Showing posts with label fragrance department. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fragrance department. Show all posts

May 29, 2012

Fragrant Pause

I rarely blog about beauty…because I work in beauty! It's the makeup and cosmetics version of a bus driver's holiday: If I muster up the energy to go on the computer by the time I get home (ideally, after a snack, nap, dinner, laundry; not necessarily in that order), the last thing I'd want to talk about is how you can perfectly apply eyeliner or what your lipstick is made out of. I would much rather talk about food and other things. And, maybe at some point, write an inspiration post, or maybe blog about things I found on Zara.com.

That said, I did chance upon two intriguing, blog-worthy scents, courtesy of the May issue of Vogue, with Scarlett Johansson on the cover.

First, Elie Saab Le Parfum. The bottle somewhat reminds me of Hilary Duff's With Love Eau de Parfum, they're a bit similar in shape—the flat, rectangular top and the jewel-like, faceted body (whereas Saab's is more diamond and Duff's, citrine). Eliesaab.com describes the fragrance as "an ode to light [that] celebrates, the splendor and the brilliance of radiant femininity with a floral solar woody theme. Orange blossom, jasmine absolute, and cedar woody notes unveil an elegant, enveloping trail like the train of a Haute Couture dress."

I should drop by the counters one of these days to catch a whiff.

Second, is Valentino Valentina Eau de Parfum, which actually came with a scent strip in the mag. It's been a long time since I've had to work on beauty awards, meaning, it's been years since I've had to sit in a room for an afternoon perusing bottles and bottles of perfume in between sniffing coffee beans and attempting to dodge an imminent headache. This one is easy on the nose, with a sophisticated-sweet lingering finish. It contains notes of bergamot, white truffle (how does that translate into a scent?), orange blossom, jasmine, cedar, and vanilla. More than its scent, it's the bottle that caught my eye, with floral appliqués that either look like smooth, posh ceramic—or delicious icing sugar flowers.

Images courtesy of Fragrantica.com

August 7, 2009

Eau, baby

Over at BeautyintheBigApple, I'd written quite a number of times about fragrances. This past year I've featured a number of designer must-haves, but personally, I'm in perfume limbo. While vacationing in Manila last summer, I bought a trusty bottle of Denenes cologne: one I'd frequently spashed on as a preppy tweener. These days, it's my go-to spritz when it gets too hot outside, or if I'm one day short of a bath (oops!).

When I was a full-time beauty editor, I leisurely switched fragrances on a regular basis: one for every season and one for any mood. And if I come across any of the perfumes I've used in the past, I would most definitely associate them with certain points in time, people, and experiences. In a random conversation, I would be able to explain to you my love-hate relationship with Bulgari Omnia Original (hate) and Amethyst (love). By the way if you're on the lookout for new scent treats, these cologne buying guides for women and men at Shopwiki UK might be helpful in your search. As for me, it's Denenes for now until further notice.

Image courtesy of http://www.deliciasdeespana.com

June 29, 2009

Mandy's back!

That's Mandy Moore on the cover of the July/August 2009 issue of Women's Health Magazine. She looks great, doesn't she? As it turns out, she has a new album called Amanda Leigh (her birth name) and surprise, surprise, she's now married to singer-songwriter Ryan Adams.

I met Mandy Moore a couple of years back and she was the sweetest thing. My fiancé has always had a crush on her, going as far as asking my then-editor to let him tag along during the interview. I am trying to unearth a photo which I thought was in my dormant Friendster account, but apparently, was in the Myspace account I'd deleted a long time ago.

Sorry if this blog post sounds anorexic yet again. I just spent the whole day doing my New York day job—that I get to do outside the city thank you very much—so I'm pretty spent. Plus, up until a minute ago, I had yet to figure out what to write about for Friday's beauty column. Good thing I got an email from the brand manager of Ralph Lauren/Polo and Diesel detailing upcoming men's fragrance launches. So, watch out, I'll be broadcasting the latest scent treats you can get for the hommes in your life!

