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A fragrance that's 'really you'

By Wire services
Published April 26, 2005

Deep inside our psyches lurks a "fragrance personality," at least according to Perfumania.

The beauty retailer aims to explain why some people are drawn to floral perfumes while their closest friends and relatives prefer fruity scents:

Those who enjoy classical music, country vacations and pink are best suited to floral scents because they're usually the most feminine.

Fans of R&B music, lakeside resorts and the color green probably favor crisp "green" scents made from natural oils found in the leaves and stems of plants.

Those who enjoy rock 'n' roll, spa treatments and yellow probably like fruity scents, especially as a daytime fragrance.

Sushi lovers, beach bums and those who favor blue usually gravitate toward ocean scents that are simultaneously warm, salty and fresh.

Jet-setters fond of spicy food and red satin sheets might find a fragrance match in woody scents that conjure up images of bark and moss.

Those who enjoy jazz, exotic island getaways and purple typically favor oriental scents that are sexy and intense with hints of musk, vanilla and heavy flowers.

Nothing wrong with starting a fashionista early, right? That's what Karen Salmansohn and Brian Stauffer say - they're the team behind Fashion, a board book published by Tricycle Press.

Think of this retro-style children's book as a preschool primer on fashion world buzzwords. For example, "spring collection" is illustrated by a group of Slinkylike toys and "catwalk" features two felines strutting their stuff on top of a fence.

The "choo shoe train" is made up of Jimmy Choo stilettos chugging along the tracks.

"Fashion" is part of Tricycle's Petit Connoisseur series, which the publisher says is for "the up-and-coming toddler set."

There are lots of makeover books out there, but few offer the (almost) instant gratification of Frumpy to Foxy in 15 Minutes Flat (Fair Winds) by Elycia Rubin and Rita Mauceri.

Their advice includes starting with smooth legs, silky skin and neat nails.

Here are other beauty tips prepared by Bourjois Cosmetics and makeup artist Gina Brooke.

Apply a black eyeliner to the upper lid as close as possible to your lash line, then delicately smudge with a cotton swab. Use white liner to open up your eyes on the lower lid by applying it in a small V on the inside corner of your eyes.

Use natural-colored blush for under the cheek bone for contouring and then a pinky, rosy shade on the apple of the cheek for a healthy look.

Apply two coats of mascara from the base of the lashes all the way through the tips. Use an eyelash comb for fuller, flirtier lashes.

Go with a lipstick or lip gloss that's one shade lighter than you normally choose. It'll make you look fresher and younger.

Glamour magazine is launching its first "Glamtone," a seasonal signature color that will be offered in one product. First up is a coral-colored lip gloss by Sephora called Round-a-Pout.

"At Glamour, we have a unique position. We have access to so many different industries - the Milan (fashion) shows, car shows, beauty shows. What we're doing is taking all the information we have and saying, "We think next season's color is going to be all about coral,"' says publisher Bill Wackermann.

"Then we take all that information to Pantone, which creates the right coral for us, which will be different than the right coral for a teen magazine or a women's magazine for 50-year-olds," Wackermann says.

Pantone is a company that creates the colors widely considered the standard for the fashion industry.

While it might have been convenient that a color ideal for cosmetics is the first Glamtone, future ones might be better suited to other items, according to Wackermann, such as a cell phone cover or a handbag.

"You can pick up on across-the-board patterns and trends - maybe you'll notice a lot of metallics, maybe a lot of greens. Industries are influencing each other and consumer preferences," he says.

He wants leopard prints and animal heads.

She loves minimal white rooms and area rugs. What's the couple to do?

Call a designer, a therapist or both?

Some people are making the latter choice with "design-therapists."

The Wall Street Journal says decorators are hoping to upgrade their image and raise fees by adding psychologist to their job descriptions. They ask clients to complete long surveys that examine their intimate living habits ("When do you shave?") and childhood traumas before they produce a renovation plan. They may conduct a series of intense interviews. In short, as the WSJ notes, to find you a couch, they want to put you on one.

They are apparently restyling their fee structure because the traditional way of billing on the basis of furniture purchased has shifted. Consumers have access to furniture at discounted or wholesale prices.

Meanwhile, design school students are being encouraged to enroll in more psychology classes.

[Last modified April 25, 2005, 19:13:02]