LOULOU Editors' Blog

We’re in a spring cleaning mood

Maria Barillaro — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 09:00:38 +0000

Planning on doing some spring cleaning soon? You read our minds! In fact, we already did our spring cleaning.

This past week, we gave our website a little cleanup to make your experience on our site even better. You may have noticed that our nav bar has changed a tiny bit, but don’t worry! All of your fave articles and tips are still here. We’ve changed the name of our Features sections to Fashion Gallery and Beauty Gallery but the content hasn’t changed one bit. Most of our feature articles contain lots of images for you to browse through so it just made sense to call them what they really are.

We hope we’ve made our site easier for you to navigate and that your future experiences with LOULOUmagazine.com get better and better. Have a look around the site and let us know what you think. Your feedback is important to us.

Beauty scoops of the week

Maria Barillaro — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:00:43 +0000

Looking for what’s new in beauty this week? Our pals at Cosmetics Magazine have got the juice.

Nexxus launches deep treatment conditioner

Nexxus is adding to its Humectress line this month with a hydrating deep conditioner that promises to revitalize the most damaged, dried out hair. (Click here for the full story.)

Garnier brushes up with new cleanser

Garnier Skin Renew is introducing one of the most innovative skincare concepts of the season: a facial cleanser with a built in brusher. The cleansing gel, rich in skin nutrients, is released through the brush at the top of the wand. (Click here for the full story.)

Neutrogena taps bioelectricity for a new approach to anti-aging skincare

Johnson and Johnson is leveraging years of research into skin bioelectricity with a cutting edge new skincare line called Neutrogena Clinical that arrives in store this month. The two-step regime promises to minimize the visible signs of collagen loss to restore facial definition and smooth wrinkles thanks to a multi-patented ION2Complex. (Click here for the full story.)

Barbie gets a Mad Men makeover

Liv Judd — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:23:37 +0000

Sometimes I look at children and become insanely jealous. Reason? They live in a world I only dreamed of. Cars are equipped with TVs (did anyone else spend many a boring road trip staring into the back of the front seat wishing a TV was inside?), ultra-hip designers make pint-sized clothing (btw, I wear my XXL Gap Kids grey sweater by Stella McCartney all the time!) and now Barbie is making Mad Men inspired dolls!

With hourglass figures and a killer wardrobe, it’s only fitting that Barbie is making TV’s best looking ’60s drama into Mad Men dolls–with vintage Barbie faces no less! But only four of the characters made the cut: trophy wife Betty Draper will wear a floral full-skirt dress, bombshell Joan Holloway is decked out in a figure-hugging purple sheath and brooding Don Draper and silver-haired Roger Sterling will don slim-cut suits. Each of the dolls will retail for $74.95 US and will be available at amctv.com and BarbieCollector.com this July–right in time for the beginning of Season 4. Yahoo!

So, which doll do you think will be the top-seller? My vote is Betty—just look at her poofy skirt?! It’s enchanting!

Daisy by Marc Jacobs: Limited Edition

Maria Barillaro — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:21:51 +0000

I used to be very loyal to my fragrance but in the last few months, I’ve been cheating on my original fave. I’ve been using several different ones lately and I have to say, I love changing things up. Each scent I own is different and matches with a different mood. This morning, I woke up to a beautifully sunny day and decided I wanted something feminine and summery, so I chose Daisy by Marc Jacobs.

The classic aroma is available in this limited edition bottle (isn’t it the cutest?) with blue flowers at all Pharmaprix / Shopper’s Drug Mart locations in Canada. The blue flowers read spring and the aromas of vanilla, violet leaves and gardenia smell like it, too.

I like that this fragrance is just as sophisticated as I want it to be. I like for my perfumes and my clothing and everything about me to say feminine, not girly and not matronly either. Daisy is the perfect in between.

If you’re looking for the perfect summer scent, I definitely recommend Daisy. The limited edition bottle won’t be available for long. Luckily, the original bottle is super cute, too. Shop this new fragrance right here or visit the Daisy website for more info.

Are you shopping around for a fresh new scent this year or are you loyal to one particular aroma?

Spring is coming - and we’ve got the trends

Pegah Aarabi from Scarlett Lounge — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:24:30 +0000

Spring is like a new beginning in the fashion world. Gone are the drab colours of winter and in come the brights, the skin-showing dresses and the trends that everyone loves to shop for. I get so excited that I’ll start buying spring pieces in January, as soon as they hit the stores (who doesn’t want a frilly top in the middle of winter?).

But at that time of year (and even now) it’s hard to know what the trends are and what I should be investing in. Enter Scarlett Lounge’s Spring Fashion Preview with the top five trends of spring 2010 - straight from the runways. And because I’ve had many regrets splurging on trends (leather pants at $300!) this spring preview features all items at under $50!

From Paris Hilton’s leopard trench to Naomi Campbell’s frills, I’ve fallen hard for our versions. Add some florals and the LWD, which are the fashion world’s way of making amends for the hard rocker look you’ve been wearing all winter. Keep accessories simple with layered chains that add a modern touch to any spring look.

Now if only I could get the weather to cooperate with my new look.

Photo: Shutterstock / Lana K

Check out our bio page to get to know Pegah Aarabi from Scarlett Lounge and our other LOULOU bloggers.