40 Days and 40 Nights of Fragrance Notes: Gourmands

Gourmand fragrances are any scents that are "foodie" in nature. These fragrances can smell like a decadent cupcake or a crisp fall apple. I have a great appreciation for a dark chocolate note and anything with gooey marshmallows. Coffee adds a great jolt to a fragrance dry down.

Kilian's Love Don't Be Shy is a spongy, sweet confection of a fragrance. The inspiration is the marshmallow. Love Don't Be Shy is a bold sugary minx.
My first impression was that it was a great homage to Guerlain. There is a heavy Shalimar influence. Love Don't Be Shy might be sweet but there is an undercurrent of mystery. There is a metallic honeyed Neroli note with a fairly grand Sambac Jasmine. There are appearances from Rose and Iris. The dry down is a great buttery vanilla with a cloud of musk. The sillage and lasting power is strong in this Kilian.

The queen of all the gourmands is the legendary Thierry Mugler's Angel. It is chock full of sweetness. The gourmand notes are dark chocolate, caramel,coconut and cotton candy. I wore Angel throughout the 90's. It was an odd choice to pair with Doc Martens and vintage 1940's dresses. I loved its unique charm. I also loved that it was challenging to find in Ohio. I had to drive to Cleveland's Saks Fifth Avenue to purchase a bottle. Today you can find a bottle of Angel at your local Macys Department store and Wal-Mart. Angel has spawned many copies and tribute fragrances. It also inspires great love or hate among fragrance junkies. Angel will always have a special place in my heart. It was the fragrance that accompanied the best years of my life.

Donna Karan has a series of fragrances that are inspired by the apple.  All worthy and accurate.
But the best apple fragrance is Molinard's Caramel Pain d'epice.  It is all kinds of apple cider with a dollop of cinnamon. Gorgeous and perfect for the beginnings of fall.

Chocolate Fragrances:
Thierry Mugler Angel
Serendipitus
Bulgari Omnia (white chocolate)
Serge Lutens Borneo
Chanel Coromandel (white chocolate)
Fresh Cannabis Santal
Tom Ford Black Orchid
Ralph Lauren Notorious
Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire #2
Vera Wang Princess
Sarah Jessica Parker Covet
Cartier Le Baiser Du Dragon
Avril Lavigne Black Star
Bond 9 Coney Island
L'Artisan Pigment Brulant
S-Perfume 100% Love: This is supposed to be a life changing gourmand. I have never smelled it!
Demeter Junior Mints
Demeter Chocolate Chip Cookie
Demeter Devils Food
Comme des Garcons Series 7 Sweet: Spicy Cocoa

Cotton Candy:
Aquolina Pink Sugar
Demeter Cotton Candy
Thierry Mugler Angel

Caramel:
Dior Miss Dior Cherie
Juicy Couture Viva la Juicy and Juicy Couture
Thierry Mugler Angel
Jessica Simpson Fancy
Hard Candy Hard Candy
Estee Lauder Pleasures Delight
Escada Escada Collection: A great sweet but dark fragrance!Love and cherish my bottle.
Lulu Guinness Fairytales

Marshmallow:
Kilian Love Don't Be Shy
Mariah Carey M
Coach Poppy
Guerlain Le Petite Robe Noire #2

Coffee:
Bond 9 New Haarlem
Jo Malone Black Vetyver Cafe
Comme des Garcons Series 7 Sweet: Wood Coffee

Apples:
Dolce & Gabbbana Light Blue
Molinard Caramel Pain d'epice
Donna Karan DKNY Be Delicious
Donna Karan DKNY Red Delicious
Donna Karan DKNY Fresh Blossom
Frederic Malle Outrageous
Katy Perry Purr
Clinique Happy
Anna Sui Dolly Girl

Let us know your favorite gourmand fragrances in the comments!


Reviewer: Annie
Graphic Credit: Melanie Parker
Photo Credit of Stay Puft Man: Wikipedia
Disclosure: All products mentioned in this review have been sniffed or purchased by the reviewer.
The sample vial of Kilian's Love Don't Be Shy was provided by Bergdorf Goodman

Bess Is More

Another review of Edward Bess Cosmetics
by Jessica M


When Annie first wrote about Edward Bess and his cosmetics line, Edward was showing his products on a small set of shelves on Bergdorf’s beauty floor. Three years have passed, and now he has a counter of his own, a sales staff, and a full-page ad in the latest Bergdorf Goodman catalog. Have you already seen it? Isn’t it a feast for the eyes? (It reminds me of Audrey Flack’s fantastic photorealist paintings from the 1970s.)

