Project Perfume - The List ...

In the book Perfumes: An A-Z guide, they give the perfumes a star-rating, which is * for dreadful and ***** for classics that will stand the test of time.  I, however, am not as educated in perfume as I wish to be, and so, can't really rate perfumes against each other as Luca Turin and Tanya Sanchez do in the book.  

Also, I tend to find traditional classifications of perfume confusing, eg, what's a chypre?  How is something both oriental and floral? And so on ... so, alongside the traditional categories,  I'll also be using these denominators/ratings/categories on my project:

Disgusting
Ok
Nice/Soapy
Weird 
and the (rare) Very Nice

As far as I can break it down - it's hardly scientific as I'm sure you've already noticed, these are the categories that MrLippie lumps my fragrances into when he smells them - they can be described more fully as follows:

Disgusting = kind of self explanatory, but mainly refers to "scrubbers" (perfumes that immediately make you want to wash/scrub the disgusting stuff off your skin) or fragrances that make me vomit, as there are more than a couple.  I suspect the ingredient that causes it is tonka bean, but I'm hoping to find out properly this year.

OK = better than not wearing perfume at all, but not much (will usually smell of fruit)

Nice/Soapy = Pleasant, and nice to wear but not mind-blowing.  Incidentally, I see a lot of scents written off for being "soapy", in my mind this is a mistake, some of my favourite scents are only available in soap form, and I don't see what's wrong with that.  A lot of soap is actually fragranced by perfume makers in the first place, you know ...

Weird = Something that doesn't always smell of traditional perfume.  Leather, tar, rubber, leaves, vegetables and the like.  Does not mean unpleasant, but just something a little out of the ordinary.

Very Nice = There is a very small category of scents that will make MrLippie sit up and pay attention (out of all the perfumes I own, I think three have made MrL make this observation), and I'll make sure to highlight these ones properly.  


Where mine and MrL's opinions vary widely, the perfume will be given two ratings.  


As for how the project works, there are 120 perfumes on the list that follows, which equates to 10 perfumes a month.  I'm not intending on buying all of these, I'll garner sample sizes where I can, I'll smell others on scent strips, and occasionally, if I like something enough, I'll buy a full-size bottle.  In fact, I've like a few of the scents I smelling in January so much that I might have bought a few full size bottles of them already ... oops!

I'm not intending to do a full review of every perfume on the list, but I will mention my thoughts of very many of them when I do roundups, which will be on a very ad-hoc basis.


So, all that out of the way, here's the full list:


