CosmétiqueMag, the “sister-publication” of cosmeticnews.com, held its annual awards in Paris yesterday “to acknowledge excellence in the beauty industry.” The fragrance awards went to:
Selective Fragrances
Women's: Marc Jacobs Daisy
Men’s: Narciso Rodriguez For Him…
In a sense, I was influenced by Après L'Ondée (1906). I love Guerlain fragrances, but I said to myself that, if I were to make Après L'Ondée today, it would be much lighter, airier, younger. Some pieces I wouldn't use. So Paris started as an imagined Après L'Ondée. Obviously, in Après L'Ondée, you don't have roses in the background, but I had the skeleton of a very creamy violet note. Then I worked on the rose to put with it.
That's perfumer Sophia Grojsman talking about the genesis of Yves Saint Laurent Paris (from Michael Edwards' Perfume Legends: French feminine fragrances, p. 200), her first fragrance. Paris debuted in 1983, and was the perfect fragrance for the time: I wore it, my mother wore it, some days it seemed like everyone wore it (and plenty of it, more about which below).
Paris opens fruity and bright and big, with a happy, optimistic air. The heart is lush, jammy roses softened by Grojsman's “creamy violet note”. Yves Saint Laurent had reportedly chosen the name Paris and the color pink before the fragrance was developed…
New at beautyhabit: Parfums de Nicolai Les Magnifiques collection & Turquoise Eau Fraiche, L'Occitane Green Tea with Mint.
New at luckyscent: Gendarme Sky & Gendarme Eau de Parfum.
Deal at scentiments: take 5% off any men's fragrance with DADDY08, good through 6/10.
Deal at macys: get free shipping and guaranteed Father's Day delivery on orders of $100 or more with coupon code DADSDAY, good through 6/9. Also get a free men's sampler with men's fragrance orders of $65 or more (includes Calvin Klein Euphoria Man & CK Man, Prada for Men, Kenneth Cole Black & Reaction), no coupon code needed, offer good while supplies last.
Deal at nordstrom: get a tote bag filled with beauty samples (scents include Hanae Mori Butteryfly & John Varvatos) with any beauty or fragrance order of $100 or more. No coupon code needed, offer good while supplies last.
New at theperfumeshoppe (Canada): Piguet Visa & Cravache.
This week, we're doing something a little different with The Monday Mail. Sandra is not a newcomer to perfume, in fact, she comments here as Nile Goddess so some of you may have “talked” to her in the past. But Sandra says she has not fallen in love with a fragrance in a long time, so she'd like our help.
Here is what we know about Sandra:
She lives in Prague, has just turned 40, is brunette and “very temperamental”.
She loves Egypt and everything Egyptian, including Egyptian history, music and dance.
She is willing to buy online, so access is not a problem, and she has not asked for any price limits. She is looking for something unusual, and is especially hoping for recommendations from niche brands she might not be familiar with…
I first became aware of the delightful scent of linden blossom some years ago. I was having a lovely stroll in a nearby park, and as I meandered under the cover of some stately trees, a fresh and sweetly honeyed-green fragrance surrounded me, blending with the dappled late afternoon sunlight and the grounding scent of warm scuffed earth and stone. I later discovered that this was the well known linden blossom, lime blossom, or tilleul. It fast became a favorite of mine, particularly in home fragrances and body products. Quietly refreshing, its limber green structure is interwoven with a hint of tang and a gentle airy sweetness. In home fragrances in particular, I find it has a charm that is both elegant and fresh.
One of my all-time favorite linden body products is the Roger & Gallet Linden Blossom Moisturizing Shower Cream. Part of their Gentle Nature collection, this shower cream is enriched with shea milk…