I recently visited Edward at Bergdorf with my friends and fellow bloggers Gaia (The Non-Blonde) and Trish (Scent Hive), and I asked him to touch up my makeup using a few of the products I already own and a few that I was planning to purchase that day. I’m making two beauty resolutions for the new year: first, to buy only high-quality products that I truly need and love, and second, to use these products every day, rather than save them for “special occasions.” Edward Bess Cosmetics fits the bill, since it’s such a well-edited, well-crafted line, and the pretty, natural look that Edward gave me is the one I’ll be wearing every day.

I already own and two Ultra Slick Lipsticks, a my-lips-but-better mauve named Forever Yours and a warm pinkish nude called Tender Love. (When I wear Tender Love, I often add a touch of Deep Shine Lip Gloss in Dark Blossom, which looks almost brick-colored in the tube but shows up as a flattering reddish neutral against my skin.) My new favorite is Rose Demure, a recent addition to the line. It’s the ideal rose-petal shade with a creamy finish, and like all Edward Bess lipsticks, it feels as lush as it looks. (Notice the new square tube!)

My favorite Ultra Luminous Eyeshadow is Intimate. Photographs don’t really do it justice: it’s a khaki-taupe with a hint of very fine shimmer, and its texture is incredibly smooth. A light sweep of Intimate is a simple but polished effect for daytime, and a more intense application works well for evening. And a shadow this good deserves Edward’s Luxury Eye Brush, a magic wand for eye makeup. It has a weighted metal handle and tapered, flexible bristles that deposit just the right amount of color to the lid, the crease, or the browbone, depending on the angle you’re holding it. (Speaking of the browbone, I think I’ll be investing in a Nude shadow or an All Over Seduction highlighter in Sunlight on my next visit.) Defining Eyeliner in Deep Brown, a swivel-up liner that applies easily and precisely, is the perfect complement. I’m also looking forward to the new mascara that will be released in the spring.



I’m often afraid to wear blush, because I don’t want to overdo it, but Blush Imperiale in Soft Orchid is a fresh clover-blossom pink that gives a healthy flush to paler skin tones like mine. And Edward’s Luxury Face Brush is so soft and full that I’m able to apply the blush with a gentle touch. Just like everything else that I’ve purchased from this line, it’s a pleasure to use. I can’t decide whether to call all these products “basic luxuries” or “luxurious basics.” Either one will do!


Do you have any favorites from Edward Bess, or any new beauty resolutions? Feel free to share!

Edward Bess Cosmetics are available at Bergdorf Goodman (http://www.bergdorfgoodman.com
or call 212-872-8826) and at selected Neiman Marcus stores.

Disclaimer: all products pictured and mentioned were purchased by the reviewer, with the exception of the Dark Blossom gloss, which was a gift with purchase.

Photograph credits: Jessica M for Blogdorf Goodman.

The Fabric Of Our Life

Last week, Bergdorf Goodman tweeted about some Lanvin pencils on the 7th floor of the store.
http://twitter.com/bergdorfs

This started an avalanche of lemmings that slowly escalated on the web. Lanvin pencils and notebooks were swooned and gushed over. That fateful day everyone fell in love with a small luxury that was romantic and affordable. We were not clamoring over a shoe or a handbag.
We coveted a lead pencil.

Chanel also has that lovely habit of making a mundane product into a little piece of luxury. Chanel Le Coton is a limited edition set of cotton pads.

That's right.
Cotton pads.

You might dismiss this as just plain silly. You might think that your bag of 200 cotton balls works just fine.

Remember the first time you experienced a "high thread count" bed sheet set? The whispery softness made you wonder how you survived all those years with anything less than a 500 thread count. Suddenly, your sheets feel like sandpaper and you find yourself seeking counts higher than 1000. You start paying attention to white sales. You can never go back to just plain old sheets from Target. You have seen the light. You have tasted just a sampling of higher end linens. Pratesi just might be worth lemming.
http://www.pratesi.com/

Le Coton will change how you look at a cotton ball. The 3 layer pads are made with selected cotton flowers from Australia and Egypt. The finely crafted pads are stamped with the trademarked interlocking C's.
No surprises there.

The outside layers in direct contact with the skin are made with extremely thin, long texturized Egyptian cotton so delicate that it can only be picked by hand, while the middle layer consists of elastic cotton from Australia with excellent absorption capacity.

