Jimmyjane is bringing beauty – and sexy – back into a usually tacky and terribly packaged industry, without sacrificing function. Just an idea for a little something for Valentine’s Day…

Ok, Target comes out with the best products ever. I’ve been wanting to try the Boots line that they now offer, and now these Duchess Bath Crystals in the Sunday ads. Isn’t that darling?

I guess it’s not available on the site yet, other than some brief information on The Beauty Aisle and their press release:

Duchess
The irreverence of Duchess’ packaging is tempered by the girliness of its products. The rocker-hot pink may grab the attention, but flirtatious scents — with hints of waterfruits, honeysuckle and orange flower — steal the show. From bath salts and body soufflé, to body lotions and night creams, Duchess will make every woman into a beauty queen. Prices range from $3.99 to $19.99.

I’m so going to Target this weekend.

Well. Never thought I’d be writing about something like this (the day after Easter, no less), but I suppose there’s a first for everything. I’ve been noticing the ads for K-Y Brand’s Intrigue, a “Premium Personal Lubricant”, in magazines and I was impressed. It’s gorgeous and absolutely sexy. Which is funny, because ironically, such products haven’t exactly been sexy-looking. More like medicinal and generic.

(The website describes the color as a “deep purple”, but it looks more like fuchsia to me.)

This is too cute! Rose-scented bath & body products inspired by a childhood classic:

La Petite Prince La Rose natural spray, body lotion, and bath gel, all from day-lab

Like many of the clothes from Paul & Joe, I am seriously in love with the packaging for their cosmetics line, Paul & Joe Beaute. It is absolutely divine! I especially love the gorgeous floral pattern and print on what looks to be a perforated box.

Paul & Joe body powder and lip gloss set at my-wardrobe.com

I love this ad for Anna Sui’s new perfume, Secret Wish Magic Romance. The design is nothing exceptional, but it’s so fun and pretty to look at and doesn’t take itself too seriously, pretty much like Anna Sui’s overall style. The model is Anne Watanabe, daughter of Ken Watanabe who played the Chairman in “Memoirs of a Geisha”. Gorgeous girl!

The website is super-cute too!

OK, I love these. Good Home Company wins the award for most charming-looking household cleaning products. This is their Paris Rain scent – a Parisian flower garden after a warm summer rain. And I love that their products, which include dish soap, laundry detergent, sheet spray, and a surface cleaner, are biodegradable and cruelty-free. The laundry detergent’s glass bottle also reminds me of lemonade from Trader Joe’s.

For us Angelenos, they have a store in Culver City at the Helms District in the H.D. Buttercup Building.

I know what you’re thinking – “She just likes this because it has cute packaging.” That’s so not true! The Sofia Rose happens to be my favorite wine. I order this every time I’m at 626 Reserve (fabulous wine bar in downtown L.A., by the way.) But yes, the packaging is adorable. And yes, the wine is named after Sofia Coppola, director of Marie Antoinette and daughter of Francis, who owns the Neibaum-Coppola Winery.

Unfortunately 626 is the only place I know that sells the wine. The one time I bought a whole bottle was when I was on vacation in Seattle, from DeLaurenti. The bottle is gorgeous! I couldn’t find room for it in my luggage though.

Still have yet to try the Sofia Blanc de Blancs, which also comes in a mini canned form and four in a pack. I am seriously in love with that box…

Saw these while shopping at Atmosphere in Los Feliz the other day – Tinte Flavored Lip Color in the most adorable vintage-looking tin. It comes in yummy flavors like Peaches & Cream and Bubblegum.

I spotted this other pretty thing in a previous issue of Lucky – Mor Cosmetics Dolce Lip Delight. This one is flavored in Marshmallow, no less. The design is so old Hollywood glamour.

I would get these just for the tin cases. They could sit on my vanity all day and decorate it with their prettiness, and I would be happy. Or I could reuse them as a fancy way to stash paperclips and other small items on my desk. I’m such a sucker for packaging.

I finally watched Marie Antoinette at Cinespace over the weekend. The movie was boring, but I did like the soundtrack, and I absolutely loved the imagery. The costumes, the set design, even the FOOD, were all so gorgeously stylized and breathtaking.

I even liked the understated and slight punk rock-ish edge of the logo and title sequence. (Are italics coming back?) So unexpected but fitting.

Love that we are starting to see a steady stream of earth-friendly products hitting beauty counters. Especially when their packaging is also both cute and multi-purpose, like Cargo’s new PlantLove Botanical Lipsticks.

The compostable lipstick tube is made out of corn and emits less greenhouse gases; the outer carton is made of flower paper embedded with real flower seeds that you can plant later on. CARGO also donates two dollars from the sale of every lipstick to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Nifty! I checked these out at Sephora the other day and unfortunately didn’t find any colors that suited me. But I hope this is a sign of things to come from the beauty industry.