Remembrance of Luxuries Past: Favorite Shampoo + Conditioner Experience

It is cold and dreary outside, and I am yearning for a reminder of what summer -- and in particular vacationing in the summer -- is like.

My husband Matt and I went on vacation to California this summer and stayed in some pretty cool hotels throughout our drive up the coast. One of my favorite things about hotel stays is the shampoo/conditioner experience that a hotel chooses to give you. It says so much about the hotel's brand and, if you're lucky to grab some extra mini bottles, gives you a little souvenir that can extend your hotel experience well beyond check out.

Our favorite shampoo/conditioner experience was at The Mondrian in West Hollywood (a deal we got on Jetsetter): Malin + Goetz Peppermint Shampoo and Cilantro Conditioner. It felt so luxuriously hip to wake your hair up with peppermint and cool it down with cilantro. The two scents strangely work great together (though Malin + Goetz, if you're reading this, please make a peppermint or lavender or rosemary conditioner!) and smell so modern compared to the shampoos I've experienced in the past (the scents are also delightfully unisex). Matt and I loved it all so much that, upon returning to "real life" back in New York, we decided that purchasing the full-size Malin+Goetz shampoo and conditioner was a worthy splurge to imbue our regular life with a feeling of vacation. Showering now reminds me of LA summer, relaxed vacation and warm sunshine rather than too-early mornings, the eternal workweek schlep and hustled, inconvenient commutes. It was pricy, but a price worth paying to bring a little summer sunshine into the fall and winter months. And three months later, we still have plenty left in the bottle.

This order marked my first purchase experience from BeautyBar.com, and I must say - amazing. Next-day free delivery?! Don't mind if I do. You also can get 20% off your $30+ order as a first time customer (code BBTAKE20) and free shipping for $35+ orders. That 20% alone convinced me to bump up the size of my first purchase from the 8 oz ($20 for shampoo, $22 for conditioner) to the 16 oz ($36 for shampoo, $40 for conditioner), which allowed me to save $15.20 instead of $8.40 (all in, this is about a $0.70-$0.75 savings per ounce for buying bulk and using the discount code). You know the old promo code shopaholic's adage: you have to buy more to save more! And just think: with next-day delivery, you could be washing your hair in summer hipness by tomorrow night! Ah, modern conveniences.

Malin + Goetz Peppermint Shampoo, $36 for 16oz 
beautybar.com (next-day delivery!!)

Malin + Goetz Cilantro Conditioner, $40 for 16oz 
beautybar.com (next-day delivery!!)

If you're a buy-in-person type of shopper, in New York, you can purchase your hipness at Bloomingdale's, Gracious Home (Upper East Side and Upper West Side), and the Malin + Goetz Apothecaries (Upper West Side and Chelsea).

Happy cleansing and summer lovin'!
KK

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