Beauty Folly

The Glossifieds archive: Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune

22 May 2008

[Note: This makes me sad. Pamplelune mysteriously turned against me a few months later. I did so love the scent.]

The tropical weather in Malaysia drives me to seek scents with crisp green or juicy citrus notes to counteract the mind-numbing, soul-crushing humidity. I love grapefruits, both to eat and to wear, which made this bottle difficult to resist when I chanced upon it in an airport duty free shop. Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune EDT contains all the bright, sunny juiciness of a ripe grapefruit without the bitter tang that divides the population into grapefruit fans and, well, chumps (Just kidding!). It is easily the happiest perfume in my collection, and the memory of the scent alone is enough to bring a smile to my face.

The best part about Pamplelune is that it is part of the less expensive Aqua Allegoria line — I paid about RM160 duty free for my 75ml/2.4 fl oz bottle, which is priced at US$52 on Sephora. Pamplelune is easily found at airport duty free shops as well as Guerlain counters in department stores.

Top notes: Acidulous grapefruit
Middle notes: Flowers from Provence, grapefruit
Base notes: Delicious grapefruit, patchouli, vanilla

The Glossifieds archive: Kat Von D at Sephora.

18 May 2008

I am obsessed with two TLC shows currently airing on Discovery Travel and Living in Malaysia — Miami Ink and its West Coast spin-off L.A. Ink (see pic above for cast). The show revolves around the young tattoo artist Kat Von D (white swimsuit, centre), first spotted on Miami Ink before she was fired, and her talented, quirky colleagues at High Voltage Tattoo in Hollywood California. My own fascination with tattoo art aside, I adore the alterna-chick look the women cast members rock and the absence of magazine-ready blonde glossiness (see The Hills) on the show.

You can imagine how thrilled I was when I learnt that Kat Von D was collaborating with Sephora on a makeup collection, which is now for sale online. I don’t know the extent of Kat Von D’s contribution (celebrity lines, y’know?), but the finished product has a romantic goth-glam feel to it so it feels like a collection the creator would wear herself. The plastic casing is stencilled with silver roses and comes in a specially silk-screened paper box.

The Kat Von D makeup collection isn’t large — there are two shadow palettes named after her favourite composer, creamy red lipsticks, liquid liner (of course) and an eye brush set. I’m personally lemming:

True Romance Eyeshadow palette in Beethoven (the other’s named Ludwig. God, I’d buy both just to keep them together)

[Pic 1: Missing picture of the eyeshadow palette]

Painted Love lipstick in Hellbent because it’s described as ‘blood red’. Which I think is the perfect lipstick to wear when I’m carving my lover’s initials into my skin while listening to My Chemical Romance.

[Pic 2: Missing picture of the liptick]

It goes without saying that both images are from Sephora.

Prices for the Kat Von D makeup collection range from US$16 for an eyeliner and US$48 for the eye brush set, so it isn’t exactly inexpensive. Still, this is one thoughtful eponymous celebrity makeup collection that may very well be worth every penny.

The Glossifieds archive: Lipstick As An Economic Indicator.

8 May 2008

[Note: Nail polish is the new lipstick. It’s all BS, anyway.]

When the economy tanks, women appear to buy more lipsticks as they scrimp on traditional big-ticket items, a theory posited by Leonard Lauder, chairman of the Estee Lauder companies. From the New York Times:

After the terrorist attacks of 2001 deflated the economy, Mr. Lauder noticed that his company was selling more lipstick than usual. He hypothesized that lipstick purchases are a way to gauge the economy. When it’s shaky, he said, sales increase as women boost their mood with inexpensive lipstick purchases instead of $500 slingbacks.

Beauty brands remain true believers in the theory, even though in the last few years the lipstick market has fallen on hard times as its glistening cousin, lip gloss, has had robust sales.

With the specter of another recession, brands like Clinique and DuWop Cosmetics are preparing for a big year in lip color, for two reasons.

First, they would like to see a return to lipstick, which usually costs slightly more than gloss. Second, the companies believe that in down times women will continue to splurge on lip lacquer even as they make do with last season’s dress.

In the light of a global rise in food and gas costs, are you making or do you plan to make any changes to your beauty consumption habits? Please share in comments!

The Glossifieds archive: Cargo Plant Love Botanical Lipstick.

24 April 2008

[Note: Picture missing from the original post.]

Stila may have set the standard for recyclable packaging, but Cargo just kicked it up a notch with its Plant Love Botanical lipstick. The lipstick tubes are made out of corn (produced in great abundance due to heavy government subsidies that it is described as “the welfare queen of crops” by a farmer in Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma) and the outer carton will yield a bouquet of flowers when planted in soil as it is embedded with real flower seeds! Many of the colours are supposedly developed with celebrities, which I’m sceptical about since celebrities do very little even when they headline fragrances, but the line-up does include two of the coolest TV actresses ever, Mariksa Hargitay and Sarah Chalke.

Cargo cosmetics are available for purchase at Sephora in the U.S., Rescu Beauty Bar and selected David Jones stores in Australia.

The Glossifieds archive: Nvey Eco Cosmetics.

23 April 2008

[Note: Wow, things sure have changed in the last three years. Organic makeup packaging no longer has to be all green and crunchy, like they sprang forth from the earth instead of a factory.]

Nvey Eco (pronounced Na-Vey) hails from Australia and is one of the first commercial organic makeup brands to hit the U.S. Environmentally-conscious but time-pressed professional women will be relieved to know that the Nvey Eco products are packaged like regular toxic makeup and includes items like organic mascara and eyeshadow, which means they are just as easy to use on the go. Put away the mortar and pestle, ladies! The ingredients that are causing much worry like parabens, sodium laurel sulphate, talc and synthetic preservatives are absent from the line, which also abstains from animal testing and using ingredients from genetically-modified crops. The price of a clean conscience ranges from US$24 for the organic lip lustre to US$61 for a 5-pan eyeshadow palette.

Nvey makeup can be purchased from their website as well as Sephora and Holistic Beauty.

The Glossifieds archive: Jojoba of all trades.

22 April 2008

[Note: Um, my jojoba phase didn’t last very long, actually. >.< At least I tried?]

You’re looking at my new eye makeup remover and oil cleanser. Unlike other plant-derived oils, jojoba (pronounced ho-HOH-ba) oil is actually polyunsaturated liquid wax obtained from the seed of the jojoba shrub. As jojoba oil is chemically similar to human sebum, it is a popular ingredient in skin care products and is a non-comedogenic alternative to facial moisturizers.

Jojoba has been used Native Americans for hundreds of years to treat cuts and burns and as hair restoraratives. And so can the yuppies and the trust-fund hippies, thanks to the proliferation of organic health and beauty stores throughout cities. I bought this 4oz. bottle at Trader Joe’s for USD6.00, but it’s just as easily purchased online.

Five uses for your humble, politically-correct (vegan, cruelty free, economical) bottle of jojoba oil.

1. As pre-cleanser. Wet your hands and face before applying 4-5 drops of jojoba oil to your face. Massage the oil into your face for a couple of minutes and remove the oil with a warm , wet washcloth or by rinsing with water. Follow with a gentle cleanser of choice.

2. As eye makeup remover. Saturate a cotton pad with several drops of jojoba oil. Press the cotton pad against your eyes and gently swipe downwards towards the end of your lashes. It should remove everything, including waterproof mascara. As an added plus, the oil acts as a lash conditioner.

3. As facial moisturizer. Gently massage 2-3 drops into your damp face after cleansing. Jojoba oil will sit on your skin for a while as it takes some time to absorb. You may combine a jojoba oil with regular moisturizer or with drop of tea-tree oil. Although jojoba oil is non-comedogenic and mimics human sebum, results will vary. Follow up your jojoba oil moisturizer with a zit cream if you’re worried, and just stop using it if it seems to exacerbate the situation. There is no such thing as a panacea for your skin woes.

4. As hair conditioner and detangler. Dab a little onto the ends of freshly shampooed hair before blowdrying and styling. You can also apply jojoba oil to your hair (ends or scalp, depending on your hair type) before proceeding to shampoo and condition as usual.

5. As body moisturizer. Massage jojoba oil into your legs and elbows, or combine a couple of drops with your favourite body lotion. A word of caution if you’re planning to try it as a shaving oil — the residue will accumulate and gunk up your razor.

To learn more about jojoba oil, click here.

The Glossifieds archive: Earth Day 2008.

22 April 2008

Happy Earth Day, my lovelies! Isn’t she a beauty at 4.5 billion years old? We humans have walked the earth for only 200,000 years, and look at the damage we’ve done. As a beauty junkie, I’ve generated more than my fair share of waste and I’m sure manufacturing plants of my favourite products have pumped tonnes of toxic chemicals into the environment. I have been thinking hard about reducing my beauty carbon footprint and easing into “organic” skincare. Although researchers have assured us that our regular beauty products will hardly harm us even with long term use, I would prefer to purchase from a company that actively tries to minimize its impact on the environment. This would rule out many Procter and Gamble products as many of their factories are located in China. Procter and Gamble products are highly affordable and effective, however, so while it would be impractical to abandon them at once, we could phase out certain products and make a gradual transition to sustainable beauty practices in the long run.

For the rest of the week, I will be blogging about products and practices for that beauty junkies with a budding environmental conscience can incorporate into their daily routine. If you are already doing so, please feel free to share your experience with us by sending us an e-mail to theglossifieds [at] gmail [dot] com. We’d love to hear from you!

The Glossifieds archive: Cure for acne found?

17 April 2008

Well, that’s the headline, but the media is sensationalist like that. Scientists, however, seem to have made a significant breakthrough in acne treatment research. The drug, SMT D002 is currently in pill form but plans are underway to make it a topical cream:

Researchers believe it could become as effective a treatment as retinoic acid - a form of vitamin A - which is currently used to treat moderate to severe cases.

However, Roaccutane, the most widely used formulation of retinoic acid, has been linked to suicides among acne sufferers.

SMT D002 produced no significant side-effects when volunteers took it in pill form. Around three in every 10 patients taking retinoic acid do not respond to the drug, leaving many sufferers without an effective treatment.

While I often moan about my skin, I’m incredibly grateful that I don’t suffer from chronic cystic acne, although I did come very close about three years ago. Strangers literally stopped me in the streets to recommend the services of their facialists and doctors. This is one development I’m going to be keeping an eye on.

The Glossifieds archive: My Beautiful Mommy.

16 April 2008

A plastic surgeon in Florida has penned a children’s book to help explain the effects of plastic surgery to young ‘uns:

  

“My Beautiful Mommy” is aimed at kids ages four to seven and features a plastic surgeon named Dr. Michael (a musclebound superhero type) and a girl whose mother gets a tummy tuck, a nose job and breast implants. Before her surgery the mom explains that she is getting a smaller tummy: “You see, as I got older, my body stretched and I couldn’t fit into my clothes anymore. Dr. Michael is going to help fix that and make me feel better.” Mom comes home looking like a slightly bruised Barbie doll with demure bandages on her nose and around her waist.

The text doesn’t mention the breast augmentation, but the illustrations intentionally show Mom’s breasts to be fuller and higher. “I tried to skirt that issue in the text itself,” says Salzhauer. “The tummy lends itself to an easy explanation to the children: extra skin and can’t fit into your clothes. The breasts might be a stretch for a six-year-old.”

The book doesn’t explain exactly why the mother is redoing her nose post-pregnancy. Nonetheless, Mom reassures her little girl that the new nose won’t just look “different, my dear—prettier!”

I love how the surgeon has made himself to be some chiselled Greek god in the book.

I won’t judge women who resort to plastic surgery — it’s a personal choice, albeit one that requires a certain amount of risk and quite a lot of money. But I do wonder about the message mothers who frequently undergo plastic surgery send to their daughters. It is one thing to have the odd nip and tuck when you’re middle-aged and saggy, quite another when you’re swapping implants every five years. You could end up with a daughter who wants a boob job for her thirteenth birthday.

The Glossifieds archive: Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo.

14 April 2008

I have thick, “combination” hair — greasy at the roots and dry at the ends, and anything less than industrial strength moisturizing shampoo laden with sulphates leaves my hair in a knotty mess. Unfortunately, such shampoos weigh down my hair, especially the roots, at the end of the day. While I plan to brainwash (yep, I went there) my hair into accepting sulphate-free shampoo eventually, my current short term solution is Neutrogena’s Anti-Residue shampoo, which I use a couple of times a week. While I cannot say for sure that this removes most of the dulling residue left by my regular shampoo and conditioner as claimed by the manufacturer, my hair feels lighter and less greasy after using it. Of all hair products I’ve used, I love the clean, slightly medicinal scent of this shampoo the most.

Neutrogena Anti-Residue shampoo can be found at all drugstores in the US, but they seem to be discontinued in Malaysia. I remembering buying some at Guardian’s two years ago, but have never seen them since. Boo!