Saturday, September 8, 2007

For the love of the sea

Like many a girl born in the 80s I have an intense loyalty to Disney's "The Little Mermaid", which for me launched a lifetime obsession with all things nautical.

Now 22, I don't care as much for the lighthearted interpretations of the very long and dark presence that mermaids and other women of the sea have in the world folk tradition. If I ever meet Frank Miller and Zack Snyder I will BEG them to do something with mermaids (especially after seeing what they did with the Oracle in "300").

Thankfully, despite a saccharine ad campaign, Lolita Lempicka's new fragrance L de Lolita Lempicka strikes a refreshing balance between the whimsy of mermaids and their rightful status as femme fatales.

As Sephora's website explains: "L, the second perfume from designer Lolita Lempicka, embodies an ancient mariner myth, with the sea for a background and a mermaid for a mistress. The woman who wears it is untamed and precious, free and elusive. The scent itself is a passionate combination of everlasting flower, bitter orange, cinnamon, vanilla and precious woods. And like a treasure recovered from the deep, the aquamarine, heart-like jewel of a bottle is caught in a golden net."

On me the scent is a simply gorgeous combination of lemony bitter orange and vanilla with just a tinge of saltiness floating on top of of a subtle deeper, richer spicy woody scent vaguely reminiscent of a men's cologne like Armani Code. The result is a very fierce gourmand scent made intriguing by its fresh girliness that unexpectedly fleshes out with sophisticated depth as you inhale it. If Angelina Jolie were a mermaid, I expect that this is what she would wear. And as a bonus, the lasting power is impressive- 8 pm to 1 pm when I hit the gym.

My only caveat: the bottle, while beautiful, is difficult to hold. I recommend picking up the 1 oz size, $44 at Sephora. Department stores, unfortunately, seem to be stocking mostly the 2.7 oz size.

For those interested in exploring folklore about other women of the sea besides mermaids I highly recommend "Favorite Folktales from Around the World", edited by Jane Yolen- particularly the stories "Sedna" and "The Seal's Skin"

No comments: