Cherry Blossom Inspirations

The white petals swirl around me. I look up and see star shaped blossoms dotting the blue sky. I should be enjoying our cherry orchard while strolling through it with a book of Japanese poetry or lounging under the trees with a cup of tea. Instead, my hands are covered with wet soil, and I’m dressed in something that used to be my grandmother’s housedress. It’s the potato planting season, and moments of quiet contemplation are few and far between. I promise myself that I will live out my 19th century country manor fantasies one of these days, but as the Japanese poets know only too well, the blossoming cherry is the embodiment of impermanence, a bittersweet reminder of the transience of life. The next day the rains come, and most of the dazzling glory is lying on the ground splattered in mud.

cherry blossom2

Every spring I desperately want the cherry blossoms to last longer, to have more days of walking up to the snow white froth outside my window, to bury my face into the mass of petals, and just to feel the exuberance of spring around me. As the season runs its course, the textures and colors of cherry flowers seep into my day to day life and linger long after the petals turn to dust. Last year, I experimented with Japanese seasonal recipes and tried salted cherry blossoms in sakura tea and steamed flounder (marinate fish in sake, add a pinch of salt and a few salted blossoms before setting it in the steamer). This year, my makeup kit is all cherry blossom themed, with the appropriate perfumes to complement the look.

Like perfume and fashion, makeup is a perfect way to express oneself, and since I started using makeup as a ballet dancer to enhance my characters, I still think of it in this way–a costume, a look or a mood. I love selecting colors, pairing different finishes and just looking around for something interesting. I also love creating stories, and my cherry blossom themed selection is a way of capturing the blowsy, effervescent feeling of flowering spring. I don’t aim so much for the colors or scents—no perfume in the world smells like a cherry orchard in full bloom, but rather the sensation. Also, I include a few of my top favorite products.

cherry blossom3

First item is Maquillage palette VI 762. It’s a Shiseido owned brand sold at drugstores and cosmetic emporiums in Japan. It includes 6 colors—matte peach beige, shimmery pale rose, shimmery grey lilac, shimmery taupe and soft charcoal black. The shadows are finely milled and the sparkle is subtle. There is a handy diagram indicating which colors goes onto which part of the lid and with which applicator it should be used. This level of detail is something I’ve only encountered in Japan, but I appreciate it too.

Maquillage’s eye colors are sheer, and this might be a minus if you’re after a statement look or have skin darker than medium olive. On the plus side, the eye shadows don’t crease or fade, subtle though they are. I mention the palette mostly because of the combination of colors. It never occurred to me before to combine peach and lilac in a look, but this is what I now do. Any other widely available brand offers similar shades. What I do is use the matte peach beige on the lid and under the brow, add a layer of shimmery lilac on the lid, and blend taupe on the outer half of the lid. The look is subtle, but radiant and with a hint of color.

kate3

Next comes Kate Eyeliner in Black, another Japanese drugstore product of such perfection that it requires a separate post. I paint a line over the whole lid, adding a tiny flick to extend it up—a version of the 40s eyeliner. If I feel like intensifying the look for the evening, I blend out the line with Maquillage’s darkest shade.

To paint cherry blossoms on my cheeks, I use Dior Cheek and Lip Glow, a gel blush from the spring 2015 collection and my latest obsession. The neon pink liquid is scented with vanilla amber, and at first glance, it looks rather scary. No worries, though, because it blends effortlessly into a natural looking blush, and if like me, you wear sunscreen daily, liquid cheek colors are ideal. Dior has no shimmer, and it doesn’t require intensive rubbing. Just a couple of strokes and you look naturally flushed.

ysl stain

The last item is Yves Saint Laurent Glossy Stain in #31, a rose peach. This is another perfect product in my kit, because once the stain sets, it stays in place for hours, looks glossy and keeps lips moist. Unlike with perfume, I don’t like to touch up my makeup in the middle of the day, so the Glossy Stains are ideal. Dior’s gel blush also works instead of lipstick, especially if you add a bit of lipbalm on top to make it shiny. Now, I only need to define eyebrows, add a touch of highlighter on my cheekbones, under the eyebrows and in the corners of the eyes (I use the shimmery pale rose from Maquillage’s palette), and two coats of mascara.

The whole look takes around 10-15 minutes, which means I have more time to decide on perfume. Cherry blossoms have a light scent, bitter and fruity-green, which is pleasant enough, but to be honest, it’s not anything to swoon over. More inspiring is the uplifting, intense sensation of spring in full flower.  My cherry blossom inflected wardrobe coalesced naturally, as I craved fragrances with soft but lingering sillage, vibrant characters and lots of radiance.

