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Very rarely is the New York Times straight-up comedy, but today's story, "Let's Play Buzzword: Defining Phrases Used in Skin Care Advertising" is so friggin funny. Cosmetics companies sell creams with words like "advanced" "microlift" "nourishing" "bio-stimulating" and "revitalizing," but what do they mean? Does anyone know? Times writer Natasha Singer visited a Manhattan salon and asked some women for their definitions, then compared their translations of the mumbo-jumbo with official explanations from the cosmetics companies. More »
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According to a story in the Los Angeles Times, the Mary Kay cosmetic company — known for its eponymous blonde Texas founder and pink Cadillacs — has more and more Spanish-speaking women in its sales force. As writer Molly Hennessy-Fiske points out, getting a foot in the door at the beauty business doesn't require a high school diploma, or even that the salesperson speak English, making it appealing to California's immigrant population. Women like 60-year-old Altagracia Valdez work long hours selling makeup, often trying to convince women who do not have cash to spare. Valdez often deals with this by recruiting the women onto the sales force. Explains Valdez's boss, Sandra Chamorro, a single mother and immigrant from Nicaragua: "Sometimes a woman can have an empty stomach, but she has to have lipstick." More »
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In the "Thursday Styles" section of today's New York Times, we learn that vanity and sadism go hand in hand — and know no limits! Beth Landman writes about aestheticians who are not just brutally honest — they are straight up mean. And the rich ladies who rely on them just love it! Isabel Dassinger, 50, sees Julie Lindh at NYC's Townhouse Spa. Ms. Lindh recently told Ms. Dassinger: "If you don't stay out of the sun and use the products I suggest, you will have saggy skin, jowls, and look like someone's grandmother in a couple of years." Ms. Dassinger was shocked at first but says, "You get used to it. Julie gets away with talking to people like that because she makes your skin look amazing." More »
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