Cosmetics & Beauty News July 2009

Fragrance news
The news of up-and-coming fragrances just keeps on hitting my inbox thick and fast, with new fragrances from Marc Jacobs (LOLA, coming this August), Viktor and Rolf (Eau Mega, autumn), Jean-Paul Gaultier (Rose 'n' Roll, to celebrate Ma Dame's first birthday with new vinyls-themed packaging in September), Bond No 9 (Andy Warhol Success is a Job in New York, Oct 1st; Harrods for her/him, out now) Diesel (Fuel for Life ltd edition summer) and Stella McCartney (Stella NUDE, Aug 22). Fashion label Joe Bloggs is also launching its first fragrance range in September for boys aged 7-16, which will include a hair and body wash as well as an eau de toilette, and GAP's first fragrance range will be coming soon to The Perfume Shop too.
The Stella NUDE fragrance looks to be just as high quality as the brand's previous fragrances, and will feature a unique blend of grapefruit, vanilla and pink pepper with Moroccan rose, as well as including a lingerie mist for your underwear drawer in the line. Marc Jacobs' LOLA seems similar, also using the pink peppercorn, rose and vanilla. After my disappointing experience of Diesel's Fuel for Life, I can't say I'm too excited about the new edition, which to me just seems to be a last-ditch attempt at invigorating perhaps disappointing sales figures (assuming other people's experiences of the perfume were similar to mine). And while Viktor and Rolf's new fragrance looks glamorous, it just doesn't seem to have the ground-breaking-ness of Flowerbomb.
However, my favourites are by Bond No 9. Having recently released fragrances exclusive to Harrods (for him and for her), I'll definitely be trying to pick some up on my next trip through the duty free (I say that because sadly it isn't cheap...). With mirroring colour schemes (gold background with green H's for the girls, and vice versa for the boys), both in matching snazzy star-shaped bottles, it looks like possibly the most interesting thing to hit the perfume market in a while. The male scent is said to be woody and herby with a piquant edge, while the female scent sounds warm and fruity, featuring mandarin and nutmeg. The only thing possibly even more exciting is their new Andy Warhol-themed fragrance, out in November and entitled 'Success is a Job in New York', with equally arty packaging. Retro-tastic.

Essere bella
Adding to the spectrum of mineral makeup brands, bellapierre will be launching on QVC UK this August. Equally, in the world of anti-ageing, Swiss skincare brand Fenjal has launched Vitality, a new range created especially for maturing skin. Featuring grape seed oil and vitamins C, E and B5, it's also affordable, with its body washes, scrubs and lotions starting at just £2.99. And if all that's not enough to keep you looking beautiful, LA fashion brand Ella Moss has teamed up with Prescriptives to unveil a brand spanking new eye palette.

New faces
Twiggy has recently been announced as the new face of Olay Definity, and whether her glowing and taut skin is really down to the product range is difficult to say, but you've got to admit that she looks good, and that Definity is just so nice to use generally that you haven't got much to lose. Fiona Phillips, ex-GMTV presenter, will, however, be looking after Olay's new Aqua Physics range (which contains marine fennel and comprises a day cream night cream, eye cream and serum). Sienna Miller is also the representative of BOSS Orange, and Charlotte Gainsbourg will be fronting Balenciaga's first fragrance.

Professional secrets
With L'Oreal's Studio Secrets line having proved so popular, and with Avon's long-running collaborations with figures such as Jillian Dempsey and companies like Marimekko, it's obvious that the public's appetite for professional knowledge just keeps on growing. Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, Rimmel London has just appointed Kirstin Piggott as its official makeup artist and spokesperson. Celebrity hairdresser Mark Hill has also just launched three new salon-quality haircare ranges so that you too can have the hair of the stars.

Your own beauty salon...at home?
We keep hearing more and more about do-it-yourself kits so that you can spruce yourself up at home. Putting aside the monumental stupidity of DIY Botox kits, there are home teeth whitening kits, home waxing kits, and even products that claim to rival the effects of microdermabrasion. Home manicure kits have also been a regular fixture on shelves for years. Now an at-home threading kit can be added to the list from Sun Maita, so that you can carry out a procedure normally only done professionally in order to remove unwanted hair. The concept sounds slightly suspect, but developed by professional aestheticians Anita Sun and Sara Maita, it's been carefully engineered to replicate the exact angles used by master threadists. The kit, available from www.sunmaita.com, also contains a pre-treatment and post-treatment lotion, although at $150, it doesn't exactly come cheap.


And the winner is...
Some blinding choices and some blunders in Cosmopolitan's Beauty Awards and Fragrance Awards this year. I cannot agree, for instance, that Dior's J'adore is the sexiest fragrance, and I just feel that they've only chosen Chanel's Eau Premiere because it had so much publicity. However, the choice of Thierry Mugler's Angel body line is an inspired one, as its fragranced shower gels and body lotions are something it does excellently. I'm also wondering what Cosmopolitan's readers were on when they voted Maybelline's Dream Matte Mousse their foundation of the year. Unless you have perfect skin, it's really awful stuff, as it just highlights what you want to hide. I'm equally surprised that Dove's Hair Minimising Deodorant got a mention. Nevertheless, there are plenty of good choices in there too, with La Roche Posay getting some awards for its suncare and blemish-busting products, as well as (of course) the eternally brilliant Bourjois winning an award for its Little Round Pot Blusher. For the full lists of winners, see here and here.

Dark skin? No problem
It is a common complaint among people with very pale skin (like mine) or very dark skin that high street brands just can't do enough to meet the needs of their skin tones. This is particularly problematic for black women, and while there are brands like Iman and Black'Up, it's still a burgeoning industry. However, a new brand has now joined the pack in the form of Orissa Cosmetics. Specially developed for women with darker skin tones, it includes carefully selected shades of foundations, eyeshadows, blushers and bronzers that are designed to enhance and match dark skin. As well as being resistant to water and humidity, it has natural UVA and UVB protection (SPF 15-30) and is hand-made in the UK using natural earth minerals. I'm pretty jealous. If they could only make a range for the ridiculously pale too...
Another favourite Asian brand is cult beauty company AmorePacific. Over 60 years old, the brand has just launched in the US with its indigenous Asian botanicals (including bamboo sap, red ginseng, and green tea) and is a favourite with a number of celebrities, including Sienna Miller and Uma Thurman. The introductory kits include all kinds of treasures, including toners, creams, oils, and enzyme peels, and are retailing at $50 per kit in US branches of Sephora. Here soon as well, we hope.

And speaking of botanicals...
Bath and Body Works has just released a limited-edition botanicals range of affordable hand washes and shower gels. Inspired by American landscapes and traditions, and using natural ingredients cultivated in the US, the range comprises Washington Apple, Napa Grape, Siesta Key Lemon, Savannah Mint, and Montana Sky. Sounding both original and delicious, I can't wait to get my paws on some. Prices start from $6.50.

And scarlet and black and ochre and peach...
Well, not quite, but Ruby and Millie are launching a new range entitled Scarlett and Crimson for young teenagers. K by Beverley Knight also launches on September 17, and Jemma Kidd's new diffusion makeup range, JK, lands on ASOS this summer (only available for six months, so you'd better hurry!). With this lot, you should have no trouble painting your face in all colours of the rainbow.

A clean start for la rentrée
Here in France they've already started on about la rentrée (back to school) and it's only the end of July! Nevertheless, while you stock up on whatever you need for September, you might as well make sure your face has a good clean start too, with Dermalogica's new range of the same name. Deviating nicely from Dermalogica's usual packaging by using some bright colours for a change, Clean Start is designed specifically for the needs of teenage skin, and has eight products in the range, including cleansers and night-time treatments.

Flawless and radiant? Let's hope so
Treating your skin and still looking good at the same time is not always easy. CoverFX, though, are the latest brand to bring us products that do both with style. Using Dermaveil technology, product number one is their Smashbox-style primer, entitled Brite Prep FX Anti-UV Foundation Primer, which as well as creating a smooth base for makeup, also contains treatments for healthier and more radiant skin, covering your sunscreen, primer and anti-ageing creams in one tube. The Conceal FX Camouflage Concealer can be used for virtually any need, from covering up birthmarks and skin trauma to erasing redness and under-eye circles. If it's also water-resistant, as they claim it is, then this could be a real winner. Finally, the Mintglaze FX Lip Primer softens appearance of lip lines and hydrates lips while also providing a sun protection factor of 15. Multi-use products for the win.
*available at Harvey Nichols

Summertime...and the living is easy...
Especially when you have some decent aftersun at bay to make doubly sure that your skin is protected by the sun. You should of course be using a high-quality suncream as well, but hey - even the best of us has an occasional accident. To help, Tammy Fender has released a luxurious after-sun range to deal with all possible scenarios, including a Roman Chamomile Tonic and a Chamomile and Helichysum Intensive Repair Balm. As well as treating sun damage, the products are multi-use, helping to heal blemishes, reduce scarring, fade under-eye circles and stimulate cell growth and renewal through the use of high-grade essential oils (meaning that if your chi is lacking calmness and inner peace then it will give your spiritual side a good massage too).

Bonnes vacances!