06/08/10..Powder ? a little bit of Europe in Thame

KAREN Moore, who opened Powder, in Buttermarket, Thame recently, had always been struck whilst travelling abroad, by how many small towns had their own perfumeries.

With a background in Consultancy, she had always wondered what it would be like to open a shop. Living in Thame she could never find the cosmetics and products that she really wanted to buy and more often than not, found herself having to go to London to find what she needed. So, when an empty shop became vacant at 17a Buttermarket, Karen saw her opportunity to offer something a bit different locally in Thame and indulge her dream.

Powder is about quality products such as natural skin care products like Dr Hauschka, Afriteque and the cosmeceutical range, Medik8.

Powder?s cosmetics range from the very affordable Guys or Dolls makeup to professional make-up by Art Deco from Germany and Susan Posnick from USA.

The wide range of fragrances available from Powder includes those from Crabtree and Evelyn and Miller Harris. New for this season are Mavala nail polishes in bold, glitzy colours, from Switzerland and the must-have self-tanning products from Xen-Tan. For mums and babes there is the natural range, Bloom and Blossom.

Other make-up products are available for all ages and skin types ranging from oily, acne-prone skin to products to help older skin, and Powder doesn?t ignore the men. For the guys Powder stocks two ranges, Speick from Germany and Skinn from Australia.

Powder?s unique selling point is undoubtedly a personal service that aims to guide the customer to buying something they really need and will benefit from, rather than just making a sale.

?I want to create an experience that customers will want to come back for,? says Karen.