Tilda Does Beauty: A Look at an Indie Celeb Scent

There are few celebrity fragrances that are not trendy, flashy, or playful. While those are all fine auras, most celebrity scents seem predictable and fleeting. The first is a labor of love, but the rest seem hasty follow-ups, the beauty world’s counterpart to a great article rendered old, simply because of the spirit of the times and the genre it belongs to. But perhaps it’s possible to create something that stands alone, and hence, earns a longer space in the underground spotlight. This may be the case with the curious Like This by Tilda Swinton. I’m the first to admit that I’d love for the talented Swinton to employ a stylist. Maybe not Rachel Zoe, but perhaps someone like my favorite fashion stylist, Isabel Dupre. But style aside, her creativity might be the ticket to a scent that appears to be simultaneously exotic and familiar.

From Paris’  Etat Libre D’Orange, Like This blends these notes: yellow tangerine, ginger, pumpkin, neroli, rose, vetiver, heliotrope, and musks. Many scents for men contain vetiver, but few for women can claim the same. This may be one differential. Also, while this has a floral note, its composition is unlike like most perfumes. Perhaps that’s why the comments on Luckyscent.com are so mixed. The LA-based retailer of hard-to-find scents also sells Like This on its website. This is apparently a love-hate fragrance, which makes me want to try it even more.

No, I haven’t had a whiff of this yet. It’s only available in the U.S. at Henri Bendel, Lucky Scent, and one spot in Miami, but I plan to order a sample. Why? Because Swinton’s description of her inspiration is poetic. She mentions being inspired by kitchens, greenhouses, and gardens. She mentions a “place and state of mind, even a state of grace.” But beyond those words, she seems to have created a scent that would enable her to transport the spirit of home. Perhaps a candle should be the next move. Further, the change of seasons is also an inspiration, as are random elements, including gingerbread, rain, smoke and again, the greenhouse. This all sounds too exotic-country-chic for us not to try. Veer away from the usual citrus, floral and musk scents this season and embrace something few will be able to place.

Like This is available from Etat Libre D’orange and LuckyScent.com, as well as at Henri Bendel in NYC.