It's not uncommon that perfume newbies sometimes come across fragrances with the name "Guerlain" in their presentation and get confused as to whether it pertains to the classic, revered family house (now under LVMH ownership) or it involves a fake. (Sad as it might be, the latter is not unheard of, with dubious specimens cropping up like "vintage" Louis Vuitton fragrances beyond the known etc.) The answer to this is neither.
Two other Parisian perfume companies, Marcel Guerlain & Hughes Guerlain, are in fact totally legit and have been producing beautiful perfumes for years. Although Marcel Guerlain, who has been producing fragrances and cosmetics from his beautiful 86 rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honore in Paris boutique since 1923, shares a surname to one of the heirs of the Guerlain family, these names are not affiliated with the Pierre-Francois Guerlain family.
The confusion was no less annoying in the years preceding WWII than it is today: Marcel was legally forced to eventually change his company's name to Societe des Parfumeurs Francais. USA advertisements bear the inscription "no connection with any firm of similar name" before it. The Guerlains also took their own measures, giving rise to the "nous n'avons pas de prenom" campaign (i.e. we have no first name).
The often impressive Marcel Guerlain bottles were developed with the help of Andre Jollivet and other designers of the time.
It's interesting to note that the other company named in the title of this article, Hughes Guerlain, was founded also by Marcel Guerlain himself, alongside several other companies involved in the production and distribution of cosmetics and perfumes.
Extrait 9 (1920s)
Extrait 14 (1920s)
Chypre de Hughes Guerlain (1930s)
Bolide
Molny
Aimee (1930s)
Toutes Fleurs (1940s)
In conclusion, though less celebrated than the famous Guerlain classics, the products by Marcel Guerlain and Hughes Guerlain are not to be scoffed at, being beautiful and worthwhile in their own right.
"New ADA regulations make it easier for employees to file disability claims for allergies and other scent-related conditions. While there are not many cases, some case law already exists that is shaping how employers must react to remain compliant.
In a recent BLR webinar, Marc Jacuzzi outlined for us some of the cases that have shaped how employers should react when an employee has fragrance sensitivity."
via planetthrive.com
Thus begins an article on fragrance sensitivity now falling under disabilities guidelines. Read it here.
I had always maintained that Hermès's Kelly Calèche perfume from 2007 was a sleeper classic: it has the ethereal, aristocratic quality of Grace Kelly with an atonal modernity built in to it, a herbal rose abstraction, the perfect introductory fragrance for young women ~brought up in Bath & Body Works body sprays~ into "proper" perfume. It didn't intimidate, it didn't cajole with false pretenses of sweetness, it didn't turn too masculine or too soapy, all thanks to its refinement and slightly disjoint character of herbs plus flowers. Strangely enough, it's no shame to admit Kelly Calèche commercially languishes. With no celebrity face endorsing it, no big advertising, a reference to an iconic bag ("the Kelly") that only the really really wealthy (and well connected) can acquire and a smell that doesn't propose seduction, it was meant to be.
Still the artistic idea by perfumer Jean Claude Ellena was a good one and several upstarts tried to re-do it with a different concept presentation to appeal to the exact same demographic. Gucci Flora for one. Balenciaga, a hipper brand than both, in Nicolas Ghesquière's tenure, tries once more and now employs the rock chic ~and cheat~ of Twilight saga star Kristen Stewart to promote it, wrapped in packaging of pure 1970s psychedelia and with a name to finally mean what it says: Florabotanica.Apparently the official ad speak talks about evoking "the 18th century botanical gardens in which the most exotic and rarest plant species were displayed". Yeah, all rightie.
