Of the new fragrances launched this fall, my favorite is A Scent by Issey Miyake. It smells very clean and fresh with notes of hyacinth and galbanum, as well as verbena and jasmine. Miyake’s last fragrance launch was over 10 years ago so his design house made an effort to launch something truly unique. They asked bottle designer Arik Levy to create a bottle that looks as though it were sliced “from a single, continuous block of light-filled glass”.

How to wear this fragrance: get the shower gel, which smells divine, and layer on the body lotion (also in beautiful, minimalist packaging) and finally spray the eau de toilette all over yourself.

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I have been a fan of Toast for many years. Toast is a UK-based shopping catalog which has both a beautiful paper catalog and an online shop. Not only are the photo shoots so mysterious and atmospheric, the merchandise is unique and gorgeous.

Since it’s getting colder, you’ll find Toast’s cozy throws and blankets, sweaters and jackets, mittens and socks to be all you need to thrive this winter. I especially love the flannel pyjamas and bed linen. Toast also sells housewares, such as ceramic bowls, rugs, and bins.

Toast opened a few shops in the UK, including a small concession in Selfridges in London. But for those of us who do not live in the UK, it’s good to see that they still have the online catalog.

Toast
191 Westbourne Grove
Notting Hill
London, W11 2SB
United Kingdom
+44 (0)20 7229 8325
www.toast.co.uk

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One of my favorite cosmetics brands, Prescriptives, won’t be around much longer. The Estee Lauder Group, which owns the brand, has decided to kill it. I have been suspecting for many months now that Prescriptives was on the list of soon to be dead brands because they have not had product launches in a while, they are not advertising and their counters do not have staff. It just felt empty. Now we know why. The Estee Lauder company has not been investing at all in this brand.

Prescriptives was the first brand to categorize colors of foundation, eye shadow, blush and lipstick into three color groups — warm, neutral and cool — to help women choose the right shade for their complexion. It was also one of the first to create yellow-based foundations which appealed especially to Asian women. Despite its innovations in the early years of its existence, other brands caught up and Prescriptives never really came up with the *killer* product. Brands like MAC and Benefit targeted younger women with trendy packaging and edgy advertising campaigns. But in its own market — high-end cosmetics for older women — other brands, including those within the Lauder group, were more successful.

The last products I bought from Prescriptives was their custom-blended foundation. This was an absolutely brilliant way to get a foundation that exactly matches your skin tone. They also had custom-blended powders and lipsticks.