Five for Friday: Autumn Fragrances, Part 2

When I finished my last post on autumn comfort scents, I couldn't help feeling that there were other bottles just waiting forlornly in my perfume cabinet for their very own mention. And indeed, there are more than five scents I wear this season. Here are a few more that tend to end up in heavy rotation during the autumn months:

1. Narciso Rodriguez wears a bit heavy on me during summer (if I'm looking for something similar in the hotter months, I reach for Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely, which is like Narciso Rodriguez lite). But in the fall, it's just right. It's built around a heart of Egyptian musk, which is somewhat soapy, not dirty, I promise. Notes include Honey Flower, Solar Musk, Orange Blossom, Osmanthus, Amberlyn, Vanilla, Tactile Musk, Tactile Woods, Vetiver. And it's available in a hair mist, which you know is a hufe plus in my book!

2. Fendi Theorema is the most wonderful discontinued gem of them all. My mom discovered this years ago and both of us are still in love with it. Theorema featured prominently in my Beauty Graveyard post, where I wrote of it: "Theorema smells like a stylized pomander, with notes of tangelo, jasmine, thai shamouti (orange), osmanthus, spices, cinnamon, pink pepper, sandalwood, guaiac wood, amber, macassar, sweet cream, and musk." It's delicious, and I always start reaching for it when the leaves begin to change. Discontinued, but can still be had from various online retailers if you do a little searching.

3. Hermes Eau des Merveilles. I love this scent so much that I've collected the original, the Elixir, and a limited-edition bottle. Notes include elemi, bitter orange, Italian lemon, Indonesian pepper, pink pepper, ambergris accord, oak, cedar, vetiver, balsam of Peru and tears of Siam (what are those?). It has a lot going on - citrus, spice, and this slightly aquatic feel as well - but the overall effect is warm, comforting, and somehow still fresh. It's something you'll want to keep inhaling all day long, at least for me. And the Elixir is more gourmand, with an opening that reminds me of chocolate-covered orange peel.

4. Bois de Paradis by Parfums delRae smells like spices and candied fruit (in the best way, I promise. It does not smell like a fruitcake). Definitely an autumn scent, one that I'd love to wear apple-picking and then maybe to a wine tasting afterward.

5. Serge Lutens Daim Blond. White suede. That's what it means. And somehow, that's what it evokes. Daim Blond smells softly leathery, creamy, elegant and expensive. It's dry, but a touch of what smells like cherries and almonds adds just a bit of sweetness. Notes: Iris Pallida, apricot kernel, cardamom from Ceylon, musk, heliotrope, hawthorn.

Sensuous Skin, Even in the Dead of Winter

Ah! What's this I spy on the Estee Lauder site? Sensuous, in a dry oil spray!

My dears, this has "holiday party" written all over it. I've already named Sensuous as one of my favorite fall scents, and now that it's available in a smooth, moisturizing body oil spray, it's even better.

How can you beat a product that makes you smell sweet, keeps scaly winter skin at bay, and gives you a gorgeous sheen?

So if you're baring your legs or shoulders at your various holiday fêtes this year, this is the perfect way to dress up your skin.

But of course, it's limited edition, so don't wait too long to snap up your bottle. $42 for 3.4 oz, at esteelauder.com.

Out on the Town With Bare Escentuals Buxom Babes

Bare Escentuals' Buxom Babes About Town set combines four petite plumping glosses with four plumping pencils that work either as liners or lip colors.

The colors in the image here look a little bit washed out (I wish I'd taken my own photo), but they're actually quite pretty and offer a nice selection of shades.

As you might know from previous reviews, I'm a fan of the Buxom lip polishes; they smell good, the colors are pretty and have just the right amount of saturation, and they feel great on your lips. In this set, you'll get Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Polish in Destiny (peach nectar), Dani (icy mauve), Isabella (sunlit copper) and Zena (baby pink).

My pick is Dani, which is described as mauve but is really more of an electric cool-toned violet that's been toned down a bit. It's just bright enough to stand out, but not so much that it gets relegated to the "admire it but never wear it" section of your beauty stash.

On the lip stick side, you'll get Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Stick in Milan (sun-kissed apricot), Shanghai (deep berry), Berlin (creamy pecan) and Amsterdam (creamy pink). The sticks are a bit thicker than your average lip pencil, so they work well as all-over lip colors. The colors are richer than those of the glosses, and staying power is good. My pick of the bunch here is Shanghai, which would be great for creating a holiday party-worthy berry lip.

Of the eight shades, only Destiny, Isabella, Berlin and Milan are available separately; Dani, Zena, Shanghai and Amsterdam are exclusive to this set. A pretty sweet deal for $39!

