Happy New Year! ? ????? ?????!
Happy 2007! My best wishes to all, and I hope this new year will be even more fragrant!
12 comments December 31st, 2006
Archive for December, 2006
Best of 2006
To wrap up the year, the fragrance-beauty-fashion bloggers are participating in the Best of 2006 project. Below is my list of this year’s highlights (in no particular order):
Guet-Apens by Guerlain – a discontinued beauty that’s been reissued as Attrape Coeur preserving the scent, with the exception of perhaps less powderiness.
By Terry Baume de Rose – the most expensive and the best lip balm I’ve ever had. Besides its nourishing qualities and SPF 15, it has a delicious rose scent.
L’Air de Rien by Miller Harris – a peculiar olfactory experience. Not for the faint of heart.
Bois d’Armenie by Guerlain – soft, balsamic smoke. I can never be without it.
Parfum des Merveilles by Hermes – the parfum version of the popular Eau des Merveilles, with emphasis on patchouli and resins. Excellent power sillage.
L de Lolita Lempicka – one of the best department store releases of 2006.
Voilette de Madame by Guerlain – exquisite animalic floral that has no rivals.
Songes by Annick Goutal – “a romantic reverie”, a sensual and refined interplay of frangipani, jasmine, and vanilla.
Wenge by Donna Karan – a dark, softly resinous offspring of the popular Black Cashmere, centered around African wenge wood.
Cuir Ottoman by Parfum d’Empire – sweet, balsamic leather. A big shout-out to the entire Parfum d’Empire line!
Eau Suave by Parfum d’Empire – honeyed, dewy rose – luminous and tender.
Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil – an excellent facial cleanser. Enough said.
Orris Noir by Ormonde Jayne – velvety, balsamic iris – gorgeous beyond belief.
#3 by Parfums MDCI – mysterious and alluring animalic floral.
Plus Que Jamais by Guerlain – opulent and luscious floral, in the spirit of Guerlain’s classics.
Please be sure to check other Best of 2006 lists on the following blogs:
- Afrobella
- All About The Pretty
- Beauty Addict
- Beauty Blogging Junkie
- Beauty by Nadine
- Beautiful Makeup Search & Beauty Blog
- Beauty Hatchery
- Beauty Jones
- Blogdorf Goodman
- Bois de Jasmin
- BonBons in the Bath
- Brain Trapped in Girl’s Body
- Capital Hill Barbie
- C’est Chic
- Coquette
- Crazy Jay Blue
- eBeautyDaily
- Girl’s Handbook
- Hautemommastuff
- Koneko’s *Mostly* Beauty Diary!
- Legerdenez
- Makeup Bag
- Monkeyposh
- My Muse
- No one knows why the wolf laughs
- Now Smell This
- Perfume Smellin’ Things
- Peppermint Patty’s Perfume Posse
- Platinum Blonde Life
- Product Girl
- Scentzilla!
- She’ll Be Feverish After So Much Thinking
- Slap of the Day
- The Customer Is Always Right
- The Daily Obsession
- The Great She Elephant
- The Life As A Ladybug
- The Non-Blonde
- Urbane Girl
- Victoria’s Own
24 comments December 29th, 2006
Perfume Review: Monsoon Season by Lisa Simon
The year of 2006 has been so full of perfume releases that when December came along, I found myself almost relieved that I could now take a break and enjoy what I have. Little did I know there’d be one more fragrant beauty waiting to stop me in my tracks, a body mist to boot. I’m talking about the new Monsoon Season by Lisa Simon, a refreshing body mist inspired by the “lavishness of India” and created by one of my favorite perfumers, Olivia Giacobetti (L’Artisan Tea for Two, Idole de Lubin, Hermes Hiris, Diptyque Philosykos). The scent is part of the Lisa Simon (a twenty-six-year old woman who “has taken her inspiration from ayurvedic medicine, phytotherapy, and local flora”) skincare line and is meant to not only envelop you in its gorgeous aroma but also stimulate your skin with vitamin C. This time of year, we could all use extra vitamin C, and what can be better than wearing it on your skin and smell good? As we say in Russian, combine the pleasant with the beneficial.
