Holiday party beautifiers: L’Occitane x Pierre Hermé = A delicious bodycare collection from the ‘Picasso of pastry’

For L’Occitane’s newest collection, founder Olivier Baussan wanted a nose who also had a gift for flavors, so he tapped his friend Pierre Hermé, widely regarded as one of France’s greatest pastry chefs. He’s been called “the Picasso of pastry” by French Vogue for unorthodox flavor combinations like olive oil and vanilla.

Baussan invited Hermé to compose a collection of scents, giving him total creative freedom, so the pastry chef decided to riff on the flowers and fragrances of Corsica, inspired by memories of the Mediterranean isle that is the favorite vacation spot of the two friends.

The result is a luscious line of body products featuring three fragrances that tantalize the nose as well as the taste buds. “I wanted to hint at ‘gourmandise’ (good eating) without actually saying it,” Baussan says.

Sunny Jasmine-Immortelle-Neroli balances the sparkling notes of gardens at dawn with the gold of jasmine, a flower that flourishes throughout Corsica. With toothsome notes like lemon and pink pepper add zest, this is a feminine floral fragrance that captures the scent of the “Island of Beauty” in an eau de toilette, shower gel, body lotion, shimmering body powder, perfumed soap, hand cream, and lip gloss with a rosy sheen.

Pamplemousse Rhubarbe is a daring combo of grapefruit and rhubarb, celebrating not just the tartness of grapefruit but also the bitterness of its pith. Underlined by the green, crisp aroma of rhubarb, the blend is softened by spices like clove and nutmeg. It’s available in a shower gel, body lotion, hand cream, lip balm and perfumed soap.

Hermé’s favorite “flavor” in the line is the final one, Miel Mandarine. The chef wanted to conjure up golden honey crystallized on a sun-drenched slice of mandarin orange, so he combined notes of honey and mandarin with beeswax to give it a caramel undertone and tonka absolute for some almond-y goodness. Oddly, though, Miel Mandarine is only available as a hand cream and lip balm. I would also have loved it as an EDT.

“When I created these fragrances, it all came down to taste,” Hermé says. Needless to say, I’m waiting hungrily for the matching pastry line.

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L’Occitane is available at Rustan’s The Beauty Source.

Eiji Kinoshita, president of K-Palette Japan; Sharon Kwek, brand manager of K-Palette Singapore; Yuko Kameyama, makeup artist, K-Palette Japan; Cheryl Chua, president of Beautybox Corp., K-Palette Philippines; Richard Chua Jr., vice president of Beautybox Corp., K-Palette Philippines; Soh Ghim Soon, managing director of K-Palette Singapore; Hideki Harada, sales division manager of K- Palette Japan Photo by WALTER BOLLOZOS

Get Japan’s sexy ‘O-phero’ look with K-Palette Shadowliner

In Japan, the hottest makeup trend is “O-phero,” that flushed, dewy look you get when you’re fresh from a hot bath, shower or sauna. The term o-phero is derived from the word “pheromone,” after all, with all its sexy connotations.

This naturally appealing look is easily achievable with K-Palette’s new 1-Day Tattoo Essence in Shadowliner, a range of four nifty pens that dispense shimmery powder eye shadows on one end and have matching liquid eyeliners on the other. Two shades — nude beige and nude pink — are for highlighting, while the other two — camel brown and dark brown — are for shading.

K-Palette makeup artist Yuko Kameyama recommends applying a highlighter shade all over the eye area, or, to make your eyes really pop, first spread the brown shade with your fingers all over the eyelid, then blend the highlighter shade in the center for a more 3D effect.

You can create the same effect on your cheeks with the Shadowliner and K-Palette’s 1-Day Magic 3D Palette. Apply the palette’s pink blush high in the center of your cheeks like a doll, then blend the Shadowliner highlighter over it for freshly showered prettiness.

Essence in Shadowliner is so named because it contains the highest levels of beauty essences K-Palette has ever put in a makeup product, according to founder Eiji Kinoshita and marketing honcho Hideki Harada. In addition to the brand’s usual moisturizing hyaluronic acid and plumping collagen, there are also extracts of japonica, lavender flower, rosemary, chamomile, placenta and amino acids to help restore skin and keep its vibrancy.

Personally I find the ease of Shadowliner perfect for those intimidated by eye makeup, not to mention it’s a travel must-have. One highlighter and one shadow pen can take your look from day to evening, and weigh next to nothing in your makeup bag. The shimmer in the powder shadows is also so fine it’s a snap to blend, and ultra-flattering on Asian complexions like ours. What’s not to love?

The freshly bathed O-phero look is all the rage in Japan.

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K-Palette is available at Rustan’s Makati, Shangri-La and Alabang Town Center, Beauty Bar and Watsons.

Moroccanoil creative design team educator Violet Sainsbury with Moroccanoil Smoothing shampoo, conditioner, mask and lotion, available at salons. Photo by JOVEN CAGANDE

Celeb haircare fave Moroccanoil now has a Smoothing line

I have a hate-like relationship with my hair. Intractable and prone to frizz, it only looks fab when I get it professionally styled. The rest of the time it’s meh.

It only behaves when I use Moroccanoil’s new Smoothing line. Now I know why the Argan oil-based global haircare brand is so beloved by women around the world, in particular by A-list celebrities, stylists, and beauty editors.

Moroccanoil’s creative design team educator Violet Sainsbury was in Manila recently to launch the Smoothing line (the brand also has Hydrating, Moisture Repair, Extra Volume and Curl Control lines), and gave me a heady taste of what a Moroccanoil good-hair day is like.

