Friday, November 29, 2013

Biotherm Taps Leighton Meester as Ambassador

L'Oréal has chosen Leighton Meester as the latest brand ambassador for its luxury skin care brand Biotherm, Women's Wear Daily reports. 

Unlike her fellow "Gossip Girl" star Blake Lively, who has appeared in campaigns for a number of fashion labels and luxury brands, Meester has only occasionally taken up the mantle of brand ambassador, most notably for Missoni and Vera Wang in 2011.

Starting in early 2014, however, Meester will lend her flawless complexion to campaigns for the L'Oréal-owned skin care brand Biotherm, and particularly for the Aquasource line.

The young actress has also recently partnered with Naf Naf, posing in the French apparel brand's Fall/Winter 2013-2014 campaigns.

Music: Flume "Sleepless"

Listen to Sleepless feat. Jezzabell Doran by Flume.

FOREO: Beauty Beyond Cosmetics

FOREO is revolutionizing Skincare!

FOREO's significance surpasses the cosmetic - by treating the body as an organic, interconnect whole, caring for the skin becomes a new style of living that spans health, confidence and total well-being. Informed by the latest dermatological and cosmetic research FOREO's results-oriented solutions bring tangible, lasting enhancements to the skin's beauty.

The LUNA range offers revolutionary T-Sonic facial-cleansing systems tailored to every women's unique needs. 

LUNA Mini
A compact T-Sonic facial cleansing brush suitable for all skin types, the LUNA mini features 2 different speeds, is travel-friendly and is available in 5 unique colors.
The Luna incorporates an 8-speed T-Sonic cleansing system with an innovative Anti-Aging Mode. Three different models are available to specific skin types.
Luna, $199

LUNA Luxe
The ultimate fusion of skincare and luxury, the LUNA GOLD combines a unique 4-zone brush with sophistication dual T-Sonic technology and a stunning 20K gold base. 
Luna Luxe, $6,500 - $8,800

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Five Things You (And Retailers) Might Not Know About This Black Friday Weekend

Alert the media! There will be big deals this Black Friday weekend! Retailers will duke it out for share of consumers’ wallets and one up one another with giant door busters!
Duh.

