Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts

Friday, January 27, 2023

Gibellini Wood: Unexpected Finds at Lidl Stores

 Sometimes surprises come in the guise of super market shopping. The German supermarkets Lidl are known for their thrift store policies and odd placement of products on shelves (with the crate). 

Among those products and trinkets lies fragrance too! Suddenly Madame Glamour is a well transmitted Coco Mademoiselle eau de toilette dupe, but there are other scents as well. 

Below is Wood by Giblini, a brand for men. Imagine my surprise and quiet wonder when I found out it's a dupe for Terre d'Hermes! It starts off harsher, to be honest, which is not that surprising, especially given the under 5€ price asked (!), but the heart and drydown smell quite close to the original citrus woody indeed. It looked rather lonely, so I took it home... 

And here it is. 

Friday, October 15, 2021

Stylistic Collaboration from Gucci & Comme des Garcons

Have you ever wondered what would happen if two brands collaborated to produce something unique to both, with the emblems of them both, and, well, aiming at both their demographics? This is what happened with the latest collaboration from Gucci and Comme des Garçons who are pleased to announce the third and latest shopper resulting from their partnership.

The limited-edition tote represents the perfect embodiment of two mutually distinctive aesthetics driven by the desire to explore innovative visions. In keeping with previous editions, the new tote features the classic Comme des Garçons shopper style in a new black colorway, personalized with Gucci’s signature vertical Web stripe. Made in Japan, the new shopper is a characterful everyday basic. 

Looks like a practical holiday gift too, doesn't it?

The Gucci x Comme des Garçons shopper will be available Friday, October 15th at all Dover Street Market locations as well as selected Comme des Garcons stores worldwide. In addition, the tote will be sold through the DSM E-SHOP and vault.gucci.com for $525.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Diptyque Epinette, Perdigone & LE Winter 2011 Candle Coffret: Gifts for the Season

Diptyque, as regular as a clock, prepares winter gifts and treats for the home and your loved ones. For winter 2011 and the upcoming holidays, they have prepared two new candle scents, Epinette and Perdigone, and a limited edition mini candles coffret for collectors.






Echoing the aromatic freshness of its needles and the resinuous notes of its pine cones, Epinette, the Spruce Tree, is a green-hued candle which promises a wintry runaway in the depths of the woods. (68$ for 6.5oz or 32$ for 2.4oz)









For Perdigone, a concentrate of warm and fruity notes, clustered around a spiced plum, perfumes the house mouthwateringly. Absolutely comforting in the depths of winter. (68$ for 6.5oz or 32$ for 2.4oz)





The limited edition Winter 2011 mini-candles coffret by Diptyque contains three scented candles with spicy and woody notes: The familiar warmth of the Wood fire (Feu de Bois), the aromatic freshness of Pine (Pin), and the festive and spicy notes of Pomander (Pomander).
3 x 2.4oz candles retail for 84$ in a specially designed coffret.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Diptyque Rose/Eros: gifts for St.Valentine's Day


Diptyque and Kuntzel & Deygas continue their collaboration after the Belle & Bête duo of candles with a new duet in specially designed labels. Two perfumes unite their voices in one delightful song, creating new accords: Rose & Eros.

Rose : Rose Piaget marries to the essence Basil Grand Vert Egypte, with cassis, violet and soft and sensuous musks.
Eros : Rose Rugosa is coupled with essences of myrrhe, benjoin from Laos, Péru balsam, cedar and sandalwood. Limited edition collector's item.
140gr for 60 euros.







There is also a limited edition of the famous Roses candle in mini and rose-tinted glass, soon to be a collector's item.

70gr for 28 euros.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Massive Diptyque sale

New Yorkers have it good on what concerns Diptyque fragrances tomorrow and the day next. Deep discounts applicable on "dirty & discontinued" (only!) scents which will be sold at impressive price points (ranging from 40% to even 90% off retail price!). (You can see which scents are discontinued here). Please note NO phone orders will be applicable.


