Beauty
2015 incoming Fragrance launches
Reading Time: 4 minutesThe Fragrance industry is ending up another year and before the new year starts, let’s have a focus on the ongoing business of fragrances and specially the new incoming launches for next year. The fragrance industry is looking for a new development model, 2013 – 2020 Since 2000, the fragrance industry has overall a 3% growth year by year. While in 2013 the sales reached $45 billion globally (source: euromonitor) 2014 was a year in which several trends revealed the need for a new business model. Facing a tremendous number of launches, fragrance customers saw a certain lack of creativity that made a lot of fragrances look like “me-toos” rather of being original creations. Several brands are extending existing franchises rather than creating new ones and some of these brands, lucky enough to have iconic and classic fragrances in their portfolios, decided to capitalize on it. This situation is not…
Parfums Divine launches Spirituelle. In the name of the Rose.
Reading Time: 3 minutesThere are olfactory themes in Perfumery that only the best master-perfumers would dare to revisit as the difficulty of reaching an amazing result is very high. Parfums Divine dared to revisit the Rose theme, one of the most royal olfactory themes in perfumery. It is called Spirituelle and it will reconnect you with this amazing floral theme. Spirituelle is a story of harmony and modernity. In the first seconds you try the fragrance you will be hooked into the olfactory story thanks to a burst of spices: Sichuan and Pink peppercorns. It will give you a splash of original freshness that is away from the traditional citrus notes. It is sharp, modern and yet clean and bright. The fragrance story follows with an amazing rich and juicy floral heart. A duo of 2 amazing Rose qualities play together one of the greatest symphonies. May Rose and Turkish Rose will tell…
La Prairie Cellular Swiss Ice Crystal collection, the 2015 new launches
Reading Time: 5 minutesSwitzerland has an extraordinary natural landscape and some brands like La Prairie knows how to take the best Swiss nature can offer and encapsulate it in a flacon. One of the best examples is the Cellular Swiss Ice Crystal collection. Launched in 2014, La Prairie presented 2 products in this new collection: CELLULAR SWISS ICE CRYSTAL DRY OIL CELLULAR SWISS ICE CRYSTAL CREAM In January 2015, 2 new products will be launched in order to complete the collection. The first one is the Cellular Swiss Ice Crystal Eye cream and the second one is the Cellular Swiss Ice Crystal Emulsion. These 2 products will be the perfect complement of the first two launches already present in the collection. La Prairie’s philosophy is to create an individualised skincare plan that answers your every need or desire. The essentials are the key to this philosophy. This new collection capitalizes on the power of certain…
Top 5 Fragrance naughty ads ever #NSFW
Reading Time: 5 minutesThe luxury fragrance industry has always represented the fine image of Fashion Designers, Jewelers, Cosmetics or even Automobile brands. They tend to be the access door to a dream world. That is why Advertising is so important. It is the aspirational factor that will make you buy that fragrance rather than that other one. Of course the scent is important as it needs to match your taste and a certain image of you. Women and Men featured in those ads are always impeccable: nice outfit, haircut, perfect makeup and pleasant environment. Unfortunately there is a lack of audacity nowadays, so ads tend to look the same and often propose a very neutral concept: the happy wife or mother, the girlfriend, the successful husband, the “safe” adventurer, etc… But did you know that it is not always the case? Here is our top 5 “badass / NSFW fragrances ads ever. They…
Givenchy Dahlia Divin, and let there be light.
Reading Time: 3 minutesGivenchy has breaking news as the French Fragrance brand launches a new variation from the Dahlia franchise. After the launch of Dahlia Noir in 2011, it is a success story connecting haute-couture and perfumery. For the new fragrance called Dahlia Divin, this new fragrance was built as a haute-couture dress. Between light and deep, soft and strong, white and gold. It is a gently warm femininity proposed in this new opus by Givenchy, featuring Alicia Keys as the new face for Dahlia Divin. When gold meets perfume. Like a tailor-made fashion creation by Givenchy, Dahlia Divin shines with a thousand golden lights. Dahlia Divine is a refined, exquisite and sensual fragrance that wraps the skin in a sensual and radiant glow. As a Haute Couture dress, it makes you feel … divine. The fragrance itself is a modern elegance around the theme of White flower bouquet. The olfactory story opens with…
Chanel N.5 new TV ad spot. The real woman.
