FACES Beautiful now offers Brush-On Mineral Makeup that applies easily and is convenient to carry.

Winter is our least favorite season. But it’s difficult to put on a brave face, when that face is dry and pale and just not at its best. At the launch of the new FACES Beautiful Brush-On Mineral Makeup, we learned more about the line and asked founder and makeup artist Gail Sagel for winter makeup and skin tips to refresh our beauty regimen for the new year. And with our finely shaped eyebrows, courtesy of a FACES Beautiful esthetician from Sagel’s Westport, CT, studio, it’s harder to make an unseemly cold-weather scowl.

“The start of a new year is a welcome opportunity to make great changes,” says Sagel. She recommends booking a facial and speaking with an esthetician about your skincare concerns, then following the recommended at-home regimen. Once you figure out what your skin needs, you can stop wasting money on products you may not need, she adds.

In the winter, most people need to change the way they take care of their skin. “Just like you need to add on layers of clothing to protect your body from the cold elements of winter, you need to take the appropriate steps to protect your facial skin too,” Sagel says. “One of my favorite tips is to change your cleanser to a more hydrating cleanser, which won’t strip your skin squeaky clean.” She also recommends applying hydrating hyaluronic serum underneath moisturizer to further moisturize.

To combat our pallor, we had the opportunity to try the new FACES Beautiful Brush-On Mineral Makeup ($29.95), available in Radiant Beige or Healthy Nude. As the name implies, the liquid makeup is applied through a brush. Simply remove the cap and turn the top to “On,” releasing the makeup into the brush with a slight squeeze. We were told to start at the center of the face, spreading a bit on the nose toward the bridge and across our cheeks. Then we use the brush to blend in outward strokes over our entire face. “This makeup goes on moist and will dry to an air-like finish,” note Sagel. True to Sagel’s word, we forget that we have the makeup on.

We also tried some of the other items in the FACES Beautiful makeup line, including the SuperWear Mascara ($18). As promised, it doesn’t apply in unsightly clumps, nor does it flake once it dries. (As a wearer of gas permeable contacts, we appreciate not being temporarily incapacitated by stray flakes in our eyes.) Since it also stays put on our lashes, it just may be our new favorite mascara.

The FACES Beautiful line also includes eyeliners ($18-$20), eyeshadow quads ($32), lip gloss ($18-$21), lipstick ($17) and lip liner ($18) in a variety of colors, as well as bronzer ($26), highlighter ($26) and blush ($26). FACES Beautiful also offers two versions of FACE in a Case ($20-$100), so you can choose your own discs of mineral powder in a handy all-in-one case. The FACES Beautiful Skincare line includes moisturizers, toner, cleansers, makeup remover and serum.

For more tips on winterizing your winter beauty routine and protecting your skin, nose, hair, eyes and lips, read “Goodbye, Dry!” in the latest issue of VIVmag. How do you freshen up your beauty routine in the winter months?

Photo credit: Courtesy FACES Beautiful

One lucky winner will receive an Aftelier pendant with the fragrance of her choice.

With all the concerns about how we absorb chemicals through our skin, we’re happy to know about Mandy Aftel’s Aftelier natural perfumes. Aftel hand-blends her fragrances using pure essences. To start your new year sweetly, we’re giving one lucky winner a chance to win her choice of Aftelier perfume in a French glass pendant!

The French flaçon pendants ($80 each) are suspended on golden ribbon and hold 3.5 ml of perfume. Each can be filled with any fragrance: Secret Garden, Cacao, Candide, Cepes and Tuberose, Fig, Honey Blossom, Lumiere, Parfum de Maroc, Shiso and Tango. To enter, simply fill out this form!

While many perfumers talk about natural scents, they often use synthetics. Not Aftel — and that’s why each perfume is a different color; when real base ingredients are used, even the hue comes from the source.

