Category: Beauty

Kashuk to Enter Space NK

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From WWD’s public web site came this intriguing snippet (to read the full article, you need to subscribe):
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Nicky Kinnaird spotted Sonia Kashuk and saw a bull’s-eye.

Kinnaird, founder of the high-end apothecary Space NK, has plucked Kashuk’s namesake cosmetics line from Target, which has incubated the brand for the last decade.

Kinnaird plans to add the Sonia Kashuk brand to her U.K. shops and U.S. doors, including Space NK’s in-store boutique concept with Bloomingdale’s, which is slated for nine units. Space NK will trumpet is partnership with Sonia Kashuk by including the mass-market born products in its shop at Bloomingdale’s 59th Street flagship in Manhattan, which will be unveiled on Thursday. Target will continue to carry the line, and has…
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Good for Kashuk. Since her cosmetics line debuted at Target, it has suffered from erratic stock. Compare that to the recent introduction of JK Jemma Strand, pixi by Petra, and Napoleon Perdis NP Set: certainly, at my nearby Target store, these three brands were fully stocked. Kashuk should have been PO’ed.

I hope that the new venture with Space NK will give Kashuk the display and stock she deserves.

The end of mascara, as we know it?

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The market is full of mascara innovations; in fact, the November 2008 issue of Allure has an entire article devoted to mascara innovations. I have yet to blog on Exceptionnel de Chanel Intense Volume and Curl Mascara and L’Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara, the first mass-market tube mascara.

Now from Beauty Counter, a blog from Style.com “The Online Home of Vogue” (both Vogue and Allure are Condé Nast publications), comes this article Mascara, Going The Way Of Betamax?
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Ever since news broke last year that Lumigan, a glaucoma treatment that can prevent blindness, can also make your eyelashes grow two millimeters in six weeks, beauty seekers with 20/20 vision have been desperately trying to get their hands on a prescription. For those of you who have taken to faking your eye exams, some good news: Allergan, the pharmaceutical company behind the drug, is making plans to apply for a cosmetic license in the U.S., which could mean an end to mascara as early as next year. (RIP, Great Lash. We’ve had a good run.)
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Amazing. Botox was initially licensed for treating people with muscle spasms and tics. Then its use for cosmetic purposes was discovered. Lumigan might go the same path, from use for medical purposes to use for cosmetic purposes.

Check out this photo of Twiggy used to illustrate the article:


Twiggy

Wow. Talk about a swan’s neck. Twiggy’s look was created by layering four strips of false eyelashes.

Retro 60s eye makeup

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Total Beauty (of which I’m a member) has had a series on makeup and costumes for Halloween.

This feature on Retro ’60s Girl struck a chord with me: “Channel Twiggy with extreme false lashes and a pale pout.”

Be sure to visit Jamie’s excellent profile of Twiggy on her The Beauty of Life blog.

The eye makeup also reminds me of Penelope Tree, another top model of the sixties.

Penelope Tree

Darkly glamorous

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Wode by Boudicca
via Splendora

How’s this for a concept: when you apply this fragrance, a vibrant cobalt blue appears and settles into your skin and clothing. The color disappears and leaves behind scent. To say nothing about the darkly glamorous packaging, which recall the candles from DL & Co.

Wendy Ginsburg of San Diego tries the Boudicca Wode fragrance, from New perfume turns you blue.

It’s from Boudicca, the cutting edge UK-based design team of Zowie Broach and Brian Kirkby and sold in the US through Barneys (not that I patronize Barneys).

Stephen Jones Millinery perfume
via EyeCandy Make-Up & Beauty Blog

Stephen Jones Millinery perfume, pictured above, also features darkly glamorous packaging. Appropriately for a milliner, or hat maker, the box resembles a hat box. It’s a collaboration between Stephen Jones Millinery and Comme des Garçons, for which Stephen Jones has designed hats. The fragrance is exclusive to two stores in the UK, but should be rolled out worldwide.

Sephora AND Lucky – what could be better?

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Lucky and Sephora are two go-to places for shopping enthusiasts. Now Lucky and Sephora have come together to sponsor a contest to win a $1,000.00 (one thousand dollars) Sephora gift card: in addition, by visiting Month of Beauty with Kat von D everyday, you can enter giveaways or get makeup tips from tattoo artist Kat von D.

Even if you don’t win a prize, take advantage of free shipping from Sephora for purchases over fifty dollars through Month of Beauty with Kat von D.

Juicy Loves Sephora / I hate Juicy

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Juicy Loves Sephora

Besides hippie “chic,” a pet peeve is Juicy Couture. Juicy’s bags in particular are hideous: why one would want to carry a bag that screams “Juicy” is beyond me. Now Juicy has created a collection of cosmetics bags for Sephora.

Crowns and emblems have become cliche design motifs. The emblem with the schnauzers is not cute, but “cutesy,” and overly precious.

Ugh. Go away, Juicy, just go away!

CARGO Essential Eyeshadow Palette

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CARGO Essential Eyeshadow Palette

Cargo Daily Gloss and CARGO’s ColorCards™ are two of the most ridiculous cosmetics gimmicks: both are products that monetize items that were freely available. Bottled water, anyone? But hey, that’s marketing.

CARGO Essential Eyeshadow Palette, however, is a gimmick I support. The palettes come in Cool/Neutral, Warm/Neutral, and Deep/Neutral and each of the four shades in a palette is embossed with its function/use.

As Linda Wells’s book Allure: Confessions of a Beauty Editor notes, there’s a brown eye shadow for every woman. Taupey shades suit women with cool undertones, while golden browns suit women with warm undertones. CARGO Essential Eyeshadow Palettes provide basic eye shadows for every woman.

These CARGO palettes reminded me of Look Cosmetics, a brand that was exclusive to Barneys, but lasted only a couple of years at best, back in the 90s. Look featured graduated tones in both warm and cool shades; however, the eye shadows were sold as singles. Now that was a great concept.

You may find CARGO Essential Eyeshadow Palette at Sephora.com.

No more spills

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Cutex® Twist & Lock Pump nail polish remover

Tonight I removed the toe nail polish from my summer pedi. I spent more for the Cutex® Twist & Lock Pump nail polish remover than I would have for Cutex® in the usual bottle, but who knows? This might be a better value, as a measured amount is dispensed with each press and, best of all, no spills! In addition, the squat shape prevents it from being tipped over.

I found this at Bed Bath & Beyond. Note: not all BB&Bs have expanded health & beauty care sections. To find a BB&B with an expanded health and beauty care section, go to the store locator and enter your zip code or city/town and state: if there is an HBC logo for a store in the search results, that store has an expanded health and beauty care section. As I’ve written before, you can find products that you probably won’t find elsewhere.

Beautiful beneficial Benefit

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Benefit is known for its creative treatment products and the cutesy names it gives to its products. Pictured above are two powder concealers from Benefit: Get Even Pressed Powder (L) and Powderflage concealer (R).

Get Even is not merely a blotting powder; it’s also a powder concealer. If you like the light coverage of powder concealers, such as those from Bare Escentuals’ Get Started kits, but hate the mess of loose powders, then Get Even is for you. Powderflage is a pale pink loose powder described as a concealer, but it’s more of an eye brightener. I’d recommend it for fair to light complexions.

As long as you understand the real benefits (ahem 🙂 of Get Even and Powderflage – and find them useful – these products are a good addition to your makeup routine.

Bobbi Brown Custom Palette

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Bobbi Brown Custom Palette

It’s been a long time since I looked at Bobbi Brown. I’m not sure why: I favor brands like Laura Mercier that project an image of making women look beautiful. Certainly Bobbi Brown qualifies.

I visited the Bobbi Brown counter at the nearby Nordstrom and was impressed by the variety of eyeshadow and blusher shades available for its Custom Palettes. I created my own palette, which consisted of eyeshadow in Hot Stone (medium ashy brown), Wheat (medium ash beige), and Black Plum and blusher in Brown Berry. Hot Stone is a recent addition to the Bobbi Brown collection of eyeshadow. After a brow stylist recommended ashen shades for my eyebrows, I’ve been using Hot Stone on my eyebrow, along with the darker Grey Brown eyeshadow from il-Makiage.

I’m very happy with the palette. I use Wheat as an all-over eye shade, Hot Stone on the lid, and Black Plum in the crease and outer corner, which I complement with a deep plum eyeliner. BTW a plummy smoky eye more sensuous than a smoky eye in traditional neutrals such as gray or brown.

I have two complaints. First, the individual shades come in their own fancy packaging: I’d much rather pay for individual pans. Secondly, the glossy black finish of the palette really shows up fingerprints.

Now the Bobbi Brown site (www.bobbibrown.com) has an application in which you can build your Custom Palette online.