Alternatives to Botox

According to the NY Times, Botox spending worldwide reached $500 million in 2007. Not bad for a product originally developed to treat crossed eyes and fluttering eyelids. However, despite its enormous success, some people, whether out of fear, lack of funds, or a general feeling of dislike, are not ready to take such drastic measures as an injection in the face. The good news is, in part sparked by the wild success of Botox, a slew of revolutionary new treatments by Endermologie, a company at the cutting edge of beauty and wellness technology, promise to plump up creases and smooth cellulite without using needles.

(As a side not, I have not personally tried any of procedures listed below and am therefore unaware and unable to comments on any potential side effects. I am merely relaying information to the reader.  Everyone should take time to thoroughly investigate any product they are using on their skin, body, or face.)

A new skin workout called Liftmassage is designed to stimulate facial tissues at a cellular level, causing the fibroblasts in our skin to restore collagen and elastin production. This gives skin its firmness and elasticity. In just four sessions, Liftmassage aims to repair the visible effects of aging- lines, wrinkles and loose skin. To learn more, visit http://www.liftmassage.com/.

A non-invasive procedure called Lipomassage promises to contour the body and smooth out cellulite with the use of a device that manipulates connective tissue. The procedure is painless and there is no down time afterward, as is the case with more invasive procedures such as liposuction. To learn more, visit http://www.lipomassage.com/.

Getting Back in the Biz

After being in and out of the beauty business for decades, Sears has decided to make a go of it one more time. In the past, Sears has tried to sell its own in-house brand of cosmetics, Circle of Beauty, however this time, they are sticking to nationally recognized brands including Burt's Bees. The company is opening full-service beauty counters at 13 stores in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York this week.

The goal is to roll out the beauty business to 100 locations next year and, if all goes well, expand to as many as 400 of its 852 Sears department stores by 2012, said Andrea Goldner, Sears' merchandise manager for cosmetics."There is absolutely an opportunity for beauty products at Sears," Goldner said. "The time is right to get back into that business."

"Beauty products, including fragrances and skin-care products, are widely considered more resistant to recession than other categories and indeed are selling better than discretionary items such as apparel," said Karen Grant, vice president and global beauty industry analyst at NPD Group, a market research firm in Port Washington, N.Y.

To see the full article from the LA Times, visit http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-sears28-2009aug28,0,2438486.story

Mumbai Goes Green

BioFach India and India Organic Trade Fair are joining forces this November to produce a huge organic product exhibition at the Bombay Exhibition Center. The event is co-organised by NurnbergMesse, the International Foundation for Organic Agriculture (IFOAM), and the International Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture (ICCOA), and is supported by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (AHK).



The government in India is supporting organic agriculture in 26 federal states with a funding programme," explains Dr Gouri, head of the organic products sector at APEDA. "In addition, a whole series of companies are already intensively further extending their organic products lines and presenting products which are tailored to European and US taste and requirements. (http://www.fnbnews.com/article/detnews.asp?articleid=26014&sectionid=1)

The products on display at the BioFach 2009 will include natural cosmetics and personal care products. There will also be a seminar programme featuring top-ranking speakers and participants. The themes extend from political guidelines and organic certification through to the current market trends and export conditions for Indian products.

The trade fair takes place from November 18 - 20. For more information, visit http://www.biofach-india.com/en/default.ashx.

BeautyWorld 2009

BeautyWorld, a three day beauty and cosmetics trade show/exhibition organized by Messe Frankfurt, is scheduled to be held in Buenos Aires, Mumbai, and Osaka in the second half of this year. Messe Frankfurt is a leading trade fair organizer and in 2007, they organized over 100 shows worldwide.





BeautyWorld is dedicated to featuring products and services from all over the world in the areas of cosmetics, perfume, haircare, wellness, skincare, and nailcare. In June 2009, BeautyWorld Middle East welcomed over 650 international exhibitors and 15,089 visitors.




In several press releases from Messe Frankfurt, it was stated that the Middle East Cosmetic and Toiletries (C&T) market is one of the largest and most profitable in the world. Growing at a rate of 12% annually, beauty sales are expected to increase by more than AED 11 billion by 2010.

Another notable trend mentioned is the rising popularity of male grooming products, sales of which are expected to reach AED 92 billion by 2011.


The BeautyWorld exhibition schedule for the remainder of 2009 is as follows:
Buenos Aires, Argentina : Sept 12 - Sept 14
Mumbai, India : Oct 4 - Oct 6
Osaka, Japan : Oct 26 - 28

To learn more, visit http://www.messefrankfurtme.com/beauty/site/index.php

Trend Alert: the dramatic 80's eye

It doesn't take a genius to realize the 80's are back in a big way. First we had the reintroduction of the legging. Then we had the return of the huge linebacker shoulders at Balmain and Balenciaga. The next step toward total 80's domination is the bold multi-color eye. Keep in mind, this is not a look for wallflowers...you must be able to wear this with complete confidence.

The look is typically characterized by ample amounts of smokey black eyeliner on the bottom and top lash lines and at least one preferably metallic eyeshadow shade. I say at least one because, if you are feeling really brazen, you can go ahead and pick two or even three (see video link below). The eyeliner can also be winged out beyond the eye in a sideways "V" shape. To achieve a more modern look, you can use metallics in neutral shades like bronze, copper, golds, browns, etc.

Look for all natural, hypo-allergenic, and synthetic free mineral eyeshadows at http://www.afterglowcosmetics.com/ in colors like Endless (deep purple shimmer), Storm (light silver shimmer), Escape (bright sapphire), Tempt (copper penny), Lavish (yellow gold iridescence), and Marvelous (ruby/plum iridescence).


For more precise instructions on the double winged eyeliner, click here to see Lauren Luke's tutorial on vibrant 80's makeup: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1z0803FNa0

Or if you are more the "literal" type, click here to see 80's cartoon inspired makeup: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VVF4zd4KiE

Company Profile: Vapour Organic Beauty

There is a hot new organic makeup brand on the scene that seems to have dropped out of thin air :)

Vapour Organic Beauty technically began over 30 years ago in New Mexico, where the company was making private label organic cosmetics. After years of creating products for other brands, they felt it was time to break out on their own. Coincidentally, Eric Sakas, a beauty industry expert, came across their products almost by accident and was immediately impressed. Sakas had previously run Kevin Aucoin Beauty and developed a cosmetics line with Philosophy. Sakas partnered with the company and Vapour was born.

All Vapour products are designed to be non-comedogenic and come in a stick form for easy application. The line currently includes foundations, concealers, lip glosses, lipsticks, and eye shadows in a universally flattering range of colors with more colors planned for Spring 2010.

For more information on products, visit www.vaporbeauty.com