“A Thing of Beauty Is a Joy For Ever”: An Ode to Penhaligon’s Endymion

There is not one,/ No, no, not one/ But thee.

Endymion (1818)  by John Keats

Have you ever experienced haunting sensory memories? There’s something (a special event or a peculiar period) which gets the mechanism started and there’s no way to stop it. I usually find that music and smells are perfect for this function. I’ve often spoken about the meaning that perfumes have for me – personal and subjective, as it should be. There’s no way to express exactly what feelings a perfume evokes; at the same time, I think it’s very hard to describe a perfume: besides the fragrance pyramid and the perfume notes (which are pretty objective), there’s a whole sensory world which can’t simply be put down in words.

Some weeks ago I had a very weird experience, which probably is even stranger than what happened with Chanel Coco Noir. I was exhausted after a long day at school and went to sleep early; for some reason, I woke up in the middle of the night, unable to fall asleep again. I hate lying in bed when I’m awake at night, so I got up and went to my bathroom. I don’t know why but I started smelling perfume vials from my Penhaligon’s scent library. The first perfume I happened to smell was Endymion. I unscrewed the tiny cap of the vial and a wave of memories and sensations carried me away.

The name of the perfume would have been enough to make me fall in love with it: the mythological figure of the shepherd Endymion gives the title to one of my favourite poems by John Keats. Critics have often seen it a “minor” composition by the English poet, but I firmly believe it has a unique fascination because it tells a romantic love story through an equally romantic and idyllic imagery. Endymion falls in love with Cynthia (the Moon) in his sleep; he goes on a fantastic journey in the underworld while sleeping, and will eventually reunite with his lover, who admits she can’t live without him. The union of heavenly and human is the central element of many myths (think of Venus and Adonis, or Zeus and Leda), but this is special thanks to its night setting. Events take place at night, a parallel world which reveals itself only when the sun goes down and the moon rises in the sky.

Many have been the artists who have found inspiration in this legend: not only Steve de Mercado (the creator of the Penhaligon’s perfume), but also manga writers [1] and painters. My favourite is Diana e Endimione by the Italian painter of the late-Baroque period Ubaldo Gandolfi: the dramatic composition and the night setting emphasize the spell that Zeus cast on the shepherd (under the Moon’s request), doomed to sleep forever so he can meet his lover in dreams. The Moon is sitting on clouds and her light reveals the sleeping boy; Cupid stands by her side, pointing Endymion out to the goddess.

Such a romantic painting is echoed in the cologne that Penhaligon’s launched in 2003: the dark blue label includes richly draped curtains and a crescent moon, a reference to the myth it’s inspired to. After smelling it during that sleepless night, I read many reviews which labelled it as a men’s perfume, but I knew they were wrong. I could totally see myself wearing it [2], and the day after I went to my favourite perfume shop to buy it.

Diary of a Nail Polish Addict: May 2013

The end of May always means something really special to me: the end of the school year is just around the corner. This year has been really hard for me; I won’t have much time to relax, though, because many school-related tasks are waiting for me until mid July, but the idea I won’t be spending two hours a day driving is a huge relief. The end of each month, blog-wise, means a new page in my diary of a nail polish addict is on.

Ready for my May manicures? Here they are.

The first shade I wore last month is an Essence nail polish, Miss Universe. I’m sure you know Essence is one of my favourite nail polish brands: I’ve praised it many, many times because its varnishes are cheap and have a very good quality. Miss Universe is a beautiful blue colour with teal reflects and dark blue/green glitters; it’s much more complex in person than in picture. It reminds me of another Essence shade – Date in the Moonlight – but that is actually darker and less glittery. I applied two coats and a top coat.

Every Day Is a Red Lipstick Day

After recently deleting my Instagram account, I realized I had some “visual projects” going on. For a moment I regretted pushing the “delete” button, but thank God I had saved one of the aforementioned projects on my computer. It’s one of those things you know you would definitely do if only you could find some free time; well, I did it last summer and enjoyed it a lot. It’s called “Every Day Is a Red Lipstick Day” and it was born from my insane passion for red lipsticks. I think it’s something which is part of me: at school my students know there’s something wrong/I’m not well when I’m not wearing red lipstick; they say it’s my trademark and I can’t help but agreeing with them.