For instance, take Acqua di Parma Iris Nobile, an iris diluted in orange blossom cologne. It has plenty of presence, but it’s subtle enough to wear like second skin. Similarly airy and bright is Ann Gérard Perle de Mousse, Monet’s spring garden captured in a bottle. Another perfume worth mentioning in this group is Frédéric Malle Eau de Magnolia. Sophisticated without being pretty, it’s a citrus cologne courting a mossy chypre. Tying these different facets together is big accord of rose-like magnolia, a flower that is notoriously difficult to render in perfume. Eau de Magnolia doesn’t quite get there, but it’s exhilarating, vivid and memorable.

cherry blossoms

Hermès Cuir d’Ange was last year’s discovery, and this spring I’m taking it out again. It demonstrates how leather and musk can be fashioned into organza like lightness, and it conveys well the softness of petals, without relying on floral notes. Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche does—it’s built around a lush, rose note, but it has a big dose of champagne-like aldehydes and lots of polished woods in the drydown. The effect is as impressionistic and abstract as it is dazzling and uplifting. As in my makeup selection, I don’t want to mimic nature but rather to enhance my spring like mood and make it linger well past the cherry blossom season.

Photography by Bois de Jasmin

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129 Comments

  • Cornelia Blimber: Ha, make up on this blog! Well done, Victoria! I think many of us are interested. Your cherry blossom maquillage sounds beautiful.
    I certainly will try the Dior stuff. May 4, 2015 at 7:21am Reply

    • Victoria: I know that many around here love makeup, and it all fits the theme of making time for yourself for me. Just like perfume.

      Dior’s gel blush is great. I only took two blushes with me on my trip, and I haven’t touching anything but this gel color for two months already. May 4, 2015 at 10:22am Reply

  • Patricia: What beautiful pictures! Like you, I wear the YSL Glossy Stains, and this spring I realized that I was lacking in peach shades. YSL #102, a peachy coral and #105, a pink coral were promptly ordered, and I’ve been enjoying them ever since. I’m wearing PdN Eau a la Folie today, which is one of my rare blind buys (after reading your review of it). I now own a backup bottle since it has been (is going to be?) d/c.

    Spring in New England is fleeting to nonexistent. Today is supposed to go to a high of 80F from the 50s. Looks like we’re going to skip all the glorious weather in the 70s this year and go straight to summer. May 4, 2015 at 7:52am Reply

    • sandra: I am in New England as well and looking at my spring jackets as a total bust -straight to short sleeves and tank tops it is! May 4, 2015 at 7:59am Reply

      • Patricia: It is beautiful today, though, isn’t it? May 4, 2015 at 10:57am Reply

      • limegreen: It still can get chilly at night. I remember getting a blanket when it got too cold at Fenway! And it was a mid-May game so lots of people were in shorts. May 5, 2015 at 9:43am Reply

    • Caroline: Patricia/Farouche–was checking out Chanel Rouge Allure lipsticks online last night, and they have a shade named Farouche! Leans a bit too brown for me. Preferred YSL glossy stain is #33.
      Victoria, we’d love to see a shot of you in your springy makeup… May 4, 2015 at 8:40am Reply

      • Patricia: Too bad I can’t do the brownish lipsticks, Caroline! May 4, 2015 at 9:19am Reply

      • Victoria: Here is one, except I realized too late that for the photography in such a strong light, I should have used a heavier hand with makeup. Otherwise, the colors just don’t show up strongly enough. But either way, the look is subtle and natural. The only thing that’s different about this photo is that I’m wearing powder blush, MAC Flower Power.
        May 4, 2015 at 10:15am Reply

        • angeldiva: Lovely, lovely, lovely! May 4, 2015 at 10:25am Reply

        • Michaela: beautiful picture! thank you.
          the traditional embroidered shirt fits so well. I can see spring on your face, too. love this foto. May 4, 2015 at 10:25am Reply

          • Michaela: photo 🙂 May 4, 2015 at 10:26am Reply

          • Victoria: Thank you. I liked the little roses paired with drawn thread embroidery. Very comfortable on a warm day. May 4, 2015 at 10:45am Reply

        • spe: You are beautiful! Show me a fragrance with”cherry blossom” in the name and I’m sure I’ve tried it or own it. They smell a lot like green tea types of scents to me. My favorite is Guerlain Cherry Blossom parfum. Fresh, innocent, and optimistic. Now I need to try the lip gloss! May 4, 2015 at 10:34am Reply

