Quick Guide to Pronouncing Beauty Names
Living in a household that speaks 3 languages fluently, and is conversant in another 4, you'd think very little would trip me up when it comes to pronouncing beauty brand names. But the gift of gab across borders is really my husband's. So it was redeeming to be at The Makeup Show in NYC recently where I watched beauty editors, beauty bloggers and makeup mavens alike trip over pronouncing Shu Uemura. You might think that snobbery rules in this industry and that mispronunciation is tres gauche--but don't--we've all been there!
Here, the easy guide (we're not talking the Oxford Dictionary here) for pronouncing some of beauty biggest trip-ups:
and if you're shopping Dior L'Or de Vie L'Extrait, or simply looking for a great dessert wine, this is a good one to know:
Chateau d’Yquem = Shat - oh - dee - key - em
Got any other tongue twisters in beauty? Let us know!
posted by skintoxicated
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1216 posts
28 May 2008
What about Stila, as in the makeup brand? I've heard it pronounced "Stee-luh," "Still-uh," and as I prefer, "Style-uh." Tells us, Miss Multi-lingual...
382 posts
28 May 2008
Editor's Note: Thanks April! Stila is the first brand listed in the post--it's from the Italian for "to pen", (which is mentioned on the Stila site as well). It's pronounced "stee-lah", with the emphasis on the first syllable. And unfortunately, though my grandmother spoke Italian, it's a lost language for me now. I also kind of like "Style-uh" which is how I most commonly hear it (mis)pronounced, though "Stee-lah" does give it its cache...Next? -Nancy
1216 posts
5 Jun 2008
Hmmm...must have missed it. Thanks, Nancy! I still think "Style-uh" sounds better, but I love Stila nonetheless (especially their lip glazes!). Laura Mercier is another one that I fear is often mispronounced. Something tells me it isn't Laura "Mercy-ear," as I so often hear...
382 posts
5 Jun 2008
You're right! Laura Mercier is not "Mercy-ear". Laura Mercier is French (lucky Laura was apparently raised in Provence!), and therefore, her name is pronounced the way the French do. It's kind of like "Laura Mer-si-yay"
1 post
1 Jun 2009
This is so interesting. I love this blog. I'm a fan of Lamer moisturizing product but it's so embarrassing when talking about it and i can't even pronounce it correctly.