Jack & Hill: A Beauty Blog - make-up, cosmetics, perfume, and the substance of style

Jack & Hill: The reunion special

I am flying to California tomorrow, where I will be shacking up with Hillary and her boyfriend for more than two weeks. Expect plenty of video. We haven't seen one another since 2006!

Welcome, British Vogue readers!

Things are a little quiet around here, but we sure are glad to have you! I am flying to London tomorrow, just to pick up a copy of the magazine. (Okay, not really, but I actually am flying to London tomorrow. Two nights only, sadly.)

Don't call it a comeback

  Katie's 30th birthday 
  Originally uploaded by dynamist.

Sorry I've been quiet - I've just been a wee bit busy living life in London and the US now. (American PR companies, email me at DYNAMIST -at- GMAIL -dot- COM for my new Stateside shipping address!) I've been doing this for a month, and after a trip to London and New York - and a great weekend with my friends Karri and Katie, pictured - am now going to catch up with reviews for a ton of products I've had fun trying out lately. You've been warned.

I'm in Los Angeles for the Oscars

Okay, I'm watching them at my friend Cathy Seipp's house, but it's still going to be fun. I may have to snark on some of the fashion and makeup during the event, if I can summon the strength to blog after summoning the strength to watch the long, arduous show. Let's just say I'm expecting great things out of Jennifer Hudson, Helen Mirren, and Cate Blanchett, and great fugliness out of everyone else.

Oh, while I was doing some grocery shopping at Gelson's this morning, I saw a guy who I thought was Brad Pitt. He wasn't followed by hordes of photographers, and I think he and Angie are in Nawlins right now, so it probably wasn't Brad, but it's nice to be in a town with such remarkable Brad lookalikes. (He was never attractive to me - though I could see what others saw in him - until he hit 40 and started looking a little rougher. If you like greying, middle-aged Brad, do check out Babel, which I watched on my flight over here from London yesterday. It's a great film anyway, and they didn't airbrush even one of his wrinkles.)

Where I've been

  Me 
  Originally uploaded by dynamist.

Sooo very sorry for my lack of posts here lately. Things have been rather crazy, I've been sick, and most days not a lick of make-up has touched my face. Also, I was mugged, which put me in a foul mood that wouldn't have suited this blog. Then I went to Paris (where the photo here was taken - with our old, semi-broken camera, because the jerkwad muggers stole my lovely Panasonic Lumix with Leica lens) and sort of got over it. Meaning that I'm no longer scared to death to walk down the street - though you won't find me doing so at night - but I still hope my muggers die a slow and rather horrific death.

Here's something about that day in Paris where that picture above was taken: I put my makeup on and thought, "Good job, Danicki." You know how it is - many days, your makeup looks just fine...no screw-ups, but nothing knockout. Then there are the days when you think, "Blimey, something really clicked today." This was one of the latter days, and even Antoine commented on it, saying, "You're always good at makeup, but this looks especially excellent." My hair also looked fantastic that day. But, as usual, the photograph totally fails to capture either of these triumphs, with my hair looking flat and my face looking pretty blah.

I was happy, though, and on my way to relaxation, something I don't allow myself very often. Good times.

I'm on my way to Los Angeles and New York in a few days' time, but hope to post here every day for the foreseeable future. It's a goal, not a promise. I hope you can be bothered to hold me to it.

Calling all NYC beauty PRs

I will be in New York City from December 9 through December 13th. If you represent a beauty brand - or brands - and want to show me what you're up to, please email me at jackandhill AT gmail DOT com and let's talk.

Hillary was here

  Thanksgiving 2006 
  Originally uploaded by dynamist.

For one night only. Now she's gone. Boo.

En route to India with her boyfriend, Hill stopped in London for a Thanksgiving party at my house. We talked about how we have neglected this poor blog for far too long, something I aim to put right. Starting now.

Off to Egypt

  pyramids_camel 
  Originally uploaded by katkootfour.

I'm flying to Africa with my fiancé for a week of swimming, lounging by the pool, and spa treatments. If I have time, I'll go check out the pyramids. (Just kidding - my priorities are slightly less wack than that.)

I should be able to blog from Cairo, but if I'm not around for a few days, don't worry: I'm just acting like a normal person and not using the computer on vacation.

Health Kick: My new blog

I'm not a size zero model, nor do I want to be. I do, however, want to keep up the weight loss I've been achieving for the last few years. So I've got a new blog - Health Kick - dedicated to my efforts, with a bit of a twist.

I’m enlisting the help of a personal trainer, fitness experts, and doctors of various disciplines to help me learn about what it takes to reach optimum health - and motivate me to get and stay there. This blog will also help keep me going, learn from what others have experienced, and (if I am lucky) help others to get healthier, too.

I enjoy reading weight loss blogs, but I wanted to incorporate expert advice and opinions into mine - both for my own good and my readers'. To that end, I've got some fitness gurus and specialists in niche health areas lined up to answer my questions and yours. If you're into the health thing, please do join me at Health Kick. (I start with my personal trainer on Monday morning, so the hilarity should commence soon.)

With friends like these

  The girls 
  Originally uploaded by dynamist.

Sorry for the silence here - Hillary and I are both in Los Angeles right now, running around like headless, er, bloggers. That's us (photographed together for what must be only the second time ever) with a few of our other great girlfriends at a roast for THE greatest girl, our beloved and revered Miss Cathy Seipp. (From left to right: Hillary, me, journalist and author Nancy Rommelmann, journalist and advice columnist Amy Alkon, and journalist Jill Stewart.)

Hillary and I have also been introduced to some very interesting beauty companies here in LA, more on which very soon - watch this space.