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.

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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.

Supermodel and fashion icon Kate Moss launched her third fragrance this September, Vintage. Inspired by Moss’ love of vintage clothes and art, as well as perfumes from the 1920s and 1930s, the fragrance is classic yet refined with Moss’ contemporary twist.

A sweet floral blend mixed with warm notes of tonka bean and almond flower, the fragrance creates a feminine and sensual experience. Other notes include pink pepper and white freesia.

The bottle mimics the name by its smoky glass tint decorated with Kate’s signature in rose gold. The rose gold pattern can also be found on the folding box the fragrance is packaged in, providing a last touch of the antique inspired style.

Caviar, gold, mango, grapefruit and hemp seeds. What do these elements all have in common? They are the basis for the irresistible skin care items featuring in Trendcetera.com’s party goody bags and raffle, which benefited HIV/AIDS nonprofit Sekolo Projects. If you are like us and you have multiple beauty personalities, you will be able to appreciate each one of these items and lines. Let’s take it like this, if they are cities, Elizabeth Grant is New York or Los Angeles, while Ageless by Harvey Prince is Palm Beach and Miami, and The Healing Seed is San Francisco. One is luxurious, one is ultra-feminine and the other is fabulously green. So here’s the lowdown!

While you may have heard of a few other brands offering caviar lines, Canada’s Elizabeth Grant has been in the skincare business for years. They have the luxury skincare sector down pat, having been in business since 1958! Their expansive roster includes beauty and fragrance items too, but we love the gold and caviar items. Check out the Biocollasis Gold collection and the caviar collection. We’ve seen the skin of loyal customers and we couldn’t find one flaw!

Moving south, one of our latest discoveries is the ultra feminine fragrance, Ageless, with a base of grapefruit and mango. The folks behind this claim it takes years off your life. Obviously this is a state of mind, but as they say, if you look good, you feel good, so maybe then you feel younger too. It’s all worth a shot to look your best. Ageless is a great fragrance for that period when spring won’t come and us northern residents are praying for dress weather. According to a study conducted by the Department of Psychology at Columbia University, entitled The Effects of Fragrance on Perceived Age of Wearers, 75 men were questioned after smelling Ageless, and then after meeting women wearing Ageless or one of three other fragrances. When they smelled Ageless, they guessed women wearing it would be, on average, 16.8 years younger than those wearing other scents. When they smelled it on actual women, they guessed the women wearing Ageless were 6.6 years younger then women wearing other perfumes.

The patent application (Alan R. Hirsch, investor, 2006) for “altering age perception” presents data that suggests a combination of grapefruit, vanilla and baby powder will lead a man to think the women wearing such a scent is younger than her real age. It also suggests it might aid women with low self-esteem, social phobia or mild depression. Keep in mind Ageless also has musk, cherry blossom, jasmine, peony and apple notes, among others. It is primarily a sunny scent with a fairly strong floral base. If nothing else, it makes you feel like a sexy woman!

The Healing Seed is not the first company to try and bottle the extensive list of benefits of hemp, but it may be one that has a fighting chance. Hemp is one element that has been misjudged for years. It has NO drug content, but it does have excellent nourishing fatty acids, proteins and vitamins. That’s why hemp is not only used in skincare via hempseed oil, but also is harvested to make milk and materials. The Healing Seed offers a complete personal care line from face and body products to haircare. Using organic hempseed oil, this Los Angeles-based small business makes the products without harmful ingredients such as parabens and artificial colors. The products absorb quickly and have a scent that is appealing to women, but subtle enough and earthy, so men could appreciate it too.

Where: For more information on Elizabeth Grant visit the Elizabeth Grant website. For more information on Ageless by Harvey Prince visit the Ageless website.
For more information on The Healing Seed visit The Healing Seed website.To learn more about Sekolo Projects visit the Sekolo Projects website