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Browsing by author: Jessica

Oyin Handmade Juices & Berries Nourishing Herbal Leave-In ~ scented body products

Posted by Jessica on 4 July 2010 10 Comments

Oyin Handmade conditionersummer fruits

One of the consolations of summertime, for those of us who don’t enjoy heat and humidity and the constant sight of other people’s unkempt feet in flip-flops, is the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables. Even I, a dedicated starch-lover, experience a craving for something a little more colorful at this time of year. I’m grateful for the network of farmers’ markets that has expanded to urban areas, and for the tiny city-yardspace behind our new home, where my husband and I are making our first attempts at growing a few potted edibles.

Oyin Handmade’s Juices & Berries is a spray-on, leave-in conditioner for hair, and it smells like the kind of fruit salad that you can only make at the height of the summer season. It’s scented with a mix of natural and synthetic fragrance oils, and it turns out to have a much more appetizing and realistic aroma than many berry-fragranced toiletries on the market…

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David Yurman Luxurious Dusting Powder ~ scented body products

Posted by Jessica on 20 June 2010 8 Comments

David Yurman jewelryI’m not really a jewelry person. Well, let me re-emphasize that: I’m not a Jewelry Person. I love sterling silver, pearls, vintage jewelry of various sorts, and anything that looks like a mourning Victorian might have worn it, but I wouldn’t wear diamonds or large amounts of gold even if I could afford them. They’re just not “me.” Thus, I’m primarily aware of David Yurman because my morning commute happens to pass a billboard advertising the company’s wares. Sometimes I recognize the model; more often, lately, I don’t. Either way, I can see that the featured jewelry is bold, gleaming, meant to be noticed. Not really my style.

When Robin reviewed David Yurman’s eponymous Eau de Parfum, she wrote that it “smells like you’ve spent lots of money, and while you’re at it, you’d like everybody else in your immediate vicinity to know.” I had a similar response to it: it’s a bit too rich and strong for me, and I don’t wear many chypres anyway. On the other hand, I do respect David Yurman for releasing a sophisticated, “adult” fragrance. Like the jewelry, it doesn’t fit my personal style, but I can see why other women would love it. David Yurman’s limited edition Luxurious Dusting Powder, on the other hand, is a product that I’d be able to work into my own fragrance routine…

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Perfume meet & greet report: Tilda Swinton at Henri Bendel

Posted by Jessica on 20 June 2010 36 Comments

Tilda SwintonTester bottle, Tilda Swinton Like This

Like This, the fragrance collaboration between actor Tilda Swinton and niche perfume house Etat Libre d’Orange, recently launched in the United States. Etat Libre’s founder, Etienne de Swardt, made appearances at New London Pharmacy and Henri Bendel to introduce the fragrance and to reveal more facts about Like This; for example, its “code name” as a work-in-progress was “Immortal Ginger.” And the final name, in addition to being borrowed from a poem by Rumi, is a bit of wordplay on Tilda Swinton’s request for a “cozy” scent, since the sound-alike Italian word “così” translates as “like this.”

Tilda Swinton herself made a visit to Henri Bendel on June 17. I was able to speak with her for a few precious minutes…

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Back on my soapbox: new soaps for Summer 2010 ~ scented body products

Posted by Jessica on 13 June 2010 25 Comments

bubbles

Last weekend I raved about Anjolie Ayurveda soap, and now I’m back with a few more recommendations.

I’ve long been a fan of John Masters Organics haircare, so I was happy to notice that the company has introduced a small group of all-natural soaps. From one olfactory angle, John Masters Organics Birch & Cedarwood Cleansing & Shaving Bar reminds me of homemade birch beer; from another, it evokes fresh wood shavings in a carpenter’s shop. That might sound like a strange combination, but it works. And this soap really is gentle enough to use for shaving…

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Jean Paul Gaultier Classique X ~ perfume review

Posted by Jessica on 4 June 2010 25 Comments

Jean Paul Gaultier Classique X perfume advertJean Paul Gaultier, sketch for Fall Winter 2009 Ready-to-Wear collection

Jean Paul Gaultier Classique is one of the very few fragrances that I’ve owned in all its available formulations: first the Eau de Toilette, then the Eau de Parfum, Parfum, and Summer flanker. When it was launched in 1993, it was simply called “Jean Paul Gaultier.” At that time, I had recently lost interest in the fresh, light florals I’d been wearing for the previous few years. I was developing a new interest in sweeter, richer florals and gourmands, including Guerlain Shalimar for evening wear, and Gaultier’s creation soon gained a lasting place in my affections and on my bureau.

I’ve always liked Classique for being just a little bit vulgar, a little too made-up and over-dressed for the occasion. It’s a big hug of powdery flowers and liquored-up vanilla, and it still makes me smile when I wear it or catch a whiff of it on a passing woman. It’s like a colorful faux-fur scarf that you might buy on impulse and then end up wearing more than almost anything else in your wardrobe, because it’s warm and whimsical at the same time.

All this retro-love for the original Classique is basically a prologue to my disappointment in Classique X…

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