A Day And A Night Out On The Town

The Blond and I have been hermiting it since we came back from vacation, but today we broke the spell. We had tickets to see Patrick Stewart and T.R. Knight in David Mamet's A Life In The Theater. I'm perfectly happy to watch Sir Patrick just stand there and read the NYC phonebook, but an actual play, with a dialog and everything is even better.

Grandaisy Bakery and dinner at Cafe Blossom, but I know you're not here for the cake. Obviously, in between noshing and admiring Sir Patrick's accent there was some serious perfume sniffing and shopping.

Aedes has the newest Serge Lutens export, Bas de Soie. I didn't expect to love it, but I sprayed it before the show and by the time we were done applauding I was head-over-heels. Uncle Serge knows his iris, but this isn't that rooty carrot and damp dark soil of Iris Silver Mist. Instead, this is dry and piercing with its hyacinth note. Bas de Soie is a lot more sophisticated than it seems at first sniff and proves our favorite uncle hasn't lost his touch just yet. Have I said love already?

The Blond played happily with some CdGs, wasn't too impressed with Diptyque Duelle, but he's just not a vanilla person. I actually liked it, but it reminded me of Le Labo's Paris exclusive, Vanille 44. Well, maybe Vanille 44 on a diet, but still. It's not very tenacious, which is a problem I'm having with most of the newer Diptyque perfumes.

We headed uptown for the Triple B tour (Bergdorf, Barneys and Bendel). A couple of the brands formerly found across the street at Takashimaya have migrated to Henri Bendel, so we can still get our fix of Ineke and Histoires de Parfums. The newest Bendel private label scent, Wild Fig, did nothing for me, and I'm a fig freak, so you know something is amiss there.

The L'Artisan boutique there has one of the two new scents,Traversée du Bosphore. I don’t know if the Blond didn’t spray enough or what, but I could barely smell anything. I’ll have to seriously test again before making judgment, but at this point I was going to give up on L’Artisan. It’s a good thing the day wasn’t over (spoiler alert!).

I never payed much attention to the Profumi del Forte line, but that's probably because the samples I had were of the masculines, which I've found boring, at least from casual sniffing. This time something compelled me to look further and I absentmindedly sprayed my wrist with By Night (White). Oh.

By Night, the feminine version, is a gorgeous orange blossom and vanilla over a sensual wood-musk base. Not the most innovative idea, but it works for me. Added to the wishlist. Because, really, I need more vanilla perfumes.

Speaking of which, Bergdorf will be getting the new limited Edition Shalimar Ode A La Vanille on October 23rd. I'm ridiculously excited, but then again, I've never met a Shalimar I didn't like. Sadly, this is the only exciting perfume thing going on at Bergdorf these days. They don't have the new Serge yet and it looks like they're stocking less perfume brands than ever. The young ladies ready to spray you with Balenciaga don't contribute much to the atmosphere, either. But the other aspects of the beauty level are still as fabulous as ever and maybe more. Le Metier de Beaute will have some new and exciting items soon, and if you haven't seen the latest Cle de Peau eye palettes yet I highly recommend them (a review of Malachite is coming as soon as I give mine an adequate testing).

Barneys has both Bas de Soie and Coeur de Vetiver Sacre, the other new L’Artisan. We both tried it on and were stunned to realize how much we liked it. Of course, one can never have too many vetivers (or leather scents, or dirty musks), but this was different and intriguing enough neither one of us felt it was redundant.

We came back to Barneys after the show and before heading west for dinner to buy our newest loves. Or tried to. The L'Artisan is peacefully resting in our cabinet now, but somehow the SA and I didn’t notice, but he grabbed Ambre Sultan instead of Bas de Soie. I didn’t realize it until we got home, so there’s an emergency  trip to Madison Avenue in my immediate future. Like most Serge groupies, I love Ambre Sultan, but I don’t need a backup bottle just yet. But I do need my iris fix, so there.

All in all and wrong Serge aside, it was a great day.
How did you spend your weekend?

Image: The Swinging Sixties Blog.

News From 5th Avenue

Makeup:
Le Metier de Beaute's growing success has earned the brand an upgrade. The Bergdorf Goodman counter is relocating to a much more central space on the beauty level. There are some beautiful new summer products coming out, a skin care miracle and a lot more to talk about. Stay tuned.

Perfume:
The fragrance department at Henri Bendel is slowly but surely reclaiming its rightful place in the city's shopping scene, thanks to Giuseppe, its new(ish) manager. There are plans to move and change the current floor plan and allocate more (premium) space to perfume. New brands have been added and there are some exciting surprises in the works, including lines that have never been seen in NYC before. I'll report the details as soon as the launch dates are set.

In the meantime, there are a couple of interesting events scheduled at Bendel for the next few weeks that should interest many of us-
6/12 A personal appearance of Robin Coe Hutshing of Memoire Liquide
6/15 (5:30PM) OsMoz Workshop (see bellow)
6/17 (5pm-7pm) Tilda Swinton will sign bottles of Like This, her perfume collaboration with Etat Libre d'Orange.

As for the perfume workshop:
Perfumer Sabine de Tscharner of Firmenich will conduct a fragrance workshop where attendees will learn about notes and accords in perfumery. The  $100 fee includes an OsMoz kit of 12 accord bottles. Naturally, space is limited. To reserve a spot call 212-904-7990.

