Malin + Goetz at St Martins Lane Hotel

I do love a little bit of Malin+Goetz, their pared-down very  "New York" aesthetic really speaks to me for some reason.  I think what I love about them is that they don't make outrageous claims for their products (no "reclaiming your lost beauty"-style ramblings for them, thank goodness!) and the range itself is markedly simple, if ever-expanding, but, the products do work, and they work very well.

What I also love is their range of interesting and almost unique scents.  Rum hand soap?  Yes, please!  Eucalyptus deodorant?  I'll take two!  Actually, I genuinely am on my second Malin+ Goetz deodorant, it sounds a bit odd, but the scent is markedly refreshing first thing in the morning, and I find that it doesn't clash with any scent during the day. And it works, which is always a good thing, when it comes to deodorant.  I'm also a fan of their Vetiver candle, which I burn on random occasions to bring a hint of summer to my bedroom.  I'll be talking to you in more detail about their eye-cream very soon (heads up, I love it).

I'm also a big fan of their lip balm, having written about it before, but I was delighted to find recently that they now have a Mojito flavour version, and this is something I'll be investing in soon (obsessed with rum, moi?  I'm sure I don't know what you mean).  Very soon in fact, because up until the 4th January Malin+Goetz have a pop-up shop open in the St Martins Lane hotel in Covent Garden, and the store is actually being manned by Matthew Malin and Andrew Goetz themselves!  I met them recently, and they're a joy to spend some time alongside.

So, if you want to find out more about the brand, or just have a nose at the entire M+G range, then get yourself along to the St Martins Lane Hotel before the 4th January.  Oh, and if you can pick me up some of the Lotus perfume, and a bottle of the hyaluronic acid serum, I'll be very grateful, thanks.

Christmas Giveaway - Haus of Gloi!

Haus of Gloi has been one of my finds of 2010, anything that could convince me that using body lotion regularly would be a) something that I would do, and b) be something that I would look forward to has to have a certain special something about it!

So I thought I'd share the joi a little.  This week, I'm giving away sample size jars of Bubbling Scrub and Pumpkin Butter in Hearth which the Haus of Gloi website describes as: The warm glowing center of any home. Autumns last apple pickings, warm bread, orange rind, various fire roasted nuts, cracked black pepper all nailed down by an oozing sticky benzoin.

I'll also throw in a full-size perfume oil in Madcap Garden, described as: A lively blend, pure black tea chilled with peppermint and the tiniest spike of sweet honey. Very unisex, stimulating, addictive, and bright.


And, if you're very, very good, I might throw in a couple of sample sizes of some other scents as well.


All you have to do is:
1) be a follower of this blog (I have a list, and I'll be checking it twice) via Google friends connect
2) leave a comment on this post, telling me what your favourite post on Get Lippie has been this year
3) Be UK resident (sorry)
and 4) hang on till New Years Eve, when I'll announce the winner


I'll pick the winner at random, but if this competition shows up on any professional competition/money-saving forums or websites, then I reserve the right to change the entry requirements at will, and/or disqualify any entrants which I believe to be fraudulent.  The judges decision is final, no correspondence will be entered into, and there is no cash equivalent available in lieu of prizes.

Good luck!

Chanel - Le Coton

I make no apologies - whatsoever - for this post!  I mentioned Chanel cotton wool to some fellow bloggers the other week, and the gorgeous Vex in the City and Virtues of Beauty both blogged about how insane they thought it was straight after.  Can't, in all honesty, say I blame them, they are a little ... mad!

So, Chanel have released Le Coton exclusively to Henri Bendel's in NYC and a good friend of mine was sweet enough to bring me a box as a housewarming present recently.  There is nothing  - and I do mean nothing - as exciting as being handed a Chanel bag as a gift, no matter what the contents, for this particular beauty blogger!  The "coton" is apparently made of three layers, from cotton fibres so fine that they have to be hand-picked.  The box contains 100 pads, costs $20 and each pad is embossed with the Chanel logo on both sides:

Each pad is a more than decent size - you'd easily remove nail varnish from all ten nails with this, and it is very thick and soft:

So .. is it any better than ordinary cotton wool? Errrr ...no. In fact, I prefer my Boots double sided pads, which are smaller, but the edges are bonded so you don't get those irritating threads everywhere!  But, that said, this is such an insane item, that it's actually fun to use them.  It's fun to have them around, they were a perfect present for a beauty addict, and for that reason I'm very glad to have them! They do, it must be said, look very stylish on my dressing table.  Which is actually a bookcase, but I digress.  I shall ration my use of them though, as, at 10p (approx) a pad, they're an expensive habit to get into!

