Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

It reads like the plotline for a particularly lurid Law & Order episode: A 43-year-old Bronx woman dies suddenly; her death seems tragic but unsuspicious, until the medical examiner discovers a silicone embolism in her lungs and her family reveals that she'd been given body-plumping silicone injections by an unlicensed cosmetologist, who would have been charged with homicide had she not fled to the Dominican Republic. More

She may not know much about PR, but one thing Olivia Palermo does know a lot about is nail polish, at least according to UK's Look magazine, which has declared her a "new style icon" for being brave enough to stick with the red nail color trend and get "snapped wearing the same nail colour again and again." Who knew Olivia's tiny fingers were capable of having such a profound effect on society? It's the next bit, though, that's really surprising: "With millions in the bank and a list of fashionable friends, you would think she would have a selection of nail varnishes to choose from." We would think she has multiple colors to choose from: That's how Korean nail salons operate, silly! We're not so sure about the whole "millionaire" bit, but presumably her dad will be pleased to hear the news.

Automatic Vanity | Because God forbid there should be any time or place that isn't an opportunity for women to buy expensive make-up and skincare, Fred Segal has pioneered a vending machine—launching at their LA store but poised to go nationwide at gyms, airports, and nightclubs—that sells brands like Lancome and Bliss. Fine, but let's hope for more vending machines like they have in Japan, where a quick swipe of your credit card provides you with instant access to underwear, a live lobster or even a glimpse into your future. [Allure]

Michelle Keeps It Real, Except With Her Eyelashes | As part of the media's professionally-mandated obligation to scrutinize and pass judgment on every last detail of Michelle Obama's fashion choices, make-up, and comportment, we're now down to her eyelashes. Or, in fact, not her eyelashes but a rather splendid pair of falsies, which an eagle-eyed journalist breathlessly describes as "full-on, all-out diva lashes, the kind you normally find on D-list celebrities or in drag-act dressing rooms." The same pearl necklace with different outfits, but flawlessly-applied fake eyelashes: exactly the kind of prioritizing we can all learn from!

• Retailers in Soho who were expecting to see a boost in sales thanks to the opening of Topshop were greatly disappointed this week. [Crains, photo via Flickr]
• Some fashion insiders are a bit miffed that Michelle Obama has shown "zero interest in the big guns of American fashion" in favor of the "new and niche." [WWD]
• Daisy Lowe is getting her own show on MTV. [Pipeline]
• Victoria's Secret has signed up Christian Siriano to do makeup. [Fashionista]
• Nina Ricci's new designer will probably be Peter Copping. [FWD]
• A day in the life of Thakoon Panichgul. In Hong Kong. [Style.com]
• The beauty brand Stila may have gone bankrupt. [Fashionista]

Sign of the apocalypse number 567: It's not only teenage girls who are joining adult women in spending vast sums on make-up, hair products, and beauty treatments. Nor is it only tweens. According to research by Experian, 43 percent of 6- to 9-year-olds use lipstick or lip gloss, 38 percent use hairstyling products, and of course there's the now-notorious Dimples Kids' Spa in Brooklyn Heights (run, natch, by a Russian woman), where girls from 0-12 can get expensive mani-pedis and facials. So who or what is to blame for turning the nation's girl children into monstrous little patsies of the beauty industry? It's the internet, like you even needed to ask!More

Bottle Blondes Rejoice! | With all the upheaval in the world, it's good to see that some people aren't losing sight of the bigger picture, like one benevolent genius who's so eager to provide blondes with an alternative to ravaging their hair with peroxide, that he's dedicated his entire career to creating a non-damaging bleach—and he's nearly there. Kenzo Koike, a Tokyo scientist, has discovered a fungus-based enzyme that "naturally degrades melanin and has the added benefit of fighting the effects of free radicals." Sounds like Japan's greatest technological innovation yet! [Green Right Now]

Dr. Drew Pinsky may say that America's obsession with vanity is waning, but for some women the lure of cosmetic transformation is impossible to resist: so much so, in fact, that a beautification-related crime wave has broken out! In one daring stunt, a 24-year-old British woman conned a makeover show into paying $50,000 for laser skin treatments, new teeth, clothes, and hair-styling, then disappeared before they could finish filming. We know: It's upsetting to see this most classy and wholesome of TV genres, the only purpose of which is to help people, be exploited so heartlessly.More

