Fancy this

This past month has been one of the busiest in my entire life. Hence no posting on justanothermanabouttown. BUT, last month had one of the biggest pulls view wise since I started this blog early last year. I plan to be posting regularly from now on but if you log in for the images I use then it may be easier for you to follow me on Fancy too.


A beautiful platform dedicated to uploading and "fancying" other users images you like.


The users or community leaves much to be desired, passions and emotions run high and sometimes the level drops to that of a playground but as a means of obtaining beautiful images pulled from all over the globe and internet then Fancy is extremely useful.


You can follow me here
http://www.thefancy.com/tincturesofdreams

The artful dodgers.

A few arty folks worthy of a shout out are the following designers, artists, photographers and all round creative beings whose work I am astounded by for different reason. A advise actually clicking on each of the images to get a fuller resolution of each. The true beauty blooms in hi res.

Image by Sophie Delaporte.

First up, Amy Guidry. Here website states her work walks a fine line between "photorealism" and "Pop Surrealism". Says it all actually doesnt it? Im enchanted by her output. A little bit like Tim Walker with a bout of depression. Her new series "In our Veins" has a lot of connotations centers round the idea of the life cycle. Her previous series have dealt with destroying female stereotypes in "New Realm". The collection "Beneath the Surface" looks at modern day living, vanity and mortality.

*Hogret is a collagist living in South Africa. She marries vintage photo stocks, media and objects to create her work. 

Lisa Geue is a German photographer from just outside Berlin. She is very hip, very talented and balances the artistic with the real (containing the perfect amount of nudity). I adore her merging of images and overlays of light. Delightful. Read an interview with her *HERE*

My current favorite is Nicola Samori. An Italian painter who plays with the darker side of the psyche  toying with the idea of disfigurement, melting with an unmistakeable baroque influence. I think the beauty of her work lies in her ability to mangle beautiful objects into something deeply dark and disturbing if not a little painful to look at. I love it. I love all things dark and haunting. With in excess of 20 exhibitions under her belt and two highly acclaimed Italian Art awards, Nicola is one to watch out for at galleries near you.

A newer name to me, Ian Cuttler is a photographer with the skill, talent and directional abilities to take on any of the big names. He has worked for a dynamic range of clients including Converse, Christie's NY, GQ Germany, Maxim, Gillette, Axe and Sony BMG to name but a few.

And finally a few snaps from Sophie Delaporte. Her work centers around the use of beautiful and odd models in often very normal settings. All above board but her work also includes few surreal touches. Be it the models posture, lighting, focus or an additional object in the composition. Very sharp, sterile and imaginative work with an odd digital veneer.

Roses are red.... Violets are ashen.... Candy's got me feelin a little smashin.

Seems to be the season for fragrance launches..... goody goody gum drops!!

 "Luxury" beauty brand Jo Malone (aka Estee Lauder) are on a bit of a new product release tour de force, fragrances being churned out left right and center most of which are still rather bland and nondescript in that Jo Malone kinda way. There is however a couple of gems in the rough amongst the Cologne Intense series. Also, their attempt at creating a bluebell fragrance has, well.... failed. Abysmal. Shame really as they campaign by Tim Walker is the best in the companies history to date.

The winner is Rosewater and Vanilla, a very sweet vanillic rose water fragrance. Like scraping a thousand vanilla pods into a bowl of rose water and churning into a buttery paste then smearing it across your skin..... or something like that!!! Read a better post over on the Silver Fox's  "a scent of elegance"

The only other part of the series that had my nose a little intrigued was Amber and Patchouli. A little too faux incense-y for my tastes but not bad, not bad. Time to get papal.....

Bottega Veneta's perfume debut was a huge let down, Im not going to lie. As mentioned previously I was hoping for a rather risqué styrax ravaged leathery white floral inline with the houses contemporary leather goods heritage but nope, another septic-synthetic floral chypre for the nouveau riche housewife. A tad tasteless and very trend driven. The monied vulgarity. Beautiful Packaging as expected.

My two favorite new releases are rather stunning. One, Prada's first gourmand, Candy. A very simple "Caramel", Benzoin and musk beauty. On my skin it works a treat. Very sticky, very sensual and VERRRRYYY  more-ish. Skin becomes a desert bowl waiting to be licked. If anything I would have liked it to be a touch cheaper smelling, a smidgen more "slutish" but Im still loving it for what it is and what it can do to the senses!

Secondly Serge Lutens Vitriol d'oeillet, a distorted abstract interpretation of carnation or probably more fitting, eugenol's. This is going to be my AW 11 scent, a very plum, spice and bitter floral which develops into an odd mucky musk and clove scent an hour or so on the skin, quite the beauty. Currently sold out here in Scotland so when I do eventually have myself a bottle I will be sure to review it further then.

and last but certainly not least a new release from Penhaligons is hitting us in September as mentioned in a previous post. Juniper Sling by gourmand wizard Olivier Cresp is sure to cause a buzz in the fragrance community. A fragrance inspired by the 1920's London Jazz era and more specifically London dry gins. With its crisp chilled Bombay Sapphire top notes and evolutionary evaporation on the skin to a stunning dusty red leather and slightly salty animalic Ambrox drydown this is sure to create waves among the perfumistas out there. I adore this fragrance and will be added to my wardrobe of scents to be worn directly on the skin as a first layer for many of my favorite fragrances. 

Done.

Aldo Sisley

Previously I have mentioned that I go through states of being absolutely obsessed with certain campaigns. Right now, right now Im pretty taken with Lily Donaldson...

 especially her shots for the Aldo campaigns.

My other guilty pleasure at the moment is the Sisley campaigns, always an underlying raunchiness.

Another "preoccupation" of mine, Ana Beatriz Barros. Phoarrr.

EleGAnT SmuTteRrY!

Makes sense, a lot of the work was shot by that photographic pervert Terry Richardson.

Wreck the joint.