Silences by Jacomo: fragrance review

If one could liquidify a handful of Pre-Columbian emeralds of crystal-clear luster into a brewing potion of intense aloofness and exceptional grace, Silences by Jacomo would undoubtedly result. Or imagine catching the cool, bracing moments of air just after a torrent thunderstorm in a tangled green garden when the earth is still humid and electrified. In music scores those "rests" denoting periods of silence account for building tension, the tension felt before a flamboyant burst of the whole orchestra. The overall musical effect of Silences is comparatively akin to getting a pre-emptive glimpse of the slow, indeed silent passage of winter into a blossoming, riotous spring.

Launched in 1978 Silences was created for "the refined woman who knows how to combine fragrance and elegance, and for the mature woman wishing to add a great perfume to her social evenings and superbe attire". The noble lineage can be traced to the archetypal intense green, Balmain's Vent Vert by Germain Cellier, but also the intense dark green that makes the formula of Bandit eau de parfum so uncharacteristically verdant. The galbanum central accord that makes the vintage Vent Vert so achingly fresh is the razor-sharp cut that appears as a vibrant influence in such great green classics as Chanel No.19 , Givenchy III and Alliage by Lauder, with a passing wink to Sisley's Eau de Campagne and Lauder's more chypré progeny, Private Collection, as well. The early and mid-70s was historically a time of intense turmoil in the women's movement which brought about emancipated chypres and intense greens that were eschewing typical polite, ladylike aldehydic florals or the long forgotten seductive wiles of sultry orientals; those latter ones would come back with a vengeance however just about when Silences was introduced and would manage to knock it off its pedestral thanks to groundbreaking commercial success of Opium. Thus Silences was left in oblivion and remains a well-kept secret that deserves to be discovered anew.

Jacomo's Silences begins its intensly green, bitter adventure via the magic of galbanum and hyacinth, and progresses to fresh-cut floral mid-notes with touches of metallic: green jasmine (hedione), rose and lily of the valley (muguet), which hint at the delights of the coming of spring amidst the coolness of wintertime. Silences dries down to a mild, powdery base full of the synergy of warm woods and mossy lichens. Whereas Chanel No.19 counterpoints the richly iris-laden heart with a leathery accent and prominent vetiver in the base, Silences is warmed through the fanning of precious woods and is even drier. The powdery, arid sensation that is left on drydown lasts on the skin for hours and can become quite seductive by itself; if not to others around you, certainly to yourself!

A perfume friend, Maria of Bittergrace Notes, parallels it to "A romantic tryst in an untended garden, as imagined by a nun" in her notorious one-sentence reviews. "Still dewdrop in blend, she cascades without being too shrill" is how fragrance expert Marian Bendeth describes it. Luca Turin had described it in his defunct French 1994 guide as an unpretencious tapering silhouette of cut flower stems, even urging men to try a smidge of it in the morning if they're daring enough.
It is rather unfortunate that those bitter green fragrances with a mossy face powder effect have gone out of fashion for quite some time, thus making a sophisticated marvel like Silences seem out of synch with our current culture worshiping at the altar of hypersweet, nevertheless for those who want to give it a go I find that it has its own share of perverse sexiness.

Although the original comes in a black smooth, crescent bottle in a dark box with iridescence, there has been a new addition, the newer Silences Purple which is more of a sunny white floral in an identical bottle in purple with a matching box in purple iridiscence. The packaging for the classic however appears in two versions as well: the older, un-reformulated one is greyer with the name appearing once, while the newer packaging has the name appearing repeteadly over the box.

Notes for Jacomo Silences:
One set of notes states:
Top: Galbanum, Green Note, Bergamot, Lemon, Orange Blossom .
Middle: Orris, Rose, Muguet, Hyacinth, Jasmin.
Bottom: Moss, Cedarwood, Sandal, Musk .

The current set of notes on the Jacomo site states:
Top: Narcissus absolute, Iris from Florence, Rose, Blackcurrant absolute, Galbanum
Heart: Calendula, Bulgarian rose, Lily of the valley
Bottom: Oak moss, Ambrette, Sandalwood, Vetyver

Jacomo Silences comes in Eau de Parfum concentration and is available on Jacomo's official site and some online stores for very modest prices.

Photo of Jacomo Silences bottle © by Helg/Perfumeshrine.
"The Spanish Inquisition" emerald necklace pictured, is now in the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, and was once owned by Harry Winston. (Photo: Dane Penland/Smithsonian via palagems.com)

Diptyque expands with L'art du Soin into Sensuous Voyages

One of the first "niche" houses, Diptyque was founded in 1961 by three friends into design who opened their first boutique in boulevard Saint Germain in Paris. Thanks to their candles (available since 1963) and their fragrances (available since 1968), Diptyque has known a growth that seemed unprecedented for such a small project and they have created a dedicated following for those who are in the know. It was indicated to me when I first began being interested in alternative lines that there was this "secret" little brand that had been issuing cult scents in Paris and that everyone who was anyone would travel to get some of them. This was before the niche "craziness" that erupted in the late 90s and the 2000s. Another source had intimated that Lauren Bacall was making an annual pilgrimage every December to buy her Christmas candles from them. Marisa Berenson, the 70s style icon finds there the "haute couture in candles" while Philip Stark "the most Proustian fragrances". It was enough to convince me and Philosykos, a fragrance that captures perfectly the smell of a Greek, hot, dusty fig-tree in late August, sealed the deal for good and opened the door for many other things to follow.
Now, after a business takeover in 2005 by private equity fund, Manzanita Capital who nevertheless kept Yves Coueslant and Christiane Gautrot, the two remaining living founders, involved, Diptyque has seriously spread its wings into a new realm: Cutting back some of their stock, adding other products and now expanding with their L'art du Soin into the aromatic body skincare, a segment that was missing.
The new line is the equivalent of a scented voyage to the Mediterranean and each of the five products corresponds to a different entourage around the old, beloved mare nostrum.
The creamy gel for bath and shower is inspired by Alep, the city of authentic, old-fashioned soap, and is redolent of the olive oil and laurel smells that so often form the aromatic basis of good, handmade soaps.
The body milk is refreshing, perfumed by the joyful orange blossom which takes us to Alexandria, an oasis ante portas of the scorching desert.
The rich body cream is an illusionary trip to Byzantium, voluptuous, decadent and oriental and ready to spoil us with the luxurious (and expensive) argan oil, honey and rosewater.
The hand balm is a virtual trip to Cordoba where the apricot trees are laden with blossoms and it utilises the rich oil of apricot, karite butter and argan oil to nourish, repair and soften hands that take care of everything.
Last, but not least, the bath and body oil is an homage to the parfumers et gantiers of Florence, where the gloves of the aristocracy were fragranced with iris essence. The delicate and elegant scent has been added to a mixture of nourishing macademia nut oil, argan oil and sweet almond oil.
All the scents co-ordinate with each other and can be layered at will.

But perhaps the most interesting part is that they are devoid of aluminum, synthetic colourants and sulphates derived from petrochemicals, making the green movement we had discussed when talking about the Honoré des Prés fragrances a while ago all the more Parisian and fashion-savvy.
With Mediterranean inspiration behind them, I can't wait to try them out!

Available from March '09.

