Recently in Beauty News Category

YSL Beaute has launched its new lipstick with Kate Moss (if anyone doubted her staying power as a model, think again!). It just won the Allure Best Bright Lipstick Award for "Rouge Volupte- #10 Provocative Pink". The jury said "as smooth as silk, this hot pink makes our eyes seem brighter and our cheek rosier" .... very Voluptuous! I was just telling Couture Snob Heidi the other day that I am going to seek a bright pink lipstick for TV appearances, I feel like my nude shades are too washed out for the small screen :) I can't wait to try the Rouge Volupte next week in front of the camera in New York.

On Oct 29th, YSL Beaute website is featuring an exciting art contest : "Create your own YSL lipstick-inspired piece of art !". The winners will get a free ticket to NYC, a personalized makeup session with YSL artist and a selection of top products to bring back home. Check it out at YSL.com

Available for $34 at yslbeautyus

$21.00 at your local MAC

***BEAUTY NOTE: Apply with a soft, dome-tipped brush!***

Supermodel and Lancome spokesperson Daria Werbowy is the force behind Brazilian Earth, a charity color collection from Lancome that was just released! The set includes three new products -- Color Fever Lipstick in Beige Caracai ($26), Color Fever Gloss in Nude Prainha ($24), and Color Design Eye Shadow Quad in Carnet de Velours ($45). All are in a nude palette and a portion of the proceeds will benefit Centro Espacial Vik Muniz, a group that supports arts education programs for young adults in Rio de Janeiro. Check out the video for more info on the collaboration!

In celebration of World Ocean Day (this Sunday, June 8th), La Mer (whose creams are in a luxury category allll their own), is celebrating their sea heritage by donating $100,000 to Oceana to help fund global initiatives and support their mission of ocean conservation!
Oceana is the largest international ocean advocacy group and they have some big-name spokespeople (Ted Danson, Amber Valletta, Sam Waterston…), and La Mer has been supporting the organization's wonderful mission for years! The actually had a fab event in celebration of World Ocean Day with stars like Rosario Dawson, Michelle Trachtenberg, Monique Mazer, and model Alek Wek coming out to show their support!
They've also come-up with a special Creme de la Mer wrap, which is an in-store animation La Mer designed for World Ocean Day -- Treat yourself while you support Oceana's mission to preserve our oceans' beauty and health, as you celebrate World Ocean Day this Sunday, June 8th!

Do you like to shop for makeup and recommend your favorite products to friends? Well, we have the job for you! Glamour is now taking applications for representatives across the country, in 22 major cities, to work on Glamour’s behalf to reach local readers. Glamour is looking for well-connected people in each city, such as active members or leaders of alumni associations, special interest clubs and PTAs. Each Glambassador recruits and manages a group of 30 or more fashionable friends. Glambassadors have access to and will promote cool events, trends and venues in their city. They help to host special events, spread the word about sweepstakes and contests, and sample and promote products. Companies are able to use the Glambassador program to create custom marketing programs.

For more information and to apply, visit glamalert.com/glambassador. You will be asked to submit a written application, Facebook profile and to participate in a telephone interview.

The 2008 Glambassadors will be chosen in May, so don’t wait to apply! Good luck to all of our readers and be sure to let us know if you are selected!

If you’ve ever dreamed of being a makeup artist, this is the contest for you! Elle and Dior Cosmetics are looking for aspiring makeup artists. The grand prize winner will be featured in the January 2009 issue of Elle.

All you need to do is take a friend and a digital camera to your local Macy’s Dior counter. Give your friend a makeover using Dior products, and then take a picture of your work. E-mail the photo to artistinaction@elle.com. For more information, go to artistinaction.elle.com. All entries must be received by June 16, so don’t wait too long! Good luck to everyone!

My husband says my head is full of useless info because I can rattle off statistics of more random things than I care to admit, but hey, at least I always win at Trivia Pursuit! According to the latest issue of Women's health, Japanese and French women are perfectionists and American women are stressed. Italian women, however, have the diva attitude and feel they look young regardless of their age, bravo to that!

Jump to the list of beauty numbers from this month's Women's Health that I find fascinating.

