As beautiful and rich as they are, fragrances are the hardest items to shop for whether it’s for yourself or others. What makes one person feel sexy can choke another. What some consider a classic, others never want to see again.
To truly capture the essence of a fragrance, you have to go beyond the top notes and wait for the perfume to settle. “A fragrance is a chronological composition that evolves with time,” says perfumer Frédéric Malle. “The top notes function for about 15 minutes, then leave way to the heart of the perfume, which is its real personality.”
That said, if you’re looking for a scent, spritz a bit on your wrist and walk away. Walk around the store for a bit and come back. Why? Because the top note can be off putting but the dry down is absolutely fantastic.
“Some fragrances also change from one skin to the other,” says Malle so don’t think that if it smells ahh-mazing on your best friend, it’ll be the SAME EXACT way on you. It won’t but it certainly doesn’t hurt to use your friends as a resource.
Below are six fragrance - and in some cases, sets - I have a deep and personal love for and you might too!
PS: I was given samples of a few but that doesn’t affect editorial integrity. Trust.
Pretty much guaranteed a beautiful collection from Marchesa, I always look forward to see what the makeup artists come up with that will match the beauty, elegance and femininity that Georgina Chapman normally comes up with. This season NARS Cosmetics was behind the look with makeup artist Talia Shobrook as the lead. The look consisted of simple, romantic and beautiful skin contoured with varying formulas.
“We contoured the skin with matte and shimmery textures and added feathers to the eyes to provide dimension to the face,” explained Talia. A matte face was illuminated with a bit of shimmer. Feather lashes, custom created by NARS from the feathers on the Marchesa dresses, gave excitement to an otherwise simple look.
The inspiration behind the collection came from Madame Butterfly. “I wanted to capture the real look of Japan, create layers and bits of origami,” said designer Georgina Chapman. The whimsical creations based in sculpted layers balanced the soft, bare faces that were accentuated with long lashes.
For the face, Talia mixed NARS Sheer Matte Foundation with NARS Orgasm Illuminator (a new product coming out for Spring 2010) and gently blended all over the face. To tame redness, concealer was added only if needed. Using her fingers, she applied NARS Luxor Multiple (lookout for it for Holiday 2009) across the cheekbone. She then applied NARS Powder Foundation under the eyes and to the center of forehead. Using NARS Yachiyo Kabuki Artisan Brush, the cheeks were contoured with NARS Nepal Single Eyeshadow (eyeshadow as a contour? neat, eh??). A mixture of NARS Thebes Cream Duo Eyeshadow was added on the cheekbones, bridge of nose and on the upper temples.
To play up the eyes, NARS Abyssinia Single Eyeshadow was used all over the eye up to the brow. The top and lower lashlines were lined with NARS Iceberg Eyeliner Pencil. Curled lashes had one light coat of NARS Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara on the top lashes only. The custom feather lashes were added using a clear eyelash glue.
To finish of this simple look, NARS Cruising Lipstick was added with fingers on the lips. Cruising is one of NARS’ newest babies due out Spring 2010.
Backstage at Marchesa (this is where I satisfy my ultimate obsession with Georgina Chapman…knowing I was within the same vicinity as her) I got to speak to Harry Josh, lead stylist for John Frieda. He described a look that was inspired by fantasy themes and was both whimsical and youthful.
There were three looks floating about in the creation of the looks. The first was a low ponytail. The second was a beautiful soft wave with the extreme side part. And the other was very earthy and messy- as if she fell asleep in the forest and awoke with leaves stuck in her hair. Both captured very different versions of a classic textured look and were reflective of the dress. He used John Frieda’s Root Awakening product line including the Health Boosting Detangling Spray, the ever popular Frizz-Ease, and the Luxurious Volume All Out Hold Spray. John also used lots of powder to get the hair to look textured and loose.
To get the look, Josh did something that I’m contemplating incorporating into my routine. Rather than hold the curling iron vertically, using a one inch iron, he held it horizontally for about 5 seconds and released the hair. He created a deep side part and after about three minutes he brushed the hair after curling. This allows the waves to set- brushing immediately after is counter productive. To get this look, the models needed clean, shiny, healthy hair and he worked with the model’s hair- no extensions, no clip-ons.
NARS makeup artist Talia Shobrook explained that she wanted the makeup to appear young and as if the models were aristocrats going to the woods with these crazy ball gowns. So to achieve this, skin was kept matte.
She started at the center of the face and buffed out. One thing she was careful was not to make the skin look heavy, “…’cuz matte skin can take to look heavy and I wanted that whole kind of naivety. I didn’t want that heavy, matte, blocky skin.” A block of white color was added from the lid to the brow with a dash of brown in the inner corners of her eye. Lashes were curled and Shobrook added volumized mascara “…just one coat and wiggled it” [don't know why but I loved that line...lol]. Eyebrows were messy and the lips had a bit of concealer in the center with NARS Chelsea Girl lip lacquer layered over it.
Wanda Ruiz for CND did nails and this was a custom blend for Marchesa that looked like a silver-y color. It was a natural nail (no press-ons) with a rounded square shape. The look was not too flare-y and was just a hint of color to go with the theme. Wanda described this color as a “new nude”.
Ok so now that the Globes are over and everyone’s thinking about Oscar, I can’t help but think about the new crop of ‘dos for 2009.
The one thing for Spring 2009…it’s all about the hair. Here are several ways to recreate the looks seen on the red carpet:
Jennifer Lopez looked really good. I mean, I think her dress choice was:
1. Classic J.Lo (is she still going by that??) I mean we all know she can pull off an outfit that, well, doesn’t have much to it. But
2. She is a new mommy (well relatively new) and her body is smokin’
Her gold Marchesa dress (love love love Marchesa…I want my wedding dress to resemble Georgina Chapman’s) is quite stunning and with her body, it looks quite right.
La Lopez wore her hair in a glamorous chignon reminiscent of the runway look from Balenciaga’s Spring/Summer 2009 show at Fashion Week. High shine in the front and matte in the back, Lopez’s neat chignon was beautifully pitched above the occipital bone for a dramatic effect.
To get the look, Aveda Global Creative Director, Antoinette Beenders, gives us tips on how to recreate it without going broke:
· Apply Aveda Confixor Liquid Gel on damp hair and scrape back into a tight ponytail right above the occipital bone. · If already dry, mist the front of straight (or hair blown straight) hair with Aveda Air Control Hair Spray for incredible shine and hold. · Split ponytail into two or four sections. · One by one, wrap each section into a bun using a circular motion and pin to the base of the ponytail. · Repeat for each section to create a classic ballerina look.
And you don’t need a gown and a party to rock this look. I’m a personal believer in looking glamorous everyday. Pair this look with a black turtleneck, straight leg jeans and ballet flats and you’re ready for your close up.
