Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 13th — it will be here before you know it. Here are a few gift suggestions for the early birds:
From Cartier, a gift set in the Baiser Volé fragrance. 15 and 50 ml bottles of Eau de Parfum, $100 at Macy’s…
Beautannia Brideshead Soap & Body Lotion ~ scented body products
I recently stepped into the SpaceNK boutique in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood, just planning on browsing for a few minutes. Approaching the shelves, I spied some unfamiliar bath products; looking more closely, I let out a little shriek of delight. Toiletries named after my favorite novel, Brideshead Revisited? I could not resist. These luxury products come from a brand called Beautannia, which turns out to be one of SpaceNK‘s house lines. Brideshead is billed as a “quintessential English floral” with notes of “wintersweet, honeysuckle and wild bluebell.”
If I had imagined a fragrance for Brideshead, the grand country estate at the heart of Evelyn Waugh’s novel, during all my repeated readings (not to mention numerous viewings of the highly faithful television adaptation), what would it be? For the earlier sections of the narrative, I’d scent Charles and Sebastian’s friendship with a blend of white wine, strawberries, ivy, and wisps of cigarette smoke. In a late chapter of the novel, Waugh himself evoked the smell of his fictional setting…
Nuance Salma Hayek Walnut Body Scrub and Rosehip Moisturizing Body Lotion ~ scented body products
Considering the wave of celebrity perfumes that has submerged us over the past decade, it’s interesting that so few famous names have appeared on the labels of fragranced body products. The only examples that come to my mind are Jo Wood Organics, a high-priced niche line created by the ex-wife of a Rolling Stone, and Lisa Hoffman Beauty, a body/fragrance spa brand founded by Dustin Hoffman’s wife, but neither of these women is exactly a household name.
Now, however, we have Nuance, a full collection of cosmetics, skincare, haircare, and body products launched by actress Salma Hayek. Hayek herself is probably no stranger to fancy fragrances and indulgent self-care products, since she’s married to François-Henri Pinault, the CEO of a multinational luxury goods business. Yet her new Nuance brand is sold at CVS drugstores; as Hayek says in one of her promotional videos for the line, “I wanted to make sure that every woman could afford it.” (She also mentions the inspiration of her grandmother, who concocted homemade beauty products in her kitchen, and the long history of natural ingredients in traditional Mexican remedies.)
I picked up two Nuance body products at CVS on a whim…
Holiday fragrance gifts 2011, part 8
The 8th and last of our 2011 series of holiday gift posts. Today’s focus: budget gifts and stocking stuffers, listed in order of price (low to high).
If you missed them, here are links to part 1 (scented body products), part 2 (travel sizes & coffrets), part 3 (more travel sizes & coffrets), part 4 (home fragrance), part 5 (men’s fragrance), part 6 (solid perfumes) and part 7 (luxury).
If you know of a fabulous (scented) gift item that we missed, do post it in the comments!
From Bath & Body Works, the Signature Cello: “Your favorite pampering pair is wrapped in gingham and ready to give. Set includes Shower Gel and Body Lotion, 3 oz. each.” In Paris Amour, Twilight Woods, Sweet Pea, Moonlight Path and Japanese Cherry Blossom. $5 a pop…
Holiday fragrance gifts 2011, part 7
Our series of holiday gift posts is nearly done; today, the focus is luxury, by which we mostly mean spendy, and we’ve listed them in order from cheapest to no-you-can’t-afford-it. Our final post, which is coming up soon, is budget items, and not surprisingly it was the hardest of them all to complete.
If you missed them, here are links to part 1 (scented body products), part 2 (travel sizes & coffrets), part 3 (more travel sizes & coffrets), part 4 (home fragrance), part 5 (men’s fragrance) and part 6 (solid perfumes).
From Thierry Mugler, the Angel by Thierry Mugler Extrait de Parfum Signature Brooch: “The art of refined perfume meets the delights of feminine indulgences when the Angel Extrait de Parfum comes to life, adorned with a signature couture brooch designed by Thierry Mugler to adorn your décolleté! Made of zamak, the brooch is punctuated by a dramatic spike and embossed with the Thierry Mugler signature. The heavenly and delicious notes of Angel are concentrated into a rare and exclusive formula: the extrait de parfum, dedicated to fulfill extreme desires. Produced in a small quantity by Brosse in France, each Angel Extrait de Parfum bottle is engraved with a unique number, showcased in a luxurious box and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.” A bargain at $198 for 10 ml at Nordstrom…