Pic via Jalougallery

Insolence Eau Glacee: another new flanker by Guerlain

Guerlain is certainly busy this spring! After La Petite Robe Noire, launching this February, two limited edition bottles for Shalimar, Shalimar Flower/Fleurs de Shalimar for March and an aqueous interpretation for the classic peachy chypre Mitsouko in the upcoming Mitsouko Fleur de Lotus coming this April, another flanker joins the line: Insolence Eau Glacée. The name is echoing another version of the well-known and beloved classic Vétiver by Guerlain, Vétiver Eau Glacée.

The new version Insolence Eau Glacée promises: "Tasty and fresh aromas of green apple sorbet and luminous citruses which give a feeling of ultimate refreshment. Joyful and encouraging accords of red berries tingle your imagination with luxurious and elegant iris flowers, resting on velvety and gentle violet petals. Accentuated freshness in this composition arouses all senses and affects your emotions and good mood directly". Available from March 2009 in 50ml bottles in the same design as the original Insolence. (via press release)

The Insolence brand is comprised of 5 editions so far, including the upcoming one. In chronological order they are: Insolence eau de toilette (2006), My Insolence eau de toilette (2007), Insolence Shimmering edition (2007), Insolence Eau de Parfum (2008) and the new Insolence Eau Glacée (March 2009).

*Sigh* We'll see...

Breaking News: Mythique, the upcoming fragrance from ParfumsDelRae

We're pleased to be on the vanguard of new developments and to bring you news you haven't heard of before. Just as DelRae Roth was busy promoting the fifth addition to her classy line of fragrances by Michel Roudnitska, Emotionelle (a composition featuring melon, that is in the spirit of Le Parfum de Therese), we learn that a sixth addition is being completed and is launching this coming April: Mythique!

Mythique is indeed the newest fragrance to join Parfums Del Rae, created by young perfumer Yann Vasnier in collaboration with Roth DelRae and the first to be composed by anyone other than Michel Roudnitska. The whole DelRae line is simply fabulous in quality and myself I had been quite ecstatic in my review of the delicate sylphid that is the lily-of-the-valley-laden Debut, so my anticipation is high!
The inspiration of the newest fragrance, which is described by Roth as a diaphanous and elegant floral is historically inspired by a most celebrated personage: the famous courtesan Diane de Poitiers, an important figure for king Francis I and the 20 years senior lover of French king Henri II ~consequently the arch-rival of both Anne de Pisseleu, Francis's favourite, and Caterina de Medici, Henri's legal wife (and incidentally the woman who brought fine perfumery in France).

Roth was impressed by this very charismatic woman, Diane ~her beauty, her intelligence, her political astuteness and her strong character that was also compassionate inspired her to envision a feminine fragrance that would stand for those qualities.
The basic accord of Parfums DelRae Mythique is based on precious Florentine orris butter coupled with flowers found in the garden of the beautiful Château de Chenonceau, the truly spectacular castle on the Loire River valley that was offered to Diane by Henri II and remained her home until the king's death.

Mythique begins on fresh notes of Italian bergamot, mandarin and ivy while in the heart accords of jasmine Sambac, peony and Florentine iris conspire for a softened, sfumato effect. The base is played on sensuous notes of sandalwood, Indian patchouli and ambrette seeds.

Launching this coming April.

Painting Diane of Poitiers by Francois Clouet via wikipedia. Pic of bottle through Extrait.

New Guerlain Mitsouko Fleur de Lotus and Shalimar Flower: what's happening at Guerlain? (and a footnote on Muguet)

As if La Petite Robe Noire, on which we had reported and commented at length on these pages a little while ago (here is the link if you missed it), wasn't enough, Guerlain is issuing this coming spring a couple of flankers that have me wondering a bit about what exactly is happening in the venerable house that I so love. In the interests of reportage and juicy commentary however, let me plunge into more details, nevertheless.

First there are two flankers: on the iconic Shalimar and the newly re-issued Eau de Shalimar. They are tagged "Flower" and if that reminds you of Kenzo with all that powder which is also a trait of the classic Shalimar, then I can't blame you! It's uncertain if they are merely limited edition bottles (it seems so) or if they also entail rejinging of the jus for a new scent; and I would welcome official corroboration on that score.

Eau de Shalimar Flower in Eau de Toilette and Shalimar Flower in Eau de Parfum concentrations are limited edition versions of the legendary Shalimar, "created to celebrate the most bewitching and sensual note of the classic fragrance: vanilla blossom. Protective of its own rarity, it only blossoms for a few hours at sunrise. In awe of this quiet, intimate moment with vanilla flowers Guerlain set out to capture a second of eternity, etching its blossoms on the Shalimar bottle for two limited editions.[...]The vanilla blossom on the voluptuous neck of the bottle underscores the perfume’s intensity, then appears in a precious, radiant hallmark - first in midnight blue on the glass of the bottle, then in gold on the packaging which shields its mysterious blossoming from observation". [1]

If it entails a new scent formula, it would be a little ironic than in a category which Guerlain literally lain the path on with their bare hands (ie. that of good, delectable vanilla) they feel the need to bring out a flanker that sounds like it is playing with something that is a redundancy. There is already the darkly boozy Spiritueuse Double Vanille in their line, which recently joined the permanent collection due to public demand, and Shalimar highlights vanilla pretty well in both the classic version (no matter how tampered it might be with through the years) and in Eau de Shalimar where it goes for the more lemon-cupcakes-accord. Wouldn't the talents of Thierry Wasser ~who had such fond memories of his fathers' driving gloves as to quote them as a constant inspiration in an interview which appeared at the time he was appointed in-house perfumer for Guerlain~ better be used elsewhere, if so?
If, on the other hand, it is only a matter of specially-made bottles (and it is hinted from the above that it could as per my "reading" of it) which will circulate for rekindling the desire for Shalimar, why are they necessary at a time when the new commercials with Natalia Vodianova have already brought Shalimar in the limelight and the eye of a younger crowd who could be easily seduced to try a proper perfume like this through this fashionable and tastefully done Paolo Roversi campaign? Wasn't it enough? Wouldn't all that energy, budget and talent be employed in a new fragrance that could become a new classic?

Anyway, until we make sure, here are the shopping details:
Shalimar Flower Eau de Parfum 75ml retailing for $123, available in March through Guerlain boutiques exclusively.
Eau de Shalimar Flower Eau de Toilette 75ml retailing for $97, available in March through Guerlain boutiques exclusively.

