Mother's Day Recommended Fragrances & Beauty Gifts

How do you say "Thanks for being a great Mom" without making her feel dowdy (gifts of knitting kits or kitchen appliances), irrelevant (Top Mom mugs) or a foregone conclusion (cheesy cards, chocolates & flowers)? There's a lot to recommend a scent or beauty-related gift, as it requires a bit of thought and consideration on your part, and it ties the present to the person gifting it to her, as smell is the sense most linked to memory. So how to wade through the vast choice, braving the shopping tide at Sephora or your local department store? Here's where Perfume Shrine's handy little guide to best mother's day gift comes into. I have compiled a personality-driven selection with thoughtful choices across the board. But whatever you choose, the best part about a Mother's Day gift is a heartfelt hug acknowledging her she's been the first -and continues to be significant- woman in your life.

via pinterest.com

If your mother or the mother of your child already has a signature scent she's loyal to through the years, which you happen to like and have fond memories of, there would be no great profit to direct you into something totally new. At the very least keeping on purchasing it means continued production of the scent in question, which is one of the issues we hold very near & dear to our hearts here at Perfume Shrine. In that case however you can gift her with ancillary body products in the range of her perfume or a special collector's edition. Many classics are routinely revamped that way with beautiful bottles she will want to display on her vanity. For instance, Estee Lauder celebrates the 60th anniversary of Youth Dew this year with a special edition that embellishes the ribbon with tiny crystals. Dior J'Adore frequently has limited editions and special presentations which look lovely on a mirror tray.
Slight variations, in a summery mood, might also please: Thierry Mugler for instance revamps their classic Angel with the new Angel Aqua Chic edition that lightens the heft without betraying the scent and makes the juice a paler blue and fruitier. These are just exampled, I'm sure you can ask at any beauty counter about them and receive lots of suggestions.

For the Earthy Mom on the Run 

Crabtree & Evelyn Happy Hands Gift Set contains 6 aromatic hand products in 25 gr tubes each which can fit into any purse, so she can always keep her hands which work for everyone soft and lovely. With scented accents like spicy basil and wholesome aromas like rosewater, they double as an everyday pleasure on-the-go too!

Narciso Rodriguez Essence is a breath of fresh air, a delicate but lasting soapy scent, refined and non obtrusive, yet alluring too. It will make getting ready in the morning all the more pleasant for her and it transitions into evening nicely too.

via basenotes.net

For the Glamorous Mom 

Chanel 1932 is this spring's addition in the Chanel boutiques and Chanel.com offered Les Exclusifs range. First issued as a sparkling accompaniment gifted to the attendees to the diamond jewelry line launch which commemorated the original jewelry line by Mademoiselle Coco herself, it is everything a posh and elegant perfume should be: feminine jasmine fanned on subtle, warm woods.

Guerlain Rouge Automatique isn't cheap, but it still comes out more affordable than a designer handbag. The elegant art-deco inspired design is a visual treat, coming out of her purse for touch-ups, but it's the sensuous texture and the delicious shades which seal the deal. I love the deep reddish berry of the 124 Samsara shade and the elegant brownish-rose of 103 Chant D'Aromes.  

For the Upbeat Mom 

Balenciaga Paris L'Eau Rose is the latest fragrance in the revamped Balenciaga line of perfumes. A bit sweeter than the Balenciaga Paris office-friendly scents, it adds a helping of blackberry and modern rose note on a bed of cedar and light patchouli to make for a happy, bright, vivacious scent.

Christian Dior Bird of Paradise 5 eyeshadows palettes for Spring 2013 are just stunning-looking. The lighter one with its range of soft greens, khahi, teal and elegant champagne and rosy beige looks especially pretty.

Lush A Mother’s Day in Paradise is a bright and cheerful hatbox full of springtime treats for mum to luxuriously pamper herself with, including three of the limited edition Mother’s Day products, along with Lush favourites such as Dream Cream body moisturiser to really spoil her. It includes Secret Garden bath ballistic; Madam Butterfly reusable bubble bar; Mumkin bubble bar; Happy Happy Joy Joy conditioner; Dream Cream body moisturiser and Sultana of Soap.

For the Romantic Mom

Roger & Gallet Rose Rituals Gift Set includes their famous rosy soap, a matching shower cream and 30ml of fragrant rose water for using on her face or on her pulse points. The best thing? It's creamier and juicier smelling than most classic rose scents out there!

Elie Saab Le Parfum is a choice that charms with its white floral bouquet in the heart which includes clean orange blossom, sexy jasmine and honeyed rose. It's gorgeous and quite the compliment-getter.

pic borrowed from bestthingsinbeauty.blogspot.com

For the Mom with her Finger on the Pulse

Dries Van Notes by Frederic Malle is the latest from two fashion & beauty mavericks: Noten is Antwerp cool writ large and Malle is the person who put perfumers on the fore, issuing a line with them highlighted as the true "authors". The new scent is a collaboration between the two resulting in a sweetish woody fragrance that is very wearable, with no sharp edges whatsoever and the coveted Van Noten aesthetics on bottle and packaging.

Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Powder 4 Seasons (from the Terracotta 2013 Collection) upgrades the allure of a decent bronzer (something Guerlain with their Terracotta line are famous for, selling one compact every 20 second somewhere in the world!) with a mix & match game of 4 skin-compatible shades to give every woman what the French call "bonne mine". There's also a selection of intensity, my preference going to 00 Nude which should match most fair & light skin tones depending on application technique.

Happy Mother's day!

My own beautiful, tender, loving mother used to love two perfumes: Cabochard by madame Gres and Dioressence by Christian Dior. She loved the exoticism, the mystery, the sillage, everything they entailed. And as my childhood was spent in close company to my mother and her many talented ways, those two have left an indelible print on the tracks of my mind. Despite the assertive character of those "barbare" scents, my mother was anything but and the juxtaposition only made the impression stronger, more fortissimo.
The memory of the sensual and yet reassuring way she smelled has me left with a desire to transfer this kind of olfactory fingerprint to my offspring some day as well: when I am long gone they will perhaps reminiscence about their mother in lacquered images of spicy Opium and think just how it was ingrained in my personality and aura.

Sadly, the perfumes posing as Cabochard and Dioressence today do not reflect but a mere spectre of the magnificence of the vintages that she used to wore all those years ago. The vagaries of fashion and the shortcomings of the industry have managed to ruin one of my most precious memories...

However to those of you who celebrate today (and you must be many!many wishes to you all) I can only wish that the olfactory visage of a loved one will stay with you for ever, as did my beloved mum's.




Pics courtesy of Parfum de pub.