Beauty News: Le Metier de Beaute and Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics

Today was all about good news. If you remember the stunning Roopal Patel Collection (a Bergdorf Goodman exclusive)  from Le Metier de Beaute (the woman not only has the best job in the universe, she also got a palette named after her), the most coveted part of it was Magic, a cream glaze that transforms any color, including powder shadows, into sheer stains and glosses for the cheeks, lips or eyes. Apparently, I wasn't the only Magic-obsessed soul, so the company is about to release it as a stand-alone product. I'll take a pint or two, thank you very much.

My second surprise of the morning came from Henri Bendel. No, they have not invested in a fabulous e-commerce system (they are on Twitter and Facebook, though, so at least they acknowledge that new Internet thing), but there is something new in the striped halls. Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics isn't a really new line- it was actually launched in 1996. But this is a first time they venture out of spas and clinics and into a department store setting. Youngblood is going to be Bendel's only mineral makeup line, and that's a very wise decision for a store that clearly doesn't want to compete with Macy's.

I was never a fan of mineral makeup, mostly because of the weird finish most products took on my face, but Youngblood products seem to be free of any shine and shimmer where you don't want it and there's a wide range of colors and textures, including a liquid foundation and pressed version of all the powder-based products (try applying a loose powder-anything when a cat or two are rubbing against you. Fun times). The Bendel launch was two weeks ago, an event that brought Philip Luque, Senior Educator and Makeup Artist to NYC. Today, just before he left back to Los Angeles, Philip did my makeup and showed me a couple of things outside of my normal comfort zone (details soon). It was a wonderful, relaxing experience and I loved the final results.

So there you have it- a fabulous beauty day. And I was floating on a cloud of vintage Mitsouko which definitely added to the fun.

Photo of the Youngblood Mineral Mineral Cosmetics counter at Henri Bendel from the company's Facebook page.

Ellis Faas- New At Bergdorf Goodman

Ellis Faas work as a makeup artist has graced the cover of top magazines and created the look and feel of many fashion and perfume ads (from Moschino to the Kate Winslet ads for Lancome). Her contract with L'Oreal has ended in 2007, paving the way to her own high-end niche makeup line which is coming to Bergdorf Goodmen (and Liberty London next month).

Ellis Faas makeup revolves around the concept of using colors that exist in the human body and are part of our natural look- the colors of skin, blood and freckles. Sounds interesting and at least the stock photos look gorgeous. The star of the collection is Ellis Red- a true red that comes in three different finishes- glazed, creamy and milky and promises not to be too orange or too blue. This is something I want to see and try.

I'm planning to be at Bergdorf some time next week. Looks like there's a new counter to visit. I promise a full report.

Image: ellisfaas.com, info: WWD

A Quick Shopping Tip- Neiman Marcus vs. Bergdorf

You probably got the email newsletters about the 40% sale going on at both Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman. Since the Bergdorf one was at the top of my inbox, I clicked on it first to check what DVF items they had on sale. I found a top I really liked so I proceeded. During checkout, I realized they were about to charge me $16 for shipping and I couldn't find a free shipping coupon anywhere.

Now, Bergdorf and Neiman Marcus share not just the user interface but basically the entire site. As far as I could tell, the 40% sale is the same at both online stores, so I switched to Neiman, found the blouse- same sale price and used the current free shipping Coupon, SHOPNM.

So, if you're planning to indulge, do it at Neiman.

Edward Bess Ultra Luminous Eye Shadow

The Edward Bess lovefest continues.

It was hard to choose between the eye shadow colors, but I settles on Dusk, a grayish brown (or brownish gray, depending on the light) with a subtle khaki undertone. It's the second darkest in the line, and works beautifully in the crease, on the lid and even to lightly line the lower lashes (using Nars smudge brush). On a lighter skin, Dusk could easily be used to line the upper lashes as well.

Edward Bess' perfectionism is extremely obvious in his eye shadows. The colors are the most elegant you would find- all are neutral and subtle but with enough character, pigment and rich undertones to create beautiful effects that aren't obvious makeupy, if that makes any sense. I guess it's the total opposite approach of lines that dazzle you with trendy colors and appeal to one's experimental side. With Edward Bess' work, the makeup items are so perfect that it's no longer about the makeup, but about the wearer. Which, come to think about it, that's the way it should always be.


The texture and quality are the best. Smooth and finely milled, the eye shadows apply as lightly or as thickly as you want, and the color is buildable without caking (in the swatch pictures, no. 1 is the color applied as a light wash, no. 2 is two layers with a dense brush) . Used over a primer, the only way to get get it off is with a makeup remover. Otherwise it stays on.

Bottom line: I need at least a couple of other of these.

Edward Bess Ultra Luminous Eye Shadows ($29) are available exclusively from Bergdorf Goodman and edwardbess.com.

All photos are mine.

Today In NYC: Sniffs And Snippets- September Edition

• There was an odd smell outside the Sony store on Madison Avenue. Something synthetic and green, and not entirely pleasant. Apparently, Sony now has a store fragrance, Green Bamboo, that ties in with their eco-friendly, environmentally conscious campaign. Whatever.
  


• The new Nasomatto perfume, Black Afgano, still hasn't arrived at Barneys NYC.
  


• The new Tom Ford tester bottles are at Bergdorf. Grey Vetiver smells like an instant classic. Woody, salty, clean without being dumbed-down. I love it, the husband who has several vetiver scents in his collections wasn't sure it's different enough to justify the shelf space. We'll see.
  