Aftel has written several books about scent and fragrance: Essence and Alchemy (Gibbs Smith, 2004), a history of perfume; Aroma: The Magic of Essential Oils in Foods and Fragrance (Artisan, 2004), with chef Daniel Patterson, and Scents & Sensibilities: Creating Solid Perfumes for Well-Being (Gibbs Smith, 2005).

We love Aftel’s solid perfumes — especially the ones that come in vintage watch cases and patch boxes (which 18th-century women used to carry paste-on beauty marks). We noticed the new doubles, made to be worn by themselves or layered, such as the fir/rose combo. “The fir smells like a forest of jammy sweet fir trees, and the roses smell truly like a bouquet of roses — because it’s what they are,” Aftel says.

Some impressive chefs and bartenders use Aftel’s chef’s essences. (Her culinary essences are even in the White House kitchen!) Starting in February, you’ll be able to buy some of her kitchen essences from Williams-Sonoma, in stores and online. Williams-Sonoma will carry black pepper, nutmeg, Makrud lime leaf, fresh ginger (which we like in hot water with honey), and litsea cubeba, which smells like the best lemon-drop candy of our childhood.

Big spenders can buy custom Aftelier perfumes for $1,600. (To keep it in perspective, Aftel’s ingredients can cost up to $14,000 a kilo.) For bespoke scent, she might reach back in time. “I have a collection of over 100-year-old essences,” she says. Aftel’s vintage collection includes jasmine, rose and cassia.

Aftel also makes face creams, body oils, scented teas and candles. As an authority, Aftel knows that fine scents come in layers for complexity, depth and balance. “To make a good perfume you need top, middle and base,” she notes.

With so much going on, what next? “More of this,” Aftel says. “I am so lucky, to do what I love.”

Do you try to seek out natural perfumes?

Ten winners will receive IMAN Cosmetics Luxury Translucent Powder (shown) and Wild Thing Luxury Moisturizing Lipstick.

We love adding a touch of glamour to our usual beauty routine during the holiday season. In our latest issue, we even shared some of our best beauty tricks in “Glam Up for the Holidays.” So we’re happy to let you know that the makeup and skin-care line of former VIVmag cover model Iman is currently having a “Show Us Your Look” Holiday 2011 Facebook Contest. Ten winners will receive the new IMAN Cosmetics Signature Gold Compact Translucent Powder and Wild Thing Luxury Moisturizing Lipstick (a $30 value).

Create a holiday look using IMAN Cosmetics and take a photo. Then “like” IMAN Cosmetics on Facebook to enter, upload your photo and say what products were used. The deadline to enter is Dec. 27, and winners will be chosen through online voting open Dec. 28 through Jan. 4. Voters are allowed one vote every 24 hours.

Iman recently told VIVmag that the idea for IMAN Cosmetics started the day she arrived at her first professional photo shoot in 1975 and had been expected to bring her own foundation for her skin tone. The shades of sand, clay and earth complement the complexions of women of color, with options such as liquid makeup ($16), concealer ($12), foundation ($16) and powders ($16–$20), as well as skin-care products ($10–$18) in formulas for time control, dry/aging, normal/combination and hyperpigmented.

The IMAN Cosmetics line also includes also includes eye shadow ($8), liquid eyeliner ($11), mascara ($7), eye-defining powder ($11), blush ($11), bronzer ($16), lipstick ($10), lip shimmer ($10), lip shine ($10), lip stain ($9) and lip pencil ($8). For inspiration for your glamorous look, check out IMAN Cosmetics’ day-to-evening holiday glamour video.

To read more about Iman’s longevity as a supermodel, her work with Raise Hope for Congo and Save the Children and whether or not her famous husband, David Bowie, takes style tips from her, check out “The Professional” in the September/October issue of VIVmag.

How do you add a “wow” factor to your holiday beauty routine?

Not only does 25 percent of the profits from the Kahina Giving Beauty Gift Set go to Berber women in argan cooperatives, but an additional $10 of online purchases goes to buying livestock for the women.

