Sex and the City movie

Sex and the Next City: Marrakech, Morocco

Make like Samantha, Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte and head to Morocco, suddenly the hottest destination on the map. Although Morocco plays Abu Dhabi, UAE, in the movie "Sex and the City 2," which opened yesterday. But never mind that, Morocco has been absolutely everywhere in the last six months. Popping up in Vogue fashion spreads, on the pages of Bazaar magazine (with a spread on jewelry designer Paloma Picasso's Marrakech home), and on travel pages of many a newspaper (The New York Times this month touted Casablanca's contemporary art scene). So what does all this mean?

It's time to head to Morocco.

And the highly anticipated Royal Mansour Marrakech, owned by King Mohammed VI of Morocco, promises to be a hot destination when it opens in July. The King is on a mission to bring 10 million new visitors to his country by the end of this year and it seems that he's off to a good start. This property is made up of 53 different riads. The traditional Moroccan-style homes with center courtyards were each built by craftsmen, filled with traditional tiles and textiles and furnished with antiques to showcase the best of Moroccan design. The resort's eight-acre property is speckled with ancient trees (some dating back 400 years) and is located centrally in the medina, or old town area of Marrakech with views of the Atlas mountains in the distance. Three restaurants on the property will be overseen by three-Michelin-stared chef, Yannick Alléno of Paris' Le Meurice and a 27,000 square foot spa promises to wow. Rates start at $1,850 a night. No doubt Carrie and crew would have stayed there had it been open.

Gallery: A Peek Inside the Royal Mansour Hotel in Marrakech

Tags: MarrakechHotel, marrakesh, morocco, morocco travel, paloma picasso, paloma picasso morocco, Royal Mansour, Royal Mansour Marrakech, sex and the city, sex and the city 2, Sex and the City movie, sex and the city sequel, Sex and the City The Movie, sex and the city: the movie

Biotherm Homme: Miraculous Powers of Soothing and Rejuvenation

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance

Many of the world's most successful skin care lines boast impressive creation myths, perhaps none more so than Biotherm. For both its heritage and profusion of products, Biotherm Homme has earned a Luxist nomination in the best men's skin care line category.

High in the mountains of France nearly half a century ago, an intrepid biologist chanced upon something quite unusual in the abundant waters of a thermal spring: a type of plankton with miraculous powers of soothing and rejuvenation, as the story goes. After many years and a great deal of research, the purified ingredient, called Vitreoscilla Ferment, was patented for use in skin care.

Gallery: Biotherm Homme

Today, Vitreoscilla Ferment is at the core of Biotherm's offerings. The company's men's line, Biotherm Homme, includes full-body options like Aquafitness, a shower gel for body and hair (6.7 oz: $21) as well as face-specific Aquapower, a moisturizer made specifically for dry skin (2.5 oz: $28).

Biotherm isn't just for European thermal bathers. The company's recently introduced former Law & Order star and Sex and the City icon Chris Noth as its new face, complete with an online video shoot. Those interested in emulating Mr. Big can check out "Chris' Pick," a reactivating anti-age gel called Force Supreme, on Biotherm's website.

Vote for the men's skin care line that you believe is the best of breed. The voting period runs through May 31st and winners will be announced on June 1.

Tags: awards-main, beauty-main, Biotherm, Biotherm Homme, Chris Noth, luxist-awards, sex and the city, sex and the city 2, Sex and the City movie, SkinCare, SkinCareProducts