A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I recently took advantage of the L’Artisan Parfumeur January sales and picked up a couple of items to expand my collection. The first thing to land in my basket was a 100ml bottle of Tea for Two, my favourite fragrance. I’m halfway through my last bottle and waging a constant battle with my husband about his (over)use of my beloved. I watch him apply it, trying to keep calm, share nicely and not react but within seconds I’ve launched myself across the room, snatching it from his hands, screaming TOO MUCH, YOU ARE USING TOO MUCH. Then I thrust a bottle of Old Spice at him and slink away to find a new hiding place for MY precious.

Where was I?

Oh yes, this…

The coffret contains a selection of L’Artisan Pafumeur‘s best-selling scents that lean toward the female market (you can also get a male version).  Priced at £17, the set includes: Mûre et Musc Extrême, La Chasse aux Papillons Extrême, Premier Figuier Extrême, L’Eau d’Ambre Extrême and Traversée du Bosphore.  I’ve only opened Premier Figuier Extrême so far, and have already created a bit of a lemming for myself thanks to notes that include: fig leaves, almond milk, and sandalwood.

I’m not a massive fan of the way these 5ml mini-vials open… with a peel back lid not unlike a bottle of milk, there’s no way to reseal the tiny bottles, frustrating – and with a 2 year old on the rampage, asking for trouble.

Overall, for 25ml of top quality fragrance, £17 is a very good price to pay.  If you’re wanting to dip your toes in the world of ‘posh’ perfume, this would be a great place to begin.  L’Artisan’s £5 shipping charge is prohibitive and also pretty slow for the price – it took nearly two weeks for my order to arrive.  But one sniff of Tea for Two, and I’ve forgiven them.

L’Artisan Parfumeur Discovery Coffret for Her is priced at £17 and currently available in the Sale section of their website.  Probably not for too much longer.

…featuring the gorgeous Elisa Sednaoui (is it just me or is she channeling a young Helena Christensen in this?)

The fragrance is described as an Ambery Floral with notes that include pink pepper, orange blossom and tonka bean and was created by Louise Turner – who is perhaps best known for the 2010 hit which was Chloe’s Love, Chloe.

Roberto Cavalli’s new fragrance will be available to purchase exclusively at Harrods from the 12th February before a nationwide roll out in March.

If you have any young women in your life, I’m fairly confident of this gift’s ability to make them squeal with delight.  A special Christmas Limited Edition Thierry Mugler Angel perfume with the iconic star-shaped bottle transformed into a bracelet.

Look at me modelling it like I should be on QVC!  You should probably know that my wrists just fit the bracelet… so this is definitely aimed toward either a younger, or less food-loving market… and pretty as it undoubtedly is, I’m not ready to give up my tin of Quality Streets for it just yet.  Maybe I could use it as a benchmark — I should try it on daily, and when it doesn’t fit anymore, I know it’s time to hand back the tin.

As for the scent… Angel is renowned for its notorious love/hate divide and I’m split right down the middle because I completely pinch-my-nose hate the chocolate-y, gourmand opening but adore the drydown and resulting warm sexiness that lingers for a very long time indeed.

The Christmas Limited Edition Thierry Mugler Angel with Bracelet is available to buy nationwide, priced at £51.50 for 25ml (EdP) or £66.50 for 50ml (EdP).

Are you an Angel fan?

* press sample

If the Met Office is to be believed, we’re ‘in for it’ (technical description) this Winter, I hope so anyway… I’ve just bought some bargain sledges in anticipation of blizzard-y snow and icicle snots.

There are thankfully a billion things to make up for the fact that we’ll only achieve around 6 hours of sunshine from now until February — Pringles, Quality Streets, and Christmas episodes of Eastenders would feature heavily on my list, but another thing that melts my frozen heart are the Winter fragrances that I can splash on with abandon.

