Monday, November 28, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Secret Formulas, Intrigue, Copycats, and Other Things at the Perfume Counter
No industry on earth is as shrouded in secrecy as the perfume world.
The world of perfume is big business, but it's a business built on preferences, noses, tastes, and the ability to protect your formulas.
There is no legal protection for a perfume formula. If I mix a bunch of ingredients and come up with a wonderful perfume, anybody who can figure out my recipe is free to market the perfume. There is actually a tiny sub-industry of chemists who are doing that very thing, trying to imitate perfumes with drug-store knockoffs labeled "Smells Like White Diamonds" or "Smells Like Eternity."
To protect formulas, perfume experts rely on one ancient and one modern technique. The ancient technique is secrecy. You could probably get the formula for Coca-Cola more easily than you could dig up the ingredients for a hot new scent. "Noses," the people who invent the scents, work in secrecy and often lead extremely low-profile lives despite the fact that they are highly sought after professionals.
Another secret of the perfume industry is a pretty "open secret." It's obvious to most perfumistas, and it ought to be obvious to people who buy perfume, even if they don't really think about it much. Here it is: The people who attach their names to the perfume are not the ones who invent it.
Coco Chanel did not concoct her legendary No. 5 in a Paris apartment; it was concocted in the 1920s by one of the world's great "noses," a Russian living in Paris by the name of Ernst Breaux. Celebrity perfumes today may be created with minimal to moderate involvement of their spokespeople, but the real creation of the scent is done by someone else. What this means is that when you buy a scent by J Lo or Beyonce or Liz Taylor or Paris Hilton, you are purchasing a product they agreed to endorse. So don't be too overawed by a celebrity on the label.
Good old-fashioned secrecy about perfume formulas still works great in the perfume industry, but that does not stop copycats from trying to steal the formulas. The modern technique to help prevent perfume piracy is making the perfumes incredibly complicated.
Way back in the 1920, the same approach was taken with perfumes like Chanel No. 5, Youth Dew, and Evening in Paris, in that they used dozens of ingredients in precise proportions. Even if you could figure out what most of the ingredients were (and Chanel No. 5 has over 100), you could spend a lifetime in the lab experimenting to get the proper balance.
Perfumes today are so extremely complex that it's hard to copy them.
There are two types of perfume copycat. The first is the legal type. These guys find a top-selling perfume and then create an imitation version. It may or may not be a good imitation, but it's at least in the ballpark. They then package their product in a plain box and advertise it as a scent that "smells like X perfume."
This is legal, but it's really not a good thing. First of all, it probably does smell vaguely like the original, but it is doubtful that a "nose" who could steal the exact recipe for a perfume would work for one of these copycat labs. You're dealing with an approximation, and that's on the best day.
Second, this kind of "smells-like" scent is marketed entirely on price; they are the bargain fragrances. This means you can expect a lot less fragrance and a lot more alcohol, smaller sized bottles, and all round cheaper development and production. Most people I know who have tried a copycat product are disappointed because it just doesn't measure up to the real thing in terms of quality.
The other kind of perfume pirate is a counterfeit producer. These guys not only create imitation perfumes, they put them in original or "forged" bottles and packaging and try to pass them off as the real thing. What they're trying to do is counterfeit an original and still be able to sell it for significantly less (price is the only drawing card for these guys).
Don't count on this stuff for purity, high production standards, or not getting you in trouble. Yes, you can get in trouble if you purchase counterfeit merchandise. Besides, these guys are stealing a legitimate product and trying to pass it off as their own. Don't get mixed up in that.
Of course, many would-be perfume lovers find the cost of their perfume habit prohibitively expensive. However, there are lots of good reasons to stick to the real deal. Perfume manufacturers put their reputation into every bottle; they tend to manufacture smooth scents, nuanced, with top-quality ingredients, carefully packaged, and delivered safely to market (particularly online). Knockoffs and counterfeits are out to make a profit on a cheaper product; these guys cut corners and not always in places you can see. From missing or substandard ingredients to weaker solutions, higher alcohol content, and dubious marketing, the knockoffs are really just out for your money and the counterfeits are thieves.