When selecting holiday gifts this year, we found that some of the best were those that benefit good causes. Some of our favorites are featured in “A Gift for Giving” in the latest issue of VIVmag, but we wanted to call your attention to a few more worthy picks.

During a recent facial at one of our favorite Brooklyn shops, Shen Beauty, we discovered Kahina Giving Beauty products. Founder Katharine Phillips L’Heureux was in Morocco when she discovered that local Berber women harvest the oil from the nuts of argan trees for its beauty properties (as well as for local cuisine); the light, nongreasy organic oil is moisturizing and high in vitamin E, among its other benefits. Kahina donates 25 percent of profits to support the Berber women of the argan cooperatives and their families.

Kahina has a variety of products including the argan oil ($36–$82), toning mist ($36) and eye cream ($65). The Kahina Gift Set ($65) includes argan oil and argan soap, as well as a cotton zipper bag, hand-stitched by Indian women rescued from human traffickers. The set is a collaboration with NEST, a nonprofit that provides artisans with education and interest-free loans. Kahina is offering free ground shipping until Dec. 31.

December is AIDS Awareness Month, so a gift from Same Sky is especially appropriate this holiday season. The glass-bead bracelets and necklaces, Prosperity Bracelets and fabric wraps are handmade by women who survived the 1994 Rwandan genocide, many of whom were raped and infected with HIV. Same Sky aims to empower the women in Rwanda, and now in Zambia, where at least one in seven adults has HIV.

Among our favorites: the Deck the Halls Prosperity Set ($175) of three bracelets in cherry, paprika and Chardonnay and the White Tiger glass bead bracelet ($160). Gift wrapping is available for an additional $3.50. Special holiday sets ($450) in ivory and caviar include a glass-bead necklace and bracelet, as well as two signed artisan cards, an information card and a gift box and ribbon. Domestic ground orders ship free through December.

Whether you have an avid gardener, an animal lover or a human-rights advocate on your holiday list this year, Altruette has a gold or silver charm that benefits a corresponding organization. For example, 50 percent of the net profit from the sale of the watering can charm ($115–$145) benefits the American Community Gardening Association, while the dreidel ($115–$145) benefits the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. The charms can be attached to necklaces ($75–$125) or bracelets ($130–$150), which like the charms, are made in the U.S. with repurposed gold and silver. We love the Year of Charms ($1,295–$1,500) option: a new charm delivered every month.

After we told you about the Miss Representation documentary and “The Independent Woman” segment of PBS’ America in Primetime series, it should be no surprise that one of our favorites is the TV charm ($95–$125), created by actor Geena Davis to benefit her See Jane nonprofit that advocates for gender balance in children’s programming. Speaking of gender equality, there’s an option for men, too: a set of silver cufflinks ($180).

We also like this gift idea for men: the Pacific Shaving Company works with Trees for the Future to plant a tree for every purchase of its organic shaving essentials, which are made in the U.S. Simply go to the company’s website and enter the barcode of the product. The gift pack ($30.99) includes shaving cream, shaving oil, a nick stick and blade oil. Pacific Shaving Company also works with the Red Cross, offering free product samples to those who donate blood at participating drives. The company offers free shipping for orders over $20; see the site for the code.

Some holiday music also benefits various good causes; check out our picks for the season. What are some of your favorite gift selections that give back this holiday?

Throughout the month of November, men are cultivating mustaches for Movember, a campaign to bring awareness to men’s health — specifically prostate cancer. We’re not hirsute enough to participate in the mustache initiative, thankfully, but it got us to thinking about what we could do, and it inspired us to donate our growing locks to charity.

Not only is our hair longer than it’s been in some time, but it’s also gradually graying, so this is our way of doing something meaningful with some of the last of our brown tresses. After some research, we decided to donate to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, a collaboration between Pantene and the American Cancer Society that collects shorn ponytails to make wigs for women who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment.