Here are my TOP FIVE Winter Perfumes to ward off the big chill…

1. L’Artisan Parfumeur: Tea for Two EdT (£78.00)

Black tea, honey and an aromatic smokiness that encourages deep, long sniffs with your nose buried in your sleeve.  Most of my perfumes are unisex because I’m developing expensive tastes and I find it much easier to justify my purchases when I remind Mr. L that we can *both* use them.  It’s not true of course, as I hide them behind my scarves in my wardrobe.

Tea for Two also contains a ginger note which doesn’t present itself very well on my skin.  I consider Tea for Two to be a less-sweet, slightly less boozy version of Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille.  Longevity is grand on this one but it wears close to my skin – all the better for sniffing yourself with.

2. La Prairie: Life Threads Gold EdP (£74.00 – currently £59.95 at Cheap Smells) *

La Prairie’s Life Threads Gold is a force to be reckoned with thanks to its retro leanings and powerful floriental heart.  If you like people to smell you before they see you, this one could have your name written all over it.  Notes include (are you ready?): Plum, clove, tangerine, pepper, cinnamon, corriander, rose, lily of the valley, ylang ylang, vanilla, musk, golden myrrh and precious woods.

It’s as unapologetic as it is striking – go big or go home.  Perfect for the cold weather.

I implore you to go sniff this one out – as a girly/womanly type fragrance, it’s hard to beat.  I cut my teeth on Hypnotic Poison and it harks back to all I loved about that fragrance, but this one feels like it’s for grown ups.

3. Fendi: Fan di Fendi EdP (£39.50) *

The majority of my Winter fragrant love affairs evoke a smoke, leather and amber accord that carries me away to warmer, more exotic climes.  Fan di Fendi is a kitten by comparison, rendering it very work-appropriate whilst still containing a hint to my usual leanings.

The leather base is apparent though not rough-and-ready, as if struggling to make up its mind between dominatrix and classy handbag lady.  I detect a twist of the Mediterannean thanks to a freshness from some fruity notes which include tangerine.  Silage is decent, particularly when those initial top fruity/floral notes present but it quickly calms down into a calmer experience.

4. Bottega Veneta: Bottega Veneta EdP (£42.00) *

Elegance and sophistication with a clean, smooth leather that evokes the joy of sniffing luxury leather accessories.  And so it should, coming from Bottega Veneta — purveyors of luxury handbags.  A quiet soul of a scent, work appropriate without losing the edge that sets it apart from the competition.

The leather is gentle, almost suede-like with an initial hit of citrus to remind you of its Italian heart.  It’s most similar to the Fendi but with an altogether more sophisticated personality.  It doesn’t try hard, it doesn’t have to — it’s like that girl you know who manages to ooze grace without even knowing it.

5. Parfums d’Empire: Ambre Russe (£84.50)

Perhaps the ultimate in decadence, a king of a fragrance with a boozy, amber accord that transcends all earthly dimensions.  A little goes a long way and will leave those in your company searching the room for the source of this scent that offers up a kindly lesson in “how the hell to smell amazing”.

You can’t read anything about this scent without the mentions of Tsarist Russia and that’s because you can’t wear this scent without being transported to one of those onion-domed churches, incense burning while the blizzard roars outside.  Throw in a booziness that would make vodka-loving Russians (stereotype much?) blush and you’re getting close to the experience that wearing this powerhouse offers.

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What are your favourite scents to get you through the cold Winter ahead?

* press samples

You’re more than likely familiar with the name Illuminum thanks to the Duchess of Cambridge’s decision to wear the brand’s White Gardenia Petals on her wedding day earlier this year, causing a mass sell out of the floral fragrance.

Following this runaway success, the British-based fragrance house are opening what is thought to be the largest independent perfumery in the world right here, in the heart of London.

‘Fume heads everywhere will be delighted to hear that the concept behind the boutique revolves around the idea that luxury fine fragrance should not be about rushing, tills and counters.  The space has been designed to invite customers to sit, have a cup of coffee and take their time over the all-important business of scenting!

