Guerlain bestaat dit jaar 180 jaar en grijpt de gelegenheid aan om de beste producten die het huis ooit gemaakt heeft onder de aandacht te brengen. Producten waarmee het soms echt de eerste was in de moderne tijd (professionele lipstick), dan wel die echte iconen zijn en nog steeds verkocht worden, zoals de (ook bij mij) geliefde geuren Jicky en Shalimar. En wat dacht je van de Aqua-serie huidcremes? Toppers! Lees hieronder het overzicht.
Integraal persbericht, sorry dat ik het niet even vertaald heb, maar ik wilde het snel erop zetten, want je weet maar nooit of iemand nog naarstig naar een kerstcadeau op zoek is…..
The Guerlain story: 10 iconic products
For 180 years Guerlain has been inventing and creating fragrances and cosmetics – many of which have proved to be enduring landmarks in the history of perfumery.
In 1830, two years had passed since Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain opened his first fragrance boutique at 42 rue de Rivoli, which quickly became a mecca for the elegant women of the day. Putting his substantial pharmaceuticals expertise into practice, Guerlain created a protective and soothing balm for wet-nurses, who applied it lavishly to prevent and treat cracked nipples. This lotion, Baume de la Ferté – which contains beeswax, sweet almond and Bordeaux wine – still features in the Guerlain catalogue today: its high tannin content makes this an outstanding product for treating chapped lips.
In 1853, Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain created his Eau de Cologne Impériale in honour of Empress Eugénie de Montijo whose beauty, elegance and radiance had left a huge impression on him.
Fresh, aromatic and invigorating, this is a harmonious blend of orange blossom, bergamot, lemon, lavender and rosemary. It is said that the Empress used "her" Eau de Cologne Impériale to relieve the effect of migraines.
Guerlain commissioned glass manufacturers Pochet & du Courval to create a distinctive bottle engraved with the royal emblem (bees are the symbol of the empire). The result was the bee bottle, dedicated to the Empress, which is still sold today. All its facets and every one of the 69 bees are still individually hand-painted in fine gold!
Delighted by the elegance of this fragrance, the Empress presented Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain with the royal warrant: he became "Official Supplier to the Empress", enhancing his reputation throughout Europe.
In 1870, with Ne m'oubliez pas, Guerlain invented the first lipstick and the first tube in the history of modern make-up. This stick of pink wax for the lips was presented in a container with a push-up mechanism and – the height of sophistication – it was refillable.
"Ne m'oubliez pas" – (Don't forget me): was certainly memorable!
When Aimé Guerlain returned to France in 1861, having completed his studies in England, he left behind a young Englishwoman with whom he had fallen madly in love.
In 1889, Guerlain revolutionised the world of fragrance with Jicky – this bold, vibrant, distinguished perfume created by Aimé Guerlain in memory of the woman he had loved so much, which continues to delight beautiful women today. Jicky is widely regarded as the first modern fragrance – its formula used synthetic oils such as vanillin and coumarin for the first time. This stroke of brilliance shot like a thunderbolt through the previously untroubled skies of the fragrance world!
Jicky's bottle is sobre and elegant – the deliberately pared-down, minimalist design reflects a clear affinity with the Modernist movement, which was then in its early stages.
Secret de Bonne Femme (Grandma's secret remedy), launched in 1904, is a day cream which melts into the skin. Creating its innovative light and melting texture called for very special expertise: this cream is beaten, like whipped cream, and as a result for fifty years it was made by hand. In fact, the cream doesn't travel well by air as it sinks!
The 1920s was an era that was full of contradictions, an era that turned to many different cultures, symbols and ideas in its quest for meaning. In 1925, Jacques Guerlain translated this strange nostalgia into a fragrance of compelling softness: Shalimar, the name of the enchanting, magnificent Indian garden which witnessed the love story of Princess Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan, a fragrance of eastern promise! In terms of composition, this fragrance was a true pioneer – the first great perfume in the amber family, it has a captivating quality which still makes it one of the world's best-selling fragrances today.
Its bottle, which was the Guerlain emblem at the Decorative Arts exhibition of 1925, was designed by Raymond Guerlain; the curved lines represent the fountains of the gardens of Shalimar, while the fan-shaped stopper evokes the splendours and elegance of the oriental world.
Men had to wait for their oriental fragrance until 1965, when Jean-Paul Guerlain created Habit Rouge – a captivating fragrance which has maintained its power of seduction ever since. At one stage the fragrance seemed to be everywhere in Paris: so much so that women couldn't always tell by the fragrance alone if the man they were walking up to was their boyfriend or their father! For men, Habit Rouge is every bit as iconic as Shalimar is for women.
In 1984 Terracotta revolutionised the world of powder. Guerlain pioneered the idea of Sun Make-up with the invention of its compact Bronzing Powder, leading the way in understanding what all women wanted: a golden, healthy-looking complexion throughout the year, without artifice and pretence. Bronzing Powder is an iconic product for women who are active, contemporary and smart – women who think about what they buy and above all care about how they look. Guerlain women, in short.
Now, every summer sees a new TERRACOTTA make-up range, a complete range of products revealing the brilliance of the complexion, the sparkle of the eyes, and sensual lips with a warm golden sheen – illuminated by real sunshine or imitating the sun's effect.
Just imagine: a TERRACOTTA product is sold somewhere in the world every 30 seconds! Terracotta, synonymous with sunshine, has become a truly magical label – a name so famous that it has become a must for all make-up bags.
Meteorites, another brilliant invention and a technical tour de force, were created in 1987. These fantastic miniature pearls of colour are unrivalled for enhancing the complexion. Every shade fulfils a precise function: pink for a healthy look, green to combat red imperfections, mauve to reveal natural luminosity, white to lighten the complexion and pearl to add brilliance and iridescent sheen.
Météorites is a finishing powder which gives a unique brilliance to the complexion, enveloping it in an aura of mystery and softness. Manufactured under top-secret conditions, tested and packed by hand, one by one, and protected in their own precious case, the Meteorites are an exquisite expression of true Guerlain luxury.
Aquasérum, the first long-lasting anti-ageing moisturiser, launched in 1987, is a worthy successor to this long heritage of excellence from Guerlain. The silky, mythic fluid texture creates a sensation of supreme and immediately softness. In 1995, Aquasérum became Super Aqua-Sérum! Super Aqua-Sérum, a star Guerlain product, was reformulated in 2005 and proposed a range of 5 products. And its success continues through to the present day: a bottle of Super Aqua-Sérum is sold somewhere in the world every two minutes!
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