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Chanel Wins Luxist's Editors' Choice Award for Best in Beauty

For a beauty and fashion conglomerate whose founder distained fragrances, Chanel has had quite a run. "Women perfume themselves only to hide bad smells," said Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, shortly after founding her eponymous company.

That was 1909. A century later the iconic Chanel No. 5 is not only Chanel's flagship fragrance, but one of the most recognizable products in the world. Today, the Chanel empire (LINK: www.chanel.com ) spans cosmetics, haute couture, jewelry and swimwear. The company boasts more than 160 boutiques and seven ateliers (through subsidiary Paraffection) across the globe, from Paris and New York to Hong Kong and Tokyo.

Though Coco herself has long since passed on, the company's creative vision comes from head designer and creative director Karl Lagerfeld. Billionaires Alain and Gerard Wertheimer, grandsons of Coco's original business partner Pierre Wertheimer, continue to control the corporate side of Chanel, which takes in an estimated $3 billion or so in annual revenue.

Gallery: Chanel

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Clinique Skin Supplies for Men Wins Readers' Choice Award for Best Men's Skin Care Line

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance

Backed by Estée Lauder, cosmetics powerhouse Clinique has both the resources and the pedigree to create some of the world's most popular skin care products. Little wonder that Clinique Skin Supplies for Men is the Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice Winner in the best men's skin care line category.

Clinique has seemed destined to succeed ever since its auspicious beginnings in 1968. In the prior year, as the legend goes, Estée Lauder's daughter-in-law read an article in Vogue that suggested great skin could be created simply by maintaining a proper daily skin care routine. She showed the piece to her mother-in-law, who quickly recruited authors Carol Phillips and Dr. Norman Orentreich. By the end of the following summer, the Clinique brand was born, debuting at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Gallery: Clinique for Men

Today, Clinique's offerings encompass skin care, fragrances and other cosmetics for men and women. The company's men's line is among the most extensive in the world, boasting a staggering array of grooming products including shampoo, shower gel, lip balm, deodorant, cologne, and an expansive skin care line.

Clinique Skin Supplies for Men includes concoctions for general skin health and for very specific situations. For men who eschew disposable razors in favor of their modern counterpart, there's the electric shave primer (3.4 oz: $15.50). For those who prefer the more traditional method of removing facial hair, there's the post shave smoother (2.5 oz: $17). As ever, all are still available at Saks Fifth Avenue and other fine retailers.

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Chanel No. 5 Wins the Readers' Choice Award for Best Fragrance

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance

Trends come and go in the world of perfumes, but the classic Chanel No. 5 is one of the few exceptions to the rule. For nearly a century, it has been synonymous with elegance and sophistication-making. Chanel No. 5 is also the Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice Award winner in the best fragrance category.

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel started her company in 1909 with a single Paris store. By 1913, she had expanded to the posh European resort towns of Deauville and Biarritz, France. As the winter of 1921 approached, she gave the first 100 bottles of the fragrance to her most loyal customers as a Christmas gift. The following year, Chanel No. 5 made its official debut.

Gallery: Chanel

The precise origins of Chanel No. 5 are the stuff of legend. At first, Coco wanted no part of the fragrance business. "Women perfume themselves only to hide bad smells," she famously said. But eventually French perfumer Ernst Beaux changed Coco's mind. According to one story, the formulation of No. 5 was Beaux's attempt to capture the smell of Europe's northern lakes in the midnight sun; according to another, it was the result of a mixing error by Beaux's assistant.

Whatever the origin, No. 5 remains popular as ever today, thanks in part to a vaunted advertising campaign. Spokespeople for the fragrance have included actresses Marilyn Monroe, Catherine Deneuve, Nicole Kidman, and most recently, Audrey Tautou, star of Amelie. She's the muse for a Chanel No. 5 film directed by Jean Pierre Jeunet. The current campaign is Chanel's first to launch online.

Chanel No. 5 perfume is described as sensual, intimate, luxurious, and the new film portrays No. 5 women of today as serene, enchanting and free---all part of an effort to renew the brand in the eyes of younger consumers. The fragrance can be purchased through Chanel's website (1.2 oz: $61.50) or at most high end department stores.

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Lush Wins the Readers' Choice Award for Best Bodycare Line

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance

When you walk down a crowded street in a major city in any of these countries and are suddenly surrounded by wafts of natural, deliciously clean-smelling fragrances, chances are, you've stumbled across a LUSH boutique. LUSH is a handmade cosmetics company based in the UK, and the winner of the Readers' Choice Award in the Best Bodycare Line category.

LUSH's distinctively aromatic concoctions are handcrafted from fresh and organic fruits and vegetables ("We also believe words like fresh and organic have honest meaning beyond marketing," says their website), essential oils and well-tested synthetics. They try to use very few preservatives, none when possible, and keep their packaging to a minimum. Seventy percent of their products come with no package at all, but when packages are used, each is marked with the exact date of the product's creation, letting you know just how fresh the item is. Sometimes, the label will even feature a little picture of the person who made it!

Gallery: Lush

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M·A·C Cosmetics Wins the Readers' Choice Award for Best Cosmetics Line

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Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance

M.A.C. Cosmetics wins the Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice Award for Best Cosmetics Line

M·A·C Cosmetics, or Make-up Art Cosmetics, is a favorite of runway artists and film stars alike, and the winner of the Readers' Choice Award in the Best in Cosmetics category.

The company was founded in Toronto by Frank Toskan and Frank Angelo back in 1985, and the legend says that the formation of the entire company was based on just one shade of lipstick: M.A.C. Red. The story goes that the pair were mixing their own shade of red to use in a runway show, and everyone from the models to the photographers fell in love with it. The two Franks joined forces to found M·A·C Cosmetics, a line of cosmetics for industry professionals.

Gallery: M.A.C. Cosmetics

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37 Extreme Actives Wins Readers' Choice Award for Best Skin Cream Line

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Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance

37 Extreme Actives wins the Luxist Readers' Choice Award for Best Skin Cream Line.

With a rich mixture of academic and scientific knowledge, Dr. Macrene Alexiades-Armenakas has created an unparalleled line of skin care offerings for her eponymous company. No surprise that her signature product, "37 Extreme Actives," has won the Luxist Awards Readers' Choice Award in the best skin cream category.

Dr. Alexiades-Armenakas started her skin cream line after a more than a decade of impressive preparation. She earned three degrees from Harvard (B.A., M.D., and a Ph.D in genetics), also stopping off at Yale to teach at the medical school and serve as a physician at Yale-New Haven hospital. She started her own private practice in laser and aesthetic dermatology in New York in 2003. Since becoming a board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Alexiades-Armenakas continued her scientific research in skincare, working as a consultant to L'Oreal Paris for three years, conducting clinical trials for pharmaceutical companies and laser device companies, as well as independent research on lasers and her newest work in the lab.

Gallery: 37 Extreme Active

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The Nominees for Best in Beauty

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance

Best Men's Skincare Line

The first nominee has a straightforward name as well as no-nonsense naming and simple packaging, while the second nominee was launched high in the mountains of France nearly 50 years ago by an intrepid biologist. The third nominee offers one of the most extensive lines for men while the fourth is known for its longevity and expertise in men's skincare. The final nominee lives by its logo that says "be healthy and look great".

Anthony Logistics for Men
Biotherm Homme
Clinique Skin Supplies for Men
Lab Series Skincare for Men
MenScience Androceuticals

Best Cosmetics Line

The first nominee was created by a makeup artist who wanted to create a natural-looking makeup line that would allow a person's true beauty to shine through while the second one was started by a painter who later became a celebrity makeup artist. The third nominee is a favorite of runway artists and film stars alike while the fourth is an eponymous beauty brand known for highly pigmented products, cleverly slim and sleek compacts, and a fearless selection of shades for people of all colors. The final nominee first became famous for its revolutionary makeup brushes, followed by its innovative cosmetics.

Bobbi Brown
Laura Mercier
M·A·C Cosmetics
NARS
Trish McEvoy

Best Fragrance

The first nominee has been the scent of choice for sophisticates worldwide since the 1930's, while the second nominee has been synonymous with opulence for generations. The third nominee is an elegant and sophisticated octogenarian while the fourth nominee is a unisex newcomer that is packaged in perhaps the most innovative vessel ever created for a fragrance. The final nominee is immediately recognizable due to its famous logo.

Acqua di Parma Colonia
Bulgari's Eau Parfumée au Thé Blanc
Chanel No. 5
Voyage d'Hermès
Polo Ralph Lauren

Best Bodycare Line

The first nominee is a Japanese line that was developed with the knowledge of Oriental herbal medicine while the second one has been concocting beautifying elixirs in New York City since 1851. The third nominee takes a scientific approach to beauty and the fourth makes distinctively aromatic concoctions that are handcrafted from fresh and organic fruits and vegetables. The final nominee is an upbeat, uplifting company with a product line that attempts to inspire its customers to live a better life by being better to themselves.

Kanebo's Sensai
Kiehl's
La Prairie
Lush
Philosophy

Best Skin Cream

The first nominee is made from a combination of natural ingredients including special sea kelp harvested twice a year off the coast of California, while the second nominee focuses on the inner balance and harmony of the body and soul. The third nominee uses two key ingredients: a natural extract derived from the root of the Shilan orchid as well as Koishumaru silk extract. The fourth nominee prides itself on understatement while the final nominee was launched by a Harvard-trained, board-certified dermatologist who's single product contains all the necessary ingredients to fight anti-aging.

Creme de la Mer
Darphin
Kanebo's Sensai Skin Care
Philosophy
37 Extreme Actives

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