The news come from the official Mona di Orio Facebook page and are uncontestable:"To be able to broaden the Les Nombres d’Or line in the future, to provide a service excellence and having the adequate stock levels we have decided, for the time being, to discontinue the Grey Collection and focus on the Les Nombres d’Or line. We hope and trust you will understand and respect our decision. We know we have to disappoint some of our loyal followers and believers since day one, but we are convinced that the new Mona di Orio fragrances will give you pleasure, passion and surprises. High Quality materials and a unique approach of classics in the perfumerie. We have stock of some references (not all) available for ordering, please check at your local retailer or at info@monadiorio.com for final deliveries."
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Sunday, July 31, 2011
Mona di Orio Discontinuations: Waving Good bye
I don't know if writing has the power to change the world, but it might have the power to halt certain small enterprises from pushing product to interested members: Mona di Orio has been steadily producing fragrances that are really unusual and -many of them- beautiful, but after a long deliberation she has decided to stop her original line in favour of focusing on her new one, Les Nombres d'Or (Cuir, Ambre, Musc and recently Vetyver, Vanille and Tubereuse) . Therefore, if you have been a fan of Jabu, Chamarre, Nuit Noire, Amyitis, Lux, Oiro, or Carnation, you should hang on to your bottles. (My friend Gaia has posted reviews of almost the entire house, if you don't know anything about it)
The winner of the draw...
...for the Haute Claire mini bottle is Smartshopper2/Audrey.
...for the Valentino gorgeous bottle is Barbara Patty.
Congratulations to both! Please email me using the contact on Profile or About page with your shipping data, so I can mail/ have your prizes mailed to you soon.
Thanks everyone for the enthusiastic participation and till the next one!
...for the Valentino gorgeous bottle is Barbara Patty.
Congratulations to both! Please email me using the contact on Profile or About page with your shipping data, so I can mail/ have your prizes mailed to you soon.
Thanks everyone for the enthusiastic participation and till the next one!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Frequent Questions: Perfumes, the Guide ~which book edition contains what?
People often pick up Perfumes, the Guide as a starter into getting more seriously involved on perfume. There are also those who are already into the aficion and check to see whether the snark or the praise corresponds with their own established views. For all practical purposes there are a few editions of the exact same entertaininh and informative book with minimal differences depending on when they came out which makes for some confusion, at least going by the questions appearing on perfume discussion boards. Let's see the various editions according to continent and chronological order of coming out.
First edition of Perfumes, the Guide (2008): Hardcover, blue Dawamesk/Coque d'Or bottle by Guerlain on the white book jacket.
Second edition of Perfumes, the Guide, also called Perfumes, the A-Z Guide: Paperback, contains the exact same content of the first edition, with added reviews that had previously appeared on the three Supplements that had been available through subscription at the authors' site (the first one of those was free for download) and an extention of the essays, with some updates on the "best of" lists at the end of the book.
There are two versions of the 2nd edition of Perfumes, the Guide: One for the US market, another for the European one, but they share the same content as described above.
the US 2nd edition of Perfumes, the Guide with many little bottles in colour on the cover
the European 2nd edition of Perfumes, the Guide, in black & white stripes on the cover
The above are NOT to be confused with the newest upcoming edition, reprising some material from the other book, called "The Little Book of Perfumes: the 100 Classics", which basically takes Luca and Tania on a hunt to re-smell the 100 classic fragrances they had reviewed to see (and wittily comment, of course) whether they stand up to closer scrutiny after the lapsed 3 years and perfumery changes since.
First edition of Perfumes, the Guide (2008): Hardcover, blue Dawamesk/Coque d'Or bottle by Guerlain on the white book jacket.
Second edition of Perfumes, the Guide, also called Perfumes, the A-Z Guide: Paperback, contains the exact same content of the first edition, with added reviews that had previously appeared on the three Supplements that had been available through subscription at the authors' site (the first one of those was free for download) and an extention of the essays, with some updates on the "best of" lists at the end of the book.
There are two versions of the 2nd edition of Perfumes, the Guide: One for the US market, another for the European one, but they share the same content as described above.
the US 2nd edition of Perfumes, the Guide with many little bottles in colour on the cover
the European 2nd edition of Perfumes, the Guide, in black & white stripes on the cover
The above are NOT to be confused with the newest upcoming edition, reprising some material from the other book, called "The Little Book of Perfumes: the 100 Classics", which basically takes Luca and Tania on a hunt to re-smell the 100 classic fragrances they had reviewed to see (and wittily comment, of course) whether they stand up to closer scrutiny after the lapsed 3 years and perfumery changes since.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Aftelier Haute Claire: fragrance review & Bottle Giveaway
Before we begin, here's the giveaway, courtesy of Mandy Aftel who will send the bottle to the winner: A 5 ml spray bottle of Aftelier Haute Claire in Eau de Parfum. How to be eligible: Leave a comment, telling us what it is you like or don't like about natural perfumes and if you have experiences with them.
I have respect for Aftel's work; her technique is solid, her knowledge on raw materials, the intricate melding process and the mythoi of aromatics insanely immense. I have learned many things from her books and her work. Her recent creation was therefore something that, hadn't she volunteered to sample with bloggers, I would have sought out myself to try anyway. Mandy Aftel describes Haute Claire as “high and bright” and the juxtaposition of two ordinarily clashing components, the lush floral of ylang ylang and the bitter green, resinous touch of galbanum, is an arc that extends high with a brightness that shines far; somewhere over the rainbow, sort of.
On one end the green elements are reinforced by vetiver, an earthy element that gets licorice facets and salty nuances revealed on skin. On the other end, the natural sweetness of the floral is embraced by the sinful, calorific touch of vanilla. The vanilla is given an extra kick through a slightly spicy kick that whispers at the end. Haute Claire is an all-natural perfume that feels complex and with a very decided message, not some sort of aromatherapy mix which you would endure for the sake of itsbeneficiary effect. I don't know if there is some veritas in the -perhaps partly placebo- effect of some essences, but Haute Claire is certainly uplifting and optimistic, a summery scent for mental summers even in the heart of winter.
Notes for Aftelier Haute Claire: galbanum, Mexican lime, wild sweet orange, ylang ylang Co2, honeysuckle absolute, ylang ylang extra, clary sage, ethyl phenyl acetate, vetiver, vanilla absolute
In the interests of full disclosure, I was sent a sample of the fragrance directly by the perfumer.
I have respect for Aftel's work; her technique is solid, her knowledge on raw materials, the intricate melding process and the mythoi of aromatics insanely immense. I have learned many things from her books and her work. Her recent creation was therefore something that, hadn't she volunteered to sample with bloggers, I would have sought out myself to try anyway. Mandy Aftel describes Haute Claire as “high and bright” and the juxtaposition of two ordinarily clashing components, the lush floral of ylang ylang and the bitter green, resinous touch of galbanum, is an arc that extends high with a brightness that shines far; somewhere over the rainbow, sort of.
On one end the green elements are reinforced by vetiver, an earthy element that gets licorice facets and salty nuances revealed on skin. On the other end, the natural sweetness of the floral is embraced by the sinful, calorific touch of vanilla. The vanilla is given an extra kick through a slightly spicy kick that whispers at the end. Haute Claire is an all-natural perfume that feels complex and with a very decided message, not some sort of aromatherapy mix which you would endure for the sake of itsbeneficiary effect. I don't know if there is some veritas in the -perhaps partly placebo- effect of some essences, but Haute Claire is certainly uplifting and optimistic, a summery scent for mental summers even in the heart of winter.
Notes for Aftelier Haute Claire: galbanum, Mexican lime, wild sweet orange, ylang ylang Co2, honeysuckle absolute, ylang ylang extra, clary sage, ethyl phenyl acetate, vetiver, vanilla absolute
In the interests of full disclosure, I was sent a sample of the fragrance directly by the perfumer.
Guerlain Delice de Peau: new scented product review
Guerlain is not just perfume or makeup; it's also an illustrious history of scented skincare and haircare preparations that help complete the ritual of beauty. The new cream Délice de Peau à Parfumer is a unique product by Guerlain.
"Délice de Peau
This sleek and stylish little white jar contains a moisturizing body cream with a unique ability: wherever it blends with perfume (neck, décolleté, wrist, arms, etc.) it enhances its sillage, intensifies its olfactory power and prolongs the pleasure of the senses..."The scented cream is meant to be used with any fragrance in the Les Elixirs Charnels and L’Art et la Matière lines, both prolonging their effect and boosting their radiance, acting as a "developer", extending the bouquet, letting all facets shine.
This is possible through a synergy of common and complimentary ingredients that run through the gamut of both lines: a warm, intimate aura, much like the more old-fashioned, but legendary "myth" of the Guerlinade accord.The new "chord" is built on musk and benzoin (a warm, sweetish resin that has vanilla facets) , echoing the "Muscinade" that is advertised as the secret "accord" in the new Guerlains, such as Cruel Gardenia and Tonka Impériale (or even Insolence).
The creams' scent is very perceivable, to the point of sufficing as a stand-alone fragrance. My suggestion is it pairs really well with Cuir Beluga, extending its suede feel through the muskiness and reinforcing its vanilla background. The texture of Guerlain Délice de Peau is soft and light, with a slightly nacreous, satiny finish, that is especially welcome for summer. The white pot is sold as is, with a retro paper label embossed in silver and gold, without an external box, thus reminiscing the packaging of the 1950s. The retail price is 95$ for a pot of 100ml, somewhat pricey for all over use, so you might want to save this for the décolleté or bare armsl. It is currently available at Neiman Marcus and the Guerlain boutique in Paris.
Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Guerlain fragrance reviews, Guerlain news.
This sleek and stylish little white jar contains a moisturizing body cream with a unique ability: wherever it blends with perfume (neck, décolleté, wrist, arms, etc.) it enhances its sillage, intensifies its olfactory power and prolongs the pleasure of the senses..."The scented cream is meant to be used with any fragrance in the Les Elixirs Charnels and L’Art et la Matière lines, both prolonging their effect and boosting their radiance, acting as a "developer", extending the bouquet, letting all facets shine.
This is possible through a synergy of common and complimentary ingredients that run through the gamut of both lines: a warm, intimate aura, much like the more old-fashioned, but legendary "myth" of the Guerlinade accord.The new "chord" is built on musk and benzoin (a warm, sweetish resin that has vanilla facets) , echoing the "Muscinade" that is advertised as the secret "accord" in the new Guerlains, such as Cruel Gardenia and Tonka Impériale (or even Insolence).
The creams' scent is very perceivable, to the point of sufficing as a stand-alone fragrance. My suggestion is it pairs really well with Cuir Beluga, extending its suede feel through the muskiness and reinforcing its vanilla background. The texture of Guerlain Délice de Peau is soft and light, with a slightly nacreous, satiny finish, that is especially welcome for summer. The white pot is sold as is, with a retro paper label embossed in silver and gold, without an external box, thus reminiscing the packaging of the 1950s. The retail price is 95$ for a pot of 100ml, somewhat pricey for all over use, so you might want to save this for the décolleté or bare armsl. It is currently available at Neiman Marcus and the Guerlain boutique in Paris.
Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Guerlain fragrance reviews, Guerlain news.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Guerlain News: Habit Rouge L'Eau, Idylle Parfum, re-edition of L'Abeille
Habit Rouge L'Eau is Thierry Wasser's interpretation on a scent he holds near and dear: the classic Habit Rouge by his mentor Jean Paul Guerlain.
The new version is "softer, easy-to-wear and less contracted adaptation of the original. Delicately fresh, but with a less intense citrus opening, and a lighter base without any leather". Might we remind our readers that Habit Rouge apart from the vintage Eau de Cologne version and the standard Eau de Toilette, also comes in a (slightly recalibrated) Eau de Parfum and the glorious extrait de parfum edition available only at Guerlain boutiques.
[For a comprehensive guide on what perfume concentrations mean, refer to this article.]
It's also one of the few masculines in the range to have a flanker: Habit Rouge Sport.
Guerlain Idylle, the feminine fragrance by Wasser which already boasts one flanker, Idylle Duet, will soon be joined by an Idylle extrait de parfum version as well. I doubt that this is news sending a shiver down the spine of perfume lovers of a more serious aficion, but it might be nice introduction to the ritual of dabbing parfum for the beginner Guerlainophiliac.
Last but not least, for those on a bee-hunt for Abeille: the Abeille extrait by Guerlain , the precious edition of the 17.000 Euro price-tag (!) in the Baccarat bottle is out again, this time re-orchestrated by Wasser.
pic of bottle via Pluises blog, news & quote via mr.guerlain,
The new version is "softer, easy-to-wear and less contracted adaptation of the original. Delicately fresh, but with a less intense citrus opening, and a lighter base without any leather". Might we remind our readers that Habit Rouge apart from the vintage Eau de Cologne version and the standard Eau de Toilette, also comes in a (slightly recalibrated) Eau de Parfum and the glorious extrait de parfum edition available only at Guerlain boutiques.
[For a comprehensive guide on what perfume concentrations mean, refer to this article.]
It's also one of the few masculines in the range to have a flanker: Habit Rouge Sport.
Guerlain Idylle, the feminine fragrance by Wasser which already boasts one flanker, Idylle Duet, will soon be joined by an Idylle extrait de parfum version as well. I doubt that this is news sending a shiver down the spine of perfume lovers of a more serious aficion, but it might be nice introduction to the ritual of dabbing parfum for the beginner Guerlainophiliac.
Last but not least, for those on a bee-hunt for Abeille: the Abeille extrait by Guerlain , the precious edition of the 17.000 Euro price-tag (!) in the Baccarat bottle is out again, this time re-orchestrated by Wasser.
pic of bottle via Pluises blog, news & quote via mr.guerlain,
Chewing the Cud on Givenchy's upcoming fragrance Dahlia Noir
Givenchy' upcoming feminine fragrance, Dahlia Noir (i.e. black dahlia), is the first house scent overseen by couture creator Riccardo Tisci in collaboration with perfumer François Demachy, but it already presents something of a challenge for reasons we elaborate on below. Fabien Baron is the creator of the bottle and the ad campaign, featuring Maria Carla Boscono, which is set to hit glossies and screens later this year, in an image of almost fetishy gothic-inspired clothing of black lace and chiffon.
The fragrance notes for Givenchy Dahlia Noir comprise such vague terms as "rose vapour, peach milk, iris powder and precious/sacred woods" and since dahlia has no smell, we are left guessing with only Tisci's feedback on what to expect. The childhood memories & associations of Tisci, on which he drew inspiration from for Dahlia Noir, include the iris-scented scent of his sisters' cosmetics (including lipstick and a shared bottle of Rive Gauche) as well as a classic scent from Italian brand Santa Maria Novella.
According to him, the concept was an abstract, geometrical floral, which leads me to believe we're dealing with a floral that will not be obviously floral (in the mould of many modern floral fragrances aimed at young people who sneer at being presented with "traditionally feminine" pretty flowers in their scents) . Tisci goes on to elaborate that the concept alluded to by the name has to do with romanticism, sex and darkness: a well-played theme by now in many a "noir" fragrance, but also supposedly standing for what Givenchy stands for as well. I think Hubert might have other ideas in his mind than "sex and darkness" back in the day when he was dressing Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy, but even though he is very much alive, his own patrician image has subtly, discreetly exited the picture on what concerns his brand.
It remains to be seen whether the darkness of Eau Demoiselle (a previous release by Givenchy played on the allure of a black mantle-dress) will now transpire into more than the innocuous woody floral musk the former fragrance equated into.
The new Givenchy fragrance reportedly "has nothing to do" with the James Ellroy novel Black Dhalia, which takes upon itself to explore and partly fictionalise the facts of an infamous real murder case, or with previous Givenchy releases; but the association with the unsolved murder case of brutally butchered Elizabeth Sort (nicknamed "The Black Dahlia" in the call-girl circuit of late 1940s LA she was part of, due to her predeliction for wearing black) is too close to home to escape criticism of milking an infamous catch-phrase for money. LVMH, to which Givenchy belongs, is no mom & pop establishment that would fail to research a trademark adequately, at any rate, and the French posters for Brian De Palma's film a few years ago have it emblazoned all over the Internet. Let's not forget, MAC Cosmetics, another big player, who issued a comparably similarly named makeup collection. What's up with that?
Givenchy Dahlia Noir is released on 22 August in France for 57 euros for 30ml of Eau de Parfum.
According to him, the concept was an abstract, geometrical floral, which leads me to believe we're dealing with a floral that will not be obviously floral (in the mould of many modern floral fragrances aimed at young people who sneer at being presented with "traditionally feminine" pretty flowers in their scents) . Tisci goes on to elaborate that the concept alluded to by the name has to do with romanticism, sex and darkness: a well-played theme by now in many a "noir" fragrance, but also supposedly standing for what Givenchy stands for as well. I think Hubert might have other ideas in his mind than "sex and darkness" back in the day when he was dressing Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy, but even though he is very much alive, his own patrician image has subtly, discreetly exited the picture on what concerns his brand.
It remains to be seen whether the darkness of Eau Demoiselle (a previous release by Givenchy played on the allure of a black mantle-dress) will now transpire into more than the innocuous woody floral musk the former fragrance equated into.
Givenchy Dahlia Noir is released on 22 August in France for 57 euros for 30ml of Eau de Parfum.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Valentina de Valentino: Fragrance Review & Bottle Giveaway
Valentina de Valentino is not a hard name to come up with when you're the famous Italian designer who's dressed everyone from Jackie O to Courtney Love; the feminine counterpart is a sexy name, meant for It Girls who like to pique people's fancy. But first things first: The new perfume by Valentino won't launch internationally until September 23rd 2011, but I have a full bottle to give away in the meantime to a lucky reader! [draw is now closed, thank you!]. It came through a promotion (an amazing-looking one that included a giga book with pics which inspired me to take the photographs of Valentina you see myself) and has been only sprayed a few times to test it. Please state your interest in the comments for a chance to win the fragrance. Now on to the dissecting stuff...