Five for Friday: The Forgotten (Travel Essentials)

Don't you just hate it when you go on a trip and forget some truly critical beauty goods? I tend to forget the same things every time, for various reasons, which I'll explain below. Check out my five most forgotten items, and my favorites in each category:

Lip Balm. Oh, I always pack plenty of glosses, and sometimes some lipsticks, but good old lip balm? I always forget it. Let's face it - even the most moisturizing of lip glosses isn't going to cut it for overnight wear, when dry hotel air wreaks havoc on the delicate skin of your lips. (And who wants to go to bed sporting a sparkly fuchsia lip, anyhow?) My current favorite in the lip balm category is Philosophy Kiss Me Tonight Intense Lip Therapy, a richer version of the original Kiss Me. It's pale pink in the jar, colorless on lips, smells slightly minty, and keeps lips soft and moisturized all night, even if you sleep straight on til noon.

Face Wash. Here's what happens: I wash my face the morning of the trip, then remind myself to dry the bottle, twist it closed, and pack it in a ziploc bag. That never happens. (You know what they say about the best-laid plans.) So I'm stuck using - gasp! - hotel bar soap to wash my face. Ick. My favorite solution? Mini-size Shu Uemura Skin Purifier Cleansing Beauty Oil. It's small, so you can take it with you even if you're not checking a bag. I've now gotten in in the habit of storing it with all my other travel items, so it's much harder to forget.

Hair product...of any kind. Similar to the face wash situation, I always plan to pack hair products, but they rarely make it into the bag. See, I spend too much time fretting about what I'll do with my hair for the majority of the trip. Curly? Straight? Up? Down? They all call for different products - and then by the time I decide, it's too late to grab anything and I'm out the door. This is especially bothersome for weekends or business trips, when a smaller bag prevents you from bringing your entire stockpile of styling products. My solution is to choose one that's versatile - preferably a smoothing/shine serum or cream that's light enough to work on wet or dry hair. My current fave is Victoria's Secret So Sexy Smoothing Shine Serum, which comes in a very portable 1.7 oz size.

Body lotion. Yeah, yeah, I know - the hotel will have some for you. But what if it's garbage? And it's the dead of winter and your skin is flaking off? And you have to resort to using your entire jar of expensive face cream to moisturize your scaly legs? It's happened to me, and I always regret not taking my own lotion, whether out of space-saving considerations or forgetfulness. Do yourself a favor and pack your own - I like Korres Body Butter to Go in Yoghurt, which smells lovely, but not strong enough to interfere with your fragrance.

Toothbrush. Being the germophobe that I am, I have a HUGE problem sealing a wet toothbrush inside a plastic bag for several hours, or popping on one of those little caps that don't really seem to keep anything out. So I tell myself I'll just buy a fresh toothbrush for the trip. Not only is this incredibly wasteful, I tend to forget to buy it, and then I end up with a crappy toothbrush from the airport or the hotel. I've solved this problem with the Violight Travel Toothbrush Sanitizer, a nifty little toothbrush case that kills up to 99.9% of bacteria in minutes, using a germicidal UV light. Love!

Forever Krystle, Revisited

Does anyone remember Forever Krystle? This scent was truly ahead of its time. In an era when the only name in "celebrity fragrance" was Elizabeth Taylor, this was a perfume based on a fictional nighttime soap character. That's right...Krystle Carrington, oil queen extraordinaire from Dynasty, had her very own fragrance.

And this powdery, floral scent is what I most associate with my grandmother's bathroom in the '80s. But not in a bad way! I promise! Gram has always had good taste in fragrance, and other things, too - Ralph Lauren Safari and Lancome Tresor are among her other scent picks, and even at 90, her hair is always perfect and her outfits always coordinate. (Here's a picture of the two of us at her 90th birthday this summer!)

And, honestly, even for an early celebrity perfume, Forever Krystle was pretty well done.

The reason I bring it up today is that I recently sampled Jo Malone's latest, Vanilla & Anise, at my local Neiman's, and was instantly whisked back to days playing with Gram's Krystle powder puff in, say, 1988.

The opening is somewhat citrusy, but when it dries down, Vanilla & Anise has that same warm-but-powdery feel of Forever Krystle (especially the Krystle body powder, which I remember fondly). It's definitely more modern, though, and has a warmer vanilla base than the heady florals that seemed to dominate Krystle.

Vanilla & Anise is entirely too powdery for me, and not really my taste, but hey, I can now cross Gram off my Christmas list! Jo Malone's latest is an updated, modern version of her old favorite. And any 90-year old woman who rocks Jo Malone in her powder room is a beauty icon, at least in my eyes. Merry early Christmas, Gram!