Back to Mandy, yes she was sweet, charming, gracious, and gorgeous! It was the 'Mandy Machine' of agents, managers, and the like, that annoyed in general. That said, I only have pleasant things to say about the former teen pop star, and I wish her well in her career and marriage. And I'll be browsing iTunes for her new songs, simply because they reek 'indie' and I'm curious: Mandy holed up in a cabin to produce her latest album. This means, she was free to write and record with no big studio labels filtering and forcing mass-produced, monotonous beats on her. (I do like some manufactured pop, too, don't get me wrong.)

Anyway, Women's Health is an engaging read brimming with useful and entertaining articles. Although personally, I seem to enjoy reading Men's Health more, maybe because with the latter being a magazine made for men, I am not compelled to check the gutter for photo credits, or pay too much attention to styling, copy, etc.—an 'autopilot' function that lights up whenever I pick up any women's magazine.

Women's Health is currently being headed and edited (headited—a term I've coined) by Michele Promaulayko, Kate White's former second-in-command at Cosmo. I think anybody who has been second-in-command of anything makes a great head of something, as witnessed by my managing and associate editor friends who now helm their own titles.

January 4, 2009

Beautiful Baubles


My recent Inquirer article is about these ultra-blingy bottles: Ralph Lauren Romance Always Yours, the 10th year anniversary edition of the original Romance fragrance. (Click here to see the full article.)

Apart from the superpretty 'diamond' cap of the limited edition glass dauber, I am incredibly intrigued by the scent because it was concocted by Harry Fremont, "the olfactory genius responsible for aromatic hits like CK One, Armani Sensi, Kenneth Cole Black and Lancôme Miracle" (okay, I just pasted that whole phrase from the piece). Sensi, I will probably never wear again because it brings back unpleasant memories, but along with the aforementioned perfumes, Fremont's fragrant 'recipes' seem to agree with my sense of smell. (Scroll to the bottom of this entry for a thorough listing of his perfume portfolio.)

On another note, I am happy to announce that I've officially started having my column illustrated by art director and artist, Claude Rodrigo. Check out the flirty drawing above. Once or twice a month, her illustrations will breathe life into my random musings about beauty, skincare, haircare, and cosmetics.

SCENTS BY HARRY FREMONT: David Yurman Eau de Parfum (2008), Gant Summer (2008), Waterford Lismore (2008), Vera Wang Flower Princess (2008), Diesel Fuel for Life Unlimited (2008, with Olivier Cresp and Jacques Cavallier), Gwen Stefani Harajuku Lovers Baby (2008), Calvin Klein CK One Summer (2007 & 2008 versions), Gwen Stefani L by LAMB (2007), Ann Taylor Possibilities (2007), Avon Imari Seduction (2007), Tom Ford Private Blend Noir de Noir (2007, with Jacques Cavallier), Tom Ford Private Blend Tuscan Leather (2007, with Jacques Cavallier), Calvin Klein Man (2007, with Jacques Cavallier), Ralph Lauren Polo Explorer (2007, with Honorine Blanc), Axe Lab (2006, with Ilias Ermenidis), Vera Wang Princess (2006, with Ilias Ermenidis), Banana Republic Black Walnut for men (2006) Juicy Couture Juicy Couture (2006), Avon Extraordinary (2005), Jaguar Fresh Man (2005), Calvin Klein Eternity Moment (2005, with Jacques Cavallier), Gant Adventure (2005), Tommy Bahama for men (2005), Victoria's Secret Basic Instinct (2004), Ralph Lauren Lauren Style (2004, with Richard Herpin), Liz Claiborne Spark for men (2003), Kenneth Cole Black for men (2003, with Sabine de Tscharner), Giorgio Armani Sensi (2002, with Alberto Morillas), Swiss Army for her (2002), Victoria's Secret Body by Victoria (2002), Vera Wang Vera Wang (2002, with Jean Claude Delville) Lancome Miracle (2001, with Alberto Morillas), Liz Claiborne Mambo for women (2001), Michael Kors Michael for men (2001), Ralph Lauren Glamourous (2001), Cerruti Image Woman (2000), Liz Claiborne Lucky You for women (2000), Tommy Hilfiger Freedom for Him (1999), Valentino Very Valentino for men (1999), Lancome O Oui! (1998), Ralph Lauren Romance (1998), Halston Catalyst for men (1994, with Ilias Ermenidis), Ralph Lauren Polo Sport (1994), Calvin Klein CK One (1994, with Alberto Morillas).