          • Victoria: Thank you, Spe!
            I like that you’ve tried them all. I haven’t, but so far, I agree, Cherry Blossom parfum is the best rendition. May 4, 2015 at 10:46am Reply

        • The Scented Salon: Awesome look: very natural and so close to nature. Of course, I love the shirt. May 4, 2015 at 10:35am Reply

          • Victoria: Thank you! I will miss those blossoms… May 4, 2015 at 11:07am Reply

        • sandra: Beautiful !!!! Love the top as well..gorgeous May 4, 2015 at 10:37am Reply

        • Patricia: What a beautiful picture of you in your traditional blouse among the cherry blossoms! May 4, 2015 at 10:53am Reply

          • Victoria: Thank you, Pat! May 4, 2015 at 11:08am Reply

            • Cornelia Blimber: Yes, everything is beautiful, you, the blouse, the make up and the blossoms! May 4, 2015 at 11:45am Reply

              • AndreaR: Beautiful, beautiful. There must be a folk song that describes you. Kari ochi, chorni brovu/Beautiful eyes/dark brows?) It loses a lot in translation) May 4, 2015 at 12:20pm Reply

              • Victoria: Thank you very much! May 4, 2015 at 2:46pm Reply

        • Karen: Have to join in the chorus! Lovely, lovely, lovely! The blouse is just exquisite! May 4, 2015 at 2:56pm Reply

          • Victoria: Thank you! It was my grandmother’s gift. May 4, 2015 at 3:38pm Reply

            • Karen: What a wonderful present! May 5, 2015 at 6:53am Reply

              • Victoria: She knows exactly what I like. 🙂 May 5, 2015 at 1:37pm Reply

        • Tati: You look like a fairy princess! May 4, 2015 at 3:56pm Reply

          • Victoria: Thank you for a sweet compliment. May 5, 2015 at 1:14pm Reply

        • Raquel: Beautiful May 4, 2015 at 7:14pm Reply

        • Alessandra: beauuutiful! May 6, 2015 at 9:28am Reply

    • Victoria: I love the idea of peaches and corals, but because my skin has a yellow undertone, those shades, especially coral, can be a tad garish. On the other hand, #31 settles into a very elegant rose peach shade, not too warm.

      Our spring was very cold, but once it warmed up, every blossom is out. The lilacs are about to start, and I already see one shrub in bloom. Interestingly enough, the oldest, plainest variety has the most intoxicating scent. May 4, 2015 at 10:26am Reply

  • sandra: Thanks for this wonderful article and your Dior lip and cheek stain sound fantastic.

    I personally don’t wear anything with a shimmer in it unless I am absolutely sure that the shimmer does not come from Herrings, some call it “pearlesence” So I keep all shadows, lip sticks, nail polishes and blushes completely matte. Just my personal opinion-I do what I can to make myself feel good about what I put on my skin and what I am ingesting into my body.

    For Cherry smells I really love L’occitane cherry collection.

    Would love to see photos of you all made up and as a beautiful ballerina as well! May 4, 2015 at 8:10am Reply

    • Victoria: Maquillage’s shimmer is really fine, so it just adds a touch of glow, rather than the disco ball shine. Generally, I don’t like too much shimmer on my skin, although in the pan, I get swayed by all things glittery. 🙂

      Feel kind of shy about plastering the blog with my photos, but I added one under Caroline’s comment. May 4, 2015 at 10:28am Reply

  • The Scented Salon: Try the Geisha collection from Fresh. It was based on the movie “Memoirs of a Geisha.” There is a shimmer powder which is really special, a perfume, soap, bath gel and even a very soft and lovely palette of colors for the face. These are all still available on ebay, though not in stores anymore.

    It is difficult for me to find a cherry blossom perfume that suits me, though there are so many out there. About a year ago, I was in a frenzy to find a dark cherry perfume and tried many different ones. I love Luctor et Emergo, which has a play-doh cherry note, as well as one of your least favorites, Victoria: Rahat Loukoum. The latter I would drown in if I could afford it: it is so soft and juicy, but as you said, lasts not at all. May 4, 2015 at 9:13am Reply

    • Victoria: The American brands are so expensive in Europe, so I’m going to jot it down and look for it when I visit the US. It sounds lovely though, and the swatches online are pretty.

      I remember how Luctor et Emergo was a big rage on the blogs at one point, although I’m curious to smell it again just to see if it still holds to its charm. May 4, 2015 at 10:30am Reply

  • limegreen: You describe make-up as poetry! Unlike perfume, and because of skin sensitivity, I don’t do much with make-up, just a basic sunblock/tinted moisturizer (or BB cream) with powder kind of person. If I look wan, then I’ll touch up with soft blush to look healthier! But your make-up creativity isn’t just telling a story, it’s a great narrative to read.
    Your photos of the cherry blossoms are beautiful — they do not have the pink tinges of the blossoms I’m familiar with from Seattle where there are special cherry trees from Japan. It’s an indescribable beauty and scent.

