Photo Credit: nordstrom.com

City:

Seattle

Type:

Shop

Destination:

Nordstrom

Nordstrom started as a Seattle shoe store in 1901, expanding into a full-scale department store in the 1960s and earning a reputation as a perennial favorite among shoppers who love great customer service and stellar product selection. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the store’s beauty department. I cringe at beauty counter clichés–sales associates in war paint pushing makeovers then upselling, aggressive spritzers at every entry, crammed displays that are impossible to navigate–thankfully, you’ll find none of that at Nordstrom. It is simply a lovely experience.

All of the available brands are showcased in beautiful displays, many with counters that feel more like mini-boutiques, including Dior, Bobbi Brown, MAC, Chanel, Laura Mercier, Trish McEvoy, Philosophy and Guerlain. For a pre-party pick-me-up, nothing beats a visit to the Shu Uemura Tokyo Lash Bar, where you can get a gorgeous set of luxe lashes that range from realistic to whimsical fringe in innovative materials.

The fragrance department feels like a European department store with its flawless presentation and staggering selection. Some fragrance brands like delicious Jo Malone have dedicated spaces, while fragrances associated with full-scope beauty brands such as Lancome, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent are available alongside the product line.

At selected locations, Nordstrom has developed an amazing Spa Nordstrom service menu in concert with known and loved brands, including Anastasia Brow Studio Services, Canyon Ranch, Clarisonic, Essie, Jane Iredale MD Skincare and Somme Institute.

Nordstrom has garnered a following for some of the best store exclusives. Notable examples include the Laura Mercier Renaissance Collection, value size favorites from Decléor and Philosophy and L’Occitane gift sets and fragrances you won’t find anywhere else. This is the best time of year to go on a beauty bender at Nordstrom, with holiday gift packages for every taste and budget. Drool-worthy gift options for 2009 include Laura Mercier’s Master Toolbox, the Clarisonic Home and Away set, Essie’s Winter Mini 4-Pack, and the La Prarie ‘Skin Caviar’ Premier Collection.

When I can’t get to a brick and mortar store, the Nordstrom website offers a fantastic beauty fix with loads of useful information. The user-friendly interface is easily searchable, with “Faves & Craves” from the company’s beauty directors and a fun finder for all brands offering gifts with purchase. A comprehensive suncare shop features sun protection, after-sun care, self-tanners and bronzers, summer color and summer scents. The “Mom & Baby” section is a great resource for expectant and new mommies in search of safe and effective products from Belli, Decléor, Kiehl’s, Mustela and Clarins. There are also pages devoted to organics and naturals, men’s grooming, travel sizes and longwear makeup. Nordstrom’s Beauty Director Joelle Russo “coaches” Dior Pro Beauty Sessions online, giving seasonal advice and product recommendations.

If someone in your life needs some gift-giving inspiration or a good hint, create a Nordstrom wish list online to get the message across. Pressed for time? Fill your bag with all of your skin, cosmetics and hair care needs then use the Pick Up In Store option; instead of rushing around from counter to counter, Nordstrom will gather everything for you and email you when your package is ready, typically within an hour of placing your online order. These services set Nordstrom apart from the pack and keep me coming back to scratch my beauty itch, in person and on the web.

A glorious field of lavender in Provence. Photo credit: wayfaring.info

By Editor-at-Large Dorene Kaplan

Abundant with rosemary, thyme, basil, olives, oleander and lavender, Provence has long been France’s breadbasket as well as fragrant flower garden. But in the last thirty-five years, this idealized area of southeastern France has left an edible mark on global beauty.

L’Occitane, for one, is a company synonymous with beauty from Provence. With boutiques located in more than 85 countries, its skin care, body, bath and fragrance collections are still developed and produced in the small Provence town of Manosque.

And it’s been that way since 1976, when L’Occitane founder, Olivier Baussan, a native of Haute-Provence, became inspired by ancient traditions and bought an antique steam distiller to make rosemary oil at the tender age of 23. The Mediterranean life style and traditional techniques led to the creation of an international phenomenon. “It’s [Provence’s] bounty, beauty and fragrances inspired me to create L’Occitane,” stated Mr. Baussan.

Renowned for its lavender and shea butter face and body care, L’Occitane offers hundreds of products. Some ingredients like immortelle, the legendary free-radical and wrinkle-fighting flower immortalized in Greek legends, and shea butter, the miraculous emollient and protectant, are sourced from places like Corsica and Africa, but always with the Provence spirit. L’Occitane retains a commitment to the Provence region, while at the same time developing a sustainability program in Africa and a multi-project charitable foundation.