Copycat perfumes are often less "textured" and subtle than the real thing. While some people might not notice much difference, perfumistas can often take one whiff and distinguish a knockoff from the real perfume.
The real thing will also have more "depth" to it and the blending will create a scent that lasts longer on your skin. Buy perfume from reputable places, which includes major department stores, perfume stores (if you're lucky enough to have them in your area), or online websites with solid reputations or the website of the manufacturer or designer. If you have even the slightest doubts that your perfume may be counterfeit, examine the packaging. Counterfeiters often get sloppy there.
Finally, remember that perfume is a luxury and luxuries are not supposed to be two for a buck in the discount house.
Friday, November 25, 2011
How to Cure the Picky Eater Blues
"When he's hungry, he'll eat." Such was the prediction of our pediatrician when my mother complained about how few things my brother would eat. My brother inherited his picky eating habits from my grandmother, but I wasn't picky at all. I was determined that my children would eat whatever was placed in front of them.
And then I had kids. My first two were really good eaters; I was convinced this was because of my superior parenting skills.
But then I had my next two. Like my mother, I started a quest on how to cure a picky eater! Here are some basic principles we've learned at our house.
Out of sight - out of mouth.
Don't give the picky eater the choice to be picky. If macaroni and cheese is not there, she can't eat it. Stop buying the thing that your child has to have. Buy fruit and vegetables, peanut butter and cheese, tuna and eggs. Pop popcorn. Get nuts you have to crack.
You can't judge a carrot by its cover.
While you're switching over, buy the snack-y looking, individually wrapped packages of the foods you want your kids to like. Carrots and tuna come in cool packages. I even saw Scooby Doo bottled water the other day. A recent study said that kids would eat anything in a McDonald's wrapper. It's scary, but true. Packaging can be everything.
All natural.
I'm not talking about organic. I'm talking about serving plainer food. Put raw brocolli on the table instead of brocolli casserole. Offer fresh salads with oil and vinegar (or oil, garlic and lemon!) dressing, fresh fruits, grilled meats. Don't use sauces from a bottle - use garlic, fresh spices, onions and peppers. Marinade in lemon juice, orange juice, vinegar.
The whole truth.
Use REAL whole grains. Brown rice. 100% whole wheat bread. Whole grain cereal. I still laugh that Lucky Charms advertises that it has whole grains. It does, but not much. And don't use instant. It really doesn't take that much longer to cook the real deal, but you have to put that rice on to cook at the beginning of your cooking!
Skip dessert.
I rarely serve dessert. If the kids are hungry at the end of a meal, they can have seconds. Or thirds or fourths. Or we'll cut a watermelon, or they'll grab a piece of fruit. Okay, or have ice cream. We always have ice cream on hand - processed, sugary, fat laden and delicious.
Hide and Seek.
Grate a carrot and add to your spaghetti sauce. Add fruit to muffins. Add a jar of baby food to macaroni and cheese. Mix a bit of wheat germ into the peanut butter. As long as the kids don't see, you can do lots to slip in extra nutrition to things your little ones already like.
The cure for a picky eater.
As we get older, our taste buds die, leaving us with a less discriminating palate. In other words, the final cure for a picky eater is - age. In the meantime, try some of the things that have worked for our family. Email us at picky@goaskmom.com for some free recipes that will help cure your child of the picky eating blues.
My boys still don't eat everything. But thankfully, what they do pick to eat is getting easier and easier for me to swallow.
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Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Cheap Food for Thought
College students have many things, but time and cooking utensils aren't on the list. What they do probably have is a microwave, which is really all you need. If you live on campus you might have a meal plan, but they can be costly, the food is hit and miss, and let's face it, at 2:20 A.M. you are going to be up writing that 10-page paper you waited to the last minute to do, and the cafeteria is closed. It's a long night, and you need something now. Here are a few ideas.
