From Caswell Massey, a fragrance brought back from the archives: Casma, "A bold fragrance that’s bound to turn heads. We’ve taken the scents of rose, jasmine and magnolia petals and touched them with vanilla and silken musk to create a unique fragrance that’s sophisticated and oh-so-feminine." Shown here in bar soap (3 bars for $18) or talc (3.5 oz for $12). Not shown: the cologne spray (50 ml for $35).
Elizabeth Arden celebrates their 100th anniversary this year: "Scented with the floral essence of Elizabeth Arden's classic Red Door fragrance, this commemorative candle celebrates the changing face of women throughout the decades. The porcelain canister features a design inspired by Elizabeth Arden's landmark building on the prestigious 5th Avenue in New York City." $29.50 at Dillards.
From Susanne Lang's Sula Beauty line, solid balms: "Pocket-sized, portable and adorable, these Organic Shea Butter tins will become your favorite go-to product to naturally soothe, soften, protect and rejuvenate cheeks, lips, neck, hands, arms, legs and feet. Works wonders on unruly eyebrows and hair too!" Neroli Blossom and Rosa Damascena are shown, and there's also a balm in Bergamot. $9 each for 20 g, at Sula Beauty.
From Crabtree & Evelyn, the Hand Therapy collection. Hand creams in lavender, citron or rosewater are $25 each.
From Love + Toast, "Little Luxe" Eau de Parfum, in scents like Mandarin Tea, Gin Blossom, Honey Coconut, Paper Flower, Sugar Grapefruit and Pomme Poivre. $9 each for 4 ml (or $32 for 100 ml) at b-glowing.
I am totally distracted by the poor Chrysler Building with its “nipped in base”!
🙂
I really like the Caswell Massey Elixer of Love #1 which I’ve worn off and on since the early 90s. It is a pretty herbal jasmine fragrance. I also like their Honeysuckle fragrance for a fairly well done honeysuckle white flowers cheap thrill.
Thanks…have not tried either!
hmm….a nice honeysuckle you say?
Yes, pretty well done – I used to have a bottle and I think it performs just as well as any other “honeysuckle” white flowers fragrance – it had a nice very light neroli-petitgrain-green accord that really zipped it up and kept it from getting too soapy. I used t wear it all the time on super hot summer days (esp. nice in my office that has no a/c.) It is the kind of summery white flowers fragrance that I was able to apply with abandon and not feel I was overdoing it. It really smells bright and sunny. It just got pushed waay far down my list of fragrances for skin time, but I’d wear it again for sure. It is a shame that you cant’ get samples from CM.
Fyi, I found many different scents of Caswell-Massey talc powder (in a sprinkle canister) for $4.99 each at TJ Maxx this weekend. I purchased Honeysuckle and Gardenia for my mother and Lilac and Lily of the Valley for my grandmother. From my experience working in cosmetics retail and from my family, I’ve found that women over 60 really love and miss cosmetic lines selling powder in their fragrance lines. I know the ladies in my family are always on the quest.
Oh, good to know — thanks!
I’ve always loved scented powders, even when I was in my teens. They’re SO much more pleasurable in a hot climate. Bring back the powders, drop the body-creams, that’s my cry.
Oooh, honey & coriander hand cream. Mmmm…
Doesn’t that sound nice? Kind of spendy for hand cream, but I might have to try it.
These are all really quite cute.
I’m curious now about Love + Toast Juniper Gin roll-on perfume.
Ditto…but have never seen any reviews.
I’m also a fan of Caswell-Massey’s Elixir of Love, and many of their soaps are wonderful. I’m intriguied by the “new” scent and may well be sampling some of the soap soon. I did sample the C&E hand creams this past weekend and wasn’t wowed…nice enough, but expensive for hand cream, especially when there’s a L’Occitane around the corner….
Oh, good to know on the hand creams, thanks!
I have never been able to figure out why older women love body powders so much…until now, because I’m pushing 60! I also work in the industry and remember a few years back that women lamented the discontinuation of shaker talc, dusting powder, powder beads to brush on the body, and soaps in Shalimar, to be specific.
But see my reply to LaMaroc above. You don’t have to be old to love powder. Wouldn’t people tend to prefer emollients (body creams, lotions) rather than powders as they grow older, anyway? While younger types want oil-absorbent stuff like powder for their abundantly oily skin.
GG: Despite my age, I am still facially very oily, however, the need for powders in a relatively cool climate is for body parts that have lost their firmness, and so they chafe and sweat. Now I finally get it. I prefer body creams to lotions because I find they do the job of nourishing better. The body tends to dry out while the face doesn’t.
I think it has a lot to do with the current prevalence of air conditioning. I don’t have a/c where I work, so yes, I love those talcs. And people didn’t shower as much as they do now. Older ladies most likely grew up without a/c and needed to help stave off perspiration.
Good point! I hadn’t thought of that.
I wonder if this is the same as the vintage Casma or if it has been reformulated. If memory serves, C-M used to advertise it in their old ’80’s catalogs as Greta Garbo’s favorite perfume.
i went to ross the other day, expecting it to be full of junk….if you know where to look in the beauty section, you can find some very high quality, and nice smelling imported Italian soaps, all wrapped up in a neat little box. Some of the bath stuff in other ross stores is definitely bad, but the store I go to has nice some nice soaps and bath products.