The donation requirements specify a minimum of eight inches and hair free of permanent color, bleach or chemical treatments that is no more than five percent gray. (Since it takes six ponytails per wig, the hair received is dyed so the hair must absorb the color at the same rate to create a natural-looking wig.) If you’re considering making a donation, be sure to check out the suggestions for preparing hair for donation and how to make the cut at the salon of your choice. Regular trims are suggested to keep hair healthy, so we’re going to make an appointment soon to keep our tresses in top form!

We’re worried about getting impatient with the growth process, even though we’re only a few inches away, but the stories on the Facebook page were inspirational. Someone shared her story about her son growing his hair for two years in order to donate, while another woman donated her hair in honor of two women in her life who lost long battles with cancer. Since the initiative started in 2007, about 282,807 ponytails have been collected.

Those who have dyed or permed hair can donate to Locks of Love, a nonprofit that provides hair pieces to financially disadvantaged children suffering from long-term medical hair loss. Most of the recipients, age 21 and under, have an autoimmune disorder called alopecia areata, which shuts down hair follicles and is, in most cases, permanent. Others have undergone cancer treatment or have suffered burns.

Hair donated to Locks of Love must be at least 10 inches long and free of bleach (including highlights) and must be dry and in a secure ponytail or braid before being mailed to the West Palm Beach, FL, headquarters. Check the complete guidelines and get a donation form on the website, where people also can apply for a hairpiece, nominate a child for a hairpiece and view donor and recipient photos.

Other organizations include Wigs for Kids, specializing in hair replacements for children who have lost their hair for medical reasons. The organization requests hair of 12 inches or more (curly hair should be pulled straight for measurement) in ponytails bound with three rubberbands — one at each end and one in the middle. While hair that is chemically processed, permed, colored or highlighted is not accepted, Wigs for Kids does accept gray hair. Chicagoans can participate in an upcoming Cut-A-Thon on Sunday, Nov. 13, at Strands and Trends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more ways to give back, check out the latest issue of VIVMag. Have you ever donated hair to charity, or considered it?

Photo credit: Courtesy Locks of Love

The "Beauty CULTure" exhibition examines the ideal of feminine beauty and features the work of top fashion photographers.

As we wandered through the “Beauty CULTure” exhibition, on display through Nov. 27 at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles, we thought about the ban on digital retouching of body images in advertising proposed earlier this summer by the American Medical Association. The exhibit looks at how photography has shaped our ideals of feminine beauty and left women wondering how they measure up or, more to the point, fall short.

Naturally, we thought back to the AMA’s assertion that eating disorders and other body-image issues could be caused by ads where thighs are slimmed, legs lengthened, breasts reshaped to perfect melon-like proportions or, in the case of an infamous Ralph Lauren advertisement, the size of a model’s waist reduced to be narrower than her head.

The exhibition features more than 500 photographs by such celebrated shooters as Gilles Bensimon, Herb Ritts, Matthew Rolston and Albert Watson, organized into topics like “The Marilyn Syndrome,” “Beauty Inc.: The $300 Billion Cosmetics Industry,” “ What Size Is Beauty” and “The Model Industry.” The exhibit features footage and images of toddler beauty pageants, plastic surgery and pics of celebrated beauties like Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Kate Moss and Christy Turlington to examine the beauty ideal. There’s an accompanying documentary by Lauren Greenfield, who has explored body image and identity in the books Fast Forward (Random House Value Publishing, 1999) and Girl Culture (Chronicle Books, 2002), as well as in Thin, a 2006 documentary that follows women at the Renfrew Center for eating disorders in Coconut Creek, FL.

