As the Internet democratizes everything from fashion (see: any of the hundreds of street style blogs) to high art (Exhibition A makes Olaf Breuning pieces available to the masses), it was only a matter of time before the beauty world became equally accessible. Whether it’s using social networking to help users find a new face wash or facilitating connections with hair stylists, a handful of new digital platforms are, literally, sitting pretty.
Bloom.com: For women who are turned off by pushy salespeople who don’t know a blusher from a bronzer, Bloom.com is their haven. The new website combines the best of online retail and social networking. After completing a survey to make a personal profile, shoppers are connected with relevant product reviews from like-minded members. Also, they can search top products among friends and across Bloom.com users as a whole. Although the site is always adding new brands, the roster is already impressive: The 100-plus options range from Neutrogena to Yves Saint Laurent. And if it turns out that one’s online friends aren’t all that helpful, there’s a 365-day return policy.
Today’s interest in maintaining a healthy lifestyle goes beyond knowing what’s on a food label. In fact, there is a growing watchfulness about the ingredients consumed through beauty and personal care products as well. As a result, a host of new companies are boasting all-natural, 100% organic product lines to give vigilant consumers some peace of mind.
Honoré Des Prés: Whether they know it or not, most French bath takers are submerging the human body’s largest organ into a chemical cocktail. Though they might smell intoxicating, many fragrances contain more harmful ingredients than are listed on their labels. However, eco-chic French organic perfumery Honoré Des Prés is a deliciously aromatic line of all-natural botanical perfumes that are free from petrochemicals, synthetics, coloring agents, or phthalates. Perfumer Olivia Giacobetti creates each scent with studied observation of her surroundings and completes each collection with some of the most unusual (read: truly “out of the box”) fragrance packaging we’ve ever seen.
While the clothing-obsessed can’t get their hands on the statement-making pieces shown during Fashion Week until 2012, there’s no need to wait for spring to indulge in the upcoming season’s beauty trends. With looks so low-key—and in some instances, intentionally unfinished—don’t be surprised if you see them mimicked on the streets well before the winter thaw.
Wet Hot American Spring: While many hair fads have returned for another season—candy-colored tresses, ’60s beehives—one new trend emerged: damp locks. Stylists claimed a range of inspirations (Barbara Bach in The Spy Who Loved Me at BCBG Max Azria, beach babes at Vera Wang, gym rats at Alexander Wang), but the result often looked the same, with hair combed back and coated with enough product to make the models look like they skipped a blow-dry. It wasn’t all just wash-and-go; among the wet-haired rebels were the models at Marc Jacobs, where the Sweet Charity-inspired coifs included shiny wisps poking out from bandanas, and at Helmut Lang, where the knotted ponytails were damp-tipped.
This summer’s primary style theme seems to center on exploiting new creative forms and processes to near shocking effect. Given fashion trends such as feather hair extensions, it was only a matter of time before nails went from being a spot for color coordination to one for complex designs and 3-D art. New manicure styles, and nail accessories, are appearing even on formerly conservative hands.
Nail Patterns: Some nail painters are finding that a solid polish no longer offers their clients the distinctive aesthetic they seek. In response, an emerging trend in nail art involves using a top coat that shrinks when it dries to create a “broken” effect. Brands such as OPI and Sally Hansen are marketing polishes that offer this “crackle” or “shattered” look. A more personalized look can be achieved with specialized nail pens used to draw intricate designs, including Aztec patterns, flowers, and leopard spots. Nail artists who lack the dexterity required for such details can fulfill their creative impulses with a more forgiving technique: tie-dye.
Cooking isn’t the only arena in which specialty oils have insiders sharing tricks of the trade. A category that’s constantly being reinvented through the advent of so-called “miracle” products, beauty has a propensity towards experimentation, and its latest obsession has people greasing up with cosmetic oils. From drugstore bargains to department store luxuries, beauty oils are it right now.
Hair Oils: In the ’80s, it was mousse; in the ’90s, styling lotion; in the early ’00s, surf spray. Now, it seems that oil is emerging as the defining hair product of the decade. While olive oil conditioning treatments have long been touted among those who frequent co-ops more than salons, the practice has been reincarnated in the form of glamorous products that contain argan oil. One brand that’s somewhat synonymous with the category, Moroccanoil, serves as a gateway drug of sorts for converts. However, a number of follicle potions are flaunting argan oil. An unsubstantiated rumor that hair oil can quickly counteract a bad haircut may have something to do with its surge in popularity.