Perfumers Olivier Cresp and Alberto Morillas, masters in the game of producing scentful crowd-pleasers, joined forces in the new Valentino fragrance which is presented as a floriental, but is really a tart, quite fun "fruitchouli" (perfume community slang for the fruits & patchouli genre of fragrances). In Valentina the tanginess of the top notes (citrus and strawberries) cuts through the sweeter elements in the composition, before the soft, clean woody backdrop takes reign for the duration of the scent on the skin. It's essentially linear, projecting with a direct flirtatious message, in the mould of Flowerbomb, Coco Mademoiselle, Parisienne, Miss Dior Cherie or La Petite Robe Noire (it references the berries notes of the two latter, possibly through Frambinone). Valentino is known for his couture, but this is no "couture scent", it's rather mainstream, though well composed. It also includes 7% of the realtively new molecule Paradisone (also used in 2006 Perles de Lalique, Kapsule Woody by Lagerfeld from 2008 and Cheap & Chic I Love Love by Moschino from 2005).
Valentina flirts like an Italian at an opera opening night, kicking the heels underneath and pinching their cute boyfriend's bottom naughtily but -bottom line!- harmlessly. Valentina de Valentino is bright, with sunnier, citrusier elements, a small subfacet of spice (anise and clove-cinnamon?). You feel the floral bouquet (orange blossom, jasmine and tuberose) in the Valentino fragrance most when comparing wrist-to-wrist with another perfume in the genre: Compared to Coco Mademoiselle, for instance, the patchouli in the Chanel is positively camphoraceous side-to-side and the whole seems less floral. Even so, lovers of the latter would probably like the former, sweet tooth and its hint of castoreum & earth in the "white truffle" accord. This latter element is a hint that they might have been inspired by the seminal Une Rose in the F.Malle line, but of course the Valentino perfume is tamer; there's only a wink of "earthiness".
Valentino focuses on how the creative team has envisioned the new fragrance for the modern audacious woman. I suspect they sat down and saw the void of a fragrance for youngish women on the prowl in their portfolio; and who can blame them?
The photographic campaign by David Sims sees Freja Beha Erichsen shot in a deserted Rome at night-time, after escaping a boring soiree (it's a cute commercial!).
The packaging revisits the ideas of Valentino couture, especially the pastel colours of the past three collections; femininity, audacity and sobriety. All these translate into a bottle that is delicate and surpemely pretty to look at on your vanity with its gorgeous flowers embossed on it, like a small corsage.
Notes for Valentina de Valentino:
Calabrian bergamot, white truffles from Alba, jasmine, orange blossom from Amalfi, tuberose, strawberry, wood notes, cedar, and amber.
All photographs (except for official ad) © by Elena Vosnaki. Click to enlarge.
Valentina flirts like an Italian at an opera opening night, kicking the heels underneath and pinching their cute boyfriend's bottom naughtily but -bottom line!- harmlessly. Valentina de Valentino is bright, with sunnier, citrusier elements, a small subfacet of spice (anise and clove-cinnamon?). You feel the floral bouquet (orange blossom, jasmine and tuberose) in the Valentino fragrance most when comparing wrist-to-wrist with another perfume in the genre: Compared to Coco Mademoiselle, for instance, the patchouli in the Chanel is positively camphoraceous side-to-side and the whole seems less floral. Even so, lovers of the latter would probably like the former, sweet tooth and its hint of castoreum & earth in the "white truffle" accord. This latter element is a hint that they might have been inspired by the seminal Une Rose in the F.Malle line, but of course the Valentino perfume is tamer; there's only a wink of "earthiness".
Valentino focuses on how the creative team has envisioned the new fragrance for the modern audacious woman. I suspect they sat down and saw the void of a fragrance for youngish women on the prowl in their portfolio; and who can blame them?
The photographic campaign by David Sims sees Freja Beha Erichsen shot in a deserted Rome at night-time, after escaping a boring soiree (it's a cute commercial!).
The packaging revisits the ideas of Valentino couture, especially the pastel colours of the past three collections; femininity, audacity and sobriety. All these translate into a bottle that is delicate and surpemely pretty to look at on your vanity with its gorgeous flowers embossed on it, like a small corsage.
Notes for Valentina de Valentino:
Calabrian bergamot, white truffles from Alba, jasmine, orange blossom from Amalfi, tuberose, strawberry, wood notes, cedar, and amber.
All photographs (except for official ad) © by Elena Vosnaki. Click to enlarge.
The Scent of Nivea Cream: Nostalgic Remembrances in a Blue Tin
Who can forget the classic blue tin of Nivea Cream? Half the fun of using the unctuous, thick-pasted cream on wherever there was a graze or scratch or burn (or just for cosmetic purposes), was the smell. A scent so full of good-humoured herbal sweet comfort, nothing really sinister could come your way. Or so we thought, as kids. Stumbling upon what really made up that memorable aroma, many people's long and arduous quest, is precious and we're happy it to share it on Perfume Shrine:
"Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Even blindfolded, there’s no mistaking it: the fragrance of NIVEA. Its discreet perfume oil is considered one of the classic fragrances for skin cream. Because very few synthetic aroma chemicals were available in the early 20th century, the NIVEA fragrance consists largely of essential oils. Contributors to its flowery bouquet include lily of the valley, rose, violet, lilac and lavender, with orange and lemon fruit essences rounding out the fragrance. And incidentally: the secret original formula for the perfume oil used in NIVEA cream has changed very little after all these years."
Might we hereby note that neither violet, nor lilac, nor lily of the valley yield an adequate enough essential oil for anything even remotely resembling mass production, but we realise that an official admission on using even some aromachemicals is far-fetched. You'll have to content with having the scent notes delineated for you for the classic Nivea cream in the blue tin though: It's the stuff unforgettable scent memories are built on...
Photo collage of vintage Nivea cream ads via oranges & apples
Quote from Always Inspiring via M.K.Krydd (thanks!)
"Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Even blindfolded, there’s no mistaking it: the fragrance of NIVEA. Its discreet perfume oil is considered one of the classic fragrances for skin cream. Because very few synthetic aroma chemicals were available in the early 20th century, the NIVEA fragrance consists largely of essential oils. Contributors to its flowery bouquet include lily of the valley, rose, violet, lilac and lavender, with orange and lemon fruit essences rounding out the fragrance. And incidentally: the secret original formula for the perfume oil used in NIVEA cream has changed very little after all these years."
Might we hereby note that neither violet, nor lilac, nor lily of the valley yield an adequate enough essential oil for anything even remotely resembling mass production, but we realise that an official admission on using even some aromachemicals is far-fetched. You'll have to content with having the scent notes delineated for you for the classic Nivea cream in the blue tin though: It's the stuff unforgettable scent memories are built on...
Photo collage of vintage Nivea cream ads via oranges & apples
Quote from Always Inspiring via M.K.Krydd (thanks!)
Monday, July 25, 2011
The winner of the draw...
...for the newest Lutens decant is Katrina K. Congratulations and please email me with your shipping data using the contact in Profile or About page so I can send your prize out to you soon.
Thanks everyone for the enthusiastic participation and till the next one! (I have plenty of exciting giveaways planned shortly!)
Thanks everyone for the enthusiastic participation and till the next one! (I have plenty of exciting giveaways planned shortly!)
Cartier Baiser Vole: fragrance review
“There is no lily oil or lily absolute,” says perfumer Mathilde Laurent, who wanted to introduce a floral scent in Cartier’s fragrance collection, a propos Baiser Volé, the jewellery brand's latest feminine fragrance launch. The name means "Stolen Kiss" reminiscing such romantic images as Fragonard's painting or Truffaut's film. “But I didn’t want it to be the 1,001st floral floriental, and I didn’t want to add a new floral composition.” Instead, Laurent likened wearing Baiser Volé to having on a necklace of lilies!
In Baiser Volé, in-house Cartier perfumer Mathilde Laurent explores the nature of lily three-ways (the leaves, the petals and the pistil) in a fresh powdery floral context and ends up with a surreal lily that isn't really about flowers, nor does it smell particularly spot-on "floral", but about the flowery nature of woman herself: opening up, "blooming", receiving, being at once pure and a little bit disorienting.
Laurent began by asking what smell men found enticing in a womanly way, to which the (fit to print, at least) prominent reply seemed to be "the lily". Colour me sceptical; isn't lily a symbol for purity and the need for cleansing? Maybe men are really leaning more onto the Madonna rather than the whore juxtaposition? Maybe they're asking them from a pre-arranged multiple-choice sheet?
At any rate, thus equiped, Laurent embarked on her 2-year long quest into fitting this stunning flower into a composition that would light up the room just lilies they do, without it being cliché, or surupy sweet, or headache-inducing cloying. If you are looking for the most realistic lily scent recreation, you might stop reading right now or read our article on Lily scent and lily flower types in perfumery; Baiser Volé doesn't even aim at that. But if you like fresh powdery scents, you might want to at least sample; it's very likeable.
