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14 Gorgeous Last Looks at Fashion Week: Days 8 and 9

BellaSugar — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:00:00 -0700

It was the final day of Fashion Week, and while I'm sad to see it go, I'm excited to discover how many of these hair and makeup looks will make the transition into the mainstream. These final two days were absolutely lovely, with more old-guard designers like Michael Kors, Calvin Klein, and Oscar De La Renta injecting an elegance that nicely hedged the experimental looks from younger designers. Click through and see what some of the most established houses, along with some of the hottest new ones, had to offer.

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Eva Mendes Speaks Her Naked Truth in an Exclusive Q&A!

BellaSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 07:00:20 -0700

Get ready to see a lot of Eva Mendes this year. The 34-year-old actress is in The Women, and in a couple of months, she'll star in The Spirit. And of course, she's baring all in a banned ad for Calvin Klein's latest scent, Secret Obsession. In an exclusive Q&A, Eva answers the questions you submitted - although she's being coy about what her own secret obsession is.

Eva, what's your secret obsession?
We all have secret obsessions. I don’t care who you are, where you come from, how old you are, how discreet you are and how shy you may be - we all have secret obsessions. I have many secret obsessions. Trust me, I’ve got plenty - but I'm not telling.

To find out how she prepared for her naked photo shoot, plus her secret to healthy skin, read more.

What did you do to prepare for the Secret Obsession shoot?
Before the Secret Obsession shoot I was a little nervous, and I hope that I will always get nervous about new adventures and projects because they are exciting. When I got to set, I realized that it was just a bed. That’s it - it’s just a bed, I can do this. I am really good at rolling around in bed and I feel sexiest when my hair is crazy and relaxed and I can just roll around. I had a great time preparing for the Secret Obsession campaign because the only way to prepare was to get a lot of sleep. I had to be open and feeling good about my body and myself by eating healthy and working out to be physically prepared. This way, once I got to set I could just be emotionally there.

Besides fragrance, what's your favorite beauty obsession?
100 percent cocoa butter and plenty of Penta water. For me, the key to beauty is exfoliating regularly, moisturizing, and drinking a lot of water. If I don’t get my water, I feel it and my skin feels it.

What is your typical morning beauty routine?
My daytime look is always really natural. I like to keep my hair in its natural wave and the only makeup I wear is my True mineral powder, which does wonders for my skin. Of course I like to look beautiful and stylish, but I don't obsess over it.

What would you say is the one beauty routine you never forget to do?
I always have to have eyes on. Even if I’m running out of the house, I need a smudge.

What are some of your favorite products to help create the ultimate smoky eye?
I like Laura Mercier, Nars, and True all-natural products.

What does being part of a Calvin Klein campaign mean to you?
I have been a fan of Calvin Klein since I was a little girl. To me, Calvin Klein has always represented sexiness, a freedom to express yourself and to be different, and let your uniqueness come through. That is extremely important for all of us; it was important for me because I was very awkward with myself during my teen years. I always felt that I didn’t fit in physically or emotionally. It wasn’t until years later that I realized all of the things that I wanted to change about myself when I was younger, I am thankful for now. It would be so satisfying for me, to be part of a campaign where I would inspire women and girls and show them that it's OK to be different, it's OK to be controversial, it's just OK to be yourself.

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Got a Question for Eva Mendes? Ask Away!

BellaSugar — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:00:53 -0700

If you happen to be in Times Square this week, look up - you'll see an enormous billboard of Eva Mendes. The larger-than-life actress stars in the ad campaign for Calvin Klein's new fragrance, Secret Obsession, and lucky for us, she's opening up only to BellaSugar readers (that's you, obvs) about a few obsessions of her own.

From now until Thursday, you can leave a question for Eva on the wall of the fragrance's Facebook page. Eva will answer five of them, and then I'll share her answers with you here on BellaSugar. So if you've been dying to know something - say, for instance, what it's like to see yourself as a giant billboard in the middle of New York City - leave your question on the Facebook wall, not as a comment here. Because while I'd love to think Eva's reading Bella on her RSS reader, she'll only be answering questions submitted over there.

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Is Eva Mendes' Banned Perfume Ad Too Sexy For TV?

BellaSugar — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 01:29:24 -0700

Well, as it turns out, Eva Mendes is too sexy for her shirt. As previously reported, her 30-second commercial for Calvin Klein Secret Obsession was banned in the United States. Well, no doy - there's areola in this clip! (It's not raunchy, but it's NSFW.)

Personally, I think it's beautifully shot (and that it was cleverly created to drum up "controversy") but c'mon, Calvin - everyone knows you can't show certain body parts on the, uh, boob tube. Do you think this ad should be allowed on television, or does it cross that line?

Eva Mendes is Too Sexy For Her Shirt in CK Ads

BellaSugar — Fri, 23 May 2008 11:00:59 -0700

Calvin Klein's latest spokesperson, Eva Mendes, is rolling out the ad campaigns. First it was her kicky fashion pose, and now we're getting a look at her ad for Calvin's forthcoming perfume, Secret Obsession. WWD reports that the television spot, which has already been turned down by TV networks for being too sexy, features Eva having a "private moment" with "illicit thoughts." Cue the Divinyls.

