Smells Like Teen Spirit
Obsession with youth has hit a new sensory dimension. Child, a roll-on floral scent distributed exclusively by Fred Segal’s Apothia store, is made by a woman in Dallas in very limited quantities – which got the store into trouble when 90210 babe Jennie Garth swore in an interview that the perfume drives men wild. Now the store receives about 100 calls a day from Child-less shoppers – though Madonna, Sigourney Weaver, and Tori Spelling have already scored their bottles (small goes for $47, large $92; call 323-651-0239 to order). The No. 1-selling scent in Asia (according to Givenchy, the manufacturer) is Tartine et Chocolat ($30), a light citrus blend created as a fragrance for children. It’s sold in a section labeled “For the Young” at Sephora, but that hasn’t kept the high-heeled set from wearing it themselves. And if you need a really regressive hit, Duane Reade always has a good offering of baby powders.
Shear Style
Stylist Simon Sabag was so popular with socialite clients like Veronica Hearst, Carroll Petrie, and Lee Radziwill that they encouraged him to take over the Daniel Salon, where he worked. One or two of them helped him financially, and Susan Gutfreund went so far as to decorate the new salon’s bathroom herself. The just-opened space comes complete with a stunning garden, updated accessories like leopard-print robes and hand towels, and a new name (Simon, of course). Now a new generation of boldfaced names is gracing Sabag’s chair: Pop star Mandy Moore’s new hair extensions are courtesy of Simon. (22 East 66th Street; 212-517-4566; haircuts range from $85 to $200.)
Laser Show
One million Americans have had their vision restored through laser eye surgery, but some bespectacled skeptics are still waiting for the procedure to be perfected. Now we’re one step closer. The chief complaint about the widely used lasik system comes from patients whose fidgeting during surgery reduced the laser’s accuracy. But LADARVision – recently approved by the FDA – tracks the eye’s movement, allowing patients to cough and scratch all they want. Dr. Barrie D. Soloway, of the Autonomous Laser Vision Center of Excellence at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary (888-NYLASIK), is the only doctor in the city with the new laser. The $5,500 procedure takes only fifteen minutes – and could allow you to toss those frames within a month.
DAVID AMSDEN
New Wave
There are abundant ways to dispatch unwanted hair – and most of them make us wince. Labor-intensive tweezing, messy creams, and painful waxing are all temporary. Laser and flash-gun treatments once seemed miraculous, but they’re less than effective on light hair and can burn dark or tanned skin. Here’s hope for the hirsute: A new microwave hair-removal machine goes straight to the follicle, and according to Upper East Side dermatologist Stephen Victor, the first in town with the new machine, “clinical studies show that after one treatment, 68 percent of the hair was still gone two years later, and after two or three treatments, you can be absolutely hairless.” Robin Williams must be breathing a sigh of relief. (Dr. Steven Victor, 30 East 76th Street; 212-249-3050. The process, including three sessions, ranges from $950 for the bikini area to $3,000-$5,000 for a man’s back.)
Gold Rush
On the fall 2000 runways, beauty took its cue from fashion’s current love affair with all that glitters. At Fendi, models wore antique-gold shadow on the lids, as they did at Lawrence Steele, where eyes were highlighted with M.A.C’s gold Pigment ($18 at M.A.C, 113 Spring Street). At Christian Dior, locks were swept with Gold Nugget Mascara Flash ($19.50 at Bloomingdale’s). Fortunately, the look is subtle enough to try at home. Try Calvin Klein pale-gold eye color wash ($14 at Saks Fifth Avenue) or Stila’s Gold Shine lip gloss ($17 at Sephora). And if you can’t afford real fourteen-karat baubles, you can still brighten your hands with the stuff. Fashion insiders have been getting French manicures with a twist – painting the tips of their nails with gold, like Shu Uemura’s luxe metallic enamel ($20 at Barneys New York).
ANNA RACHMANSKY