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The new Perry Ellis for Men is generating quite a buzz,what with the handsome bottle, the glam Italianate advertising and the teasing scent strips in the glossies from the end of spring 2008. After TSS posted earlier on about the upcoming cologne, there was a palpable surge of interest for the fragrance both from people on the blog and via email. Readers asked questions about its whereabouts as it has been tricky to track down the fragrance in stores and online. The local Boston Macy's men's perfume counter rep unexpectedly stated that they did not carry Perry Ellis fragrances. Perry Ellis had the following to say,....
Continue reading "The New Perry Ellis for Men •• More Info {Fragrance News} {Shopping Tip}" »
 Vintage-fragrance-lovers alert! A set of re-editions of vintage Worth fragrances was sighted; it includes the classic Dans La Nuit (1924), Vers Le Jour (1925), Sans Adieu (1929), Je Reviens (1932), and Vers Toi (1934). As you may or may not know, you can still find Dans La Nuit and Je Reviens, the latter also in the so-called "Couture" edition (blue ribbed art deco bottle) which is closest to what we remember Je Reviens smelling like in the 1980s, but the rest of them are discontinued......
Continue reading "Worth Paris Fragrance Re-Editions + Shopping Tips {Fragrance News}" »
 Beauty Habit, an online store replete with cool niche and European brands for beauty and perfume products, is offering a 25% off discount with code LUCKYBREAKS2 until June 30th 2008. You can use the code each time you shop during this period, at beautyhabit.com.
Just saw that Sephora has the 1.7 fl oz bottle of Lolita Lempicka Fleur Défendue back in stock despite the fact that they had sent an email stating it was discontinued mid-April. If you are interested, grab it while you can. Here's our review of this summer flanker.
Safe Fragrances For Mother’s Day - May 11th 2008!
These are fragrances we recommend as potential gifts for Mother’s Day (or if you are looking for a safe present on other occasions) when you have no idea what to offer and your mother is leaving no subtle hints to help you. They are suggestions that might be especially good for moms who are not into perfume but whom you feel would be pleased to receive a scent as a present.
What do we mean by “safe fragrances”? It means mostly that they are safe to offer. Sometimes we test a perfume and at the end derive an impression that it would be well liked by a fairly wide circle of people. Intuitively they appear to us as compositions that offer a certain sense of restraint and elegance without showing too many strong facets. They are generally easy to wear but are not that easy and pandering to the lowest common denominator as to feel bland and uninteresting. In fact, it is quite an achievement to reach this quality of being. Receiving them, we hope, will provide the same sort of pleasure as that of receiving a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
Safe Fragrances to Offer To Your Mom In General
• Prada Infusion d’Iris
This one comes on top of our list, the rest of the list is free style. Elegant, discreet, feminine but still capable of making you feel excited about it. It is the equivalent of a crisp white feminine shirt worn by Grace Kelly. A masculine version is in the works but otherwise this composition is so versatile, it feels it could be worn by a man.
• Gucci by Gucci
A modern chypre with a very good sense of balance; it is very pleasurable to wear. Again, it is elegant, feminine without having just good manners to show for herself, but a real charm.
A Bit Riskier But Still Safe
In these two some notes - ripe full fruits - stick out more, yet they retain a sense of, again, balance and elegance that is easily transferable to a number of different personalities. Their glowing warmth is very appealing.
• Piguet Visa
The equivalent of a warm classic tweed made out of a sensual rich material.
• Badgley Mishka
A wonderful fruity chypre with a warm stewed fruit effect. It is elegant but somehow easygoing too. It offers great diffusion and is extremely long-lasting. It is a scent that never quits on you, in a good way......
Continue reading "14 Safe Fragrances To Offer On Mother's Day Or Any Other Day {Shopping Tips} {Perfume List}" »
You may be looking for alternate perfume brands and be part of a group of perfume lovers that deplore the vanishing of vintage-styled fragrances with their femme-fatale angle. Here is a shopping suggestion: go visit the Parfums Lucien Lelong e-commerce website and rediscover such classics as Indiscret launched in 1935 and re-created in 1997 respecting as much as possible the old formula, or the newly introduced Lelong Pour Femme in 1999 that pays homage to the couturier's sense of luxury and glamor. Parfums Lucien Lelong was established as far back as 1924 and in the very beginning their perfumes were named after alphabet letters, A, B, C, J, N, in a search for abstraction and modernity just like for Chanel's numbered fragrances .....
Continue reading "Parfums Lucien Lelong {Spotlight on a Brand} {Shopping Tip}" »
You have heard about the good reputation or the killer sillage of the Prada perfumes and felt unsure about which one to purchase? Now you can have all four at your fingertips. Prada has released a limited-edition coffret which includes: Prada Intense, Prada, Prada Tendre, and Prada pour Homme. Available for $ 50 at Sephora (3 X 0.2 oz and 1 X 0.3 oz).
