Author: Cold Cream 'n' Roses

#beauty #cosmetics #makeup #skincare #fashion An eclectic collection of #music posted on #Mondays

The art of Jamdani weaving

Cold Cream 'n' Roses
Afera Designs - Elegance From Timeless Tradition
I love ethnic textiles: block prints, ikat, suzanis, kalamkari – you name it, I love it.

That’s why I was excited to receive this recommendation from tanjinaquazi via ThisNext for Afera Designs, a company that seeks to keep alive the art of weaving Jamdani. According to Chandana Banerjee of colouroftherain.blogspot.com, “The method of weaving resembles tapestry work in which small shuttles of coloured, gold or silver threads, are passed through the weft [yarns that are run horizontally in a loom].” Jamdani is practiced near Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.

A Jamdani weaver at work

Decorative arts such as Jamdani are at risk of dying out, as the weavers cannot support themselves by practicing their traditional art. Many go to work in the garment factories that churn out cheap clothing for export. Fortunately, companies such as Afera Designs are dedicated to keeping decorative arts alive and creating new markets for them.

Illamasqua

Cold Cream 'n' Roses1 Comment

The U.S. is not the only country anticipating debuts of new cosmetics lines: the UK is anticipating the launch of Illamasqua at the tony Selfridges department store.


Illamasqua brand image
from Beauty Counter interview with Artistic Director Alex Box

Illamasqua was developed in association with Kryolan, the leading company for theatrical makeup. Illamasqua founder Julian Kynaston from Propaganda said, “We were shocked that the make-up market appeared to have no real emotional brands … there was a lot of loyalty, but that loyalty was not at a brand level it was at a hero product level. You would see girls who were loyal to a particular lipstick from say Chanel, certainly Yves Saint Laurent’s Touche Eclat had incredible product loyalty.”


Illamasqua

The article from The Drum further notes,

During their research Propaganda emptied over 1,200 make-up bags and they found little evidence of dominance of any one brand. Typically there were 14 different brands in the average make-up bag. From here on, Kynaston’s goal became to ensure that the make-up bag of the future consisted of 50% of their brand, in their target market, with the other brands sharing the remaining half.

It will be interesting to see how creating brand loyalty will work out. Only MAC seems to command that sort of brand loyalty nowadays.

Lip Wax

Cold Cream 'n' Roses


Lip Wax from Giorgio Armani Beauty

Giorgio Armani Beauty describes Lip Wax as a “compact lipstick.” Actually, it’s more like lip stain. Lip Wax differs from lip stains, however, in that it’s smoother and less drying. That’s one aspect I like about Lip Wax; the other aspect I like is that the color is buildable from a simple tint to full-out lip color.

Lip Wax is available in six shades: #01 (nude beige), #02 (antique rose), #03 (sienna), #04 (raspberry), #05 (cardinal red), and #6 (deep chianti)

You may purchase Lip Wax ($26.00) through Giorgio Armani Beauty, or wait until next month (October 2008) to buy it at a Giorgion Armani Beauty counter.

Pixi at Target

Cold Cream 'n' Roses2 Comments

Beauty411 said that Pixi was her least favorite of the three premium brands that debuted at Target: Pixi, NP Set, and JK Jemma Kidd. Pixi is by far my favorite of the three brands.

I’m a sucker for beautifully coordinated eye shadow palettes, and Pixi has several beautiful palettes: Minimum, Mango, Miracle Velveteen, Miracle, and Mirage (is there an alliteration thing going on here, or what? 🙂



Pixi Eye Beauty Kit in Miracle

In addition, Pixi has some great concepts, such as Lid & Line (not shown), which features a retractable eyeliner pencil, a matching eye shadow, and smudger, all in one pen. I like lining lining my upper eyelid with the shadow, smudging the line, and using the pencil tips to fill in my lower lashes. The package is right about Lid & Line: it creates the smudgy, smoky eye in a flash.

Another great concept product is Illuminating Tint & Conceal, described as a “tinted moisturizer,” with a cream-to-powder concealer built into the cap. For something described as a tinted moisturizer, Illuminating Tint & Conceal has a lot of opacity. That’s because it uses titanium oxide and zinc oxide as sunscreen agents (it is rated SPF 20). Because the illumination is actually shimmer, I don’t apply the tinted moisturizer on my nose. The concealer dries to a soft powdery finish. This product delivers, but, geez, $35.00?? You’d at least expect more glam packaging.

