I wasn’t the only person kickin’ it in the BEAST yesterday. Sarah Jessica Parker arrived at the Macy’s Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton early yesterday to promote her new fragrance, sign autographs and to cause a general frenzy amongst the East Bay natives, which included women of all ages, a sprinkling of dudes and a lady with a white parrot on her shoulder.
SJP was very nice and cordial in person and looked great in her Peter Soronen dress, Fred Leighton necklace and sequined Miu Miu heels (*so fab*). We talked briefly before she left to sign autographs for fans in the store.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to ask her all of the beauty questions you guys came up with; the situation was incredibly high stress, and her reps were very protective of her. They kept shutting me down during my numerous and persistent attempts to grab a picture with her (boo). This sort of made my eyeliner run a bit, but, hey, what can you do? At least I wore waterproof.
We spent a few minutes discussing her fragrance line, in particular Covet Pure Bloom, the latest addition, which was inspired by a recent family holiday in Kauai.
“I went to Hawaii and was given these leis and the pikake was so incredible,” says SJP. She remembered that as a young girl living in L.A., she visited a shop where she was able to mix different essential oils together, and she mixed the pikake scent into just about everything she wore. Not only does Sarah love the scent of pikake; she loves what the flower represents to Hawaiians: nobility, purity and eternity.
Covet Pure Bloom is Sarah’s third fragrance. When creating each of her scents, she tried hard not to dictate the type of woman who could wear them. “One of the things I like to do very much in my work is to say there should be no rules about how we dress or what kind of fragrance we wear.”
In the green room waiting for SJP
Sarah said Covet Pure Bloom reminds her of summer and the islands. Even though it has a seasonal feel to it, she hopes the fragrance transports people to the source of that pikake fragrance in Hawaii even if they’ve never been to the islands before.
As with many women, SJP’s taste in fragrance was heavily influenced by important women in her life, like her mother, who used to wear a floral fragrance, and by friends. And some years ago, a friend who used eBay introduced Sarah to hard-to-find European fragrances.
Before being ushered out after our brief talk, I asked Sarah if she had any tips or tricks to make wearing high heels more comfortable.
“There’s just no way to make them more comfortable,” she said. “You either reconcile the fact that they’re gonna be uncomfortable 6-8, or in my case 16 hours later, or you just choose not to wear them.”
Oh, well. I guess what they say is true, ladies…
“A heel is a heel is a heel.”
Curious about Sarah Jessica Parker’s fragrances?
Covet Pure Bloom
In addition to the dominant pikake note at the middle (or heart) of this sweet, tropical floral, the fragrance contains notes of mandarin orange, jasmin and turberose. Long-wearing Covet Pure Bloom’s base notes warm toward the end. It’s a lovely but strong tropical fragrance. Similar but lighter fragrances like Estee Lauder Private Collection are also nice. $52 for a 1.7-oz. bottle.
Covet
Like Covet Pure Bloom, the original Covet, released in 2007, has amazing staying power. It starts with a burst of citrus, which then dries down to a chocolate, amber and musk. It’s rare when I like food-inspired fragrances, but Covet pulls it off well. This is my favorite of SJP’s three fragrances, and I love wearing it in the fall. $52 for a 1.7-oz. bottle.
Lovely
Lovely’s pink, vintage inspired bottle houses a very classically feminine floral scent. With notes of patchouli, orchid, cedar, amber, musk, mandarin, bergamot and lavender, this is a lovely (pardon the pun) scent for women who don’t like overly sweet, fruity fragrances. I’d wear this in the spring, just as the weather changes, or out on a date with El Hub. $52 for a 1.7-oz. bottle.
SJP was just as nice as I thought she would be, and she’s definitely a busy lady. I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
WOW! she looked amazing! Did her skin glow in person? It sounds like u had a fab time! Dang, those shoes!! HOT!!!!
The ruffles that accentuated the cleavage of that dress were sick!!!! I love it, she should def make an alternative for her clothing line, Hell I’d buy it and fitted to the bodice!!! Hmmm (idea!!!) Anywho it looked exciting to be there and congrats for the scoop!!!
