Friday, March 21, 2008

Scent your Home for Spring

How can one do without friends? Fragrant friends are especially wonderful, if only because they introduce you to delights of the senses that forever tie their memory with the feelings thus provoked. One of those friends sent me some Jacques Garcia Gold. And the elation of sniffing recalled the wonderful traits of this lovely lady who has been spoiling me rotten!

Jacques Garcia Gold is an orange blossom scent: it was therefore natural that it would attract the attention of Perfume Shrine which has so much elaborated on orange blossom in the past. {click the link for our series}
Jacques Garcia is, amongst many famous international places, the interior designer of Hôtel Costes in Paris, La Mamounia in Marrackech, La Reserve in Geneva, Casino de Montreux in Switzerland, L'Avenue Restaurant in Paris, Jean-Georges in NYC and Hotel Victor in South Beach...
Jacques Garcia had the lovely idea of launching a line of home fragrances in room spray and candle form to scent all those sumptuous interiors and to do that he collaborated with Rami Mekdachi. The latter is a true sorcerer of scent who actively sought to create "perfume for modern temples". His diverse portfolio of artistic direction encompases the opulent brocades of the Hôtel Costes scents, the leathery smoothness of the exclusive fragrance for the infamous dancing venue VIP Room, as well as in the eponymous fragrance for the famous Colette boutique and Pierre Frapin Cognac. Not to forget ’Scent Lab’, the fragrance forecast bible for the cognoscenti.

With a background of marketing at a major cosmetics company as well as being a musician, Rami Mekdachi found the perfect fusion of art and business in the world of perfumery: "Music has the ability to bring you to a certain period of your life, to remind you of special moments. The same can be said of perfume, and yet, the effect of scent is even more powerful, because it acts on the subconsious level and opens the mind to a whole new arena of emotions".
All this with a nod to the ancient tradition of scent being a means to transport one to a different mood upon entering a sacred place. Very simpatico with Perfume Shrine's philosophy!

The nose chosen by Mekdachi to recreate these feelings in the Jacques Garcia line of ambience scents was the great Pierre Bourdon: the nose behind such elegant compositions of light cyclamen as Iris Poudre,the ethereal chiffon of Ferré by Ferré, as well as enduring bestsellers like Cool Water for men.

Gold is the freshest whiff of orange blossoms swaying in the spring breeze, bringing promises of happiness and insouciance, the glimpse of sunny days ahead and destinations in the Mediterranean where groves full of bitter orange trees look like white fairies in the wind.
The smell is simple, yet heavenly, as it engulfs you in its initial hesperidic freshness making the nostrils smile with pleasure. In a minute the blossom is there, true, honeyed and realistic as if a citrus aurantia tree is growing its branches beneath your windows, with the scent of wood as an afterthought. I have been known to put this on skin, as a personal scent, to uplift the spirits.
The bottle is one of the most decadent ones I have ever seen for a room fragrance, yielding itself to the frou-frou look of a boudoir atomiser in midnight blue with a tassel in silk thread and gold filigree design on the front. The candle is a comparable affair of indulgent decoration that will bring a touch of glamour to any coffee table. They're perfectly transporting!

The candle comes in 6.7oz, while the room spray comes in a 3.4oz bottle. Available at Aedes.
The line also includes Silver, a tuberose scent and Bronze, a scent based on myrrh. I can't wait to try those out as well.


So, what will you use to scent your home this spring?

Pics courtesy of Aedes

17 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:37

    that cobalt blue is really tripping my trigger. I will definitely check these out during sniffa...

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  2. Hi Carol and thanks for the comment.
    Isn't it a most impressive colour choice?
    Please do try them!

    ReplyDelete
  3. That candle looks so tempting. My favorite floral candle for any time of year is Votivo's Paperwhite / Narcissus. It's rich and heady, and the Votivo candles have a wonderful scent throw. My other favorite home scent for spring is good ol' Asquith and Somerset Lily of the Valley--and their English Rose, too.

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  4. *taking notes on the Votivo candle in Paperwhite/Narcissus*

    Thanks dear M!

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  5. Anonymous18:21

    Well, it's snowing here. :) Spring wanted to start one week ago and now - the snow.
    I like L'occitane home scents and burning sticks.
    These days I often drink green tea with jasmine and I like the smell of it.
    Happy Easter!
    lavinia

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  6. Oh dear...sorry about that.
    I like L'occitane soaps. Must try the sticks! Any particular favs?

    Happy Easter to you, Lavinia! :-)
    Mine will be about a month later
    ;-)

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  7. Anonymous19:35

    The sticks - I have Winter forest, Lavender. But I love their incense cones too - I have clementine cones and spicy orange cones.
    Have a nice weekend.......:-)
    lavinia

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  8. I am taking notes for my next visit. Thank you!
    Great weekend to you as well :-))

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  9. Anonymous13:23

    Unfortunately none of these sticks and cones are spring things. They are more suitable for winter.
    For spring it should be something with narcissus, violets or mimosa.
    Fresh flowers in a vase... :-)
    lavinia

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  10. Uh huh....too bad (clementine sounded about right) I agree that violets, narcissi and mimosas are very spring-like :-))

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  11. Home fragrance addict chiming in:
    -right now adoring my Osmanthus incense
    -Voluspa's Rose Yuzu Bubble Bath candle
    -Pacifica's Persian Rose candle
    -Anthousa's Cypress candle
    -Anthousa's Bitter Almond and Fig candle
    and really want to get Pacifica's Nerola candle again.
    Jen

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  12. due to lack of funds and a desire to retain perfume for my physical self, all home 'fumes will be handmade by myself ;)

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  13. Dear Jen,

    wow! that's such an impressive list!
    Anthousa is a line I have wanted to investigate further.
    Pacifica's Nerola body butter was the gift of a dear friend, so of the candle smells half as good, I'm sold!

    Thank you!

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  14. Nothing wrong with that, Risa ;-)

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  15. The only reason I got to experience the Anthousa fragrances was because they were heavily reduced in price at TJ Maxx; great quality. The Nerola candle is awesome and just as good as the body butter; actually better.

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  16. Thanks for the review! I am scenting my home with Jacques Garcia this spring. ;)

    So true that the bottle is opulent for a room spray. Until you mentioned that the color was midnight blue, I thought it was pitch black! I had to put the bottle up to the window to see the blue. I just sprayed the room. Aahh, sniffing those honeyed orange blossoms now.

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  17. thanks Iris!
    Yeah, isn't it an opulent bottle?

    ReplyDelete

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