Easy Reading: Korres Gets Honest On Their Labels

Labeling apparently stopped being easy after high school.

At least it can feel that way when you're attempting to read a package that looks like it should come with its own Rosetta Stone. Particularly with beauty products, it's important to know what you're putting on your skin (round of applause for your largest organ!).

Korres, a beauty brand already dedicated to natural ingredients, has had enough with science-fiction writing on packaging. They've redone their labels in language anyone can read - and at a glance, too.

See their new label here? Easy, plain and simple.

Korres rewrote their labels after realizing that most consumers face an overload of information as it is - and it doesn't get easier with natural ingredient-based cosmetics.

For a brand that creates products using active herbal ingredients they way nature intended them to be used, it's especially important to Korres that their shoppers know exactly what they're getting - and what they're not getting.

Note the honesty, too - 85.1% natural for this particular example (their entire range of more than 400 products are between 80 - 99% natural). That means with some savvy label-scanning, you can personalize your Korres product pick right down to the degree of organic contents, scented or unscented, whether or not it contains animal by-products (for example, the yoghurt in the insanely bestselling Yoghurt Cooling Gel is getting a "Yes" mark here) - you get the idea.

Impress yourself by picking up and actually reading - no chemistry degree required! - the new labels on Korres products at Sephora stores and on Sephora online.

Next up: Easy to read labels stuck on the back of your boyfriend's t-shirt! Ha! If only.....

A Green Girl's Green Picks At Sephora

I'm what you might call Peeping Thomasina.

I never miss a chance to peek inside another girl's makeup bag, or sneak a look at the contents of another shopper's basket. It's the same reason I'm addicted to blogs and customer reviews: I love seeing what everyone else is buying, trying, and wearing.

So of course I'm all eyes when I see that The Green Makeup Artist took a trip to Sephora recently in search of sweet green treats for her face (phew! say that one three times real fast!).

Wanna know what makes a green gal swoon?

Tarte
Picks like Glam Gams Leg Bronzing Stick and Cheek Stain became GMA's new favs.

Why Tarte? Tarte's makeup motto is "Health Couture,"and their beauty products are stuffed with natural ingredients, vitamins, and anything wholesome. Makes this a very pretty pick.
Get to know Tarte


Bare Escentuals
Okay, this one is totally cheating. Everyone who tries BE loves BE (hello cult favorite!). But the big standout was one of their newer dusters: The Geniune Jade Beauty Duo. With jade!

Bare Escentuals fans flock to it for what's not in those cute little compacts: Preservatives, dyes, talc, fragrances, chemicals, irritants...you get the idea.
Get to know Bare Escentuals

Go green (in the makeup bag) with more of Sephora's Natural + Organic picks.

CEW Awards: Who Made the '08 Hot List?

Big day for beauty today! The 2008 CEW beauty awards just wrapped up at The Waldorf-Astoria; an annual event that honors beauty's best-of-the-best, picked from 600+ products, with 1300+ beauty professionals attending! The fabulous Mario Cantone hosted, brand reps gave lovely thank-you speeches, and we learned some interesanto stats about just how important beauty is in our lives. Like ... there are more spa than Starbacks in the U.S. ... and as the unemployment rate skyrockets, so do lipstick sales (discuss!) ... and apparently if you stack all the lipsticks sold world-wide since '03, it would out-stretch three Empire State buildings!?) No problemo if you missed our live, Twitter-happy text updates, though. You can check out the big winners here, and while you're at it, give a shout out to Sephora's pretty prize-winners below. Congrats to all the winners! -- Jessica Anderson

Bare Escentuals RareMinerals
Philosophy The Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash
Shiseido Bio-Performance Intensive Skin Corrective Program
Dior Diorshow Blackout Mascara
Fekkai Coiff Control Ironless Straightening Balm
Clinique Skin Supplies For Men M Cover
Marc Jacobs Daisy

Tip Trick: Making Natural Cosmetics Last

You sprang for a jar of pure organic face cream that makes you glow just reading its au naturale list of ingredients. Better start slathering, though: once opened, organic products have a short n’ sweet shelf life. Like, weeks.

Want to make it last longer? Keep it in the fridge. Yes, really.

This is courtesy of the The Beauty Brains which points out many of the boo! things about going organic in the makeup cabinet. For example, products often cost more to make, and (this is a shocker), many of Mother Nature’s own ingredients aren’t actually approved for mass consumption. Step on it, FDA!

Keep those potions in the fridge, though, and you’re stretching the life of your cosmetic goodies.

