You have until December 18, 2009 included to enjoy a 20% discount off everything in the Lancôme boutiques only. This offer does not work online but you can go to lancomeboutique.com to see where the closest store to your home is located.
Please present this printed invitation at any Lancôme boutique to receive your special offer (please click on the image to enlarge it).
Muscs Koublaï Khan by Serge Lutens is now available in the flat pocket-sized 50 ml spray bottles also called export bottles for a limited time only in the Collection Ephémère (Ephemeral Colleciton).
"Le singulier pluriel
... raffinement, cruauté, complexité des sens dans leurs contradiction, Koublaï Khän, Grand Mongol, Empereur de Chine.
Dans son palais, ce fils du ciel fit élever une colline au sommet de
laquelle, se dressait un pavillon de contemplation en laque et jade...
Please see after the jump my translation of Lutens's story around this scent inspired by a vision of Gengis Khan...
We are so used to representing to our selves the scents of babies as eminently desirable that the reaction to the idea of perfuming your little bundles of love can be one of incredulity or sarcasm. I remember years ago reading a shopping guide to baby products and encountering the reaction of the author in a brief passage dedicated to baby perfumes. He or she had two main points to make 1) this was an European idea, hence understandably somewhat strange; 2) use perfume only if you think your baby stinks, which was phrased in such a way as to let you feel that you would be a monster to think that babies ever smell. Culturally, we are trained to focus on the cuddly smells of babies and forget about the rest, which nevertheless exists aplenty. Saying something like my baby smells is not easy because it carries a measure of moral assessment with it.
I would like to say however that perfuming is not just about deodorizing and therefore the point is moot for me. Perfuming is a gesture of refinement. It adds beauty to the world and will no doubt create a bond with your children, a reservoir of memories into which to tap in the future.
Here is a list of Baby Approved Perfumes if you want to explore this option. Many women also like to use baby fragrances as they are alcohol-free and discreetly scented. In the summer, they are a good solution for the beach. Don't forget too that they make great baby-shower gifts! And why not offer perfume to a baby or a new mom for the Holidays?
Clayeux Eau de Senteur Moi Bébé Bleu & Rose (Aroma Water Me Blue, Pink Baby), from birth
This adorable multiple award-winning duo is kept warm in a protective woolly sock which was meant to embody purity. Both are formulated without alcohol, were clinically tested and can be worn by newborns. Moi Bébé Bleu is a gourmand and floral scent with notes of lemon tree blossom, orange flower and bergamot. Moi Bébé Rose is a fresh white floral scent with notes of iris and jasmine.
Available at bebe-beaute.com for 28,25€ each
Love Chic Baby Coco & Momo, from 6 months
The bottles contain heart glasses.
"Love, Chic Baby for Girls - Coco scent is a soft burst of crisp,,
floral freshness that delicately captures the innocence and youthful
radiance of little girls. For Girls is formulated with a soft bouquet
of Pink Mandarin, Italian Bergamot, Water Lily, Pink Peony, Yellow Freesia, Island Pineapple, and Sheer Rose.
Love, Chic Baby for Boys - Momo combines a soft, refreshing blend of
fruits for a light, crisp scent. For Boys is formulated with Mandarin, Orange, Pink Grapefruit, Wild Strawberry, Melon, and Dewberry.
Available at babyoliverboutique.com for $34,50 each.
Nivea Eau de Senteur
A gentle linden blossom scent formulated without alcohol.
Our series on Fall- & Winter-inspired creations by North-American independent perfumers comes to a close today. See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4. We hope that it will give you plenty of ideas to shop for individual presents for the Holidays.
Looking at perfumes through the lens of the seasons may be one alternative solution to feel the more contremplative, slower pace of the fragrance world which is more often than not led by trends, fashion and the latest launches (guilty as charged.)
Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of DSH Perfumes confesses to being sensitive to the passing of the seasons with fall being her favorite moment of the year. She adds that like each year she cannot imagine winter without her perfume Minuit. JoAnne Bassett reminds us of the hedonistic pleasures of fall and winter by titillating, among other things, our taste buds with cognac, Porcini mushrooms and festive baking references. Laurie Erickson of Sonoma Scent Studio says that the season's offerings and atmosphere provide her with a sort of natural artistic direction for her perfumes which first are inspired by a raw material....
- Crabtree & Evelyn: 20% Storewide + free shipping on orders of $25 +
- Parfum1.com: 25% off every order Nov 27-29. Use Coupon code: BESTSALE2PE; free gift (orders from $35. Cabaret Shower Gel, 6.7 oz, Retail Value: $35.00 (while supplies last).), free shipping (orders from $100)
- Scentedmonkey.com: Free UPS Ground shipping on all orders. Additional 6% off by entering coupon code bmonkey (their prices are already deeply discounted as they are). Good until 12/1/09
If you missed our previous posts, you can find them here: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3
Today, we feature Brent Leonesio of Smell Bent and D.S. & Durga. Both are newcomers to the scene of independent perfumery, with something of a hip flavor to them and more of an urban vibe too despite the abundant references to nature.
