This week's beauty news

Tangle Teezer in Leopard compact design.

Good Gadget

Britain's biggest-selling hairbrush has arrived in New Zealand, just in time for the school holidays. It's a clever compact device called the Tangle Teezer, featuring flexible teeth that can navigate wet or dry hair without pulling or snagging. My curly-haired tween reckons it's the best thing she's tried.The Tangle Teezer was invented by London colourist Shaun P, who was rejected for funding on television reality show The Dragon's Den but self-financed his way to success. His device won a Queen's Award for innovation and is reportedly used by the Duchess of Cambridge. It is designed to smooth the cuticle as well as detangle and is gentle enough to use on extensions, wigs and weaves.

Salon owner Belinda Watson, of Biba in Birkenhead Point, says they have proved popular with clients and some have bought extras for children and even pets who normally flinch during grooming. I like that it slips easily into a bag and, while it won't stimulate your scalp like a bristle brush, it does painlessly smooth flyaways.

The Tangle Teezer is available in a range of colours and sizes, including the compact design with lid for $34. (From selected pharmacies and salons, ph 0508 734 466 for stockists.)

Gaga for it

She's a naughty tease that Lady, but no, her first fragrance doesn't smell at all like the bodily fluids she suggested it might when a Gaga fragrance was first announced. What makes Fame stand out, aside from the alien-look bottle, is the black colour of the juice - though it becomes invisible when it touches the skin. "It's black like the soul of fame, but invisible once airborne."

The fragrance is a surprisingly innocuous honeyed floral and Farmers, which has the exclusive New Zealand distribution for the first few months starting from this week, is hoping for strong interest here. With sales of the bigger bottles of eau de parfum, there's a good gift with purchase, while stocks last, of a set of rather cool black and gold false nails.

Think pink

Next in line on the celebrity fragrance conveyor belt is Nicki Minaj, with her first fragrance, Pink Friday (pictured), due in New Zealand the week before her November 24 concert, following on from her No 1 album and news she will star in her own reality TV show. It's a fruity-floral with vanilla and musk.

"It's exciting to express my voice through another dimension," said Minaj of the perfumery process.

Fragrance free

As an antidote to olfactory overkill, Ecostore has introduced fragrance-free hand and body wash. Dubbed the ultra-sensitive choice, the new range is designed to cater for the up to 2 per cent of the population who experience reactions to fragrances. The truly fragrance-free choice now extends to 10 products in total, including dish and laundry liquids. See www.ecostore.co.nz