A lot has been said on the “therapeutic” power of red lipsticks, not to mention the rise of their sales in times of economic crisis. It’s a small thing but I’ve surely helped the economy by buying a countless number of red lipsticks over the years. The pictures you’ll see here portray only a part of my collection; hopefully I’ll be able to devote another post to the same topic soon. Are you ready for a ride through red glamour? Here we go!

Revlon Fire & Ice has a long story. It was first launched by Revlon in 1952 and became an instant hit;  it was re-issued in 2010 and gathered even more fans. This is the only red lipstick by Revlon I own and I love it. I got mine thanks to Jennifer, who bought it for me: it has a beautiful metal retro-looking tube which speaks of Old Hollywood glamour. It’s a Super Lustrous lipstick, which means shiny colour and moisturizing texture; the shade is bright and orange-based and I think it can be flattering on any complexion. I’m not a fan of warm red shades (I prefer cool tones) but this one is lovely.

Diary of a Nail Polish Addict: April 2013

April was an incredibly busy and kind of hard month for me. Besides my job at school, we had some family issues (big changes ahead, and adjusting to them won’t be easy), so I didn’t really focus on my nail challenge as much as I wanted to. Furthermore, I deleted my Instagram account out of boredom, so the concept itself of monthly challenge had lost its meaning, but still here we go with it.

The cuteness overload of the pastel cats above announce the theme of the nail challenge – pastel nails – which sounds perfect for spring-time, right? Despite my enthusiasm, let me tell you the truth: when I decided the theme, I had no idea of its difficulty! I had some pastel nail polishes in my stash, but at the certain point of the month I stopped because I was tired of wearing subdued shades only. I’m a die-hard fan of brights and I’ve realized how much I love them only thanks to this challenge. Every cloud has a silver lining, though, so this experience has taught me to select the theme of my nail challenges more carefully.

Diary of a Nail Polish Addict: March 2013

March 2013 was such a busy month! After the February red nail challenge, I decided to do another one, a holo nail challenge. You know I love holographic nail polishes, so I wanted to try most of the ones I own. I also tried Nfu Oh Aqua Base for the first time and you’ll see the wonders it works under holo varnishes. Are you ready for an overdose of rainbow-tinted nails? Here we go!

The hologram of Tupac Shakur, Jem and the Holograms and a random globe hologram introduced my challenge on Instagram.

The first nail polish I wore last month had been sitting in my stash for a while. It’s Wild at Heart by Color Club, a fantastic purple with blue, fuchsia and silver holo glitters.

Diary of a Nail Polish Addict: February 2013

February was an incredibly hectic month in my personal life and in my country. I was super-busy at school (nothing new here) but I tried to find some time to focus on writing. At the same time, I realized my long-time love story with fashion has probably come to an end. This doesn’t mean I will no longer write about it but I’ve surely changed my attitude. I hope I’ll be able to take some time to focus on this issue, which I think must be explained better.

As for my country, we currently no Prime Minister nor government, no President of the Republic and no Pope (he resigned on February 28th). Last week-end we had the general elections  but the situation is very confused and people can’t figure out what will happen next.

Despite the situation, or maybe thanks to it, I decided to do something special for the February instalment of my Diary of a Nail Polish Addict: I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day, but I thought it was nice to devote all my manicures to one of my favourite colours, symbol of love: red. I started this project on Instagram and I tried to do my best to respect the rule. It wasn’t easy because in the meantime I received a polish I’m dying to try, but I did it! Besides my manicures, I included a picture by Kit, one of my Instagram friends, who was kind enough to take part into the project. I hope you’ll enjoy it ♥

I started the challenge with a beautiful deep crimson shade, Fateful Desire by Essence. This is part of an old collection by the German brand; I own it in the old bottle, but I think you can find something similar in the more recent collections, too. I applied two coats and a coat of Essence Quick Dry on top. You may remember I used this colour for a half-moon manicure combining red and silver.

