Retail Therapy: The bee's knees

Burt's Bees pack. Photo / Supplied

Burt's Bees is the little company that did. It grew from a backyard enterprise in backwoods Maine to a $1 billion buyout. The founding couple have gone their separate ways (Burt lobbies on bee issues, Roxanne plants eco-forests), but 25 years after it started the company remains committed to a green business model and using natural ingredients. New Zealanders could once buy little more from Burt's Bees than the lip balms (which outsell Chapstick 8-1 internationally).

A more complete range is now being marketed locally, including skin, body, baby and haircare products. Individual items are priced from $9.95 to $64 and there's some nifty gift, travel and starter sets. (From Smith & Caughey, leading health food stores and selected pharmacies, including Life. burtsbees.com)

Costume party

Congratulations to First Scene, who have taken out the Best Theming Company Nationwide award at an awards ceremony organised by the NZ Corporate Events Guide to highlight the best of service and product in the events industry. The Kingsland based prop and costume hire company - the largest in New Zealand - won based on votes from members of the public, making the award even more special.

"As this was a People's Choice award it's great to know people are loving to party and celebrate life regardless of the recession," says First Scene general manager Jo Pilkington.

Ready, set, go

Christmas gift sets are pouring into the shops and make good buying, whether for friends or family or for yourself. Here's a few of the early offerings that we think are well worth checking out.

Smashbox cosmetics has an introductory kit of nine items in a fold flat makeup purse with mirror. It costs $129 and is exclusive to Life pharmacies. Estee Lauder also has comprehensive cosmetic sets, but to get these at a fabulous discount, they must be bought in a tandem with a perfume purchase.

Napoleon Perdis' Set line (available exclusively at Sylvia Park) has eyeshadows and glitters at a snip in a limited Christmas release that would be great for giving to teens and twenties makeup fans.

In the haircare sector, there's plenty of good deals on salon quality shampoo and conditioner. Kerastase is offering a Swarovski crystal pendant with its sets. Goldwell's come in a nifty leopard print pack, and we like the PPS sets with both full-sized and travel-sized products.

In the retail frenzy that is Christmas coming, we're barely scratching the surface here, but remember for bargain buying the early bird catches the worm. In the weeks ahead Viva will also be featuring plenty more must-have items.

At-home helpers

Revlon has just introduced its at-home beauty tools range to the New Zealand market. With more than 75 years experience in the sector, Revlon has developed a huge range of products, 48 of which are going on sale here, including nail tools, tweezers, lash curlers and clippers, sold both individually and in handy sets, including the Pedi-Expert pedicure kit at $34.99 (Ph 0800 182 022 for your local stockist).

(The company also has a host of Christmas gift packs hitting stores now).

Brand new shoes

Footwear designer Kathryn Wilson has teamed up with Maybelline New York to produce a very limited edition shoe to celebrate the launch of Maybelline's new Lash Stiletto lengthening mascara. Wilson's sexy black patent strappy stiletto with red tip heel was designed to emulate the Lash Stiletto packaging - and there are only 40 pairs available for sale! Each pair, available to buy from Kathryn Wilson's website from November 14 for $289, comes in a numbered shoebox with a Lash Stiletto mascara.

Alexandra moves

Last week we told you about the Alexandra Owen pop-up store in Newmarket, which runs until the end of the month. The location for the store has now changed, from a space on Broadway to a street off it - at 8 Railway St.

Dolly bird

One of our favourite finds of late are Jennifer Walker's cute hand-painted dolls, made from a mix of new and vintage fabrics. Jennifer can also custom-make dolls from your child's baby clothes and with a personalised name within the fabric to make something really special. Priced from $40-$50, they make an adorable hand-painted gift. Walker also makes cushions, pencil cases and "animal softies" - available from softings.com.

Zambesi moves in

Zambesi have officially opened the doors of their big new Teed St store, which is stocking Zambesi, Nom.d, Raf Simons, footwear from AF Vandevorst and Costume National and more.

Glam not gloom

A fantasy world of fashionable dreams will take over the gardens, suites and lounges of Mollies hotel on Saturday November 21, to help "gloom-bust" and raise funds for World Vision.

Mollies' World of Dreams brings together fashion, design and more, "to conjure up worlds we might like to live in, but never have the chance".

Those worlds include opera, jazz, glunge, 1930s, gentlemen's club, and disco bling, which will feature designs from Sera Lilly, Stitch Ministry, Kingan Jones, Adrian Hailwood, Trove Design, Sharondelier, The Carpenter's Daughter and Republic, as well as live music and DJs. Tickets to the event - which are limited - are $180 each, with attendees being encouraged to dress up.

Most of the funds raised by ticket sales will go to World Vision microfinance projects including "community banking" projects.

For those who can't attend, photos taken on the night by fashion photographer Russ Flatt will be showcased on the Mollies website, with an opportunity to make a donation to World Vision.