Yesterday, I took a drive down to the city to attend Macy’s Passport 2007: 25 Years $25 Million fashion charity event, celebrating 25 years and $25 million raised for the fight against HIV/AIDS.
MAC Viva Glam spokesperson, Dita Von Teese, contributed to the cause she so strongly believes in by performing a show-stopping finale.
A spokesperson for the MAC AIDS Fund and the face of Viva Glam Lipstick, Von Teese, who turns 35 next week, sat down with Makeup Bag and stressed the importance of the MAC AIDS Fund telling me, “Every cent that is raised from the sale of MAC’s six Viva Glam Lipsticks goes to the MAC AIDS Fund to support the fight against HIV/AIDS. It means so much for me to be a part of something this important.”
Dita Von Teese with Makeup Bag’s Erika Valente.
Thanks to MAC Cosmetics, I was honored to spend a few minutes with the International Queen of Burlesque, who had just flown in from Paris after attending the Christian Dior 60th Anniversary party, to talk about makeup, skincare, and that trampy ex-husband of hers who ran off with a teenager.
(Just kidding about that last part. Ha!) (But not about him being a tramp.)
Dita Von Teese is even more gorgeous in real life than she is in photos—her skin is seriously better than porcelain. She has had the same vintage style since age 17, with the same makeup of cat eyes and red lips, allowing her to be her own expert when it comes to styling herself. She does her own hair and makeup for her shows, explaining that she doesn’t rely on anyone to create the look that is all hers. Anyway—after all these years, she’s the most qualified for the job.
Here’s a few things I learned about Dita:
- She rarely, if ever, takes time off. She likes to be on the go and keeping busy.
- She has too many favorite red lipsticks—a few of which are MAC Viva Glam (original), MAC Russian Red, and the new MAC Classic Dame, a blood red from the Mattene collection.
- She never goes to bed without removing her makeup and applying moisturizer to her dry skin.
- A new book is in the works, along with a few film projects to keep her busy.
- Sally Rand is her favorite burlesque dancer.
- The key to perfect makeup and red lips is upkeep. She constantly checks her face throughout the day and refreshes as necessary.
- She loves makeup so much, she always wears her signature face even when she’s not performing.
For more of a Dita-fix, check out Temptalia.com and Makeupandbeautyblog.com (shown below), my two blogger friends that also attended last night’s show.
Christine from Temptalia and Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog.
Aside from Dita, the highlight of my night was watching a youth dance group called The Spirit of Uganda. When these kids performed, there was an energy in the room that gave me chills.
They were then joined by an equally impressive hip-hop dance group trained by star choreographer Brian Friedman.
And the entertainment didn’t stop there. The entire night was full of dance, music, and of course, fashion (with a few daredevils and hot underwear models thrown in).
