MULTIFACETED

Happy Sunday to you, my little cats!

Today we’re going to talk about cosmetics, and more specifically, perfume. I’ve always found beauty articles specializing in new fragrances to be fascinating. I am convinced that it’s a pretty difficult task to talk about something as volatile as perfume. How do you find the right words, visual enough to make you want to open the door of a boutique to smell them, and more importantly, to buy an invisible accessory that will end up becoming an integral part of who you are? 

As for me, I’ve pretty much been lazy when it comes to perfume. I wore “Innocent” by Thierry Mugler every day for an easy 7 years. Now whenever I smell this scent, it makes me so nostalgic, it’s the smell of my teenage years and of my arrival in Paris, my first loves…It’s crazy how intimately perfume is intertwined with our emotions, there are scents that make me lose my head because they remind me of a guy I had a run-in with a few years ago, or others that are soothing because they remind me of one my mother used to wear when I was a kid, or others that make me uncomfortable because they bring back memories of the despotic, ex-boss from my past.  

A few years ago, I thought to myself what a shame it would be to have only one signature perfume, because after all, I am multifaceted. I wasn’t just “Innocent,” I was no longer that slightly-lost adolescent, fresh off the boat, just arriving in Paris. For a long time I wanted to make a change, but I didn’t know where to look, because for me, the holy land of perfumes was Sephora. And then I started my blog, I met people. I received perfume samples, fabulous press kits, I met new people like Lili Barbery and Mai Hua, who introduced me to beauty care in the bathroom, I visited perfume workshops. And I really wanted to go towards new things, less factory-made, fragrances that I wouldn’t smell on other people either. So there you have it, I just gave you an analysis of my thoughts when my gaze fell upon my collection of indispensables this morning, sitting on my mantelpiece as if on a throne…

I love them all.

My favorite perfume, out of all of them, is "Néroli", oh and it’s empty by the way, but I just can’t get myself to throw the bottle out. I think it’s perfect, it makes me think of something really fresh, very feminine but not too overpowering, although as soon as I put some on, my boyfriend’s nose is buried in my neck. Néroli, orange blossom and lemon… I wear it in total confidence; it’s my safe bet when I don’t know what else to put on. But I’m trying to force myself to change so I don’t fall into old habits. 

Since I have a problem with orange blossom, I also wear Bonpoint’s Eau de Toilette that smells baby-fresh, it gives me a pick-me-up, as if the spray shaved a few years of my age. I wear it along with “Néroli” for a combo of freshness.  By the way, Bonpoint’s eau de toilette was designed by Annick Goutal. This product has been my top discovery of these last few years.

And then for the days I want to be more subtle, a bit more boyish, I wear the cologne "l'eau d'Hadrien" by Annick Goutal. I find this perfume to be more unisex; it also has hints of super-fresh citrus, but is woody and green, with a touch of basil and rosemary. I like to put it on right after my shower for that clean smell. 

And then one day, I was supposed to work on a project for Jo Malone, for the launch of a new perfume called "Wood Sage and Sea Salt."  The project never came to light but I fell in love with this scent. It is, without a doubt, the most masculine of my perfumes, I wear it when I feel like having adventures, or when I want to be taken seriously, it smells like both sea and land at the same time. For me, it’s the Oreo of my perfumes, more salty, it has that little taste that’s keeps you “coming back for more”…

And then we have the 3 other ones, stronger, and noteworthy. The first is the body lotion "Un Jardin en Méditerranée" (“A Mediterranean Garden”) by Hermès, which Lili gave me when things weren’t going too well, and it was seriously like a band-aid for my low morale. The scent is so strong that I wear it like a perfume and it lasts all day long. I put it on as soon as the weather gets nice, it gives me the sensation of having my heart warmed while waiting for vacation-time.

Elie Saab l'essence n°1 Rose, is the most recent addition to my collection. I used to think rose smelled too “girly” and was in complete rebellion against all that was “too girly” for a long time, and then, you know, people change, and I put water in my wine…Never say never. I like this fragrance, it’s rather exhilarating, since at first it has a strong aroma of rose, and then it literally smells like pomegranate juice, a super sweet smell. When I wear it, I feel like a heroine out of a Jacques Demy film... I love it.

And then of course there’s B by Balenciaga, but that one, I’ve already talked about here. It’s my evening-wear perfume, the one I splash on when I want to be noticed, when I want to be remembered…As I said in this article, I don’t know whether it’s the lily of valley or the iris but it leaves no one unaffected…

How about you, are you loyal to just one, or do you have a whole collection of perfumes? 

Translated by Ida Driscoll