Go Places With Your Vanity Dresser

There’s something about the onset of the Indian summer which instantly puts me in a holiday mood. I look for the slightest excuse to be rescued from the heat and dust and travel to idyllic locales (the definition of ‘idyllic’ varies though on personal preferences). And when I am mentally in vacation mode, I feel a magnetic pull towards everything that evokes travel, especially the precious dainties on my dresser that hold the power to make or break my mood.

EXOTIC GETAWAYS
The Scents of the World collection by The Body Shop transports you to exotic and faraway places with their natural extracts, hand-picked and harvested with care, from some of the most beautiful locales across Madagascar, the Amazon, Japan and India. The sensual blend of floral and oriental accords of Madagascan Vanilla Flower perfume oil temporarily takes you to the tropical island just as the skin-softening body lotion infused with Japanese Cherry Blossom is reminiscent of a spring day in Kyoto. Jasmine, India’s biggest import to the world of perfumery, works its magic in the Indian Night Jasmine mist that whiffs of a moonlit night in a Mughal garden. Further on the sensorial trip, the Kiehl’s scented body collection, Aromatic Blends, comprising of a fragrance, body lotion and body cleanser, takes its users on a wonderful journey to the source of its ingredients – the lush countryside of Provence, a desert oasis in Morocco, the dense jungle of Uganda and the tranquil gardens of Japan. The Fig Leaf & Sage unique scent is best described as spring in Provence, evocative of the French countryside. “The scent expression is not merely that of a fig, but is a combination of the scent of the air beneath the fig trees and the delicate aromas of the herbs in the surrounding fields,” shares David Suffit, Assistant Vice President, Fragrance Development.

The Orange Flower & Lychee fragrance recreates the atmosphere of late afternoon in a Moroccan garden. “The orange tree absorbs the warmth of the sun during the day then exudes its strong distinctive essences as the air begins to cool in the evening, while the lychee lends a soft and sweet aroma reminiscent of the roses growing nearby,” adds Suffit. Since its early days as a neighborhood apothecary, Kiehl’s has searched the world over to bring its customers efficacious, natural ingredients to meet their distinctive skin, hair and body care needs.

PARISIAN MIDNIGHTS
And then if you want to take a break at the City of Lights, Paris, you will be spoilt for choice. Depending on whether you want to recreate the magic of springtime in Paris or the seductive mystery of a Parisian midnight, there are enough products to take you there as this romantic city continues to play the muse. A whiff of Nina Ricci Love in Paris limited edition a few years back conjured up an image of Parisian spring time with flowers and trees reaching for the skies, the streets and avenues cloaked in greenery, peony triumphantly unfurling its pink petals. Recently, it was the the glamour of the Parisian midnight which took the collective fancy of creative directors at prestigious make-up houses. Inspired by Paris at night, Estée Lauder’s Creative Makeup Director Tom Pecheux created two new glamorous nail polish collections: Beyond Black and Metal Mania. He aimed to “capture the intensity and naughty side of Paris when it truly comes alive… at night!” The shimmery gold hue of the collection is inspired by what the Eiffel Tower becomes at night. Paris at night – the sky is alight with monochromatic blue and silvery light, inspiring the mysterious and magical look of Bourjois Blue Moonlight in Paris. The LancÔme Fall 2012 make-up collection by Aaron De Mey, also inspired by the atmosphere of Parisian nights, played around the colour purple. Why? Somewhere between mystery and magic, the Midnight Roses collection showcased nocturnal seduction through each of its purple-tinted dimensions. Playing with gloss and matte effects, it symbolised all the spellbinding magic of night-time in Paris. If you want to recreate the mystery of a date in Paris, ask your man to wear Midnight In Paris, an elegant masculine scent by Van Cleef & Arpels that resonates with seductive notes of luxurious leather.

