Shiseido

In a move to help its countrymen, Shiseido has donated 100 million Japanese Yen (approximately $1,239,000) to provide relief to those affected by last week's devastating earthquake and tsunami. In addition, the Japanese brand is also giving needy people 10,000 bottles each of its dry shampoo, medicated hand soap, and two different sizes of quick-drying disinfectant lotion.

To find out how you can lend a hand, too, head to the Red Cross's website, call 1-800-RED-CROSS, or text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Photo courtesy of Shiseido

Shiseido has just signed a three-year deal with La Scala, Milan's famed opera. The entire troupe will wear Shiseido in performance, and the brand is showing an advertising retrospective in La Scala's lobby.

It's unusual to think of a performance venue or theater company having a makeup sponsorship, but it's a really smart move. By choosing an opera, Shiseido has aligned itself with a cultural institution that represents luxury and elegance as well as entertainment, and its ads even feature archival images of legends Maria Callas and Shirley Verrett. Coming on the heels of Make Up For Ever's deal with Paris's Moulin Rouge, it seems high-end makeup and high-end entertainment are teaming up all over. Is this the sort of collaboration you like to see?

In the business world, mergers and acquisitions are the norm, and this year, some pretty big beauty deals took place. Perhaps the biggest shopping spree, however, was done by none other than Coty, who acquired big-time brands like OPI and Philosophy, along with lesser-known brands Dr. Scheller Cosmetics and TJoy. And while Coty already holds the Calvin Klein fragrance license, the company recently acquired a Calvin Klein color cosmetics license, too.

Other major deals included Estée Lauder's purchase of Smashbox, Shiseido's acquisition of Bare Escentuals, and Unilever's acquirement of Alberto-Culver, the makers of brands such as Nexxus, Tresemmé, VO5, and St. Ives. L'Oréal purchased Essie, and there was even some talk of the beauty juggernaut purchasing Avon. Speaking Avon, they acquired British skincare company Liz Earle earlier this year. With Coty's growth exploding at the seams, it will be interesting to see what they, along with the other big beauty players, have planned for 2011.

We're happy to present this article from one of our favorite sites, Allure!

Our typical day at the beach consists of obsessive reapplications of the highest SPF, big floppy hats that shield our skin from the sun, and sitting under excessively large umbrellas. Designer Michael Kors's version of beach beauty? It's a lot more glamorous, and even a little naughty. That's because makeup artist Dick Page didn't stop after the usual blizzard of bronzer at the Kors show. This morning, he added plenty of pink to models' faces — so that they looked a little sunburned! (Scandal!!!) To find out more, just keep reading.

In other parts of the world, brands like Shu Uemura, Shiseido, and Kanebo are household names and integral parts of most women's skin care regimens. Globally, they're renowned for their technologically advanced formulas, and the European market loves them. But given Shu's recent withdrawal from the US market, clearly things aren't going so well here.

Why, though? The US is the world's largest cosmetic market, and brands from other parts of the globe, like Illamasqua, have arrived here to a big welcome recently. So it's strange that such well-respected Japanese brands don't have a much larger share of the market. The current theory is that American women spend far less time on skin care than their Asian and European sisters. We aren't as willing to invest on prevention, preferring instead to use makeup or fast-working products for existing problems. It's an interesting idea, but do you think it explains the phenomenon?

Is there ever a case when a smudgy under eye actually looks OK? If the technique is left in the hands of famed makeup artist and Shiseido’s artistic director, Dick Page, then the answer is yes. At Narcisco Rodriguez's show, the models wore smudged eye makeup with minimal foundation. It was a look reminiscent of the popular smoky eye, but with the emphasis on warm, bronzy tones and a next-day quality. By pairing with a contrasting cool, flat mauve lip, the look was spared from a strung-out effect. To create a slightly glossy finish and a wet base, Page used a fluffy brush to apply makeup remover around the eyes. Next, he blended Shiseido Luminizing Satin Eye Color ($25 each) in Squirrel and Cavern, and applied all along the eyes, into the lash lines. To finish these "dirty looking eyes," he extended the color up into the lids. Most impressive? It's a completely mascara- and liner-free look. I can handle that.

It's that time of the year again, as kids — and adults alike — head back to school. That means it's also time for the launches of Fall 2009 makeup collections. Using the artistic medium of mosaics for inspiration, Shiseido's artistic director, Dick Page, created the Mosaic collection for the upcoming change of season. It's a palette designed around the thought process that every woman should have a full wardrobe of colors from which to choose.

The highlight of the set is the new Luminizing Satin Eye Color Line ($25), which includes 15 shades of bright tones, neutrals, and pastels. Also available are the following: two new shades of Perfect Mascara ($23) and Smoothing Eyeliner Pencil ($20); four new shades of Natural Eyebrow Pencil ($20); and 11 new shades of Advanced Hydro-Liquid Company Foundation ($30). What do you think of this? Are you ready to create some art of your own?

Alexander Wang will launch a beauty line with Shiseido in Japan and select Asian countries this July. .. 

Zac Posen made a television appearance as himself on a new show called, Beautiful Life. 

Rumors circulate as to whether CEO of Aquascutum, Kim Winser, has left the company. 

Last night's amfAR Cinema Against AIDS benefit auction in Cannes drew fashion folk.