I want to create an oasis of fragrance in the heart of the city.  There will be no rushing at The Fragrance
Lounge, you can sit and enjoy an espresso or a glass of champagne and take you time – selecting from my scents should be a joyous experience and there are 32 to choose from! — Michael Boadi (creator)

From bespoke offerings to the Haute Perfume Collection comprising of 16 newly launched scents, there should be something for everyone to admire, though with prices starting from £70 for the classic collection and ranging up to £7,500 for a uniquely bespoke creation — it won’t be for everyone.  I quite fancy going in there for a Pretty Woman moment, anyone wanna be my Richard Gere?

The Illuminum Fragrance Lounge will open at 41/42, Dover Street, Mayfair, London.

I’m currently compiling a list of my top Autumn fragrances which naturally involves a little bit of pruning and today, I thought I’d show you one that just missed the billing.

Demeter Whiskey Tobacco is a fairly recent acquisition that caught me by surprise late one night as I was browsing some fragrance sites.  I love warm scents, so naturally, this time of year is like nectar to me.  I can douse myself in all my boozy ambers with the kind of abandon that hasn’t been witnessed since… oooh… March?

Demeter is a brand well-known for their fragrance library which encompasses many well-loved scents that would have passed under your nose at some point in time.  From Apple Pie to Laundromat, Mushroom(!) to Wet Garden – the range is exhaustive AND exhausting!

I couldn’t resist picking up a bottle of Whiskey Tobacco when I read the description…

We think this blend of Whiskey and Tobacco Smoke is a great masculine scent. And sometime it’s nice to be reminded of your Dad.

My father used to smoke a pipe and I was sure that if anyone were to capture that sweet, resinous scent unaltered and unapologetically, Demeter would probably be the ones to do it.  I love tobacco scents in general and was hoping this one wouldn’t disappoint!

Whiskey Tobacco, as you might imagine, is a full-on scent which I would (rubbishly) describe as less about ‘being in a smokey, boozy environment’ and more ‘alternating sticking your snout in a jar of whiskey / pouch of honeyed-tobacco’.  This distinction will obviously make you less repulsive-smelling to people around you who might not share your tastes for boozy/smoky scents but I will admit to missing the actual smokiness in this one.

Longevity is pretty poor, I get around 40 minutes tops before all traces have vanished into the ether.  However, whilst it does linger, sillage is brilliant.

Overall, it’s one to conjure memories and spritz randomly when you want a touch of (southern) comfort.  Priced at around $20 it’s cheap but not super-easy to get hold of in the UK.  E-scentialbeauty.com will ship internationally and also offer sample sizes on all Demeter scents so that you can try before you buy.

 Do you have any favourite Demeter scents?

Fusing grand design, eco-credentials and quality home-scenting comes a partnership between new beauty and lifestyle brand: DP London and brit designer Pearl Lowe.  A limited edition candle collection which includes a re-release of three iconic fragrances from the original Davina Peace lineup contrasted with the new design flourish at the hands of Pearl Lowe.

Pearl Lowe was said to have fallen in love with the original scents and her collaboration with the brand makes perfect use of her design abilities and keen eye for beautiful things.

“For me scent is quite simply the ultimate home accessory.  I love transforming the mood with these candles and find candlelight so decadent.  They envelop a room with scent that lingers for hours, and create complete calm in my home.  The travel candles are also amazing as they help me to take a little home comfort with me and also work equally well in a guest room at home”  Pearl Lowe.

The limited edition range includes:

Pearl Lowe for DP London Spiced Punch (100% natural wax) £30 for 190g

and

Pearl Lowe for DP London Candle Trio (100% natural wax) £30 for 3x 50g (Spiced Punch, White Flowers, Citrus Fruits)

All candles are made containing a sustainable beeswax and EcoSoya blend with an organic fragrance.  The range contains no palm oil (a product that contributes to heavy deforestation) and also no paraffin (the mining of which is unsustainable).

Spiced Punch* is a hearty scent, perfect for the upcoming festive holidays.  A warming combination of bergamot, orange, cedar and cinnamon with a seasonal sprinkling of clove, ginger, nutmeg and vanilla that ensures your surroundings are evocatively fragranced for the dark nights ahead.