    I’ve been wearing a lot of Eau de Magnolia to celebrate spring. May 4, 2015 at 10:15am Reply

    • limegreen: Just saw the awesome photo of yourself you just posted. It’s probably the cherry blossoms and all that talk about Japanese poetry, but you could “pass” for East Asian (except for the floral pattern on your dress/top). May 4, 2015 at 10:24am Reply

      • Victoria: It’s a Ukrainian blouse, a modern version of a traditional kind. Funny enough, I sometimes get asked (by people who have little familiarity with Asian faces, I suppose) if I have any Asian ancestry. If I have anything Asian in my background, it’s probably the Central Asia or Tatar. May 4, 2015 at 10:44am Reply

        • The Scented Salon: Every Russian and Ukrainian probably does. May 4, 2015 at 4:25pm Reply

          • Victoria: Hmm, not sure. Not judging by the Scandinavian looking people in the Ukrainian branch of our family. 🙂 I take mostly after my dad’s side. May 4, 2015 at 4:55pm Reply

            • bregje: First of all:what a lovely photograph!
              You look gorgeous in that light. And i have to have that blouse ;).

              It’s so funny,but i get asked whether i have Asian ancestry too(or french or italian,haha)!
              And i look nothing like you,haha!(apart from dark hair,dark eyebrows and yellow undertone in my skin).
              I always thought it was because most people in the netherlands are tall and blond and therefor i look slightly foreign to them. 🙂 May 4, 2015 at 7:49pm Reply

              • Victoria: Thank you, Bregje! The rose design is a favorite one around here.

                In Kyiv it’s different, because it’s a capital and draws lots of different folk, but in our village where most people are blond and blue eyed, I do stand out. May 5, 2015 at 1:34pm Reply

    • Victoria: Thank you! I love makeup, but I don’t wear it every day, mostly because I’m sometimes lazy in applying it. 🙂 On most days, it’s just sunscreen and powder. I do know that I look better with some makeup, but it doesn’t bother me to show the world my unadorned face. On the other hand, it’s fun to come up with makeup stories and playing with different colors.

      The cherry blossoms in my photos are from sour cherry trees, and they look dazzling white and bridal. The Ukrainian romantic idea of a cozy home and family life is “a cherry orchard around the house,” and most people indeed have lots of cherry trees in their yards. So when you walk around the villages around here, you see nothing but white froth of blossoms. May 4, 2015 at 10:38am Reply

      • limegreen: It’s a classic Chinese and Japanese motif in paintings (and poetry) to have cherry blossoms “stand in” for snow, especially in poetry where snow flies like windblown blossoms, or vice verse. Ando Hiroshige and other woodblock artists have beautiful snow-laden cherry trees where the snow and blossoms are indistinct. That image came to mine when you mentioned “snow white froth” in your narrative.
        It must be so beautiful, though the blossoms are ephemeral, to walk through the village.
        (When I first started reading your blog, before I knew you were Ukrainian, from your blog photo, I thought you had some “Silk Road” heritage. 🙂 May 4, 2015 at 11:03am Reply

        • Victoria: I got a big dose of Japanese woodblock artists last year, thanks to a couple of exhibits around here, and I was in total awe. I have always loved this art form, but learning the details, the symbolism really opened up my eyes. When I helped my mom sort out our things last year, I suddenly discovered that as a kid I copied woodblock paintings too. 🙂 May 4, 2015 at 11:57am Reply

          • bregje: My Japanese aunt goes back to Japan in this season almost every year to see the cherry blossoms.

            I also think that Van Gogh’s almond blossom painting looks Japanese.Especially the colours and the simplicity. May 4, 2015 at 7:54pm Reply

            • Victoria: I believe he was influenced by the Japanese woodblock prints which were coming in Europe at the time, and yes, I love that painting of his. The style is Japanese, but the eye is totally Van Gogh.

              I’d love to visit Japan around the cherry blossom time. May 5, 2015 at 1:35pm Reply

              • limegreen: What an interesting new way to look at Van Gogh’s painting.
                (And you are being far too modest about your talents, Victoria!) May 5, 2015 at 3:00pm Reply

                • Victoria: Now whenever I look up and see flowering branches against the blue sky, I think of that painting. The subject is simple, but the rendition is anything but.

