Dear Rissa,
I want to invest in a good signature scent. How do I choose? - Bella
When it comes to scent, your choice of fragrance should reflect your personality. There are scents that are sweet, light and fresh, floral, woodsy, and fruity. Finding the right fragrance can be a difficult challenge and body chemistry plays a critical role. That’s why the same bottle of perfume will never smell the same on each person. So before buying a bottle of fragrance, give it a road test first to see how it stays and smells on your skin.
I used to be the kind of perfume shopper that would buy whatever scent was the big trend. But then I realized I smelled like every girl in the mall! It defeated the purpose of having a unique signature scent. For me, scent has one of the biggest powers of evoking memory. A signature scent should remind people of you, not everybody else.
The scents I never tire of are from Maison Francis Kurkdjian (available at Adora, Greenbelt 5, Makati). Each bottle never smells mainstream and it’s like carrying that rare designer luxury bag — it’s truly “for those who know.”
Francis Kurkdjian is revered as one of the world’s most talented perfumers and worked behind the scenes for many years creating iconic fragrances for fashion houses like Yves Saint Laurent, Giorgio Armani, Versace, Dior and Jean Paul Gaultier. He later introduced his own fragrance Maison Francis Kurkdjian and crated an alluring collection of luxury scents, which makes use of the purest essential oils. This is designer fragrance at its finest.
My favorite from Maison Francis Kurkdjian is APOM Pour Femme. It reminds me of delicate baby cologne but for some reason, my husband finds the scent irresistibly sexy on my skin. The only person I’ve bumped into wearing the same scent is celebrity stylist Liz Uy.
Another famous MFK scent is Aqua Universalis — its “freshness in bottle” and works for any gender! It’s a blend of floral and musky notes that smell so good and so fresh your boyfriend may steal the fragrance. You will never tire of it, too — it’s fresh, calming and never fails to put me into a state of pure bliss. It’s the type of scent that will make your boyfriend or husband snuggle up with you because you smell so good. I’ve been loyal to Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s unique scents. My new favorite MFK scent right now is OUD Extrait de parfum. It starts off as a rich luxe scent but vaporizes into a soft delicate powder. The scent is laced with musk and vanilla that releases a harmony of spicy rich notes. It conveys mystery and sensuality at the same time. It’s a scent so sexy your better half will want you to wear it only when he is with you. So potent yet luxe, a little will go a long way but you will never tire of it because it’s not common and exclusive to only a few. - Rissa
My go-to beauty products
Hourglass Immaculate foundation RMS lip-to-cheek tint
Dear lucy,
Do you have any go-to products for last-minute beauty emergencies? - Flor
For a five-minute face:
• Hourglass Immaculate or Bare Minerals Foundation (flawless finish). Use sparingly, cover only imperfections.
• RMS lip-to-cheek (I also even use it for the eyelids for a unified look)
• Happy Skin Sculptacular to softly contour. I love that it defines the features gently, as if it isn’t there even if it strategically is (use on the crease of the eyes, down the sides of the nose, the hollow of the cheeks, the jawline, the sides of the forehead. Refer to the cheat sheet that is cleverly incorporated in the packaging.
• Cream-to-powder eye color — just swipe it on, so easy to use. YSL has the nicest formulations. - Lucy
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Send email to Lucy Torres-Gomez at ltg@pldtdsl.com. Email Rissa Trillo at stylesos_rissa@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter @RissaMananquil.