Spray away the years – ELIXIR trys the latest new age perfumes

If perception is indeed the only reality, then you can literally spray away the years.

According to Dr Lan Hirsch, Director of the Smell & Taste Tretment and Research Foundation in Chicago, it only takes a few sprays of a certain perfume to change someone’s perception of your age.

Dr Hirsch has spent more than 25 years researching the human sense of smell and creating blends of scents. His own invention Timeless View contains the anti-ageing smell of pink grapefruit, which he says particularly affects men’s perception of a woman’s age.

He advises misting yourself with a few sprays of the pleasant perfume to reduce anxiety and elevate a sense of well-being among men who smell it. “They will think you are more than six years younger than you are!” he says.

“The aroma appears to convince the male brain to take a more optimistic view of the physical attributes of women wearing it. Interestingly, it doesn’t work on women viewing men or on women with other women.

“The rejuvenation effect of the pink grapefuit aroma can be explained by considering the impact of odours on men’s visual perceptions and sexual arousal.”

The notion that perfumes can be anti-ageing, not just in terms of how they smell but also in the way they affect your skin, is a new trend being taken up by the big perfume companies.

An unusual product to hit the market, is Smiley by Arthes of France, which claims to be an anti-depressant perfume. The ingredients: phenylethylamine and theobromine work together to set off feelings of joy and excitment, while blocking the chemicals that trigger stress.

Shelagh Foyle, Perfumier at ‘young’ and ‘old’ is influenced by the decade in which you were born.

“I grew up in the era of youth products such as Brut and Charlie. I suspect neither of these would be seen as young fragrances if launched today. At the other end of the spectrum, lavender used to be for grandma, but today it is a keynote in baby care. The fruit and musk notes that are increasingly popular in modern perfumery tend to be associated with ‘inexpensive’ for those who remember Dewberry or White Musk from The Body Shop. This is not the case for today’s younger generation where the link is with celebrity fragrances.”

However some fragrances have an enduring quality, like Chanel No5 or Special No27 by Floris, and are used by every generation. Classic fragrances are ones that people ‘grow’ into. There is an analogy with wine where you start out with the lighter, fruitier varieties and, as your palate develops, you discover the joys of heavier, spicier, more intense vintages.

The most important factor with fragrance is that it is your choice and your taste that counts. Everyone is an individual – everyone has their own set of fragrance memoris that will invoke positive or negative emotions.

Daisy Silver Eau de Toilette by Marc Jacobs

A fresh fragrance with top notes of wild strawberry, violet leaves and ruby red grapefruit, modern vintage heart notes of violet, jasmine and gardenia with a smooth and sensual base of vanilla, musk and white woods.

Marc Jacobs’s new Daisy fragrance is meant to be “happy and youthful”, and “more accessible than the signature range” and “sophisticated but not too serious”. In other words, it’s meant to bring younger consumers into the Marc Jacobs fold. Although the target age is said to be 18-24 it does work well for most ages.

We loved the bottle too. Our verdict 7/10. Costs around £58 for 100ml.

White Tea Eau de Toilette by Berkeley Square Cosmetics

White Tea has top notes of fresh tea, lemon zest and gardenia add zest with base notes of Musk and Tonka Beans add pure indulgence. Although it harks back to a bygone age it is meant to eptimise the gay young things of the 1920s who danced the night away flapper style.

It was a time of dazzling high society; country house retreats all set to the swing of the Charleston and the dulcet tones of Gershwin and Cole Porter and for true lovers a nightingale singing in Berkeley Square. It’s often hailed as the most extravagant decade of the 20th century – so it’s no wonder Berkeley Square Cosmetics have dedicated a whole range of luxurious fragrance and bathing products in its honour.

New Tea – our verdict 7/10. Costs £12 for 50ml. Buy online at www.bsquare.co.uk. Also on sale at Fenwicks and Fortnum & Mason London.

