Beauty411

Holiday Gift Guide for the Fragrance Lover

Fragrances make really special gifts for the holidays or any occasion. When you're down to the wire, a gift of fragrance is still very personal and doesn't disappoint. Consider these holiday gifts for the fragrance lover in your life...

Limited-edition DKNY Delicious Art Coffret is a set of the entire DKNY Delicious family of fragrances.  Includes DKNY Be Delicious, DKNY Red Delicious, DKNY Delicious Night and DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom. Packaged in a DKNY Delicious Art designed carton.  This coffret is a nice way to try each individual scent.  Available at select department stores, DKNY Boutiques and ULTA Beauty, $38.

Guerlain Fragrance Online Trunk Show Event

 

Fragrance fanatics and Guerlain devotees can rejoice. For a limited time, Guerlain is offering its renowned Exclusive Fragrance collection online, giving women who do not currently live near one of seven Guerlain Boutiques in the U.S. the opportunity to shop these spectacular fragrances from home.

For the next two weeks women across the country can find these exclusive and elusive fragrances from one of the oldest perfumeries in the world online at Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman. The available collections include L’Art et la Matiere, Les Elixirs Charnels, the 180th Year Collector’s Case and La Petite Robe Noire, which debuted last month.

La Petite Robe Noire, the little black dress is to fashion what fragrance is to Guerlain.  Sexy, and light as a champagne bubble, the scent features melt-in-your-mouth macaroon, the tang of the Sicilian lemon,  a tender almond kiss, and a touch of licorice. An armful of roses adds elegance, while smoked tea and patchouli give it character. And for a soft velvety touch, a caress of Musk and Vanilla. Its fragrance trail tantalizes and the boys are quick to follow.  The 1.7oz Eau de Parfum retails at $150.  I'm dying to try this one.

Do you have a favorite Guerlain fragrance?  Let me know in the comments!

Bond No. 9 Brooklyn Fragrance

Bond No. 9 is set to release Brooklyn, a new unisex fragrance in March.  Bond No. 9 Brooklyn is dynamic, contemporary--much like the hip New York neighborhood that inspired this creation.  Brooklyn is home to fashionistas, web designers, aspiring editors--all sorts of creative types.  It's fitting then, that the bottle of Bond No. 9 Brooklyn pays homage to that creativity with a little hipness of it's own. 

The Bond No.9 Brooklyn bottle's design marks a first for the iconic superstar flacon: edgy, urban handwritten script is applied directly onto the transparent glass surface in graffiti-style.  The words "Brooklyn" and "Bond No.9" are spelled out in a vivid array of colors, reminiscent of street art. 

The juice itself has it's own sense of moxy:  it's a woody, spicy-filled oriental composed of top notes of cardamom, geranium leaves and cedarwood; mid notes of grapefruit and juniper leaves and base notes of South American guiacwood and leather.  Although considered unisex, there is decidedly a masculine aspect to Brooklyn.

Bond No.9 Brooklyn Eau de Parfum will be available in March at Bond No.9's four New York City Boutiques, Saks Fifth Avenue and www.bondno9.com.

Ralph Lauren Romance Always Yours Fragrance

Ralph Lauren Romance Always Yours fragrance was created to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the original Ralph Lauren Romance.  Created by perfumer Harry Fremont, Always Yours is a more complex fragrance blend inspired by the deepening of a relationship.  Fremont also created the original Romance, which remains a best-seller today.

 

Romance Always Yours is a Sensual Floral Chypre with top notes of Sun Goddess Rose, Yellow Freesia & Ginger; mid notes of Lotus Flower, White Violet & Fresh Daylily; and base notes of Patchouli Concentrate, Creamy Sensual Musk & Oak Moss.  This fragrance bursts with a clean freshness that is light, not at all heavy; equally wearable at home or the office.

To celebrate the release, Romance Always Yours is available not only as an Elixir de Parfum ($60-$75) but also as a very special Limited Edition Parfum ($225), which features a hand-crafted glass faceted dauber, reminiscent of the diamond - a traditional 10th wedding anniversary gift.  The Romance Always Yours Elixir de Parfum will become a permanent part of the collection alongside the original Romance, a testament to the lasting commitment which inspired Always Yours.  In addition to the Always Yours fragrances, a Body Moisturizer and Shower Gel are part of the collection.

 

Ralph Lauren Romance Always Yours is available now at department stores nationwide and at RalphLauren.com.

Vera Wang LOOK Eau de Parfum

Vera Wang's new fragrance, LOOK, embraces and celebrates women's confidence.  LOOK was inspired by Wang's ready-to-wear line and in contrast to her other fragrances, I would define this one as more modern. 

LOOK has top notes of mandarin and watery greens, along with lychee and golden delicious apple.  It then develops into a floral bouquet, with mid notes of lily, freesia and jasmine, with base notes of vanilla, skin musk, oakmoss and patchouli. The bottle represents simplicity; clear glass from every angle with a cut crystal stopper. 

LOOK is a very pretty, feminine, soft, fragrance; not heavy or dominating at all. It's an easy fragrance to wear to work.  My impression keeps coming back to "sheer floral", based on the way it smells on me.  Although LOOK was inspired by ready-to-wear, it still feels very "bridal".  As it should; Vera Wang is arguably one of the premiere bridal dress designers in the country. 

Listen to Vera Wang talking about what LOOK represents: