Showtime Style® 2006 ReviewPage 2 I got thirsty, so I spotted the Star Ice booth. Its slogan read “Ice Me Down Under.” The representative at the booth handed me her business card, which had four colorful bottles of Star Ice turned upside down. I did what everybody else apparently did. I turned the card around thinking it was upside down. Nope, it was just a marketing ploy. Well, it got my attention all right. I asked to try one of the drinks. It was pretty tasty with a hint of alcohol. Star Ice is 5% malt beverage, and you do not taste the malt. It tastes like Jolly Rancher. It’s very colorful, for nightlife and celebrity life. It is packaged in smaller bottles to look elegant in the hands. You can mix it with different spirits. The four flavors are raspberry, green apple, passion fruit, and cranberry. It is in Australia, on the East Coast, and now on the West Coast. Star Ice has done the after party for the AMA, the Hollywood Life Breakthrough Awards, and it has being received by so many people. It is delicious and only two years old. The owners have their own import license, so they import everything themselves. “Ice Me Down Under.” It’s the very first time bottles have been advertised upside down. To learn more, visit www.starice.us. Right next-door was Margarita King. This drink is a colorful lime green in a stylish bottle. I spoke briefly with Gigi, the representative. As I sipped my margarita, she gave me the lowdown on this delicious drink. “Margarita King is a top-shelf margarita with a top-shelf tequila lemon and lime juice. And it is the only margarita that won a gold medal from the beverage tasting institute two years in a row. You just shake it and pour. Giovanni, coined the ‘Margarita King,’ took two years in Mexico searching for just the right recipe. It’s a perfect blend. The company launched three years ago, and since then, Giovanni has appeared with the product on E’ Channel for the Golden Globes, The OSCARS, Billboard Music Awards, MTV, and a lot of other celebrity events. Margarita King is Jamie Foxx’s and Usher’s favorite drink.” --Gigi To Learn More visit www.themargaritaking.com. Next I watched several women try on what looked like delicate wraps. They were colorful and artfully designed. But they miraculously transformed into sexy, vibrant tops. It was a brilliant concept. I know this is not unique, but I had never quite seen it done this way before. The line is called Maggie Coulombe from Maui. “I have been dressing celebrity clients with my clothes. The pieces are very loose and comfortable. Anybody can wear our line. We dress everyone from Nicole Ritchie, Terri Hatcher, and Paris Hilton. They are very sexy pieces. Our designs are featured in two of the most exclusive resorts in the world, Cuisine Resort and Spa in Anquila, and we are in the Four Seasons in Kona. It is a very limited and very select product. The pieces are very unique and definitely event driven. the fabrics are silk, knit, georgett, white linen and stetch cotton, something every woman could wear. There is a little bit of detail, and we are known for our wraps.” --Arid Chappell-Stylist and Co-Owner To learn more, visit www.maggiecoulombe.com. Directly adjacent was a mother-daughter team from New Zealand. This was their American debut of their line, Untouched World, active wear with class and durable fabrics. “When the brand was only two years old, former President Bill Clinton told the whole world’s media that this was one of the best things of his seven years of being President. Two years later, he came back to New Zealand and wanted to go to an Untouched World store. So it’s been interesting for the brand initially. The crown prince and princess of Japan, Prince Williams, and Nelson Mandela have worn our clothes. The product is extraordinarily good quality, and the way we put it together is really innovative. There are two fabrics I know on the planet, and I keep looking for a better product. This fabric is so soft that you can sleep in it. From an environmental point of view, you don’t need a huge wardrobe of a product. You can wear it out on the mountain, and the gym, and dress it up and wear it out at night. One year I was here for the Oscars. I’ve been in Beverly Hills Hotel in the afternoon, and the next day I am wearing it out on the town. It’s very simple and very elegant, but you can really thrash it, too. We do cotton, organic cotton, and the fur is from a carnivorous possum, which is our biggest ecological threat. We started seeing if we could use the product.” “We also have more products made by us are that are for the body. They are made out of 100% pure plant extracts, which contain no synthetic chemicals or animal products: 1. Purifying Cleansing Milk, a gentle cream cleanser with Kowhai infusion that lifts impurities and maintains moisture level. Helps improve skin texture and does not strip the skin of natural oils. It’s great for removing make-up; 2. Stabilizing Foaming Cleanser is a healing foam cleanser with Kowhai infusion that leaves skin feeling soft and refreshed. It balances the skin’s acid mantle and helps refine pores, and it’s great for oily and combination skin, or oily and problem skin; 3. The Multi Active Toning Serum is an easy to use soft gel with Kowhai infusion that hydrates, tones, and refreshes the skin, tightens pores, and balances PH. It helps to prevent dehydration, lines, and red veins. --Peri Drysdale M.B.E. Emily Drysdale is Peri’s daughter and she is actually the designer of Untouched World’s clothing line. “On the design end, I am inspired by the New Zealand lifestyle, the colors, etc…. It’s pretty much the way we live our lives in a very sophisticated, outdoor, adventure, go anywhere, ‘be you’ situation. The person wearing our designs can be up in the mountains, down at the beach, at the theater or a Golden Globe’s function. We have a really tight team, and up until about six months ago, I did my own pattern cutting, but now someone else helps me with that. We have five people that work on the production side of things. I went to design school in Wellington in New Zealand and studied fashion, and then I got a Master’s in Performance Sportswear Design. I worked for a few companies over there and got completely disillusioned with the lifestyle, so I came home and did my thesis on Sustainable Sportswear and how you use natural fibers that actually perform better and are good for the environment.” --Emily Drysdale This is the first time they have shown here in the USA. But Peri thanks Bill Clinton for actually getting Untouched World out to the world. Right next-door was Kemado Body Opulence. “We create, manufacture, research, and develop skin care products. We use a lot of vegetable oils and butter, essential oils, and soy wax for our candles. We try to keep things very natural and non-toxic, something that you can eat and you can use on your body. And that’s one of our mottos: ‘As within so without.’ We’ve been around for about two years and our products range from $5.00 - $45.00. They can be purchased online at www.kemadobodyopulence.com, some Los Angeles health food stores, VP Market, and Simply Wholesome. But online is a good way. We carry products ranging from mineral eye shadow and mineral face powder to anti-aging eye cream. From Kemado Body Opulence, the glowing opulence is formulated to nourish your skin with avocado oil and cocoa butter. After using it for a few weeks, your skin will glow. And because of the cocoa butter, it will help to reduce any imperfections. Hopefully, those who use it will become addicted to the natural.” --Keya Jones |
