High-tech fragrances and the smells of silk: A guide to holiday scents
The “Ber” months are upon us and Christmas is a few months away. If you’re a perfumista who insists on smelling good at every intimate gathering, Luxasia Philippines recently launched a slew of holiday perfumes that will have you smelling as delicious as the goodies on the table.
For the fearless and fabulous woman
The fragrance: Very Good Girl
What it’s about: Carolina Herrera continues her exploration of contemporary femininity with Very Good Girl, a surprising eau de parfum rooted in the same duality that defines the other fragrances in the Good Girl family. “Just as recent social transformations reflect, there’s nothing binary about the interpretation of femininity: delicacy and strength, intelligence and beauty, or being both decisive and empathetic,” said Tin Conde, Luxasia’s senior training manager.
Top notes: Red currant, lychee
Heart notes: Rose
Base notes: Vanilla and vetiver
Verdict: Very Good Girl is a floral-fruity fragrance with an interesting contrast between rose, the queen of feminine fragrance, and vetiver, the icon of masculine perfumery. So it’s feminine and sexy with an undercurrent of strength.
It’s available in 50-ml and 80-ml red stiletto bottles.
For modern, high-tech males
The fragrance: Paco Rabanne Phantom
What it’s about: Thanks to artistic director Julien Dossena, Paco Rabanne has been experiencing a renaissance, both in fashion and fragrance. Phantom is the world’s first “connected” fragrance: on the cap of the bottle, a collectible silver robot sure to appeal to sci-fi fans, there’s an NFC code your phone can scan that immerses you in a Phantom universe where you can input your birthdate and a Boombot makes a Spotify playlist of the No. 1 hits during that date; cute Phantom “philters” for Instagram selfies, even a Phantom dance you can do with the bot for a TikTok video.
Top notes: Calabrian lemon, lavender and lemon zest
Heart notes: Lavender from Grasse, France, apple, smoke, patchouli
Base notes: Madagascar vanilla, lavender, sage and vetiver
What it smells like: By clashing two accords — creamy and aromatic — the perfumers came up with a futuristic, oriental-aromatic eau de toilette with an addictive and sexy nature. Phantom was even tested using an MRI, which found that Phantom triggers tremendous addiction while also activating the feel-good region of the brain.
For the bad boy with a good heart
The fragrance: Bad Boy Le Parfum
What it’s about: Following the success of Bad Boy, this new release departs from tradition and ushers in a new olfactory universe based on the dual nature of the modern man: strong yet sensitive, powerful and compassionate, heroic and vulnerable.
Top notes: Cannabis and grapefruit
Heart notes: Black pepper and geranium
Base notes: Leather and vetiver
Verdict: Creative director Carolina Herrera and the perfumers delved into the depths of their imagination to develop a technically accomplished, sensual aromatic-woody eau de parfum, available in 50 ml and 100 ml.
For the party girl who loves to dance
The fragrance: Lady Million Fabulous
What it’s about: From Paco Rabanne’s line of Million fragrances for women, this perfume is designed for the sexy and magnetic woman who loves to dance. Music is her religion; dancing is her addiction.
Top notes: Golden flowers, pink pepper and mandarin
Heart notes: Tuberose, jasmine and ylang-ylang
Base notes: Vanilla, almond, tonka bean and solar moss
Verdict: This intense floral-oriental eau de parfum for women is a gorgeous, addictive scent that steals the show, so it’s good for ladies who like to catch and bask in attention. It’s available in 80 ml, the largest size.
For Ferragamo fans and silk lovers
The fragrance collection: Storie di Seta
What it’s about: Storie di Seta is a collection of four perfumes inspired by Salvatore Ferragamo’s silk creations. Each fragrance can stand alone, or you can layer and blend them with one another to create your own personalized scent, with 58 possible combinations.
Inspired by dream landscapes, the four EDPs are defined by four distinctive colors and motifs drawn from Ferragamo’s textile heritage. A common fragrance base called Filo di Seta, or “silk thread” in Italian — the olfactive DNA of the collection — unites all four fragrances. This exclusive signature accord is composed of Lilybelle, a lily of the valley note sustainably extracted from orange peel; Fair Trade Timut pepper oil, with its woody, floral, pink grapefruit and yuzu notes; and Neo Soie Velours de Laine, which evokes the sensation of silk.
Storie di Seta features 62.2 percent renewable materials and 99.1-percent-biodegradable formulations, and all are genderless, meaning both women and men can wear them.
Giardini di seta
What it means: Gardens of Silk
Inspiration: Hidden gardens filled with lavish flowers and elegant birds
Fragrance family: Floral-fruity
What it smells like: “Juicy vibrations of crunchy red fruits dive into the floral transparency of white musk,” Conde says, “so the sweet-and-sour freshness of rhubarb unveils a red and pink heart of Sakura flower, which blends harmoniously with woody notes of Madagascar vetiver.”