• Barneys is trimming staff: The company cut 76 jobs today. [Crains]
• Topshop's signage is here! And a whole bunch of people will be on hand for the big opening on April 1, naturally. [Racked, NYP]
• Sign o' the times: The old New York sign in Midtown has been replaced by one for Burberry. [Racked]
• The Valentino doc did pretty well for itself its opening weekend. [FWD]
• Tiffany posted a sharp drop in fourth quarter profit. [NYT]
• Remember those fish pedicures that generated so much press a few months back? You may want to note the practice is now banned in 14 states. [WSJ]

Life is filled with so many difficult decisions. Take, for example, the question that the Oxygen network posed to a group of women as part of a recent survey: Would you rather win America's Next Top Model or the Nobel Peace Prize? Not surprisingly, 25 percent of respondents said they'd take the modeling industry's most coveted title over the one that celebrates people who, like, make the world a better place, which may have something to do with the fact that winning ANTM brings with it a possible fast food contract and an In Touch cover, while joining the ranks of Muhammad Yunus, Wangari Muta Maathai, and Shirin Ebadi doesn't sound all that sexy. When have any of them been featured on the cover of a magazine, huh? (Foreign Affairs doesn't count; it doesn't even have pictures on the cover!) More

Jersey Shore Spared | Remember how New Jersey's Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling was thinking about banning Brazilian waxes for health reasons? Jersey girls no longer have to worry about having to pass through the Lincoln Tunnel to prepare for the summer season. The state reversed course today after salon owners "complained about losing business ahead of swimsuit season." Take the good news where you can get it, folks. [NYP, previously]

Some very unfortunate goings-on in New Jersey are threatening one of the basic human rights—to have hair ripped out of one's cooch with hot wax—of everyone in the state. Following Brazilian-related infections that left two women hospitalized (yes, crossing your legs right now is an entirely natural reaction), leading one of them to sue, the state Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling may ban "genital waxing" altogether—creating a situation where desperate Jersey residents, like red state teens seeking abortions, will have to cross state lines if they want to maintain their landing strip. Which, on the bright side, is great news for waxers in Manhattan—not that spatula-wielding Russians need the extra PR!

Book Deal for Boldface Bikini Waxer | It looks like being Gwyneth Paltrow's bikini waxer has its benefits. Beautician Janea Padilha, who counts Paltrow, Sarah Jessica Parker, Uma Thurman and Lindsay Lohan as clients of her J Sisters salon on 57th Street, has signed a five-figure book deal with Perigree, an imprint of Penguin Books. Brazilian Sexy will give readers advice on "love, life, and being sexy," and Padilha says she'll "talk about what happens in the room where I work." Everything you wanted to know about Gwynnie's pubic hair situation: coming to a bookstore near you in 2010! [NYO]

Açaí berries: From the sexy diacritical marks and uncertain pronunciation to the Amazonian rainforest provenance to the claims that açaí will make you skinny, beautiful, healthy, and basically immortal, it's hard to believe that the shiny purple fruit wasn't actually dreamt up by a major corporation's PR team in order to exploit our gullibility as consumers. More than $106 million was spent on açaí last year, Nicholas Perricone sells an açaí supplement, Mehmet Oz endorses açaí, and Oprah, Sumner Redstone, and Rachael Ray have all been reported to be fans at one time or another. Is it any surprise to learn that there's scarcely any scientific evidence for the multitudinous benefits that have been touted?  More

Daniel Benedict is one of the city's most frequently photographed professional party-goers: You don't appear 955 times on Patrick McMullan if you sit at home at night and watch trashy reality TV on VH1. (That's what a DVR is for.) Daniel also has a serious affection for self-tanning lotion, at least judging by the number of people who email us to comment on the shade of Daniel's skin. But have you ever considered how hard it must be to achieve just the right shade? It's a delicate balancing act. Don't put enough on and you look sickly; put on too much and your fellow party guests are wondering aloud if lobster is on the menu. But we're here to help. You can now hold up the Daniel Benedict Self-Tanning Color Swatch while you're looking in the mirror to determine if you're safe, or if you've clearly gone way too far. You're welcome!