A perfume with ‘wood’ in the name gets looked at carefully by me, because today that often means an overdose of oud or agarwood. Although these scent notes are currently much in favour with a lot of perfume lovers, I am not one of them. “White Wood” by Balma Venitia is different. It opens with… Continue reading The Elegance of France – “White Wood” by Balma Venitia
Author: Consigliere Bellezza
Encourage Reading through Beauty
Samantha Hahn’s fantastically illustrated book “Well-Read Women, Portraits of Fiction’s most Beloved Heroines” draws its fascination through the watercolour portraits she imagined of the ladies. Those are independent of how we might have seen those famous women in the film adaptions of the books and put them to collective memory. I was drawn to the… Continue reading Encourage Reading through Beauty
Too Beautiful to be True
The wonderful-to-behold coffee table book “Costume Jewelry – The Collection of Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo” by Carol Woolton is a real eye catcher. Everything fits – the owner of the collection, the author of the book, of course the collection itself, and also the publisher. If you are searching for fascinating art books, TASCHEN is… Continue reading Too Beautiful to be True
A Nostalgic View on Travel
The book “20th Century Travel” by Jim Heimann and Allison Silver makes you dream. Dream of a time much more stylish than ours, made exceptionally obvious through the fantastic painted posters from Jim Heimann’s collection. All chapters are written in English, German, and French, making the book truly accommodating for a wider community of readers.… Continue reading A Nostalgic View on Travel
Keeping your Distance – “00 Auriel” by ODIN New York
This majestic scent is a true niche perfume. It came to my collection years ago, I do not remember where and when. What I do remember is that from the fist smell I was torn between ‘beautiful’ and ‘too serious’. It never became one of my most beloved perfumes, but always had a special place… Continue reading Keeping your Distance – “00 Auriel” by ODIN New York
The Hottest Day of the Year – “Soleil au Zenith” by Prada
It was quite fitting that I wrote this post during one of the most extreme heat waves in Europe (last week of June, 2026). “Soleil au Zenith” represents a scathing hot day, but only the positive aspects. The smells that become more intense, the colours that shine especially bright, the dream-like atmosphere that makes a… Continue reading The Hottest Day of the Year – “Soleil au Zenith” by Prada
The True Spirit of the South of France – “Cote d’Azur” by Oribe
Let us start with the description and celebration of this wonderful perfume, “Cote d’Azur” from the brand Oribe. Later on, we clear up all the misconceptions people (e.g. myself) have (had) about the fragrance and the brand. The perfume transports lightness in the sense of ease and effortlessness, combined with pure elegance rooted in wealth.… Continue reading The True Spirit of the South of France – “Cote d’Azur” by Oribe
A Player in her Own Right – Pamela Harriman
Pamela Digby Churchill Hayward Harriman (1920-1997) lived a life for that a man would have been showered with admiration, by friends and foes alike. For his political acumen, his sexual exploits, and his cool jet-set life. As she was a woman, Pamela Harriman’s story raises eyebrows even today, in a much more open society than… Continue reading A Player in her Own Right – Pamela Harriman
Eclectic Jewellery – BOUCHERON
When flipping through the 3 very different books on famous high jewellery house BOUCHERON, I came to the conclusion that connecting all of them was BOUCHERON’s artistic and cultural independence from Europe. The clients of BOUCHERON were for the most part not the royal houses of Europe, or the conservative high aristocracy, but more vivacious… Continue reading Eclectic Jewellery – BOUCHERON
Showing Death at its Most Beautiful – Georg Hornemann Sculptures
Georg Hornemann is a very famous jeweller-artist in the circles of those who know. Those who are not deeper involved in the subject of high jewellery, have probably never heard of him. Born in 1940, in the Eastern part of the then divided Germany, Georg Hornemann moved in his youth to the Western part. First,… Continue reading Showing Death at its Most Beautiful – Georg Hornemann Sculptures