“Don’t you want it be that the way you look every day is the epitome of beauty?” muses Jamie Lee Curtis in Greenfield’s Beauty CULTure film, looking radiant with her smile lines and crow’s feet untouched. In footage shot behind a two-way mirror, a young teenage girl — adorable with the slightly goofy demeanor of someone who hasn’t yet grown into her beauty — answers that question with a catalog of her flaws. “I want long legs,” she says. “I have normal-size legs. I can’t make my legs get really long unless there’s some surgery. I don’t love my freckles. I think my arms are hairy.” The list goes on, and includes only one note of self-acceptance: “I like my cuticles,” says the girl with a shy smile.

Would these kinds of insecurities disappear with a boycott of Photoshop? We suspect not. After all, if you’ve ever seen a movie that featured the likes of Jean Harlow, Rita Hayworth or Grace Kelly you know that the latest tricks of digital manipulation have nothing on old-time lighting technique and professional makeup tricks when it comes to enhancing female beauty. But the question is worth pondering. As Greenfield points out, “In deconstructing the pressures of the world around us and how we are influenced it starts to take their power away, so we can separate ourselves from these influences.”

What do you think? Should retouched body images be banished from ads?

Photo credit: ©2011 Melvin Sokolsky. Tooker Lips, New York, NY 1965.

For the Preen runway, Aveda lead stylist Paul Hanlon created a fun twist for a style reminiscent of the 1940s.

During Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, we got the chance to peek backstage and check out some of the runway hair styled by Aveda. While the spring/summer 2012 collections are obviously the focus on the runway, the ‘dos kept with the overall mood of the shows and drew inspiration from a variety of places — from St. Tropez to Amish country.

Backstage before the models hit the runway at the Christian Siriano show on September 10, Aveda lead stylist Antoinette Beenders created hair for a “smart, flirtatious girl” to match the collection. Beenders created loose, beachy waves to complement Siriano’s marine-inspired, flowing garments.

A few hours later, before the Band of Outsiders collection was shown, we caught up with legendary stylist Didier Malige, who was busy creating two looks for the models. The hair was inspired by the 1975 haunting mystery film Picnic at Hanging Rock and Amish country, explains Malige. At first, we thought the modernized Princess Leia-like twists perched on either side of the models’ heads were the final look, but the spirals were removed and the hair raked with the fingers to create loose, wavy tresses. Malige created the second look, a chignon topped with a black straw hat, without the use of blowdryers or curling irons. “I think the Amish people don’t use tools” for hair, he notes.

Sophie Théallet’s collection drew inspiration from water, so Malige created an après-swim chignon in keeping with the feel of La Piscine (The Swimming Pool), a 1969 film set in a St. Tropez villa. “It reflects a nonchalant sensuality, her natural and understated sophistication,” he says of the Sept. 13 runway show.

At Preen on Sept. 12, Aveda lead stylist Paul Hanlon created a sleek, elegant look, creating the illusion of a twist running along the back of the head. (Perfect for keeping hair off the neck once spring arrives!) “The hair is pure and neat — it almost has a forties feel,” Hanlon says.

Step-By-Step Styling by Paul Hanlon of Aveda
You’ll need:
Aveda Volumizing Tonic
Blowdryer
Round brush
Aveda Brilliant Damage Control
Fine-toothed comb
Aveda Air Control Hair Spray
“U” pins and bobby pins
Clip to secure hair
Aveda Brilliant Spray-On Shine

1. Prep hair by spritzing throughout with Aveda Volumizing Tonic, blow dry with a round brush. Work hair away from the face and neck to keep the hairline clean. If hair is dry or damaged, begin by prepping with Aveda Brilliant Damage Control, and follow with Aveda Volumizing Tonic.

2. Once dry, gently brush hair away from the face and let hair part naturally on the left side. Smooth hair with a fine-toothed comb and a light mist of Aveda Air Control Hair Spray.

3. On the right side of the head at the top of the ear, begin to twist hair toward the back of the head, staying just on top of the parietal ridge. Use a tail comb to neatly bring hair up into the roll, and secure the roll with “U” pins. Avoid twisting too tightly at this point.

4. Continue twisting toward the back of the head following the natural hairline. Twist all the way to the nape, secure hair with a clip.

