TFS: It's Finally Over!

The Fashion gods have answered our prayers: Bravo's "The Fashion Show" wrapped up Thursday night.

And, with 52 percent of the vote, Anna (above) was chosen by America as the winner. Yawn.

Anna was the most consistent designer and often the most quiet. She was a sly, silent schemer who clearly understands saleability and classic design. Kudos!

All this non-drama and horrid design, lighting and production has left me with a bad taste in my mouth for "reality" fashion. I am not even sure *gasp!* if I can muster the normal enthusiasm for the return of "Project Runway" in August.

Thoughts?

A few of my favorite things

I am a product junkie. I love discovering new (to me) products. Also, much to the chagrin of my friends and family, I love working into conversations references to my new favorite foundation or bronzer.

Here are a few products with which I am currently obsessed:

Benefit PosieTint: I thought nothing could shake my love of Benetint, the reddish cheek and lip tint that looks like a bottle of nail polish. That was until I tried it's pinkier cousin, PosieTint. Love love love the subtle pink on the cheeks. The super sheer pink looks great on lips, too, and is a great foundation for clear gloss.

Diorshow mascara: The women in my family bonded recently over our shared love of this fab mascara. My cousins and I fussed so much about the product, my mom tried it too, and is now hooked. We of the blond eyelashes love big, fat, eye-opening lashes, and this product delivers with little effort.

What are some of your recent favorites? Do tell!

Free Friday: Burberry Summer fragrance

Up for grabs this week is a bottle of Burberry Summer eau de toilette, a fragrance with hints of citrus, green apple, water lily, white musk and moss, among others.

The rules for entry are as follows:

• To enter, send an e-mail to style@charlotteobserver.com. Entries sent/posted elsewhere will not be considered.
• Your e-mail must contain the word BURBERRY in the subject field of the e-mail. Include your name, phone number and mailing address in the text of the email.
• Entries must be received by 4 p.m. Friday. Entries sent after the deadline will not be considered.
• E-mails that meet the stated criteria will be entered into a random drawing. One entry per e-mail address, please.
• Only the winner will be contacted. Please do not post your answers and contact information in the comments section on the blog.

Occupational hazards: Models

Cabine of Christian Dior, 1957, by photographer Loomis Dean is among the works included in the "Model as Muse" exhibit at the Met in New York City. (Courtesy of Time Life Pictures / Getty Images)

How hard can it be to model, right? You're thin, you walk around in fabulous clothes, you spin and smile. You'll think differently after checking out this slide show (thanks to fashionista.com for the linkage).

If you're in NYC before Aug. 9, make sure to check out Model as Muse is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

TFS: Then there were four

You sir, are no Alber Elbaz.

The end is near! The end is near! Thank God!

I finally caught up on The Fashion Show (again with the TV drama -- we switched from DirecTV to Dish Network. See me repeating "Change is good. Change is good"), and there was finally some real, legit drama!

Praise be, Yabba-Dabba-Do Johnny finally got his egotistical, no-sewing behind tossed off the show. Just a tip, Mr. "I've Got Investors" -- If you're going to shamelessly rip off Lanvin, it's best not to articulate it to your fellow contestants.

Or repeat it in front of a camera. Or do it at all.

Here's the Lanvin dress actress Maggie Gyllenhaal wore to the Golden Globes that may or may not have inspired Johnny.

Tomorrow night, we'll get a look at the collections of the final four -- Daniella, Reco, Anna and James-Paul. Then, viewers will vote to pick the winner.

The countdown is ON!

In other fashion competition news, Project Runway announced the contestants for the return Aug. 20 on Lifetime. Among the 16 is Charleston designer Carol Hannah Whitfield, who participated in the inaugural Emerging Designer show at Charleston Fashion Week in 2008.

Free Friday: Maca Root for the men

This week's giveaway is a pair of products from The Body Shop, For Men Maca Root Face Wash and For Men Maca Root Shave Cream. The set has a value of more than $25.

The rules for entry are as follows:

• To enter, send an e-mail to style@charlotteobserver.com. Entries sent/posted elsewhere will not be considered.
• Your e-mail must contain the word MACA in the subject field of the e-mail. Include your name, phone number and mailing address in the text of the email.
• Entries must be received by 4 p.m. Friday. Entries sent after the deadline will not be considered.
• E-mails that meet the stated criteria will be entered into a random drawing. One entry per e-mail address, please.
• Only the winner will be contacted. Please do not post your answers and contact information in the comments section on the blog.

CLT makeup artist tapped for Fashion Week

Makeup artist Samantha Smith, owner of Potion beauty boutique at Birkdale, was recently chosen to work her magic at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim at the Raleigh Hotel in Miami Beach.

On July 18, she'll joining the BECCA cosmetics makeup artistry team to beautify runway models during the annual swim wear event, which will be showcasing looks for the 2010 season.

Her fab store in Huntersville carries the equally killer line (I am a serial lover of all things BECCA -- like this and this and this) that is a perfect fit for swimsuits and summer weather.