There are perfume brands, and then there are perfume legends. Oriza Legrand is of the latter type. It is a brand that began centuries ago; in 1720 to be exact.
Sadly it did not survive the hardships of WWII and the company closed down.
But, two devoted connaisseurs, Franck Belaiche and Hugo Lambert, took on the challenge of reviving the brand. Refering to themwelves as successors of the brand, and not founders, they strive to recreate the brand’s perfumes exactly as they once were. Read more →
Post By Charles Gillman.
It was a Wednesday afternoon under yet an additional grey Paris day. There I was on the Faubourg Saint Honoré collecting my ticket from Melissa for the Fatima Lopez show, I was also in the middle of having a casual nervous breakdown with regards to what to wear, Spanish designer, on the Champs Elysées… At the Lido! “JUST wear something sexy, her styles are always very WOW and sexy!” Melissa said interrupting my anxiety attack that I was oh so enjoying. ‘Sexy… Me? Are you joking?’ I thought to myself. It seemed as if the enormous glasses and the scarf that concealed Charlie’s chicken neck would have to stay home in the thirteenth district for the morning.
I am thrilled to present a Paris Fashion Week haute couture show review from the darling and dashing makeup artist Charles Gillman, a British expat who has been making magic in Paris for three years now. I was lucky to get to work with him in a wedding modeling shoot and on my own Sweet Life in Paris video. And now he has been so kind as to lend his « plume » to Prête-Moi Paris for an article on Defined Moment’s Spring-Summer 2014 couture collection.
And without Further ado!
Post by Charles Gillman
Defined moment’s show – 22nd January 2014
This winter I’m a makeup artist in hibernation, I’d spent most days nipping out to see clients and then whipping back home to spend my life by the Nespresso machine, as well as gluing my eyes to my laptop. Yes, Paris is fine-looking all year round, but it seemed easier and more tolerable from behind the window, avoiding the wind whipping, falling over undersized dogs and having disputes with fellow Parisians on the metro about ‘who got to the seat at the outset!’ (all these things are frequent occurrences.)
I will let you in on my three favorites…
I got him Serge Noir for Christmas. It’s my new obsession on him. It has the slightest hint of sweetness infused into a wooded fragrance. Drives me crazy! (In a good way). 
And of course I still love his Gris Clair by Serge Lutens as an every day scent. It’s a fresh yet warm scent.
For occasional evenings, more in the warmer months, I love smelling Duel by Annick Goutal on him. It’s slightly flirty and entirely elegant.
What are your favorite scents? And what does your chéri wear?
Tell me in the comments below.
*Perfumed bisous from Paris!*
This time of year, a feeling of fatigue seems almost universal. We are over-worked, over-played, over-fed and over-spent. So I like to find small and simple ways to regenerate my energy and contentment that don’t take much out of either my pocket or my time, but have a maximum positive psychological impact.
Here are three ideas for indulging this winter, that I like to partake in…
1. Filling my home with comforting scents
2. Getting my fill of vitamin C.
3. Giving myself a little « pause beauté » to erase some of the effects of over-doing everything. Read more →
I was invited at the end of October to this lovely beauty salon in the center of Paris. They were having an evening event in support of breast cancer awareness. I’m not sure how they were supporting breast cancer awareness other than putting up graphics by American artist, but it was a nice way to get people to cone in and discover their salon. Read more →
Serge Lutens team invited me in September to the opening of their new space in the Printemps Haussmann department store. I am always eager to attend the Serge Lutens events, merely because I am totally in love with his work!
The theme of the evening was the quintessential scents of Serge Lutens. There are three : Serge noir, Datura Noir & Vitriol d’Oeillet. Perhaps we should describe these three at the holy trinity of Serge’s creations. For him they embody the essence of his work.
After an exhausting year, no make that two years, I decided enough was enough. I needed a facial urgently. A few years ago my awesome mother-in-law (at the time Chéri and I were not yet married), gave me a Christmas gift of a facial at her favorite Carita spa in the 6th arrondissement. Since then I have been dreaming of going back. And these past couple of years I feel like my skin has aged far faster than usual. So I made that decision to stop putting it off and marched into the spa on Faubourg Saint Honoré and requested an appointment. Read more →
This one is for the boys!
Planète Rasoir… A totally masculine boutique with all you guys need for shaving. The gentleman who runs the place is a total enthusiast. When I arrived at the store he was have an animated conversation with an equally as excited client – about shaving blades, lotions and other paraphernalia. I thought it was great that men can also be enthusiastic about their facial care. After all it is their face that they show to the world, so why wouldn’t you want to be über picky about what you shave it with daily?!?
Read more →
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