Le Coton feels like a cloud. I am not waxing poetic here. The softness is jarring enough to make you jump. It was wicked with absorption. No toner product was wasted. That alone makes these cotton pads worth the coin. The pad was sturdy for such a delicate texture. It did not break apart or shed fibers.

It retails for $20.00 for 100 pads per box. Chanel Le Coton is available at Neiman Marcus, Chanel boutiques and chanel.com in June 2010.


Disclosure: This product is a press sample provided by Chanel

The Bergdorf Goodman’s Holiday Windows debuted on November 20th. The windows are available for swooning until January 6th 2009. No offense to the fine folks at Barneys...but Bergdorf windows are just magnificent.

The theme of this year’s windows, “Curiouser and Curiouser” is inspired by the imaginative works of Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass.

The holiday windows can be enjoyed by everyone on http://www.bergdorfgoodman.com/
and by friending Bergdorf Goodman on Facebook.

Here are a few pictures from a past Bergdorf Goodman window. Excuse the quality. They were done by me with a digital and shaky hands. It was cold.

The Forbidden Fruit

Tempted by The Fig: Lisa Hoffman's Tuscan Fig

The Lisa Hoffman 'Variations' Fragrance Collection is a fragrance concept that takes one note and creates a series of scents based on the time of day. The morning version is usually a subtle take on the scent. It is light and refreshing. The daytime version is richer and the sillage is more potent. The evening version is more sensual with a "close to the skin" sillage. The bedtime/night version is softer and geared toward a powdery drydown. The Variations collection are 4 oils contained in glass roller-ball vials in a buttery leather pouch.

The scents range from orchid to neroli. I am smitten with her Japanese Agarwood series. These fragrances are well crafted and so damn lovely.

Tuscan Fig is a fragrance based on the fig fruit. The fig note smells herbaceous, slightly woody and mossy. In this series the fig is accompanied by French jasmine, honeysuckle, osmanthus, Madagascar vanilla bean, Madagascar gardenia, Tahitian tiare flower, amber and woods.

The morning version is a honeyed fig with a wafting appearance from a low wattage jasmine.
The day version is warmer and sweeter with honeysuckle. It is also the fragrance with the strongest fig note. The fig is not dry like l'eau de Figue by Mathias Paris. It is more juicy and less mossy. The drydown is a vanilla pudding cloud with wafts of osmanthus.
Tuscan Evening is a mixture of tropical flowers scenting the night air with a drydown of figs and woods.
My favorite of the Tuscan series is the night version. It is heavy on the osmanthus with just a peppering of fig, tiare flower and vanilla. It is so comforting and lovely. Like a scent lullaby.

The set retails for $95 and is available at Bergdorf Goodman and http://www.lisahoffmanskincare.com/

Disclaimer: A press sample of this product was provided by Lisa Hoffman

"24 Hours a Day of a Perfumed Life"

Maison Francis Kurkdjian at Bergdorf Goodman

By Jessica M

Even if the name “Francis Kurkdjian” doesn’t sound instantly familiar to you, you’ve probably worn one of his fragrance creations at some point: Narciso Rodriguez for Her, maybe, or Elizabeth Arden Green Tea, Armani Mania, Guerlain Rose Barbare, the first two perfumes from Juliette Has a Gun… the list goes on. Kurkdjian won the Francois Coty Perfume Award in 2001 (at the age of thirty!), for his accomplished body of work. Since then, he has also taken fragrance beyond its usual boundaries by collaborating on multi-media “olfactory installations.” He has even scented the historic fountains and gardens of Versailles and has recreated Marie Antoinette’s favorite perfume.

Kurkdjian recently introduced the first fragranced products bearing his own name: his Paris boutique opened on September 9, 2009 (he considers the 9/9/9 date very lucky), and his line became available at Bergdorf Goodman just a few days ago. The perfumer made an appearance at Bergdorf to discuss the products and his desire to scent every aspect and every moment of our lives.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian, as his company is formally known, offers some traditional fragrance formats. The line includes seven fragrances packaged in heavy glass bottles with zinc caps. Aqua Universalis, Cologne pour le Matin, and Cologne Pour le Soir are unisex eau de toilettes. Lumière Noire, a spicy rose-patchouli mix, and APOM (A Piece of Me), a blend of orange blossom and cedar wood, are both available in masculine and feminine formulas. (My favorite was APOM pour Femme, which seems like a richer, more complex cousin to Acqua di Parma’s Iris Nobile, another one of Kurkdjian’s earlier compositions.)

