Sears wants to spruce up consumers and their homes

Sears has introduced a pair of initiatives this week designed to help consumers spruce up their homes and themselves.

Sears Beauty has already launched online at Sears.com and individual departments will launch in 13 retail mall locations in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.

The beauty departments will offer an assortment of mass, specialty and prestige beauty brands in an environment designed to allow for product testing and consumer education.

The product categories available will include cosmetics, skin care, bath and body, natural and fragrance. Brands will include L'Oreal, Maybelline, CoverGirl, Calvin Klein and Yves Rocher.

Sears has also launched ManageMyHome.com, an interactive Web site that offers free tools and resources for homeowners in addition to links to relevant Sears home improvement products. The resources section includes an ask-the-expert section for users' home-related questions; a projects section that includes the necessary steps for hiring a Sears Home Services professional, and a lists section for creating a checklist of all the things that need to be done around the house. There's also an inventory section where users can download owner's manuals.