Maison Francis Kurkdjian Petit Matin & Grand Soir

Francis Kurkdjian, my favorite parfumeur, has  you covered for both day and night with his Maison's newest  Petit Matin and Grand Soir, inspired by mornings and evenings in Paris.

Petit Matin bursts on like  morning sun with citrus in both lemon and the green of the shrub litsea cubeba followed by the creamy white floral of orange blossom.  The lemon brightens while lavender provides a touch of dryness and hawthorn adds  sweetness. Musk is listed as a drydown note but it is spare here with ambroxan more in the foreground , and the lovely  orange blossom still going strong. This is light yes, but not barely there. It's crisp ,bright and has concentration with moderate sillage. As a citrus lover as well as  most white florals , it's type of scent I reach for often. Great not just to start the day but all through the day.


Grand Soir is  rich, deep and not sweet or musky. It's a bit old fashioned, and reminds of some of my favorites I wore decades ago with serious spicy oriental oomph but done modern. It's for a grown up woman with the smokiness coming from ciste labdanum giving it an oudh like feel.  Warm notes of benzoin, tonka, and vanilla add to the fragrance for a rich, exotic smelling scent . This is a beautiful fragrance that has strength, good sillage , transports and smells delicious.

Enjoy a  video trip through Paris with Mr. Kurkdjian  and his inspirations-

Full note list:

Petit Matin:
Litsea cubeba
Lemon from Calabria
Lavandin from Provence
Orange blossom
Hawthorn accord
Musk
Ambroxan

Grand Soir:
Cistus Labdanum from Spain
Benzoin from Siam
Tonka bean from Brazil
Vanilla and amber accord


$ 215 each for 2.4 oz  at http://www.europerfumes.com/ 

Ralph Lauren BCA Month- Romance & Tender Romance

Ralph Lauren's Pink Pony Fund has long been involved  in the fight against breast cancer.  Next month two limited edition fragrance bottles will go on sale with 100 % of profits from every bottle sold donated to The Pink Pony Fund. 

Both Romance ( $ 104 for 150ml)  and Tender Romance ( $96 for 100ml) will be available with a Pink Pony tag and ribbon at Macy's, RalphLauren.com and  select retailers.

Great for gifting, and many of you might already  be starting holiday shopping . 

Shiseido Rouge Rouge Lipstick

Shiseido's  new Rouge Rouge line of lipstick might be dedicated to red but the collection is not simply red  but with  beautiful colors for just about anyone including those , like me , who aren't much of a red wearer. And I'm glad there are shades for me to wear as this is a rich, luxurious lipcolor that deserves a place in your stash.

Rouge Rouge, developed with one of the most talented makeup guru's out there,  Dick Page ,  has deep, one coat pigment in a satin formula that's creamy, applies easily and feels good on lips with light moisture.  Shiseido says that they have used "exclusive Vibrant Red Technology within the collection that includes five individual color technologies to find a shade perfectly suited for  each skin tone"

There are sixteen shades in all . I have Rose Crush , Sweet Desire and Toffee Apple. Sweet Desire is  a rosy darker nude and my fav of the three. It's Autumn in a lipstick. Rose Crush is a medium nude pink and Toffee Apple more of a true red but medium deep but not overly bold.

The case is as elegant as the lipsticks , in heavy black lacquer look tube with a magnetic closure.

Shiseido Rouge Rouge Lipstick is $ 28 and available now at Shiseido, Sephora , Macys and more.

Burt's Bees Ginger Spice Lip Balm

It's Fall and everything seems to be Pumpkin Spice.  It's not a favorite of mine though, so how about some Ginger?

Ginger Spice is a limited seasonal addition to the many delish flavors of Burt's Bees lip balms. This is no mild baked cookie ginger but one that has a  fairly strong spicy scent and taste. It's clear and highly hydrating like all their balms with sunflower seed, coconut oil and shea butter.

Available now, look for the limited edition gingerbread man box .