Beauty Goods Deliver AS PROMISED
Text by J. Ecochard
Finally. A deodorant that keeps the body smelling…like Jean-Paul Sartre's Nothingness!
The quest for a non-staining and non-irritating (no alcohol) stick, without aluminum (why risk it?)… began with test runs of pricey deodorants…with big name designer names…that alas, worked for a whopping three hours.
Next up...natural crystal and organic goods were subjected to an outdoor, sweaty workout. The results on a hot, summer day? Ugh! Even the usually welcoming tail-wagging, household pets scurried away as soon as we got home.
Which is why it is refreshing that the men’s grooming line, MENSCIENCE …has a clear winner that any gender with sensitive armpits can use. Advanced Deodorant with “ Microzeolites, Witch Hazel, Tea Tree Extract, and Aloe,” amazingly held up throughout an entire frenetic day at the office… and kept keeping on after an after-work jog. In a fair (or wise) world, sales of the off the radar Menscience’s deodorant, should soar like the out of the park home runs hit by the ‘they who can not be named,’ big time baseball professional athletes that covet the brand.
Another-burgeoning company, Smashbox Cosmetics , is starting to catch on with consumers who are not first time adopters…but desire innovative cosmetics that perform…and don’t cost a week’s salary.
Violå- Function(2) Self-Adjusting Powder Foundation…the answer to prayers for one product to replace the ancient collection of barely used foundations and facial powders that never seem to match skin tones. Depending on how applied …with a light touch, makeup brush to eliminate redness or smooth over spots…or with a wet or dry sponge for full coverage, ‘Function’ really is easy to dab/slap on and seamlessly Caspar-free, blurs in with our skin’s palette. And though it’s terrific that ‘Function’ has antioxidants and soybean extracts that protect the skin…we just appreciate it’s no mess, user friendly compact- that spared the bathroom sink the typical dusty coating of unwieldy powder foundations- that conjure up images out of movie classic, Scarface.
Suspicious of curly hair coiffeurs that are actually achieved with barrel shaped curling irons after a 20 minute blow-out, our skepticism melted with some styling tips from Avi Benichou, the braggadocio-free owner/hair guru of the light filled, inviting Lovella Salon in Manhattan. Applying moisturizing Kerastase products to our frizzy locks, he demonstrated how a mere “five minute tops process” of twisting sections of wet hair into ten or twelve ropes, would result in thick, luscious curls when air dried. And in a New York minute (really three), a test drive the following day actually resulted in our mop shaped, out of control hair, being respectably styled.
Naturally, time well spent in an attitude free salon encourages mini-gabfests with other satisfied clients. So we loved chatting with the natural looking, friendly Dr Yael Halaas MD , a NYC Plastic Surgeon ensconced in the next chair...and truly believed her comments on the effectiveness of topical chemical peels. And when to make a jaunt to a plastic surgeon? “The neck…non-surgical options offer limited results.”
So yes, Nora Ephron, the sixty-ish author of “I Feel Bad About My Neck”…is onto something. But, we love the look of turtlenecks, flowing Isadora Duncan-like scarves and big-jeweled chokers anyway.
Timestamp:August 3, 2007
Photographs Courtesy of MENSCIENCE and Smashbox Cosmetics