Monsoon Season is a rose scent that’s gently fluffed with cardamom, saffron, nutmeg, and just a drop of jasmine. “Fluff” seems like the perfect verb to use as the scent intensely reminds me of the popular Indian dessert – shrikhand (strained yogurt, mixed with cardamom, saffron, and sugar and whipped together). Since I can eat shrikhand by the buckets, I instantly fell in love with Monsoon Season. The scent has the same soft milkiness of cardamom and savory piquancy of saffron. I’ve been wearing it almost daily since my (unsniffedly purchased) bottle arrived. I must say, for a body mist, it has a decent staying power, and I’m now lemming the body cream.
Monsoon Season is available at Beautyhabit.
Image source: www.beautyhabit.com
18 comments December 27th, 2006
Chilling
Still chilling today but stay tuned for my review of the new Lisa Simon Monsoon Season body mist, new at Beautyhabit, and, to wrap up the year, Best of 2006 on Friday. Any new fragrance discoveries/acquisitions you’d like to share? I’m all ears.
12 comments December 27th, 2006
Article on Sense of Smell
I’d like to bring your attention to the fascinating article in the U.K. Times Online about the sense of smell. “Fragrance is the consummate marriage of art and science, and it pays to approach the subject with the seriousness with which you indulge other sources of sensory and aesthetic stimulation, such as music, literature, wine and food”, says the author Hannah Betts. In the first part, she explores the mysteries of smell; in the second, she gives suggestions on how to develop your sense of smell as well as lists specific fragrances to try.
4 comments December 25th, 2006
My First Five Perfumes
Today Marina from Perfume-Smellin’ Things and myself are waxing slightly nostalgic. We’re talking about our first five fragrances. According to her, I have a “dark, aquatic past” (oxymoron, anyone?), and, while I can’t help but agree, I will proudly say I have no regrets. I was very much a child of the 90s, completely falling for the ozone/marine trend. Below, in chronological order, are my very first five fragrances that I owned (purchased with my own hard-earned money).
Davidoff Cool Water – ozone, pineapple, melon, black currant, water lily, hawthorne, lily of the valley, jasmine, vetiver, sandal, peach, blackberry. The best oceanic floral of the 90s. Cool Water was my very first, dearly beloved perfume. I was doing student teaching at the time at the school I attended, and Cool Water was found worthy to spend my first paycheck on. It was a grown-up perfume to make a serious impression on my students (which I’m afraid failed to happen). I adored it beyond belief, and, even though I could not wear it today, I still love the fragrance.
Elizabeth Arden Sunflowers – lemon, rosewood, orange blossom, mandarin, cyclamen, rose, jasmine, orris, cedar, musk, amber, moss. Sunflowers won my heart while I was spending two summer months in England back in 1997. I couldn’t afford it right away, so I’d often frequent the Essex department stores just to steal a spritz or two. Upon my return home, once again, my first paycheck was spent on a bottle of Sunflowers. Working hard through my last year of college, Sunflowers brought to mind the sunny (meant in a figurative sense here) days of England.
Carolina Herrera 212 – bergamot, mandarin, orange blossom, gardenia, lily, sandalwood, musk. My first encounter with 212 was in a magazine strip – it was love at first sniff. The ad had a picture of New York and some cool model, from what I can remember, and the scent was the epitome of all things urban. I wanted to be urban, and I wanted to travel, and 212 made me feel very functionally chic, so I got a bottle almost immediately. When I wore it, I often pictured myself dressed up in some business suit and high heels and walking through busy streets of a foreign city (I was never to become a teacher).
Hugo Boss Hugo Woman – melon, papaya, cyclamen, apple, jasmine, lily, orris, sandalwood, benzoin, vanilla. I used to love everything by Hugo Boss – it appealed to my practical, minimalist soul. Hugo Woman was acquired in 1998 immediately before my trip to Sweden (that I paid for myself, right out of college). The scent exuded independence and freedom, in a modern, stylish kind of way. Hugo Ina Woman was very businesslike, with a certain romantic flair about it.
