Memories Are Made Of This...

What a week it has been!!

The lovely Trish and I spent two long days at the Gift Fair choosing a range of giftware including Father’s Day and Christmas 2011. We believe we have chosen an exciting assortment guaranteed to have something for everyone. Some have already arrived in store and are selling fast. We have not bought great volumes of each item so if you see something you like I strongly suggest that you purchase it straight away to avoid disappointment.

Tuesday found me at JURLIQUE Training in the city. A great day spent updating my knowledge on this fantastic brand of all natural skin care. My hands have never felt so good after all the product we were able to sample. This training reawakened my interest in essential oils and I went in search of my “ recipe book” looking for blends and remedies that could help with some issues I am having – oh! The joys of menopause!  More on the benefits of aromatherapy in a later blog.

FAB FIND FROM JURLIQUE: Hydrating Essence a fabulous hydrator available in Lavender, Rose, Chamomile, Lemon-Lime and Calendula that can be added to any skin care regime. Call in and see Sofia who will happily explain the benefits of this product to you.

On Wednesday at the Estee Lauder Awards night our very own Glenda was the first inductee into the Lauder Hall of Fame. Well done Glenda and very well deserved. We are so lucky at Berwick to have a team of such experienced and professional beauty consultants who are always ready to help and advise you on all your beauty needs.

 Saturday I braved a very chilly morning and met my trainer for our usual run in Jells Park. Feeling very lethargic I quickly put a few drops of basil, peppermint and eucalyptus on a tissue and tucked into my bra. My secret mix of herbs and spices! Despite a sluggish start the run went well and as we passed the tip the smell of mulching eucalyptus was overwhelming but uplifting and put that extra spring in my step to finish the run a bit faster than usual. What a great start to the weekend. Movies Saturday night. Highly recommend RED DOG!!

Woke with another headache on Sunday but reached for Basil oil instead of the usual pain killer. I massaged this into my neck, spent an extra 15 minutes in bed waiting for it to weave it’s magic which it did.  Feeling energized I decided to clean out my fragrance stash. What a roller coaster ride that took me on. After working with fragrance for nearly 20 years I had amassed quite a stash. Smelling them all to see if they were still ok to wear spiraled me down a vortex back in time. Who would have thought that a fragrance could evoke such emotion and bring back so many memories?  I cried and laughed and quietly contemplated people, places and events that have shaped my life.

From Paco Rabanne’s  La Nuit given to me by a friend when I was still very ignorant about fragrances.  I had sprayed myself lavishly with this very rich fragrance after my shower only to be woken in the night by my now ex husband who demanded that I shower again as my fragrance was too strong and  keeping him awake.

Coolwater man the first fragrance I launched for Coty way back in 1993. The first men’s fragrance to have floral notes of jasmine and geranium and an TV advert to die for – so risqué it could only be screened after 9.30pm. Still one of our best sellers.

Champagne by Yves St Laurent now called Yvress after a law suit forced the name change. Still in it’s original packaging with the original name. Strong, loud and overwhelming. This I wore to visit my son on his 13th birthday as he was living with his Dad.  As I walked through the door I remember him calling from his bedroom, “Mum’s here I can smell her”. I never wore that fragrance again and still avoid spraying it in the shop. Some things are best left in the dark corner of the cupboard.

All About Eve by Joop! a beautiful crisp floral launched in 1997. On that day in February we went into the city for training as we watched the Dandenongs burn in the bush fires. I remember leaving my Mom and two sons watching the fires burn in Ferny Creek through my bedroom window thinking how trivial this fragrance training was at such a time. The worst fragrance launch I have ever done.

