Well, as my Facebook friends will know, I enjoyed the coverage of the Royal Wedding today enormously. Mrs Bonkers Senior and I celebrated in style by drinking Kusmi leaf tea out of proper china cups, Charlie Bonkers the cat had two helpings of festive turkey leftovers, while Mr Bonkers sat on the sofa furthest away from the TV pretending (with an unconvincing display of bluster) not to watch. I wore Floris Wedding Bouquet (which I recently reviewed here on Ça Fleure Bon) because it is pretty and weddingy, and I just thought someone ought to. I cried loads, laughed at "for richer, for poorer" in the vows, and scoffed at Princess Beatrice's ghoulish make up and outlandish cookie cutter fascinator, which I also heard compared to antlers, and even explained away as an integral part of her head. It was in fact yet another Philip Treacy hat, which - according to one rather generous commentator - "rose like a modernist building from her hair".
Then I looked in vain for evidence of bra straps under Kate's lace bodice, while others marvelled at the seamless contours of her sister Pippa's frock, fuelling mischievous speculation that she may have gone commando and/or have copped off with Harry by the end of the night. A Facebook page has even sprung up today, devoted specifically to the appreciation of Pippa's shapely rear. Oh, and there was also that funny moment when the little flower girl on the royal balcony put her hands over her ears to block out the noise of passing tornadoes.But at the back of every perfumista's mind was the burning question of what perfume Kate Middleton ended up wearing on her big day. It now turns out that it wasn't Wedding Bouquet or Grossmith Betrothal, or a specially engraved Clive Christian, or even the His and Hers duo of scents from the Hamburg perfumer Kim Weisswange, which she claimed had been specially commissioned by the palace for the occasion.
No, I have it on good authority from British Beauty Blogger that Kate - or the Duchess of Cambridge as we must learn to call her now - actually wore:WHITE GARDENIA PETALS BY ILLUMINUM
On Illuminum's website, there is a description of this scent:
"As fragrant as a vase of white flowers quivering in the breeze by an open window, this is a delicate and nuanced scent. The top note of coconut evokes a seaside location, while heart notes of muguet, ylang ylang and jasmine breeze bring a trio of white flowers into play. Amber wood underscores this capricious and light bouquet."
Okay, so that all sounds very summery and lovely, though I am not sure that a "capricious" scent is an ideal choice for a bride... After all, Kate didn't just promise to have and to hold Prince William until a better idea strikes her. But other than that it sounds perfect. And well, she certainly slipped that one past us, for I had never heard of the brand, never mind the scent itself. It is available only from Roullier White in London.
Here's the full article from British Beauty Blogger, a respected industry insider, so I am going with her version of events. I would also be interested to know what Kate's lip gloss and eyeshadow were, come to think of it. And I wouldn't mind her teeth and eyebrows either. Damn it - I just wish I looked like her altogether. But meanwhile, I'll see if Luckyscent has got any samples of this in yet...
Photo of Illuminum perfume from beauty.lovelyish.com, photo of "hat" from anorak.co.uk, photo of wedding car from zimbio.com
12 comments:
That sounds quite lovely .As you know I didn't watch but one thing struck me , can't we stop this white for weddings ? This might sound horrible but it's the first time I have thought Princess Diana was pretty and I loved her dress so I guess I am not a minimalist. William has a sweet face from his Mum and for once Prince Phillip seems to have looked happier than the Queen.
Hi Angela,
I didn't mind the white myself, I have to say, and as with my scent preferences, I lean to the minimalist in dress design, and this one just hit the mark for me. Diana's was rather too boufffant and Bo-Peep-like for my liking.
I do agree about Prince Philip looking cheerful, and if the Queen had intermittent moments of glumness - and she may just have been tired - her outfit was sunny and upbeat to the end. I loved her hat in particular. I think it would grace anyone's living room as an ornament. More and more art seems to be made out of textured bits of material these days.
Wonderful article,V!! Like you, and countless others, I hated Beatrice's hat, and her sister looked ridiculous too. But Kate, more importantly, looked stunning and elegant. She was perfection and looks like a princess! I watched a good 45minutes of the ceremony. So romantic! I'm happy for Britain because they really needed this. Unemployment's been rather high, no?, so this event needed to happen, and will continue to provide much need money to the UK for years to come.
Thank you for telling us about that fragrance! I've never heard of that line either but I'm sure they'll be sold out soon enough :-)
Hi lovethescents!
Kate was a vision of loveliness, I agree. And yes, we did need an uplifting national event to take our minds off the fact that the economy is still bumping along the bottom...
I am definitely going to try to acquire a sample of this scent - even if I have to send my decanting kit down to London for the purpose!
If anyone can acquire a sample you can, V! Please save 1/16ml for me ;-)
I'll do my very best... : - )
I'd wanted to know about the scent, too.
Okay, okay, AND the dress. AND the bouquet. Didn't get up early to watch, but certainly googled for photos after: of course Kate's dress had built-in bra cups (my wedding dress did, too). Hated Fergie's girls outfits, though the girls themselves are pretty, aren't they? Thought Princess Anne looked both happy and attractive. (Well, for Anne. Or was that rude?) Loved Princess Margrethe's turquoise look, which just proved that the absolute best accessory is a beaming smile. Loved Kate's delicate little bouquet, nostalgic and detailed and perfect with that lace and satin...
Hi muse!
"Built-in bra cups" - that'll be it...like swimsuits used to have. When I spotted Princess Anne in the crowd she was looking a bit glum, I thought, *even* for Anne! Though the camera has a habit of catching people in unguarded moments, so that may have been one of them. Am I alone in thinking that wasn't a good shade of mauve on her, though? I didn't spot Princess Margrethe, but the Scandinavians are stylish as a rule.
Of course, I only saw a photo of Anne, and she was looking pleasant. Really liked the colors of her outfit, but perhaps they would have been better on someone else? Like... you know... ME.
Here's a picture of Margrethe, in striking contrast to everyone else's self-consciousness. (Also, her dress & formal coat seem more blue or periwinkle than turquoise here. Interesting. Either way, it's a good color for her.)http://www.keprtv.com/news/royalwedding/120968344.html?tab=gallery#img33
And here's another:
http://mediagallery.usatoday.com/Queen+Margrethe+II
Thanks, Muse! I do rather like the squiggly bits of foliage on her hat.
As for Anne's parma violet / multi-coloured outfit, it reminded me of the carpet in Terminal 2 at Manchester airport.
This link may fetch it up...
http://retromaccast.ning.com/photo/photo/show?id=1672786%3APhoto%3A28230
Thank you so much for referencing me in your feature! It's really appreciated. jx
Hi britishbeautyblogger/J,
You're most welcome! I felt it was only right and proper to accredit the scoop to you, for you were - as far as I could tell late on Friday night - the earliest and most reliable source of what has since become an incredible snowball of a story... Every time I have googled the scent's name today another feature pops up in Hello magazine or wherever. : - )
I have been wearing WGP for the past eight hours now and it is really pretty and lives up to the hype, fortunately!
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