My favorite perfumes by Esme Vos on Polyvore.com

The subject of perfume is a difficult one to write about because it’s very personal, like religion. A scent can transport one to the Garden of Eden, but send another hurtling down into the depths of Hades. The reality is that each person’s skin reacts differently to a perfume. I must point out, however, that nearly everyone is in agreement with regard to Giorgio Beverly Hills, a particularly vile fragrance launched in the 1980s which to this day is universally despised.

Scent is also memory, or at least, it triggers memory better than anything else. One whiff of Diorissimo, a fragrance created for the house of Dior by Edmond Roudnitska, one of the greatest “noses” of the 20th century, and I remember my mother when I was growing up in Manila: her elegant clothes, her style. Diorissimo had been my mom’s favorite perfume and I, too, wore it. It transports me back to another time and another world when we were younger and perhaps happier.

Unfortunately, Dior changed the formulation of Diorissimo. Bois de Jasmin, a wonderful perfume blog, says:

[T]he fragrance has been reformulated to comply with the regulations of International Fragrance Association (IFRA) as well as to replace animalic materials, with the result being a version that strikes me as somewhat strident. The parfum is better, but it also contains the same screechy synthetic woody note in the base that ruins the appeal of Diorissimo for me.

Diorissimo is now unbearably harsh. When Dior changed it, I felt as if the company had violently shattered my memories and done a great injustice to my past. Strange how we cling to perfumes the way we hold on to our memories. Even my mother agrees that the house of Dior has destroyed Diorissimo, all in the name of progress and the mandates of the IFRA.

So I am left with six perfumes that I love:

• L’Heure Bleue by Jacques Guerlain: created in 1912, it evokes the “blue hour”, that sliver of time between sunset and nightfall.

• Angeliques Sous La Pluie: created by Jean-Claude Ellena for Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle in 2003. Ellena is the perfumer for Hermès.

• Le Parfum de Therese: created by the legendary Edmond Roudnitska in the 1950s exclusively for his wife, Thérèse. She allowed it to be commercialized by Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle after Roudnitska’s death in 1996.

• Coco: created by Jacques Polge for the house of Chanel in 1984.

• Grand d’Amour: created by Isabelle Doyen and Annick Goutal in 1996.

• Givrine: created by Evelyne Boulanger for Coudray in 1950.

I love Guerlain’s old perfumes, the ones created before the Second World War, decades before the company was acquired by LVMH, the luxury goods conglomerate, and turned into just another brand in the portfolio of a publicly traded company.

Guerlain was founded in 1828. It created beautiful, mysterious fragrances such as Apres L’Ondee (1906), Mitsouko (1919), Shalimar (1925), L’Heure Bleue (1912) and many others. Guerlain also created Vol de Nuit in 1933 as a tribute to Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the French aviator and writer (of among other things, Le Petit Prince).  The old perfumes are intriguing; they give the wearer an air of mystery, surely something every woman would like to have. L’Heure Bleue is my favorite perfume of all time because it smells so out of this century. When I wear L’Heure Bleue, I walk into another dimension in time when women wore silk and pearls, men donned hats and people were not Twittering their lives away.

Today, however, fragrances are put together based upon what the marketing department of a fashion house believes to be the “mood of the moment”. They hire outside marketing consultants to divine what women want, then they bring in a perfumer to put together a passable scent. Worse, celebrities have gotten into the fragrance game. Britney Spears and David Beckham have licensed their names to giant chemical conglomerates (no sense calling them perfume houses anymore) in the hopes that every woman and every man would want the aura of celebrity out of a perfume bottle. The result has been a massive increase in the number of fragrances launched every year, most of which are awful.

I will write more about the perfumes listed above in separate posts. Note: I am told that Guerlain (under LVMH) was forced to reformulate some of the older perfumes to comply with regulations (no doubt the IFRA again). Mitsouko does not smell like it used to (my grandmother is turning in her grave). Nevertheless, L’Heure Bleue remains enchanting. Wouldn’t you rather wear a perfume that evokes mystery rather than the Powerpoint presentations of someone’s marketing survey?

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I love Filippa K’s clothes and I recommended them in a recent article I wrote for NBC Bay Area news. Filippa K is a Swedish clothing company that makes basics for men and women. Started by Filippa Knutsson in 1993, it has become a must for people who want clean, minimalist clothes that are well-made and slightly edgy. What should you buy from Filippa K? Their shirts, trousers and coats are beautiful and they last a long time.