The news on a Mitsouko flanker however are slightly more alarming: Mitsouko Fleur de Lotus (Lotus Flower) is definitely a new fragrance with a different scent, as the info states "In celebration of the 90th anniversary of its creation, Jean Paul Guerlain has developed Mitsouko Fleur de Lotus, a fresh reinterpretation of the fragrance with a special fleur de lotus note". [2]

Two things strike me as odd: First, isn't it a little sacrilegious to rejingle Mitsouko of all things? Since the original is already rather unrecognisable because of the -necessary alas!- reworking of the formula in order to meet with the standards recommended by the IFRA regulations on oakmoss and allergens, isn't this attempt to provide an aqueaous* note rather antithetical with the rich character of this legendary fruity chypre which is exactly so celebrated because of it? The light blue bottle doesn't bode well with me personally (blue so often means a screetchy ozonic on the perfume counters...) However since Vol de Nuit Evasion was completely unrelated to the older classic oriental Vol de Nuit smell-wise, and utterly lovely in its own right, I am very willing to believe that we might have a similar case here with Mitsouko Fleur de Lotus.
[*The lotus flower "note" -a reconstitution (?) since no natural is extracted usually- is one of the materials which are used in order to render watery notes and was very popular in the perfumery of the 1990s. Watch out, those acqueous notes are in for a big return: you heard it here first!]
Secondly, it's a little odd that Jean Paul Guerlain is still referenced as the creator of new juice. I realise that some creative control still applies and his approval is asked, naturally ~it's only good manners and courtesy to his illustrious history and lineage after all~ but what happened to Thierry Wasser and Sylvaine Delacourte? Aren't they at the head of fragrance development? Now that we're at it, La Petite Robe Noire is credited to Sylvaine and Delphine Jelk, I hear [3]. Again, what about Thierry? I hope official info becomes available on those pressing points and when they do I will announce them and comment on them with more informed views.

Mitsouko Fleur de Lotus Eau de Toilette 60ml/2oz will be available in May retailing for $100

And for those who have been hankering after the customary issue of Guerlain Muguet on the 1st of May (lily of the valley/muguet is the traditional flower to be offered for May 1st in France and Guerlain had issued limited editions in the past to honour that) , this year's edition includes jasmine, Turkish rose, lemon and sandalwood in a 60ml/2oz flacon retailing for $350, available in May through Guerlain boutiques exclusively.
Now that hydroxycitronellal and Lilial are heavily restricted I wonder how they will be able to render an intense lily of the valley note (something that is also a pressing concern for the latest Diorissimo batches), but that remains to be seen, I guess. The price however has relaxed a tiny bit, as the 2007 edition was $285 for only 30ml/1oz in a Bacarrat bottle!

We will return...

Painting Ancient of Days by William Blake
[1][2][3]info & pic via Beautyalchemist.

Monolithe Travel Sprays for By Kilian fragrances: at long last!

If you have been one of those people who have been enamored with some or all of the By Kilian fragrances (such as the wonderful rosy jamminess of Liaisons Dangereuses or the less intriguing Cruel Intentions, reviewed on these pages), but annoyed by the concept of the super-luxe box under lock & key and the inability to buy the available refills without first investing in the whole kaboodle of the expensive presentation, you will be thrilled.

Perfume Shrine is bringing you the welcome news that Cognac heir Kilian Hennessy's By Kilian brand will be introducing a travel purse spray, called Monolithe, in spring '09, designed with the familiar Achilles' Shield design which is the signature of L'Oeuvre Noire (ie.the first lineup of By Kilian fragrances in black packaging and noir-ish intent). The design is, well, monolithic, I guess, in its columnal glory with some textural interest.
Refillable, Monolithe travel spray will be available for filling with 4 refills of 7.5ml/0.4oz each in Prelude to Love, Love, Beyond Love or Liaisons Dangereuses . Availability and price: 95 Euros, starting March wherever By Kilian scents are sold (like Aedes for example).
Considering that the usual standard price of the By Kilian line is US$225 for a 50ml/1.7oz bottle and $115 for a 50ml/1.7oz refill or ~if you want to have a constant source~ $2,500 for the small "barells" of perfume), it sounds like a more approachable solution for many perfume lovers, even if ml per ml it is not so economical. Rejoice!

News & pic via Magali Bertin vogue.fr

Thierry Mugler Alien Giant Golden Excess & Initiatory Stone: news & musings

In times of recession one would think that manufacturers and perfume companies would cut back and offer more economical solutions to lure in customers and retain their market share. However, as the -admittedly strange and inconvenient- economic rule for getting out of such as phase is basically continuing to spend (so as to boost the market and keep companies afloat), the practice of luxury brands to actually raise their prices and issue super-expensive products instead is macroeconomically sane but in the short term a little absurd. Yet it happens! And the latest example is brought here today for your appraisal.

The Clarins Group which holds the licence for parfums Thierry Mugler has just issued a very unusual and expensive edition that is aimed at true-blue collectors of fine fragrance with their new Alien Golden Giant Excess: The limited edition holds 1 liter (Whoah! talking about Godzilla size!) in a flacon decorated with real gold and Swarovski crystals! (click the pic, it's really impressive) The juice inside the bottle remains as usual, an "extraterrestrial" mix of jasmine sambac from India, blonde woods and white musks in Eau de Parfum concentration. Thierry Mugler launched Alien in 2005 in a formula devised dy Dominique Ropion and Laurent Bruyere and is considered successful in turnover terms. The price of the Alien Golden Giant Excess is 2000 euros. (Now please gather your jaw from the floor).

This comes on the heels of another limited edition for Alien, the Initiatory Stone which is available as a limited edition of 15ml Eau de Parfum from January 2009 in a bottle cut like an amethyst gem, a carrier of natural energy, topped by a gold cap, symbolising solar power. The scent is once again completely unchanged.

The two limited editions come as a follow up of the spring-summer'08 Alien Eau Luminescente, which was taking the solar theme into an interpretation in warm packaging hues.
Seems like the various editions keep a brand alive and kicking, creating buzz even in difficult times!

News and pic via Fragrantica and sfilate.it

Honore des Pres fragrances by Olivia Giacobetti: presentation & perfume reviews

A capella, the musical term that denotes singing without supporting instrumental accompaniment is the analogy that Honoré des Prés, a new niche brand, is bringing to illustrate their unadulterated pureness due to nothing more than Nature's and the artist's gift.
In essence, this is a new line of organic fragrances 100% natural and EcoCert organic (the company uses the term Purs Extraits de Nature), using natural materials from Robertet in Grasse, famous for its quality products.
Although a fervent desire for "green" products has been raising its head for a while and the cosmetics and skincare industry had been attending to that need for quite some time with honest and not-so-honest claims, the all-naturals fragrance niche was circulating below the radar for too long, often due to "mud-slinging" via well-known critics who de facto dished the whole aesthetic and concept as either fundamentalist leftism or air-headed paganistic feminism. Sometimes indeed some fragrances are not on a par, but not always. We're pleased that this is slowly changing, even with tiny, baby steps, now that Melvita and L’Artisan Parfumeur*, as well as American brands like Tsi-La and Rich Hippie, have jumped on the bandwagon. And what better example to illustrate it than a Parisian brand, fronted by an industry-renowed perfumer? The name of the line itself is a contraction of rue Faubourg Saint-Honoré and Saint-Germain-des-Prés, very bourgeois endroits in Paris. The founder was allegedly inspired by his sister, Bonté, who on one sad rainy afternoon, sipping something at Café de Flore apparently taken by the spleen, wondered about such a possibility wishing "to be free to love remarkably original scents" that would not trigger asthma attacks. Or so the story goes!

