Posts with tag avon

We know all about James Bond's brand preferences: he wears an Omega watch, drinks Bollinger champagne and drives an Aston Martin DBS. But what of the Bond Girls? For years they've been a mystery.

Is anybody surprised to hear that another celebrity is coming out with another fragrance? No? Were not, either. But, we are curious to get a whiff, seeing as how it's Patrick Dempsey. Besides, after as much work as he put into developing it, it would just be rude not to pay attention.

Reese Witherspoon caught our eye in the ads for Avon's new Pro-to-Go lipstick. We thought, that's nice but a bit surprising to see someone so A-list shilling for Avon. Still, a single mom's gotta do what she's gotta do, right?

Then we noticed the incredibly nifty lipstick applicator and all thoughts of Reese flew out of our head. It's designed so that you can flick it open, apply, and flick it closed with just one hand. So cool!

Fashion designer Cynthia Rowley has made, and is making, her rounds in the design world. From fashion/ accessories to interior design for Target, she is now playing in the cosmetics world with Avon.

Avon's co-branded collection with Cynthia Rowley will be limited edition, with products like a brush set, lipsticks, gloss, and nail enamel. The collection will also be supported with an ad campaign which will appear in Vogue.

Avon, which was once exclusive to crazy old ladies and soccer moms, is now catering to a younger bunch with a partnership with the likes of Rowley. Apparently, it's paying off. From a press release on the collection:

"[Avon] plans to increase its media outlay this year by a significant 35%, to $340 million. Avon's total media spend last year was $249 million, up a whopping 83% from 2005. The company's creative is handled in-house, and the planned increase in advertising is intended to directly improve sales."

Go Avon! Even though the thought of a $15 brush set gives me the willies, this set is rather cute and would make an awesome gift to teens and tweens who are just starting to play with make up.

Have you ever noticed how makeup never seems to go on sale? Shoes, clothes, heck, even designer jeans will have their day on the sale rack, but your favorite shade of lipstick will probably never see the shining light of a discount. (What a shame that is because there is no better enticement to try something new than everyone's favorite four-letter-word.)

Sale shoppers take heed: Avon is having a blow-out makeup sale. Old standbys and trendy products can be had for a fraction of the regular prices. Ultra Rich lip color for $3.25; Beyond Color wet/dry concealers for $4.99; Line softening foundation mousse for $9.99. Sure sounds good (and cheap) to be an Avon-wearing lady.

Fresh off her Best Supporting Actress Academy Award win for Dreamgirls, Jennifer Hudson has a new role -- that of fragrance model.

Avon has announced that Jennifer Hudson will be the spokesperson for the Imari fragrance brand, including the newest scent, Imari Seduction. Imari Seduction is, wait for it, a fruity oriental (sigh, not another one) with notes of plum and purple orchid, vanilla, amber and musk. The new scent will go on sale in August 2007 and Hudson will be part of the new print campaign for the fragrance.

Every so often, a skin care company rolls out a huge marketing campaign to push some new *miraculous* beauty product into the bathrooms of consumers across America. In my opinion, the most visible sales-blitz at the moment would probably be Avon's new Alternative eye creme, a herbaceutical treatment that is formulated to visibly diminish dark circles in a matter of weeks. Being the sucker that I am for products that addresses my perma-dark circles, I ordered a jar of the $25 eye creme to see what the buzz was all about. When the jar arrived in the mail, I was truthfully shocked by the small amount of product they send you for 25 clams. It was a stingy portion -- without a doubt -- and had I seen it in a store, I would certainly have walked right on by.

Seeing as how I owned it, I thought I would go ahead and use it. So over the past four days I have been applying the eye creme day and night as directed, and so far, it seems to be working. Granted the change could be due to any number of causes -- hydration, more sleep, less sodium -- but I kind of want to believe that it's the eye creme. We'll see how things look at the one month mark, but for now, I'm sorry to say that I'm kind of hooked.

One thing I hate about online shopping is the way that online retails assume that if you buy from them they have the right to bombard your inbox with email promotions. The worst culprits? Amazon, Overstock.com and Avon. This morning, I found an Avon Valentine's day promotion, which I normally would have deleted, but read anyway. (Oh, advertisers, I am putty in your hands.) In the product description for their "Gifts of Romance" body collection, the cheeky copywriter dropped a word bomb on me. He/she/they described a body lotion as "floriental-scented." Presumably, this was an attempt to blend the two perfume categories of "floral" and "oriental."

Kind of makes me want to travel to the Florient...

I've been noticing for the past couple years that "for men" lines have been popping up everywhere. Where there was once only one type of face wash or one type of lotion, there now exists many different variations of essentially the same product.
At first glance, it seems that most of these products are simply a marketing ploy, used as a way to encourage more purchases, even if it is for the same soaps & salves. If it says "for men," we're more likely to buy it; you know how we can fall for advertising.

But I have to say, it's a pretty smart technique. Companies like Nivea, Clearasil, Dial and even Avon have gotten in on the "for men" phenomenon. By providing us guys with our own manly fragrances, manly packaging (see Dial's body wash that looks like an oil container), and marketing campaigns just for us, it lets us know that having good hygiene is A-okay.

And here's a few of my favorite products from various "for men" lines: energizing acne scrub from Clearasil; protective lotion from Nivea; and this hair and body wash from Avon.

Yankee-fans, prepare to swoon! Team captain Derek Jeter has just agreed to lend his primping wisdom to the people with his own line of men's grooming products. Avon cosmetics plans to launch the Jeter-line this fall with a signature scent called, "Driven". Industry estimates suggest that a Jeter-related fragrance could yield between $10 to $15 million in the first year alone. Avon plans to expand the line in 2007, with an expanded collection of Jeter-essence, including a body wash, an after-shave balm and an antiperspirant deodorant stick.

Obviously, Avon hopes that "Driven" will mimic the success of other celebrity scent-makers like Madonna, Kate Moss and David Beckham.

We've all seen the Avon ladies and been overwhelmed with the array of lotions and face creams that they bring and add to our significant other's collection. All you can do is sigh -- you know she can't say "NO!" to the saleswoman and will most likely end up taking cash from your wallet.

Today, however, is your lucky day, guys (or gals, if you're purchasing for him). Avon has introduced "Avon Men," and is proving that it's O.K. for you guys, too, to care about how your skin looks and feels. The new "for men" products can be found at avonmen.com.

Don't worry – you won't be purchasing "Bust-Sculpt Contouring Cream" or "Beautifully Protected Daily UV Moisturizer." Along with the changes in the actual products, Avon has (wisely) changed the names. You'll have "PROSport Soothing After Shave Balm" and "PROExtreme Advanced Eye Cream," which you certainly won't be afraid to showoff on your bathroom counter.