You know we love a guest post from a gorgeously creative, talented, inspiring and smart woman doing her ‘thing’ so well, so we have another for you this month.
Alice Edgeley is a fashion and costume designer, and a small business owner of Edgeley. And yes, you can bet your frilly pink socks that Jade and Jess love Alice’s treasure trove of velvet and leopard print just as much as Alice enjoys the fragrant jewels of Lore.
So who better to talk style, scent and glamour than the talented Alice herself…
I'm a fashion and costume designer, and a small business owner.
I play the drums in a band called Imperial Leather. I love poodles, make-up and the history of clothing and fashion. It all sounds very glamorous but running a small business is no small feat and generally not very glamorous at all. That’s where things like perfume come in to play. I use scent to help get me in the mood when I’m going to play a gig (Cuirs Velours is good for this). When I need something uplifting to get me through the day at work, a quick spray of Neroli Oranger perks me up. Scented candles are great in my shop, I also spritz the curtains of the changeroom.
I love learning about perfume and follow a plethora of perfume journalists/enthusiasts/perfumers.
Alice du Parq on Instagram does a Desert Island Spritz series interviewing people about the different perfumes they’ve worn throughout their lives. Fascinating! Persolaise and The Perfume Guy on Youtube. I listen to “The Sniff” and “On The Scent” podcasts.
I first started visiting Lore in the early 2000s.
I’d wear this perfume with the Bleeding Heart dress (as seen in the top banner photo). It’s a lovely pairing, the freshness of Neroli Oranger with the bold colours and shapes of the dress. It’s easy and summery and comforting and uplifting. It’s optimistic. Like catching a trace of orange blossom on the breeze. I’ve listened to a lot of interviews with Aurélien Guichard who is the perfumer behind this brand. He has a touching dedication to his craft.
I am a total sucker for a scented candle. The fancier the better! The Carrière Frères candles are properly perfumed. Each candle has a singular scent which fills the room. My favourites are the fresh piney forest ones, Cypress and Cedar. You know when you’ve cooked dinner and the house smells foody? This is the perfect candle to burn while you settle down on the sofa to read or watch TV. I personally cannot go past Poirot and I think he would approve of these candles. They do a beautiful pine tree one at Christmas too which I adore.
If I’m going out in the evening and I have time, I love to have a bath. I have a Sophia Loren Beauty book from 1982 and she suggests doing your full face and then having a bath. The steam sets it and gives you a glow. Way more glamorous than a setting spray in my opinion. I add Epsom salts and 3 caps of Weleda Relaxing Bath Milk in Lavender. Soak, listen to music and prepare yourself for the world outside.
I have fallen head over heels in love with Cuir Velours. It’s the most proper, grown up, glamorous perfume I’ve ever found. Usually scents like this give me a headache but not this one. It’s very sexy and you get wafts of tobacco during the day. There’s something sweet about it too, but not sickly. When I wear this I’m transformed into a woman who wears suede high heeled boots, long sheer spotty gloves with pink feathers, and smokes Russian cocktail cigarettes out of a long holder. This is a truly sophisticated perfume and I adore it.
