Beauty snippets: The Bling Ring, Jean-Louis Sebagh, Lisa Eldridge, Pinterest, YSL Baby Doll, Cosmetics A La Carte, Charlotte Tilbury, Into The Gloss, Bourjois
COSMETICS A LA CARTE COLOUR AND CULTURE EXHIBITION
This is turning out to be an exciting month for beauty. I would love to make it to the Chanel no5 exhibition in Paris but frankly, that ain’t gonna happen. More achievable is the Cosmetics A La Carte ‘Colour And Culture’ exhibition next week at 50 Redchurch Street E2. Celebrating forty years of the specialist cosmetics company (I’ve always wanted one of their custom-made foundations), the exhibition is only on for five days (22-26 May, 10-6pm) so rearrange that diary and schedule it in!
BEAUTY SECRETS OF THE BLING RING
Next month sees the release of The Bling Ring which has just premiered at Cannes. Style.com ran this great interview with the film’s lead make-up artist Roz Music, which reveals the fascinating process of researching beauty for movies. I like the story of Sofia Coppola wanting a specific shade of Chanel lipstick for one of the characters that was out of circulation (well it would be, wouldn’t it). Music had to track down the ‘Kensington’ lipstick in Paris but she should have just asked me, I have a spare right here! Watch the trailer for The Bling Ring below…
LISA ELDRIDGE’S #MYLISALOOK PINTEREST BOARD
I posted yesterday about Pinterest’s UK push but I’ve just discovered this. Lisa Eldridge has created a new Pinterest board to support Pinterest’s UK ‘Pin It Forward’ campaign and it’s absolutely genius. Eldridge invites her fans (and she has a lot) to send her pictures of their recreated looks from her beaut-orial videos which she then adds to the board Your Lisa Eldridge Looks. Now that’s what I call an ‘inspiration board’! Each pin then links to the original video, sending traffic to her Youtube channel. What a clever, creative and thoroughly engaging way to connect with your following.
Charlotte Tilbury’s House of Rock’n’Kohl comes to Selfridges
Another A-list make-up artist, Charlotte Tilbury is stirring things up at Selfridges. Selfridges is proving to be a leader in experiential retail and naturally, has spotted the ‘fashionisation’ of beauty. So next month (June 17th-23rd) it’s launching a week-long event with Tilbury where the influential makeup artist will host makeovers and panel discussions to look at beauty ‘in a broader cultural and social context’ (according to WWD). Plus, of course there will be an Eye Flick Bar from the queen of the statement eye.
Into The Gloss just ran one of their fab beauty profiles on Tilbury in which the main point that everyone jumped on was that Tilbury wears her make-up in bed. (Yes way!) “If I’m on my own, I won’t sleep in it, but my husband has never seen me without makeup,” says Tilbury. “At night, I take everything off my face and moisturise — because you have to let your skin breathe a bit — but then I put everything right back on again: a little under-eye brightener, then the eye goes back on, and maybe a little tint on the cheeks. My mother said to me, ‘You always have to keep the mystery alive…”
BOURGEOUS MAGIC NAIL POLISH REMOVER
Wow, how good is Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover? It makes doing my nails so much less of a chore. Just stick each nail into the bottle, twist left and right and done. Easy!
JEAN-LOUIS SEBAGH ON BOTOX, EXERCISE AND RUSSIANS
I’ve only just started reading System, the new magazine that celebrates fashion industry insiders and the workings of the business. For some reason I started with the interview with Pat McGrath and ‘Botox king’ Jean-Louis Sebagh. The first half is quite annoying as I keep reading stuff about people ‘needing Botox’. Please, nobody needs Botox! The second half is more interesting. Sebagh is dead against jogging as a form of exercise as he thinks it traumatises the skin by shaking out all the padding. On the subject of facial exercises he says, “the only exercise you should be doing is smiling all the time, if you can. And chewing.” Amen!
Sebagh also talks about why Russian women don’t respond to Botox. It’s quite an interesting theory. He says, “Botox is derived from the botulinum toxin which is food poisoning. During the cold war, the Russians had very few food supplies, so they used to receive expired cans of food from Europe. They used to eat out-of-date food, so they must have had a lot of food poisoning and become immune to the botulinum toxin. You can inject 10 bottles and they won’t react. Nothing!” Who knew?
I also can’t resist posting this 1990 photo of model Amanda Cazalet from System’s interview with art director Marc Ascoli. Look at that profile…
YSL BABYDOLL MASCARA
Finally, YSL has just launched its Baby Doll mascara which has had rave reviews from the bloggersphere. I’m not really a mascara obsessive, I’m quite happy with the subtle effect I get from my Clinique Naturally Glossy mascara, but I’ve given this a go and the effect is quite lovely for more dramatic coverage. Oh and the fragrance is delicious. Here’s a video YSL has released with Cara Delevingne whipping her hair and cavorting around the streets of Paris (there are high heels and skateboards involved). Ah youth…
Guest post: The craft of watch-making and experiential retail from Jaeger–LeCoultre at Harrods
There’s something charming, and humbling about a one-to-one session with a true craftsman, not least when it comes to haute horlogerie with one of my favourite watch brands: Jaeger-LeCoultre. I’m a big fan of the Reverso watch from the Swiss luxury watch-maker (have you seen its latest collab with Valextra? Oh my!), that just happens to be celebrating its 180th anniversary with a dedicated exhibition space at Harrods. Continue reading
On Fornasetti incense and preserving the ancient art of Kodo
You may know Fornasetti for its distinctive ceramics and homewares. I certainly have an unhealthy preoccupation with the ashtrays and cabinets – especially those depicting the classical features of Lina Cavalieri, the 19th century opera singer and muse of Piero Fornasetti. But a more recent departure for the brand is its entry-point home smellies – the Fornasetti Profumi scented candles in their lidded jars (that are regarded not merely as candles but as decorative objects) and the delightful illustrated incense boxes.
Just like the boxes, the incense inside is an artisanal product. Created in Japan, it’s produced by Nippon Kodo, who have been making incense to exacting standards since 1575. At a workshop hosted by The Conran Shop to celebrate the Art of Kodo and the ritual of incense appreciation, I discovered that like calligraphy and tea ceremonies, ancient Japanese traditions are gradually going out of fashion. Globalisation favours teaching primary school kids English, not calligraphy, we were told by our Japanese Kodo master. And yet, as he demonstrated, the precise and meditative ritual of Kodo is something to be savoured, perhaps more so than ever in the information-overloaded 21st century. In a strange twist, it’s the western cultures that are learning to appreciate the age-old traditions and crafts of the East – as I’ve noticed with the recent flurry of ‘save our artisans’ retail workshops. So maybe all’s not quite lost… yet.
Buy it now: How Moda Operandi is monetising the Met Ball
Right, now that Vogue Festival is out of the way, the next Vogue event to diarise is the Met Gala, coming on 6th May. Especially if you’re a celeb-loving fashion fan. The red carpet arrivals at the Costume Institute benefit will be livestreamed next Monday at 7pm EST on the Moda Operandi, US Vogue, Samsung and Metropolitan Museum of Art websites. Continue reading
Will you buy a Vogue coffee cup at the Vogue Festival?
The second Vogue Festival is only two weekends away and the jam-packed schedule keeps on growing (see the whole schedule here). But like any good event, there’s also a bunch of merch you can buy – so I hope you have deep pockets. How about your very own Vogue Starbucks-style coffee cup for that all-important Anna W moment? Continue reading
Beauty bits: Michael Kors, NARS, Jo Malone London, Into The Gloss, & Other Stories, YSL, My Beauty Emporium
COMING SOON: MICHAEL KORS MAKE-UP
The Michael Kors machine is about to get even bigger with the announcement of his colour cosmetics line arriving in August. He already has a hugely successful fragrance market (the scented Michael Kors leg shine is one of my all-time favourite products), but this beauty line is set to send his stock even higher. Continue reading
Last chance: So Dior at Harrods
Gosh isn’t there a lot going on with retail right now? Online may be the all-powerful monster threatening the high street, but bricks and mortar stores are fighting back by ramping up the drama and excitement on offer.
This weekend is your last chance to get involved in the multi-sensory experience that is Dior at Harrods. Continue reading
Free goody bag: Cult Beauty’s ultimate gift with purchase
The beauty sample box phenomenon keeps on growing. (There are now even sites dedicated to swapping and collecting products.) Cult Beauty has its own take on the idea with its ‘goody bags’ which work as a tempting GWP.
From today* if you spend £50 or more, you can receive a swag bag of cult minis, including NCLA’s Peter Som nail wrap collection, 3ml Dr Lipp Original Balm and 3ml Aromatherapy Associates Deep Relax. Continue reading
In-flight shopping the Fabergé way
Oh boy, how the other one per cent lives! While I spend Easter gorging on Milk Tray Green & Blacks eggs in (highly likely) snowy showers, others are jetting to warmer climes – airport strikes notwithstanding. But for the super-luxe jet set, it gets even better. Forget the obligatory bottle of Chanel scent, passengers on a VistaJet flight can buy these oh-so-exclusive Fabergé eggs to satisfy their in-flight shopping urge.
Available as part of its spring ‘Egg Miles’ project, Fabergé‘s limited edition collection of fine jewellery egg pendants is available to buy in cabin for a period of three weeks (from $7,900). According to Fabergé, this is a reflection of a ‘trend for luxury retail at altitude’. Which naturally begs the question, what other frivolously expensive goodies are up for grabs?
Jo Malone London’s pop art Red Roses
What do we think of the new limited edition Jo Malone London Red Roses bottle? Created by new(ish) style editor, Charlotte Stockdale, it has a neon pink pop art-esque paint drip on the bottle which is certainly striking and a departure from your average Jo Malone London bottle design.
I’m a bit divided on this one. Much as I love Charlotte Stockdale, the classicist in me secretly prefers the traditional elegance of Jo Malone London. But I suspect the brand is keen to broaden its reach to younger (or ‘cooler’) customers and this is a good start. I will add that having seen the bottle in the flesh, it’s growing on me – the neon is a really bold contrast to the trademark JML cream and black.
What do you think?
The limited edition (only 300 bottles), hand numbered Jo Malone Red Roses cologne (£120) will be available from Selfridges from 1st April.
