Spring 2012 Beauty Products

Spring Fling: New Beauty

Must-Haves

Sheer Bliss

Giorgio Armani’s new Rouge d’Armani Sheers have the moisture and translucency of a balm, plus lipstick-like slip and stain-worthy pigment—in other words, the formula incorporates the best of all worlds! Our favorites are Black Lacquer (#602), Acid Tangerine (#300), and Ecstasy (#500), shown here. Look for these and the rest of the color range this April.

Exotic Getaway

Soothe your senses—and your skin!—with these new bath-time treats. The light scents of Ahava’s Lotus Flower & Chestnut Mineral Botanic Body Lotion and Target’s Apotheke:M Nourishing Mandarin Guava Body Cleanser carry you away while leaving limbs soft and smooth.

Seascape

Waves of blue washed over eyes at many of the spring 2012 shows. Try the look at home with M.A.C Chenman Mineralize Eye Shadow Duo in Love Cycle and Nars Soft Touch Shadow Pencil in Dark Rite.

Smooth Operator

Sleek, no-volume strands dotted the spring runways and appeared effortlessly cool. Of course, in real-life, some effort is required! Get a grip on ghd’s limited-edition Peacock styler, available in green, blue, and purple.

Turn Back Time

Want to minimize fine lines and reveal a better complexion for spring? Incorporating antioxidants, retinol, and SPF into your skin care regimen is key. Cover all bases with AmorePacific Limited-Edition Green Tea Seed Treatment Oil, Murad Time Release Retinol Concentrate for Deep Wrinkles, and Fresh Soy Moisturizing Cream SPF 20.

Play It Straight

With warmer weather comes humidity—and frizz! Which is why, to maintain sleek locks, a leave-in product is essential. Ones to try: Sally Hershberger Salon Keratin Fix and L’Oréal EverStyle Alcohol-Free Smooth & Shine Serum.

Less Is More

Save the bronze for summer and go for a subtler golden glow with Tom Ford’s latest cheek color, Love Lust, and Sensai Designing Duo Bronze Powder.

Razzle Dazzle

Electrified shades of orange and coral are spring manicure go-tos—and so fun, you might just do jazz hands. Our favorite hues: Essie’s Orange, It’s Obvious! and NCLA’s I’m With the Band, launching online in April at shopncla.com.

Fresh Start

When the seasons change, so does your skin. Get ready for warmer weather (and a shinier complexion) by investing in a nourishing yet oil-free makeup base (see Stila Stay All Day 10-in-1 HD Beauty Balm, Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation, and Laura Mercier Oil-Free Suprême Foundation).

Mane Event

Can eco-friendly hair products from the drugstore leave locks silkier than a salon blowout? Yes! We were amazed at how smooth our strands were after using Aveeno Active Naturals’ sulfate-free Pure Renewal Shampoo and Conditioner.

Finishing Touches

A little shimmer goes a long way! For an especially luminous complexion, dip your finger into Chantecaille’s Coral Reefs Palette or Sisley Paris’ Palette Orchidée and apply to eyelids and cheekbones.

The Eyes Have It

What do puffiness and wrinkles have in common? They’re both deterrents to a come-hither stare. Wake up tired, puffy eyes with Philosophy’s Eyes Wide Open Instant Refreshing and Depuffing Eye Gel and reduce fine lines with Avon’s Anew Genics Eye Treatment.

Brighten Up

If you thought brighter skin was hard to come by, think again— Tatcha’s Radiant Deep Brightening Serum and Coola’s Fresh Relief Face Serum lessen the appearance of dark spots with natural yet powerful lighteners (Asian botanicals and licorice root extract).

Lash Out

Do your lashes a favor! Eyeko London Skinny Brush Mascara just launched at Sephora and besides lengthening and darkening lashes, it conditions them with vitamin B. Physicians Formula 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Felt-Tip Eyeliner & Serum, a super-sized version of the brand’s original brush tipped booster, also has fringe benefits: it contains a peptide that supposedly stimulates lash growth.

Tinted Love

While most stains leave our lips parched, Maybelline’s SuperStay 10-Hour Stain Gloss gives lasting color and moisture. That said, we still don’t trust ourselves to do on-the-go touch-ups (the color is super pigmented!). Enter Yes to Carrots’ Rosy Bloom Color Balm, which provides a hint of pink with just the right amount of slip.

Smooth Moves

J.R. Watkins’ new Grapefruit Sugar and Shea Body Scrub is an exfoliator and moisturizer in one! As it buffs away dead skin cells, it leaves what remains soft and supple. For rough areas—elbows, knees, heels—try chemically exfoliating with Cane + Austin Retexturizing Body Pads, which are formulated with glycolic acid.

Helmut Newton

Helmut Newton, born Helmut Neustädter (October 31, 1920 - January 23, 2004) was a German-Australian photographer. He was a "prolific, widely imitated fashion photographer whose provocative, erotically charged black-and-white photos were a mainstay of Vogue and other publications."

