Beauty Bytes: October 26, 2012

Warning: graphic images of self love! Oops, too late – Harvey Nichols, one of Patsy and Edina’s favorite shops on AbFab, is opening a three-storey Beauty Bazaar in Liverpool, and they’ve just released the advertising artwork. With the slogan “Love Thyself” and mirror images of a model in graphic eyeliner moving in for a kiss with herself, the photo straddles the line between self love and, well, self love. The store, which will be 22,000 square feet large, will feature not only all the favorite beauty brands, but will also offer Botox, manicures, spray tans, teeth whitening, etc. etc. And why Liverpool? Turns out Liverpudlians are the second highest beauty spenders in England after Londoners – and the first highest spenders on spray tans. YahooUK. GraziaDailyUK.

• Loving oneself is well and good, but sooner or later the romance extends to another human being. But when we get in a relationship, do we make ourselves over to look like we “belong” in our new partner’s world? And do women do this more than men? Autumn Whitefield-Madrano looks at using appearance as a tool in personal relationships, and what it might mean in terms of social capital, in Emotional Work and Cultural Capital à Deux. The-Beheld.

• I’ll admit to dressing “twinsies” with a boyfriend (or three), but we never did buy matching underwear – we never thought about it. But in South Korea, young couples do exactly that. Vice‘s Fashion Week Internationale goes to Seoul and explores trends ranging from matching underwear, to K-Pop, to Fashion even, and then spends some time with cosmetic surgeons as they perform a double-eyelid surgery procedure. In spite of the “how weird is this” attitude, the series goes further into local fashion and beauty than any breathy fashion week coverage you’ll find on TV:

• The growing demand for cosmetic surgery has some unfortunate consequences: in Thailand, cheap beauty clinics are springing up to offer procedures to poorer women. Ratphila Chairungkit, who wanted to look like Jennifer Lopez, had commercial – not cosmetic – grade silicone injected into her face, which had to be surgically scraped out. In spite of this, Chairungkit, who underwent numerous procedures including two nose jobs, two eye-widening surgeries, and lip trimming, is happy: she tells BusinessWeek: “I used to look like a factory worker…Now, when I look in the mirror, I’m happy. With a better face, you have better chances in life.” But it’s not that working class women want to look American – most of them descend from more rural Lao or Khmer ethnicities, while many of the Bangkok elite have Chinese ancestry, and have been perfecting their porcelain complexions and delicate feature for generations. BusinessWeek.

• Also from Thailand, a new(ancient) super-secret(covered in the paper) anti-aging technique: Face Slapping Massage. There are only two salons in the world that offer it: one in Thailand, and one in San Francisco, owned by Tata Sombuthan, who learned the art from the Thai salon’s owner. The slapping technique is supposed to firm muscles and aid in skin circulation. But why are there only two salons in the world that offer it? Tata says that the woman in Thailand only teaches the art to ten others in her lifetime. And apparently, none of those ten have opened their own salon (or franchised the process). Next, Tata will go back to Thailand to learn more about “Butt-Punching”, another “ancient art” taught by her mentor. Hmmm…. NY Daily News.

• England’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned Dior’s mscara ad featuring Natalie Portman for misleading photo retouching. The ASA has required that mascara ads in the UK state whether the models eyelashes have been enhanced by adding lashes at the shoot or in post-production. Dior says they were merely smoothing out the lashes but did not add more, but the ASA isn’t buying it. NY Daily News.

• As beauty products become more complex, and include more natural ingredients, should they come with an expiration date on them? The most natural skincare providers, like Lush and (Wild Beauty fave)Blissoma do come with expiration dates, since they openly shun preservatives. But what about other lines? The New York Times looks into the matter, but mostly gets quotes about ingredients in different products cancelling each other out because of pH or chemical makeup. Which is an entirely different matter. The New York Times.

In pictures: if you haven’t got your Halloween costume together, you can always paint your face at the last minute (I’ll admit that’s usually what I do). The Fashion Hive has collected several scary-cool fashion makeup looks for your inspiration. Boo! The Fashion Hive.