The DP London Body Care and Home range is available to buy online (www.dplondon.com) whilst the Limited Edition Pearl Lowe for DP London Candle Collection is available exclusively from ASOS.com and Selfridges.

* press sample

I’m usually the woman who loves the fragrances that others hate, so reading Julian Kynaston describe the brand’s first foray into perfumery as:

There’s no middle ground with Freak.  The name, the packaging and the fragrance will polarise opinion to simply love or hate.

I can’t help but feel tremendously excited.  I’m really hoping for something that strays wildly from the well-trodden, mass-appeal fruity-floral, mild musk that proliferates the market today.

Illamasqua’s Freak lists top notes of: Black Davana, Opium Flower and Belladonna followed up with heart notes that include: Poison Hemlock, Datura and Queen of  the Night (are they making these florals up?) sitting on a base of aromatic Frankincense, Oud and Myrrh.  Finally, something I can grasp at, and although I’m not the world’s bigest fan of Frankincense, I do love (quality) Oud and Myrrh.  Freak will be available to purchase only in 75ml bottles and will be priced at £59.00.

I have a niggling concern that Illamasqua Freak has the potential to demonstrate a classic case of style over content.  Everything about the fragrance has been so carefully constructed to fit with the brand’s ethos and whilst that’s clearly not something to be criticised, I hope that the sum of these individual (edgy-sounding) notes add up to something that represents and rings true for their fans.  I don’t actually care if I hate it, I just want it to be engaging enough to make me care one way or another.  I also want it to be powerful, with great sillage and turn heads regardless – it wouldn’t be Illamasqua without that quality.  The fact that it will be released exclusively as an EDP has me hoping.

First impressions based upon the campaign film and images alone?  I dislike the name, love the film and adore the bottle.

So there we have it, Illamasqua’s first fragrance.  On paper, it works.  On the fragrance blotter and under our noses?  Time will tell.

Freak by Illamasqua is available for pre-order from the 3rd October online at Illamasqua.com before it launches on the 20th October.

They say that ‘the devil is in the detail’ and frankly, there’s nothing quite like paying attention to these finer points than when you’ve got the world’s media breathing down your neck.

So much works goes on behind the catwalks at Fashion Week that us mere mortals would never even consider, and it’s some of these less obvious details that are getting plenty of attention this year!

What’s the first thing you notice when you enter a room, the one thing that can instantly add or detract from its appeal?  Scent.

Which is why we’re all supposed to be baking cookies and brewing coffee like demon baristas when it comes time to sell our homes.  It’s all in the name of adding atmosphere to your surroundings and show designers are understandably, certainly up for a bit of that.

Show scenting is big news this year and across the Atlantic, Victoria Beckham chose to scent her Spring/Summer 2012 presentation at New York City Library with a sea of Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin and Grapefruit Candles.

Moving closer to home, the British fragrance company will also be scenting the British Fashion Council Tents throughout London Fashion Week with Jo Malone Orange Blossom as well as Erin O’Connor’s Model Sanctuary with Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin and Grapefruit.

One of London’s most established fragrance houses, Penhaligon’s will also be working hard to make the capital smell delicious as they get to work with Meadham Kirchhoff to scent their Spring/Summer 2012 collection for the fifth season together.

The design duo have chosen the fruity floral Artemisia as a celebration of all things feminine.  Described as a tumble of green apples and nectarines, washed with jasmine tea and sprinkled with a luxurious medley of violet, cyclamen and lily petals.

The scent will be used to fragrance the invitations and the venue, whilst each model will receive a liberal spritz just before heading down the catwalk.

Finally, lest we forget, London Fashion Week isn’t just there for scenting, it’s for showcasing and what better place to launch a new perfume than off the back of your Spring/Summer 2012 ready-to-wear collection?

Verónica Moncho Lobo launched her first fragrance Verónica last Friday alongside the showcase of her latest SS/12 collection.  The fresh, floral scent employs a bouquet of jasmine and cyclamen at the heart of the perfume.

