{NM Daily}

Bobbi Brown recently reformulated and relaunched her corrector and concealer. This is a huge development, because corrector and concealer are the cornerstone of a Bobbi Brown makeover; she calls them her “Secret of the Universe.” They are the first and most important step in her 10 Step Beauty makeup application process (designed so that you could run out the door after any step and still feel good about yourself).

You may know the stylish chef Lisa Garza from The Next Food Network Star, or as the preferred caterer to Oscar de La Renta and Carolina Herrera. Now this cocktail event specialist and lifestyle maven wants to bring retro-chic back to hosting with a line of Betty Draper-worthy aprons in silk shantung, organza, and vintage fabrics.

Between the royal wedding and the Alexander McQueen exhibit in New York, British design has dominated fashion discourse in recent days. Like any good expat, men’s wear designer Simon Spurr delighted in all of it, especially the Costume Institute gala. After all, staying connected to his English roots is something he usually does way off the fashion radar.

That is, he plays in a darts league.

Who decided Mother’s Day gifts had to be bland? What if she’s really chic? A guide.

The Kentucky Derby is Saturday, May 7. Even if you’ve never so much as smelled a horse, this is your day to don a splendid hat, speak with a Southern accent and generally act eccentric. Under the circumstances, a mint julep is the only civilized thing to drink. Recipes abound for the classic cocktail, but Neiman Marcus stands by this one.

Woodford Classic Mint Julep

2 oz. Woodford Reserve bourbon

1 oz. water

1 tsp. sugar

4 sprigs fresh mint

Muddle 3 sprigs of mint, sugar and water in the bottom of a julep cup or highball glass. Fill glass with crushed ice. Add Woodford Reserve and stir. Dust the fourth spring in powdered sugar for garnish.

And they’re off!

Mondo Guerra and Andy South. Photo by Andi Liliquoi Gaspar.

Designer Andy South, whose fall 2011 collection will be sold in Neiman Marcus Ala Moana, hosted four of his friends from Project Runway Season Eight—Mondo, Casanova, Michael Drummond and Christopher Collins—for a flurry of fashion events in Honolulu. They managed to take a brief time out for lunch at Mariposa in NM Ala Moana, giving us a chance to find out what they’ve been up to since the show ended.

Mondo Guerra, the audience favorite who came out as a gay man in a dramatic turn of the hit reality show, lives in Denver but has been traveling the world, promoting AIDS awareness. “There are bigger things in the world to address than just getting up and getting dressed,” he said.

Ivan Castro

For a company with such a French name, Le Métier de Beauté has a surprisingly straightforward approach to makeup application. You really don’t have to be a makeup artist to apply their products like a pro. One of Le Metier’s specialties is making that “red-carpet smoky eye” accessible to every woman, of any age. National artist Ivan Castro explained the process, step-by-step.

Ivan starts with Le Metier’s Dualistic Eye Pencil ($36). This eyeliner pencil contains an ingredient called Nylon 12, which enables the formula to stretch and move with the skin, for all-day wear that doesn’t fade or crease.

Using scented candles to best effect—that is, if you want to impress your house guests—requires a bit of know-how. Who better to guide us than Nest Fragrances founder Laura Slatkin?

“Fragrancing your home should be a thoughtful moment to consider what season you’re in, what’s inspiring you at the moment, and the occasion,” says Slatkin at her Manhattan office loft, which smells divine, of course. Here she instructs us in the finer points of candle usage.

The first time I ever met Lee Alexander McQueen, he was having an outburst. Furious about the flogging he’d received in the press for his first Givenchy haute couture collection—a campy kind of ode to Greek mythology—he had just flown into New York City to work on an ad campaign with the photographer Richard Avedon. When I stupidly mentioned the recent criticism, McQueen began railing against various individuals—most of them quite powerful—in the fashion business, telling me he didn’t give a bleep about them.