January 2, 2009

Hiatus

photo courtesy of http://bjanepr.wordpress.com
I'm 10,000 years behind this scoop as I'm sure by now everyone already knows about Arnel Pineda, the new vocalist of the iconic 80's rock band, Journey. His story is truly inspiring: having been orphaned at 13, living off of the streets collecting metal scraps, empty bottles, and old newspapers for eight pesos a day (that's roughly 20 cents), and later on finding local success as a cover band vocalist, then finally being discovered by Journey's founder and guitarist, Neal Schon. 25 years of hard work all in all. Watching clips of him and reading about the story makes me so proud to be Filipino. (And it's also a great reminder of how stupid it would be to give up my multimedia dreams here in the States so quickly.)

I guess it's fair to say at this point that I've had a tough 2008. Right now, I'm not in the jolliest of moods when it comes to determining what direction to steer my career next. New York City is an unbelievably challenging place, but it doesn't mean I'm giving up on it, nor will I discourage friends and former colleagues to give life in the Big Apple a shot. True, I've met people who look at you if you're Asian like you're there to do their laundry or are applying to be the nanny (yep, I've had my own Mrs. Van der Woodsen moments), but it doesn't mean that America is awful, despite the current state of its economy. Like I used to say back at the Tower, "There's lots to be happy about."

Somewhere between packing up my apartment and lugging boxes to the post office to prepare for this long (working) vacation, I turned a year older. After more box-stuffing and package-lugging, I decided to spend my birthday at Bergdorf's—and later on, ending up at Zara on Fifth Avenue. I guess in both hard and happy times, I'm all for high street. My conclusion about Bergdorf is that I love it from afar, especially as a literary reference, but in real life and inside, I'm not that fond of it. I did enjoy the fragrance section, which was like a trip back memory lane as each bottle represented certain times and people in my life. (A hard-to-find Lanvin cologne: of one of my closest female friends, the original Bulgari Omnia: of a dreadful man I dated, the Annick Goutal line: of that day back at Cosmo wherein we spent an afternoon sniffing all sorts of fragrances for the Beauty Awards...)

Fashion-career-wise, despite having lost the chance to shop beautiful Italian-made pieces at 30 percent off, I've emerged a new and improved copy editor: better at spotting extra spaces, determining the proper direction of single quotation marks and apostrophes, and knowing the difference between real ellipsis and three periods.

I know this is a cheesy thing to say, especially since a city like NYC strips you of off sentimentality as you're always busy chasing trains or convincing taxicabs to let you swipe your card, I like the message of "Don't Stop Believing." I'm officially hibernating for the next few months, but I know one day I'll wake up and be ready to take on new career challenges once again.

Happy 2009 everyone!

July 10, 2008

Okay, I know I haven't been blogging as often as... well, what cyberspace deems of its bloggers in this age of quick links and live feeds.

So there is my requisite oh-no-I-haven't-blogged intro. Anyway, here are my updates so far:

• Met the Patrimonio sisters (teen tennis players) and their mom for an interview. We met up at David Burke, a chi-chi cafe at the side of Bloomingdales. Overpriced, but cute. [See photo.] My feature is out today in the Inquirer.

• Former Preview fashion editor, Anne, is back in Manila now, but not before having a blast at Dante's Fourth of July Barbecue Bash. My friends and I had invited ourselves to an unwitting Dante, who ended up grilling steak on the deck of his lovely townhouse in Jersey City. I am finally enjoying Facebook, as I've successfully uploaded our pics there.

• Saw Hilary Roda, Gwyneth Paltrow, Elizabeth Hurley, and Carolyn Murphy at Estée Lauder's Sensous fragrance launch at Bloomies.

• What else? Sorry for this cryptic entry, my creative juices are being directed elsewhere at the moment, while I try to beat procrastination. Meanwhile, I'll let these pictures do the talking:

Murakami exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum.
Doing the whole floral thing with Anne.
Brunch at Serafina. This photo is priceless. But I won't say why ;)
Green day. Oh dear, that's so corny. Uploading more photos later!

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