Le Labo City Scents at Liberty of London

Cult New York perfumier Le Labo is exclusively offering their city scents in Liberty of London for the month of October. Get limited quantities of all their city scents right now: London (Poivre 23), LA (Musc 25), Tokyo (Gaiac 10), Dallas (Aldehyde 44), New York (Tubereuse 40) and Paris (Vanille 44).

The reason you care? Because these city scents are usually only available in their respective cities. As far as I know it's the first time you can get the whole lot in one go (without the advantage of an around the world plane ticket). 

Plus, you get to schlep your bum to Liberty's superlative beauty hall. What better way is there to waste a lunch break?

Le Labo City Scents available exclusively at Liberty of London until the end of October 2009.

Preview CHANEL Le Vernis in Jade with a bit of pinky bling

'Love your nails. Is that the new Chanel polish?” the beauty advisor at (my latest find) L’Artisan Parfumeur on Marylebone High Street purred appreciatively. You know you’re onto something good when your manicure gets recognized. Suffice to say it’s not just any old nail varnish adorning my fingers right now, but the much-hyped Le Vernis in Jade by CHANEL, one of two colours created by Chanel makeup’s global creative director Peter Philips for Ready to Wear Autumn/Winter 09/10; the other is Jade Rose, a very pretty, almost flesh-toned pink.

Initially dubious about how minty green enamel will look against my skin, I'm a quick convert once ensconced in a beauty suite at the plush CHANEL HQ with manicurist-cum-nail blogger Sophy Robson – responsible for the lacy nails at Henry Holland. By the second coat (the first paints on quite thin), I'm lusting after this new colour like nobody’s business. “We've done pale, tanned, black skin... this colour suits everyone," says Sophy while her colleague Zaida tells me that oiling my cuticles every day will give me a much healthier looking nail (and sealing the top of the nail when applying polish will give a longer lasting, if not life-proof, manicure). Zaida finishes by applying a teensy gold CHANEL logo to my pinkie - making me feel properly bling. If you like your nail art then Hollywood Star Nails in Peckham is the place to get these mini logos. Although a recent mention on the Elle blog means the shop is currently out of stock!

If you too lust after the look of this madcap tweedy green, then get yourself on the waiting list at a CHANEL boutique or Selfridges where the limited-edition varnishes go on sale 9 October for £19 a pop. I know I’ll be taking good care of my newly polished gems... for the next few days at least!

 Written by Julia Rebaudo for www.beautywoome.com.

Update on 09.28.2009 by Jessica Teas (née Gearhart)

PS: If you don't know this brand yet, you will soon... M2M nail varnish is coming to the UK and CHANEL's manicurist-in-residence to promote Le Vernis in Jade, Sophy Robson, has been using the range for quite a while. 

There are loads of amazing nail brands coming out of the US right now: M2M, KO Knockout, Butter London, Rescue Beauty, Nubar... 

My favourite new colour is the murky, sort-of creamy green called Orbis Non Sufficit by Rescue Beauty (created by a beauty blogger, no less).

PPS: There's a certain famed British nail guru that, I think, will have a range coming out sometime in the next year as well. Can't divulge yet, but when we can...

Pop-up RoC© boutique in London

In the same thrifty vein that permeates my writing of late, I thought a free skin analysis would be a welcome afternoon activity for the working ladies of central London, no? Where and when is this happening, your internal voice screams!? Tomorrow, RoC© skincare is opening a one-day-only pop-up shop called La Dermecie De RoC© to premiere its new Wrinkle Correxion range and offer the following to those who stop by: free skin analysis, 10-minute mini-facials with RoC© ranges, makeup master classes with RUBY HAMMER (at 12:30pm, 2:30pm and 4:30pm... don't be late) and free RoC© product samples. 

If there's anything I've learned in this industry, it's that free products and treatments attract people like bees to honey so don't dawdle especially because the first 50 lovelies to visit La Dermecie get a free product from the new Wrinkle Correxion range.

Long live the product giveaway and beauty pop-up boutique.

DETAILS

WHAT: La Dermecie De RoC© 

WHERE: 18 Maddox Street, Mayfair, London W1S 1PL

WHEN: Friday, 25 September 2009, from 11am to 7pm

WHY: Free beauty booty and preview of a new skincare range.