Most of the Manuel-era pitching staffs have not measured up to the offense’s proficiency. The Phils finished in the bottom half of the NL in team ERA in each of his first three seasons, never winding up better than 10th.

The Phillies might still be known as a team built on offense, but there has been a shift in their makeup this season. For all the star power in the lineup, a rotation fronted by three quality starters - Cole Hamels, Brett Myers and former Oriole Jamie Moyer - and featuring a fourth solid pitcher in Joe Blanton has become the backbone for a franchise about to begin its first NL Championship Series since 1993. Game1 against the Los Angeles Dodgers is tonight at Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies finished the regular season with the NL’s fourth-best team ERA, with the bullpen having the best mark of any team in the league.

As good as the relievers were all year, it was the starters who delivered quality innings time after time down the stretch and in the NL Division Series against Milwaukee.

“Over 162 games, it’s probably one of the big reasons we’re here,” pitching coach Rich Dubee said. “They’re starting to get some of that respect. They don’t need it, because they just go out there and do their jobs. Each one of them is very capable of going out there and being very productive for us.”

Said catcher Chris Coste: “Our pitching has been the one consistency all year. Our offense, as good as it’s been at times, there were weeks at a time where we were struggling to get to three and four runs. Even in those toughest times, our pitching - starting, bullpen - was always there for us. If we end up advancing past the Dodgers, it’s going to be because our pitching held the Dodgers down.”

While each member of the Phillies’ current rotation enjoyed individual success before this year, it took a chunk of 2008 for the rotation to become the steady group it is today.

“It’s a great rotation,” said Blanton, who pitched six strong innings in the NLDS clincher and is scheduled to pitch Game4 of the NLCS.

Silhouette International, the Austrian eyeglass maker, is aiming to nudge its way into the beauty world by positioning its rimless glasses as an accessory for makeup lovers.

Arnold Schmied, the eldest son of the company’s founders, Anneliese and Arnold, explained that big, oversized frames are “so yesterday” and that his company’s rimless designs stand to be the trend of the future. Schmied, who oversees the family’s 48-year-old, privately held firm, said the rimless look enables users to really showcase their eye makeup and well-groomed brows.

During a recent trip to Manhattan — the company’s U.S. headquarters are based in Albany, N.Y., where Schmied resides and runs American subsidiary Silhouette Optical Ltd. with his younger brother, Klaus, — Schmied explained that a business decision made last year led the company to move completely to rimless eyewear. The design, known as the Titan Minimal Art, was started 10 years ago by Silhouette, he said, and has attracted the likes of international celebrities, such as Austrian director Stefan Ruzowitzky, and has even penetrated NASA by traveling in space over 20 times with NASA astronauts.

In a twist of public relations fate, rimless glasses have been spotlighted in recent months as they are the chosen eyewear of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. While Palin does not wear Silhouette glasses (according to several news reports she wears Kazuo Kawasaki frames), the company is eager to outfit Alaska’s governor with a special pair. “With Ms. Palin’s rigorous campaign schedule, career demands and growing family, [a pair of] beautifully styled, custom-tailored Silhouettes with limitless vision and perfect comfort would be a perfect pairing,” said Diana Marino, Silhouette’s brand manager.

In addition to the free p.r. boost Silhouette is gaining from Palin’s choice of glasses style, makeup artist Mary Greenwell attended the brand’s recent beauty press event to help promote Silhouette as a beauty junkie’s best friend. There she discussed how rimless glasses “accentuate makeup” since there is no obstacle blocking lids or brows.

To make selecting a pair of glasses easy, there are three different collections within Silhouette, referred to as Silhouette Lifestyle Worlds. There’s Essential, which showcases timeless, minimalist designs. Then there’s Extravagant, which features bold interplays of colors and materials. And, the Luxury collection aims to be elegant, with eyewear made specifically for special occasions. A renovated display system complete with a brand look book is expected to hit the market in January to help promote Silhouette in stores.

Silhouette offers both ophthalmologic glasses and sunglasses; the ophthalmologic range wholesales from $104.95 to $145.95. In addition to the Silhouette brand, the company also produces and markets worldwide models of the licensed brands Daniel Swarovski crystal eyewear and Adidas eyewear. Silhouette eyewear is sold in more than 100 countries. The company generates U.S. sales of about $100 million to $125 million, according to industry sources.

One of the most surprising things about healthy skin is how easy it can be to achieve. For most people, having and keeping your skin healthy is a routine process, a complicated series of steps, or a complete mystery. Let’s start with your face.

The thing to keep in mind is that the skin on your face isn’t the same as the skin everywhere else. It’s more delicate. It’s stretched and compressed constantly by our numerous face muscles and it’s almost always exposed to the elements which means it ages much quicker. This means that your face needs constant care and our bodies are designed so that they can make and provide this nourishment. This is the number one reason why you should never have that “squeaky clean” feeling on your face.