Although Secret Obsession's bottle gives a nod to the original '80s Obsession, it's a different juice inside. The notes include plum, jasmine, tuberose, woods, amber, vanilla, and sandalwood; it sounds a little more floral and less spicy than the original. To see what Eva has to say about the fragrance, read more.

Eva, who's estimated to earn up to $5 million for her endorsement, told WWD:

"To me, Calvin Klein has always represented sexiness and a freedom to express yourself," said Mendes. "That was especially important for me, because I felt very awkward during my teen years. When I was approached by Calvin Klein, I thought that it would be so satisfying for me to be part of a campaign where I could show women and girls that it's okay to be different. I remember when the Obsession ads with Kate Moss came out - I thought she was so gorgeous. Kate wasn't a conventional beauty, her teeth weren't perfect and she wasn't blonde; my friends and I could relate to that. If I could provide that encouragement for someone with the Secret Obsession campaign, that would be amazing."

Ahem, that's a pretty amazing paycheck, too. I'm looking forward to smelling this new fragrance. Truthfully, the name is a little weird. I hear "Secret Obsession" and worry that the world will discover the extent of my embarrassing crush on economist Paul Krugman. But who knows? Come September, that might change.

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Fragrance Review: Calvin Klein Eternity Summer

BellaSugar — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 11:00:17 -0700

Continuing with tradition, Calvin Klein will release this year's warm-weather version of the classic Eternity fragrance next month. Eternity Summer is a seaside-inspired remix of the original, spiced up with notes of bamboo, crushed basil, and jasmine, with base notes of musky neroli and ginger root.

It's an unusual and compelling blend of ingredients, but I can't say this one is going to be on my must-have list. At first it's hard to tell if Eternity Summer is complex or just confused. It hits the nose with a shockingly sweet floral burst, and further sniffing reveals a hint of spicy-sweet ginger combined with a very faint muskiness. It's too faint, unfortunately, to balance out the saccharine scent.

Eternity Summer is an attempt to achieve complexity by adding new ingredients, but it doesn't stray far from traditional floral freshness. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it didn't wow me. The upside is that this is a strong scent, so a few sprays will stick around for most of the day. This wasn't the right perfume for me, but if you're looking for a bright and bold summer floral, you can pick up a bottle of Eternity Summer by Calvin Klein ($52) at Macy's starting in April.

Beauty Byte: Eva Mendes For Calvin Klein

BellaSugar — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 13:00:22 -0800

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. After this morning's news that Eva Mendes entered rehab, Calvin Klein Inc. announced that she will be the face of a new perfume expected to be released this fall. Details of the new fragrance are minimal at this point, but it will be the newest Calvin fragrance since he launched Man last fall. As for Eva, the Calvin collaboration follows her stint as a spokesperson for Revlon. Here's to hoping this campaign won't be nearly as creepy as some of Calvin's older advertisements.

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Calvin Klein's Fragrances: Formerly Kinda Creepy

BellaSugar — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 06:00:43 -0800

Even though I was a wee thing when it launched in 1985, I remember how enormously popular Calvin Klein Obsession ($65) was in its day. It's a warm, spicy scent that is much heavier than any of Calvin Klein's more modern scents. But in the same way that ckOne feels like a stereotypically '90s scent, Obsession will always be filed away in the '80s to me.

While taking a trip down memory lane, I sought out a few commercials from back in the day. I am so disturbed by this one, I don't know where to begin. Is it the clapping? The confusion over whether our young narrator is talking about his mother or some other grown woman? Oh, the smell of it!

Then again, that's not half as weird as another Calvin Klein commercial from back in the day. Truly creepy. To see it, read more.

Would this make you want to buy fragrance? I say no. No, it would not.

Coming Soon: ck Calvin Klein Beauty

BellaSugar — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 07:00:37 -0800

Remember when Calvin Klein had a cosmetics line a few years ago? Its minimalist packaging reminded me of Shu Uemura a bit, and the colors were flattering and natural-looking. Despite these good qualities, it was discontinued. But as of January, it'll be back in a big way.

The ck Calvin Klein beauty collection includes more than 200 products, ranging from foundation to lip color to nail polish and everything in between. The concept is to link the cosmetics line closely to the current-season Calvin Klein fashion. To that end, makeup artists at the sales counter will be called "stylists." (What's wrong with plain old "makeup artists"? Oh well.)

Mark Carrasquillo, ck Calvin Klein global makeup artist, says that color is the thrust of the collection. He said: "You might put a green and blue eyeshadow together, but it's all about the application and how you wear it to make it new." The collection, which launches next month at Sephora, averages about $20 per piece. To see a slew of product images, including some dramatic ads from the campaign, just read more

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Quick Quiz: What is the Best-Selling Perfume in the World?

BellaSugar — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 09:00:42 -0700

Have you been keeping up to speed on BellaSugar? The answer to this question is in a series from the last couple of weeks. Here's a hint: Fragrance sales dramatically increased when Marilyn Monroe was quoted saying, "All I wear to bed are two drops of ...." Can you guess which of these perfumes is the world's best-selling fragrance?

Take the quiz