What About Adam “brother fragrance” to All about Eve launched a few months later. With tomato leaf in its top note What About Adam was unique and distinctive. I had an immediate affinity for this fragrance as the smell of tomatoes takes me back to my childhood in South Africa. My Mom was a florist and in the morning before school we would head off to the rose farm which also grew tomatoes which we bought by the boxful. Sitting in the back of the ute on our way to school my sister and I were surrounded by roses and tomatoes and the fragrance was pungent and aromatic. Even today when  I walk past the gourmet tomatoes in the supermarket  or the tomato plants in Bunnings I have to stop and drink in the smell – so many memories captured in a simple tomato .This is when I miss my sister the most.  My son Gareth still has a bottle of What About Adam and I can recognize it straight away when he visits. Sadly What About Adam was ahead if his time and is no longer available – pity

 Father’s Day 1997. Another fragrance launch. Another event and the death of Princess Diana and the classic” where were you when -------.?” The stillness, disbelief, sadness  -her two boys the same age as mine now without their mother!

GOODLIFE by Davidoff warm, rich and luxurious with fig in the top and base notes. I was launching this fragrance when I had my first, un -chaperoned, date with my now husband number 2. That Friday night after work we met at the movies and saw Lethal Weapon number? – can’t remember but forever that fragrance will take me back to that one night in October 1998. Whilst the movie house and the fragrance are no longer thankfully he still is.

Hypnotic Poison by Christian Dior  - New Year 1998 our first new year  together when I drank way too much and  future husband  nursed me through my first hang over – don’t wear that much anymore, can’t think why!

Manifesto by isabella  Rosselini  a getaway in Daylesford Xmas 1999.

Glow by Jennifer Lopez considered the first of the celebrity fragrances (although really Elizabeth Taylor was with White Diamonds).What a huge launch, everybody was buying it from teenagers to Nannas. Clean fresh and sexy with a powderiness that lasts all day. Soon every celebrity had to have their own fragrance and a new era in fragrances was born. While their stars no longer shine quite so brightly there are still new kids on the block as we nervously wait for Justin Bieber’s  SOMEDAY ,Keith Urban’s PHOENIX and Taylor Swift’s WONDERSTRUCK.

STILL by Jennifer Lopez this I chose as my wedding fragrance, with earl grey tea and sake in its notes STILL is quiet, serene and very feminine. I spent hours trying to choose a the right fragrance and eventually chose STILL because it represented exactly as I felt  - very at peace with my decision , tranquil, ultra feminine and quietly confident. Love it STILL.

Daisy by Marc Jacobs  -one of my last launches for Coty after 16 years and what away to end my life as a fragrance consultant.  Innocent, playful, pretty and totally captivating. the eau de toilette with strawberries, grapefruit , violets and soft white woods and the eau de parfum slightly richer with added jasmine and violet leaves  and gardenia, Marc Jacobs’ signature flower. Everybody loves Daisy and it will always remind me of all the friendships I formed and the very special people that crossed my path. Now there are more Daisies to choose from and her big sister Lola is also a stunner.

So many fragrances, so many memories and so many more to come. Choose your fragrances well, wear them, enjoy them because even when the bottle is empty the memories remain forever and you never know when a sudden aroma will take you back to a place you thought you had long forgotten.

My emotional roller coaster ride of memories over. I called my sister and ended an eventful week with a nice long chat.

That was my week that was.

Bye for now!

Congratulations to Glenda Senior - Hall Of Fame 2011

Last night, one of our very own, Glenda Senior - Manager of our Estee Lauder Team at Terry White Chemist in Berwick was enlisted into the Estee Lauder Hall of Fame.

Glenda was invited to the Victorian State Awards held at Carousel, Albert Park Lake. There she was presented with her award and a beautiful bouquet of flowers by Terry Little, Brand Manager of Estee Lauder.

Recognised for her immense hard work, commitment and loyalty to her customers. Glenda has been with Estee Lauder for over 17 years and was last night rewarded for her achievements and dedication, not only to her customers but the company as well.

“Over the last 17 years I have been working towards building loyalty with my customers. It is about my customers getting an experience they will remember and will make them want to return. But this isn’t only done by myself, but also by my wonderful team and their hard work. Our commitment is to ensure that each customer that arrives at our counter is given the best possible service and leaves with a smile on their face. Last night was a wonderful achievement and I’m very grateful to have the privilege of working for such an amazing company.”

A well deserved congratulations to Glenda for her commitment and hard work.