AVON AND MARIMEKKO UNITE

worldwide - oh this is sexy, especially coming from avon. but then again, maybe it's time that i stopped sleeping on this beauty giant. the american based beauty company has linked up with legendary finnish textile company marimekko for a line of make-up and eyeshadow pallettes. i love the rich colors, quality and (best of all!) price of these products. they retail for only $8 to $10 bucks and can be bought online at www.avon.com or through your local avon lady. loves it!

photosource: beautyinreallife.blogspot.com

DIOR HOMME SPORT LAUNCHES IT'S ADS WITH JUDE LAW

worldwide - yes!!! i am loving it, which is refreshing because it's been a really long time since i've cared a whit or jude law. now endorsements from clothing companies like dunhill and grooming ones like dior homme sport are making him very relevant - and cute. check out this ad. what do you think boys and girls?

photosource:nymag.com

BOYS, DID YOU LOVE YOUR GIRL IN CALVIN KLEIN'S EUPHORIA? GET READY FOR YOUR OWN!

worldwide - gotta love calvin klein (and coty prestige) for a steady stream of fabulous mens scents. and with their latest rollout, they are not about to dissapoint. their ultra popular womens fragrance - euphoria - is set to debut its mens version. the fragrance itself is described as "oriental amber," with key notes of ginger, sage and wood. it is available starting next month at specialty and department stores in the u.s. it retails at a very comfortable $65 for 3.4 oz.

KENNETH COLE CELEBRATES AN ANNIVERSARY WITH MEN

worldwide - first off, can you believe it's been 25 years since the launch of the kenneth cole label (we share a birth year!). to celebrate this milestone, they are relaunching their successful mens fragrance kenneth cole black in a limited edition silver bottle. of course, it's not just any old silver bottle. it's one with a special anniversary logo stamped on the top. why all the hoopla? well, the fragrance itself is celebrating five years this year. starting next month you can purchase a 3.4 oz version of this product for $65 ay kenneth cole boutiques all over america , and worldwide at kennethcole.com.

Ed Hardy's Love & Luck

we are all too familar with the tatoo-inspired fashion brand Ed Hardy...

just about every celeb is rockin it and and it's women's and men's scents are just as popular

last February Ed Hardy for Women and Ed Hardy for Men was an instant success breaking into the top-20 prestige fragrance ranking in March

its designer Christian Audigier plans to follow up with a duo called Love & Luck which is slated for December...

can't wait!

Kim K's New Fragrance

it seems like everybody and their mamas got a clothing line, handbag label, or something to put their name on it...

Kim Kardashian (Reggie's girl) is no exception

she is working with New Wave Fragrances who also distributes Ed Hardy and True Religion ...

she hired famous perfumer Caroline Sabas to create the Kim k scent and designer Scott Oshry will give it the Kim K Look

it will hit stores new May

visit www.kimkardashian.com for more details/updates...

MCDREAMY'S NEW FRAGRANCE

usa - it's good to be patrick dempsey. since resuscitating his career with the hit american t.v show, grey's anatomy, he has been enjoying a string of movie deals and endorsements. the latest is a new fragrance with avon that has a very clever name: unscripted. the "woody green" fragrance will be available in the u.s this november, with a global rollout planned for 2009.


photosource: tvpopcrunch.com

MANISH ARORA DEBUTS NEW RANGE FOR MAC COSMETICIS

london - this is a win-win situation for all involved: london-based, indian designer, manish arora, left with models, has teamed up with make-up giant m.a.c cosmetics for a new limited edition range of lipstick, lipglass, eyeshadow and blush. with the designer's love of color legendary i am not surprised to s see him partner with m.a.c which has an extreme loyalty to all things fluorescent. as a result, its no surprise that colors will range from acid green to bright yellow. lucky londoners can purchase this range at harrods come october. the rest of us can purchase it online at maccosmeetics.com.



photosource:theasiantoday.com

FINALLY A HOMME FOR BOYS

paris - boys, plainly put: i feel sorry for you. your skin and body has the same needs that a woman's does (alas even more at times) yet still it's painfully hard (please excuse the phrase) to find products and services geared towards men. fret no more - if you are in paris. the ever cultured and forward thinking city is now home to Comptoir de l'Homme, a mens-only grooming boutique. the space stocks scores of exclusive and popular brands including clinique for men and skintech. interestingly enough it began life as a website and opened as a physical store last month. something tells me it will be around for years to come. check out their site at: comptoirdelhomme.com

photosource: mensstyle.com

WAS HARTNETT THE BEST CHOICE FOR GIORGIO ARMANI DIAMONDS?

