In a world where new fragrances pop up seemingly every day from people who were born in the 80s (like Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson), wearing a fragrance bearing the name of the family who has made it since before you were born, since before the United States was born, in fact, can be a serious statement of refinement and maturity. It also puts you in a pretty select group.

Perfume company Creed was founded in 1760 in England and about one hundred years later moved to Paris, where it is still headquartered today. Creed has designed fragrances for royalty and celebrity alike. Creeds fragrances are still mixed by hand, and contain more natural ingredients than any other French perfume house.

They have created over two hundred original fragrances. While Olivier Creed, the sixth generation, is now at the helm, his son and daughter both work in the business as well, which promises to stay in the family for the foreseeable future. Olivier travels the world to find the choicest (and often most expensive) of ingredients.

The oldest fragrance still in Creeds lineup (they currently produce 48 different scents) is Royal English Leather, which was created for King George III of England. You probably remember him as the guy against whom we fought the Revolutionary War.

One of Creeds fragrances, Fleurissimo, was designed for Grace Kelly as a wedding present at the behest of her groom, Prince Rainier III of Monaco. A floral scent, it combines Bulgarian rose, tuberose, violet, and Florentine iris. Kelly and the prince were married in 1956, and the fragrance endures today, a textbook definition of a classic. It was also a favorite of American icons Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Madonna.

Originally designed for Cary Grant and now worn by the likes of Clint Eastwood and George Clooney, as well as some women, Creeds Green Irish Tweed is spicier, but with some of the same notes as Fleurissimo, such as Florentine iris and violet. It also adds sandalwood, ambergris, and French verbena.

The house of Creed has not rested on its laurels in recent past, though. Current Master perfumer Olivier Creed created Silver Mountain Water, inspired by the French mountains. Departing from more famous muses, Creed designed this fragrance for himself, though it is a unisex cologne. Its predominant scents are green tea and black currant. It is worn by British soccer star David Beckham, while his wife Victoria, formerly of the Spice Girls, prefers Creeds Royal Water.
Article by: Cathy Peterson

Ahhhh, the smoothness of my skin. What’s the secret to smooth skin? It’s Shea Butter.

Shea butter is one of those wonderful things that too few people know about but actually end up paying quite a bit for when it makes a guest appearance in their favourite moisturisers and conditioners. Consider this: a 300 gm of ‘pure’ shea butter from a premium brand like say L’Occitane costs around $40, which is definitely more pricey than your average Nivea or Vaseline lotion! You may well get the same amount of shea butter for a fraction of the price, however, at an organic or health store!

What makes shea butter an essential luxury is that it’s so necessary if soft, supple skin is your aim, but it’s so little known that it’s very hard to find in a place like India! For many people across sub-Saharan Africa it’s as common as, say, coconut oil; increasingly westerners have also woken up to its wonders and now look for it if not in its pure form, then at least as an ingredient in their winter creams and lip balms. Even then, it is still not that well known for it to become commonplace. And the very nature of the way it is made means that it can never become really cheap for the rest of the world.

Everything about shea (pronounced ‘shay’ not ‘she-ah’) is amazing. The thick, waxy trunk of the karite (or shea) tree is flame resistant and very resilient even in poor soil so it grows defiantly across some of the most inhospitable parts of Africa. The first fruits come when only when the tree is 20 years old (hence large scale commercial production has been unviable) but the tree is productive for the next 200 years! The incredibly tasty fruit is greenish yellow and looks rather like a cross between a litchi and an ‘amla’. The all-important butter comes from the kernel, so people simply eat the flesh and save up the pits for this byproduct.

The kernels then go through a complicated 9-stage metamorphosis from sun drying and cracking to crushing, roasting and curing till it attains its creamy dalda-like shea butter avatar, in shades of creme through palest green. The key element that sets shea butter apart from other ‘butters’ sourced from seed oils (and there’s everything from apricot kernel butter to coconut butter!) is the large healing content of the oil, which has Vitamins A and E and other crucial phytonutrients. The higher the healing content of shea butter, the better the quality.

Introduced to shea butter by my sister in law and college mate, I first found the smell not too pleasing; but it disappears so soon after application that it’s a minor discomfort to bear for the wonderful effect it eventually has! Marvellously soft skin, even on trouble spots like heels and hands, are worth the wait — and the Rs 200 tag! Now that may not sound like much, but try to find it in your local store (even ones that stock top of the line beauty brands like Vichy) and you’ll understand why it’s a luxury in my lexicon!

Incidentally, don’t get mislead into buying nice smelling shea butter because the chances are that it has then been altered in some way — which also means it would have shed some of its healing properties.

If the product is two years old or more, it may not be as effective: while the moisturising effect will be there, the healing quotient may have depleted. But once you’re hooked like I am, there’s no turning back. Luckily, shea butter is one of those essential luxuries that aren’t heavy on the pocket, only on your perseverance in finding an honest supplier!