The Work of Jen Mann

Cover Girl: Kate Moss For Vogue

Cover girl: Kate Moss for

Vogue UK August Issue

Supermodel Kate Moss graces the covers the August issue of Vogue UK photographed by Mario Testino.Wearing a peach sequin and embroidered dress by Miu Miu, Moss looks every inch her supermodel self in her very Forties-esque shoot with a soft curled up ‘do and ruby red lips. Inside the mag she dons vintage-inspired pieces from Moschino, Louis Vuitton and Gucci.On the cover, I like the contrast between her pale skin, and the strong red lip color which balances the lower intensity of her outfit and the title font… Enjoy!

Jeffrey Fashion Cares 2012

Jeffrey Fashion Cares 2012

As the temperature dropped last night, things stayed warm aboard the Intrepid on the Hudson at this year’sJeffrey Fashion Cares charity fashion show, with proceeds going to organizations supporting LGBT causes, including Lambda Legal, the Hetrick Martin Institute, the AIDS Community Research Initiative of America, and the Point Foundation. Designers Joseph Altuzarra, Olivier Theyskens, and Thom Browne showed their support, along with man-about-town Joe Jonas, as Honorary Chair Chloe Sevigny presented her longtime friend Terence Mackwith the first annual Jeffrey Cares Community Leadership Award. Then, under the watchful—and experienced—eyes of a slew of top models—including Jessica Stam, Edita Vilkeviciute, Jessica White, Anne Vyalitsyna, Andrej Pejic, and this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover girl Kate Upton—some of the world’s biggest male models walked the runway in a number of choice items from the very of-the-moment racks of the little department store down on 14th Street. As one of the media sponsors of Jeffrey Fashion Cares, models.com is proud to present this exclusive look at one of the hottest fashion charity event of the year in NYC.

Casting Photos: Andrew Weir for ACW

Cover Photo + Front of House Photos: Melodie Jeng

Backstage Photos: Kevin Tachman

Text: Jonathan Shia

Casting: Andrew Weir for ACW

Production: Monicka HanssenTeele

Press: Factory PR

We go Bali

With its ancient temples, exquisite crafts, and luxury resorts, this Indonesian island paradise has far more to offer than just gorgeous beaches

Thirteen years ago, Italian-born, New York–based jewelry designer Guy Bedarida got an interesting call. Bedarida, who was then head designer for Van Cleef & Arpels, picked up the phone to hear from another jeweler, John Hardy. Hardy was a not-so-reformed hippie art student from Canada, who had moved to Bali during the 1970s to study the island's centuries-old jewelry tradition. In 1989, he launched an eponymous line of exquisite silver baubles produced on the island by Balinese artisans. Hardy was calling with a job offer. "It was a bit unbelievable at the time," Bedarida says with a laugh. "I was very happy in New York working at Van Cleef, and here this guy was inviting me to move to the other side of the world to work for him." Bedarida ended up telling his boss about the call. "Figuring it was a lark, he told me to take the free trip to Bali," recalls Bedarida, who was instantly captivated by the island and the people who inhabit it. "I came back to New York, gave notice, and moved to Bali," he says. "It was as simple as that."

For people with an addiction to beauty, a trip to Bali is the ultimate high. The island's sandy beaches, terraced rice paddies, lush jungles, mist-covered mountains, and volcanic cliffs are legendary. The Balinese are so dedicated to their Hindu beliefs that they engage in ceremonies every day at the more than 1,000 temples that dot the island (hence Bali's moniker, "Island of the Gods"). And it's this marriage of sheer physical beauty and pervasive spirituality that lends the place an otherworldly character.

mdc loves: The Scent of Spring

mdc ♥s: The Scent of Spring

Looking to get into a spring mood – check out Aline Weber in the ultimate floral editorial shot by Liz Collins for the new issue of Numero

VALENTINO VALENTINA – Under the direction of Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli the Valentino label has become one of the most romantic lines in all of fashion. How do you take that spirit of femininity and capture it in a fragrance? Master perfumers, Olivier Cresp and Alberto Morillas created a blend of bergamot, white truffles from Alba, jasmine, orange blossom and tuberose, that practically sparkles. The scent is sweet, flirtatious and resplendently invigorating. Oh and the bottle design is one of the best we’ve seen in years — a true original!

CHLOE L’EAU DE CHLOE – A bracing blast of feminine freshness that also made our list of favorite green scents. The unfussy yet polished looks you see on the Chloe runway, find their counterpart in the citrus chypre created by Michel Almairac – the force behind the super popular original Chloe scent. Where the original wears like fine silk suit, L’Eau is more of a sheer chiffon blouse – lighter than air and laced with sex appeal.

MCMC MAINE – The coasts of North Haven might not be the most exotic locale on the planet, but its the perfect place to fall in love. MCMC’s talented Anne McClain, crafts a scent that is fresh yet enveloping. Bulgarian rose absolute, local clary sage & wild Somalian myrhh combine to create memorable & beautiful moment.

