ARS AROMATICA

Fashion Notes: Giddy Charms

2012-01-24T03:23:00.009-05:00

Bronzed goddess, Helena Christensen, in Ole Lynggaard Sweet Drops 2012 catalogueWhile I tend to be easily distracted by the newest and shiniest in makeup, and as flighty and compulsive as a spring chick in acquiring updates to my wardrobe, when it comes to jewellery, my habits have always tended thus: find a signature piece that I love, elegant yet understated, flexible enough to hold its own

Beauty Notes: Lapoché Travel Toiletry Organiser

2012-01-18T22:49:00.006-05:00

Exquisite design is often quiet and unobtrusive. It is bad (or severely restricted) design that always sticks out like a sore thumb: stairs that are an inconvenient width or height, roads that disorientate and enrage drivers, shoes too uncomfortable or too delicate to do any actual walking in. When physical objects and negative spaces are combined in a way that mimics the organic, responding to

Beauty Notes: ADDICTION by Ayako Eyeshadows in Shangri-La, Arabian Ruby, Keshi, and Cigarette

2012-01-07T00:00:00.006-05:00

If the Christmas-New Year's period has found me somewhat quiet, blogging-wise, it's because I was travelling in Japan for nine days - visiting the Shiseido flagship store in The Ginza, feeding the sacred deer in Nara Park, walking around the Floating Garden Observatory in Osaka, and testing as many hard-to-find Japanese brands (ie. Suqqu, Hakuhodo, ADDICTION by Ayako, THREE Cosmetics, RMK,

Desert Island: Makeup

2011-12-24T06:00:00.021-05:00

The final cut: here is where my makeup lives.There are two schools of thought when it comes to makeup. The first exalts expression, everything we put on our face as a coded message, while the second is informed by social norms and strives to enhance without violating the integrity of the face. Glamour versus naturalism, if you will. In most cases, 'style' is an amalgam of both. One may borrow

Fashion Notes: Design Error

2011-12-18T06:00:00.012-05:00

While I'm finetuning my next post, I thought this monstrosity might amuse you guys, a pair of silk harem pants from Thomas Wylde. Everything that could go wrong goes wrong here. The trainwreck begins with a dropped crotch, the worst idea in tailoring ever conceived, then continues with a ruffle on the cropped hem. In the front, it's pleated. The material is delicate silk, a savvy choice for

Culture Notes: Mirror Stage

2011-12-11T05:00:00.019-05:00

Sydney, August 2006From one of my very first sessions with Melissa, shot on film and hand-developed. Mid-morning, sleep-deprived, I was wearing typical weekend gear: soft jeans, a t-shirt from AMUNC 2006, a light jacket to ward off the outdoor winter chill. Melissa's assignment from her teachers called for honesty, a set of portraits that could reveal the character of the subject, and so I

Beauty Notes: René Furterer Complexe 5 Regenerating Plant Extract

2011-12-07T05:00:00.000-05:00

One of the foundational tenets of beauty and makeup: Just because you're born a certain way, it doesn't mean that you have to put up with it.Have thick, slippery hair that doesn't stay put? Getting it cropped to your chin, I discovered when I was seventeen, simplifies things enormously. I barely need to run fingers, much less a brush, through my hair in the morning before stepping out the

Beauty Notes: Phytolisse Serum

2011-12-05T21:07:00.001-05:00

Sometimes, risky beauty ventures do pay off. Recently I took the plunge and not only got my hair chemically straightened, but also cut it short into a bob, a length it's not been at since I was nine. As it turns out, I find the results very flattering, not to mention easy to take care of, and in fact may never be looking back to long hair again. Soon enough however, I found that the sleekness

Culture Notes: The Door is Open

2011-12-03T05:00:00.000-05:00

THE DOOR IS OPENNo, I don't want to tame you,you'd lose your animal charm.Your wiliness and nervousnessexcite me,they belong to your exotic breed.You can't escape mebecause the door is always open.You can't betray mebecause I don't demand fidelity.Give me your hand,we'll dancethrough the laughing darkness.With sacred bellson our arms and legs,the movement of the danceas supple as ancient Arabic

Culture Notes: Genshiken

2011-11-30T06:00:00.019-05:00

When most people look at makeup, all they see is "good" and "bad". But chances are, dear reader, you are not one of those people. You may have stumbled onto this blog through the vagaries of fate, but if you've stuck around, it is because you see more than just a lipstick. You have opinions. And they all matter, these fine, exquisite nuances you are so sensitized to: pigmentation and finish,

Most Wanted: Hounds of Love

2011-11-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

Every female you see at a piano is either Lynsey De Paul, or Carole King. And most male music—not all of it but the good stuff—really lays it on you. It really puts you against the wall and that's what I like to do. I'd like my music to intrude. Not many females succeed with that.~ Kate Bush, interview with Melody Maker magazine (1977)Hounds of Love - Kate Bush album by Nayoung

Perfume Notes: Lys Mediterranee

2011-11-25T06:00:00.001-05:00

Had I been presented with the brief for Fr&eacuted&eacuteric Malle Lys M&eacutediterran&eacutee&#8212a summery vision of lilies by the sea&#8212the first thing coming to my mind would have been idyllic visions of semi-tropical locales in full bloom, and indeed, no perfume calls summer to mind like Lys M&eacutediterran&eacutee. It begins with lily in full force, an uber-lily, a blown-up vision of

