BellaSugar

Definition: Attar

BellaSugar — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 06:00:00 -0700

Attars are the world’s oldest perfumes, incredibly concentrated elixirs extracted from the juices of flowers, spices, and barks. They can contain anything from hundreds of ingredients to a simple, single note, sometimes distilled over years. Rose attar is probably the best known, but there are as many attars as there are fragrant herbs. While they’ve remained popular in India and the Middle East, attars had fallen out of favor among mainstream Western perfumeries, only to be found in niche, "natural" perfume boutiques, and among those allergic to the synthetic bases used in most modern perfumes. But recently there’s been a resurgence in the popularity of this type of fragrance.

Distilled in naturally derived oils, not the lab-synthesized compounds many perfume companies have become reliant on, attars are a lot more green, and much more skin-friendly, than their chemical counterparts. Aveda's certified organic scent, Ancient Attar ($70), is a romantic, long-lasting blend of rose, neroli, and sandalwood. You can try the attar experience without investing big bucks as well. C.O. Bigelow has been using attars in its apothecary products for 168 years, and it has a huge line of singular notes like Magnolia Perfume Oil ($15), a heady, unabashedly floral scent.

DKNY Be Delicious Gets Pop Artsy

BellaSugar — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:00:36 -0700

As part of DKNY's Delicious Art series, the design on the popular Be Delicious fragrance collection is a-changing once again. The most recent depiction features the limited edition DKNY Be Delicious Art Eau de Parfum Spray ($38-$70) and DKNY Be Delicious Art Body Lotion ($38), complete with packaging inspired by 1960s pop art. Artist Brad Hamann's cartoon-like layout features bold green tones and Ben-day dots on the apple-shaped bottle, along with comic lettering and speech balloons on the outer packaging. (Are you sensing a little of A-ha's "Take on Me" action like I am?)

All Bottled Up: The Most Outrageously Gorgeous Fragrance Misters

BellaSugar — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 08:00:26 -0700

Perfume is so much more than scent. I love the clever packaging, the colors of the tinctures inside, even the goofy little trinkets that are sometimes included with them. But my heart beats faster when I think about the bottles. Is there anything more luxurious than the sound of them clinking softly on a silver tray? Many of the best are little jewels of design, and so beautiful you'd never dare hide them in a cabinet. I've put together a few of my favorites; they smell great, and they look even better.

Perfumer Mandy Aftel on Food-Based Fragrance Trend

BellaSugar — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 10:00:11 -0800

Last week, I met renowned natural perfumer, author, and owner of Aftelier Perfumes, Mandy Aftel, in her visually stunning Berkeley, CA studio.

With wood built-ins, glass bottles lining the windows, and apothecary style furnishings, it was a little Frank Lloyd Wright with a pinch of Harry Potter. Topped off with the collective smell of essential oils and perfumes? Yeah, it was pretty much like heaven.

When it comes to industry trends, "Food-based smells are quite popular right now," she says. Oh, gourmand, you say? I sampled her Layering Gourmand Trio ($125), which was complex, inviting, and - well, delicious.

"Natural materials really mix with your body chemistry in a very interesting way, then they kind of fade away," she says. . .They have that soft arc that I think is very sexy." Humina, humina. As for this set? The three pieces can be worn apart or together for maximum sensuality. Find out which aromas are included when you read more.

Cassis: A great Fall fragrance with notes of black currant and rum.
Cocao: A blend of jasmine, blood orange, and cocao from a Costa Rican plantation. Psst - Aftel distills the cocao herself.
Fig: A mix of fir absolute, jasmine sambac, and yuzu, duplicating the aroma of this sweet fruit to a tee. Speaking of "tea," she makes that, too - of the perfumed variety, of course.

Photo courtesy of Mandy Aftel

Beauty Byte: Paris Hilton's Tinkerbelle-esque New Fragrance

BellaSugar — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 09:00:11 -0700

Paris Hilton, who is no stranger to the fragrance world, is about to wave her magic money making wand again, this time with the launch of a new perfume called Fairy Dust.

According to WWD, the perfume will have top notes of sparkling Prosecco accord, orange blossom, and pink peony. The middle notes will consist of spring gardenia, water lilly, and peach nectar, and the blend will finish off with bottom notes of cashmere musk, sueded patchouli, and vanilla cream. I'd like to take a whiff just based on the peach/patchouli combo alone.

If you'd like to check out Fairy Dust ($45 to $55) and the coordinating body lotion ($28), stop in at Macy's, Bon-Ton, Belk, or Boscov's for the mid-October launch. So, tell me what you think about Paris' latest venture. Does the concept fly for you, or are you thinking Never(land)?

