The Better Hair Day

A better hair straightener than ghd? Remington Salon Pro launched its new Pearl styler with a sumptous lunch at The Grove with hairdresser Ashlee Kellett demonstrating how the new smoother and hotter Pearl is a really “good hair day.” Buy GHD Mk4

The Grove in St Patrick’s Square, Auckland CBD played host to trade and media as Ashlee Kellett took us through the three Remington heated appliances for styling. Cheap Ghds

First up, Tyler was her straight hair model with sleek hair from the Pearl Styler ceramic straighteners. This is the pearl in Remington’s crown, with the fastest heat up time, the fastest heat recovery, and the smoothest performance compared to ghd under testing. The exclusive dual layer ceramic coated plates contain real pearl, and have 15 times more ceramic than standard single layer or solid ceramic plates. The glide is eight times smoother ensuring the hair’s cuticle lays flat while straightening and imparting incredible shine.

Next up, Rhianna modelled ringlets and waves from the Remington conical tongs. With no clamp, one holds the hair curled around the conical tongs at the very tip - carefully - so as to not get one’s fingers burned! Hold 15-20 seconds and get a fabulous curl or for a beachy, tousled look, run hands through the curls and get a softer, broken up finished. Ghd Hair Straightener Sale

Finally, model Emma showed the Remington hot brush styling of a salon blowdry finish; blown out big waves. Wind hair around the hot brush, hold 15 seconds and push the release and it easily falls out. Thread is very excited about trying this one!

Spares and Repairs Launch Their Testimonials Page

GHD Repairs & Spares, run by Ion Originals Ltd., have implemented a testimonial blog to their growing web presence. From humble beginnings the site is now well established. Priding on excellent service to a growing number of customers the website site now provides an online postal ghd repairs service which covers the UK and beyond. The site can now also boast a vast array of compatible spares to suit just about any fault with all models of ghd. This includes the exclusive new MK4 cable line. Plans are in place to add further features to the site with fake guides and a more detailed instruction page. Buy GHD Mk4

The websites most appealing quality is the simple and straight-forward ordering system. The no wavering, one price of £19.95 for all repairs, including all parts labour and return registered post. What you see is what you get, no added VAT or shipping charge or complicated shopping cart where you have to enter every personal detail about your person. Cheap Ghds

Ion Originals Ltd. have added a new feature to their ghd repairs website to help out the visually impaired or incompetent reader with a simple click of a mouse their is an audio guide of what they need to do. Ghd Hair Straightener Sale

A Drop in to

Ion Originals Ltd. website will give details of payment options for those comfortable with the popular Paypal system, this is available as well as a secure merchant for those without. This is backed up with a convenient telephone order line and postal order options.

Wants Bowraville Road reopened

A meeting to discuss the future of the Bowraville/Bellingen Road was held on Wednesday, August 4 in the Bowraville Theatre at Bowraville. ghd straighteners

The meeting was well attended by representatives of both Bellingen and Nambucca Councils, the RTA, GHD and many community members. GHD presented the meeting with four options for discussion.

It soon became clear that most community members prefer the road to be restored and reopened. The road has historical significance, it is a vital link connecting regional communities, it is the only alternative route at times when the Pacific Highway is blocked between Urunga and Macksville, and it gives emergency services access to remote properties and bushland, and it is an important part of the Mid North Coast “tourist drives” network. Moncler

GHD have asked both councils to include an updated version of the questionnaire regarding options for the future, on their web sites, and invite members of the community in both shires to voice their opinion by filling in the questionnaire.

Community members at the meeting urge readers to take the time to fill in this questionnaire as it is only the community strength and solidarity that can prevent the RTA from permanently closing this road. Billig ugg Stiefe

The RTA has the last say - without proof of community support for the reopening of the road, our community stands to lose part of the regional road infrastructure that dates back to the 1800s.

They also urge readers that may not have access to the internet, to take a walk into the council chambers and ask for a hard copy of the questionnaire.

Seeking a slice of premium denim market

For a look into Gap Inc.’s future, take a walk down Rush Street and step into a sliver of a store called 1969. louis vuitton handbags

The denim boutique, opened in May, offers no sign that it is part of Gap. And that is the point.

Neat stacks of jeans are stretched out from waist to hem on a table running the length of the store. More jeans are folded neatly in cubicles under tables.

On a rack just outside the oversize fitting rooms hang a single example of every style of jean in the store: seven for women (curvy, sexy boot, real straight, long and lean, boyfriend, perfect boot and always skinny) and seven for men (skinny, straight, boot, authentic, standard, easy and loose). A few vintage T-shirts and leather belts decorate the walls, but for the most part the store is all about denim. true religion

As the premium denim craze swept the country in the last decade, Gap was nowhere to be found. While shoppers were paying $200 to $300 for Citizens for Humanity and True Religion, the ubiquitous mall chain discovered an uncomfortable fact: Shoppers interviewed in focus groups viewed Gap jeans as suitable for mowing the lawn but not for work or a date, Marka Hansen, the president of Gap North America, told the New York Times in an interview last year.

