MooRoo Handbags’ suite was done in gossamer white so you felt as if you were up in the clouds. Given that Mary Norton was definitely the lady to interview, every news crew in town spent time with her. MooRoo was on everyone’s top-10 list and was used by many for Oscar night festivities including Trudie Styler, Patricia Clarkson, Vivica Fox, Allison Janney, Thora Birch, Nancy O’Dell, Mary Hart, Dayna Devon, Jill Rappaport and others.
   Naqada by Octavio Carlin was a collection of charmeuse and other silken confection gowns that were designed with old-style Hollywood glamour in mind. With Grecian and Jean Harlow-esque inspiration, this is one line that you will want to check out just because it’s so darn gorgeous. Another newcomer to Oscar suites at Le Méridien was 2 Awesome International’s Chris Aire, who brought urban-inspired jewellery to bring even more emphasis to the term bling-bling. The pieces shown at the 2 Awesome suite were tastefully done in red-toned gold and definitely had masculine inspiration while still provided enough feminine pieces to keep the ladies happy.
   Stylist George Blodwell was seen heading towards the Stuart Weitzman suite with a beautiful female client wearing a stunning gown to select the perfect shoes from the Weitzman collection. The lucky celebrity wearing the Weitzman Academy Award Cinderella Shoe for 2004 was bluegrass singer, Alison Krauss. This lucky lady sported 4½ in stilettos studded with 565 Kwiat diamonds. This is definitely a shoe were one is rightfully called ‘Twinkletoes’! To coordinate with these diamond studded shoes, PalmOne, Inc. and Weitzman worked together to produce the first every jewelled smartphone, the Treo 600, which was covered with clear and cognac-coloured Swarovski crystals and carried by Krauss on Oscar night. Talk about more than just stars in her eyes—there were sparkling gems wherever she turned.
   Raffinity Jewelry was very busy with lots of celebrities, including Ben Kingsley’s wife, Alexandra Christmann, oohing and aahing over the gorgeous gems. Shizue Handbags débuted its line of gorgeous bags. This is a very popular line in Europe and Asia. The orange crocodile bag was definitely on several “must-have” lists. Other new lines débuting at Le Méridien included Bats Daughter clothing, which was a fun suite with beautiful dresses and separates. Lots of women were wishing they could snag one of the fab dresses.
   Eventually every visitor needed a moment to wind down and decompress and they visited Z. Bigatti for either a facial (awe- and ahhhh-inspiring skin care) or a Paint Shop pedicure or manicure! Another de-stressing suite was the Blue Dot Clothing suite. Casual and comfortable were the words when certified massage therapist, Anthony Salmon worked his miracles with chair massages. After that treat, checking out the sassy, casual Blue Dot line was definitely fun. (Angela Bassett and Bai Ling left with lots of Blue Dot items!)
   At L’Ermitage, Doris Panos held nearly a week of festivities, kicking it off with a party on Tuesday night. ‘Packed’ doesn’t describe the atmosphere, and ‘gorgeous’ is an understatement when describing the Panos jewellery collection. Other lines showing in the suite included Magic Tan LA, Ein Gedi Dead Sea Spa Products, Orly Nail Products, Roxbury Pilates Studio, Vitaminwater and Stockholm Vodka. Partaking in the fun at the Panos suite were Catherine Dent and C. C. H. Pounder (The Shield), Billy Boyd (Lord of the Rings), Maria Bello (The Cooler), Marina Sirtis (Star Trek, the Next Generation) among many others.
   The parties and suites were just cranking up the volume by Wednesday and Thursday at the Luxe Hotel on Rodeo’s luxury suites. A cross between a royal trunk show and a press junket, the Luxe Hotel on Rodeo was truly a one-stop shop for beauty, fashion and health! Gorgeous Swarovski-encrusted bags from Katherine Bauman, laser teeth-whitening by Dr Michael Schneider, DMD, Alterna’s luxurious Caviar Conditioning Hair Treatments and more were in the penthouse suites. Guests got the royal treatment including bronzing from St Tropez; MD Skincare facials and treatments; Réné Furterer scalp analysis and hair styling provided by Cristophe. Make-up artists were available for cosmetic touch-ups using Make-Up For-Ever and MAC cosmetics. Most people stopped by for a consultation with Richard Dalton (former hairstylist to the late Princess Diana) and to get an Alterna treatment. Stars who visited the Luxe included Rick Yune (Die Another Day), Paris Hilton, Ali Landry, Mario Lopez and Dominic Monaghan (Lord of the Rings). News anchors Mindy Burbano, Nancy O’Dell and Samantha Harris visited as well as Daveigh Chase (The Ring), Oliver Beene, Lacey Chabert among others hit the suites and had a great time getting pampered.
   Just down the street but seeming a world away was the Ultimate Oscar Retreat sponsored by Frédéric Fekkaï and Chanel Cosmetics. Celebrities like Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider), Catherine Dent, Rosario Dawson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jennifer Tilly, Cara Buono and other guests were able to have every beauty need fulfilled from hair styling and deep conditioning by Fekkaï stylists to cosmetics’ applications by Chanel’s team of expert make-up artists led by international make-up artist, Susan Sterling, featuring the best of Chanel’s spring 2004 collection. Guests sipped smoothies, “skinny white Russians” or Champagne Perrier Jouet while snacking on healthy snacks provided by The Zone.
   Wrapping up the week, tons of beauty and fashion experts and fashionistas descended on the annual Beauty Boudoir at the Château Marmont Hotel. With hair by Vidal Sassoon’s Etienne Taenaka and his team of experts, make-up artistry by Bourjois Cosmetics’ Charlie Green and team,

Download more of this article, including info on the Oscar gift bags as laid out in the Beauty section of Lucire May 2004: click here for download page

Mario Badescu skin care treatments, Creative Nail Design manicures and pedicures, Cosabella Lingerie and Autore South Sea Pearls, this was definitely a not-to-miss event! Dominic Monaghan had a special spa manicure. Natasha Henstridge got the works: facial, manicure, pedicure, make-up application and a hairstyling plus Autore jewellery and Cosabella lingerie. Angelina Jolie, Estella Warren and Toni Collette had at-home manicures and pedicures from Creative Nail Designs. Kirsty Hume and her husband, Donovan Leitch, stopped by as did Susan Sarandon to enjoy the atmosphere and all left with a gift bag. Supermodel–photographer Hélèna Christensen had Gianni of Vidal Sassoon London revamp her hair into a chic, bohemian bun. She also got a pedicure and manicure with hot pink Tutti Frutti enamel from Creative Nail Design on her fingers and toes. Many fashion and film people just stopped by to hang out for a relaxing good time.

Download the remainder of this article as laid out in Lucire’s May 2004’s Beauty pages. Click here for downloads’ page.

Stevie Wilson is beauty editor of Lucire.

MAIN PHOTOGRAPH: Men’s grooming products from Maxwell’s Apothecary, at Le Méridien. ABOVE, FROM TOP: Luxe Hotel saw Paris Hilton pop by. Dominic Monaghan of The Lord of the Rings at Luxe. MDSkincare Face Peel products. MooRoo handbags: the Margaux, chosen by Angela Bassett; Victoria Rowell’s choice of the Boogie Nights bag; and Nicole Ritchie with the MooRoo Last Dance. Chanel Creme lipstick in Bengal at the Ultimate Oscar Retreat. Blue Dot paisely cord jacket and cropped pants. LEFT: Estée Lauder–Manolo Blahnik goody bag.