Steven Salazar, a designer extraordinaire for Confident Clothing, brings his expertise and biting wit together to critique the latest fashions and beauty trends.
What the Smell is Going on?
With Mother’s Day right around the corner, the question of what to get her plagues our minds. If your mother is anything like mine, little less than the world will be appropriate! So, since I cannot give my mother the world at this point of my life, I settle for the next best thing: fashion!
Within the world of fashion there are so many possibilities. There are perfumes, handbags, shoes (not Payless my dear. . .think Manolo), and so much more. So this week we are going to start off with fragrances. Designer and cosmetic houses are always releasing a new, lovely fragrance. Unfortunately, they all seem to smell the same after some time. However, just like anything else, there are some classics that cannot be denied while there are some newcomers who deserve a whiff or two.
The classics, in my opinion, are always a sure fire way to please any mother. There are two fragrances I feel are inferior to none: Chanel No 5 and Bulgari Pour Femme.
Chanel No 5 can be a bit tricky. Its fragrance can be a bit for an unseasoned nose to handle at first. Its blend of grasse jasmine, neroli, may rose, sandalwood, comoro islands ylang-ylang and vanilla can be quite powerful, but the beauty of this fragrance is if one has enough self-control to apply sparingly, the strong aroma will blend beautifully with its softer undertones and the wearer’s body chemistry to reveal a scent uniquely individual.
Bulgari’s Pour Femme happens to be my mother’s favorite. With jasmine, rose, bergamot, citrus, tuberose, hesperidic, and musk it is a fragrance that tantalizes the senses; warm and seductively sensual it leaves a wandering cloud of aromatic ecstasy.
Paris by Yves Saint Laurent is unbelievable. Its rose, hawthorn, mimosa, violet, sandalwood, moss, iris, amber, and musk orchestration is glorious. Every inhalation is like diving deeply into a bouquet of roses gently caressed by its underlying notes.
For a recently introduced fragrance, Carolina Herrera’s Chic is a nice addition to the world. It is a floral, woody, musk fragrance incorporating mandarin flower, orange flower absolute, Bulgarian rose petals, red freesia, sandalwood, vanilla absolute, white musk which wears very nicely on the skin.
Also, I have been a big fan of bcbg’s Girls’ Star. It uses magnolia flower, apricot, exotic leaves, tamarind, tuberose accord, rose petals, jasmine, orris, orange flower, amber, vanilla, musk, tree moss, sandalwood, and cedarwood. As you can see, it is quite a floral scent, but its sweetness is stabilized by the use of musk, tree moss, sandalwood and cedarwood giving it a well-rounded, soft spicy edge. Although, the line of Girls fragrances may have been developed for a younger market, Star carries a nice sophistication that makes it suitable for any age woman.
Well there you have it, a list of some of my favorite fragrances. Hopefully, from this list you will find a favorite of your own and better yet, a favorite that perhaps may become your mother’s signature fragrance!
-Steven Salarazar – Designer, Confident Clothing
stevenjsalazar@hotmail.com