Oh! de Moschino – peach, apricot, bergamot, violet, rose, orris, jasmine, heliotrope, cedar, sandalwood, vanilla, amber. I clearly remember the day Oh! De Moschino was purchased. I was strolling along the streets of Riga, looking for last minute things to buy before my trip to the USA, and, to commemorate the occasion as well as embed it in my memory, I was also looking for new perfume. Oh! De Moschino struck a chord with me, with its bright fruity and floral notes and a sweet, powdery drydown. It was the beginning of a new era in my life, a very happy time, and this fragrance fit it perfectly.
Looking at this list and my favorites today, I can’t help but be amused at how greatly my taste has changed. The biggest difference, however, is the fact that today I determine what to wear, regardless of trends and/or other influences, and that’s quite an accomplishment, wouldn’t you say?
What were your first five perfumes?
36 comments December 22nd, 2006
Perfume Review: Loulou by Cacharel
Lately, I’ve been curious about the perfumes of the 80s, mostly due to the fact the 80s fashion is back (which I don’t welcome), and perhaps also because I can’t think of any other era of such bold fragrances. I find it amusing that the 80s fashion is what usually produces quite a reaction (and most of us would probably rather not remember it). In the fragrance world, making a statement seemed to be the top priority, with such power scents as Giorgio (1981), Paloma Picasso (1984), Eternity (1988), Poison (1985). Since I was but a child back then, my perception of these scents isn’t loaded with memories, and, while I couldn’t wear most of them today, I find some timeless. One of such scents is Loulou by Cacharel.
“Inspired by Louise Brooks as Lulu in the movie Pandora’s Box (1928), Loulou has the troubling, seductive character of a naive girl who is half-woman, half-child.” (Osmoz.com). Created in 1987, Loulou was among the top selling fragrances in the 80s. Its avant-garde bottle design with its clashing colors sends the same message as the juice inside – “I have a gun, and I’m not afraid to use it”. The gun in this case is tiare flower, heavily loaded with creamy violet, tuberose, and vanilla. It’s a voluptuous, well-rounded blend that has no rivals – sort of like the Angel of the 80s. It will work for you if applied with a light hand only.
Loulou features the notes of violet, plum, cassis, anise, marigold, tiare flower, tuberose, orange blossom, ylang-ylang, orris, tonka bean, vanilla, benzoin, musk. It can be found at several online discount perfume sites and eBay.
Image source: www.escentual.co.uk
31 comments December 20th, 2006
Perfume Review: Winter Delice by Guerlain
Winter Delice by Guerlain can easily join my Ultimate Winter Perfumes list, even though I’ve only worn it a few times. Being part of the Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria line (featuring refreshing, easy to wear fragrances), it’s dedicated to winter delights which to some might mean engaging in various winter sports, frolicking in the snow, etc. but to me is enjoying the season indoors. Don’t get me wrong: I love being outside and will always go out to experience first snow, for instance. I’ll even do occasional skating and sledding (my main winter activities as a child). When it comes to winter delights, however, it’s all about celebrating New Year’s with good food and presents, and pretty much looking forward to spring as soon as the festivities are over.
Winter Delice seems to combine both worlds – fresh pine trees outside and gingerbread baking in the oven. It’s a very festive scent – it could be easily called Christmas in a bottle. With notes of pine, cistus labdanum, incense, gingerbread, and vanilla, it smells neither of pine forest nor of a lumberjack. It’s rather a potpourri-like fragrance. The pine is softened by spicy vanilla with just a touch of incense producing a warm, snug effect. It’s an olfactory equivalent of quiet and peaceful winter celebration. That said, its atmospheric character might not appeal to many as a personal fragrance. It’s neither complex nor extraordinary but still worth experiencing, especially when “the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful”.
Winter Delice has been discontinued but can still be found on eBay.
Image source: www.cosmeticmall.com
19 comments December 20th, 2006
No lemmings?
I have no perfume lemmings at this time. I’m perfectly content and satisfied. I have enough perfume, and I don’t need any more. I met up with Victoria from Bois de Jasmin yesterday, and we strolled around downtown Chicago and barely sniffed a thing. The end of the year is approaching, and, as a kid, I’d be anxiously waiting for New Year’s presents. This year, I’m not longing for any. Is that normal? The rational part of my brain nods in agreement. Shhh, don’t wake the lemmings but do tell me if you have any of your own.
24 comments December 19th, 2006