And the best artistic fragrance is...
For the first time ever at the Global Art of Perfumery, an award will be presented for most artistic fragrance. What exactly is an 'artistic' perfume you may wonder? A lot of factors go into an "artistic perfume", it is considered to be an exclusive creation that is only available in select specialty stores.

You may also be wondering who has the expertise to be on the prestige jury?  
The jury of the 1st Prix de Parfum Artistique is as follows
• Thomas Bergmann, publisher of the trade magazine "Keysale“
• Frank Dopheide, advertising expert and chairman of Scholz & Friends
• Astrid Elbers, lawyer and "First Lady“ of Dusseldorf
• Jenny Jürgens, actress, singer and presenter
• Inga Griese, journalist and editor of the style magazine "Icon/The Iconist“ 
• Waltraut von Mengden, CEO MVG Medien (Cosmopolitan)
• Thomas Rath, fashion designer and juror on "Germanys Next Top-Model"
• Frank von Stielow, founder of L’estétic GmbH 
• Sasha Urban, international scent creator from New York
• Felix Weiss, member of the Parfumo-Team
• Jeremy Williams, singer and presenter

A pretty impressive list of people I say, right?  This jury will have no easy task, they must assess the fragrance itself, take account of the novelty of the ingredients, the flacon design and packaging, the development of the fragrance on the skin, the perfume story, as well as its market potential.

"Artistic brands have long been more than niche products internationally. They are being focused on more frequently and can provide opportunities to compete in particular for smaller, owner-operated perfumeries. Through this award we want to give them their own forum," explained Frank J. Schnitzler, internationally sought-after perfume expert and initiator of the Global Art of Perfumery. 

Design House: Karl Lagerfeld

Year Introduced: 1990

Fragrance Notes: bergamot, thyme, coriander, lavender, mandarin, and sandalwood.

Recommended Use: Casual

Scent Life: 6-10 hours

This mature, moderately scented cologne is a casual, woodsy scent that has good projection and longetivity. It would be an understatment to say that this is the most perfect fragrance for men.  This scent could definitely be worn in the spring and summer season.  Don't ever stop making Photo!

Design House: Christian Dior

Year Introduced: 1991

Fragrance Notes: amber, wallflower as well as watery notes of the fresh, cool sea air.

Recommended Use: Daytime

Scent Life: 6-10 hours

Imagine a perfume that can uplift your spirit and make you feel as if you are laying on the beach with a cool mist coming from the ocean waves; that is DUNE by Christian Dior for you. Expect compliments when you wear this scent, it's the perfect summer fragrance.

Sock bun here, sock bun there, sock buns are literally everywhere! And little may you know, they're super easy to do, which may not be convincing considering how perfect they look, but we swear, they really are easy and quick to do! Follow our simple steps below and get that perfect sock bun 'do on your hair to do!

• Genty comb  your hair back and away from your face
• Depending on your bun preference, whether it be high or low, create a tight ponytail. 
• Take a clean sock and cut the tip of it off, where your toes would normally fit in
• Roll the sock up into a scrunchie
• Slide the sock scrunchie onto your ponytail so that the entire ponytail is coming out through the hole
• Press the sock bun scrunchie firmly down your ponytail to your head, fan out your ponytail so that it covers the entire sock and begin folding the hair in your ponytail over the sock scrunchie
• Carefully tuck in any stray hairs that have not been folded in while rolling your ponytail into the bun
• Secure with bobby pins around the entire bun

Will you try the sock bun look?

Crafted with the rarest of ingredients and authentic sources, Fleur de Louis and Infanta en Flor restore the sense of smell of a particular place and time, allowing both men and women to unlock their own personal revelations in the most intimate way.

Fleur de Louis is a woody floral with notes including orange blossom, florentine orris, jasmine, and white cedar wood. 

Infanta en Flor is a floral musky amber with notes including orange flower water, spanish leather, cistus resin, and immortelle.

Check out all the ARQUISTE parfums created by perfumer Carlos Huber in the photo below.  His fragrances, including L'ETROG, flor y canto, Fleur de Louis, Infanta en flor, ANIMA DULCIS, and Aleksandr are said to transport you to another place in time.

Photo Courtesy: Arquiste via BeautyPress

What if we told you that a cocktail or two can make you pretty? You wouldn't believe it would you? But it may be true, a study in France found that after consuming (or thinking you are consuming) a martini or two, may make you feel prettier.  Don't drink?  That' ok...just think you have consumed alchohol.  Sounds crazy? IT IS!

So how was this study conducted? Interestingly enough, volunteers were split into two groups, alchoholic drinks and non-alchoholic drinks. Results were "those who believed they consumed alcohol, graded themselves as being more attractive than those who believed they did not consume alcohol."

What we think?

We think that a drink, by no means, is a new makeover or beauty trend, but we do believe that it's all about confidence.  Typically, people become more relaxed after their first cocktail, so it makes sense that one's confidence will experience a boost, however, we definitely wouldn't abide by this beauty trend.

Would you?

What you know and what you have been told may just not be true...and that's why we're here to set the facts straight from the myths. So read on...for the truth, and only the truth about fragrances.

Fact or Fiction?

