Clarins

• Bottega Veneta has commissioned artist Nancy Lorenz to create a series of decorative boxes, which will go on display at Milan's Salone del Mobile. The boxes cost €5,000, or $6,429 at current exchange. [Style.com]
• Want a piece from Dolce & Gabbana's couture collection? Break out the stationery — all communication for Alta Moda is done with handwritten notes. [Telegraph]
• JCPenney has tapped jewelry designers Lana Bramlette, Kenneth Jay Lane, and Kara Ross, among others, to participate in its new jewelry counter called Bijoux Bar. [Racked]
• Marie Claire Mexico editor in chief Adriadne Grant has a transparent tip to success: "If you want the job, you have to be really clear of what you want," she said. "A lot of people come to me and say they really want to work at Marie Claire. OK, why?" [Daily Front Row]


More fashion news you need to know, right here.

The benefits of slathering oil on the face are numerous. Not only do they help protect the skin, but they keep it hydrated and looking fresh and plumped up, too. While you won't want to drown yourself in oil before makeup application (doing so can cause your powders and creams to slip and slide), for those tricky rough patches that pop up occasionally, oils can save the day.

"Just saturate a cotton tip, buff the rough spot out, and blot," explains Clarins celebrity beauty artist Pati Dubroff. She recommends applying the brand's Body Treatment Oil in Relax ($54), which contains essential oils of marjoram, broom, and geranium, to calm the skin and smooth out dryness. While we all hit rough patches every now and then in life, at least this one falls into the easy-to-overcome genre.

If you're a beauty junkie who loves Facebook juggernaut Cafe World, you might want to give Spa Life, the new game from Clarins, a try. It's exactly what it sounds like: you become the new manager of a Clarins spa, and you're responsible for making sure clients get their services quickly, that business grows, and that your spa gets the choicest accouterments. It's fast paced, so you can definitely end up addicted in no time, and it's not overly branded, so you don't feel like you're playing a Clarins ad. Next time you're waiting on a TPS report, this could definitely be worth a try.

In partnership with FEED Projects, a nonprofit that helps raise funds for the United Nations World Food Programme, Clarins has just launched a limited-edition Clarins by FEED gift set ($30). The Nordstrom-exclusive kit includes the brand's Hand and Nail Treatment Cream, Moisture-Rich Body Lotion, Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector, and a FEED pouch. What's more, for each purchase made, 15 nutritious meals will be given to hungry children. It all adds up, too: Since Lauren Bush founded FEED in 2007, the project has raised over $6 million, with 60 million meals provided.

Here's an excerpt of a Valentine's Day-inspired makeup post from OnSugar blog The Make-Up Blogette, featuring shades from Clarins's forthcoming Neo Pastels Spring 2011 collection:

All products used are by Clarins unless otherwise stated:

• Foundation: Instant Smooth Line Correcting Concentrate around the eye contour, Lancôme Pro Base, Extra Firm Foundation SPF15 103 Ivory, set with La Mer powder.
• Concealer: Instant Light Brush-On Perfector.
• Cheeks: Blush Prodige Illuminating Cheek Color 03 Miami Pink.
• Eyes: Eye Color and Liner Palette.
• Lips: Rouge Hydra Nude 01 Nude Rose.

Like what you see? Be sure to check out the rest of the post. Don't forget that you can start a blog of your own, too. Just sign up here and start writing. We'd love to feature you on BellaSugar in the future.

If you could bottle the essence of crystals into liquid form, what do you think it would smell like? That's exactly what the folks from Swarovski and Clarins Fragrance Group set out to do, using the "grace and magnetism of light" and the aura and energy of crystals as inspiration. The brands' new Aura by Swarovski ($68 to $110), a fruity floral, consists of amber, white musk, benzoin resin, lychee, tuberose, and pink pepper. "Aura is the perfect visual expression for the soul of crystal," said Swarovski's Markus Langes-Swarovski.

The juice will be packaged up in a glass tube with — you guessed it — an asymmetric crystal affixed to its metal top. Also available will be a set of crystal-infused, gloss-filled makeup pendants ($74 to $85) for the face, lip, and body. Aura will be available at Selfridges in the UK exclusively on March 3, eventually rolling out to the Americas next year. What do you think of the description of the scent? Does it appeal to your aura?

This might sound totally weird, but my favorite blush right now is Clarins's delicious-smelling Rouge Prodige ($24). Why lipstick as blush? I've got dry skin, so moisturizing lipstick formulas don't desiccate my skin like powder blushes, and long-wearing versions deliver the kind of lasting color usually only available from cheek stains. Plus, you only have to buy one product instead of two coordinating shades. The color I've been using, Red Prodige, is a nice primary red that will work on most skin tones, and it delivers a sheer, natural-looking wash of cheek color that's very blendable. Plus, this stuff smells like rainbow sherbet, and your kisses will be memorably sweet. It's not a cheap product by any stretch of the imagination, but as a combo deal I'm extremely fond of it. If you've got dry skin and you're willing to experiment, it comes highly recommended.