FashionEtc.com April 18th, 2024

With all the photoshopping controversy that inevitably surrounds beauty campaigns, it’s refreshing to see a star who—no tricks, no soft focus, no airbrushing—really is that gorgeous.

A lucky handful of editors got that chance to join SK-II in Washington, D.C., to see Cate Blanchett in the Sydney Theatre Company production of Uncle Vanya at the Kennedy Center.

The 42-year-old actress, who’s been using the Japanese skin care line for 10 years (one of the beauty brand's execs proudly pointed out that it’s not every day a spokesperson was actually a consumer of the product first) was positively glowing on-stage—and from our third-row perch, we could all tell that it wasn’t just a stage makeup or bright lights thing.

I get a lot of emails about doughnuts. This is no exaggeration: Intimate friends send me links about the latest gout-inducing find, acquaintances I’ve met the prior evening pass on roundups of interest. I'm pleased with their gestures, bookmarking their suggestions and planning new culinary excursions, but mostly a little concerned that this gluttonous affection is my stand-out characteristic.

This, of course, is my own fault because one (OK, maybe more) glass of wine coupled with minor social anxiety, and my conversational wheelhouse materializes: doughnuts, Friday Night Lights, and how much I dislike being an only child. But for once, it seems like my fattening interest is a relationship boon.

A recent Jezebel post looks into scents that purport to attract the opposite sex. On the list? My beloved treat. Also, pumpkin and lavender, but I’m not likely to extol their virtues to strangers in a crowded bar. Finally, all my out-of-the-way trips to Doughnut Plant can be harnessed for my greater romantic good. Well, not so fast. The New York Times article it piggybacks onto dispels the idea there is any tried and true scent primed to seduce. If a scent stirs up the pangs of attraction, the lust is occasionally scientifically prompted but most often, rooted in a favorable, or not so favorable, memory. However Baiser Volé ("stolen kiss" in French), the latest Cartier fragrance, still has the man in mind with this new release.

At yesterday’s holiday press preview for the massive PR agency Paul Wilmot, a beauty line called Bite—which was displayed alongside four glasses of wine—was the first thing that caught my eye. No, the red wine wasn’t there for early afternoon imbibing, but rather to display that several of the products in the line contain as much antioxidant-rich Resveratrol, which fights free radicals, as several glasses of vino.

All the ingredients in the line are food-grade, so instead of feeling gross for licking your lipsticked lips, you’re actually getting nutrition. And if your regular wine intake gets enough Resveratrol into your system (ahem), there’s also Vitamin Gel, a light gloss with a dose of Vitamin C, and Superfruit Butter, a multi-use balm that actually has flecks of real fruit in, like acai, blueberry, cranberry, and pomegranate.

Of all the beauty experiments I've conducted on myself in the name of what looks and smells good (and journalism, of course), a fragrance story is definitely one of the most fun.

Parfums and colognes have a way of making me feel sexy and chic without much effort, to be honest. Trying on new scents is an easy way to change my mood, my energy, and even the way I walk. These are some of my favorite scents for summer, all equally light, easy-breezy, and cool for the season.

One of my new loves is Jardin Du Poete from Eau D’Italie. It launches stateside in September and has a light cucumber-basil-lime scent that is actually unisex but I've become addicted to it for daytime.

The new Gucci Flora scent is sweeter, a little richer and floral. It’s more girlie and flirtatious, and perfect for a night out. For date nights, I'm always coming back to the Jo Malone scents—Nectarine Blossom & Honey will have them lining up around the block for just a whiff of your neck.