New Lipstick Launches for Spring 2011

In April 2011, the three big French cosmetic brands are offering new lipsticks, each promising weightless color and moisturization.

Chanel previewed its collection of Rouge Coco Shine with a limited-engagement offering in February, of the color Boy, a sheer mauve-pink. The full range of 18 colors, with advertisement featuring Vanessa Paradis, will be available at counters April 6.

Lancome displayed its collection of L'Absolu Nu lipsticks via its celebrity artists. Colors were used on Mila Kunis and other stars for events such as the Golden Globes and Academy Awards. This collection has launched in select department stores, but I have yet to see it on the Lancome site. There are 16 colors total, all very sheer and balmy. The ad features the lovely Kate Winslet, in the buff.

Dior first offered its renewed Dior Addict line of lipsticks at Sephora, offering a selection of pinks. The full line is now available in all department stores, and consists of 56 colors in a wide array of shades. The ad features the inimitable Kate Moss (pictured above), and Dior has also invested in a short film featuring the supermodel.

See my YouTube video for a full review!

Keira Knightley's New Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Ad

Last week, some photos leaked from Keira Knightley's new advertising campaign for Chanel. As the face of Coco Mademoiselle, Ms. Knightley has been charming us with her natural good looks.

Chanel is in the midst of launching a 360-degree campaign for their beauty products, and Coco Mademoiselle is no exception. Aside from a digital short film featuring Keira Knightley, the new print ads are also being updated.

The official launch is not until March 21 or March 23, but I was so enthralled with her super-gorgeous makeup look that I had to copy it in my video.

Let me know what you think!

A Bumble Stumble?

For those of you who know me, you know I used to visit Ted Gibson salon religiously. But, alas, with the economy as it was, I had to give up my highlights and go back to a hairstyle that is more easily maintained.


Upon the recommendation of a friend and colleague, I decided to check out the Bumble & Bumble salon, uptown location. I went about a month ago to get a single-process color (to cover those grays!) as well as a haircut, and have never been more disgusted with a salon.


First, the receptionists (and there were about 8 of them) were snooty. Then, there was nobody to lead me to the changing area, and I had to wander over there myself. After that, I had to ask someone where I was supposed to go, upon which I was directed to take the elevator to the 3rd floor. On the 3rd floor, there was another reception desk, and I had to explain yet again that I had an 11:00AM appointment for color.

It was a couple of minutes after 11:00AM at that point, and I was told by one of the 3rd floor receptionists that my colorist was already "running late," and I could go pour myself a cup of water and sit on the sofa if I wanted. By 11:20AM, I was about to walk out... when a girl whom I had seen walking around the salon aimlessly finally came up to me and introduced herself. (She had the time to wander around the salon, but couldn't stop by and say Hello and apologize for being late?)

The colorist literally slapped color on my head. It got so bad that I had to tell her to stop flinging the dye all over the place, because it was getting all over my arms and face. She literally said, "It's no big deal! I have dye all over my arms... it'll come off." She didn't bother to give me a towel with hair color remover for at least 15 minutes... after which time, most of it had set into my skin.

Then, after she was finished dousing me with hair dye, she proceeded to tell me that she "didn't set timers," and she'd be back around "20 or 30 minutes." Well, 10 minutes is a big time difference in terms of hair dye.

After she came back in 30 minutes, she rinsed out my hair and then left me in the chair with my hair to drip into the sink. There were a few other colorists waiting for sinks, and I could see them giving me the evil eye to move. The colorist came back, wrapped my head in a towel, then told me I could go downstairs and find my hairstylist.

As I was walking to the elevator, the wet towel fell off of my head, so I went downstairs with dripping hair. When I went downstairs, I asked someone where I should go, and he pointed me to the cafe. It was quite humbling, sitting there like a wet dog while the other people in the cafe had dry hair.

When the stylist finally took me, I showed him a couple of pictures of the cut that I wanted. Of course, since he never saw me with dry hair, he had no idea what my normal hair texture was. As he was cutting my hair, all he was doing was making stupid jokes.

Him: "You look Korean."
Me: "Yeah, some people think so. Maybe I should just learn to speak the language."
Him: "Why? Because you like the Korean boys?"

Maybe he was nervous. Or trying to be friendly. But by that point, I was just ready to leave.

As soon as my haircut was done, I made one last stop at the snooty reception desk to pay, and ran out of there as fast as I could. Luckily, nobody asked at that time if I wanted to book another appointment, because they would have gotten an earful.

Let's just say that later that afternoon, I stopped by the 7th floor of Bergdorf's to John Barrett Salon to book an appointment with my former colorist at Ted Gibson, Jose. (By the way, if you are looking to get gorgeous highlights, go to Jose, who is now at John Barrett!)

Alas, the story doesn't end there...

Yesterday, I got a cryptic message from someone at Bumble & Bumble, wanting to know how my haircut was. I called him back today, and it really sealed my decision as far as never going to that salon again.

I was honest, but not overly harsh. I told him that unfortunately, it was a very unfriendly and industrial vibe. I gave him a few specific examples. I told him the haircut and color ending up being ok, but the experience was terrible, and even though it was recommended by a friend, that I would never go back.

His response? Nonchalance. He didn't even apologize.

Classic.

So, the moral of the story? Just stick with what you know and don't go with places that are overhyped. In the meantime, they should probably call Tabitha for a salon makeover!

Smooth Operator

Aveda has been aggressively marketing their Smooth Infusion line, so since I was up for some new shampoo and conditioner, I decided to try it. I purchased the full-sized Shampoo (8.5 ounce) and Conditioner (6.7 ounce), which retailed for $21 apiece, so they are not cheap, even by Aveda standards. The sales person also gave me samples of the Style Prep Smoother ($24 for 3.4 ounces) and the Glossing Straightener ($21 for 4.2 ounces.) You can also purchase a starter kit (pictured above) for $87, which includes the four products plus a comb.

The premise of this line is that it moisturizes the hair and reduces frizz through plant-based ingredients such as aloe, maize and guar. Since I've been highlighting my hair for almost a year, and just decided to go darker for the fall, my hair definitely needed the moisturization. Everything in this line has a light, natural scent, cited as "a fresh spicy citrus-floral featuring certified organic bergamot, certified organic palmarosa, Bulgarian rose and Australian sandalwood." It's not at all cloying or over-powering. The shampoo lathers up quite well, and when I rinsed it out, my hair did feel softer. When I followed with the conditioner, my hair felt softer and silkier than it had in a long time.

The first two times I used this, I used it without the Style Prep Smoother and the Glossing Straightener, and I found it did have a relaxing quality to my naturally wavy hair, but definitely didn't make it look like I'd used a flatiron or anything, so I decided to try the other two items.

The Style Prep Smoother has a lotion-y sort of consistency, and its active ingredients are tapioca and wheat protein, to protect against humidity as well as protect the hair from heat styling. I applied this from root to tip on towel dried hair, and combed through. The Glossing Straightener is more clear-looking, and has more of a gel-like consistency, I think due in part to its main ingredient of cellulose. I used this on the bottom 3/4 of my hair, after the Style Prep Smoother, to my damp hair.

After blow-drying, I did find that my hair was incredibly smooth, glossy, and quite straight, like I had quickly run through the lengths with a flatiron. I've never had any effects like this, even with my beloved Phytodefrisant, so I do have to commend Aveda on this line.

Unfortunately, as per Aveda's promise, this effect is only guaranteed for 12 hours. Because I only wash my hair every other day, I do find that my hair kind of goes back to normal after the first day. I do feel a little bit like Cinderella after the clock strikes midnight, when all of the magic effects disappear.

That's my only call-out so far. I haven't had any other issues, and my hair doesn't feel built-up, heavy, or weird. I think this is definitely worth a try if you are super lazy like I am, but like having straight hair.

The 5 Faces of Dolce & Gabbana

I admit I was intrigued by the raciness of these print ads--orgy, or just 5 naked beautiful people who happened to be sitting in the same room? Ha! The ads feature Claudia Schiffer, Eva Herzigova, Naomi Campbell, Fernando Fernandes, Noah Mills and Tyson Ballou, all in the buff.

The "anthology" consists of five fragrances:

1. Le Bateleur (cedarwood and vetiver)

3. L'Imperatrice (watermelon, kiwi, pink cyclamen with a musky base)

6. L'Amoureux (bergamot, juniper, pink pepper, cardamom, birch leaf and sensual wood and musk base)

10. La Roue de la Fortune (tuberose, gardenia and jasmine, benzoin and patchouli base)

18. La Lune (lily and tuberose heart with a sandalwood base)

Mssrs. Dolce and Gabbana do not bill these as unisex fragrances, but rather say that anyone can wear any of them depending on the mood. However, I think Le Bateleur and L'Amoreux are definitely on the more masculine side. The only one that I think could go either way is La Roue de la Fortune, because it is both flowery and spicy. It actually makes me think of a more patchouli-heavy version of Viktor & Rolf's Flowerbomb.

Of the two more "feminine" fragrances, I prefer La Lune over L'Imperatrice. Unfortunately, the L'Imperatrice smells very citrusy and grapefruit-y on me, whereas La Lune is more of a light floriental. I really like La Lune a lot, and find it quite suitable for a workday or every day.

These retail for $65 each, which is rather cheap for a 3.3 ounce bottle... granted they are eau de toilettes rather than eau de parfums. The bottle is simple, yet substantial, and while not super-girly, it is attractive to be displayed.

This is a fun concept, and I recommend trying these.

TOP PICK: Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner

I adore these eyeliners... adore! They are, by far, the most long-lasting eyeliners that I have ever used, and far superior to MAC Fluidlines and Stila Smudgepots. It's better than MAC because they aren't as slippery, and therefore you have more control when applying. It's better than the Stila because the finish is not as matte and flat. And, of course, the Bobbi surpasses both in longevity.

This is available in 17 colors, in varying shades and in metallic or regular finishes. The two that I swear by are Espresso and Caviar. Espresso is a coffee color with no hints of red at all, and is enough to define my dark brown eyes. (I usually cannot wear brown liners because I need a lot of eye definition.) Caviar is an even darker brown, almost black... so pretty!

$21 for a little pot seems a little expensive, but even with daily use, I've still had my Espresso one for like 6 months, which is way longer than some pencils. I'll probably throw it out within the year, though, just because the idea of dipping a brush in there every day seems very bacteria-ridden. (I am also the girl who throws her mascara away exactly at 3 months, if not sooner!)

Definitely try this! You're guaranteed to find a color you like, and you will be pleased with the lasting power and results!

Bobbi Brown Metallic Long-Wear Cream Shadow

These shadows were just recently released, so of course, I had to check them out! It comes in a total of 8 colors, and the container is a cute little plastic pot with a twist-off top. You have to use either your fingertip or a brush to apply, and the texture is quite mousse-y, similar to the way the old Stila shadow pots were.

My only complaint with these is that they are not too pigmented -- meaning, you will get mostly glitter/sparkle and not too much of the actual underlying color pay-off, even though it looks very colorful in the actual container. For $22, I do expect a little more. I got the color Antique Gold, which is described on the Bobbi site as a "deep gold sparkle," but it really is more of like a tarnished brass color, if that makes sense, because it has a green-y undertone. (I think the color in the pic above is actually the Antique Gold... see how densely pigmented it looks?)

Aside from that, these are very long-lasting, and do not crease. The glitter does not fall off into the eyes, which is great. I think they would be very pretty patted over top a darker eyeshadow for a clubby look, or to intensify the color, but for every day, this does add a nice amount of sparkle to the lids.