Giungle di seta
What it means: Jungle of Silk
Inspiration: A remote landscape that evokes a green, silky memory of a wild jungle
Fragrance family: Floral-green
What it smells like: “It exudes the humid, refreshing burst of exotic flora, the vivacious and crunchy twist of green pea contrasted with the velvety transparency of peony blossoms brightened by the luminous soul of musk,” Conde says. “Its green and silky caress is as exciting and overwhelming as the view of a wild jungle framed by rich foliage.”
Savane di seta
What it means: Savanna of Silk
Inspiration: Exotic flowers and rare animals against the sunset of a mysterious savanna
Fragrance family: Citrus-floral
What it smells like: Sunny and energetic, Savanna Di Seta is a fragrance that evokes sunlit lands waiting to be discovered, with soft undertones of Indian sandalwood enveloping a surprising carrot accord and powdery heart of orris.
Oceani di seta
What it means: Oceans of Silk
Inspiration: A deep and mysterious underwater paradise
Fragrance family: Floral-aquatic
What it smells like: Transparent and slightly salty, it’s an olfactory portrait of the depths of the ocean with intriguing chiaroscuro contrasts of light and shadow. A fresh, crystallized top salty accord recalls the vibrant waves of the ocean, while a sprinkling of magnolia petals creates a pure, airy and lush heart sublimed by the soft notes of heliotrope flowers.
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All fragrances are available at Rustan’s The Beauty Source and Rustans.com.
Japan’s top sunscreen brand releases mild series for sensitive skin
Anessa, Japan’s No. 1 sunscreen for 20 years, just released a mild series of sunscreens for those with sensitive skin.
Moisture UV Sunscreen Mild Gel SPF 35 PA+++ is an everyday sunscreen for people who work or stay mainly indoors. (Even indoors UV rays can pass through windows.)
Perfect UV Sunscreen Mild Milk SPF 50+ PA++++ has stronger sun protection for people who do outdoor activities, play sports or swim (it can withstand 80 minutes of pool time).
According to dermatologists like Dr. Mara Huber, UV rays can cause a lot of damage to our skin, especially here in Philippines where we’re close to the equator. While UVA penetrates more deeply and causes visible aging like wrinkles and dark spots, UVB causes sunburn. “It’s really important to wear sunscreen on a regular basis,” Huber says.
Skin sensitivity is one of the most common skin concerns, however, depending on the body’s tolerance to certain ingredients and chemicals, so Anessa’s new sunscreens address those concerns.
The new sunscreens were formulated by the team of Tomo Osawa, regional director of the Shiseido Asia-Pacific Innovation Center, whose research has earned cosmetic science awards. Anessa’s mother company Shiseido researched UV protection and found that those who wore sunscreen and used an umbrella had good skin in their 30s to 50s, with clear skin and very little age spots and unevenness.
Those who didn’t wear any sunscreen had visible spots and unevenness in their 30s, and more severe damage, unevenness, and dark spots by their 50s.
Anessa sunscreens have chemical filters to absorb UV rays and combat heat rays, as well as physical filters to scatter and reflect UV rays away from the skin. When choosing a sunscreen, it’s important to look at SPF values and PA pluses, and the higher, the better.
Anessa comes from Japanese term “nessa,” which means “hot sand.” Their sunscreens actually get stronger with heat, water and sweat, and 50 percent of the ingredients cater towards skincare. No wonder it’s Japan’s top sunscreen.
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Anessa is available at the Anessa Philippines store on Lazada.
K-Pop group are global ambassadors for K-Beauty brand
Say “annyeong” to SoKo skincare brand Nacific’s newest global ambassadors: Stray Kids!
The Korean cosmetics brand, which offers trendy, effective products derived from nature, has teamed up with the fastest-growing K-pop boy group currently making waves worldwide.
“Stray Kids' healthy and bright energy fits well with the brand concept of Nacific, which pursues natural beauty,” said Kim Hyung Min, CEO of Nacific. “It is expected to have a positive-synergy effect in establishing our position as a K-beauty brand along with Stray Kids, who is leading the industry.”
Popular Stray Kids like Felix and Hyunjin are fans of Nacific innovations like the Fresh Herb Origin Line, Phyto Niacin Whitening Line and Real Floral Line. But Nacific’s bestselling product, Fresh Herb Origin Serum, has another fan, K-drama actress Jun Ji-Hyun, who’s called it her holy grail, and the top-selling serum has sold over a million bottles worldwide. This wonder elixir is a bi-phase serum that contains Nacific’s patented Sepicalm and Pore-Complex3 to help minimize pores and improve skin texture.
Other products I’ve tried and liked from the brand include the Fresh Cica Plus Clear Cream, which harnesses the benefits of Centella Asiatica to prevent acne, the Fresh Herb Origin eye cream and Pink AHABHA cream, which with its salicylic and hyaluronic acids, vitamins and minerals improve skin tone while reviving and moisturizing tired skin.
I’m making a whole bunch of finger hearts for Nacific and Stray Kids!
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The Nacific x Stray Kids collaboration is available at Nacific’s official stores on Shopee and Lazada.
Follow the author on Instagram @thebeautytraveler_ph.