Where: 11 East 26th Street, Suite 600
Between Madison and 5th Avenues

When: Thursday, June 18th and Friday, June 19th
Thursday 9:30 am - 6:00 pm
Friday 9:30 am - 4:00 pm

info via blogdrof goodman and mua. PIc via Orpah magazine

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Free Agent Provocateur Scent

From now until next Wednesday, if you spend $150 on beauty products at the boutique of Agent Provocateur online, you'll receive an Agent Provocateur Signature Fragrance Purse Spray ($55) for free! Sound nifty, huh?

News via Bella Sugar

Saturday, May 9, 2009

A Chanel Exclusive Now Widely Available

As we had discussed the other day while focusing on changes on the Chanel USA site, the latest Les Exclusifs addition (2008), Beige by Jacques Polge, is joining the line-up of fragrances available online. It's my pleasure to be the first to announce that the information is now official, sent to me by the good people at Chanel, and in view of Beige making the FiFi 2009 finalists there is an exclusive pre-launch offering on Chanel.com.

Beige is described as "An intense powdery floral of natural elegance and grace - eponymous for Mademoiselle’s Chanel’s favorite colour. New white petals and yellow gold flowers blend are highlighted by hints of honey that reveal its discreet sensuality."
Click this link to view the page and order. (NB: this is the only link that will land you on the Exclusifs page, as the site is not yet officially carrying them for those who are not in the know)

200ml of Eau de Toilette for 200$.


Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Chanel news and articles, Les Exclusifs reviews

Monday, December 8, 2008

Frequent Questions: How to Choose Fragrance for a Gift

With the holidays looming up, choosing gifts for those loved ones and friends can be a really difficult task. And so often the thoughts of those of us enamored with fragrances turns to this thorny path: "How should I choose a fragrance gift for my loved ones so that it suits them and they're pleased with it?" Let's see in this little shopping guide how we can make this a little easier and practical.

Fist of all, I have to observe that fragrance gifting seems to be a procedure that is more or less loaded depending on culture and upbringing: Certain cultures apply highly individualistic attributes and sexualised messages to perfumes in general (designating perfume as an intimate gift or one which is an innuendo to more personal associations). To them, sometimes fragrance gifting from outside the tightest circle of family and/or lovers is suggestive in a manner too close for comfort. Others ~notably Southern Mediterranean people~, inspired by the wide use of Eaux de Cologne as a refreshing pick-me up with no attraction connotations whatsoever, indulge in fragrance gifting with less self-consiousness and it is indeed among the very traditional gestures, even among business associates! Additionally, highly urbanised terrains and younger ages allow for a bottle of fragrance to be seen more like a fashion accesory than a luxury "treasure" to be savoured on special occassions. Therefore, bear those factors in mind when considering to whom you're offering a gift of perfume or how you feel about this yourself (although I am assuming if you have made it here and thus far, you're not antithetical to the idea of presenting someone with a festively wrapped bottle of perfume!)

The first rule of successful fragrance gifting should be that you choose something that is according to the recipient's tastes and needs. Similar to how you wouldn't gift a socialite with a pair of galoches (where would she wear them to?), you don't want to overwhelm a young neophyte with something terribly complicated and meaningful that would feel out of place, yet without resorting to something that is a condescending cliché either. Going through very broad generalisations, it seems that younger women are rather averse to perfumey, face-powdery or floral fragrances as a rule (with the exception of tropical tiare and gardenia fragrances, it seems), prefering more culinary notes of vanilla, almond, tea and the like, or more abstract compositions that smell "out of the shower"/"clean" (those are usually combinations of various musks with synthetic florals or aldehydes). Younger men seem to be wanting to "blend in" (standing out takes either consious effort or the maturing of age), so a quick look through Sephora's best-seller list might provide some pointers to the general direction if not specific scents ~because you wouldn't want to buy what everyone else is buying! Never mind that several fragrances smell so similar to each other anyway.

