The new trend in perfumery: Personalize & create your own scent
As in love, any perfume fan is on a constant search for “the one” a signature scent that can define your olfactory personality; something you can wear every day as part of your OOTD.
But any true perfume fan also knows that this “signature scent” is as elusive as the Holy Grail. Some scents may come very close to your idea of perfection, but maybe it’s lacking a note you love, or is a bit too floral… there’s always something off.
And we humans are complex creatures with ever-changing moods. Wearing the same perfume every day is like eating the same thing every day: you know you’ll get sick of it eventually, and look for something else. Variety is key.
Which is why Bulgari’s new fragrance collection, Allegra, is a stroke of genius because it recognizes our need to personalize something and make it our own, and also our need for change.
Bulgari, which recently won the People’s Choice Award from Watson’s Health and Beauty Awards for Best Perfume Brand, knows we can’t all be perfumers and create our own scents from scratch, so their answer with Allegra (which means “joyful” in Italian), was to create five eau de parfums (EDPs) that cover all the fragrance families (fresh, floral, fruity, gourmand and chypre), and five Magnifying Essences that include the most iconic, precious ingredients in perfumery (musk, bergamot, rose, vanilla and patchouli). Once you’ve found your fragrance family among the five EDPs, you can mix it with an essence you love to create “the one.” And if you own all 10 scents, you can create a minimum of 25 perfumes.
“We’re so proud of this because it’s a first-of-its-kind olfactory experience,” says Dinty Alcantara, Luxasia Philippines’ senior brand manager for luxury fragrances.
Adds Luxasia senior training manager Tin Conde, “Bulgari Allegra introduces not only an exclusive collection but also a new concept in the universe of high perfumery.”
The five EDPs include Riva Solare, which I think many Pinoys will love because it’s a fresh marine scent, like a boat ride on the Mediterranean with the saltwater splashing around you. Conde says, “Our perfumer, Jacques Cavallier, describes it as ‘a fragrance like the sun caressing the skin, refreshed by the waves of the Mediterranean.’”
Dolce Estasi is all about family, “a tea break with your loved ones,” she notes. “Italian dolce are as beautiful as they are delicious. This brings sweet memories of Italian pastries: musk and heliotrope are very caressing and powdery, like a soft, scented kiss.”
Fiori D’Amore is all about passion. “It celebrates lovers, and blossoms into a magnificent, giant bouquet of red or pink roses.” The two main ingredients are rose and raspberry: Turkish and Bulgarian roses and a variety of raspberries harvested at the height of summer. “It’s very romantic and passionate,” Conde says.
Rock’N’Rome is the first EDP associated with happy hour, and smells like a sparkling cocktail. “The orange bottle is like an Aperol Spritz, and it evokes being together on a Roman terrace with osmanthus flower and sweet benzoin,” Conde says.
Fantasia Veneta is associated with celebrations like the Venetian carnival and Italian festa. Indonesian patchouli and red peach drive this sensual, seductive and feminine fragrance.
The five Magnifying Essences, also created by Cavallier, include Magnifying Musk, called the “gold of perfumery” as it enhances the beauty of other ingredients. This vegetal musk from ambrette seed adds a radiant aura and smells different on each woman.
Magnifying Bergamot is the Italian citrus from the city of the same name. “Essential to perfumers since the birth of eau de cologne, it reflects the sunny, fresh energy of southern Italy,” Conde says.
Magnifying Rose is a universal symbol of femininity. “We used Damascena rose from Bulgaria for its delicate, fruity character, and Turkish rose for its spicy, deep sensuality.”
Magnifying Vanilla is the most universally loved aroma, according to Conde. “The green fruit of the tropical orchid used here is from Madagascar because it offers the perfect balance between the white and dark facets of vanilla,” she explains.
Magnifying Patchouli is a leaf hiding a woody, unique and powerful scent from the mint family. “The leaves are odorless and grow in Indonesia,” Conde informs us. “Dried, it releases woody, earthy, leathery notes.”
“Magnifying essences are like olfactive chameleons,” Cavallier says. “You never get tired of them because they reveal a new color with each EDP. Like gemstones whose facets play with light, combinations on the skin will create totally new effects that even I would not have imagined.”
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Bulgari Allegra is exclusively available at Rustan’s Makati or Rustans.com.ph.
Conceal and brighten with one pen
Queen of the Flawless Face Laura Mercier has invented the new must-have to get perfect-looking skin: Secret Camouflage Concealer Duo, a double-ended pen that corrects and brightens dark circles and hides blemishes. The corrective side offers matte full coverage, blurs imperfections, calms redness and even reduces oil.
The brightening side glides on smoothly and makes your under-eye area look so luminous you’ll look like you get a full eight hours of sleep every night.
Available in 16 shade duos, I recommend getting a shade that matches your skin tone to conceal and a darker shade to contour (you can even use its brightening side as a bronzer).
Powder is a must if you don’t want your cream products to melt off your face, and Laura Mercier’s Translucent Loose Setting Powder is the undisputed best in the beauty world. If you find the original shade too light for your skin, she also offers it in Honey and Medium Deep to cover medium and darker skin tones. First, “massage” the powder into Mercier’s velour puff to evenly distribute, then press it on with rolling motions to lock in your makeup.
To set the more delicate eye area I use the Secret Brightening Powder, which is so fine it won’t cake under your eyes, and adds even more luminosity.
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All products are available at all Laura Mercier counters and online channels.
‘Liquid Gold’ Frankincense in organic skincare
Frankincense, one of the three gifts of the Magi and reportedly a staple in Cleopatra’s beauty routine, has been treasured for centuries for its health and beauty benefits. Made from the resin of the Boswellia tree that grows in the dry, mountainous regions of India, Africa and the Middle East, it’s a powerful anti-inflammatory that’s been used in traditional Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine to fight certain cancers, improve arthritis, aid digestion, reduce asthma and even improve oral health (it prevents gum disease).
On skin it has the ability to strengthen and improve skin tone, elasticity, and defend it against bacteria and blemishes. It also has a woody, spicy aroma that’s deeply relaxing.
Neal’s Yard Remedies uses this “liquid gold” in its Frankincense Intense skincare line. Their new Frankincense Intense Hydrating Essence has a thicker texture than the average toner but glides on like a dream. A blend of hyaluronic acid, purified pomegranate extract and organic argan oil veils your skin in smoothing, cooling hydration for up to 24 hours, preps your skin to receive the benefits of Neal’s Yard’s Frankincense Intense Age-Defying or Lift serum and improves their performance.
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Neal’s Yard Remedies are available at Rustan’s The Beauty Source.
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Follow the author on Instagram @thebeautytraveler_ph.
