Scent

Yogi Elena Brower Launches New Givescent Fragrance That, You Guessed It, Gives Back

February 20, 2013 at 3:04 pm
By Fitness Magazine

Whether you’ve been to one yoga class or one hundred, the importance of breathing is always a vital component—inhaling and exhaling drives the practice and helps you move from posture to posture. Recently, we grabbed our mats and headed to practice with Elena Brower, founder of Virayoga in Manhattan. Yes, we focused on breathing in the good and exhaling the bad, but we couldn’t stop ourselves from sniffing in Givescent, Brower’s recently-launched fragrance, over and over again.
With notes of vanilla, sage, grapefruit and bergamot, this scent “smells like Italy,” says Brower, who called the country home for two years. Sicily’s signature smells—think citrus lemon trees, rich olive oil and the city’s vanilla and butter pastries—served as her inspiration. “It’s a deliciously feminine scent; it has a grounding musk to it that balances the sweetness and makes it completely irresistible.”

So irresistible, in fact, that people would stop both Brower and Alexandra Lyon Perelman, her partner in the creation of this new fragrance, on the city streets to ask about this unique perfume.  So the two decided to sell the scent, under one condition: “Inherent in our business model was a giving component. That was the only way starting a business made sense to us—it had to have giving as part of the plan.”

Since both worked with Women for Women International—a nonprofit that provides women survivors of war, civil strife and other conflicts with the tools and resources to move from poverty to stability and self-sufficiency—choosing a charity was as simple as slipping into downward-facing dog. In fact, Givescent sales sponsor two sisters and five percent of its proceeds will go to this organization.

Yogis and non-yogis alike have another fragrance to look forward to: Givescent Orange plans to launch in June, perfect for lighter, carefree days.  “[It] maintains the essence of our signature scent, but is supercharged with sun-ripened citrus,” says Brower. Plus, a portion of its proceeds will benefit Every Mother Counts, which aims to make pregnancy and childbirth safe for all moms-to-be.

—Carrie Stevens, editorial intern

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Favorite Find Friday: Matrix Biolage ExquisiteOil Shampoo and Conditioner

November 30, 2012 at 4:51 pm
By Molly Ritterbeck

I’m a big fan of Matrix hair products (they smell fresh but subtle!) and usually rely on their Biolage Volumathérapie shampoo and conditioner ($15, $16, biolage.com for salons) to give my long hair extra lift. But I also believe in switching up your shampoo and conditioner every now and then, so when mine recently ran low, I decided to try one of Matrix’s latest formulas, Biolage ExquisiteOil Micro-Oil Shampoo and Oil Crème Conditioner ($17, $18, biolage.com for salons). Both contain moringa oil, which is packed with antioxidants to protect hair from damage and fatty acids to coat each strand with moisture. My hair looks and feels shiny and silky—and surprisingly, the oils didn’t weigh it down. Bottom line: I can’t stop touching it!

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Favorite Find Friday: L’Occitane Eau Captivante Cologne

June 15, 2012 at 11:55 am
By April Franzino

OK, so L’Occitane Eau Captivante Cologne isn’t gym bag-friendly by any stretch of the imagination, but indulge us: The green-tinged, light-as-air spritz smells addictively like freshly cut mint and basil muddled with lime and orange, warmed up with a bit of lavender (yes— it somehow manages to be earthy, tart, sweet and soft all at the same time). The stunning, hefty art deco-esque etched-glass bottle reminds us of a vintage heirloom and instantly becomes the focal point of any vanity. Plus, at 10.1 fluid ounces, it’s like a Costco-sized bottle off perfume, and as such, should last you far beyond summer.

Tell us: What’s your favorite warm-weather fragrance?

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Favorite Find Friday: Tocca Eau de Parfum Viaggio Coffret

May 11, 2012 at 11:38 am
By April Franzino

If you’re on the hunt for the perfect Mother’s Day gift, there’s no more elegant, charming choice than Tocca Eau de Parfum Viaggio Coffret, an adorable trio of three of the brand’s most popular fragrances in miniature vintage-looking bottles that make lovely additions to any vanity or on-the-go bag. The three scents are warm Colette, with jasmine and musk; feminine Giulietta, bursting with florals like rose, lilac, lily and iris; and fresh Bianca, a mix of bergamot, lavender, lemon and green tea. And the gilded box is so gorgeous it requires no more wrapping than the quick tie of a bow.

Tell us: What are your favorite beauty gifts for Mother’s Day?

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More Buzz-Worthy Beauty Finds

May 8, 2012 at 1:50 pm
By April Franzino

Our office was flooded with beauty products packed with vitamin-rich, nourishing extracts like honey, beeswax, propolis and royal jelly while we worked on our May 2012 “Buzz-Worthy Finds” Beauty Buys page. We couldn’t fit all our favorite picks on one page, so here are more sweet steals that had the beauty department buzzing.

ALL OVER

• Worker B Lotion Bar, portable Treatment Stick and All-Purpose Balm contain skin-loving ingredients like beeswax, avocado oil and raw honey.

