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Posts tagged ‘BEAUTY’

Mar 22

Bare Escentuals launches organic skincare range

Bare Escentuals launch skincare 2BareMinerals, the new skincare line from natural cosmetics brand Bare Escentuals, took me by surprise.

I’m a huge advocate of organic and natural skincare as I have very sensitive skin. But, although I don’t want to offend, sometimes these products are just a bit boring. As more and more hit the shops, with similar packaging and characteristics, it becomes difficult to differentiate between them.

This is why I like BareMinerals. It does something different. When I was given its Pure Transformation Night Treatment I expected a high-moisture cream. Instead I opened the pot to find a lose-powder product, similar in style to Bare Escentuals flagship foundation.

Bare Escentuals launch skincare 1

You brush the powder onto your face just before heading to bed. Admittedly, I felt quite strange doing this. The powder is extremely light, however, at first, it did feel as though I was putting on make-up to prepare for sleep.

I was also quite nervous that it would stain my new white cotton pillowcases. I am glad to report it didn’t. It’s too early to say whether the treatment will reduce my pores and increase my skin’s firmness and elasticity, as Bare Escentuals said it will, as I’ve only been using it for two days. However, the product has potential and it has given my skin a healthy glow. And I am enjoying using it.

I have also tried the new range’s Deep Cleansing Foam and Purely Nourishing Moisturizer. The foam is great – the tiniest amount, mixed with water, creates a generous helping of rich, cleansing lather.

The full skincare collection also consists of products including an eye-cream and a facial cleanser.

It’s good to see an organic skincare brand finding new ways to be unique in an increasing saturated market.

GUEST BLOGGER: Freelance beauty journalist Amy Golding

FashionBite xx

Mar 16

3 Comments

Emma Watson stars as the new face of cosmetics giant Lancôme

Emma Watson, the new face of Lancome Harry Potter beauty Emma Watson is following in the footsteps of actresses Penelope Cruz, Julia Roberts and Kate Winslet by becoming the new brand ambassador for of French cosmetics giant Lancôme.

With jobs like this coming in, it’s no surprise the 20-year-old actress has announced a break from her studies at Brown University.

Watson was given a boyish makeover on the set for a new Lancôme ad (pictured left). She was also spotted wearing a white shirt, black tie and a blazer, teamed with white shorts (below).

Emma Watson, the new face of Lancome

Lancôme said it is delighted with this new collaboration and believes Watson will bring a fresh spirit to the brand.

The actress is clearly delighted too, posting on her Twitter feed: “It starts with an L and ends with an E. I’m sure you have guessed the new face of Lancôme is me!”

Watson has previously modeled for British fashion house Burberry.

Last week, Watson also launched an eco-friendly fashion collaboration, Pure Threads, with Italian designer Alberta Ferretti.

What do you think, is Watson a good fit for the cosmetic brand?

FashionBite reporter Amy Golding xx

Feb 26

19 Comments

Ruby & Millie to revamp brand after exiting Boots

Ruby & Millie, FashionBite

Make-up artists Ruby Hammer and Millie Kendall

Guest Blogger: Amy Golding

Famed make-up artists Ruby Hammer and Millie Kendall are to revamp their Ruby & Millie cosmetics line.

The duo hinted at a retro refresh with plans to revitalise the “iconic” products in the range to bring back a classic feel to the brand.

Co-founder Hammer also announed plans for her own stand-alone new product range, which will launch later this year.

The news follows the announcement that the Ruby & Millie brand is to be withdrawn from Boots stores, ending a 13-year relationship with the retailer.

“Retail is changing and we have to change with the times,” said co-founder Kendall. “In 1998, what we did was unique and opened the floodgates to smaller niche brands to enter into the mass market. We are taking yet another leap forward in our business model.”

In 2008, Hammer and Kendall stepped away from the Ruby & Millie brand to focus on their Andrea Fulerton Nail Boutique and Scarlett & Crimson and Alex Byrne Beauty lines.

Ruby Hammer and Millie Kendall are now understood to have taken back control of the eponymous cosmetics brand and are considering options for new partnerships.

FashionBite xx

Feb 3

2 Comments

Melvita – SS11 product launch, London’s Century Club

Melvita, FashionbiteMelvita, FashionbiteMelvita Ss11, Fashionbite

 

GUEST BLOGGER: Freelance Journalist and beauty writer Amy Golding

You can’t blame organic skincare brand Melvita for wanting to celebrate its first birthday in style at London’s Century Club.

Since catapulting into the UK last February, the French brand has launched 380 products onto the market, opened a flagship store in Covent Garden and gained backing from natural beauty giant L’Occitane, which acquired Melvita in autumn 2010. For details on some of the products and brand history, see FashionBite’s post ‘NEW LAUNCH-Organic Skincare brand Melvita.’