• The four Tom Ford Private Blend musks are nice, but I wasn't slayed by any particular one. I liked the Urban Musk best. It's the sweetest and sexiest, I think, with a honey-plum thing going on there. Pure Musk has a powdery orris note that reminded me of Uncle Serge's Clair de Musc. I also liked White Suede, which feels very smooth (and didn't remind me of Daim Blond). Jasmin Musk didn't entice me to allocate any skin for testing.
  Am I all musked out? I don't know. I'll need to do more testing.
  


• The funniest thing: Bergdorf is now carrying and promoting Balmain Ambre Gris. Seriously. Those of you who don't know why I had to scrape my jaw off the floor should check out my post from last year. Bergdorf is selling it for full retail price, so no matter what you do, don't buy it there.
  


• Two words: Chantecaille lipsticks. I bought two more. Reviews coming soon.
  


• By Killian Back To Black made me want to layer Miel de Bois with Fumerie Turque and maybe Louve or Luctor et Emergo. It's very sweet on my skin, in a pleasant way. A bit more foody than I expected and utterly pleasurable.
  


• The husband lusts after the other new By Killian, Pure Oud. It's magnificent.
  


• There are still a few bottles of Mona di Orio on sale at Bergdorf, mostly the 100 ml for $60. Lux is all gone.
  


• Why (oh why oh why) does the new Michael Kors, Very Hollywood, suck so much? And why is so much floor and counter space devoted to this dud that will be at the discounters in four months and would probably be discontinued with most of the generic fruity florals in a couple of years?

Crappy cellphone picture of a beautiful 1956 DeSoto Fireflight just outside of Bergdorf Goodman: all mine (many thanks to my scent twin, Tom, for identifying the car )

Le Metier de Beaute Roopal Patel Collection For Fall 2009

In which I get a makeover using an orange blush (and live to tell)

Roopal Patel has one of the best jobs in the universe: she's the Senior Women's Fashion Director at Bergdorf Goodman. Basically, her eye and taste influence what we wear and what we can only dream about wearing. Now she will also have her hand in our makeup.

Ms. Patel has collaborated with Le Metier de Beaute in creating and editing the Roopal Patel Collection, a makeup palette of eye, cheek and lip colors straight from the fall 2009 runways.


The runways.

If you looked online or through the fashion magazine you know what it means this season: 80s influence. And if you've been reading this blog, you also know I'm not necessarily a fan of that trend, though it does have its high points. At least it's never boring. I was at Bergdorf on Friday and not only got an advanced peak of this palette, but also had my makeup completely done with it. When Dustin, their very talented makeup artist showed me the colors, I gave him The Look. The one that says "not in your life". After all, the palette had orange, yellow and hot pink smack dab in the center. I think I had a similar set in the mid-80s. It was around the time I was planning to marry George Michael and we all know how well that turned out.

But Dustin wasn't phased by The Look and by the memories of my long lost youth. He explained that most of what I see in the palette is just pigments, with the exception of the red lip color and the iridescent Magic cream gel that you mix with the powder pigments in various amounts to create colored glosses, gels and stains. He had me sit in the chair and promised to make it work.

And he did.

Like most Le Metier de Beaute color products, the pigments in the Roopal Patel Collection were meant to be blended and layered. Just as their Kaleidoscopes appeal to our inner artist (or the inner little kid with the Crayola box), this is another such tool with many possibilities, especially if you consider all that using the Magic cream/gel can do. Dustin used Dangerous as a liner and blended several of the other colors to use as eye shadows, with a dominant dove gray overtone. He blended and lightened up that scary Sunburst yellow and dabbed it in the inner corner of my eyes. I would probably have taken it down a notch, but I got what he was doing.

For blush, he blended Tangini (the orange. Orange!) with Barely There (and probably also some of the pink) and applied it lightly. Seduction, the very red lip color (similar to one of the layers in the Red Rupture lip kaleidoscope, which I really should review soon) was blended with a couple of the pigments to make it a rich red-pink that was still daytime appropriate. It looked good and lasted incredibly well, considering Dustin took off all the makeup I previously had and applied this look without using a primer, a foundation and any other fixatives. He did use an under eye concealer, and I think I will need the line's concealer brush. It was wider than any of the ones I own and worked incredibly well for seamless blending.

Bottom line, the Roopal Patel Collection for Le Metier de Beaute is an interesting concept, very high quality and as fashion forward as they come. It's a lot more versatile than it appears at first glance, and my only concern regarding it is that I have no doubt any user would run out of Magic, the secret ingredient, pretty quickly, which would limit the use of this palette.

The colors are: 1. Dangerous (dark charcoal) 2. Sparkle Dust (shimmery light blush pink), 3. Purple Haze (the name says it all, cool toned) 4. Magic (clear iridescent gel) 5. Barely There (lightest beige) 6. Disco Ball (silver) 7. Hot Pants (shocking pink) 8. Sunburst (as yellow as it gets) 9. Tangini (shimmery orange) 10. Seduction (true red cream lip color)

The collection is a limited edition and will be available exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman from September 15th. It retails for $225.

The rest of Le Metier de Beaute fall 2009 line includes new eye and lip kaleidoscopes, which are the items I'm personally more likely to purchase. The colors (I haven't seen them yet) will include golden tones inspired by the season. The launch date for them is also September 15th, and I must say I'm very pleased with brands that don't release their fall looks in July (meaning everything is sold out before August ends).

