Beauty Tip: Don’t Wear Mono Fragrance

Different people react to smells differently. One and the same fragrance for two people can mean pleasure or headache. That’s why aroma-psychologists recommend to never use a mono-fragrance, especially if your ultimate goal is to attract and seduce.

The more complicated your fragrance cocktail, the higher is the chance it will turn your date or lover on ;-) Some people prefer to mix several perfumes to create their own unique irresistible fragrance.

Weird Fragrances and Curious Developments in Perfume Industry in 2008

You may be amazed what kind of fragrances are out there! Cosmeticsdesign-Europe ran an article where they mention several “weird and wonderful” scents of 2008.

Photo: by Food in Mouth at Flickr.com
For those who think burgers smell seductive Burger Kind released men's perfume called “Flame”.
It has a hint of flame broiled meat and captures the “essence of love” America has for its favourite sandwich Whopper.

Another curious scent was developed by Sports Interactive. This fragrance aims to inspire consumer’s winning spirit. And what can inspire that spirit if not the various scents found in the dressing rooms of successful teams. I wonder what this perfume smells like… sweaty T-Shirt?

Want to know how confidence and efficiency smell? Then try the fragrance launched by the Catalan Socialist Party back in January this year. Actually, as Albert Majós, explained it is neither a "perfume nor air-freshener" but the aromatic representation of socialism's values.

Photo: by Fool-on-the Hill at Flickr.com
Finally, let’s not forget Christopher Brosius’ ‘I Hate Perfume’ range. Here are a couple examples of his fragrances: Fir Tree – fir trees in the forest with a touch of frozen ground. Ocean/Eternal Return - the scent of sailing to the shore. Blend of fresh ocean air, wooden ship and a faint hint of cypress trees growing on the cliff above the water. I have never tested any of Christopher Brosius’ perfumes but I found his idea of expressing himself and his artistic vision in the perfume quite captivating.

Perfume industry seems to be full of new developments and nice surprises for consumers. 2008 saw the launch of an anti-aging perfume Ageless Fantasy by Harvey Prince. Recently a Mood-enhancing fragrance compound derived from sea coral has been approved for a patent.

Photo: by Tywak at Flickr.com
Only listen what it can do to your psychological state: “Just inhaling very small quantities resulted in enhanced feelings of confidence, relaxation, affection, warmth, satisfaction and sensuality, in both men and women,” a spokesman for the Human Pheremone Sciences said. I am looking forward to new discoveries and launches!

Beauty Shopping: Paris, Champs-Elysées - Guerlain Boutique

Paris and shopping are the two things that simply go together! And when you think shopping in Paris, you think Champs-Elysées. According to wikipedia, the name refers to the “Elysian Fields”, the place of the blessed in Greek mythology. When you find yourself in this world famous avenue you can consider yourself truly blessed with shopping opportunities! This most prestigious and broadest Paris avenue offers quite a few must-at-least-drop-by shopping spots. For a great choice of beauty products such as perfumes, makeup and skin care, you can choose from Sephora, Marriannaud, Guerlain and other boutiques!


Most of these stores have a modern design and feel to them. However in one particular place you will feel magically transported a hundred years back and will have a really memorable shopping experience. 68 Champs-Elysées is the address of a 3-floor Guerlain boutique. It is elegant, luxurious and unforgetable. The boutique first opened its doors in 1914 and was built for Guerlain by architect Méwès known for for building the Ritz Hotel on the Place Vendôme.


When you walk into the boutique, you find yourself on the ground floor with a couple displays of Guerlain perfumes and skin care. Friendly staff recommended taking a look upstairs. Right across from the entrance is a staircase leading to the mezzanine floor.
This floor as I read online was initially made up of small partitioned rooms and left vacant for several years and then it was restructured into a single space. Now this area is divided into 2 spacious rooms. One of them is devoted to "haute" perfumery and is located on the side of Champs-Elysées.


The centerpiece of this room is a gorgeous crystal chandelier over a lighted round perfume display. On the other side with windows looking into a courtyard I found a beauty area with makeup and skin care displays, several chairs and three large mirrors that seemed to be suspended over you in mid-air.

The sales girl gave me a small tour and told shortly how the successful history of Guerlain House began. She told me about the Eau de Cologne Impérial created by Pierre-François Pascal Guerlain in honor of Empress Eugenie which lead him to become Her Majesty’s Official Perfumer.

I tested several recent Guerlain’s perfumes including the Aqua Allegoria Fig-Iris and Cruel Gardenia. First the perfume is sprayed on a fan which is then lightly waved at you so that you can experience various notes and get a feel for the fragrance.


I like very light refreshing notes so my favorite out of the Guerlain’s perfumes I tested appeared to be Herba Fresca from Aqua Allegoria collection.

Further on, I was quite nosy to try out Guerlain’s classics Shalimar, Jicky and inquire into the story of their creation.

Then I took a look at the other room to try out Guerlain’s newest mascara - Le 2 de Guerlain Mascara.

And, finally, I made my purchase - no, not a perfume. I bought my favorite eye cream ever – Happylogy Eye (Glowing Eye Care/Action on first wrinkles, dark circles, puffiness). The best cream I have ever used, I stay true to it for already 3 years.



I requested it to be packed as it was a gift. Well, it was a gift - a gift for myself on the wonderful occasion of enjoying Paris and the beauty of shopping at La Maison Guerlain.



As I was about to leave the boutique the sales girl offered to spray Herba Fresca over me. The offer I was more than happy to accept!


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Guerlain beauty products: make-up, skin care, perfumes. Shop online!

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Beauty Review: Perfume Sample Set

I received a wonderful St.Valentine's present from my husband today: perfume sample set. The gift was accompanied by a comment: "what a smart marketing strategy, don't
you think?!" What got my business-minded husband so excited, is the whole idea coming with the set. It includes a certificate for a free perfume. So you can try out 10 fragrances and then use the certificate to get the one you like.
The package and presentation are very nice: box looks like it is lined with velvet, a book with description and ad photos is included, and your certificate has a conveninet table where you can rate perfumes on the scale of 1 to 5.


The 10 perfumes are

Boss Femme by Boss

Rose Essentielle by Bvlgari

Liberte by Cacharel

Armani Code by Giorgio Armani

L'Instant Magic by Guerlain

L'eau D'Issey by Issey Miyake

FlowerByKenzo by Kenzo

Hypnose by Lancome

For Her by Narciso Rodriguez

Alien by Thierry Mugler

I like perfumes with notes of freshness, perhaps just a touch of bitterness, not too sweet but a hint of sweetness is nice, fruity is nice too... However, when I feel I want a change a new experience, I would wear something completely different: like intense bitter-sweet. Some of the perfumes in the set I tried as samples before. For example, Hypnose by Lancome and L'Instant Magic by Guerlain. Both beautiful perfumes and are more of an evening-out variants.

Now I need to decide if I want a more subtle perfume for every day and occasion or a more intense evening varinat.

What I know for sure it will be fun to try these fragrances out (and review them as well)! The final decision will be tough!

And one more thing:
Happy St.Valentine's Day to everyone!