Every holiday season, we reporter folk spin an all-too familiar tale, churning out breathless stories about how big the promotions will be this holiday season at the nation’s stores — as though it were some sort of revelation.
The breathlessness heightened when the economy fell to its knees in 2008. But the reality is, we’ve settled into a new, hyper-deal-seeking normal after the worst downturn since the Great Depression – so big retail promotions are even less newsworthy than they ever were.
But having said that, here are a few tidbits/predictions – from the rise of “webrooming” to the advent of “digital moms” – that you and the retail sector might not necessarily be so alert to this coming Black Friday weekend.
Let the games begin.
Step Aside, Showrooming: ‘Webrooming’ Is The Next Big Thing
Showrooming?  When consumers browse brick-and-mortar stores for an item, only to buy it online later for less? That’s so 2012.
More consumers will be webrooming than showrooming this holiday season, according to ForeSee, which helps retailers measure the customer experience.
Research from ForeSee conducted during the 2012 holiday season found that 49% of store purchasers prefer to research online before purchasing in store, compared to 15% who prefer to research and purchase in store.
“Today’s multidevice consumers increasingly desire and expect a seamless experience across channels – so they can interact with a brand in one channel, and pick up right where they left off, in another,” Larry Freed, CEO of ForeSee, told Forbes.com.
“Consumers view their experiences with a company as just that – an experience with a company, not with individual channels. By embracing webrooming – where consumers do research online, and then make a purchase in stores – retailers have an opportunity to provide a consistent, cohesive experience that drives loyalty,” he said.
“To that end, look for forward-looking brands to make it easy this holiday season for customers to do things like make wish lists and reserve items online, and then pick up those items in stores.”
Best Buy BBY -0.18%, for one, is banking on showrooming to lead to a webrooming windfall for the consumer electronics chain this holiday selling season.
The retailer’s holiday campaign, dubbed, “Your Ultimate Holiday Showroom,” cheekily invites shoppers to engage in the practice, and in theory, then make a purchase in the store.
According to a study of 50 major retailers by email marketing firm Yesmail, the best day for social media engagement for Black Friday deals is today, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.
“Yet it was the fourth-most popular day of Thanksgiving week to deploy campaigns in 2012, accounting for only 14% of brands’ Black Friday Facebook posts and tweets,” the report said. “The data suggests marketers are missing an opportunity to boost sales during a slow holiday season.”
Cash (Not Plastic) Is King This Holiday Weekend
Across income levels, shoppers plan to use credit cards less to pay for their gift purchases during the weekend shopping spree, according to a consumer survey conducted by ITG Investment Research.
“No one, it seems, is really set on borrowing against future earnings to finance holiday gifts,” said Steve Blitz, director and chief economist of ITG, in the report.
“Among those earning $35,000 to $50,000 per year, 43% plan to use credit cards less and only 9% say ‘more.’ Even jumping to the $75,000 to $100,000 income bracket, 32% say ‘less,’ and only 8% say ‘more.’”
Black Friday Camping Out: A Dying Tradition
Traditional Black Friday shopping expeditions – camping outside stores overnight to be the first to nab deals when the doors swing open — is becoming passé.
While 53% of shoppers still plan to shop in stores this weekend, that number has dropped 10% from 63 percent last year, according to a Deloitte survey.
“Black Friday is changing – gone are the days when consumers line up in front of stores,” echoed a press release from Simon-Kucher & Partners LLC. 
This year the camping out tradition will weaken further, as more of the nation’s biggest chains – from Wal-Mart and Target TGT +1.11% to Macy’s and Best Buy — open their doors on Thanksgiving Day, according to Simon-Kucher.
A Digital Black Friday For Mom, The Biggest Holiday Spender
It turns out Moms are the biggest holiday spenders, and many of this digital-savvy bunch will be shopping online.
A whopping 71% of moms account for 75% or more of all gift purchases this holiday season, and nearly one third of the 1,000 Moms surveyed by Adroit Digital said they would skip the in-store crowds, opting to do 60% or more of their shopping online.
“This creates a unique opportunity for retailers to engage with them on desktops and mobile devices,” said Adroit’s holiday trend report.
Government Shutdown Had No Real Impact On Consumer Sentiment
Retailers and industry watchers alike warned that the government shutdown last month would cast a pall over consumer spending for the holiday season. They were mostly wrong, according to a Deloitte survey.
Indeed most consumers surveyed (80%) said their spending has not been negatively impacted by the government shutdown, the report said.

Clare Vivier Designs Laptop Cases for Apple

Clare Vivier is teaming with Apple to create an exclusive line of Macbook laptop cases. Available in three sizes, 11”, 13” and 15” Macbook Pro, the project hails back to Vivier’s early days as a designer. “I started my line with a laptop case way back when, and then I got a call from Apple,” she said. “It kind of came full circle.” Apple first approached Vivier almost two years ago with the collaboration proposal, which has been in development since. As part of the process, the designer was able to live out any Mac-obsessed fanatic’s dream: lunch at Apple headquarters. “It was just the most amazing food,” said Vivier of the Cupertino, Calif.-based compound. “It was everything you think Apple campus is going to be. It’s really beautiful.” The cases are available in three offerings: a cobalt leather, gray nubuck with red stripe detailing and black basketweave leather, and will be sold in select Apple stores beginning November 19th. 
Prices start at $199.95.

Designer Drugs By Steve Kraitt

This colorful beauty campaign creatively captures the concept of addiction that some people have with luxury brands and what they represent: the insatiable desire for recognition and social status.


According to Steve, a good photograph is like a good joke: if you have to explain it, it just isn’t that good.

