FASHION Magazine

5 fragrances that smell like anything but flowers »

Babely (and by that we mean he’ll look like a baby forever) musician Pharrell Williams can add a new position to his resume: perfumer. The 41-year old has created a fragrance in partnership with Comme des Garçons, entitled Girl. Like his latest album and current exhibition, the fragrance will celebrate the ladies. Skeptical? Web buzz surrounding this new unisex aroma categorizes it far from its celebrity-backed counter parts and promises an innovative and unique new fragrance.

You know you have a problem when you aren’t smelling so much as… huffing perfume. This, my friends, is my predicament every time I am near a bottle of Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess (which is often because I have three bottles on my desk). On paper, it’s a blend of bergamot, Tahitian gardenia, coconut, amber […]

The post Afternoon Delight: I might be too obsessed with Estée Lauder’s Bronze Goddess appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

See this season’s top flankers »

When I was 14, a friend and her family picked me up to go to a play. When I got into the car, her normally reticent 18-year-old (and thus super-intriguing) brother said to me: “Wow, you smell amazing.” I had recently received my first bottle of Issey Miyake’s L’Eau d’Issey as a birthday request—I liked the idea of a watery smell and felt a Japanese designer was terribly sophisticated—and was taken with spraying it into the air above my head and twirling under the mist.

This encounter cemented my decades-long love for the ’90s classic (and for being told I smell great), during which time I collected many of the variations of it that came and went on the local department store counter like colourful siblings in town for a short visit. On a given day, I’d pick a version to match my mood: Summer of 2005 or 2008 if it was warm outside, A Drop of Cloud (2009) if I was feeling pensive, Fleur de Bois (2010) to cultivate a much-needed air of mystery. Somewhere along the way, I actually stopped wearing the original, since each new one offered what I loved about it along with a new and exciting twist.

Should you click over to Amy Adams’ IMDB profile, it’s pretty clear why she’s been such a staple at awards shows for, oh, the last seven years. From her first Oscar-nominated role in Junebug to this year’s award-winning double header (American Hustle, Her) Adams’ resume is dotted with critically acclaimed films that include a range of compelling characters.

It’s this versatility that landed Adams a contract with Lacoste as the face of its women’s fragrances, including Eau de Lacoste Pour Femme and Eau de Lacoste Sensuelle. It’s a seemingly perfect match: the fragrances are all about femininity, confidence and natural elegance—which could just as easily describe Adams’ own effortless style. But don’t let us convince you! We caught up with Adams last week and after chatting about everything from red carpet style secrets to fragrance facts, it’s clear that she’s as charming and down-to-earth as they come.

There’s no denying Suki Waterhouse’s growing It girl status. The British actress and model (who also happens to be dating Bradley Cooper) has been tapped by Burberry as the face of the brand’s newest fragrance, Brit Rhythm. And based on the just-released campaign images, it’s clear that she was an excellent choice: Waterhouse’s bombshell domineer and edgy gaze complements the fragrance’s characteristics, described as “a blend of contradictions.”

The black and white digital campaign is set in a dark concert-hall venue and stars Waterhouse alongside British musician George Barnett of These New Puritans. The pair is caught in a sultry embrace right before walking off into a swarm of screaming fans and flashbulbs. (Because what’s more rock and roll than a steamy love fest before the show?)

While you may have owned an assortment of Olsen twin-branded drugstore fragrances in the mid-’90s, the multi-millionaire moguls’ newest offering is of a much different calibre. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have ditched the pre-teen scent scene and entered the world of adult fragrance with two alluring eau de parfums. Launched as an extension of their contemporary Elizabeth and James brand, Elizabeth and James Nirvana White and Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black hit Sephora shelves this month and are sure to, for lack of a better cliche, fly off them.

Because in the era of just about every personality wanting to grow their brand—and audience— with a fragrance, it was actually consumer demand that prompted Sephora to partner with the Olsens. “Roughly two years ago, Sephora’s Kendo division — the development arm that handles strategic partnerships — approached Mary-Kate and Ashley after a fashion market research survey commissioned by the beauty retailer continually referenced the Olsens’ Elizabeth and James brand,” WWD reported in November.

See the winning fragrances! »

Fragrance is spectacular because it’s so expressive. What a woman chooses to wear is so telling, whether she’s opted for something classic, clean and bright, or for a scent that’s moodier, heavier and mysterious in nature. Quite possibly one of the most personal categories in our 12th Annual Readers’ Choice Beauty Awards, we had readers tell us their favourite fragrances for both women and men. Different notes pique interest for different people, so read on to find out which scents are the winners!

Kristen Stewart is making use of that signature haunting gaze in the ad for Balenciaga’s latest fragrance, Rosabotanica. The scent is a variation of Florobotanica, which Stewart has been the face of since 2012.

Shot by Craig McDean, the latest photo showcases Stewart in a soft beauty portrait with vibrant orchids cascading across her shoulder—not a far stretch from the most recent Florobotanica ad (hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it).

What a wonderful Friday morning surprise: Balenciaga has just released a new Kristen Stewart for Florabotanica campaign image and we’re totally in love.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year since K Stew’s initial Balenciaga perfume campaign came out. Since then, a new creative director has stepped in, causing many to question whether or not the actress (who has a close working relationship with Nicolas Ghesquière) would continue to act as the face of Florabotanica. While there were no such talks of her terminating the contract, we needed to see it to believe it—and it was worth the wait.

Lise Watier has some exciting news to share. Not only does the Montreal-based cosmetics company have a delicious new scent on the market, they’ve gone against the model-as-spokesperson trend and chosen a young Canadian woman as its ambassador. A nationwide contest was launched to find the new ambassador for the scent, appropriately titled Something Sweet. After rounds of online voting and in-person judging, the position was claimed by Jessica Kruger of Coquitlam, B.C. She dazzles in the Something Sweet ad campaign, which is set to launch this fall in magazines, Shoppers Drug Mart stores and online.

“I’m a big fan of playing with makeup, I love to be a girlie girl” Kruger says, describing the campaign as a “good fit.” A fourth-year student at Simon Fraser University, Kruger plays rugby and volunteers for various charitable causes. Oh, and did we mention she is the very first person with quadriplegia to act as a beauty ambassador for a cosmetic brand?

We caught up with Jessica Kruger, who we’ll certainly be seeing a lot of soon, to talk about how she landed this pretty sweet gig and what it’s like becoming the face of a national campaign:

Enter to win today’s prize! » See what else you can win in our contest » Today in our twelve-day giveaway four lucky winners will receive the complete Marc Jacobs Sunshine collection. A summer fragrance—or three—is essential for the season. Four lucky winners will enjoy the complete Marc Jacobs Sunshine collection, including Daisy Sunshine, Daisy […]

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Marc Jacobs is adding a new scent to its roster of It girl-worthy fragrances: Honey, set to launch this August, is a sunny and energetic sister scent to last year’s Dot. But where Dot was a lush floral fragrance, Honey is fruity, fresh and not as saccharine-sweet as the name would suggest.

The other thing about Honey is that—like many of the Marc Jacobs fragrances—it has a distinct personality. She’s spontaneous, brazen and modern. (The Honey girl is basically like your friend who knows the best new brunch spot but always shows up a little late.) In keeping with the role of adventurous urbanite, Honey is launching with an interactive campaign that encourages fans to share their favourite places around the city, country and world.