“Flowers can be cruel, carnivorous or poisonous,"Ghesquière said upon Florabotanica's launch. "What would a perfume that contained this mystery be like?” I'll tell you what, it smells like Kelly Calèche, a perfume that is neuther cruel, nor carnivorous, least of all poisonous. Not too obviously floral either. We're not dealing with juggernaut. But the element of danger and the forbidden has to be brought into ad speak, axiomatically it seems, because perfume apparently cannot (or will not) extricate itself from the game of seduction, no matter how much fragrance yearns to be perceived as art! Therefore IFF perfumers Olivier Polge and Jean-Christophe Herault were brought to the task to reprise the green rosy aspect, the top note that recalls bittersweet tomato leaves, the cooling effect of green shoots, the lightly sensuous, close to the skin lingering human-like trace, and the linear perfume structure that smells the same from top to bottom. Florabotanica is suitable for the girl at college as it is for the professional working at an office, from morning to casual evenings, and might even have young girls' mothers (or brothers) borrowing it on occasion, it's that pliable and wearable, with a moderate projection and trail despite the initial faux "loudness". Does it create ripples in the pond, though? Nah...
Those who give credence to perfume notes and what they mean won't believe just how different these two appear to be on paper. But hey, don't take my word for it, go smell them side by side! (And while you're at it, give a whirl to Eau de Pamplemousse Rose and Rose Ikebana, both Hermès, if you happen to be close to one of their boutiques, to see the same idea fleshed in small variations by the original artist).
Florabotanica by Balenciaga is available at major department stores for $95 for 1.7 ounces/50ml of Eau de Parfum. Kelly Calèche is still available on Hermès' counters and boutiques last I checked.
Much like the brownie points of "casual chic" of the original Eau des Merveilles (2004) by perfumers Ralf Schwieger and Nathalie Feisthauer, L'Ambre des Merveilles never intends to intrude a space, but rather infiltrate like a secret agent. To pursue a musical analogy, whereas amber (ambre) is usually solid Buxtehude, L 'Ambre it's a lacework melody by Gabriel Fauré; two cyclical piano phrases, like the four-beat gait of a horse, having a conversation with an echoing cello.
The newest Hermes in the Merveilles fragrance line (again) showcases perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena's mastery of his materials: there's nary a heavy or syrupy off note as trap-like as this perfume trope can get; the equivalent of a warm hug rather than a baked goods pastry or a head shop rife with patchouli and amber aphrodisiacs. We're long off that vulgarized route and yet L'Ambre never misses a beat on smelling alluring and sexually appealing all the same—or rather, in spite of it.
L'Ambre des Merveilles unites some aspects of both Elixir des Merveilles and Eau Claire des Merveilles (previous flankers from 2006 and 2010 respectively) into its DNA, the comforting gingerbread cookie nuance gaining the nuzzling sweetness of the hug of a close friend who's wearing cosmetic powder and sweet amber perfume oil. Because, you see, there's both warmth and austerity in L'Ambre, interpreting the amber "fragrance note" (really a mix of ingredients) into a perfume that explores all facets of this most traditional aperture of Orientalia: the initial piquancy, the resinous depth and heft, the powdery trail lingering on skin and clothes, the vanilla dryness...The bitterness of labdanum, a touch of soil, of earth smelled in the air, the saturation of crocus yellow trailing off the horizon ~and what I sense as powdery benzoin~ mingle with the bittersweet citrusy top note and a hint of blond tobacco into an amalgam that is brighter than the sum of its parts, yet is still oddly founded on the minerals and salty skin idea of the original Eau.
L'Ambre des Merveilles feels light and buoyed and collapsingly soft, like being surrounded by a sunny cloud, and invokes thoughts of nostalgia, quiet contentment and being at peace with the world.
Music: Gabriel Fauré - Sicilienne, for cello & piano, Op. 78 dedicated to William Henry Squire
"The hours I spent with my mother were full of mystery; we sat opposite each other, she on a chair beside the window, me on a stool, and in the silence I felt my chest to fill to satiation, as if the wind around us were milk and I was suckling it. Over our heads stood the acacia tree and when it was in bloom the courtyard was gloriously scented. I loved how my mother put the fragrant yellow flowers in all our chests and linens; my entire childhood smelled of cassie.
We were talking, a lot of quiet conversations, when my mother recounted about her father and the village she was born in, and then I told her about the lives of the saints I had read and tried to unravel their life using my imagination; as if what they had suffered already weren't enough, I added more of it on my own, until my mother started weeping.
