You owe it to yourself to look good
December '05
By Alexandra Marshall
The nationalist revolutions spreading throughout Europe the year before might have been the lead story at the time, but we think 1849 is a good year, too. That's when perfume house Molinard opened in Grasse, the smelly heart of France's fragrance industry. Now, Molinard has retooled seven of the original scents and relaunched them on these shores in fancy Lalique-designed bottles. Most are still fairly old-world scents except the freshly floral Un Air de Molinard ($185), with its dash of cassis. Okay, so a bunch of new perfumes isn't exactly going to redraw the map, but it's almost as liberating.
We've said it many times: palettes are a waste of money. For the one blush and eye shadow you like, you put up with an unwieldy compact housing three other dogs that invariably go to waste. But then Stila comes along with a Holiday Deluxe Palette and we eat our words. There's not a dud to be found in Golden Moon, with its four warm, shimmery shadows, neutral blush and two very workable lip colors. The box is cute, and skinny enough to fit inside a makeup bag. Go figure.
While we can't say we've actually felt the effects of the topical muscle relaxants in TranspHuse Topical face cream ($129) by glamorous, old-school Erno Laszlo, it could be that our tolerance has reached fairly experienced levels. The optical diffusers, wrinkle-fillers and redness-fighting cool green tone are more easily perceived. They, too, contribute to an overall sense of well-being (when you look less pinchy and haggard you tend to feel better) and can more safely mix with alcohol, we might add.
Now that we've mapped the Human Genome, the next logical step for beauty companies is to find creams to address its weaknesses (and exploit its newsiness). And so words like "cellular mediator" start popping up in marketing copy for serums. Though we can't actually watch the uptick in our skin's collagen and elastin productivity touted by Jan Marini's cell-tweaking Transformation Serum, we can see how much smoother and less mottled we are after using it for a few weeks. It's oil-free, with hyaluronic acid to moisturize, and go ahead and mix it with Retin-A or any AHA or BHA regimen. $50 for 1 oz by calling 800-347-2223.
During these times of compulsive holiday eating, one can always use a scrub that could double as a snack. Almond Meal Soft Natural Scrub, the nutty, chunky, most pleasing mush by Greek chic skincare line Korres, smells and feels like it could frost a cake as well as gently exfoliate. Like the rest of Korres' products, the ingredient list is simple and natural—almond meal, wheat germ oil, calendula and aloe—so no worries if you get hungry in the shower.
Hinterview Fabien Baron—graphics guru, branding visionary, multitasking myth-maker—can do more in 15 minutes than just about anyone. So it was no great surprise when news spread earlier this year that he'd been named editorial director of Andy Warhol's Interview. At his new West Village digs, he opened up to Hint about everything from his redesign of the magazine to his designs on the White House.
Shoptart You might think, given his collaboration with leather-goods house Schott, that Jeremy Scott is going butch. After all, Schott created the biker jackets worn by Marlon Brando and James Dean. But no, that manly legacy is given a swishy twist, like this rococo tea print of treasure trolls in pastoral repose. Also this month: Marni, Stella McCartney, Tom Binns and more.