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Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Mentally Strong People: The 13 Things They Avoid

For all the time executives spend concerned about physical strength and health, when it comes down to it, mental strength can mean even more. Particularly for entrepreneurs, numerous articles talk about critical characteristics of mental strength—tenacity, “grit,” optimism, and an unfailing ability as Forbes contributor David Williams says, to “fail up.”However, we can also define mental strength by identifying the things mentally strong individuals don’t do. 
1.    Waste Time Feeling Sorry for Themselves. You don’t see mentally strong people feeling sorry for their circumstances or dwelling on the way they’ve been mistreated. They have learned to take responsibility for their actions and outcomes, and they have an inherent understanding of the fact that frequently life is not fair. They are able to emerge from trying circumstances with self-awareness and gratitude for the lessons learned. When a situation turns out badly, they respond with phrases such as “Oh, well.” Or perhaps simply, “Next!”
2. Give Away Their Power. Mentally strong people avoid giving others the power to make them feel inferior or bad. They understand they are in control of their actions and emotions. They know their strength is in their ability to manage the way they respond.
3.    Shy Away from Change. Mentally strong people embrace change and they welcome challenge. Their biggest “fear,” if they have one, is not of the unknown, but of becoming complacent and stagnant. An environment of change and even uncertainty can energize a mentally strong person and bring out their best.
4. Waste Energy on Things They Can’t Control. Mentally strong people don’t complain (much) about bad traffic, lost luggage, or especially about other people, as they recognize that all of these factors are generally beyond their control. In a bad situation, they recognize that the one thing they can always control is their own response and attitude, and they use these attributes well.
5. Worry About Pleasing Others. Know any people pleasers? Or, conversely, people who go out of their way to dis-please others as a way of reinforcing an image of strength? Neither position is a good one. A mentally strong person strives to be kind and fair and to please others where appropriate, but is unafraid to speak up. They are able to withstand the possibility that someone will get upset and will navigate the situation, wherever possible, with grace.

6. Fear Taking Calculated Risks. A mentally strong person is willing to take calculated risks. This is a different thing entirely than jumping headlong into foolish risks. But with mental strength, an individual can weigh the risks and benefits thoroughly, and will fully assess the potential downsides and even the worst-case scenarios before they take action.
7. Dwell on the Past. There is strength in acknowledging the past and especially in acknowledging the things learned from past experiences—but a mentally strong person is able to avoid miring their mental energy in past disappointments or in fantasies of the “glory days” gone by. They invest the majority of their energy in creating an optimal present and future.
8. Make the Same Mistakes Over and Over. We all know the definition of insanity, right? It’s when we take the same actions again and again while hoping for a different and better outcome than we’ve gotten before. A mentally strong person accepts full responsibility for past behavior and is willing to learn from mistakes. Research shows that the ability to be self-reflective in an accurate and productive way is one of the greatest strengths of spectacularly successful executives and entrepreneurs.
9. Resent Other People’s Success. It takes strength of character to feel genuine joy and excitement for other people’s success. Mentally strong people have this ability. They don’t become jealous or resentful when others succeed (although they may take close notes on what the individual did well). They are willing to work hard for their own chances at success, without relying on shortcuts.
10. Give Up After Failure. Every failure is a chance to improve. Even the greatest entrepreneurs are willing to admit that their early efforts invariably brought many failures. Mentally strong people are willing to fail again and again, if necessary, as long as the learning experience from every “failure” can bring them closer to their ultimate goals.
11. Fear Alone Time. Mentally strong people enjoy and even treasure the time they spend alone. They use their downtime to reflect, to plan, and to be productive. Most importantly, they don’t depend on others to shore up their happiness and moods. They can be happy with others, and they can also be happy alone.

12. Feel the World Owes Them Anything. Particularly in the current economy, executives and employees at every level are gaining the realization that the world does not owe them a salary, a benefits package and a comfortable life, regardless of their preparation and schooling. Mentally strong people enter the world prepared to work and succeed on their merits, at every stage of the game.

 

13. Expect Immediate Results. Whether it’s a workout plan, a nutritional regimen, or starting a business, mentally strong people are “in it for the long haul”. They know better than to expect immediate results. They apply their energy and time in measured doses and they celebrate each milestone and increment of success on the way. They have “staying power.” And they understand that genuine changes take time. Do you have mental strength? Are there elements on this list you need more of?

List created by Amy Morin,  a psychotherapist and licensed clinical social worker.

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(via Forbes)