The vegetal quality of the fragrance presents itself in an odd game of salicylates, solar notes which boom on the skin, a balance of bitter and sweet with a hint of citrus: The treatment, air-spun, meringue-like, delicate, is not unlike the one that perfumer Jean Claude Ellena reserved for the lightening up of vanilla through ylang ylang & lily notes in his fluffy Vanille Galante for the Hermessences. The vanilla and musks laced drydown in Baiser Volé recalls the sweetness of Un Lys by Serge Lutens, but the context is less poetic, more powdery, in a cosmetic-power-infused, slightly bittersweet way with a small subfacet of spice ~only minimal, a tad clovey; and a hint of violet ionones. It's safe to deduce that Baiser Volé transposes these niche sensibilities, pure, unadulterated exploration of perfumery raw materials's facets, in sleight-of-hand executions, into the mainstream. Compared with other lily fragrances, Baiser Volé stands alone and lacks the gaiac smokiness of real lilies which is reported to give them their "ham" brine-y facet. Cartier's interpretation is nowhere near the dense, ambery tinged radiant ambience of Donna Karan's Gold. Or the faux chypre structure of Ineke's Gilded Lily. Or the spicy corolla of Lily & Spice by Penhaligon's. And whereas Lys Mediterranée is a raspy, roughened salty-savoury lily that appeals to a certain Med sensibility with its hoarsey voice, while remaining irresolutely lily-like, Baiser Volé is smoother, more pliable, less floral, more traditionally womanly in its vanillic powdery kiss, and oddly at once old-fashioned and "clean".
On the other hand, and this is really interesting, Laurent takes no prisoners into embracing the latest trend of reinventing powdery florals for a generation that was afraid of anything powdery signifying "old lady perfume": From Esprit d'Oscar to Love,Chloé, the pink satin feel of ballerina shoes is taking on the sheen of flou through dusty, dry notes reminiscent of violets, talcum powder and sweet musks (if you're thinking of Lovely, by Sarah Jessica Parker, with an added dose of powderiness, you're not too far off); especially since this is a medium sillage fragrance, projecting politely while lasting power is good. Maybe it's code for "classy" or "different" in the milieu of hundreds of sweet things on the market. Maybe the generation who loved Flower by Kenzo and Cashmere Mist by Donna Karan have moved onto other things by now, leaving a void to be filled with new consuemers. The freshly powdery effect needs a true best-seller to shoot off as the new "craziness" in perfume (after "pink chypres" , fruitchoulis, and ethylmaltol-based ~aka cotton-candy smelling~ gourmands) and it remains to be seen just which fragrance that might be: Even though the concept and smell might be right for Cartier, I think we're dealing with a confusing name for Anglos: kissing the rodent seems to be many people's gut response, which might shoot the project in the foot (who can forget Rochas Poupée?).
Mathilde Laurent has been at jewellers Cartier since 2005 and she had been busy concocting Les Heures du Parfum, a series of niche-smelling fragrances sold exclusively at Cartier boutiques. Baiser Volé is the brand's first major feminine fragrance launch since Le Baiser du Dragon oriental in 2003 (Cartier de Lune of early 2011 not withstanding) and contrasted with the best-selling masculine Déclaration, which garners more than 60% of all Cartier's fragrance sales, this Baiser is set to be a serious bet on the part of the company; a recent Women's Wear Daily article tagged it as being intended as the scent pillar in the brand's feminine portfolio.It's definitely geared towards "a younger consumer", though like Robin I am at a loss on just how old the Cartier demographic really is to begin with.
The bottle of Baiser Volé is based on a stylised lighter design, for which the house is famous: In the 1970s there was no chicer way to light up (even today Cartier-embossed cigarettes are still produced in a small quantity in Europe), giving rise to the Les Must de Cartier, a boutique line from which Must perfume arose. Cartier Baiser Volé is available in Eau de Parfum (priced between $75-$145), also presented in matching Shower Gel and Body Lotion ($55 each) and deo spray, and is currently a Nordstrom Anniversary exclusive, but it will be available at major department stores in September 2011.
artwork via lunarki blog
Laurent began by asking what smell men found enticing in a womanly way, to which the (fit to print, at least) prominent reply seemed to be "the lily". Colour me sceptical; isn't lily a symbol for purity and the need for cleansing? Maybe men are really leaning more onto the Madonna rather than the whore juxtaposition? Maybe they're asking them from a pre-arranged multiple-choice sheet?
At any rate, thus equiped, Laurent embarked on her 2-year long quest into fitting this stunning flower into a composition that would light up the room just lilies they do, without it being cliché, or surupy sweet, or headache-inducing cloying. If you are looking for the most realistic lily scent recreation, you might stop reading right now or read our article on Lily scent and lily flower types in perfumery; Baiser Volé doesn't even aim at that. But if you like fresh powdery scents, you might want to at least sample; it's very likeable.
The vegetal quality of the fragrance presents itself in an odd game of salicylates, solar notes which boom on the skin, a balance of bitter and sweet with a hint of citrus: The treatment, air-spun, meringue-like, delicate, is not unlike the one that perfumer Jean Claude Ellena reserved for the lightening up of vanilla through ylang ylang & lily notes in his fluffy Vanille Galante for the Hermessences. The vanilla and musks laced drydown in Baiser Volé recalls the sweetness of Un Lys by Serge Lutens, but the context is less poetic, more powdery, in a cosmetic-power-infused, slightly bittersweet way with a small subfacet of spice ~only minimal, a tad clovey; and a hint of violet ionones. It's safe to deduce that Baiser Volé transposes these niche sensibilities, pure, unadulterated exploration of perfumery raw materials's facets, in sleight-of-hand executions, into the mainstream. Compared with other lily fragrances, Baiser Volé stands alone and lacks the gaiac smokiness of real lilies which is reported to give them their "ham" brine-y facet. Cartier's interpretation is nowhere near the dense, ambery tinged radiant ambience of Donna Karan's Gold. Or the faux chypre structure of Ineke's Gilded Lily. Or the spicy corolla of Lily & Spice by Penhaligon's. And whereas Lys Mediterranée is a raspy, roughened salty-savoury lily that appeals to a certain Med sensibility with its hoarsey voice, while remaining irresolutely lily-like, Baiser Volé is smoother, more pliable, less floral, more traditionally womanly in its vanillic powdery kiss, and oddly at once old-fashioned and "clean".
On the other hand, and this is really interesting, Laurent takes no prisoners into embracing the latest trend of reinventing powdery florals for a generation that was afraid of anything powdery signifying "old lady perfume": From Esprit d'Oscar to Love,Chloé, the pink satin feel of ballerina shoes is taking on the sheen of flou through dusty, dry notes reminiscent of violets, talcum powder and sweet musks (if you're thinking of Lovely, by Sarah Jessica Parker, with an added dose of powderiness, you're not too far off); especially since this is a medium sillage fragrance, projecting politely while lasting power is good. Maybe it's code for "classy" or "different" in the milieu of hundreds of sweet things on the market. Maybe the generation who loved Flower by Kenzo and Cashmere Mist by Donna Karan have moved onto other things by now, leaving a void to be filled with new consuemers. The freshly powdery effect needs a true best-seller to shoot off as the new "craziness" in perfume (after "pink chypres" , fruitchoulis, and ethylmaltol-based ~aka cotton-candy smelling~ gourmands) and it remains to be seen just which fragrance that might be: Even though the concept and smell might be right for Cartier, I think we're dealing with a confusing name for Anglos: kissing the rodent seems to be many people's gut response, which might shoot the project in the foot (who can forget Rochas Poupée?).
The bottle of Baiser Volé is based on a stylised lighter design, for which the house is famous: In the 1970s there was no chicer way to light up (even today Cartier-embossed cigarettes are still produced in a small quantity in Europe), giving rise to the Les Must de Cartier, a boutique line from which Must perfume arose. Cartier Baiser Volé is available in Eau de Parfum (priced between $75-$145), also presented in matching Shower Gel and Body Lotion ($55 each) and deo spray, and is currently a Nordstrom Anniversary exclusive, but it will be available at major department stores in September 2011.
artwork via lunarki blog
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Ineke new Floral Curiosities for Anthropologie
The new collection by indie perfumer Ineke Ruhland is coming: Ineke's new Floral Curiosities Collection for Anthropologie. Based on inspirations from Ineke's garden, this limited edition collection will be available exclusively in all Anthropologie stores starting in August.
Four flowers with distinct personalities are represented in the collection. Each flower’s unique character is expressed through the artistically rendered packaging which will make the Anthropologie customer eager to showcase them on her vanity. Beautifully presented clear cylindrical glass bottles are enclosed in boxes decorated by prose in hand-drawn calligraphy. Soft watercolor paintings wash over the packaging and hint to the hues inside.
The Fragrances:
Eau de parfum spray vaporizer, 2.5 fl. oz., $68
Angel’s Trumpet (Brugmansia) Rich and Opulent
Angel’s Trumpet opens with refreshing notes of honeydew melon, Seville orange and leafy greens. The fragrance is then warmed by cinnamon leaf and allspice and supported by Virginia cedar and white musk.
Briar Rose (Rosa rubiginosa) Fruity and Powdery
Dark accents inspired by twisted thorns characterize Briar Rose. Black raspberry, bitter almond, exotic spices, black violet, patchouli and cacao absolute come together to form a unique fragrance.
Poet’s Jasmine (Jasminum officinale) Citrus and Herbal
A fragrance inspired by Poet’s Jasmine tea, replete with slices of citrus fruit. Added points of interest include star anise, rosemary, absinthe, frankincense, cardamom, hinoki wood and guaiac wood.
Scarlet Larkspur (Delphinium cardinale) Floral Oriental
The scent deepens with notes of claret wine, nutmeg, saffron, amyris wood, tonka bean and bourbon vanilla after a bright fruity opening consisting of blood orange, red currant and morello cherry.
info/image via press release
Four flowers with distinct personalities are represented in the collection. Each flower’s unique character is expressed through the artistically rendered packaging which will make the Anthropologie customer eager to showcase them on her vanity. Beautifully presented clear cylindrical glass bottles are enclosed in boxes decorated by prose in hand-drawn calligraphy. Soft watercolor paintings wash over the packaging and hint to the hues inside.
