Author Archives: Aja Mangum

Best Bet: Cargo’s Waterproof Eyeliner

The temperature will spike, but at least your eyeliner will stay in place with Cargo’s new limited-edition Swimmables collection. These five waterproof pencils will survive rain, sweat, and humidity without smudging all over your eyelids. The sleek cream-to-powder texture glides on with ease and comes in intense, jazzy colors like Frosted Steel Blue, Metallic Hot Turquoise, Funky Purple, Sparkling Deep Green, and Electric Green. Fun, practical, and inexpensive means you can dip into summer while your face stays in place.

Cargo Swimmables Waterproof Pencil Collection, $18 at Ulta.com.

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Filed Under: best bets, beauty, cargo, makeup


Best Bet: How to Get a Free Designer T-shirt

Lancôme’s new limited-edition Juicy Tubes 100% Natural Origin are great for a few reasons. First, the main ingredient is honey and they include bits of royal jelly extract, beeswax, and shea butter — a formula that makes the consistency of the gloss far less hair-sticking-to-your-lips tacky than the original Juicy (which we do still love, by the way). Also, if you buy one of the $18 glosses at the New York flagship between April 22 and 25, you get a gift with purchase: a free limited-edition T-shirt from rag & bone, Giambattista Valli, Rogan, Chris Benz, Phillip Lim, or House of Diehl. The special deal is in honor of spokesmodel Elettra Wiedemann’s charity, Just One Frickin Day, which is working to raise money to install solar electric panels on a hospital in Burundi.

Lancôme, 201 Columbus Ave., nr. 69th St.; 212-362-4858

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Filed Under: best bets, beauty, lancome


Tested: The $1,000 3-D Facial at Paul Labrecque

Paul Labrecque recently added a new 3-D Facial to his spa menu, and it costs $1,000. We stopped by recently to give it a test run, and to answer: Is this facial worth more money than our rent? And, if so, will it at least provide us with a brand-new face?

The 90-minute treatment consists of three parts. You begin with a round of microdermabrasion to exfoliate. Then the skin is ready for its first laser treatment, Laser Genesis, which feels like warm beams of pulsating light and is meant to tackle fine wrinkles, large pores, and uneven skin texture. The most painful part is the finale, which calls for the Laser Titan, a laser meant to tighten skin. Even though the Titan’s heat had to be adjusted numerous times, our face still felt like it was being scorched by a branding iron. According to Labrecque’s laser specialist Carmen Tosado, the extreme heat “bruises” the collagen in skin, which promotes new growth, and in about two months you start to notice firmer skin as the fresh collagen develops.

So, is the mini-torture session worth it? Technically, $1,000 is a deal for the treatment. À la carte, a regular Laser Titan session at Labrecque is $1,100, while Genesis and microdermabrasion treatments go for $425 and $150 at the salon, respectively. And while we didn’t get a new face, skin definitely looked more radiant and our fine laugh lines were slightly diminished, though it’s worth mentioning that less expensive facials with other top aestheticians have achieved the same results. To be fair, Tosado did say it takes two months to see a change, so we’ll be patient. She also recommended multiple treatments. Until then, we’ll consider spending a grand on something useful, like Louboutins. At least we can count on those to be far less painful than the Titan.

Paul Labrecque East, 171 E. 65th St., nr. Lexington Ave.; 212-988-7816

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Filed Under: tested, beauty, facials, paul labrecque, skin


Best Bet: Striking Gold

Leave it to Chanel’s global creative director, Peter Philips, to whip women into a beauty frenzy (remember how we all died over the Jade polish last year?). Next month the brand is coming out with yet another limited-edition makeup collection, which in all likelihood will sell out in warp speed like the others. Created for the Paris-Shanghai show that took place in Shanghai in December, the polishes ($25) and shadow ($45) stick strictly to a black-and-gold theme. Illusion D’or is a clear polish with subtle gold sparkles (looks mores intense in the bottle), while Gold Lamé has a sexy coppery feel. Unlike its sister Black Satin, Black Velvet is the polar opposite, in an inky matte black. Simply put, Ligne et Ombre de Chanel (matte black eyeliner and sparkly gold shadow) is absolutely stunning. Philips just has a knack for making women look and feel pretty.