But Kurkdjian didn’t stop there: he also came up with candles, perfumed incense papers, fragranced laundry detergents, room spray, and—most intriguing of all—a bracelet made of a richly perfumed leather strip with a sterling silver clasp. He even developed a series of liquid bubbles that you can blow with a little plastic wand, just like the ones you had as a child, except that the bubbles from Maison Francis Kurkdjian are scented like freshly cut grass, mint leaves, and pears.


It would be wonderful to scent “every waking hour,” as Kurkdjian says, with these products from Paris. I’d probably start with the incense papers and a small bottle of APOM. And, just to show the setting where the perfumer demonstrated his line, here’s a view from the seventh floor of Bergdorf Goodman, at the heart of another “city that never sleeps.”

For more information, see the Francis Kurkdjian website (http://www.franciskurkdjian.com) or call Bergdorf Goodman at (212) 872-2581.
Maison Francis Kurkdjian is also available at Neiman Marcus, and will be coming to Aedes de Venustas in New York later this year.

Photo Credit: Jessica M

Green grow the perfumes, oh! -- A review of Honoré des Prés fragrances
By Jessica M

Honoré des Prés is a new line of natural fragrances that recently arrived from France, bearing the “Ecocert” label. Four of the five fragrances were created by the well-known and much-admired perfumer Olivia Giacobetti, and all of them are blended from organic botanical essences without any synthetic ingredients. This line will appeal to “green” product-seekers, admirers of Giacobetti’s work, people who have experienced allergies to conventional fragrances, or anyone who is looking for a light fragrance for spring-summer wear.

Each eau de toilette from Honoré des Prés evokes a different aspect of the French countryside. Chaman’s Party is an earthy mix of vetiver and exotic woods; Nu Green is a minty herbal blend that has a revitalizing aromatherapeutic effect; and Honoré’s Trip (the only non-Giacobetti composition of the group) is a citrusy Mediterranean tonic. You’ll probably find your own favorite in this line, depending on your own personality and your own past encounters with nature. My own two favorites are Sexy Angelic and Bonté’s Bloom.

Sexy Angelic is a delicate gourmand fragrance that stays close to the skin. Its central notes are hemlock flower, angelica seed, and almond – specifically, the almond flavor of “Calisson” candy. Calisson is a Provençal speciality made from almond paste, similar to marzipan or nougat, sweetened with candied melon or orange. This almond note, in particular, makes Sexy Angelic feel like a little sister to Giacobetti’s Jour de Fête (from L’Artisan Parfumeur), but even softer and a bit more citrusy.

Bonté’s Bloom is outdoorsy without being a clichéd ozonic, “sporty” fragrance. It smells like a cluster of blooming herbs (including sage and chamomile), grasses, and wildflowers picked in a field. It develops gently with a few light, almost lemony, hints of rose and the most subtle base of iris butter. It’s unique, but it fits well into Olivia Giacobetti’s body of work: it feels like a cousin to other Giacobetti creations, such as L’Été en Douce from L’Artisan Parfumeur (which has a fresh linden note) or Eau de Lierre from Diptyque (with its green, vine-like heart).

The staying power of both these fragrances is, admittedly, on the mild side. You’ll probably want to refresh yourself with a few new spritzes at various points in the day. On one hand, I wish Honoré des Prés would release more concentrated versions of these scents – eau de parfum or even perfume oil. On the other hand, their airiness makes them perfect for summer wear, because they’re impossible to “overdo.” Even a generous spraying session won’t give you overwhelming sillage.

I won’t be traveling anywhere outside New York this summer, so I’m finding other ways to put myself in a vacation-like mood from time to time. Honoré des Prés fragrances are like mental picnics for me: just a few sprays, a deep breath, and I feel like I’m spending a day in the countryside.

To purchase Honoré des Prés fragrances from Bergdorf Goodman, call 212-872-2581.

For more information, and a list of online retailers, see http://www.honoredespres.com/

Honoré des Prés advertisement by Anouk Schneider.

Product photo by Jessica M, taken at Bergdorf Goodman.

La Bella Donna Baci-Baci Moisturizing Lip Sheer in Seduction
Review by Jessica M

“kisses are a better fate than wisdom”

– e. e. cummings

La Bella Donna is a luxury line of mineral cosmetics, available at high-end spas and stores like Bergdorf Goodman. However, I’m not really a fan of mineral powder foundation – it just doesn’t work on my skin – so I’ve never spent much time at the La Bella Donna counter. However, I recently noticed that La Bella Donna also carries some very pretty eye and lip colors, so I decided to try its new Baci-Baci Moisturizing Lip Color. “Baci” is the Italian word for “kisses,” and this product is a moisturizing gloss with a sheer flush of color.

