Maria Nielli nasceu em Turim em 1883. Quando criança, foi apelidada de "Nina". Quando se casou com Luigi Ricci, de uma família de joalheiros florentinos, ela se tornou Nina Ricci. Em 1932, ela fundou a Maison de Haute Couture em Paris. A exatidão dos cortes e a nobreza dos materiais que escolhe contribuem rapidamente para o sucesso da Casa, localizada na rue de Capucines, 20.

Robert Ricci, filho de Nina, criou a atividade de perfumaria em 1941. O perfume Cœur-Joie, Alcançando imenso sucesso, não demorou muito para que outro best-seller: L'Air du Temps, criado em 1948. Hoje icônico, esta fragrância ainda é reinterpretada regularmente, com notas de base modernas e notas principais revisitadas. No entanto, muitas outras coleções com aromas encantadores surgiram nas prateleiras de Nina Ricci. Nesse caso, a marca tem se falado muito ultimamente com o perfume feminino Luna, irmã caçula de Nina. Da mesma forma, Nina Ricci também ousou um lado mais desavergonhado ao nos oferecer uma fragrância com aromas muito sensuais chamada L'Extase.

Fundada em 1932, a partir do universo Couture e Perfumista, Nina Ricci está presente em todo o mundo através de um universo completo: moda, acessórios, perfumes e cosméticos. Baseada em fortes valores de romantismo e espírito parisiense, Nina Ricci expressa através de suas criações toda a poesia e feminilidade de uma imaginação que te faz sonhar! Uma casa de arte e criação. Uma colaboração constante com artistas que sabem traduzir o nosso pensamento contemporâneo e antecipar as sensibilidades do amanhã. Respeito pelas mulheres e valorização de sua personalidade. Um universo de sensorialidade. Uma experiência, um know-how. Uma busca sistemática pela excelência na qualidade e no detalhe.

Nina Ricci confiou a direção artística da casa a Jules-François Crahay em 1954. Seu estilo mais arquitetônico e uma silhueta mais curva, como para o traje “Crocus”, tiveram muito sucesso. Em 1964, Gérard Pipart o sucedeu. Há trinta anos, suas criações homenageiam uma mulher refinada no pronto-a-vestir e extravagante nas coleções de alta costura.

Localizada na avenida Montaigne 39, a casa foi adquirida em 1998 pela empresa espanhola PUIG, distribuidora de perfumes da marca. A família Puig perpetua a herança e a exceção criativa da Casa. Peter Copping assumiu a direção criativa em 2009. Seu estilo reflete o espírito de feminilidade impregnado de suavidade e leveza.

Desde 2015, Guillaume Henry é o novo Diretor de Criação da Nina Ricci. Ele veste uma mulher moderna que tem o espírito da época. Sua primeira coleção doméstica foi apresentada em março de 2015 para a temporada outono / inverno 2015.

Perfume Miniatures

10 Basic Rules for Your Perfume Miniature Collection!

1. Your Family and Friends

Ask your family, friends, and colleagues if they have any bottles left in the bathroom drawer or stored elsewhere. From now on, when they receive a miniature at the perfume store, they will think of you.

2. Which Perfume Miniatures to Collect?

You can choose a theme or several themes according to your tastes and budget:

• Major French brands: Guerlain, Dior, Nina Ricci
• Bottles of specific color (e.g., blue)
• Antique bottles: Mury, Coty, Cheramy
• Bottles of celebrities: Movie stars, singers, etc.
• Bottles from high-fashion brands: Cerruti, Gaultier, Mugler
• Uniquely shaped bottles (animals, female bust, sphere, keychains, jewelry)

3. Garage Sales and Specialized Fairs

Garage sales and fairs should not be missed. You will quickly see that prices at fairs are much higher, so it is recommended to shop at garage sales in the first year to start your collection. You won't have difficulty forming a collection for a reasonable amount, and who knows, you might find some rare pieces. Attend at least one fair to see the difference. This way, you can admire new products, talk to sellers, and connect with other collectors. On the internet, you may find the missing piece for your collection and offers of the latest novelties that may take time to find second-hand.

4. Limited Budget

Like everything else, you should set limits. It should remain a hobby, even a passion, but not an obsession! Some pieces can cost up to several hundred dollars, so take it easy! In general, at garage sales, the price of a miniature without a box varies from 0.20 to 2 €, and 3 to 5 € with a box. In the beginning, target the cheaper, more classic ones like Miracle, Dune, Paris, Poison. For about 50 €, you can have about ten...

5. Valuation Books

A valuation book is essential. It will allow you to assess your collection and, most importantly, guide you in your buying process, helping you in negotiations. There's no need to buy a miniature for twice its value, or conversely, hesitate to buy a bottle for 1 € that's worth 20 €, etc...