What's your most insane beauty purchase?

Le Metier de Beaute - Turkish Smoke

I'm a big fan of Le Metier de Beaute, I think every product I've tried from them this year has been a winner, with the exception of one lipgloss I was given for my birthday (and that's only because it gave me concealer lips, which is merely a problem of faulty shade selection rather than anything else) so when I was given this lipgloss at a makeover recently, I was delighted.

Then I swatched it and started to worry:

It's a very dark browned-purple with some gorgeous gold and red shimmer particles. I was a bit worried, as I'm better wearing bright shades rather than dark shades on my lips these days.  It swatched very opaquely (which was nice, even though this was billed as a "sheer" lipgloss), but still, I worried it would be unwearable.

On my lips:

On my lips, it actually applies a lot more sheerly, and you just end up with a lovely glossy berry-coloured stain.  The gloss lasts averagely, but I do find that the Le Metier formula is a very moisturising one, if a little stickier than a balm.  I like it a lot!

Le Metier products are now available exclusively from Selfridges (and I can't even begin to tell you how disappointed I am that the counter has disappeared from Liberty!) and the sheer lipgloss costs £20.

Christmas Countdown - Lavish Vouchers

I was the lucky recipient of a Lavish gift voucher recently, and I think they're great.  Beautifully packaged, and available to spend in more than 300 spas nationwide (including places like The Sanctuary,  plus Dove and Elemis spas around the country), these are the ideal gift for those difficult to buy for people who you think deserve a treat.

Being a nosy person, and knowing that Lavish was set up and is run by one woman - the lovely and very charming Susi Pink - I was so impressed with the Lavish gift vouchers that I had a little chat with Suzi about how she got into the business, here's what she had to say:

I set up Lavish a couple of years ago as I was frustrated with the quality of gift vouchers on the market for spa and beauty treatments.  I found that in most cases if you bought a voucher as a present to celebrate a special occasion or milestone birthday, the vouchers themselves would often arrive not looking very special at all. So I went about developing a new spa & beauty brand that could supply gift vouchers that would feel special and indulgent from the minute the recipient opens their gift.

I also wanted to develop a single voucher that could be used for any treatment, one that was as open and flexible as a book token so that for the 'giver' there was no danger of giving the wrong treatment or risk insulting someone with a well-meant treatment choice which could be the absolute opposite of what the recipient would actually consider having. 

Also many of my friends and family live all over the country and so I wanted to develop one single voucher brand that was accepted anywhere in the UK, so that I could be sure the people I was buying a gift for were sure to find somewhere near them to enjoy having a spa or beauty treatment. 

So the concept of Lavish was born! I worked with a wonderful designer who came up with a brand inspired by the decadent 1920s and some beautiful packaging to make Lavish vouchers a gift that is sure to impress, delight and be adored. Once we had come up with the brand, a website was developed that would serve as a place for gift buyers to purchase Lavish vouchers and also for Lavish voucher recipients to find a salons or spa to spend them in.

We now have over 300 gorgeous pampering locations in our portfolio that covers a range of places from sumptuous destination spas, to city day spas, high street salons and mobile therapists.  We aim to make taking time out to be pampered an affordable luxury for everyone all over the UK, whatever their lifestyle and to ensure that spending Lavish vouchers is a simple and delightful experience.  

So, if you're looking to support an independent business woman and buy a present of time for a friend, then please, pick up a Lavish voucher today, they'll thank you for it.  I'll be spending my day today figuring out where to spend mine ...

The Fine Print: Links are, as always, for informational purposes only, and are not affiliate links.  I'm just a sucker for fancy packaging.  And spas ...