Saturday, September 29, 2007
Life, Style, "Haute Stuff"
Scent of a woman
Master perfumer Laurice Rahmé, founder and owner of Bond No. 9 New York, is providing personal fragrance consultations, complete with Champagne and bottle signings...
Fall in love with a classic scent of a rose at Bath & Body Works.
CREDIT: Courtesy of Bath & Body Works
|
By Kirsten Ott
MEET YOUR MAKER
Master perfumer Laurice Rahmé, founder and owner of Bond No. 9 New York, is providing personal fragrance consultations, complete with Champagne and bottle signings, on Oct. 5 from 1 to 6 p.m. and Oct. 6 from noon to 6 p.m. by appointment only at Saks Fifth Avenue in Phipps Plaza. The Parisian New York–based businesswoman launched the perfume company during the challenging aftermath of 9/11, and has since risen to unprecedented heights, going nose to nose with noteworthy perfumeries like Chanel and Estée Lauder. Her decorative flasks filled with original scents are designed and named for neighborhoods in NYC, including Coney Island, Wall Street, Nuits de Noho, West Side, Bleecker Street, Park Avenue, New Harlem, Chelsea Flowers and Chinatown, seems to have spiked each of them with a generous dram of her own personality. The newest Bond No. 9 New York fragrance to hit stores is a pair of scents named for an iconic shopping destination in NYC. Saks Fifth Avenue for Her and Saks Fifth Avenue for Him fragrances are sold separately, but are unisex and thus can be purchased together, applied together and blended on the skin for the most fashion-forward of scents. Available for $125 (1.7 ounces) and $185 (3.4 ounces) at Saks Fifth Avenue. For an appointment with Rahmé, call 404-812-7368. www.bondno9.com.
THE BIG APPLE
Luxury is Donna Karan’s middle name. OK, maybe not. But the noteworthy designer keeps cranking out hot-ticket items that attract the deep-pocketed. This time, she’s produced a spin on her Be Delicious fragrance with the new DKNY Delicious Night. Whereas the original scent offered notes of apples and flowers, the electric update features the sensuality of a blackberry martini served with subtle tones of freesia, jasmine, myrrh and patchouli (but too much to be deemed a hippie). The collection of Delicious Night fragrances ($52–$68), lotion ($38), shower gel ($32) and lip gloss ($16) is available exclusively at Bloomingdale’s on Oct. 1. www.dkny.com.
JUST SAY OM
I recently had an intoxicatingly spiritual experience at Neem Tree Spa, an Indian wellness destination in West Midtown. After tea service, a very calming Lana indulged me with a ritualistic Sushupti massage ($110), complete with aromatherapy. While my muscles were worked beyond comprehension with ancient rejuvenation techniques, I inhaled a myriad of relaxing scents, and Lana exhaled with a special Vedic cleansing verse. I could’ve laid there forever in the mystical room ensconced in Indian decor, but I had to get back to work. After my transcendental treatment, though, I was treated to a vegetarian lunch of chickpeas and fruit—complimentary with all spa procedures. Dining alone, it was a welcome escape to have some time with myself. The entire visit was all-inclusive in the price of the service, even tip—a welcome change from so many of the á la carte spots around town. www.neemtreespa.com.
A ROSE IS STILL A ROSE
Tipping the velvet is Bath & Body Works, which introduces Velvet Tuberose this fall. The fragrance, conceived by Givaudan’s master perfumer Jim Krivda, is an opulent scent for the seductive and glamorous. The combination of fig, tuberose, white freesia, orchid and gardenia is powerfully seductive, but not overpowering. The bonus for buying your perfume at B&B? The price, of course: eau de toilette ($18.50), body lotion ($9.50), body cream ($10.50), body butter ($14), shower gel ($9.50), creamy body wash ($9.50), shimmer bubble bath ($9.50), body splash ($10.50) and cream ($12), Ultimate Silk body lotion ($17.50) and Daily High lather scrub ($14). www.bathandbodyworks.com. SP