11 posts tagged "Phyto"
Milk Thistle Does a Body (and Hair) Good
MILK THISTLE / (milk this-uhl) / n. / 1. Latin name Silybum marianum, the sturdy thistle with the spiny stems, native to the Mediterranean region, is so named because of its milky-white-streaked leaves; / 2. The plant is characterized by the presence of the flavonoid silymarin, which has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and is thought to help protect and repair the liver; / 3. Because of its liver-reinforcing abilities, milk thistle has been used in the treatment of viral hepatitis and cirrhosis; / 4. There is anecdotal evidence of its performance as an emergency antidote when ingested immediately after eating a poisonous mushroom; / 5. Thanks to its ability to flourish in hot, dry climates, the plant has remarkable emollient qualities when incorporated into haircare. E.g., “Boost liver function and condition lackluster hair with milk thistle.”
Try it: Phyto Secret de Nuit overnight beauty treatment, $38, www.phyto-usa.com/.
Bohemian Beauty Rhapsody, Backstage At Derek Lam
“The buzzwords were bohemian, minimalism, structural architecture,” Orlando Pita said backstage at Derek Lam, rattling off a list of inspirational terms the designer had provided him with as a beauty directive for Fall. To Pita, that immediately meant texture. “We’re braiding hair and setting a wave,” he explained, adding extensions to ensure a uniform thickness at the bottom while prepping three-inch-wide sections with Phyto Workable Holding Spray before weaving them into plaits and pressing them with T3′s SinglePass Flat Iron. Nodding to the freewheeling feeling of the late seventies, Pita center-parted strands to “make the face more symmetrical” and ran his fingers through the crimped plackets. Then, taking two pins, he secured front sections behind models’ ears to give the shape a sense of uniformity.
Estée Lauder global Creative Makeup Director Tom Pecheux was speaking to Lam’s aptitude for giving incredibly rich fabrics a sense of casual comfort, which he also related to a bohemian sensibility—one that is rooted specifically in California. “You know when you ask people on the West Coast why they live on the West Coast and they say ‘quality of life’? It’s that kind of feeling,” he explained of the “very minimal” makeup that still managed to have a few complex twists and turns.
Following a massage with Estée Lauder Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator and its DayWear Advanced Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant Creme, Pecheux created a base with Lauder’s Double Wear Light Stay-in-Place Makeup. “There’s no brow, no mascara, no contours, no highlighting,” he was quick to point out, turning his attention instead to a “stripe of eye shadow” in varying shades of lavender, rose, silver, and gray from Est—e Lauder’s forthcoming Pure Color Instant Intense EyeShadow Trios in Smoked Chrome, Steel Lilacs, and Sterling Plums, concentrating the sheer, shimmering pigment in the center of lids to catch the light on the runway. Lips were slicked with a blend of Lauder’s as-yet-unreleased Pure Color Vivid Shine Lipstick in Burnished Bronze, a sheer caramel, and its Pure Color High Intensity Lip Lacquer in Electric Wine, a deep garnet, before Pecheux pressed them with his fingertips to create a stain. As a finishing touch, he took another finger-dab of its Pure Color Stay-On Shadow Paint in Sinister, a dark black, which he patted onto the center of mouths to simulate “voluptuousness.”
Simple, Soft Beauty Backstage At Derek Lam
Maybe it was the fact that last season’s big, sixties-era undone bouffants met with mixed reviews—or that Spring’s general, minimal-minded beauty mantra is spreading. Whatever it was, Orlando Pita kept the hair backstage at Derek Lam incredibly simple—”relatable,” even, he offered.
The technically gifted hairstylist was more inclined to blame the move toward minimal on the wavering economy—”it’s not really the time to be flashy”—not to mention the state of fashion. “There are all these people now who are practical in the way they design,” he said, running off the list of sartorial stars responsible for the marked change, in his opinion. “Raf Simons is at Christian Dior now; Hedi Slimane at Saint Laurent—and Jil Sander is back at Jil Sander.” Then, of course, there’s Lam—a master in his own right at the simplicity of sportswear. “Derek wanted something that wasn’t referenced,” Pita shared, as he coated hair with Phyto Intense Volume Mousse, blowing it dry for texture and then coating his hands with its Workable Holding Spray before slicking down front pieces from an imperfect side part. Pita used T3′s straightening and styling iron to create loose waves through the lengths, deconstructing them a bit to ensure that the hair never looked “worked on.”
