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Beauty Notebook OCTOBER 2007: A Whisper Down the Field
Beauty Notebook OCTOBER 2007: A Whisper Down the Field
Posted by Dain, Monday, October 01, 2007 2:03 PM (Eastern)
Above: Bruegel's Peasant Wedding, the plain, earnest jollity of the simple life of field and forest. Everyone seems to be drunk in this picture.
It's hard to imagine a time when the harvest was sacred, when it meant the difference between life and death. People starve now, but not because they have to; the interest on our national debt alone, I hear, is enough to end world hunger permanently, but who'd want that? I suspect that a week of hard labor in the fields would bring the softened American middleclass running pellmell to their corn syrup, iPods, and petrochemicals, and frankly, I'd be the first among them. Still, I think it is very easy to romanticize a pastoral life when one dwells in an excess of luxury, as if it were simpler and more genuine, as Marie Antoinette might well attest.
So this month, the bounties of nature: wine (long before modern practices of sanitization were well known, people by some intuition drank beer or wine; it had the benefit of adding protein to one's diet, and the alcohol killed off the "wee beasties"), wood (shelter and warmth), leaves (I wanted grain, but it is surprisingly difficult to find beauty products that feature wheat), grass (hay, for lifestock), and flowers (herbs for cooking and medicine).
 Frapin "1270" Eau de Parfum ($85) with its art-deco bottle, is a tricky one. Don't get me wrong, the scent itself is heady and radiant and quite surprising. I speak with the voice of disappointed expectations, not to diminish its beauty, which will make you swoon. I imagined the last word in autumnal scents, as it was inspired by a vintage wine from 1270, and what could be more emblematic of the harvest than wine? I expected... a vine heavy with flowers and fruit (anachronistically enough), before settling into winey woody goodness. Perhaps it is a little boozy, but the similitude is not exact. This is boozy the way your eccentric aunt might be at the annual Christmas gathering (to my nose, this is candied fruits accented by juniper plus mulled wine), or the forced glamor of Gloria Swanson's vampiric swagger in Sunset Boulevard, the edge of desperation in her swishing silks. Such a magnificent wintry fragrance, a bit of Christmas cheer in the midst of the deepest hibernal freeze. |
 I rather thought that BURN Balinese Woods Body Cream ($44) might smell like a fire, but really it smells like sandalwood. A sweet and tender sandalwood (not the hairy-chested kind that makes you think of old-fashioned shaving soaps) that clings luxuriously, like a fine cashmere shawl, and though it seems quite delicate at first, it has really impressive lasting power, wafting very pleasurably from your skin for hours, better than a lot of perfumes in truth. Like the scent, the lotion itself is deceptive: seemingly light, but plenty of rich, penetrative hydration, with a barely perceptible shimmer (and I mean barely, I'd never have noticed it if it weren't for the copy, and I'm good at noticing these kind of things—that's fine by me, though, shimmer lotions are such a waste of space except in photography). It is a handsome bottle, though not exactly to my taste. I find this a wholly lovely alternative to perfume, a soft allover sillage rather a complex, concentrated effect. The scent, and your skin both, is absolutely silky. |
 Strangely enough, I've always wanted to try Weleda Birch Cellulite Oil ($22), ever since I read that it smells like a "Norwegian forest" in Lucky. Not surprisingly, I'm disappointed (more and more, I feel that magazine is just a bunch of silly, lousy hacks). This is a shimmer of green citrus (not actually a shimmery product), nice enough but banal, which finally opened my eyes to the most obvious issue that comes to mind: "Wait, cellulite oil? Glamorous cellulite oil?" Does it work? Well, if there were any product that'd make up for years of smart diet and judicious exercise, it'd be worth helluva lot more than $22. |
 Scented candles have always struck me as an effete feminine affectation, but I adore incense. When it comes to ambience, it cannot be beat. When I saw this Juniper Ridge Sweetgrass Incense ($7), I couldn't resist. Truly, Demeter must have snuck some sweetgrass into her handkerchiefs. Sweetgrass is notorious for its rarity (it doesn't spread well by seed), and somehow, the whole idea of its subtle and graceful smell always suggests motherhood to me. This is an all-natural incense, so it hasn't the complexity of most incenses, but it's nevertheless a pleasantly spicey herbal scent. |
 In theory, I adore a balm cleanser, the modern-day equivalent of cold cream. It banishes the need for makeup removers, toners, exfoliants, masks, and possibly even moisturizers if you're not too dry, the sort of all-purpose-ness that warms the cockles of my minimalist soul. In practice, however, they are not so grand: time-consuming, labor intensive, and a tendency to clog pores. But surely In Fiore Lustra Cleansing Balm ($95) must be wholly superior? I thought it might, going by the carefully selected ingredients, but the moment I so much as opened the jar and smelled this product I knew in my bones that I'd be allergic to it, which is to say, this is neither a negative nor positive review, but a stalemate. Nevertheless, I'm not one to shirk my duty, so I rolled up my sleeves and... yup, I'm allergic to it. |
To get you in the mood:
WATCH
King Corn is an odd sort of documentary. Two young men, curious about the contents of their own diet, decide to rent an acre in Iowa and grow some corn. In the process, they learn a great deal about the American agricultural and food industry. Because agriculture is no longer profitable, most farms are large and unicellular, growing the same strain of Liberty corn all across Iowa. It's so genetically engineered that the stuff isn't even edible until it's "treated". Most of it goes into manufacturing corn syrup and feeding livestock, so this corn from Iowa is in virtually everything. It's a fascinating documentary, and visually well-done.
READ
American Gods is one of those books that travels, and not just within the novel itself. It's the sort of book you lend to others, sure that it will please, who lend it to others still (my copy is currently in Venezuela). Many fantasy novels are entertaining but silly reproductions of Tolkein, but this is in a class of its own: a really good story, well told. A man gets out of prison, and finds himself amongst gods of all descriptions (every immigrant brings their own, from Anubis to kobolds to Anansi), but they're in a somewhat dilapidated state: America is not a land for gods. It is interesting reading, not in the puzzle-your-brains sense but more like, hey, reading can be fun! It is fun. : )
WEAR
October can have some nippy weather, so why not consider the Walking Trails Overcoat ($188) from Anthropologie? With its thorny vines clambering over navy boiled wool, it's fit for any dryad whose taken a bit of a chill.
EAT
Since it is unlikely many of us actually work for our food, it seemed a little misplaced to push harvest food. Simple Americana seems more fitting. A good cheeseburger (ground beef, chopped onions, and A1 for the patties, homemade patties are always more delicious) with all the trimmings: barbecue sauce, grilled onions, bacon, tomato, lettuce, honey mustard. Spicy fries. A cloudy glass of apple cider to wash it all down. And for dessert, a slice of pie à la mode and a cup of strong coffee. Mmm... food coma.
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