raising sounds this band can conjure…

Did the success of the first album and the new attention to the band come about quickly?

Oliver: Oh yeah, I had no expectations whatsoever. We had an offer [from label Killer Pimp] to put it out for nothing. Before that, we would go through the ridiculous labor of burning CDs and making all the artwork just to sell them for $3 at shows.

Jono: I said, ‘Let’s just go for it.’ I thought it’d be good so we at least had something out there that we could sell and that didn’t cost us anything.

Oliver: I always thought we would just re-record everything later, so we limited it to 500 copies. I would talk to people who had friends in the music industry and it seemed like we had to have the right producer or studio… I’ve been D.I.Y. for so long now, I almost felt like giving up; like, “If that’s what it takes to make a band…” But people really liked it, and it gave us great confidence in that what we were doing wasn’t worthless.

After the first album, you guys started touring a lot more. Had you been playing regularly before then?

Oliver: Yeah, I used to say ‘Yes’ to every show and these guys would get so pissed [points to Jono and Jay]. There was a lot of ‘Do we have to play at Lit Lounge again?’ We’d play out on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday...

Jono: Then you try to get friends and people to come to the shows and they’re always, “You’re playing again?”

Did you run into more issues with the sheer volume of your sound at venues the more you played and toured?

Oliver: It’s been a long road of getting kicked out of clubs, getting threatened by the sound guys, blowing out lots of other people’s amps…

Jay: A lot of teenage girls doing this [makes painful face while plugging ears]

How has audience reaction changed the more you’ve played out? And how did your sound go over on bigger tours with Nine Inch Nails and MGMT?

Oliver: I’ve noticed the crowd spans a range of ages. There are people that were maybe into bands like the Jesus and Mary Chain a while ago that hear that in us… I guess if the moms are into us, it can’t hurt. [laughs] But it runs the gamut. It’s cool that there are people still into this type of music. The NIN tour was crazy positive every night… But I remember this one guy who had his middle finger up at us for most of our set, so I stared him down until it got really awkward. He put it down, then eventually started moving his head to the music…

Jay: My favorite was getting an E-mail from someone where the subject said “You’re So Awesome,” then we open it up and it’s an attack. “You guys suck … who wants to listen to 45 minutes of feedback!?”

Has all the touring improved the band on a musical level?

Oliver: It made us a lot tighter and created more intensity in the band, so now we’re constantly challenging each other.

Jay: I’ve been pushed to a whole other level of my drumming … The first album, a lot of it is drum machines, but I end up playing the parts live anyway.

Jono: He’s a live machine.

The new album, Exploding Head, boasts a greater sense of melody and tighter structures amidst the noise. At their core, some songs sound like they could be pop. Was there intent to go that way with this album?

Oliver: We were trying to make what we think is a good album from start to finish. We were focused on getting a more hi-fi sound; it’s an experiment, I guess. If it doesn’t work, maybe we’ll go back to something more lo-fi. But I learn new recording and mixing techniques almost every day, so this album is sort of a culmination of that up to this point. And I like pop, too. I’m up for inspiration from anywhere if it sounds good … and those elements can be different in every song; maybe it’s the bass in one or the melody in another.

Your music is defined to a large degree by experimentation with sounds and guitar effects; is that a major and painstaking process when writing and recording?

Oliver: I like to experiment with technology not familiar to me to see what will happen… But it takes some hard work. You always think something could sound better, so it’s a never-ending search.

Jay: Oliver and I have spent hours just going through electronic drum sounds trying to get the right one. We’d find one, record the song and then realize listening back that it’s not right at all, and we’d have to start over again.

Jono: It’s always more fun to use fucked up sounds than normal ones, but sometimes you have to know when to reign it in if it’s more appropriate for the song. Sometimes a clean guitar could actually be best.

Oliver, you’re in the business of creating effect pedals. Are much of your set-ups custom built? Ever have problems with them while on the road and be stuck in a hard place?

Oliver: Well I make ‘em, so they never fail! [laughs] We’re open to using anything, really. We’ve had equipment break on tour, and then had to borrow gear from other bands. Sometimes you’ve got to think quickly to make things happen out there. We do have this electronic drum module that we built, and it does sort of look like a big bomb, so customs agents always carelessly unscrew it and look around inside to check it out. It’s pretty delicate and there’s not much room to breathe in there, so they’ve broken it a few times.

Has it ever been a concern to not let the noise and loudness appear gimmicky?