italy - ...in the world of giorgio armani he was. the american actor has been selected as the new face of giorgio armani diamonds (if you remember beyonce knowles is the spokesperson for the womens' version of the fragrance.) hartnett, pictured on the left with mr. armani, was really hot....about three years ago. and i don't say it to be catty. don't you agree? either way congrat$ to the actor on what is surely a lucrative gig that will deliver him much needed - relevant - exposure. the fragrance and campaign will be out in september.


photosource: whosedatedwho.com

BUT WHY? JENNIFER CONNELLY IS NEW BRAND AMBASSADOR FOR REVLON!

new york - really revlon? really? nothing against jenniffer connelly. she's a very beautiful woman. but am i the only one that finds her dull? hence my profound confusion on the amazing endorsement gigs she lands. first the haute fashion label, balenciaga, has taken an almost obsessive interest in her by plastering her all over their website and dressing her for just about every public outing she has. now revlon has added her to it's bevy of beauties (halle berry will be prominently featured on ads and charity events for , reesewitherspoon, jessica alba) as a "brand ambassador." in addition to $$$$$, this means connellyrevlon. that's a sweet deal - for connelly.

photosource: stylefrizz.com

BOYS, DO YOU KNOW ABOUT NAIR FOR MEN!?

worldwide - please ignore me if this product has been on the market for eons, but i am just discovering it. i absolutely love cream hair removers (veet is my favorite) and the other day while stocking up on them i came across nair for men. whowouldathunkit!? ofcourse it does the same thing that "womens" nair does: remove hair as easily and effortlessly with one application of the creme on your body (or body part.) what's different though is that nair offers the creme is several different bottles. you can get it as a roll on, spray or "speed creme," in addition to the standard tube offering. i find it fabulous. when are they going to get a clue though and do the same for women?

HE RULES FASHION, SO LAGERFELD WILL NATURALLY RULE FRAGRANCE

worldwide - ...or is that too ballsy of a statement!? but you tell me. truth is lagerfeld is a genius. not only is he blessed with genuine design talent he is a consummate showman who knows how to put on a spectacle for the benefit of the product. with those skillsets firmly in place i think it's only natural then that his latest project - a fragrance - will be a huge success. it is called kapsule and the concept is more or less like a wardrobe: each scent in the series is meant to be layered or worn over over the other. i haven't gotten a whiff of this yet...but i almost don't' need to. i figure if it's by karl (and coty!) it's gotta be good. according to one of my fave beauty blogs, the scented salamander, kapsule has an international rollout planned. it will debut first in france in october, where it will be sold at colette and marionnaud. germany will be the next destination followed by america in november, where it will be sold exclusively at neiman marcus.

GREAT NEWS: NEW BOND NO 9 FRAGRANCE

new york - oh! how i love bond no 9. they don't just give you a fragrance, they give you a story. this season, the latest tale is centered firmly on pop-artist andy warhol. previously, bond no. 9 has released two scents, each based on the legendary artist. now, they've followed up with a third scent called andy warhol lexington avenue. the fragrance retails for $195 for a 100 ml bottle and $135 for a 50 ml bottle. you can buy it in america starting this august at various stores including bond no 9 boutiques and saks 5th avenue. those of you outside the states can buy this starting in september. (p.s honestly, how sexy is this bottle!?)

ESTEE LAUDER TAKES A CHUNK OUT OF FOREST ESSENTIALS

india - so have you heard of forest essentials? high five if you have before! it was launched by mira kulkarni in 2000 and since then the ayuverdic influenced beauty line has been growing by leaps and bounds. forest essentials is growing so popular that they recently announced more stores, which will add to it's' current portfolio of seven free-standing boutiques at high end hotels in india. beauty giant estee lauder clearly got the memo because they have now snapped up a minority ownership stake in the company. i loved c.e.o, william lauder's very direct quote on the venture, "forest essentials gives us a stronger presence in the expanding prestige beauty business in india."

SOOOOOOOOOO UPSET I DIDN'T GET TO GO TO THIS EVENT

new york - great events are a dime a dozen in cosmopolitan cities like new york and london, but absolutely spectacular ones? now those are rare. unfortunately for me - and probably you too - that's exactly what the sephora 10th anniversary party was. i heard from a few friends who attended that the event, which was held to celebrate 10 years in the business for the beauty boutique, was simply brilliant. r&b singer ashanti performed, legendary photographer/company patrick mcmullan was on hand to take photos for the event (i've swiped some of them for this post!) and just about every celeb and socialite under the sun was on hand to enjoy cocktails, snacks and an amazing goodie bag full of luscious beauty products. i'm seething with jealousy as i type....

New! Estée Lauder Travel Retail Exclusives

check the lastest make up launches from themoodiereport.com

London-

"The Makeup Traveller" is the name of the recently unveiled Estée Lauder travel retail set. The set will include three full-sized brushes, a brusher blush and two sponge-tip eye shadow applicators in a compact travel bag. This set includes the light pink, natural pink, and peach shadows for the sweet, fresh summer look every one is rockin'.

Besides making you look good and "in the know" of the new make-up looks, Estée Lauder has upgraded its best-selling Double Wear liquid foundation to Double Wear Light Stay-in-Place Makeup SPF10 to protect your pretty skin. It contains an SPF10 and the antioxidant vitamins A, C and E, to help protect against UV damage.

Lookin' good, feelin' good and actually doing good to your skin...can't beat that?

Dove on Its Soapbox: "Every Girl Deserves to Feel Beautiful Just the Way She is..."

worldwide-

last week, we all were feeling the anticipation of this month's vogue italia. your very own die-hard fashionista zandile blay reported on our sister site The Blay Report, that she spent her last bucks on the special issue because it was a true fashion statement, sending a clear message that "black is beautiful."

we're willing to spend our last dime on this message and other messages that tackle unrealistic beauty standards that we are feed daily by media especially the negative images young girls are bombarded with everywhere so after watching

the Dove Onslaught video on Youtube last year for a class discussion, besides its Skin Vitalizer and body soap i can't live without (sorry i just love them that much!), I fell in love with Dove because of its mission to teach young girls fight promote healthy body images

"Under Pressure" (check the video on the right) is Dove's new video to reach beyond the 2 million girls it has reached since 2006 to 5 million globally by 2010 through its educational self-esteem workshops, videos, and commercials and Dove Self-Esteem Fund...

Dove is more than a brand or soap...

...so when i go back to the store to buy new Dove exfoliating pads for my Skinvitalizer, i know i am supporting a strong message

DON'T HATE ME FOR SAYING THIS....BUT FABULOSITY BY KLS SMELLS REALLY, REALLY GOOD

a shot of the fragrance. i am very into the diamond shaped bottle too. slightly tacky, but works wonderfully. 

new york - so are you giving me the side eye? please don't. i got a hold of kimora lee simmons' fabulosity fragrance last night after her fabulosity clothing line fashion show. my first reaction was to just give it away because as amazing as kimora is, i think she's more of a showman than designer or perfumer (which is probably even better.) so imagine my delight and surprise when i opened the bottle, took a whiff, and fell in love. it has a very sharp sweetness which seems geared towards the teen crowd, but works perfectly well for a young adult like me. 

COTY AND THE MET MAKE BEAUTIFUL MUSIC TOGETHER

new york - yep! i know! my headline is corny - but alas dear reader - it's true. coty has been making some major moves in the beauty industry this year, but this is the collaboration i love the most. coty inc and legendary opera singer, renee fleming, left, have joined forces to launch la voce, a brand new limited edition fragrance that will debut on september 22nd. the date is timed to coincide with the metropolitan opera's opening night gala, during which fleming will perform. proceeds from the sale of the perfume will go to the metropolitan opera. bravo.

$1,000 BEAUTY PRODUCTS FROM SHISEIDO...WHOSE BUYING THIS?

japan - shiseido is well loved for it's high end products, but who knew they were this high end? the japan based skin-care company is expanding the synergique line of its cle de peau beaute brand. the new products will retail for around $1,197 usd. the range will include creams, moisturisers, and cleansing soaps that provide whitening and soothing benefits. just wondering if they can also do my laundry, prep my taxes, and fine me a rich husband....? just kidding. sort of.

did you know july is uv awareness month?

worldwide - i can't say i did either, but at this point we all know that sun-safety is something we should all practice every month of the year. enter one of my fave beauty companies - lancaster, which has debuted a collection of cutting edge self-tanners called sun skin protectors. these products protect your skin and leave it moisturized, bronzed and beautiful. each item in the range retails for around $25 to $27 and can be bought at www.skinstore.com.

bald is beautiful! more men getting "brazillian" waxes

worldwide - yep! you read that title right. men, as in guys, are now getting their privates groomed - or rather - drizzled with hot wax and ripped apart in an attempt to be as smooth and touchable as the ladies they court. according to collegecandy.com it is so popular that even hip hop artists/ moguls like sean combs, above, and jay-z, left, are habitual waxers.

the man who can do no wrong launches another fragrance...marc jacobs' fig and gardenia

worldwide - marc jacobs' has more than the midas touch. this designer/perfumer has the platinum touch. everything he touches - from vuitton monogrammed bags to perfumes - becomes an instant hit. his brand new fragrance, daisy, has already won the 2008 fragrance of the year, and now jacobs seems poised to debut two new winners: fig and gardenia. the fragrances are part of the designers fall line up of fragrances and will be available for sale this august. these limited edition fragrances are available for $67 and can be found at nordstrom's and other fine retailers.

welcome to blay beauty report

worldwide - hello blaynistas. some of you may know me from my years' old fashion blog, the blay report - some of you may not. either way, welcome to my new venture: blay beauty report. come here to read and learn about all things beauty.