Friday 30 April 2010

Cosmetics & Beauty News April 2010


And ze winner is...
The finalists for the "Oscars of the Beauty Industry" have finally been put out of their misery, with the winners of the Cosmetic Executive Women UK Awards, in association with Boots, having been announced on April 19. It's a generally good set of results, with a diverse range of brands being represented; special congrats go to rising star All For Eve, which picked up four gongs. The full list of winners is available here: http://www.boots.com/en/Beauty/The-Beauty-Insiders-Awards/
Additionally, Elizabeth Grant, founder of the skincare line of the same name, was recently selected as one of Hello! Canada's Women of the Year for 2010. Not only famous for establishing the successful skincare line, she did it in the 1950s, when it was unusual for women to have their own businesses, and she continues to make a success of herself at an age when most women look to retire. As well as being an entrepreneur, she is a philanthropist, playwright and professional lecturer. Well done Elizabeth!
In other awards news, TotalBeauty.com has also just awarded its round of medals for the year, with winners being chosen by the people. All winners can be seen here, with Pantene, MAC, Dove, Cetaphil, Clean & Clear and NARS stealing the show among the 114 winners.

Thinking out of the box
Or smashing it, as it were, with the launch of Smashbox's first blog on April 5. Featuring how-to showcases of Smashbox products, as well as runway gossip and VIP news, it's sure to be along the beauty world's hottest online destinations in no time. TotalBeauty has also relaunched its Beauty Riot site, which has kept its virtual makeover tool and makeup and fashion tips, but has been completely made over in design and had lots of other stuff added too, including articles on makeup and beauty, more sophisticated filters to allow you to search celebrity looks more easily (including face shape and occasion), and plenty of quizzes.
Another clever web innovation this month comes in the form of www.weather.com/beauty ; this cool tool is the love child of Jergens, John Frieda and the Weather Channel, and gives you a beauty prescription based on the weather forecast in your area, predicting the likelihood for frizzy hair, dry skin, and more. Furthermore, you can choose how you want to receive your 'prescription', whether it's in the form of daily or hourly alerts, or even via text to your mobile.

Metallise this spring
With spring firmly here, the new makeup collections for spring and summer are hitting the shelves. As well as the waterproof version of Givenchy's Phenomen'Eyes mascara coming out, shine, shimmer and metallics seem to be all the range in Rimmel, Givenchy and Illamasqua's new collections. Layer metallics for a full-on look (for example, sweep on a metallic creme shadow, such as Illamasqua's Liquid Metal from their new Body Electrics range, and blend upwards and outwards before further decorating with a glittery liner, such as Avon's Glimmersticks), or go for one of Givenchy's shimmery colours, such as Island Lagoon or Island Sun, for day.

Going international
Estée Lauder just got more international with the signing of two new faces to the brand. The hiring of models Constance Jablonski and Liu Wen signifies the first time that the brand has hired a French model and a Chinese model respectively, and as of June, their faces will be beamed around the world.

Heal the world
America's been going gaga over Earth Day, and with Environment Day coming up in June, and with an oil slick quickly approaching the Louisiana coast, there's no reason to stop caring. The good news is that there are other ways of doing this than the age-old ways of dropping your pennies into a charity box or by giving up your time: now you can also wear your support on your face by using organic and environmentally sustainable makeup products, such as Vapour Organic Beauty's new just-launched-for-spring bronzer, shimmer stick, blusher and lip gloss, and Pratima's Rare Earth Mask and Refreshing Mint Eye Gel. Maybe not all at once though.

Skin and Bare It
Jergens continues to increase its profile: having stormed the streets and the shops, it's also taken to the web, having just launched an exclusively online show featuring Anna Richardson, the presenter famous for fighting flab in shows such as Supersize vs Superskinny. Two people swap body care regimes for three weeks to find out what happens, and the first episode is up now at http://www.jergens.co.uk/skinandbareit.asp


App-tastic
A few new apps this month, and not only for smartphone users. Firstly, there's TotalBeauty's (for iPod, iPhone and iPad only I'm afraid), allowing you to browse hundreds of thousands of consumer reviews wherever you go. The other is an online app from www.purminerals.com that gives you an instant way to experiment. Select your eye colour, choose the brush you want to use, and pick the shade you want to apply - the app will let you layer on the shadow with total freedom. Then, if you like it, buy the product or even the entire look with just one click. Genius.

Nourish with NUDE and Neal's Yard
NUDE has just relaunched its Hydrating Water in an affordable travel size for summer. At £12 for 100ml, it's the perfect size for getting through customs and won't hurt your bank balance either. Using prickly pear and floral waters, it combats irritation caused by heat, air conditioning and sun damage. Available from the end of May at SpaceNK.
Another option lies in Neal's Yard's Rejuvenating Frankincense Toner: while not available in the same tiny travel size, it is better value for money at £19.50/200ml. For all skin types, it contains bergamot, mandarin, aloe and frankincense, as does the rest of the range (eye and lip serum, firming mask and neck cream).

Get fruity
Neutrogena's new Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit range promises to smell good enough to eat, with a facial scrub and facial wash promising to fight spots for just £4.99 each. Containing MicroClear technology, the products claim to be able to penetrate oil on the skin's surface to really unclog pores below. As well as the pink grapefruit, the products also contain salicylic acid to send bad skin packing for good. Available from July.

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