The Fragrances:
Eau de parfum spray vaporizer, 2.5 fl. oz., $68
Angel’s Trumpet (Brugmansia) Rich and Opulent
Angel’s Trumpet opens with refreshing notes of honeydew melon, Seville orange and leafy greens. The fragrance is then warmed by cinnamon leaf and allspice and supported by Virginia cedar and white musk.
Briar Rose (Rosa rubiginosa) Fruity and Powdery
Dark accents inspired by twisted thorns characterize Briar Rose. Black raspberry, bitter almond, exotic spices, black violet, patchouli and cacao absolute come together to form a unique fragrance.
Poet’s Jasmine (Jasminum officinale) Citrus and Herbal
A fragrance inspired by Poet’s Jasmine tea, replete with slices of citrus fruit. Added points of interest include star anise, rosemary, absinthe, frankincense, cardamom, hinoki wood and guaiac wood.
Scarlet Larkspur (Delphinium cardinale) Floral Oriental
The scent deepens with notes of claret wine, nutmeg, saffron, amyris wood, tonka bean and bourbon vanilla after a bright fruity opening consisting of blood orange, red currant and morello cherry.
info/image via press release
Aqua di Parma Gelsomino Nobile: new fragrance
This fall Acqua di Parma will introduce a new fragrance in its Le Nobili collection: Gelsomino Nobile. Centered around an exclusive and highly unique species of Jasmine grown only in the Calabria region of Italy, this new Floral Green-Musk style of eau de parfum creates the sensation of walking through lush Italian gardens, in bloom with Jasmine, while the breeze brings in the soft, salty air from the Mediterranean.
Adding to the elegant and regal women's collection which celebrates Italy's famous Italian gardens, and which already includes the acclaimed Iris Nobile and Magnolia Nobile fragrances; Gelsomino Nobile is also launching with a sumptuous body cream in addition to two sizes of eau de parfum spray.
Acqua di Parma celebrates the Italian spirit of excellence and craftsmanship in its quest to use only the highest quality of ingredients used in fragrance making today. All of the products are made by expert artisans in Italy, and even the labels, as in 1916 when the Acqua di Parma Colonia fragrance first launched, are still applied by hand. Neiman Marcus will feature the new fragrance in their stores starting in August, and the world wide launch is set for September 1, 2011.
A full review of Gelsomino Nobile now on this link.
news/image via press release
Adding to the elegant and regal women's collection which celebrates Italy's famous Italian gardens, and which already includes the acclaimed Iris Nobile and Magnolia Nobile fragrances; Gelsomino Nobile is also launching with a sumptuous body cream in addition to two sizes of eau de parfum spray.
Acqua di Parma celebrates the Italian spirit of excellence and craftsmanship in its quest to use only the highest quality of ingredients used in fragrance making today. All of the products are made by expert artisans in Italy, and even the labels, as in 1916 when the Acqua di Parma Colonia fragrance first launched, are still applied by hand. Neiman Marcus will feature the new fragrance in their stores starting in August, and the world wide launch is set for September 1, 2011.
A full review of Gelsomino Nobile now on this link.
news/image via press release
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Marc Jacobs on the Power of Internet & Perfume
During Marc Jacob's stay in Berlin, he gave an interview on July 6, 2011, as he was invited to be a judge for the “Designer for Tomorrow” competition by Peek & Cloppenburg. The following excerpts are interesting to perfume enthusiasts who follow his brand.
What is your opinion of perfume, and how is it important to you?
MJ: “Perfume is very important. I love being involved in different sorts of projects, and perfume was very interesting. I never dreamed that one day I will create one, but I think it’s a rite of passage to be being taken as a serious designer. When the opportunity came, I went for it. It was an incredible and exciting experience working with Coty- we are now on our fifth fragrance. Commercially, working with perfume it is very exciting because it reaches more people than haute couture because it is easier to obtain. It was also very interesting for me as well to collaborate on the imagery with [photographer] Jürgen Teller and to be involved in the invention of the bottle, the package and the juice – it’s very exciting work. I love it. ”
Can you tell us how important the Internet is for you?
MJ: “Our life has literally changed with the Internet- any type of information is now instantly available, and people have become more involved on all levels and are more open than ever before. As for the young generation, there is no border between male and female and as they consider “what’s right and what’s wrong,” their judgement is not as clearly defined as it is in older generations, making them more open to creativity, new forms of expression and views. At least that’s what I try to believe. The Internet is a wonderful mode of communication. It’s a very democratic tool, and just for that, it should be accessible by everyone.”
More on Marc Jacobs on our tag
via beautypress
What is your opinion of perfume, and how is it important to you?
MJ: “Perfume is very important. I love being involved in different sorts of projects, and perfume was very interesting. I never dreamed that one day I will create one, but I think it’s a rite of passage to be being taken as a serious designer. When the opportunity came, I went for it. It was an incredible and exciting experience working with Coty- we are now on our fifth fragrance. Commercially, working with perfume it is very exciting because it reaches more people than haute couture because it is easier to obtain. It was also very interesting for me as well to collaborate on the imagery with [photographer] Jürgen Teller and to be involved in the invention of the bottle, the package and the juice – it’s very exciting work. I love it. ”
Can you tell us how important the Internet is for you?
MJ: “Our life has literally changed with the Internet- any type of information is now instantly available, and people have become more involved on all levels and are more open than ever before. As for the young generation, there is no border between male and female and as they consider “what’s right and what’s wrong,” their judgement is not as clearly defined as it is in older generations, making them more open to creativity, new forms of expression and views. At least that’s what I try to believe. The Internet is a wonderful mode of communication. It’s a very democratic tool, and just for that, it should be accessible by everyone.”
More on Marc Jacobs on our tag
via beautypress
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Burberry Body: new fragrance
Burberry is renewing the portfolio of fragrances (surely a best-selling one, what with The Beat and Brit and all its popular flankers garnering roughly 60% of the worldwide gross of Interparfums who own Burberry fragrances till 2017).
Burberry Body is the latest upcoming fragrance, using British model/actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley to front it. The model who is "honoured to be working with Burberry again", who helped launch her career, is shot by photographer Mario Testino in a series of sensuous shots wearing nothing but her Burberry trenchcoat, as you can see. "Burberry Body is the most exciting launch that we have ever created and captures the iconic spirit of the brand today in a striking and sensual way. Rosie's effortless style and her staggering beauty made her the natural choice as the first Burberry" according to Christopher Bailey, Chief Creative Officer at Burberry.
The new scent for women is kept under wraps for the time being, apart from the fact that it will be the most sensual in the Burberry line-up and that it will launch later this year, starting its online presence from September 1st.
In the meantime, is it hot in here, or is this a very sensuous photo indeed?
Photo of Burberry Body ad © Copyright Burberry/Testino
The new scent for women is kept under wraps for the time being, apart from the fact that it will be the most sensual in the Burberry line-up and that it will launch later this year, starting its online presence from September 1st.
In the meantime, is it hot in here, or is this a very sensuous photo indeed?
Photo of Burberry Body ad © Copyright Burberry/Testino
How French Women Do It (Wear Perfume, That Is!)
There is a huge market of marketing all things French to Anglosaxons and in that respect the title of today's post is in part taken off a popular "French lifestyle guide" aimed at Americans. Even though I have serious doubts about the factual veracity of both the "glamour puss" image of the French or the "gauche" approach of Anglos on all matters lifestyle (or is it?), there is something to be said about the interest that is generated about the use of perfume the French way in the hearts of fragrance lovers who devour all perfume advice with an insatiable appetite! In that regard I have amassed some excerpts from various sources which I will present to you in installments.
Allure Magazine recently published a beauty article called "French Lessons", by Judy Bachrach, focusing on perfume choosing and application rules. Even though most of the "rules" are field for heated discussion (especially since they rely on a certain national stereotype that seems to perpetuate a humiliating response in the American reader, following the trendy viewpoint of dumping on everything American), we thought it might provide fodder for discussion for our readers.
So here are the 7 Rules on How to Wear Perfume the French Way, according to Allure magazine:
1. There is only one reason, if you're French, to wear perfume. And that reason is seduction.
2. In France the scent you dab defines who you are.
3. A girl who picks a fragrance at 12 doesn't have to remain true to the scent for life.
4. There are times when you simply have to divorce your perfume.
5. Try not to wear the same scent as your mother.
6. Never leave home without it.
7. Never ask a Frenchwoman what perfume she's wearing. They don't want to share their signature scent.
On the other hand, even in books which rely rather on expanding the above mentioned social divide that lies between these two very different countries (and in general between Anglos and continental Europe), there are interesting tidbits about perfume use. The reason probably is that even though it's the French who made perfume the marketable good that it is, cultivating the fragrance industry early and seriously, it's really the Anglos who have a keen interest in fragrance, smelling it, owning it, collecting it and alternatively enthusiastically embracing it or shunning it with just as much passion.