Aqua Allegoria Pamplune by Guerlain
L'Air du Desert Marocain by Tauer
Alliage by Lauder
Amber Absolute by  Tom Ford
Ambre Sultan  by Serge Lutens
A*Men by Thierry Mugler
Anice by Etro
Anne Pliska by Anne Pliska
Antiheros by Etat Libre d'Orange
Apres L'Ondee by Guerlain
Arpege by Lanvin
Aveda Man Pure-formance by Aveda
Azuree by Lauder
Baldessarini by Hugo Boss
Bandit  by Robert Piguet
Beyond Paradise Men by Lauder
Billet Doux by Fragonard
Black by Bulgari
Bois d'Encens by Armani Prive
Bois des Iles by Chanel
Boucheron by Boucheron
Cabaret  by Gres
Calandre by Paco Rabanne
Ca Sent Beau by Kenzo
Chamade by Guerlain
Cologne a la Francaise by Instituit Tres Bien
Crystalle by Chanel
Cuir by Lancome
Cuir de Russie by Chanel
Climat by Lancome
Dazzling Silver by Lauder
Derby by Guerlain
Diorella by Dior
Dior Homme Sport by Dior
Donna Karan Signature by Donna Karan
Eau de Guerlain by Guerlain
Eau Lente by Diptyque
Eau Savage by Dior
Envy by Gucci
Farenheit 32 by Dior
Feminiti du Bois by Serge Lutens
Fracas by Robert Piguet
Le Feu d'Issey by Issey Myaki
Fleur du Male by Jean Paul Gaultier
Fleurs de Sel by Miller Harris
Frangipane Absolute by Ormonde Jayne
Givenchy III by Givenchy
Grey Flannel by Geoffrey Beene
Gucci Pour Homme by Gucci
Habit Rouge by Guerlain
Halston Z-14 by Halston
Heritage by Guerlain
L'Heure Bleu by Guerlain
Hindu Grass by Nasomatto
Homage by Amouage
Hypnotic Poison by Dior
Incense Extreme by Tauer
Incense Rose by Tauer
Insense by Givenchy
L'Instant Pour Homme by Guerlain
Iris Silver Mist by Serge Lutens
Joy by Jean Patou (P&G?)
Jules by Dior
Kiki by Vero Profumo
Knize Ten by Knize
Knowing by Lauder
Lauder for Men by Lauder
Lavender by Caldey Island
Let it Rock by Vivienne Westwood
Like This by Etat Libre d'Orange
Lime Basil & Mandarin by Jo Malone
Lonestar Memories by Tauer
Ma Griffe by Carven
Absolue Pour le Soir by Maison Francis Kurkdjian
Menthe Fraiche by Heeley
Miss Balmain by Balmain
Missoni by Missoni
Mitsouko by Guerlain
La Myrrhe by Serge Lutens
Mystere by Aesop
Nahema by Guerlain
New York by Parfums de Nicolai
No 5 EDT by Chanel
No 19 by Chanel
Odalisque by Parfums de Nicolai
Ombre Rose by Jean Charles Brosseau
Onda by Vero Profumo
Orange Star by Tauer
Organza Indecence by Givenchy
Ormonde Woman by Ormonde Jayne
Osmanthe Yunnan by Hermes
Oud 27 by Le Labo
Oydeo by Diptyque
Par Amour Toujours by Clarins
Parfum Sacre by Caron
Pour un Homme by Caron
Private Collection by Lauder
Rush by Gucci
Safran Troublant by L'Artisan de Perfumer
Dzing by L'Artisan de Perfumer
Sarrasins by Serge Lutens
Scent by Theo Fennell
Scent 79 Woman  by Jil Sander
Shalimar by Guerlain
Stetson by Stetson
Sycomore by Chanel
Ta'if by Ormonde Jayne
Tam Dao by Diptyque
Timbuktu by L'Artisan de Perfumer
Tocade by Rochas
Tolu by Ormonde Jayne
Truth by Calvin Klein
Verveine by Heeley
Vetiver by Guerlain
Vetiver pour Elle by Guerlain
Vol de Nuit by Guerlain
White Jasmine & Mint by Jo Malone
White Linen by Lauder
Yatagan by Caron
Yohji by Yohji Yamamoto
Youth Dew by Lauder
There are perfumes by 61 manufacturers here, many main-stream, but plenty are offbeat, and some are pretty niche, but fully half of the list are perfumes by just ten manufacturers, these are:


Guerlain 15
Estee Lauder 9
Chanel 6
Dior 6
Serge Lutens 5
Tauer 5
Ormonde Jayne 4
Caron 3
Diptyque 3
Givenchy 3

All perfumes have been chosen purely because something about the description of them in the book by Luca Turin & Tania Sanchez in some way appealed to me, it's purely a personal choice (you might notice I'm a big fan of the nice/soapy category, and I love masculine fragrances somewhat too ...), this list is in no way a guarantee of quality and/or taste and reason.

This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Tom Ford Lipsticks: Smoke Red and Bruised Plum

I'm a very lucky woman, for Christmas this year I received not one, but two Tom Ford lipsticks!



Smoke Red on the left, Bruised Plum on the right there, excellent choices from MrLippie's mum!

But, before I go on to review them, can you see what I noticed about them?




Clue, one isn't closer to the camera, nor are they at an angle... Pretty though, ain't they?

Smashbox All in Bloom Palette

Pastels schmastels.  If there is anything I really don't like about spring, it's the insistence that we're all going to be prancing around in pastel shades on eyes, nails and lips and clothes.  I don't do pastels.  I think pastels only really suit six years olds.  There, I said it.

And ... breathe ...

Now I've got that off my chest, I've been made very happy that so many of this season's releases have been a little more ... muted.  Some might say dull, I say wearable, tomaytoes, tomartoes.  Smashbox isn't a brand I buy from very often, but I've been happy with this little palette.

It contains ten shades, of muted pinks, purples, peaches, greens and browns, which I, for one, find very wearable.  It's meant to be laid out in pairs so that you can wear the colours together.  There are no shade names available, so I've numbered them for you.  Shades 1, 2, 4, 9 & 10 are matte, and 3, 5, 6, 7 & 8 have shimmer.  Here are the swatches:

All were swatched on bare skin with a slightly damp brush.  Initial thoughts are that shades 3 & 4 are very similar, only number three is more shimmery than number 4 so it looks a little lighter in the swatch.  I think my favourites are 7 & 8, I'll be wearing them today.  I found that the paler matte shades (1 & 9) were a little chalky, especially the pink shade, so I urge a little caution when you're using those ones.