Eau de Parfum No 2 “Vivacité(s) de Bach”

From the makers of the famous Bach herbal remedies, this is a perfume that lifts your spirits with positive energy

This invigorating fragrance will fill you with positive energy. Made with certified organic flower essences this perfume will bring joy, clarity and vitality. Featuring Top notes of Gorse and Gentian, Heart notes of White Chestnut, Olive and Hornbeam together with Base notes of Larch and Mustard.
The cheerful and spicy bouquet of Vivacité (s) promotes clarity and vitality by stimulating confidence, inner strength and a sense of purpose.

Our verdict 6/10. 100ml and 50ml natural sprays, RRP: £59.50 and £44.50 www.LesFleursDeBach.co.uk

Juliette has a Gun by Romano Ricci

Juliette has a Gun – is chic range of fragrances from Romano Ricci, of the French perfume dynasty Nina Ricci. Inspired by the Shakespearean heroine, ‘’Juliette has a Gun’’ is a series of romantic fragrances, with the essence of oils from the Bulgarian rose at its heart.

Lady Vengence is my personal favourite – it has a lovely but not overpowering fragrance made from the rose, with patchouli and vanilla which together become a feminine, sensual and sophisticated scent.

Miss Charming is a provocative femme-fatale with Moroccan Rose, musk and wild fruits. The packaging is also very special – black mock suede.

The creator of this new range Romano Ricci is only 29years old and learned perfumery secrets from his grandfather Robert Ricci. Young, fresh and sassy.

Our verdict on Lady Vengeance 9/10
Prices Lady Vengeance/Miss Charming: Available in 100ml £60.00 and 50ml £40.00. Available in exclusive stores – in the UK Selfridge’s London

Will the first immortal be born in 2008?

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London: Some scientists believe that therapies to extend lifespans will be available to those born in 2008.

One such scientist is the UK’s Aubrey de Grey, a Cambridge researcher and expert in anti-ageing therapies, who believes that there is a 50% chance that rejuvenation therapies — that can delay ageing — would be developed by 2040.

This would mean that those born in 2008, who would be in their early 30s by then, would be able to use the latest therapies to defy ageing.

Eventually there would come a time, says de Grey, when ageing would become a dispensable act and finally, it would be possible to eliminate ageing from the human system altogether.

Although researchers are working to make that day a reality, immortality, as and when it happens, won’t be an overnight process. Instead, it will be a step-by-step process. For instance, initially there will be treatments that repair molecular and cellular damage so that we can continue to live another decade or two, following which we get the treatment again to remove the new damage, and so on. With new advances, these treatments will become more effective and lifespans will continually get elongated. However, immortality would not necessarily denote invulnerability.

Disease, accidents and natural disasters would all take their toll. Also, a future where death is indefinitely delayed would bring its own set of problems, like over-population, for instance. In spite of all this, the promise of beating death is one that is greatly alluring, and one that is propelling anti-ageing researchers towards their goal.

If scientists are able to manage a breakthrough, even a few decades from now, it would clearly mean that children of the future would be born with a definite advantage — of being in a position to delay death as long as they want to. And be almost immortal.

World’s oldest creature may hold key to longevity

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Bangor: British scientists have found a 400 year-old clam, believed to be the world’s longest-living animal, off the coast of Iceland.

The scientists, from Bangor University in Wales, say that the discovery of the quahog clam, aged between 405 and 410 years old, might allow them to get a better understanding of the ageing process, as well as revealing the secrets of long life.

The creature was nicknamed Ming, after the dynasty which ruled China at the beginning of its life.

“When this animal was a juvenile, King James I replaced Queen Elizabeth I as English monarch, Shakespeare was writing his greatest plays – Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth – and Giordano Bruno was burnt at the stake for espousing the view that the Sun rather than the Earth was the centre of the universe,” they say in a press release.

The scientists calculated the age of the animal by counting annual growth rings on the shell, a technology similar to that used when estimating a tree’s age.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, before Ming, the longest-lived animal was a clam found in 1982, aged 220.

Ageless Secret – the beauty mask you can wear all day

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Would you wear a beauty mask in public? Here’s how you can get the benefits of wearing a beauty mask all day long, without anyone knowing it’s there!

Every day, women across America (and some men, we know you’re out there!) spend their hard-earned money on sticky or oily face masks to temporarily lift, tone and firm their skin. But whether they are green, blue, textured or peel-off, you probably don’t want to wear them out in public. Until now, there was no way to keep that ‘fresh from the spa’ look all day long, every day.

New developments in anti-aging technology have led to the creation of an ‘invisible beauty mask’ that leaves no residue so it can be worn by itself or beneath make-up. Called The Ageless Secret™, it is the only beauty mask on the market that can be worn all day, every day to constantly lift, firm, tone and hydrate your skin.

Because it is invisible, The Ageless Secret™ can be sprayed onto your skin throughout the day – even over makeup. It immediately improves skin elasticity whether you’re a tanning goddess or simply experiencing signs of aging.

“Instead of getting only the temporary results from a typical beauty mask, you can cheat ‘old age’ and get the results of a beauty mask all day every day. And because it is constantly lifting, firming and toning your skin it trains your skin to resist looking old,” says Jim Kaszyk, President and Chief Technologist of Kasz Enterprises Inc, who developed The Ageless Secret™ formula..

The Ageless Secret also dramatically reduces the need for a moisturizer, because it hydrates, softens and dramatically improves skin suppleness to fight wrinkles and the first signs of aging. “The Ageless Secret relies on harmless and time-tested, all natural ingredients combined into a gentle formulation using The Ageless Secret’s exclusive homeopathic-like manufacturing technology,” explains Kaszyk.

“This formula also is safe enough to drink,” he confirms. “This level of product safety separates us from others within the market. We believe what you put on your skin goes into your skin and eventually into your body. Because we have found ways to enhance the effectiveness of the ingredients, we can use them in tiny amounts. That also eliminates unpleasant odors, textures or side effects. The resulting invisible mask trains and tones the skin to keep it from looking old. The more it is used, the better results you get.”

The Ageless Secret™, available in Original and Gold Formulas, is currently sold online at www.agelesssecret.com and at a limited number of health food stores in the US. The price is $159.99 (£81.32, Euro 120.34)and will last two months, if you use it according to the directions. Longer if you don’t spritz quite so often during the day.

Biography – Curtis J. Perry, MD

Dr. Curtis Perry is a Board Certified facial plastic surgeon, in addition to being a board certified otolaryngologist. He is currently in private practice in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. He also serves as an assistant clinical professor at Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Perry earned his medical degree at Brown University Program in Medicine in Providence, Rhode Island. He is a member of numerous professional societies including the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery. He also is a co-author of several articles published in professional medical journals.

Biography – Dr Richard W. Parlee

Dr Richard W. Parlee is a pharmacist and chiropractor. He has been in clinical practice for more than 35 years in Orange County, California. His primary focus has been assisting the body with healing and enhancing itself through natural means, emphasizing clinical nutrition to supply the necessary raw materials that the human body so desperately needs. He continues to be a pioneer in natural healthcare, seeking the most innovative products and methodologies that improve the quality of people’s lives. His commitment to excellence in providing proven, practical and life enhancing results for his clients remains his mission.

Dr Parlee was certified as a registered pharmacist in 1963 by the Oregon Board of Pharmacy. He graduated from the Los Angeles Chiropractic College as a Doctor of Chiropractic in 1970.

Dr Parlee has been using The Ageless Secret in his practice for the past three years. Both he and his clients have noticed remarkable tangible results in the de-stressing and rejuvenating aspects of The Ageless Secret as well as the diminishment of wrinkles, general tightening of the skin, and the hydrating effect it has on the areas of application. He continues daily to see the improvements The Ageless Secret has had on his numerous clients.

Biography – Steven E. Nelson

Steven E. Nelson is a Doctor of Pharmacology at Synergy Wellness Clinics, Inc. in Palm Desert, California. Dr. Nelson has more than 43 years of experience in applied pharmacology and biochemistry, and more than 15 years experience as a clinic, naturopathic and homeopathic physician.

He has written articles for more than 30 medical, nutritional, trade and commercial publications. And he has 10 years experience as a clinical instructor at the University of Wisconsin, University of California, UCLA, University of Southern California and Stanford University.

Nelson earned his Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Michigan, a Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical) in Pharmacology from the University of Wisconsin Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine, and Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical) in Biochemistry and Clinical Nutrition from Indiana University.