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January 2018

Beauty, Body

Chloé Crafts a Scent for the Curious Globe Trotter

Via Vogue Runway

Chloé’s got a thirst for adventure thanks to its newest scent, Nomade.

Hitting shelves in February, the scent taps into the more audacious side of the brand with a focus on openness, empowerment, and traveling the world (and its different cultures) as a way to explore the self and gain perspective.

“With Nomade, we want to answer to a very strong insight, which is a newfound desire for openness, encounters, surprises and the unknown — a reaction to the lack of [in-person] interaction,” Simona Cattaneo, chief marketing officer for Coty Luxury, told WWD.

To evoke the fragrance’s idea of adventure and movement, Givaudan perfumer Quentin Bisch offered a chypre take on the brand’s penchant for purely floral fragrances, blending notes of oak moss, Mirabelle plum, and freesia. As for the bottle (which I’ve only spotted on Now Smell This), it’s shaped like Chloé’s signature Drew bag and will be available in 30-, 50- and 75-ml for $75, $105 and $132, respectively.

Ariane Labed, who you might’ve seen in The Lobster, Assasin’s Creed, or the “Men Against Fire” episode of Black Mirror, will be featured on screens big and small as the face of the new perfume. In the clips to come, she’ll be shown venturing into different landscapes and learning about other cultures, connecting with new people along the way.

The scent’s concept is a pretty fitting idea for 2018, where that understanding of different viewpoints has been instrumental in the start of a slew of important conversations on gender, race, and more. Though we won’t have to wait long to get a sniff ourselves, I’m curious to see how the ad campaign plays out!

January 31, 2018 by Val

Beauty, Hair, Makeup

GTL: The Boldest Beauty Looks of The 2018 Grammy Awards

GTL – Get the Look, not Gym, Tan, Laundry, duh!

Embed from Getty Images

The Grammys are one of my favorite award shows to tune into annually, not just because of the slew of artists I know and love will take to the red carpet but also because it allows everyone (whether they can rock the mic or not) to go a bit bolder when it comes to their beauty looks. And they didn’t disappoint! Alongside the wild fashion, many of the attendess, including Lady Gaga, Cardi B, Kelly Clarkson, Halsey, SZA, and more carried white roses in support of the Time’s Up and #MeToo movements against sexual harassment and gender inequality while Lorde (who wasn’t offered a solo slot to perform while her fellow male Album of the Year nominees did) added her own spin by wearing a note of solidarity stitched onto her gown. It’s a problem which has plagued the industry (and many others) for decades but has come to light in recent years with Taylor Swift‘s recent win against a DJ who groped her and Kesha‘s ongoing legal battles. In fact, Kesha brought the issue into the spotlight with an incredibly moving rendition of her rallying cry “Praying,” singing with the likes of Cyndi Lauper, Camila Cabello, Andra Day, and the Resistance Revival Chorus.

With the night’s mix of glamor and girl power, I decided to share the details on the some of the eye-catching looks from the stars’ glam squads just in case you want to snag those tips for yourself for anything special coming up on your social calendar.

January 29, 2018 by Val

Beauty, Body

#OnMyVanity: KKW’s Crystal Gardenia Perfume

I receive a slew of samples, and when I find something I like, I can’t wait to tell you all about it!

Let’s face it: In the past 10 years, the Kardashians have gone from just a reality TV show family to a veritable empire, with the sisters banning together for a flurry of early collaborations — remember their Nicole by OPI polish range? — and eventually branching out into each of their own brands. While Kylie has a huge hold on beauty in recent years, she definitely scored her business acumen from big sister Kim, who’s been in the beauty biz for longer than many might remember.

January 26, 2018 by Val

Beauty, Body, Makeup, Skin

Soap & Glory’s Ups It Spa-Worthy Supply of Beauty Buys

A post shared by Soap & Glory USA (@soapandgloryusa) on Jan 24, 2018 at 3:01pm PST

When it comes to self-care (which I think we all need more of), sometimes all it takes to soothe yourself is a spa-worthy shower or a super indulgent soak in the tub. Soap & Glory is enhancing the experience with a stockpile of bubbling bath and beauty buys — complete with punny names you won’t get enough of — that won’t break the bank. In fact, the bubbles kept popping up Wednesday night as editors were treated to a first look at all of the upcoming products with a fresh array of fizzy cocktails, a shower outfitted with a bubble machine, a few faucets that dispensed a mix of seltzer and champagne (really refreshing!), and a cute clawfoot tub that I couldn’t help but slip into myself.

January 25, 2018 by Val

Beauty, Makeup

Ashley Graham Joins Revlon’s ‘Live Boldly’ League

A post shared by A S H L E Y G R A H A M (@theashleygraham) on Jan 24, 2018 at 7:39am PST

“Lipstick does not have a size.” And the new face of Revlon, Ashley Graham, is absolutely right!

The mega model is one of the first plus-size models to land a major beauty contract in the U.S.,. But Graham has been kicking down doors in the industry for a while as the first curvy model to be featured in Sports Illustrated’s 2015 Swimsuit issue in an ad for SwimsuitsforAll and becoming the cover girl of the iconic issue the year after, not to mention strutting the runway in Paris for H&M, as well as creating her own designs for SwimsuitsforAll, Nordstrom, and even DressBarn. But even with all of that under her belt, the beauty counter has been a rare place to find a plus-size model. In fact, according to The Cut, the last curve model to serve as the face of a beauty brand was Robyn Lawley, who had a two-year contract with Pantene in Australia.

January 24, 2018 by Val

Beauty, Makeup

Bite Beauty Launches a Line of Lipsticks For Every Zodiac Sign

Courtesy of Bite Beauty.

The next time someone at a bar asks,”What’s your sign?” Bite Beauty wants you to tell them: “Read my lips.”

The brand has launched a limited edition Horoscope collection of its popular Amouse Bouche lipstick for each sign of the zodiac, with inventive takes on each horoscope’s attributes. To suss out the signature shade for each and their subsequent descriptions, the brand enlisted the help of psychic astrologer Tara Greene, who has over 25 years of experience of reading the stars, tarot cards, tea, and, yes, lipstick.

Aquarius, the first shade in the lineup, is a modern take on a berry with a blue-based hue and a satin finish (an up-close-and-personal look at the shade’s swatch is under the cut). This cooler color is meant to evoke the sign’s association with inventors, pioneers, and radicals, like Angela Davis, Amal Alamuddin Clooney, Joy Mangano, Oprah, and more — “unique individuals who like to disrupt the status quo,” according to Greene. “Aquarians are on the cutting edge, tapped into higher consciousness, and aware of the cultural current, ‘what’s next,'” she said in a press release. “Find them motivating groups, managing teams, and totally ruling (or even inveting) the latest social media app.”

Aquarians are the early adopters of the zodiac. And they clearly got the message early because since its launch on Monday, the lipstick has already sold out at Sephora! Pisces (my sign) is on its way, as it’s slated to hit shelves in February. But I still have my fingers crossed for a re-stock. I mean, why not collect all 12?! Even if the signs don’t always suit your mood or aesthetic, pulling out the shade of your S.O. could be a fun way to add flair for date night. Plus, it can be fun to mix and match if your love of astrology reaches further into your birth chart — a Pisces base blended with an Aries rising hue could look pretty cute!

January 23, 2018 by Val

Beauty, Hair, Makeup

GTL: The Boldest Beauty Looks of the 2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards

GTL – Get the Look, not Gym, Tan, Laundry, duh!

Embed from Getty Images

Sunday’s night Screen Actors Guild Awards appeared to be an almost 180 of the Golden Globes‘ sea of solidarity in the form of black gowns. The sentiments of the #MeToo movement still reverberated throughout the evening with Marissa Tomei saluting Rosanna Arquette and the many others who spoke about the sexual harrassment they faced in the industry. But the 2018 SAG awards red carpet seemed to offer a hopeful look at the future, which might’ve been sparked by the high spirits after the second Women’s March just the day before, as actresses fully embraced color from the clothes to the cosmetics.

As such, I decided to dig for the details on some of the vibrant beauty looks from the stars’ hairstylists and makeup artists should you want to snag the look for a date night look, a festive formal, or anything else on your social agenda.

January 22, 2018 by Val

Beauty, Skin

#OnMyVanity: Herbivore Botanicals’ Blue Tansy AHA + BHA Resurfacing Clarity Mask

I receive a slew of samples, and when I find something I like, I can’t wait to tell you all about it!

By now, everyone’s posted and later rolled their eyes at the phrase “New Year, New Me,” but one resolution I’ve been trying to stick to is taking better care of my skin. Which not only means keeping my face hydrated and protected but also sticking to a regualr masking schedule. But as many masks as I have in my menagerie, I only use them when my face looks especially hurt, like after the dust settles on a bad breakout. I know, I know, I should know better, especially as a acne sufferer.

Many of the masks I have on hand take a while to work (we’re talking 20 minutes sometimes); some not only need a good rinse but also a couple of cotton pads soaked in micellar water to make your skin clean sometimes, and others formulated with harsh chemical exfoliants tend to make my skin feel tight and sensitized. So it’s easy to get a little lazy about that part of your skincare routine.

January 19, 2018 by Val

Beauty, Hair

Amena Khan Becomes the First Model to Rock a Hijab In a Major Hair Ad

via L’Oréal Paris UK.

Update: Mere days after beauty blogger Amena Khan was announced as L’Oréal’s first hijab-wearing hair model, she has backed out of the campaign in light of a Twitter backlash. Khan made the announcement on Twitter and Instagram stating that the decision was made after tweets from 2014 in which she criticized Isreal came to light. Though she has since deleted the tweets, she decided to step down as she didn’t want to detract “from the positive and inclusive sentiment that [the L’Oréal campaign] set out to deliver.”

The brand delivered a statement Monday, saying, “We have recently been made aware of a series of tweets posted in 2014 by Amena Khan, who was featured in a UK advertising campaign. We appreciate that Amena has since apologised for the content of these tweets and the offence they have caused. L’Oréal Paris is committed to tolerance and respect towards all people. We agree with her decision to step down from the campaign.”

January 19, 2018 by Val

Beauty, Skin

Glossier’s Latest Launch Guarantees A Serious Acne ‘Solution’

A post shared by Glossier (@glossier) on Jan 16, 2018 at 2:59pm PST

Glossier is well known for providing incredibly Instagrammable products that help deliver its signature “Glossier Glow,” that naturally radiant and almost glassy-looking skin on the chic models that flood our social streams in a swirl of millennial pink. And while the beauty brand stepped into skincare a while ago (most recently unleashing a sunscreen), it’s out to conquer new territory: acne.

Glossier Solution finally hits shelves today (and is likely selling out at lightning speed) after weeks of teasing on Instagram.Housed in a pink bottle with a pump lid dispenser, the brand is also offering its own cotton pads, embossed with its signature “G,” to apply the Solution with. The new skincare essential is touted as an exfoliating skin perfector that gently sloughs away dead skin cells to keep pores clear, shrink their size, reduce redness as well as even tone and texture in mere weeks. In fact, the product page includes a series of before and after images of its effects on various skin tones and concerns.

January 17, 2018 by Val

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