Consuming Beauty

Every season Essie nail polish comes up with a new color collection, and now there's a lot of pink, purple, bright red, or colors with glitters.

By EVA BEN-DAVID
nail polish 88 (photo credit: )
nail polish 88
(photo credit: )
Ordinary facial soap might not be sufficient to cleanse some pore-clogging dirt - at least according to the claims of Dermalogica, a company that markets a product called Precleanse. This cleanser is supposed to melt away oil-based debris on your skin, a necessary step since much make-up nowadays is long-lasting, or waterproof, or contains sunscreen. Precleanse is formulated with plant-based oils, and smells pleasant. You have to massage the oil into the skin, moisten it, so you get a milky substance, and then rinse it off. After this procedure, your skin is ready for its regular facial cleanser, for the second cleaning phase. All this is quite time-consuming, obviously, but if you do make the effort, your skin will feel and look super-clean. A 150 ml. bottle of Precleanse sells for NIS 226 at selected spas or beauticians (call 03 695-7869 or visit www.dermalogica.co.il). The Sabon Shel Pa'am stores carry all kinds of delicious peeling creams, body lotions, soaps, etc., packed in their trademark, old-fashioned glass containers with aluminum lids. Their night-cream, based on white tea, has a subtle but pleasant smell, and a wonderful texture that leaves the skin nourished, but is absorbed rather quickly. For once the price of the cream shouldn't be an obstacle: a 50 ml. jar is just NIS 79. You can find the white tea-based night cream in the Sabon shel Pa'am stores; also available in this series is a white tea and avocado oil based eye cream. A friend who works as a teacher got many compliments from her students while testing the oddly named new Thierry Mugler fragrance Alien. The flowery-woody fragrance with notes of amber is quite sweet, but the teacher who anyway prefers strong scents (especially on cooler days), thought it delicious. The purple bottle with gold accents that is supposed to invoke mystical designs looks a little kitschy to my eyes, although it's in keeping with the bizarre advertisements featuring an "alien" looking woman holding up a bottle of this magic potion. Alien is also available as a body lotion and deodorant. The price of a 30 ml. bottle of eau de parfum are NIS 309, or NIS 399 for a bottle that can be refilled; 60 ml. is NIS 549. The body lotion is NIS 219 for 200 ml., and Alien deodorant spray is NIS 139. Revlon's new ColorStay Soft & Smooth lipsticks do indeed have a lot of staying power, without the annoying quality of drying out your lips. The shape of the tip makes application easy, and the transparent cap enables you to see the color of the lipstick without having to open it. The price for the lipstick, NIS 89, is a little high, but on the other hand, you won't have to keep reapplying all day long. Another tea-based product, this time white, green, and red tea, is Dior's Masque Magique, a purifying radiance mask. A friend with combination skin enjoyed the gel-like texture of the facial mask, and said her skin felt fresh and soft after use, and not stinging like after some other deep-cleansing products. You can use the mask two or three times a week, leave it on for about 10 minutes, and then rinse off. The purifying radiance mask is suitable for all skin types; you pay NIS 196 for a 75 ml. tube. For skin that needs more moisturizers, you can try the Hydraction Deep Hydration Intensive mask (NIS 230). Essie is apparently a brand of nail polish that is popular in the US, even with stars like Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Oprah Winfrey, etc. Every season Essie comes up with a new color collection, and now there's a lot of pink, purple, bright red, or colors with glitters. The polish has original names such as Bikini with a Martini, Spaghetti Strap, Sand of a Beach, or even After Sex. The soft pink color called Room with a View we tried looks flattering, doesn't chip off easily and dries rather quickly. You can get Essie nail polish at selected beauticians or hair salons for NIS 60 a bottle.