BEAUTY NEWS: Joe Fresh to Launch First-Ever Skincare Line

I make it a personal policy to never scrimp on my skincare. But after hearing a few top editors gush all about the new Joe Fresh skincare range set to hit store shelves this September, I just had to check it out. Cheap, hardworking and full of good-for-you ingredients? Pshaw. Then one of Joe Fresh's top marketing beauties, Katie, walked me through the products and I was sold. The line, Joe Fresh's first-ever foray into skincare, is made with botanical, naturally-derived ingredients including a cleanser, moisturizers, a toner and daily/nightly skincare. Formulated and manufactured in Canada (I know!), the range is free of parabens, sulfates and synthetic fragrances. Plus, no animal testing is conducted with the products.

Beauty buffs can choose from nine items, designed to work in concert to leave skin clean and luminous. The collection includes: Citrus Facial Cleanser ($12), Facial Toner ($12), Gentle Clay Mask ($16), Face Serum ($19), Eye Cream ($19), Oil-Free Moisturizing Day Cream ($16), Moisturizing Day Cream ($16), Night Cream ($19), and Universal CC Cream ($16).

“Fresh, healthy-looking skin is the foundation of beauty. Our goal was to create a regimen of highly effective, and accessibly-priced, products that truly work to address the daily skincare needs of every woman,” said Joe Mimran of Joseph Mimran & Associates, Creative Director, Joe Fresh, for Loblaw Companies Limited. “I’m thrilled to be introducing a skincare range that is formulated with naturally-derived ingredients such as Rose Hip Seed Oil, toning Green Tea Extract, Peptides and Hyaluronic Acid. These nine new products work in unison to help make skin appear fresher, more even-toned and younger looking. The range is the ideal addition and complement to our popular Joe Fresh colour cosmetics collection that first debuted in 2009.”

Here's what you can expect:

Citrus Facial Cleanser: Refreshes and cleans skin with extracts of Grapefruit Seed, Green Tea and Aloe Leaf. Leaves skin feeling energized and toned.

Facial Toner: A gentle and soothing facial toner that refreshes, nourishes and smoothes skin with extracts of Cucumber Fruit, Chamomile Flower and Green Tea.

Moisturizing Day Cream: Formulated with natural plant oils of Rose Hip Seed, Sea Buckthorn and Sweet Almond, as well as Peptides, this day cream hydrates and smoothes the face. Fine lines appear less visible and skin appears younger and more radiant.

Oil-Free Moisturizing Day Cream: An oil-free formula that moisturizes, conditions and firms with Rose Hip Seed Extract, Cucumber Fruit Extract, Peptides and Green Tea Extract. Fine lines appear smoother for younger looking and radiant skin.

Face Serum: Restores the appearance of the skin’s natural glow with conditioners and emollients. Formulated with Rose Hip Seed Oil, Hyaluronic Acid, Peptides and Sea Buckthorn Oil, the serum adds radiance to any complexion.

Night Cream: A hydrating Night Cream with Rose Hip Seed Oil, Hyaluronic Acid, Skin Peptides and Olive Fruit Oil. Replenishes skin’s natural moisture and reduces the appearance of fine wrinkles.

Eye Cream: Formulated with nourishing Rose Hip Seed Oil, hydrating Avocado Oil and calming Chamomile Flower Extract, this eye cream conditions the eye area and reduces the appearance of fine lines and dark circles.

Gentle Clay Mask: A face mask formulated with Arctic Mineral Mud, Green Tea Extract, Cucumber Fruit Extract and Chamomile. It exfoliates, tones and hydrates skin with the added benefit of mild astringent properties.

Universal CC Cream: A Colour-Correcting face cream that reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles for more even-looking skin tone. Hyaluronic Acid, Amcemella Oleracea Extract and Peptides create a smooth and powder-soft finish to the skin. For daily use after moisturizer and before foundation.

The new Joe Fresh skin care range will be available exclusively at 311 Joe Fresh Beauty Bar locations within Loblaw Companies Ltd. stores in Canada this September. Totally worth a try, don't you think?

Happy Friday! Happy weekend! Yaaaaay!

Trompe, There It Is

Graphic Print Collared Shirt, $39, Joe Fresh and Trompe L'Oeil Shirt in White and Sugarplum, $275, Pink Tartan.

It's easy to forgive a designer husband and wife team for borrowing each other's design ideas. After all, I'm sure the conversation around the Newport-Mimran dinner table involves some idea sharing. Or perhaps Kim's nanny cam was working overtime one night while Joe covertly sketched out this brilliant shirt (or vice versa...guess we'll never know what went down at Casa Mim). I'm tempted both ways; the $39 pricetag and oversized trompe l'oeil collar on the Joe Fresh version or the perfectly prim sugarplum pink of Kim's Pink Tartan beauty?

Tough call. I always feel like a child caught up in the midst of a marital spat with these two. I love them both so much and yet I always feel so torn. It's tough being stuck in the middle, especially when such cute clothing's at stake ...