So how do you go about it? A little investigation into what the recipient is actually enjoying right now is highly recommended. This can come through casual chit-chat (and if you paid attention all along in the past you should be able to at least pinpoint some favorite smells which might serve as a little steering help), through direct asking of what they're currently wearing or through observation of what they do have in their homes on the dresser or the bathroom shelf. If the latter is more silently conductive, pay attention that some bottles might have pride of place simply due to their decorative value, their prestige or simply because they were gifts by beloved people, yet they remain mostly unused (you don't want to repeat that mistake, do you?). Try to determine which of those fragrances get some actual use. If you can, do a comparative test with testers at the store, so you can pinpoint if you have actually smelled them wearing them. Who knows, you might find some little gems for yourself too, in the process!

If your direct question provides a direct answer à la "I am wearing Chanel No.5", there is the pressing tempetation to capitulate and buy just that. Try to resist acting upon it in the literal sense of buying another bottle of that fragrance. Replenishing a diminished stash might devalue the fragrance experience somewhat by unconsiously comparing it to refilling the fridge with milk. It doesn't make for the mingle of joyful surprise and guaranteed satisfaction that a successful gift entails. One lovely idea of bypassing this obstacle might be to buy some of the ancillary products in the same line of the fragrance: Often women -and men- are reluctant to buy those themselves, as they see them as an indulgence that is harder to justify, especially in times of financial recession (those body lotions, fragrant shower gels and shaving foams are more expensive than the more generic products for the same use). This solves two problems: it makes for a gift that can't go wrong smell-wise and it offers a little element of surprise combined!

Another idea, a little more elaborate but not too difficult, might be to search for something along the same lines as the scent of established "like": Belonging to the same olfactory family, encompassing similar "notes", or generally being a comparable style. To get help in this more sophisticated task, you can get help at the counter, but perhaps more effectively you can research a bit yourself online. Fragrantica and Osmoz are databases which describe the olfactory families (citrus, floral, oriental, woody, aldehydic, chypre, fougère) and classify many popular fragrances in them, so you have a little steering help. If, in the meantime, you're unsure what those chypres or aldehydes you're stumbling upon are and how they smell our articles on Perfume Shrine might be of help. (just click on the links and scroll!)
Michael Edwards of the Fragrance Foundation comes to the rescure too. His incredible database Fragrances of the World for feminine and masculine fragrances respectively, allows you to search for the fragrance you want to compare by its initial (how much simpler can you get!) and then shows you similar fragrances to it. It contains mainstream brands, classic fragrances, niche perfumes, as well as drugstore ones and discontinued scents which might have been otherwise obscure to decode. Very handy! Basenotes is another huge database of fragrances which lists fragrance "notes": you can search the desired fragrance of choice and compare and contrast notes of others; or better yet run them through their system by typing the ones you're interested in, in the appropriate box, separated by a comma (say: tobacco, hay, leather) ~five seconds later they will present you with several choices to choose from, masculine or feminine, whatever you prefer. For instance, these are the choices I got by randomly typing orange blossom, rose, tuberose, amber: A Demi-mot by Galimard, Trussardi Action Donna, Darling II by Fabergé, Magical Romance by Anna Sui, New York Nights by Girard, Razala by Ayala Moriel and Spellbound by Estée Lauder. You can do the same thing on the Fragrantica site as well.