Writes Helena Frith Powell (an author on the subject): "French women use everything they can to seduce men, including perfume. They’re mad about it. Most of them won’t leave the house without it. If you go into a perfumery in France once the sales assistant will offer to ‘perfume’ you. I can see why. Their men are equally mad about the way women smell. I once sat next to a French man at a dinner. Half-way through the starter he turned to me and whispered: “Your perfume is intoxicating.” As an English girl I’m not used to that sort of comment. It half made me want to throw up, but it also made me feel rather, well, intoxicating and seductive."
In Fatale, How French Women Do It by Edith Kunz, the seminal little guide into all things French which spawned a legion of similar style volumes, (some more serious than others), there is a chapter devoted to French perfume use. In it, the author rightfully demonstrates how the habit of perfume wearing began in France as a temporary cure for a general state of filth and expands into describing the (supposed) French ritual of wearing fragrance for purposes of seduction. Even though the procedure isn't particularly novel ~bath soak in aromatic oils, followed by scented body lotion and scented dusted powder, with fragrance as an end note~, it does present a couple of interesting tidbits: According to Kunz French femme fatales apply perfume to the pulse points with a generously moistened cotton puff instead of fingers or the stopper (My own suggestion of a better way to do that would be to use a small silk handerchief on the stopper, which can then aromatize your handbag). As to where to put that perfume, perhaps the most famous quip comes from Chanel who suggested to a client asking "wherever you want to be kissed". Not to quench anyone's imagination, but there is a plethora of (unusual) key points to consider in your fragrancing ritual:
heels, arches and between the toes
the inner and outer ankle bone
behind the knees
the underside of the derriere
the pubic area and the navel
under each breast and between the breasts
the shoulders and upper arms
inside the bend of the elbow
the pulse points at the inner wrist
the back of the hand and between the fingers
the hollow at the bottom of the neck
all around the collar bone
under the chin
along the jaw line
behind the ears and on the earlobes
on the temples
along the back of the neck to the shoulder blades
around the hairline
If this isn't enough for your routine, I don't know what might be! Surely a loaded, decadent perfuming process, but one which would make one unforgettable. Whether that would be in a positive or negative light remains within the grasp of your actual perfume choice and one crucial detail, in the words of Powell "don’t overdo it, perfume has to give a hint of sweet things to follow, not knock your date out". Eh, bien sûr!
Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Drapeau tricolore: Quintessential French Perfumes Selection, Stars & Stripes: 10 Quintessentially American Perfumes.
art illustration via makeupandbeauty.com
Allure Magazine recently published a beauty article called "French Lessons", by Judy Bachrach, focusing on perfume choosing and application rules. Even though most of the "rules" are field for heated discussion (especially since they rely on a certain national stereotype that seems to perpetuate a humiliating response in the American reader, following the trendy viewpoint of dumping on everything American), we thought it might provide fodder for discussion for our readers.
So here are the 7 Rules on How to Wear Perfume the French Way, according to Allure magazine:
1. There is only one reason, if you're French, to wear perfume. And that reason is seduction.
2. In France the scent you dab defines who you are.
3. A girl who picks a fragrance at 12 doesn't have to remain true to the scent for life.
4. There are times when you simply have to divorce your perfume.
5. Try not to wear the same scent as your mother.
6. Never leave home without it.
7. Never ask a Frenchwoman what perfume she's wearing. They don't want to share their signature scent.
On the other hand, even in books which rely rather on expanding the above mentioned social divide that lies between these two very different countries (and in general between Anglos and continental Europe), there are interesting tidbits about perfume use. The reason probably is that even though it's the French who made perfume the marketable good that it is, cultivating the fragrance industry early and seriously, it's really the Anglos who have a keen interest in fragrance, smelling it, owning it, collecting it and alternatively enthusiastically embracing it or shunning it with just as much passion.
Writes Helena Frith Powell (an author on the subject): "French women use everything they can to seduce men, including perfume. They’re mad about it. Most of them won’t leave the house without it. If you go into a perfumery in France once the sales assistant will offer to ‘perfume’ you. I can see why. Their men are equally mad about the way women smell. I once sat next to a French man at a dinner. Half-way through the starter he turned to me and whispered: “Your perfume is intoxicating.” As an English girl I’m not used to that sort of comment. It half made me want to throw up, but it also made me feel rather, well, intoxicating and seductive."
In Fatale, How French Women Do It by Edith Kunz, the seminal little guide into all things French which spawned a legion of similar style volumes, (some more serious than others), there is a chapter devoted to French perfume use. In it, the author rightfully demonstrates how the habit of perfume wearing began in France as a temporary cure for a general state of filth and expands into describing the (supposed) French ritual of wearing fragrance for purposes of seduction. Even though the procedure isn't particularly novel ~bath soak in aromatic oils, followed by scented body lotion and scented dusted powder, with fragrance as an end note~, it does present a couple of interesting tidbits: According to Kunz French femme fatales apply perfume to the pulse points with a generously moistened cotton puff instead of fingers or the stopper (My own suggestion of a better way to do that would be to use a small silk handerchief on the stopper, which can then aromatize your handbag). As to where to put that perfume, perhaps the most famous quip comes from Chanel who suggested to a client asking "wherever you want to be kissed". Not to quench anyone's imagination, but there is a plethora of (unusual) key points to consider in your fragrancing ritual:
heels, arches and between the toes
the inner and outer ankle bone
behind the knees
the underside of the derriere
the pubic area and the navel
under each breast and between the breasts
the shoulders and upper arms
inside the bend of the elbow
the pulse points at the inner wrist
the back of the hand and between the fingers
the hollow at the bottom of the neck
all around the collar bone
under the chin
along the jaw line
behind the ears and on the earlobes
on the temples
along the back of the neck to the shoulder blades
around the hairline
If this isn't enough for your routine, I don't know what might be! Surely a loaded, decadent perfuming process, but one which would make one unforgettable. Whether that would be in a positive or negative light remains within the grasp of your actual perfume choice and one crucial detail, in the words of Powell "don’t overdo it, perfume has to give a hint of sweet things to follow, not knock your date out". Eh, bien sûr!
Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Drapeau tricolore: Quintessential French Perfumes Selection, Stars & Stripes: 10 Quintessentially American Perfumes.
art illustration via makeupandbeauty.com
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Serge Lutens Vitriol d'Oeillet: fragrance review & draw
"Sometimes he frets his instrument with the back of a kitchen knife or even a metal lipstick holder, giving it the clangy virility of the primitive country blues men". This descriptor for Bob Dylan's style fits the newest Serge Lutens creation to a T: clangy, virile in a rugged way, disruptive, angry and unusual are all characteristics of Vitriol d'Oeillet (meaning vitriol of carnation); an uncharacteristic carnation fragrance which breaks the mould of old fashioned powdery florals of the start of the 20th century, offering a futurist angry woody floral. In Vitriol d'Oeillet Lutens alludes to carnation via intense, corosive pepper and lily and invites us to think of carnations of red, feisty under the intense sun of Provence, and at the same time of the London fog hiding a gentleman killer à la Jack the Ripper, who sports a carnation in his buttonhole.
There's something to be said about 19th century and its fixation with death & violence, a kind of violence beyond the funereal association so many people have with carnations. The ethereally romantic image of the era gets shattered when we read Honoré de Balzac for instance: Madame Cibot is a widow twice-over, when her husband Rémonencq accidentally consumes the chalice of vitriol he was intending for his wife (in Cousin Pons)...Oil of vitriol features in many a 19th novella, not just Balzac.
Two especially memorable scenes have the caustic sulphuric acid unceremoniously thrown on a face (the acid works by releasing acids from their salts, i.e.sulphides); namely in George Gissing's The Nether World (1889) and Robert Louis Stevenson's The Ebb-Tide (1894). Perhaps what inspired those writers into using vitriol in fiction scene stealers as an aussault (an aussault to injustice, poverty and degradation), as well as a metonym for realism (a late 19th century claim to the explosive!), is what inspired Lutens himself; a desire to break loose with preconceptions about how a carnation fragrance should be: pretty, prim, feminine, dainty? Vitriol d'Oeillet is nothing of the sort!
But there's something to be said about Vitriol being in tune with Moorish sensibilities too, of which Lutens has long been an accolyte. Blue vitriol is copper (Cu), green vitriol is iron (Fe), and white vitriol is zinc (Zn), all Hermetic references for the initiated. Sulphuric acid (historically known as 'oil of vitriol') was formerly prepared from green vitriol in a ritual that crossed into the alchemical. The Moors sold vitriol preparations as an antiseptic panaceia. There's this thing in Shi'ism called ta'wil, it's this idea where "you take anything back to its root significance, its original self". A cleanse going for the bone!
On the other hand, in late 19th century carnations were innocent, popular buttonhole flowers; Oscar Wilde was said to sport one and companies producing such fragrances were a dime a dozen, rendering the carnation soliflore a dominating fragrance trend of the Victorian era. The dandified character of carnation scents has persisted: from old-image Floris Malmaison to Roger &Gallet's ever popular ~but ultimately discontinued~ Blue Carnation all the way to modern-day retro Dianthus by Etro.