Cross-cultural references are like the signs of the experience of the multi-ethnic background of the big city. Sartorial sources of inspiration and social fashion cues appear in this type of indie perfumery that does not hesitate to attempt to capture the smell of tissue paper around a new sweater (Smell Bent) or that of the scent worn by red panted yachters in Marblehead, which happens to be perfect to wear with sweaters and tweeds (D.S. & Durga).
"I think winter
is absolutely the best time of year for fragrance.Living in L.A., we don't ever have much "weather" per
say.I've spent the past few
Christmases in t-shirts.I grew up
in Ohio and shaking the idea of a white Christmas can be hard - it never really
feels like the holidays if it doesn't get snowy.I can, however, excuse all this when it comes time for
holiday smells.Cinnamon, pine,
cookies, cranberries, peppermints, ornaments, the smell of frying Latkas, apple
sauce, new clothes, scotch tape, basements full of hidden presents - these are
the smells that take me back...
Crabtree & Evelyn are proposing a new, economical way to shop with them. If you purchase their new Platimum Membershipcard, currently at $5, you get the following,
"Platinum Membership Benefits for One Year online and instore:
20% off storewide* at time of sign-up
20% off storewide* from the 1st - 7th of every month
Birthday bonus email offer: 25% off a single item* in birth month if provided at sign-up."
Their style to me is very Laura Ashley, English and fresh, with a bath-and-body slant which means they could become a fixture in your bathroom.
If you missed the previous installments, here they are: Part 1, Part 2
Today, we continue to follow the thoughts and experiments of Anya McCoy of Anya's Garden, peruse the fall perfume catalog of Fabienne Christenson of Perfume Possets who announces an upcoming perfume Elegance and intrigues us with her Cambienne which changes with the seasons. We meet with Ayala Sender of Ayala Moriel Parfums, an independent perfumer from both Israel and Canada who also makes tea, chocolate and offers among other things a very Canadian-smelling perfume inspired by the maple syrup festivals.
"...I needed to determine what do the cool temperatures do to
the intake of air in the nasal passages in the absence of humidity? How can a
perfume be constructed that would work well in that atmosphere when I live in
the tropics and cannot walk outside and test? Well, a huge bowl of ice cubes
held under my face while sniffing the progression of the drydowns on MoonDance
and StarFlower helped!
The cool, floral softness of MoonDance can be paired with slightly chilled
nights and mornings when you wake up and find frost on the ground. A light,
very, very light touch of mint, cooling and refreshing, starts the MoonDance,
almost imperceptible, but a great combo with the woody violet flower and dusky,
dry rose of true Rose de Mai from Grasse. A slight splash of apple-scented
Roman Chamomile appeals to the engrammes of those raised in northern climates
where the apple is a true harbinger of Fall. Since I do not use synthetic
scents, and there is no natural aromatic yet available with an apple scent, I
used the Chamomile to that advantage. It's more like a slightly dried,
concentrated apple scent with a bright edge, and it plays off the tuberose
heart/base note as the perfume slides into a warm, cozy, skin-hugging sensual
drydown.
StarFlower is a chameleon-like sexy gourmand fragrance, almost deceptive in the
almond, cherry and lemon opening, then raising the temperature quickly with
tuberose that melts into a chocolate, maple and patchouli drydown that seems to
pair beautifully with leather coats, turtlenecked sweaters and boots. It's dry
and serene, not sweet at all after the initial topnotes, and utterly enveloping
in its warmth and sensuality. That to me is Winter up north, being wrapped in
something new and comforting, the promise of wintertime romance and snuggling
by a fire."....
How to smell like you have gold ingots in the bank while keeping this idea as a hypothetical?
Here is your shopping guide to smelling expensive. Some perfumes just smell like mink fur and rows and rows of pearls yet can be had for a little more than pennies but a lot less than what people might think just getting a brilliant whiff past you. Shhh..., don't say what perfume you are wearing if they ask you.
As a preamble I want to say that I do mean to draw a distinction between sophisticated-smelling and expensive-smelling fragrances. For example, 1000 de Patou smells more sophisticated and elegant to my nose than literally expensive although certainly a silver spoon in the mouth from birth can be assumed.
Estée Lauder is a champion in this category of affordable aspirational perfume. This company has always been on the side of women from the beginning when Youth-Dew was sold in oil bath to let them feel more relaxed about indulging on themselves, and more importantly, not waiting for a momentous occasion to ask their husbands to buy perfume for them.
Knowing by Estée Lauder is one of those chypres that have a near-regal sillage. It is not that intimidating fortunately. In fact, men love this scent in my experience and it smells, somehow, like gold bullions.
Yours for only $29,50 for a 0.5 oz bottle or $50 for a gift set including the body cream. You don't need to put on a lot, the perfume is quite rich...
A view of Paris fall from last year. You can spot the French gardening principle right away: trees need to look tailored, like clothing. Isn't Paris the capital of fashion? The lines were so straight I had to make them dance a little.
North-American Originals: Perfumers on Fall & Winter 2
We continue our excursion into the visions of fall and winter translated into personal fragrances by North-American independent perfumers. These are such glorious seasons, there is such richness of sensations when the world seems to have become more economical of its natural bounty. Maybe it is time, more than ever, for man-made scents to relay nature?