Sometimes, among perfume afficionados, there is the seemingly practical advice of buying a sampler pack from Sephora to let the recipient of your gift choose what they like themselves, accompanied by a gift certificate to go on and buy that fragrance later on. Although this seems like a wonderful solution to the above dilemmas on shopping for fragrance for someone else, the recipient unless a hardcore perfumista/perfumisto is left with no goody bag to unwrap. A disappointing feeling, despite your better intentions... To avoid that, yet guarantee a successful purchase, you can buy whatever you have narrowed it down to and then ask the sales associate at the shop to include a sample vial of said fragrance inside the gift packaging, so that the giftee can sample the fragrance at the leisure of their home without ruining the packaging (this is especially important for the European market that does not accept returns of opened products, unless clearly defective). If you can, include a couple of samples of fragrances available in the same store, so that if the first is not as successful, maybe it will give them ideas and the return will be easy and enjoyable. It's generally a good idea to ask if returns are acceptable anyway and the specific terms of those returns -a simple return receipt, the time-frame in which it can be done etc.- and let the recipient know about them (they wouldn't ask you themselves out of politeness). This is especially important for men who often feel intimidated in department stores and boutiques and would rather let that pretty flacon gather dust than venture into that sea of unknown. If you suspect this is the case and it's someone close, offer to do it for them or accompany them and do some sniffing together. This is also a lovely bonding experience for couples (and eye-opening too, I might add).

Whatever you do remember another rule of thumb: Most people have not even heard of niche brands and no matter how much you want to introduce them to the delectable joys of Serge Lutens, Frédéric Malle or the newest wonder of Comme des Garcons for H&M, their products might smell weird to them and the brand recognisability will be nil (I realize that if you're reading Perfume Shrine you're probably beyond that, wearing what you like and perhaps even embracing the lure of the "being in the know" factor, but the average person is still swayed by what they perceive as "prestige" ~brands such as Chanel, Lancôme, Hermès, Guerlain, Christian Dior, Bulgari, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent et al have still a lot of covetability cachet in them).

Last but not least, some of the most popular and generally well-liked fragrances across the boards you're less likely to get wrong with (but there's no 100% guarantee!) include the following:
For women: Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, Prada Infusion d'Iris, Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue, Stella McCartney Stella, Burberry Brit, Christian Dior Hypnotic Poison, Philosophy Amazing Grace.
For men: Guerlain Vetiver, Gendarme by Gendarme, Armani Mania for men, Thierry Mugler Cologne, Gucci pour Homme, Gucci Envy pour homme, Prada Infusion d'Homme, Rochas Man, Paco Rabanne XS, Dior Eau Sauvage, Cerruti 1881, Terre d'Hermès.

Good luck shopping and remember, it's the thought that counts!

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Christmas 08 Gift Ideas part 1
Pics from top via Flickr by 99elledge, DonnaGreyson and *an_drea.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Christmas '08 Gift Ideas part 1

Christmas shopping is never easy as there are so many people vying for your attention and so many choices that somehow you end up confused and more stressed than you began. What should have been a relaxing and enjoyable experience becomes the frantic rush to get the medal award for best gifter of the year, and with the financial situation what it is, it's even more stressful and Utopian to think you can manage it all easily! Therefore, we aim to provide a little guiding into some good ideas for scent-related shopping that will satisfy everyone and in most cases won't break the bank.

This holiday season ring in the green by supporting an environmental organization while gifting a gorgeous, handmade botanical perfume to someone dear and close…perhaps even yourself! Sierra perfume by award winning artist and botanical perfumer Roxana Villa extols the virtues of nature and the spirit of the holidays: fresh citrus top notes leading into a conifer forest on an earthy bed of decomposing leaves. Majestic like the great evergreen trees it honors, Sierra is one of several in the line tied to an environmental foundation: A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the 7 gram flacon supports the Los Angeles organization TreePeople. The pure perfume extrait contained in a glass flacon retails for $150 and arrives in hand crocheted teal green pouch within a silk lined box. The fragrance also exists as a solid perfume, called Sierra Solid Gold ,expanding upon the primary theme of the liquid by including warm spice notes.($65, contained in an antique finished compact within a hand crocheted teal green pouch enclosed in a silk lined box). Available at illuminatedperfume.com

Bond no.9 have some more economical than usual ideas for Recession Gift giving that is not short on the glam-factor nevertheless.