Must-smells of the season:
Balmain Ambre Gris and Eau d'Italie Magnolia Romana are now exclusively available at Colette in Paris. Ambregris retails for 45 € and Magnolia Romana for 80 €. International shipping available. • Interesting to see that the Balmain Ambregris fragrance is sold at the hip concept store Colette. It positions it more as a niche fragrance and dusts off its image. Guerlain Figue-Iris and Laurier-Réglisse are now available at Sephora. 50 $ each and free shipping offered.
Mariah Carey is now offering a pure parfum version of M in a limited edition bottle called M Gold Deluxe Edition. "...it is now dipped in a lavish metallic gold. Inside this stunning bottle is the most sensual form of the original fragrance and Mariah's favorite, the parfum."....
Continue reading "Mariah Carey M Gold Deluxe Edition + Special at Macy's Herald Square on March 28th 2008 {Fragrance News} {Shopping Tip}" »
Les Parfums de Rosine, a Paris-based perfume house specializing in rose fragrances, now offer an international sample program. For only 15 €, shipping included, you get to try all the current 14 fragrances in the line. You can click here for more info.
We recently discovered that The house of Caron offers a very convenient perfume sampling program for those who cannot make it to their boutiques in New York City or Paris or prefer to sample at leisure at home. You can order any number of samples you wish for $5 each. They come packaged in adorable little individual cardboard boxes stamped with Caron's trademark gold dots and reading Caron Paris. As I ordered, amongst others, a sample of Lady Caron (a stupendous tuberose-gardenia scent by André Fraysse, review forthcoming), they also sent a lovely luxury miniature booklet telling the story of this special perfume. It is a collector's item.
Just call (212) 319-4888 to order the samples of your choice.
The collection of re-editions by Givenchy called Les Mythiques (The Mythical Ones) is now partly available at Sephora online (not in stores). The titles offered are: Givenchy III, L'Interdit, Monsieur de Givenchy, Xeryus, and Eau de Givenchy, each for $85. They ship for free.
Lush have started to offer a noteworthy post-holiday shopping deal; for each pre-December product that you purchase you get another one for free! While supplies last. More details available on the Lush website.
The new solid perfumes in little tin boxes qualify.
Some readers have queried us about alternative shopping locations for La Part des Anges besides Nordstrom.
Thierry Mugler answered that La Part des Anges is currently to be found at: "Bloomingdales, Saks, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom while supplies last. It is a Limited Edition item.
$220 for .33 fl. oz."
Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby studying the foul-smelling pomander pendant she is made to wear during her pregnancy Dior has released a limited edition lip-gloss encased in a wonderful spherical pendant called Diorlight. We wanted to write about it because after seeing it in reality, it struck us as better-looking in person than on pictures. The differences? Diorlight's proportions are bolder than we had imagined them to be, so it makes it a more substantial, sculptural piece to play with and wear. It has a good quality sense of heft to it, without being too heavy, which can then cheapen a jewelry piece at the other end of the spectrum. So, it does not look or feel flimsy at all. It is just a beautiful ball pendant, encrusted with crystals......
Continue reading "Diorlight Lipgloss Necklace: Dreams of a Pomander Necklace {Holiday Shopping Idea - $100 or Less}" »
Tocca released a new limited edition scented candle for the Holiday Season called Holiday Cortina Mimosa Candela. Unlike the name of the scent itself seems to suggest but better illustrated by the Champagne glasses decorating the glass container, the perfume has been studied to feel festive as it includes a Champagne top note.......
Continue reading "Tocca Holiday Mimosa Candle {Perfume Short (Review)} {Holiday Shopping Idea - $50 or Less] {New Fragrance}" »
The New Camaldoli Hermitage located in Big Sur, California is reputed for baking one of the best brandy-dipped fruitcakes in America and if you listen to the friars talking about it, it is quite frankly the best. They did comparative testing. Last year the fruitcakes were so popular they had to increase the production from 6000 to 8000 loaves........
Continue reading "Christmas Fruitcake Anyone? A Monastic Bestseller {Holiday Shopping Idea} {Fragrant Recipe}" »
With any Estée Lauder $25.00 purchase you get free shipping and four free samples today. Lasts through 11.59 pm. Enter code FRIDAY at checkout. Special rate on expedited shipping.
Tsi-La Organics have put out a collection of 4 fragrances comprising Kesu, Ilang Ilang, Kizes and Fleur Sauvage in a set including 4 ml flacons. After having tested several of their offerings we can say that the scents are consistently very rich, narcotic, and on top of that very relaxing!.....
Continue reading "Tsi-La Organics Collection {Perfume Reviews in a Nutshell} {Holiday Shopping Ideas - $75 or Less} {Green Products}" »
Maxim's scented candles illustrated with Sem's Belle Epoque caricatures can now be customized with a calligraphy to personalize your gift, "Come and visit us this Saturday, December 15th - from 12 - 6pm at Bergdorf Goodman's Beauty Level to have your candle personalized - a great gift idea for under $50 ! Our calligrapher will beautifully hand letter your personal message on the porcelain candle container!"
Esteban launched in January of 2007 a new series of perfumes titled Collection Couleurs which includes, Colère d'Epices (Wrath of Spices), Tourbillon de Thé (Whirl of Tea), Fureur d'Agrumes (Furor of Citruses), Tempête de Zeste (Storm of Zeste), and Folie de Figue (Fig Madness). They are now available at Four Seasons. Free ground shipping with any purchase over $45 in the US. Free samples with every purchase. Valid through December 18th 2007.
