The Same Questions I Ask Everyone....With Anastasia Soare

I initially came to know the one-part human, two-parts goddess Anastasia Soare as Oprah's eyebrow guru. Now I patronize her Nordstrom Brow Studios whenever the eyebrow spas intersect with my travel plans in an effort to compare technician quality and training (all superb and trained by Ms. A.) In May of 2008 I fell in love with her Beverly Hills outpost while watching the legend herself sculpt Bella Sugar's eyebrows. Now, on the eve of her skincare line launch (created after a year of research in her native Romania) Anastasia lets us into her beauty empire with an exclusive interview and a preview of her new line.

What is your first memory of beauty products?
Going to the apothecary pharmacy with my mother in Romania so she could buy her favorite face cream which was mixed fresh for her on the spot. If I close my eyes I can remember the scent of the place in an instant.

At what age did you start wearing makeup?
16. I remember we were wearing a latex eye liner back then. I am sure the ingredients were not the safest but the look we were going for was Cleopatra and of course these days Amy Winehouse wears the same look. This liner was liquid and you applied it in a thick band around your eyes and it dried in latex and you could peal it off later. It would stay on 12 hours or more.

If you could apply only one product for the next month what would it be?
My Line Erasing Serum: it gives the skin and instant dewy glow and it reduces discoloration and redness. It’s like a youthful spring in a bottle.

If you could give one product to all women in the world what would it be?
My brow kit. The most common mistake I see women make is over-tweezing their brows. With the 5 products inside including stencils they can all achieve perfect brows at home.

If you could ban one harmful ingredient from all beauty products what would it be?
This isn’t an ingredient but I love animals so so much. I wish that absolutely all animal testing could be banned worldwide not just from cosmetics but also pharmaceuticals etc.

What is your favorite skincare ingredient?
Glycolic Acid. It really refines and smoothes my skin.

What is the last product you created?
Line Erasing Serum - it’s amazing.

Who is the business woman you most admire?
Oprah Winfrey, whenever I complain that I work too much, I just think of her schedule and quickly change my mind. She is a nonstop work horse who is truly interested in improving the way people live. I think the huge fame and money were never her ambition. They happened along the way and really her #1 priority was to grow with her fans. That’s what makes her my hero.

Whose beauty do you most admire?
Every single woman that works for it. It takes a lot to be a woman these. There are so many expectations to remain young and gorgeous forever. Hats off to all of us who start with beauty in the a.m. and end with it before bed.

What was your best Spa experience?
The Spa at Esperanza in Cabo San Lucas. Just stepping inside that place starts to tranquilize my senses. Aside from that it is such a gorgeous masterpiece dedicated to relaxation and rejuvenation that I insist on going four times a year.

Besides your own, what is your favorite brand?
I really like MAC. I have been a long time fan of their eye shadows even before I had my own line and I know I can find everything I need there.

Wise words from woman wealthy with beauty and aesthetic talent. We can't wait to reap the benefits of her Romanian skincare research trip. Many thanks to Anastasia for taking the time be with us and to her team for working with us to provide the product preview below. Here is a bit of what's to come. More details here.

Working with a team of experts and scientists, Anastasia developed Balkan Botanical™ Infusion, a blend of rare plant and herb extracts found only in the rich soil of Romania. This unique and exclusive blend has the power to soften, soothe and restore the skin’s natural radiance. Balkan Botanical™ Infusion is a key ingredient in Anastasia’s new skin care products.
The Line launch includes:

Line Erasing Serum: a lightweight blend of natural hydrators, Instalift™ Goji, and Anastasia’s exclusive Balkan Botanical™ Infusion. This serum improves the appearance of skin and helps reduce signs of aging.

Blue Lotus Mist: a perfect fusion of Balkan Botanical™ Infusion, hydrating water, and a soothing serum of flower extracts from South Africa, to help revive complexions and provide skin with an instant burst of radiance.

Neroli Night Crème: contains a complex of fruit and flower oils, combined with Balkan Botanical™ Infusion in a moisture rich, non-greasy formula.

Nourishing Eye Crème: an ultra-rich mix of essential oils and antioxidants, along with Balkan Botanical™ Infusion. Promotes smoother, firmer and hydrated skin for a more youthful appearance.

Hydrating Oil: features Jojoba, Borage, Black Currant & Meadowfoam Seed Oil which work together to provide ultimate hydration. Loveage, an aromatic oil, revives one’s spirit while our exclusive Balkan Botanical™ Infusion softens. Vital for thirsty, fatigued skin.

