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subscribe to beauty counter blog via RSSTom Pecheux’s Fancy New Title
November 6, 2009 12:37 pm
Tom Pecheux has always been one of our favorite makeup artists. There’s his soft-spoken French accent and his perfectly calm, collected, and kind demeanor during the craziness that is fashion week, but what really gets us is his expert ability to paint faces in a natural and beautiful way. There’s also something cool about the fact that despite his early links to Shiseido, he’s been answering to no one for the past few seasons. While his equally renowned peers snatched up creative director titles with big brands like P&G, Pecheux has been working with weapons from his own arsenal of favorites backstage, rather than a regimented selection of brand-specific cosmetics. But it appears as though the corporate sponsors have come a-calling again. Today Pecheux has gotten what is perhaps the biggest prize of all and has been named Creative Makeup Director for Estée Lauder. Charged with “[setting] artistic direction for the next generation” of its makeup, Pecheux will likely bring a new, edgier approach to Lauder’s color collections, as well as a soupçon of Parisian glamour. Yeah, we’re excited.
tags: Est�e Lauder, Makeup, Tom Pecheux
Forever 21: The Makeup, New “Dracula Therapy,” And More…
November 5, 2009 2:46 pm
We told you it was coming. Here, a sneak peak at Forever 21’s new makeup line. It looks…affordable? [Examiner]
The newest antiaging trend? Injecting your own blood into your face. Vampire references—so hot right now. [Daily Mail]
The MediSpa industry has come under scrutiny. Should you really lipo where you facial? [NYT]
Exercise does not, in fact, take the weight off. You can stop doing those painful squats now. ]NYT]
More beauty pageantry, this time from across the pond, where Miss England allegedly punched Miss Manchester in the face in a bar brawl over a guy. Only in the U.K. [Sky News]
tags: Dracula Therapy, Forever 21, Makeup, Skincare
Miss USA Ends Its Court Battle, Men Who Moisturize, And More…
November 4, 2009 1:12 pm
Former Miss California Carrie Prejean and the Miss USA organization have finally settled their vicious lawsuit. Now back to more important matters of swimsuits and evening gowns. [E! Online]
More news on the growing demographic of “men who care.” Below-the-neck moisturizers are joining body spray, shower gel, and facial scrubs as acceptable modes of daily maintenance. Who’s macho now? [NYT]
Sephora has opened a flagship in Singapore. At 13,330 square feet, it’s the company’s largest store in Southeast Asia, and its latest step toward total global domination. [WWD]
Need to make a quick buck in these trying economic times? Sign your ridiculously (or moderately) good-looking children up for modeling. [WSJ]
With women turning to lower-priced mass chains for more of their beauty-buying needs, Wal-Mart plans on upping its holiday sales by taking its prestige offerings out of locked display cases. You know, so women can actually touch that bottle of Britney Spears’ Fantasy before they decide to buy. [Reuters]
tags: Fragrance, Makeup, Miss California, Miss USA, Sephora, Wal-Mart
Mariah Goes Low-Maintenance, The New Face Of Tanning, And More…
November 3, 2009 4:27 pm
For her upcoming role in Precious, a deglamorized Mariah Carey had to drink what she has termed a tall glass of “ugly juice”—a far cry from whatever magical elixir she’d been injecting, er, imbibing to keep her skin perfectly radiant for the past 15 years. [Us]
With tanning beds now officially a no-no (thank you, WHO), getting your glow on in the wintertime means DIY bronzing creams, at-home airbrush guns, and spray booths. [L.A. Times]
After discovering a familial link with Grossmith, a nineteenth-century perfume house that made scents for Queen Victoria, a British businessman has decided to abandon his day job and revive the brand. Some new competition for the House of Creed, it would appear. [Liverpool Daily Post]
L’Oréal has gone carbon-neutral. Plans for its first manufacturing plant built to run on 100 percent sustainable energy are under way in Belgium, marking the first step toward its goal of reducing its worldwide emissions of CO² by over 50 percent by 2015. Estée Lauder, please take note. [Premium Beauty News]
tags: Fragrance, Grossmith, House of Creed, L'Or�al, Mariah Carey, Precious, Skincare
A Keepsake From Gaga, Tyra Reignites Controversy, And More…
October 29, 2009 3:22 pm
First Pete Wentz, now Lady Gaga. With every purchase of the deluxe new version of her album The Fame Monster, the “Paparazzi”-singer will be giving out a lock of her hair, a personal note, and a jigsaw puzzle. Perhaps this is what she meant by a “love game”?[Hollyscoop]
Painting models in blackface for fashion purposes is back in the headlines. This time, Tyra Banks is at the center of the debate. [Stylist]
If you don’t like your plastic surgery, ask for a do-over. There’s no reason your nose should be anything but perfect. [NYT]
There’s a whole new lexicon emerging to help “real” blondes keep their color the perfect shade of flaxen. If you still don’t know what shoe-shine highlights are, it’s in your best interest to read on. [Daily Mail]