Top Ramen tops the list. Okay, this shouldn't even be on the list because it so common. Still, there were times I lived off these bad boys and at 50 cents a pop, they aren't too bad, just add water and get ready for a little MSG. They even have a wide variety of flavors if you can taste the differences. Or if you are the creative type you can search online and find recipes to mix them into salads or bake them into casseroles, effectively ruining them.
Then there are frozen foods. I am not talking about raw chicken or meat that needs to be thawed and cooked. I'm talking about the big boxes of stuff you can buy almost wholesale and nuke for a quick meal. My personal favorites always included corny dogs (add ketchup for more fun), but don't forget about the good old burrito and fish sticks.
Remember all the breakfast junk cereals you weren't allowed to eat when you were young? Now is your time. You probably can't afford a lot of name brands, but a big bag of knock off Lucky Charms can really hit the spot in the morning, or night, or afternoon as well. Who wouldn't want to sit down to a nice bowl of Apple Dapples or Crispy Hexagons. Every grocery store in America has them and part of the fun is figuring out exactly what cereal they are really supposed to be. Just don't tell your mom, she will be so disappointed in you.
You can still rock sandwiches as well. Bread is cheap, and most fillings are too. Especially if you like peanut butter and jelly, and who doesn't? Experiment with them if you get bored and maybe subscribe to a jelly of the month club. Ever try peanut butter, banana and honey? It will change your life.
Lastly, local watering holes will also have great deals. Seriously, they love college students and at any given point in time, on any given day, there is a burger and drink deal waiting for you. You may not get a lot of studying done but you will be fed well.
There you have, some quick, cheap and easy ways to grub at school. Is it healthy? Barely, but then again you are young and in COLLEGE, you will be fine and getting good home cooked meals and clean laundry is what your parents use to lure you into visiting them.
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Sunday, November 20, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Irish Engagement and Irish Wedding Gift Ideas
Irish engagement and wedding gifts are a great way to celebrate a new union and pay homage to Irish heritage. If your favorite Irish couple is getting ready to tie the knot and become a family, then why not give them a wonderfully Irish gift for their new home? Irish gifts can be very practical in nature, like glassware, so that the couple will be able to use it often; or an Irish gift can be more decorative and special, like a plaque of an Irish proverb, that the couple can have on display in their home.
Here are some ideas for Irish engagement gifts and Irish wedding gifts:
* Irish Books on Culture and/or Ireland Photography Books
If the couple is not familiar with their Irish heritage and culture, then there are great books that can be given as an Irish wedding gift. If the couple has commented on how they would love to go visit Ireland one day, why not spark their interest even further with a beautiful coffee table book that shows photographs of Ireland. These types of Irish gifts can be great additions to the engaged couple's home and can help to encourage their interest in their background and culture.
* Irish Cookbooks
Does the couple love to cook? Are they always trying out new and unfamiliar recipes? An Irish cookbook can be a great gift idea because now they can learn how to cook their favorite Irish dishes for themselves and for guests. Traditional foods and drinks are a large part of many different cultures, and introducing the couple early on to new (and old) Irish recipes can be a great way for them to incorporate more of their Irish heritage into everyday life, like their dinner menu. And it will be a great gift to have when St. Patrick's Day rolls around and they are itching to serve authentic Irish dishes.
* Irish Lucky Charms
Lucky charms, in the shape of a clover, can be a fun and simple way to congratulate the couple. Lucky charms can be given as a pendant for the bride-to-be, as a paper weight for the couple to use in their home, or even as cuff links for the groom to wear on the wedding day. Lucky charms can be given as Irish engagement gifts if the item is meant to be worn or used during the wedding; or if it is a household item, then it would make a perfect Irish wedding gift.
* Irish Beer Bucket
The Irish are known for great beers and whiskeys. If your couple enjoys these types of adult Irish beverages, then giving them an Irish beer bucket can be a fun way for them to celebrate their engagement or wedding. You can purchase an Irish beer bucket online and have it sent to their home or you can make your own beer bucket with different types of Irish beers and maybe some drinking accessories like bottle openers and pint glasses.
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