Then I felt regret, sat on her knees, caressed her hair and consoled her:
-"They went to heaven, mother, don't worry, they're strolling under blooming trees, chatting with the angels and have forgotten their sufferings. And every Sunday they put their gold clothing, caps with red tassels and go to pay a visit to God".
Mother then wiped her tears, looked at me as if saying "Really, do you think so?" and she smiled. And the canary, in its cage, listened to us, lifted its throat and sang drunkenly, happy, as if it had left the saints for a moment and came down to earth to spread goodwill among the people.
My mother, the cassie and the canary are inseparably mingled, immortal in my mind; I can no longer smell acacia or hear a canary without having my mother rise from the tomb ~from my gut!~ and to mingle with this scent and the singing canary".
Tolu and Peru Balsams distinguish themselves among perfumery materials thanks to their refined and soft ambience, incandescent like the flick of a candle, a golden honey drop abandoning itself into a pool of hot liquid. The fragrances which contain them exude a warm, majestic, plush character, inviting and comforting, with a heft that corresponds to their dark, caramel-like thickness. Both of these materials have a gentle tone, while at the same time they're softly enveloping and have a pronounced character. They fix flowers into lasting longer and thanks to their properties when used in large quantities produce the Semi-Orientals or "Florientals" (i.e. in conjunction with rich floral essences).
Origin of the two balsams: the Myroxylon tree
Peru balsam comes from the Myroxylon tree, literally "fragrant wood" in Greek, (or else known as Quina/Balsamo), which also produces Tolu balsam, as you will see further on; the latter differs mainly in production methods and in its odor profile, being a little sweeter and fresher than Balsam of Peru. The species is also known as Myroxylon toluiferum HBK (which is mainly used for the production of Tolu balsam as its name suggests), M. balsamamum (L.) Harms and Myroxolon Pereirae (i.e. from Peru, which is mainly used for the production of Balsam of Peru, naturally).
The plant is mainly cultivated in the South America and the West Indies, although it has spread to other part of the world as well. Today El Salvador is the main exporter of Peru Balsam. The name of Balsam of Peru is a misnomer, however, since it was originally assembled and shipped to Europe from the ports of Callao and Lima, in Peru, even though the species is not indigenous to Peru. In fact Tolu balsam owes its name to the name of the native precolumbian people (Tolú singular and Tolúes plural) who used to be the inhabitants at the same place where now is located Tolú, a small town and municipality in Sucre Department, northern Colombia (South America) by the Caribbean sea!
Odor Profile & Production
Tolu balsam is comprised of 3/4 fragrant resinous compound, containing approximately 15% free cinnamic acid and benzoic acid and about 40% of the benzyl and related esters of these free acids. A volatile oil is present in small amounts (from 1.5% to 7%). Traces of styrene, coumarin and vanillin are also present, giving the warm, lightly spicy character.
The Tolu resin is tapped from the trunk of the tree through incisions into the bark, trickling yellow-brown semi-fluid or near solid material in thick "drops" and collected. The cold material fractures like flint and is stored for use in pharmaceuticals and perfumery. The dry resin has a complex aroma consisting chiefly of cinnamon and vanilla, while at the same time it has a floral aroma that is inviting and soft.
Peru Balsam on the other hand is a dark brown, thick liquid also with cinnamic and vanillic facets but with a gentle green olive base note that is earthier and bitter. The process of producing it from the Myroxylon tree differs: The balsam in the bark is obtained by boiling. Following removal of strips of bark from the tree, the exposed wood secretes balsam. The material soaks into rags wrapped around the tree, which then are boiled in water. The naturally heavier balsam sinks to the bottom and the water on top is thrown away.
Aqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo Mandorlo di Sicilia
Ayala Moriel Finjan
Donna Karan Gold
DSH Perfumes Cafe Noir
Esteban Baume Tolu
Estee Lauder Youth Dew
Estee Lauder Cinnabar
Jean Desprez Bal a Versailles
Kenzo Power
Lanvin My Sin
Ormonde Jayne Tolu
Parfum d'Empire Cuir Ottoman
Piguet Fracas
Reminiscence Eau de Patchouli
What we do in Paris is Secret A Lab on Fire
Yves Saint Laurent Opium
Yves Saint Laurent Opium pour Homme
Fragrances featuring Peru balsam:
Estee Lauder Youth Dew
DSH Perfumes Arome d'Egypte
Etro Heliotrope
Guerlain Chamade
Guerlain Vol de Nuit
Guerlain Shalimar Eau de Cologne
Hermes Elixir des Merveilles
Hermes Parfum des Merveilles
Jean Desprez Bal a Versailles
Montale Oriental Flowers
Patricia de Nicolai Sacrebleu
Patricia de Nicolai Sacrebleu Intense
Santa Maria Novella Potpourri
Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan
Serge Lutens Fumerie Turque Related reading on PerfumeShrine: Perfume term: Resinous & Balsamic
The Art of Scent has highlighted some of the aspects that make perfumery the engrossing, fascinating subject that it is. What can be communicated through scent that defies the breakdown of "notes" or even ingredients? Its artfulness can take many forms, none more so than evoking the stimuli that other senses would evoke in its place. The exhibition at the MAD Museum in NYC, curated by Chandler Burr, has opened to a great response and these are some photos to give you a glimpse of it...plus one pre-exhibition shot to show the space being prepared, pregnant with hope and expectations of history in the making...Enjoy!
Official photos by Ric Kallaher, courtesy of the
> Museum of Arts and Design
click to enlarge
The catalogue of the exhibition including 11 essays by Burr and the vials of the collection can be purchased on the Musuem online store. Only 1000 copies are available, individually numbered.
I have been fragrance consulting for a piece in Condé Nast's Traveler these past few days and it has come to my attention that the terminology of Arabian perfumery, despite its gradual seeping into the mainstream, is still elusive for many. So a few terms are hereby clarified for our readers.
via timeoutkl.com
One of the terms you often stumble upon is mukhallat/mukhallet/mokhalat. The term is rather generic to denote fragrance oil mix in Arabic. Oil form is prefered due to its sensual nature and because oil holds fragrance better. Seeds and leaves are grinded into powder to enrich those oils. Arabian women are increasingly appreciating the convenience of Western-style spray fragrances, emulating the Western ideal, yet there is also the belief those smell a little less beautiful due to the intense alcoholic blast out of the sprayer.
It's very common fragrance practice in the Middle East, therefore "mukhallat al...something" is a fragrance oil to be used neat on the skin with X ingredient highlighted. Alternatively you might see the brand's name placed beside the mukhallat term, to denote their own "blend" version. [That said, there IS a company simply named Mukhallat which has an online site selling fragrances of Arabic inspiration].
Mukhallat is not to be confused with attar, which refers to any fragrant essential oil distilled from flowers into a carrier oil (usually sandalwood). So you can have a mukhallat containing attar of roses for instance, but also musk, saffron, oudh, amber (itself a mix)...The variations that distinguish mukhallats are not only the ingredients themselves (i.e. the "recipe") as these tend to tread familiar paths, but also for instance the species of the particular flower used, the origin of an ingredient (such as Omani frankincense versus Somalian), plant or animal based musk, the amber-note recipe, additional oils and the quality and quantity of individual ingredients. It's here important to note that although mukhallat sounds like a mix of all natural essences, in truth this is often not the case.
Oudh/Oud/Aoud (also: agarwood or aloeswood) is one of the most common and confusing ingredients to be featured in Arabian perfumery. Common because there's a significant tradition of using this oleoresin in Middle Eastern rituals, and confusing because so many of the fragrance blends are not based on the natural oud essence for various reasons, as you can see here. Oud/Oudh comes in two commercial forms: den al oudh which is an oil produced via either distilling the wood chips of the Aquilaria tree (a more economical option) or melting a small amount of the resin produced by the tree into a carrier oil. Thus den al oudh can be used neat on the skin as perfume. The pure resin (to be further manipulated for fragrance purposes) is usually referred to as oud mubakhar.
Some of the companies that do quality Arabian-inspired or Arabian perfumery are (in no specific order):
Amouage, Ajmal, Aluwwah.com, Arabian Oud, Al Haramain, ASAQ, Al Rehab, Yas: The Royal House of Perfumes. Rasasi and Swiss Arabian are also credible, if less luxurious.
