Seiðrtrancecstasy

Empress Alexandra Feodorovna

The empress's close friend and confidant, Lili Dehn, mentions in her memoirs that "The Empress had soft, well-shaped hands, but they were neither small nor useless hands, and she never had her nails polished, as the Emperor detested highly polished and super-manicured nails.

Apropos of her fondness for lilac and lilies of the valley, I may mention that the Empress loved all flowers, her especial favourites being lilies, magnolias, wistaria, rhododendrons, freesias and violets. A love of flowers is usually akin to a love of perfumes, and the Empress was no exception to the rule.

She generally used Atkinson’s White Rose; it was, she said, “clean” as a perfume, and “infinitely sweet”—as an eau-de-toilette, she favoured Verveine. [note: the latter was also produced by Atkinsons and it was surprisingly affordable at the time, which some might find interesting since one assume the Empress would only wear premium scents.]

In 2018, the company recreated the fragrance, calling it 'White Rose de Alix' as it was recreated from archival records. 

OTMA

Lili Dehn, again:

The Grand Duchesses had departed from their mother’s simple ideas, and, when they bathed at night, the water was perfumed and softened with almond bran. Like their mother, they were addicted to perfumes, and always used those of Coty. Tatiana favoured “Jasmin de Corse”; Olga, “Rose Thé”; Marie constantly changed her perfumes, but was more or less faithful to lilac, and Anastasie never deviated from violette."

Olga, La Rose Jacqueminot by Coty Tatiana, Jasmin de Corse by Coty Maria, Lilas Pourpre by Coty Anastasia, Violette Pourpre by Coty

Olga

Olga used Rose Thé ("Tea Rose"), which corresponds to her modesty and gentleness of character. M. K. Dieterichs described Olga Nikolaevna as "a typical good Russian girl with a big soul". The Grand Duchess made an impression on others with her affectionate and sweet treatment, and loved solitude and hated luxury.

Tatiana

The most powerful will and firmness of character was distinguished by Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna. She was not the eldest, but in the absence of her father and mother, it was always her, and not the eldest Olga, who was addressed on household and family matters. During the First World War, Tatiana fearlessly assisted surgeons in the hospital, having completed nursing courses. The doctors warmly and gratefully recalled that it would be difficult to find a better nurse than Tatiana. Coty created Corsican Jasmine in 1906, reminiscent of his homeland - the Mediterranean island of Corsica in southern France.

Maria

Good-natured and cheerful Maria Nikolaevna was known in her family as "Masha". The simple-minded Grand Duchess always found something to talk about with everyone up to the palace guards. It was said that she resembled her grandfather, Emperor Alexander III, in her outward strength. 

Anastasia

The youngest Anastasia was nicknamed "Shvibz" by her sisters for her restless nature and desire to make everyone laugh. According to the memoirs of her contemporaries, Anastasia had the talent of a comedian, being able to emphasize the interesting aspects of people and imitate them with great ability. 

The shop of Coty's perfumery factory appeared in Moscow in 1910 - earlier than in London and New York.

Though not the official purveyor of the Russian imperial court, French perfumer François Coty's fragrances were often ordered by the Grand Duchesses.

Coty produced extremely durable perfumes: a single drop sufficed to keep the fragrance on skin, hair or clothes all day. To prevent breakage, the fragile glass bottles were kept in wooden cases, with special glass pistils attached for application.

François Coty's real surname was Spoturno. Born to an impoverished landowner family distantly related to Napoleon Bonaparte, the future perfumer lacked funds for a good education in youth, working at a Marseille haberdashery from age 13. In 1898, he moved to Paris, adopting his mother's maiden name Coty, more euphonious for the capital.

A pharmacist's request to help make colognes piqued Coty's interest in perfumery. He relocated from Paris to Grasse, France's "perfume capital", studying under renowned manufacturer Antoine Chiris. Coty created his first fragrance in 1904 and opened a Parisian perfume shop a year later. His products rapidly grew so popular that Coty earned the "Napoleon of Perfumery" moniker.

Since 1908, Coty collaborated with famed jeweler and glass artist René Lalique, who designed unusual bottle shapes like apples, birds or female figures for Coty's perfumes, often with engravings or inlays.