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.

Le Labo Ambrette 9

I have two issues with Le Labo's Ambrette 9: First, the concept of a perfume for babies. Why? Who needs that? I'm not a baby person and don't go nuts for "baby smell", but I also have no intention to scent my two adorable nieces until they are old enough to spell "Bergdorf Goodman". The second problem is that to actually smell Ambrette 9 for more than 20 minutes, even in the grown up version (the one actually for babies comes in a water base), requires bathing and marinating in this stuff.

The first few times I've tested Ambrette 9 I thought I was completely anosmic to everything past the chemical fruit opening. Eventually I received a much bigger sample at the Le Labo counter in Barneys and one day accidentally spilled half of it down my arm and into my sleeve. Finally I could smell it.

Ambrette seeds are the source for a natural vegetal musk. In this Le Labo interpretation of this raw material it's definitely a soft skin musk with a fruity undertone. The problem is that Ambrette 9 smells like the pale, drowned ghost of CB Musk Reinvention. Where Christopher Brosius has created a warm, robust musk, Ambrette 9 is washed out and watery. The scent itself is pleasant enough in the sense that it smells nice if you press your nose against a skin that has soaked it, but it doesn't give me the thrill of wearing a beautiful perfume.

Le Labo perfumes ($52 for 15 ml, there are also larger sizes available) can be found at Le Labo Boutiques at several major cities around the world and also at Barnyes. In the case of NYC I actually prefer the latter to the Elizabeth Street boutique because the chairs are more comfortable and the customer service is excellent.

Freaky image from amazon.com.

Vetiver Extraordinaire Shower Gel- Frederic Malle Editions de Parfums

I have all these girly, feminine shower gels and creams- vanilla, lavender-vanilla, citrus-vanilla, cinnamon-vanilla...You get the picture. Then there are the figs, roses and honey. But the one I find myself loving the most lately is the husband's Vetiver Extraordinaire Shower Gel from Frederic Malle Editions de Parfums, based on the Dominique Ropion perfume by the same name.

It's sharp, bitter, has no frilly notes and yet feels utterly luxurious. There's a moment the peppery opening blooms in the hot shower air and transforms it into a spa (if spas had a cat or two perching between the shower curtain and liner, and another one keeping your towels warm). The ozonic note is perfect here, contributing to that clean, airy feeling and probably keeping the earthiness of vetiver at bay- this is a shower gel, after all.

While only a whiff is left on skin 10 minutes after toweling off, the best part of this Frederic Malle product is how it makes my skin feel: normal. No tightness or dryness at all, which as far as I'm concerned is pure magic. The husband (let's not forget the rightful owner of the bottle) is perfectly happy with the cleaning performance (antiperspirant removal), so everyone is happy.

Bottom line: I wish they sold it in gallons. I need to try the one in Bigarade Concentree.

Vetiver Extraordinaire Shower Gel by Frederic Malle Editions de Parfums ($75, 200 ml) is available from Barneys and Freceric Malle boutiques. Speaking of Barneys, they have a typo on their web site "Vetiver Extraodinaire"- an R is missing there. The funny thing is that other websites (shopping aggregators, mostly) have picked this typo and copied it all over the net.

shower gel mage: editionsdeparfums.com
screen captures: Barneys

I Do Not Need Another Pair Of Black Boots

I can't stop looking at the Barneys newsletter you see above. These Jil Sander boots are perfect.

I Do Not Need Another Pair Of Black Boots. I Do Not Need Another Pair Of Black Boots. I Do Not Need Another Pair Of Black Boots. I Do Not Need Another Pair Of Black Boots. I Do Not Need Another Pair Of Black Boots. I Do Not Need Another Pair Of Black Boots. I Do Not Need Another Pair Of Black Boots. I do not need...

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 )

Serge Lutens Water Lip Color (Encre Pour Les Levres)

It looked like a good idea at the time.

