(images/info from www.joseishi.net/voce)
Ayura will release its spring 2011 makeup collection in Japan on January 23rd. The collection includes:
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fragrance
(image from cosmetics-medical.com/mcs)
The following posts have been updated with additional product information and images:
Anna Sui Holiday 2010 Makeup Collection
Jill Stuart Holiday 2010 Makeup Collection
RMK Holiday 2010 Makeup Collection
New Fragrance from Ayura: Eau de Moon
Aube Couture Spring 2011 Makeup Collection
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Earlier this year, British spa and skincare brand Elemis debuted its first fragrance, Elemis Eau de Parfum, a citrus marine that is summery and relaxing. As we are heading into autumn and winter, the brand has launched another olfactory creation, Elemis Eau de Parfum Exotic.
Top notes: pink pepper, clove bud, cinnamon bark
Middle notes: ylang ylang, tuberose, Indian jasmine sambac
Base notes: frankincense, cedarwood, Somali incense, sandalwood
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(images/info from www.joseishi.net/voce)
Here is a look at YSL‘s holiday 2010 makeup collection. The star item is Palette Metallic Colorama (above), a pink-gold face highlighting powder. It is an extension of YSL’s Colorama Metallic Collection, featuring accessories in metallic gold, rose-gold, and silver.
The rest of the collection includes:
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(image from www.cosme.net
info from www.cosme.net
& www.joseishi.net/voce)
Anna Sui will release a new fragrance, Forbidden Affair, in Japan on October 1st. Classified as a floral fruity, Forbidden Affair (Eau de Toilette) features the following notes:
Top notes: lemon, redcurrant, black currant
Middle notes: raspberry, rose petal accord, pomegranate
Base note: violet, musk, cedarwood
The fragrance will be available in 30ml and 50ml.
The scent has some of my favorite citrus and fruity notes (lemon, black currant, and pomegranate), but I do wonder if the scent might be overall too sweet. Unlike Anna Sui’s makeup and skincare ranges, the fragrance line is quite widely available in the UK. I will be keen to try it out.
On the same day, Anna Sui will also release Hand & Nail Cream N, Nail Treatment Oil and Beauty Box in Japan. (See the images here.) I like cute nail and cuticle oils, and I may have to have this one…
Updated on September 14th, 2010:
Images of Nail Treatment Oil, Hand & Nail Cream N and Beauty Box:
(images from www.joseishi.net/voce)
Related posts on Anna Sui:
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(images/info from www.joseishi.net/voce)
After Night Meditation in 2008 and Night Harmonition in 2009, Ayura will release Eau de Moon in Japan on October 23rd. (October 23rd happens to be the release date for all these three fragrances.) This night-time fragrance features two main notes:
– tuberose (also known as “moon fragrance” in Japan)
– Dutchman’s Pipe (a species of night-blooming cactus, also known as Night Queen)
On the same day, a limited-edition Eau de Moon Collection I will be available. It includes a full-size Eau de Moon (50ml) as well as a digital photo frame.
Ayura will also release the following items on October 23rd:
– Well Balance Midnight Charge Lip
– Well Balance Nightreat Bath
Updated on October 11th, 2010:
On November 19th, Ayura will release Eau de Moon Collection II.
(image/info from www.ayura.co.jp)
The set includes:
– Eau de Moon (50ml, full size)
– Eau de Moon Linen Water
– Eau de Moon Sola Flower
– Eau de Moon Sola Flower Tray
Related posts on Ayura:
Loving Japanese Brands (1 of 7): Ayura
15th Anniversary Memories Coffret
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(image from www.paulsmith.co.uk)
My post on D&G’s 3 L’Impératrice was planned to be the final post in the Fragrance Friday series, but what happened a couple of weeks ago gave me some more inspiration.
I was in a big (and very busy) supermarket, and I happened to walk past a lady who was wearing a beautifully soft, elegant and classy scent. After I decided that I really wanted to know what she was wearing, she was nowhere to be seen. But I managed to find her.
“Excuse me…I walked past you a few minutes ago. May I ask if you are wearing any fragrance?”
“Excuse me…I walked past you a few minutes ago. May I ask if you are wearing any fragrance?”
“Yes, it is Rose from Paul Smith.”
“It smells gorgeous!”
“Thank you!”
(I did feel like some kind of a fragrance detective. The trolley was part of my disguise…)
A few days later, I stopped by my local department store and tried it again. (I was quite sure I tested it when it was launched a few years ago, but I didn’t really remember the scent.) It was just as lovely.
According to Paul Smith’s official website, the rose that inspired this fragrance is Paul Smith Rose, which was cultivated and given as a gift from Paul’s wife for his birthday. It was first presented at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2006. The fragrance features notes of rose, green tea, violet, magnolia, and cedarwood.
Between Rose and Stella by Stella McCartney (one of my favorite fragrances and also a rose-based scent), Rose is softer, more mellow, and more grown-up, while Stella is fresher and crisper. Both are very feminine, but Stella is slightly edgier.
I am not feeling the urge to purchase Rose at the moment, but I am very happy that I rediscovered this beautiful fragrance by chance.
This concludes my Fragrance Friday series, but there will certainly be more posts on fragrances. Later this year, I will talk about Blush by Marc Jacobs and Eau Parfumée au Thé Rouge by Bulgari, two of the fragrances that I have that I think are quite suitable for fall and winter.