By washing your face to this point, you’re ridding your skin of important natural oils and serums, which can disrupt everything from skin proteins to pH balance and speed the aging process. In order to keep it au natural, stick to natural ingredients on your face. A few fruits and foods can do wonders for your skin. Strawberries have more anti-aging vitamin C than oranges or grapefruits. Studies also show that people who consume more foods with vitamin C have less wrinkles and fine lines than those who do not. Vitamin C also acts as an antioxidant, which helps rid your body of free radicals that age your body and your skin.

We asked four women having their hair done last Friday at the Patrick Melville Salon in Manhattan for their definitions of phrases used in recent face-cream advertising.
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Marilynn K. Yee/The New York Times

Related
Skin Deep: Buying Face Cream? Grab a Glossary (October 2, 2008)
Marilynn K. Yee/The New York Times

Lancôme Rénergie Microlift Night cream: “Beyond lifting and repositioning … Bio-Stimulating technology.”

PAMELA MASARRO, 52, retired graphic artist: “It is going to feel good, stimulating. But, ‘bio’? I don’t have a clue.”

LANCôME’S EXPLANATION A spokeswoman wrote in an e-mail message that the combination of polymers in the product delivers “a stimulating impulse that spreads though the skin layers to stimulate its natural regeneration abilities.”

Olay Regenerist products: “A deep penetrating moisturizer with Aquacurrent Science.”

DYAN DIAZ, 30, train dispatcher for the Long Island Rail Road: “They are taking stuff out of the ocean like jellyfish and dissecting it and telling us it is good for your skin.”

OLAY’S EXPLANATION Lesley Bride, a principle scientist of P & G Beauty, a division of Procter & Gamble that manages Olay, explained in an e-mail message that Aquacurrent Science, the study of water movement in the skin and hair, helps create products with greater moisturization.

Clarins Younger Longer Balm: “With advanced neuro-cosmetic technology and rare concentrated botanicals, skin is revitalized.”

SOLINE MCLAIN, 28, law school student: “I would think it has to do with the brain. It makes you smarter? I will put it on when I am studying for constitutional law.”

CLARINS’S EXPLANATION A spokeswoman for Clarins wrote in an e-mail message that “advanced neuro-cosmetic technology” refers to “products with ingredients that can help protect nerve endings for better cell communication and, ultimately, better-looking skin.”

Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv Ultimate Lifting skin care: “ ‘Virtual immunity’ means you’ll see a noticeably more lifted look, a brilliant clarity, a newly refined smoothness.”

CARMEL AGDEPPA, 27, studying to be a nutritionist: “Is it better for your skin against any foreign bacteria?”

ESTéE LAUDER’S EXPLANATION A spokeswoman for Estée Lauder wrote in an e-mail message that virtual immunity means “your skin essentially appears almost as if it has been exempted from the signs of premature aging because it has a more lifted, clear, radiant and smooth look because of a cocktail of antioxidants, moisturization and optics.”

The perfumes are the first ever fragrances to be launched by a UK TV show and are part of the ever-growing Hollyoaks brand. Now I don’t know about you, but this sort of makes me like Hollyoaks less. Plus such blatent commercialisation smacks of greed, but if Britney, Paris and even Kate Moss are going to churn out fragrances capitalising on their fame, then why not the Hollyoaks team?

“Hollyoaks epitomises the aspirations and lifestyles of today’s young people.” says Sean Marley, Managing Director of Lime Pictures. “The Hollyoaks fragrances will be an exciting and accessible extension of what is already one of the UK’s most successful youth brands.”

Unluckily for me, I haven’t yet smelt the perfume itself but the women’s version contains top notes of pink lychee, golden pear and sugared apple with a heart of jasmine and white chocolate and base notes of sweet musk. I’m imagining super, almost sickly, sweet will be the order of the day. If you love the show, then this one’s for you! Personally though, I think I might be giving it a miss.

Whoops guys, looks like while your back was turned, Paris Hilton(TM) managed to find another way to keep making money, adding a fifth fragrance to her line of perfumes. The ad for the scent features Hilton as the Green Fairy from Moulin Rouge(?) with tagline “Do You Believe in Fairy Tales?”

Unsurprising then, that the name of the perfume is Fairy Dust. What is surprising however, is that the bottle is not just a 6-ounce vial of cocaine.

So if you ever wanted to smell like an unnecessary cultural figure whose name is most associated with disgusting affluence and venereal diseases, now is your chance. Paris Hilton makes no promises that purchasing said item will make you her new BFF, since that is something one must audition for.

Yolanda’s Beauty Salon at 4463 Central Ave. was full of smoke when a total 28 firefighters arrived on the scene, fire department spokesman Capt. Rob Brisley said Sunday. The firefighters worked quickly to clear the salon and neighboring businesses of smoke.

An electrical malfunction in a rear storage room was determined to be the cause. Estimated damage to Yolanda’s: about $75,000.

Two nearby businesses also suffered smoke damage, Brisley said. No injuries were reported.

—–

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Copyright (c) 2008, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.