Hi KK,
Her skin looked pretty good. She was much more tan than I expected her to look. I really liked her hair (wish mine could look like that every day). Oh, yah, the shoes. I almost fainted when I saw ’em.
Hope you’re having a good Friday! Any big plans for the weekend?
Hi Mimi,
The dress is really beautiful. She kept pulling up the ruffle part; I’m guessing it was because it was so low cut. She looked great in it, though, and the shoes and jewelry were the perfect accents.
How exciting that you got to meet her! I can’t wait to sniff her new fragrance – it sounds right up my alley.
Hi Tiffany,
It’s a very interesting take on a tropical fragrance — kinda heavier on the dry down, but that makes it a bit more complex. 🙂 How do you feel about her other scents?
Hey Karen!
I actually haven’t sniffed her other 2 – the notes didn’t really appeal to me. And this probably sounds silly, but the commercials for the first covet totally turned me off, lol.
Hi Tiffany,
Oh yah, the jail ones! They kinda made me laugh, too!
You know what fragrance cracked me up? The Britney “Curious” ones.
Hi Karen,
SJP looks fab-hair shoe…I would die for a pair of killers like that !!!! Shame you couldnt grab a few more minutes with her.
Cant wait to have a sniff at the new fragrance. I have Lovely, which I was wearing on the day my uncle passed away, so I cant quite bring myself to wear it since then, occasionally I open the bottle to have a smell and it brings a tear to my eye.
Hi Anna,
I wish I could’ve spent more time with her, too. But, oh, well… who knows. Maybe I’ll run into her again in the future.
Your story made me a little teary, and I’m very sorry for your loss of your uncle. I hope that you and your family are healing. Big hugs to you.
She sounds so lovely!
Good on you that you got to talk to her dear 🙂 I’ll have to get a sniff of that soon
Karen Bs last blog post..♥ meme
I heart her shoes! They are so shiny! I can’t believe SJP’s peeps didn’t let you take pictures with her. You should have told them Paris took pictures with you!
Hi Karen B.,
She was nice and she looked great. How have you been? Did you have a good week?
I’m going running today for the first time in what feels like ages. Send me your strength… it’s gonna be tough!
Hi Dao,
Her shoes were SUPER DUPER DISCO BALLS OF FABULOUSNESS! I just about swooned when I saw them.
Yup, it was quite a surprise, and just one of several curveballs presented that day.
Are ya glad it’s Friday? I sure am!
Wow, sounds like a heck of a day! Good for you for going through it all and emerging to write a great blog for the rest of us! 🙂
SJP seems very nice, and is always so well put-together! Even if they didn’t let you get a pic with her, I’m glad you got to add her to your interview repertoire! And yeah, if you get to interview her again I want to know what hair products she uses! 😉
Wow… her outfit looks hot along with those heels (drools) I ended up not going to the event that day because I read that you had to be the first 300 buyers of her perfume to meet her. So I was kinda bummed about that. Now seeing your pictures makes me regret not going… *sigh*
Hi Glosslizard,
She was very nice and chatty. Hopefully I’ll run into her again someday! You never know. 🙂
Hi Joanne,
Yeah, there were a lot of people there… many who just showed up to just get a glimpse of her and take pictures. Hopefully she’ll return to Pleasanton soon!
Hey again Karen,
So I noticed that sephora.com only has the 3.4 oz bottle. Since I could never commit to 3.4 oz of one perfume, do you know where I could find the 1.7 oz bottle?
Hi Tiffany,
You can also get it from the Home Shopping Network! It’s available on their website here.
SJP’s heels look like a modern take on Dorothy’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz. Haha! Still cute nonetheless. I liked how Lovely and Covet smelled, so I think I’ll check out this new one. I’m more than willing to try anything that makes one think of Hawaii. Speaking of which, less than 2 weeks left until I’m back in the islands. Woohoo!
Hi Lehea,
Nice! How long will you be there?
Thanks Karen! I never would’ve thought to look at HSN, lol. Now I just need to go sniff it in person!
Hi Tiffany,
You’re welcome. Me neither, but I guess they started selling way back when in May! Go figure. 🙂
If you have a Macy’s nearby then they should have it. Her site also has a listing of the sites, go here and click “Where to Buy” to find a place to give it a sniff!
She looks amazing as you do. Too bad that you didn’t get a picture with her.
She has killer legs. I will have to check out her new scent. I heart SJP.
Marisols last blog post..Chanel has an iPhone app?
Hi Marisol,
🙂 Her calves were pretty fierce, it’s true. And girlfriend’s waist was tiny. I wanted to give her the Tiger’s Milk bar in my purse to eat.
How do you feel about pikake? If you like it you’ll dig the new scent.
Hi Karen,
thanks for sharing your interview with her. she looks FABULOUS! there’s been report of her missing mole, was it really gone?
she looks sooooooo fabulous!!!
Hey Karen,
Congrats on the interview! 🙂 You and Sarah Jessica look great in those pictures. I’m glad you got to have this experience! I hope her lousy PR people weren’t too hard on you all in all; I’m pretty sure they get paid to be annoying to awesome bloggers, lol. Another great post. 🙂
OMG OMG OMG…you met my idol. You are so lucky!!!! I love her even more after reading your interview. She’s so amazing…and so down to earth. Her shoes are H-O-T!!!
Oh My Gosh! I LOOOOOOOOOOVE the shoes! I want them! They are beyond Fab! She’s so gorgeous! Sounds like a cool experience!
Also, I recently tried the Clean & Clear Acne Spot Treatment that you reviewed on the 4th of July. Happy to say its working well for me, and I did notice a difference in how quickly blemishes heal now! It used to be weeks, now its a matter of a few days!
Thanks!
Oh My Gosh! I LOOOOOOOOOOVE the shoes! I want them! They are beyond Fab! She’s so gorgeous! Sounds like a cool experience!
Also, I recently tried the Clean & Clear Acne Spot Treatment that you reviewed on the 4th of July. Happy to say its working well for me, and I did notice a difference in how quickly blemishes heal now! It used to be weeks, now its a matter of a few days!
Thanks! 🙂
oops! sorry for the double post!
Awww, she always seems so nice and genuine.
Good on you! *sends loads of strength*
I started again on Wednesday after a whole month of no running. Ouch on Thursday, I can tell you. But I ran again yesterday (Friday) and today I’m much less sore 🙂
For the rest my week was pretty uneventful. Working on my tasks for school but they’re not coming along. I need some bribery. Now if only that Lancome palette was somewhere to be found I could bribe myself with that… lol
Karen Bs last blog post..♥ meme
Oh my god those shoes are amazing…
I’m not a big fan of SJPs fragrances, but I’m a perfume nghtmae and I have a really hard time finding things I like.
I was never a big SATC fan, but I always thought that SJP seemed like a sweetheart, its very cool that you got to talk with her for a few.
I’m just a little disapponted that she didnt have a secret for making heels more comfy…if anyone would, it’d be her!
Hope your weekend has started well!
Bx
Beths last blog post..Foot Update
She looks fabulous, love the shoes!
Too bad that you didn’t get a picture with her.
gios last blog post..New product: Shu Uemura Brightening Cleansing Oil
Thanks for this, Karen. Note to self: check out Covet and Lovely next time I’m in the mall.
Karen,
I was there that day! If I have had known you were going to be there too I would’ve, um, I don’t know…looked out for you too! LOL
I couldn’t see jack though. I’m as high as a hobbit so couldn’t see anything. I did see her hair (which was gorgeous) but couldn’t see anything else. There were so many people there.
That’s so cool you got to spend 6 minutes with her!
OMG! I’m so jealous, I wouldn’t have been able to hold it together long enough to ask questions lol, I’m such a fangurl. She’s probably the only celeb that my brain wouldn’t rationalize as being Sarah Jessica Parker. Nope, that lady there is forever St. Carrie Bradshaw to me.
The new Covet sounds like such a pretty scent. I’m glad you got to spend a few minutes with SJP, I’d’ve been majorly bummed about the no pic rule.
