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01-04-2004, 06:00 AM
Color me a celebrity
Nothing helps launch lipstick and nail polish
like the twinkle of stardom
By ALIX STRAUSS
Celebrity names sell, that's no secret. When Courteney Cox Arquette wears a designer dress to an awards show, it's worth millions of dollars in advertising.
But what if the "Friends" femme put her star power behind, say, a lipstick? As the Canadian makeup company Cargo recently found out, Cox's considerable fame and fashion association name helped make CeCe, the $16 shade bearing her nickname, its top selling lipstick. That power to push product is why cosmetics brands have started recruiting A-listers to endorse - and sometimes help create - cosmetics.
Glamour magazine and Benefit recently partnered with Shania Twain to create Shania Red lipstick, described as "fun lovin', fun-to-wear, sheer red" (translation: blinding scarlet). Net proceeds are donated to the American Heart Association.
Delux Beauty Tintstik in Darling was a collaboration between Jillian Fink Dempsey, the creator and founder of Delux, and Sofia Coppola.
Sarah Jessica Parker teamed up with Deborah Lippmann, the celebrity manicurist and founder of Lippmann Collection, to design a pale pink shade for nails that hit stores last fall. Next up: Lippmann polishes by Renee Zellweger, Kelly Ripa and Mary J. Blige.
As for Cargo, the company tapped 10 celebs, including Debra Messing, Star Jones and Cox, to design and name lipsticks. For every tube sold, the company is contributing $2 to the Children's Miracle Network.
Courtney Baber, color category merchandize manager for Sephora, which sells Cargo and many other lines, says, "Our store is highly driven by what celebrities are doing and supporting. Our clients read women's magazines, are in touch with what's new, and look to see what the celebrity world is doing.
"What we're seeing now," she adds, "is a first step in the movement of celebrity involvement with picking color. We're also seeing a higher success rate with their endorsed products."
Tricia Harvey, buyer for 23 Nordstrom stores in the Midwest and South, has already seen the power of star attachment. "People come in and ask specifically for the Sarah Jessica Parker nail polish," says Harvey. When the color launched, it sold three times the amount of Lippmann's other shades.
"There are tons of nail-polish lines out there," Harvey says, "but people are crazy for what's next. If they love a celeb, they want to wear what she's helped conceive."
The stories behind the products - Cox sent a fabric swatch that she wanted Cargo to match, Messing was inspired by the color of sand in the Moroccan desert, and Parker, who had just had her son, wanted something girly, soft and easy to apply - are anecdotal enough for fans to find cute and interesting. They're also newsy enough for magazines to cover.
Adding a charity attachment helps with press coverage as well. Bottom line: A good cause and a cherished celebrity make for a must-have item.
"I think Debra Messing has a lot of style," says Melissa Rosenbaum, 33, a stay-at-home mom who lives in Livingston, N.J. "I liked the color on me and the fact that she had a hand at creating the lipstick."
"Celebrities are finding their interests, and taking part in programs that are important to them," says Allison Slater, director of marketing for Sephora. "Those interests happen to be beauty related."
Much of the appeal is that celebrities have the keys to unlocking the trend kingdom. "Stars are exposed to so many different styles in fashion and beauty that they know what's the latest and greatest," says Hana Zalzal, founder and president of Cargo. "If you're an actor, you've got that creativity which can get transferred into other areas."
So what's the next step? "I'd love to know a man's opinion of a great lipstick," adds Zalzal, who'd like to continue the celebrity/artist co-creation. "I'd love to get Tom Hanks' thoughts."
Originally published on January 4, 2004
http://www.nydailynews.com/city_life/story/151515p-133472c.html
Shania's lipstick was #1
http://lounge.teamshania.com/viewtopic.php?t=1535
Nothing helps launch lipstick and nail polish
like the twinkle of stardom
By ALIX STRAUSS
Celebrity names sell, that's no secret. When Courteney Cox Arquette wears a designer dress to an awards show, it's worth millions of dollars in advertising.
But what if the "Friends" femme put her star power behind, say, a lipstick? As the Canadian makeup company Cargo recently found out, Cox's considerable fame and fashion association name helped make CeCe, the $16 shade bearing her nickname, its top selling lipstick. That power to push product is why cosmetics brands have started recruiting A-listers to endorse - and sometimes help create - cosmetics.
Glamour magazine and Benefit recently partnered with Shania Twain to create Shania Red lipstick, described as "fun lovin', fun-to-wear, sheer red" (translation: blinding scarlet). Net proceeds are donated to the American Heart Association.
Delux Beauty Tintstik in Darling was a collaboration between Jillian Fink Dempsey, the creator and founder of Delux, and Sofia Coppola.
Sarah Jessica Parker teamed up with Deborah Lippmann, the celebrity manicurist and founder of Lippmann Collection, to design a pale pink shade for nails that hit stores last fall. Next up: Lippmann polishes by Renee Zellweger, Kelly Ripa and Mary J. Blige.
As for Cargo, the company tapped 10 celebs, including Debra Messing, Star Jones and Cox, to design and name lipsticks. For every tube sold, the company is contributing $2 to the Children's Miracle Network.
Courtney Baber, color category merchandize manager for Sephora, which sells Cargo and many other lines, says, "Our store is highly driven by what celebrities are doing and supporting. Our clients read women's magazines, are in touch with what's new, and look to see what the celebrity world is doing.
"What we're seeing now," she adds, "is a first step in the movement of celebrity involvement with picking color. We're also seeing a higher success rate with their endorsed products."
Tricia Harvey, buyer for 23 Nordstrom stores in the Midwest and South, has already seen the power of star attachment. "People come in and ask specifically for the Sarah Jessica Parker nail polish," says Harvey. When the color launched, it sold three times the amount of Lippmann's other shades.
"There are tons of nail-polish lines out there," Harvey says, "but people are crazy for what's next. If they love a celeb, they want to wear what she's helped conceive."
The stories behind the products - Cox sent a fabric swatch that she wanted Cargo to match, Messing was inspired by the color of sand in the Moroccan desert, and Parker, who had just had her son, wanted something girly, soft and easy to apply - are anecdotal enough for fans to find cute and interesting. They're also newsy enough for magazines to cover.
Adding a charity attachment helps with press coverage as well. Bottom line: A good cause and a cherished celebrity make for a must-have item.
"I think Debra Messing has a lot of style," says Melissa Rosenbaum, 33, a stay-at-home mom who lives in Livingston, N.J. "I liked the color on me and the fact that she had a hand at creating the lipstick."
"Celebrities are finding their interests, and taking part in programs that are important to them," says Allison Slater, director of marketing for Sephora. "Those interests happen to be beauty related."
Much of the appeal is that celebrities have the keys to unlocking the trend kingdom. "Stars are exposed to so many different styles in fashion and beauty that they know what's the latest and greatest," says Hana Zalzal, founder and president of Cargo. "If you're an actor, you've got that creativity which can get transferred into other areas."
So what's the next step? "I'd love to know a man's opinion of a great lipstick," adds Zalzal, who'd like to continue the celebrity/artist co-creation. "I'd love to get Tom Hanks' thoughts."
Originally published on January 4, 2004
http://www.nydailynews.com/city_life/story/151515p-133472c.html
Shania's lipstick was #1
http://lounge.teamshania.com/viewtopic.php?t=1535