Reading Time: 12 minutesThis month, Chanel released its new TV spot for its iconic 1921 fragrance, Chanel N.5. It is a surprising film as the French brand took us from the magic of modern fairy tales to reality show. Welcome to the real woman? Chanel N.5, an unique story of über-femininity When Chanel launched the N.5 in 1921, it was the symbol of the strong personality of Ms Chanel. It was bold, facetted and with a strong signature. It was also the first time a fragrance would use a perceptible dose of Aldehyde C12, a very powerful ingredient. It procures a clean, high-pitched floral-citrus note. For the first time in history a floral fragrance went from a “nature morte” to an “impressionism” approach. Until the launch of the Chanel fragrance, all floral fragrances were floral bouquets with a natural representation. So women would smell flowers, which was pretty convenient by that time. With…
Aesop new Giftsets for the Holiday Season. Inspired by the Guild of Artisans.
Reading Time: 3 minutesInspired by the Guild of Artisans that were created all around the world, the new Holiday season gift-sets by Aesop highlights the beauty of the materials used in each Aesop store: Copper, Textile, Ceramic, Marble, Leather and Timber. Each material, reflects a different approach of the mind and body and each gift-set will gather a specific collection of products. Here is our review about the one honoring LEATHER, as The Supple Gentleman. This gift-set plays in words with the suppleness of Leather. It highlights the versatility of leather, used not only in upholstery fabric in various Aesop spaces, but also for a curtain with theatrical dimensions in the shop on Collins Street in Melbourne. The gift-set contains a trio of essential products to the daily life of modern man. The three products are part of Aesop best selling items and also perfect must-haves for men. This trio combined, will complete your daily ritual and…
Valeur Absolue Serenitude, peace in a flacon.
Reading Time: 3 minutesValeur Absolue pursuit its quest for happiness by launching a new fragrance called SERENITUDE. When Bénédicte Foucart launched Valeur Absolue as we know the brand today, she knew she had something to accomplish. She wanted to talk to women like no other brand did before. Away from all the clichés and caricatures that most of Fragrance brands propose, Valeur Absolue is more than a fragrance. It is a women’s story. Read our brand full review here. Watch here the speech of Bénédicte Foucard about the story behind Valeur Absolue. Serenitude, the new chapter Defined as a Floral Woody Spicy, the new fragrance by Valeur Absolue strikes by the soft energy that emanates from this scent. You will surprised firstly by the great brightness brought essentially by the fine work around fresh spices. Rose berry, Cardamom, coriander and Nutmeg will hook you in this new story immediately. The relay is complete…
Sisley Eau du Soir 2015 Limited edition, wild and chic
Reading Time: 3 minutesFor the past 13 years, Sisley has always meet all fans expectancies in Christmas by launching each year a new Eau du Soir Limited edition. This year, the iconic flacon dresses Savannah style. Exquisite elegance for an amazing limited edition. Only 8’000 units in the world and LuxuryActivist was able to get one. Eau du Soir, an amazing rendez-vous with exceptional elegance. Scent of a large olfactory contrasts wealth, Eau du Soir gradually reveals subtle notes of a perfect balance between freshness of citrus notes, the sensuality of floral notes and chypre, intensity amber notes and musk . Since its launch in 1990, Sisley Eau du Soir conquered the heart of thousands of women all over the world. From 2003 until today, Sisley brings the magic of Christmas to Eau du Soir. Every year, the French beauty brand reveals a new limited edition for the Holiday season. It is an…
Friday Chronicle #9: the Fragrance Christmas battle, The “Vampire Ball”
Reading Time: 7 minutesEvery Christmas, while Santa Claus is getting ready, the Fragrance industry prepares the end of the year sales program. Christmas represents berween 30 to 60% of annual sales for most of Fragrance brands. So you do not want to mess up with it. This year, there are loads of new fragrances and the all brands will dine at the Christmas table. Some of them will get a bigger piece of the cake than others. Remember the Polanski movie: The Fearless Vampire Killers? Well welcome to the ball. The fragrance industry, breaking to the Castle With more than 400 new product launched every year, the Fragrance industry is probably one of the most segmented markets in the world. This means that with less than 2% of market share you are a leader. The most challenging part of such a segmented market is to last. Indeed, from those 400 products launched, only…
La Prairie cellular eye essence platinum rare
Reading Time: 6 minutesLa Prairie is the ultimate luxury skincare brand. The Swiss brand is one of the worldwide leaders in selective skincare, renowned for the scientific integrity of its products and its unparalleled commitment to perfection. This fall La Prairie is launching a new extraordinary product called Cellular eye essence platinum rare. It will complete the Platinum collection. La Prairie is a top Skincare brand and each of its products is worth the price you would pay for them. La Prairie, a story of cutting edge luxury and perfection La Prairie has an amazing heritage to the famous Clinique La Prairie at Montreux in Switzerland. This heritage consists by being pioneer in terms of Cellular research and anti-aging therapy. In 1978, La Prairie skincare story starts with the launch of the Eye contour cream, the brand first “it” cream. Thanks to the tremendous success, the skincare laboratories were created in 1982 and its independent…
The Perfect Bridal Skincare Regime For A Healthy Glow
Reading Time: 4 minutesA few months before your wedding, you’ve made great strides to make sure you appear picture-perfect from top to bottom. Your glittering silver gown is accented by the tiara at the top. You feel elegant and confident – no one can divert the attention away from you on your wedding day! But before practicing to walk down the aisle, you take a look in the mirror to see acne, fine lines, and pimples resting between your brows. Reality dawns on you: no one is immune to complicated skin conditions, not even a bride. That is why you need to utilize the months before the wedding to focus on skincare so you appear your best on the wedding day. Yes, it is indeed possible to achieve that radiant skin with a natural glow – all you need to do is follow a skincare regime while paying attention to detail. Here are some tips to…
Angel Eau Sucrée, glamour princess goes on holidays
Reading Time: 5 minutesThierry Mugler is probably one of the most glamorous brands in the entire perfumery industry. Everything they do in perfumery creation is bold and plays the original ideas at 100%. This means no compromise. And that’s the way perfumery brands should be. This summer, the French perfumery brand is launching Angel Eau Sucrée, a summer interpretation of its iconic perfume, Angel. Love it or hate it, Angel Eau Sucrée does not go middle-road. It takes the fast lane to Glamour. In 2012, Angel celebrated its 20th birthday. And this is a rare and unique milestone in such a contemporary launch. It means that Angel trigged something in many women’s heart, something that connect all these women together, as powerful as sexy. There is never too much, when it comes to the Angel woman. As someone I know used to say: “Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere”….
Aesop, beauty care experts. Top 3 products this month
Reading Time: 6 minutesAesop is definitely the discovery of this year for LuxuryActivist. A while ago we reviewed the relaunch of Marrakech, the iconic fragrance of the Australian brand. This month we tried 3 products from Aesop and the results are pretty amazing. Aesop Moroccan Neroli Shaving Serum Aesop Moroccan Neroli Post-Shave lotion Aesop Deodorant Aesop Moroccan Neroli Shaving Serum, amazing. We all known Shaving foam, Shaving oil, Shaving soap but I must say that a Shaving serum is definitely more original. Aesop has an amazing shaving product that will modestly blow your mind. If you have normal skin and bear or if you have a more sensitive case, this product is for you. This serum will protect your skin and allow a better sliding. You will be able to reach the hair beard closest to the skin. You will have a perfect result. The formula is quite short, as all Aesop products….
Azzaro pour homme, Summer Edition 2014. The scent of color.
Reading Time: 3 minutesWhen summer heats the streets, freshness is a matter of wellbeing. Every year, fragrance brands launches several “summer” variations of their iconic fragrances. Rather than giving you a full review, I wanted to share my best for this summer. It is Azzaro Limited Edition summer 2014. When elegance, rythmn and charisma color up your day. Azzaro pour homme is the classic fragrance for men. It became the ultimate icon of masculine elegance. When the original fragrance was launched at the end of the 70’s, Loris Azzaro knew he had invented a new contemporary classic. It was the base of modern masculinity and became the invisible mark of many men. The iconic brand developed through the years an amazing territory for masculinity and elegance. Today, more than 30 years after the launch of the first fragrance, the charismatic universe of Azzaro is completely aligned with today’s men. This summer, the brand…