X'mas came early

The party turned out to be better than I had expected. It wasn't packed at the ballroom but just quite right with an interesting mix of middle-aged men and older women. Elin and I could have been almost the youngest of the lot - oh wait, other than the little girls we saw clinged onto their mums.

The retail area done up nicely did homage to the whole Lancôme branding. I loittered around the skincare counters and then lingered about the makeup areas before being drawn irresistably to the eau de parfum...

They say scent is the most powerfully memory-associated of all the senses. And that it is also the most neglected. It is so ephemeral. You become quickly tired of strong ones, but can't get enough of the tease, the slightest waft of an almost-remembered association.

Hmm...tempting. Yet I left the tea party with just the Hypnôse mascara set (sounded utterly dramatic, would be lying if I said I wasn't toying with the idea of Audrey Hepburn lashes). It's just a weakness, I don't know why.