Barbie’s Fashion Show on New York Fashion Week 2009

The most loved doll of all time and a true fashion icon in its own doll special way, Barbie is celebrating its 50th Birthday in 2009 with her own Fashion Show. Its parent company Mattel Inc will market Barbie as a fashion brand with a runway show in February 2009 during New York Fashion Week and will feature many designer collaboration to guarantee an unforgettable birthday. Fifty designers will produce life-sized outfits inspired by the doll. Famous designer Vera Wang will create a life-size wedding gown which will include Barbie wearing its own mini version too. Other designers include Jeremy Scott and Diane Von Furstenberg who will also make real life garments that reflect Barbie’s fashion world.

But the collaborations do not stop there as a little further east in Shanghai, the first Barbie Flagship store worldwide, the House of Barbie, will open its doors in 2009. The store is a 3400-square-meter-store and will carry Barbie dolls and all Barbie related products. The new Barbie collection will go on sale there and Mattel says that House of Barbie will encourage women and girls to “nibble on truffles, smear on pink-tinted mud masks and shop for clothes for themselves and their dolls”.

Mattel will also sponsor New York’s IMG organised Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. The senior vice president at IMG Fern Mallis explains, “For many young girls, [Barbie is] their first association with fashion and dressing up and changing clothes.” And what an amazing year for Barbie and all its fans worldwide it will be!

Natural Beauty: Secrets of the Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is the saltiest body of water in the world. The minerals and salts are so dense that you can actually float on the surface of the sea without sinking – great news for non-swimmer like moi! The Dead Sea is also located at the lowest point on this planet at 400 meters below sea level, making it the closest body to the soul of Earth. For centuries, Queens and Kings have known about the magical secrets of the sea and have fought over the privilege of using beauty products made from its minerals and salts.

The Queen of Ancient Egypt, the legendary beauty Cleopatra was famous for her youthful skin and looks which stayed radiant and healthy even as her age progressed. Cleopatra loved the beauty products from the Dead Sea so much that she went to great expense to have cosmetic factories built on the shores of the sea. Their remains can still be seen today at Ein Bokek and Ein Gedi. Now, this is where I want to go!

The Dead Sea is considered a “natural spa.” It is not only famous for its age-defying, rejuvenating and purifying beauty wonders but it is also known to heal skin ailments like Psoriasis, Eczema, and Acne. There are spas located around the sea and people from all over the world come to this legendary place to experience its beautifying and healing powers.

Luckily for us, if we do not have the time to visit the sea, we can always count on the number of outstanding Dead Sea Cosmetics brands that offer a variety of beauty and spa products worldwide; from brands like SeaOra and Etre to the premium brands of AHAVA and Premier.

The ones that I use are Premier Dead Sea Cosmetics and my favorite product is the soap less gel Facial Cleanser with Micro Grains. It is enriched with essential therapeutic oils and Dead Sea minerals as it reduces irritation, and balances and purifies the skin. It is all natural and can be used every day on all skin types.

Premier also offer amazing face masks. The award winning Miracle Noir Mask is patented innovation! It is a firming mud mask, oxygen mask, purification mask and an exfoliating mask all in one. It contains powerful anti-oxidants, Dead Sea mud and minerals, liposome complex, oxygen and vitamins. And trust me when I say that this is truly miracle and from the first application your complexion becomes smoother and brighter! Note that this mask is not to be applied on irritated skin with pimples or acne.

But don’t worry, Premier offers the Problematic Skin Mask which feels just as soft and luxurious on the skin. It speeds up renewal and balances the skin from within. The mask is enriched with Dead Sea minerals mud, Musk Rose oil and Ginko biloba extract, natural beta carotene, and vitamins A and E.