Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Tiny Bubbles: Kurkdjian's Les Bulles d'Agathe

*Current Fragrance: Vestiges of L'Artisan's Dzing! left over from last night
*Currently Listening: Muhammad My Friend by Tori Amos

Blowing bubbles in the Public Garden
I vow in a lot of ways to not grow up. It's not really fear of aging (OK, I'm about to turn 30 for the "5th time" - that's  maybe a little silly), it's fear of loosing that sense of whimsy and wonder. If blowing $20 mint scented bubbles in the Public Garden keeps me from being jaded...well here's my credit card!

I mean, who doesn't love bubbles!?!?!? But I'm getting ahead of myself... For a great low-down on the Maison Francis Kurkdijan Paris fumeosphere, you should check out The Candy Perfume Boy's new review of Kurkdjian's Aquas Universals.

The Kurkdjian bubbles come in four scents: mint, fresh cut herbs, violet, and pear. Given this was my Mom's treat to me post surgery, she had a lot of input in the scent. We got it down to choosing between mint and pear. Mint won out given it had seamed much more "sunny", I think I'll buy the pear variety for the fall.

We ordered them online from Bergdorf Goodman. They were shipped from one of Bergdorf's warehouses in Texas. I was reminded that BG is a subsidiary of Neiman Marcus, which is headquarter in Dallas, TX. (Cue the "The More You Know" jingle.) Well...illusion of couture clad warehouse workers, packing up my bubbles that were stores on a velvet down-filled pillow, and then sipping champagne from crystal flutes...that's totally shattered.

 
When the bubbles arrived, I may or may not have blown one or two orbs in the apartment because curiosity was getting the better of me (some days I fear for my kitties given my level of curiosity); for the most part I saved them until a post hair cut trip to the Public Garden. I was excited to sit under "my" willow tree with my Mom, eat a cupcake, watch the duckies, blow bubbles and show off my second favorite place in the city.

Mom & I
They're BUBBLES, so please don't expect a great manifesto on what they smell like. They smell like high quality fresh mint. They are scented with a strong hand, not a heavy one. You clearly notice it, but are not overwhelmed by it.

The liquid itself is rather thick, so you get a good bit of bubbles per "wand dip" (There's no way for me to NOT have that sound dirty.) The bubbles come in a clear tube shaped container with gold lettering. The color of the mint bubbles is this beautiful green, completely translucent. Somewhere between emerald and jade. My favorite part of the presentation is the iridescence at the top of the cap.  So chic!

There's only one drawback: given the minimal tube design of the bottle, if it gets turned upside down in your bag or anything, the first time you unscrew the cap there is a risk of a little bubble spillage. BUT THEY'RE BUBBLES! Easily cleaned up. City tip: always, ALWAYS carry bottled water in your bag. Useful for so much more than just drinking!

Yes. $20 for bubbles. It can be a bit crazy, as they are BUBBLES. They're a fun little indulgence, and I'd GLADLY pay that money to feel some pure whimsy in my life. I got to thinking about it, that's a cocktail plus tip at a lot of places in Boston. Just...don't drink the bubbles!

I have a follow up with my surgeons today. I'm thinking of bringing the bubbles with me and heading off to the Long Wharf (my favorite place in the city). It's a gorgeous day out!

*Currently Listening: Teardrop by Massive Attack
**Photo credits: All photos are my own

4 comments:

  1. I read already that your follow-up went well - congratulations and keep healing!

    I saw those bubles in a store in Las Vegas and was very curious (well, I was very curious about them long before - while I was reading about them in some article but no stores, online or B&M, in the U.S. carried them at the time) and decided to give it a sniff (a blow?). But the first bottle I picked up was previously mishandled and it opened in my hand - spilling probably half of it everywhere - on my hands, shelves, floor. I had to call a very nice SA to clean everything up but after the incident I aborted my discovery mission. I'm glad you enjoyed your bubbles :)

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    1. Oh dear! A few NYC trips ago my handbag smashed a rather pricey candle to the floor at Aedes. Needless to say, I bought more than I was anticipated to compensate in my brain.

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  2. I believe at Alyssa's Austin book reading for "Coming to my Senses," she was blowing the violet bubbles from this line. At least, I know she was blowing violet bubbles - I'm just not 100% they were from this line. But they were very, very nice! Love me some violet.

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    1. If they weren't and there's another line of scented bubbles I MUST KNOW WHAT THESE ARE! I also really need to read Alyssa's book!

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