Now is the time to stock up on all your favorite beauty products because Nordstrom is offering a cute pink tote full of beauty and fragrance samples with any $100 online purchase! I received mine last week, and it contains some really great and generously-sized samples, including some of my favorites: Clarins, Bare Escentuals, Bliss, L’Occitane, Philosophy, Origins and many more!

If you don’t know what to buy, I suggest my own purchase: a limited-edition Pink Clarisonic Skincare System! If you haven’t tried Clarisonic, you must! I lost mine during a beach vacation last summer, and just now finally reordered one. Now, I’m kicking myself that I waited so long! The Clarisonic is nothing short of fabulous. It provides a deep pore cleanse, as well as exfoliating, and over time, it really improves the quality of your skin. I find myself using less and less facial products because they are absorbed so much better! It also helps to prevent the occasional breakouts and flaky skin, I deal with. The Clarisonic also comes in white, but I prefer the pink version. Clarisonic donates a portion of profits from every purchase of the pink Clarisonic to the fight against breast cancer.

Don’t wait too long to order because this offer will only be available while supplies last!

I love online shopping, and I’m thrilled that I can now find so many premium brands on the internet! Remember the old days when you had to actually wait the next day for stores to open? Now I shop at midnight when all is quiet, and I can really focus. Spalook.com just started carrying Ted Gibson hair products, which is quite exciting as Ted Gibson is an amazing line of luxury hair products. Especially the super convenient Hair styling sheets. What a neat and convenient way to restyle your hair on the go! I hate the way my hair looks after a long day, so I love that you can keep them in your purse for anytime you need them. Check out SpaLook.com to see the entire Ted Gibson line!

In addition, Spalook.com is offering these great discount promotions: (after the jump).

When Talika launched in the United States, the artistic and creative communities of Hollywood were the first to embrace the brand. Now, they would like to give back to the very people who made their success possible! Talika will donate $3 to the Writers Guild Fund for every purchase made on their site through May. The $3 donation is given per transaction so if you want to buy more than one thing, I suggest doing it in separate transactions to maximize the donations to the Fund :) I love Talika products, the Brow extender, Brow or Lash conditioner, and the eye masks above (also favored by Drew Barrymore!). Whatever you choose, just remember that beauty and brains go together and without the wondrous words of the Writers of Hollywood, we'd all be watching Reality TV and risk brain rot (ewwwwwww!). Please support the Writers Guild Fund so we can get Grey's Anatomy back on television! Shop Talika NOW!

Pantene’s Beautiful Wishes contest is helping many women's life wishes come true. For every Life Wish made they will donate $1 to the Pantene Beautiful Lengths campaign, which gives free real-hair wigs to women who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments. Visit Pantene's Website for more information and to submit your wishes by February 15, 2008 for your chance to win!

My brother Davis is a real man's man. He likes to go fishing and hunting and he loves to dip. He only drinks beer or wiskey. When I go home, we have to watch ESPN or I have to leave the room. (If I take the remote away from him he cries like a baby and I just hate to make my little brother cry! And, by the way, I do call him "little brother" in front of all his friends, and he secretly loves it.) He would never admit it to anyone but he loves to use my beauty products when I come home. Body wash, shampoo that costs more than $1.50, exfoliant, facial products, sweet smelling lotions; you name it he'll sneak it from me. This is why I am SO excited about Armani's first skin care line for guys as mentioned on wwd.com. I can get him his own damn beauty products so he'll quit stealing mine. They even come in sleek, manly casing so when he takes it back to his frat house at The University of Alabama, his brothers will never know he is actually cleaning himself. The product will hit select stores in April. See wwd.com for more information and we'll keep you posted.

My favorite line has a holiday 20% OFF discount code (HOLIDAY07) for those wishing to give the gift of ultimate luxurious beauty. I am super excited because I get to re-stock my lost brush collection at a discount! That should make up for the fact that prices have gone up dramatically since I bought my original brushes 15-20 years ago. But more importantly, of course, I am gifting my lucky girlfriends the essentials that they will love! The best gift idea is the Shu Uemura eyelash curler ($18) for those who don't already own these. By far the best best best curlers out there. I like to pair this with Shu Uemura tweezers ($32), another ultimate best, it has a slant edge for ease and precision in plucking. The edge is super sharp so you can get the finest of brows (or anywhere else for that matter). There is nothing more frustrating or painful than the unsuccessful hair removal of tweezing when you pull but come up blank. And it's double the work. For those you especially love this holiday season, shower them with love by getting Shu Uemura sable brushes for their lovely faces. It is sure to please and they will think of you everyday for the rest of their lives, because that's how long these brushes last. Sorry to have posted this late (the holidays are always crazy) but you still have until Monday Dec. 17th to use the code.

Researchers at Stanford University found a gene that causes aging. What this means is that this gene can be blocked and ....... no more wrinkles!!! In the study, the wrinkly skin of the aging mouse reverted back to young skin after 2 weeks of blocking the gene in the basal layer of the skin (which is the lowest and most active layer). They are still 5-10 years from human trials so don't stop using your sunblock just yet. Dermatologists agree that most aging is caused by sun exposure so I suppose that is the easier way to go. But think about it, in 20 years when we all will need age reversal, this will be something that could save us from the knife and needle!! Although, I'm sure this process involves some sort of needles. Researchers have said that this will not prolong life but will help with certain aging related illnesses. In any case, this is exciting news. But as always, we advocate using products that will prevent us from having to resort to any of this!! Click to see the video clip of the news story on NBC. So keep reading Beauty Snob for the latest and greatest on beauty products to avoid high tech biological gene therapy, which is always a little scary.

One day, when I was a young journalism student in college my professor got up and announced that the printed page would one day be obsolete. He swore that in twenty years we’d all be reading all our books and newspapers on handheld computers. I almost cried, the thought upset me so much. I couldn’t imagine reading a book without holding it, or reading a magazine without smelling the perfume ads. I just finished reading my first online magazine and I’m here to tell you it’s not that bad reading online! I still hope that the printed page never goes away but in this day and age you have to embrace technology right? Anyway, enough with my rant! You should all check out Chic Today and read their online magazine Fashion and Beauty Issue. It features, among other articles, hysterical short stories by Snob pal Kristopher Dukes and a totally amazing article about female Superhero fashion and how it might be influencing the runway today. (You caught me, I’m a totally nerd who is obsessed with the television show Heroes!) The magazine is a little hard to navigate – Tip: To flip the pages click on any of the corners. It took me way longer than it should have to figure that out. But I have to say, it is totally worth the read, even if it doesn’t come with perfume samples! Chictoday.com

Ben at We Love Beauty dishes on the beauties at the American Music Awards last night!

Get all your Lancome beauty stash before the sale ends next Monday! Special discount of 20% for our Beauty Snobs. Go to the website and receive free shipping as well or print the above coupon and take it to a Lancome boutique. Enter code THANKS7 at check out!

POST BY BEAUTY SNOB MICHELLE

This week WWD reported that Elizabeth Arden had signed a beauty licensing deal with Rocawear, the label that was co-founded by the king of hip-hop Jay-Z. I for one, am completely excited about this! Although I don’t wear much clothing from Rocawear I have a secret crush on Jay-Z and the thought of a boy I have a total crush on making beauty products is almost too much to handle. Beyonce is one lucky girl! If he’s smart (which we all know he is) he’ll sign her up to be the spokesmodel. The first fragrance is set to launch sometime in 2008.

Photo from allure.com
I love perfume! It’s my favorite accessory. Change your scent and your whole day can go in a different direction. I wish I had more perfume to play around with. That’s why I entered the Allure.com’s Free Stuff perfume giveaway. They’re giving away 18 of Perfumer Frederic Malle’s top scent picks. It’s worth $1,500 dollars. It’ll be like having Sephora’s perfume wall in your home. Who wouldn’t want that? Maybe you'll find that elusive perfect scent! Enter at Allure.com/freestuff

UPDATE: Thank you Valerie and Amanda for your generous donations! We will match the amounts and donate in your names.

Beauty Snob challenge- I just made my donation online and thought of a great way to get more donations to the foundation. FOR TODAY, OCTOBER 8TH only, Beauty Snob will MATCH dollar for dollar what our Beauty Snob readers donate to the Susan G. Komen Foundation today. YOU MUST EMAIL ME THE CONFIRMATION LETTER AND YOUR TRACKING CODE by 11:59pm EST tonight. It doesn't matter how much you give, just give! Every little bit counts. I will not reveal the amount you give, that will stay confidential :) I will give props to those who contribute tomorrow morning though... so go and give!!! Come on ladies, here is your chance to make a difference- DONATE ONLINE HERE!

Everywhere I turn I see pink products being marketed for "Breast Cancer Awareness", but how much of our money is really going to the cause? Many products only say they will donate a "portion" of the proceeds but what I want to know is how much?!?!? I found this very helpful website, Think Before You Pink, that provides tips on how to Pink wisely. I am a pink freak and have always loved buying all the cute pink products even though I don't use them, I just figure it's better than not buying it right? Seriously though, I have the pink Kitchenaid mixer plus set of matching mixing bowls and spoons that I never use as I do not bake. (it does looks really cute in my kitchen but I probably should have sent them a check for $400!) There is half a dozen other Pink for the Cure products that I don't use but again, I bought them for the sake of charity but in retrospect a check would have been put to better use. I do have one pink item I use all the time, the pink Japanese ceramic knife- the best pink product I ever bought, I use it several times a day and it is the sharpest and lightest knife ever! This year I will definitely think before I pink. I will also be sending a check straight to the Susan G. Komen Foundation because that just seems like the most effective way to help. What about you, buy pink or donate direct or a little of both like me?

Donate ONLINE HERE!

Or send check to Susan G. Komen for the Cure 5005 LBJ Fwy., Ste. 250 Dallas, TX 75244

Our tech nerdie, aka Kelly's husband, is useful beyond words. In addition to keeping us online and in business by keeping up with all of our technical work, he also scans the web for articles that would be of interest to us. This is one of the articles he sent me last month which I think every Beauty Snob should read! I eat most of the items on the list but am now more diligent about all of it. I believe in eating only fresh foods (I do not even own a can opener and am planning to rid of my microwave!) and have raised my soon to be three year old son to love spinach and broccoli. With so many of our friends diagnosed with cancer I feel like the least we can do is control what we put in our bodies. Being youthful and beautiful is just a small perk to the health benefits you'll receive.

Chanel is poised to undertake the largest tv marketing campaign in 15 years, according to WWD, Chanel plans to "blanket the market with images of Kiera in the most sweeping beauty campaign since signing on Nicole Kidman in 2004". Chanel will unleash an ambitious multilayered advertising and promotional campaign this week. The media blitz, which will continue to roll out through yearend, includes TV spots, print ads, outdoor advertising and an intensive online effort. The campaign marks the first time in 15 years that Chanel has bankrolled ads on national network TV.

I was invited to a cocktail party and screening of this short film at the Chanel Boutique and am greatly looking forward to it. The short was filmed by Jacques Helleu, Chanel's artistic director, who has helmed the imagemaking efforts at Chanel for more than four decades. I personally adore Kiera Knightly, especially in her first film "Bend It Like Beckham"! Chanel stated that Kate Moss' contract was coming to an end and they were looking for something different... and it had nothing to do with her many scandals. Yeah, sure. Look for Chanel's multi media blitz in a city near you!

I am ready to pass out with excitement over the announcement of La Prarie's latest product, the Skin Caviar Luxe Eye Cream; being launched in September, it will put eye creams in a "whole new arena," said Lynne Florio, president of La Prairie. I am curious to how they will improve upon perfection and can't wait to find out. The eye cream will retail for $275 for 20ml and is expected to bring $30 million in world wide sales the first year (how many will that be? Roughly 109,090 jars). Yes it is more than double the cellular eye cream but I bet it will be a sell out. I've mentioned my obsession with La Prarie eye cream so you know I'll be first in line at Saks when this hits the stores! Make sure you contact your La Prarie specialist immediately and put your name on the list!