Honoré des Prés teamed up with fragrance designer Olivia Giacobetti, one of the most talented noses of the younger generation to whom we owe numerous compositions for such prestigious houses as L’Artisan Parfumeur, Agnès b., Hermès and her own baby, IUNX fragrances. Giacobetti is famous among perfumephiles for the way she highlights transparent creations with arresting, figurative effects and she showcased her style amply here. The line is comprised of 5 perfumes all launched in 2008: Chaman's Party , Bonté’s Bloom, Nu Green, Sexy Angelic and Honoré’s Trip. It is the last one which ~as per the official info~ was composed for and by Honoré (whoever he is) himself (whatever that means).
The fragrances themselves are pleasant and refreshing with varying degrees of interest to my nose. My friend Denyse (Carmencanada from Grain de Musc) was quite taken with the style exhibited in her own reviews, wondering: "How did she manage to make fragrances that actually smell pretty much like fine perfumery, given her constraints?" and "there isn’t a whiff of health-store self-righteousness in them; at no time, thankfully, does aromatherapy spring to mind." I'd have to agree with these pronouncements and plunge into a more detailed deconstruction henceforth:

Chaman's Party
Starting with the most substantial in terms of heft, Giacobetti exhibits a smokey, almost incensy side with an earthy vetiver-and-woods accord built on Haitian vetiver and smooth guaiac (lignum vitae) that lasts rather well. The brand talks about "top secret aphrodisiac ingredients" on the top notes as well as it being inspired by "a tree-house experience and total immersion in the heart of the virgin Amazon forest". Let's just say that should the former and the latter be actually combined I wouldn't want to stay around to see the mosquitos; never mind the snakes! Still, the shamanistic vibe proclaimed is audible and the composition is slowly roaring its sensuous and mysterious message. I was absent-mindedly oblivious to both the "sacred" basil of Egypt (I assume Ocimum sanctum which is more pungent than the sweeter varities, but also ritualistically used in ancient Egyptian funeral wreaths) and the "dried clove flowers of Madagascar" (call me clou de girofle) while it lasted, as I was completely immersed in the depths of vetiver, but they contribute nicely to the effect. It's good juice, dry and mystical, and won't contribute to having your perfumista card revoked.

Bonté’s Bloom
Effortlessly pastoral and my favorite of the line, Bonté's Bloom has an immediately appealing lustre of green-grey pearls scattered on a silky antique pashmina, rendered through the fuzziness of sage and chamomille which might be the very infusions Bonté was sipping on that rainy afternoon when the epiphany of an all natural line came in the imaginary tale told on the Honoré des Prés site. A delicate, subtly powdery floral ~thanks to a smidgen of orris~ with herbal touches, it epitomizes the individual style of an unpretentious romantic who enjoys long walks along the sunflower fields when the sun is slowly progressing on its nadir. Then again I have been known to enjoy this sort of mad Van Gogh à la campagne before and to its credit, it lasts for a while on my skin.

Nu Green
Officially said to be based on mint, rose and Indian botanical musk (they must be referring to ambrette seed/abelmoschus moschatus) on a backdrop of tarragon and cedarwood, the composition opens swiftly in a rather rosy-ambrette note that reminds me of No.18 by Chanel garlanded by leafy greens, and not anything else I can discern but even this dissipates in a flash, leaving only a trail of indescribeable nuance. A case of name being true to the scent!

Sexy Angelic
Almondy gourmands have a huge following among perfume wearers and the reason is not hard to see: Gustatory touches appease both the glutton in us and the dieter who has cravings denied. Although I am not exception to either the glutton or the dieter, personally I am not this genre's greatest fan with select few exceptions. All too often they have a reputation of sexiness as well, which is making an appearance through the official info here: "Inspired by a deliciously sweet experience of French candies from Aix-en-Provence (ie.calissons). The pure secret of seduction used by French women to meet their Prince Charming. It is currently used for a game between boys and girls in nightclubs, in luxury hotels or in the office". I'd like to know what sort of game that is which is fit for both the office and the luxury hotels. Is it naughty? Ah, OK, if it's in luxury hotels... I couldn't operate if it were cheap ones! Seriously, if this weren't tongue-in-cheek (which it is) but rivaling the Elixir Charnels claims one would expect the worst.
And yet Giacobetti exhibits an interesting, clearly three-tiered compositions here: First, there is the anisic and bitter almond opening which evokes a box of almond macaroons fresh off the oven; not my thing but probably just the thing for 99,99% of people and even I have to admit it's perfectly executed. Then there is the least appealing -to me- phase in which a seemingly magnolia-like aroma is entering with a hint of lemony, ahem, intimate male juice note. My opposition lies not in the potential "gross" factor but the incongruity with a gourmand concept (it works mighty fine in Sécrétions Magnifiques for instance). And last but not least a creamy, milky, almost sandalwood-like drydown that stays as a skin-scent for a little bit and is yummy.

Honoré’s Trip
This hesperidic cologne is of the refreshing kind which one can imagine on athletic types who have a run through the lawn even before they drink their first cup of coffee green-algae-froth of the day and then put their tennis gear to hit the court in earnest. Big on orange and mandarin with some spicy touch that provides a welcome piquancy to the wholesome, it's pleasant, but not earth-shattering and I can justify its inclusion because of the need of a citrus cologne in a line that puts so much emphasis on natural essences (The essential oils of hesperidic fruits are amazingly easy to extract even by hand and thus tangibly visible and "real" to the consumer).

The downside of the fragrances is they are very fleeting (according to Octavian to the point of being eaux fraîches), some more than others, due to the very nature of most natural materials and the lack of the usual synthetics that help anchor and make radiate most of the fragrances of other lines, such as synthesized musks (Galaxolide, Tonalide etc) or woodies/florals (IsoE super, Lilial et al) or even flower absolutes (those necessitate the use of volatile solvents which have been veto-ed by the specific line and EcoCert, although other all-naturals perfumers use them to good effect)
Alas, longevity is a sore point for many all-naturals fragrances which is technically difficult to surpass even for the most talented, such as Giacobetti. The drawbacks of masochistically choosing to compose a translucid, diaphanous opus present themselves even more as the naturally thick and viscous natural resins and balsams that could have been utilized for a perfume equivalent of a Baroque oil painting (orientals, deep chypres) do not lend themselves easily in aquarelles.
On the other hand, the fragrances contain no phthalates (a major concern for pregnant women as recent studies indicate the risk of producing male foetuses with endocrine problems and subsequent testicular cancer), no petrochemicals, no additional colourings, no animal ingredients and they are not tested on animals; and if you are concerned with those things you should be more than catered for, even if for a brief while.

Eau de toilette spray 100 ml, between 128€ and 148€. Official site: Honoré des Prés. (The site is charmingly tongue-in-cheek and upbeat, with an imaginary clan of des Prés uttering various ~isms and thus worth a visit!)
Currently available only in France but with plans to bring them in the US later on.

Photo © by Helg/Perfumeshrine

*I have been recently informed by my reader Trish that L'artisan exclude petrochemicals and phthalates from their formulae.

New Diptyque Candles: Patchouli, Roses Rose, the Basile collection

Diptyque might have discontinued some of their most interesting candles (and fragrances!) but they're busy expanding the rest of their stable with new additions. After the trio of hesperidic colognes (L'eau de l'eau, L'eau de Neroli, L'eau des Hersperides, all by nose Olivier Pecheux), which they issued last year, they are adding new candles in their lineup now.

"Patchouli: Its long blue leaves, steam distilled on tiny plantations way up in the hills of Indonesia, effuse a surprising woody scent.
The freshness of patchouli stems, humus and moss, wrapped in warm wood and resin. Deep yet luminous, it rekindles with its exotic roots and delicate accords.

