The Classic Beauty, Dior Diorella

The new "Les Créations de Monsieur Dior" collection

The house of Christian Dior has many beautiful perfumes that span generations. They are not all my taste- but how boring would the world be if we all liked the same perfumes, right? The iconic Diorissimo, is the worlds best known and prettiest, in my humble opinion, Lily of The Valley perfume. It was worn by many women over my lifetime and has only the sweetest memories attached. And who can forget the killer Dior Poison? Probably one of the most memorable perfumes to come out of the 80s, and how terrific is that name? For a perfume- fantastic! It can be nuclear strength if applied with abandon, but on my beautiful and elegant cousin Jean, who must just gently dab it, it smells other worldly and beautiful. 

Vintage Diorella: I fondly recall the Dior houndstooth plaid bottles on my mother's dresser...

One of my most favourite masculines has always been Dior Eau Sauvage- smells both rich and quiet and adds instant elegance and panache to the man wearing it. Simple and unadorned, yet decidedly identifiable, the world would be a better place if more men wore Eau Sauvage. Just sayin'... The dry beautiful green chypre Miss Dior, which my mother wore, will always smell like grown up ladies in lipstick, with pretty silk scarves and leather handbags. Even the sweet Miss Dior Cherie (recently re-named Miss Dior...oh how they confound and confuse us with this nonsense....) while not for me, is a lovely strawberry delight that smells snuggly and delicious on my 15 year old. I can't fault a perfume house for evolving and creating perfumes that will appeal to everyone. Snobbery in perfume is a bit tedious. We don't all start out wearing Shalimar at ten years old...and if you did, well, you might want to open your mind a little and realize there is, indeed, a perfume for everyone.

Rene Gruau did the iconic ads for Dior perfumes. How chic is this woman?

Dior recently re-released a collection of the classics under the name "Les Créations de Monsieur Dior" and even with restrictions on things like jasmine, sandalwood and oakmoss (and who knows what else) I think they have done a lovely job of recreating the originals we loved so much. Diorella was launched in 1972 and was a departure from the heavy florals and orientals that dominated women's perfumes in the previous decades. It is a soft floral chypre, with gentle fruity floral notes grounded by the subtle yet sexy mossy notes so well loved in 70s perfumery. Mmmmm. Love.

Rene Gruau's ad for the sexy-clean-in-a-French-way (dirty clean) Eau Sauvage

Diorella is based on a simple cologne with the lemon, lime and basil notes but Dior added florals to give it a feminine touch. The heart notes include gentle honeysuckle, jasmine, and rose which are tempered by a yummy peach note to keep them bubbly and light. Add the base of rich oak moss, a touch of smoky vetiver and some sexy patchouli and you have a cocktail of delight on the skin. It performs as an invigorating post shower eau de cologne for day, staying close to the skin with the citrus notes so cheering and uplifting. As the day cools into evening (or in cooler weather) the sultry base notes come forward and warm on the skin, making those around you wonder who smells so damn good. All the while, the sweet floral notes keep it decidedly feminine and temper the fruity effervescent top notes and the woody, mossy smoky green basenotes. Perfection. 

Topnotes are like the morning- crisp, clear & bright....

The pretty floral heart notes are warm like a sun filled field....

The mossy, smoky woody base notes warm beautifully on the skin like a cashmere wrap at night....

It does not smell anything like the average fruity floral on offer at perfume counters these days. At. All. It does not have the cloying synthetic musk note that every other perfume has these days, that makes them all smell the same and makes me want to run screaming from crowded elevators and movie theatres. One of my beloved perfumes is a discontinued Creed, Aubepine Acacia, and I do think the gorgeous Diorella can fill its shoes. And then some...

My List of Beautiful Gifts For The Holidays

Here are some of my favourite things for the 2011 Holiday Season...some of them are on my wish list too! Do any of these sound perfect to you? What are you hoping to get this year?

Diptyque Holiday Fragrances - The gorgeous & luxe special edition candles in gorgeous holiday red, green and gold, Epinette (resinous pine) and Perdigone (spicy plum) and also a lovely Winter Coffret with 3 mini candles- Wood Fire, Pomander & Pine. My friend Tara loves to travel with mini candles- they are a perfect way to make an impersonal hotel room feel like home. Lovely gifts! From $32-$84. 

Deborah Lippmann Get This Party Started Limited Edition Kit - What a mouth watering selection of Lippmann's sparkliest glitters, perfect for holiday parties! From a neutral pretty pink to an elegant black confetti, there is something for any party here! Around $42.

