My little cottage is made of wood with exposed interior beams and it lies on the shore of a frozen lake immersed in blue snow. Inside, with the fire crackling and the warm atmosphere it feels like a typical mountain chalet: a tartan sofa, a green corduroy armchair and vintage statement pieces sit easily with the Lapland theme. On the larch table there lies a cosmetic formulary: ‘Beauty masks in Lapland’
There’s a knock at the door. I open it to a very blond Helli with her sister Raija, owners of this charming chalet.
They have brought me a gift basket: a beauty kit for surviving the cold temperatures. Inside I find a set of masks for each day of my stay: a bubble mask, a sleep mask and a sheet mask. The packaging is strictly red and gold (Christmas it would appear, is an all year round leitmotif!). There is also a card:
‘Dear Cristina,
We always like to have a peek at the on-line profiles of our guests to get to know them better and we discovered that you are a cosmetologist in the search of beauty secrets from around the world.Here is a small taste of ours!
Tervetuloa (Welcome) to Rovaniemi
Helli and Raija’
The two sisters are young entrepreneurs who alongside the family business have opened a small cosmetics venture. Very up to date with new beauty trends, on-line, they buy the products most in vogue and then reformulate them. In Finland they have been very successful! There is a significant amount of snowmobile traffic parking haphazardly outside the chalet to collect their beauty boxes. These girls are true experts!!!
They suggest I try the bubble mask, ‘We were inspired by Korea with Sephora’s detoxifying and oxygenating bubble mask’, the elegant girls explain, ‘It’s a wonderful blast of light and energy! You’ll be just perfect for dinner at the Ice Hotel’… yeah…right…
Half way to looking like the Michelin man the foaming effects of the Fiflow® BB 61 system (The Innovation Company) or SalSphere® Saloxy (Salvona) mixed with Mixan 1489 (Bregaglio) are quick to show themselves. Emulsifying isn’t necessary because the gel texture on contact with the atmosphere transforms itself into a foam of detoxifying microbubbles! I’m expecting the worst, sipping a cup of blue majik in front of the window (all in all I only risk scaring a reindeer!). Promises are delivered however and my complexion is fresher, clearer and revived.
I admit though that there is still a big difference between me and Khione, the Snow Nymph. Miracles in the land of Father Christmas out of season are running scarce! What shall I do? I have to make some kind of improvement ahead of the ice theme evening.
‘You should have a chat with Linda Juhola the most famous fashion blogger in Northern Europe’ suggests Raija somewhat amused – ‘Her blog has a help desk for desperate cases’! she adds as she takes a look, somewhat horrified at my wardrobe. ‘Thanks’, I reply a little thrown – I had thought (hoped) that I had good dress sense but I had been flunked by an elf in a polo neck sweater and knee high socks but as they say when in Rome….
With Linda I reach a compromise and when I close Skype I’m wearing a white jersey dress with tulle sleeves embellished with red alpine flowers. On my feet I’m wearing the most adorable white moon boots in fake fur. I’m ready and an admiring glance from Helli and Raija tells me that the evening will be just great!
Fantastic in fact – lucky for me the Laplanders are much warmer and more amiable than the ice tables I dined at. The reason for my success? A Finnish mystery but meanwhile the formulary is safe in my luggage…
Spy operation successfully completed!