*by Kenne Kuramochi

Well my wish for the cold, harsh New York winter to be over has been granted. Now I’m faced with the hot, humid summer!  As I write this from my cozy NYC studio, I consider how to best cope. I turn to my beauty addiction otherwise known as MALIN+GOETZ! Yes, I work for the company, but anyone who knows me knows that I pursued the company to work for them. I truly believe in the performance of every MALIN+GOETZ product and having to be creative in a tiny studio apartment, I have found numerous ways to use my favorites to make myself and my apartment look and feel stupendous!

First, I start by using my Peppermint Body Scrub to cool off and shed dead skin accumulated by previous winter months. From my shoulders to my feet, I can feel the bamboo extract exfoliating my skin—soft to the touch for that summer romance!  Next, the subtle, natural Neroli Hand & Body Lotion is a great, lightweight alternative to winter’s choice of the Vitamin B5 Body Moisturizer (a rich luxurious cream!). My colleague, Paige, says, “it’s like vacation in a bottle!”

What’s next? Don’t forget to light the Mojito Candle—paradise at the beach. I have received many candles as gifts, but MALIN+GOETZ candles have outlasted every other more expensive candle. While I appreciate the expensive candles in heavy jars imported from France, I will stick with my M+G candles hand-poured here in Brooklyn, New York!

Body smooth and cool: check. Mojito candle lit: check. Ready for one of New York’s finest beaches: CHECK!

*Kenne Kuramochi is our Business Mgr at Barneys on Madison Ave.  Visit Kenne there and see his beautiful summer skin in person. You will not be disappointed.*

1. Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen.

Not to sound like a broken record, but did you know that the sun is the #1 cause of ageing? Whether it’s au natural or from a tanning bed, UV rays will cause wrinkles, hyper-pigmentation and other scary forms of skin damage. The only way to protect your skin from uva and uvb rays is to use a broad-spectrum sunscreen every day. Make it easy on yourself and find a moisturizer and spf in one. Me? I use the Malin+Goetz SPF 15 every day because it hydrates without adding oil, protects my porcelain skin from the sun and is a makeup primer all in one. Excuse me, I need to go get my healthy dose of vitamin D.

2. Wash your face. Repeat.

Washing your face every day is essential to keeping those pores clean and as tiny as possible. No one likes breaking out, but there’s an easy solution to tackle the never-ending battle against pesky pimples… Wash. Your. Face. Sure, it’s a task, and one I’m not always excited to check off my list, but I leave myself no other option before pouring myself into bed. And, I see results. Not only do your pores benefit, but your moisturizes and creams don’t have to work as hard to penetrate your skin. Get on board.

3. Hydrate Inside + Out.

We’ve all heard it before, “Drink 8 cups of water a day.” And while the amount varies, the principle holds true, our bodies depend on water to function on a day-to-day basis. The same goes for moisturizing! Everyone needs it, no matter the skin type. Hydrating the skin combats ageing, douses it with vitamins and keeps it bright. Just remember about our friend, SPF during the am, and you’re well on your way to rocking your 60s Helen Mirren style.

4. ZZZZzzzzz

It seems there is nothing a good night’s rest can’t do for you. Fresh face? Check. Memory booster? Check. Stress reducer? Check. Get your 40 winks and live an all-over healthier and happier life.

5. Exfoliate.

Did you know that exfoliating on a regular basis helps remove that dead layer of skin and reveals a dewy, youthful complexion? Well, it does. Exfoliating speeds up the cell renewal processing, reducing the appearance of fine lines and discoloration (damn you, sun.). All well-rounded skincare regimens have one. Don’t be the odd man out, exfoliate that face with the Malin+Goetz Jojoba Face Scrub. It’s a gentle cream-based manual exfoliator that doesn’t cause micro tears in the skin, but gently rolls dead skin away. Or, if you’re feeling really adventurous, check out the Malin+Goetz 10% Glycolic Pads…Get in line for a new face.

6. GREENS!

Turns out your mom was right, eat your vegetables. Not only are they good for you, with their power punch of nutrients, they also contain antioxidants which fight free radicals that cause ageing from the inside out. Whoa. Pass the brussel sprouts.

7. :]

We know the age-old saying – it takes more muscles to frown than to smile… Hello wrinkles. Smiling boosts your mood and immune system, and makes you more attractive. It’s an instant and cost-free face lift!

8. Keep your mitts off your mug.

Your hands are covered in bacteria and oil and it transfers right over to your face when you can’t keep your hands off! You just committed to washing your face daily, don’t ruin your beautiful work.

9. Fats, but only the healthy kinds.

Healthy fats not only taste good (mmm, avocado), but they help the body absorb nutrients. Get healthy fats through olive oil, nuts and olives. Get to snackin’.

10. Take time for you.

One of the biggest mistakes we can all be guilty of is not taking time out for ourselves. Whether a walk in the park or a yoga class, allowing your mind and body time to decompress is part of a healthy lifestyle. Perfect that downward dog.

Our Chamomile Treatment Oil was developed to create an exclusive service-only step or item for a spa facial protocol we developed.  Given its success, it later filled a retail void in our retail assortment.

The spa part was a challenge since we wanted an exclusive item for a spa facial protocol or a step in our basic European Facial to deep cleanse and moisturize.  The Chamomile Treatment Oil was the step before extractions to lubricate the skin and lend itself gently and without irritation to shiatsu facial massage for lymphatic drainage.  Chamomile calms and soothes and is gentle (and smells beautiful) as a precursor to the more invasive extractions.

