"What started as a mentor relationship many years ago, has developed into something much more. I'm excited to be working with Annah in this way, she's such a successful business woman. It's a great opportunity to try something different in terms of a retail model," says Renata. (See www.phoenixcosmetics.com)
GAME ON
Show your true colours with sporting nail shades due in store this month. O.P.I suggests mixing its Black Shatter polish over the silver shade Birthday Babe, or try Silver Shatter over Black Onyx, all priced at $24.90.
GRAPHIC STATEMENT
Epsom salon Raven Haircutters has had a bold new black and white makeover, with long-time owners Deb and Tony Wilson ensuring their passion for design translates to the interior they work in. "Image is our edge; and now edginess is our image," says Deb, who handpicked many of the decorative pieces during the couple's overseas travels. But it's not just about appearance at the Manukau Rd salon; chairs at the basins are heated and vibrate gently for added comfort.
NEW AND NIFTY
Products all come with promises, so we've asked for explanations on how a couple of new ones might work.
Stains begone: Nivea claims its Roll on Invisible Black & White Deodorant ($4.99) is a first and leaves neither those annoying white marks on black clothing nor yellow stains on white garments. It passed our smear test pulling on a black dress, but as it hasn't been white T-shirt weather lately we can't vouch for how it performs over time at keeping whites from turning yellow, apparently a problem noticed by around 40 per cent of people.
Nivea's scientific adviser, Ken Lee, has made quite a study of perspiration. There are two kinds: the first is the watery temperature-control breakout you feel trickling down your brow and body in hot weather and after vigorous exercise and the second, called apocrine, comprises secretions from underarms and intimate areas caused by primal responses, including fear. The two kinds of perspiration even work their way to the skin surface differently, and when apocrine sweat exits hair follicles, odour can be an issue with bacterial interaction. That's where anti-perspirant comes in handy, but it uses aluminium salts as a common active ingredient and these salts can cause white marks on black clothing when they are not uniformly dispersed in the formulation. Lee says by masking the salts with an oil so that it remains in solution products can be engineered so white marks can be avoided.
Dealing with yellow marks on white clothes is trickier. These are caused by a mixture of apocrine sweat and aluminium salts which gradually adheres to fabric, especially cotton.
The residue is hard to shift, particularly with cold water washing, and over time cotton fibres harden and yellow, which we see as yellow stains, usually resulting in the junking of the offending garment. Lee says that after working with textile experts, Nivea has incorporated an ingredient into its deodorant in both roll-on and aerosol versions to deter the residues from adhering to fabric. The ammonium compound already in use in other applications such as hair straightening and fabric conditioning, is Nivea's now not so "secret" fix for textiles. Letting your deodorant dry before dressing is also recommended as a safeguard against staining.