Diary of a Nail Polish Addict: January 2013

The beginning of a new month means a new post from the Diary of a Nail Polish Addict! January was a busy month at school, but I was surprisingly able to experiment with my nail polish collection, also thanks to some polishes I bought during a trip to London (I will hopefully able to write about it soon). Are you ready to go through my manicures? Let’s start!

I took this picture just after applying a top coat on three coats of Butter London The Black Knight. This shade sat on my wish list for a long time, so before going to London I contacted the brand’s customer service to see if it was sold somewhere in UK. I found it at Selfridges, whose nail bar and make-up department is heaven on earth! I bought this nail polish only, but I can assure you I would have spent much more on lots of beautiful things! As for this shade, it’s a spectacular mix of black, pink, blue and silver glitters on a black base. The nail surface is a bit gritty even after applying the top coat, but it’s a minor detail for me.

Through Black… Light Revealed: Chanel Coco Noir, Or The Weirdest Smelling Experience Ever

I’ve always had an emotional attitude towards perfumes. I never like a perfume simply because I like it, but many other elements concur – the packaging, the bottle and, most of all, the images and sensations that that scent arouses, the connections my mind establishes between that scent and memories. That’s the most important thing: whenever I screw the cap of a perfume bottle, I need to feel or to remember something. I’m so passionate about perfumes for this reason: it’s not a question of vanity, but it’s a way of perpetuating a memory, of experiencing a feeling, again and again.

All the perfumes I’ve used in my life are connected to some events or persons. Giorgio Beverly Hills, an intoxicating perfume from the 80s, for example, was given to me as birthday present by a school mate I fancied (in that case, I didn’t like the perfume per se, but because I liked the one who had given it to me); Giò by Giorgio Armani, Chanel no.5 [1] and Chanel Allure bring back unpleasant memories of an old boyfriend (hideous person, but he had excellent taste in perfumes); my Diptyque perfumes [2] talk about independence, because I really started taking perfumes seriously when I first met them in my path. As a perfume and make-up addict, I often pay a visit to my favourite perfume shops, one of which is near the school where I teach. Just before Christmas I went there to get a bottle of Chanel Malice nail polish, and the shop assistant made me try the latest Chanel perfume, Coco Noir. I’m no expert of Chanel perfumes (I’ve used no. 5 and Allure only), so I can’t establish any connections between Coco Noir and other Chanel scents; what I can say is that that day, in that perfume shop, I had the weirdest smelling experience of my life.

Diary of a Nail Polish Addict: December 2012

Sorry for being so late in posting the manicures I did in December 2012, but the Christmas holidays, (too) soon followed by my return at school, kept me busy. No more about me now, so here you are what I wore on my nails last month. Enjoy!

The first manicure I sported in December 2012 was a combination of Mavala Paris, a classic red shade, and a stunning red nail polish, Killing Red by Layla. I tried to wear Killing Red alone but the result didn’t convince me much; when applied over a red base, it brings out all its red flakies and the final result I think is noteworthy.

A Mystery With Nothing More to See

As a nail polish addict, I’m always looking for new nail polishes to add to my stash, especially if they have “special effects”. Let me tell you I’m quite picky when it comes to this: I’ve never fallen for the magnetic trend, let alone the crackle one, but I’m hopelessly in love with glitters and holos. In particular, holographic nail polishes are mesmerizing. The fine microglitters they contain can reflect the light in a very unique way; the result is that the colour is never the same, but changes according to the light. I’ve always thought you can get the best out of holos under the sunlight, but after trying some shades from the Layla Hologram Effect collection, I’ve changed my mind.

I own four shades of this ever-growing collection: I bought them last August and I was impressed by the colours available. Most of the brands release holo nail polishes in a few classic colours (silver, purple, black sometimes, gold), but Layla has surely brought things to a higher lever. The shades above are Gold Idol, Coral Glam and Red Taboo.