Images: lemetierdebeaute.com

Edward Bess For Fall: New Products Coming Soon

The wait is almost over: The new lip colors by Edward Bess are coming to Bergdorf Goodman on September 14. Just as promised, the lipsticks and glosses will feature plum and berry colors, and there will be matching lip liners. I got a sneak pick of the latter, and just like the rest of Edward's products, the texture is dreamy-smooth and the pigment quality is top notch. From the liner's color I can already predict the lipsticks will be just what I've been craving since I first tested his line.

There's more Edward Bess good news:
Coming next month are two new sets that are much easier on the pocket and actually offer a significant saving. A lipstick trio, Best of Bess ($75, compare to $29 per lipstick a la carte, which is $87 for three colors), and a gloss trio, Little Black Box ($75, again, compare to $28 for one, or $84 for three). Buying both sets together would get us extra $25 off for a total savings of $46, or 26%. I'm waiting to see the exact color in these sets, and hopefully they would be what I'm looking for, since it's such a good deal.

Photo of Edward Bess from his Facebook fan page.

News from JAR: Shadow Discontinued, Al Palazzo to Launch Soon

My Bergdorf visit today was bittersweet. The JAR alcove has been calling my name, but when sitting down for a sniffing, only six scents were presented. Shadow is no more, according to the (wonderful) JAR rep because one of the raw materials is no longer available and couldn't be replaced. JAR doesn't reformulate, substitutes or compromises. Since Shadow could no longer be made the way it was conceived, it was sent to Great Fragrance Counter in the sky, to sit with Hermes Doblis, Shiseido Nombre Noir, Guerlain Djedi and Tauer Orris.

I don't know which ingredient was responsible to Shadow's demise, as JAR notes are kept secret. The SA said twice that it was an availability issue and not a consequence of regulation, so your guess is as good as mine. It's sad. I was very fond of this earthy, damp leprechaun of a scent.

The good news is the new JAR that is expected to be launched right before the Holidays. The name is subject to change, according to the SA, but most likely will be Al Palazzo and it takes the line in a new, interesting direction.

It was sweet. Really sweet. But not in a conventional amber or vanilla way. It moves from raw to burnt sugar, has a wet feeling but never crosses the line towards the cliché or the cloying. There's a burst of a bright green, herbal note (mint? tarragon?) and very little (if any) of the typical JAR darkness. I think I got something a bit spicy, but the It's probably more accessible than anything else in the line (other than maybe Golconda). There's only a small spray tester available at the moment, and JARs are meant to be dabbed, so this is only a partial impression. I'll need to go back (again and again), but I suspect this is a serious new love. It's quite gorgeous.

Image: Iris brooch by JAR from blog.jeaninepayer.com (a very interesting artist by her own right)

Le Metier de Beaute Eye Shadow

*Just a reminder: A giveaway of Andy Tauer's Un Rose Chypree samples (as well as a review) is one post back*

My first encounter with Le Metier de Beaute eye shadows was at Bergdorf, where I got to play with the Violaceous Splendor Kaleidoscope Eye Kit. I was quite impressed with the pigment saturation, the texture and the ease of blending, but the color themselves, black, orange, rich rose and a red violet were just too much for me. Lucky for me, I was later sent a couple of examples of Le Metier de Beaute's subtler side, so I could really test and enjoy the eye shadows.


Naked is exactly what it sounds like. A matte skin tone that works as a base shadow and gives some highlighting under the brow bone. Unlike many similar colors from other brands (I have a long gripe with Bobbi Brown's Bone for this very reason), it actually shows up on my skin just enough to provide both a little highlighting (minimal. It's very natural looking) and an excellent base that blends with other eye shadow colors for a flawless look. I've used it with several favorite eye shadows from Chanel, Dior and Laura Mercier, all with excellent results.

Thunder is a gorgeous shimmer charcoal with quite a bit of black undertones and silvery flecks. It's as pigmented as it gets and created a super-glam evening look. With or without a primer, it lasts the whole night without creasing or flaking, works well for lining and if you're into the smoky eye look, it would do the work beautifully.




These Le Metier de Beaute eye shadows have a very fine, luxurious texture which I absolutely love. Wishing for a daytime look, I bought Sequoia, a neutral matte brown that works with many other colors I already own and looks very sleek without any drama. I'm now eyeing one of the green Kaleidoscope kits, because they are so exquisite and if one is going to do a green eye shadow, she might as well go for the best...

Le Metier de Beaute eye shadows ($30 for a single pan, the four shadows Kaleidoscope is $95) are only available from Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus, in store and online. The color swatches on the websites (including the company's) are utterly useless. They do not reflect the color and you can't tell if something is matte, satin or shimmer. Very annoying. I purchased one shadow online from Neiman's after I got two as a PR freebie.

Edward Bess Lipstick And Lipgloss

I met Edward Bess at the counter carrying his name in Bergdorf Goodman. I was immediately taken with him, even before I got to test the makeup products. Truth be told, I wanted to take him home with me so he could go over my makeup cabinet, my wardrobe and shoes, edit everything and give me a makeover. Then we would have watched a movie, maybe The Philadelphia Story, sighed over Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart and attempted to guess the exact shade of Katharine Hepburn's red lipstick.

But enough with this fantasy.

Edward Bess is a talented young beauty entrepreneur, blessed with exquisite taste and eye for details, whose makeup line is sold exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman (and on his own web site). That should tell you something about the quality and luxurious feel of the products. The eye shadows deserve a separate post (once I decide I really need more perfect shimmery taupes) and I haven't tried the bronzer and face highlighter (yet), so today is all about the lip colors.

