Article by BR Tabatha
When I was 13 I was a bridesmaid at my Uncle's wedding - and if there's one thing I remember clearly (other than having to read Shakespeare in front of a church full of guests) it's the polite battle between the bride and the priest over the pronounciation of her name.
Father: Repeat after me; I Li-za...
Auntie Lisa: I Li-sa...
[insert vows here]
Father: Now do you Li-za...
Auntie Lisa: I Li-SA
You're probably wondering where I'm going with this! The Beauty Crew meet or chat with brands every day and we've learn't quickly to get the name right and avoid any awkward situations - we don't want to be like the priest now do we? Whether the brand name is from an exotic land far, far, away or is a made up moniker, they can be incredibly difficult to say correctly sometimes.
So here's our guide to brand names that are either difficult to pronounce or often mis-pronounced.
A’kin - a-kin
Agent Provocateur - ah-jzon prov-ock-a-ter
Al’chemy - al-kem-ee
Anna Sui - anna swee
Batiste - bat-eest
Bourjois - bor-jzwah
Bulgari - bull-gar-ree
Cetaphil - see-tuh-full
Decleor Paris - deck-lee-or
Dr Hauschka - doc-tor howsh-kuh
Donna Karan - don-na ka-ren
Eylure - eye-lure
Gatineau Paris - gat-in-oh
Givenchy - zhee-von-she
Guerlain - gair-larn
Illamasqua -illa-mass-ka
Inika - in-ee-ka
Issey Miyake - iss-say mee-ya-kee
Jurlique - jerz-leek
Kérastase Paris - kirra-stass
Kiehl's - keels
Korres - core-ezz
Lancome - lon-com
L’Occitane - lox-ee-tan
La Mer - la mare
Montagne Jeunesse - mon-tan-a jzer-ness
Narciso Rodriguez - nar-siss-h rod-ree-gess
Natio - nay-tee-oh
Rimmel - rim-l
Rive Gauche - reev-gosh
Scholl - "shoal"
Shiseido - she-say-doh
St. Tropez - san tro-pay
Stila - stee-la
Sukin - soo-kin
The Jojoba Company - the hoh-hoh-ba company
Thierry Mugler - tee-air-ree moo-glare
Touche Eclat - toosh-eh-klah
Weleda - well-ay-dah
Yves Saint Laurent - eev-sahn-la-ron
Za - zee-A
So there's our list - are there any others you'd like to know how to pronounce correctly? We wonder if our NZ brand names are confusing for non-Kiwis? Do people struggle over the pronounciation of Trilogy? Skinfood? Who knows!
This was a great article. I swear my colleagues were wondering what I was doing as I was trying to say the above brands out loud. :) Especially as it has nothing to do with accounting. I have definitely been saying a lot of these brands wrong :)