You might have already read the biography of Marie-Antoinette's perfumer Jean-Louis Fargeon A Scented Palace by Elisabeth Feydeau (see our review) or it might still be on your wish list or you are simply looking for a Christmas gift for your friend who is a perfume fiend or a history buff or a fashionista (Marie-Antoinette was a great fashionista) or all of the three above?......
Continue reading "Now You Can Read About Versailles & Smell It Too {Holiday Shopping Ideas - $75 or Less} - Promo Code" »
Demeter who want to put the whole world in fragrance bottles continue to expand their fragrance library with the addition of a season's favorite, Egg Nog. If you are looking for stocking stuffers or home fragrances to olfactorily "decorate" your house for the holidays, you can check Egg Nog and Christmas Tree. One might ask, "why bother to add a layer of the scents that already exist in the room?".......
Continue reading "Egg Nog, Christmas Tree by Demeter {Holiday Shopping Ideas - $20 or Less} {New Perfume}" »
Diptyque has put out a delightful coffret for the Holidays containing four of its best-loved fragrances: Philosykos (fig), Tam Dao (sandalwood), Do Son (tuberose), and L'Ombre Dans L'Eau (rose)......
Continue reading "Diptyque Fragrance Collection {Holiday Shopping Ideas & Tips - $100 or Less} + Promo Code" »
As we already said before in our review of Paco Rabanne pour Homme, Cyprès de Rigaud is one of the most popular candles in France. Its scent is very forest-y, balsamic. An article in the Times relates its history and how Jackie Kennedy used to love to use it to scent the White House.......
Continue reading "Cyprès by Rigaud: The Nec Plus Ultra of Scented Candles {Holiday Shopping Ideas & Tips - $75 or Less} {Fragrant Reading}" »
Nina Ricci has put out a special Nina set for the Holidays which comprises an 1.7 oz Eau de Toilette Spray, 3.4 oz Shower Gel and 3.4 oz Body Lotion. A $75.00 value, available now for $54.00. Evidently, the red apple shaped flacon inspired by the earlier Fille d'Eve by Nina Ricci makes for a cheerful and festive gift for the season. The scent itself is gourmand, based on a red apple caramel toffee accord. It was very popular in France before it came more recently to the US........
Continue reading "Nina by Nina Ricci Holiday Set + Bracelet Offer {Holiday Shopping Ideas & Tips - $75 or Less}" »
The much-awaited fifth fragrance by Ineke, Evening Edged in Gold, will be available at the beginning of 2008 instead of during the 2007 Holidays' season. This perfume house based in San Francisco opened its doors last year with a collection of four perfumes, which we wrote about here.........
Continue reading "Evening Edged in Gold by Ineke: Launch Postponed Until Jan 2008 {Fragrance News} {Shopping Tip}" »
Each year Dawn Spencer Hurwitz releases a special limited edition fragrance for the Holidays with a more definite festive and Christmas-y flavor. This year the theme of inspiration is derived from exotic dark fruits and spices incorporated into an unusual, both spicy and gentle brew called Tamarind Paprika in her upscale collection titled Parfums des Beaux-Arts. Spencer Hurwitz is an independent artisan perfumer based in Boulder, Colorado whose creations are noteworthy for their consistently high quality and variety of sources of inspiration ranging from "études" on a perfume material to the olfactory renditions of colors and even historical reconstitutions. Her most recent endeavor, about which we would like to talk more at a later date titled "The Perfumed Court", after the nickname given to the court of Louis XV, is a recreation of 18th century perfumes based on the biography of perfumer Jean-Paul Fargeon and his royal patron queen Marie-Antoinette written by Elisabeth de Feydeau, A Scented Palace and which we reviewed last year.........
Continue reading "Tamarind Paprika Limited Holiday Edition 2007 by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz {Perfume Short (Review)} {New Fragrance} + Promo Code {Shopping Tip}" »
Penhaligon's are once more offering their very popular sets of delicately packaged miniature perfume collections for the Holidays, both for ladies and gents. The perfumes come in their trademark apothecary bottles in 5 ml sizes adorned with tassels and in a festive red coffret decorated with images of traditional grooming objects.......
Continue reading "Ladies & Gentlemen's Seasonal Miniature Fragrance Collections by Penhaligon's {Holiday Shopping Ideas & Tips - $50 or Less} -Update" »
A sure hit with the fashionistas-cum-perfumistas is the Chanel slipcase by publisher Assouline containing 3 books on Chanel jewelry, perfume, and fashion. It is already sold out on the Assouline site, but still available at Saks for $49.95 only! Made in Italy.
Lolita Lempicka is offering a limited edition coffret for the Holidays. The flacon itself is one of the most beautiful ones on the market and like a piece of jewelry.....
Continue reading "Lolita Lempicka Charms Bracelet/Tie & Perfume Jewelry Box {Holiday Shopping Ideas & Tips - $75 or Less}" »
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