Ladies Dominate Vanity Fair’s International Best-Dressed List

They’ve already gotten the presidential seal of approval, but now three First Ladies have gotten the nod from Vanity Fair. louis vuitton handbags

Michelle Obama, France’s Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, and Britain’s Samantha Cameron have all been named to the magazine’s 71st annual International Best-Dressed List.

Yes, the “maverick” Cameron and her dolphin tattoo made the cut. Deal with it, Carla.

This year’s list also honored actresses Diane Kruger — who cited “anything from Chanel” as her favorite item of clothing — and “existential pixie” Carey Mulligan.

Also getting some sartorial love? Cover star Lady Gaga, actors Javier Bardem and Alec Baldwin, Ed Burns and wife Christy Turlington, hottie David Beckham, Tory Burch, Stacey Bendet Eisner, John Galliano, Bruce Weber, Georgina Chapman, and… Helena Bonham Carter?!? true religion

Good one, guys.

To see the full list, visit Vanity Fair online or pick up their September issue, out nationally on Aug. 10.

Meanwhile, check out Lady Gaga nude and gray on the Vanity Fair cover.

Nordstrom Rack to open Nov. 11 in Peoria’s Arrowhead Crossing

Kaelyne Peterson lives in Glendale, works in Peoria but drives to Scottsdale to get her fix of bargain-priced True Religion jeans from Nordstrom Rack. louis vuitton wallets

In less than four months, when the Nordstrom Rack - a brand that carries items 50 to 60 percent off the original price at the department store chain - opens its third Arizona store in Peoria’s Arrowhead Crossing, the 21-year-old could walk to the Rack from her workplace.

“Awesome! Fantastic!” Peterson said on learning an opening date has been set.

Nov. 11 will mark the brand’s entry into the West Valley. It is taking over a 36,000-square-foot space vacated by Linens ‘n Things south of Bell Road on 77th Avenue.

Scottsdale and Chandler each have a Nordstrom store and a Rack. Tucson is set to get a Rack next year.

A company spokesman said the Rack will hire about 70 people to staff the store.

Peterson isn’t the only one jumping with joy.

“It’s a great use of an existing, empty location, and it’s great that it’s going to be filled again,” said Maria Laughner, Peoria’s business and real estate development manager.

Between December 2009 and May, the city’s retail sales-tax revenue was up 3 percent compared with the same period a year earlier.

In addition to the sales-tax dollars, it would be great to see a new business thrive in the city, Laughner said. Cheap True Religion

“It makes me sleep well at night when our businesses do well. It’s sad to see businesses go under,” Laughner said.

While Peoria hasn’t lost too many stores in the economic drain that’s sucked the life from erstwhile retail giants, some notable chains have gone bust. Those include Linens ‘n Things and former retail giant Circuit City.

Laughner said the Rack would bring a different kind of brand to Peoria’s retail mix.

“It has a little bit more cachet, and it’s a draw in and of itself,” she said.

Nordstrom spokesman Colin Johnson said the company had been looking for a footprint in the West Valley.

“We know we’ve got lots of loyal customers in the area, and we felt this was a terrific shopping center in this part of the region,” Johnson said, referring to the bustling shopping area with a T.J. Maxx, Ulta and Barnes & Noble. It’s near Arrowhead Towne Center and close to the Loop 101 and Bell Road interchange.

He said the slacking economy accelerated the company’s long-term strategy to open more Racks.

“What happened is a lot of spaces became available in these shopping centers, which fit our long-term strategy, so we’ve been in the position to move quickly to open some of our stores, including this one,” Johnson said. ugg boots sale

Through the end of this year, the company plans to open 17 Nordstrom Rack stores and three Nordstrom stores nationwide.

A lot of customers shop at both stores, Johnson said, with the Rack holding the advantage of “terrific fashion finds at significant savings,” Johnson said.

That makes sense to James Ward, a professor at Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business.

“In the present economy, many consumers of luxury goods are looking for a good deal,” he said.

Champagne corks popping again in luxury business

PARIS — Champagne corks are popping again in the luxury business as “It” bags and expensive watches this year sell like hotcakes from Beijing to New York, signalling the turning of a page after the global financial crisis.

As the owner of Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Puma — French luxury goods giant PPR — on Friday joined a string of high-end brands reporting ballooning 2010 profits, firms and consultants predicted rosy days ahead for luxury goods. louis vuitton wallets

“The recession’s starting to look like an old memory for the luxury industry,” said analyst Matthew Curtin, quoted by Dow Jones Newswires.