The opening of Serge Lutens Vitriol d'Oeillet is sharp, caustic as befits the name though not smelling of sulphur, without the dense powdery note that surrounds the rich floral heart of retro carnations such as Caron's Bellodgia. After all, clove, the main spicy component in creating a carnation accord in perfumery, is called clou de girofle in French, same as a pointy "nail". But despite the disruptive nails on a chalkboard of the opening of the new Lutens fragrance, the progression of Vitriol d'Oeillet softens gradually; much like Tubéreuse Criminelle hides a silken polished floral embrace beneath the mentholated stage fright. In Vitriol d'Oeillet's case Serge hides the heart of a lush lily inside the spicy mantle. Indeed it is more of a lily than a carnation fragrance, as per the usual interpretation of carnation in perfumery.
The spices almost strangle the lily notes under cruel fingers: black pepper, pimento, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, pink pepper with its rosy hue, paprika and clove; in Serge Noire and Louve the spices serve as a panoramic "lift" to the other notes, here they reinforce what was a hint in the flower. The woody backdrop of cedar is softening the base, but lovers of Serge's and Sheldrake's candied-fruit-compote-in-a-cedar-bowl will not find the sweet oriental they have grown to expect. Vitriol d'Oeillet is resolutely spicy, rendered in woody floral tonalities that only slightly turn powdery towards the very end.
To give perfume comparisons: If you have always found Secret Mélange, from Les Caprices du Dandy collection by Maître Parfumeur et Gantier (a fragrance which dared to mix cold spices and flowers and harmonize the accord with warm woods) quite intriguing, you have good chances of liking the jarring nature of Vitriol d'Oeillet. So might lovers of Caron's Poivre (which is vastly superior nevertheless) or of the dark, suffused imagescape of Garofano by Lorenzo Villoresi and E.Lauder's intense Spellbound. If you were looking for a classic, dense, feminine carnation floral or a minimal contemporary treatment oif the note such as in Oeillet Sauvage by L'Artisan Parfumeur, you might be scared by this violent yet diaphanous offering.
Oddly for the actual formula, since it's chartreuse liqueur which is infused with carnation petals and alchemically it is green vitriol which hides the greatest power, Vitriol d'Oeillet if of a greyish-lilac tint which looks someplace between funereal and alluringly gothic-romantic. The sillage is well-behaved, indeed subtle, perhaps because vitriol derives from the Latin vitrium, meaning glass, therefore denoting a certain transparency and lightness. Vitriol d'Oeillet is androgynous with great lasting power that seems to grow in depth, becoming a little bit sweeter and woodier as time passes.
Serge Lutens Vitriol d'Oeillet belongs to the export line, available at select stockists around the world and at the official Lutens site, 95euros for 50ml of Eau de Parfum. The limited edition engraved bottles depicted cost much more.
A generous-sized decant is available for one lucky reader. Draw is now closed, thank you!
What is it you find intriguing about the concept?
Two especially memorable scenes have the caustic sulphuric acid unceremoniously thrown on a face (the acid works by releasing acids from their salts, i.e.sulphides); namely in George Gissing's The Nether World (1889) and Robert Louis Stevenson's The Ebb-Tide (1894). Perhaps what inspired those writers into using vitriol in fiction scene stealers as an aussault (an aussault to injustice, poverty and degradation), as well as a metonym for realism (a late 19th century claim to the explosive!), is what inspired Lutens himself; a desire to break loose with preconceptions about how a carnation fragrance should be: pretty, prim, feminine, dainty? Vitriol d'Oeillet is nothing of the sort!
But there's something to be said about Vitriol being in tune with Moorish sensibilities too, of which Lutens has long been an accolyte. Blue vitriol is copper (Cu), green vitriol is iron (Fe), and white vitriol is zinc (Zn), all Hermetic references for the initiated. Sulphuric acid (historically known as 'oil of vitriol') was formerly prepared from green vitriol in a ritual that crossed into the alchemical. The Moors sold vitriol preparations as an antiseptic panaceia. There's this thing in Shi'ism called ta'wil, it's this idea where "you take anything back to its root significance, its original self". A cleanse going for the bone!
On the other hand, in late 19th century carnations were innocent, popular buttonhole flowers; Oscar Wilde was said to sport one and companies producing such fragrances were a dime a dozen, rendering the carnation soliflore a dominating fragrance trend of the Victorian era. The dandified character of carnation scents has persisted: from old-image Floris Malmaison to Roger &Gallet's ever popular ~but ultimately discontinued~ Blue Carnation all the way to modern-day retro Dianthus by Etro.
The spices almost strangle the lily notes under cruel fingers: black pepper, pimento, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, pink pepper with its rosy hue, paprika and clove; in Serge Noire and Louve the spices serve as a panoramic "lift" to the other notes, here they reinforce what was a hint in the flower. The woody backdrop of cedar is softening the base, but lovers of Serge's and Sheldrake's candied-fruit-compote-in-a-cedar-bowl will not find the sweet oriental they have grown to expect. Vitriol d'Oeillet is resolutely spicy, rendered in woody floral tonalities that only slightly turn powdery towards the very end.
To give perfume comparisons: If you have always found Secret Mélange, from Les Caprices du Dandy collection by Maître Parfumeur et Gantier (a fragrance which dared to mix cold spices and flowers and harmonize the accord with warm woods) quite intriguing, you have good chances of liking the jarring nature of Vitriol d'Oeillet. So might lovers of Caron's Poivre (which is vastly superior nevertheless) or of the dark, suffused imagescape of Garofano by Lorenzo Villoresi and E.Lauder's intense Spellbound. If you were looking for a classic, dense, feminine carnation floral or a minimal contemporary treatment oif the note such as in Oeillet Sauvage by L'Artisan Parfumeur, you might be scared by this violent yet diaphanous offering.
Oddly for the actual formula, since it's chartreuse liqueur which is infused with carnation petals and alchemically it is green vitriol which hides the greatest power, Vitriol d'Oeillet if of a greyish-lilac tint which looks someplace between funereal and alluringly gothic-romantic. The sillage is well-behaved, indeed subtle, perhaps because vitriol derives from the Latin vitrium, meaning glass, therefore denoting a certain transparency and lightness. Vitriol d'Oeillet is androgynous with great lasting power that seems to grow in depth, becoming a little bit sweeter and woodier as time passes.
Serge Lutens Vitriol d'Oeillet belongs to the export line, available at select stockists around the world and at the official Lutens site, 95euros for 50ml of Eau de Parfum. The limited edition engraved bottles depicted cost much more.
What is it you find intriguing about the concept?
Monday, July 18, 2011
Historical Smells Recreated in a Library of Scents at Osmotheque USA
"To put smells in a historical context is to add a whole dimension to how we understand the world. Boston’s Back Bay, for instance, has at different times been filled with the smells of a saltwater marsh, a cesspool, horses, and car exhaust. Some smells vanish, new ones arise, and some shift in a way that tells a cultural story. The jasmine and leather notes of a Chanel perfume from 1927 help us understand the boldly androgynous women of the flapper era, just as the candied sweetness of the latest Victoria’s Secret fragrance tells us something about femininity today."
To that end Roman Kaiser, a Swiss fragrance chemist, developed "headspace" (a method in which the air around an object, usually a living flower, is analysed and the scent recreated in the lab afterwards) while Christopher Brosius (of CB I Hate Perfume and formerly Demeter Library of Fragrances) has used that headspace technique to recreate more imaginative smells, such as fur coats or worn paperbacks. Others have made this an organized goal in the form of an archive, a veritable library of scents to speak, such as the Osmothèque, headquartered in Versailles, France, which keeps a collection of historically important perfumes, in their original formulas, chilled in aluminum flasks in argon, an inert gas that won’t react with the perfumes like oxygen does, helping them stay stable over time. "Laudamiel is currently spearheading an effort to bring some of these perfumes to New York City, and has created an Academy of Perfumery and Aromatics that will represent the Osmotheque in the United States."
Christophe Laudamiel, a renowened French perfumer who has a daring approach to fragrance and was responsible for the re-enactment of the smelly scenes of the novel Das Parfum (which materialised into a collector's coffret for Thierry Mugler), is taking advantage of recent breakthroughs in historical exploration for his curating the US-based "library of scents", such as having McHugh of Harvard Universiaty turning on his list of detailed formulas of perfumes and incense encountered in Sanskrit texts; often to intriguing results, as the wealthy Brahmins who took notes on those scents described them in positive and occasionally in negative light. For instance, one of the fragrances Laudamiel has reconstructed contains notes of clarified butter, milk, mango blossoms, honey and sandalwood, while another reeks of rotting flesh, smoke, alcohol and garlic!
Perhaps the greatest challenge lies not in recreation however, but in context: How the people of the time experienced those smells, rather than how they smell to us today, as evidenced by the somewhat lacking recreation of smells in the Jorvik Viking Center in York, England, which takes visitors into the experience of smelling a fish market or a Viking latrine. The challenge of integrating the historical experience into smell recreations is what lies ahead.
data/quotes from Courtney Humphries "A whiff of History" in Boston.com. Read it in its entirety here.
photo of arc in Artemis temple in Jerash, Jordan via wikimedia commons
Christophe Laudamiel, a renowened French perfumer who has a daring approach to fragrance and was responsible for the re-enactment of the smelly scenes of the novel Das Parfum (which materialised into a collector's coffret for Thierry Mugler), is taking advantage of recent breakthroughs in historical exploration for his curating the US-based "library of scents", such as having McHugh of Harvard Universiaty turning on his list of detailed formulas of perfumes and incense encountered in Sanskrit texts; often to intriguing results, as the wealthy Brahmins who took notes on those scents described them in positive and occasionally in negative light. For instance, one of the fragrances Laudamiel has reconstructed contains notes of clarified butter, milk, mango blossoms, honey and sandalwood, while another reeks of rotting flesh, smoke, alcohol and garlic!