Patchouli scented candle : € 47

The Roses Rose candle is nestled in a very British-style box. Its design is inspired by Liberty fabrics and pays tribute to the Diptyque founders who originally created textiles for this historic department store.
The Roses Rose candle is a mixture of antique rose petals and aromatic geranium leaves".

Roses Rose scented candle (limited edition) : € 50

The Roses Rose candle is timely coinciding with the shopping onslaught of the St.Valentine's celebration...

These come as an addendum to another Limited Edition that Diptyque issued a little while ago: the Basile collection of three scents (Amber, Scotch Pine and Briar Honey) which optically replicates the design of one of their first fabrics, in its turn based on the rich motifs of Byzantine architecture. The three scents, intended to make winter days and nights a little more luminous and warm, are as follows:

"Amber: The mystery of a substance so rare that Arab merchants once used it as a currency as precious as gold. The enchantment of ambergris with woody, leathery notes.
Scotch Pine: Being green in winter as well as summer is only one of the virtues of Scotch Pine. Its vigorous, resinous notes evoke the scents of a majestic pine forest and the freshness of the fleeting winter.
Briar Honey: It is difficult to find a sweeter, fruitier nectar. You almost feel like you’re in the middle of a moor full of fresh, scented briar".

Basile Collection scented candle : € 55 each

Pics and info via Senteurs d'Ailleurs

CK One new campaign: Musings on an All-Inclusive Marketing Culture

The emblematic fragrance of the 90s, the unisex CK One by Calvin Klein is relaunching with a new television and print ad campaign (shot by the legendary Steven Meisel), a beautiful song written by British musician and model Jamie Burke and a special, limited edition fragrance bottle packaged with an mP3 speaker.
The idea behind relaunch of the CK One fragrance is about bringing people together, regardless of their differences in age, culture, race or gender. It's about coming together, through the common and universal language of music.
From WWD by Julie Naughton (issue 01/09/2009):

"Calvin Klein plans to bring new attention to its CK One franchise with a new TV campaign to be launched Jan. 20. [...]"The CK One ‘We are one’ campaign is inspired by a social movement of people coming together in the spirit of unity,” said Catherine Walsh, senior vice president of American fragrances for Coty Prestige, noting the campaign’s centerpiece is a song commissioned from British musician Jamie Burke — who appears in the print and TV ads for this campaign, as well as two Calvin Klein Jeans spots. “There is such a natural synergy between the message of the campaign and the essence of our new president’s platform that it seemed the ideal moment to share the TV spot. The campaign — and its original song — give voice to an optimistic new generation, that certainly made its voice heard in the latest election. This is a celebration of the power of coming together as one.” Charlotta Perlangeli, vice president of global marketing for Calvin Klein Fragrances, added that the song will be available as a free iTunes download and on Ckone.com. “We believe it will help consumers relate more personally to the campaign,” she said. A print ad, featuring Burke with models of all shapes, sizes and skin tones, will begin running in February fashion, beauty, lifestyle and music magazines in the U.S. The campaign will also be online at CKone.com. Both campaigns were created with Laird and Partners; Francis Lawrence filmed the TV spot, which includes 30- and 60-second cuts. Steven Meisel shot the print ad.
Coty is reinforcing the music ties with a limited edition version of CK One. The bottle, which is emblazoned with the words “We are one” in a number of languages, is set into a base which includes a removable MP3 speaker. In addition, Coty will launch an all-over body spray in the CK One franchise. It is intended to be a lighter version of the CK One scent and is dispensed with an oversize pump, said Walsh. It will retail for $26. While Walsh wouldn’t discuss projected spending or sales figures, industry sources estimated the total media spend globally could top $25 million. Sources also estimated that the two limited edition products and the campaign’s effects could add $30 million to the franchise’s bottom line in the next year. More than 90 million scented impressions are planned globally".

Not coincidentally this relaunch coincides with the optimistic, all-inclusive spirit that has been instilled at the inaugauration of the new US president Barack Obama and his speech. The time is therefore prime for anthropological marketing that takes into consideration the very sensitive sensibilities of a culture founded on the principles of inclusion of all races, all religions and all sexual preferences. Unfortunately for many, the "One Drop Rule" seems to have been a custom in the United States for a long time, ie. "a historical colloquial term in the United States that holds that a person with any trace of African ancestry is considered black unless having an alternative non-white ancestry which he or she can claim, such as Native American, Asian, Arab, or Australian aboriginal. It developed most strongly out of the binary culture of long years of institutionalized slavery.[...]The one-drop rule was a tactic in the U.S. South that codified and strengthened segregation and the disfranchisement of most blacks and many poor whites from 1890-1910[..]Legislatures sought to prevent interracial relationships to keep the white race "pure", long after slaveholders and overseers took advantage of enslaved women and produced the many mixed-race children". (The following article is interesting to peruse).

In the historic times we're living, when the president himself is of black ancestry, it makes sense that such customs are better being left behind. Although it is no doubt of great importance to honour one's roots, an individual's human right is to feel however he/she wants to feel about them and not being dictated on how to, the right of self-definition becoming of paramount gravity; choosing to wear a label by ones'self or not choosing to. Subtler and more voluntary than hereditary traits such as religious choices should follow, naturally. And as to whether someone self-defines in the issue of gender, this is something that although still quite controversial is curiously often regarded with more lenience than religious or racial differences, perhaps due to the comparatively much smaller scale of those deviating from what is considered "average". Still, in a time when a transexual man gives birth to a baby, everything seems possible!
So even such a small thing as an advertising campaign that encompasses people of mixed races is a good thing! Nevertheless, I am looking forward to Coty Prestige choosing to show people of all ages in their advertisements, as the concept, placement and execution of the relaunch is clearly geared towards quite young people. As to the tyranny of beauty in advertisng (all the faces and bodies I see on the current advertisements are simply gorgeous) this is a general phenomenon in the market for fragrances and cosmetics. Due to my classical education and ancestry I personally embrace beauty for the ethical value that it definitely is in my own mind; yet I wouldn't be happy considering less than beautiful people excluded from such a thing as an all-encompassing campaign. Food for thought, dear advertisers!

For more information about CK One, you can visit the official ck one Facebook page, as well as the CK One YouTube channel.
The limited edition of CKone packaged with an mP3 speaker is available at Macy's retailing for for 50$US.

News & pics via press release, commentary my own.

The Unicorn Spell by Les Nez: fragrance review

In a line full of engrossing and unusual fragrances, The Unicorn Spell , despite the predisposing to overlyricism name, is perhaps the most arrestingly riveting due to both its unusual treatment of the violet note as well as the juxtaposition of shiny, vegetal leafiness with finespun woodiness.

This unconventional path to violet has been recently reprised by Maurice Roucel for Dans Tes Bras for F.Malle, proving that in a market chokeful of violets lately, there is still some room for wiggling one's toes. The Unicorn Spell forms part of the Les Nez (parfums d'auteurs) line, a niche brand from Klingnau, Switzerland founded by perfume lover René Schifferle. The perfumer Isabelle Doyen, who worked on a similar iris-green (absinthe in that case) theme in Duel for Annick Goutal, envisioned a violet on a cold, frosty morning waiting for the sun to warm it up with its first rays: "If by dawn still linger on your skin mixed scents of leaves, frost and violet blooms, and that relentless yearning for stellar sights, you will know that, at night, you felt the milky breath of a unicorn".