Jono: If it’s ever just experimental noise over and over again then yeah, it would get old, but there’s more to it than that…

Oliver: There’s definitely a purpose – there must constantly be one to keep things exciting. But I mean, if I get tired of it, or the band gets tired of it, then fuck it. As long as I’m creating music for myself, or we’re making music that we’re into, that’s what’s important.

A Place to Bury Strangers’ killer new album Exploding Head is released Oct. 6 on Mute, and the band will play at the Bowery Ballroom Oct. 29.

John Mordecai

Pureology Systems introduces the Essential Repair Restorative Hair Masque to its line of well-touted Antifade Complex products, designed to strengthen and revitalize hair so as to restore it to a healthy state. For those with colored hair who have indulged perhaps a little too much in summer’s beach, pool and sunny-sided offerings, this masque may be exactly what your tresses need to kick start a hair-healthy fall season.

As would be expected, the product comes as a thick and viscous, paste-like substance. It comes in a bubble-gum pink form and smells much like the goo dentists use to clean teeth (readers may note that the website refers to this scent as its “signature aromatherapy blend” comprised of vanilla, bergamot, jasmine, mandarin, rose, lavender and ylang ylang. Go figure!). Although its aroma is not-quite-pleasant, it is not wholly intolerable either.

Furthermore, the experts of Pureology Systems have thoughtfully equipped the package with a small comb so as to ensure the products’ thorough, equal dispersion. Post-application rinsing proves somewhat difficult, and ultimately results do not prove to be very drastic. That being said, this reviewer’s once-dry ends did seem to have somewhat more moisture than they did pre-masque. Despite its subtle results, the Pureology legacy and vegan nature of the product make for a worthwhile investment in the regular application of this restorative, health-inducing, tress-friendly treatment.

Jessica Stein

Terry Fator – Live From Las Vegas
(Image Entertainment)





On his new DVD, Live from Vegas, Season 2’s America’s Got Talent winner Terry Fator proves that he is extraordinarily talented and that his show is equally extraordinarily difficult to sit through. The cringing started shortly after hitting the play button because although Fator is clearly one of the best singing-ventriloquist-impressionists around, his very hokey, starchy show is a snoozefest on valium. There is an audience for this kind of cheesy garbage, I know, I wait behind them sometimes at traffic lights screaming, but they are best avoided when possible.

The show does have moments that emerge from the middle-American grey, dullness such as when Terry pulls an audience member on stage and adds a mask and dress using the live person as a doll very effectively, but everything is so scripted any reality is quickly shooed offstage. I’m sure Terry is a nice guy because he said so in the first chapter of his autobiography which was included with the DVD “Who’s The Dummy Now?” (answer: anyone reading the book) in which he tells his story of rags to riches slowly and painfully. Another added bonus is the worst audio commentary ever recorded featuring Terry and his comedy writer who is so far from the microphone that he might be down the block running from the nightmare.

It may play well in Peoria and fill seats at the Mirage, but after watching his act Terry Fator’s fan club is probably just hearing about this great new thing called the internet.

Tim Needles

Loose Change 9/11-An American Coup
(Microcinema)






To quote an old Jethro Tull lyric: "Why do the faithful have such a need to believe?" I hate to say it, but Loose Change is built on a pretty loose need to believe. Claiming it all was an 'American Coup', Dylan Avery's hour and a half romp links the Reichstag Fire in 1933 (gotta go to those fun-loving Nazi's when you want to make a point), Roosevelt's supposed knowledge of Pearl Harbor, the Gulf of Tonkin badness and then 9/11 as examples of when a government allowed or prompted a violent episode to further push their aims…most notably, to go to war.

Nobody is denying that our intelligence agencies were found with their pants down during that fateful Sept. day, but to suggest our government planned the attack on the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and that plane landing in that PA field…that's a big leap. Chemicals found in downtown NY, building construction, the exact composition of crash sites, Avery offers up the usual conspirator 'smoking guns' and while "Rescue Me"'s Daniel Sunjata, the narrator of Loose Change, makes well-read dramatic pronouncements, very few are supported by fact.

In the face of a seemingly obvious terrorist attack and with an unspoken, but very real need for revenge because of it, people turn to their government for answers. Concluding that ours was powerless to prevent this terrible tragedy, are we perversely comforted with the possibility that our government did do something…even if the conclusion we reach is that they caused it?

Ralph Greco, Jr.