News

This April, Bond No. 9 Presents Astor Place

Oddly, the lovely bottle reminds me of Circus Circus. I think that says more about me than it says about the bottle for Bond No. 9’s new Astor Place, which is supposed to echo the angles and cubes of a Rosenthal sculpture.

The scent? Bond No. 9 describes it as “an example of when downtown [New York City] meets uptown. It’s a seductive fresh floral — a freesia-poppy-violet leaf composition that simmers down into the smooth, steady notes of teakwood and musk.”

For Mother’s Day, Bond is offering Astor Place in a limited-edition $300 Swarovski bottle, delicately decorated with topaz crystals, pretty!

How much will the non-bejeweled version cost? How about $220 for a 100ml bottle and $145 for a smaller 50ml one. Hello, VISA? Ouch.

Stila Spring Stimulus Plan

Barbie may love Stila, but I love a good deal. Now through April 11, Stila’s offering a 20% discount and free shipping on all orders placed on their site (using coupon code STIMULUS at check out). No minimum orders, either. 🙂

Why, that brings the cost of the Barbie Loves Stila Beauty Cans down from $40 to $32. Hmm…

Introducing Victoria’s Secret Heavenly Bloom

LOL! Heavenly Bloom is the soft, subtle, innocent member of the Dream Angels fragrance collection, or as VS puts it, “Blissful with fresh Yellow Freesia, delicate Magnolia Flower and pure Blonde Woods, heavenly bloom captures the true essence of spring.”

FLORAL FRUITY-WOODY
TOP: Yellow Freesia. Sparkling Mandarin, Honeydew Melon, Pear Blossom
MIDDLE: Magnolia Flower. Jasmine Petals, Blooming Gardenia, Apple Flower, Apricot Nectar
DRY-DOWN: Blonde Woods. Musk
EAU DE PARFUM: 2.5 OZ $52
SCENTED BODY LOTION: 8.4 OZ $20
SOLID FRAGRANCE RING: $30

Pevonia Says: Get Sunkissed Without the Risk

Get a tropics-worthy tan no matter how far you live from the beach. Pevonia’s three-step sunless tanning regimen means not having to wait for summer.

Step 1: Buff your way to brighter skin with Pevonia Ligne Tropical De-Aging Saltmousse ($32).

Step 2: Reveal a natural-looking, golden tan with Pevonia Ligne Soleil Self-Tanning Emulsion ($38).

Step 3: Protect your perfect tan with Pevonia Ligne Soleil Hydrating Sunscreen SPF 30 ($40).

Step 4 (optional): Go totally overboard, tanning yourself bright orange for fun (optional). 🙂

Jo Malone’s Sweet Lime & Cedar Looks Delish

I’ve always wanted to visit a Jo Malone store for their fragrance combining sessions where you get to experiment by mixing different scents. One of these days I’ve got to try it.

Jo says the new Sweet Lime & Cedar fragrance was inspired by the diverse flavors of Thai food, balancing zesty fruits with fragrant, aromatic leaves, delicate flowers, spices and nutty woods. Mmm… It sounds delicious to me. I’d like mine with pad Thai and yellow curry, please. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. SHOOT! I wish I’d seen this sooner. Each week through March 23, BellaSugar will give away a $500 Benefit gift certificate to one of her lucky readers. To qualify each week, just complete a minimum of three reviews on the site (click here for the full details). The more reviews you do, the more entries you get. Let me know if you win!

Free Stila Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer & Shipping

Use coupon code BIRTHDAY and get a free Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer and free ground shipping with the purchase of any Barbie Loves Stila product. Good for one week only.

Introducing Giorgio Armani Beauty’s New Crema Nera Compact

Hello, luvah. They tell me you help reduce puffiness and keep eyes looking bright through those long red-carpet nights…

Crema Nera is a complete anti-aging treatment for the eyes, with a formula containing what Armani calls Obsidian Mineral Complex, actually four key ingredients (silicium, sodium, iron and potassium) essential to the regeneration of skin cells.

Crema Nera Eye Cream brightens and smooths dark circles and wrinkles while also reducing puffiness and bags, and the slick mirror compact sure brings the noise. During its spring launch, it will be available exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue and online giorgioarmanibeauty.com.

Origins Expands Make a Difference Collection

They’re adding two new revitalizing products — Make A Difference Ultra-rich rejuvenating cream ($36; 1.7 oz) and Make A Difference Skin rejuvenating treatment lotion ($21; 5 oz).

To be used as the first step in a skin care regimen, Make A Difference Skin rejuvenating treatment lotion primes skin to absorb even more hydration from the Make A Difference Skin rejuvenating cream, so the two are like beauty partners in crime!

Talk About a Sugar Rush!

New for summer 2009 from Shades by Barielle, Sugar Rush boasts six pretty candy colored hues ($8 each; .5 oz) .

Formulated to provide nails with safe, healthy and long-lasting glossy color coverage, Shades by Barielle is free of formaldehyde, toluene and dibutylphthalate. The company says they’re also safe for use throughout pregnancy. 🙂

New By Kilian Travel Sprays Are All About The Serious

These interesting little travel sprays look like ancient relics to me. They’re available in all seven By Kilian scents (Prelude to Love, Love, Beyond Love, A Taste of Heaven, Straight to Heaven, Liaisons Dangereuses and Cruel Intentions) and are refillable at any By Kilian counter… just like jumbo-sized bags of movie theater popcorn!