Hi Donna,
I really tried not to stare at her chin, and I can’t say with 100% certainty if it was gone because I was trying to keep it together with the time I had, but I do recall it not being there.
Hi Vivien,
She looked beautiful! The dress and shoes were fab. 🙂
Hi Elena,
It was definitely a learning experience. Glad you enjoyed this post. 🙂
Hi Shefali,
The shoes were super HOT! She was very nice in person, too. 🙂
Hi Briana,
No worries about the double post. I’ll go in and fix it. I’m really pleased to hear that Clean & Clear is working for you! 🙂 I think I’m going to try more stuff from the line in the future. I really like it so far!
Have a great weekend!
Hi Karen B.,
OMG, that palette would make a great bribe. You’d have to save that for a big project!
I think that strength you sent helped, because I totally flew during my run yesterday. El Hub came along with me and tried his best to keep up. 😉 I didn’t mean to run so quickly, but I had some tea earlier in the afternoon and I think the caffeine added some extra kick.
Hope your next run is a good one!
Hi Beth,
The shoes were totally fab. I think I’m going to dream about them tonight.
How have you been?
Hi Gio,
I’m kinda bummed, but oh well. I guess I’ll have to snag one the next time I meet her (ha! I hope!). 🙂
Hi Miss QQ,
The original Covet is getting hard to find. I don’t know if they’re phasing it out (boo). You’ll really like Lovely, I think. It appeals to lots of women and it smells great. How’s your weekend been so far?
Hi Lipglossme,
Aww, I wish I could’ve met you. When she went to the fragrance area to sign I was parked in the press area with the photographers. Did you end up picking up any fragrance?
Hi Ashley Samantha,
The new scent is very pretty! I like the bottle, too. Who knows, maybe some day you’ll get to meet her… she’s really nice!
It will. Well it’s a bribe for two projects. My two final things I have to do so I’m fully in my third year of college, so I think as a bribe it’s appropriate 😉
I’m glad to hear it went well. Good on el hub to go with you, it’s a lot more fun if you don’t have to run on your own.
I’m going again on Wednesday 🙂
Karen Bs last blog post..♥ meme
God she looks beautiful. I love the dress, the shoes, the hair, everything! I can’t wait to check out her new fragrances. You did a grea job Karen, I bet it was stressful for you too. Those reps would’ve made me so nervous. Thanks for the interview!
I just received my purchase of Covet Pure Bloom with a bonus solid of Covet original from HSN. Alas, I’m disappointed. I love the smell of pikake, but there’s not enough of that specific scent. Although it has some oriental notes in the ingredients (I normally love oriental-floral), it just doesn’t do it for me. The dry down is too powdery, and the floral notes too much. I’ll be returning my items for a refund.
Hi Karen B.,
Nice! I think once you see it in person you’ll be extra motivated to get your stuff done. It’s a fabulous bribe. 🙂
Oh yeah, we run together all the time! It’s nice to have a running buddy, although I don’t run as fast or as long as I used too. I got really burnt out from the half-marathon a few years ago and am slowly beginning to love running once more.
Are you running for distance on Wednesday? Or are you doing sprints?
Hi Michelle,
She was very pretty in person and just so nice! Her hair was so fab! 🙂
Hi Karina,
Perfume is very personal so I’m not surprised if it’s a miss with some folks. What oriental floral scents do you like?
Sprints. But the past few times I did the ending with the dinstance runners because it’s been too long. So mainly speed and sprints and then in the end no 250’s for me but like 5x 2 minutes with 30′ in between.
Karen Bs last blog post..♥ meme
We saw her in NYC- she is so unbelivelablely tiny:)
I love her fashion and her fragrances: I am going to try this one too,
Michele
Beauty Addict
Hi Karen!!! I guess your meeting with Sarah was so exciting but memorable!
I must confess: you make me want to try Covet Pure Bloom and Covet… the newest for the tropical scent and Covet for that weitd chocolate note you’ve mentioned. I must, must look for them, at least for a quick sniff.
Thanks my beauty addicted friend 🙂