After all, long before Serge Lutens has created his perfumes, he became famous for the innovative makeup looks he developed for Dior and Shiseido. I've been fawning over his makeup line for a while (and briefly tested the eye shadows. Liked them a lot), so when the Water Lip Colors came out I had to get one.

The choice was easy, as there are only two colors: Chardon (a berry/purple grape) and Safrané (a fiery orange). I went with the former.

The packaging didn't disappoint. An elegant Lutens box in black and tan, holding the sleek tube with the slanted applicator. I liked the wand and found it efficient in reaching the corners and curves, which is quite important when dealing with a lip stain (unlike a regular gloss that tends to be more forgiving).

Unlike too many lips stains on the market, the Lutens goes on much more evenly and isn't blotchy when first applied (attention: foreshadowing). It's completely sheer and takes the concept of "your lips, but better" into new heights. The finish is matte and there's absolutely no goop or residue, so it doesn't even look like makeup. Color intensity is somewhat buildable. I've found that three coats give me exactly the right look.

But nothing is perfect.

It takes a little practice to paint within the lines. Using a lip liner would completely ruin the look here, so you need to make sure not even a speck of color lands outside the desired area. I also discovered that any imperfection on the lip, like my tiny scar, absorb more tint than desired. I have to use a thin brush and fill the scar with a lip balm (or an eye cream... works just as well), so the product doesn't pool in it. Once I got the hang of it, initial application was great. The problem is with the way the lip stain wears. Blotches appear towards the inside of the mouth after about an hour or once you drink the first cup of tea, whichever comes first. Since the color doesn't wear off evenly, I end up looking as though I've just eaten a grape popsicle. Not exactly something you want when paying $65 for the most stylish lip product around.

Serge Lutens makeup in the USA is exclusive to Barneys (in Europe it can be ordered directly from the Salons du Palais Royal). I ordered it online, but at the moment it seems they're out of stock.

Photos: mine (as apparent from the poor quality). Model: Gracie

Barneys Co-Op Is Creative

This is what I found in my email this morning (click for full effect).

What is that and why am I supposed to want any of it? Can someone please tell me what I'm missing here? Is that makeup? Prosthetic eyebrows? I actually clicked and browsed the entire catalog, where I could see more of the same, but this photo (the front cover of their mailer) was the scariest. I guess looking good no longer sells clothes.

The ridiculous rolled/cuffed shorts on the right are nowhere to be found on the website, though. Maybe the "What Not To Wear" people got to them first.

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).

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

Fall Inspiration: Sue Devitt Sea Spray Fall 2008 Collection

What inspires designers when working on a fall collection?
Autumn leaves, darker days, harvest colors.

And, apparently, the sea.

The image above (click on it for a full size view) is taken from Barneys newsletter about Sue Devitt's fall makeup collection. I looked at some of the items on the store's website, and they're very pretty in a not-really-my-color way, but I can't avoid thinking this could have easily been a spring/summer look.

What do you think?

Favorite Things 2007

In what has become an annual tradition, a group of beauty, fashion and perfume bloggers have joined in this little project of bringing you lists of our favorite things from the year that's coming to an end. Not all of these were actually launched in 2007. A few are a bit older, but these are the things that made my year, got me excited and helped me stay pretty. Links to the complete original reviews are provided whenever available.

In no particular order:

1) Zoya Nail Polish- The colors are fabulous, the seasonal collections are gorgeous, but in a very saturated market, what stands out most is the quality. Add to that a much less toxic formula, free of several scary chemicals you usually find in nail colors, and this is a winning product. No one else could have made me try on a green polish and fall in love with it.

2) Chanel Hand Cream- Since we're on the subject of beautiful hands, Chanel Body Excellence is not just a fabulous hand cream that makes skin softer, it's also a shielding cream that forms a thin but powerful barrier and it has anti-aging ingredients. My aging skin rejoiceth.

