Here's a sampling of what you can find in cyber fashion and beauty.
Beauty
• Beautyjungle.com — Launched in November. A comprehensive selection of skin care, makeup, all-natural treatments, fragrance, hair-care, beauty tools and bath/body products. It has an interactive virtual magazine, edited by former Vogue beauty editors, which features product news, industry trends, beauty tips and celebrity profiles. Boasts hard-to-find and boutique brands, such as Joey New York, Urban Decay, Musgo de Real, Aromapharmacy, Mimco and Komenuka Bijin and Philosophy. Drugstore labels include: Almay, Revlon, Corn Silk and Cover Girl.
• Jasmin.com — Launched in August. The site specializes in prestige fragrances such as Guerlain, Halston, St. John and Yohji Yamamoto. Searches can be conducted by brand name, bottle shape, country of origin or fragrance family (fresh, floral, oriental, woody, etc.) Other features include interviews with fragrance industry experts, chat rooms and an auction house especially for collectors of antique and rare perfume bottles and other collectibles. Christie Mayer Lefkowith, noted author and vintage perfume bottle expert, serves as the curator of the site's fragrance museum, where shoppers can learn about the art and history of perfume creation and marketing.
• Ingredients.com — Launched in October. The first Internet-only collection bath and body products designed to help users “center themselves.” Sixty bath/shower gels, body lotions, candles, muscle soothers, fragrances, soaps, teas, masks, and hair care products priced between $5-$25 make up the line. The products are categorized according to their main ingredients, which include arnica, chamomile, grapefruit, jasmine, lavender, peppermint, orange blossom, seaweed, algae, St. John's Wort, vanilla and Vitamin C.
Fashion
• Boo.com — Launched in November. A fashion site specializing in urban-contemporary clothing. Labels include Patagonia, The North Face, FUBU and Cosmic Girl. Features a virtual stylist named Miss Boo who guides shoppers through the site. Boo.com features cutting-edge 3-D and zoom technology that allows shoppers to view designs from a variety of angles.
• Shoebuy.com — Launched in November A collection of men's, women's, teen's and children's shoes from more than 100 manufacturers. Categories include casual, athletic and formal. This no-frills site allows users to search by brand, activity or gender. Women's categories include corporate, pumps, boots, slip-ons, classics, evening and uniform. Under casual, women will find 27 clog styles.
• Bodyflash.com — Launched in December. Fashion-forward jewelry and other ornamental trinkets displayed on artistically photographed nude bodies. Bodyflash.com provides a wish list registry, gift-buying reminders, jewelry shopping tips and a quarterly fashion magazine. The collection includes necklaces, cuff links, waist laces, time pieces, earrings in yellow/white gold, silver and platinum. Stones are real or faux in a variety of cuts and colors. Bodyflash.com tries to set itself apart from other e-commerce jewelry vendors by punching up the sensuality factor. Its “erotic diversions” page includes sexy suggestions for romantic gift-giving and “passionate love potions.”
• Bluefly.com — Launched in September 1998. This fashion site's approach is to mix “the discount prices of Loehmann's with the designer fashion of Barney's and the world-class service of Nordstrom.” The company offers products for women, men, teens, kids and the home from more than 200 designers at 25-75 percent below retail. Labels include Anna Sui, Anne Klein, Betsey Johnson, Helmut Lang, Nicole Miller, Prada, Donna Karan, Jil Sander, FUBU, Theory and John Bartlett. The site's MyCatalog feature allows customers to create a personalized search by keying in their favorite brands, product categories and sizes. Their preferences are stored and updated as the Bluefly inventory grows and changes.
• Fashionmall.com — Launched in December 1994. A specialized shopping portal that offers a comprehensive selection of apparel, accessories, beauty/cosmetic options for men, women, teens and children from 90 top brands, such as The Gap, Banana Republic, Brooks Brothers, Joseph Abboud and the Cashmere Co. Consumers can access experts to receive fashion and beauty advice from such industry leaders as Todd Oldham, Kate Spade and Vivienne Tam. Consumers can shop by brand, product category or by such shopping districts as Madison (uptown chic), Soho (cutting-edge downtown fashion), Galleria (upscale) and Main Street (essentials and activewear).