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Tamera Keys was tired of working a 9-5 job sitting behind a desk.

She wanted more freedom with her time and the ability to wear jeans.

She started Masters Beauty Salon at at 1610 W. Pasadena Ave. in August.

There are four hair-dressers, including Keys at the 900-square foot facility.

Keys went to cosmetology school to learn the craft after leaving the banking industry. She was a bank teller at Republic Bank, and left shortly after the merger with Citizen’s Bank in 2007.

She said she liked the hair salon better because the flexibility of the schedule.

“It’s more of a special job because you actually are dependent on the client,” she said. “I like the freedom of it. I don’t have to work 9-to-5 behind a desk anymore.”

The salon offers a variety of different services including braiding, highlights and coloring. It also offers styles for special occasions.

Prices vary depending on the service, Keys said.

Business hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Details: 810-600-0575.

My daughter is growing up in a country where NASCAR is discussed during a shampoo and blow out.

One of the places the new NASCAR conversation echoes is a high-end beauty salon in Boise, Idaho. At Mystique Salon & Spa, owner Julie Catalano vividly recaps the previous weekend’s Sprint Cup Series race to all her customers in earshot. She does so in front of a Carl Edwards cardboard cutout at her workstation. Another Edwards life-size replica stands in the reception area.

Julie has flipped for Carl, you could say.

Catalano, who opened Mystique Salon in 2000, can’t help herself. She’s a prolific NASCAR evangelist who can analyze a four-tire, 13-second pit stop while performing equally impressive wonders of speed and dexterity with sharp scissors and bottle of peroxide.

A captive customer can spend serious time in the chair, especially when going for extensions and a coloring, Julie’s specialties. Many of the ladies enjoy chatting about all things NASCAR.

Take Sandy Steward, a fellow Roush Fenway Racing fan with family employed by Ford and a husband whose shares a portion of his heart with Mark Martin. Sandy has been coming to Mystique for five years for hair, nails, the occasional massage, and of course the NASCAR low-down. Usually, when she sees Julie, four or five races have gone by. There’s serious ground to make up.

“Julie and I talk about the last race, how the Roush Fenway drivers have done, especially Carl. We’ll discuss the major happenings in the garage like Dale [Earnhardt] Jr. leaving DEI and Tony Stewart forming his own race team. The conversation will track whatever’s happening in the sport.”

Julie’s passion for the sport will grow this weekend at Kansas Speedway. She is being feted at her first race as a VIP guest as winner of the “Official Small Business of NASCAR Courtesy of Office Depot.”

As the first female winner of one of the most successful sponsor promotions in NASCAR, Catalano’s business name and logo will appear on Carl Edward’s Office Depot Ford. She’ll also meet Edwards, who she already knows pretty well after spending so many waking hours cutting hair next to his cardboard cutout.

“Office Depot couldn’t have picked a better person to represent the company and the sport,” Steward said. “She’s a very determined, positive, successful person. She’s going to give the sport some incredible exposure. And she’s going to absolutely have the time of her life at her first race.”
“
She’s going to give the sport some incredible exposure. And she’s going to absolutely have the time of her life at her first race.
”
– SANDY STEWARD

As Mystique Salon enjoys the distinction of the Official Small Business of NASCAR, Catalano’s business will garner mass-market exposure usually exclusive to large companies with behemoth marketing budgets — the logo of her business, a symbol of her blood, sweat and tears, will be emblazoned on the No. 99 race car.

Office Depot is lending the exposure to Catalano, who is important to their enterprise as one of the 6.2 million women-owned businesses today, employing more than 9 million people and generating sales of $1.15 trillion, according to Jeff Herbert, SVP of Marketing for Office Depot.

Herbert’s master stroke of a promotion generates tens of thousands of entries a year. The companies previously showcasing the “Official Small Business of NASCAR” moniker in front of millions of fans are: Fort Bend Lock & Key of Houston, Texas; K&M Storage of Dodge City, Kansas; and Kentuckiana Engineering Company, Inc, of Louisville, Kentucky

“‘The Official Small Business of NASCAR’ promotion has worked so well because it engages our core customers who are also loyal fans of the sport,” Herbert explained.

His team tries to make the contest better each year. This season Office Depot launched a new viral component called “Connect With Carl.” Entrants could spread the word to draw extra nominations by sending a customized e-mail audio message from Carl Edwards.

With the winner selected at random from the pool of entries, more nominations meant a greater chance of becoming the “Official Small Business of NASCAR.” Of course, Catalano made great use “Connect with Carl,” generating 165 nominations from family, friends and business associates.

Early on, she told a few of her customers she’d win. Then she did.

Great stylists can be as cocky, check that, “confident,” as great race car drivers.

Business name: Sanity Salon & Spa.

Owner’s name: Nicole Brandt.

Age: 25.

Phone: 623-271-2035.

Business address and cross streets: 15341 W. Waddell Road, Suite B-102, Surprise (Waddell and Reems roads).