Spray your perfume in the air & walk through it to smell your very best

FICTION! Don't waste your spritzes of expensive spray...and possibly be staining the carpet, fabric, and anything else your misting away at.  Fragrance is meant to work with your body heat, that's why it's best to apply to your pulse points.

Fact of Fiction?
Rub your wrists together to distribute your fragrance equally.

FICTION! Don't do this, please! This will crush the fragrance molecular structure of the perfume, and not sounding so scientific, this changes the fragrance and how it will smell on you.

Fact of Fiction?
The more expensive a perfume or cologne, the better quality it is. 

FICTION! While it may be true for some instances, this really is all about personal preference. What perfume do you like? Was it expensive?

Fact or Fiction?

Store your perfume in the refrigerator to keep it longer.

FACT! The ingredients in fragrances break down over time, and exposure to light and heat will speed up that process. While keeping them chilled may keep them longer, avoid the extreme of freezing cold, notes can be affected by extreme temperatures.

Fact or Fiction?
Eau de toilette, eau de parfum, and perfume are all the same.

FICTION! These are the distinctions of the actual concentration of the scent. With an “eau,” or water, generally being the lightest (and often less expensive). Get the full detail here.

Madonna's newly launched Truth or Dare perfume for women has got her thinking of launching a mens fragrance too.  Wondering what her thoughts & inspiration on the cologne may be?

"I love musk and amber and woody kind of fragrances on men. I love the smell of whiskey — we should make a men's cologne that smells like whiskey. I can't drink it, it's too strong, but it smells amazing — a really good old whiskey."

Do you think it's a good idea?

“My daughter thinks [it’s a good idea],” she told WWD in an interview. “She wants to wear it. She likes to wear men’s cologne -- don’t ask me why.”

Earth Day is this Sunday and what better way to celebrate than with beauty products that are green.  Green, as in it's color, it's fragrance notes, or even the ingredients that make it up. Take a look at what we think are pretty honorable for the day of mother earth.

Pino Silvestre cologne –Introduced in 1955, this romantic scent has fragrance notes of oakmoss, woods and patchouli and is non doubt, masculine and enticing.

Bvlgari Omnia Green Jade perfume – This lovely scent was introduced in 2008 and has yummy notes of pistachio, white woods, spring water, green mandarin, jasmine, pear blossom, musk, white peony, and nasturtium.  Does it get greener than that?

Bain De Terre Lemongrass Volumizing Shampoo –An amazing shampoo formulated with botanical herbs and essential oils.  This shampoo is high quality, pesticide-free, and extracted from ethically harvested plants using only the purest water.

Bvlgari Green Tea cologne – Introduced in 1997, this was Bvgari’s first fragrance, with extracts of green tea blended with jasmine and rose and citrus scents.

Creed Vetiver cologne –Take a guess on this one! Notes include cedar, vetiver and ginger.  A classic fragrance with a very fresh, clean scent. Perfect for spring or summer time!

Fujiyama Green by Succes De Paris—This fabulous fragrance features a blend of citrus, sweet florals, green tea, sweet woods and bay leaves.

These beauty tips will work wonders, just ignore the fact they are a bit shocking, weird and simply put, out of the ordinary.

1.      Don’t you hate when you wear that deep red or dark plum color on your nails and after you repeatedly try to remove it with nail polish remover, your nail has been left stained?   Go sour with this one…grab a lemon wedge dipped in baking soda and scrub each finger nail for a clean and clear, shiny nail.  Be careful for cuts and cuticles, this may sting if you have any open cuts.

2.      Pepto-Bismol can be used for blemishes as well as tummy aches! Reduce the redness of blemishes and shrink those pores by dabbing Pepto onto your problem areas on your face and leave to dry.  Wash away with warm water, voila!

3.      Honey, honey…not only great in tea but great for repairing dry/cracked skin and wards off bacteria.  Apply a small squeeze on your lips for a tasty remedy!

4.      While we’re on the subject of honey and tea, chilled green tea bags work wonders for dark circles and puffy eyes! Green tea is loaded with antioxidants, so this will help reduce inflammation under your eyes or even help remedy those annoying blemish spots.  Before applying to your face or eyes, be sure to let the tea bag cool, be especially careful when applying to your under eyes! Not into the whole tea bag idea? Grab some Preparation H, and de-puff those eyes.

5.      Milk is not only a great source of calcium, but it’s great for skin softening.  Add milk to a hot bath or soak your hands/feet in a milky watery bath, want to go crazy with it and get super soothing effects, mix in olive oil or honey!

6.      Make it a double! Use your face moisturizer as a make-up remover!  Made an ‘oops’ with your eyeliner or blinked when applying your mascara? No worries, take a dab of your face moisturizer and with a Q-tip, gently wipe away your mistakes.

7.      Had a self tanning mishap? Lookin’ a bit streaky? Don’t panic, just head into your cupboard and find your new best friend, Baking Soda.  Wet some baking soda in your hand and massage it on your tan mishap(s).  This will exfoliate off all the streaks, uneven application, and dead skin cells that’s creating that blotchy tan look.  After you’ve fixed your tanning error, try again!

Have any weird but amazing beauty tips? Share them with us!