The trick to a perfect pinup pout? Apply lipstick, set with powder, then reapply. This and other tips for that Dita-inspired Halloween costume you’re working on. [NYT]
tags: Dita Von Teese, Hair, Lady Gaga, Makeup, Pete Wentz, Tyra Banks
Curvy Girls Have More Fun, And More
October 29, 2009 12:33 am
The scent of a supermodel? Greed, alleges Naomi Campbell’s perfume licensing company. [NY Post]
A new study provides further evidence that curvy is in, “fashionably thin” is out. Bring on the pumpkin pie. [Daily Mail]
Roy Orbison lives on in fragrance form. Pretty Woman, the scent, is coming to a beauty purveyor near you. [Luxist]
With the Japanese leading the charge, masculine maintenance is on the rise. In China, men are reaching for skincare, in France it’s fragrance, and in America, it’s all about the teeth whiteners. Anything to detract from the bigger issue of premature balding, we assume. [Allure]
tags: Fragrance, Naomi Campbell
The Botox Boob Job, Tweet Your Way To A Better Body, And More…
October 27, 2009 2:35 pm
Migraine reliever, wrinkle reducer, and now breast lift in a vial. Botox—what can’t it do? [WebMD]
Tweet what you eat. It’s dieting with a large helping of public shame. [Daily Mail]
Just in case common sense hasn’t already tipped you off, extreme-ingredient treatments are often a sham. Turns out, you don’t need bull semen or placenta extracts for healthy hair and skin. [Chicago Tribune]
Or precious metals, for that matter. A recent study proves that any perceived benefit of wearing or slathering on things like copper, silver, or titanium for increased wellness is psychosomatic at best. So, yes, the magnetic necklaces worn by baseball players to “stabilize the body’s flow of energy” are just pretty accessories. Go, Phillies! [WSJ]
The Silver Fox Goes Extinct, Luxe Lobbies, And More…
October 26, 2009 4:12 pm
According to the R&D team at L’Oréal, going gray could be a thing of the past in just ten short years. To which we say, any way to cut that time in half? [Daily Mail]
The Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme has perfumer Blaise Mautin, the new Crosby Street Hotel has enlisted famed London nose Lyn Harris, and even the Holiday Inn is poised to get in on a new trend that pairs hotel chains with signature scents. It smells like the recession is all but over. [USA Today]
An end to emotional eating may be upon us. Contrave, a new experimental obesity treatment that combines the antidepressant Wellbutrin with an opioid blocker used to treat addiction, has proven successful in clinical trials. A word to Häagen Dazs shareholders: Sell. [Fox News]
Sure, Latisse can make your lashes longer and fuller, but it’s got nothing on new LED eye embellishments. You glow, girl. [Guest of a Guest]
tags: Blaise Mautin, Contrave, Fragrance, Hair, L'Or�al, Latisse, Lyn Harris
The New Face Of Burberry, Duane Reade Goes High-Brow, And More…
October 23, 2009 2:19 pm
After scoring major success with a series of fragrances, Burberry will venture into color cosmetics come July. A beige tartan palette is likely in the works. [WWD]
Duane Reade has its eye on the prestige prize. The mass drugstore has just opened its most ambitious store yet in New York’s Herald Square, boasting designer fragrances from Lacoste, Juicy Couture, and Burberry; specialty skin products from MD Skincare and Borba; and salon-brand haircare from Kérastase, Bumble and Bumble, and Moroccan Oil. Your move, Rite-Aid. [WWD]
Adults love baby personal care products as much as babies do, a new survey finds. Some experts are pointing to the recession to explain the results, but we’re pretty sure the universal appeal and multi-use capabilities of baby oil and powder may have something to do with it. [WWD]
While her Heidiwood clothing line may have been a bust, Heidi Montag hasn’t let the setback slow her ambition. She is currently in talks with HSN to produce her own fragrance. Much to the chagrin of bored gossip magazine readers, her 15 minutes aren’t up yet. [Hollyscoop]
tags: Borba, Burberry, MD Skincare
Eat More Cookies, The Meaning Of Makeup, And More
October 22, 2009 2:14 pm
Chow down on cookies and lose up to ten pounds a month? A totally possible, and increasingly popular, way to slim down. Chill that pint of milk. [NYT]
New research indicates that there is more depth to facial differences between men and women than presumed, influencing the way we process gender. Cosmetics serve to further this contrast, increasing our perception of femininity and attractiveness. If you ever wondered why you get more numbers with a little lipstick and some eyeliner, read on. [Science Daily]
Jessica Simpson has named Bollywood star Neha Dhupia as the Indian beauty ambassador for her forthcoming TV program, The Price of Beauty. Dhupia will appear on a special segment about Bollywood when the show airs next year. Are we the only ones who are legitimately excited about this premiere? [Sify]
Fragrance helps beauty and beauty helps fragrance. Statistics show that brands with both a color collection and a scent are on the upswing despite a decline in fragrance sales this year. Other things that help boost sales? A hefty helping of cute kitsch and appealing to China, where people are buying up bottles in record numbers. [WWD]
tags: Jessica Simpson, Neha Dhupia