Business hours, phone, Web site: Monday, Friday, Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. 623-584-5027 or www.Sanitysalonspa.com.

What does your business provide/sell? We are an upscale, full-service salon and spa providing hair and nail styling, massage and facials.

How did you decide to start this business? I always wanted to open my own salon. That is why I went to beauty school to do hair. I had a vision to open the salon once I saw Marley Park in Surprise start to be built. Marley Park is such a great community, and I wanted them to have a really nice salon and day spa so they did not have to drive all the way to Scottsdale to get a great service. Everything came together once I found my location, and I feel that it was really meant to be!

What sets you apart from other businesses in your market? So many salons just offer hair or just nails, but we offer it all. We are a one-stop shop of beauty. We also pride ourselves on great customer service. We know that our clients are Number 1 priority, and we want them to have a relaxing, fun and positive experience while they are with us, and also leave with feeling great about themselves.

Why did you choose Surprise to open your business in? I live in Surprise and saw how fast the city was developing. We really didn’t have anything out here like this, so I wanted to bring an upscale salon like this to Surprise. I love Surprise. It is a wonderful community to live in!

Health experts believe that since during Ramazan everyday routine changes and the body adapts itself to the change in normal routine, it leads to such problems. To tackle them, they advise little moderation in lifestyle and taking extra care of the skin.

Talking to 慣he News,� Consultant Dermatologist at Ali Medical Centre Dr. Azeem Alam Khan said that during the holy month, they generally had patients complaining of problems such as skin feeling tight; lack of freshness and giving dehydrated looks. 揟here may be flaking or scaling, fine lines, cracks, redness or deep fissures, especially on palms and soles,� he explained.

He said that repeated rubbing or scratching brings further itch making skin even more rough and thick mostly on easily accessible parts of the body. 揝weating adds to the drying effect especially on lips that become more vulnerable to dryness, chapping and cracking,� he added.

Giving more tips, he said that during fasting one should keep the skin well moisturised with regular, frequent and liberal use of moisturisers. 揟hese are available in the form of ointments like Vaseline, cold cream and lotions.�

Alam said that the best thing was to use an oily ointment-based moisturiser at night and a cream or lotion based moisturizer applied frequently during the day. 揊or dry skin one should use gentle and a mild oily soap,� he said adding that the general rule of the thumb in choosing a suitable soap, gel, body wash or face wash was that the skin should feel soft and smooth instead of getting dry, rough and tight after using it.

He said that the best soaps were those that were oily and chemical free like Dove and Oilatum. 揊requent bathing and showering causes dryness of skin so one should not use too warm or too cold water and not stay in water for longer than 15 minutes (preferably 5-10 minutes).�

Dr. Alam explained that cotton clothes were best for skin and silk was also acceptable whereas wool, Cashmere and Pashmina were likely to irritate the skin these days. 揑t is also advisable to avoid exposure to the sun during Ramazan as it causes dehydration and hyper pigmentation of skin.

Giving guidelines on dry lips, he said that it was advisable to use chap stick or vaseline. 揇rinking plenty of water at 憇ehr� and after 慽ftar� improves skin hydration and texture,� he said adding that taking vitamin C & E in the correct amount often ensures a glowing, rosy complexion. 揑t抯 also important to consult your physician before taking vitamins if you have any pre-existing medical conditions or if you take any medications regularly.�

Finally to keep your skin fresh, healthy and smooth during Ramazan you need a well-balanced and healthy diet, plenty of water, adequate sleep, exercise and no smoking at all!

Beverly Hills, CA (The Open Press) September 24, 2008 — Despite extensive media coverage, hundreds of complaints and trips to doctors and hospitals, it looks like the fungicide-filled furniture causing eczema and other severe skin care problems is still on the market. A few months ago we heard about sofas sending babies to the hospital; now a major furniture retailer is withdrawing a range of chairs that are causing the same problems. While this situation is severe, it’s not the first time the things we live with every day have caused eczema, rashes, and other skin care nightmares. In fact, one would be wise to ensure they use skin care products that protect them from chemicals on a daily basis.

The latest problem has drawn about 400 letters of complaint from customers seeking damages and about twice that number have received exchanges or refunds for the chairs they purchased from a European retail giant. A French newspaper reported that a dozen people have also been hospitalized. In all, 38,000 people purchased these chairs over a two-year period and each of them have been written to by the retailer to alert them to the possibility of allergic reactions such eczema, rashes, and other problems that may require skin care medication or other treatment.

While this is extreme, there are millions of people suffering from eczema and other skin problems caused by chemicals in the air, our food, our clothes, linens, carpeting and, yes, even our furniture. In fact, in addition to skin care medication and other remedies, one of the primary recommendations for those suffering from eczema is to eliminate as many chemicals as possible. Eczema sufferers often restrict their clothing and linens to organic natural fibers; their household and personal care products are chemical-free and some have even gone as far as to live in ‘green’ homes completely devoid of any irritating substances.