Isn't it a testament to these perfumers' sense of independence that they choose to interpret the seasons rather than follow trends? In individual observations lie kernels of truth.
Today, we get inspiration from Anya McCoy of Anya's Garden who as a Miami-based perfumer has launched for the first time into the challenging exercise of creating fall and winter perfumes in a tropical environment; Candice Jurko of CJ Scents relies on her friends instead of focus panels for testing new scents and proposes to keep things simple with just a dash of sophistication ; Fabienne Christenson of Possets Perfume has a rich catalog of fall and winter scents but first let us hear her on the seasonal change of taste; Christopher Brosius of CB I Hate Perfume reminds us that unique personal memories color our perceptions of the simplest smells...
American perfumery is as varied as its landscape. One of its most notable traits is the fact that in spite of the presence of giant corporations like Coty or Estée Lauder, there exists a strong breed, I am tempted to say, of independent perfumers who appear by contrast even more like the necessary missing pieces of a vast puzzle. And without them, one could argue, American perfumery would be forgetting the flip side of anonymous efficiency, large-scale organization and big business, that is, originality, primitivism, naïveté, a sense of community, intimacy, individualism and let us not forget, the can-do attitude. If we only had the big labels, we would still have rivers of perfume, but we would have less of a certain moral spirit, the individualist one. And I don't know really what is America without the individual.
She or he is like the flavor of home-grown local herbs added to a standard national recipe...
I was browsing the LL Bean catalog when, lo and behold, my eye caught sight of a pair of bowls that initially attracted my attention because they look like an American adaptation of the personalized bowls found in Brittany, France in the Quimper region. Kids love those and especially to see their first names on them. They look like the picture below which is the traditional model for the "bol à prénom breton."
The LL Bean ice-cream bowls reveal the lineage in the color pattern and especially the way the rim is decorated with sponged blue color, and of course the idea of having your name painted on the ceramic...
Do you enjoy the compote-y scent of fruits left to slowly ripe, somewhere, in the kitchen? For those aware of scents, any new, delectable source of olfactory pleasure is to be noted down and potentially improved upon.
Especially, you will say, in the fall and winter when the house tends to turn into a big pomander with more scents being trapped in the warmth of the rooms. It is also the season of baking, scented holiday candles, spicy pot pourris. If you needed any more sensory overload, here is bringing to your attention an adapted version of the traditional fruit ripening rack called clayette in French (pronounced close to clay--yet) that can work both as a design element and a home fragrance device of sorts (that's my take on it).
Imagine this balancing in the air and wafting the scents of maturing fall apples and pears...
If you follow perfume news in this space you know that L'Occitane just released two new fragrances inspired by the Mediterranean region called Labdanum de Séville and Mimosa de l'Estérel.
Currently and for just two weeks a limited-edition promotional travel suitcase containing 3 X 7,5 ml bottles is available with the two new scents plus Jasmin d'Egypte, an award-winning perfume. It's a great way to help you make up your mind and see to which perfume you will warm up most before committing to a bigger bottle. It is also worthy news for perfume miniature collectors. The offer is limited to France.
To our French readers:
Pour donner un petit coup d'envoi au lancement des deux nouveaux parfums de l'Occitane, Labdanum de Séville et Mimosa de l'Estérel, la marque a eu la bonne idée de créer un coffret de miniatures baptisé La Valisette Voyage en Méditerranée. Celle-ci est actuellement disponible en édition limitée et pour deux semaines seulement. Outre les deux nouveaux parfums déjà mentionnés on y trouvera la version mini de Jasmin d'Egypte lequel s'est vu décerner l'un des Grand Prix Marie Claire 2009 (meilleur parfum de distribution sous enseigne propre).
Avis aux amateurs et collectionneurs.
The Valisette Voyage en Méditerrannée is priced at 21 €
You have until December 18, 2009 included to enjoy a 20% discount off everything in the Lancôme boutiques only. This offer does not work online but you can go to lancomeboutique.com to see where the closest store to your home is located. 
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Muscs Koublaï Khan by Serge Lutens is now available in the flat pocket-sized 50 ml spray bottles also called export bottles for a limited time only in the Collection Ephémère (Ephemeral Colleciton).
Clayeux Eau de Senteur Moi Bébé Bleu & Rose (Aroma Water Me Blue, Pink Baby), from birth
Nivea Eau de Senteur
- Crabtree & Evelyn: 20% Storewide + free shipping on orders of $25 +
End of a fall day in Paris ![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=415f9fd6-26a8-47ff-997f-36a7dd252be2)
Knowing by Estée Lauder is one of those chypres that have a near-regal sillage. It is not that intimidating fortunately. In fact, men love this scent in my experience and it smells, somehow, like gold bullions. 
A view of Paris fall from last year. You can spot the French gardening principle right away: trees need to look tailored, like clothing. Isn't Paris the capital of fashion? The lines were so straight I had to make them dance a little.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=1727f721-772c-4a46-a08b-887a666a33c4)