This product is a simple and pure formula of chamomile, vitamins E, C and other wonderful oils such as soya and sesame.  As such, it is a general, all-purpose oil that absorbs well and nourishes deeply.  During development—as with most of our products—this item needed to address my own concerns for rosacea, eczema and seborrhea.  Because of these concerns, the formula is great for the face as a moisturizer, for the scalp and hair to add moisture and shine and smooth fly-away, for the body as a bath oil, after bath all-over body (and face) moisturizer, cuticle oil, and massage oil.

Finally, it smells divine and feels simply luxurious.  For us, we are a skincare brand first, and, to date, all of our moisturizers are oil-free.  This item creates a new category to round out our assortment and add value to our existing treatments based on preference or need.

Phew.  I thought I could keep it short and sweet, but, I just love it so much I needed to give you the whole story.

- Matthew Malin

The holiday season has come and gone. We ate our weight in potato pancakes for Hanukkah, Panettone Bread for Christmas and sipped a glass (or two) of bubbly to ring in the New Year. Now, if you’re like me, you’re thinking two things: Man, I have to get to the gym. And darn it, it’s the winter doldrums. For those of you who get to experience all four seasons like those of us in New York City, we all are feeling the winter blues and blahs.

At the first sign of winter I found myself running to New York’s mecca for affordable trendy clothing, Uniqlo, to get those high-tech, “Heat-tech” undergarments that keep you warm from the ferociously freezing cold days. Add a puffer jacket, silly looking wool hat, mittens that a four year-old would wear, and a cashmere scarf and I am ready to face New York’s most frigid and gray weather head on!

In my apartment, when the heat is on in full force, there’s snow on the ground, and I’m dreading my messy, morning commute to work, I found some ways to stay happily cozy, turning that frown upside down indeed! I have my Pandora radio streaming the greatest hits of Sade (I’m old school, if you’re not a fan of Sade, try some Adele!), hot cocoa with marshmallows in hand, and my face layered with my favorite go-to products from Malin + Goetz. Yes, to a product junkie such as myself, spa nights are a sure fire way to bring just as much comfort as Southern Comfort or for those who keep it non-alcoholic, as cozy as that mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows!

I suggest a Detox Face Mask, followed by a facial massage with the Malin+Goetz Replenishing Face Serum, finished with a mixture of equal parts of Replenishing Face Cream and the new Chamomile Treatment Oil. Moisture overkill? Not at all! I find that I do need more moisture during these colder times, so I opt for it all. I think it might even be time to light a Cannabis candle to get the maximum effect! (I don’t smoke Cannabis, but I hear this is the next best thing!

So all of you reading this from Miami to Malibu, I suggest you sip on a cocktail … and then light the appropriate Malin + Goetz candle. I say, let the intoxicating, refreshing scent of the Mojito candle permeate the room. For the rest of us caught up in dead of winter: Smile, do something good for yourself, meditate, do some yoga, try that recipe you always wanted to make, have that cup of hot cocoa and remember the days when you were a kid longing for these snowy days! Winter is here but before you know it, Spring will have Sprung and our winter woes will have just been a distant memory. Maybe it’s the Cannabis candle or the sounds of Sade, but I’m feeling serene now, and the weather outside – albeit frightful – is not so daunting anymore. It’s a time to relax, replenish and recharge our batteries because the warm, sunny days we are all longing for are soon to come!

- Kenne Kuramochi, MALIN+GOETZ Manager at Barneys Madison Ave

HAIR REMOVAL is nothing new to women.  Shaving legs, plucking brows, bikini waxes and beyond–it is something modern women do (unless of course you are a part of some rebellious, feminist pro-hair counter culture).  Men, on the other hand, have traditionally had the good fortune to be decidedly more low maintenance, shaving their beard when they have to.

Fast forward to the early 2000s “metrosexual”–a man meticulous about grooming.  He typically spends time and money on shopping as seen on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Pandora’s box is open and women now expect a new level of hygiene from their men. If their perfect gay best friend can do it then why can’t their boyfriends and husbands?!

You may already know that MALIN+GOETZ is available at some of the best stores, salons and spas around the world. This includes Strip – a Singapore based waxing studio with an uber-hip outpost in the super-chic Nolita neighborhood here in Manhattan.  Founder Cynthia Chua, the original smooth operator, believed that there was a place for body culture that is practiced safely, hygienically and painlessly. So, she set about seeding the beginnings of a wax revolution.  Selflessly, she trialed and tested new techniques and experimented with new waxes. Eventually, she created a brand new set of Brazilian waxing techniques that was significantly less painful and embarrassing.

We have worked with them for several years now, and every time I visit them to train and work with their staff, they always invite me for a Boyzilian (Brazilian for guys).  Being newly single and back on the market I thought “why not”? It’s competitive out there and every little bit helps!  Now don’t think I made this decision lightly–thinking it was going to be one of the most painful things I have ever experienced (but, pain is beauty, right?). I could not have been more wrong.

Upon my arrival I was greeted by Cameron and Ramon – both of whom are a pleasure.  Then, off to my treatment room with Elyana, my technician. She was friendly, quick and efficient, ensuring I was not in any discomfort, queuing me to “breath” and to “brace myself.”  It was all over in an eye-blink, and I had over-hyped it in my head.  The whole process was virtually painless!  For post waxing she used the MALIN+GOETZ Ingrown Hair Cream, developed for Strip and just such occasions.  I could not be happier with the experience and will definitely be back for another Boyzilian and more!

So what is the point of my disclosing all of this pretty personal information?  Feeling “free” to indulge and look your best!  And, in case you’re curious, you can keep as much grass on the lawn as you wish.