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.

Perfumer Olivier Cresp's Fragrance Dos and Don'ts

Olivier Cresp, acclaimed Grasse-born perfumer responsible for the creation of Thierry Mugler Angel, Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue, Cacharel Noa and lately of Nina L'Eau by Nina Ricci, shares with us his tips for optimum fragrance wearing. You might also want to check our own guide into How to Best Apply Fragrance for Optimum Pleasure and Longevity.


"1. DON'T store fragrances under hot lights in your bathroom as the temperature will alter the top notes, turning them sharper or more sour and sometimes musty. You should keep your fragrances cool by storing them in the fridge to prolong the scent.
2. DO spritz fragrance into your hair rather than all over your body. This will help the scent to last longer compared to quickly rubbing off your skin. It also means that when moving your head, there'll be a more natural waft of fragrance.
3. DO use a variety of fragrances for different occasions and seasons. A collection of five to six different scents is recommended.
4. DON'T wear a sensuous fragrance on your wedding day. Instead, stick to jasmine or rose-based scents for a romantic, but not overly sexy aroma.
5. DO wear a warm fragrance for a first date. Opt for a spicy scent like pepper to excite his senses.
6. DON'T wear an overpowering scent for a job interview. Stick to classic, unfussy smells".

[quotes from GraziaDaily]

The Guerlain "Exclusive Collections" in a Paris Airport for the First Time

It's an exclusive! The Guerlain "Exclusive Collections" are on offer to passengers in Hall M of Terminal 2E at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport for the very first time.

 

Exclusive scents (L'Art et la Matière and Les Parisiennes) and limited editions (Baccarat crystal bottle in the form of a bee, etc.) are available in the BUY PARIS DUTY FREE store in Hall M, one of the largest Duty-free retail area in Europe with more than 2,200 m² dedicated to fragrances and the French art of living. Hall M in Terminal 2E is now the most attractive departure lounge in Europe. And it is in this setting that Guerlain occupies a huge 30 m² space. From the first flight to the last, beauty consultants greet passengers from around the world and present them with these "Exclusive Collections". Since June 2012, passengers on long-haul SkyTeam alliance flights have been exploring Hall M in Terminal 2E, a new, particularly spacious departure lounge, decked out in Parisian elegance. Aéroports de Paris paid particular attention to the atmosphere, the retail areas, the smooth flow of the routes and the materials used. Bright, spacious and attractive, Hall M offers passengers 6,000 m² of shops, bars and restaurants.

 info via Guerlain communication

Le Labo Discontinues One Fragrance Off their Catalogue

It's always a sad time when something one loves gets axed. The reasons why are usually varied, often beyond a company's control; change in allergens regulations, shift in raw materials supply, the break up with a trusted distributor, you name it. Le Labo hadn't stopped production on any of their scents in the past, but I was notified that one of their exclusives won't be with us for long. Merdre! So if you do love it, better stock up now.

via viewfrommywindiw.net

This is the email communication I got:

 "Barneys New York is closing their Dallas store on March 2nd and this saddens us as we loved our Le Labo counter there and loved our Dallas exclusive, Aldehyde 44, even more! After much debate, we have decided that if there is no Dallas, there can’t be any Aldehyde 44 and this perfume will therefore be discontinued... To bid Dallas farewell, we will be selling Aldehyde 44 in all our stores and online at http://store.lelabofragrances.com/ during the month of March."

Acronyms & Slang across Perfume Discussion Boards/Forums/Blogs: a Guide

There's nothing more incomprehensible ~and at the same time deeply satisfying if you're part of the club~ than reading all those odd vocabulary and syntax contraptions that perfume aficionados use when discussing their favorite pastime online, fragrance that is.

Here's a compilation, a short guide into the most important fragrance terminology on perfume forums and blogs, with the odd yours truly coined acronym or two for kicks (see if you can pick those up among the list!). Please be very aware that there might -just might- be different acros for different things when discussing things through other focus boards, such as cosmetics boards.
Also note that often long-winded perfume names take the form of an acro for ease, ex. SDV is Spiritueuse Double Vanille by Guerlain, CDR is Cuir de Russie (a type of leather fragrance exemplified -and usually connoted- by Chanel's homonymous fragrance), MKK is Muscs Koublai Khan (Lutens), APOAL is A portrait of a Lady (Malle) and -you really see the point of this to save finger work!- ELPCAYY is Estee Lauder Private Collection Amber Ylang Ylang, etc. (now guess: what is ELPCTG?)

AdP: Aqua di Parma. Popular niche fragrance line.

