Julia Roberts on Being Lancôme’s Global Ambassador

Moments before making her debut as Lancôme’s global ambassador, Julia Roberts was coming to grips with her new responsibilities, reports today’s Women’s Wear Daily. In a candid interview, Roberts talks about her role in her upcoming movie Eat, Pray, Love, owing her career to Garry Marshall, her new role at Lancôme and how having kids has changed her beauty regimen.

On being Lancôme’s global ambassador: "I think I have to stand up straighter and wash my face more," Roberts laughed. "It's kind of like every girl’s dream, really," she continued, referring to her role with the L'Oréal-owned brand. "To be 42 and have three kids and be a working mom, it’s a great moment to be asked to do this and to be able to do it. I think it says a lot about Lancôme and what they stand for."

On filming Eat, Pray, Love: "It was quite a huge undertaking. It was a little bit daunting, dragging three little kids around the world, but well worth it...It was really like the acting Olympics," continued Roberts. "It's been a long time since I've had a full-time acting job. I am really glad that I made the decision to go off and do that movie."

On her beauty regimen after having children:"It kind of comes to a screeching halt. At a certain point in the future, I'll pick it back up again...I think the nice thing about getting older is it forces you in a way to take a greater interest in your [beauty] regime. And so it's a good moment for me to join forces with people who can help me."

For the full article, click here.

Kim Kardashian Talks To WWD About Her New Perfume

In today's issue of WWD, Kim Kardashian opens up about her new perfume:

By her own admission, Kim Kardashian’s debut fragrance has been a long time coming.

“When I was little, my sister Kourtney and I tried to make our own perfume by picking flowers and putting them in the blender, because that’s how we thought fragrances were made,” Kardashian said with a laugh during a phone interview Tuesday. “Our parents thought we were crazy — and it smelled totally gross!”

She’s come a long way since throwing jasmine in a blender: her first fragrance, with Lighthouse Beauty, is due in February.

Chris Lighty, a founding partner in Lighthouse Beauty, said, “Kim has created her own brand, which has really be able to extend off-screen and out of the reality show arena it started in. She’s not a one-horse show.”

And Kardashian is also proving herself to be a very involved creator. “I wanted something rich and creamy and sexy, but still youthful,” said Kardashian. “I met with Claude [Dir, a master perfumer at Givaudan] and had an in-depth meeting about what I liked and didn’t like, and he and his team came up with seven samples based on that.”

Then the fun really began: “I liked the base notes on one, the heart notes on another — we started mixing it up,” said Kardashian, who loves tuberose and gardenia notes; both made it into her scent. “I wanted to make sure I liked it in every single stage. It’s really cool to know that’s what is in this bottle is exactly how I want to smell.”

The final juice has crisp top notes, a heart of jasmine, tuberose and gardenia, and a drydown of tonka bean, jacaranda wood and sandalwood. The initial collection comprises four eaux de parfum stockkeeping units: 1 oz. for $32, 1.7 oz. for $45, 3.4 oz. for $65 and a 0.33-oz. rollerball for $16.

The fragrance will have a three-month exclusive with Sephora, and will roll out to department store doors “around Mother’s Day,” said Lighty.“

Kim Kardashian’s first fragrance is a beautiful floral that is both bold and sultry,” said Allison Slater, vice president of retail marketing for Sephora, noting that Kardashian will do in-store appearances to promote the scent. “It is the perfect accessory for everyday wear with a sophisticated edge to compliment an evening out too. Florals are one of our most popular and highly sought-after fragrance families. Many of our top-performing collections have a distinctive floral note and this, combined with Kim’s wide appeal, will undoubtedly be popular with our clients.”

The scent’s bottle, designed by Scott Oshry and Sean Brosmith of Maesa, is translucent black with a pearlized pink neck and a pink aluminum KK logo, which appears on the bottle and is engraved into the neck. Kardashian made her final bottle decision in a novel way: she polled her 2.5 million followers on Twitter. “I posted pictures of a hot-pink version and a pale-pink version and asked my fans to weigh in on which was better. The overwhelming favorite was the pale-pink cap — everyone said it looked more sophisticated. I really wanted to know what my fans preferred. They’ll be the ones buying it! We will continue to interact with fans this way on this project.” Added Lighty: “We will do location visits with Twitter — visits that will only be announced via Twitter to engage Kim’s true followers to come and meet her and maybe get a bottle of the scent,” he said, noting that Lighthouse Beauty is employing a similar strategy with Power by 50 Cent, which bowed in September.

While executives declined to discuss sales projections, industry sources estimated the eponymous scent could do as much as $50 million at retail in its first year on counter.

A multiplatform advertising and promotional campaign is planned, which will include Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and print advertising. Print ads will break in February fashion, beauty and lifestyle magazines, and the bulk of the online campaign will be begin at launch. “Kim is one of the most Googled women in America,” said Lighty. “When people are looking for pictures or gossip on Kim, we have to make sure we are there with the message. If it’s a male looking for a picture, we’ll try to get him to buy the fragrance for his significant other. If it’s a woman looking for gossip, we will be there too.”

