It is a little early to start thinking about Spring but Bobbi Brown’s new Pink Raspberry Face Palette will have you wishing it is March or April or whenever Spring starts around the rain drenched North West. The palette comes complete with two raspberry lip sheers, a raspberry blush, and two complimenting eye shadows. It is a limited edition item so you better act fast!
Any one worth their weight in loose powder, knows the names Charlie Green, Gucci Westman and Pat McGrath. Napoleon Perdis is no new comer yet his name may not ring any bells, although he has a steady following that makes regular cross country pilgrimages to take part in his tutorials. Napoleon Perdis mixes old school movie star techniques with current make up technology. Need to shape a elongated or crooked nose? Contour the long shnoz with taupe powder and straighten up the bridge with some carefully placed luminizer. Check out more of Perdis’ suggestions in the new Elle with Victoria Beckham gracing the cover.
Add Dior Capture R60/80 Wrinkle Eraser Kit to your wish list, party the night away and look even younger than you did the day before. This powerful concoction boasts powerful antioxidants and activates cell regeneration after only six hours. And priced at $130.00, it is cheaper than a round of Botox.
Make-up, skin care products are all considered luxury items; however, because for the most part, they cost less than a pair of jeans or a pair of shoes, consumers continue to purchase these items even in low points of the economy. It is an area that is, of course, affected by recessions but just not to the extent as other areas, such as clothing, shoes or hand bags.
Even in times when the economy slumps Cosmetics stays relatively consistent in its profits, in comparison with other areas. People might not be able to afford two hundred dollar shoes but they can still afford to purchase one or two $17.00 lip glosses. Make up is also a comfort purchase, it makes people feel good about themselves or at least, it should. One of cosmetics’ functions is to enhance and it should be regarded accordingly.
In addition, regardless of the state of the economy, one may not be able to afford a pair of Chanel sandals or Christian Dior top but she can have a piece of that high profile pie by purchasing a Chanel compact or a tube of Dior Show mascara.
I absolutely love make up. My love affair with make up began around the age of eleven. My father remarried around that time. My step-mother was quite a bit younger than my father. She introduced me to Vogue, Elle and make-up. My step-mother used Chanel and Yves St. Laurent makeup and consequently, my own make-up “bar” was set high. I never used the typical teen or pre-teen brands like Bonnie Bell or Wet and Wild. In fact, growing up I never used any drug store brands and the lost price point line I used was Clinique. Without coming across as a make up snob, as I will quickly admit I am, it was more so that even at a young age I recognized the power of make up and the importance of branding.
Like most connoisseurs, above all else, the quality of the product was extremely important to me. If the company spent money on its packaging and branding, then it was logical to think that the same, if not more, attention was given to the product itself. Packaging or branding is the very pretense of make up. The product in its self is a sort of branding of the wearer. The brand of make up we choose to purchase in many ways reflects how we want the world to see us. It is our own packaging. The classic, sleek black Chanel compacts, the clean, clinical packaging of Clinique and the embellished, shapely vials and baubles of Estee Lauder all to some degree embody how we want to be seen but also how we see or hope to see ourselves.
It is easy to become obsessed with Frederic Fekkai’s products, especially his new Coiff line. The Coiff line has eight products, ranging from pre-styling to finishing items. The Coiff line comes in pale blue packaging with corresponding shiny, metallic tops. All of the products are functional, beneficial for your hair and they smell delicious, which is always a plus for things you put in your hair. Frederic Fekkai products can be found at Sephora, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Ulta and Bath and Body Works.
MyBlend creams and lotions are innovative and they fill a niche for green skin care products. Not only are the ingredients natural but the packaging is also eco friendly. The sleek, chic containers can house refill after refill of Radiant Burst and Stress Management, among many others. Developed by Dr. Olivier Courtin, who leads the research at Clarins, another beauty industry forerunner. MyBlend is one of the first cosmetic lines sold at major department stores, like Saks Fifth Avenue, that offers the ability to reuse the original container and purchase refills when needed, proving that it is possible to be chic and green.
OK, so you won’t get the hose again but it will make you say, “My Precious.” Lancome’s new Precious Carat Lip Gloss Jewel currently comes in one shade, appropriately named Diamond Splendour. My guess (and hope) is that there are more shades to come.
“As the decade of excess, the ’80s, drew to a close, busy women wanted to pare down — to simplify their lives. In 1990, we saw a perfect opportunity to do just that by combining the best of three worlds under one roof — Salon, Department Store, and Drug Store. ULTA was born –the first ever one-stop-shop for lipstick, performance hairspray, luxury perfume, and a lot more. By marrying salon expertise with prestige and popular brand cosmetics, ULTA became a single beauty destination that goes above and beyond other retail stores — it’s a community where women interact via the salon, and experience outstanding beauty advice in a relaxed help-yourself shopping atmosphere.”
Nyberg Woods the latest shopping center in Tualatin houses several large stores, including Best Buy, GolfSmith, PetsMart, Office Max and Old Navy.
Located off I-5 at the Tualatin/Sherwood exit, Nyberg Woods is also the third location of Ulta Cosmetics and Salon in Oregon which opened on Friday, October 19th.
The store is well laid out and products are easily accessible. Store employees are helpful, even if not they are not knowledgeable. One customer asked for Shalimar, a dated request in itself; however the employee who was helping her did not know who made the perfume and continued to scan every aisle up and down. The employee then stated, “Oh, I know it’s by that Gautier (pronunciation of course butchered).” Hmmm. Close, Guerlain.
The store carries over 400 brands, although not all were present in the Nyberg Wood location. There is a wide range of hair products that spans from lower end lines, such as L’Oreal and Freeman to luxury brands, like Frederic Fekkai and Ojon.
Sign up for complementary “the club at Ulta” and receive valuable coupons, special offers and the latest product and beauty news. Upon first purchase, an Anastasia eyebrow gel, an Ulta lip gloss and an Ulta Vanilla body lotion were tucked inside my shopping bag. Another feature of the Club at Ulta is the different shopping levels, ranging 1 to 6, that correlate with a free product. For example, if one spends $100, then an Ulta eye shadow or a Neutrogena skincare product (among others) can be selected.
Major beauty retailers, such as Sephora, Ulta and of the recent, Bath and Beauty Works, are the Shangri-La for beauty product fiends. October 19, Ulta will open its second location in the area at Nyberg Woods, which is fortunately and unfortunately (for my wallet), mere minutes away from my house. Expect a full review of the store by the beginning of next week! As for Bath and Body Works, where I recently went this past weekend….Wow!! Seriously, I had no idea that they carried Frederic Fekkai, Patricia Wexler, Murad and Mustella, some of my favorite lines.
Until this last weekend, I had always assumed that all they carried was fruity soaps and lotions. The foam pump soaps are great but no one woman in her twenties, thirties, forties, plus should want to smell like a combination of strawberry and melon. Come on, go find some real perfume…
Bath and Body works has upped the ante and secured their position amongst the likes of Sephora and Ulta.