And of course there are less expensive Arabian fragrant mixes that can be no less beautiful in their own way.
"In Paris I have two favorite addresses: Caron for the very feminine fragrances (153 boulevard St Germain 75006 Paris) and Colette for the niche perfumes (213 rue Saint Honoré 75001 Paris). And whenever I am at Cologne I always visit Apropos, a concept store dotted with quite the distinguished selection (www.apropos-store.com).
I don't like too loud fragrances. For me a perfume should be fresh, close to my natural scent."
‘The Art of Scent’ at the Museum of Arts and Design, delayed by superstorm Sandy by a week, is finally opening. Curated by Chandler Burr (well known to perfume aficionados so that he doesn't need an introduction), its aim is to place fragrance in a vision-free "zone" to be appreciated as pure art.“The fundamental goal of the department [of Olfactory Art],” mr. Burr said during a recent interview at his office, “is placing scent as an artistic medium alongside painting, sculpture and music.” For however “brilliant” or “extraordinary” the greatest scents may be, he added, “they’re not recognized as works of art, and the artists who create them are not recognized as artists.”
A gallery with 12 gently curved indentations in its walls was created by Diller Scofidio & Renfro. "Hidden behind each is a scent diffusion machine: a visitor who leans into the curve will set off an electronic eye, causing the machine to release a burst of fragrance calibrated to stay in place for four seconds, without spreading across the room (made by the German company Scentcommunication)".[source]
The catalogue of the exhibition is scheduled to be sold and ready to ship in about 2 weeks on the Store at MAD site here (check for pre-ordering). The catalogue includes essays on the fragrances, written by mr.Burr, referenced through art movements that correspond to the scents, and will retail for $250 and there are only 1,000 catalogues, numbered, 1 – 1,000. The catalogue will contain 11 of the 12 works of olfactory art that Burr is exhibiting —they haven’t been able to include Chanel N° 5 which will be exhibited in the show nevertheless. Each fragrance is contained in a Spartan 5ml vial of pure taste.
And the works contained are:
01 Romanticism
Jicky
1889
Aimé Guerlain
Lent by Guerlain
02 Abstract Expressionism
L’Interdit
1957
Francis Fabron
Lent by Givenchy and Givaudan
03 Early American School
Aromatics Elixir
1971
Bernard Chant
Lent by The Estée Lauder Companies and International Flavors and Fragrances
04 Industrialism
Drakkar Noir
1982
Pierre Wargnye
Lent by l’Oréal International Flavors and Fragrances
05 Surrealism
Angel
1992
Olivier Cresp
Lent by Clarins and Firmenich
06 Minimalism
L’Eau d’Issey
1992
Jacques Cavallier
Lent by BPI and Firmenich
07 Photo Realism
Pleasures
1995
Annie Buzantian, Alberto Morillas
Lent by The Estée Lauder Companies and Firmenich
08 Kinetic Sculpture
Light Blue
2001
Olivier Cresp
Lent by Dolce & Gabbana, P&G Prestige, and Firmenich
09 Neo-Romanticism
Prada Amber
2004
Carlos Benaïm, Max Gavarry, Clément Gavarry
Lent by Prada, Puig, and International Flavors & Fragrances
After the catastrophic Brad Pitt No.5 campaign (largely faulty due to the horrendous script), Chanel goes all damage control and employs Marilyn Monroe at their Inside Chanel microsite.
The“Marilyn and N°5” video is part two of a larger Inside Chanel campaign that is available at www.inside-chanel.com.
After several months in absentia, due to the heavy workload of mr.Jeffrey Dame, owner and administrator of the Perfume of Life community, one of the oldest fora for perfume lovers is finally back. You can log in if you're an old user with your old username or you can register if you're new. Check this link and enter Perfume of Life for discussion of all matters related to perfume. It's been missed...
Ormonde Jayne Perfumery requests the pleasure of your company to a special Bond Night Celebration. Enjoy a 20% discount in store and by phone (below), plus a 56 GBP worth complimntary bathing oil for the first 15 customers making a purchase in store.