The atypical opening of shelling raw harricots verts in The Unicorn Spell is so transportingly vegetal as to make one become confounded and furtively search for the basket of green beans and the knife of the woman who is peeling them away for an alfresco Friday lunch. (Friday because that's the customary day to prepare a non-meaty dish in Med cultures where this dish is very common). This idiosyncracy of knife cutting onto raw legume is bringing spring in the very heart of winter and invites me closer to inspect the slow unfolding of a delicate floral heart. Comprised of violet leaf (rather than the candied tone of Violets de Toulouse, it is closer related to Goutal's La Violette or Verte Violette by L'artisan) and hazy-toned iris as seen through a gauze, the more it stays on the more it gains in violet-ness and loses in iris-ness. The two merge into a piquant middle in which the borders of green and tart are merged into a fey collage. The images which you might superimpose over this unconventional composition by Les Nez are purely individualistic and left to your own imaginings. The spell distends on ethereal woods, subtle and hushed, so as not to risk scaring away the enchanted creatures that the cool night has invoked.

The Unicorn Spell is available as a 50ml/1.7oz Eau de Parfum, directly from the Les Nez website, through Aus Liebe zum Duft or Luckyscent.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Les Nez fragrances, Violet scents, Iris: how to build one.

In the interests of disclosure I got sent a carded sample of each fragrance from Les Nez as part of their sample giveaway upon launching Manoumalia.
Photo by Chris Borgman courtesy of his site.

L'antimatiere by Les Nez: fragrance review

In "The Fisherman and his Soul" by Oscar Wilde a fisherman falls in love with a mermaid and eschews everything, even his very soul to go and live with her under the sea. After proposals of wisdom and wealth in order to re-unite with his immortal part fail to entice him back to land, he returns to see the beautiful legs of a dancing girl.

If you have wondered how it would be even possible to make love to a mermaid, then L'antimatière might provide an olfactory accompaniment to the age-old enigma.

"Thou shall not cheat the customer with a misleading headnote", the motto behind the concept, should have been the cardinal rule of perfume making. Alas, to the chagrin of myriads it is not usually so. All too often there is some initial first impression when testing fragrances which sways our best intentions and make up deposit our hard-earned cash for something that will disappoint once we fully test it at home (but it's too late by then!) Les Nez decided to abandon top notes completely for their L'antimatière. This is the reason for the initial shock which might leave you with mouth open, as the fragrance goes from alcohol to seemingly nothing. Yet give it a couple of minutes and it starts to "bloom" in ways unexpected.

L'antimatière means "anti-matter" which "is the extension of the concept of the antiparticle to matter, where antimatter is composed of antiparticles in the same way that normal matter is composed of particles"[...] the apparent asymmetry of matter and antimatter in the visible universe one of the greatest unsolved problems in physics".
In archaeology, we are accustomed to bagging every trace found in an effort to protect remains from cosmic radiation, much like the forensics experts do to protect evidence from physical tampering. I have never really detected any ill-effect caused by cosmic radiation although I have seen plenty due to mishandling, but this is another point for another day. Suffice to our discussion is that L'antimatière acts as anti-matter: It's a game of prestidigitation!

L'antimatière belongs to the Les Nez (parfums d'auteurs) line, a niche brand from Klingnau, Switzerland founded by perfume lover René Schifferle, and was composed in 2006 by Isabelle Doyen, along with the rest of the triptych, Let me Play the Lion and The Unicorn Spell. She presents it thus: "An invisible ink that leaves a trace, foreseen rather than felt, persistent yet whispered, of creased bed linen wandering along your curves".

From the slightly Band-Aid smelling opening to the mineral quality that reminds me of some highly-diluted vetiver varieties, L'antimatière is on the whole the closest thing I have ever smelled to natural ambergris tincture and it shares the sensuous undercurrent that belies the process of formation of that priceless, rare ingredient. Natural ambergris has a wonderful tinge of saltiness, almost brine-y, encompassing elements of skin-like musky tones, and even a subtly sweetish accent. Of all the natural animalic ingredients it is the one which could be worn neat and the only one which can be harvested in a completely ethical (non animal-cruel) way, as whales resurgitate the material in the sea where it floats for years before being deposited on the shores. L'antimatière, although not divulged as such, must surely contain copious amounts of this precious ingredient, as the comparison with the natural is so telling. The unexpected lack of top notes means that it swiftly goes for the memory of times past instead of the flirting stages.

Due to its very nature of subtly caressing, smoothing out, suave character, it might be very discreet to the point of practically undetectable to noses accustomed to stronger commercial perfumes or fans of concentrated "full bodied" fragrances in the old style; and spritzing instead of dabbing is highly recommended anyway. It also tends to have a different nuance according to the spot applied, which I am hypothesizing is its reactioon to the natural warmth of the skin. This element might discourage the majority from splurging on a full bottle, and indeed I am fairly certain that Les Nez issued it as a dare. However, for all that, for anyone who has smelled real ambergris and is appreciative or anyone who hasn't and is curious, this is emninetly sample-worthy!

L'antimatière is available as a 50ml/1.7oz Eau de Toilette, directly from the Les Nez website, through Aus Liebe zum Duft or Luckyscent.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Les Nez fragrances, Amber & Ambergris.

In the interests of disclosure I got sent a carded sample of each fragrance from Les Nez as part of their sample giveaway upon launching Manoumalia.

Photo: Bob Carlos Clarke exhibition via 20ltd..

Let me Play the Lion by Les Nez: fragrance review

"Scents of dusty trails, of lightly sweetened ochre, of sun-weathered wood. Of silence swept by mild breezes, of skies open like an endless azure cut oozing signs of the coming storm". Thus is how Isabelle Doyen, perfumer for Les Nez (parfums d'auteurs), a niche brand from Klingnau, Switzerland founded by perfume lover René Schifferle, presents Let me Play the Lion (introduced in 2006).

The playful name is inspired by a phrase appearing in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream: "Let me play the lion too: I will roar, that I will do any man's heart good to hear me; I will roar, that I will make the duke say 'Let him roar again, let him roar again" (Act I, Scene 2). And playful indeed is the treatment that Isabelle Doyen, famous for her delicate, graceful watercolours for Annick Goutal, is saving for the composition in question.

Let me play the Lion starts on a spicy, peppery orange warmth, a subdued pomander note pettering out to scents of pure frankincense smoke curling lazily upwards towards a serene sky and of seared woods. If you are familiar with Poivre Piquant or Poivre Samarkande, the spiciness is on the same wavelength. Cedar is prominent among the woods, a touch which should appeal to lovers of Gucci Pour Homme, while the incense is its own recommendation for those belonging to the incense-loving sect. However by no means is this a gothic, dark incense; the note reminds me more of the French curiosity Papier d'Armenie ~little aroma-infused booklets redolent of benzoin which are burnt to make their scent waft~ than the mould-infested crypt. It's sunny and fuzzy. There is also a mossy, dry, almost dusty feeling upon finish, while the overall tone is warm and with an ever so delicate touch of sweetness that makes the composition fit for both sexes. Let me Play the Lion lasted exceedingly well on both my skin and on the blotter with the volume turned down: this lion's roar is vibrating on the lower frequencies!