5. Repeat twist on the left side, starting slightly lower, one to two inches above the top of the ear, sloping downward at the back of the head to create a “U” shape when twists meet at the nape.

6. Neatly brush hair upward from the hairline to create a seamless connection between the two twists. This gives the appearance of a single, smooth, twisted roll that snugly wraps around the head.

7. Use Aveda Air Control Hair Spray and the end of a tail comb to smooth all wisps and flyaways while replacing “U” pins with bobby pins, snugly tucked and hidden.

8. Finish with Aveda Brilliant Spray-On Shine.

Check out Aveda’s backstage photos on Flickr! Do you have a favorite Fashion Week hair look?

Photo credit: Jon Gurinsky

During Spa Week, spas offer many of their most popular treatments for only $50.

On the heels of a rocky financial ride last month, this we know for sure: we can block off the week of Oct. 10 to 16 for bliss. This fall marks the 15th biannual return of Spa Week, an event during which hundreds of spas, yoga and Pilates studios, and wellness facilities across North America offer some of their signature services, which typically cost between $100 and $400, for just $50. Booking begins Sept. 12 and includes deals on services such as laser facials, trigger-point massage, nutritional counseling and meditation and yoga classes.

The goal of the event, which was created by Cheryl Reid, a veteran of the luxury spa industry: make treatments and services affordable and accessible. Several chain spas are on board, such as LifeSpa (with 78 locations), Clarins Skin Spa (16 participating locations), Natural Body (13 participating locations), Exhale (12 participating location), Fresh (5 locations) and Jurlique (3 locations).

Individual spas include the Boston location of Chuan Body + Soul, The Peninsula Spa by ESPA (only the Chicago location), V Spa in Dallas, The Standard Spa in Miami Beach and L’Institut Sothys in New York City.

Register now at SpaWeek.com for information on the participating spas’ deals and plan to sign up at the spa of your choice starting Sept. 12. (Since booking is done through the individual spas, we’ll have our phone handy when our first choices open for business that day!) Appointments are at the individual spa’s discretion and their hours of operation and staff availability. Based on past experience, the organization expects appointments to fill up quickly, so be sure to book ASAP. But first, check out “4 Spa Treatments You Should Never Get” in the July/August issue of VIVMag!

What spa services would you love to have for $50?

Photo credit: Courtesy Spa Week

DKNY's $1 million golden apple bottle will be traveling the world through early fall.

Since its launch in 1989,  Donna Karan’s street chic DKNY line has embodied quintessential New York City fashion to us. In 2004, the line expanded into fragrances with its original Be Delicious perfume — fittingly an apple scent for the Big Apple brand. Since then, DKNY has come out with more than 10 variations for men and women, such as Red Delicious and Delicious Night. To celebrate the new DKNY fragrance, Golden Delicious ($42-$75), the company has created a one-of-a-kind, jewel-encrusted gold apple bottle valued at $1 million. The bottle will be displayed in  locations around the world, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Malaysia and Mexico, and then brought home to New York in the fall to be sold on DKNY’s Facebook page for charity.

Net proceeds from the golden apple will go towards Action Against Hunger, a humanitarian organization that works to bring safe water and sustainable food production to communities that have been affected by conflicts and natural disasters. Action Against Hunger currently works in about 40 countries, including Sudan, Colombia and Afghanistan.

DKNY enlisted celebrity jeweler Martin Katz, whose designs have been worn on the red carpet by the likes of Angelina Jolie and Hilary Swank, to design the yellow- and white- gold apple encrusted with precious stones, including 2,700 white diamonds. The apple-shaped bottle features a New York skyline depicted in yellow sapphires and sits on a base with 14 karat gold continents set with gemstones native to each country. It took about 1,500 hours to make, due to its intricate jewel layout.