Beauty Notes: Variations on a Theme

2011-11-18T06:00:00.006-05:00

Another reason why I rarely do product reviews, other than my latterly deficient photography skills, is because I like to savor my hauls slowly. Draw out the enjoyment for too long—and I like to play with my makeup—and they inevitably become outdated before it's ripe for publication. So before the fizz goes off the wine, here is Guerlain Les Verts ($59) in action. With a palette, one hopes to

Beauty Notes: How Men Understand Makeup

2011-11-15T06:00:00.004-05:00

Beauty Notes: Guerlain Les Verts Quad & L'Heure Bleue Rouge Automatique

2011-11-10T06:00:00.022-05:00

I'm not really a "curator", the kind of blogger who takes beautifully lit, elegantly composed photographs of pristine luxury makeup, because honestly, there are people who are much better at it. My own photographs are indifferent. But I've been gearing up for my final posts (for a while), and I've been anxious to represent these beloved pigments with accuracy. I've been experimenting with my

Fashion Notes: Melissa Shoes

2011-11-08T23:23:00.003-05:00

Enjoying, PVC lace-up with mesh and stud detail ($85 AUD)I saw these smart-looking black brogues on a makeup artist at Mecca Cosmetic (Myer Sydney) yesterday. She had just finished doing my makeup (I was trying out the news NARS duo, Mandchourie, which has just hit the displays but which unfortunately is still not in stock) when I complimented her on her shoes and asked where she had gotten

Perfume Notes: Caron Le Troisième Homme // The Third Man

2011-11-04T06:00:00.020-04:00

Jan van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait (1434).Among noses, the Serge Lutens are described, dismissively but shaded with obvious envy, as "bases", glorified raw materials rather than the intricate, highly structured compositions of classical perfumery. It seems a feckless position to take. Since the early 90s, all the great structures—the chypre, the cologne, the leather, the green floral, the

Most Wanted: The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady

2011-10-30T11:00:00.006-04:00

The City, George Grosz (1916/17)The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady is an album that ought to come with a warning label: Do Not Play While Operating Heavy Machinery. The very antithesis of Norah Jones and Michael Buble - "easy-listening jazz" - dancing between tumult and rapture, overwhelming tenderness and exquisite anguish, it resists any attempts to cast it into the background. It is music so

Culture Notes: Just An Old-Fashioned Love Song

2011-10-25T06:00:00.016-04:00

Lately I've been listening to soul. Vocal work does not usually appeal to me; I almost always choose songs for the instrumentals. There's too much of the diva in most performances, diminishing the talented and exposing the talentless, ridiculous all around. But the great soul singers are not show offs. At some level, all music is an expression of emotion, and feelings when heavily ornamented lose

Beauty Notes: Methodology

2011-10-19T06:00:00.038-04:00

Like building your personal palette, a skincare routine comes down to an intimate knowledge of your own face. The better you know your skin, the more effectively you can train products to specific concerns. Everyone has a slightly different physiology: pattern of pores (commonly termed as 'skin type'), thickness and regeneration rate, and receptivity to specific ingredients—all of which change

Beauty Notes: From the Runway

2011-10-15T00:00:00.002-04:00

I love backstage photos of models' makeup from fashion shows, and frequently use them as sources of inspiration. Some looks are kooky and extreme, others are wearable and natural, easily emulated. While face-charts and beauty breakdowns are primarily released for the benefit of beauty editors, they are also an excellent resource for makeup fanatics and makeup artists, which is why you will

Globe Trotter: Finding Stillness in Shanghai

2011-10-13T06:00:00.000-04:00

Scene from a silent film starring Ruan Lingyu (1910-1935)A city of many faces, Shanghai is easy to describe in terms of cliches: crowded, materialistic, ruthless in business, giddy with self-admiration, cosmopolitan, fast-changing, obsessed with all that is new and foreign. Like most cliches, there are aspects of truth to all of these, woven deep into the reputation and the identity of the

Color Me In: Cassandra

2011-10-12T06:00:00.005-04:00

FIRST NAME CassandraHAIR COLOR Ranges from dark red to titian during a dye cycle - naturally medium blondeSKIN TYPE Normal to a teeny bit dry, blackheads at nose, chin and hairline, sensitive, very minor breakouts, touch of pigmentation on the chinSKIN TONE Fair, pretty even. Not a flusher or a blusher.EYE COLOR Mostly blueMAKEUP STYLE Minimalist, which is beginning to bore me. I dye my

Beauty Notebook: Leonor Greyl

2011-10-09T06:00:00.014-04:00

Blame it on my Puritanical upbringing*, but I've never been able to quit my sulfate-based shampoos. It's an established fact that a healthy head of hair retains its natural oils. Still, I like a shampoo that feels fresh followed by a thick, unctuous deep conditioner: the conventional formula for long, naturally dry hair such as mine. It doesn't actually work. At least, it's never the

Fashion Notes: Cocktail Hour

2011-10-04T06:00:00.018-04:00

I'm fond of dresses. For reasons not quite clear to me, perhaps because I look quite childlike, I look better in a frilly, decorative, feminine style. (Edgy androgynity makes me look like a jackass.) Perhaps to counteract my youthful appearance, I prefer formality from my clothes, and dresses look neat and pulled together with an absolute minimum of effort. All you need are a pair of shoes—maybe