Let me Play the Lion is available as a 50ml/1.7oz Eau de Toilette, directly from the Les Nez website, through Aus Liebe zum Duft or Luckyscent.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Les Nez fragrances, Incense series.

In the interests of disclosure I got sent a carded sample of each fragrance from Les Nez as part of their sample giveaway upon launching Manoumalia.

Art photography Nick Brandt Lion before Storm, via young gallery photo.
Cat photograph © by Helg

Musée du Parfum Fragonard in Paris

The Musée du Parfum Fragonard in Paris is presented in the following clip, which I came across on Youtube. The Fragonard Perfume Museum is taking two sections of a specially rearranged town house in the heart of Paris, the decoration following the Napoléon III style, accepting visitors from all over the world.
Agniezska Buziani guides us through the old alembics which were used in Grasse, perfume capital in France since the 17th century. Cyprien Fabre explains to us how the family has been collecting perfumery instruments and objects for generations.
And of course there are several flacons and boxes displayed, many of the objects which one can imagine appearing in novels by de Maupassant, Balzac, Flaubert and other authors.
Towards the end you can see a traditional perfumer's "organ", that is the organised desk with rows of essences, classified according to volatility (top, heart and bottom notes) for the perfumer to act as a musician when composing sonorous chords (scent accords).



Fragonard Perfume Museum: 9 rue Scribe 75009 PARIS, FRANCE Tel. +33 (0)1 47 42 04 56

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Travel Memoirs Paris Shopping

Later on we will be continuing with reviews of the three Les Nez fragrances!

Clip originally uploaded by cap24paris on Youtube

Turtle Vetiver Exercise 1 by Les Nez: fragrance review

the Navagio beach on Zakynthos/Zante island in Greece

"In Lebanon, at the border with Israel, there is a turtle sanctuary. It is the result of being a protected area during the civil war. The almost extinct Mediterranean sea turtle was allowed to flourish. This is something good that came out of the war. This is poetry. I have gone through my own corporeal civil war and TURTLE is my sanctuary and celebration".

~Michael H Shamberg

"Outlaw Perfume in Progress" sounds like contraband that is waiting to change hands in some faraway country full of sailors with dirty pea-coats. But in reality it is Turtle Vetiver by Les Nez, perfumer Isabelle Doyen's contribution to the creative network Turtle salon, "an anarchic salon", masterminded by Michael H.Shamberg. The quirky, poetic and catchy name brought me memories of the endangered caretta caretta turtles (the loggerhead turtles) ~one of the oldest species in the world, alive when dinosaurs roamed the planet~ I had seen protected in the sanctuary of Zakynthos (Zante) island in Greece. Something so durable through the fabric of time itself, yet so fragile: The hatchlings have to complete an arduous journey to the sea once they've come out of their sand-buried eggs. Heading towards the brightest light, hopefully what is the moon's reflection on the horizon over the sea, before the hot sun comes up and fries them alive and before sea birds have them for prey. Only few survive, but those few are resilient, proud, swimming tall. But the affairs of man, never too far off the affairs of nature, lie close by on the ShipWreck or Navagio beach, one of the most photographed beaches of Greece, its name coming from the ship which was wrecked in 1983 while carrying smuggled cigarettes.
Turtle Vetiver seems to be a parallel story of surviving hardship, small or bigger personal tragedies and smuggling hope; and on its cragged planes one can feel the emotion of having come up victorious.

Turtle Vetiver Exercise 1 is a hard-core vetiver for true-blue fans of the earthy deliciousness that responds to the name of that miraculously tenacious root and I feel like it became a symbol for the project same as turtles. The rough opening of "dirty and gritty vetiver roots before the soil and sand grains have been rinsed off" as Ayala described it is a prelude to a leitmotif of dark, edgy, earthy treatment of the note; remakably close to the pure essential oil, yet more palatable with a spicy edge and an almost salty undernote. It feathers out slowly, becoming clearer and clearer all the while like mud water shifted through a sieve.
In a way I am envisioning a cross between the nautical, iodine-rich Vetyver of Annick Goutal and the craggy, wet cobblestones of Vetiver Extraordinaire.
If you are wondering whether it might be too hard for you, you might reconsider because it certainly would. But if you want to be surprised by just how many interpretations are possible in this fascinating material, Turtle Vetiver is an intriguing addition.

Isabelle Doyen makes small erratic batches of Turtle Vetiver and plans on changing the formula constantly. Therefore Exercise 1 is simply the version currently in stock at Les Nez, it might change later on. Samples can be ordered from the LesNez website.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Vetiver Series, Les Nez fragrances.



Song Ερωτικο/"Erotic", sung by Haris Alexiou, lyrics by Alkis Alkaios, music by Thanos Mikroutsikos. Written in memory of Marxist philosopher Nikos Poulantzas who commited suicide in Paris.

Lyrics translation by helg:

In a pirogue you set off and wander
when the rain gets stronger
In the land of Visigoths you wander
and Hanging Gardens seduce you
but you're sawing your own wings slowly.

Saltiness covered your naked body,
I brought you fresh water from Delphi
You said that your life would be cut in two pieces
and before I had the chance to deny you three times
the key of heavens had got rusty.

The caravan is rushing through the dust
chasing your shadow along
How could a sheet calm the mind,
how could the Mediterranean be tied with rope,
my love, whose name was Antigone.

Which melody of the night has tempted you
and in which galaxy could I find you?
Here is Attica, a grey pit
and I am but a shooting ground
where foreign soldiers train cursing.

Pic of Navagio Beach (the Shipwreck) on Zakynthos/Zante island in Greece by jjbach/flickr. (Beach accesible only by boat, leaving daily from Porto Bromi.) Song originally uploaded by kostasdiefhon on Youtube

Guet Apens/ Attrape Coeur and Vol de Nuit Evasion by Guerlain: fragrance review & comparison, with a footnote on Guerlain Ambre

Gustave Claudin writes about Marie duPlessis in Mes Souvenirs: “She was fickle, capricious, wild. She adored today what she hated yesterday. She possessed natural elegance to the utmost degree. One could certainly say she had style. No one could copy her originality. As long as florists were able to provide them, she always went out with a bouquet of white camellias”.


Marie Duplessis is none other than the inspiration for the character of Marguerite Gautier, famously known as “la dame aux camellias”. Her natural sensuality and maturity beyond her years are a logical fit for a perfume like Attrape Coeur, formely known as Guet Apens.


La belle de nuit aux violets that is Guet Apens was composed as a limited Christmas edition by nose Mathilde Laurent 10 years ago (1999) when Guerlain had its first inflow of funds from LVMH's initial investment. A slight retouche by Jean Paul Guerlain three years later resulted in another Limited edition called simply No.68 (not to be confused with the new Cologne du 68 ~for a complete breakdown of that entanglement please see my detailed article here)

Was the sobriquet non sonorous enough to English-speaking ears to keep it in production? The resinous, powdery, vanillic juice at the core of No.68 bore ties of consanguinity with both Guet Apens and Terracotta, you see.


