Revel in Glamour, All Day Long ... Gucci Première Eau de Toilette

Glamour may be an elegant word that is often associated with beauty, charm, cosmopolitan and attraction. 

Nevertheless, just how many of us do realise that glamour, according to an entry in a 20^th century dictionary carries a meaning that differs from what it is known today — a literal magic spell that is associated with witches, gypsies and Celtic magic!

As time changes, so do the words. Today, glamour is no longer associated with witchcraft. Rather, according to filmmaker Josef von Sternberg, “Glamour is the result of chiaroscuro, the play of light on landscape of the face, the use of the surroundings through the composition, through the shaft of the hair and creating mysterious shadows in the eyes.” Now, if the spirit of glamour was to be materialised into a scent, it will be none other than Gucci Première – the new essence for women by Gucci.

A feminine scent that celebrates the thrill of everyday success, a whiff of Gucci Première will take you into a glamorous reverie where every step you take will be accompanied with camera flashes, a sea of admirers standing along the red carpeted path screaming your name for attention as you strike a million-dollar posture against the photo wall. Its sparkling nature, combined with sensual yet understated femininity and freshness imparts a feeling that every day is meant to be celebrated as your champagne moment.

The inspiration behind this fragrance is simple – the Gucci Première couture collection that made its chic debut at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. 

Luxurious and bedazzling, Gucci Première has been seen on the svelte bodies of Hollywood screen sirens and goddesses namely Salma Hayek Pinault, Jessica Alba, Cameron Diaz, Naomi Watts, Kate Beckinsale and Li Bing Bing. So luxurious, they are highly coveted by fashionistas. 

However, as Gucci Première collection may come with a hefty price tag and limited production (note the word ‘couture’), the essence of this glamorous red carpet worthy collection is immortalised in a flacon imbued with sensual concoction of unfading radiance.

“In the new Première Eau de Toilette, there is a charming balance of jasmine sambac and Bulgarian rose, two classically elegant feminine flowers that are contrasted with delicate freesia,” says Frida Giannini, the Creative Director of Gucci. “The result is a vibrant, modern feminine scent that you can enjoy wearing every day.”

Adhering to the beautiful fragrance silhouette of the original Eau de Parfum, the Eau de Toilette version, which is lighter, brighter and more delicate, boasts new bold brightness in the juxtaposition of radiant flowers and sparkling citrus notes. Orange blossom and light citrus oils are combined to trigger a luminous elegance – an allusion to the sensation of cold, vintage champagne being poured into the lavish hand-cut crystal flutes. Even a spritz of the fragrance immediately triggers that classy feeling.

At the heart of the fragrance, white flowers with intense scent profiles such as freesia, Jasmine and soft Bulgarian rose mingle with the top accords. Composing its dry bottom are the warmth of leather, the success-driving patchouli and musky notes that endows the fragrance its captivating charisma.   

The juice is later filled into an elegant flacon that features a medial charm around its neck, entwined with the house’s iconic horsebit, a cap bearing the distinctive signature of “Gucci Première”. The fragrance is packaged in a muted gold box featuring a gilt rendition of the iconic interlocking GG Diamante pattern as well as the script signature of founder Guccio Gucci and Gucci’s signature web stripe.

Blake Lively, the star of the Gucci Première Eau de Parfum advertising campaign, fronts the Eau de Toilette version campaign by working with renowned photography duo Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott.

In the campaign, Lively positions herself as the contemporary embodiment of Hollywood glamour by wearing a Gucci Première creation by Frida Giannini – an embellished one-shoulder dress and minimal jewellery - and strikes a sensuous pose.

“For me, fragrance is bottled confidence,” says the actress whose role in The Gossip Girl as the blonde-haired, designer frocks-bedecked Manhattan high school socialite Serena van der Woodsen catapulted her to immense global fame, whilst subsequently cemented her position as a style icon, alongside the likes of fellow Gossip Girl cast Leighton Meister. “You spray it and you immediately feel empowered – there’s a sensuality that comes with fragrance and there’s a power that fragrance has on other people. But while Gucci Première represents a red carpet moment or a big night out, the new Eau de Toilette version is softer. It has all the great presence of the original, but dialled down and freshened up. You really can wear it as your everyday fragrance.”

Gucci Première Eau de Toilette retails from RM240.00 to RM407.00 and is available now at all Gucci Fragrances counters and authorised beauty emporiums and fragrance resellers.

*Photos courtesy of P&G Prestige.