The winners of the draw...

...for a brighter set of pearly whites are rickyrebarco and wefadetogray. Congratulations! Please email me, using Contact, and with "smile prize" in the title of the mail, so I can forward your winning coupons to have you profit of your prize.

Thanks everyone for the enthusiastic participation and till the next one!

Lou Reed: 1942-2013

Your face when sleeping is sublime
And then you open up your eyes

Then comes pancake factor number one
Eyeliner, rose hips and lip gloss, such fun
You're a slick little girl, you're a slick little girl
Rouge and coloring, incense and ice
Perfume and kisses, oh it's all so nice
You're a slick little girl, you're a slick little girl

Now we're coming out, out of our closets
Out on the streets, yeah, we're coming out

When you're in bed it's so wonderful
It'd be so nice to fall in love
When you get dressed I really get my fill
People say that it's impossible

Gowns lovely made out of lace
And all the things that you do to your face
You're a slick little girl, you're a slick little girl
Eyeliner, whitener then color the eyes
Yellow and green, oh what a surprise
You're a slick little girl, oh, you're such a slick little girl

Now we're coming out, out of our closets
Out on the streets, yes, we're coming out
Yeah, we're coming out ...



Or as Brian Eno said: ""The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band."

A Different Giveaway Leading to a White Christmas

I'm accosted by several different marketeers and companies, often related to our little scent interest, many times related to peripheral beauty and health products. The chance to touch up one's smile before the holiday parties sounded like a good idea to me, wine and coffee drinker than I am, therefore this is what I'm offering today to anyone who's interested in some free product!

Try being one of 2 lucky winners of the Smile Brilliant LED teeth whitening system which contains:

· 1 LED Accelerator Light
· 1 Teeth Whitening Pen 4ml (containing 22% carbamide peroxide & enough for 7-10 applications)
· 1 lip protector
Looks at once customized and easy to use.

Countries Eligible for the Draw: US, UK, Canada

Please post a comment stating you're interested. Draw is open till Monday midnight and I will pick 2 winners to be announced on Tuesday.

The Re-Issue of Indult, Perfumes Composed by Francis Kurkdjian

“I am very happy to see this fragrance collection under new ownership, permitting these perfumes presented under their original formulations to delight its owners”
– Francis Kurkdjian

As you may have surmised Indult is back. We had talked a bit on these pages on Indult, an old French word from 1498 signifying the privileges given by the french King or the Pope to esteemed individuals. The Christian Latin "Indultum" meaning "concession, favor" is at the root. With the desire to launch something that has comparable exclusivity rights as those bestowed upon by a king, Indult began as a niche line back in 2007 comprised by fragrances issued in only 999 bottles each, automatically entering you in the private club able to order a refill if you have purchased a bottle. Specifically we had zeroed on Tihota, a glorious vanilla fragrance.

So, good news! New owners for Indult, new direction and new bottles lifting the extremely restricted quantities mantle. The line is available at the usual suspect, Luckyscent and its brick & mortar equivalent The Scent Bar, exclusively.

The Tom Ford Grooming Collection: Ritual and Dollars

The upcoming Tom Ford Grooming Collection for Men (launching November 1st) is reportedly inspired by the grooming ritual that the sleek and cunning Texan designer follows himself. The video clip presents the expected toned torsos and meaningful "Blue Steel" looks by a chiseled member of the XY chromosome and is aimed at our gonads, typical for Tom Ford imagery. Tom is a fine marketeer, probably among the finest currently working in the fashion world, since everything he touches turns to gold. And that's despite his apparent lack of designer skills as evidenced during his stint at Yves Saint Laurent (a sin for which he must atone through more rigorous rituals than usual).



Tom himself goes on and on about how it's all about caring for your skin (this comes from the guy who has professed to take 3 to 5 baths a day? I'm surprised he has any skin left), that it doesn't need to be elaborate to be effective, that it shows respect to those around you (yes, dear heterosexual men who may be reading, salsa stains on your 5-day-beard-growth aren't sexy, wash already!), and it's about presenting your most handsome and impeccable self to the world.
The latter claim is actually a refreshingly honest and novel point in talking about beauty products; usually the commercials harp on how it's about what feels good to you, how it all evolves around you, how you're the center of your own universe, it's all about you, you, you, yada yada yada. But fine though the clip may be, one can't shake the impression that we're watching Patrick Bateman's morning ritual, something I had posted about before on these pages. At least I can't. There's something about it in the sleekness, the glistening skin under the caress of beautifying products, the narcissistic self admiration, the vacancy of the look through the mirror, the smooth voiceover...

Does this promo persuade me to go out and test the products? It certainly gives me pause to think whether 600$ for grooming (including lip balm, concealer and eye treatment) is accountable for my significant other and whether my bathroom shelf can withstand even more bottles, potions and lotions for the both of us. But I do like Ford's lipsticks despite the elevated price tag, so don't ask me too rigorously. Tom is a fine marketeer. He might even convince me to dabble in these in the end!