Notes from Paris is a series of posts from Valerie Nahmias, Beauty Editor of Femina Magazine in Paris. Brought together by our mutual friend and fashion photographer, Franco Lacosta, her posts will be featured each month bringing us her insights on beauty from products to fabulous tips! Last time, Valerie talked about the Lanvin's new scent Marry Me! Today she lets us in on scents that are perfect for fall and to enhance your sleeping or waking up through the eyes of a child.

Have you noticed how a sunny day can be soft when the clouds filter the sunbeams and makes your home so cool and cozy? WOW!! It's serene for us to see our child sleeping in a revelry of dreams. During this precious time, we can prepare our weekly beauty regime!! To contribute to the bliss of their sleep, but also to their olfactory awakening, I like adding a touch of sweetness perfumed on their sheets or in the atmosphere. 5 light waters attract my attention this autumn...

A real invitation to dreams, the mist of Morpheus calms the senses. This attractive Canadian brand associates the geranium to balance the feelings and lavender to facilitate the sleep. Two sprays in the fresh and clean room add a touch of love in the air…

L’eau de lit de Guerlain, created by Francis Kurkdjan is as soft as a baby's kiss. With notes of sage, seed of néroli, leaves of bergamot, orange, coriander and vanilla, children wake up enchanted.

The Vinaigre de Toilette seems old-fashioned in 2010 but really, I always like his wooded spicy perfume. So French, so Dyptique! A drop in the bath or at the bottom of a small dish, into which I add a cup of boiling water, its perfumes divinely the room.

One more? Super trendy, the water of linen Infusion d’Iris! Pulverized on the linen before ironing, she leaves a sophisticated powder smell Made in Italy ! Let’s live our winter in wonderful fragrances…

Shopping List...

Mist of Morpheus, Officina Urban Therapy 15 € 100 ml

Water of Bed of Guerlain, 50 € 125 ml

Vinaigre de Toilette Dyptique, 38 € 100 ml

Infusion of Iris, Water of Linen, Prada, 53,30 € the liter c/o Sephora

Valerie is the Beauty Editor of Paris' Femina Magazine and it's blog Redaction Beaute and has spent her years in the fashion/beauty industry. She was an assistant at French Elle Magazine for Carine Roitfeld (who is now French Vogue's Editor in Chief) and wrote the book, Pour Etre Belle.

No seriously can't everyday be Poppy? So let's back track a little. We're all aware of Coach as it's something that we have grown up with but what we think we know about Coach isn't all inclusive. It's a brand that continues to take on new dimensions. This was definitely clear to me when last year they reached out to me to be apart of the Coach Holiday Blog a Day campaign where each day within 30 days was featured on their site styling their Holiday Collection and of course we had the fab giveaway! So now bringing it to the present, we have Poppy this quirky, girlie collection that's definitely Coach but with a fun twist! You've seen me cover various tote bags from them and I was honored to be selected to do some fun things with their fall collection which I will let you know about when it launches but it is soon!

So with the fall project for Coach Poppy with the leathergoods, I felt totally immersed in Poppy when I went to the launch of their fragrance for Poppy which is available in stores on July 1st! We were invited this past Tues to the Rescue Beauty Lounge in the Meat Packing District which was decorated with not only the bottles of the product but also fun punchy colors and sequin pillows. We really delved into the Poppy fragrance by learning about the notes that were involved to create a scent that was classic but also had this juicy, airy and fun quality to it. The Poppy girl is that fun girl about time who has a fun quirky sensibility that makes you want to be around her. It's a scent that's all its own and has definitely taken a prominent placement on my shelf! in a few words spritzing some on you have released cucumber flower, mandarin, freesia, jasmine, lily, creme brulee, cedarwood, sandalwood and wait for it - marshmallow. This has the sophistication of Coach while also having fruity and floral elements that make it all its own.