Yes, it’s weird to march into the kitchen every morning to put on your face. And your roommate is going to ask you 47 times, “Why is there face cream next to my Easy Cheese?” before getting used to it.

But treat your natural products the way you would any other organic product. After all, as The Beauty Brains points out, “You wouldn’t eat fish you left on the counter overnight, so don’t use unrefrigerated natural cosmetics, either.”

Lovely visual, isn’t it?

Gonna Party Like It’s 1992

The style report on trendcentral has declared a new trend: The 90s are back.

Phat!

This is major news for all the girls (mememe!) who spent 1994 in baggy “boyfriend” jeans, refused to pluck bushy eyebrows, and lived in Clinique’s Rum Raisin lipstick. And, of course, never left home without a scrunchie....

The article points to some very specific 90s trends, but I’m taking this a step deeper: I’m going to tell you which modern makeup match will let you relive the 90s - without actually having to grow out your brows:

Totally 90's: Flower Prints
To Donna Martin, Brenda Walsh, Kelly Taylor, and the entire collection of hats that appeared in every episode of Blossom, we salute you.

Modern Match: Cargo’s PlantLove™ Botanical Lipstick
The packaging isn’t the only thing infused with flowers (literally! Plant the box and sprout a fleur-ty bouquet). These hothouse hues are crafted with Cargo’s own natural Orchid Complex.

Totally 90's: Color Changing Fabric
The best part about wearing those Hypercolor tank tops was letting the hot boy in Homeroom leave his heated handprint on your back.

Modern Match: Smashbox’s O-Gloss
This intuitive lip gloss is nothing like the mood lipsticks of 1991 (why did they always turn hot pink?). Thanks to the marvels of modern chemistry, this gloss actually reacts to your individual skin chemistry for the right rosy flush that’s perfect on you.

Totally 90's: Manic Panic Hair Dye
What Mother Nature herself didn’t produce, Manic Panic took care of in shades like Electric Banana, Atomic Turquoise, and Vampire Red.

Modern Match: Make Up For Ever’s Flash Color
The names are a bit more subtle (gentle-sounding Gold, Violet, and Wine), but the colors certainly aren’t. These high-watt shadows stay bold and stay put all day. ROY G BIV couldn’t have done a better job.

Photo credit: Novelty-t-shirts.net

Chemical Word Processing

Tuesday was Earth Day (we love you Mother E!). I celebrated on public transportation, eating cupcakes (vegan!), and vowing to become a better label-reader. And those synthetic ingredients lurking in my makeup bag are on official notice. You heard me, monoethanolamine!

Still, labels can be a tricky biz - and that’s not just me. According to Barbara Close, author of “Pure Skin, Organic Beauty” even natural ingredients can have freaky-sounding names.  Would you be surprised to learn these three ingredients are actually natural?

Superoxide dismutase (SOD): This natural liposome helps phospholipids and vitamins better penetrate the lower levels of skin. Find it in: MD Skincare Intense Hydra Mask

Ascorbic palmitate: The fat-soluble (as in, easier to absorb) version of antioxidant vitamin C. Find it in: Peter Thomas Roth Mega Rich Intensive Anti-Aging Cellular Eye Creme

Lecithin: Skin-protector derived from soybeans, used as an emulsifier and surfactant.
Find it in: Korres Rice & Olive Oil Compact Powder

Ok, that’s enough for now. My brain hurts.

Side note: The FDA doesn’t regulate use of the word “Natural” (boo!). Fortunately, Sephora launched a Natural + Organic initiative to help combat sketchy labeling (yay!). And if you liked today’s little lesson, check out our Natural Glossary.

- Jenny Muller

Tarte's Natural Transformation

We've got five more reasons to heart Tarte: The super-fruits in their exclusive t5 super fruit complex™, açai, acerola, goji berry, maracuja, and pomegranate. Together, the antioxidant-rich extracts fight free radicals, promote cell regeneration, restore clarity, combat the signs of aging, reduce inflammation and redness, and soften skin. (Hello, amazing-ness!) If you haven't noticed already, Tarte has joined the natural beauty movement in a big and beauty-full way. “We’ve always had healthy natural ingredients in our formulas," says Tarte's founder and CEO, Maureen Kelly. "Now we’re taking it to the next level by creating our own t5 super fruit complex™. We’re also continuing to make sure that none of our products have phthalates, sulfates, or mineral oil.” They're scoring even more beauty brownie points by making contributions to Sambazon's Sustainable Açai Project for every purchase made of a t5-infused product. (This includes their Natural Swirl Cheek Stain and Double Dose gloss.) Their donations help preserve the Amazon Rainforest and improve living conditions and educational opportunities for communities in Brazil. (More amazing-ness!) Additional t5 treats are coming for summer, including a Lips Ahoy lipgloss set, gardenia-scented Glam Gams bronzing leg stick, and Enbrightenmint, a double-ended wand with lip gloss on one side and BriteSmile® teeth whitener on the other. High t-five, Tarte! —Mari Tzikas

Lena Korres at Sephora!