3) Chanel Nail Color in Tulip Noir- While nothing beats the quality of Zoya, the color that mesmerized me most this year was the limited edition Tulip Noir from the fall collection. With all due respect to the black nail craze (and the much talked about navy and Tiffany's blue), nothing is sexier than red, and Chanel did it the best possible way with this deep metallic color.

4) Bobbi Does Metallics- Yes, limited edition palettes are starting to annoy everyone. So does shimmer. Yet, in a year full of both, Bobbi Brown Metallics were a huge hit and deservingly so. The colors in all four palettes were beautiful and surprisingly wearable. The "metallics" is just a light finish for a wonderful texture, making it classy and elegant, as you'd expect from a line known for its natural, non-painted looks. My favorite was the Velvet Plum set, a good choice that has become part of my regular rotation.

5) Chanel Red Lips- There are many excellent brands who make wonderful lip colors. Some have better textures or stay put longer. But nobody makes bold colors like Chanel. Between Hibiscus and Catalina from the Garden Party fall 2007 collection and the Rouge Allure in Garnet Fire, my lips have barely seen a nude color in months.

6) Bobbi Brown Eyeliner Gel- This was the year I stopped being afraid of an eyeliner brush, and it's all because of Bobbi's gel eyeliners. The texture is really of a gel, which makes it unlikely to run, drip or smudge, even at the hands of a certified klutz. It's easy to apply and control, and the result is movie-star-perfect. It stays put until you go after it with a makeup remover without fading or flaking. The large selection of colors doesn't hurt, either.

7) Benefit Silky Finish Lipstick- It looks like a lipstick and feels like a gloss. This was the lip product that made my mother start wearing lipstick, which is nothing short of a miracle. We both wear Dessert First, a pretty plum.

8) Tauer Perfumes- It's been exactly a year since I discovered Andy Tauer and his perfumes, all of which were love at first sniff. 2007 has seen Andy launch the beautiful and delicate Reverie au Jardin, a scent that has seen the husband and me competing over who gets to wear it on hot summer days. If I were into a signature holy grail scent, I'd live in a cloud of L'Air du Desert Marocain. But since I'm happily promiscuous when it comes to fragrance, I can't wait till January 23rd, when his new Incense Extreme is launched.

9) Serge Lutens at Bergdorf and Barneys- My other favorite perfume mastermind. Loving Serge can be very frustrating, because he doesn't take us, American perfume nuts, seriously enough, and keeps half of his creations as non-exports. These scents are exclusive to his Paris boutique at Les Salon du Palais Royal Shiseido, and while they can be purchased online if you live in Europe, they will not ship to the US no matter how much you beg or what bribes and sexual favors you offer. This is why I'm thankful for every limited release they do here. Currently you can get Fumerie Turque, Chene and Chergui exclusively at Barneys, Vetiver Oriental (see below no. 14) at most authorized Lutens seller (I got mine at Aedes), and the biggest surprise of the year was the sudden appearance of two bell jars at Bergdorf: Un Bois Sepia and Bois et Fruits. Let's hope this is only the beginning.

10) The Perfumed Court- Speaking of hard to find fragrances: Once upon a time, if you wanted to sample a scent that isn't sold at the usual niche suspects (Luckyscent and Aedes both sell samples of almost everything they have in stock), or if you wanted to buy a decant of something fabulous you love but can't afford to pay the three-figure price of a full bottle, you could head to eBay and buy it from several excellent and reputable sellers. Then eBay decided they'd rather profit from the huge volume of sales made by perfume counterfeits and other crooks, while at the same time they shut down the decanting business. This has lead four of the most successful and knowledgeable eBay sellers to unite and open a store together: The Perfumed Court. The selections and possibilities are beyond anything I would have imagined and the service is close to perfects. The price for samples is higher than what you'd pay for the same things elsewhere, so stick to the really rare stuff (JAR and non-export Lutens, to name a few, as well as vintage and discontinued scents), and they have no competition when it comes to decants in several sizes.

