Make-Up Priestess
"Doll," Lyora Wilk leans in
conspiratorially, whispering in that sultry Canarsie, Brooklyn
inflected voice of hers, "so many people want it, the lips the new
Bond girl Halle Berry sports; pinkish neutral shade of lip-color
achieved with lipstick, liner and gloss."
And just what look might Mr. Bond
be sporting if he, pray tell, chose to wear makeup? Typically
Lyora’s celebrity male clientele go in for clear mascara, eye gel,
cleansing and skincare. Run of the mill male clients flock to her
for skin bronzer and eye gel to reduce puffiness and dark circles.
Aventura based high priestess of
skincare and makeup "designer" Lyora Wilk lives and breathes makeup.
Her own makeup is skillfully applied making her skin appear flawless
with a pearly glow. Working with the same chemists and factory that
manufacture leading department store lines, her products are
comparable at a fraction of the price.
A graduate of the Fashion Institute
of Technology both in New York and Fort Lauderdale, she holds a
degree in Fashion Merchandising and Design. Ms. Wilk started out
designing handbags but at the urging of her mother, who saw her
greater talent, switched to makeup and hasn’t looked back since.
It’s Lyora’s view that people are basically starved for personal
service. When asked about the changes in the Aventura Mall, namely
all the trendy makeup stores that have come in, she dismisses them
with a grimace explaining that "the turnover in staffing is severe,"
and "most of the people behind the counter have no training." It’s
painful to her because she has been doing makeup for 17 years. Her
customer service philosophy extends to shipping products within two
to three days of ordering and the shipping is free. This alone has
earned her the loyalty of a client base of over 50,000 nationwide
that she ships to on a regular basis.
"Face Makeup By Lyora" is not a
trendy line. She never discontinues an item (which is unheard of in
the business) and is always looking for ways to make the product
better, most recently adding oil free and SP20 components. She works
approximately 90 hours a week and credits a loving family, mother
and husband who help her in her capacity as founder and CFO of her
company while raising a 5-year-old. Her relationship with
dermatologists is not diametrically opposed, she works with many,
nonetheless, she readily admits that they are doctors who treat
diseases of the skin and write prescriptions. With a finely
manicured finger she punctuates her assertion that "they are not
educated in makeup and never will be." Most people make the mistake
of applying makeup without the proper skincare. Her state of the art
botanical formulations hydrate the skin so that what the doctor has
prescribed works the way it was intended. She believes in sticking
to the basics; fads and trends are here today gone tomorrow. She
doesn’t see how anything permanent could possibly be good for the
skin and doesn’t do any kind of makeup tattooing.
Lyora believes in giving back to
the community and is a tireless fundraiser, having participated in
the Sylvester and Sunshine Cancer fundraiser boutiques, Kids in
Distress, Victims of Domestic Abuse and South FL Business Women
organization benefiting The City of Hope among them. Networking to
her is a crucial aspect of any business relationship and she is
constantly out there, meeting, greeting, educating and "bringing the
counter to the client." Lyora loves Aventura, seeing it as one of
the fastest growing, most sought after metropolitan cities in the
country. She acknowledges its clientele is very demanding and the
career people and busy moms rely on easy access to the products. The
fact that Aventura is centrally located, smack in the middle of both
counties makes it easy for her do business. Celebrities, business
titans, lawyers and politicians among them flock to this woman in
the know when they want to look their best. Contact: (305) 331-9025,
(800) 635-5575, e-mail: Facebeauty@aol.com
Klepto?
Lawyer Felisa Del Carmen Mora was
observed on December 15 at Lord & Taylor (19515 Biscayne Blvd.) via
closed circuit TV and store personnel selecting a bathing suit
valued at $92.00, concealing it in a shopping bag and exiting the
store, passing several cash registers while making no attempt to
pay, according to a police report. She was subsequently arrested at
4:15 p.m. and issued a Promise To Appear before court.
Parking Hazards
Aventura Mall Bloomingdale’s
parking garage proved a bit hazardous to your health December 15 as
two people were injured there on two separate occasions.
At approx. 5:00 p.m., a pedestrian
was struck by a vehicle driven by a valet. Incredibly the owner of
the vehicle, Kenzler Riley, subsequently became the defendant when
he refused to take his vehicle back to the scene of the accident and
later refused a plainclothes officer’s request to step out of same
vehicle. According to a police report a huge commotion ensued with
yelling from the defendant and an attempted physical extraction by
officer attracting hundreds of mall shoppers. With the arrival of
backup officers the defendant was handcuffed and arrested.
About twenty minutes later, at 5:20
p.m., Anturio Villasana broke his leg, most likely when he ran full
speed into a stopped vehicle, breaking the windshield and denting
the left front fender. He was treated at the scene and later
transported to Aventura hospital.
Pickpocket Secrets
Ladies hold tight to your purses
while shopping at Victoria’s Secret (19575 Biscayne Blvd.). On
December 15 within the same time frame 6:30 p.m., two women reported
their wallets stolen. Karen Ritch noticed a couple following and
standing close to her. When she went to sales counter to pay for
purchases discovered her wallet had been removed from her purse. The
second victim, Teresa Del Real, had her wallet removed from her
purse even though its zipper was closed.
Starz
Friday, December 13, a hip hop
production company, Pop Starz, Inc. and MADD (Mothers Against Drunk
Driving) teamed up and presented their MADD ABOUT MUSIC
program which uses celebrity role models and music to keep kids on
the straight and narrow. This joint effort presented to Highland
Oaks Middle School students encouraged kids to stay away from
underage drinking and substance abuse.
Phyllis Huguenin can be reached at
huguenotusa@msn.com
