Podcast Interview: Life, Career & Image Expert Alison Blackman Dunham - of the Advice Sisters - Dishes on Timeless Style, Beauty Secrets, Makeup to Avoid Like Your Life Depended on it - & why Groundhog Day Rocks. FASHIONTRIBES BEAUTY BLOG & PODCAST

Podcast Interview: Life, Career & Image Expert Alison Blackman Dunham - of the Advice Sisters - Dishes on Timeless Style, Beauty Secrets, Makeup to Avoid Like Your Life Depended on it - & why Groundhog Day Rocks. FASHIONTRIBES BEAUTY BLOG & PODCAST - MP3 File

One half of the twin sister team credited - by academics no less - with bringing the advice/info-tainment genre online, Alison Blackman Dunham is a walking/talking compendium of great info on what her mom characterized early on as her favorite topics:

1. clothes
2. boys
3. makeup

And through the Advice Sisters - AdviceSisters.net - she is still involved in what she loves, sharing her wisdom on everything from how to find love (just like with a job, you recruit it), to beauty products that go the distance (her monthly What Works column). She also puts out a regular e-newsletter covering fun goings-on around New York. And you thought you were busy.

As a certified image consultant, she spent a number of years doing "personal PR", helping people project the right image to whomever they wanted to impress - from actors not getting the roles they wanted, to singles attracting Mr. or Ms. Wrong, to career-minded types climbing the corporate foodchain. "Image consulting doesn't have to do with basic body type," explains Alison. "It is not about changing your hair or wearing sexy clothes. It's about body language and whether you feel sexy in your skin, in what you're wearing. It all can be tweaked with minor adjustments."

As an image consultant, she quickly learned what works for people:

1. THE FUN FACTOR If it's outrageous, but you love it - then go for it! "Buy anything outrageous because love it."
2. FIRST IMPRESSIONS If however, you want to make a more serious first impression, you have to consider your look from head-to-toe: what's flattering on you, your skintype & your budget.

  (Photo from myetv.org)

THE MAIN BEAUTY & IMAGE QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK AN ADVICE SISTER:

1. MY FAVE SHADE OF CORAL LIPSTICK HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED. WHAT DO I DO? "People write me all the time about products they've fallen in love with and can't find. They're in a panic." If this sounds familiar, maybe it's time to update. "I deal with so many different products. There's always something out there that's right for you."
2. WHAT MAKEUP SUITS ME? From queries about what to wear if you have red hair and green eyes, to the best eyeshadow to try, Alison has this advice: "What's great about makeup is that you can wash it off. Go to Sephora or one of the big department stores, and try on lots of different colors, and see what you think. If you think it looks good then it looks good." And don't forget, if you don't like something, you can always return it, so keep your receipts!
3. DO YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR? Are those pricey skincreams from the department stores really worth it, or are you simply paying for advertising and hype? "If you enjoy the whole experience, then go for it. But if you're on a beer and peanuts budget, there are lots of products out there that will make you look and feel fabulous." She points out, though, that many of the higher-end products incorporate lots of research and cutting-edge ingredients. "Bio-tech has really benefitted skincare, especially in the areas of antiaging and sunblocks, and moisturizers and foundations. They cost money, but they're worth it." But we got her to dish on her fave drugstore moisturizer: Olay! "It's no longer your grandma's company."
4. SHOULD I USE THE SAME SKINCARE REGIME YEAR ROUND? "Your skin changes with time of year, and even your mood." So that thick creamy moisturizer that warded off lizardskin during the chilly season might feel downright greasy when the warm weather finally hits. "What works in winter just might be too heavy for summer."
5. PROTECT YOUR TRESSES Not all shampoos are created equal. If you've spent major $$$ getting highlights, it's worth the extra few dollars for haircare products that protect your color. At Advice Sisters, Alison tries to review a whole range of effective products at every pricepoint.
6. AND DON'T FORGET: WEAR YOUR SUNSCREEN. ALWAYS! Did we mention sunscreen? "Don't go out of the house without it - and SPF of 15 or higher. They really help avoid further damage."

MISTAKES TO AVOID:

1. FASHIONABLE DOESN'T MEAN FLATTERING. Just because something is in fashion, doesn't mean it belongs on your body. The lavender lips so prevalent at the recent fashion shows? Give them a pass & opt for a touch of lilac on your eyes or nails. And the orange/pink eyeshadow combinations Alisons witnessed being slathered on the models? Just say no. "If you put pink or apricot on your lids and go outside, you'll scare small children." Instead, think cheeks and other places this color shows up in ways nature intended. "If blood red lips are in and not you, don't do it."
2. TAKE A TIP FROM JACKIE or Audrey Hepburn or Marilyn Monroe, Lena Horne, Halle Berry or Gwyneth Paltrow. "Jackie O didn't turn herself from her earlier elegance in a pillbox hat to Anna Sui later." Style icons wear the same thing, but updated. "In public, she always looked impeccable."
3. FIND OUT WHAT WORKS FOR YOU Yes, it takes work, but is it worth it. "Go to a department store, and try on what you've never tried before...like say biker gear." Invest the time to find out what you like, and don't get stuck in the past.

A BEAUTY TREND THAT WALKS THE WALK: Pink!

Alison watched Bobbi Brown apply a range of pinks to models backstage at the Lela Rose show, and is all about Bobbi Brown's new Glitter Gloss which made all lips instantly drop-dead sexy. "Pink is a trend we can all embrace." If pink makeup doesn't flatter your skintone, opt for more apricot to coral tones - that way it looks good and you're still on-trend.

AND LASTLY: COORDINATE

With the "country-club" makeup palettes of turquoise, orange and bright yellow on the runways, Alison advises adopting a non-competitive clause. "If you're wearing orange, don't wear hot pink, unless you want to clash." She advises wearing makeup that coordinates, or at the very least, doesn't compete. So, as tempting as a fruit-hued makeup palette may be, for the love of god, please consider innocent bystanders and avoid wearing purples-pinks-oranges-reds simultaneously.

WIN BEAUTY BOOTY!

From now until April 14th, enter at AdviceSisters.net to win $750 worth of Pevonia products, just for telling Alison what your favorite holiday is and why. Her fave? Groundhog Day. "It involves a furry animal. You don't have to buy gifts or do religious rituals (unless you want to). And it doesn't matter if he sees his shadow because spring is coming!" Amen.  We may have to follow suit here at FT & adopt this holiday as our fave, too. (Groundhog photo from The Happy Carpenter).

AdviceSisters.net

- Lesley Scott

Fashiontribes Advice Sisters Beauty Podcast Interview Alison Blackman Dunham Fashion Fashion Expert