Beauty

Make-Up has gone PINK for the Holidays

 in Beauty / General Fashion / Trends  tagged holidays 2010 / pink by

The Holiday make-up trend this year is pink! Chanel has released their holiday make-up collection and it is in shades of pink. There is a shade of pink for everyone with the brighter, more candy pink the focal point. Although there are several brands of make-up on the market, Chanel tends to show the leading edge colors every season and is a safe bet when it comes to the current make-up trends.

One of the big colors for resort is candy pink. There are candy pink shoes, handbags and apparael. It is not hard to imagine that the make-up will be pink too. As the holiday season comes closer, instead of waiting for the resort make-up colors to arrive on store shelves, Chanel has opted to present pink earlier than other make-up brands by making it the prominent color in the holiday collection.

Chanel is showing candy pink nail color named Pulsion as well as a softer pink named Mica Rose. As with Chanel nail color every season, the new colors fly off of store shelves before you can match your new Prada pumps to an outfit. Therefore, it is good to know there are alternate Chanel nail colors to wear, just in case you miss out on the first shipment of Pulsion and Mica Rose. Jade Rose from fall 2010 is a very soft pink which will work well with holiday color palettes as well as the upcoming resort and spring looks. It should be in stock!

Lip gloss is also taking a pink turn for the holiday, resort and spring seasons. The pink lip gloss hitting store shelves is in four distinct shades: baby pink, candy pink, deep rose pink and peachy pink. Lip stick of course has turned pink and is also being shown in pale and candy shades.

Cheeks are looking a little bit sun-kissed this season as well. The blush hitting store shelves is medium pink and gives Fashionistas the look of spring’s first sun-kiss.

Eye shadow is coming in two looks for the holiday season. White eye shadow is back to either use alone for a club-evening look or in conjunction with pale pinks. The dark brown smoky eye is also making an appearance. Heavy eye make-up was a look we saw on the spring runways. This is one make-up look that might be making it from the runway to reality.

Pinks, fuchsias, dark browns and pinkish purples are the make-up colors of the holiday season as well as into resort. Make-up brands such as Chanel at the high-end and Cover Girl at the low-end, have a wide array of pinks on store shelves right now. Perfect time to stock up before everyone starts to see pink! Happy shopping and stay fabulous 

holidaypinks

Brazilian Blowout Controversy: thankfully there are safe alternatives

 in Beauty / Hair Care  tagged brazilian blowout by

The Brazilian Blowout controversy has exploded since Women’s Wear Daily published an article on October 8, 2010 detailing the excessive amounts of formaldehyde found in Brazilian Blowout products. When the news broke, many beauty salons began pulling the products from store shelves. Unfortunately the Brazilian Blowout products had been advertised as “formaldehyde-free,” thus sparking the controversy over the large amount of fomaldehyde which was actually found in the products. The controversy sparked Health Canada to issue a firm warning to salons in Canada. Distributors of Brazilian Blowout have stopped shipping their products to Canada as of Wednesday, October 12 2010 in response to Health Canada’s warning.

According to Women’s Wear Daily, the Oregon Health and Science University’s Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology conducted a study and then released the lab results which show that the Brazilian Blowout product contains between 5% and 10% formaldehyde. According to Health Canada, the levels were at 12% in lab tests. There have also been health related problems reported in Canada due to the formaldehyde levels in the Brazilian Blowout products.

Thankfully there are three products on the market for Fashionistas seeking the same sleek, healthy hair and manageable results a Brazilian Blowout provides.

Shu Uemura Art of Hair ShuSu Sleek entered high end salons in September 2010 and provides both an at-home solution and a traditional salon treatment. Clients have the choice of which product they wish to use; salon or at-home.

Kerastase Paris Oleo-Relax Slim has already been on the market for awhile and also offers an at-home treatment as well as the salon option.

blow Ready Set Blow launched in September 2010 in fine salons in New York. Hopefully this line will reach California soon!

All of these products are safe to use and provide fabulous, smooth silky blowout results. the results can last anywhere from three to six months depending on how you care for your hair at home. Happy shopping and hairstyling! And of course, stay fabulous 

Melissa Elia Founder of Mayssa Fragrance Interview

 in Beauty / Fragrance / Trends  tagged interviews / local perfumers / mayssa by

The San Francisco Bay Area is home to a few niche perfumers who create beautiful fragrances that may or may not get noticed beyond the local level. Niche perfumers are increasing in popularity as consumers become bored with “macro-perfumers” making fragrances that all smell alike and follow the “fragrance fashion trend du jour.”

There have been endless fragrance launches over the past ten years that mix and match the same scents over and over again; many of which have celebrity names attached to the bottle just to boost sales of the same boring liquid. The allure of boutique or niche perfumers has increased as consumers have realized there is a whole world of creativity out there that has yet to be sniffed. One of the local, San Francisco Bay Area perfumers worth noticing is Melissa Elia, creator of Mayssa Fragrance.

Mayssa Fragrance founder Melissa Elia created a light, floral fragrance out of love and passion.  Elia was in a classic love story with a man who spoke about future children and their future names. The girl’s name was to be Mayssa (pronounced may-ee-sah). When the relationship ended, Elia knew she needed a way to mend her broken heart. Her passion had been her love affair with a man; it was soon to be replaced by her passion for fragrance.

Melissa Elia always knew she had an inner desire to start and own something. Her entrepreneurial spirit kept bringing her into the fragrance world. Elia began to meet professionals in the fragrance industry and this was her cue to create her own fragrance.

Melissa Elia knew what fragrances she liked and what she did not like. She began purchasing essences and oils and mixing them together in her own kitchen.  Through trial and error, she narrowed down the ingredients that she and her friends liked the best. This is how Mayssa was born. Once Mayssa’s recipe was complete, Elia began to create shower gel, soap and lotion in her kitchen to complement the Mayssa perfume.

Launched in 2003, Mayssa is a beautiful, wearable combination of green, floral and citrus notes. The heart of the fragrance takes Fragrance Fashionistas through a flower garden filled with jasmine, rose and lily. The basenotes of Mayssa are smooth cedarwood and musk. Melissa Elia successfully created a light, everyday fragrance that can easily be worn to the office during the day as well as for an evening out on the town. She used a mix of synthetic and natural oils that are high in quality and long lasting.

Mayssa soon became popular and Melissa Elia realized she could no longer create the perfume in her own kitchen. She began to shop around in search of a perfumery that could produce her fragrance in small or large batches while maintaining the high quality mix of ingredients she demanded. After about a one year search, Melissa Elia found a local company in Livermore, California that could mix her perfume with high quality ingredients and create small or large batches depending on the needs of the business.

This beautiful fragrance is increasing in popularity as more and more Fragrance Fashionistas discover Mayssa. While Mayssa is currently sold in boutique hotel spas and online, the fragrance line is set to expand and be distributed nationally. Mayssa will continue to be a niche perfume while benefitting from national exposure and sales.

Melissa Elia is a true entrepreneur who found her passion and followed it. She is an inspiration to anyone looking to start a company and follow their dream.  Mayssa will not be the last perfume the fashion and beauty world sees from Melissa Elia. She has plans to create a men’s fragrance as well as continue to expand her Mayssa product line. She is definitely a business woman to follow, watch and learn from.

Mayssa

Mayssa Fragrance Line
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Mayssa Fragrance