REINVENTING A CLASSIC
When Amy Adams told Matrix celebrity hairstylist Mark Townsend that she wanted to wear a classic 1930s hairstyle to the Academy Awards, he took his cue from the looks worn by actress Tilda Swinton in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. "I loved the idea of structure and softness in her Carolina Herrera dress and wanted to copy that in the hair," says Townsend, who took some Biolage Molding Soufflé in his hands and raked it through her hair with his fingers. The result: a modern version of a classic Hollywood hairstyle. —M.D.
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LIGHT THE WAY
Aveda is introducing a limited-edition soy wax candle sold during the month of April in honor of Earth Month to raise funds and awareness for clean water rights across the globe. Timed to coincide with Aveda's 30th anniversary, the candle features a new, French-inspired stress-relieving aroma containing certified-organic ingredients, including lavender, lavandin and clary sage. aveda.com —M.D.
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Eco-Awesome
TIGI makes a hip entrance onto the "green" scene with its launch of Love Peace & The Planet, a new line that allows clients and stylists to bring about a small change that will make a big difference in how they look and how they live. The six-product assortment, whose formulations feature natural and organic ingredients, includes Freak of Nature Lavender Citrus Eucalyptus Volumizer & Thickener. tigihaircare.com —K.D.
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Essie Lacquered Up is new for spring
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Secret Agents
For 13 years, Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare has been one of Britain's best-kept secrets. Now that the company has launched its line stateside, the cat's out of the bag. Beauty devotees can't get enough of the botanical skincare range that's loaded with good-for-your-skin ingredients like rosemary, chamomile, hops, pomegranate, echinacea, cranberry and cocoa butter. All 36 products yield outstanding results. lizearle.com —K.D.
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The Gamma & Bross Sensual chair is part of the Nutopia collection by Karim Rashid. gammabross.com
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Strongest Link
The Q-Link Silver Pebble Pendant necklace naturally enhances the body's energetic system. Powered by Sympathetic Resonance Technology (SRT), which is a process of infusing products with frequency-specific patterns of energy or geometries found in nature and living organisms, this waterproof necklace can help increase energy and enhance mental and physical performance. q-linkproducts.com —N.P.
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Hooked on Classics
Lisa Vann of Bass-Etherea Salon/Spa in Seattle loves to reinvent the classics for her African-American clients. Take this chignon. The twist is that it's worn on top of the head, not at the nape. Vann's advice: Don't get caught up in the idea that the hair should be too polished. "A messy, textured chignon is the way to go because it's easy for clients to duplicate themselves at home," says Vann, who used Aveda Brilliant Medium Hold Hairspray to crimp the hair and Brilliant Spray-On Shine to finish. —M.D.
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CERTIFIABLY SMOOTH
Luxury skincare brand Compagnie de Provence Marseille combined its signature sophisticated design with ecological awareness to create the "bio-chic" BIO Organics line. All products in the collection are certified by Ecocert, the European certification for organically grown products. The Organic Verbena Body Lotion, shown here, is formulated with the moisturizing and softening properties of verbena floral water and essential oil, organic olive oil, organic shea butter and vitamin E. lcdpmarseille-usa.com —L.M.
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SCENTS AND SENSIBILITY
The eco-conscious fragrance line STRANGE INVISIBLE PERFUMES is the brainchild of botanical loyalist and scent provocateur Alexandra Balahoutis, who found inspiration for the business' unique name in a line straight out of William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra—"From the barge, a strange invisible perfume hits the sense of the adjacent wharfs." Balahoutis, who takes a natural approach to perfumery using pure, aromatic plants grown in natural light, organic essences and hydro-distillation rather than chemical extraction methods, has just released the Spring Trio, featuring Urban Lily, Aquarian Roses and Epic Gardenia. siperfumes.com —K.D.
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Natural Aroma
Hillhouse Naturals' eco-friendly Natural Living collection is produced via wind power. The collection includes a clean-burning soy wax candle in a concrete container, a bamboo reed diffuser and potpourri made from unique cones, pieces of driftwood and seedpods—all dried botanicals that might otherwise be discarded as waste material. The products feature a soothing fragrance that blends essential oils of orange, rosemary, patchouli and ylang ylang. hillhousenaturals.com —L.M.
The soy wax candle's concrete container can be reused as a planter long after the wax is gone.
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WHAT'S ON YOUR IPOD?
We asked Paul Mitchell celebrity stylist Ira Sage, who works at A Robert Cromeans Salon at Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, what he's been listening to.
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"Imagine" by John Lennon. "Imagine, even in the salon industry, if we could all get along better and focus more energy into working together to further elevate the public's perception of our industry."
"Patience" by Guns N' Roses. "If we all had more patience, we would be healthier-minded people. And I love the whistling!"