Our favorite Greek skincare goddess was stateside last week, promoting Korres' new color line! Lena Korres (left) stopped by Sephora Times Square and Sephora Soho, where her team was giving free color consultations, amidst the DJ rocking out and balloons floating everywhere ... party, party! It's honestly tough to pick the best products out of this color line; they're all impressive. The moisturizing, tinted lip butters, and cedar wood eyeliner pencils, and water-based liquid foundation ... sigh. (Fun fact: The Korres girls made that makeup box, pictured, out of a box they bought at a Soho art store. Clever!) The new Korres Discovery Kit was quite the buzz too—a limited-edition 6-piece set with Korres Deep Colour Mascara, Cherry Lip Gloss, Shimmering Eye Shadow in Sheer Gold, and Soft Eyeliner Pencils, all in a reusable makeup bag. One of the Korres artists, Kerri, taught us a cool trick: Use the Eye Shadow in 22S Orange as a bronzer/illuminater on your cheekbones, not just on the eyes. It really works. A baby bronzer! And, since we caught Ms. Korres on the first day of spring, it had to be asked: What are her can't-live-without products for spring? The Yogurt Mask and Yoghurt Cooling Gel, she said, which are both uber-hydrating and soothing on winter-worn skin. "They're both great for skin that's dry and dehydrated this time of year. Very moisturizing!" Next up for Korres: A brand-spankin'-new store in Brooklyn Heights, opening soon. We'll keep you posted! —Jessica Anderson

Alterna-SPF: Peter Thomas Roth Mineral SPF

A beauty betcha-didn't-know: UVA and UVB protection doesn't have to come in the form of a lotion or spray. In the case in of PTR's new Instant Mineral SPF 30, it comes by way of a silky smooth, finely milled mineral powder. Ya heard right! This ingenious brush-on powder serves up immediate, any-time UVA/UVB sun protection—plus helpings of willow bark extract, vitamins A, C, and E. (Peter, Peter, sunburn defeater...)

I took it for a test drive in the park the other weekend. Not only did it keep my skin from getting singed, it also provided a welcome matte finish when I started to "glow." What's even more SPF-eriffic is that this portable product can be applied over makeup, as opposed to liquid versions that will smear and melt it. Accordingly, we're inaugurating this innovation into our day-bag must haves. Trust us, this block is no crock.

Common Natural Beauty Q's, Answered

Got more q's about natural beauty? Leave a comment.

NATURAL BEAUTY, DEFINED

Today we launched our new Natural + Organic initiative, for which we defined exactly what natural means to Sephora. As you probably know, the term "Natural" is not regulated by the FDA (meaning any beauty product can use that term, no matter what it contains!), so we formed an internal committee that worked hard to set our own Natural standards.

And here are the results: Our Natural products contain fewer to no parabens, petrochemicals, phalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, and synthetic fragrances and dyes (For definitions, visit our Natural Glossary). Most contain high concentrations of some or all of the following: Antioxidants, botanicals, essential oils, fruit extracts, minerals, and vitamins. Meet our Natural brands: Boscia, Carol's Daughter, Caudalie, Decleor, Korres Natural Products, L'Occitane, LaVanila, Ojon, Ole Henricksen, Phyto, REN, Rene Furterer, Skyn Iceland.

The term "Organic" refers to the way agricultural products are grown and processed. Organic ingredients are grown free of pesticides, herbicides and insecticides and their production must be certified as organic by an independent organization (like the USDA, BDIH, EcoCert, or the Soil Association) to claim this on their labels. In the US, The USDA's National Organic Program (NOP) regulates organic ingredients used for personal care products. There are four levels of USDA Organic certification, based on percentage of organic ingredients. At Sephora, the products in our organic section must contain 70-100% organic ingredients, and/or be certified by one of the organizations mentioned above. Meet our Organic Brands: Juice Beauty, CARE by Stella McCartney, Nvey Eco. 