Golden Delicious is available in all DKNY boutiques and department stores such as Macy’s and Sephora. It’s a nice daytime scent, beginning with slightly sweet top notes of orange flower, accompanying the apple fragrance that has been in the other DKNY Delicious perfumes. The heart is an appealing mellow floral mix that includes white rose and vanilla orchid. The base notes are sandalwood, teakwood and musk, leaving a pleasantly crisp scent.

You can follow the million-dollar apple on its journey around the world through the DKNY Fragrances Core Club Facebook application. Sign up and you can check in to see where the apple is located, and learn more about Katz’s designs. You can also upload photos of your loved ones to a digital apple-shaped locket, and then share your locket image with other Core Club members. Check in on the Facebook page for more information about what date the apple will be up for sale.

What do you think of the million-dollar bottle?

At the Fragrance Academy hosted by Estée Lauder, we learned about the ingredients and lengthy process that goes into making some of our favorite fragrances.

Before buying food at the grocery store or ordering a meal at a restaurant, we turn into a food detective — checking labels and asking questions, ever-skeptical in light of recent label scandals, from Zabar’s lobster salad to questionable coconut water claims. When it comes to perfume, however, we are much less critical about ingredient combinations that create the scents we love — because fragrances tend to have an aura of fashionably chic mystery or because we’ve never dug deeper into the sweet smelling elixirs that can top off the perfect ensemble.

At the first Fragrance Academy hosted by Estée Lauder, Trudi Loren, vice president of corporate finance development and expertly trained “nose,” opened a dialogue about what goes into a perfume and how fragrances are developed.

We learned that Greeks and Romans were the entrepreneurs of liquid perfume. (It was said that Cleopatra wore her perfume for seduction so that Marc Antony would catch her scent before he saw her.) Later the French perfected the craft in the late 17th century. Today, perfumes have become a staple of the fashion world starting with “juices,” as the perfumers at the academy liked to refer to them, such as Chanel No. 5, created in 1921, and Miss Dior in 1947.

Every perfume is created from a lengthy and meticulous process that Loren compares to composing a music piece. Beginning with individual “notes” of floral, citrus, Oriental or wood, a perfume is blended into an “accord,” or combination of notes, and eventually combined into its final “composition.”

Upon first spritz at a makeup counter, Loren explained, a perfume will give off a “top note” scent, which will last for the first 20 or 30 minutes. Eventually the perfume will settle into your skin and become the lasting “heart” of the scent, which lasts for about six hours. Then the “base notes” of the perfume remain on your skin the longest. (When buying perfume from now on, we’re going to spray, then wait a few hours before purchasing the fragrance.)

After a few smell tests from Loren, members of the academy made their way across the street to Givaudan NYC Fine Fragrance Studio to watch the perfume process in action. Givaudan is home to a world-renown Perfumery School, founded in 1946 in France, which claims to have trained one out of every three perfumers (or “noses”) who work in the market today. Graduates of the school must be able to differentiate notes like lemon and grapefruit from orange and lime, a seemingly simple task when stated but far more difficult in practice.

Graduate Irina Burlakova attributed childhood memories that came to her when smelling particular notes so that she could differentiate scents from one another. She also said that remembering the notes you hate is the easiest because once you smell something you don’t like you know you never want to smell it again.

Combining wonderful scents is no easy task, and Givaudan has tests to determine what works and what doesn’t. In the lab, they place perfumes in ovens at 45° C (about 113° F) or in light boxes that create the UV equivalent to staying in a tanning bed for more than 24 hours to make sure they didn’t change color or go sour. This means perfumes kept on a sunny windowsill will have a much shorter life than perfumes in a cooler, more shaded place. Loren even said that keeping a perfume in the refrigerator actually helps it last longer.

Whether you love a more Oriental perfume with woods and vanillas, or a brighter scent with oranges or roses, Loren said it is all about the raw materials. According to her, if you don’t have a good base, you’ll never get a good quality product, which as it turns out, is a good life lesson in general.

What is kind of “notes” do you like in your scent?