The following article, Moisturizer Mania was published in the December edition of Vogue Nippon
Tag: Vogue Nippon
The following news stories were published in the November issue of Vogue Nippon.
Here is a version of the text in English:
Organic Glam: The new organic fragrance collection from The Organic Pharmacy
Until now, organic perfume has had a reputation for being unsophisticated. It lacked the refined quality and complexity of traditional scent. It also tended not to last well on the skin. A number of innovative organic perfumes, including The Organic Pharmacy’s Organic Glam are shifting the status quo, albeit slowly. Organic Glam took three years to get right.
‘Creating a fragrance is complex,’ says founder, Margo Marrone. ‘Creating a natural fragrance is even more complicated. Fragrance testing went on for two and a half years, with hundreds of versions going back and forth. It was the tiny tweaks that made a difference to the end result,’ she says.
There are four scents; 85% of ingredients in each are organic. Citron is the freshest. Top notes of Sicilian lemon and bergamot give way to Moroccan orange blossom and ylang ylang. Heart notes of patchouli and neroli give lasting power. Number two, Jasmine, is steeped in Egyptian jasmine and ylang ylang and conjures up balmy evenings in the Mediterranean.
The third, Oriental Blossom, was compared by one, eminent beauty writer at the launch, with the ultimate oriental classic, Shalimar by Guerlain. Citrus top notes evaporate to reveal clove and cinnamon, rose and neroli. Oakmoss, vetiver, pepper, vanilla and ylang ylang give this scent its exotic, lasting quality. Number four is Oud, which taps into the current trend for using this classic, Middle Eastern perfume ingredient in fragrance. It’s a warm, woody, sensual scent, which has a surprisingly refreshing quality. Notes include Moroccan cedarwood, black pepper and cardamom, with vetivert and sensual sandalwood at its heart.
Organic Glam Fragrance Collection, £110 each, theorganicpharmacy.com
Connock London – Kukui Oil Collection
The idea behind Connock London, a new collection of bath and body products, is to focus on using little known, natural ingredients from across the globe. The first collection is based around Kukui Oil, a skin softening oil used by native Hawaiians for centuries.
‘As a child, we took a family trip to the South Pacific. My father had been in contact with a small producer of Kukui oil on the Hawaiian island of Oahyu,’ says founder, Amanda Connock. ‘I went with him to watch the local women shell the Kukui nuts and extract the oil from the kernels,’ she says.
The result twenty years later is the Kukui Oil Collection, which comprises six bath and body products. These include Soothing Bath Oil (£42.90), which also contains macadamia and tamanu oils and is soothing and nourishing for dry or sensitive skin. Comforting Body Wash (£22.50) contains aloe vera, vitamin E and a skin smoothing papaya enzyme. Kukui Oil Soap (£25.55) with shea butter gives a soft, creamy lather. Wonder Balm combines Kukui oil with monoi, cocoa butter, mango butter and beeswax for an effective, salve for rough, dry skin. The Candle (£36.80) fills the room with a suitably rich, exotic scent of gardenia and jasmine.
Connock London, from Fortnum & Mason and Harrods. See beautique.com.
I’ve already blogged about Burberry’s new make-up line – but not yet, the new scent from Clive Christian. Aka the man behind some of Cheshire’s grandest kitchens (think chandeliers and bespoke with a capital ‘B’ – he doesn’t do shabby chic – or industrial for that matter). Oh, and a scent which was in its time the world’s most expensive.
So, here’s a rough translation of this news piece I wrote for Japanese Vogue, with a few word tweaks:
Clive Christian – First New Scent in 10 Years
After a ten-year lull, Clive Christian has released a fourth scent, from his own private collection. Its name, “C”, is apt. It is both his initial and that of The Crown Perfumery, the small, London perfumery, which he purchased in 1999. In its day, The Crown Perfumery was one of London’s most sought after, used by Queen Victoria who in 1872, issued it with a royal warrant.
Clive Christian scents, which are inspired by Victorian scent making, are some of the most sought after among scent aficionados. A decade ago, the interior designer stormed the perfume world with the launch of six, three for women and three for men. The most infamous was No.1. It was billed the World’s Most Expensive Perfume, because it was created without budget restrictions and using some of the most expensive ingredients in perfumery. Price aside, each of these scents offered something new to a world where perfumery had become bland and driven by marketing.
These two new arrivals (he always does a men’s as well as a women’s version) are just as captivating. “C” for women is a floral based around a rose and jasmine absolute accord, combined with notes of violet and tuberose. “C” for men is a spicy, herbal blend with saffron and the high-altitude mountain flower Snow Lotus. Both are rich and complex. Forget light, ‘no-scent’ scent – this pair kick ass.
£195 at Fortnum & Mason and The Roja Dove Haute Parfumerie, Harrods
Vogue Nippon, December 2009
And here are a few words about the scent in English:
‘If it were a painting it would be The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch. If it were an outfit it would be a vintage sequined jacket; something classic, well worn, timeless… If it were a piece of music it would be The Ring Cycle by Wagner,’ says the heiress and fashionista, Daphne Guinness of her first scent, Daphne, which launched at Dover Street Market in London in September.
Daphne is a rich, sensual scent, which incorporates smells associated with her past. There is tuberose for example, which she used to gather as a child from the family garden in Cadaques and frankincense, which is associated with her memories of church rituals. It also contains Florentine iris, bitter orange from Sicily, rose, jasmine and patchouli.
It was surely only a matter of time before Guinness should try perfumery. The socialite, known for her idiosyncratic style had already turned her hand to designing (a collection of white shirts for Dover Street Market in London), writing, styling and filmmaking (her second film coincided with the launch of Daphne). She created the scent in collaboration with Comme des Garçons following a suggestion from the company’s president, Adrian Joffe. Considering their often unconventional, approach to perfumery this was an apt partnering – Guinness is by no means ordinary. This might account for her aligning the scent with one of the most extraordinary paintings ever made and the longest piece of music ever written. To the woman who likes her scent opulent and exotic, this is fantastic.
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