The "Perfume Token":Solid-perfume compacts are a nice idea, especially for travelling and this is it (refillable too): you choose one of Bond' 6 most popular eaux de parfum ~Union Sqaure, Chinatown, Nuits de Noho, Scent of Peace of Wall Street~ and it has its own little white leather zipper case: $85.
The Soapboxes:
Soaps are classic gifts for hostesses: A set of four (Chelsea Flowers, Chinatown, Eau de New York and The Scent of Peace): $95. A lone soap bar, available in six of the best-selling scents (the boxed foursome, Nuits de Noho and Wall Street): $35.
Travellers' Candles:
A five-pack of Bond's most popular scents (Chelsea Flowers, Chinatown, Eau de New York, Nuits de Noho and The Scent of Peace) in glam case, each bearing the Bond No. 9 “token”: $95.
Holiday Bon Bon Pocket Sprays:
Eight pocket spray flacons, each containing a different New York neighborhood eau. They're small to have on-the-go and refillable: $130.
Available at the Bond no.9 Boutiques

If candles are your style but you never find presentable ones at a reasonable price, I have two that look seriously cool, have interesting smells and are 55$:
Burn Candle in Himalayan Black Tea emits soft scents of dark steeped assam tea leaves, golden tipped Darjeeling, dried Clementine peel tisane, smoky yerba mate, Malabar banji leaf chai and aromatic ceylon infusion blend together to create an illusion of entering Marriages Freres probably. Burn Candle in Mandarin Rind encompasses scents of pomelo, yuzu, mandarin rind, red currant, pomegranate, tangerine and musk blend together to create a festive atmosphere. They both burn for 100hours, which is perfect for the price.
Available at Pink Mascara. While you're there pick up those glorious danglies too, will you?

Often, you don't want to take the chance of choosing a fragrance for someone else: too risky! But Ayala Moriel Parfums had the perfect idea: a gift certificate for them to pick their own! They come in the form of gift cards (very cute) and can be customized for any budget. The giftee also receives a complementary fragrance consultation to help them find the best scent or samples from the Ayala Moriel perfume collection. Gift cards are posted on the website in values of $65 (the cost of a purse-roll-on), $110 (parfum extrait) and $550 (signature perfume), but if none of these numbers or gift ideas are what you have in mind, Ayala Moriel is happy to send you a PayPal request for the total amount you are interested in. There is also the option of sampler sets: sampler gift boxes, to be accompanied by a gift card. This way they can pick for themselves which scent they want after trying a few of the fragrances. An especially economic choice is the 8-sample package of the top-selling perfumes with a gift card of $65 (to go towards a purse-roll-on or any other purchase). Available at Ayala Moriel Parfums

Also time to take advantage of discounts:Online decanter and seller of niche lines's bottle The Posh Peasant is having a 20% off everythingfrom December 3rd through December 12th with discount code THANKYOU08.
And Anya's Garden all-natural Perfumes and natural Essences is hosting a 25% discount for our readers with code PERFUMESHRINE. Click Anya's Garden site for choices.


Pics courtesy of Roxana Villa, Bond no.8, pinkmascara.com, ayalamoriel.com
*Disclaimer: The Perfume Shrine is not affiliated with any of the above companies.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Laura Mercier exclusive Nuits Enchantees in the US: fragrance news

Laura Mercier has a UK-only limited edition fragrance for women coming to the US, available at Nordstorm for 4 days only. It's Nuit Enchantées (=Enchanted Nights), inspired by the One Thousand and One Nights tale and tagged as "the perfect sensual scent for evening". Designed by James Krivda it belongs to the oriental olfactive family.

Most Nordstrom stores are only getting ten bottles or so. That's because it was produced in only 3000 bottles, so you might want to be quick!
Availability September 17-20 in the 75$ price range for 50ml of Eau de Parfum concentration.

Notes include tuberose, mocha, mace, cardamom, mandarin, ginger, rose, cedar leaf amber, patchouli, sandalwood.
Initial impressions talk about an addictive, warm, spicy fragrance with an autumnal air about it.

