YOU ARE A BABE
ATHENA CALDERONE, INTERIOR DESIGNER
“I started doing interiors within my own homes. I like to step outside of the box and not do the obvious, mixing different periods and finding eclectic oddities, mixing moderns with antiques. I don’t want things to feel too perfect or precious. My husband and I have bought numerous apartments and renovated them. We lived in them a couple of years and then sold them. From doing this I realized that I had a very specific and keen eye for design. One of our very dear friends is an interior designer and he and I always worked well together. About eight years ago I had a party at my house and somebody said, ‘I love what you did here, do you have a business?’And we said, ‘Yeah we do’ and just jump-started a business. I’m also beginning a blog called Eye Swoon that explores beauty in design and food. The same love I have for design I have for food. If I am in a bad mood I will cook something.”
“When I wake up in the morning the first thing I’ll do is wash my face with SkinMedica Facial Cleanser and then I’ll usually put a serum on. I’m using one right now from a company called 3Lab, I just got a sample of it so I’m testing it out. I’ll put eye cream and moisturizer on also by Skin Medica. I really like how my skin responds to the line. As I get older I’m definitely more conscious of products that are anti-aging to protect my skin. I heard that this is a great line and I bought a bunch of their products and have slowly been integrating them into my routine.”
“In spring, summer and fall I will always put a thirty SPF on my face before using Armani Designer Lift Foundation. I sometimes mix it with Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer or the Armani Face Fabric. During the day I don’t use concealer (touché éclait) very much, I save that for the evening. But I wear mascara during the day, I love the Fiber Wig from d.j.v. I think the only place you can get it is at Sephora. I only wear eyeliner at night, and I’ll only wear black eyeliner with a little bit of a bronze eye shadow. I’ll rim my eyes with the bronze to make them glow a bit more when it mixes with the black. For blush I like something that has a transparency and just makes my cheeks look a bit flushed and rosy. I’ll either use the Tarte Cheek Stain or Benetint.”
“For my lips I usually use chapstick, Dermalogica actually [laughs]. This is so cheesy, but whenever I travel overseas, I love all those samples they give. All my little Dermalogica lip balms are always from traveling, and I always save the little hand creams, sounds so corny but it’s true [giggles]. If I wear lipstick though, it’s always red. I line my lips with the NARS Dragon Girl and then put MAC Ruby Woo over it. The Dragon Girl has more blue in it. Ruby Woo is great (I love matte lips) but sometimes it can be too cakey and too matte. I feel like the Dragon Girl gives it a little bit more moisture but still keeps the matte finish.”
“I’ll always wash my face at night and right now I have eye makeup remover from Sephora. But with the fiber wig, if I just wash my face with SkinMedica the fibers peel right off. I’ll only use eye makeup remover if I’m wearing eyeliner. I also like to use a Retinol cream at night but lately I’ve been finding it to be too drying. So I alternate and use it every so often before bed.”
Photos by: Aimee Blaut
Tags: 3Lab, Armani, Athena Calderone, Dermalogica, Laura Mercier, SkinMedica
She is a dream! The mix of lipcolors is perfect.