11) Boots No. 7 at Target- Drugstore cosmetics will never be the same. The products of British company Boots, from their No. 7 and Botanics lines, were first introduced to the American market by Target, now also available at CVS. There are many hyped products in these lines, some so popular they made Matt Lauer go investigate them. My personal favorites are the excellent self tanner (no stink, no George Hamilton) and the makeup removal wipes, that are not only extremely effective, but also soft, thick and luxurious.

12) Laboratoire Remède Super C Serum- This year I greatly simplified my skin care routine, with two principles in mind: a product must make my skin feel great and it has to show clear results. My goal was to even out and brighten my skin tone. I saw the first results within weeks, and continue to be impressed of the serum's performance. I didn't let the faulty packaging of my first bottle keep me from repurchasing, and don't see myself switching products any time soon.

13) Laboratoire Remède Double Oxygenating Booster- This isn't a new discovery. As a matter of fact, this is the third year I've been using this cream. However, until recent months I've only applied it topically about one week a month to get rid of an existing blemish or to prevent one from actually forming. It's the most effective zit zapper I've come across. It made a huge difference for me, as together with the Super C serum it helped get rid of past sins. After reading that the cream may be used all over the face, I started doing it about once a week. The results were immediate: Smoother skin, less visible pores. No irritation and no dryness.

14) Men fragrance: Serge Lutens Vetiver Oriental- A 2002 release that became available in the US this year in the regular export bottle and won my husband completely. I adore this scent just as much, and suspect that a backup bottle might be a good idea at this usage rate. Vetiver Oriental is an unusual sweet and rounded vetiver, deepened by a chocolate note. Sounds horrible, but in reality the rooty, earthy vetiver mates well with the chocolate for an exotic but surprisingly comforting aroma. A labdanum and mossy green drydown makes it irresistible to my nose, and apparently to my husband's who made the choice in this category.

15) Biotherm Homme Ultra Confort -My husband's holy grail skin care product was a recent discovery. It does everything: comforts, replenishes and moisturizes. His experience (and mine) is documented here.

Please visit the other participating bloggers and see what they loved this year:

15 Minute Beauty Fanatic

Afrobella

All About The Pretty

All Lacquered Up

Beauty 411

Beauty Blogging Junkie

Beauty Talk

Beautiful Makeup Search

Beauty Hatchery

Beauty Jones

Blogdorf Goodman

Canadian Beauty

C'est Chic

Coquette

eBeautyDaily

For The Love of Beauty

Give Me Your Eyes I Need Sunshine

Getting Amped

Grayburn

HauteMommaStuff

Koneko's Beauty Diary

Makeup Bag

The Makeup Girl

Miss Whoever You Are

My Life,My Words,My Mind

Perfumista

Periodic Style

Platinum Blonde Life

Product Girl

Shop Diary

Slap of the Day

Steeping Beauty

The Beauty Alchemist

The Daily Obsession

The Life Of A Ladybug

Urbane Girl

Victoria's Own

We Love Beauty

Also worth reading, a few perfume bloggers have done their own "Best of 2007" project, and it's worth reading:
::Aromascope :: Bois de Jasmin :: Now Smell This :: Perfume Posse :: PerfumeSmellin’ Things ::Scentzilla ::
As did GreenEyes of Sweet Diva and Helg of Perfume Shrine.

In Search of the Perfect Red Lipstick- Finding it at Chanel

Where else?

Apparently, there really is a Chanel red for everyone, even if mine is more garnet than true red and it has a bit of pearlness going on (just a little: the light shimmer is mostly on the outer layer of the lipstick, so only a bit gets on the lips, just enough to look pretty but not to make you look like a Christmas ornament). Rouge Allure in Garnet Fire is part of the limited edition (I know. But no one does limited edition lip colors like Chanel) Gemstones Collection. There are five more colors in this series, all lighter than Garnet Fire.

