Love … The glossy sheen, moisturising properties, and the non-threatening shade of chili. You really can’t go wrong with a Lancôme gloss, this is the safest and easiest way to wear red – just slick on and go!
Wear it … everyday!
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Giorgio Armani perfumes are like the perfect pair of diamond studs – elegant, classy, and you know you’re paying for substance.
It’s no secret that Mr Armani worships the feminine form – how else could he create such magnificent pieces season after season? And he also translates this love to his fragrances. I’m not referring to the She/He editions, but rather, Acqua di Gio and Code. These are scents that you wear with class, scents that ooze with femininity.
Now, a new scent has joined the collection.
“I have always carried with me an ideal of femininity – an irresistible combination of grace, beauty and independent spirit. Idole d’Armani is my tribute to this ideal, and to women everywhere,” declared Mr Armani.
Called Idole d’Armani, I think this is his most luxurious one yet (if you don’t count in his Prive scents).
Created by Bruno Jovanovic from IFF (he also created CK’s IN2U), Idole is all about being a woman, so of course you’ve got the heavy florals in there, which, kind of threw me off when I first tried it on.
You’re first hit with sweet (a little cloying) notes of clementine, pear, ginger and Indian davana. Then in comes the strong floral notes of Egyptian jasmine and loukoum rose (I think this means rose Turkish delight – go figure). You smell the rose, but also get that it is layered with spice, in this case, saffron. And to round it all up, is patchouli and vetiver.
For a while, you imagine the strong characters of each note fighting for attention, but really, Idole d’Armani is quite beautifully balanced. It is sweet and spice, and the best part, is that you still get hints of the top notes even with the dry down, and they linger on oh-so-subtly.
I don’t see this as a scent that will suit everyone – you’d need a pretty strong personality and a certain level of maturity to go with Idole. Otherwise, you run the risk of the scent wearing you, instead of the other way round.
But if you can work this, you’re one classy lady, that’s for sure.
Idole d’Armani EDP is RM239 (50ml) and RM280 (75ml) and is available now at department stores nationwide.
C’mon, admit it, looks matter in beauty.
But really, how important is a product’s packaging to you? Would you purchase something that doesn’t really satisfy, but looks damn good on your vanity table? Or are you one of those girls that will buy anything that works, even if it comes in the ugliest bottle ever created by man?
Things are about to change.
At the PCD Congress currently ongoing in Paris, which showcase innovations in packaging and dispensing systems, multi-sensory packaging is the way of the future.
Going beyond the visual is the latest way to make a product stand out on the store shelf, according to packaging professionals at this year’s PCD Congress.
A number of products were showcased at the perfume and cosmetics packaging show that appealed to multiple senses of the consumer, not just sight.
Fragrance emitting logos on tubes, inks that change colour with a rise in temperature and a soft touch plastic combined with peach fragrance, were all presented as the latest technique to make products stand out.
US-headquartered polymer company PolyOne, showcased its additives and resins that can be used to add fragrance and alter the feel of the plastic in its ‘peach’ project.
The bottle was designed with a peach shampoo in mind and combines an additive that gives a peach fragrance to the container, a soft touch plastic, a peach colour and a round shape.
Peach is not the only fragrance that the company offers and additives for mint, chocolate, vanilla, leather and others can be found within PolyOne’s portfolio. Fragrances and aromas can also be designed to suit a customer’s needs, the company explained.
Fragrant logos and colour changing ink
Tubes can also be treated with the multisensory brush and Switzerland-based Neopac presented a few of its innovations in the area including scratch and sniff logos.
The fragrant ink is microencapsulated so when the surface is rubbed the capsules open and fragrance is released, before closing up again afterwards, explained marketing and communications manager for Neopac, Cornelia Schmid.
“This means the ink remains fragrant for a number of uses, and on the shelf for approximately one year,” she told CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com.
Neopac also presented an ink that changes colour when the temperature rises. This can be used to hide logos or patterns that will only become visible when the consumer holds the tube, for example.
Three temperatures (20, 31 and 43 degrees centigrade) can be used as the benchmark to activate the colour change and Schmid also explained that the ink can be used as a marker for products that need to be protected from heat exposure.
Visual leads to touch
New visual effects that can make the consumer reach out and touch the product were also presented at the show, with API Laminates introducing its new ‘lens’ effect.
A holographic finishing in circle shapes placed in various locations on the image gives the impression of three dimensional domes that can be looked through to see the image below.
The idea behind the technique was to make the consumer reach out and touch the package on the shelf, thereby moving one step closer to the eventual sale, explained managing director of API Laminates Andrew Stevenson.
Holding the consumer’s eye for a few seconds more is not insignificant, Stevenson said.
Customers that focus on a product for more than 3 seconds are 63 per cent more likely to buy, he added, quoting Instore Research performed in 2006. In addition, a customer that picks up a product in a store is 96 per cent more likely to purchase.
* Cosmeticsdesign.com
Love … the sheer, moisturising formula that is creamy, yet lightweight, the buildable colour – and what a colour! This gorgeous cherry red has the perfect combination of pink and orange pigments, and it isn’t a siren red, which makes it perfect to wear during the day if you’re a little shy … I even love the in-built flip mirror packaging (yes, which you will end up comparing with Guerlain’s Rouge G).
Wear it with … a rosy flush!
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Here’s something you might not know about me. One of my favourite football players is Brazilian star Kaká. He used to play for AC Milan until last year, when he was bought over by Real Madrid. If Christiano Ronaldo is football’s bad boy, Kaká is everyone’s golden boy. Sigh … you should just watch him in action on the field … okay, it helped that he models for Armani too. You’d have also seen him in Sony TV ads here.
I brought this up because when I think of Brazil, I think of Kaka (grin). But now, there’s Estee Lauder’s Brasil Dream.
The scent is the third instalment of the brand’s travel-exclusive range that started with Emerald Dream and Bali Dream. While the range is supposed to just be available at duty-free outlets in airports, just for this Valentine’s, you’ll be able to get a slice of beautiful Brazil at Estee Lauder counters.
Maybe delicious is more the word – the perfume’s notes include guava, pineapple, lemon, orange blossom, coconut milk mixed with jasmine and gardenia, then topped with bergamot and patchouli.
I think it sounds like the kind of perfume you’d wear on one hot sunset partying on the beach!
And while you’re at it, why not go for a double treat with EL’s Purchase with Purchase offer?
The goodie bag – a chic black tote – comes with:
All this, for just RM148 when you purchase RM150 worth of EL products.
Brasil Dream EDT is RM180 for a 50ml bottle at Estee Lauder counters nationwide.
