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…

Evody La Collection d'Ailleurs ~Noir d'Orient, D'Ame de Pique, Ombre Fumée

La Collection d’Ailleurs is the latest chapter in the Evody story. Paying tribute to travel, the richness of nature and the diversity of different cultures, this captivating collection is brand creators Régine and Cérine’s own unique interpretation of far away places, linking their joint passions for travel and fragrance.

Noir d’Orient (from £85 for 50ml extrait de parfum)
The spice route is full of mystery – a trail of intoxicating scents, warmth, luxuriant forests and the depths of the Indian Ocean.

Noir d’Orient has been constructed around India’s olfactory diversity. The fragrance opens with a serene note of incense before revealing a heart of hot, sensual and intense spices including Cloves and Cinnamon. Finally, this heady oriental offers a rich soul of Wood, Dark Rum and Patchouli.

D’Âme de Pique (from £85 for 50ml extrait de parfum)
D’Âme de Pique is an ode to the roses from Rose Valley in the Atlas region of Morocco. Opulent and soft, exuberant and dignified these most regal of flowers are unrivalled in their beauty. Green and sparkling notes of Blackcurrant Leaf and Pear form the opening accord of this most captivating of fragrances. The heart is given up entirely to Rose, magnified by a hint of Raspberry. Finally voluptuous Sandalwood and Vanilla combine with sensual Patchouli.

Ombre Fumée (from £85 for 50ml extrait de parfum)
Drawing inspiration from the volcanic, tropical island of Reunion Ombre Fumée is a celebration of Vetiver, the intense raw material from which Reunion draws its wealth. Here Vetiver is wrapped in both fresh, green notes and mysterious, sensual notes. Invigorating Orange and Lemon give way to a soft touch of Cypress followed by a powdery note of Iris with Hot Black Pepper.

Created by mother and daughter duo, Régine Droin and Cérine Vasseur, EVODY’s distinctive fragrance collection is designed to enthrall perfume aficionados. The core range comprises eight beguiling scents, each designed to communicate the very real stories and emotions that inspired the creators. From the intensely personal Cuir Blanc, designed for Cérine when she was pregnant with her first child, to the sparkling Pomme d’Or created for Régine’s husband, a man who had never previously worn fragrance.

The dominant fragrance notes for the rest of the Evody line are as follows:
POMME D’OR – Bergamot, Sweet Lime, Juniper berries
FLEUR D’ORANGER – Mandarin, Jasmine, Orange Blossom REVE D’ANTHALA – Tiare Flower, Orchid, Jasmine, Vanilla BOIS SECRET – Bergamot, Black Pepper, Nutmeg, Tonka Bean NOTE DE LUXE – Jasmine, Bergamot, Ylang Ylang, Vanilla AMBRE INTENSE – Bay Leaf, Incense, Patchouli, Amber
CUIR BLANC – Violet Leaf, Iris, White Musk, Russian Leather MUSC INTENSE – Bergamot, Mandarin, Kashmir Wood, Musk

L'Incendiaire by Serge Lutens: the enigmatic commercial

Serge Lutens films a lonesome trip to the desert with a voiceover for his Paris Palais Royal release of L'Incendiaire fragrance. The masked loner looks like he's going to set fire to himself, but doesn't in the end. The otherworldly feel is compelling to watch.

L'Incendiaire is part of the Palais Royal line of fragrances in the bell jars, formerly under the auspices of Shiseido, alongside the fabulous cosmetics (lipsticks, foundation, makeup tools etc.)

For a full review of L'Incendiaire, you might want to check my review on Fragrantica. I'm going to post a more "personal" one on these pages too, soon. Price for the new L'Incendiaire by Serge Lutens is 600$US.

Guerlain Santal Royal: new fragrance

The upcoming launch by the historic house of Guerlain is called Santal Royal and comes in a bottle in the style of their "Eau de lit" and "Eau de lingerie" scents, but dressed in pitch dark black, with a gold filigree label and a cap and adorned with a tassel in black & gold hanging from the neck.

borrowed via Jaroslav's blog

Guerlain Santal Royal is an oriental woody perfume with spicy overtones that heralds the coming of the cooler season, in the manner of "cashmere scents" we perfumistas here on PerfumeShrine like to annotate to autumn and winter. Jan Masters describes it as "an evening scent, although I could imagine it cheering up grey days as if cosying up in a cashmere wrap."
Of course pair Guerlain and sandalwood in the same phrase and everyone thinks of Guerlain Samsara (with the lone historian reminiscing about Guerlain Santal parfum from the first years of the 20th century), but we're told this is a very different perfume.

Santal Royal is a Harrods exclusive launch for the opening of their Salon de Parfums, retailing at £125 for 125ml of fragrance and the scent is composed by resident perfumer for Guerlain Thierry Wasser. Harrods are plugging the Salon des Parfums, a new abode for perfume enthusiasts on the 6th floor, which opens on October 16th at 8pm, attendance by invitation only. The fragrance will eventually arrive on boutique counters as well.

The fragrance notes for Guerlain Santal Royal include the eponymous mystical note of sandalwood, coupled with cinnamon and fresh neroli on the top, while the deeper, denser notes of warm amber, musk and leather rise from the base. Preliminary reportage suggests also a note of rose and oud in the formula that isn't mentioned in the official breakdown.

My own addition is that now that the sustainable Australian sandalwood plantations of Santalum alba have been fruitful we're set for a new wave of sandalwood fragrances that will reprise that most prized of woody notes. Assuming of course that Santal Royal contains said ingredient.

The winner of the draw...

...for the Down East Basics giveaway is Heather Sebastian. Please email me using Contact with your shipping data and telephone number (for the courier) so I can see that you get your prize in the mail.

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