Unfortunately, unless you live in the wilds it’s virtually impossible to live without irritating and harmful chemicals. Even those living in the greenest home environments can’t avoid the chemicals that pollute the air. Thousands of doctors now recommend a shielding lotion to remedy this situation. A good shielding lotion bonds with the outer layer of the skin to form a new protective layer that locks out chemicals.

With luck, you won’t ever buy a sofa or chair that sends you to the hospital or dermatologist. But it’s quite possible that, even now, you have eczema, rashes, or other skin conditions that are caused by chemicals. If you suspect that’s a possibility, do what you can to eliminate the chemicals in your life and for skin care treatment that protects you from what you can’t get rid of, check out shielding lotion.

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Called “narrative perfume” by industry insiders, these cutting-edge fragrances aren’t necessarily about smelling pleasant but rather smelling like a specific time, place or experience.

A perfume at Holt Renfrew called Secretions Magnifique is billed as “an olfactory coitus” due to its notes of bodily fluids, while a scent called Soldat Inconnu aims to replicate the smell of battle that sticks to a soldier’s skin. There’s even a fragrance that reproduces the exact aroma of a first edition of perfumer Christopher Brosius’s favourite novel, which is said to suggest leather bindings, worn cloth and wood polish.
‘Narrative perfume’ isn’t necessarily about smelling good but rather smelling like a specific place or experience.
‘Narrative perfume’ isn’t necessarily about smelling good but rather smelling like a specific place or experience.

Not only are these narrative perfumes changing the way Canadians think about fragrance, experts say their potential for interactive marketing could change the face - or rather nose - of contemporary advertising.

“When you’re trying to influence someone, you want to hit them on as many perceptive neuro-pathways as you can,” says Lindsay Meredith, professor of marketing at Simon Fraser University in B.C. “Imagine seeing your favourite actress splashing on (a fragrance) because she wants to be more seductive or attractive, and by the way, here’s a scent strip so you can experience what she actually smells like.”

This concept was used in special screenings of the 2006 movie Perfume, during which the audience was given scent blotters to sample at specific moments in the film. A street scene in 18th century France, for example, was accompanied by a scent strip carrying the aroma of urine and greasy hair.

“This could be very powerful advertising,” says Meredith, though he remains skeptical that the “G.I. Joe” scent of Soldat Inconnu is going to have army wannabes lining up.

KATIE Price launched her latest perfume, Besotted, in London today
The mum-of-three looked stunning in a netted and jewelled lingerie piece as she posed for photographs in London’s posh Paper Club..

Katie was recently named Britain’s favourite reality TV star and also topped a poll of most successful and admired entrepreneurs.

This is the 30-year-old’s second fragrance - a follow-up to the star’s best-selling scent Stunning.

She said: “I’m really excited about it as I smelt so many smells to get the scent right - it’s fresh and fruity. I love it.”

Katie recently returned home from a romantic getaway with husband Peter Andre.
But eau de war is just the beginning.

Bond No. 9 uses different fragrance blends to recreate the experience of walking though New York’s storied neighbourhoods. Olfactory narratives woven by Etat Libre D’Orange includes that of a hotel hooker (Putain des Palaces), a Judas-like traitor (Eloge du Traitre), and a young woman who regrets having just lost her innocence (Messe Rose).

By Kilian offers a veritable orgy in a bottle. Les Liaisons Dangereuses is described as smelling of “bodies slick with sweat, hot with odours of sexual favours.”

And Black Phoenix Alchemy uses fragrance to evoke literary characters such as Alice in Wonderland’s Caterpillar, whose eponymous perfume smells of heavy incense and jasmine layered over “a lush bed of dark mosses.”

Marian Bendeth, a global fragrance expert with Toronto-based Sixth Scents, says it’s all part of the “lightning hot” niche trend. “They’re appealing to people who don’t want to smell like a teenager,” she says. “If it’s exclusive, hard to find, if it’s different, they want it.”

Stripped of their stories, which Bendeth explains as branding tools, most of these unusual offerings can be quite pleasing. The controversial Secretions Magnifique, for instance, is described by the fragrance maven as “stunning.”

Juel Mahoney in London, England, by contrast, says she was “traumatized” by the same perfume, whose notes of blood and sweat instantly evoked memories of a friend being hit by a car nine years ago.

“Smell is the most primitive sense there is, and apparently it’s close to memory in the brain,” says Mahoney, whose brief encounter with Secretions in a department store made her relive the confusion and panic of the accident.

“I couldn’t get it off me fast enough.”

“We’ve got lots of ideas to raise funds, from sponsored walks to something more restful like having a Stop for Tea day. More than 165 million cups of tea are enjoyed in the UK every single day, so we’re hoping to host a Stop for Tea day in the salon and ask our clients to make a small donation to ChildLine in exchange for a cuppa - you can’t get more effortless fundraising than that!”