By Kilian Perfume Solid Compacts: Ok these are simply stunning. The delicious By Kilian perfumes, available in a gorgeous black bakelite-style compact that would look drop dead elegant in any purse or pocket. One thing I love about solid/concreta perfumes is they are very quiet on the sillage front. They stay close to the skin, and contain pure parfum so only the best part of the scent is what you smell. And, they don't spill or explode which makes them ideal for travel. For her perhaps the solid of Love & Tears (glorious jasmine) or, for him, the sublime A Taste of Heaven (worlds most stunning lavender). Trivia- the boxes that By Kilian's bottled perfumes come in are so stunning they have been seen being carried by the worlds most stylish and elegant women as evening bags. Seriously. $95...and this will last a lifetime.

Thann Skincare Gift of Complete Pampering: After a whirlwind month of parties, preparation and primping, who wouldn't want to find a box full of pampering goodness under their tree? Thann has a lovely set that includes their Aromatherapy Salt Scrub, Rice Grain Soap and Moisturizing Olive Oil Spray for the gift of relaxation and skincare goodness. And, it's on sale for $45.50!

Cashmere Wrap from Banana Republic: I LOVE these wraps! I've owned this in ivory and it is the softest and coziest scarf/wrap I've ever had. I say ownED as it now seems to be my daughter's scarf...Anyways, the hot pink Bright Sangria or reddish-orange Ubud Red would look amazing on anyone, keep them warm and add a splash of colour to that winter wonderland outside. On sale as well...around $100.

                                            

                                            

Dior Crème de Rose Lip Balm & Crème Abricot: A luxe & lovely lip balm that only Dior could make. It smells like roses, moisturizes chapped lips and lightly plumps them. It comes in a lovely bakelite style pot with a subtle Dior logo, which is the same style container as their iconic Crème Abricot- one of the best nail & cuticle savers ever made. Both of these are a luxurious twist on a utilitarian product, with the benefit of being Top Quality and looking pretty sitting on a bedside table or in your purse. These certainly fall under my "Things I Hate To Buy For Myself" category which  makes them  perfect gifts. Around $25-$30 depending on where you live.

Bobbi Brown Classic To Go Palette: Ok, no one does cosmetic party kits, palettes and sets like Bobbi Brown. I felt like a kid in a candy store when I was the counter the other day. They had a lovely display case with all the gorgeous little kits lined up in little windows. I wanted them all! I thought the Classic To Go Palette would be the one I'd like to see the most in my stocking. Great price too at under $30 US.

Guerlain Vol de Nuit Perfumed Shimmer Powder: Ok this entire Guerlain Limited Edition Holiday Collection is GORGEOUS. Each piece is swoonworthy all by itself, but the Vol de Nuit powder is the ultimate luxury. Scented, gently I've been assured, with the classic Vol de Nuit perfume, its for use on the body, face and, the best part, hair. It has a soft and gentle shimmer and is in a gorgeous emerald green interpretation of the classic propeller bottle, from the perfume. Trivia: The original Vol de Nuit (Night Flight) perfume was allegedly inspired by the book of the same name written in 1931 by the aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Romantic...Santa, are you listening? Around $80-$90.

And I'm sure you'll forgive me this Christmas carol...because it's Diana Ross & The Supremes....

Get Beautiful Lips

As winter drags on and the bitter cold outdoor air competes with our arid central heating, everything gets dry. Hair (that’s another post…) skin (that was last week) and of course, our lips. Stand in the Lip Section at your local pharmacy and you will see just how big a problem this is. Our favourite department store and niche cosmetic lines often have their own versions and some of them are just fantastic. I shared my love for Clarins Moisture Replenishing Lip Balm with Rose Wax here, but I have a few more faves to share, high & low,  as well as a few misses.

High:

My most recent obsession is Christian Dior Crème de Rose. It comes in the same little white bakelite Dior pot as their iconic Crème Abricot nail and cuticle cream. Ok, the pot is not the most hygienic packaging but this one is so pretty I will forgive. This cream gets very mixed reviews on my go-to site, Make Up Alley, so I was hesitant to try it (I use the mobile Make Up Alley site on my Blackberry when I’m shopping for cosmetics- really). I’m glad I did try it, because it is GORGEOUS. There is a faint rose scent, but it is very soft. The texture is smooth and velvety, slightly sticky, but it really sinks in beautifully. It smooths and soothes my lips and makes them soft and moisturized but the best part is the gentle plumping and smoothing of fine lines. Oh yeah baby. A shea butter base with Damask Rose oil and vitamins A and E make this a winner for me.

