A Lucire special promotion

We are used to seeing L’Oréal Paris have the world’s most glamorous models and celebrities appear in their advertisements, so it makes a nice change when everyday people are asked to appear—as they do in its latest Elvive Fibrology thickening hair care promotion.
   Between January 22 and April 24, 2014, Boots UK, looking at its online and offline purchases, says one item from the Fibrology range is sold every 12 second on average, making it one of L’Oréal’s most popular lines.
   Having real people makes the advertisement more easily related, and L’Oréal builds on the initial promotion by having each woman in the ad—Zoë, Sarah, Priya, Jade and Lucy—elaborate even further on their favourite Fibrology hair care product.
   For Zoé, it’s the Thickness Booster serum; Sarah says she can feel the Fibrology shampoo ‘expanding’; Priya favours the Double Serum; Jade likes the Fibrology Thickness Booster; and Lucy names the conditioner.
   Each woman gives her tips on using the product and reveals her one secret based on her use of Fibrology.
   Their Q&As are made complete by their sharing thoughts on how their L’Oréal Paris TV shoot went—where they were treated just as one might see Eva Longoria, Cheryl Cole, Aishwarya Rai or Araya A. Hargate pampered on set.
   Each was auditioned beginning with a casual casting session, while the day of filming saw the women choose from a variety of outfits. Zoë says, ‘More importantly, my hair has never looked better!’ It does seem that the enjoyment they’re having in L’Oréal Paris’s promotional video below is genuine—and, after all, they are worth it.

Post sponsored by L’Oréal Paris

A Lucire special promotion

Benefit Cosmetics’ new They’re Real! Push-Up Liner (that really is the name) is so good, you can apply it while handcuffed!
   That’s the message Benefit’s pushing with its latest eyeliner, which is easier to apply than many of its rivals.
   It’s a gel liner in a pen, so all you need to do is twist the base to push the liner to the tip of the pen, rest the AccuFlex tip on the base of your lashes, and go from the inner to the outer corner. The formula is quick-drying and lasts all day.
   On a sample of 32 women, there have been very positive results: 88 per cent claimed the liner ‘hugged the lashline’ and 84 per cent said that their eyes looked larger.
   Customers, too, on the Benefit website have confirmed what the test group says about the liner being long-wearing (as 91 per cent did) and waterproof (81 per cent). One says that the Accuflex tip allowed her to get a cleaner line, which she was unable to get with competing products.
   At the moment, the They’re Real! Push-Up Liner only comes in black.
   The product isn’t oil-free, which enables it to last longer, and be resistant to tears, sweat and smudging (which makes it ideal if you are wearing contacts). And we should note that it isn’t suited for lash extensions.
   Removing the liner is easy, using Benefit’s own They’re Real! remover.
   The Benefit website also shows how to create the perfect wing using the pen, with a simple five-step process, highlighting just how easy it is to use the They’re Real! Push-Up Liner.

Post sponsored by Benefit Cosmetics

Lucire issue 33, on sale today, marks a number of firsts and is one of the best we’ve had.
   We’ve always been very fair on who makes the cover. Sopheak Seng, our fashion and beauty editor, and I choose from all the images we have, and these include ones that he has produced as creative director or stylist. And in the years we’ve worked together, he’s opted not to put his ones ahead of others’. We’ve both gone for what is best for Lucire. Some shoots that have appeared on the cover he has worked on in a supervisory role, but others have come from our brilliant network of creatives worldwide.
   Issue 33 sees his first cover that he has directed, and it’s one we’re both exceptionally proud of. Photographed by Dave Richards, and with the A-team of Michael Beel on hair and Hil Cook on make-up, assisted by Jaye Morgan, Natalie Henderson and Andy Alsop, and modelled by Chloé Graham, it’s the first time in 17 years that we’ve cropped the Lucire logo behind the model’s head.
   We realize this technique is commonplace and it’s probably a surprise to anyone reading the above that that hasn’t happened before. And we’ve had many great images—only the best get selected for the coveted spot. But for some reason, when it came to the crunch, we opted to keep the logo complete, as have always done on the website. This time, the image was so striking that we felt it was time to take the scalpel to the logo, thanks to head designer Tanya Sooksombatisatian.
   It is Dave’s first shoot with us, so to score a cover on your first go is very impressive, though it has happened a few other times—Courtney Dailey with Laura Vandervoort in issue 29, for instance.
   I have a feeling, too, that Chloé is the first Scot to be on our cover. While a New Zealander, she hails from Glasgow, and this is rather timely with the Commonwealth Games about to commence.
   I congratulate my good friend and colleague, Sopheak, and I think this is going to be one of those memorable Lucire covers that will be cited in years to come.
   There’s plenty more inside, and you can get a taste of the articles in our issue 33 preview.
   I’m very proud of one shoot by Jon Moe in there, with our California A-team of Jamie Dorman (now in New York, but who was our pointwoman on the shoot), Lei Phillips and Carina Tafalu, and starring two former Miss Universe New Zealands, Laural Barrett and Samantha Lochhead, each in their second appearances in Lucire. Jon lovingly shot this at Riviera 31 at the Sofitel Los Angeles, and I acknowledge our US west coast editor, Elyse Glickman, for her connections with Pivotal Public Relations in getting us the location.
   It’s not the only cover that we can talk about: some of you will have seen Dorit Thies’s and Olga Fonda’s announcement of their cover for Lucire Arabia. (The story is in issue 33, too, but it was strongly felt that Dorit’s shot was the best to début our title there. When you see the pages, you’ll also notice why this is an incredible shoot with the Vampire Diaries star.) We’ll have more on that officially soon, but, for now, you can get your issue 33 through the Lucire website, in print, for tablets (Ipad and Android), and as a downloadable PDF.—Jack Yan, Publisher

A Lucire special promotion

If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em—or at least make deals with ’em. Realizing the reach that the top YouTubers have, companies are beginning to tap into their ready-made audiences, especially if they resonate with their target markets.
   Gillette, which has always impressed us with its range of razors, and was one of the first companies we dealt with who were quite open about shattering the myth that male razors were better than female ones, has hired vlogger Tessa Violet. Violet, who some readers may know as Meekakitty, is a former model, actress and singer–songwriter who is known for her humorous videos and original songs, which can be seen on her YouTube channel.
   The 24-year-old’s biggest drawcard for companies like Gillette would be her million-fan audience on YouTube, and what better way than to show its latest razor, Venus Snap, which you can take on the go, than with a fun ditty from Violet?
   Her catchy Venus Snap song, ‘No More Stubble, No More Trouble’, is an ode to the times when you need to shave spontaneously—those times when things are going great and you realize that it’s probably been a while since the last shave. Violet’s song acknowledges those very moments, and how having the handy Gillette Venus Snap razor can be a life-saver.
   Extending it to social media, you’re invited to Tweet your “wish I’d shaved” moment to Gillette (@Gillette) with the hashtag #InASnap, and Violet could turn that moment into an original song.
   Venus Snap is available from both online and bricks-and-mortar retailers across the US and internationally.

Video sponsored by Gillette

Miss Indiana USA 2014, Mekayla Diehl, is the face of the Yummie by Heather Thomson, a shapewear and activewear brand based in New York.
   Heather Thomson, the founder and chief creative officer of Yummie by Heather Thomson, was drawn to Diehl for her confidence, and hired her to model the company’s fall–holiday 2014 collection of shapewear, intimates, activewear and denim.
   ‘When this story broke and I saw the video, I felt an immediate connection with Mekayla. The confidence she exuded on that runway made me proud of her. I didn’t even know her but wanted to and knew that Yummie needed her. It was very clear to me that we both stand for the same things,’ said Thomson in a release.
   Both women were keen to promote a healthy, confident body image through the fall–holiday range.
   Diehl noted that she got attention because of her attempts to change the industry standard in beauty pageants. ‘I am confident in my own skin, and when I walked on the stage in a swimsuit, I was really trying to let my inner beauty shine through because that is what confidence means to me. There are girls who have trouble looking in the mirror every day and I want to encourage women to find a way to feel confident at any shape or size.’
   Yummie by Heather Thomson is available online via YummieLife.com.