Testing the Ultra Slick lipsticks ($29) and Deep Shine glosses ($28) was the biggest thrill, but also the greatest disappointment. While the products are absolutely amazing- rich and beautiful pigments, perfect texture and superb lasting power, the current color range (10 lipsticks, 5 glosses) just doesn't work for me. The "perfect reds" are not my reds- on my lips they both show with a disturbing shrill pink tone, and the rest are mostly way too light (resulting in a chalky look) or too brown. The best the SA and I managed to get was by layering the Dark Blossom gloss over the Deep Lust lipstick, which looked like a neutral milky brown rose, but it lacked something to make my face come alive.

On someone else with less pigmented lips and a completely different complexion, these colors would be amazing. I suspect blondes and redheads in particular would be thrilled with Edward Bess' creations. But there's good news for the rest of us: According to the SA, this fall will see some additional colors that include purple/berry tones. I can't wait.

Photo at the top is of the entire Edward Bess lip wardrobe ($400) which comes exquisitely packaged in the sleek black box. Please take note that the tiny color swatches on Edward's website (edwardbess.com) are NOT true to life. Everything is actualy a shade or two lighter.

For more on Edward Bess and his products, I highly recommend this post by Annie of Blogdorf Goodman. Reading the comments there is also quite amusing, and that's all I'm going to say about it.

Le Metier de Beaute Anamorphic Lash Mascara

I have very little patience for purple prose or ridiculous promises. A mascara that comes with declarations about "three-dimensional lashes" (because otherwise lashes don't have three dimensions?) and "Conditions as it thickens for a soft, touchable look" (I dare you to try and touch my lashes) doesn't get the best starting point with me.

I was fully prepared to unleash some snark, but Le Metier de Beaute Anamorphic Lash Mascara is actually quite fabulous.

The brush is not too big and not too thin, resulting in a perfect, even coat. The color goes on smoothly, gives the proper amount of thickness and length without going overboard. I get beautifully defined lashes that don't cross any lines into scary territory. The Anamorphic mascara holds the curl for hours, and after nearly a month of use I have yet to see clumping, flaking, cooning or smudging. Removal with all the usual suspects is easy and painless.

Le Metier de Beaute products are normally very pigmented (reviews coming soon). In this case, the one I have is Jade, supposedly a very dark hunter green, but for the life of me I can't detect any green. It's a not-quite-black or an almost brown on my lashes, which is fine with me, as long as the result is so pretty and the mascara is a high performer as this one.

Le Metier de Beaute Anamorphic Lash Mascara ($36) is available from Bergdorf Goodman online and in store. Mine was part of a Bergdorf goodie bag.

StrangeBeautiful- Niche Nail Polish

After 25 or so years of using nail polish and exactly three years of beauty blogging (I remembered too late that the previous weekend was The Non-Blonde's birthday!), it's not every day that I get this excited about such a product. I mean, it's stinky paint that goes on your nails, and if you're lucky, it stays there looking pretty without chipping for the better part of a week.

Jane Schub, a designer, illustrator and beauty entrepreneur, expects more than that. She launched her StrangeBeautiful line as a fashion accessory, an edited collection of nail polish colors of the highest quality. Despite my jaded view, I'm beyond smitten.

It starts with the colors. That's how the line actually began. Jane Schub had a vintage typewriter in a gorgeous and unusual red, and she thought the color would make a striking nail polish. The concept developed from that point. Every color is saturated, bold and makes a fashion statement. Even the few mellow colors cannot be ignored.

When I met Ms. Schub a few weeks ago at a Bergdorf Goodman event, her vision and passion for making StrangeBeautiful an outstanding brand were evident, so I was not surprised upon testing to see that only one coat is enough for a cream finish that is completely true to the color you see in the bottle. The brush is the perfect width, the polish is very quick to dry and lasts chip-free for over a week even without a protective top coat. StrangeBeautiful is also "3 Free", which means not containing Formaldehyde, Toluene, and DBP (dibutyl phthalate).

The colors I received are an orange red and a rich toffee-like brown. There's no way my photos can do them justice. The red (described as a lobster tail red by Jane schub) is my dream color. Red has been my signature from childhood and there are shades that my nearest and dearest call "Gaia Red". This is going to be one of them.

Now, here's the catch: StrangeBeautiful doesn't sell individual bottles, only "volumes". Each volume is a collection of 8 bottles and is only released once, meaning once the volume is sold out that's the last it would be seen. All the colors in each volume are beautiful beyond words, but I don't necessarily need to own all of them. I mean, if I were ever to wear a teal polish, I'd want the one offered in Volume 1. The same goes for the vibrant yellow from Volume 2 (I want a closet full of clothes and accessories in that fantastic yellow, just not sure about it for nails). But despite the very reasonable price (an 8 bottle pack is $79, pricing them far bellow most department store brands), I don't want to buy colors I'd never use. However, I still have a serious case of WANT when I look at most of these shades.

At the moment Volume of StrangeBeautiful 1 is still available. Volume 2 is the most recently launched. They are sold at Bergdorf Goodman (including online) and Luckyscent. The two bottles I have were part of a BG goodie bag.

Sunday Sniffage

The warming weather means that one can actually walk the short distance between Bergdorf and Barneys without contemplating death or a move to Florida. Which means a perfect day for some uptown sniffing for the Blond and I.

