In the midst of Fashion Month, a vacation, a birthday and what’s starting to feel like a blog explosion, I ran out of time to finish posting the series of Life With’s I worked on in LA this summer.

Next up is Molly Stern.

I’m tempted to call Molly “make-up artist to the stars,” but that doesn’t really cover it. Yes, she’s pretty much the only one who touches Reese Witherspoon’s face, but she’s also landed a gig for Cover Girl. She used to have her own clothing line, which sold in Barneys etc, she’s a mother of three and for lack of a less cheesy word, she’s one of the most inspirational women I’ve met - especially in this industry.

She got her start at the Shu Uemura store in her local mall, made fast friends with the girl who replaced her, Jillian Dempsey, moved to New York to find herself, moved back to LA when her mom set her up with the guy behind the counter at her favorite deli and only recently came to terms with working in beauty.

Click through for our meandering talk.

The bleaching of models’ brows was all the rage for S/S 2010 (and actually was fairly popular the season before at Prada, Balenciaga, and Miu Miu). We’ve been fascinated as to how all the girls’ eyebrows didn’t fall out by the end of Paris Fashion Week.

Today, we went to a Cover Girl lunch with the amazing (and always fun) Pat McGrath and got some answers.

First of all, we had no idea that Pat has had a hair colorist on her team for years. While he does many other things as well, brows often fall to him. Very cool. And considering the lady does around 30 shows a season (not to mention countless editorials and covers), it makes a lot of sense to have everyone you may need at the ready.

She told us that she suggested to the models that they not go through the bleaching process more than twice. Instead, the makeup teams would just color in darker versions when necessary. “Of course some girls insisted on always changing back, but what are you gonna do?” said Pat. We’re sure those ladies are regretting those decisions right about now.

Over the course of my career I’ve become rather adept at writing about how to put on makeup or do your hair. But what I’m not amazingly talented at is doing it myself. And really the best way to learn is to watch someone else do it.

The good folks over at Stila have realized this, but also that you aren’t usually sitting in front of your laptop as you get ready. Enter the Makeup Player, launching today.

You simply download tutorials onto your iPhone or other mobile device, plug it in to the portable makeup kit and play away. Plus you can rock tunes while you’re applying.

At least in the US, that is. Procter & Gamble is going to stop selling the brand domestically, though it will continue to globally.

We haven’t paid much attention to the brand over the past few years, and apparently, we are not alone. It seemed a bit schizophrenic lately, signing Carmen Electra to a contract one minute, but then a year later seeming to shift gears back toward fashion by hiring makep superstar Pat McGrath as a spokesperson and most recently Gisele for the ads.

The brand’s disappearance might not impact our daily lives, but we’re sad to see a company with such a rich history say goodbye to the country where it started. It is the original makeup artist brand and was once the epitome of old Hollywood.

It’s also a bit of a shock to hear about the downsizing of a major beauty brand, as that industry is usually able to withstand economic downturns better than most. Hence the term “lipstick index” where in tough times, cosmetics sales often improve. Though that doesn’t seem to be the case with this recession.

Here’s hoping there won’t be more closings to come.

Model Genius: Coco Rocha learns how to do her own hair & make-up. No longer needs Pat & Guido. {OhSoCoco}

Muji My Way: Muji’s finally available on-line. It’s come so far since I lived in London and had to explain its awesomeness to stateside friends. {Racked}

Go Arlenis: Arlenis Sosa rocks the cover of Vogue Germany. {Models}

Blogging Babes: The Beckerman sisters started a blog! And we kind of love their clothes, so check it out. {BeckermanBitePlate}

Industry Insider: Looks like someone has a new editor. That someone is thrilled! {FWD}

MAC is teaming up with Ungaro’s Esteban Cortazar for fall.

It’s the second “from the runway” collaboration for the make-up giant, after partnering with Alexander McQueen last year. (They don’t count Heatherette because their make-up wasn’t based on anything runway related.)

The Ungaro colors, set to debut this fall, will feature a “softer palette of delicate shades of pinks, blues and lilacs” said MAC make-up artist Sharon Dowsett, “It’s a colorful collection but very transparent so you don’t have to worry about overdoing it.”

Sounds pretty, but we still don’t understand limited edition designer make-up. Unless Pat McGrath’s in your bathroom every morning, armed and ready with liquid eyeliner, you’re not going to look like you walked off a Parisian runway, no matter whose designs inspired the color on your lids.

Still, if we had our pick, we’d love to see someone partner with Luella - can you imagine the pink lipsticks and glitter eyeshadows?! Maybe Stila can give her a call once their Marchesa shades sell out?