• Butterfly Studio

  149 Fifth Ave., second fl., 212-253-2100

  Ideally, going to an expert for out-of-the-ordinary makeup achieves two things: It enhances you beyond your own everyday abilities, and it lasts until the D.J.’s iPod dies. Putting your face in a stranger’s hands before a big night, however, is risky; you could end up a disco queen instead of a beautiful vision. Butterfly’s Francis Roman quizzes her clients about the kind of event they’re going to, what they’re wearing, and—most important—how much makeup they normally wear. She’s got fifteen years of experience working on magazine shoots and commercials, and with celebs (Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Drew Barrymore), so she knows how to make a look that will flatter and last. And she’s remarkably reasonable: $125 for an application, $200 for lessons. Pick up freebie tricks and treatments at the studio’s monthly “Social Butterfly” get-togethers.

From the 2006 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine