Coming 'round again

What ties footwear to a given time? I loved my Dr. Scholl's wooden exercise sandals and didn't care if the straps blistered my feet; then I had to have a pair of Earth shoes because my classmates were wearing them; later on, I had to have a pair of Frye boots. By tracing trends in footwear, you can estimate my age!


Frye "Jane" boot

I recently bought myself a pair of Frye boots in the classic "Jane" style. Actually, it's the same style that I had before. As I wrote before, I promised to buy a pair of boots for fall/winter. Frye is having its day again, and Dr. Scholl's exercise sandals and Earth shoes have made comebacks in recent years.

Lindi Skin

Skin care is marketed by promising younger skin and other benefits - "hope in a jar," as Charles Revson said. At the same time, companies use waffle words such as "skin looks ..." or "skin appears" to circumvent Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigations into fraudulent advertising claims.

I rely on sunscreen, AHA, BHA, dual-phase eye makeup removers, and gentle cleansers for my skin care. My main requisites for a moisturizer are: is it emollient? will I wake up with softer feeling skin?

The target consumer for Lindi Skin is unusual: it markets to patients whose skin has been "compromised" by cancer. Since dryness and irritation afflict cancer patients, Lindi Skin's products have been formulated to soothe and moisturize the skin. Lindi Skin is great for those of us who have been spared cancer, but nonetheless want soothing and moisturizing skin care.

This review will cover three Lindi Skin products: Lindi Face Moisturizer, Lindi Eye Hydrator, and Lindi Body Wash.


Lindi Face Moisturizer

Lindi Face Moisturizer (2 oz., $38.00) is emollient and non-greasy. I like to apply it at bedtime - my skin feels smooth to the touch when I wake up in the morning. It does have an astringent smell when you apply it.


Lindi Eye Hydrator

Lindi Skin's web site describes Lindi Eye Hydrator (15 ml, $30.00) as a gel: actually, it looks more like an ointment. Just pat it in with your ring finger, and it has a non-greasy finish, thanks to the silicons in the formulation.


Lindi Body Wash

Lindi Body Wash (8 oz., $20.00) is an extra-moisturizing body wash with imperceptible fragrance.

Other unique products include Lindi Face Tint, which is designed to counteract the grayish tone associated with cancer patients, and Lindi Skin Cooler Pads, to comfort burnt or itchy skin.

The return of hippie "chic"

One of the most distressing fashion trends (aside from Juicy Couture, baby doll tops, and leggings) is the revival of hippie "chic," if you can call it that. I've already written about hippie headbands.

In the late sixties, it was fashionable to bleach, patch, and embroider your jeans - and also to rip and fray jeans. Now True Religion has come out with its Bobby Destroyed Jeans.


Bobby Destroyed Jeans by True Religion

The price for these jeans is $240.00 (yes, two hundred forty dollars). This is ridiculous.

On the other hand, I like this adaptation of the fringed leather look:


cha cha Patience handbag from Lori Chalmers

The braided strap, semi-structured design, and dark blue leather give it class. It's from Lori Chalmers, an independent designer who's based in Toronto.

Are face primers necessary?

TotalBeauty.com content:

Makeup Primer: Worth the Extra Step?

Find out if they make a visible difference

Pro makeup artist Molly Stern says primers are meant to serve as a layer between skin and foundation to create a more even surface. But not everyone needs them. "The best candidate for them would be someone who is very oily or has a lot of scarring from acne," she says. But do primers actually make a difference? We had two women of different ages each test a top foundation primer geared toward their skin type. Find out if their makeup looked better ... and if anyone noticed. See primers

We have a winner!

I am pleased to announce that Lynne won the L'Oreal Paris cosmetics giveaway, by random drawing. Congratulations, Lynne, and I look forward to publishing your review on The Style Page.

Thanks to all those who had entered our contest, and be sure to keep visiting The Style Page for future contests and fun polls!

Don't forget to vote in our current poll Are You Loyal to a Particular Cosmetics Brand or Product? To vote, simply scroll down the blog past the Total Beauty skyscraper ad on the left side bar. The vote closes on September 30, and I'd like to have robust participation in this poll to get some meaningful results.

Are you loyal to a specific brand or product?

In view of Illamasqua's goal of creating brand loyalty for itself, The Style Page wants to know if you are loyal to a particular cosmetics or product.

Please scroll down the page to locate the poll in the left-hand navigation bar and vote. This poll is open only through September 30, 2008 - seven days left. Please leave comments to elaborate.

The art of Jamdani weaving

I love ethnic textiles: block prints, ikat, suzanis, kalamkari - you name it, I love it.

That's why I was excited to receive this recommendation from tanjinaquazi via ThisNext for Afera Designs, a company that seeks to keep alive the art of weaving Jamdani. According to Chandana Banerjee of colouroftherain.blogspot.com, "The method of weaving resembles tapestry work in which small shuttles of coloured, gold or silver threads, are passed through the weft [yarns that are run horizontally in a loom]." Jamdani is practiced near Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.

A Jamdani weaver at work

Decorative arts such as Jamdani are at risk of dying out, as the weavers cannot support themselves by practicing their traditional art. Many go to work in the garment factories that churn out cheap clothing for export. Fortunately, companies such as Afera Designs are dedicated to keeping decorative arts alive and creating new markets for them.

Illamasqua

The U.S. is not the only country anticipating debuts of new cosmetics lines: the UK is anticipating the launch of Illamasqua at the tony Selfridges department store.


Illamasqua brand image
from Beauty Counter interview with Artistic Director Alex Box

Illamasqua was developed in association with Kryolan, the leading company for theatrical makeup. Illamasqua founder Julian Kynaston from Propaganda said, "We were shocked that the make-up market appeared to have no real emotional brands ... there was a lot of loyalty, but that loyalty was not at a brand level it was at a hero product level. You would see girls who were loyal to a particular lipstick from say Chanel, certainly Yves Saint Laurent’s Touche Eclat had incredible product loyalty.”


Illamasqua

The article from The Drum further notes,

During their research Propaganda emptied over 1,200 make-up bags and they found little evidence of dominance of any one brand. Typically there were 14 different brands in the average make-up bag. From here on, Kynaston’s goal became to ensure that the make-up bag of the future consisted of 50% of their brand, in their target market, with the other brands sharing the remaining half.

It will be interesting to see how creating brand loyalty will work out. Only MAC seems to command that sort of brand loyalty nowadays.

Lip Wax

Lip Wax from Giorgio Armani Beauty

Giorgio Armani Beauty describes Lip Wax as a "compact lipstick." Actually, it's more like lip stain. Lip Wax differs from lip stains, however, in that it's smoother and less drying. That's one aspect I like about Lip Wax; the other aspect I like is that the color is buildable from a simple tint to full-out lip color.

Lip Wax is available in six shades: #01 (nude beige), #02 (antique rose), #03 (sienna), #04 (raspberry), #05 (cardinal red), and #6 (deep chianti)

You may purchase Lip Wax ($26.00) through Giorgio Armani Beauty, or wait until next month (October 2008) to buy it at a Giorgion Armani Beauty counter.

Living in the September 12th world

Post 9/11 New York City skyline

Vena Cava

Just viewed pictures from the Vena Cava Spring 2009 show on Splendora. What grabbed my attention was the use of skinny pants modeled after the Indian churidar:


Vena Cava spring 2009 show

What do you think about this outfit?

Pixi at Target

Beauty411 said that Pixi was her least favorite of the three premium brands that debuted at Target: Pixi, NP Set, and JK Jemma Kidd. Pixi is by far my favorite of the three brands.

I'm a sucker for beautifully coordinated eye shadow palettes, and Pixi has several beautiful palettes: Minimum, Mango, Miracle Velveteen, Miracle, and Mirage (is there an alliteration thing going on here, or what? :-)



Pixi Eye Beauty Kit in Miracle

In addition, Pixi has some great concepts, such as Lid & Line (not shown), which features a retractable eyeliner pencil, a matching eye shadow, and smudger, all in one pen. I like lining lining my upper eyelid with the shadow, smudging the line, and using the pencil tips to fill in my lower lashes. The package is right about Lid & Line: it creates the smudgy, smoky eye in a flash.