Keep in mind that this is what Natural means at Sephora only. Until there are definitive international standards formed to govern this term, we can't vouch that it means the same elsewhere. In the meantime--read your ingredient labels! They are the best indication of whether a product is natural or not.

P.S. On Sephora.com, you'll find a selection of purely pretty mineral makeup (made without preservatives) from Bare Escentuals, Urban Decay, Laura Mercier, Tarte, Sephora Brand, Philosophy, Amazing Cosmetics, The Balm, Cover FX, Hourglass, Laura Geller. EDITOR NOTE: Only the mineral makeup offerings from these brands are in our Natural Section on Sephora.com. We are currently still defining our Natural selection for color cosmetics.

SEE ALL OUR NATURAL BEAUTY COVERAGE, HERE > 

Vegetarian & Vegan Makeup: Team Members

I’ve been a strict vegetarian for about half of my lifetime. In fact, I’ve called myself a vegan for the bulk of that time. And in addition to eschewing veal, Gouda, honey and everything else that’s not on the team, I’ve been on a strict leather and suede diet. I also do my best to avoid any products and companies that are anti-animal. But admittedly one place I fall short on the label patrol is with color. I mean I guess I’ve always known that some makeup formulations are concocted with animal by-products like honey, lard and egg, but it wasn’t until I was reading Fashionista the other day that the shock and awe of it all came flooding back. Those smart gals mentioned Urban Decay’s commitment to making vegan products—a purple paw icon indicates which are 100% animal-free. And the post got me thinking about some other makeup brands that as my veg. pal Joyful Girl would say “are on the team.” Hard Candy follows its sister co.’s lead and uses a pink heart instead of a paw. And a Sephora’s Beauty and the Blog top pick theBalm to the Rescue is another one that takes the dairy-free cake. The majority of Cargo’s coolio Plant Love lipsticks are on the team, but you’ve got to check the ingredient lists. The same goes for Smashbox. Got any to add to the team?
- Jenna Mahoney

Tote-ally Trendy Stella

Confession: I used to raise an eyebrow at the types to trek around town with earthy satchels ... now? I officially want to join the ranks. It's trendy! Stella McCartney has designed an adorable, 100% organic cotton tote just for Sephora, filled with a full-size CARE By Stella McCartney 5 Benefits Moisturizing Cream and Stella EDP Roll-On. Its extremely limited edition—Sephora US has the worldwide exclusive, and once it sells out, thaaaaz it—so don't drag your feet on getting yours online. At $90, with a $180 value, it certainly outscores your other designer duds ... not to mention, everyone and their mamma's going natural. Why miss that boat? —Jessica Anderson, Sephora

Show Me The Monoi

Slushy sidewalks, biting winds, gray skies ... can we at least get a healthy glow in this hoo-hum season? Turns out, there's a new glow-getting oil making a name for itself as of late: Monoi de Tahiti Oil. The product of a native Tahitian flower (Tiare) soaked in coconut oil—to infuse the flower's fragrance—it's a deeply hydrating, natural elixir that gives skin a moisturized glow. NARS Monoi Body Glow and Body Glow II Set mixes vanilla essence and chocolate shimmer in for extra-lush glistening, and Korres' new Monoi Bronzing Powder (May '08) enlists the nourishing oil to give your cheekbones sun-kissed, moisturized color. My wallet definitely isn't foreshadowing any weekend jaunts to Tahiti this spring ... so, hey, the next best thing. —Jessica Anderson, Sephora

Cade's New Year's Resolutions

Our boy blogger Cade says ... So my first year spending the holidays in San Francisco was wonderful—and so were the many parties. I’m worn out! I haven’t worked out in two weeks and I feel it. I tend to eat decently well, and living in this city, I walk a lot. So, health-wise, I’m not too bad, but there’s always room for improvement. Health comes from within, but when I slack, it shows. I get dark circles under my eyes first, and look like a zombie for a week afterwards—I know, dead sexy. Well, in addition to getting my lazy bum back to the gym after the holiday break, I have a game plan. For 2008, I resolve to 1) do a detox/body cleanse, then to get back in my gym habit regularly again. I kinda miss my cardio, weightlifting, and especially my yoga. 2) Next, to revive my dead sexy eyes and face back to normal, I found something I’m going to try. It’s a 5 day detox for my face by Skyn Iceland. It’s short and sweet—perfect for this guy’s style. 3) Lastly, I resolve to organize all of my digital photos that I’ve got in my camera... finally, but that’s another story. — Cade Peterson, Sephora