After the presentation of the brand the Poppy love continued. Upon entering, I sipped on a Ginger and Prosecco beverage but now that it was lunch and the other half of the girls were getting their treatments, we had the chance to enjoy cucumber sandwiches, salmon sandwiches, a lobster salad with mango and hearts of palm - all very tasty and perfect to be in this fabulous space. It also gave us a chance to talk to other bloggers (Aly and Kristin) as well as the publicists from the brand, fragrance end and more.

Now when it was my turn, the Rescue Beauty Lounge is a fabulous space of zen and even when you get your treatments there are little pods where four people can sit so if you and your besties want to do this together you feel like you have your own little section to go over the day. Even our mani/pedis had the Poppy spirit! I enjoyed the Poppy Mandarin manicure (I loved Sheer Nude which is from Rescue Beauty Lounge's line) which was inspired by the fragrance's juice mandarin notes and finished with a touch of Poppy scent. The Poppy Cucumber Pedicure (I loved Black Noir which is one Rescue Beauty Lounge's hues) was inspired by the fragrance’s bright cucumber flower notes and finished with a touch of Poppy scent as well. The treatments were phenomenal and it was truly a luxurious feeling. It was amazing to smell all of this poppy and I loved the cute Coach flip flops we received to show off our pedis. Afterwards it was just fun to chat as we were at the event for four hours! Above is an image of the fab goodie bag! You'll see the Coach Fragrance which is in a cute little box, the rollerball fragrance for your purse, the lotion which is beyond smooth, the cosmetic bag which is apart of the Poppy collection for fall and finally a bracelet in purple from the Poppy Collection as well. It was an amazing way to spend the day and yes life should be infused with Poppy!

For inquiring minds we had a snafu with getting last week's Project Accessory up and this week's; however, our snafu will be fixed by the end of the week and this week you will get a double dose - rings and bags! We're upgrading our tech on Kitten Lounge's end so that everything will run a lot smoother so definitely thanks for asking but the project continues!

With that said, I want to let you know about Sabina Les who is an amazing scarf designer and will have a trunk show at Bloomingdales Soho this Fri and Sat! If you are in the area or are simply looking for something to do, then definitely check her out! I was just at Nicole Miller's launch at Sak's for her new perfume the other night and loved seeing that she had her models wearing scarves that tied back into her new scent! They're a great way to pop in color so definitely take some time to stop by to meet Sabina and to see her collection!

I am such a Chanel No 5 fan - it's a classic scent and my personal favorite! If I wear perfume, it tends to be that one. Last year I was introduced to Euphoria Blossom which is definitely a fun scent and I thought at this point, that I was pretty well rounded in my choices of scents. Months ago I had received a sample of John Varvatos for her and although I loved the shape of the mini bottle, I didn't have the need to try it on. This morning in a crazy rush to grab samples and get out of the house, I grabbed it and put it on. The initial shock was wondering where I had placed my tried and true scents and the second - this was a great perfume! I love that it has a rich floral smell; however, it isn't overwhelming. It definitely has classic notes to it and a slight hint of a woody scent which is very mysterious! I would definitely run to your nearest Sephora to pick up this fragrance or to visit John Varvatos' site to see what other scents he has to offer. If you're looking for something nice, you might consider (for him obviously) Artisan which is perfect for the guy who loves a crisp scent and also values craftsmanship.

When we think about the classics, we think about music and movies but what about perfumes? I love Burberry Tender Touch and am currently wearing Calvin Klein's Blossom Euphoria but the classics can't be denied! I remember growing up loving my mom's Oscar de la Renta perfume that came in a gorgeous bottle and had the most amazing scent. Sometimes I would open it just to sniff it if she was out and about. I remember that I happened to find it right before my prom in the back of her closet and realized that the scent was even better (hmm the aging of fragrqance). I felt so amazing wearing this classic scent. My fave classic is Chanel No 5. I love that it's crisp I can wear it for an appointment, to go out, etc. I got it as a gift a couple of years ago and I always make sure that I have it. The other day someone smelled it and said "an oldie but a goodie". Do you guys have any scents that are "old school" but that you love and could never be without?