I ran over to Sephora to smell Stellanude. It is very strong on the rose, I didn't get any pink grapefruit scent at all from it... The rose is a nice rose, at least, not the fake rose. But I think it's a bit too heavy on the rose for me. Overall I expected it to be lighter.
I think I might like Stella Sheer better. The notes are lemon, green apple, rose and amber.
Stella McCartney's new fragrance Stellanude is available now at Sephora. The notes are Moroccan Rose, Grapefruit, White Peony, Pink Pepper, Precious Vanilla, Grey Amber, and Musk.
I'm very curious to smell it. I don't like musk at all and sometimes I like rose, sometimes not. I used to love a Bulgarian rose water hydrosol that I can no longer find. It had a delicious real rose smell; not the fake, overbearing and old-lady smell that rose can sometimes take on. Depending on the mix this one could be great... or not so much. I will report back after I smell it. The reviews on Sephora so far are all good.
Neiman Marcus is offering a really nice gift with purchase for Estee Lauder right now. With any $55 purchase you get a gift set that includes:
• Re-Nutriv Ultimate Lifting Creme, (deluxe 14-day supply)
• Re-Nutriv Creme Cleanser
• Deluxe Golden Fluted Compact with Estee Lauder Signature Silky Eyeshadow Quad in Truffle and Pure Color EyeShadow in Cinnamon, Honey Drop, Tea Biscuit, Copper Penny, Mocha Cup, and Mink
• Estee Lauder Signature Hydra Lustre Lipstick in Apricot Sun
• More Than Mascara Moisture-Binding Formula
• Black tote and cosmetics bag
When I was younger I was an EL fanatic... I used everything including all of the anti-aging products in college! Fruition, Advanced Night Repair, etc. etc. These were the old days before the internet and there were limited brands available in the hinterlands of Vermont. These days I've branched out into other brands too, but I still love EL, always will.
A great way to qualify for the gift is the big 1.7 oz. size of Advanced Night Repair, $74.50. This is a fabulous product that's loaded with antioxidants that help restore skin from past damage and protect it from future damage. I think anyone over 30 should have a bottle of this in their arsenal!
I am also curious to try the Jasmine White Moss EDP from the EL Private Collection of fragrances. This is one of Aerin's creations, started from a fragrance her grandmother had worked on in the late '80s. Aerin tweaked it and now it's been released. It's supposed to be "a fresh, vibrant, sparkling scent, with an opulent white bouquet surrounded by delicate moss, rich woods, and pure natural fragrance Absolutes". The EDP spray is $80 for 1 oz.
I LOVE the bottle for the Parfum Spray, 1 oz. $325 (shown above, right). It's encrusted with real semiprecious stones. But I always prefer the lighter EDPs.
Chanel is releasing a new version of the Cristalle fragrance: Cristalle Eau Verte. The new creation is supposed to be lighter and fresher (to me, that's always a good thing).
There's a very good review of this scent at the now smell this blog. The review isn't that favorable but I think it's always good to make your own decision since everyone smells things differently and has different preferences. I am always a sucker for "green" fragrances so I'm looking forward to smelling it.
The perfect scent has arrived for all of us Champagne lovers. Fresh's new Citron de Vigne is a unisex fragrance inspired by France's Champagne region.
The scent is a crisp, sparkling, sensual blend... with an innovative heart note of pinot noir accord - comprised of bergamot, dark almond, musk, white sandalwood, and rose - combined with bubbling citrus top notes and an earthy base.
Top Notes: neroli, bitter orange, pink grapefruit
Heart Notes: Fresh's pinot noir accord, jasmine tea leaves, lemongrass
Base Notes: patchouli, sandalwood, amber
It's available so far in the eau de parfum ($75), candle ($48) and soap ($14).
Fresh's candles are great because they come with a cover to keep the dust out and burn for about 50 hours! So it's an expensive candle, but actually less than $1/hour... not bad when you think of that way.
There's a nice article in Vantiy Fair about Fresh co-founder, Alina Roytberg's trip to Veuve Clicquot in 2006 that inspired this fragrance line.
While we're on the topic of Veuve Clicquot... they happen to have a fabulous limited edition gift set of La Grande Dame Vintage 1998. The bottle comes in gorgeous black lacquer and mahogany box with chrome and leather detailing. The box is made by the famous Italian boat maker, Riva. The box is beautiful, definitely someting you'd keep long after the Champagne is gone. Sherry Lehman has it here in the city on sale right now for $149.95, regular $165.
Chanel is debuting a new collection of 12 rare fragrances, all in the same sleek understated bottle. You can sign up at Chanl to be notified when they are available, here.
Chanel also did a line of Exclusifs back in 2007, those included 4 relaunched scents and 6 new ones.
I read about this trio of new scents from Guerlain in February's Town & Country and I've been dying to smell them ever since. I'm going to have to dash over to Bergdorf's because they have an exclusive (other than Guerlain boutiques).
Each of the three scents is aimed at producing a certain mood, a certain fantasy: the femme fatale of cinematic tendencies; the truly erotic, sensual woman; or the playful woman-child.
Gourmand Coquin, aimed at producing the playful innocence of the woman-child, who might be not so innocent after all, is playing on two terrains, with notes of chocolate, piquant pepper, soft vanillic rose and lively rhum. Notes: black pepper, rose, rum, chocolate.
Chypre Fatal is geared towards the Hitchockian heroine, a femme fatale with a disposition to match. Its intense sillage, full of confidence announces a fiery heart under an exterior of icy demeanor. To make this woman unforgetable the composition is lightly woody and spicy, softened with vanilla and white peach.
Notes: white peach, rose, patchouli, vanilla
Oriental Brûlant is composed for those women who produce an instant reaction to men, that is them loosening up their ties. This soft oriental is evoking the colour red and is sensual and feline to the extreme in its ambience, with its warm tonka beans and the soft caress of soft almonds. The impression is one of a soft and appealing oriental a la maniere Guerlain.
Notes: clementine, almond, tonka beans, vanilla
The writer of the mention in Town & Country favored the Gourmand Coquin, saying that it was "more grown-up than most sugar-inspired perfumes. With a splash of rum, a pinch of peppercorn and a sprinkle of rose, it's cozy and enticing."