I was talked into trying it by René, a very sweet and friendly SA at Barneys (their beauty department is a different planet from the snooty and snarky fashion floor). I told him I was giving up on finding a good red for me when he whipped this little gem out, and there it was: My perfect red. Not too cool, not too warm, no hint of orange or of teeth-yellowing blue. A garnet is a purplish red, as is this lip color, and it fits perfectly.

The lipstick is comfortable to wear, feels light and soft and even lasts fairly well.

To take my lips up a notch, René has topped the lipstick with a Glossimer in Myriad. I never need much prompting to add another one of these glosses to my collection. There are other brands with great textures (some might even be softer and feel more luxurious, actually), but Chanel colors are in a league of their own and some of them are the prettiest I've seen. Despite the color swatch on every website I've checked, Myriad isn't pink at all. It's a shimmery true red, like a Christmas red, actually, but soft and sheer enough to make it wearable, on top of a lipstick or on its own.

Most Chanel counters offline and online still have the lipstick in stock. The gloss is part of the regular collection, so no need to go eBay-crazy.

From the diary of a cranky shopper

Let's talk about sales assistants.

Everyone I know has a story or two and I've heard some amusing theories about special training in customer-terrorizing. Considering my experience lately, I'm starting to think it might be true.

I know a thing or two about perfume. If I'm telling you that I have no interest in big white florals, please (please!) don't try to grab my wrist and spray it with Estee Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia. And don't argue with me about the effect of gardenia, ok? I can smell it from the bottle just fine and there's no way in hell that stuff is getting on my skin. Ever.
Strike number 1 for Saks 5th Avenue (my local one, not the flag store in NYC).

Another Saks moment, from today: I was trying on handbags, in a futile attempt to find the perfect black purse. Despite my request to browse by myself, the bag lady insisted on striking up a conversation. I can deal with that, as long as I'm not being crowded (and I was). Also: Do not contradict a customer. If I feel that a purse is too wide for me, then it is. If I tell you it's too small for my needs, then I'm right. Seriously: If I'm going to have to choose between carrying my wallet and my cell phone, then it is too small. Why argue?

But the one that takes the cake is what happened to me a couple of weeks ago at the fashion floor of Barneys in Manhattan. Picture this: Here I am, wearing a little black dress and high heels, carrying an unmistakable red Valentino purse and a small Barneys shopping bag from the beauty department (I indulged in some Lutens). As I was stepping away from the escalator, two sales assistants were eyeing me. Apparently, not with approval, because as I was approaching the racks, one of them stopped me and said: "It took you way too long to get here!". I was about to say "excuse me?" when she and her friend started snickering :"Oh, I thought you were our seamstress".

Granted, I don't look very Upper East Side, and my very long hair has something slightly bohemian about it, but I'd think that my appearance still said "potential customer". And the thing is, the smirking made it obvious that it was meant as an insult. I started half-heartedly browsing the Lanvin display, kicking myself for not responding with a snappy comeback. I found a sweater I liked, but decided I'm not giving them my business. Why should I?

Another Sign of Fall

That would be Barneys GWP event, titles "Love Yourself.

You know the drill. You go on a shopping spree, spend $175 on fragrance and/or cosmetics and in return they give you the little bag full of samples you see in the picture. It runs now both in store and online, but the only problem is that nowhere in the newsletter or on the website do they list what exactly is in the goody bag. Some, like a sample of Kai perfume, are pretty obvious. Others- not so much. Actually, the web site has absolutely no mention of this GWP, not even when you check out. I've gone through the whole ordering process, up until the "click to confirm your order", and it doesn't say there's a gift in my future. Must be an honor system. Or faith.

Since I'm already ranting about Barneys web site, let me just say that their online beauty department is a disgrace. Poor presentation and navigation, questionable information architecture, and to top it off: No color swatches. At all. They must underestimate the importance of online shopping (and researching) to their business, but in 2007 this is not a good excuse. They need an e-business pro on their team.