Join us at Ormonde Jayne for a glass of champagne and mince pies. See the Bond Street Christmas lights turn on, marvel at ice scultpures and listen to the Christmas swing band.
Date:
Thursday 22nd November
Time:
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Place:
The Royal Arcade, 28 Old Bond Street, London.
T: 0207 499 1100
Much like Caron's Pour un Homme is a study in lavender, done in a simple equation style giving so much more in perceived value, so Bellodgia is Caron's study of carnations, but in all their rich depth. I am not surprised many perfume lovers like Bellodgia, even floral haters. Unlike its reputation for a soliflore (the fragrance that reproduces the scent of a single flower, carnation in this case) it's really complex and not simplistic.
Loving carnations sincerely, I had to have this perfume in my collection. Carnations have a scent that is not really floral, but definitely spicy and richly intimate. Who in their right mind deemed them "humble" for offering is beyond me. That spiciness is the reason I like storks also; another not quite so chic flower with its intense skatole quota (Skatole is the predominant molecule in excrement, its name deriving from the Greek word for shit; oh well, nothing is as it appears.)
Bellodgia seems the definitive carnation scent exactly because of its spiciness and complexity of its quality essences (allegedly its top note alone comprises 100 essences, a claim I find rather hard to believe); yet it is really a somewhat orientalized spicy perfume, rich in peppery notes that give a jangling quality to begin with, then segue into carnation richness with nuances of vanilla and woods warmth, which lasts incredibly well. The current eau de toilette opens with a note of incense comparable to Caron's Nuit de Noel and Parfum Sacre. The clove tint is a living remnant of retro perfumery of the turn of the 20th century, when carnations were recreated with flower notes (ylang ylang and rose) and cloves. At the time the buoyancy of the combination that resulted in a soapy, inedible impression signified perfume, a sign of wealth and status.
The heady, not so innocent kick of carnation is baroque-like in Bellodgia, like the sheen of brocade cloth, where every change of the light brings out hidden reflections in the fabric. Similarly, the longer this Caronperfume stays on, the more it gains in creaminess and powder facets, prone to be deemed "old lady smelling" by those consumers who dismiss by that derogative term anything that isn't reminiscent of cake batter or linen drawers. The classical turn can smell a bit dated, a fact that shouldn't deter the male of the species grabbing it in an effort to turn what can be predictable and ageing for one gender into an unexpected burst of good news for the other, if they dare.
The vintage formulation of Bellodgia is perhaps guiltier in the rich powderiness and the floral impact (aka more ladylike), while the modern versions are sheeting everything in the envelope of warm skin-scent musks, but more so in eau de toilette than in eau de parfum, the latter more floral and denser overall and more lasting. It's easy to spot the difference: the latest bottles have a purple label (or are encased in the shagreen tubes that the whole line has progressed onto, this time in purple), the older ones sport a white one.
The extrait de parfum is smoother than both but the problems with sandalwood supply in later years have subtly changed its base note over the last decade.
Created in 1927, Bellodgia was the result of the collaboration of Caron founder Ernest Daltroff and one-time dress maker Felicie Vanpouille, who lent her fashion expertise to the company's scents. Specifically it was inspired by Italy and its countryside of wild carnation fields, particularly the picturesque town of Bellagio, perched high above the incredibly beautiful Lake Como, it smells sunny yet deep. Full of classical drama? Indeed. It is perhaps its assertion and its projection that accounts with its popularity over past decades with American customers.
Bellodgia is a masterful blend of floral essences, so it needs some time to be blocked and some repeated exposure for it to be really appreciated, much like a good Bordeaux. And for those who sorta like Bellodgia, but want a smooth spices carnation without the powdery floralcy? Try Caron's Tabac Blond. You'll thank me later...
Notes for Caron Bellodgia: lily of the valley, rose, carnation, violet, jasmine, clove, musk, vanilla and sandalwood.
