Above, from top: Gizem Emre for L’Oréal Paris. Tania Dawson in a bikini by Shek. Hilde Osland models Lounge Intimates.

We don’t often hear of regional spokeswomen for some of the global brands, but we happened upon German actress Gizem Emre’s announcement that she is a L’Oréal Paris ambassador, a brand that she says has been with her since childhood. In her campaign, she appears in the ‘Worth It Club’, alongside Lena Lademann, Caroline Daur and Lou Beyer, and together they want to ‘show how important it is to inspire, motivate and support other women.’
   Emre, 25, plays Dana in the long-running police drama Alarm für Cobra 11: die Autobahnpolizei.
   Meanwhile, it pays to have friends with followers: Shekinah delos Santos’s bikini brand, Bikinis by Shek, was able to call on Miss Universe New Zealand 2016 Tania Dawson to help model one of her designs, and promote it on Instagram (@tpdgurl). Delos Santos’s bikinis are made by hand, and are sustainable—find out more at shek.com.au.
   The pair met through the Miss Universe New Zealand pageant and have a shared Pinoy heritage.
   In a similar vein, singer Hilde Osland, currently 28 weeks pregnant, continues to model on her Instagram to her 3·7 million followers, with Lounge Intimates being the lucky party with its Willow design, in time for Valentine’s Day. The company promises ‘huge surprises’ with the annual event on its Instagram, @loungeintimates.

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Italian interior and product designer Andrea Gramaccia has created a wonderful, occidental take on the Japanese geta, the traditional footwear which has the form of a flip-flop but a wooden base.
   Gramaccia was contacted by the Japanese company Mizutori to create geta. Cleverly, he based the concept around a circle and cutting it in half, and it’s from the two halves that the shapes are worked up to become geta.
   If you look at the inner part, it’s a straight line where the cut was, while the rest was designed for ergonomics, stability and æsthetics.
   You can learn more about Andrea Gramaccia at andreagramacciadesign.com.

Ruby has come back from the summer break with a new collection, on sale January 15. Called Motion, it is intended to finish the summer season. According to creative director Deanna Didovich, ‘If there is one thing that is constant in life, it’s change. I wanted to celebrate this with Motion. Often, I think we can become so fixated on life’s nuances; we forget how special it is just to be existing. How lucky we are to be able to experience change and grow from it.’

It’s not just HRH Prince Charles talking about a reset after the events of 2020, it’s the theme of the winter men’s collection from Ermenegildo Zegna, under artistic director Alessandro Sartori. Zegna refers directly to the ‘(re)set’ (including the parentheses), acknowledging that in places where COVID continues to spread, there’s been a blending of the public and the private, the personal space and the public space, and the indoors and outdoors, ‘as lounging, living and working collide often in one single activity.’
   In a release, Sartori says, ‘We all are experiencing a new reality concerned with new needs, which lead us to previously unseen lifestyles and attitudes. It is precisely at a time like this, when everything is under discussion, that we, at Zegna, have decided to (Re)set. We have looked at our roots to (re)interpret our style codes and (re)tailor the modern man. Outdoor and indoor come together and a new way of dressing takes hold, where comfort and style blend to create a new æsthetic.’

Happy 2021 to our readers and supporters!
   Twenty twenty was tough, and along with the rest of you, we felt it. But believe it or not, commercially it wasn’t our toughest year—you can look back at 2005–6 for that, and long-time readers will recall that by January 2006 there were preciously few articles being posted on the site while resources were used to prop up the print magazines as we removed certain negative elements from our business. A few good people, with whom I remain in touch, were caught in the crossfire, but we lived on.
   Fifteen years on we struck a far better balance, and it’s thanks to our team and all those who are Lucire’s creators—editors, writers, photographers, make-up artists, stylists, hairstylists, and many more—that that has been possible.
   And it wouldn’t have been worth doing without those who have blessed us with increasing readership, as we know our work is being appreciated around the globe. It’s always heartening to see Lucire being enjoyed, and recently we were given permission by Fatimah Ahmed, a wedding photographer in Al Jubail, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to show this image from her Instagram. The caption: ‘Surround yourself with the things you love.’

Fatimah Ahmed

   We thank our partners, advertisers, all those who work to print and distribute Lucire, and our supporters for coming together during a tough year and keeping everything ticking along.
   We began 2020 trying to stay positive in the wake of two deaths in the Lucire family in December 2019, and we thought our ‘2020’ graphic that adorned the January 2020 cover of Lucire KSA was a signal that things were going to be positive. It was our “keeping our chin up”. Twenty twenty, I thought, had a nice ring to it. But the superstitious would have pointed to the darkened skies from the Australian bushfires and the cancellation of lunar New Year celebrations in China as ominous, and we certainly had an unexpected year.
   Nevertheless, we count our blessings, as there still were many during 2020, and we wish everyone a happier and more prosperous 2021.—Jack Yan, Founder and Publisher

The cover from Lucire KSA January 2020, featuring Camille Hyde wearing House of Fluff, where we tried to keep our chin up—and the ‘2020’ motif was meant to signal a positive year!