                  I always feel lately that I can’t get anything done, that time is running too fast. For this reason, I have been enjoying helping my grandmother with the garden. It’s the kind of work that totally lets your mind rest. Funny enough, I come up with the most ideas for perfume articles while I’m elbow deep in mud or something equally unglamorous like this. May 6, 2015 at 2:59pm Reply

              • bregje: My mom was a painter and she loved the woodblockpaintings. We still have a couple hanging in my parents’ house.(the prettiest one is a branche with ginkgo leaves)
                She was very much intrigued by that way of painting. To create a branche with one stroke of the brush.
                I love that Van Gogh-painting too. May 5, 2015 at 6:02pm Reply

                • Victoria: They’re a fascinating art form, especially since they’re like perfume–once you have a prototype, you can make as many copies as you wish. And the silk paintings are an intriguing genre, very different from Western art. May 6, 2015 at 3:07pm Reply

          • limegreen: Your childhood, Victoria, seems to have been filled with such creative zest and genius! May 4, 2015 at 10:35pm Reply

            • Victoria: I really think that the peak of my creative activities happen when I was 12, and then things went down hill from then on. 🙂 May 5, 2015 at 1:36pm Reply

              • bregje: hahaha.
                Me too.
                But i think you are selling yourself short. May 5, 2015 at 6:03pm Reply

      • Karen: A cherry orchard around the house sounds like a wonderful idea! Thus far, we have not had great success with our cherry trees – not quite sure why the fruit tree goddess isn’t smiling down upon us! However, our new magnolias have put on a beautiful show – three different varieties, each flowering at different times. May 4, 2015 at 3:00pm Reply

        • Victoria: The perfume must be amazing!

          This is the cherry country, and we don’t even need to plant them, since they grow on their own from seed. May 4, 2015 at 3:39pm Reply

          • Karen: We have lots of chokecherry, which actually makes a delicious jelly – they grow wild. But it would be so nice to have some sour cherry trees along with sweet cherry trees. I love the taste of jelly/jams from wild fruits – elderberry, wild grape, choke cherry, they have a slightly smokey quality to them. May 5, 2015 at 6:57am Reply

            • Victoria: Mmmm, I can just imagine the flavors… May 5, 2015 at 1:37pm Reply

        • bregje: My grandfather had a cherry orchard.It was fantastic!
          I love magnolia trees.They smell so beautiful!I always get a couple of branches from my father’s garden.(to put in a vase)
          And it always makes me sing strange fruit.Not a very happy song but there’s a line on the scent of magnolia. May 4, 2015 at 7:59pm Reply

          • Karen: For a more uplifting magnolia song, check out J.J. Cale’s Magnolia – very sweet song. Still have the album, 35+ years later…..(might have a few scratches on it though!) May 5, 2015 at 6:58am Reply

            • bregje: thanks for the tip,Karen!
              I’ve listened to it twice today already 🙂 May 5, 2015 at 6:05pm Reply

              • Karen: I will have to go look for the album – I used to listen to it non-stop at times! It is definitely a beautiful song (providing you like that folk/rock kind of style) with a more uplifing spin on magnolia. May 6, 2015 at 6:18am Reply

  • Hamamelis: What a lovely picture of you, transient cherry blossoms included! I came across the YSL Lip Stain here on your blog, and wear a coral one (#27) and a beige/rose one (#106). They just fit being made up, but not overly so, and the colours fit my (also) pale skin, but I am blessed with freckles that always give some colour.
    I find it interesting to read your craving for radiance, character and soft sillage in your perfumes now, which I recognise as fitting with spring. I am wearing Fekkai’s Sensuelle, a dry, radiant orangeblossom/neroli, with soft sillage. Very uplifting. The Iris Nobile seems worthwhile to try!
    And I can picture you in the potato plot… May 4, 2015 at 10:54am Reply

    • Victoria: The early spring (and the hard agricultural labor too, no doubt!) makes me crave uplifting, radiant things. But then I wore Carnal Flower the other day, and it was great too. There are no rules, of course. After enough of light and radiant things, I invariably reach for something totally opposite. The beauty of perfume is that you can easily change it, even within the same day.