Shopping tip: Robyn, the Laura Mercier representative at Nordstrom can be reached at 314.255.2000 extension 1064. According to her she had 7 bottles and she has just gotten the tester in.

The fragrance can also be purchased in the UK of course, at Harrods, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols.



Thanks to chimpyblue05 on MUA for bringing the news to my attention.
Some info and pic via Vogue.co.uk and Fragrantica.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Mother's Day suggestions

Many wonderful suggestions out there for the one person in our lives who loves us no matter what: our mother. Perfume Shrine presents you with some of them.

From Beautyhabit:

Beautiful solid fragrances encased in antique gold compacts in the In Fiore line. The scent comes in a base of jojoba oil and honey-scented beeswax. They look wonderful and they come in 6 scents:

Bois d'ete (with begamot, neroli and vetiver)

Fleur Orange (with neroli, jasmine sambac and Oman frankincense)

Fleurs blanches (with tuberose, jasmine, rose and orange blossom)

Fumee d'ambre (with incense, patchouli, vetiver and sweet amber)

Night Queen (with jasmine, bergamot peel, rose, oud and patchouli)

Patchouli Royale (with antique patchouli, oud, sandalwood and exotic balsams)

Rose Noir (with saffron absolute, Assam oud, galbanum and damascena rose)

From Hqhair.co.uk:

The Mama Mio Supermama Kit kit is filled with daily essential skincare for you to enjoy. Starting with Mama Mio Moisturising Shower Cream: it is actually a baby cleanser! Mama Mio felt that every mama can use a little babying sometimes. That explains why it is so gentle – it won’t strip your skin like a harsh soap. And of course it is sodium laureth sulfate free – it’s from Mama Mio.

Next is the important exfoliation stage. The Supersmooth Body Buff will gently and effectively remove the dead skin cells that stop nourishment penetrating your skin. The tiny granules are micro-ground natural pumice blended with Sweet Almond Oil to ensure that the Body Buff slides easily all over and isn’t too harsh.

The Super-rich Body Cream is a must for every mama. It’s rich yet quickly absorbed, nourishing but light, and makes skin feel silky and, very importantly, smell gorgeous. So lavish your skin with this super-nourishing cream and glory at the glow and softness.

Mama Mio Wonder-Full Balm really is. Named Wonder-Full Balm because you will find a million different ways to use it. Nine natural oils in a beeswax base, it is really a solid oil that melts in contact with your skin and provides rich intense moisture. Best lip balm ever, fantastic cuticle cream, adios dry elbows, run away rough heels… You will pull it out of your bag five times daily and you will never travel without it.

Mama Mio Supermama Kit contains: Moisturising Shower Creme, 300mlSuper-rich Body Cream, 200mlBody Buff, 200mlWonder-full Balm, 30ml

From Ayala Moriel:

Pamper your Mom on Mother's Day with an all-natural fragrant gift. Nothing can beat a custom scent, especially designed for her. We particulary encourage mothers and daugthers to come together to the studio for a shared Olfactory Journey - an unforgettable experience of essences from around the world, where the exotic meets the familiar in the most magical way. At the end of a journey, your memories and passions will be bottled in an elegant parfum flacon and a pendant.
In addition, a few specials* just for the occasion: - Perfumed Teas are on special for $20 (instead of $30). These organic and wild crafted teas are TO DIE FOR! - Purse size perfume oils, for only $65 - Perfumed Pendants are on sale now for $125 (instead of $150) - Gift Certificates for $100 or for any amount you'd like can be emailed or printed as well. Email us with the amount and message you'd like on the gift certificate and we'll send you a PayPal payment request. - And of course, if you are looking for something different check out Etsy shop for rare collectibles such as poison rings and vintage pillboxes filled with our delicious crème parfums.

* Offers expire May 30th.

From Origins:

From May 1st through May 6th, there is an offer of 25% off your next purchase. And when shopping online, the code 0508FF gets youstandard free shipping.


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