FRESH EXPEDITION: Backstage and Front Row at the Joe Fresh Fall 2014 Show

Photos courtesy Joe Fresh & George Pimentel Photography (bc my iPhone 4 sucks)

I'm a lucky girl. As a Joe Fresh #virtualfrontrow Blogger, I scored an all-access pass to the Joe Fresh Fall 2014 show on Wed night, the most coveted ticket at Toronto Fashion Week, including a backstage pass and an invite to the intimate after-party at LEE. It's no secret that, all affiliations aside, I am a superfan of Joe Fresh. But for Fall 2014, Mr. Mim outdid himself with a collection that looks characteristically fresh and wearable, but noticeably elevated. As I blogged about earlier Joe Fresh is set to take over the fashion world quite literally over the next few years, with plans to open up 120 stores in 23 countries covering the Middle East, Europe, North Africa and South Korea. Anyone hoping to compete on an international level has to step up one's game, and Joe looks primed to do just that.

The loden green, golden brown, sophisticated greys and pops of signature Joe Fresh orange made for the perfect non-black palette for the colder months - v. Michael Kors-esque which I loooved. While the colours were rich, the details were surprisingly decadent, too, with oversized accessories (cocoon scarves, clutches and fur-trimmed toques), zipper details on pant legs and plush feathery faux-furs that looked far from budget, though we all know that budgets won't be busted with this collection. Overall, one of my favourite collections from Joe Fresh yet. And as I said yesterday, much as I love them both, Joe Mimran > Kim Newport-Mimran this season, don't you think?

Scroll down for the full Joe Fresh Fall '14 experience - they edited the last song out of the runway video below so click on the SoundCloud link to hear the #selfie track by The Chainsmokers that closed the show. I'm calling it: this is the new 'Baby Got Back' of the 2010's so you'd betta download it stat.

 

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Joe Fresh Fall Winter 2014 Fashion Show from Joe Fresh on Vimeo.

Joe Fresh Going Global

Joe Fresh Spring '14. Photo credit: George Pimentel.

Between our recent athletic achievements, our wide open spaces and our general politesse, it should come as no surprise that the rest of the world envies Canada. Well, seems like the world even envies our fashion - and by that, I mean Joe Fresh. Loblaws Inc. recently announced the signing of three separate partnership agreements that will bring the brand into 23(!) new countries, covering the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and South Korea. This is Joe Fresh's first foray beyond North America. 

"These first international agreements signify an important milestone for Joe Fresh as we build on the strong foundation we've established at home in Canada. We continue to evolve the brand forward and I'm thrilled to see Joe Fresh grow into a global brand, developing on the success we have had in the United States since launching there in 2011," said Joe Mimran, Creative Director of Joe Fresh. Mimran founded Joe Fresh in 2006 in partnership with Loblaw. 

Today, Joe Fresh is available online, in more than 340 retail locations across Canada, in six freestanding stores in New York, including a flagship location on Fifth Avenue, and in over 650 J.C. Penney stores across the United States.

So, what do you think? Is this a case of too much too fast? Or are Joe Mimran & Co. smart to go global? Most importantly, how do we keep Joe Mimran's ego in check? Methinks we need to stage an intervention now or by next year, we might have another Biebs on our hands... 

JOE FRESH Lightens Up for Spring '14

Joe Mimran gives a triumphant fist pump to his fans after the Joe Fresh Spring '14 show at World MasterCard Fashion Week. All photos by George Pimentel Photography.

As the lights dimmed at World MasterCard Fashion Week on Wed night, a collective hush fell over the crowd. We'd placed bets in the media lounge about how Joe Fresh would handle Spring '14 - some expecting all white, others hoping for bold brights. We all had our fingers crossed for a return of a happier, brighter JOE after his highly-debated collection for fall, all black and dark and '90s Paris edgy.  Would he bring it on? 

And then it began. A parade of chic navy looks in raw silks and frayed denim started the show (said to be inspired by modern artist N. Dash). Then came the Asian-inspired reds, in that perfect shade of Lady Danger orangey-red which made the strongest impact worn head-to-toe. Next came the prints - super fun blue and white zebra stripes, watery python prints, elegant Asian florals and cool blue camo with tough-luxe detailing throughout. And a hologram mini that sparkled and shimmied its way down the runway to the beats of Britney's 'Work B**ch' made us all swoon. The whole collection felt modern and cool with just the right amount of edge, and unlike last season, the theme didn't seem the least bit forced.

Creative Director Joe Mimran said, "This season, we refined the essence of the brand. Functionality as the new chic has become the Joe Fresh guideline. The collection is sexy and cool while maintaining a classic refined look."

As LOULOU Magazine's Liv Judd-Soye, and The Style House fashion plate Afiya Francisco and I headed to the Joe Fresh after-party at Lee, we all agreed; Joe Fresh totally killed it for Spring '14. On my ever-growing shopping list: The blue silk skirt with the white tiger tee, the zebra-print midi skirt, the croco-print mini with the midnight blue sweater, the red silky pants and the liquid sparkly skinnies and blazer. Note to self: Must edit - though I'm not sure whether I should shorten my list or cull my closet to accomodate these beauties.

The Spring/Summer 2014 “Fresh off the Runway” collection will be sold exclusively at select Joe Fresh store locations, though I'm hoping the collection will follow the Fall '13 lead and go online next spring. Fingers crossed. x

While fast fashion is certainly not without its flaws, I'm heartened to see the important steps Joe Fresh has taken lately to make things right. See this article in yesterday's Globe and Mail to see how the company is responding to the Bangladesh disaster. Do you think it's enough?

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