"Diva":The Makings of a Fashion Editor: Crepe's and Beauty??? Trust me, they go together!!!

Hello Wonderful Beauty Girls!!!!

Today I have such a treat. I was able to interview, Simone from Palacinka.com. I was capitivated by the website and i knew I had to be in touch.... Here are the questions I asked and I hope it helps most inquring minds. Also, Simone gives us some beauty tips... So get notepads ready

For those who aren't familiar with you or your website, introduce yourself.

Palacinka.com is the first and ONLY beauty product review site dedicated to ALL women of color around the world. We have thousandsof reviews from over 400 of the world's top and emerging beauty brandsand we update reviews daily. We also have exclusive beauty columns by the top beauty and skin care industry's experts who also happen topeople men and women of color.We also have a sister site on myspace. www.myspace.com/palacinkabeauty

What inspired you to start the website?

Palacinka.com was started by our founders of Palacinka, LLC. They are three women from the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean who are African-American, Singaporean, and French/Indian/African respectively.

They all worked previously in high-end beauty and luxury goods advertising and marketing and have lived and traveled all over theglobe -- and of course they are all beauty junkies! They realized 3 years ago that as much as they had been involved in beauty and the Internet, there was nothing out there that reviewed beauty productsfrom a woman of color's perspective -- whether is was skin tone, hair texture, eye shape, etc. The idea for Palacinka was then born!

It has since expanded into many more "non-ethnic specific" categories as our readers asked for expanded coverage on fragrance,health/wellness, and style & wardrobe products for example.

What does Palacinka mean and where did the name derive from?

Palacinka.com (PAL-A-CHINK-UH) is an Eastern European word for'crepe'. However, it is also a informal term in some communitiesthere for a "pretty woman"! One of our founder's husband's is from this area and it is her nickname. When developing the concept of thesite and coming up with name ideas, everyone loved the sound of theword and what is represents -- which is sweet, fun, delectable andpretty of course! It's also pretty memorable too which we love!

What are a few of your favorite beauty products?

Skin care:

Creme de La Mer

Erno Laszlo

Nuxe

Drugstore Pick -- Olay

Hair:

Ellin Lavar

Rene Furterer

Phytospecific

Drugstore Pick -- Pantene Relaxed and Natural line or Mane N Tail

Body Care:

AHAVA

Korres

CHANEL's new Body Excellence Line

Drustore Pick -- Olay Quench line

Cosmetics:

Chanticalle

NARS

Sue Devitt

Tarte

Cargo

Kevyn Aucoin

Mally Beauty

Drugstore Pick -- L'Oreal HIP or the e.l.f line (online www.eyeslipsface.com)

What are the most common beauty faux pas made by women of color?

--Not taking the time to get the best match for foundation

--Using too much hair product (culy and relaxed hair in particular)

--Using too many heat products (relaxed hair in particular)

--Using too many chemicals at one time (hair color and relaxers for instance)

--Braiding hair too tightly and promoting breakage around the hairline

--Trying to "create a crease" for a Asian lid with eye shadow (thisrarely looks natural)

--Using products with too much oil and not enough ingredients to bindwater back to the skin to ensure 24 hour hydration

--Causing hyperpigmentation by picking or popping breakouts/pimples.

--Thinking that we don't need sunscreen - everyone does. If you are also fading dark spots,with a fade/brightening cream this is the only way to ensure they will not reappear!

What advice would you give a young lady beginning to wear make up and what would you recommend for a woman looking to update her look?

For beginners, the key is to first make sure your skin is in tip topshape - cleansing, light exfoliation and moisturizing/sun protectionare all important. After that I would recommend a nice light foundation and/or concealer, two basic lipsticks (one brownish neutraland one lip gloss with more color), a mascara and blush that gives anice healthy flush to the skin.

To update a look, nothing is easier than focusing on the eyes andlips. If you like a smoky eye for instance, do it in a dark eggplantor navy instead of black. Also experiment with green on the eyes -it's very flattering to many brown and tan skin tones! For lips if you areususally a matte girl then choose lip products which are sheer/shiny.If you always do a nude lip then try a brown with a bit more red or if you only feel comfortable in a lighter lip then add some dimensionwith iridescence or sparkle.

Where do you see the website in the near future? Do you think you may expand into writing a book?

We have lots of exciting plans and offers we are considering! Our founders are looking into adding more industry experts to contribute columns. We will also be adding many more exclusive product reviews(which means our lucky Palacinka readers will find out about certain products before any other product review site OR beauty magazine!).Yes we do have interest in a book concept that all you beauty lovers of color will LOVE...stay tuned! We are also looking at partnering with a major print magazine (which I can't name yet)for special supplements that are going to be totally fresh, informative and unique.

How many people besides yourself contribute to the website?

We have a staff of beauty editors both here and in Canada. We are also adding a satellite office in the UK this summer and will have beauty editors there for additional reviews. We are led by our Editor-in-Chief, and have a small web team and design team all based in the NY area.

What would you like readers to know about you and Palacinka?

We are here first and foremost to provide all our beauty lovers of color around the world with the product reviews you want most! Youc an always count on Palacinka.com to also provide the latesti nformation on skin care, and cosmetic treatments with a focus on thewoman of color as well. We love what we do and are so excited to see how many of our readers love it too!!!!!