      I have one beige/rose glossy stain, and I need to check which number it is. By the way, I adore freckles! May 4, 2015 at 11:12am Reply

      • Hamamelis: Very recognisable also, as in the evenings I have chosen for Mon Parfum Cherie par Camille! ‘Gras’, as you described it so aptly. I like my freckles now too, but not when I was young…my mother (also a redhead) used to say: They are the rusty ends of your steel nerves! (more describing her nerves than mine). Have a lovely evening V, hopefully lounging with a cup of tea, enjoying the full moon. May 4, 2015 at 11:35am Reply

        • Victoria: What a terrific way of putting it! 🙂

          Have a wonderful evening too. Are you wearing Mon Parfum Cherie again? May 4, 2015 at 12:27pm Reply

          • Hamamelis: Yes! Craving it already with that bittersweet patchouli plum… May 4, 2015 at 12:44pm Reply

            • rainboweyes: I definitely need to try Mon Parfum Cherie – does it have a prominent iris note? May 4, 2015 at 3:47pm Reply

              • Hamamelis: The EDT is more Iris, the EDP more Plum. I have to admit I have them and love them both! This evening I am wearing the EDP, intoxicating!
                If you can’t find samples, I am happy to make my first attempt to sample making and send them to you. I have the necessary attributes, just need a bit of courage I suppose. May 4, 2015 at 4:27pm Reply

                • limegreen: Hamamelis — It’s really fun making samples, and Victoria’s “instructions” gave me the courage! (I didn’t worry about making samples that look like the ones we get from sampling services.)

                  https://boisdejasmin.com/2013/06/making-fragrance-decants-and-samples-in-pictures.html May 4, 2015 at 11:47pm Reply

                  • Hamamelis: Let me know if you would like samples of MPCPC! May 5, 2015 at 2:55am Reply

                    • limegreen: You’re so sweet! That’s quite all right, but thank you for offering. 🙂
                      I was just chiming in about making samples, not hinting for one. 🙂

                      btw, I found your passion about Heure Exquise (and the no. 19 comparisons) so enchanting that I tried it. It’s quite nice! Nothing will be no. 19, but HE seems like a cross of no. 19 eau de cologne and the original Balmain Ivoire, with a classic Goutal powder drydown. So thank you (and to other BdJers) for the enthusiastic recommendation! May 5, 2015 at 9:15am

      • AndreaR: It might be #5, Rouge Vintage. May 4, 2015 at 12:16pm Reply

        • Victoria: I’ll have to check. May 4, 2015 at 3:17pm Reply

          • AndreaR: I’ve worn this shade for a year or so. I love the color and it wears really well. May 4, 2015 at 6:11pm Reply

            • Victoria: Glossy stains are something else. I love all of mine. May 5, 2015 at 1:15pm Reply

  • Phyllis Iervello: Victoria, you are absolutely lovely! May 4, 2015 at 1:00pm Reply

    • Victoria: Thank you so much, Phyllis. May 4, 2015 at 3:18pm Reply

  • Aurora: You are the embodiment of spring and look so pretty in the picture. It reminds me of a photo of Vivien Leigh also among cherry blossom, when she was auditioning for Scarlett O’Hara.

    Thank you for sharing your day with us, and make-up ideas, it’s really useful and fun. May 4, 2015 at 1:22pm Reply

    • Victoria: Oh, what a nice compliment! Thank you very much. You guys are making me blush.

      Glad that you liked my ideas. 🙂 May 4, 2015 at 3:19pm Reply

  • The Scented Salon: Now that you’ve shared your wonderful beauty and makeup routine with us, will you share your perfume collection? I don’t know if you have before but I have not seen it and I have been reading your blog for years.

    I would love to see which full bottles and which decants you own. I am sure it is a treasured collection. Would love to see some photos of it. May 4, 2015 at 1:42pm Reply

    • Victoria: I need to organize it one of these days, but since I have no space to display perfume bottles, it’s a moot point. I have far too much, but since many bottles of perfume are the ones I use for work, rather than wear for pleasure, it’s not really a collection per se. As for my absolute favorites, I wrote a bit about them here and there, but maybe I can write something about them again. May 4, 2015 at 3:35pm Reply

      • The Scented Salon: I’d love to see your favorite full bottles, chosen by you for pleasure, displayed so we can see their names. May 4, 2015 at 4:27pm Reply

        • Victoria: Most of them are decants since I find it more practical, but I’ll be happy to take some photos when I’m back in Brussels. May 4, 2015 at 4:59pm Reply

      • angeldiva: Hi!
        I’ve had an idea for a perfume thread! When I was in high school in the 1970’s I wore a perfume that came in a most beautiful bottle.
        I can’t recall the name of the perfume. But, I can describe this beautiful bottle!
        So, that’s the thread: The Mystery Bottles Of My Past ( perfume collection…)
        What do you think?
        PS – I’m having the most amazing good karma perfume day, EVER!!!