JO MALONE IRIS & LADY MOORE – Is it just us or has the Jo Malone brand gotten a little punk now that Charlotte Stockdale is on board? The London Bloom’s collection boasts a great deal of that signature Stockdale irreverence. We were impressed by the artistic packaging and unexpected scent combinations. Picking a favorite is hard, the Iris & Lady Moore cologne is a compelling mix of iris nobile, vetiver and an oh so on trend geranium note.

TOM FORD SANTAL BLUSH – It is hard to write about a Tom Ford fragrance without using the word sexy and Santal Blush is no exception to the rule. Ford explores the exotic and erotic, with an ode to sandalwood and spice that is light and airy. To quote the man himself, “if it were a color it would be the shade of sunkissed skin.”

VIKTOR & ROLF FLOWERBOMB – The modern classic and perfect spring scent. Bombastic florals, a hint of sweetnes and the oh so Viktor & Rolf playfulness that makes it addictive. Jasmine, Centifolia Rose, Cattleya Orchid, Ballerina Freesia and Patchouli all in a pretty pink grenade.

MAISON FRANCIS KURKDJIAN AQUA UNIVERSALIS FORTE -  As one of the kings of niche fragrance, Francis Kurkdjian’s unorthodox perfumes are works of art. Aqua Universalis Forte is all about the allure of white flowers – jasmine, lily of the valley and Moroccan roses all in one ethereal blend.

ARQUISTE INFANTA EN FLOR – Architect Carlos Huber dips into fragrance with a collection of scents based around important moments in history. Created in honor of “Maria Teresa, the Infanta of Spain, who was offered to Louis XIV in exchange for peace” the orange blossom and leather based blend is a touch of regal grace.

RJ Cutler of Direct New Fashion Film Fashionable Nobodies

RJ Cutler Working on Another Fashion

Film, Victoria Beckham's New Hair

Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

• R.J. Cutler, the documentarian who directed The September Issue, is working on a fashion film based on Fabulous Nobodies, the chronicle of an '80s Manhattan nightclub hostess written by former Vogue Australia Editor-in-Chief Lee Tulloch. The screenplay is ready, and Cutler's goal is to start filming by this Fall — now all he needs is a "stylish twentysomething actress for the lead role" and he'll be set. [The Cut]
• Fashion designer Victoria Beckham debuted a new haircut this week, chopping off her long locks in favor of a just-below-the-shoulder-length cut. Beckham tweeted a picture of her freshly shorn hair on the floor of her salon this weekend with the message "Chopped it off!" and paparazzi captured her summery new 'do shortly thereafter. [Stylelist]
• Filming has begun on the new Sex and the City prequel show The Carrie Diaries, andAnnaSophia Robb — the actress playing young Carrie Bradshaw — has been spotted toting around a paint-splattered handbag emblazoned with her character's name. One of the first episodes is said to include a shopping trip to Century 21. The show will air on the CW this Fall. [The Fashion Spot]

H&M Luxury Fashion Label Rumor

H&M Rumored to Have Luxury Clothing

Label in the Works

H&M, the Swedish company known 'round the world for its well-priced fast fashion, is said to have a much more luxurious — and much more expensive — line of clothing in the works.

Swedish financial newspaper Dagens Industri reported Friday that the company would expand into new territory with a clothing label designed by Behnaz Aram, the head designer at H&M New Business. The New Business concept oversees brands like Cheap Monday and Cos, which makes the highest-priced clothing the company currently sells — but the new venture is rumored to be "even more expensive and luxurious than Cos," according to the Dagens Industristory.

H&M spokeswoman Charlotta Nemlin told WWD Monday that new ideas are "a natural part of our work. However, there is nothing new that we can [talk] about for the moment."

But if the brand isn't going to create luxury fashion in-house, it certainly aligns itself with designers and brands who do. H&M has collaborated with everyone from Karl Lagerfeld toMarni's Consuelo Castiglioni, and celebrities like Michelle Williams and Kristin Davis have been seen wearing dresses from its Exclusive Conscious collection on the red carpet. H&M's main business isn't in luxury fashion, but adding a luxury line wouldn't be a stretch.

Dolce & Gabbana Sues New Zeland Boutique Dolce & Banana

Dolce & Banana, the Return of the

Choker, Instagram's Newest Competition

Get caught up on the latest news in fashion.

• Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have filed suit against the South African boutiqueDolce & Banana, saying that the store's name "makes a mockery of the well-known trademark, Dolce & Gabbana." The store's owner has since changed her shop's name to " . . . & Banana," but the Italian fashion house is still trying to get her to pay its legal fees. [The Cut]
• Instagram has a new rival in Trendabl, a new photo-sharing app for the iPhone that's focused specifically on the fashion set. Trendabl allows users to take pictures and put interesting filters over them, but users can also tag brands and specific products in the photo, which makes the experience shoppable. Diane von Furstenberg, Michael Kors, andBrad Goreski have already set up accounts. Will you? [The Fashion Spot]
• Remember this day — the choker has officially made its return as a statement accessory. Look no further than the necks of women like Rihanna and Olivia Wilde (and the product assortments of Ralph Lauren, Dannijo, and Lanvin) for proof. [Stylelist]