Chanel Rouge Coco Lipstick (Legende, Rouge Orage)

These are my two everyday colors.

The thing about Chanel lipsticks has always been the range of shades and subtlety of pigments. The lipsticks themselves are very good- creamy, glide on easily, comfortable to wear and rich in color. The number of options available in the Rouge Coco line is a big part of what makes them so coveted- they are like little gems sitting there on the counter and you want to have them all. However, as good as they are, Rouge Coco is not the absolute top of the line as far as lipsticks go. If you've tried Le Metier de Beaute, Edward Bess, Cle de Peau and Sensai you probably know what I mean.

Still, if one needs to update a lip wardrobe and pick up a bunch of great lipsticks in several shades to create every possible look, or if you're searching for a perfect and flattering color, my recommendation will be to stop at your Chanel counter first. Chances are there's a Rouge Coco or two (or five) for you.

I chose Legende (#11) and Rouge Orage (#23) as my easy to wear, go with everything colors. Legende adds just a little pink to the natural color of my lips. It's my perfect casual color and the one I keep using. Rouge Orage (orage means thunderstorm. Nothing to do with oranges) is an everyday red. The pink base makes it easy to wear and pretty neutral and easy going. Wearing this kind of color makes everything else I have on, from makeup to shoes, look a little more sophisticated.

Rouge Coco lipsticks ($30) are available from decent department stores and chanel.com. I ordered mine online from Neiman Marcus.

All photos are mine.

The Non-Bond

Before I continue with the other posts I had planned for today (and there are several, including a perfume giveaway), I wanted to add my voice to those of other bloggers about Bond No. 9. The newest kerfuffle started when the company chose Twitter as a medium for issuing a public cease & desist to The Perfumed Court. I'm not going to get into the decant debate and why decanters serve not only the community but also the perfumers. This isn't really the point. The issue is once again about the business practices of Bond No. 9 and the way it bullies small companies who can't afford a long legal battle. I searched, but couldn't find any evidence that more established online discounters, the gray market distribution channel, got the same treatment (if you don't know what I'm talking about, check Beauty Encounter for Bond testers, samples and bottles).

I've been true to my word and stopped covering Bond No. 9 perfumes in January 2008. Their emails and press releases (often as tacky as their bottles) are automatically directed to my spam folder. It looks like other bloggers and perfume enthusiasts might be joining this quiet protest. After all, there are many brands, big and small, far more deserving of our attention and money.

You can read more about it on these blogs:
Perfume Shrine
State of the [Car]nation

Photo of George Lazenby, Bond sans pants, on the 1969 set of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service from commanderbond.net

Tom Ford Grey Vetiver

Grey Vetiver, Tom Ford's 2009 masculine release, is an attractive and intelligent scent. It had to be, since it was launched into a market that already has several vetiver perfumes that are considered classic. Most vetiver fans own more than one (or six) of them, so seducing us isn't that simple. We've already experienced the bracing (Vetiver Extraordinaire, Route du Vetiver, Turtle Vetiver), the light and uplifting (Guerlain, Racine), the dark (Sycomore, Encre Noire) and the unusual compositions (Vetiver Oriental, Vetiver Dance). Tom Ford had to offer us something that was still missing.

And he did.

While the opening notes are familiarly citrusy and bright and you can't miss the grapefruit , this is not a new variation on the classic Guerlain theme. The scent quickly takes new direction, first with spicy and herbal notes (most noticeably sage), playing the warm and cool game vetivers often do. From green to wood and back, but Grey Vetiver has a certain mellowness, making the ride smoother and more calculated. But to me the big story here is the orris. It's not quite powdery and not earthy carrot-like as some can be. It feels like the orris note fills the gaps and spaces between the green and woody patches, giving the scent incredibly soft. It makes you listen and pay careful attention.

The drydown is also not your average vetiver. The official notes speak of oakmoss, but as much as I try, I can't smell any. I doubt any perfume from the last couple of years that is intended for mainstream retail has enough oakmoss in it to make a difference. What I do smell here is an incredible dry amber. The salty resinous kind, not the garden variety powdery vanilla.

Tom Ford's interpretation might be the easiest to wear among the vetiver colognes in my (well, the husband's) collection. It has no jagged edges or any semi-objectional notes. It's clean and modern enough to befriend the younger (but discerning) crowd, just as it has what it should appeal to those familiar with the classics, men and women alike. I bought a bottle for my father after testing it myself a couple of times. Got a mini which the husband and I used for a while before going for a full bottle.

Grey Vetiver by Tom Ford ($85, 1.7 oz EDP) is available from most department stores- basically you can find it everywhere Black Orchid is sold, including Sephora, which is probably your best bet for a free sample.

Photo of Anderson Cooper: cnn.net