Guet-Apens was finally renamed Attrape-Coeur and since 2005 has joined the ranks of the permanent collection of Guerlain to the rejoice of perfume lovers, reissued upon the occasion of the renovation of the flagship Guerlain store on the Champs-Elysées. Although the scent is usually credited to Jean Paul Guerlain (rumours want the then working on Guerlain project Insolence, perfumer Maurice Roucel to also having had a hand in it), the original scent was composed by Mathilde Laurent, the nose behind the controversial Pamplelune with its sulfureous grapefruit and Shalimar Eau Legere/Shalimar Light (the 2003 version) which was so fabulous. Tact prevents me from elaborating longer on the possible rupture, but suffice to say Mathilde Laurent is now composing scents at Cartier.


The phrase Attrape Coeurs means "heart-catcher" and it is lovely in its connotations, although it can have its adversaries too. Hearts are usually a corny matter, depicted in nauseating permutations as a symbol of romantic love. Guet Apens on the other hand means "ambush" in French, which makes for a much more intriguing name, but maybe that is just my opinion. For Attrape Coeur I think of a seducer, a woman who is out to get men entrapped in her tentacles, but all that done in a most elegant and non calculating, non vulgar way

In a way it goes way back to another era. It evokes the real Marguerite Gautier, famously known as “la dame aux camellias” and her influence on French society, both as the heroine of the novel by Alexandre Dumas fils and as a representation of the Parisian courtesans of the 19th century. Modeled after a real person, Marie duPlessis (real name Alphonsine), lover of Listz at one point and of Dumas naturally, dead at only 23 years of age due to consumption but having made her reputation already, Marguerite is a very alluring personality. With her pale complexion due to tuberculosis and her manners of a grande dame she captures the attention of the Parisian high society. Camellia of course in not featured in Attrape Coeur (it has no significant scent anyway), rather dark violet is, which is very apt taking in mind that Violetta is the name of the heroine in the opera version of the novel La Traviata (which literally means "woman who strayed") by Guiseppe Verdi and numerous theatrical versions, hence the association.
In the enchanting and nostalgic Langage des fleurs, a book by Charlotte de la Tour, violet stands for secret love. Violets then with a little underscoring of woods and iris form the core of the perfume.

Identifying Attrape Coeur as a Guerlain happens after it sheds its veils like Salome one by one. The opening of Attrape Coeur is as if iris got suspended in a snowy mirage, fresh, tingling, hazy, reflecting light in all directions, not unlike the charming disposition the demure Apres L'Ondee coyly reveals. A little fuzzy, fruity tone (reprised in MDCI Promesse de l'Aube and Chinatown by Bond no.9) smiles with the beatific smile of golden mosaics in Roman villas. The glycaemic nuance of violets, undescored by a mysterious greeness, a fleeting earthiness, is winking in a jar on the countertop of a French patisserie in Toulouse. And all is poised over an animal's warm, vibrating belly as it luxuriates in front of a blazzing fire.
Even jasmine makes a brief appearance, but then I regrettably lose it: it’s a lovely jasmine note like that in another Guerlain, Flora Nerolia: it remains fresh, green and dewy. Compared to other offerings from Guerlain the base is somehow between Shalimar and L’instant : not as animalic as the former, not as sweet and –dare I say it?- cloying as the latter, it combines the element of eathereal iris and sandalwood in order to give stability and powdery dryness that is much needed to bring balance to compositions based on sweeter elements. The creaminess and luxurious, plush feeling of Attrape Coeur remind me of the opulence of Bois des Iles by Chanel; but whereas the latter focuses more on gingerbread-like milky sandalwood, the former is anchored in powdery, warm amber. It's that alloy that gives the tone, with a little vanilla, tonka and perhaps civet (which I was not aware of particularly, meaning it is restrained), so characteristic of Guerlain perfumes. Attrape Coeur is formally classified as a "fruity chypre rose animalic" (although to me the rose is safely tucked in there) and gives me the feeling that were Parure composed with peach and violets instead of plum and lilacs it would be quite close in feeling.

Attrape Coeur has a lingering, creamy aura of ambery woods which makes it very popular with people enamored with comforting scents, blooming on the skin and lasting on my wrists the span of a whole day going on well into the night. This is especially satisfying rising from a plunging decolleté as it is such a wonderful perfume and a nice surprise at this time of fleeting perfumes that make us apply over and over again.

To add to the confusion ~noting the additional "s" in the name which appears by mistake in "Perfumes, the Guide"~ let me mention in passing that a special Bacarrat edition of L de Lolita Lempicka in extrait de parfum with golden netting and blue topaz is also nicknamed L'Attrape Coeur and that L'Attrape-cœurs is the French title under which the novel by J. D. Salinger more widely known as Catcher in the Rye circulates under. Talk about picking a popular name!

On the other hand, Guerlain themselves, further the confusion. Vol de Nuit Évasion , introduced in 2007, is despite the name a completely different fragrance than the classic oriental Vol de Nuit from 1933. The Guerlain tagline presents it as "a nomadic homage to a classic scent". But actually it is simply the Eau de Toilette concentration of Attrape Coeur !(This was confirmed, apart from my own nose, by official Guerlain representatives later on). Yet it is circulating only at duty-free stores in France at train stations and airports (contrary to Osmoz's quote linked); clearly aimed at the travel-retail market which is experiencing a resurgence. Considering it's 1/3 of the price of the exclusive Attrape Coeur, it's a great bargain and not to be missed if you get a chance.
The bottle is following the classic emblematic design of Mitsouko and L'Heure Bleue with the upside-down heart stopper (slightly vandalised in the upcoming La Petite Robe Noire) but with the "circle" design of the name which appears almost cinematically-styled on the Sous le Vent flacon now. A lower concentration means Vol de Nuit Évasion whispers in hushed tones whereas Attrape Coeur would sing like a dramatic soprano (which is indeed the direction in which La Traviata's Violetta is taking). It's a good middle ground.


Notes for Guet Apens/ Attrape Coeur by Guerlain:
Rose, violet, iris, vanilla, woods, amber.
And a different set of notes I found:
Top: rose, jasmine, tuberose
Heart: peach
Base: amber, musk

Notes for Vol de Nuit Evasion by Guerlain:
peach, rose, jasmine, iris, amber, precious woods, vanilla

Shopping:
Attrape Coeur is now part of Les Parisiennes line in Eau de Parfum concentrations, resting inside the big "bee" embossed 125ml bottles with the boule stopper; exclusive to Guerlain boutiques.
Vol de Nuit Evasion comes in 50ml/1.7oz bottles of Eau de Toilette, exclusively available (at the moment at least) in duty-free chains in France.
Guet Apens in the lantern-style bottle makes sporadic appearences on Ebay.

And a little footnote on Guerlain Ambre: Notice this is the bottle lantern design used in Guet Apens! And as to how Guerlain Ambre smells, I will leave you to perfume historian Octavian Coifan:

"Ambre (1890) is said to be the first perfume of Jacques Guerlain. It is a very delicate and refined perfume based on the smell of ambergris tincture. It is not a sweet perfume (the ambre 83 type) but dry and deep. It has incense rezinoid, woody notes, labdanum, some balsamic notes (benjoin), orris. It is profound and dusty as the church wood or the very old books. A simple perfume that evokes a ray of light in an abandoned sanctuary."

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Violets, Guerlain series

Pic of Guet Apens, No.68 and Vol de Nuit Evasion by Fiordiligi (copyrighted), authorised for use on Perfume Shrine; of Attrape Coeur bee bottle shot by eowjdula/mua, of Guerlain Ambre via ebay. Artwork by Rafael Olbinski via allposters.com.