BN(IB): Swap (see lemma) specification, means brand new in box.

BPAL: Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs. What Edgar Allan Poe would envision for a fragrance line. Cult indie perfumes with gothic and mystical names and a very popular forum dedicated to discussing them.

Code: Discount "codes" issued by fragrance distributors or decanting sites with a time sensitive slot. Usually passed around on perfume boards as a PSA (public service announcement).

CBD: Cherry Blossom Diva. Etailer of high end dupes.

CDG: Comme des Garcons. Famous fashion brand headed by Rei Kawakubo, which also issues cult fragrances.

CBIHP: Christopher Brosius I Hate Perfume. Cult fragrance niche brand with dedicated followers.

CSP: Comptoir Sud Pacifique. Popular niche fragrance line with "tropical" scents inspired by the islands.

Decant: Home made perfume "sample" (usually larger than the commercial samples of 1 or 2ml), hand-poured by one's own perfume bottle into a plain vial in plastic or glass for the purposes of the buyer/swapper (see lemma) testing said fragrance on their skin at home in leisure. Sometimes, when a perfume is not FBW (see lemma) decants might be enough to tidy one over for life; one might not need more quantity of something as potent as Fracas or as special & occasion-only as Amouage Hommage; this definition of course depends solely on the wearer (what is one's "potent" is another's "regular 3 spritzes, thank you very much")

DS: Drugstore. A fragrance that can be found at the drugstore for little $ and is considered low end. Not necessarily denoting respective quality, true fragrance lovers offer love select drugstore fragrances.

DSH: Dawn Spencer Hurwitz. Indie, artisanal line of fragrances.

ELdO: Etat Libre d'Orange. Cult fragrance niche brand with dedicated followers.

FBW: Full Bottle Worthy. A tested and approved scent that you feel you can upgrade to a whole bottle of. Considering that most perfume collectors have numerous bottles in their wardrobe closets (see lemma) , a few in the hundreds at that, which would take a lifetime to finish, a full bottle of anything is a serious commitment and thus high recommendation.

FM: Frederic Malle. Cult and popular fragrance niche brand.

GWP: Gift with Purchase. Retail terminology for extras (samples, miniatures of regular product) included in your bag when buying something. Useful acro for swapping (see lemma) specifications.

HdP: Histoires de Parfums. Cult and popular fragrance niche brand.

HE: High end. Belonging to an upscale brand. Opposite is low-end or DS (see lemma).

HG: Holy Grail. That single, perfect, elusive perfume that perfectly encapsulates who you are, what you want out of life and how you want to be perceived. It sweeps floors and earns you serious bucks and love conquests as well. Hyperbole aside and suffice to say, a very tall order. Lifelong quest for many.

HTG: variation of HTF.

HTF: Hard to find. It entails either jumping through hoops, traveling to Vladivostock or raiding your great--great- grandmother's attic. Bottom line, rare and precious perfume.

IMHO: In my humble opinion. Prelude to polite dissent.

JHAG: Juliette Has a Gun. Cult and popular fragrance niche brand.

KM: Keiko Mecheri. Cult and popular fragrance niche brand.

LAP: L'Artisan Parfumeur. Cult and popular fragrance niche brand.

Lemming: An irresistible urge to test/buy/follow a particularly lauded scent (or beauty product in general). The call of the herd, as in the cute Northern rodents that all jump off the cliff in hordes (and which have given mothers around the world the irresistible argument against any teenager claiming "but all my friends are doing X thing!")
Originated on the MakeupAlley boards. Used as a noun ("My latest lemming is Alien Essence Absolue/What is your lemming for spring?") as well as a verb usually in the present/past continuous tense ("I was lemming L'Heure de Nuit by Guerlain, but when I calculated the price I decided I'm better off with regular L'Heure Bleue").

MdO: Mona di Orio. Cult fragrance niche brand with dedicated followers.

MFK: Maison Francis Kurkdjian. Cult fragrance niche brand with dedicated followers.

MH: Miller Harris. Cult fragrance niche brand with dedicated followers.

Mitsy: Affectionate (or throwing the towel) term for Guerlain Mitsouko classic fragrance.

MPG: Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier. Cult fragrance niche brand with dedicated followers.

n/m: nothing more. end of message. especially pertinent to the odd to navigate Makeupally board. Usually at the end of a line, it means there's no need to click to read inside the thread. Opposite is RO or r/o.

OJ: Ormonde Jayne. Cult fragrance niche brand with dedicated followers.

Pending: a swappable (see lemma) item listed on swap list, which has been promised to a swap partner but the negotiation hasn't finalised. It means it's off limits for other swappers till further notice.

