…is embracing “Les Délicieuses“: classic Diptyque candles are given a sweet treat twist. Illustrated by artist Clym Evernden, who combines whimsy and humor to bring the glimpse of the playful side of Paris, the capsule collection is inspired with the iconic Café Verlet, purveyor of coffees and teas since 1880. Café (Coffee), Biscuit (Cookie) and Chantilly (Whipped Cream) are the new limited-edition candles. You can shop them below!
Remember that SNL skit about candle-gifting? Well. Candles are candles. But Loewe candles are another level. I had the beetroot one and I must admit it was the best candle I ever used. It’s really a gift that keeps on giving – it not only smells great, but looks chic. The Loewe Home Scents range includes delicately scented candles inspired by floral fragrances and fresh foliage poured into colorful terracotta earthenware pots, nostalgic scented sticks and deliciously fresh room sprays that are perfect for spritzing onto bed linens. Explore my favorites here just in time for the festive season!
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During my recent Berlin trip, I finally had the chance to discover the Dries Van Noten beauty line IRL at Andreas Murkudis (which is the only retailer in Germany who stocks these goodies). I wasn’t disappointed. For most designers, perfume and cosmetics are a rite of passage; they waste little time getting into the lucrative businesses. But not Dries Van Noten. For over three decades, he has been one of fashion’s rare independent operators who made his name not on licenses, but on clothes. And yet the 63-year-old is probably better suited to these things than many of his peers. “I said I wanted a rose perfume that is kind of a punch – really not a sweet, beautiful, feminine thing. It had to be something that men could easily wear. That was kind of the symbol of how we started to work,” he says of his fragrance lineup, which includes Neon Garden, one of the scents the designer himself has taken to wearing that pairs the freshness of mint with powdery iris, and Jardin de l’Orangerie, which blends traditional orange blossom with sandalwood for a grounded, earthy effect. What Van Noten didn’t want: “easygoing” perfumes. “I think there’s already so much out there in the market. The idea was that every perfume really tells a story – in my fashion, I’m also a storyteller,” he told Vogue. In total, the new line includes 10 genderless eaux de parfums alongside 30 lipsticks, a lip balm, as well as a select few soaps and creams. The collection also includes a series of accessories, such as a mirror, a comb, and more. The scents are personal, and so too are the apothecary-inspired bottles that they come in. Each is meticulously designed and outfitted with a cap that features the brand name engraved onto it. The bottles are colored to match the scent inside, and is bound to become a centerpiece on your beauty shelf as soon as you add them to your collection. As for the beauty offerings, the 30 lipsticks are available to shop in a range of three finishes. Fifteen of them have a satin look, 10 have a matte appearance, and five will be sheer. While some are neutral-toned, the collection also includes a vibrant purple shade, proving that the brand’s love of color runs deep. The lipsticks in this new collection are just as much about the final payoff as they are about the process of applying and playing with them. With this in mind, you can also buy a lip brush to go along with the shade of your choosing. What’s important, sustainability was also key in the new collection. Aside from being reusable and refillable, the lipsticks are packaged without plastic. Love!
Photos by Edward Kanarecki. Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram!
MDC Cosmetic is the local Berliners’ heaven of all things skincare and beauty. And now, the store has expanded in its Prenzlauer Berg location to a “next door” space. Through constant personal contact with its chic clientele, MDC Cosmetic has grown with the times we live in. The key lesson from 2020 is that in the course of the newly discovered domesticity, a growing demand for beautiful objects, small furnishings, precious accessories and unique jewellery has sprung. MDC Next Door is therefore designed and run as a cabinet of curiosities for objects of everyday use. “At MDC, well-being is at the centre. There are other doors to take in beauty: eyes and touch are equally important to me as the sense of smell or the sensitivity of the skin to touch“, Melanie dal Canton says about her concept for MDC Next Door. Oloid II.2.a, a perfume developed by MDC’s owner in collaboration with Geza Schön, has its own sphere at MDC Next Door, just as the matching bar of soap in the shape of the eponymous oloid. New collaborations by Melanie dal Canton with illustrator Kitty Kahane (fabulous, hand-painted porcelain) and Sabrina Dehoff (off-kilter hair accessories) are presented for the first time at MDC Next Door, too. Another novelty the refined coffee space serving great espresso made from coffee beans from a Mexican plantation that is, to a certain extent, family-owned – but in the sense of the extended family concept cultivated at MDC.
Quentin Smith and Alia Raza are the creative forces behind TOPI. Self-care obsessed, they’ve long discussed that now more than ever their skin faced an onslaught of shifting conditions – from the dynamic weather patterns of a rapidly changing climate to the multiple environments they found themselves in on a daily basis. Indoor heating, air conditioning, frequent airplane trips, air pollution, glaring LED screens, fluorescent office lights, a vacation in the tropical sun, a bracingly cold ski trip… TOPI Climatic Skincare was born as a way to address the impact of all of these extremes on their faces. Quentin (a world-traveler and medicinal plant enthusiast based in Southern California) and Alia (a New Yorker based in France who studies fragrant flowers) sought out the world’s most advanced botanical ingredients and consulted doctors, chemists, and health experts to produce elegant formulas for every skin type, every skin color, every age, every gender, every climate, and every day. Two incredible products – Sun Serum and Snow Serum – are TOPI’s ultimate answer. The first is a refreshing blend of active sun-loving botanicals and 300mg of anti-inflammatory pure cannabidiol. Each lightweight drop contains powerful concentrations of antioxidant-rich plant extracts combined with skin brightening vitamin C, invigorating green tea, and anti-pollution cacao seed for environmental and blue light protection. The result is a gentle oil-free skin treatment formulated to calm redness, boost natural skin cell regeneration, and align skin with the radiant energy of sunlight. The other serum contains high concentrations of antioxidant-rich flavonoids and carotenoids combined with skin smoothing niacinamide, hydrating Bulgarian rosewater, and nourishing plant and seed oils. Here, the result is a soothing and deeply protective skin treatment, formulated to maintain moisture levels, boost natural collagen production and optimize vibrancy. Nourish your face year-round with this refined climate defense serum developed for the conditions of daily life, in cooler seasons and dry weather. I’m testing the brand’s Starter Kit and I must say the serums are working wonders.
Design & Culture by Ed 