L’Occitane’s Sweet Cherry Temptation gift set.  Photo Credit: L’Occitane

Recent launches include Immortelle Divine Cream ($95.00), described as the “ultimate complete anti-aging cream,” and for the holidays, there are new Shea Vanilla, Sweet Cherry, Delicious Almond and Candied Rose bath, body and candle launches.

It was more than the cuisine and flora of Provence that impressed Mathew Tilker, president of Mistral, who founded his French soap, body product and fragrance company in the early 90s following the study of alternative cancer therapies in Europe. The company takes its name from the powerful Mistral wind that rejuvenates the soil every year contributing to the lush planting conditions of the region.

“To live in Provence has always meant to be close to a rich array of flowers, fruits and vegetables that have fostered the rise of the fragrance industry in Grasse and a world renowned cuisine devoted to pure, simple foods,” explained Mr. Tilker.

Matthew’s enchantment with the region dates to a stay in Provence, when he met a 70-year old master soap maker, who crafted soaps in a family factory using a 300-year-old triple-milling process. Completely enthralled with the artistry, Mathew began importing soaps from Provence—which he sold initially in his mother’s San Diego home during the 1994 holiday season. Within a few months he opened the first Mistral boutique in his California home town of Solana Beach, and then a second shop in Los Angeles in 2001.

Mistral’s new Garden Mint French Shea Butter Soap. Photo Credit: Mistral

Today, Mistral offers 30 different fragranced soaps and a full range of scented-personal care products. Typical Provence scents include lavender, fleurs de miel, green fig, orange blossom and wild blackberry. New launches include Garden Mint French Shea Butter Soap ($8.00) and an updated men’s soap collection ($10.50 each), which is crafted with a blend of organic grapeleaf extract and antioxidant-rich grapeseed oil. Sold across the country as well as in Canada and internationally, Mistral also can be purchased at www.mistralcoap.com.

In addition to actual products, Provence has yielded exceptional talent within the beauty universe, like celebrity hair stylist Frédéric Fekkai and makeup artist Laura Mercier.

Hailing from Aix-en-Provence, Frédéric took a detour on his path to becoming a sculptor by way of New York City and soon became a hair stylist for stars like Jessica Lange, Sigourney Weaver and Renée Zellweger as well as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. His product line, now owned by Procter & Gamble, still reflects his Provence roots.

For example, the Fekkai Advanced Brilliant Glossing range—shampoo, conditioner, glossing cream and shine mist ($20.00 to $23.00)—is formulated with olive oil, a traditional Mediterranean hair enhancer.

Fekkai Apple Cider Clarifying Shampoo. Photo Credit: fekkai.com

Likewise, the brand’s Apple Cider Clarifying Shampoo ($23.00) rids hair of impurities with a traditional treatment from the South of France.

Like Fekkai, Laura Mercier switched to beauty from a career path in the arts, in her case painting. Raised in Provence, Laura became an established Parisian makeup artist before moving to New York in 1985 for the launch of American Elle. Success in the editorial, commercial and entertainment worlds—most famously as makeup artist for Madonna—preceded the establishment of her eponymous cosmetics brand in 1996.

Laura’s Provence heritage is apparent in her Eau de Toilette collection, which includes Almond Coconut, Crème Brulée, Marrons Glaces, Tarte au Citron and Vanille Gourmande ($50.00 each).

And finally, Compagnie de Provence presents a unique contemporary interpretation of the region. Using traditional and natural ingredients, its bath, body and fragrance products are packaged in contemporary shapes such as cubes and laboratory-like bottles, which are detailed with graphics inspired by the 20^th century industrial esthetic. Provence history is revealed through the use of traditional ingredients including olive oil, lavender and shea butter, plus a certified organic line. Prices range from $6.50 for a soap to $49.00 for a body balm.

So, as the holidays near and the seasonal winds blow (imagine it’s the Mistral) take a quick trip to the south of France with luxurious soaps, lotions and fragrances that will transport you to fields of lavender, linden trees and sun flowers.