PG: Parfumerie General. Cult fragrance niche brand with dedicated followers.

PdE: Parfum d'Empire. Cult fragrance niche brand with dedicated followers.

PdN: Patricia de Nicolai. Cult fragrance niche brand with dedicated followers.

POTL = People of the Labyrinths which usually means their perfume Luctor et Emergo (LeE)

RAOK: Random Act of Kindness. Once one has your address from a previous swap (see lemma), they may decide to send you a little something in the mail that they think you might enjoy or they have seen you have been "lemming" (see lemma). Usually samples, but it can be whole bottles too!

RAOG: Random Act of God. Post office strike, cyclone hitting your city or your bottle "turning" and spoiling, rendering it unswappable. Hey, it happens.

RIS: Received in swap (see lemma). Item we can't guarantee the provenance of because we didn't buy it ourselves. Useful when accessing the product or when negotiating further swapping.

RO(P) or r/o or r/o/p: Read on (please). On Makeupalley it means there's more info inside the thread, so you need to click the line to make more text appear. Opposite is n/m.

S01E03: Example of varied numerical indications (season and edition) of the Chandler Burr headed "blind sampling" project for Open Sky.

S/A: Sales assistant. Often the object of ridicule and critique on perfume boards due to their pathetic ignorance on their subject compared to die hard perfume aficionados.

Skanky: Stinky in a good way, perhaps a bit wildcat and promiscuous or interesting in an eyebrow raising way that invites discussion. Originated on the Perfume Posse blog. Used by perfume aficionados as a positive connotation ("Amaranthine is skanky goodness, it's sex in a bottle") while other people outside the aficion might view thus described scent as derisive and pushing the envelope ("Man, that's one skanky stink!")

SL: Serge Lutens. Cult and popular fragrance niche brand.

SOTD: scent of the day, that particular's day perfume choice. Perfume enthusiasts like to share this tidbit of info.

STC: Surrender to Chance. Online decanting emporium.

SSS: Sonoma Scent Studio. Indie, artisanal line of fragrances headed by Laurie Erickson.

Swap: Exchange of perfume bottles/decant (see lemma)/samples between corresponding partners on a forum. The two partners agree on specifics (quantity, scents, concentration, etc), exchange addresses and prepare packages with stuff for the other to receive. When both get their end as it should be, the swap is considered successful. Rare is the case of "swaplifting"(see lemma).
The whole raison d'être for a swap is to diffuse the cost of an "unsniffed buy" (see lemma) and therefore on the one hand getting rid of anything you do not fancy in the one woman's poison is another woman's meat mentality and on the other hand securing a wide variety of scents to try which would be unavailable, hard to find, too much money to try else. Shipping regulations have made this swapping sport rather difficult lately, but there are some ways around it.

Swaplifter: Unscrupulous person who after they have agreed on a swap and secured reception of what was promised to them, disappear and never mail their own end of the deal. Rare but potentially possible. This is why trust in old-timers, instincts and feedback in the way of "tokens" (on MakeupAlley and Basenotes) as well as word of mouth (on Swaptalk boards) serves into avoid potential pitfalls. Known swaplifters are summarily ostracized. Swaptalk is the only specifically created board for swap problems.

TDC: The Different Company. Cult fragrance niche brand with dedicated followers.

TDF: To die for. Simple: means absolutely gorgeous.

TF: Tom Ford. The well-known designer has fragrances in his line. If it's TFPB, it means Tom Ford Private Blend.

TM: Thierry Mugler. The famous designer issues cult fragrances, made and distributed by the Clarins Group.

TPC: The Perfume Court. Online decanting emporium.

TPP: The Posh Peasant. Online decanting emporium.

TSV: Today's Special Value.

TY: Thank you.

Unsniffed (purchase): When something is bought unsniffed, i.e. without having being thoroughly tested before by the buyer, usually online, it potentially denotes three things: 1) The perfume in question was nowhere to be tested (no testers, no samples, no access to store). 2) It was a vintage specimen which sounded too good to be bypassed, while #1 applied all the same. 3) It was a great bargain thanks to a discount, store coupon, Ebay opportunity etc.

YMMV: Your mileage may vary. Polite way to say "you might hate this".

YKIAGAM: Your kink is as good as mine. De gustibus et coloribus...you know the score.

YW: you're welcome.

For any "real" fragrance terminology as used by the industry please consult the Perfume Terms section with appropriate links on the right hand column of the site. 

Do you have other terms and acronyms to add to these? Let me know in the comments!