Versace Eros eau de parfum hits counters in New Zealand on January 7, priced at NZ$165 for 100 ml.
   A woody, oriental scent, it has head notes of Italian lemon and mandarin, mint oil and candied apple, a heart featuring geranium, sage and Ambermax, and end notes of cedarwood, vetiver, patchouli, sandalwood and vanilla.
   This masculine scent is said to embody excess and power, as envisaged by Donatella Versace. Retailers include Farmers, Life Pharmacy, Smith & Caughey, Ballantyne’s, H. & J. Smith and select David Jones stores.

   Jean Paul Gaultier’s Le Male Pride sees the well known fragrance in a limited-edition can, on shelves in New Zealand in February, retailing at NZ$158 for the 125 ml eau de toilette at Farmers, Life Pharmacy, Smith & Caughey, Ballantyne’s and H. & J. Smith.
   With the unexpected notes of mint and vanilla, the scent celebrates tolerance and our differences. Both the bottle and can bear a rainbow flag.

   Also débuting in February—on the 7th—is Carolina Herrera’s Good Girl eau de parfum légère, an oriental fragrance with a softer jasmine, namely the jasmine sambac imperial, and tonka. Recommended prices begin at NZ$115 for the 30 ml, rising to NZ$168 for the 50 ml, and NZ$218 for the 80 ml, at Farmers, Life Pharmacy, Smith & Caughey, Ballantyne’s and H. & J. Smith.

Wellington’s getting its own Dr Martens store, at Shop 2, 94–106 Cuba Mall, as of December 19.
   And those who shop on the day and buy a pair of Docs can get a permanent tattoo from Cuba Street Tattoo’s Grant Gebbie (conditions apply).
   From 1 p.m., Crystal will play a set in front of the store.
   The new store will have the largest range of men’s, women’s and children’s styles in the country, including Dr Martens Originals, Made in England, full vegan ranges, global collaborations, and accessories.
   ‘Dr Martens’ introduction into our country’s capital is a match made in heaven,’ said Ben Hapgood, Dr Martens’ group general manager for New Zealand. ‘The distinctive “stand out from the crowd” theme of Dr Martens will be well received by the Wellington market and its placement on Cuba Mall couldn’t be more suitable. The store will offer customers an extensive range of Dr Martens products not always seen in the local market and we are excited to get Wellingtonians proudly wearing them.’
   The Wellington store is the second in the country, after Auckland.

Above: Dr Martens’ Auckland store gives an idea of what the Wellington one might be like—come Saturday, all will be revealed.

Scents that travel
Often profiled in our travel section, including some memorable features from personal visits by our travel editor, Stanley Moss, Aman finds itself in a beauty story as it launches five 50 ml eaux de parfum created by master perfumer Jacques Chabert.
   They follow Aman’s foray into skin care in 2018, and its wellness supplement brand, SVA, in September 2020.
   The new scents are gender-neutral, with each inspired by an Aman destination. Vayu has been inspired by Amanpuri in Thailand, conveying the freshness of summer and crashing waves; Ayom, inspired by Amanjiwa in Indonesia, is what Aman calls a ‘deep, dramatic and complex’ scent with a sense of rarity; Umbr, inspired by Aman Venice, is an opulent, layered scent, with hints of oak, leather and spice; Zuac, inspired by Amanjena in Morocco, is described as ‘warm ochre combined with drifting spice’; and Alta, inspired by the forthcoming Aman New York, is a bold, urban scent. All scents are phthalate-, paraben- and formaldehyde-free.
   The bottles are designed by renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, and crafted in Japan from Paulownia wood, made from a fast-growing tree. The case is reusable.
   The scents are available at the Aman Shop and at the resorts’ boutiques. A further two scents are due in the spring.

For healthy hair

Here’s a brand that’s still a relatively well kept secret outside France: Ella Mae, a hair care brand using only sustainable organic ingredients sourced in Provence. Founded by a brother–sister duo in 2019, Ella Mae addresses common problems such as brittle and thinning hair, slow growth and dry scalp. Karanja oil is used throughout the range, with 100 per cent natural antioxidant protection for hair colour from repeated shampooing and UV rays. All ingredients are paraben- and sulphate-free, and never tested on animals. Most unusual is the use of snail slime, which has some of the best moisturizing compounds in nature, and is beneficial for hair and scalp. Find out more at ellamae.com. Lucire readers can get 30 per cent off with the code LUCIRE30.

Best in the land
The Luxury Lifestyle Awards in New York has announced that Diamond Laser Medispa, in Taupō, New Zealand, has been given the status of the Best Luxury Medical Spas in New Zealand. A beauty spa and skin clinic, it was founded in 2013 by Olivia Blakeney-William, and has competencies in appearance medicine, advanced skin treatments, tattoo removal, IPL, and diode laser hair removal.