Lipstick Fashion Mascara

With Mother’s day less than one a week away many of you maybe scrambling to get something to show your love and appreciation for your mom. Sure perfume and flowers rank high on the list of  unoriginal gifts; but there are some scents that are sure to win mom over.

Valentino Valentina Eau de Parfum, 1.7 oz.

First, a return to the classics. Guerlain’s Samsara, created by Jean-Paul Guerlain himself eons ago offers a touch of sensuality. This would be perfect for the woman who needs an excuse to kick up her heels and partake in a two-step. Notes include; Jasmine, Sandalwood, Rose, Narcissus and Vanilla.

Guerlain Samsara

For the mom who has it all, perhaps a collector of scents; snap up the house of CREED’s Royal Oud. Worn by six  Presidential families and is unisex, it is the ultimate in sophistication. The makeup of Royal Oud contains rare  ingredients such as Sicilian bergamont, angelic root and well, oud! Oud is one of my most favorite notes, and almost always makes for a beautiful scent.

CREED Royal Oud, 2.5 oz.

The bottle alone makes Bond No.9′s Central Park West giftable. Covered with hounds tooth and topped with a flower,it  screams spring. This juice is named after a prominent place in NYC is made up of Narcissus, ylang ylang, piquant pepper, jasmine and one of my favorite flowers- gardenia. If your mama still embraces her inner girly girl- check this out.

Central Park West

Valentino’s latest release Valentina was inspired by a new generation of Italian ‘It Girls’. This is a flirty floral, yet has a fresh zest, not too ‘flowery’ – if that is a word? In, fact I want this for myself. Does having a cat mean I’m a mom? If so, email me for my mailing address, friends.

Valentino Valentina Eau de Parfum, 1.7 oz.

Hermes Voyage d’ Hermes  parfum is nothing short of excellence. Like the aforementioned CREED this too, is a unisex scent. Its citrusy- woodsy combo lasts all day. This would be very fitting for a mom who travels frequently or perhaps the idea of being well traveled.

Hermès Voyage d’Hermès – Pure perfume refillable natural spray

More Hermes…

As a Bond No.9 self proclaimed stan I’m always thoroughly excited about the new release of a scent. I received a sample of the I Love New York for Earth day for review consideration, and gladly experienced the fragrance for the last several days.

This scent is quite the opposite of Read the rest of this entry »

Just under a month from the release of its Central Park West fragrance; Bond No. 9 is introducing a fourth scent in the I Love New York line up.

Not only do we have world-class community gardens and parks—among them Central Park, the High Line, Washington Square Park, Gramercy Park, and Bryant Park (each of them the inspiration for a Bond No. 9 eau de parfum). But it turns out that all those vertical buildings on Manhattan Island are extremely energy-efficient, and, thanks to public transport and the growing number of bike paths, the city’s gas consumption is startlingly low. In fact, destinations all across New York State are demonstrating their commitment to preserving the environment, from the new, green, Conference Center at Lake Placid, to the recently ‘greenified’ Niagara Falls State Park!

So New York-centric, environmentally-conscious Bond No. 9 (all our production is local and we’ve been recycling since 2007), in its fourth collaboration with the I LOVE NEW YORK brand—a state agency—has decided to celebrate our city’s high green IQ with the April 1st  launch of I LOVE NEW YORK for Earth Day. That’s our way of commemorating the 42nd Earth Day, being held worldwide on April 22.

Here are the notes that make up the eau de parfum.Its wakeup opening notes, sprightly tangerine and orange flower water, blended with more tropical orchid, segue into the heart of the scent: a stunning floral composed of intoxicating tuberose, lily of the valley, and orris. Base notes of durable musk, amber, oakmoss, and sandalwood sustain this heady bouquet.

I cannot wait to give this a try. It contains many of my favorite notes; lily of the valley,musk, amber and oakmoss. I love scents that have citrus such as Bond’s Little Italy- however this has stronger notes at the base, which I believe will add some ‘umph’.

The fragrance will be available at NYC Bond No.9 boutique, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom and bondno9.com. Price 100 ml. $175 ; 50 ml. $105.

I purchased this several months ago at Barneys;  it is safe to say I have more than fallen in love with this scent. The Byredo fragrance house was created in 2006 in Stockholm by Ben Gorham. I would consider the fragrances of Byredo niche scents. The bottles are simplistic, a contrast when compared to beautifully layered notes

While I have several Byredo scents on my to buy list, my first purchase was  Bal D’Afrique. A light, yet captivating vetiver mix. This, unlike many other scents in my collection is a floral, yet packs a punch with the base notes. Black Amber, Moroccan Cedarwood,Musk and Vetiver at the base  gives it a nice balance. It dries down to something very exotic, I enjoy wearing it on days I’m feeling flirty and it’s a great bed time fragrance.

Here are the rest of the notes:

Top: Bergamot, lemon, neroli, african marigold, bucchu

Heart: Violet, jasmin petals, cyclamen

Base: Black amber, musk, vetiver, moroccan cedarwood

Byredo’s description of the scent:

 A warm and romantic vetiver inspired by Paris in the late 20′s and its infatuation with African culture, art, music and dance. A mix of the Parisian avantgardism and African culture shaped a unique and vibrant expression. The intense life, the excess and euphoria is illustrated by Bal d’Afrique’s neroli, African marigold and Moroccan cedarwood.

 

I’m anticipating my next scent purchase by Byredo. Have you tried any of their perfumes?

More Clothing…

It is no secret that I tinker through Bergdorf on any given day, sniffing scents and stalking my next beauty find. Bergdorf has floors and floors of amazing accessories, jewels and fashion wears; but the Beauty Level always grabs and holds me tight. While my wallet does not allow me to splurge on Read the rest of this entry »

I will admit wholeheartedly that I am a fragrance fanatic. As of late my love of fragrance as turned into a full blown addiction. I have said many times before, the right fragrance can send you on a journey. It could be a pleasant one; nostalgic memories of  Read the rest of this entry »

A little rain didn’t mess up our groove last night. Me and my pal Danielle mosied downtown to Lush at Union Square to check out the latest and greatest at a press event. Let me remind you again, one visit to Lush quickly Read the rest of this entry »

Le Labo is quite frankly, a perfume lovers dream.The boutique has a simple approach to discovering and going home with your made to order scent.

Each Le Labo scent has a primary natural essence, hence names such as; Patchouli, Tubereuse,Jasmin, etc. The fragrance is then developed with a number of other ingredients. For example, Iris  39 would indicate the primary essence is Iris and it is inclusive of 39 other ingredients. Brilliant I’d say.

Le Labo is also very well known for it’s city exclusive scents. Chicago, Paris, London to note a few. These scents can only be purchased in their respective locales. New York City, where I reside, coincidentally is my favorite scent. Tubereuse 40, the official Le Labo NYC scent is extremely distinct. Although I have explored several other Le Labo scents at Barney’s, I some how by passed the Tubereuse.A few weeks later I meandered to the Soho Le Labo boutique and tried the Tubereuse 40 – *insert Angels singing*.

Like its name, it is packed with Tubereuse, and then comes bergamonte, tangerine and orange flower. As I wore it turned into a beautiful woodsy floral and I could still. It is distinct, not obnoxious.  I ordered a few samples of the Tubereuse to allow me to further experience this scent before I take the plunge- something I fully intend to do as a gift to myself.

Have you experienced any scents from Le Labo? What are your favorites?