        Love,
        Angeldiva May 5, 2015 at 1:35am Reply

        • Karen: Fun idea Angeldiva! May 5, 2015 at 7:00am Reply

        • Victoria: Oh, that’s a fun topic! May 5, 2015 at 1:36pm Reply

  • Emma: You are beautiful Victoria! There’s a little of Ann Hathaway and a young Mia Farrow in you, urbane, personable and romantic.

    No one’s talking about LOT this year. Have you tried Guerlain 2015? I’m not sure if they changed the formula. May 4, 2015 at 1:54pm Reply

    • Victoria: Thank you very much, Emma.

      What does LOT stand for? I guess, I haven’t smelled it, if I don’t know. 🙂 May 4, 2015 at 3:38pm Reply

      • spe: LOTV? Guerlain Muguet 2015? May 4, 2015 at 8:30pm Reply

        • Emma: You’re welcome Victoria.

          I’m so silly, using the phone as a computer for everything now isn’t great.

          Yes Guerlain Muguet, I’m going to test it this week at Saks. Maybe I can get a sample, but I doubt it. May 5, 2015 at 12:50pm Reply

          • Victoria: I haven’t tried this year’s version, but I can’t imagine it’s that different from the one they do every year. If you get to smell it, please let us know what you think. May 5, 2015 at 1:47pm Reply

            • The Scented Salon: Thank God I don’t like lilly of the valley. This version is $600! May 5, 2015 at 2:37pm Reply

              • Victoria: For that money, you can do much better, although few lily of the valley perfumes rival Diorissimo. May 6, 2015 at 2:52pm Reply

                • The Scented Salon: It’s probably all about the packaging. May 6, 2015 at 3:12pm Reply

                  • Victoria: The packaging is gorgeous, one has to admit, but thank goodness, I don’t get tempted by bottles. May 6, 2015 at 3:15pm Reply

                • bregje: i’m wearing diorissimo today! First time this year.I almost forgot how much i love it.
                  That’s my favourite kind of shopping:finding something in the back of my closet and falling in love with it all over again!
                  (and wear it every day for weeks,lol) May 6, 2015 at 6:51pm Reply

                  • Victoria: My favorite kind of shopping too! Makes the best bargain discoveries. 🙂 May 8, 2015 at 3:45am Reply

        • Victoria: Ah, gotcha! I was tired and a bit slow last night as I responded to comments. May 5, 2015 at 1:35pm Reply

  • rainboweyes: I love cherry blossoms too, but I love the fruit even more! It’s been such a pleasure to work in the garden during the weekend, we had a couple of days of warm and humid weather and the air is saturated with lilac scent. I put my laundry rack close to the lilacs, the laundry had the most wonderful smell as it got dry! May 4, 2015 at 3:53pm Reply

    • Karen: What a great idea! I have never thought of that, but the air around certain plants (our lilacs are still blooming, which is amazing) is just saturated with fragrance. I will give this a try, especially once the roses start! Thanks for this tip! May 5, 2015 at 7:01am Reply

    • Victoria: Sour cherry is one of my favorite fruits. I can’t wait for the season to start.

      Your idea for scenting your laundry with lilac sounds great. May 5, 2015 at 1:12pm Reply

  • Annikky: A fellow cherry blossom and glossy stain lover here. I own six of the latter by now and wear them all. I’m not big on eye make-up, as my eyes are so deep-set that unless I go up to my eyebrows, nothing shows anyway 🙂 But I’ve been using Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks lately just to line the eyes and they work beautifully. Moonlight and Rosegold are lovely for that delicate look.

    PS You look lovely on the picture, but I don’t think it comes as a surprise to anyone. May 4, 2015 at 5:46pm Reply

    • Victoria: I just looked at the collection online, and it looks great. One more temptation. 🙂

      Thank you, Annikky! May 5, 2015 at 1:27pm Reply

  • Mariel: You forgot Shu Uemura’s dreamy Cherry Blossom bath oil in its Pleasure of Japanese Bath line. Thanks for the lovely article and love the Japanese cosmetics ideas. May 4, 2015 at 7:30pm Reply

    • Victoria: I didn’t know about this product, but wow, doesn’t it sound great. Thank you for mentioning it, Mariel. May 5, 2015 at 1:28pm Reply

  • Anka: What an irresistible post! I like the ephemeral aspect about cherry blossoms, ours are in full bloom here, too, most of them in pink, it looks almoust like pink-hued cotton candy on trees.
    Speaking of Japenese poetry, I recently discoverd and relish Yasushi Inoue’s lyrics – what are your favorite Japanese poets? May 5, 2015 at 8:12am Reply

    • Victoria: Cotton candy on trees is a spot on observation! 🙂

      I really love Basho for the clarity and poignancy of his poems:
      A monk sips morning tea,
      it’s quiet,
      the chrysanthemum’s flowering. May 5, 2015 at 1:41pm Reply

  • Elisa: If anyone is looking for a budget version of the glossy stain concept, the L’Oreal Colour Caresse Wet Shine Stains are similar (I’ve heard!) to the YSL for $6 or less at your local drugstore…I own four of them! The nude and coral shades are my favorite.