First was Bergdorf. Both of us have been on a serious Tom Ford kick lately (reviews coming soon), so we had to try the new Italian Cypress, a Milan exclusive until recently. The first impression was that it's a more conservative, a safer scent than others in the line. From the notes (citrus, herbs, wood resins and lots of cypress), I had a feeling it would be a darker, heavier interpretation of Goutal's Eau d'Hadrien, which was exactly what I smelled. If at first the Blond was a bit disappointed, he was won over by the time Italian Cypress dried down. On his skin it's elegant, manly and dark green. While there's noting innovative there, it's very well-made and alluring. A perfect first date scent of there ever was one.

We were disappointed to see that Bergdorf doesn't have Serge Lutens Nuit de Cellophane yet. They did have the newly labeled and repackaged Feminite du Bois. The eager sales assistance (not the wonderful Michael, who wasn't around this afternoon) tried to convince me Feminite du Bois is a brand new scent. For a moment I considered educating him about the Bois series in general and FdB in particular, but decided not to bother.

I just gave him a look.

Next was a quick stop at the Guerlain counter. The Blond is still unconvinced about most of the masculines other than Habit Rouge, I still like Derby but the lack of staying power is annoying. My main goal was to try the new release, La Petite Robe Noire. I knew it was fruity, I knew it was gourmand. I enjoy many of Guerlain's eau de patisserie style scents. But I was not ready for what I smelled.

Apparently, Guerlain is now doing a Vera Wang Princess.

The abomination is residing in the classic Mitsouko-like bottle. This is the last thing I'd wear with a little black dress. Actually, this is the last thing I'd wear, period. I didn't have much love for LVMH and their money-making machine before, but this release and what it symbolizes will make me think twice before I buy another Guerlain.

Next stop was Barneys. They didn't have much (anything?) new (what does it say about you when you can almost recite the entire Barneys fragrance catalog?), but there was a tester of Serge Lutens Nuit de Cellophane (they'll have it in stock later this week), and while I was fully prepared to dislike it, I fell in love on the spot. Yes, it's a white floral, very feminine. To me, it speaks of spring, sheer white fabric and lots of pretty things. Half a spray has lasted all day (still going as I'm writing this) without being suffocating. These days I rarely buy a bottle based on one testing, but I'm going to make an exception with this and get Nuit de Cellophane this week. My experience with Uncle Serge's work is that when it works it just works (and when it doesn't, I die of cumin exposure). This one is a winner for me.

Photo: Peter showing off his sniffer. All rights are mine (and his).

The Spirit Of Fashion Victims Past

Scarlett Johansson, July 2007:


Posh Beckham, April 2008:


Spring 2009, according to Bergdorf Goodman, all of us (click to enlarge):


Just say no.


Images: Posh from the Daily Mail, Scarlett from The Superficial, fashion from BergdorfGoodman.com. Left ($1695) and center ($1095) by Stella McCartney. The one on the right is by Vince ($325).

New At Bergdorf Goodman: Serge Lutens Santal De Mysore

The formerly Paris exclusive Serge Lutens Santal de Mysore has joined the other scents that left their bell jars (Bois et Fruits, Bois et Sepia, Un Bois Sepia and Bois de Violette), and is now available at the rectangular bottle only at Bergdorf Goodman in NYC. They also have the gorgeous Chergui now, which was previously a limited edition Barneys exclusive (and rumor has it that most Barneys store are now out of stock).

Uncle Serge defines Santal de Mysore as "Maternal sandal wood laid over Siam spices" (from the Serge Lutens website). It's a unisex scent, leaning heavily towards the masculine. I like the woody part very much, but the "Siam spices" is more or less cumin (think Arabie light), though smoother and maybe blonder, if that makes any sense.

It's wonderful to see more and more of the non-exports actually being exported and available here (while they're not online, you can still call the store and place an order). If someone at the Palais Royal is listening, I dearly hope to see Rahat Loukhoum and Bois et Musc cross the Atlantic next. Pretty please with cumin on top...

(And don't forget that this year's limited edition that will be available from most Serge Lutens distributors is Borneo 1834. Bergdorf will have it later this week)

Image: Serge Lutens

About those JARs...

Previously on the Non-Blonde: Tom (my scent twin) and I went on a perfume adventure. You can read all about it here, but I promised a separate post to discuss the JAR perfumes we sniffed at Bergdorf.

I've been there before and have a full bottle of Diamond Water, so I knew more or less what to expect. It was still a surprising experience. The sales assistant presented us with the famous scented fabrics in their glass bowls, and we started sniffing. The first thing I noticed was the (too) big a difference between the real juice and what you get from the cloth. I had to be told that what I was smelling was Diamond Water, because the pretty but tame thing didn't resemble the radiant, sparkly and spicy perfume I like to wear when dressed to the nines.

Golconda was more spicy than the carnation skin scent I remembered, but it's still high on my wish list. Jardenia was its cheesy gardenia self, pungent and life-like. Shadow was not as dark as I remembered it on my husband's skin, but that's one that needs to be worn before you can really tell much (like all of them, actually). Jarling was softer than I remembered. This time I could actually smell the lilacs under the almonds. I didn't even have to try it on to know it can never work on my skin that brings out the worst in anything with lilac. This one just smells cheap on me.

The two for which I intended to devote serious skin space were the mysterious Bolt of Lightning and the notorious Ferme Tes Yeux. The latter is sometimes known as "I smell dead people", and I remembered it as too weird and rather unpleasant. Now, I've smelled a thing or two since then, and I'm the proud owner of some other famous stinkers that on my skin are tame kittens, and Ferme Tes Yeux is amazingly close to them. It's a sibling to Serge Lutens Muscs Kublai Khan with a touch of the sweetness I get from CB Musk and some undefinable animalic quality that makes it very appealing. I adored it from the second it touched my skin till I reluctantly showered late that night. I want a full bottle, but since I already own MKK and CB Musk, it's a bit hard to justify buying Ferme Tes Yeux considering the price tag (around $500). If you're a fan of Muscs Kublai Khan, this is a must-smell. And it makes the price of the Serge Lutens bell jar look like a bargain.

The jewel in the JAR collection is Bolt of Lightning. It's not the perfume's real name, because it doesn't actually have one. But the flacon is etched with a bolt of lightning (the same one that you see painted on the ceiling at the dark alcove of the boutique), so that's what the perfume is nicknamed. The scent is a whirlwind of charged air and danger in its opening, then it becomes green and damp, and then...

I can't even begin to say how glad I am that Tom was there with me and tested the exact same thing on the same part of his arm, because otherwise I'd hesitate to write this. Not only did I have a witness to sniff me, but also someone who had the very same thing happening on his skin.

Gardenia. That's what Bolt of Lightening became on both of us. An exquisite, the most beautiful, non-creamy, unsweetened, elegant and streamlined gardenia. It's a gorgeous fragrance, but for the life of me I can't fathom forking over $800 to smell like a gardenia (a $500 dirty musk is all of a sudden so very reasonable).

My first visit to the JAR boutique at Bergdorf Goodman can be found here.
My full review of Diamond Water is here.

Image: Zebra brooch by Joel Arthur Rosenthal, the nose behind JAR, from The Jewels of JAR Paris: The Gilbert Collection (catalog of the exhibition). I'm still dreaming about the cuff bracelets from that collection. Probably the sexiest, most perfect piece of jewelry I've ever seen.

Oh, the things we have smelled!

Or: The Scent Twins Take Manhattan (and make SAs cry)

One of the best things about a sniffing expedition with your scent twin is that it instantly doubles the available skin space (and if he is a very tall and long-limbed guy, all the more skin to use). When said scent twin is such a wonderful companion as mine is, the pleasure is more than doubled. And he makes me laugh.

Tom came from L.A. and we spent Thursday afternoon relentlessly spraying, sniffing each other, and pondering the wonders of skin chemistry. We started at Saks, which could have been a much more pleasant place without the piranha-like sales assistants. There were too many of them at every counter and they were aggressive and cloying at the same time, shoving scented cards under our noses and trying to spray us with whatever they were hawking, telling us how it's the most popular thing and we really must try. No, thank you.

They were strongly promoting the not-so-new DSquared2 He Wood and She Wood. While it looks quite official that woods are making a comeback to mainstream perfume, I was not impressed and my prediction is that these scents would end up at most discounters in no time. More interesting was the discovery of a fully stocked Guerlain counter, offering the L’Art et la Matiere line as well as some of the more interesting bottles of the house. We both discovered the wonders of Derby and I just loved seeing Tom's face as he tried Sous Le Vent. I had the same look when I first tried it in Paris.

Tom introduced me to one of the more interesting Saks exclusives, Miller Harris Fleurs de Sel, which lasted for most of the day on my hand, making me realize that I absolutely need a bottle. I'm not an airy-beachy girl, but this salty, herbal wonder is unlike anything else I have and it evokes the kind of shore experience that has nothing to do with Jersey's boardwalks and everything to do with an emotional place.

The other Saks exclusive we were curious about was Chanel Beige (only at the NYC flagship for now). It's pretty in a floral Chanel way, lady-like and understated, but as far as I'm concerned it lacks an edge, and it's not that original, either. I liked smelling it, but have no desire to wear it. As I said to Tom, it simply doesn't go with my hair.

From there, we continued up 5th Avenue to Henri Bendel, which was a huge relief in terms of SAs. You can freely browse, spray and try things without a SA breathing down your neck. What a concept! We were waiting to see some poor unsuspecting soul spraying itself silly with Secretion, but it didn't happen. Tom and I seemed to be the only ones interested in the Etat Libre d'Orange bottles, which do seem a bit out of place there. Try as we did, we couldn't find one that really felt full bottle worthy in that line. We're just not that into them (though I still like Encens et Bubblegum).

A block or so down the road was the temporary Colette mini-store at The Gap. It's the weirdest thing and quite disappointing. They had some (not very interesting) t-shirts and a whole lot of ugly plastic knickknacks that looked like crap the Paris store was looking to unload somewhere instead of throwing it into the Seine. They did have the Paris-exclusive Le Labo Vanille 44, which I now hear is (temporarily) sold out. What we didn't know is that the price is more reasonable than in Paris ("only" $150 for 1.7 oz, compared to the ~$300, depending how bad the dollar is on a given day Le Labo seem to have some pricing issues and have re-adjusted the price to $260 for 1.7 oz). I'm still not sure it warrants more than a decant, but I do like its fuzzy muskiness and warm labdanum body.

Other fragrances you can find at that store are a few of the Comme des Garcons in silly packaging with gold tails and muzzles (not kidding), and there was something else I can no longer recall. But the most ridiculous thing at that place were the Kiehl's products. Yes, you read it right. I don't know who was the genius who though that what NYC needs is repackaging of a local product with a French seal of approval. They had the popular body creme in the regular bottle that had "Colette" printed on it (yay! or something), and sets of travel size products. Why? And who buys it?