Another great concept product is Illuminating Tint & Conceal, described as a "tinted moisturizer," with a cream-to-powder concealer built into the cap. For something described as a tinted moisturizer, Illuminating Tint & Conceal has a lot of opacity. That's because it uses titanium oxide and zinc oxide as sunscreen agents (it is rated SPF 20). Because the illumination is actually shimmer, I don't apply the tinted moisturizer on my nose. The concealer dries to a soft powdery finish. This product delivers, but, geez, $35.00?? You'd at least expect more glam packaging.

Pixi Illuminating Tint & Conceal

I'd like readers to provide comments on Pixi - price, performance, packaging, etc. Has anyone tried the Lip Blush?

Train Cases

First cosmetics bags, now train cases.

Clearview Train Case by Lug

The clear vinyl panels let me look into the contents without having to open the bag and rummage through the contents. The downside is that I have to flatten it to fit in my suitcase.


This Bag is Garbage Cosmetics Tote

This Bag is Garbage Cosmetics Tote is actually made of plastic garbage bags that are gently melted and fused together. In addition to recycling trash, purchase of this train case also supports work for poor women in India.

Stuff your train case with L'Oreal Paris cosmetics! Nine days left for our giveaway! :-)

Rock and Republic gets into color cosmetics

This has to be the busiest season for cosmetics launches that I've seen in the four years that I've been blogging here at The Style Page. I've already covered the debut of pixi by Petra Strand, NP Set, and JK Jemma Kidd at Target; the launch of Victoria Jackson's direct sales line (the third cosmetics line she's founded) and the re-launch of Jouer.

Rock and Republic, best known for its premium denim, will enter the already crowded field of color cosmetics with an ultra-luxe line. Here are some previews of Rock and Republic cosmetics products:

Luxe Lip Gloss in Alpha Blonde

Luxe Lip Gloss, which is enriched with Vitamins A and E, provides a high-gloss finish.


Bound Gel Eye Liner in Torture

Ouch. This sounds rather kinky. Bound Gel Eye Liner is a highly pigmented, long-wearing gel/cream eye liner.

Accentuate Bronzer/Highlighter

The Accentate Bronzer/Highlighter collection costs $225.00. Yes - you read that right - two hundred twenty-five dollars. This refillable compact is studded with Swarovski crystals, and the collection also includes a kabuki brush and drawstring pouches for the compact and brush.

The matte bronzer is paired with one of three shimmer highlighter shades: coral, rose, and gold. Refills are $45.00.

Rock & Republic Cosmetics will debut September 15^th at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Bloomingdale’s. To find out more about Rock & Republic cosmetics, visit RockandRepublicCosmetics.com

L'Oreal Paris cosmetics giveaway

L'Oreal Paris is The Style Page's favorite mass-market brand of cosmetics. For that reason, I'm proud to host a giveaway of four recently introduced L'Oreal Paris products:

* L'Oreal Paris Bare Naturale eyeliner (loose powder) in Defining Bronze
* L'Oreal Paris Infallible Never Fail Eyeliner in Black
* L'Oreal Paris HIP High Intensity Pigments Jelly Balm in Luscious
* L'Oreal Paris Bare Naturale gentle lip conditioner in Soft Petal

I respect your privacy. When you enter, you don't have to give your full name. I will not share your email address with anyone else, nor will I subscribe you to The Style Page blog. Of course, if you want to subscribe, that's very much appreciated!

Enter below for a chance to win L'Oreal Paris cosmetics. Only one entry per IP address (I was spammed with four entries from the identical IP address). This contest closes on Friday, September 12 at 11:55 PM.



If the winner so requests, I will include a link to her blog. Of course, she may publish the review on her blog as well: just include a reference to The Style Page, thestylepage.blogspot.com.