Available April 1 at Chanel (15 E. 57th St., nr. Fifth Ave.; 212-355-5050).

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Filed Under: best bets, beauty


We Love … Juvexin

For some, a Brazilian hair-straightening treatment is a life changer. For others, the amount of damage to the hair, the painfully long process, the relatively short period of time it lasts, and the hunt to find a good, sulfate-free shampoo doesn’t make the ordeal seem worth it. However, Global Keratin introduced a new patented formula using Juvexin in the application process and in an aftercare line that erases any doubts and fears women may have. Hair is actually nourished, soft and bouncy (apparently the secret lies in New Zealand sheep wool) and this new wave of keratin isn’t “cooked” like others, so proteins aren’t broken down. Here are five reasons why we love it.

1. The treatment is quicker and easier than getting your hair colored.
2. Truly lasts for around five months.
3. There are three different formulas that vary in intensity just in case certain parts need more or less straightening than others.
4. Top salons like Rita Hazan and Gil Ferrer are fans, too.
5. Our resident Brazilian-straightening loyalist is now converted.

Treatment, $350 to $600; products, $19.95 to $24.95 at Rita Hazan (720 Fifth Ave., at 56th St., 11th fl.; 212-586-4343), Gil Ferrer (21 E. 74th St., nr. Madison Ave.; 212-535-3543), Riccardo Maggiore (136 E. 57th St., at Lexington Ave.; 212-586-6482) and Capelli D’Oro (123 Fifth Ave., nr. 19th St., second fl.; 212-477-3000).

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Filed Under: we love, beauty, juvexin


Victoria’s Secret Gets Even Fruitier

On March 23, Victoria’s Secret is launching its new body-care collection called Secret Moments. Each scent (Girls’ Night, Island Escape, At First Sight, Room 504, and Good Day Sunshine) was mainly inspired by Alessandra Ambrosio’s personal memories (laying eyes on her daughter for the first time inspired At First Sight). Of course, these endearing memories from the Brazilian bombshell come in the form of Über-sweet combinations of peach, coconut, sugarcane, and blue freesia. For those of us in our early 30s, think of these as a new generation of the Enchanted Apple and Pear Glacé body splashes and lotions we wore in high school and college — just with cuter packaging. Coeds get ready.

$10 to $12 at Victoria’s Secret stores.

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Filed Under: beauty marks, fragrance, victoria’s secret


We Love … Atelier Cologne

Some of the coolest products launch at Bergdorf Goodman, so it was fitting for new perfume line Atelier Cologne to debut their counter in the already jam-packed beauty department last week. Sylvie Ganter (formerly of Hermès Parfums and Fresh) wanted to create a line of meticulously crafted, extremely concentrated unisex colognes that told a story. The end results are five intense scents that made us tingle. Here are five reasons we love them:

1. Orange Sanguine is an amazing blend of blood orange, jasmine, and tonka beans.
2. The scents truly last all day, but manage to not overpower.
3. Unlike some brands that spend most of their budget on a fancy bottle, most of the money went toward what matters most — the juice.
4. The cost is justified by the hefty 200 milliliter bottle.
5. Sylvie Ganter has been toying with the idea of the line for about a decade, and the incredible amount of thought and time translates to the fragrances.

$145 to $175 at Bergdorf Goodman (754 Fifth Ave., nr. 58th St.; 212-753-7300).

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Filed Under: we love, atelier cologne, beauty


Amoy Pitters Will Always Spot a Bad Weave

Hairstylist Amoy Pitters will probably never be a household name, unless a few million people decide they want longer, thicker, and — here’s the important part — believably good-looking weaves. Still, she’s a giant in the industry, and her work has been important to people like Donatella Versace, Iman, Naomi Cambell, Trudie Styler, etc. After the lease on Pitters’s East Village salon expired, she relocated to the Upper East Side. Between putting final touches on her new space, doing house calls for her celebrity clients, and tinkering with her new product line, Pitters took a few minutes to chat (in the presence of cameras, because she is, of course, taping a show for Oxygen).

