Dave Lackie

Pleasant smells have long been associated not only with health, wealth and good hygiene but also sound moral character; bad smells indicate lack of cleanliness, ill health, poverty - and immorality. Throughout history, people have applied scents to their bodies and clothing. They have carried perfumed objects, worn scented jewelry, sent scented letters, even exchanged scented coins. Aromas have been used to perfume private houses and public spaces from the ancient world to today.Gaining an understanding of how scents were used allows us to get up close and personal to daily life in any given period. Some uses of scent are particularly revealing: the smell of the impressive quantities of blood spilt in the Colosseum of Ancient Rome was masked by a sprinkler system discharging saffron into the arena. Cosmus the perfumier's scented pastilles designed to hide bad breath were famous enough to be lauded by the poet Martial. Leather gloves in the Renaissance period stank to high heaven and had to be perfumed. The first designer perfume was created by the fashion designer Paul Poiret in 1920, who scented the hems of the dresses in his collection. The 'democritization' of perfume by the introduction of synthetic scent is a fascinating story in itself. Susan Stewart's analysis is in line with the very latest research into sensory history, tailored to the general reader.

A witty, insightful, and delightfully snarky blend of pop culture meets memoir meets real-life Devil Wears Prada as readers learn the stories behind twenty-five years at Vanity Fair from the magazine’s former deputy editor “Dilettante offers the best seat in the house into the workings of one of the great cultural institutions of our time.”—Buzz Bissinger, New York Times bestselling author of Friday Night Lights Dana Brown was a twenty-one-year-old college dropout playing in punk bands and partying his way through downtown New York’s early-nineties milieu when he first encountered Graydon Carter, the legendary editor of Vanity Fair. After the two had a handful of brief interactions (mostly with Brown in the role of cater waiter at Carter’s famous cultural salons he hosted at his home), Carter saw what he believed to be Brown’s untapped potential, and on a whim, hired him as his assistant. Brown instantly became a trusted confidante and witness to all of the biggest parties, blowups, and takedowns. From inside the famed Vanity Fair Oscar parties to the emerging world of the tech elite, Brown’s job offered him access to some of the most exclusive gatherings and powerful people in the world, and the chance to learn in real time what exactly a magazine editor does—all while trying to stay sober enough from the required party scene attendance to get the job done. Against all odds, he rose up the ranks to eventually become the magazine’s deputy editor, spending a quarter century curating tastes at one of the most storied cultural shops ever assembled. Dilettante reveals Brown’s most memorable moments from the halcyon days of the magazine business, explores his own journey as an unpedigreed outsider to established editor, and shares glimpses of some of the famous and infamous stories (and people) that tracked the magazine’s extraordinary run all keenly observed by Brown. He recounts tales from the trenches, including encounters with everyone from Anna Wintour, Lee Radziwill, and Condé Nast owner Si Newhouse, to Seth Rogen, Caitlyn Jenner, and acclaimed journalists Dominick Dunne and Christopher Hitchens. Written with equal parts affection, cultural exploration, and nostalgia, Dilettante is a defining story within that most magical time and place in the culture of media. It is also a highly readable memoir that skillfully delivers a universal coming-of-age story about growing up and finding your place in the world.

From best-selling author and famed makeup artist Bobbi Brown comes this definitive beauty book empowering teens and twenty-somethings with age-appropriate makeup tips, style secrets, and self-esteem boosters. Emphasizing natural beauty, Bobbi advises on the best products and tools for keeping skin of every type flawless, and shares step-by-step techniques for getting the prettiest hair, eyes, lips, and nails. Stunning makeovers inspire looks for school, parties, interviews, and beyond. With hundreds of photographs of real girls, shots of celebrity role models, and Bobbi's best tricks from her remarkable career in the cosmetics industry, Beauty Rules is the new go-to guide for all girls.

Val Garland, the fashion industry's leading makeup artist, explores her career highlights and the inspiration behind her most memorable work. She talks for the first time about working with cultural icons including Kate Moss, Edward Enninful, Nick Knight, Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano, and more. Structured around key themes from Val's work, from raw to color chaos, sexy to savage, the book is packed with campaign and catwalk photography, magazine covers, and backstage pictures as well as anecdotes and quotes from leading industry figures. Validated is a must-have for fashion lovers, industry professionals, makeup artists, and followers of Val Garland.