6. Never Discard the Boxes

The value of the miniature is in the full bottle and its box: a miniature without a box can lose up to 50% of its value! Unfortunately, you won't always find the miniature with its box...

7. Never Open the Bottles

If you open the bottle, the fragrance will dissipate. So, it is essential not to open it to smell the perfume! Some bottles may be challenging to find full. Other miniatures may also lose their scent over time, despite your precautions...

8. Protect Them from Dust and Light

Miniatures don't like the sun because they can lose their original color. Protect them also from dust if you don't want to waste time cleaning them...

9. Display Them in a Showcase

Perfume miniatures are a prestigious collection. Their bottles deserve to be showcased in an illuminated display case (preferably) for a more pleasant presentation. You can add colored stones, pearls, etc...

10. Trade

When you find inexpensive miniatures that you already own, buy them anyway. Don't hesitate to make a reserve for trading or reselling. Remember to bring them to fairs and garage sales. You may have the opportunity to meet another enthusiast with whom you can make good deals. Participate in forums, online exchanges, check links from other bidders.

Perfumes

Understanding Perfumes: Types, Composition, and Families

What Are the Different Types of Perfumes?

In a perfume bottle, there isn't just the fragrant substance; the perfume is primarily composed of a carrier whose role is to dissolve the fragrant substances well. There is a finisher, usually a fixative, which helps strengthen the fragrance's tenacity. The fixative is often in the form of iris root powder.
There is an abundance of perfumes, fragrances here and there that fill the shelves of perfumeries worldwide. But what's most impressive is that each of these aromas is unique. So, it's natural to ask the following question:

What are the differences between these fragrances based on?

We can differentiate perfumes based on various criteria. Firstly, there is a difference based on the nature of the medium.
There are 3 types of perfume according to this criterion:
1.    Alcoholic fragrances are the most common; the carrier is pure ethanol. It has the advantage of being very volatile, leaving only the scent on the skin.
2.    Oily fragrances are particularly gentle on the skin.
3.    Solid perfumes, commonly called "perfume concrete," where the perfume components are diluted in a "balm." These scents are applied in small quantities to selected areas.

Furthermore, a distinction can be made even in alcoholic perfumes, according to the content of fragrant compounds. In fact, in our perfumes, we see different names like "eau de parfum" or "eau de toilette." That's where the difference in quality lies, often related to the price difference between perfumes.

•    There are sweet waters or colognes that contain less than 8% fragrant substance. Fixation is about 1 hour.
•    Eau de Toilette has a concentration of 6 to 12%, for a fixation of about 3 hours.
•    Eau de parfum is part of this concentration growth with between 10 and 20% fragrant substance, for a period of several hours.
•    Finally, there are the perfumes themselves, which are composed of 15 to 40% fragrant material and ensure fixation for several days.

Perfume Composition: The Notes

When we talk about perfume, we often talk about notes: top, heart, base notes. They correspond to the composition in fragrant substances of the product:
•    Top notes: these are the first notes, those you feel as soon as the product disperses in the air; fresh notes of citrus fruits or herbs;
•    Heart notes: these are the ones that will smell for several hours, it's the character of the perfume; powerful notes of flowers, fruits;
•    Base notes: these are the notes that will last for several days, that will remain; warm and powerful notes of wood, moss.

Fragrance Families

When we go to a perfumery, we are usually asked what kind of perfume we like: more floral, woody, amber, etc.

There are seven main fragrance families:
1.    Citrus aromas: composed of fruit peels: orange, bergamot, citron;
2.    Floral fragrances: composed mainly of flowers: jasmine, rose, violet;
3.    Fern aromas: woody notes, lavender, oakmoss;
4.    Chypre scents: accords of oakmoss, patchouli, bergamot;
5.    Woody aromas: warm notes of sandalwood, patchouli, cedar;
6.    Amber aromas: oriental, sweet, powdery fragrances with vanilla;
7.    Leather perfumes: composed of dry notes of tobacco, smoke, burnt wood.

It is possible to distinguish perfumes based on the nature of the fragrant compound.
•    Most often, it is in the form of essential oils, which are concentrates of volatile molecules from the plant. They are obtained by distillation.
•    There are also many perfumes made from so-called "absolute" plant raw materials. Like essential oils, they are found in alcoholic, oily, and solid perfumes.
•    The third type of fragrant compound relatively present in the perfume market corresponds to CO2 extracts, which allow obtaining an odor closer to the plant than its essential oil. CO2 extracts are 100% natural and very ecological.

It should be noted that, with the industrialization of perfume and the progress of chemistry, synthetic processes emerge that allow the production of artificial fragrant compounds. Synthetic smell is sometimes more faithful than that of natural raw material, as in the case of rose.