Now that she’s done with her first fragrance, Kardashian is proceeding full speed ahead. She’s completed a second fragrance which could bow in 2011, and has aspirations of doing a color cosmetics line. She’s also begun filming the fourth season of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” (the scent will be the subject of a story line). She continues to run Dash, a multiboutique enterprise, with her sisters, serves as chief stylist for Shoedazzle.com and has put her stamp on a series of fitness DVDs.

Source: wwd.com

Kim Kardashian Inks Perfume Deal With Lighthouse Beauty

Kim Kardashian is about to add another title to her resume: fragrance creator. Today’s Women’s Wear Daily reports that the reality star has inked a deal with beauty firm Lighthouse Beauty. Her first fragrance is expected to launch in spring 2010. "Collaborating with Lighthouse Beauty was a really creative, innovative process," said Kardashian. "What’s’ so different about their approach is that they have worked so closely with me on all aspects of my fragrance, the bottle, the juice...so I can develop a product that truly represents me and speaks to my fans...the fragrance really captures who I am."

For more Kim Kardashian news, beauty and makeup tips, click here.

Source: WWD.com

First Look: Dolce & Gabbana's New Makeup Line

Dolce & Gabbana will launch it's first color cosmetics line early next month. And as you can see, the duo tapped Scarlett Johansson to be the face of the collection.

The collection, which hits stores early next month, includes powder foundation, eyeliner, eyeshadow duos, mascara with a peppery fragrance, blush, bronzer, lip liner, gloss, rose-scented lipstick, and nail polish. Products will cost between $20 and $59.

“We see makeup as another thing for women, like a dress. We worked on the makeup line like we work on a clothing collection — you can change makeup like you can change your clothes, depending on your mood,” Stefano Gabbana told Women's Wear Daily. "For me, lipstick is one of the most important things. When I see a woman made-up, I look straight to the lips," he added.

Dolce & Gabbana's new line was created with a helping hand from Pat McGrath. And the designers hint that if the cosmetics collection is successful, a skincare range could be on the horizon.

Target Hits The Beauty Bullseye: JK Jemma Kidd, NP Set, and Pixi Now Available!

Target’s newest makeup lines – JK Jemma Kidd, NP Set, and Pixi – are now available in stores and online.

The JK Jemma Kidd line includes 95 face, eye and cheek products, as well as makeup tools, inspired by the catwalk. The color items have been designed with strong pigment to produce bold statement colors, and prices range from $14 to $39. In the September 2008 issue of Vogue, Kidd describes the line as being targeted (pun intended) to “makeup junkies. It’s for girls who want to experiment with color. I am bringing high fashion colors into makeup but making it very wearable.”

NP Set, Napoleon Perdis’ “masstige” collection, is comprised of 85 eye, face and lip products. Perdis says that NP Set is more fast-paced and playful than his eponymous line, which is sold at his four concept stores in California and in Sephora. NP Set products retail for $12-$30.

Pixi Cosmetics, a makeup line founded by three sisters based in the U.K., is collaborating with Target for Pixi by Petra Strand, a 101 piece collection “take on the original’s ‘skin-loving’ positioning, and infuse beneficial ingredients into sheer shades. According to a Target press release, “Pixi creates a flawless, photo-perfect finish that leaves women looking like themselves, only better.” The collection ranges from $12 to $39.

Because the price points are higher than you would find at most mass retailers, Target have added testers to the beauty shelves – to encourage customers to try before they buy.

“We understand that buying cosmetics is different than buying a top or sneakers,” said Joshua Thomas, a member of Target Corp.’s communications department. “When you buy [beauty] there is that emotional investment. We understand and appreciate that and the [new beauty displays] will reflect that.” He continued, “We want to see guests walk in the section of the store and interact with the beauty brands. It gives them a chance to touch, smell and feel the brands.”

Source: Target and WWD

Time Release Technology for Thierry Mugler Angel Body Products

Thierry Mugler Angel Les Parfums Corps, a nine-unit collection of items for the body, will launch this fall. And thanks to time-release technology, each product in the line gives off Angel’s scent for “as long and as faithfully as the actual eau de parfum itself,” says Women’s Wear Daily.

Joel Palix, President of Thierry Mugler Worldwide adds, “It is a way to release perfume in gel
over eight hours…This is a kind of revolution in the olfactive industry.”

Angel Les Parfums Corps will debut in September – exclusively at Nordstrom in the United States. In October, the collection will launch worldwide.

The product lineup will include:

* 200-ml. body cream ($80)
* 200-ml. Body lotion ($50)
* 200-ml. body oil ($45)
* 200-ml. shower gel ($40)
* 200-ml. exfoliating cream ($40)
* 30-ml. hair mist ($29)
* 100-ml. hand cream ($25)
*50-ml. roll-on deodorant ($25)

Exclusive to Bloomingdale’s (U.S.) in October will be a 30-ml., limited edition perfumed gel for $55.

The Angelic face for this collection will be none other than Naomi Watts, who will also be the
face of Thierry Mugler Beauty makeup starting in 2009.

Spoiled Pretty's take: Maybe I'm not understanding...but if these amazing new products are engineered to be as potent and enduring as the Angel Eau de Parfum, then why would someone spend $72 on 0.8 ounces of the actual fragrance when they could just buy hair mist and deodorant and save $18?

Source: WWD