Beauty Byte: Rachel Zoe to Launch a Fragrance

BellaSugar — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:00:22 -0700

It seems that when one door closes, another opens. That's certainly true of the dynamically busy Rachel Zoe, who may be out as an advisor at Halston but is having no problem filling her time. She's a stylist to the stars, there's a TV show in the works (The Rachel Zoe Project), and she's rumored to be a guest judge on this season's Project Runway, but up next is fragrance designer. A source close to the project said this "scent will really reflect her personal style and hopefully finally brand her.”

I've heard Zoe speak before, and at the time she was obsessed with '70s glamour. So, I'm thinking a bit of patchouli might be in the mix. What are your expectations, if any, for the scent?

Source

Beauty Byte: Jessica Simpson to Launch Fragrance

BellaSugar — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 10:44:31 -0700

What do Mariah Carey, Gwen Stefani and Jessica Simpson have in common-aside from their platinum albums? They're all entering the celebrity-fragrance business. Here's the scoop from Parlux, the beauty company she's working with:

The fragrance line will debut in July 2008, in the U.S., with an international roll-out shortly thereafter. The fragrance will reflect Ms. Simpson’s style, personality and confidence.

According to Ms. Simpson, “I wanted to partner with a company that would be able to express my personality through a fragrance. After meeting with Parlux, I’m extremely excited to start the development process with them.”

I'm curious to find out what Jessica comes up with. I bet it'll be very feminine, fruity and soft (and that somewhere, Ashlee Simpson is mulling her own fragrance, too). What do you think?
Source

Coming Soon: M by Mariah Carey Fragrance

BellaSugar — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 14:15:47 -0700

This fall, Mariah Carey and Gwen Stefani will be going head-to-head on the charts-the fragrance charts, that is. As we reported last week, Gwen's launching L by Gwen Stefani and now Mariah's preparing to debut M by Mariah Carey. (What's with the one-consonant names, ladies?)

Women's Wear Daily reports that M will be a "floriental":

It has top notes of marshmallow and sea breeze accord, a heart of Living Tahitian Tiare and gardenia and a drydown of sheer amber, patchouli and Moroccan incense.

The eau de parfum will come in three sizes ($38–$58), while a .5 oz parfum bottle ($175) and a body lotion ($28) offer other ways to get Carey-ed away. To get a look at the bottle, just read more
What do you think of the bottle design? Will you be spritzing Mariah's fragrance or Gwen's (or both)?

Source

Beauty Byte: Learn to Covet SJP's New Scent

FabSugar — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 09:09:22 -0700

If Sarah Jessica Parker's first perfume, Lovely, was too girly-girl for you, then her latest scent, Covet, will rock your olfactory world. According to reports the scent, made of wet greens, geranium leaves, Sicilian lemon, lavender and chocolate, will hit Macy's in mid-July and will be distributed to other department and specialty stores after August. The actress drew inspiration from her hometown of New York City and knew from the very beginning that she wanted the smell to be more aggressive.

SJP's two fragrances represent the opposite sides of the same woman; Covet, which comes with a jeweled cap and gold herringbone neck, appeals to the saucy, bad girl side. Ladies, tuck away your lovely side for a while and let your ballsy woman roar!

Source

The Calming Scent of Flowers by Kenzo

BellaSugar — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 04:11:22 -0700

FlowerbyKenzo Summer Fragrance, $52 is a new limited edition Summer 2007 fragrance. It has a soft, powdery, fresh floral essence that is a fabulous way to spring into the sunny rays of summertime! It is alcohol free and has a silky texture which is great for the heat of the season when you want to feel light and refreshed instead of oily and weighed down.

It is made from: vanilla, Bulgarian rose, citrus fruits, bergamot, wild hawthorne, Parma violet, cassia, hedione, cyclosal, opoponax and white musk.

The bottle is pretty too. The long thin angular glass has fuchsia triangles, ripples of red ribbons, and swirls of orange running around in the form of a poppy - the original flower on the bottle. It is available in one size; a 1.7 oz bottle for $52.

Thierry Mugler Angel Refillable Purse Spray - $100.00	Calvin Klein euphoria spring temptation - $20.00
Lolita Lempicka Fleur de Corail - $47.00	KENZOAMOUR 'Indian Holi' Eau de Parfum - $72.00
Pucci Vivara To Go - $50.00	Dior Midnight Poison Eau de Parfum Spray - $72.00
Armani Code Sheer 1.7 oz Eau de Toilette - $55.00	Kenzo FlowerbyKenzo - $25.00
Givenchy 'Ange ou Démon' Eau de Parfum Spray - $70.00	Dior J'adore for Women Perfume Collection - $46.00