Photo and Article source: crienglish.com

This is by far the strangest beauty related news I have ever heard, apparently in China the rage is to sit in a shallow pool while thousands of fish naw at your skin. The fish is called Garra Rufa (or Doctor Fish) and is used for treatment of skin disease. From the article:

A newly emerged "fish spa" is becoming fashionable in many hot spring resorts, and has attracted even more customers, all curious about this peculiar treatment. At such a spa, many Garra Rufa, a type of small tropical fish, also nicknamed Chinchin Yu, nibble fish or simply doctor fish, are put in hot springs. As they can live and swim freely in at least 43-degree-hot waters, they are naturally used for the treatment of skin diseases in such spas.

When placed in the spa, these fish can feed themselves on the dead cells of the human body, since they only consume such cells, leaving the healthy skin of the human body to grow. The whole process is reportedly free of pain. It won't hurt and the bather might feel a pleasant tingling on his or her skin. Complete article here.

I don't know about you but I feel itchy all over right now and feel the need for a hot shower, sans fish. What about you, would you sit in a tub for a Magic Fish Spa treatment?

So, I wanted to take a second and tell you guys about a really cool feature on Sephora.com. It’s their membership club and it’s totally free. Usually things like this charge a small one-time only fee, but not this. Once you fill out all of your information you get all sorts of personalized beauty tips and products. They ask you a bunch of questions about your skin type, eye and skin color and likes / dislikes in order to fill your personal profile better. Every time you sign in, you get a personalized page with products that match up to the survey you filled out. You get first access to many Sephora exclusive products (like the great lipgloss set above!) and free stuff on your birthday. The best part Is that you don’t get a lot of annoying junk mail from Sephora. I signed up about a month ago, when the program first began and have only gotten one or two emails since. You choose when you want to access the information. Even if you sign up just to get the exclusive free samples when you spend $100 at Sephora.com (that happens more than I’d like to admit!) it will be worth the 10 minutes it took to fill out the form. Smashbox Beauty Insider Exclusive Lip Gloss Trio

Post by Beauty Snob Michelle

I’m a huge fan of Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale. It’s a great way to get Fall pieces at a discount and I’ve gotten some great deals there. Being a beauty snob however, I’ve always been a little sad that some of my favorite products don’t go on sale along with my favorite designer pieces. But now Nordstrom’s has found a way to include all you beauty product lovers out there! They’ve created Beauty Exclusives, all your favorite products offered in unique colors, sizes, packaging or with special gifts on at Nordstrom’s and only for a limited time. Seriously, they have some awesome products. I never knew that I always needed a 33.8 oz bottle of Kiehl’s Creme de Corps, but I totally do and I pre-ordered it to ship this Friday! It’s a great bargain and I won’t run out for a long time. MAC has designed an exclusive color palate for the occasion and there is the most beautiful rose color from Chanel (what girl can resist Chanel?) just to name a few! The sale goes from July 20th to August 5th. Go check it out and while you’re ordering your clothes for fall and make sure to get some matching makeup! Beauty Exclusives Pre-Sale; Pre-order NORDSTROM-exclusive beauty buys for shipment starting July 20.

Post by Beauty Snob Michelle

When I was living in London a few years ago I became obsessed with Boots’ beauty products. They were amazing and my cheap way to keep my skin flawless while living on a budget. (Plus, even though I was warned, I couldn’t believe how gross some hostels in Europe were! Tip to anyone traveling through Europe on a budget – bring your own pillowcase and a really good face wash!) Anyway, I couldn’t be more thrilled that Boots is slowly making its way to America. To celebrate their Restore and Renew going on sale at CVS today, the first 50 people in line at 8am in the CVS pharmacy at 630 Lexington at 53rd street will receive a free gift bag with $50 of Boots products in it. Remember ladies, these are cheap, quality products. Think of all you’ll get in that bag! Restore and Renew is one of their most popular products with something like 13 bottles being sold every minute. This is a product that is very hard to get your hands on. I’m incredibly jealous of all you New York beauty snobs right now!

Apparently in France, "You're worth it" only if you are white. The cosmetics giant L'Oréal was found guilty yesterday of racial discrimination after it sought to exclude non-white women from promoting its shampoo. I read this article in the London Guardian today and had to double check my calendar that it is indeed 2007 and not 1967. From the article:

"In a landmark case, the Garnier division of the beauty empire, along with a recruitment agency it employed, were fined €30,000 (£20,300) each after they recruited women on the basis of race. The historic ruling - the first time a major company has been found guilty of systematic race discrimination in France - saw a senior figure at the agency given a three-month suspended prison sentence.

