Makeup

Eye-Liner. If you’ve tried drug store eye liner before you may have noticed that you have to really push and pull to get it on. That is not good for wrinkles, or if it goes on smoothly before dinner, at mid meal bathroom check, it has vanished. A good eyeliner is easy to apply, will stay put and won’t smudge or fade. Brush eye-liners, like Stila Smudge Pot, are more gentle on your skin’s sensitive eye and can create both a straight line and a smokey fade.

SAVE

Mascara. I think Maybelline Great Lash mascara is the best mascara in the world and I’ve been receiving compliments on my lashes since I starting using it in the mid 90’s. Gasp. I’ve tried Dior, YSL, Lancome and more, but nothing compares to Great Lash.

Lipstick. The more expensive may feel smoother as they’re likely enhanced with nutrients. However, like mascara, the lifespan of lipstick, lipgloss an lip tints is so short, pricey pouts are not worth the money. Plus if you’re like us, you always manage to lose your Dior lip gloss if the night involves dancing. And more often than not, it involves dancing.

It Depends…

Bronzer. If you use bronzer year-round and it is a staple of your make-up wardrobe, you may want to splurge. We like Nars and Bobbi Brown bronzers is you want to spend the money, but you by no means have to. If you only use bronzer in the summer time or at night, then save here and try Physicians Formula Shimer at your drug store. Like the Bobbi Brown, can use it on your eyes as shadow or cheeks as blush and/or bronzer.

Shadow. Rumor has it that pricer brands have more pigment, so you have to use less. Like bronzer, guage your purchase on how often you use it. If you want to try a funky green and aren’t sure whether or not you will like it, then go to Duane Reade. If you’re never seen sans silvery shimmer, then it will be worth the investment.

Emma Dinzebach

New York bargain news from WWD

by WWD Staff
Posted Friday July 17, 2009
From WWD.COM

Are Dollar Stores The New Black?

Years ago, as the economy stumbled, it was noticed that woman started trading down from department stores and even drugstores to discount stores. But in this recession, women have yet another choice — dollar stores.

Dollar store retailers aren’t blind to the trend. They are dusting off beauty departments and going to vendors for special deals. Today’s dollar stores are far from dirty and dingy. Most, in fact, sell merchandise for more than a dollar so the name has become a misnomer. Visits to dollar chains reveals brands from Maybelline, Revlon and Cover Girl, as well as some lines created specially for the budget-minded consumer. A case in point is LA Colors, and Markwins is currently revamping some of its properties for distribution in the dollar channel. Mike Botterman of 99 Cents Only stores confirmed vendors are creating special items for his chain which is on a fast growth track and is considered a cool place to shop by many patrons, he said. The largest dollar chain is Dollar General. Dollar General has a defined and planogrammed beauty department. Dollar General, along with most of the dollar chains are producing double-digit profits gains. Last year, Dollar Tree broke into the Fortune 500 and was its top-performing stock.

The reason for the growth is undeniably that women are expanding what they purchase at budget stores. With more consumers trying to be smart about purchasing, they feel savvy about finding a deal. Research from Mintel reveals most shoppers are cutting back and no longer buying a lipstick as a pick me up. But, six out of 10 said they haven’t given up on beauty regimens and that bodes well for dollar stores who can provide their needs as they go what Mintel calls “austerity chic.”

Management of dollar chains is also getting more professional. Dollar General has Rick Dreiling as chief executive officer — he came from Duane Reade where he enacted major improvements. He is focusing on presentation instead of just piling cheap items on displays. He’s already improved the merchandise mix at Dollar General, financial analysts said. These moves are making vendors take notice of dollar chains.

One dollar store retailer summed it up: “Suppliers used to cancel meetings with me at ECRM or Marketplace [trade shows], now I’m at the head of their list.”

The only caution for dollar stores is to continue to spruce up in order to not only attract shoppers, but keep them once they have more money.
People, Places and Things

A few words with Sally Hershberger, the famed hair stylist (her cuts can cost $800) turned marketing whiz as she dazzled visitors to the NACDS Marketplace meeting in Boston last month.

WWDBeautyNews: You’ve expanded beyond Walgreens. Where are items sold now?

Hershberger: We are looking to grow and we’ve entered Shoppers Drug Mart, Ulta and Target. We have a national print campaign.

WWDBeautyNews: Is timing bad for a premium hair care line right now? Hershberger: No! As bad as everything is, this is a great time to spend [on advertising, growth]. It’s an incredible time to build business.

What’s In Store

Beauty Foods Slow To Take Off In U.K.: Datamonitor reports the beauty foods featuring benefits such as antiaging are not catching on as fast as marketers had hoped. Consumers aren’t buying into the “you are what you eat,” theory.

No Gray: The company that brought a product to correct a bad at-home hair color, DevloPlus, now has a formula for at-home use to properly cover gray. Called No Gray, the item is stocked in Walgreens, Duane Reade, Rite Aid and Bed, Bath & Beyond.

-from wwd.com

There’s still time to slap some sassy paint on and celebrate summer time, and this summer, we need all the sass we can get. Plus we’re poor and can’t afford statement pieces. So thank god we have Sephora’s new polish line by O.P.I is making it all possible with the most extensive range – 54 to be exact – of colors I haven’t seen since Rainbow Bright. From rich tangerine to shimmery cool rose, you will fall in the love with the rest of this boring summer. With cheeky O.P.I. inspired names like Mermaid to Order and Lost Without my GPS, there is a nail color for every occasion or no occasion at all.

This polish is a perfect combination of O.P.I.’s quality and color expertise and Sephora’s leadership is beauty product sophistication. In fact, Sephora by O.P.I. Nail Colour, in addition to being long-lasting and chip resistant, is a combination of top quality formula ingredients free of formaldehyde, toluene and DBP – toxic, icky ingredients found in most, lower quality nail polishes.

Now we love colorful polish trend, but make sure you never match it with your dress. A yellow dress and yellow nails or a purple dress and barney nails is a major no no. More subtle, neutral outfits will make the nails pop without overwhelming your look with competing colors. Choose the lighter colors now – the shimmery yellow and hot orange – because the darker colors can carry you through both winter and fall – the deeper purple and blue tones. This may be the perfect just what the doctor ordered to help New Yorkers save our summer.

Your 401k has hit the skids.  Your job security is about as certain as finding a needle in a haystack.  And your forehead, once a marked beacon of smooth-skinned bliss, is now wrought with worry lines. 
 
With the economy deflating faster than you cay say “Recession,” a girl deserves a pick me up – or in this case, a plump me up.  We’ll review a handful of the latest and greatest plumping glosses – from tinted to clear, vitamin-infused and downright addicting – and spill the skinny for The Vogue City readers.

Huge Lips, Skinny Hips, $20 at Scoop and Space.nk (available mid-April) 

Purple Lab, founded by beauty expert Karen Robinovitz, launches their Huge Lips, Skinny Hips gloss line mid-April at Scoop and Space.nk.  Infused with Vitamin B3, your lips will pout without the bite of traditional plumping agents; hoodia, an appetite suppressant, will work its magic on your metabolism.  I tried all six colors – which slicked on smoothly and without the ineffable gloss gunk that can build up with some plumpers – and swear by Worship Kate, a gold-flecked mauve that looks great alone or paired under a lipstick. 

Du-Wop Lip Venom Second Sin, $27 at Sephora 

Those who dare wear Lip Venom; those who take it to the edge wear Lip Venom Second Sin, a more potent formulation of its lip loving predecessor.  Packed with pomegranate, white tea and cooling extracts, Second Sin promises to deliver more antioxidant-derived benefits to in turn, deliver a healthier looking pucker.  Even tough-lipped gals will have trouble ignoring the tingling effects (as in, is my mouth set on fire?) after application; test a small area for sensitivity before taking the plunge. 

Bare Escentuals Buxom Lips Full Color, $18 at Bare Escentuals 

A one-two punch of pigment and pout, this third variation of the Buxom Lips line eradicates the need to layer a plumper with color.  While mineral formulations guarantee bold, intense hues – no small feat for any lip gloss – they’re all loaded with shimmer, and can turn a lunch meeting into a disco brunch without proper discretion.  Carmen, a golden plum, looks especially fresh with spring’s lilac eye.

A beauty boost and a boost to our wallets by avoiding complicated lip enhacing surgery?  We’ll take it any day. 

-Karyn Polewaczyk