I discovered Filippa K clothing in 2000 when I traveled to Stockholm frequently as Chief Legal Officer of Spray Network, a pan-European portal launched out of Sweden (note: it was acquired by Lycos Europe in late 2000). Since then, I have shopped at their Amsterdam and Stockholm boutiques.

I love their approach to design, a very Swedish philosophy that can be distilled as follows: no unnecessary ornamentation. Although almost every clothing company sells white shirts these days, I find Filippa K’s to be superior in fit, styling and quality. Unlike traditional purveyors of shirts, these are not stodgy or old-fashioned. I also recommend their menswear, especially the coats and jackets which are sophisticated, urbane and durable at the same time.

Filippa K
66 Kearney Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
+1 415 951 0210
www.filippa-k.com

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One of my favorite boutiques in San Francisco, agnes b., will be closing this month. So many shops in downtown SF have closed down or are planning to do so. This one is especially sad because I love agnes b. clothes. I’ll have to update my SF shopping guide. Now you’ll have to go to New York or LA for her clothes.

Now that you’ve got your Catlike helmet, it’s time to get high-performance cycling clothes that look stunning. My first choice is Etxeondo. Based in Irura, Spain in the heart of the Basque country, Etxeondo have traditionally been the clothing manufacturer for Euskaltel-Euskadi (who also wears Catlike’s helmet). The company was started in 1976 and Tour de France winners such as Miguel Indurain were already wearing their clothes. In 1993, they helped start Euskaltel-Euskadi, the Basque cycling team for Fundacion Euskadi. They sell men’s and women’s cycling wear and accessories.

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If you were watching the Tour de France this year, you could not have missed the coolest cycling helmets ever made. They were worn by the Basque team Euskaltel-Euskadi (pictured above) and Team Cervelo. Who makes them? Catlike, a Spanish company based near Valencia. The distinctive style – oblong cutouts that look like the spots on a leopard – make these cyclists stand out from the rest. Now you too can look this cool and professional. Catlike is selling the helmets (which are called Whisper Plus) through distributors around the world, except it seems, in the United States. According to this review, they do a great job keeping your head cool (with 39 vents) while offering a lot of protection for your head.

Go to http://www.catlike.es to find out more. And in the next post, I will feature fabulous cycling outfits from Etxeondo. You’ll be the envy of the road.

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Here’s my latest article on NBC Bay Area news about Cop.Copine, a French brand that has just opened a store on Union Square in downtown San Francisco. Cop.Copine’s style is edgy and urban, a bit more high-tech and futuristic than agnes b. and Comptoir des Cotonniers, my other favorite French brands. But it’s still very feminine. What I like about Cop.Copine is that the clothes are eclectic and distinctive, but they don’t fall into the purgatory of the weird and unwearable. Once you’re in the store and you begin trying on the clothes, you’ll have a very difficult time figuring out which pieces to buy. You’ll want them all.

Cop.Copine
343 Powell Street (at Post)
San Francisco, CA
+1 415 989 9035
www.cop-copine.com

They just opened a store in the 2nd arrondissement in Paris, one of my favorite areas in the city, right on the rue Etienne Marcel. Watch the store opening video showing a model wearing some of their clothes. Cop.Copine has several stores in Paris.

Cop.Copine 2nd arrondissement store
37, rue Etienne Marcel
75001 Paris, France
+33 1 5300 9480

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Related articles:

Shopplr’s favorite boutiques in Paris

Shopplr’s favorite boutiques in San Francisco

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It seems a bit early to be thinking about autumn makeup colors, especially if you’re still baking in the sun. But August is the month when we get the much awaited September issues of our favorite fashion magazines and they’re filled with clothes and accessories, as well as makeup suggestions, for the upcoming season.

This year the magazines are thinner than they’ve ever been due to the collapse in the advertising market. A number of them may not survive past Christmas. Many of us are also cutting back on our purchases. Instead of getting the full set of makeup for fall – foundation, powder, eye shadow, blush and lipstick, we will be sticking to one item, an eye shadow palette or a lipstick. That’s fine. We have too much stuff anyway.

To help you decide, I will be posting my favorite makeup items for the coming fall season, starting with eye shadow palettes.

We see the same makeup colors at this time of the year: gray, aubergine, chocolate brown and magenta (note that in spring, the cosmetics companies treat us to peach, pink, gold and orange). That means if you already have the colors shown in the palettes below, you should save your money and buy something else, perhaps a new lipstick. You might invest in a good foundation (I’ll be writing about that in the future).

Back to eye shadows. The palettes in the photo are not only beautiful, they are also made with high-quality ingredients. I have used eye shadows from all of the brands shown below:

• Bobbi Brown: her eye shadow palettes feature mostly neutral colors and seem boring to many people but the idea is to layer them if you want a deeper, richer but still natural look. The powder in the shadows is very fine so it goes on very lightly. I prefer very subtle eye makeup so I like Bobbi Brown’s approach. If I want something more dramatic, I simply layer on more eye shadow.
• Christian Dior: I have the Jazz Club eye shadow palette below and it is my favorite of the lot because it has an eyebrow powder plus a gel eye liner. This palette is perfect for traveling. It comes with tiny brushes to help you apply eye liner and brow powder.
• Guerlain: just about everything made by Guerlain feels luxurious. The colors are rich and they go on smoothly because of the high quality powders they use for the makeup.
• Yves Saint Laurent: for those who want a truly dramatic look especially for evening, YSL’s eye shadows are amazing. They go on smoothly and evenly, and the colors are gorgeous.

Favorite Fall 2009 Eye Shadow Palettes by Esme Vos on Polyvore.com

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It’s late summer and you are looking for new sexy shoes to take you through the early fall. What to wear?

Imelda 2.0 says: high heeled strappy sandals and platforms. I like platforms because the front of your foot is slightly more elevated. The shoes in the center by Jean-Michel Cazabat are amazingly comfortable but they are high. So practice walking in them at home preferably with a plate of berries on your head to ensure you have the proper posture and are able to walk down the street with grace.

High heeled strappy sandals by Esme Vos featuring Jean-Michel Cazabat shoes

Looking for a new casual look that screams Italian chic without ruining your budget? Love Max Mara and Sportmax but can’t afford the bubble prices they are still charging?

My advice is to go to Max&Co., the younger sister of the Max Mara Group. You won’t get the same luxurious finish, but the clothes are young, fun, and very Italian. They have stores in many cities around the world, including San Francisco. Read what I have to say about Max&Co. in NBC Bay Area news.

Check out my favorite pieces.

For accessories, I like the open-toe platforms in pink/dusty mauve and boots which are practical but stylish.

If you are looking for a lady-like bag, something that’s not big, chunky and studded with metal (aren’t we a bit sick and tired of that look?), this bag (below) does the trick. They carry it also in black which I think is more elegant.

Related articles:

Urban Chic with a European Twist (NBC Bay Area News) by Esme Vos

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Although economists and politicians keep pointing to “green shoots” of joy spreading through the economy, few of us are feeling optimistic enough to begin splurging on beauty products. I have trimmed my beauty budget and searched for drugstore alternatives to the expensive department store brands. It was a very illuminating search. For one thing, I found several cleansers, scrubs, moisturizers and anti-aging products that are orders of magnitude cheaper than department store brands, but more effective. I will be posting my recommendations in a series of posts here on Shopplr. Let’s start with the cleansers.

Here are my top 5 facial cleansers. I’ve tried them all, with great success. If you like them, get them from Drugstore.com. I order a lot of products from Drugstore.com because they offer free shipping and there’s no sales tax!

(1) Biore SkinPreservation Clean Things Up Nourishing Gel Cleanser: Takes off all dirt and makeup, including mascara, but does not strip the skin. I use this in the summer when my skin is slightly oilier and there’s more dirt and grime in the air. I also use it when I go to cities that are hot and humid. I would not recommend this product to people who have very dry skin.

(2) CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser: A non-foaming, very gentle, opaque cleanser that is good for people with dry and sensitive skin, but it does not really take off all makeup. Not good for removing mascara. You need to use a mascara remover first. I use this cleanser only in the mornings or when my skin feels dry and irritated, or if I have not been wearing any makeup. It’s good for the hands, too.

(3) Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Scrub: A much better scrub than any of the expensive department store brands I’ve tried. The particles are very small, so they are not irritating. It is good for normal to oily skin. It does not leave the skin feeling tight and dry.

(4) Olay Foaming Face Wash, Sensitive Skin: A gentle effective cleanser for sensitive skin. I use this when my skin feels very dry and fragile (for example, if I have been out swimming for a long time, or very cold dry wintry weather.

(5) Garnier Nutritioniste Nutri-Pure Detoxifying Wet Cleansing Towelettes — Oil Free: if you prefer cleansing cloths or need to cleanse in a place where there is no running water (i.e. when you are traveling on a plane, boat, train or when hiking), these are absolutely the best. I’ve tried at least three other types of cleansing cloths, but Garnier’s beats all of them. It takes off all dirt and makeup, even waterproof mascara, but leaves your skin feeling moisturized. I even forget to put moisturizer after using this product.

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To buy the products I’ve mentioned above, please click on link to Drugstore.com below.