The fashion designer coupled these spring and winter florals to evoke memories of  her childhood in Argentina.  Classic base notes of sandalwood and white musk promise to add a timeless touch to the fragrance.

Do you have a favourite fragrance that you’d scent your show with?

OCCO is one of those brands that had been on my radar for many, many months but was continually superseded by other products more demanding of my attention when presented with the opportunity to purchase.

With close inspirational links to the Dalmation Coast and Adriatic Sea, you might be surprised to learn that the products are formulated within the UK and are the brainchild of ex-Spa Director at Molton Brown, Anna Doyle.

I decided that I wanted a new candle for the bedroom last week whilst mooching around John Lewis. I wanted something with enough spice to be warming without being full-on “boudoir”. Not that there’s anything wrong with full-on boudoir, but I’ll save that headiness for when the weather is cooler.

I couldn’t find anything that tugged at my sleeve harder than this beauty from OCCO’s Raiyia range. The styling is a little retro with concentric circles and a 70s mustard theme but the scent is thoroughly modern. The 210g candle promises to contain a minimum of 95% natural ingredients and 100% natural fragrances.

A spicy citrus with Bergamot, Petitgrain (<3) and Nutmeg ensures that this walks the olfactory line between Summer and Autumn quite beautifully. It fills the room confidently without being blousey or demanding, I think that it would work well in most home environments as both a relaxing, and at the same time, uplifting scent.

I do wish the packaging were a little more luxe for the price (£35) but I can’t fault the quality of the candle which burns both evenly and cleanly. If I remember correctly, this is the candle that Danni Minogue tweeted a picture of as her favourite for burning in her X-Factor dressing room last year.

Now that I’ve finally taken the plunge into the OCCO family, I will keep the range in mind and return to investigate some of the other fragrances available. Most importantly, I may have to be quick about it — the range was heavily discounted, I’m wondering if it perhaps won’t be around for much longer.

OCCO Raiyia No6 Citrus Spice Candle is priced at £35 for 210g and available online at Occo or reduced both online and instore at John Lewis.

I’m delighted to be able to bring you an exclusive behind-the-scenes video today, featuring one of the most well-loved names in fashion.

Michael Kors is celebrating the 10th anniversary of his signature fragrance for women: Michael Kors, and in honour of this milestone, the brand have shot a new commercial featuring the enigmatic Karmen Pedaru.  Click play and take a sneak peek behind the scenes of the Mario Testino shoot which features some intimate, playful moments and Michael’s thoughts on just what makes a “signature” fragrance.

Today, September 14th also coincides with the Michael Kors runway show as part of New York Fashion Week (which you can watch live here from 10am EST) and in a celebratory act of fashionable flamboyance, I’d like to offer my lovely readers a rather special giveaway courtesy of the Michael Kors brand.

One reader will win a specially issued Signature Bottle of Michael Kors Fragrance for Women, signed by the man himself, of which there are only 10 in existence!

To enter, answer this simple question:

How many years ago did Michael Kors release his Signature Fragrance?

Error: Contact form not found.

Good Luck!

T&C
1. All international entries welcome by using the entry form above only.
2. One winner will be picked at random from all entries that provide an answer to the question.
3. One entry per email address.
4. Lipglossiping.com is the sole promoter of this competition.
5. Competition closes on Wednesday 28th September 2011 at 23.59.
6. Winner will be notified by email within 5 days of the close of the competition.
7. No email addresses will be stored once the competition has closed and will only be used to contact the winner.

I have no idea what the new fragrance by Bottega Veneta smells like — though leathery floral chypre sounds promising — but it’s this short film by director Christian Weber that really gives me the chills.

They say

This film, The Scent, is an intense and compelling visual journey which tells the story of the fragrance.

I say

Slow start, promising middle and a cracking, action-packed finish that would make Bruce Willis proud.  Move over Claudia Winkleman, I’m chasing your Film 2011 gig.

Seriously though, does anyone else a little shiver watching this?