Jo Dale, ChildLine/NSPCC community corporate manager added: “I am delighted that Keith Hall Hairdressing has chosen ChildLine as their charity of the year.

“As 87 per cent of our funding comes from donations and fundraising, our work is heavily dependent on the support and generosity of the general public and companies.

“ChildLine is only able to answer two-thirds of the 2.7 million calls it receives every year which is why we need to expand the service to help more children and young people.”

Adam Di Biase had booked his Paris and London trip for next month and was all ready to go until he was told this week he was no longer entitled to it, the Geelong Advertiser.

Mr Di Biase, 26, now works for rival hairdresser Mark Rixon after walking out of Mr Grayson’s salon in July following an argument during a staff meeting.

Mr Di Biase and Mr Grayson are currently locked in dispute. It is believed their case has been referred to the Victorian Skills Commission.

Mr Grayson yesterday said Mr Di Biase quit the salon, because he “didn’t like what was said” at the meeting.

“You can’t walk out of an apprenticeship like that,” Mr Grayson said.

He said he was “extremely disappointed” at the situation.

Mr Di Biase said he could not comment because of the legal proceedings, but his mother, Ingrid Weber, said she was angry the dispute could stop her son from taking his trip.

Ms Weber said her son won the prize while an apprentice and was still entitled to it.

British Hairdressing Business Awards Announce Winners

The tenth annual British Hairdressing Business Awards has announced the individuals and salons who have each won a prestigious award at an exclusive presentation at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London.

Hairdressers Journal International launched the British Hairdressing Business Awards in 1999 to raise the profile of the professional hairdressing industry by recognising and rewarding innovation, business acumen and excellence throughout the industry. “Dedication and commitment to excellence is something that has been shown by every finalist,” commented Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Hairdressers Journal International, Jayne Lewis-Orr. “All of the finalists represent the best the hairdressing industry has to offer.”

To enter the British Hairdressing Business Awards, salons or individuals have to meet the criteria set down by the sponsors and the organisers. This has to be presented in a dossier, which is judged over two days, by a panel of industry experts along with the category sponsors. From the first round judging, finalists are selected and their dossiers are then judged by an independent panel of judges.

The night got off to a fantastic start, with a welcoming cocktail party, followed by a four-course dinner and entertainment. After dinner leading TV and radio personality and host of BBC’s Watchdog - Nicky Campbell announced the individual awards, with category sponsors presenting the awards to the jubilant winners. Winners receive an exclusive, beautifully designed contemporary British Hairdressing Business Awards trophy inlaid with eighteen-carat gold.

Winners British Hairdressing Business Awards 2008

Customer Care Award (Sponsored by Kerastase)
Migele Experience, Kirkcaldy.

Junior of the Year (Sponsored by Fudge)
Niki Moores, Michael Van Clarke LLP, London

Manager of the Year (Sponsored by L’Oreal Professionnel)
Tracy McCullough, Zoology, Wanstead.

Salon Design Award (Sponsored by Welonda)
Ikasu, Stourbridge.

Salon Team of the Year (Sponsored by Racoon International)
Review, Petersfield.

Independent Salon – Business Newcomer (Sponsored by Great Lengths)
Sutherland and Barnett, Nottingham.

Training Award (Sponsored by Wella Professionals)
Michael Van Clarke LLP, London.

Salon of the Year 1 (Sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional)
Maxwells Professional Hairdressing & Beauty, Biggleswade.

Salon of the Year 2 (Sponsored by Clynol Salon Exclusive)
Clipso London, London.

Retail Salon of the Year (Sponsored by TIGI)
Hair @Jibe, Carlisle.

Marketing Award (Sponsored by Kemon
Maxwells Professional Hairdressing & Beauty, Biggleswade.

Innovation of the Year, Including Website of the Year (Sponsored by REM)
Tangle Teezer, London.

Business Director of the Year (Sponsored by Hairdressers Journal International)
Andrew Phouli, Rush London, London.

For further information on the British Hairdressing Business Awards please contact Alison Jameson or Rachael Ross at Alison Jameson Consultants on +44 131 621 7210, fax +44 131 621 7215 or email: alison@alisonjamesonpr.com

“He’s worked so hard for this and was going to get a marvellous experience,” she said.

Much of the action takes place in a beauty salon, suffused in the golden glow that the title suggests. Vanity is in short supply here, however. Flaws and vulnerabilities are acknowledged yet people find ways to work around them, to nurture and camouflage and renew.

In the salon, there’s a kind of equality. Markers of privilege and distinction are dissolved as women subject themselves to the care of others. It’s a place where they can take refuge, temporarily, from the roles imposed on them in the outside world. It’s a location of absurdities and indulgences, intimacy and uncertainty, as well as high spirits and good humour.

Labaki, who co-wrote and directed Caramel, also takes a lead role. Her character, Layale, the luminously beautiful proprietor, seems at first glance to be in control of her destiny, but she is at the beck and call of her married lover. Jamale (Gisele Aouad), a customer, is an older actress competing for roles with younger women. Nisrine (Yasmine Al Masri), a salon employee who is about to be married, is haunted by a secret she is not sure she will be able to keep from her future husband. Rima (Joanna Moukarzel) is attracted to a beautiful, enigmatic customer and compelled to acknowledge, to herself at least, what this means about her own sexuality. And Rose (Siham Haddad), an older woman, has resigned herself to spending her life caring for her sister.

Labaki, 34, was first a director of music videos and commercials.

She had some acting experience but hadn’t intended to take the lead role in her feature debut. When she assembled the cast, made up almost entirely of non-professionals, she realised that it would help their performances if she was in front of the camera. “When I worked on scenes with them as an actor, it created something strong that I couldn’t find any other way,” Labaki says. It gave her flexibility, something she prized. She wasn’t precious about her script, she adds, and was always prepared to pick up on things that happened in rehearsal or in the course of a take, and run with them. ‘Working with so many inexperienced performers was risky, “but I was confident about the result, I was sure something magical could come out of it. Of course, it was very tiring, and sometimes it wasn’t easy, but I’m very happy with how it turned out.”

The world of the salon is female, but Labaki has also given space to male characters in Caramel.

“I thought it was important that the men in this film were the way I would want them to be. They are my fantasy, in the sense that they are my ideal of a man who is very masculine and strong, but at the same time gentle and sometimes fragile.” There is a scene in which one of the male characters puts himself in the hands of the beauty shop staff, a moment Labaki celebrates. “For a man to enter this salon and give himself to these women is a heroic gesture.”

The title of the film refers not to a confection but to a beauty aid: sugar, mixed with lemon juice and water, boiled and reduced to a thick sticky, golden-brown paste, then applied, like wax as a depilatory.

It was, says Labaki, a central image for the film. “It’s sweet but it causes pain. It’s a weapon and it makes people beautiful. It’s a contradiction, and it says a lot about Oriental or Lebanese women.”

Making the caramel paste is an intimate ritual but it’s also communal, Labaki says. “You don’t do it on your own, you do it in groups. I grew up with my mother and cousins and neighbours, in the kitchen, preparing it. And when you apply it sometimes you need help; you have to use it in places you can’t reach by yourself.”

The women’s stories in Caramel are not neatly resolved. This feeling, Labaki says, is very important to her. Life isn’t clear-cut, “it doesn’t have sad endings or happy endings, there are always alternatives”. To wrap up the storylines, she says, “would be saying, ‘You should do this’ or ‘You should do that.’ You’d be giving people a lesson. And I don’t want to do that. I don’t have solutions, and I’m not judging, I’m just showing things the way that they are.”

Average Josephine has been wondering why she has so much fun going to the beauty salon lately. Sure, the haircuts, colors, manicures, you name it, are nice - but what makes it so much fun?

Going to the beauty salon as a way of escaping the monotony of everyday life is a time-honored tradition among women. Average Josephine even has an aunt in her early 90s (yes - 90s) who has her hair washed and set at a salon every Friday. And, oh, has she had some stories over the years!

Average Josephine has asked stylists: why, exactly, is the salon experience so cathartic?

It’s because your stylist is able to touch you. For however long it takes him or her to finish your hair, nails or eyebrows, that person has to touch you - and a connection is made. That’s why our hairstylists often know more about how we feel about our in-laws than our husbands do.

Not many non-medical professionals are able to connect with their clients like this. If the technician who changed the oil in your car touched you it would be considered inappropriate. And if you go out to eat, the server is highly unlikely to run her fingers through your hair. So this is a power that stylists have to harness with care.

As women, we owe a lot to our stylists. They keep our secrets (the ones we tell and the ones our hair may be telling before the color goes on). They enhance our beauty. And they do it while standing all day long.

Average Josephine would like to ask readers to share their favorite beauty shop stories. One of Average Josephine’s happened this summer when she had a stars and stripes pedicure. Not only was she the hit in the salon, she received compliments for the entire month of July.

So what’s the biggest laugh you have had during a beauty treatment? What’s the most interesting thing you learned while women with foil wrapped in their hair talked over Styrofoam cups of coffee?

Average Josephine doesn’t want to hear about the bad times - we’ve all had them. Instead, let’s take some time for a laugh and a pat on the back for those who keep us looking our best.

_ New York-based Temptu sells Hi-Def S/B makeup on its Web site that can be applied by airbrush or hand. A 1-ounce bottle is priced at $25. It’s $90 for a 4-ounce bottle.

_ Christian Dior’s Capture Totale HD Serum Foundation comes in eight different shades and costs around $75, also for a 1-ounce bottle.

_ For $59, consumers can buy Cargo’s “blu_ray” collection, which includes mascara, blush, lip gloss, pressed powder, and primer. Separately, pressed powder costs about $30, and blush is $27.

_ Smashbox’s oil-free HD Healthy FX foundation costs $38 and contains SPF 15 sun protection.

