Jo and Sarah answer real questions from readers: to put your query, go to beautybible.com
Q I love nostalgic scents. I really want to buy a fragrance that smells of old-fashioned lipstick. Any ideas, please?
A Absolutely – and over to Jo, here, who set up The Perfume Society a few years ago, and is a true expert. ‘I agree with you: there’s something wonderfully nostalgic and feminine about lipstick-style fragrances,’ she says. ‘They’re among my favourites, too.’
The quintessential version is probably Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle Lipstick Rose, £170 for 100 ml. And over to Frédéric himself for his take on the appeal of this type of perfume. ‘Classic lipsticks are scented with violet. Violet smells sparkling and sweet. It’s somewhere between candies and flowers,’ he explains. In a perfume, he adds, violet is ‘retro, sophisticated, and brash. It’s like a splash of pink lipstick on Warhol’s Marilyn.’
There are others you might want to seek out, too. Chanel Misia – which was the debut fragrance by Chanel’s new and talented ‘nose’, Olivier Polge – is a warm swirl of rosy, violet-y, face paint and lipstick notes, priced £266.40 for 75 ml at coucoushop.com.
Maison Margiela Replica Lipstick On is another deliciously lipstick-y option worth checking out, price £95 for 100 ml at selfridges.com – and don’t overlook the truly affordable cult favourite, Yardley April Violets/£9.99 for 50 ml at boots.com.
Last but not least, Sarah has this to say. ‘My new favourite of this nostalgic type of fragrance is Roger&Gallet Extrait de Cologne Thé Fantaisie. My opera singer friend and I smelled it and said ‘granny!’ – and we both love it.’ Find it priced £22.50 for 30 ml at beautyexpert.com.
And happy spritzing!
perfumesociety.org
Beauty Bible loves… John Frieda Margaret Street Salon. We’ve been walking by this corner site en route to John Frieda’s original New Cavendish Street salon for over a year, tucked away down a little passage in so-fashionable-again Fitzrovia. Ever the perfectionist, it’s taken Mr Frieda a while to get this salon just-so.
But oh, was it ever worth the wait. Leaving aside the friendliness/talent balance of each and every John Frieda team member, which is the reason we’ve stayed so faithful to John Frieda since – yikes! – the mid-90s (when John himself first gave Jo a hairdo), it’s a stunning space.
John Frieda Margaret Street Salon . We’ve been walking by this corner site en route to John Frieda’s original New Cavendish Street salon for over a year
Minimalist, yes – but warmed by tones of bronze and brown. Lots of room to spread out on the counters in front of you – ideal for working while you’re having your highlights done
If it’s a guaranteed Great Hair Day you’re after, there’s nowhere we’d recommend more highly
Minimalist, yes – but warmed by tones of bronze and brown. Lots of room to spread out on the counters in front of you – ideal for working while you’re having your highlights done (as we often do). USB points to plug your phone in right by your side – ideal for topping up iPhone battery levels which plummet as the day wears on. Even a desk area, upstairs, which we’re tempted to turn into a London office. (John should really move into co-working spaces next, we reckon.)
And then there’s the brilliant team – with shout-outs in particular for Caroline (whose highlights attract compliments for Jo on a several-times-a-week basis), Josie (fastest blow-dry in town – and a great cutter), and Katrina, nifty nail queen. But whoever you see, we know you won’t be disappointed.
Simply world-class, all round – and a Kirbigrip’s throw from Oxford Circus.
If it’s a guaranteed Great Hair Day you’re after, there’s nowhere we’d recommend more highly.
John Frieda, 58-59 Margaret Street, London W1W 8SN, 020 7636 1401