BellaSugar

Marie Antoinette's $900 Perfume

BellaSugar — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 07:00:57 -0700

Move over, Clive Christian-you've got company in the ranks of priciest perfumes.

Yesterday, FabSugar and I went to an event previewing an upcoming Marie Antoinette exhibition at San Francisco's Legion of Honor. It was there that I was able to smell Marie Antoinette Sillage de la Reine, a luxurious fragrance that costs $900 for 25ml.

Marie Antoinette Sillage de la Reine was created by French perfume maker Francis Kurkdjian, who recreated Marie Antoinette's signature fragrance. In that sense, it's a ghost of a perfume, but the scent is anything but faint. To see what went inside this limited-edition perfume, read more

Kurkdjian based his work on A Scented Palace: The Secret History of Marie-Antoinette’s Perfumer by Elizabeth Feydeau. The book explores the notes of the queen's Versailles perfumer, and from this information Kurkdjian was able to recreate her beloved scent.

The fragrance is entirely natural, which is why it was initially a bit strong for Fab and me. But it does smell very regal-as it should, of course. It contains rose, iris, cut jasmine, tuberose and orange blossom. Woody touches of cedar and sandalwood are also present, with the sandalwood more fragrant to my nose than the cedar. Additionally, it has notes of Tonkin musk (that's, um, the content of Himalayan goats' glands) and grey amber.

It was such a wonderful treat to smell such a rare fragrance, and it did transport me into another time (if only for a moment). If you are the kind of high roller who wants to smell like a queen, you'll be able to purchase Marie Antoinette Sillage de la Reine this fall from the de Young/Legion of Honor Museum Store in San Francisco. Proceeds from the perfume's sale will help restore an area used by Marie-Antoinette at Versailles.

Finally, if you think $900 is expensive, wait until you hear how much the "prestige" edition cost. Decanted into a Baccarat crystal container, and limited to only 10 worldwide, it sells abroad for 8,000 euros-just over $11,000. In contrast, $900 is a bargain, eh?

Paris Match: Ladurée Launches a Beauty Line

BellaSugar — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 13:14:07 -0800

If you ever go to Paris, one of the places you must visit is Ladurée. It's a luxurious patisserie that, since 1862, has been creating beautiful pastries and sweets almost too beautiful to eat. (You know the treats in Marie Antoinette? Those were from Ladurée.) Whenever I'm lucky enough to be in Paris, I have to have a few. And by "a few," I mean at least a dozen.

Now there's another way to get your Ladurée fix. The venerable brand has launched a small line of beauty products. Like the pastries, the lotions and potions use almonds (albeit in oil form); the idea is that almond oil will soften and moisturize skin. The Moment says the packaging is ridiculous, and although I love Ladurée, I'd rather eat its macaroons than trust a patisserie for my beauty needs. Still, if you're lucky enough to be in Paris anytime soon, you can peruse the Ladurée beauty collection at Le Bon Marché.

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Halloween How-To: Amy Winehouse

BellaSugar — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 15:07:15 -0700

I'm hearing a lot of buzz about people going as Amy Winehouse this Halloween, which is a great idea-her look is unmistakable, and it's over-the-top fun. So when makeup artist Yvette Beebe offered to show me how to recreate her hair and makeup, I jumped at the chance to share the steps with you. Yvette has her own cosmetics line, and she really knows how to get a rocker-girl look down pat-not surprising, since she went on tour with Pink to give her that cool-girl look. (Be sure to check out my Q&A with Yvette next week.)

The best thing about this costume idea is that it's easy. As Yvette told me, the goal isn't to look precise and perfect; it's to look a little down-and-dirty, just the way Amy does on stage. For a gallery of really fun photos and Yvette's instructions, just read more

View 8 Photos ›

Face: Yvette started by evening out our model's skin with yb naked foundation stick. To create a gaunt-looking face, she contoured cheeks with yb pale bronzer.

Eye basics: Yvette started by lining the inner eyelids with black eyeliner. She then brushed the eyelids from lashes to brow with a barely-there, shimmery shade of pink. (She used yb shady in Pearly Jam.) She darkened the eyebrows by dipping a brush in yb shady powder in Elton Brown, then exaggerating the brows' width and thickness. Follow with a coat or two of black mascara.

Eyeliner : This is the hallmark of Amy's look. Yvette used yb crooked eyeliner in Raven. Here's the trick. The "point" of the liner should start at the outer edges of eyebrows. Starting there, draw down to the lashline, using your iris as the end point. Fill in the exaggerated cat-eye shape by moving down toward your eyelids (as opposed to starting near the lid and drawing upward.)

Lips : Amy's lips are almost always pale, so Yvette used a nearly nude gloss called yb lippy in Shy.

Hair: Yvette used two wigs to recreate Amy's signature hairdo. The first was a simple black wig. For the beehive, she covered a Marie Antoinette wig with black spray paint, then secured it to the other wig with bobby pins. (For another option, check out this video.)

The rest: Fake and temporary all the way! We went with a rocker-girl outfit for Amy, but jeans and a white tank top will work, too. After all, Amy's signature look is all about the hair and makeup.

Rich Hippie Summer of Love Perfume

BellaSugar — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 10:00:27 -0700

It's been 40 years since the famous bohemian summer, so Rich Hippie is right on trend with its Summer of Love scent. This fragrance is a little bit different than your standard perfume because it's in the form of an oil. And before I hit you with the cost, understand that it's highly concentrated, so the little vial lasts for quite a while.

Ok, so for a half of an ounce and $355, you can be the proud owner of the essence of Summer of Love. Doesn't that sound really sexy and romantic?

The perfume is made from only organic and wild-crafted ingredients such as jasmine, ylang ylang, vanilla bean, rose, litsea cubeba and orange blossom. Do you think you'd be willing to spend this much on a perfume? Sure, it's a few hundred dollars cheaper than Marie Antoinette's perfume, but the hippies of yesteryear couldn't have dreamed that they'd inspire a luxury scent!