Here is a look back at the other fragrances featured in the series:
Sheer Stella 2010 by Stella McCartney
Untitled by Maison Martin Margiela
Elemis Eau de Parfum by Elemis
Acqua di Gioia by Giorgio Armani
Harrods for Her, for him & Swarovski Limited Edition by Bond No. 9
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Apart from the annual Sheer Stellas, I have not bought any fragrance for the last couple of years. I often test new fragrances that I see in shops, but I am not on the hunt for a new favorite. Stella McCartney’s Stella, Bulgari’s Eau Parfumée au Thé Vert, and Ayura’s Spirit of Ayura are still my solid favorites, and I have other scents to suit different moods and occasions.
D&G’s 3 L’Impératrice came as a surprise. It is part of The D&G Anthology, which was launched last summer and includes five fragrances. It is one of my favoites among all the new fragrances that I have tested in the last couple of years. After testing it for a few more times just to be sure, I got it a few months ago (with my Boots points).
Top notes: pink pepper, kiwi, rhubarb
Middle notes: watermelon, cyclamen, jasmine
Base notes: citrus wood, musk, sandalwood
(information from Osmoz.)
Osmoz classifies it as a floral fruity, which I agree with. (It is not a fruity floral.) On me, the most pronounced notes are perhaps kiwi and watermelon, but overall the scent smells peachy to me. Fresh with a hint of sweetness, it is like a jug of zesty, cooling, and refreshing fruit punch. It is young but not too girlie. (There are many other scents that are a lot more sugary-sweet.)
It is perhaps not the most multi-dimensional fragrance since it does not develop very much during the course of wear and the base notes are very subtle. It is simply a fresh and light-hearted scent that is very easy to wear.
I do like fresh, straightforward and easy-to-wear scents, which is mainly why I really like 3 L’Impératrice. It would not be my choice of fragrance for formal occasions, but it is a lovely daily scent (particularly for spring and summer) that I find delightfully uplifting and invigorating. While my top three scents remain unchanged, 3 L’Impératrice is most definitely among my favorites.
Related posts:
Dolce & Gabbana Makeup Line in Selfridges
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(images from www.bondno9.com)
After Saks Fifth Avenue for Her & for Him, Harrods for Her and Harrods for Him, launched in July 2009, marks Bond No. 9‘s second collaboration with one of the world’s retail emporiums.
Harrods for Her (right in photo):
Top notes: neroli petals, mandarin, wild chamomile
Middle notes: tuberose, clary sage, nutmeg
Base notes: amber, leather, sandalwood, vetiver
Top notes: neroli petals, mandarin, wild chamomile
Middle notes: tuberose, clary sage, nutmeg
Base notes: amber, leather, sandalwood, vetiver
Harrods for Him:
Top notes: rhubarb leaf, star anise, chamomile
Middle notes: lavandin, pimento berries, violet leaf
Base notes: birchwood, musk, sandalwood
Harrods for Her is a woody floral. On me, the woody note is quite dominant towards the beginning. Then the scent gradually becomes a balance between the floral and the woody notes, and the drydown is soft and almost surprisingly un-woody. It is overall a dry floral scent with a hint of powderiness.
The first word I thought of to describe Harrods for Him is “elegant”. Compared with Harrods for Her, it is more rounded, less angular, less dry, and less woody.
It is not overly masculine, but the muskiness keeps the scent identifiable as a male scent.
Bond No. 9 also released Harrods Swarovski Limited Edition, which is adorned with 1600 Swarovski emerald and white crystals.
Top notes: black pepper, cumin
Middle notes: amber, myrrh
Base notes: oud, vetiver
The key note of the fragrance is oud, the resin from aquilaria trees. According to Bond No. 9, oud, with its earthy and animal scent, has been playing a prominent part in perfumery in the Gulf Region for over two thousand years.
The fragrance is peppery, gently spicy, incense-y, and mysterious, with a hint of milkiness. Like the aroma from incenses, the scent seems to linger on and on. I think it will appeal to those who enjoy deep, rich, and intense fragrances and those who want to steer away from floral and fruity scents.
The latest addition to the Bond No. 9 Harrods family is Harrods Rose (above), with notes of white narcisse, tuberose, white rose, musk, amberette seed, and cashmere wood.
(The press samples (for Harrods for Her, Harrods for Him, and Harrods Swarovski Limited Edition) are provided by Bond No. 9.)
Related posts:
Untitled by Maison Martin Margiela
Tiempe Passate by Antonia’s Flowers
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(image/info from www.nikkei.com)
The annual pre-order-only Milano Collection from Kanebo is usually released for the holiday season. Here is more information on the two items for Milano Collection 2011:
– Face Up Powder (Milano Collection 2011) (24g, SPF14, PA++, 12600 JPY)
Pre-order period: mid-June – late September
Release date: December 16th
(powder case)
(powder)
– Eau de Parfum (Milano Collection 2011) (30ml, 10500 PY)
Pre-order period: mid-June – late August
Release date: November 16th
Pre-order period: mid-June – late August
Release date: November 16th
(The Eau de Parfum features notes of teatopia, orange blossom, and rose.)
Related posts:
Milano Collection 2010
(with an image of all the designs of past Milano Collection powder cases)
Sofina Raycious Foundation Case Galore
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