February 23, 2011
As women who regularly color their hair know all too well, beauty is pain. The hours-long process often leaves the scalp red and burnt. And then of course there are the potent chemical fumes the dye releases. L'Oréal Professionnel has changed all that with INOA, an odorless, ammonia-free solution that actually moisturizes and thickens hair. The secret behind INOA (Innovation, No Ammonia) is its Oil Delivery System, a new technology that uses an alkaline called monoethanolamine to impart the color, eliminating the ammonia—and, as a result, the noxious smell—from the mix. "With INOA, you have to do an extra shampoo because the oil is so rich. It's like giving your hair an olive-oil treatment," says Kathleen Flynn Hui, senior colorist at Manhattan's Salon AKS, which was the first U.S. salon to introduce the product. (When INOA launched in Paris last year, it was so popular that the company didn't have enough inventory to send to the States.) Until recently, salons may not have believed an ammonia-free product could provide the desired coverage. But the response in Europe has proven otherwise, and the trend is growing stateside. "I do eighteen clients a day, all with INOA," says Hui. "You should treat your hair like you do your face. You have to protect it." From $110 at Salon AKS. At 689 Fifth Ave.; 212-888-0707; salonaks.com. For other salons with INOA, go to inoa-us.com.
Photo Courtesy L'Oreal Professionnel
April 29, 2011
Developed by identical twins and former Wall Streeters Anthony and Hubert Tsai, the TwinLuxe shaving collection aims, as the pair says, to “bring the barbershop experience into the 21st century.” The sleek razors and brushes were created by Marek Djordjevic, the exterior designer of the Rolls-Royce Phantom, and the product line, made from ingredients like pearl powder, white tea leaf extract and hydrolyzed rice protein, includes all of the necessities: a shaving cream, an exfoliating scrub and a series of cleansers and soothers, all paraben free. Products from $25; shaving kits from $790;
twinluxe.com.
November 02, 2011
Photo courtesy of Organic Male
We tried the new Organic Male line during a summer spent in Italy, Mexico and California. Its simple four-step system is designed for every age and skin condition and takes less than four minutes to apply. Our sun-damaged faces drank up the vitamins and antioxidants found in the hydrating cleanser and serum. From $35; $170 a set; om4men.com.
November 08, 2011
Photo courtesy of Edward Bess
The 25-year-old former model began with only 15 lip colors and is now known for a makeup collection of perfect shades and luscious textures. This month, he launches a skincare line. From $30; bergdorfgoodman.com.
November 04, 2011
Photo courtesy of La Prairie
Launching this month at La Prairie spas in the Ritz-Carlton New York and Grand Cayman, and the Beverly Hills Hotel, is a 60-minute facial ($270) using the new Cellular Power Charge Night serum ($475). After a sleep-inducing treatment, we awoke the next day with firmer, brighter skin. laprairie.com.
November 04, 2011
Photo by James T. Murray
After five years of clinical research, celebrity stylist Julien Farel has created his first line of products. They’re effective in restoring hair’s optimal pH balance through a patented molecular process that works in hard or soft water. “It reactivates and rehydrates every cell in your scalp,” says Farel, “to make your hair young again.”
From $25; julienfarel.com.
October 31, 2011
Photo courtesy of Le Sirenuse
As Marina Sersale and her husband, Sebastian Alvarez Murena, unveil their eighth fragrance, Jardin du Poete, this month, they’re still marveling at how “an act of love” took over their lives. In 2002, as they celebrated the 50th anniversary of the family’s hotel, Le Sirenuse, in Positano on Italy’s Amalfi Coast, they hit on the idea of a signature scent to mark the occasion. “We agreed it would not be based on a fake legend,” says Murena, “like a fake recipe of a fake grandmother found in a drawer based on a formula of a fake monk uncle.” They wanted a fragrance reminiscent of summer in Positano, specifically the scent of terracotta warmed by the sun. As soon as Eau d’Italie, an effervescent mélange of bergamot, blackcurrant buds and yellow sweet clover, debuted in 2004, the couple took down their fragrance shingle. After all, says Murena, “our job was done.”
There they were wrong. Eau d’Italie was soon in demand at the most exclusive stores in Europe. Since 2005, they have come out with a new scent every year. Each evokes an Italian olfactory journey: the spicy Paestum Rose, smoky Sienne l’Hiver, woody Bois d’Ombrie, floral Magnolia Romana and now Jardin du Poete, redolent of Sicily’s bitter orange and basil. Soon they will have immortalized all of Italy—in a bottle. $140; aedes.com.
January 31, 2012
When we were invited last summer to meet French hairstylist John Nollet in
his newly opened salon at the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme, we expected to see a large, busy space with assistants bustling, blow-dryers
whirring and scissors snipping. Instead, the concierge escorted us to Suite
101, with its nondescript door, around the corner from the elevators. It was
hard not to notice that Nollet’s atelier is perfectly located for quick
and discreet arrivals and departures by his French celebrity clientele, like
singer Vanessa Paradis and La Vie en Rose’s Marion Cotillard.
Inside, the small yet chicly decorated room with gold walls has French doors
that open onto a long terrace overlooking the hotel’s garden courtyard.
In 2009, the Park Hyatt hired Nollet to bring his styling services to 11 of
its properties around the world. From Tokyo to Buenos Aires to London, he appeared
at guests’ doors with his elaborate, custom-built Louis Vuitton trunk
containing the tools of his trade to cut and color their coifs. The yearlong
tour was such a success that the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme invited Nollet
to permanently set up his Hair Room Service by John Nollet in its hotel. Guests can still arrange appointments in their rooms, but the
privacy and charm of the personal service with Nollet in Suite 101 is a Parisian
pas de deux worth experiencing. From $950 a session; paris.vendome.hyatt.com.
January 31, 2012
Courtesy Dior
Every fall since 2007, Dior has introduced a limited-edition
makeup palette that has become a must-get for travels and gift-giving. This
season’s tweed deluxe mini-clutch with patent leather trim has everything
one needs to create a soft day look, with multitoned Diorskin Nude sculpting
powder, taupe and pale pink eye shadows, Crème de Rose lip balm and petal-pink
lip gloss. For a dramatic evening eye, there’s dark aubergine eyeliner
and medium plum eye shadow. A universal red lip color and the Diorshow Iconic
mascara complete the kit. $77; dior.com.
January 31, 2012
James T. Murray
After ten years as Burberry’s chief creative officer, Christopher
Bailey has introduced a fragrance line he trusts will become the brand’s
signature scent. Burberry Body Eau de Parfum Intense, with
its suede drawstring pouch and jewel-like bottle, “represents all the
moods, attitudes and expressions of the brand,” he says. “It’s
unmistakably British.” From $85; burberry.com.