All in all, I think this is a great little multi-purpose palette suitable for a variety of skintones, and it's exceedingly versatile.  Shades are well-pigmented overall (ignoring the two pale chalky mattes), and it's a palette I expect to get a fair amount of use out of.

So tell me, how do you feel about pastels?

The Fine Print:  Palette was received as part of an event goodie bag, not sent for review purposes, I just liked it.

This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Nail of the Day - Essie: Sew Psyched

Utterly infatuated with green nail varnish, I am.  I went, last year, from not ever being able to imagine wearing it to owing more green nail polish shades than I do, say, pinks!  This colour, a delightfully greyed-out khaki is Essie Sew Psyched from their a/w 2010 collection.  It's a mini-bottle, I didn't suddenly sprout man-hands overnight!

It's wearable for the office - I think so, anyway, but your mileage may vary of course - and the pics show three coats with seche topcoat, as it's a little on the sheer side, I guess it could have done with four.

Wear was about average, two days for tipwear, and three days before any chips showed.  I like it a lot, and kind of wish I'd bought a full size bottle of this shade instead of a pack with all four colours in, three of which currently remain unworn.  I'm a bit funny like that.



 The Fine Print: Products were purchased at Pro-Beauty Olympia back in October.I should really dig out the others ....
 This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Project Perfume: Clinique Aromatics Elixir

The week before last, I announced the start of "Project Perfume", where I'm going to attempt to sniff about 10 new (to me) perfumes a month in an attempt to educate myself about scents, their composition, and to see if I can finally, once and for all, identify that particular ingredient in certain perfumes that makes me want to vomit.  I'm a one-woman perfume machine armed only with a fragrance A-Z, a nose and a desire not to throw up in any more department store perfume departments ....

But first I thought I'd cheat a little and write about what is, probably, my "signature scent", and that is Clinique's Aromatics Elixir.  Over the years since I first bought a bottle of this - aged around 15 - I've owned it in every format, perfume, shower gel, body lotion, solid perfume, talc, deodorant (what can I say, layering scents was big in the 80's), but I'm kicking myself at the moment as I missed buying it in scented candle form this year.  I think the only format that it's not appeared in is bath oil, and I'd adore a massive bottle of Bath Elixir, it'd be right at home in my tardis-bath!

Aromatics is a "big" scent, and it's instantly recognisable at even the merest whiff. It's classified as a "floral chypre", but I don't get even the faintest hint of flowers, at least not until the scent has been on my skin for several hours, and ironically, this is what I like about it.  On first spray, it's intensely smoky, and reminds me of a spicy incense, which is intensely evocative.  Because it's strong, I like to save it for winter (though I used to wear it year-round layered constantly over itself) , and as a result, I have a wardrobe full of scarves, coats and sweater which are impregnated delightfully with the stuff, it's a wonderful thing to be able to stick your nose into something you've not worn for a while, and be reminded of occasions where you've worn them before.

After a while on the skin, the smokiness fades, and there's a balsamic, almost medicinal, resinous scent, which lingers around for a while, reminding me of woods and the dense boskyness of walking on mulchy leaves in the autumn countryside.  Eventually, after about 8 hours on the skin I'm left with just the faintest hint of sandalwood and roses - maybe a hint of hippy-free patchouli - and I'm a happy woman.

When I first smelled Aromatics Elixir, I couldn't resist it, as it was so very "different" to everything else I'd smelled at that point, and it remains beautifully different to most of the perfumes you find in department stores today, and I revel in that very "differentness" to this day, nearly 25 years later.

What's your "signature scent"?
This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Travel Makeup - Trish McEvoy Beauty Charger

I'm away this weekend, having the family Christmas that had to be cancelled owing to the recent terrible weather, and I thought you might like to see what I normally take with me when I go "travelling".  This little baby is the veteran of many a trip - in fact you can tell how old it is by the old-style logo on the front, Trish McEvoy changed her font years ago!

I like the chargers, because they're essentially empty magnetic cases that you fill with products of your own choosing, here's what I have in mine:

Clockwise from top left we have: blush in Natural, Glaze in Sugar Plum, Eyeshadow in Cashmere, Definer in Bronze and Definer in Deep Amethyst.  I like the mix of natural and plummy shades, which means I can go from a barely there look to a full-on smokey eye, all from a small selection of shades.

But wait!  There's more:

There's a second layer in this card!  In here I have (L-R) Even Skin powder in No2 Bare, and Highlight in Blush (which has since been discontinued, sadly).