    P.S. V I love that blouse!!!! so so cute May 5, 2015 at 1:58pm Reply

    • Victoria: Thank you, Elisa! If I were within a few km radius of the L’Oreal availability, I’d be dashing to the store. You’ve made me so curious to try them. May 6, 2015 at 2:51pm Reply

  • solanace: This is an interesting angle, since straight cherry blossom perfumes are not what perfumistas tend to enjoy, even though the real thing is so awesome. I recently got a Russian Red lipstick, which I might have read about here, and it is a thrilling lippie, so much fun to wear. Like perfumes such as Mohur or Shalimar, it takes me away from my daily repetitive errands, transporting me to some sexy and glamorous alternative reality. May 5, 2015 at 2:59pm Reply

    • Victoria: Most perfumes calling themselves cherry blossom smell of some generic fruit, whereas the real thing has a light, ethereal scent. Our cherry blossoms are already gone, and the fruit is starting to form. Now, I’m looking forward to the cherry season.

      Is that lipstick by MAC? May 6, 2015 at 2:54pm Reply

      • solanace: yes, it is. super sexy stuff. May 7, 2015 at 4:22pm Reply

  • Annunziata: What a beautiful picture. You look lovely. I always find spring way too evanescent, but I guess that is part of its nature. In New York, we tend to crash headlong from winter into summer. Right now, I am waiting avidly for the lilacs. I used to live in a house where there were several different varieties, and it was just heavenly when they bloomed. When I had to move, I grieved the lilacs more than anything else there. May 5, 2015 at 3:07pm Reply

    • Victoria: I can relate, because my great-grandmother planted a garden with several varieties of lilacs, and when I moved to the US, I missed springs spent at her house especially because of these lilacs. Being back this spring, I intend to catalog all of the varieties.

      Thank you! 🙂 May 6, 2015 at 3:06pm Reply

  • Poodle: I recently tried the glossy stains by YSL and I love them too. I also really like the Dior Fluide Sticks. They have a similar feel. I like your eye shadow colors. I use a lot of peach and lilac mauve tones too for a natural effect. A lot of browns have too much red in them and just make me look tired. You look lovely. May 6, 2015 at 6:47am Reply

    • Victoria: Which colors from Dior do you have?

      I finally figured out not long ago why many browns make me look tired. It’s all because of red! So, I now look for the coolest toned browns possible, and I found a few, especially in by Terry line. Lilacs and mauves, on the other hand, look very flattering.

      Thank you! May 6, 2015 at 3:11pm Reply

      • bregje: i know exactly what you mean! The rusty colours make me look sick 😉 . I once read a makeup 411 article about Winona Ryders make up in Girl interupted and they used an orangy-brown colour in the inner corner of her eyes to make her look ill.
        I only use cool brown’s(purple or grey undertone) and taupe now.
        However they(rusty brown’s) can sometimes make blue eyes pop! Just like orange. But if you want to be safe,stay away from orange tones.(peach is different because it has pink in it which makes it look fresher) May 6, 2015 at 7:05pm Reply

        • Poodle: It never fails for me. If I wear those shades someone will ask if I’m feeling okay or tell me how tired I look. May 7, 2015 at 5:54am Reply

        • Victoria: Makes sense! Those are the colors that will make most people look ill. I love warm browns in a pan, and they do bring out the green in my eyes, but I’ve given up on them. May 8, 2015 at 3:49am Reply

      • Poodle: In the Dior’s I have Rieuse and Vertigo. I was going to get one of the reds but I got a red in the glossy stains so I probably don’t need it at the moment. Of course “want” usually wins out over “need” when it comes to perfume and casmetics. May 7, 2015 at 5:52am Reply

        • bregje: of course 🙂 !

          I always hate it when my boyfriend asks me if i
          NEED new shoes when i crave a new pair of gorgeous heels. May 7, 2015 at 5:05pm Reply

        • Victoria: Thank you! I will check them out. The swatches online look lovely.

          One needs to give oneself small pleasures time to time, and a tube of lipstick falls into that category. That’s how I think of it. 🙂 May 8, 2015 at 3:51am Reply

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