Say the Mondavi name and one word pops into your head -- wine. Another word should come to mind too -- grape seeds. That's right, those beneficial, high-in-antioxidants little seeds, which add tannin and flavor to red wine, are about to go big time. Lydia Mondavi isn't a winemaker; she's a skincare and cosmetics expert. She's bringing all the goodness of the grape seeds from Napa Valley to your skin on a Target shelf near you.
This month 29 by Lydia Mondavi rolls out nationwide at Target, part of the retailer's new luxury beauty beauty department. "They called me out of the blue," Lydia says, explaining how the collab between her established skincare and makeup line 29 Cosmetics and Target came about. Her brand was selling well at Cos Bar in Aspen, Co., and the Cos Bar owner, who has partnered with Target on other projects recommended 29 Cosmetics.
I remember when Lydia launched her makeup business seven years ago. At the time I was producing the TV show In Wine Country, and we shot a feature on 29 Cosmetics with Lydia and her husband Rob Mondavi. He's a third-generation winegrower and grandson of Robert Mondavi, the Napa Valley icon who put Napa Valley wines on the world wine map. We shot Lydia and Rob in a vineyard during harvest, where they were not only picking grapes for wine, but also for the grape seeds for Lydia's makeup and skincare. I'm tickled that you can see this video on the 29 by Lydia Mondavi page on the Target website!
"We have a whole new collection, 29 By Lydia Mondavi Napa Valley, 12 new exclusive products developed for Target," Lydia says. Just like 29 Cosmetics, all of the skincare is "organic, paraben free, sulfite free, sodium laurel sulfite free and alcohol free." Most importantly, every cream, lotion and cleanser is made with those fabulous grape seeds in a way that Lydia's calling "grape seed age protecting."
You'll find two of 29 Cosmetics best sellers in the 29 By Lydia Mondavi line, the Lip Scrub and Wine Blot, which are also Lydia's must haves. She also created D'Vine Day Cream with an SPF of 30, and she tells me she designed it so you can put it on over makeup without ruining your foundation. "Most women apply their day cream at about 6 o'clock in the morning or whenever we get up, and we're out the door and going to work," she says. "When we're going to lunch or something and it's one o'clock in the afternoon your sunscreen is not working from when you applied it in the morning.".
That is so my issue, since I literally put my sunscreen on that early. So I had to run out and buy the D'Vine Day Cream ($20) and try it out. I cannot believe it, my makeup isn't smudged, my face isn't shiny or greasy or a whiter shade of pale. It works. I am keeping a bottle of this in my handbag from now on.
I also tested out the Right Off the Vine Replenishing & Restoring Mask ($16). I wasn't expecting such a rich, luxurious texture -- and the hint of rose aroma is a nice touch.
Lydia says 29 by Lydia Mondavi is more than a natural for her, telling the story of Napa Valley, grapes and just how good those grape seeds are for your skin. As an anti-oxidant, grape seeds are "50 times more powerful than vitamin E and 20 times more powerful than vitamin C," she says.
By the end of April, 29 By Lydia Mondavi will be in 750 Target stores, or you can buy it online now.