Lisa's Cosmetics & Fragrances Warehouse Sale

The spring warehouse sale for Lisa's Cosmetics/Fragrances Inc. is only a couple of weeks away. I go to this sale every so often when I need to replenish my perfume supply—the savings are just amazing: up to 80% off!

There you'll find make-up and skin products from Elizabeth Arden, Smashbox and Red Earth Cosmetics. There's also health and beauty products from Neutrogena, Aveeno, Dove, Pantene, L'Oreal, Sunsilk, Johnson & Johnson, Olay and Jergens. As for fragrances, there are too many designers to name here, but to give you an idea of what they stock: Armani, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Escada, Givenchy, Guerlain, Lancome, Oscar de la Renta, Yves St. Laurent and so many more. My personal favourite is L'Eau d'Issey by Issey Miyake. All designer items are authentic (though watch out for the obvious lower end imitations that they sometimes sell) and they even have great gift sets.

The Lisa's Cosmetics sale is taking place at 1380 Rodick Road in Markham, Ontario from May 2 to 5, 8 to 9 and 15 to 18. Hours: Saturday 9:00am to 6:00pm; Sunday 10:00am to 6:00pm; Monday, Tuesday and Friday 10:00am to 8:00pm. Cash, credit (MasterCard & VISA) and Interac accepted.

For more information, check out lisascosmetics.com.


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Joe Fresh Mobile Beauty Box Tour

I previously announced the launch of Joe Fresh Style's make-up line and its new website here.

Now to promote the new cosmetics collection, Joe Fresh Beauty is taking to Canada's streets with their Mobile Beauty Box Tour. Visiting major cities across the country, the portable cosmetics studio will have two make-up artists on hand offering free makeovers and with them, a complimentary $5 Joe Fresh Beauty Gift Card that you can use against your next purchase from the make-up collection carried at Loblaws Superstores.

Joe Fresh Beauty has been using social networking to generate buzz—Joe Fresh Style has been advertising via Twitter and the company also created event pages on Facebook to invite consumers to sign up and attend. In the Greater Toronto Area, the Mobile Beauty Team will be hitting Yonge and Dundas Square on April 30, The St. Lawrence Market area on May 1, Queen Street West at Soho Street on May 2, and Vaughan Mills Shopping Centre on May 3.

For events around British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario, check out the Joe Fresh Mobile Beauty Box Facebook events listings.

Arch Appeal

Barely a day goes by where I don't encounter someone with either overplucked or overgrown eyebrows; both are equally unsightly—and then there's the woman at my dentist's office who brushes her eyebrow hairs straight up, trims them and sets them in place with brow gel so they take the form of a row of vertical hairs.

In any case, the London Telegraph has published an excellent guide by Shavata Singh, who has 10 eyebrow studios across Britain, on how to create perfect eyebrows. Right now, the most sought after eyebrow shape is very full or natural with an arch—think Brooke Shields circa the 1980s but more manicured. This guide is a must read, especially for my fellow recessionistas who insist on becoming experts at grooming our own brows! But if you're still wary of your brow-grooming abilities, Singh suggests having a professional shape them at first and thereafter maintaining them yourself on a daily basis.

Now Online: Joe Fresh Style Spring 2009 Campaign + Joe Fresh Beauty Site

Joe Fresh Style's Spring 2009 campaign is now available on the line's website www.joe.ca (the campaign is headed by Canadian interactive agency henderson bas, who have a very clever website of their own: theniceagency.com). You can also enter to win a $1700 Joe Fresh shopping spree. A portion of the collection has already been introduced to stores—a few weeks ago I picked up a salmon classic trench ($59), one black and one denim pair of skinny jeans ($29 each) and a french cuff pink peter-pan collar blouse ($19), both of which show great attention to detail. In the lookbook you can view details of some of the items by clicking on the white square outline that appears when you hover your cursor over an image. Check out other individual items with the Mix 'n Match Tool—I'm keeping my eyes peeled for the tan fedora ($8) and the printed soft ballet flats ($16). Sometimes the fashions at Joe can be hit or miss, but when they're a hit, they're spot on! And for a great price.

I covered the Joe Fresh Beauty collection in an earlier post. Since then, the Joe Fresh Beauty website has officially launched! Now you can browse all the products I mentioned and more in every colour online. I just can't resist Joe's Fine Liquid Eyeliner at only $6!

The site quotes creative director Joe Mimran: “The approach we’ve used with the fashion collection translates beautifully to cosmetics. We want to dress our customers from head to toe and that includes make-up. For us, it’s always about value, style and quality.” And according to Elizabeth Margles, vice president of marketing, “We want to continue to surprise and delight our customers.” Mission accomplished!

Joe Fresh Style Launches Cosmetic Line

Joe Fresh Style is Joe Mimran's most accessible line to date, bringing quality style to the masses at (almost unbelievably) affordable prices. Mimran has had his hand in fashion for decades, creating collections for trendy Club Monaco, upscale Alfred Sung and lifestyle-oriented Caban. Now Joe Fresh continues the democratization of fashion and design in their launch of a brand new cosmetics line.

The Joe Fresh brand is well positioned to withstand (as best as can be expected) the threat of sagging sales due to a global recession. Joe Fresh Beauty, however, is especially timely when one considers the "Lipstick Index". This term was coined in late 2001 by Leonard Lauder, the chairman of cosmetics giant Estée Lauder, who noted that lipstick sales in the US jumped 11% after the economy began to deteriorate following the September 11 attacks. Also, throughout the Depression cosmetic sales rose more than 20%, while lipstick was one of few unrationed indulgences during World War Two. Meanwhile, The New York Times reported in November 2008 that lipstick sales were up 40%. Lauder has said that lipstick sales are a good gauge for the economy, or an "economic indicator". Cosmetic sales tend to be inversely correlated to economic health. According to Lauder, when the market faces a downturn, sales increase as women seek to lift their spirits. After all, individual cosmetic items are relatively inexpensive when compared to other consumer items.

Joe Fresh Beauty, complete with stylish, minimalist packaging, hits Loblaw Superstores this month! The line includes eight eye products (in 61 shades), eight lip products (in 69 shades), seven face products (in 47 shades), 13 makeup brushes and 13 cosmetic accessories, including eyebrow grooming and pedicure kits. Prices range between $4 and $16—eyeliners and cheek tints cost $4, while mascara and lipsticks sell for $6. I encountered a display at the Scarborough location this past weekend and snagged a Tinted Lip Balm in "Blush" and a Lip Stain in "Peach"—they go for $8 each. I've also been eyeing the double-ended concealer, with liquid on one end and solid on the other.

NOTE (18/03/09) - According to a Senior Customer Relations Representative at Joe Fresh Style, "No hypo allergenic or non-codemogenic testing has been performed on our cosmetics." So those of you who have very sensitive skin or make-up allergies should be wary.