“It’s a new technology for us,” Sainsbury said. “Smoothing lotion fights frizz, has a medium-hold factor and is extremely humidity-resistant, which is the No. 1 thing we want in the Philippines.” Comprised of a shampoo and conditioner, lotion and mask for all hair types, even colored locks, Moroccanoil Smoothing is a treatment line, primarily, with a new technology called AminoRenew, using trademarked amino acids cysteine and lysine to replenish hair from the inside out. “From the cuticle layer of the hair, it helps to realign hair’s natural texture,” says Sainsbury, who likes to cocktail different products from the same line, or mix and match products from different lines. For example, she used Volumizing mousse on my roots, and Smoothing lotion from the mid-lengths to the ends, which tamed my fluffy hair but didn’t leave it flat. Then she blow-dried it to bring out the full benefits of the formula, and my hair was resurrected from limp and frizzy to smooth, bouncy and shiny.

Founder Carmen Tal created Moroccanoil after her hair was badly damaged by color. “At a salon in Israel, a guy had brought this small bottle of Argan oil and put it through her hair,” relates Sainsbury. “She noticed the difference immediately. Her hair was smoother, shinier, and wasn’t affected by humidity so badly.”

Tal, who owned her own salon in Montreal, couldn’t live without it, so she started speaking with chemists and developed the original Moroccanoil treatment, which combined Argan with a formula of proteins, fatty acids, omega-3 oils, vitamins and antioxidants to strengthen, shine and protect hair. “People were knocking the door down at the salon,” Sainsbury laughs. “Everyone needed ‘the oil.’”

Now Moroccanoil is in 61 countries. Everybody needs “the oil,” apparently, and that includes me.

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Moroccanoil hair products are sold in fine salons globally.

Rolls-Royce ride to the fountain of youth: Sisley Supremya Baume is available at Rustan’s.

Sisley Supremya Baume is supreme anti-aging for very dry skin

If you suffer from very dry skin and are willing to pay top peso to treat it, Sisley’s new Supremya Baume is for you. The ultra-luxe, velvety balm is rich in Sisley’s patented Phyto-Complex LC12 or “12-hour Longevity Concentrate,” a combination of plant-based ingredients like hazelnut oil, kokum butter and macadamia oil that is extremely moisturizing, nourishing, and regenerating. It’s meant to be used at night, when the skin’s repair process is at its peak.

“Sisley was devoted to running tests before this was released on the market,” said Twinkle Ochanine, Sisley’s education manager. “They did a panel to see how the product would perform on people with very dry skin and noticed that 95 percent were very pleased with the results. They felt their skin was immediately moisturized because of the texture; they felt immediate comfort on the dry areas of the cheeks, and an instant smoothing, plumping and lifting effect.

“After four weeks, their skin was much better, tone was improved and not as sunken because it’s very effective at nourishing. After eight weeks, skin is smoother, lines are reduced visibly and everything is much firmer.”

The Baume is contained in a gold-capped logo jar and a purchase entitles you to a one-ml. sample of Supremya Yeux, a lighter eye serum specifically formulated to target problems like dark circles, puffiness, sagging eyelids and crow’s feet.

For best results, Ochanine recommends prepping your skin first with Sisleya Essential Skin Care Lotion, which facilitates maximum absorption of the Baume.

Touted as “the supreme anti-aging cream,” Sisley Supremya Baume is like riding a Rolls-Royce to the fountain of youth.

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Sisley Supremya Baume is available at Rustan’s Makati and Shangri-La.

Dry oil, the next generation: Marula oil is the new beauty secret from Africa, available at SM Stores.

Move over, Argan, Marula is the new ‘it’ oil

My friend Cheryl Tiu introduced me to a new dry oil sure to blow up as big as Argan. Marula Pure Beauty oil is the new beauty buzzword from Africa, where women harvest it sustainably from Marula fruit trees. Only the fallen fruit is collected and, while the fruit pulp is removed for jams and juices, the oil-rich nut is then sun-dried and shelled, hand-selected and manually cold-pressed to yield a pure, rich oil free of impurities.

Marula has been clinically proven to contain 60 percent more antioxidants than Argan, plus omega fatty acids like omegas 6 and 9, making it excellent at protecting, moisturizing and rejuvenating skin.

Compared to Argan oil, which is thick, I find Marula lighter in texture and therefore less greasy when applied to the face. I notice it’s also absorbed more easily and has a pleasant citrusy aroma. I’ve taken to using it right after a shower, when my skin feels dry and tight, and it instantly soothes and makes my skin suppler. It also makes a good skin primer before applying makeup, giving my cheeks a dewy glow. Can’t wait to try a drop or two in my regular skincare as it’s supposed to boost anti-aging properties. Like Argan, you can use it on your hair and body, too, as it’s an all-around moisturizer.

It’s contained in a tinted glass bottle, but the Marula dispenser is another thing to love. When you screw the cap down it automatically draws oil into the dropper — in the exact amount to apply the next time so the oil is always kept pure and uncontaminated.

No wonder fashion magazines have christened it the “new-generation” oil.

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Marula Pure Beauty Oil is available in the beauty section of SM department store in SM Makati, SM Aura, Mall of Asia, SM Megamall and SM North EDSA.

Share your first Marula Pure Beauty Oil experience and use the hashtag #marulaph and #fastbeautyph on Facebook or Instagram, and tag @marulabeauty and @fastbeautyph to join the community.