Soon to be a Prime original limited series premiering March 13, 2020, starring Rufus Sewell and Kaya Scodelario! In the classic mystery by Queen of Mystery Agatha Christie, an elderly priest is murdered, quite possibly doomed by a woman’s deathbed confession and by the secrets kept safely locked behind closed doors of a mysterious local pub. When an elderly priest is murdered, the killer searches the victim so roughly that his already ragged cassock is torn in the process. What was the killer looking for? And what had a dying woman confided to the priest on her deathbed only hours earlier? Mark Easterbrook and his sidekick Ginger Corrigan are determined to find out. Maybe the three women who run The Pale Horse public house, and who are rumored to practice the “Dark Arts,” can provide some answers?

An intimate exploration of inspiration and creativity, from the "parfumeur exclusif" of the house of Hermès. A scent has incantatory powers, capable of transporting you to your past, of kindling fantasies, of creating a vivid mise en scène—literally out of thin air. In the hands of the truly great, perfume creation is a kind of alchemy. Where does inspiration for this visceral art come from? How does one capture the essence of emotions, of desire? Jean-Claude Ellena has a sublime gift. As "parfumeur exclusif" (or "the nose") for Hermès, he elevates fragrance to an art form. A "writer of perfume," his concoctions are as finely composed and evocative as a haiku. He is also a conjurer of sorts: "I create an illusion that is actually stronger than reality . . . you enter the scent and follow the path." The Diary of a Nose is a collection of Ellena’s meditations on the world of scents, and what stirs his creation of some of the world’s most desired fragrances. Inspiration can come from anywhere—a market stall, a landscape, or even the movement of calligraphy. Though each smell has its own distinct character, a gifted perfumer creates olfactory experiences that are intensely personal and unique, that blossom on the body and leave a trace of us lingering after we have left a room. Seductive, delicate, and elegant as any of Ellena’s creations, The Diary of a Nose seeks to capture the most elusive facets of this rarefied and mysterious art.

In the New York Times bestseller Face Paint, makeup artist Lisa Eldridge reveals the entire history of the art form, from Egyptian and Classical times through the Victorian age and golden era of Hollywood, and surveys the cutting-edge makeup science of today and tomorrow. “Makeup artist and Lancome global creative director Lisa Eldridge drops serious knowledge.” ―Marie Claire “Clear your coffee table and turn off YouTube—Lisa Eldridge’s book is a must read.” ―Teen Vogue Makeup, as we know it, has only been commercially available in the last 100 years, but applying decoration to the face and body may be one of the oldest global social practices. Face Paint explores the practical and idiosyncratic reasons behind makeup’s use, the actual materials employed over generations, and the glamorous icons that people emulate—from Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe to Madonna and Amy Winehouse—and details how they achieved their effect. Each chapter reveals great industry stories and larger-than-life tales from many of the founders of modern beauty, including Helena Rubinstein, Charles Revson, Elizabeth Arden, and Estee Lauder: Red: Beauty’s Most Enduring ShadeWhite: The Politics and Power of PaleMedia and Motivation: Creating the DreamThe Beauty Pioneers: Visionaries and VaudevilleHistory in Your Handbag: Folk Remedies to Global BrandsAnd more! Along with all the style and celebrity trappings, this lushly illustrated volume also explores the role makeup has played in women’s history—and the intriguing allure and fascination makeup holds for us all. It is also a social history of women and the ways in which we can understand their lives through the prism and impact of makeup.

From the New York Times perfume critic, a stylish, fascinating, unprecedented insider's view of an industry and its charismatic characters No journalist has ever been allowed into the ultrasecretive, highly pressured process of originating a perfume. But Chandler Burr, the New York Times perfume critic, spent a year behind the scenes observing the creation of two major fragrances. Now, writing with wit and elegance, he juxtaposes the stories of the perfumes--one created by a Frenchman in Paris for an exclusive luxury-goods house, the other made in New York by actress Sarah Jessica Parker and Coty, Inc., a giant international corporation. We follow Coty's mating of star power to the marketing of perfume, watching Sex and the City's Parker heading a hugely expensive campaign to launch a scent into the overcrowded celebrity market. Will she match the success of Jennifer Lopez? Does she have the international fan base to drive worldwide sales? In Paris at the elegant Hermès, we see Jean Claude Ellena, his company's new head perfumer, given a challenge: he must create a scent to resuscitate Hermès's perfume business and challenge le monstre of the industry, bestselling Chanel No. 5. Will his pilgrimage to a garden on the Nile supply the inspiration he needs? The answer lies in Burr's informative and mesmerizing portrait of some of the extraordinary personalities who envision, design, create, and launch the perfumes that drive their billion-dollar industry.