 I like Trish McEvoy because I find that the powder products are actually of a great quality, being softly silky and finely milled, and I love that you get to choose your own shades.  I've taken this all over the world, and it's done sterling service, I wonder where it'll end up next?

I'm also wondering what I should fill the gap on the top row with.  What'd you put in it?



This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved. Please do not reproduce without permission.

Balayage with Jack Howard at Equus

Jack Howard is a man on a mission.  Having conquered the hairdressing world of the US with his missionary zeal for Balayage, training (amongst others) the Frederick Fekkai salons, and becoming a senior portfolio artist for L'Oreal Professional along the way, he's now here in the UK and he's determined to spread the word.

Balayage is the art of painting the hair with light, creating a soft, sexy, sunkissed effect, without foils, and regimented stripes.  The stylist has to pay attention to how light falls on the hair, how the hair fall on the client, and how the colours will compliment the woman wearing the hair, and an art it decidedly is.  It's not - entirely - new to the UK (I myself had a similar treatment last summer at The Chapel in Islington), but the technique is something that Jack is very keen to bring to wider renown to hairdressing clients (and hairdressers!) around the country.

Knightsbridge isn't somewhere I'd normally associate with cutting edge hair techniques, to be honest, so I was initially surprised that Equus was Jack's new base in the UK. Situated a few minutes from Harrods, and catering to a clientele that ordinarily includes princesses, duchesses, baronesses, the odd dame and lots of names you'd recognise from the pages of Hello magazine - alongside a lot of celebrities - it actually makes an odd kind of sense.  Jack believes in soft, sexy, natural hair, and clients who are willing to invest in their hair aren't going to appreciate skunk-stripes and badger highlights, so balayage is perfect for clients who want to look natural, groomed and polished.

I popped along to Equus to see Jack, try out the technique for myelf and have a look at the newly revamped salon, and I have to say I was very impressed. The salon is an oasis of calm, and has what are probably the most flattering mirrors I've ever actually seen in a salon.  This is surprisingly important, I find. Hairdressing clients are exceptionally vulnerable, and seeing yourself in too harsh a light when you're covered in cling film and cotton wool isn't great - every wrinkle, zit and pore highlighted, who needs that? - but the lighting and mirrors in Equus are delightful, and a wonderful surprise!

In spite of his reputation and pedigree, Jack is delightfully down to earth and amusing to spend a few hours in the company of, it was great to hear that we share a lot of the same opinions on grooming (essentially that less is more, and glamour is better when it's polished rather than "in your face" and the like), I also found that he really paid attention to my hair, playing with it, deciding where to best paint the highlights for the most flattering effect, and he spent a lot of time explaining what he was doing as he went along too.

Whilst the mirrors are flattering, my iPhone hates me, mind, always wanted to know what I'd look like platinum blonde ...

Essentially, the dye (or dyes, we decided to go both darker and lighter in my case, me being brunette and all) is lightly applied near the roots and is applied slightly more heavily towards the ends to give a natural "sunkissed" effect, and is painted onto v-shaped sections of hair, but with this technique, the art is more in the placement, and it's that which is the major difference between balayage and regular highlighting with foils, as it enables a personalised look to suit any and all clients.

So, how did it turn out?  Rather excellently, as it happens, Jack's  light hand with the bleach has left me with shiny, expensive-looking hair, which glows with different shades as the light hits it, but, doesn't look anything but brunette from a distance, and Arturo gave me a fantastic blow-dry, which I was happy with for a couple of days after.  Here's the picture that best shows off the colour:

Gold and brown, and my own natural brunette. A rather "tortoiseshell" effect, I love it.  The technique isn't cheap (expensive-looking hair tends not to be, in my experience), but you can experience "face-framing" balayage from £75, and the technique goes up to £190 for a full-head of highlights.

If, however, you've read this far, and you're interested in meeting Jack for yourself, please drop an email to [address redacted] with your address details and I'll send you a gift voucher for 30% off balayage colouring with Jack, 50% off a cut and blow dry with the equally talented Arturo, alongside a complimentary keratin conditioning treatment AND a free Essie manicure.  How could you resist?  You can have a look at Jack's work on his website, but if you follow Jack on Twitter, he'll talk to you about the technique too, don't be shy!

EDITED TO ADD: This offer has now closed.  This blogpost was written in 2011.

The Fine Print: Get Lippie was a guest of the salon, but is expecting to go back, especially as it's practically on the doorstep ....