J'adore Dior (Institut)!

Posted by Isabel Dexter at 17:23 on 15 Jan 2010

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Never mind Katy Perry then, this blog is becoming more and more Carrie Bradshaw by the day - except I am typing in last-season's over the knee boots from Office as opposed to this season's Jimmy Choos.  I am also feeling very Carrie since I lost my signature moose necklace on New Years Eve. As Carrie explains to The Russian "It cost nothing but it's priceless".  Similarly I was given this necklace as a gift after assisting on my first fashion shoot by the gorgeous New Woman girls four years ago and it has hardly left my neck since. Actually, I don't usually give two hoots about jewellery (thanks Miss Golightly) or weirdly for a fashion girl, about actual material objects (I always thought that question about what would you save if your house was burning was odd, ok so I  might try and grab my Marni bag and the one dollar dress I was wearing last time I fell in love, but otherwise surely all the really important things are people, memories and ideas?). Yet some things - moose necklace for example -  feel like they're a part of you.  And I couldn't help but wonder, Carrie-style, is it an undeniable fact of life (and certainly of relationships) that the more you search for something or someone, the less likely you are to find them?

A welcome distraction from the on-going drama with the French was an invite to the Dior Institut at Plaza Athénée, the hotel, as I'm sure you all remember, that Carrie stayed at with The Russian when she came to Paris in a whirl of trying to  forget about Mr Big and make it work with the artist. This is possibly the most beautiful hotel in a city where beauty is prized above most other attributes. I tried to pretend I was dating Mr Petrovsky and wearing tulle until my very old, very embarrassing Samsung phone rang. It was my plumber calling to ask me if I knew the leg had dropped off my sofa in my London flat  and that Hackney Council had kept calling to retrieve the money I owed them. Oh the glamour. The Plaza Athénée door man raised an eyebrow and I hoped he didn't understand English as I rambled "Just prop up the sofa with that old tin of paint under the sink and tell Hackney Council as soon as I find a way to make money, they'll be the first to know."

Turning off my phone, it was time to get into the whole fairytale spirit (who needs furniture anyway?) The Dior Institut with its subtle elegance and focus on discreet luxury pretty much epitomises Paris' approach to beauty. There are five glamorous and slightly space-age looking treatment rooms - think chic Barbarella in varying shades of white with soothing blue white lighting - including a double VIP room for couples or friends. The tailor-made treatments are just divine, even by Upper East Side New Yorkers' standards and there is a distinct focus on anti-ageing, which frankly I understand having spent a year in the city where if you're not married by the time you're twenty-seven, or at least engaged,  c'est grave (it's serious). Honestly, I feel a little like those Fifties retro postcard caricatures "On no! I forgot to get married!!"

Especially good is the range of treatments that are concentrated on specific areas. So the Rejuvenating Eye Treatment is a 75 minute long treat, including facial and head massage to make your entire complexion, but especially around the eyes, glowing and line-free. Then there is the  tough-sounding Anti-Cellulite Offensive (go Team Beauty!) range of treatments, out of which you can choose to focus on sculpting thighs, bottom, waist and stomach. I told you being thin is practically a religion here.

To celebrate the Institut's first birthday last year I was lucky enough to try the Dazzling Radiance treatment. As you know my vegetables + sleep instead of red bull + dancing on tables resolution has been an on-going struggle, so my skin needs all the help it can get for that 'healthy glow' effect. Just a footnote here, I suspect the real reason French girls have such great skin is that despite the odd cigarette and glass of red wine, they eat tons of vegetables, get regular facials, drink lots of bottled water, have good routines and use decent skin care. Don't you just hate it when there are no shortcuts?!  Anyway, the 50-minute treatment includes gentle exfoliation, re-oxygenisation of the skin, massage and a selection of delectable creams and serums that made me look like I'd had 12 hours sleep (and from the hours of 9pm-9am as opposed to 7am-7pm, which is more likely).

My therapist explained that it was especially popular for reviving jet-lagged skin or after a 'nuit blanche' (white night) or short night's sleep. I certainly felt like my skin looked like it belonged to some ski-crazy, Evian-guzzling gal, instead of me!  Having sensitive skin means some facials can leave me with a slightly red and blotchy complexion straight after, but this time my skin looked soothed and glowing, plus there's the option to have a touch of light Dior make-up applied so you look Paris-presentable afterwards. Just in case you're meeting your Russian, I presume. Well, a girl can but dream...

Dior Institut at Plaza Athénée,
Paris (+33) (0) 153 676 535

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