Neiman Marcus, Newport Beach is CHRISTIAN DIOR’s destination of choice for a special visit from famed make-up artist Pati Dubroff, along with DIOR’s National Beauty Team; Ralph Kacy, Anna Del Carmen, Dennis Colum, Ricky Wilson and Alberto Mayoral.

Pati Dubroff is one of Hollywood’s most sought after celebrity make-up artists. You’ve undoubtedly seen her work on the pages of Vogue, Vanity Fair, W and Harper’s Bazaar. Her undeniable talent and distinct artistic vision has made her the make-up artist of choice for top fashion photographers; Herb Ritts, Annie Leibovitz, Mario Testino, Mathew Rolston, David LaChalpelle and Patrick Demarchelier, who look to create new and exciting images.

Ms. Dubroff began her love affair with make-up at the age of 10 in her mother’s bathroom. Her passion, vision, dedication and incredible talent lead her to New York and Paris to work with top fashion designers and photographers. New York is where she started working with actresses to create that glamorous, classic red-carpet look. She doesn’t believe in following trends, particularly for red-carpet events. She wants to bring out a woman’s natural beauty and make them look their most beautiful.

A short 3 years ago she made the big move to Los Angeles (red-carpet headquarters) where she quickly gained a loyal following from some of the most beautiful women in Hollywood; Naomi Watts, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Liv Tyler, Gwyneth Paltrow, Diane Lane, Rene Zellweger and Jennifer Connely. She won the Crest Whitestrips Style Award for best make-up for the look she created on Naomi Watts for the last Oscars – A classic look that will be remembered for years to come. I asked her for her proudest make-up moment and without hesitation she said, “Naomi Watts at the Oscars.”

Neiman Marcus, Newport Beach was honored to host this very special DIOR event, which is one of four major in-store events nationwide. In July Ms. Dubroff joined the DIOR Beauty Team as National Celebrity Make-up Artist and is dedicating 30 days per year to DIOR, which includes training the National Beauty Team of 10 talented makeup artists. She will also be busy with backstage beauty interpretations liaising with marketing to translate the runway looks into palettes for the real women. She beautifully brings an unprecedented level of Hollywood glamour to DIOR for the average woman. Yeah!

Ms. Dubroff says that she loves fashion and joining DIOR is the perfect match. At such a career high, I asked her what her next move would be. She said, “I am just present and enjoying the moment.” She’s a really nice and approachable woman with great energy and it’s quite apparent that she absolutely loves her work and her work loves her.

Women of all ages gathered in Neiman’s elegant DIOR lounge in the cosmetics department to meet Ms. Dubroff and the DIOR National Beauty Team. How often do we get an opportunity to learn make-up tips from the best in the business? Well, I for one chose to seize the moment. I had the good fortune to have Pati herself do my make-up. I recently changed my haircolor from light blonde to brown and I was anxious to utilize her expertise. I came prepared with no (well, maybe a little) makeup so I could experience the full effect. She liked my new haircolor and decided to give me the smokey eye look, which was very well received when she did it on Gwyneth Paltrow. Hey, if it works for Gwyneth, I’ll go with it.  

She started with a dab to my lips with DIOR Addict Ultra Gloss and then applied DIOR’s Skinflash around my eyes and focal points of my face to create an illuminating glow. It was amazing! So, this is how the celebrities get that movie star glow! Okay, next was the smokey eye look. The first thing she did was apply mascara. She said she does this because it frames the face and gives her a good idea as to the shape of the eye she is working with, and the eyeshadow application works better after the mascara. Great tip that I never knew!  She used DIOR’s Show Mascara and my eyelashes have never been so long and full. Next was DIOR’s 5 Couleurs eyeshadow. This 5 color combination is definitely a must-have. She mixed purple and brown on the lid and then used a wet brush to line the outer eye (she prefers this opposed to a liquid liner), then a pencil to line the inner eye. She finished with DIOR’s So Cheek to give my cheeks a dewy subtle glow. Needless to say, I loved it! Oh, did I mention that having one’s makeup done by Ms. Dubroff can cost $10,000? Yes, $10,000! My next question was, ‘How do I keep the makeup on for more than one day?’ Okay, not possible. Well, I obviously took notes as to what she used on me. I got my DIOR special picks and I’m steppin’ out with my smokey eye look.

Pati Dubroff’s top 5 DIOR picks: Show Mascara, Skinflash, So Cheek, 5 Couleurs Eyeshadow & Addict Ultra Gloss.

Annette is wearing a Lily Cheung design: www.lilycheung.com

Contact Annette Dominguez:  

annettedominguez@socal.com

Photo Credits: 1)Dior's Make-Up Artist Pati Dubroff 2)Dior Beauty Team At Neiman Marcus 3)Dior 2-Color Kit 4)Annette Dominguez after Make Up 5) Socal's Annette Dominguez with Dior's Make Up Artist Ralph Kacy 6) Socal's Annette Dominguez and Dior's Pati Dubroff