BODY

• Melvita Ultra-Nourishing Body Balm hydrates with royal jelly and thyme, acacia and orange blossom honeys.
• Repechage Honey Body Polish sloughs and smooths skin with honey and sweet almond seed meal.

FACE

• Nuxe Reve de Miel Face Cleansing and Make-Up Removing Gel gently melts away product and grime with sunflower seed oil and honey.

FEET

• Honey, rice brain oil, and papaya and pineapple fruit extracts in Farmhouse Fresh Honey Heel Glaze get rid of rough soles.

HAIR

• Suds safely with mildly-fragrant Beecology Natural Honey and Botanical Sulfate-Free Shampoo, infused with propolis, chamomile and honey extracts.
• John Masters Organics Honey & Hibiscus Hair Reconstructor repairs fried, frayed strands with a host of natural ingredients, like soy and wheat proteins, jojoba, flax, and borage seed oils, and arnica flower, white tea leaf, and chamomile flower extracts.

HANDS

• Fast-absorbing, orange oil-fragranced  Neal’s Yard Remedies Bee Lovely Hand Cream is laced with honey and propolis extract in a brazil nut and sunflower seed oil base.

HOME

• For the purist, 100 percent beeswax, artisan-crafted Big Dipper Wax Works Beeswax Sphere Candles have a subtle, natural sweet scent.
• Hand-poured, fresh floral Paddywax Orange Blossom Large Tin Candle is made of a beeswax blend.

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Life-Saving Soaps

April 2, 2012 at 1:01 pm
By April Franzino

Do good while you wash up with soaps from Hand in Hand Sustainable Suds and SoapBox Soaps. Similar to the Toms Shoes “One for One” credo, for every soap purchased from these brands, one is donated to a child in a developing country to prevent the spread of water-related illnesses, which kill more than five million people per year worldwide. And you’re not sacrificing quality for conscience: The hydrating glycerin and shea butter-based bars come in sophisticated, fresh scents like orange blossom, lavender and lemongrass.

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Giorgio Armani Fragrance + UNICEF Team Up For Clean Water

March 14, 2012 at 10:36 am
By April Franzino

Sweet charity: Giorgio Armani Fragrance is partnering with the UNICEF Tap Project to deliver clean, safe drinking water to children around the world. Do your part— and smell great in the process—by participating in the Acqua For Life Campaign between March 1 and 31st.

• $1 from the sale of each Acqua Di Gio for Men and Acqua di Gioia for Women spray cologne or gift set puchased will be donated
• $1 for the first 100,000 people who “like” the Acqua For Life Facebook page will be donated
• Up to $15— 100 percent of the retail sales price—of each 10ml Acqua di Gioia Rollerball Eau de Parfum purchased will be donated

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What Guys Think About Your Beauty Routine

March 5, 2012 at 1:16 pm
By April Franzino

From experience, we know that guys think eyelash curlers look like torture devices and bold makeup hues are more fit for clowns than women, but our friends at Pure Silk delved even deeper into the male brain when they surveyed 100 men to get their thoughts on ladies’ beauty routines. Here, the funny—and surprising—info they discovered:

• 66 percent of guys hate when their significant other uses their razor (paws off, girls!)
  
• 72 percent of men care if you leave your legs hairy (Note: A little stubble is fine, they said, but no cactus-like legs)
• 46 percent of men prefer you use beauty products with fruity scents
  
• 32 percent love florals (really?!)
• 22 percent like no fragrance at all

Tell us: What does your guy think of your primping regimen?

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Favorite Find Friday: Diptyque Eau Rose Roll-On

February 3, 2012 at 11:15 am
By April Franzino

Portable roll-on perfumes are the ultimate gym bag and purse must-have for us. Our latest love: Diptyque Eau Rose Eau de Toilette Roll-On. The chic, iconic French fragrance house has tinged the classic rose with a dash of tart blackcurrant and warm honey and cedar base notes. Just a dab goes a long way and really lasts— as does the generously-sized (gorgeously-adorned!) rollerball itself.

Tell us: What’s your favorite on-the-go fragrance?

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Would You Wear Different Scents For Different Times of Day?

December 5, 2011 at 11:19 am
By Fitness Magazine

Perfumer Lisa Hoffman thinks you should. Each of her fragrance collections (spicy, warm Japanese Agarwood, refined Madagascar Orchid, sweet Tuscan Fig, exotic Tunisian Neroli and crisp French Clary Sage) come in four Variations: Morning, Day Time, Evening and Bed Time, which all originate from the same combination of fragrance notes, but with certain ones heightened or subdued depending on the time of day you’re supposed to wear it. So the Morning and Day Time versions tend to be crisper and more invigorating, while the Evening and Bed Time versions tend to be heavier and more soothing. The tiny roll-on vials of fragrance oil tuck neatly into a luxe leather pouch, perfect for toting on-the-go (and as a unique holiday gift for the scent lover in your life).

Tell us:  Do you— or would  you— wear different fragrances for different times of the day?

—By Jaclyn Smock, beauty intern

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