Baci-Baci’s formula includes natural ingredients like honey and botanical extracts as well as anti-oxidant vitamins, sodium hyaluronate, and collagen. It has a conditioning effect, and it feels protective but not too sticky. I like the silvery “click pen”: it reminds me of the dispensers that Stila introduced years ago for its Lip Glaze, but this one works much more smoothly. Two clicks of the pen releases enough gloss to cover my mouth, and one click is enough when I just want to top off my lipstick. The brush applicator is flexible, but precise enough to create a neat outline.

Baci-Baci is available in four sheer shades. Seduction is a soft, neutral rose without any shimmer or sparkle. It would flatter many skin tones; I’m pale and cool-toned, with dark brown hair, and Seduction gives me “my lips but better” color with a wearable sheen. I still haven’t converted to mineral foundation, but this dye-free, fragrance-free tint will be one of my makeup staples for spring and summer.

La Bella Donna’s Baci-Baci Moisturizing Lip Sheers are sold for $26.50. For more information, go to http://www.labelladonna.com/shop/pages.php?pageid=10

Prescriptives Custom Blend Foundation

Several weeks ago I was in NYC with Erika from Makeup Bag and Michelle from All Lacquered Up. We paid a visit to the local Prescriptives counter at Bergdorf Goodman. We were there to check out the custom blended tinted moisturizers. The SA's created beauty concoctions that managed to transform the skin into pieces of art. In all seriousness, the blends made the skin look immaculate. Think Nicole Kidman before the botox. I was watching with true envy.
I am a girl that needs extra coverage. Jason Garland,my SA insisted that I am twisted and see imagined flaws but I can not be budged when it comes to foundation.
He insisted that I sit down to have my foundation custom blended.
I reluctantly agreed.
He examined my face kindly and then started to whip up a recipe. It was hard to keep track with what he put in my blend. I saw moisturizers, luminizers and treatments being thrown in along with something the looked like a thick pea soup.
Along the way he stirred the potion and would give it a good "martini worthy" shake. At the end it was an exact match to my skin color. A strange mixture of pale pink with flashes of yellow. On the skin it toned down the redness, counter balanced the yellow tones and covered everything it needed to. It did not settle into any pores or lines. It survived the day with no mishaps.

It did not morph into any orange shade, it did not fade or disappear, and it did not move or slide.

It performed all these feats without a primer.

The price might make most beauty lovers pause. It is $62.
As a La Mer foundation junkie...I considered this a bargain.
I wish I could get a perfect match at my local drugstore.
But no brand has managed to match my skin tone and stay on my face for more than 4 hours.
In the end it pays to spend more on my foundation.
My vanity is not cluttered with foundations that do not work for me.
Instead there is room for perfumes and countless lip glosses.

Not all Prescriptive counters offer custom blending. Call your local counter for details.
The next time you visit Bergdorf Goodman please stop by the Prescriptives counter. The men are damn geniuses and will give you the best makeover of your life. Ask for my guy, Jason Garland or Asif Zaida.

Credits: Blogdorf Goodman
Disclosure: I purchased my custom foundation at Bergdorf Goodman.

Let Me Introduce You To Mr Edward Bess...

This weekend we made a pit stop at Bergdorf Goodman. Griffie, Erika from Makeup Bag and I were strolling the beauty floor when we stumbled across Mr Bess. He was making a personal appearance at the store. Mr Bess is a dashing 21 year old with a great eye for beauty. He has created a quality line that looks spectacular and performs magnificently. The packaging looks like lacquered bento boxes.

Griffie caved on the Midnight Bloom lipstick and Deep Shine Lip Gloss in Bare Rose. Midnight Bloom is a gorgeous red that is scented with wild fig. It contains a heavy dose of vitamin A and E, silicon, ginkgo biloba extract and magical polymers. The lippie was highly emollient, applies like a dream and has great lasting power.

The Bare Rose lipgloss was Griffie's Holy Grail gloss. It lit up her face like no other lippie. She loved the lasting power and was impressed with how pigmented it was. This is the secret weapon in his lip wardrobe.

Mr Bess's cosmetic line is currently exclusive to Bergdorf Goodman. He plans to expand the line with mascara, bronzers and fragrances.

I can not wait to see what he comes up with. His attention to detail and passion for beauty just charmed the socks off of me.
I can not rave enough.

Visit Mr Bess at http://www.edwardbess.com/

and cave on his products at Bergdorf Goodman. Call 1-888-774-2424.

Credits: Blogdorf Goodman