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Photo Credit: Ulta.com

Going to Ulta without a shopping list is like going to an amazing grocery store when you’re ravenous; you’ll find everything that you need and things that you didn’t even know exist that become urgent must-haves in an instant.  Many moons ago, in my lean-post collegiate years, Ulta was a great place to get drugstore brands and a handful of salon hair care lines.  In recent years, the company has undergone a profound transformation, which is most apparent in the vast expansion of the store brand and the all-star roster of prestige brands.  With full service onsite salons, it’s tough to think of a beauty itch that Ulta can’t scratch.  Here are some of my favorite ways to fill my basket and get pretty.

MAKEUP – Most Ulta retail spaces begin with a huge island devoted to the store brand.  With their own mineral line, frequently released limited edition palettes, and general high quality and pigment content, the Ulta brand is a great way to test drive a trend and save, especially when there is a buy one, get one promotion in progress.

Prestige brands including Smashbox, Benefit, Stila, Urban Decay and Dermablend can be found in the center of the store, where shoppers delight in special kits exclusive to Ulta.  The store has become something of a pilgrimage for mineral makeup devotees, thanks to their huge selection of bareMinerals and salespeople who are willing and able to give application tutorials without a hard sell.  For budget brands, Ulta is a great spot to stock up on Maybelline and Cover Girl. 

Hands down, one of the sweetest spots in any Ulta is the nail care section, with treatments and polish from Orly, Essie, OPI and many others.  Ulta is the place to go when you can’t find the color of the moment anywhere else or are searching for inspiration.  Stop in with an outfit or accessory to find the perfect match before your mani appointment or DIY color change.

SKINCARE – Ulta customers give good face with a winning combination of budget brands and luxury products.  One of the best things about Ulta is being able to mix and match at a one-stop shop, so if you’ve hammered out a beauty regimen that mixes chi-chi and spendthrift you don’t have to run around town to find your favorites.  Workhorses for every age and skin type from Olay, Aveeno, Cetaphil and Clearasil are a fantastic bang for your buck alongside skincare splurges from Korres, Dermalogica and Elizabeth Arden. 

FRAGRANCE, BATH AND BODY – Ulta is a great destination for BITBers seeking gifts for all ages and stages.  Fragrance offerings range from classics by Yves Saint Laurent and Guerlain for women who know and love their signature scent, to fresh finds from Demeter and those adorable Harajuku Lovers.  Ulta also carries men’s fragrances from Armani, Calvin Klein and many others.  For the friend who has everything, candles, reed diffusers and room sprays from Habitat, Yankee Candle Company, Archipelago and the store brand make a great gift. 

There are all kinds of bath and body lotions and potions, making Ulta a great stop for shower gel, moisturizer and sun protection.  Get the goods for your no-no parts with personal trimmers from Remington and bump prevention from Tend Skin, and keep your pearly whites in top form with toothbrushes from Waterpik and Oral B and a wide selection of toothpaste, mouthwash and whitening products.   I’m particularly enamored with the array of loofahs, exfoliating gloves, eye masks, moisturizing booties and whatnot.  There’s no shortage of beauty whatnot at Ulta, that’s for sure. 

HAIRCARE AND TOOLS – Go luxe with shampoos and conditioners from Ojon, Phyto, and Frederic Fekkai, or keep your beauty on a budget with L’Oreal,  Garnier, and Organix.  Styling tools are available at every price point rom CHI, Sedu, T3, Conair and Hot Tools.   Ulta carries the full line of Tweezerman products along with beauty tools from Japonesque, Anastasia Beverly Hills and Revlon.  The latest gadgets from Clarisonic, Thermaclear and Neutrogena let you bring spa treatments home at a fraction of the cost.

SALON – With salon prices that start at $45 for a cut, $55 for single process color and $70 for highlights, Ulta salon offer a winning combination of value and convenience.  Their rates for waxing are very reasonable, at $65 for a full leg, $20 for under arms and $35 for a bikini wax. 

FOR SHOPPERS IN THE KNOW – Ulta has frequent promotions and a killer rewards program that give a little thrill to every beauty junkie looking to stretch her dollar.  Check online, in glossy magazines and in the Sunday paper for valuable coupons, but read the fine print for exclusions.  While prestige brands are typically excluded from these deals, you will find an occasional exception to the rule.  Enrolling in the rewards program will put you on Ulta’s mailing list, giving you first dibs on insider deals and lots of fun freebies.  The more you spend, the more you’ll get with rewards broken down into seven different levels with rewards ranging from a tube of Maybelline Great Lash to a free cut and style at the salon.  See www.ulta.com for more details, and enjoy!