Posted by Jessica
on
18 December 2011
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…
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Posted by Robin
on
18 December 2011
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…
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Posted by Robin
on
13 December 2011
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…
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As I write this post, the temperature in New York City is 102 degrees. In weather like this, we’ll all be bathing more often than usual, so we might as well make the best of it and try out some new body products, right? I’ve been taking advantage of these two-shower days to test a few things from Poetry, a small company that encourages the “Intimate Ritual” of bathing.
Poetry’s bath-and-body line is available in two fragrance blends; I’ve been using samples of products scented with Verse 1, “a versatile citrus fragrance with notes of sandalwood and jasmine.” (The other fragrance is Verse 2, “a potent scent of mint and balsam needle with a hint of grapefruit.”) Verse 1 is strongly citrus, with intense, sunny notes of bergamot and lemon and a smooth woodsy base that suggests cedar as well as sandalwood. I don’t really notice the jasmine, but that’s fine, because the citrus-wood pairing has a cleansing, almost purifying effect on my mind as well as my body. It makes me feel more alert, and purged of all heat-related discomfort, at least for a little while…
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Posted by Kevin
on
8 June 2011
My father loved clothes and dressing up, but he was also fond of walking around in his underwear or gardening clothes (“rags” my grandmother called them). He had a temper but was patient with animals, especially cats. His cats (at one point we had ten!) took turns sitting in his lap in the garden, and they all, man and cats, bird-watched together. The trait I appreciated most in my father was his curiosity. When I gave him gifts, he’d approach them with interest, as if they needed exploration, analysis. He wasted no opportunity to learn something. Once, for a present mind you, I gave him a boring book on the history of the U.S. Supreme Court; he read it from cover to cover. He loved antique folk sculptures of animals, so I bought him a homey little tome called “Carving Duck Decoys.” Father started carving ducks and several of them are staring at me as I write this. When it came to toiletries, my father used Ivory soap and old-fashioned drugstore shave cream until, thanks to yours truly, he became appreciative of, then addicted to, expensive shave lathers from England and all sorts of interesting soaps and potions. I can’t remember an “unsuccessful” gift to my father. I hope your father is as easy to buy for as mine was!
For fathers big and small, young and old, fancy and rustic; for regal and distinguished Fathers, fauxhemian pères, outdoorsy-sporty dads, and jazzy Daddy-Os, I present some gift ideas for Father’s Day…
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