This whole extreme Photoshop business has me thinking, can we really put an end to it? This is where it gets complicated, Photoshop is needed in the industry but it is widely misused. How do you fix it? Well you can’t. Because in order to fix it you’d have to get everybody who uses it on board. I think publishers can start by doing their part to not abuse it, but what about the ads? Even if a magazine chose to be fair when editing its images you still have the ads which are sometimes produced elsewhere. Which would leave the consumer with a conflicting message, ” We respectively use Photoshop, but can’t say the same for our advertisers”. Also when flipping through the pages of the magazine you’d start to notice the difference between real and overly edited subjects. So what can the industry do? Everyone needs to do their part and use Photoshop with restraint and years down the road we may see a difference. If not Abode will create a Photoshop face mask so that we may always look our very best, whether we’re doing laundry or running over people in the Hamptons with our Mercedes M-Class (I miss Lizzie Grubman).

On the Left: Is an overly retouched photo of Demi Moore. On the Right: Is an un-edited image.

After much delay due to a trademark issue with Abercrombie & Fitch over the “Fierce” name, Beyoncé is finally ready to launch her fragrance. Dubbed Beyoncé Heat or simply Heat it marks a great addition to her growing empire. Beyoncé has been working on the fragrance for quite some time and is said to be happy with the final product. As for the name she says, “A lot of my performances have had fire involved, so we thought ‘Heat.’ The fragrance boasts magnolia, red vanilla orchid, blush peach, tonka bean, amber, honeysuckle, neroli, almond macaroon and crème de musk notes. The Heat collection includes eau de parfum and gold sparkling body lotion with prices ranging from $24 to $69. Heat will hit stores February 2010 in North and South America and internationally in August covering Europe, the Middle East, the Far East and Australia. Shot by Michael Thompson, the print ads feature Beyoncé with the tag line “Catch the Fever”. The ads will run in Beauty, Fashion, and lifestyle books in February to coincide with the launch. A scheduled appearance is set for February 3rd at Macy’s Herald Square to promote “Heat”.

The Print Ad for Heat

Source and Images via WWD

As of now while at Jimmy Choo your only purchase options are shoes and bags, but that will change in 2010. Jimmy Choo has inked a deal with Inter Parfums SA for its frangrance license business. The deal will last 12 years and Inter Parfums SA is commited to the Jimmy Choo brand with a plan for agressive campaigns. Jimmy Choo is consistently expanding its product offerings so beauty is naturally the next step. “It has always been my vision to fully accessorize the woman, and fragrance is an integral part of the modern wardrobe,” said Tamara Mellon, Jimmy Choo’s founder and president.

C C: Where did you get the idea for Huge Lips, Skinny Hips?

Karen Robinovitz: I was at a fashion party with my husband and had eaten waaaay too much too quickly. I contracted the
syndrome I call “ring around the waist.” You know – when your pants suddenly feel one size too small and you get a red ring around your waist? I was uncomfortable, full, and desperate to go home. When I told Todd (hubby), he was a little disappointed. We had just gotten there. I jokingly said “If my lip gloss would plump my lips and not my hips, I wouldn’t be in this mess!” Then I looked at him – my big Eureeka moment – and said “OMG! What if there was a lip gloss with plumper AND appetite suppressant? It would be my dream product.” He was the one who encouraged me to make it and create a brand. That was two years ago. And here we are now.

C C: Why the name Purple Lab?

KR: Purple is my favorite color – it’s strong, chic, sexy, playful and fun, everything that the brand is. The “lab” part is two-fold – I was pre-med in college and applying to med school. When I had the epiphany that I needed to come to NY to pursue a polar opposite career in fashion and beauty, my family joked that I was changing my “lab coat” for a “fab coat.” The other part of the “Lab” of the brand name is that I feel like a mad scientist, always thinking of ways to mix ingredients you may not imagine working together. I love that it’s not necessarily so beauty oriented, the brand name because Purple Lab is a lifestyle, a philosophy, more than just products.

Purple Lab Creator Karen Robinovitz

You share what color you identify with and then you can vote and review and share across the internet (everyone gets viral maps and Google maps to track how their content travels online!). Then the Grand Prize wins a trip to NYC with a friend to stay at the posh Smyth hotel in Tribeca and have the experience of all of the Huge Lips Skinny Hips color inspirations – private pole classes, burlesque school, Kate Moss shopping spree at Topshop, a night out for lychee martinis (unless winner isn’t 21) and more!

What job entails having to fly coast to coast in the same night dressed to kill? A supermodel turned flight attendant? I think not. It’s all in a day’s work for a jet-setting, primped and pampered princess! Of course, a girl can not blame herself for indulging in one too many yummy hors d’oeuvres – especially when she’s slightly jet-lagged! But what happens when you get that horrible stuffed feeling that just seems to push against the waistband of that gorgeous little Chloe number? The dress that now fit like a glove now feels like it’s a size too small! If only there was something to help you battle those naughty little cravings!

If that sounds like you at least once or twice, you must get your perfectly manicured hands on Huge Lips, Skinny Hips. From Purple Lab, this is the world’s only gloss that plumps your lips and suppresses your appetite! Too good to be true? No, just THAT good. The gloss is formulated with a non-stinging plumper that cools, moisturizes, and plumps your lips using Vitamin B3. African Hoodia extract is then added to the mixture, which has been used for centuries for it’s hunger-killing abilities. Purple Lab also knows how hard it is for ladies to keep their pouts perfect so their gloss is non-stick and long-hair friendly!
…Click to continue reading | Plumped & Primped

Perfumes are categorized in four main categories Parfum/Perfume Extract, Eau de Toilette, Eau de Parfum, and Eau de Cologne.

Parfum/ Perfume Extract:

The most concentrated out of the four Perfume Extract contains the highest level of aromatic compounds which is around 20- 40%. It generally comes in very small and delicately crafted bottles. Because of its strong concentration, perfume extracts should be used in very small quantities.

Missoni Parfum 0.5oz $300 USD Sephora.com

…Click to continue reading | Knowing Your Fragrance Types

MAC Cosmetics and Hello Kitty Collection

…Click to continue reading | MAC & Hello Kitty Beauty Collaboration

The Chantecaille Glamour on the Go Travel Kit should be inside of every Jet Setters Chanel Tote. Now As a gay man I’ve been inside of a lot of purses and ladies nothing is more disturbing than cracked makeup, change and receipts all in the same pouch. I’m not here to judge I’m here to provide a solution. The Chantecaille Glamour on the Go Travel Kit is a great replacement as it includes some of your favorites in small sizes. They are big enough to use yet small enough to get you through airport security without the extra screening. The kit is available in two shades a cool Olivia and warm Sylvie it includes eye shadow, gloss, mascara, blush, and an eye pencil all packaged in a purple Chantecaille box.

Chantecaille Glamour on the Go Travel Kit $75 USD