Do you notice women with bad weaves and say to yourself, “Oh, honey. What have you done?”
All the time! I notice hair everywhere I go — shopping at the grocery store, traveling, anywhere! I am always looking up to look at everyone’s hair.

I can tell! Your eyes went straight to my hair to see what I have going on!
You noticed that! If I can’t tell a girl’s hair is extensions from far away, and I have to look closer, that’s how I know the stylist did a good job. Once I was staring at the back of a girl’s head and thinking, wow, her hair looks amazing. It turned out to be a client I’d seen earlier that day.

Explain the art of a good weave.
Well, it definitely starts with the foundation. The weave must be placed correctly. The stylist also has to do a proper consultation with the client to get the color and texture perfect. And the stylist must know how to cut extensions correctly to achieve a natural look. Also, the extensions must be 100 percent natural — preferably with the cuticle, which looks and acts more naturally.

What’s the best way to put one in? You can sew it, bond it, clip it …
Depends on the clients, but never glue a weave unless it will only be worn for a very short time before. Like, a runway model at a fashion show. I never use glue at the salon, and now with clip-on products, glue is never necessary. You can transform your look in seconds. If you want a long-term look, sewing is great.

What are some mistakes women of color make with their hair?
Over-processing! Relaxers and color are damaging to hair health; it’s even worse when the processes are done together. Also, trying to perm their hair at home can be a big mistake. Putting too much tension on the hair — tight braids, ponytails, etc. — can cause breakage. There is a misconception about shampooing: Some women believe that less shampooing will help hair growth, but it’s not true! There is no need to go over a week without shampooing.

You have a tremendous celebrity clientele — what about regular people? Can they get an appointment, or do you have a waiting list?
I kinda do have a waiting list, but I don’t want to isolate myself.

If you were stranded, what are the most essential hair products to have?
A good brush and Furterer dry shampoo.

What was the first designer item you bought?
Probably a pair of Christian Dior sunglasses. It took me about a month to save up for them.

Amoy Couture Hair, 874 Lexington Ave., nr. 65th St., second fl.; 212-529-5153

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Filed Under: tastemakers, amoy pitters, beauty, hair


Get Your Own Mini-Snooki Poof!


From left: the Pony Pouf Clip, Spin Pin, and Volume Boost Comb.

Known for being the drugstore go-to for cheap, fun hair accessories, Goody’s new Simple Styles collection is attempting to help women “achieve the hottest styles at home.” However, these aren’t the usual elastics, headbands, or clips we’re used to seeing. They’re teetering on the odd infomercial hair doodad with a Snooki-like Bump It piece (Volume Boost Comb) and a pony holder that is supposed to add a bit of fluff (Pony Pouf Clip), along with bun pins that resemble a tool you would see at Home Depot (Spin Pin). Of course, we recruited an intern to model the new collection.

$6.49 at CVS stores.

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Filed Under: hair today, beauty


More Glycolic Is Good Glycolic

Bliss has a new facial; this is not news. The enormo-spa frequently adds new treatments to its menus, usually with slightly off-putting cute names, and which are not always, we have to admit, visibly effective (beyond the fact that lying in a dark room having someone massage your face is never really a bad thing). Its newest, though, is a dynamo that breaks the glycolic sound barrier. Launching on March 1, the Bright Stuff facial ($175) includes a five-minute mask of 40 percent glycolic solution (if you add vitamin C, the peeling power drops to 38 percent). That is a hefty dose of exfoliation, and if it doesn’t tone down hyperpigmentation and dark spots for a lot of people, we’ll be surprised. The usual massage and mask treatments are involved as well, plus the always-appreciated cheese tray in the lounge.

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Filed Under: beauty marks, beauty news, bliss, facials