Scent of a Woman

Take any magazine and you'll notice at least 4 ads for a new scent out on the market. The ads promise that this new scent will make you the ultimate woman, will cause a rush of zurich bankers to be stop dead in their tracks when you walk by with that tantilizing scent - that you will be the envy of every woman!!! Then you get to the counter or open that flap in the magazine and its all the same, a pleasing scent, but nothing 'special'! When I was younger I tried Chanel and thought it was gross - however, while in France, I decided to give it another try - something really amazing happened - I grew into the scent! I've never had this experience - when I was young and imature, chanel number 5 wanted nothing to do with me. Once I became a lady and discovered that elegance and sophistication were important to me, its as if Chanel number 5 came running backing saying "Finally, you get it - now I can make you smell like a true woman". Sometimes elegant things don't suit us, until we truly become "Elegant"!!! Here's to Chanel Number 5 - the true scent of a woman - Thank-you for not giving up on me!!!

Lessons from the past

It has always intrigued me how the women of past generations were so effortlessly sophisticated. I always think of women from the 50's who had that 'Jackie O' look - how did they channel that elegance? I think it all comes down to owning your femininity! I think that women really allowed themselves to feel like women. When you think about it, this era of sophistication occured before the feminist movemcent. I'm grateful that women now have top CEO jobs and are taken more seriously in a world formerly owned and driven by men. However, at the same time, I feel that women are slowly loosing the mystique that they formerly owned!!! I think the challenge today is to tap into the best of both worlds. Why not start wearing feminine skirts to work with a classic white shirt and pearls? Why not put on a pair of elegant long evening gloves for your next party? You can still be that top CEO, look feminine and elegant and be taken seriously. As much as I think the power suit is trendy and fashionable, a simple black dress with pearls or diamonds will never go out of style. If you're looking for some ideas from fashion magazines, here are some hard working women who haven't given up on sophisticated style:

Michelle Obama

Katie Holmes

Reese Witherspoon

Gwyneth Patrow

Catherine Zeta Jones

Thandie Newton

Aishwarya Rai

Lipstick

Carole Lombard is quoted as saying "I live by a man's code, designed to fit a man's world, yet at the same time I never forget that a woman's first job is to choose the right shade of lipstick". There are so many shades of lipstick out there, it becomes an obsession to choose the perfect colour. I think that Bobbi Brown has the best advice for choosing the 'perfect' colour - look for a lipstick that's one of two shades deeper than you natural lip colour. Elegence and sophistication are not about trying to fit a mold - its not about getting 'stuck' in the trend-maze - it's about finding that perfect colour that works for you and making it your signature!