La Mer lip balm is one I have had ups and downs with. Just when I think I don’t like it, I end up using it (often because it’s the closest to my hand) and then I love it. Right now I love it.  It is a more subtle effect and is more effective used for long term moisturizing. It is not thick so it doesn’t give the feeling of coating the lips. Used in the evening however, my lips are soft and smooth when I wake up. It is expensive but from what I am seeing, this stuff lasts forever. It has a subtle minty scent/taste and is again, in a little pot so you are dipping your fingers in it. It has a firmer consistency so I almost have to scrape a bit off with my fingernail to apply. That said, it then melts into your lips and works its La Mer Magic. Final verdict: now that I am not expecting a thick goopy balm, this is a love and serves its purpose. As with all things La Mer…less is always more…

Ok this is the big disappointment and even I am saying “I told you so” to myself. This year Lip Fusion came out with a balm and the thought of nice plumped lips a la Lip Fusion original plumper but in a soft matte balm sounded great. It seems to be a Sephora exclusive as I could not find it on LipFusion's website. Maybe they have discontinued it... I read horrible reviews online but still felt the need to shell out $30 for their balm. It is in a shiny silver tube, with similar styling to the Fresh Balm, so it twists out like a lip stick. Lets just say that you can save yourself $28 and get a Chapstick instead if you are ever tempted to buy this product. Not sure what they were thinking…maybe because the first Lip Fusion was the most genius product ever make to plump our lips women will buy anything with Lip Fusion on the label. Boo.

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment is a nice lip balm, maybe nicer and more luxe than Chapstick with gorgeous packaging but not nice enough for me to ever buy another one . Very pretty scent and effective moisture but at $25 it’s just not enough to wow me. How this made it onto multiple "Best Of" lists mystifies me. Meh.

Low:

Carmex is THE ONE when we talk drugstore lip treatments. Nothing really works as well to get rid of chapped lips and to protect when you are out the cold or wind. I think the salicylic acid is the key ingredient here as it exfoliates flakes and dry skin. This is a good one for guys too, the packaging is very utilitarian and the red and yellow colours don’t scream “make up” or “cosmetics”. The one issue I have with Carmex is the scent/taste. I find it so strong that I can’t smell my own perfume when I wear it. That may be because I wear it right under my nose but it’s enough to bug me. I do love it, it works, but I only wear it at home. It has proven to be the best for my younger daughter when she had braces and massive retainers that kept her mouth open at night giving her brutally dry and chapped peeling lips. Carmex was the one thing that saved her. I like the one in the squeeze tube for ease of application.

Blistex Lip Medex is the other ONE. My older daughter and I love this one- and we use the one in the little blue pot. It is medicated like Carmex, is nice and thick and is slightly less scented than Carmex. It is comparable as far as results go, however I don’t think it has salicylic acid so the sloughing properties are not quite the same. I remember reading years ago, before the Lip Plumper Revolution, that some make up artists used this as a plumper under lipstick. They would exfoliate the lip then rub in some Lip Medex for a nice healthy plump. Again, the gender neutral packaging works for guys and gals.

Another drug store fave is Blistex Deep Renewal Anti Aging Treatment. I bought this when I was cottaging and forgot my Lip Fusion (go ahead, judge me for wanting plumper at the cottage) and the only option for shopping was a drugstore. It has a lovely soft mint scent/taste, is not thick and seems to just sink into the lips nicely. Another nice one to use at bedtime it does seem to do a little to smooth lines and gently plump as well as moisturize dry lips. Bang for your buck is high here.

My other drugstore fave is not exactly low end at approximately $30 but I LOVE it- Olay Regenerist Lip Anti Aging Concentrate. This stuff is magic and works as well as one would expect an Olay product to perform. I love Olay and they really hit the mark with this lip product. It smooths, softens, and gently plumps, comes in a tube and is available everywhere. That said, for $30 I want more product as I go through a tube of this quickly, and some nicer quality packaging would also help. The cheapo plastic tube is ugly and belies the goodness inside. Speaking of packaging and Olay- can someone there please. Just. Stop. The madness. All the insane plastic packaging that is akin to electronics packages that need a grenade to open them…wasteful and you are almost guaranteed to break a nail prying them open. So, buy the Olay forewarned. Great product, but a bit of a rip off.

I saved the best, ultimate cheap and cheerful product for last- Aquaphor. Yes yes, its full of petrolatum. I don’t care. For under $10 I get a tube that will last me years, it is odourless, softens and smooths lips, cuticles and anything else you put it on. It will help heal hangnails and papercuts, and is a fantastic barrier lotion. I swear if I put it on chapped lips at bedtime, it is still on my lips when I wake up. I always have a tube of this multi-purpose stuffs in my purse and in my bedside table. Win.

What are your favourite lips products? Share! I love to discover new stuff!

 Photo of my fave gorgeous clazy rady Joan Crawford