“I wear the fragrances I am creating. My skin is my work instrument. When I have the time to wear some fragrances, I like to smell of Féminité du bois or Ambre Sultan by Serge Lutens, or some of my earlier creations for Jo Malone London like English Pear & Freesia.” So says perfumer Christine Nagel, "creator of Narciso Rodriguez for Her(with Francis Kurkdjian), and several blockbusters includingMiss Dior Chérieand Dolce & Gabbana The One for Her, before moving in-house at Jo Malone London to put her unique spin on the company’s traditional blooms" as per one article appearing on Australian Vogue.
Most perfumers and people professionally involved in fragrances do not wear perfumes on their own skin as a matter of course or when working, so as not to get distracted. Yet sometimes they do indulge in their own creations (to better gauge them), the odd classic or two an aside, or at least they're saying so to bring more attention to their work. Francis Kurkdjian, Olivier Cresp, Daniela Andrier, Anne Flipo, Fabrice Penot of Le Labo, Erwin Creed, Frédéric Malle, Romano Ricci of Juliette Has a Gun, and François Demachy (head perfumer for Dior) share their secrets with the readers of Australian Vogue. Read the whole article on this link.
“J’Adore is a huge inspiration on a lot of different home-care products such as air fresheners and cleaners”. Dior for home? Think again.
Before she cleans a client’s home, Liz Phillips finds out how they prefer their kitchen and bathroom to smell. The real-estator-mom-turned-entrepreneur founded Golden Touch Professional Services and taps into the increasingly relevant scent-sensitive market for cleaning one's home. Household products producing companies aren't far behind: Procter and Gamble has a new line of Dawn dish soap called Dawn Destination. The scents include Mediterranean Lavender, New Zealand Springs and Thai Dragon Fruit. Clorox has a line of Green Works products that includes a “Water Lily” scent. The S.C. Johnson Co. has added Multi-Surface Glade Magic Meadow to their line of Windex products. It boasts the scent of “fresh greens, morning dew and white jasmine.” Unlike more perfumey antecedents, these new compounds don’t simply mask other less desirable smells.
Deborah Betz, a senior fragrance-development manager at International Flavors & Fragrances, says the country’s Hispanic population has a significant influence on the market.[...] “Clorox has a line that’s marketed in Latin America called Poett,” Betz says. “What they decided to do is relaunch it in the United States as Fraganza. It’s selling very, very well.”
Hispanics tend to use stronger fragrances in their homes, Betz says.
Fabuloso, an all-purpose cleaner marketed in Latin America by Colgate-Palmolive, is being used by more non-Hispanic consumers in the United States. Scents include Lavender, Passion of Fruits and Ocean Paradise.
“Fresh marine notes are very hot,” Betz says. “Very fruity scents are very hot, too: berries, apples, melon.” When it comes to cleaning products, some upscale perfumes can also set the tone, like above-mentioned J'Adore.[source] There may soon come a day when your Dior might remind someone of their clean countertop...
On the other hand online niche perfume distributor Luckyscent celebrates its decennial anniversary and for that occasion they issued the Decennial Collection, a line of four new in-house scents. "Our 10-year anniversary made us look back at the road we've traveled to see how far we have come. To honor our special occasion, we desired something both celebratory and meaningful.
That something turned out to be The Decennial Collection, a set of four fragrances created in collaboration with perfumers Andy Tauer and Jérome Epinette. Decennial is a reflection of who we are and, because it has such a strong influence on us, where we live: Los Angeles, a city of incredible diversity with a undeniably unique personality. This quartet is an abstract reflection of our journey, a tip of our collective hat to who we are, how we got here, and where we hope to go.
The fragrances include Nuit Épicée (almond, cumin, rhubarb, cistus, violet, blond woods, black amber, praline), Santal Sacré (ginger, elemi, incense, white musks, papyrus, Australian sandalwood), Bois Bourbon (saffron, cinnamon bark, lavender, heliotrope, black rose, cedarwood, beach birch, oak moss), all by Jérome Epinette and last but not least Lys du Desert (bergamot, rose, green lily, dry cistrose, iris root, ambergris, dry cedar) by Andy Tauer.
And irreverent niche brand Le Labo introduces all their perfumes in oil form this Novemeber. "Dear hippie hiding under your skin - unleash yourself: your fragrance now comes as a perfume oil !