The French campaign group SOS Racisme brought the case against L'Oréal, the world's largest cosmetics firm, over the campaign in 2000. Garnier France sought saleswomen to demonstrate the shampoo line Fructis Style in supermarkets outside Paris. They sought young women to hand out samples and discuss hairstyling with shoppers. In July 2000, a fax detailing the profile of hostesses sought by L'Oréal stipulated women should be 18 to 22, size 38-42 (UK size 10-14) and "BBR", the initials for bleu, blanc, rouge, the colours of the French flag. Prosecutors argued that BBR, a shorthand used by the far right, was also a well-known code among employers to mean "white" French people and not those of north African, African and Asian backgrounds.

Christine Cassan, a former employee at Districom, a communications firm acting for Garnier, told the court her clients demanded white hostesses. She said that when she had gone ahead and presented candidates "of colour" a superior in her own company had said she had "had enough of Christine and her Arabs"."

Complete article here.

Beauty Snob note: L'Oreal USA was not mentioned in the suit and I feel compelled to mention that I often notice that gorgeous women of all ethnic backgrounds are featured in L'Oreal USA ads.

Gorgeous Supermodel turned Supermom/Supermogul Heidi Klum will soon add infomercials to her growing stable of television credits. The 34-year-old model-mogul will be the face of In An Instant, a new skin care line that will be launched this fall in partnership with direct-marketing giant Guthy-Renker via infomercials.

"Heidi Klum is going to attract a very different target market in our opinion than Cindy Crawford, Susan Lucci, Jane Seymour or Victoria Principal," said Greg Renker, founding principal of Guthy-Renker, referring to spokeswomen for various brands in Guthy-Renker's portfolio. "Heidi Klum has a young, hip following that watches her show on Bravo."

He must be talking about fans like Kelly and I, we love Heidi and are obsessed with Project Runway but that does not mean we will buy whatever slop she plans to sell on tv. I have yet to find a quality beauty line sold via infomercials (and trust me, I tried them all- from Cher to Victoria Principal. I was young and finding my way, what can I say?). Though Renker would not disclose Klum's contract, it is estimated to be in the millions. What about you, will you be trying Heidi's new beauty venture?

Source: WWD

Have you signed up for the Allure Total Make Over yet? All you have to do is register and you'll be automatically entered to win a five-day trip for two to Red Mountain Spa in St. George, Utah, and one of four $500 shopping sprees at beauty.com! Allure is our FAVORITE beauty magazine and a must read for all beauty snobs so what are you waiting for? Sign up and be on your way to slim down, tone up and be the most fabulous YOU can be!

Post by Michelle
It’s been well documented that I love the Proenza Schouler boys. I love their story, I love their clothes, and even though I’m iffy on their lipstick, I’ll forgive them. Now they’ve taken their growing fame and are using it to help a good cause. Partnering with Lancome, they’ve created the Hypnose Dress, a one of a kind couture dress that is being auctioned off on e-bay to benefit Save the Children. The dress looks luminous in pictures, so I can only imagine how it looks in person. (The type of dress I dreamed about as a little girl - who am I kidding? The type of dress I dream about now!) They designed it with the bottle for Hypnose perfume in mind and every cent from the auction will go to the charity. The bidding is open until April 11th so you have some time left to decide just how much you’d pay for a one of a kind Proenza. So warm up your credit cards and help Jack and Lazaro save the children!

photos: www.hypnosecouture.com

Post by Michelle
Courvoisier has long been a symbol of luxury and comfort. The cognac company has a wide range of products to their name and now they’re adding fragrance to their empire. On Friday, WWD online reported that Courvoisier is launching their own men’s cologne line. Courvoisier L'edition Imperiale is rumored to be retailing for more than $100 a piece and will be sold at only certain “high end” retailers beginning this spring. I did some internet sleuthing and while I found plenty of press on the fragrance, I can’t seem to find anyone who has actually smelled it! (Only