Parisienne limo sex?

I just got sent the full 60-seconds commercial of Parisienne by Yves Saint Laurent with Kate Moss. Did I mention they went a bit overboard with the raunch? Or is limo sex (or the memory of sex fantasized in limos) still popular? I think the pouting on Kate Moss shows that she's taking it far too seriously. In my opinion a good reminiscence of frantic sex should employ a little self-depreciation, some humour, some tears, some laughs...
Check it out on this link.

Fata Morgana: Arabesque...

I'll take communion with sea water,
distilled from your body drop by drop,
in an ancient copper cup from Algiers,
as done by pirates of old before the fight.

Where are you coming from? From Babylon.
Where are you going? To the eye of the cyclone.
Whom do you love? A Gypsy maid.
What is her name? Fata Morgana*.

A leather sail, all smeared with wax,
smelling of cedar-wood, of incense and of varnish,
like the smell of the hold in an aging ship
built in olden times on Euphrates in Phoenicia.

Where are you coming from? From Babylon.
Where are you going? To the eye of the cyclone.
Whom do you love? A Gypsy maid.
What is her name? Fata Morgana.

Fire-hued rust in the mines of Sina,
the capes of Gerakini and Stratoni.
That ship-coating, that old blessed rust gave us birth,
It feeds us, feeds on us, and then it kill us!

Where are you coming from? From Babylon.
Where are you going? To the eye of the cyclone.
Whom do you love? A Gypsy maid.
What is her name? Fata Morgana.






























The poem Fata Morgana by sea-faring Greek poet Nikos Kavvadias is set to music and sung by Mariza Koch.

*A "fata morgana" is a mirage, an optical phenomenon caused by abrupt variances in air temperature. Objects on the horizon, such as islands, cliffs, ships or icebergs, appear elongated and elevated

All photos © by Elena Vosnaki

Perfume tips from Danny Ventura

Perfume and scented products should be used at the lower end of the body upwards: "The logic is the fact that we lose around 80 per cent of the body heat through our head and the top portion of the body. So one should actually wear a perfume on a lower part of one's body -- even a décolletage or the armpits are places where you could put the perfume," emphasises Danny, who was actively involved in the making of 'A Scent by Issey Miyake.'
Read the rest on what fragrance expert Danny Ventura has to say on this dainindia.com link.

Corroborates nicely what Diogenes the philosopher did: "After having anointed his feet with perfume, he said that the ointment from his head mounted up to heaven, and that from his feet up to his nose". [source]

La Prairie Life Threads~Silver, Gold, Platinum: new fragrances

Luxe Swiss brand of skincare and cosmetics La Prairie had issued Silver Rain a few seasons ago to lukewarm results. Now a trio of fragrances, the collection Life Threads in Silver, Gold and Platinum is entering the market fronted by French actress Arielle Dombasle with hopes of scoring one better. Constance Georges-Picot is behind the new line.
Silver encompasses notes of green leaves, golden bergamot, all-spice, jasmine, orange blossom, sandalwood, musk and peppered moss in a woody floral composition.
Gold is a warm and spicy oriental with top notes of mandarin, Chinese prune, and clove. The heart rests on ylang ylang, coriander, lily of the valley, rose and cinnamon, while the base incorporates vanilla, musk, myrrhe, incense, cedar and patchouli.
Platinum is a "modern and elegant" floral chypre in which violet leaves, galbanum, prune, jasmine, rose, leather, cardamom, iris, patchouli, vetiver, amber, oakmoss and labdanum intermingle.

The designation of precious metals for feminine fragrances is an old practice, famously exploited by Dana and later by Estee Lauder (Dazzling Silver, Dazzling Gold) as well as Claude Montana with his discontinued collection of three scents (Argent, Or et Cuivre) and so the new fragrances by La Prairie follow well-charted territories while the notes seem to correspond to what is populary referred to as "silvery" or "golden" smells. Nothing revolutionary then, but of course we will only pass judgement when we sample them.

The two official sites lifethreads.com et laprairie.com will be featuring small teasers with Arielle. Launch is scheduled for 15 October with prices of 100 euros for 50 ml/1.7oz which puts them in the higher-end of department store fragrances.

Juliette Has a Gun Calamity J: new fragrance

Romano Ricci, progeny of the well-known Nina Ricci family, is responsible for the playful and whimsical Juliette has a Gun fragrances which include Citizen Queen, Lady Vengeance, and Miss Charming. Right after introducing "Bullet", literally a bullet-shaped atomiser for his fragrances, there is a new masculine proposition this time: Calamity J. named after the notorious Calamity Jane of the West or perhaps hinting at the Juliette of the eponymous brand.

Although marketed as a masculine, the new fragrance is aimed at rebellious women, much like the Wild West heroine, and is centered around a 35% concentration of musk cocktail. Romano Ricci wanted it to recall the essence of a dandy, with an aura that couldn't be characterised neither floral, nor fruity, nor citric, opting for a woody-ambery nuance that is supported by patchouli, amber, iris and musks.

The face to front such a fragrance is Lou Doillon, the sister of Charlotte Gainsbourg (who will be fronting the new Balecianga fragrance as discussed recently) and daughter of Jane Birkin, muse of L'air de Rien perfume by Miller Harris. Her athletic, dynamic but still unconventional physique posed in the nude was considered very fitting the rebellious concept of the series. Romano liked the idea and the "it-ness" of Lou so much he is seriously considering of making her his official "face" of the entire line.
The fragrance is set to launch this November internationally and will be presented in a roll-on version in 2010. Prices for Juliette Has a Gun Calamity J. will be 75 euros for 50ml/1.7oz Eau de Parfum and 98 euros for 100ml/3.4oz.

pic via flavor-magazine.com