AYC news

AYC will be on hold until future notice.

I will be focusing my efforts on my company blog: Sartorial Savillian.

You can also follow me on twitter.

the science of mascara

The black and gold tube sits idol on my makeup table, while the previous orange tube inches away quietly admitting defeat.

What can I say, regardless of how the mascara works, the fact that it has vibration capabilities makes it really cool. Being a huge closet wannabe tech-geek, I see it more that technology has been integrated into an already fun thing – cosmetics. This makes it novel and innovative and worthy of my makeup bag.

After presenting the tube to a professional makeup artist, I realized that my feeble attempts of applying the mascara were severely ammature. She expertly applied the mascara slowly while ensuring that all hairs were captured. She had the following feedback:

- The vibration button was too close to the edge, it should be placed lower so that you can switch hands easily. She had trouble applying the mascara to her left eye because of it.

- Most people are not “born with” naturally curled eyelashes, although they may be long. Its best to curl eyelashes before applying mascara to get the true effect of long and thick lashes.

- When applying, slightly sway the brush back and forth while lifting up slowly, this will ensure all hair are captured.

After speaking to a few other ladies about mascara, one of the greatest problems everyone had was that some mascaras would rip off lashes because of the heavy gunk left behind. This is scary as I am not sure if eyelashes actually grow back… So far, I haven’t had this problem with the pulse perfection.

my maybelline mystery

So to my surprise I was chosen to be a part of the word of mouth campaign by Maybelline, and why not – I know I’m born with it..or maybe its…:-)

So a mystery brown box arrived last week which was extrodinarily light. It wasn’t addressed to me persay but to my imaginary twin “Jan”.  I tore open the box with my bare hands to reveal gold wrapping paper filled with pulse perfection mascara that were individually placed in a mesh black baggie. I was impressed with the consistent branding and the presentation.

I knew these babies would only go to the most worthy makeup driven friends who would appreciate the novelty.

First: Tania, she is my graphic designer with a lot of sass. She reminds me of a superhero with her firey red curly hair and athletic build. I am awaiting her first impressions and will report back.

I did not try it on right away, I wanted to wait for a special occasion as it seemed too fancy to try on in the middle of the afternoon.

Fast foward to Saturday – it still seemed too fancy to try on for an afternoon bbq but the prospect of it made me giggle.

My eyelashes are already quite long and black, but that doesn’t exclude me from the thrill of putting on mascara. I again tore open the package to find the black and gold sexy looking tube. I thought there would be some sort of battery attachment or weird way to hold it, but all you had to do was press a button and it started vibrating. I applied it and it was glided on quite smoothly, but I forgot to properly seperate the lashes right afterwards because in my excitement I went to show my mom. By the time, I got back to the mirror, my lashes were dry and there were some clumps, so I had to brush them out and even out the liquid with a small makeup brush. I think this will take practice.

In my next post, I will get a makeup artist to try the mascara and get her opinion.

a pinky finger grip on PR

After scouring the net for the definition of a press release and even sending a “pitch” to a local newspaper, I can confidentally say that I have skimmed the top layer of a complex industry. Later, after coming to my senses – I invested in a book called “How to Set up and Run a Fashion Label”. A dozen or so hot pink post-its later, I did not regret my purchase. Here are a few tips for start-up companies and the DIY portion of PR:

1. Study your competitors like a hawk. What types of press have they recieved and in what types of publications?

2. Make a list of media that your competitors have been in and all of the associated editors and writers that take care of that section.

3. Make a “press pack” that shows: logo, overview & history of your company, pictures of your product, and your contact information. This can be included with your press release when sending it to media outlets.

4. I personally believe that meeting key media face to face and introducing yourself is the best way to get on their radar. Blind emails and phone calls may appear pesky and end up in the trash. However, depending on the publication, the press release may be relevant and can get you in the door.