Model and music producer Caroline de Maigret is the new muse of Lancôme, the company calling her choice ‘an obvious conclusion’.
   Lancôme says that de Maigret was chosen for her nonchalance and sophistication, as well as for her musical work (she created, with partner Yarol Poupaud, Bonus Track Records and Yarock Productions), her runway experience, and her aristocracy (descended from Polish and French royalty). She is described by Lancôme as ‘the favourite subject of the most renowned photographers of the last two decades; a woman from the fashion world, but one who prefers style in its every form to fashion itself; a strong woman, above all, with great intellectual curiosity and an exceptional grasp of people and things.’
   The collaboration with de Maigret will begin in September as she heads off on an international tour for her book How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are: Love, Style, and Bad Habits, a humorous look at the Parisian attitude, written with Anne Berest, Audrey Diwan and Sophie Mas.
   Lancôme says this intellectual wit is in line with its own brand: ‘The brand saw Caroline de Maigret as an expert with whom they could have an intelligent discussion in order to better transmit a different, liberating form of beauty, a smart mix of indulgence and perfectionism, carefreeness and commitment.’
   The second stage sees de Maigret work on a make-up collection for 2015.

Top Clare Waight Keller, Mélanie Laurent and Clémence Poésy. Above Clémence Poésy.

Coty Prestige has launched its latest fragrance, Chloé Love Story, at a rooftop cocktail party on Wednesday at the l’Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, with actress Clémence Poésy the centre of attention as the fragrance’s muse.
   Poésy was joined by guests including Rachida Brakni, Maria Josée Croze, Géraldine Pailhas, Mélanie Thierry, Karin Viard, Anne Marivin, Hafsia Herzi, Joséphine Japy, Jeanne Damas, Jennifer Neyt, and Catherine Baba.
   Jean Mortier, president of Coty Prestige, and Geoffroy de la Bourdonnaye, CEO of Chloé, hosted the function, alongside Chloé creative director Clare Waight Keller, and Mélanie Laurent, who directed the TV spot revealed last night.
   The spot features the song ‘Mi Amor’, performed by Vanessa Paradis.
   Christine and the Queens provided live music at the venue, which was decorated with a metallic structure, inspired by the fragrance’s packaging in the shape of a lock-shaped flaçon. DJ Nouvelle Vague followed.
   The lock motif has been inspired by the Pont des Arts in Paris, which is decorated with padlocks.
   The event tapped into old-fashioned motifs of Paris, with Citroën 2CVs and a boat on the Seine serving as guest transport.
   The fragrance was developed by Anne Flipo, who had previously worked on Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gioia, Alexander McQueen MyQueen, Donna Karan Woman, and L’Homme Yves Saint Laurent. It is her first scent for Coty.
   Chloé Love Story features orange blossom, neroli and jasmine stephanotis. It follows the signature Chloé fragrance, which is also fronted by Poésy in its marketing.
   The eau de parfum will retail from September.

Réné Vaile

Pop sensation and Grammy Award winner Lorde, who has already lent her name to a limited-edition make-up line at MAC Cosmetics, visited her home town, Auckland, New Zealand, to promote it at the MAC Pro Britomart store.
   Lorde appeared with Amber Dreadon (Amber D), MAC’s senior make-up artist, and the Britomart-based artists. Senior management also attended the event: Tanya Jackson and Jodie Matthews, the brand general managers from New Zealand and Australia respectively; and Marie-Ann Billens, general manager of Estée Lauder in New Zealand.
   Dreadon had worked on Lorde’s look at the Grammys earlier this year.
   The Lorde Pure Heroine amplified deep plum lipstick, and the Penultimate eyeliner in Rapidblack true black, each retailing for NZ$40, go on sale on June 27.
   The products will be available online and at select locations throughout New Zealand. MAC has hashtagged the campaign MACLorde for social media.

Réné Vaile