Fragrance in the morning, my mascara predictions...
Tory Burch Minis & The Mascara Primer Curl Fixer from Addiction Tokyo
My favorite time of day is when I sit on my couch with a cup of coffee and attempt to “train” my nose with different fragrance samples. The most challenging thing about this is dealing with the fact that, genetically, I am not predisposed to “nose” level skills. I really struggle to separate and identify notes in different samples, which can be frustrating. BUT it also makes it more rewarding when I successfully guess a fragrance pyramid every 1 of maybe 20 times.
This morning, I worked my way through this Tory Burch Mini Coffret Set, and finished with Cosmic Wood which I guessed as a bergamot top, I couldn’t get the middle, and amber base. I did get close with ambrette, but was sat wondering where the hell is the carmdamom, jasmine, vetiver, and sage from the pyramid?
From this set of minis, I really love Divine Moon which is a honeyed white floral with a lactonic and slightly woodsy base. It’s a good thing I love it, because the mini sample spilled all over my makeup bag en route to Chicago, making it inescapable.
The other thing about using perfume samples — more readily available to most than raw materials — as objects for training is that the note pyramids are influenced by marketing and what the brand wants you to think or know is in the fragrance. There’s plenty of ingredients that will translate in many ways in different formulations, like sage for example. I can use this fact to soothe my ego a bit.
Another way to train a nose is to visit spice stores, of which there are plenty in New York, where you can smell individual ingredients at a relatively low cost. You won’t learn the synthetics this way necessarily, but I think this will be my next beauty exploration when I’ve got a Saturday with nothing to do.
To finish off this section, I enjoyed this quick and easy read on Mandy Aftel of Aftelier Perfumes from Airmail.
And now, mascara. I’ve felt this wave coming on for a bit: less is more on the lashes. I can’t lie to you, because I do see some contradictions in the data. Cluster lashes and tubing mascara, in particular, continue to gain traction among the broader consumer base.
However, I might also say these data points are not contradictory, but complementary. Tubing mascara tells me that length, definition, and hold are top of mind rather than volume and bulk. The extreme popularity of cluster lashes tells me that consumers prefer individual and customizable lashes rather than full strips, which are notably more heavy in look and feel. Of course, there’s also the lash blindness discourse and industry trendsetters saying similar things. It’s not nothing on the lashes, but it’s less and that’s something.
It was the Massive Details piece — linked above — that introduced me to Addiction Tokyo, and thus sparked an idea in me. While I was exploring the brand intending to pick up one of their mentioned The Eye Shadow Multi Tints (shades Night Groove and Hidden Brown), I came across The Mascara Primer Curl Fixer. It’s described as a “sheer black lash primer delivers 24-hour, waterproof curl hold with lash nurturing care.” It looks awesome, and like the next answer to this shift the industry is collectively feeling.
Asian beauty-derived or inspired curl holding mascaras, or lash fixers, that are clear or tinted will gain more traction in the US soon (give it a year or two) if my hunch is right. This is especially true as Asian beauty continues to capture consumer hearts across the skincare and makeup categories. They’ll add very little color or volume, but will keep your lashes up all day. Etude’s Dr. Mascara Fixer and Peripera Ink Mascara Fix are good examples. I plan to order the Addiction Tokyo when I return from summer travels, and will confirm if I myself will be participating in this trend.
Thank you for reading! <3 Addison