PPR chief executive Fracois-Henri Pinault, whose son is married to film star Salma Hayek, said of the group’s doubled first half net profits, “very good results … in an economic environment that remains hesitant.”

“There’s a new perception of luxury, a more discreet sophisticated luxury where notions of heritage and craft play a big role,” he added.

Asia has played a prime role in turning around luxury sector fortunes.

PPR’s net profit in the first six months shot up 113.3 percent to 403 million euros (528 million dollars).

Earlier this week, the world’s biggest luxury group, LVMH Moet Hennessy-Louis Vuitton, announced a 53-percent rise in net profit to 1.1 billion euros.

“We were expecting good results from LVMH but not that good. It was a good surprise,” Isabelle Ardon, of specialist luxury investment fund SG Actions Luxe, told AFP.

While luxury goods sales slumped eight percent overall last year (though some big names weathered the storm), even smaller brands such as Hermes (22.8 percent sales increase), Burberry and the world’s top high-end watch firm Luxottica are seeing burgeoning orders this year.

Specialist consultants Bain&Company said that last year’s slide, first noted when Christmas sales crashed in the United States, had been offset by continuing demand from Asia, notably from China’s growing monied class. Cheap True Religion

Worst hit last year were wines and spirits, as well as watches and jewellery.

But the Remy Cointreau champagne and cognac group was back in the black in the first quarter of 2010, with sales up 21.3 percent against a drop of 7.5 percent in 2009. And bottles of Laurent Perrier champagne are popping at pre-crisis levels again.

In Switzerland, watch exports gained 35 percent in June, largely due to a 40 percent hike in high-end watches.

Luxury supremos nonetheless remain quietly cautious, mindful of new tremors on the financial horizon.

LVMH chief Bernard Arnault offered no set forecast for the coming months but given the group’s return to pre-crisis figures in all branches, he said he was “very confident” about the future.

Consultant Ardon said brands such as Louis Vuitton or Hermes that control distribution had sailed more calmly through the troubled waters of the crisis, while products such as champagne or watches, often sold by other retailers, had fared less well as these firms got rid of stocks.

“There was so much clearance of stocks in 2009 that in the end shipments of champagne were far below actual customer demand,” she said. ugg boots sale

This year’s bounceback largely has Asia to thank. Hermes saw 45 percent sales to Asia, excepting Japan, while Burberry sold 43 percent of its goods to Asian buyers, bar Japan.

2010 also saw the return of US luxury buffs, with LVMH noting an 18 percent rise there and an 11 percent increase from Europe.

In Europe, sales are better due to the fall of the euro, the return of Asian and US tourists and new demand from European buyers, analysts said.

“There is continual sustained interest from China and the demand is for Europe-crafted goods, with luxury outlets opening constantly,” said another anaylst.

“In the US last year it was not the done thing to buy luxury goods, it went against the grain to show off your money. Now a psychological barrier has been overcome.”

Ugg boot smuggler’ denies being a spy

Anna Fermanova, a 24-year-old US citizen who was born in Latvia, is under house arrest at her parents’ home in Plano, a wealthy suburb of Dallas, Texas, on $50,000 bail until her New York hearing. She faces up to 10 years in jail. louis vuitton wallets

Scott Palmer, Fermanova’s attorney, said that comparisons between his client and 28-year-old Chapman, who was expelled from the US this month, were ill-founded.

“It’s just because she’s an attractive woman with a Russian-sounding last name,” Mr Palmer said.

“There’s been no allegation that she has anything to do with that whole thing.  It’s just bad timing.” Cheap True Religion

Mr Palmer said his client spends most of her time in Russia, where her husband lives and works as an English teacher.

“She was basically doing a favour for her husband’s friend, who asked her to buy these things for him because they’re very expensive in Russia,” he said.

Ms Fermanova had not yet entered a plea to the charges, but told the New York Post that the allegations against her were “over-dramatised”.

“I’m freaking out right now,” she said.

She is accused of trying to export three night-vision rifle scopes to Russia without advance approval from the State Department, which considers them weapons.

The $7000 Raptor 4X and two Night Optics sights, each worth $4000, were hidden inside Ugg boots that were packed in Fermanova’s luggage. Federal agents swooped after she checked in for a flight from New York’s JFK Airport to Russia on March 1.

According to the charges against her, David Mondanaro, a special agent with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was tipped off in February that Ms Fermanova wanted to buy the items.

Fermanova admitted she covered identification marks on the munitions with marker pen to make the items easier to smuggle out of the US, Mr Mondanaro claimed. ugg boots sale

Facebook pictures of Ms Fermanova that show the blonde partying and posing for the camera circulated since news of her arrest, echoing the snaps of Chapman, who posted provocative pictures of herself on the social networking site.