And there’s more to come. This year the brand will launch a host of new ranges in the UK including suncare, face care and quintessential oil collections. If that’s not enough, in May Melvita will unveil its Algascience Slimming Oil and Exfoliating Scrub. Melvita’s President Bernard Chevilliat promises me I will lose 2cm from around my thighs if I use it every day for a month. Great!

Chevilliat, a biologist and beekeeper, remains as passionate about the brand as when he founded it in 1983 and kindly offered me a guided tour of the new collections. While talking me though the ranges, he confessed he’s had to put beekeeping on the back-burner for now. This comes as no surprise considering he now has a staff count of over 300 people and sits on the board of L’Occitane.

To get a good feel for the brand, pop into its Covent Garden store. It contains two ‘living walls’, covered in plant-life, and offers free skincare consultations.

Happy birthday Melvita!

For additional info on the brand, visit Melvita’s website.

FashionBite xx

Feb 1

1 Comment

Topshop SS11 Make-Up launch, The Sanderson Hotel

FashionBite tests Topshop make-up at SS11 launch

FashionBite tests Topshop make-up at SS11 launch

Topshop SS11 make-up

Topshop SS11 make-up

Topshop SS11 make-up

Topshop SS11 make-up

Topshop SS11 make-up launch, The Sanderson Hotel

Topshop SS11 make-up launch, The Sanderson Hotel

FashionBite's Amy Golding and Topshop make-up artist Hannah Murray

FashionBite's Amy Golding and Topshop make-up artist Hannah Murray

GUEST BLOGGER: Freelance journalist and beauty writer Amy Golding

This February Topshop launches its new spring/summer core make-up collection as well as its trend collection, Sandstorm. To celebrate, the fashion brand threw a makeover party in the penthouse of London’s Sanderson Hotel and invited Fashionbite along to test the range.

At the event, I discovered the art of nail marbling. This involves hapazardly splashing drops of nail varnish into a bowl of water, before letting the different colours of floating varnish settle on your nails, creating a marble effect. It’s great fun and perfect for anyone who struggles to paint their nails neatly using a brush.

I also got the chance to catch up with celebrated make-up artist Hannah Murray. The former ballet dancer told me she had just returned from trips to Mexico and the Caribbean, where she’d worked on fashion shoots for Vogue China and H&M.

Murray, who works with Topshop on its make-up campaigns, explained the Sandstorm capsule collection was inspired by the experimental Burning Man festival, held once a year in the Nevada Black Rock Desert.

In-keeping with the desert theme, the range features products including Desert Sun blusher and Ablaze lip gloss. It also consists of a collection of eyeshadows and nail varnishes as well as a semi-permanent eyeliner designed to last as long as you do at festivals this summer.

Topshop’s spring/summer core collection consists of a range of nail varnishes, lipsticks and blushers in pink, lilac, orange and gold shades, as well as a range of eyeliners and mascaras. All products come in playful poke-a-dot packaging.

To see Topshop’s current AW collection, visit Topshop.com.

FashionBite xx

Jul 9

Trish McEvoy for fabulous lashes

Trish McEvoy mascara Trish McEvoy, the US beauty brand which is sold in store at Selfridges and Harvey Nichols, has some fabulous products on offer.

If you haven’t come across the brand before, pop down to your nearest Selfridges/Harvey Nichols and have a nose around the Trish McEvoy beauty counter.

I love the Lash Curling Mascara in jet black- I’ve been using it for the last month and it’s so striking, not for the subtle-look!

I find mascaras often either lengthen or thicken..but this one does both and gives you incredibly long, lushious lashes.

It’s also great for holidays because you don’t sweat it off- when you wash your face the mascara comes off in tubular lash-like strings. At first I thought my eyelashes were coming off, but it’s just the mascara.

You can combine it with Trish McEvoy’s Lash Enhancer Nighttime Conditioning treatment, which builds up lashes whilst you sleep. You just paint it on at the base of your lashes every night to thicken eyelashes over time.

Trish McEvoy for fabulous lashesTrish McEvoy has been in the make-up/skin-care business for the last 30 years, launching the business with her dermatologist husband Dr. Ronald Shermanin in the 1970′s.

She pioneered the simple approach to make-up application, enabling women to apply professional looking make-up quickly and efficiently, to fit in with their busy lives. Her approach to teaching included stripping away the inessential clutter from people’s makeup bags, beauty routines and lives.

The brand is more premium in pricepoint, the mascara costs around £18- but you pay for the quality.

fashionbite xx

Dec 31

2 Comments

2010- what the future holds…?

So…tomorrow heralds the start of a new decade, new techonologies, new websites, new designers, new beauty launches…!

….But what I find really interesting 10 years from now- how will we all digest the news?

Will newspapers/magazines still exist? Will everything be online? Will news bulletins be confined to 140 characters on twitter? What will be the facebook/twitter of the ‘teenies,’…if we’re calling it that?? Will all content online be paid for?

Ummm…we were told we’d all be flying around on space cars at the end of this decade..so not all predictions come true!