Pixi Illuminating Tint & Conceal

I’d like readers to provide comments on Pixi – price, performance, packaging, etc. Has anyone tried the Lip Blush?

Train Cases

Cold Cream 'n' Roses

First cosmetics bags, now train cases.

Clearview Train Case by Lug

The clear vinyl panels let me look into the contents without having to open the bag and rummage through the contents. The downside is that I have to flatten it to fit in my suitcase.


This Bag is Garbage Cosmetics Tote

This Bag is Garbage Cosmetics Tote is actually made of plastic garbage bags that are gently melted and fused together. In addition to recycling trash, purchase of this train case also supports work for poor women in India.

Stuff your train case with L’Oreal Paris cosmetics! Nine days left for our giveaway! 🙂

Rock and Republic gets into color cosmetics

Cold Cream 'n' Roses1 Comment

This has to be the busiest season for cosmetics launches that I’ve seen in the four years that I’ve been blogging here at The Style Page. I’ve already covered the debut of pixi by Petra Strand, NP Set, and JK Jemma Kidd at Target; the launch of Victoria Jackson’s direct sales line (the third cosmetics line she’s founded) and the re-launch of Jouer.

Rock and Republic, best known for its premium denim, will enter the already crowded field of color cosmetics with an ultra-luxe line. Here are some previews of Rock and Republic cosmetics products:

Luxe Lip Gloss in Alpha Blonde

Luxe Lip Gloss, which is enriched with Vitamins A and E, provides a high-gloss finish.


Bound Gel Eye Liner in Torture

Ouch. This sounds rather kinky. Bound Gel Eye Liner is a highly pigmented, long-wearing gel/cream eye liner.

Accentuate Bronzer/Highlighter

The Accentate Bronzer/Highlighter collection costs $225.00. Yes – you read that right – two hundred twenty-five dollars. This refillable compact is studded with Swarovski crystals, and the collection also includes a kabuki brush and drawstring pouches for the compact and brush.

The matte bronzer is paired with one of three shimmer highlighter shades: coral, rose, and gold. Refills are $45.00.

Rock & Republic Cosmetics will debut September 15th at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Bloomingdale’s. To find out more about Rock & Republic cosmetics, visit RockandRepublicCosmetics.com

L’Oreal Paris cosmetics giveaway

Cold Cream 'n' Roses2 Comments

L’Oreal Paris is The Style Page’s favorite mass-market brand of cosmetics. For that reason, I’m proud to host a giveaway of four recently introduced L’Oreal Paris products:

* L’Oreal Paris Bare Naturale eyeliner (loose powder) in Defining Bronze
* L’Oreal Paris Infallible Never Fail Eyeliner in Black
* L’Oreal Paris HIP High Intensity Pigments Jelly Balm in Luscious
* L’Oreal Paris Bare Naturale gentle lip conditioner in Soft Petal

I respect your privacy. When you enter, you don’t have to give your full name. I will not share your email address with anyone else, nor will I subscribe you to The Style Page blog. Of course, if you want to subscribe, that’s very much appreciated!

Enter below for a chance to win L’Oreal Paris cosmetics. Only one entry per IP address (I was spammed with four entries from the identical IP address). This contest closes on Friday, September 12 at 11:55 PM.

http://contestmachine.com/embed/survey_js/ZMBYOYA7OR

If the winner so requests, I will include a link to her blog. Of course, she may publish the review on her blog as well: just include a reference to The Style Page, thestylepage.blogspot.com.

I’m a maven!

Cold Cream 'n' Roses1 Comment

I’ve been named a maven on the ThisNext social shopping network! Was I surprised!

What is a ThisNext maven?

“Mavens are the leading and most influential members of the ThisNext community. They are the tastemakers and trendspotters that make ThisNext such an awesome place to be. They find the most unique products from the coolest stores, find them first, and write informative and interesting recommendations.”

See my picks at http://www.thisnext.com/by/thestylepage/picks/ or click on the ThisNext badge on the left-hand bar.