Natural Beauty, Decoded

2008's already infamous mantra? Go green, go green, go green. Personally, I've been taking iiiitty-bitty baby steps into the whole "natural" craze—natural lip gloss here, dish soap there—mainly because the technicalities of it are mind-boggling! The FDA doesn't define what makes a product "natural" per se, so it's tough to really know what's what with all this earthy business. Sooo, thankfully, Sephora's broken it down for us: "Natural" refers to products that use mainly plant-based and naturally-based ingredients, made without parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate, phthalates, petrochemicals, and synthetic fragrances or dyes. This spring, there's a whole slew of natural products to get your tree-hugging little hands on. Korres' new line of moisturizers, lip butters, eye pencils, and mascaras ... Tarte's new t5 antioxidant-packed lip gloss ... LaVanila's Coconut fragrance and body butter ... even a 100% natural tote by Care By Stella McCartney. So, here's to revving up those cautious baby steps this year! —Jessica Anderson, Sephora

Feel The Biorhythm

Our boy blogger Cade says ...
We all know stress can take a toll on how we look. About two weeks ago, I began feeling tired and worn out for no reason, physically and mentally, and couldn't for the life of me figure out why. It progressively got worse, and showed; my skin began to dull and totally reflected my whole sense of being. My mom sent me out a warning email to check my biorhythms! All my lines were crashing during a period of several days. This alignment of all of them being down isn't common, but it was right on. I don't know if you believe this, but it's generally on target for me (thanks, Mom!). How'd I deal with it? I took extra care staying calm and relaxed, making sure I drove extra safely on my scooter, ate and slept better, as I should anyway. As for my skin, I discovered an interesting spray that sounded right for my current situation-an uplifting face tonic spray. I decided on with Ole Henricksen's Africa Red Tea Face Mist because I love tea. Anyway, this really seemed to improve my spirits and my skin tone. So if you're ever feeling the doldrums and don't know why, check your biorhythms (any biorhythm calculator online will do) and consider an uplifting boost. —Cade Peterson, Sephora

Green Is The New Pink

America is going green—especially in beauty, with lines like bareMinerals, Juice Beauty, Korres, and Stella’s CARE—so I jumped on board as a designer recently. I participated in "green" design event; a showcase of dresses and objets d'art made of pre-printed materials and other things that would normally hit the dumpster. It's pretty much dresses made out of would-be wasted paper. Everything possible was recyclable or compost-able, including the cutlery, plates, cups, etc.— and this dress made out of coasters, which I designed with my brilliant friend Jennifer. (Yes, the kind you enjoy a pint with. Isn't it amazing what a few blue coasters can do?). It may not be possible to go entirely natural yet, at least in America, but times are changing. Expect to start seeing more green—everywhere from our produce stands to cosmetic counters. — Cade Peterson, Sephora

Justifying My Next Fix ... I Mean, Cup

My name is Cade ... Hi Cade …and I’m a tea junkie. I admit it. I love tea. I love coffee too, but it’s the leafy stuff in hot water that I go for. I’m an equal opportunity tea lover too—I love black, green, white, red (it’s a tea, too, don’t argue with me!), oolong, and all the flavor combinations that exist. I must have picked it up from my mom because she always drank tea in the mornings and throughout her school days as a teacher. Anyway, though teas are healthy for us because they contain antioxidants, some new and exciting information may change the way we protect our skin. This is especially cool because, while it may block lots of UV rays from getting to our skin, it does something other sunscreen products don't—naturally heals damage already sustained. This is especially good if you like natural or organic lines like CARE By Stella McCartney or Dr Hauschka’s Skin Care. These two lines do not have SPF ingredients in them, because they refuse to include chemicals to provide this protection. I believe we should be able to have it all—maybe soon we will. Now only if they could make honey a sunscreen ... —Cade Peterson, Sephora

SPF of The Future

Sun Protection Factor? Soo 5 years ago. According to an article in this month's Allure, the newest SPF is actually an EPF—an Environmental Protection Factor—that measures how well an antioxidant defends us from pollution and sun damage. For instance, Vitamin E (that’s in so many of our much-loved products) ranked 80 out of a possible 100 points. That's great news! Other antioxidants rated in the study—conducted by dermatologists and chemists—included kinetin, Vitamin C, Coenzyme Q10 and Idebenone, which all were proven to have EPFs. In fact, Idebenone had a rating of 95, and it's available in one of our own products: Prevage's Anti-Aging Treatment. Look for EPF ratings on other product labels in the near future. —Brianne Rieck, Sephora

Would you be interested in a product offering EPFs, rather than just offered SPF?