SPIRITED MANHATTAN
When designer Carolina Herrera was looking for a muse for her fifth fragrance, she didn’t have to look very far. In close collaboration with her mother, Carolina Adriana Herrera created the universe of 212 fragrances. The 212 world remains an olfactory evocation of New York, a reflection of Manhattan, always new and sensuous, dedicated to modern men and women, who are ready for anything. Why ‘212’? 212 is the Manhattan telephone area code. It all begins here for young, trendy, cosmopolitan, self-confident, experienced and classy men and women.

ITALIAN SOJOURN
A leisure trip to the South of Italy, 11 months post her delivery, inspired Natasha Shah, Founder, The Nature’s Co., to give birth to a range of new products. “Sculpture and architectural ruins topped by mouthwatering pizzas, pastas and gelatos… everything I saw gave me inspiration for a new product idea. Limoncello, the lemon liqueur made out of Sorrento lemons, was found in each street and shop. The fragrance from freshly squeezed lemons, Limonene, gave birth to The Nature’s Co. Lemon Peel Exfoliating body wash from the Starrize range. The refreshing feel of walking down the streets of Capri and the Amalfi Coast rings a bell every time I bathe with this product. The new category of crème body washes are inspired by the creamy gelatos that were my guilty pleasures. My love for gelato gave birth to the Peach Crème, Coconut Crème, Chocolate Crème, Mango Crème and Vanilla Crème body washes that make the skin soft and ice cream-like. These creations are extremely close and dear to my heart as they were the first creations after my maternity leave and gave me the inspiration and confidence to live my dreams again.”

TRAVEL-INSPIRED
Dick Page, Creative Makeup Director, Shiseido, with his technical skill and painter’s eye for colour, texture and detail has firmly established his reputation as an industry leader. Every season, Shiseido’s colour palette manages to surprise and entice. It’s interesting to note that as an artist with ‘no favourite colour’, Page draws his inspiration from a host of images he takes with his camera, which can range from the awe-inspiring, such as a golden cloudburst after rain or the shimmering spirals of a shell, to something as ordinary as his white snow-laden mailbox, or flags on poles in a boatyard. He says, “ideas about colour can come from anywhere. Sometimes the most random thing catches my attention and starts me thinking. My inspiration comes from all over the place.” Similarly, travel-inspired is Divita Kanoria, Founder, Tatha. A chance visit to Japan about seven years ago got the mastermind behind the vedic beauty brand unraveling the benefits of camellia oil. “In Japan I saw women with the most impeccable skin ever, flawlessly radiant. And when asked about the secret to their skin, almost all of them vouched for the camellia oil. As a result, I started using the same on my skin with some great results. So when I was working on Tatha’s cleansers I made sure that camellia oil is a common ingredient. That’s why our cleansers also multitask as moisturisers,” explains Kanoria.

Travel inspires. Travel rejuvenates. Travel breaks the monotony. While most of us cannot travel all the time, we can however brighten up the humdrum of daily life by introducing our dressers to some of the jet-setting products that can transport us to our preferred destination, even if only momentarily.

INDIA INSPIRED BOUCHERON JAÏPUR BRACELET
From its very beginning, the House of Boucheron has taken inspiration from the East for its creations. India, specifically Jaipur, has attracted jewellers the world over. Among these jewellers was Louis Boucheron, son of founder Frédéric Boucheron, who fell endlessly in love with Rajasthan as soon as he saw the region on his first trip there in 1909. At the end of the 19th century, the Maharajah of Jaipur was to receive the Prince of Wales, and seized this opportunity to have the city painted entirely in pink, the traditional colour of welcome. Jaipur was already the inspiration for a Boucheron fragrance in 1994. Their recent launch Jaïpur Bracelet revives the brand’s affair with the pink city.

HERMÈS MONSOON PERFUME
Un Jardin Après La Mousson interpreted as ‘a garden after the monsoon’, captures the quiet yet natural beauty of Kerala with its blue-green bottle and the scent reminds you of the romance of monsoon. Hermès’ in-house perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena, who spent several weeks in Kerala to capture a new fragrance for the brand, said that instead of going for a spicy interpretation of India, he decided to bring out the cooler, quieter facets of Kerala with notes of coriander peppered with a hint of ginger flower.