Perhaps the greatest challenge lies not in recreation however, but in context: How the people of the time experienced those smells, rather than how they smell to us today, as evidenced by the somewhat lacking recreation of smells in the Jorvik Viking Center in York, England, which takes visitors into the experience of smelling a fish market or a Viking latrine. The challenge of integrating the historical experience into smell recreations is what lies ahead.
data/quotes from Courtney Humphries "A whiff of History" in Boston.com. Read it in its entirety here.
photo of arc in Artemis temple in Jerash, Jordan via wikimedia commons
Friday, July 15, 2011
Chanel Coco Noir : new fragrance (rumour)
In the context of keeping you up with the latest, we often present fragrance projects by renowned companies before their launch is official. We classify these under "rumour" on Perfume Shrine and accept that the finer points may be swayed this way or that way later on. Today we have news on an upcoming Chanel fragrance! [We have updated with the official confirmation & pics below, scroll down please].
The thinking behind it all
Coco Noir is the official name, which stands for the new flanker to the original Coco fragrance from the 1980s. Coco Mademoiselle proved so popular that another effort in a similar vein might prove a treasure trove. After all since Chanel No.19 found a flanker, renewing the brand, in No.19 Poudré, why not Coco once more? After all, Coco Mademoiselle celebrates a decade on the market and a new addition to the line seems to prove it's considered a modern classic: if sales and promotion/advertising are any indication, it certainly is.
A "Noir"?
The Noir moniker suggests a composition that would depend on mystery, danger, adventure...There are hundreds of "noir" (or "black") fragrances on the market, from classics such as Narcise Noir and Drakkar Noir for men, to modern cults such as Bulgari Black, Japon Noir by Tom Ford, Black Orchid (again by Ford), Back to Black by Kilian, Orris Noir by Ormonde Jayne and Encre Noire by Lalique; or less challenging, tamer offerings such as Bulgari Jasmin Noir, Crystal Noir by Versace, La Petite Robe Noire by Guerlain. There's something for everyone, since noir holds powerful fascination in fragrances for consumers, as we have already discussed in detail.
My money for the next Chanel therefore is on sophisticated notes that are making a come-back in general, such as leather, tarry-phenolic elements, incense, and darker "woods" (not forsaking popular patchouli) with skin-scent musks etc. The concept of calling something "black" is aesthetically a by-word for grown-up and I can't possibly see how girly, frou-frou things (fruity florals, sweet vanillas) could evoke it sufficiently. Unless they've forgotten what they represent at Chanel, which I hope they have not.
EDIT TO ADD: Official confirmation coming from Chanel directly one year later than my original prediction(!): Coco Noir is a new perfume launching on August 14th 2012 in the US and then internationally in September 2012; an oriental poised between the classic spicy oriental Coco and the modern luminous patchouli-laced oriental Coco Mademoiselle.
[See? I told you I was not bull-shiting you!]
The concept
“Why does all I do become byzantine?” — Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel
The concept of Coco Noir by Chanel is inspired by the past, traveling, the Baroque,Venice at night and the time Coco spent in the mysterious city....the idea of Venetian velvet is a recurring motif.
The perfume is composed by in-house perfumer Jacques Polge.
"For Coco Noir, I thought of Coco and of Coco Mademoiselle too, because it’s also part of the history. I wanted to continue exploring an entire esthetic range of CHANEL perfumery, a range that distinguishes itself from the Florals, one that is illustrated by Bois-des-Iles and Cuir de Russie. I took it up with Coco. It’s what I like to call the CHANEL Coromandel culture, what you see and feel in her apartment. The night vision of the ‘Orient that starts and ends in Venice’ imposed itself upon me and that is where I wanted to go.”
~Jacques Polge
Here is the bottle above and the fragrance notes for Coco Noir by Chanel:
Top: grapefruit, bergamot and orange
Heart: jasmine, rose, red geranium, Indonesian patchouli
Base: Brazilian tonka bean, Bourbon vanilla, sandalwood, frankincense and white musk.
Edit to add mini review:
Chanel's Coco Noir is like U2's song When All I Want is You, specifically the lyric "all the promises we break". It is no doubt a fragrance to suit contemporary sensibilities, what those may be, but its woody backdrop with lots of austere, somewhat masculine notes (which is not a bad thing in itself) is betrayed by the obiquitous fruity top which brings a jarring sour, garbage-y nuance.
The thinking behind it all
Coco Noir is the official name, which stands for the new flanker to the original Coco fragrance from the 1980s. Coco Mademoiselle proved so popular that another effort in a similar vein might prove a treasure trove. After all since Chanel No.19 found a flanker, renewing the brand, in No.19 Poudré, why not Coco once more? After all, Coco Mademoiselle celebrates a decade on the market and a new addition to the line seems to prove it's considered a modern classic: if sales and promotion/advertising are any indication, it certainly is.
A "Noir"?
The Noir moniker suggests a composition that would depend on mystery, danger, adventure...There are hundreds of "noir" (or "black") fragrances on the market, from classics such as Narcise Noir and Drakkar Noir for men, to modern cults such as Bulgari Black, Japon Noir by Tom Ford, Black Orchid (again by Ford), Back to Black by Kilian, Orris Noir by Ormonde Jayne and Encre Noire by Lalique; or less challenging, tamer offerings such as Bulgari Jasmin Noir, Crystal Noir by Versace, La Petite Robe Noire by Guerlain. There's something for everyone, since noir holds powerful fascination in fragrances for consumers, as we have already discussed in detail.
My money for the next Chanel therefore is on sophisticated notes that are making a come-back in general, such as leather, tarry-phenolic elements, incense, and darker "woods" (not forsaking popular patchouli) with skin-scent musks etc. The concept of calling something "black" is aesthetically a by-word for grown-up and I can't possibly see how girly, frou-frou things (fruity florals, sweet vanillas) could evoke it sufficiently. Unless they've forgotten what they represent at Chanel, which I hope they have not.
EDIT TO ADD: Official confirmation coming from Chanel directly one year later than my original prediction(!): Coco Noir is a new perfume launching on August 14th 2012 in the US and then internationally in September 2012; an oriental poised between the classic spicy oriental Coco and the modern luminous patchouli-laced oriental Coco Mademoiselle.
[See? I told you I was not bull-shiting you!]
The concept
The concept of Coco Noir by Chanel is inspired by the past, traveling, the Baroque,Venice at night and the time Coco spent in the mysterious city....the idea of Venetian velvet is a recurring motif.
The perfume is composed by in-house perfumer Jacques Polge.
"For Coco Noir, I thought of Coco and of Coco Mademoiselle too, because it’s also part of the history. I wanted to continue exploring an entire esthetic range of CHANEL perfumery, a range that distinguishes itself from the Florals, one that is illustrated by Bois-des-Iles and Cuir de Russie. I took it up with Coco. It’s what I like to call the CHANEL Coromandel culture, what you see and feel in her apartment. The night vision of the ‘Orient that starts and ends in Venice’ imposed itself upon me and that is where I wanted to go.”
~Jacques Polge
Here is the bottle above and the fragrance notes for Coco Noir by Chanel:
Top: grapefruit, bergamot and orange
Heart: jasmine, rose, red geranium, Indonesian patchouli
Base: Brazilian tonka bean, Bourbon vanilla, sandalwood, frankincense and white musk.
Edit to add mini review:
Chanel's Coco Noir is like U2's song When All I Want is You, specifically the lyric "all the promises we break". It is no doubt a fragrance to suit contemporary sensibilities, what those may be, but its woody backdrop with lots of austere, somewhat masculine notes (which is not a bad thing in itself) is betrayed by the obiquitous fruity top which brings a jarring sour, garbage-y nuance.
 |
| Venice by night....the inspiration behind Chanel Coco Noir |
Ormonde Jayne on the Continent: European Shopping Destinations in Zurich & Brussels
Osswald Parfümerie in Zurich was chosen for the Ormonde Jayne’s first continental concession on the prestigious Bahnhofstrasse. Osswald is an exclusive third generation perfumery that Ormonde Jayne’ owner Linda Pilkington first visited as a customer thirty years ago. Osswald has created a special area for Ormonde Jayne’s full range of 12 exclusive Parfums and Eau de Parfums within their boutique and the Osswald staff are delighted with the new range.
Ormonde Jayne’s second European concession is due to open in ten days on July 17 in Brussels on Place Stephanie at Senteurs d’Ailleurs. This will be the largest haute parfumerie store of its kind in Benelux.
In an impressive expansion from the existing store on Avenue Louise, Senteurs d’Ailleurs will be opening their doors in the stunning new Art Deco building opposite The Conrad Hotel next week.
Ormonde Jayne’s exclusive Perfume Portraits service that Linda Pilkington recently launched with also be available in Brussels. This is the complimentary service that helps customers find their signature scent by smelling the raw ingredients of the perfumes.
The two new European concessions follow on from Ormonde Jayne’s launch of the new flagship boutique in Sloane Square that opened in November 2010 and the staffed concession in Harrods Perfumery Hall in February 2010.
news via press release
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