Perfume & Lipstick: A Game

There is no doubt that in the semiotics of pop culture perfume and lipstick are the porthole of feminine guiles, in what concerns the outer, artificial adornment at least. Many are the historical times that both had been demonized in an attempt to contain female freedom to play with one's image and aura; feminists might have viewed them at one time as symbols of cultural oppression but I opine that they offer a leeway of divesting one's self from that which has been handed out to them by nature and easily slipping into something more comfortable ~or more uncomfortable, as the whim necessitates.

Each different lipstick shade and texture suggests a different mood: satin polished effects for a rich socialite or the everyday woman, austere matte and bold color for the professional or the fashion plate, glossy translucence for the teenager attempting to map out her budding version of herself. And the same happens with perfumes: how many times have you projected your noli me tangere mood by opting for an inedible chypre, your playfulness with a fruity floral, your contemplative persona with an incense perfume or your "bursting at the seams" femininity with a scent full of the erotic thrust of tuberose?

But could the two be combined into a fun role playing game? Theoretically perfume has already embraced lipstick "notes" in famous examplars such as Drole de Rose or Lipstick Rose (F.Malle) and lipsticks for long have been aromatized with added scent that projects as alluring and feminine to reinforce that mental implication, but ho about pairing one with the other as 2 separate products>
This is our diversion today on Perfume Shrine.

The following is only a suggestion and not hard & fast rules or a typical guide. And please join the fun in the comments by suggesting your favorite pairings or habits!

Dior Addict lipstick 578 paired with Yves Saint Laurent Paris eau de toilette

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte in #3 Beige Ultimate with Diptyque Philosykos

Chanel Rouge Coco lipstick in 05 Mademoiselle with Love Chloe eau de parfum

Nars lipstick in Schiap with Piguet Fracas extrait

Nars lipstick in Afgan Red with Guerlain Samsara eau de parfum

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Finish lip color in Plum Shimmer with Shiseido/Serge Lutens Feminite du Bois eau de parfum

Chanel Rouge Coco lipstick in 14 Muse with Montale Blue Amber

Mac Ruby woo lipstick with Chanel No.5 eau de toilette

I'll be adding a couple more combinations & photos later on…

Exciting News!

As always we have the extreme pleasure of bringing you news that will delight or trouble, depending on your tastes and expectations.
Without further ado, here is the latest:

1. Madonna who has been rumoured with issuing her own celebrity scent for ever (and who is by all means a fragrance hoarder) is finally doing just that: She has striken a deal with Coty, brand to the stars, and will launch a fragrance named "Enlightment Forever". Inspired by her own spiritual journey through the years, it will be coloured bright red to match the little red Kaballah bracelets the stars are wearing with a cap in orange, colour of spiritual awakening. Despite Coty's average licences for celebrity perfumes, Madonna's will be featured only at select doors and will retail at the higher end of the price range, perhaps as a nod to her upscale British living.
She has plans of issuing children's scents next, inspired by her own offspring. Best of luck to her!

2. Chris Sheldrake, the prodigy behind the Serge Lutens line and up till now collaborator in the creative department of parfums Chanel, has announced artistic disagreement with Jacques Polge and is leaving the house. Rumours want him to become the in-house nose of Gucci, following in the steps of Duriez for Patou and Ellena for Hermes.
Effective come June of this year. Can't wait!

3. Scientistis and perfumers collaborate on the ultimate personal, bespoke scent. A concept of a fragrance based on a person's individual DNA. Yes, it's as you heard: a cotton swab will take a small sample from inside your cheek CSI-mode-like and then perfumers will work on accords that suit your individual chemistry and of course tastes (you will be asked, I presume). The service promises that after use of a person's DNA, no data or specimen is kept but they are destroyed to protect individual rights. The idea sounds terribly futuristic but wonderful, no?

4. Chanel has announced they are issuing a parfum version of their most lauded perfume from Les Exclusifs: 31 Rue Cambon. It was about time! I always thought the Eau de toilette was doing it a disservice being so light and fleeting. Unfortunately to do that they are officially discontinuing the parfum strength of Bois des Iles and Cuir de Russie, due to allergen issues with birch tar for the former and environmental issues with Mysore sandalwood depletion for the latter. It was a long way in the coming, as we have discussed before... Sad, though.


But don't despair! Not everything you read is true. It's just phrased to sound like it, in typical perfume-industry mode. You did look at the date above, didn't you?
So, a little April Fool's GAME: spot the true from the false and you will win a decant of a niche scent. Alors!

Artwork La Joconde by Gelitin, courtesy of the New York Times

Be a perfume sleuth if you really Covet that bottle!

Sarah Jessica Parker impressed us with her Lovely musky foray into fragrance as we didn't really expect a celebrity perfume to be of any considerable substance. But this was a serious perfume lover we were talking about (click here for her signature perfume mix and here, for an interview with Chandler Burr)and she passed the test with flying colours.
Now comes Covet, her new scent for women and the commercial was conceived by genius director Jean-Paul Goude, responsible for the Chanel Egoiste commercial that made it to the advertising Hall of Fame.
Set to Verdi's Forza del Destino with adorably playful french by smokey-eyed mrs. Parker as she talks to monsieur le gendarme and with red-soled Louboutin shoes that peek unmistakably under her Lacroix couture dress as she kicks to the count of the orchestra on the window of the posh boutique, this is a Paris-shot commercial that imprints itself on our mind with its strange atavistic motto "I had to have it!". Because it is so much coveted, you see.

And now Coty, the brand which is issuing Covet the fragrance for Sarah Jessica Parker have devised a new sleuthing game on who masterminded the theft of the bottle on their new site, Case of the Coveted Bottle(click on the link). The site offers free samples and a contest running till October 15th for weekly prizes. There will be extra clues given on this My Space link, where you can additionally download screensavers and wallpapers for your computer.

The Grand Prize winner will receive $10.000 and a trip for two to NYC to attend Lucky Magazine’s Lucky Shops 2007, but also a Covet gift bag encompassing a jewelry box and a deluxe mini. One First Prize winner will win a flat panel TV costing $1.200 and the Covet gift bag with the items described above. Last but not least 30 second prize winners will be receiving the Covet gift bag.
Additionally, the first person to solve one of ten weekly challenges will receive a green apple iPod Shuffle along with the Covet gift bag and the challenges will renew themselves each week. Finally two lucky winners will receive an apple iPhone and a Covet gift bag for the Bonus Challenges.

Sounds impressive! In any case good luck, those games can be addictive! I could spend hours being all monsieur Hercules Poirot on that site.

On the other hand if you want to laugh a bit with the ingenious uses of the bottle, please visit this link on Smelly Blog.

Clip uploaded by Leofour4, pics from Myspace/covetsarahjessicaparker