French Touch
Paris’ je ne sais quoi has inspired many a song, movie and book. And now, beauty products are taking their cue from some of the city’s iconic landmarks. Ladurée, the tearoom known for its scrumptious macaroons, recently introduced a makeup collection. The famed Harcourt photo studio came out with eyebrow products. Luxury hotel Fouquet’s Barrière and the Miss France beauty pageant each has its own fragrances, while the writer Marguerite Duras served as muse for a trio of scents by Maison Irié, and Marie Antoinette’s scented gloves were reproduced for Versailles’ Cour des Senteurs boutique. What’s driving this burgeoning trend? “In the international collective conscience, Parisian women are all lingering smoke rings, inappropriate liaisons, elegant heels and red lips,” says Louise Rosen, founder and chief executive officer of The Message Inc., a Paris-based consultancy for luxury brands. “Not only does this play well into the elusive sex appeal that beauty products sell, but the fact that Parisian fashion clichés are anchored in time, are part of history even, makes them more powerful.
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It has soul where other clichés just have a story. And in branding, nothing is more powerful than a story that also has a soul.”
The Peninsula Spa
Opened: August 1
For a pampering pause, there’s The Peninsula Spa, opened in tandem with the hotel’s debut in Paris, on the Right Bank. The 20,000-square-foot location boasts a relaxation room, hamam, sauna and eight single and two double treatment rooms fitted out with wooden fixtures and floors plus slate sinks. The service menu is extensive, using primarily Espa products and, for facials, Biologique Recherche skin care. The 120-minute Yin Yang Vitality treatment for stress relief using warm herbal poultices, body massage and head massage with cool jade stones is 340 euros, or $456 at current exchange; a 90-minute restructuring and smoothing facial is $390. While there, guests can also indulge in the 72-by-16-foot indoor pool.
19 Avenue Kléber; Tel.: +33.1.58.12.66.82; open daily from 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Artdeco
Opened: June
German cosmetics brand Artdeco opened its first-ever boutique in Paris in early spring. The choice was made due to the city’s image, said Sandrine Hillou, who heads up the 1,888-square-foot shop a hop from the Galeries Lafayette flagship.
The boutique is divided into color cosmetics, skin care and nail polish areas, carrying—for the first time under one roof—the label’s approximately 2,000 stockkeeping units, including more than 200 varnish shades. There are two makeup bars, where people can have a makeover or attend a class, and a nail bar offering mini, à la carte and more in-depth services. Downstairs there’s a pedicure room and a treatment room for everything from “flash” 30-minute facials to an hour-long Japanese ceremonial treatment ritual.
53 Rue de la Chaussée d’Antin; Tel: +33.1.49.95.96.76; open Monday to Friday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
Coloré par Rodolphe
Rodolphe Lombard (aka Rodolphe) parlayed his early desire to be a painter into the day job of successful hair colorist. After working with Bruno Pittini and Alexandre de Paris, he set out on his own and opened a Parisian salon. Called Coloré par Rodolphe, the location fittingly was once the atelier of avant-garde painter Francis Picabia, just a stone’s throw from the tony Place Vendôme. Rodolphe—whose clients have included Madonna and Jodie Foster—uses a wide palette of colors and has likened himself to an artist employing everything from gouaches to aquarelles. The colorist also sells his own natural hair products, such as Le Rituel oil and Le Carpe Diem repairing shampoo, which are all free of parabens, silicones and sulfates.
26-28 Rue Danielle Casanova; Tel.: +33.1.42.61.46.59; open Tuesday to Saturday 9:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.