On counters this month, the .5 oz travel spray with 4 refills runs $135 (that ain’t no bargain matinee!), and the smaller .25 oz bottle with 4 refills goes for $70.

Both are small enough to fit in a purse or bag and small enough for air travel (aka airline approved).

We survived Monday!

But it was a rough one, wasn’t it? I was dog tired all day long. Thankfully, I didn’t have a ton of work to do today, or at least I didn’t attempt to do a lot of work today.

How was the rest of your afternoon? Are you going to watch The City tonight? I wonder what’s going to happen with Jay and Whitney. I hope Jay doesn’t turn out to be a scrub.

Did I just say scrub?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Limited Edition Sheer Stella Summer Eau de Toilette Available Now at Sephora

On sale now at Sephora, the limited edition Sheer Summer ($58; 3.3 oz eau de toilette spray) by Stella McCartney is a new version of the original Stella fragrance that lets soft summer shadows reflect the delicacy of fresh rose petals. The elegant bottle design mirrors the sophisticated, light-hearted spirit of the scent.

According to Stella, the fragrance is “bright with the promise of summer,” beginning with sparkling green apple and frosted lemon and offering an irresistible bouquet of peony and roses, seducing with the warm glow of amber.

Yummy…

Kiehl’s Introduces “Weightless” Curl-Defining Spray

On sale now at Kiehl’s, the new Weightless Curl-Defining Spray ($17.50; 5 oz spray) is designed to strengthen and fortify curly hair while providing lightweight, long-lasting definition and hold. According to Kiehl’s, it “revives curls and waves for a soft and voluminous effect” with a blend of natural ingredients like sesame seed oil, sunflower seed oil, soybean oil, silk powders and Vitamin E. Its non-greasy formula “allows for extended control over unwanted fly-aways and frizz,” while imparting natural curls with a healthy-looking shine.

Does New Grassroots Research Vitamin C Power Brightening Cream SPF 25 Help Diminish Discolorations and Age Spots?

Grassroots claims their new Vitamin C Power Brightening Cream SPF 25 ($32.50; 1.7 oz cream) with Vitamins E and B5 is backed by real clinical research. After four weeks, 88% of subjects reported visibly brighter skin.

With a blend of mandarin orange, bitter orange, grapefruit and lemon, a broad-spectrum UVA/UVB SPF 25 and “a powerful combination of other protective vitamins including Vitamin E and B5,” it protects against the effects of free radicals and increases moisture in the skin.

Purchase a Cut and Color at Fekkai Salons in March and Get a Complimentary Lip Wax or Manicure

Through March at Fekkai salon locations nationwide, stop in for a cut and color and Fekkai will throw in a free manicure or lip waxing ($32 value).

Or, opt for a mani/pedi instead and receive a complimentary pedicure upgrade ($20 value).

New Bumble & Bumble Bb. Gel and Gellac Styling Gels Perfected at Fashion Week

B&B says their new Bb. Gel ($24; 5 oz) and Gellac ($24; 4.2 oz) styling gels were developed backstage at Fashion Week.

Both products go on sale March 9. Bb. Gel can be applied, shaped, dried and easily brushed out to create amazingly soft shapes with memory and hold. It’s perfect for spring’s neat, simple pony.

Gellac, on the other hand, is B&B’s powerhouse product and based on an old compound called Gafquat 732, which has long been used to create extreme, shiny shapes for photo shoots but is close to impossible to rinse out. B&B’s team of chemists solved the problem with Gellac, making it removable with any Bumble and bumble shampoo. It’s “a product for those who like to take risks and experiment with bold styles.”

This, I gotta try. 🙂

Super Saturday

What’s shaking, ladies? Do anything fun today? I just got back from seeing The Watchmen with El Hub and really liked it. I hadn’t read the graphic novel, but the movie impressed me. I went in expecting standard superhero fare (which I also like) but was pleasantly surprised.

It’s more a parody of superheroes than a traditional superhero story. Time Magazine lists The Watchmen graphic novel among its best 100 novels of all time.

A comic book one of the best 100 novels of all time? Cool.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Free Cosmetics Part Of Class-Action Lawsuit

Department stores started giving away free cosmetics yesterday as part of that class-action lawsuit I mentioned the other day. I haven’t made it down to the mall yet, but come hell or high water I’ll be there today.

Manufacturers were sued for fixing prices, so $175 million worth of beauty products are being made available as part of the settlement.

Folks who purchased products (from these stores) between 1994 and 2003 are eligible for the free swag, which includes products from Chanel, Lancome, L’Oreal, Estee Lauder, Clinique, Christian Dior, Clarins, Calvin Klein, Guerlain and more, and you don’t even need a receipt or proof of purchase to qualify.

The guilty parties hope to buy our silence with free makeup. “We’re sorry we tried to cheat you … but can’t we just put it behind us and be friends?” Works for me, LOL!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here’s a full list of products available to us in the giveaway.

Tuesday marks a BIG DAY for Americans in more ways than one. Yes, it’s the day our new president takes office, but it’s also the first day of a $175 million nationwide cosmetics giveaway! 🙂

The giveaway’s part of a settlement of a class-action lawsuit that alleged there was an agreement among manufacturers and stores not to discount their premium cosmetics.

How much is the giveaway worth to you and are you eligible?

Short answer: $25 in merchandise, and you’re eligible if you sign a document verifying that you purchased cosmetics from one of the defendants between May 29, 1994 and July 16, 2003. Employees of any of the retail or manufacturer defendants and their immediate family are not eligible.
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