AS beauty goes, Ellen DeGeneres is not cut from the same cloth as her bride, Portia de Rossi, or an actress like Gwyneth Paltrow. With her sharpish features and flair for courting controversy, Ms. DeGeneres, 50, would seem an unlikely candidate to represent a major cosmetics brand.
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Times Topics: Ellen Degeneres

Dove did not mind freckles.

Celebrities in campaigns like Andie MacDowell.

Reba McEntire in an ad.

But her attributes — even the negative ones — are among the reasons that CoverGirl, the beauty industry giant, announced last week that it had hired her to be the face of its next advertising campaign.

“Ellen is an authentic beauty,” said Esi Eggleston Bracey, a vice president of Procter & Gamble, the parent company of CoverGirl. Ms. DeGeneres appeals to consumers who are “looking not so much for a role model as a woman they can relate to both physically and emotionally,” Ms. Eggleston Bracey said. “In Ellen, she sees a slightly better version of herself, someone appealing from the inside out.”

Ms. DeGeneres, who will start to appear in the company’s ads in January, is not the first unconventional model for CoverGirl, which veered away from its longtime mascot, Christie Brinkley, more than a decade ago.

But she does represent the type of celebrity whom cosmetics companies are approaching as they widen their talent pool, seeking out endorsers whose chief drawing card is a knack for charming Everywoman. The selection of Ms. DeGeneres is simply the industry’s latest bid to reach out to women who consider themselves disenfranchised because they do not look like Kate Moss.

“We don’t need to see another ingenue rocking to the top — we’ve had a few,” said Lesley Jane Seymour, the editor in chief of More, a magazine for women over 40. “We’re getting worn out by the Lindsays and the Britneys, and I think we need a break.”

Industry figures seem to bear out that assertion. Sales of mass market cosmetics plunged 6 percent in the first quarter of 2008 compared with the same quarter in 2007, according to the NPD Group, a market research firm. While the sector shows signs of recovery, “over all, the first half of 2008 is one of the slowest periods we have seen, ” said Karen Grant, a beauty analyst for NPD.

In such a climate, major brands find themselves retooling their ads to reach shoppers who would prefer to see a glamorously packaged version of themselves. “Women don’t necessarily want to look slimmer, younger or more stylishly turned out,” Ms. Seymour said. “They just want to be the best that they can be for the stage of life that they are in.”

They are less likely to identify with Lindsay Lohan than, perhaps, with Andie MacDowell, 50, whose crows’ feet are discernible in a L’Oreal print campaign for RevitaLift Anti-Wrinkle Concentrate; or Diane Keaton, who at the age of 62 has been talking up L’Oreal’s hair color and Age-Perfect Pro Calcium moisturizer.

Older women are not the only targets of such campaigns. About four years ago, Dove, the line of skin and hair cleansers, introduced its Campaign for Real Beauty, with believably flawed but robustly healthy-looking women of varying ages and body types. True, the airbrush has not always been spared, but the occasional wrinkle, mole or spray of freckles still shines through.

CoverGirl, too, has courted diverse groups of women by signing Queen Latifah and, more recently, Drew Barrymore. Two years ago the company rehired Ms. Brinkley, 54, to pitch skin care products to women over 30. Such celebrities are “approachable,” said Jody Crane, president of New Solutions Marketing, a consultant to large corporations, and “with approachability comes relevance. Shoppers look at them and tell themselves, ‘Oh, I can see myself using this product.’ ”

CoverGirl is the top mass-market makeup brand in America in sales and consumer awareness, according to Ms. Grant of NPD. With its new spokesmodel, the company may be looking for an even more radical way of “shaking things up,” she suggested. (CoverGirl is said to have paid about $1 million to Ms. DeGeneres; the company declined to confirm the figure.)

Is the choice risky? Not so much. Her sexual orientation notwithstanding, she is unlikely to alienate CoverGirl’s demographic of 17- to 70-year-olds. More than a decade ago Ms. DeGeneres made history — and fell from grace — when she came out as gay in an episode of “Ellen,” her television sitcom. The series was canceled the next year because of poor ratings.

But her rocky career and comeback may be especially fascinating to women in midlife who have experienced a few bumps of their own. Today Ms. DeGeneres is one of the most popular celebrities in America, an endearingly familiar presence on her daily television talk show and in American Express commercials. “The idea of reinventing yourself is huge” to middle-aged women, Ms. Seymour said. “Second-act stories give them inspiration and strength.”

Not everyone views her as an obvious CoverGirl choice. “What does she bring to the party?” said Allan Mottus, a beauty industry analyst. “Sure, people are looking for women they can identify with, but Ellen DeGeneres has a talk show, she married a beautiful woman. Is that something most people can relate to?”

Ms. Crane of New Solutions disagreed, calling Ms. DeGeneres a powerful symbol. Women, she said, “are tired of seeing models who looks are unattainable and who make them feel bad about themselves,” she said. “Suddenly the disenfranchised are getting acknowledged, and that feels pretty good.”