Letter from the Editor at Large
With Russian spies successfully infiltrating American communities (but thankfully not our government), it’s no wonder that an equally wild cosmetics scandal has been somewhat buried. Liliane Bettencourt, the richest woman in France and heiress to the L’Oréal fortune, is accused of tax evasion as well as making illegal cash donations to the 2007 election campaign of President Nicolas Sarkozy of France. The story unfolded during a court case brought by Mrs. Bettencourt’s estranged daughter Françoise Meyers-Bettencourt against François-Marie Banier, a society dandy and photographer,  accused of taking advantage of the elderly dowager’s frailty and persuading her to hand over a fortune. Mrs. Bettencourt is reportedly worth $20 billion.
Espionage…extortion…are we peering through Alice’s looking glass? Last week, Clairol offered its own Mirror Moments campaign. Actress Angela Kinsey, who stars as Nice ‘n Easy’s Guardian Girlfriend in a commercial and print campaign, surprised passersby at Grand Central Station in New York City via an interactive mirror. When women, and some men, stopped to check out their reflection, Angela magically appeared to give them hair color tips and ideas. So very candid camera! The visitors’ reactions were captured in a short video, which can be viewed online at Clairol’s website. Each time the video is shared, Nice ‘n Easy will donate $1.00 to Dress for Success Worldwide.
Continuing the unusual and unique theme, check out my Beauty Scene: Salt of the Earth posting from July 5. It’s all about New York City’s first salt room, an experiential treatment said to alleviate certain skin disorders and respiratory problems. At the very least, it’s a resoundingly restful experience complete with immersion in peaceful negative ions.
And under the heading of strange but wonderful, hope you all caught the Lady Gaga performance on the July 9 Today show, live from Rockefeller Center. Perfectly awesome.
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