Sheer Moisture Crème: a hydrating and ultra-light SPF 30 day creme that works for all skin types. This truly innovative fragrance-free formula softens the skin and provides protection against UVA/UVB rays and free radicals that can cause signs of aging. Enjoy!

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Anastasia does sweet eyebrows and not just for Eva Longoria

When I first told you that the eyebrow goddess had syndicated her divine beauty powers to Nordstroms all over the country I never could have dreamed that I would one day meet said Goddess. What is most endearing about this passionate Eastern European beauty is her heartfelt desire to bring beauty to women of all types. Having done Oprah's eyebrows regularly, along with a long long list of other celebs like Eva Longoria, she clearly could be resting on her laurels. Instead she is pushing the eyebrow and makeup industry to places it has never been been before. Her desire for perfection is infectious and her products open the doors to eyebrow beginners while revamping the methods of over-plucked beauty veterans. I only have time to post this one video but there are more pictures, video, and massive Anastasia news on the way. I want to say a special thank you to Total Beauty, Erika Valente, and all the people at Anastasia who made this possible. It was an honest to goodness dream come true for me.

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A Mom in Red High Heels and Beauty's Spot on Tour

On the way to meet Anastasia because we rock.

Thanks to Erika from Makeup Bag for the picture.

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Anastasia's Five Piece Brow Kit

Anastasia's Five Piece Brow Kit is now on my list of must have beauty products. I have been using it almost daily for the past few months and I can't imagine living with out the tweezers, Brow Powder, four Brow Stencils, one Duo Brush (Angled Cut / Spooley), and Brow Gel that come in the lovely, pink, satin-lined case. The case also has room for an extra mascara and lash curler.

I came across the add below in a magazine this weekend and realized I had forgotten to tell Beauty's Spot readers the sad news. The brow kit is now even more indispensable because Stephanie has the left the only Anastasia Brow Studio in the triangle (at Nordstroms in Southpoint.) Nordstroms has promised to call as soon as the new esthetican trained in the Anastasia Method arrives.

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Anastasia's Eyebrows: Nordstrom's Beauty Booty

I was wandering around Nordstrom's the other day waiting for my nails to dry when I noticed a small, unassuming room in the back of the cosmetics department labeled "studio". "This is it!" I thought. I heard a myth years ago that there is eyebrow waxing at Nordstrom's but whenever I asked various store employees they stared blankly at me as if to say 'um this is a department store'. I would apologize profusely and say "I know it sounds weird that you would have brow waxing but..." - and then stop short of explaining that I had a hunch and I was on a treasure hunt. Not unlike real seafaring buccaneers who had gone before me, someone had promised me there was eyebrow gold here and I wasn’t going to let protective, illusive natives deter my expedition. (Don’t they understand? I've been living here for four years and not one superb brow shape yet!) In fact until the moment I stumbled upon this small unassuming door I thought maybe Nordstrom’s brow waxing was a myth created out of pure desperation by women like me who have been unable to find a good dependable eyebrow waxer. But on this day the stars aligned and I found a knowledgeable employee who had the missing piece of the treasure map, The Anastasia’s Brow Waxing Appointment Book. She booked my first appointment. It is tomorrow at 5:30. I'll let you know if I've found gold.

Like any good treasure hunter, I’ve done my research. I found nothing but promising information. Everyone from Oprah to Elle Macpherson swears by this woman, who has syndicated her method to Nordstrom's department stores across the country. (Her actual store is in L.A.) She sells an inordinate amount of brow products, most of which I have never even imagined existed; brow scissors, brow stencils, after-tweezing cream, and brow pomade, to name a few. Also here is why I am really in love with this woman: she studied Architecture and grew up as the daughter of a tailor.

"Anastasia grew up in Constanta, Romania, on the banks of the Black Sea where her mother owned a tailor shop. Her mother's sense of style and esthetics influenced a young Anastasia who pursued interests in drawing and design. She later enhanced this inherited talent while attending the Romania College of Architecture, and her skills ultimately led her into a career in beauty."

She is an artist whose medium happens to be women. This to me is the ultimate attraction of the beauty industry. I have always been hypnotized by beautiful things: men, flowers, sculpture, painting, my mother’s photographs, butterflies, oceans, mountains. There is something fascinating to me about offering my body to the artist’s pallet. Also, a bad brow wax can turn me from a Helen Hunt look-a-like into an Angelica Huston look-a-like in about 2 seconds. I'm desperate for a good professional. If Nordstrom's has syndicated this eyebrow sorceress's recipe for beauty (and it includes the use of error proof stencils) then maybe I'll get eyebrows just as nice as Oprah's even though I'm not the world's first black female billionaire.

For good measure, here is a before picture:

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