Estée Lauder creative director of makeup Tom Pecheux was going for a similar light-handed approach, despite using a bounty of product. “The only thing we’re not using is mascara!” he said of the fully made-up face that still managed to avoid looking heavy, thanks to Pecheux’s focus on a “see-through,” transparent finish. Prepping skin with Lauder’s Re-Nutriv Intensive Age Renewal Creme, his trusty bottle of its Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator and the new-for-spring Advanced Night Repair Eye Serum Infusion, Pecheux created a base with its Double Wear Light Stay-in-Place Makeup. Contouring with Lauder’s Pure Color Blush in Brazen Bronze instead of a sculpting product, Pecheux moved his focus to the eyes, which were layered with a selection of the brand’s forthcoming Pure Color Stay-On Shadow Paints in Cosmic, Extreme Emerald, Halo, and Steel, a sheer teal/sandy-gold palette Pecheux described as “aqua—like the reflection of sunrise on a lake.” Lips were toned down and arches were beefed up, in accordance with Pecheux’s preference for big, full brows—”I can’t help it,” the face painter joked. As Lam made his way around the room, checking on the pre-show progress, he stopped by Pecheux’s station for a quick hello. “The girls look pretty!” he said. Indeed.
A Blow-Dry Bar Grows In Santa Monica
With the proliferation of one-stop blow-dry shops saturating major metropolitan areas, how does a newcomer set itself apart from the well-coiffed pack? For Matthew Preece, owner of Santa Monica’s Fred Segal Salon, the answer revealed itself through proxy—the just renovated reception space of his already established salon was a prime location for his newly opened Blow Dry Lounge—and partnership; Preece has teamed up with PHYTO to exclusively offer the line’s plant-based products and botanical treatments, a coup no other blow-dry destination has managed to secure, and a score for Los Angeles’ eco-obsessed. “It was a perfect time to work with PHYTO because they’re going through a bit of a resurgence now with everyone looking for all-natural products,” Preece explained of the serendipitous timing.
In the name of staying competitive, all blow-outs are $35, with five different styling options to choose from. But the lounge also features two updo options and select PHYTO treatments (scalp exfoliation and moisture repair) that you can add on to any service. Preece is also banking on another important differentiator: quality of service. “Our stylists are stylists from the salon, so you’re not just getting people who become licensed to just do blow-drys. You’re getting the full Fred Segal Salon service here,” he says. And then there’s the vibe of the four-station destination, which is a bit less hustle and a little more flow; just a few short blocks from the Pacific, the energy is decidedly more relaxed, an atmosphere that’s helped along by the yoga studio Preece opened off the reception area in 2011. “I just didn’t want to be the same as everybody else,” he explains. Mission accomplished.
The Blow Dry Lounge at Fred Segal Salon, 420 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA; 310-907-4022.
“Twisted” College Coeds, Backstage At Derek Lam
“She’s a little naughty—she likes to break the rules a bit,” coiffing star Orlando Pita said backstage at Derek Lam of the designer’s sixties-era, college coed muse. What kind of rules does she like to break? The decade’s rigid coiffing norms, for starters. “It’s a little bouffant, but not perfectly done,” Pita explained of the high hair, which he slathered with Phyto Professional Intense Volume Mousse and spritzed with its Workable Holding Spray before blowing dry, back-combing, and crafting two different variations on the style, including a faux bob and a low, messy ponytail. “There’s no uniformity,” Pita reaffirmed.
“She has a twisted mind,” Estée Lauder creative makeup director Tom Pecheux said, adding to the character profile. Like Pita, Pecheux chose to keep things almost perfect—creating a flawless base with Lauder’s forthcoming Invisible Fluid Makeup and carving out an “oval” eye using the burgundy and black shades from its new-for-fall, limited-edition Pure Color Eye Shadow Palette, which he emphasized with black mascara on the top lashes and brown on the bottom using his brand-new, dual-ended Sumptuous Two Tone Eye-Opening Mascara. Cheeks were given a pretty wash of rosy-beige pigment with a mix of Estée Lauder’s Pure Color Blush in Alluring Rose and Brazen Bronze, which was dusted below the apples of the cheeks, rather than on top, to slightly contour and prevent a feeling that was “too teen,” according to Pecheux. Lips were painted a similar shade using a blend of its Pure Color Crystal Lipstick in Crystal Pink and its Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick in Vanilla Truffle that Pecheux matted down—as he’s been wont to do this week—with a finger patting of white powder. But there was one slightly “off” element that helped convey the bad-girl directive Lam had given his glam squad: Pecheux drew lashes onto the skin below the lower eyelid so that the models looked like dolls—”twisted dolls,” he asserted.