We pondered these questions on our way to Bergdorf. We stopped at the Serge Lutens stand, where the (very nice, if a bit scared of us) SA showed us some interesting layering combinations (apparently that's what they do with the Serge savvy customers). Who knew that Douce Amere and Ambre Sultan go amazingly well together? I'm going to try it tomorrow night. The other thing I learned is that I probably do need Bois de Violet after all.

Next came the JAR experience, which was Tom's first time. This is going to be a separate post, because I have a lot to say about it, but I'll give you a teaser: We tried Ferme tes Yeux. And lived to tell the tale.

We left Bergdorf feeling drunk. We needed a break, because trying anything after the JARs seemed a bit futile (the poor Jo Malone SA had no chance with us). Besides, we were starving, so a very late lunch was in order before we could proceed to our last stop of the day: Barneys.

Barneys has a lot of good stuff. From some exclusive Serge to Nasomatto and Le Labo. But as far as I'm concerned, the main attraction (and the nicest SA) is Fredric Malle Editions de Parfums. They didn't have the new one, Dans Tes Bras by Maurice Roucel (though the tester is expected within weeks and there's going to be a grand launch event, including an appearance by Roucel himself. No word about the state of his moustache), but the rest of the line is always wonderful to smell and try. I accomplished my mission for the day by purchasing my beloved Musc Ravageur. Tom got me to sniff L'Eau d'Hiver, which might just be the Jean-Claude Ellena creation I won't be able to resist, proving that if you put enough musk and heliotrope in a bottle, I'm going to love it. It still does not absolve him the sin of the melon, but it comes close.

That was the last of the day's adventure. While I didn't beat rush hour traffic out of Manhattan, I smelled so good that I couldn't work up a decent road rage.

Image: wikimedia.org

So... - Donna Karan Chaos, Old And New

A brief history of Chaos Theory:
Once upon a time, before Donna Karan perfumes became an endless chain of Be Delicious flankers, each one with its own plastic fruit note, there were some original and interesting creations in unusually beautiful bottles. Chaos was a 1996 release, supposedly commissioned by Donna Karan's late husband, Stephan Weiss, who also designed the bottle. It was discontinued in the early 2000s, after Mr. Weiss' death. The reason was never publicly stated. Some said it was Karan who didn't want this painful reminder sold in stores, others pointed their fingers at the Lauder corporation, owner of Donna Karan Cosmetics.

Chaos, being a sophisticated spice and wood scent, was never a huge bestseller, but had a cult of fans that seemed to have grown exponentially after its removal from the shelves. Those who hoarded bottles made big profits on eBay. I saw bottles go for north of $600 and some etailers still have a few precious bottles in stock, so outrageously priced you just have to laugh: $1499.

Blogs and message boards all contributed to the myth. It became one of the poster items for coveted discontinued perfumes. It was often suggested that were Lauder willing to bring it back, they would see nice profits. It looks like someone had been listening, because Chaos, along with some of its other siblings, is back. The packaging has changed: all the perfumes now come in plain black bottles with a gold, black or silver label. But if you've been dreaming of the juice for the last six or seven years, you're just a visit (or a phone call) to Bergdorf Goodman away from holding your very own bottle.

The info on the BG website seems to be inaccurate: They list all the fragrances as eau de toilette, while in reality Chaos (and I'm pretty sure Black Cashmere as well) is an eau de parfum, as you can see clearly on my own bottle.

The big question, though, was about the juice itself: Is it the same as the original one?

When I first sprayed it yesterday it was immediately recognizable. I never tried any of the dupes, so I don't know how convincing they were, but this one was clearly chaos. Still, it had to be tested side by side with the old perfume. I've been hoarding a sample that March of Perfume Posse has sent me, and this was the perfect opportunity to revisit it.

I applied old Chaos on my right wrist and new Chaos to my left. Right away I could tell it wouldn't be easy to accurately compare. It starts with application method: dabbing and spraying lend different results, as was apparent at first try. I re-applied the new Chaos by dabbing, which gave it a similar feel to the original, though still not 100% identical. But this is where one needs to also consider the perfume's age as well as storage. While my sample was safely kept in a little drawstring bag insidemy dresser, it was still in a vial with a plastic cap that might have affected the juice. The age is probably the bigger factor here, since I have a feeling that something in the top notes might be missing.

The older sample shows more of the heart notes, the ones you can also find in the denser, darker Black Cashmere: mostly saffron and woods. For the life of me, I can't detect the promised chamomile and lighter spices that are all very prominent in the new Chaos, making it lighter and further removed from the gothness of Black Cashmere, the way Chaos was originally described. that's the main reason I suspect my sample has most likely aged a bit.

Chaos has an almost fizzy quality from the cinnamon, but the spices keep elegant and poised. Yet, it's sheer enough (much more so than anything I've ever gotten from the original) and easy enough to wear on a summer day. It's probably a tad lighter than what it used to be, if to go by my sample, I just can't guarantee by how much.

The sillage is decent without being overbearing and the lasting power is great. I can bask in it for a full day. And it's so very pretty.

So, is the new Chaos exactly the same? Probably not. But it's very very close.

Image: Statue of Eris, goddess of chaos, Autumn's Photostream

Chaos and the rest of the scents in the series are only available from Bergdorf Goodman, where I bought mine (and Harrods, if you're in the UK) and can also be ordered online or by phone. Rumour has it that Bergdorf is already out of Chaos, but it's not a limited edition, so more will be available soon. All bottles are 3.4 oz and priced at $85.