I still have Nothing: soon I don't...

If you finished your Nothing, will you finally be something?

Or perhaps to discuss the purpose of the state of Nirvana, that the ultimate state is being nothing again? Or that ultimate Yoga goal?

Nice philosophical question but I'm just about the material stuff on this blog. Hehehe, I'm almost about to finish up 'L'Air de Rien' or 'scent of Nothing': a gorgeously composed fragance by Jane Birkin for Miller Harris.

Smelling of nothing has never been so dominantly present. I absolutely love this fragance for autumn, but the mixture is quite strong. Jane Birkin mixed up a fragance that reminded her after a night out: think cigarretes, leather, and a bit of dance sweating. My nights out were probably not as sexy as hers, but I do think it smells like you can after a good (or bad as in being) night out. 

It's the kind of perfume I can only wear for one day. If I smell it on my clothes the next day, I feel nausious or overwhelmed. Still, I managed finishing a full bottle after 4 years and that says something. I consider it to me my most unique fragance and it feels so warming wearing it during autumn, but maximum 2 times a week, with interval days...

I have been decanting it to friends: it draws both a male & female crowd  without calling itself unisex. Perhaps that's why it's 'l'air de Rien', it's neither male nor female, it's just present: 

like nothingness is as present as it denies it is...

Between greys

I'd like to show some more colours of that meowcosmetic haul I did lately.

meowcosmetcs greys & a postcard with Brigitte Bardot (l) & Jane Birkin (r)

And yes, I could have made a reference to the 5 shades of grey but I won't.

The swatches:  I love how these greys each have their own dimension and duo-toned hue.

1.  Ghost Stories Present: a whitish grey with a pink overcast
2. Holiday Wishes Holiday Spirits: a creamy taupe with rosegold glow
3. Midnight Clear Ancient Splendor: A mid grey with turquoise glimmer
4. Midnight Clear Song of Old: A true grey with pink flecks
5. Winter Spirits Sparkling: A steel grey with multicoloured sparkles

Celebrities and ageing:

I really love the iconic celebrities of the 1950s/60s and 70s. Moreover, I also like to look how each ages differently and what their lifestyle has to to with it.

Brigitte Bardot (the blonder one) has been tanning and smoking heavily through her life. I still like that she does her glamourous thing with the smokey eyes, bouffant hair and pouty lips that made her famous.

Brigitte Bardot: late 20s & mid 60s

Or a beauty like Jane Birkin. She also is 65 and I really admire she is not facelifted, but her neck still looks quite fresh and not-too-wrinkly for her age. Also, she hardly has any wrinkles around her mouth...

I admire both women and the lifestyle choices that they have made. Brigitte Bardot could have ended like Marilyn Monroe as she also attempted suicide in her life, but she made a complete lifestyle switch from Famous & Fabulous to Secluded & Sheltered.
As for Jane Birkin, her daughters have stepped into her mother's fabulosity and are really famous and iconic too (Lou Doullon). And having one of the most iconic bags named after you always helps. I think happiness shows too...I love Jane's smile and genuine glow.

So how do you think about ageing?

Nothing in the Air: Perfume and the art of feeling Birkinesque...

Phil Collins was quite convinced that there was "something in the air tonight". I like the air surrounding me to be a kind of nothingness...

Or, actually, when I wear L'Air de Rien (air of nothing) the scent is more than nothing, as it is one of my most smoky and oriental-based scents I have.

Miller Harris created this scent with my muse Jane Birkin in 2007. It was one of the first perfumes I bought unsniffed based on the description, and the link with my muse. I was so fortunate to really like this perfume a lot.

How was this perfume created (according Miller Harris site):

Working with Lyn in her laboratory, Jane was introduced to Lyn’s many exquisite, raw materials. After listening to Jane talk extensively of her vibrant life, rekindling memories of her beloved France, Lyn went about translating these passions into a fragrance. While Lyn performed her finishing touches to the formula, Jane sat across from her doodling William Blake-style nymphs appearing from behind the signature Miller Harris flowers. These images now decorate the bottle and packaging, adding the final Birkin twist.

Jane’s vision was something chic, original ethereal and airy, like an aura around the body. The result is an exquisite oriental fragrance of amber, vanilla, neroli, oak moss and sensual musks. The lightness remains in the way it is worn, like a veil over the skin giving it a mysterious sensuality, hence the name L’Air de Rien, a name she has cherished for some time.

I once read an interview that she wanted her perfume to smell like she had been in a smokey bar the whole night long...and that is precisely how this perfume smells like...a whole lot of smokeyness, some sensual musk, a dash of vanilla (the naughty kind...not your grandmothers cookie vanilla) and a kind of sensuality that is connected to a wonderful night out.

This perfume is also one of my emptiest bottles left. I had to share lots of this perfume with afficionados around the world (on makeupalley) and with my face-to-face friends.

To me, it is absolutely not my everyday perfume...I enjoy this particularly on special occasions such as festivals or a certain kind  of vibe that has a mix of hippy-esque happiness with a dash of sultriness.

It also lingers for a couple of days when you have sprayed in on your clothes or hair...

My feel-good sultry 60s maven perfume....

I wonder how the new Petit Rien of Miller Harris would smell like...should I order it unsniffed online again????

Jane Birkin

There is something absolutely cute about a young British girl who went to France in order to make a film, falls in love with the French actor she plays alongside, and seals their love with a highly sensual song. (a better biography can be found here, LOL).

Here is the song...it is a bit comical in our days, I think.

(Her french has a bit of a British accent...I never noticed this before, LOL)

Jane Birkin and her 'panting' lover Serge Gainsbourg

Birkin was a reasonable actress, ofcouse, but she has gained her fame with the (as we say nowadays...thank you Idols) X-factor...She was the predecessor of the It-girl of today. Highly fashionable, highly provocative in both her songs as her appearance and a bit media-eager...

Birkin has grown up gracefully, and is more low-profile nowadays

And, let's not forget...she inspired Hermes to make the most iconic bag ever...Paris Hilton has not accomplished such a thing, neither Nicole Ritchie

I like her daughter Lou Douillon as well...she is not a copy of her mother, but merges her own androgyne-meets-vixen style with a lot of quirkiness.

But she has her mothers hair and teeth. More importantly, her devil-may-care attitude, which makes both women strong and iconic in their own way...