My thoughts are…Amazon’s e-reader will become as mainstream as mobiles and the ‘old-fashioned’ newspaper will be archived to the museum, with people questioning how we got by reading the news daily, rather than up to the second? We’ll all be downloading the ‘online newspaper’ which will fit our exact requirements, only paying for what we read e.g. sport and news, or business and comment. Some form of paper news could still exist, but it will be in the form of free newspapers, supporting the online brand where all the content is paid for.

So, what does this mean for online fashion/beauty firms?

I think, if it’s not already, online will become the brand’s flagship store. Shops will still exist, but as a marketing/advertising tool for the brand. Firms will showcase their product in store, but purchasing will be done online at in-store computers (or at home) and retail stores will become the pick-up point for online purchases.

The last 10 years has brought us some groundbreaking online fashion firms, such as Net-a-porter and Asos, which have changed the way we shop for fashion- bringing shopping online for clothes mainstream.

What will the next 10 years bring??

Whatever happens, they’ll be plenty to write about! So, keep posted for all the latest online fashion/beauty news, website launches and fab product reviews of the next decade.

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year, whatever you’re doing. See you in 2010!

fashionbite xx

Dec 29

New Year’s Resolutions- Top Tips


So..it’s that time of year again when we’ve eaten/drunk too much, partied hard and are now looking to 2010 and the inevitable New Year’s Resolutions!

My resolutions will probably follow the lines of most years- exercise more, drink less, eat a healthier diet..etc, etc. However, to give us a helping hand organic skincare firm Neals Yard Remedies has drawn up some tips on how to keep a successful New Year’s Resolution….I know I definitely need the pointers!

  1. Don’t set too many resolutions!
    Resist the temptation to run off a list of everything you’ve ever wanted to change. One or two goals will be easier to achieve than a list of twenty, so take one thing at a time and focus on what you really want to gain.
    For example, if you’d like to lead a more natural/organic way of life, start with your beauty regime. Buy one essential product, then continue to replace other products with organic versions as and when they run out. It will be expensive to replace everything in one go, so find a starting point and build on that.
  2. Make small changes that will make a big difference to your health and well-being.
    Something as simple as adding superberries to your diet will help boost your energy levels and protect skin from the inside out. Products such as Neal’s Yard Remedies Power Berry range, a skincare range filled with radiance-boosting berries, will give skin that much needed New Year’s lift!
  3. Make a Plan. This is the TRUE key to success!
    Once you know what your resolution is, try to break it into achievable sections. Nobody accomplishes anything of significance by trying to do it all at once.
  4. Celebrate!
    You must reward yourself throughout the progress. Every small accomplishment needs to be recognized and honored- this will give you the encouragement to continue.

    5. Good Luck!

    fashionbite xx

Dec 2

1 Comment

Bourjois- FREE GOODIES

To get your hands on over £50 worth of fabulous limited edition Bourjois goodies, simply sign-up to fashionbite to receive your daily dose of online fashion/beauty news.

Fashionbite is launching a week-long competition, simply sign-up to the website for free (at the top right of this page) to be in with a chance of receiving a bag full of gorgeous Bourjois make-up goodies…just in time for the Christmas party season!

The lucky winner will be picked at random by 9pm on Wednesday 9th December.

The goodie bag includes a vintage collection limited edition range of eyeshadows, a rose d’or blusher, an ultra volume glamour black/silver glitter mascara and two ombre stretch eye colours.

The winner will be contacted by email after the closing date….so sign-up to be in with a chance of getting your mits on this fab early Christmas present!

fashionbite xx

Nov 11

Dove’s winter treats

dove hand cream I wouldn’t normally dedicate a post to a hand cream, but Dove’s new Regenerating Night beauty hand cream is so fantastic- just had to flag it up! You can buy it online at Chemist Direct for just over £2 and it really works. It’s a blend of nourishing micro-capsules and soothing honey with a gorgeous scent which is meant to ‘calm your senses.’ Rub it into your hands before bed, it’s fast absorbing and works whilst you sleep. When I wake up in the morning my hands feel so soft to touch..it’s a great cream and doesn’t cost the earth!

On the subject of Dove, it’s also recently brought out a body lotion which looks fab on your skin for a night out. Dove’s supreme silk beauty body lotion gives skin a luxurious, silky feeling and contains light reflecting particles which give it a natural shimmering glow. I use it on top of Dove’s summer glow tinted moisturiser- which is great on winter skin. Fake tans can sometimes look too obvious in the winter, when skin’s naturally quite pale, but tinted moisturisers add a bit of colour without looking like you’ve faked it. You can buy online at www.superdrug.com or a gift set at www.boots.com.

For an intense body moisturiser, Vaseline has also brought out a new body gel with aloe vera which cools and refreshes the skin..it’s perfect for after a workout. vaseline You can buy online at Superdrug.

fashionbite xx

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