The Latest Treatments From Neptune’s Undersea Facial Salon
For those who like to eat fish as part of their beauty and health routine, there’s now a new way to soak up those healthy amino acids. Caviar may be the next trendy ingredient in face creams and treatments, judging from the few cosmetics companies that have introduced moisturizers based on the fish eggs.
It’s even got celebrities hooked, from Lauren Bacall to Shoshanna Lonstein, who swears by her mother’s La Prairie caviar moisturizer. The gamma linoleic acids in fish eggs are supposed to nurture the skin with essential vitamins.
So we decided to try it out at Michele Elyzabeth Salon Prive in West Hollywood. Their $95, 90-minute caviar facial follows the conventional routine of steaming, cleansing, face massage and moisturizing, except that all the products are French and contain caviar extracts. Whether it was the products or the facial, we had to admit that our skin felt wonderfully fresh afterward. And nothing smelled fishy, though some of the products sold at the salon do, indeed, smell like the L.A. Harbor.
Michele Elyzabeth, a longtime publicist, understands Americans well enough to know that they won’t go to bed smelling like caviar, no matter how wonderful a product might be. So she’s working with a chemist to develop her own scent-free line. The French products sell for $80 to $250.
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Target has expanded its chic wares once again. The discount chain has made such a successful foray into housewares and perfume, why not makeup? It has teamed up with makeup artist Sonia Kashuk to launch a makeup line being promoted as prestige at mass prices--$1.99 for eyebrow brushes to $9.99 for foundation.
Kashuk is a New York makeup artist who, with Cindy Crawford, co-authored “Basic Face” (Doubleday, 1997). She is touring the country to meet with customers and promote the line. She’ll be at the Manhattan Beach Target store from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 30. For information, call (310) 546-5601. And she’ll be at the Thousand Oaks Target from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Oct. 31. For information on that visit, call (805) 480-9114.
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Designer Nicole Miller, known for her tasteful evening and cocktail wear, is one of a growing number of designers venturing into the cosmetics market, this time with a skin care line. “I’ve never liked anybody’s one skin care line,” said Miller. So she developed her own, specifically marketed to her fashion customer, who is a very busy woman. The line includes cleansers, toners, moisturizers, foundation and concealers, made with vitamins, herbal extracts and cranberries. But perhaps the most surprising part of all is that the products are only available through mail order.
“I think it’s sort of the wave of the future, having things delivered to your house. People have less and less time to shop,” she said.
Miller explained that mail order offers her a chance to get to 500,000 customers right away who have probably never heard of her. “I think it’s actually going to help my clothing business.”
Because it’s catalog only, she can keep prices down. Miller is partnering with direct-to-consumer company Melaeuca. Miller, who already offers signature perfumes, will offer makeup next year. Products are available by calling (888) 264-2653 or through the Web site https://www.nicolemillerbeauty.com.
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“Hats Off!” is a free brochure for scalp conditions such as psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis and eczema. New York hairstylist Oscar Blandi and a New York University dermatologist have teamed up to produce this brochure that is full of information and helpful hints. (Hint No. 1: It’s OK to blow-dry your hair, just don’t overheat your scalp.) To order, call (888) 793-5515.
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Rock ‘n’ roll has long affected the beauty world. This season, part of the MAC cosmetics line is called Time Rocker. And now Urban Decay, the naughty-girl cosmetics company, has introduced a limited-edition set of “lip gunk” dedicated to certain femme rockers--DJ Rap, Blaque, Jessica Simpson, Frogpond and Michel. These are true rock colors--magenta, mochas and pinks all fused with glitter. The $25 set comes with a zine of these rockers and is available through the end of October. Blaque will appear at a special promotion for the line at Bloomingdale’s at the Beverly Center from 4 to 6 p.m. Oct. 22. For more information, call (310) 274-7800, Ext. 239.
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This month starts a Dare to Care campaign for hair care company Sebastian International Inc. and its salons. Through the end of the year, you can make certain purchases through the salons and proceeds will benefit three charities--UNICEF, the Rainforest Foundation and the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. In addition, various salons will host their own benefits. For more information, call the headquarters at (800) 829-7322 or check out its Web site at https://www.sebastian-intl.com.
Barbara Thomas can be reached through e-mail at barbara.thomas@latimes.com.