Le Labo's full range of creations is available in botanical safflower oil presented in a 1 ounce perfume eyedropper, to be carried anywhere and to be used everywhere: from your pulse points, your mane, your neck, your cleavage to your beard... That sounded weird, I just pictured a bearded bombshell..." (30ml/0.9fl.oz for 90 euros)
The third fragrance in the JEWEL collection, after M.MICALLEF JEWEL FOR HER and JEWEL FOR HIM, YLANG IN GOLD opens up on refreshing citrus head notes and consists of voluptuous flowers warmed by sweet and sunny base notes suggesting tropical islands, comprising ylang-ylang, sandalwood, coconut and vanilla. In the authentic French tradition of crafts and luxury, the M.Micallef Company gives priority to qualitative and natural ingredients in its fragrances and magnifies each bottle in its art studio. The bottle of YLANG IN GOLD is delicately hand decorated with Swarovski crystals specially designed for M.Micallef.
On the skin, YLANG IN GOLD leaves a light and delicate pearly golden dust made of golden powder, especially created and elaborated according to current standards for cosmetics.
Notes for Ylang in Gold by M.Micallef:
Top notes: Tangerine orange, geranium, artemisia
Heart notes: Ylang-ylang, rose, sandalwood, lily-of-the-valley, magnolia
Base notes: Coconut, vanilla, musk.
100 ml of Eau de Parfum with golden dust suspended in the juice ($245), as well as a same-size edition without the shimmer. Debuts October 2012.
...for the all naturals Home fragrance wax melts by Anya's Garden is hula-la. Please email me using Contact with your shipping data so I can notify the perfumer to have your prize in the mail for you soon.
Thanks everyone for the enthusiastic participation and till the next one!
“I’m a Halifax girl. I used to work in a perfume shop, literally just sweeping up. I loved the whole fantasy behind fragrance and the women that shopped there. What was wonderful was the women who bought fragrance were really amazing characters. At that time fragrance wasn’t accessible for everybody – it was only for the wealthy. We sold perfumes like Chanel, Guerlain, Lauder, Arden, Van Cleef. People had their hair done upstairs, and the perfumery and beauty department was downstairs. It was the first shop in the north to get a French fine fragrance. Being a perfumer was definitely my destiny and working in that perfume shop as a young girl was the start.” says Lyn Harris on the M&S Magazine to editor Michelle Pamment. (It was a propos the creation of 3 feminine -La Fleur, La Rose and La Poudree- and 3 masculine fragrances -Le Cologne, Le Sauvage, Le Noir- which Lyn Harris composed for Marks & Spencer, launching this past September)
And she gives us a tip on choosing a personal scent, as leaned from the Telegraph: "When you're choosing a fragrance, try a few different scents and pick according to what makes you smile and makes you feel good. You will know that instantly. Everyone has an idea of what they like, but be wary of presumptions. A lot of people say, 'I hate anything musky' - but most fragrances have musk in them!"
Ralf Schwieger is the Department of Olfactory Art's (at the MaD Museum in NYC) first Artist in Residence. During Ralf’s residence, which is described on the museum’s website here and here , he will publicly create a work of olfactory art in the 6th Floor’s beautiful glass-walled Artist Studios. Every raw material synthetic and natural is there for the Museum’s visitors to smell, as well as every mod. Visitors are interacting freely with Ralf, asking him questions (most of which he says he’s found, a bit to his surprise, quite interesting; we have smart visitors) and smelling his work.
Chandler Burr, the curator of the exhibition and art director of this project, asked Schwieger to work on an idea of ginger and another idea of spearmint.
Each week, Ralf is taking the most promising mod, printing it out, and putting its complete formula on the wall so that visitors are able to watch the work as it evolves.
Ralf is in residence every Thursday.
What possessed Givenchy to create two fragrances in 1957, the well known L'Interdit and the less known Le De, both inspired from and originally intended for Audrey Hepburn? In retrospect, though both elegant, delicate enough florals of immense clarity to reflect the tameness of the 1950s in terms of perfume expectations and societal mores and therefore suited to the "nice girl" elegance of Hepburn herself, the commercial supremacy of one over the other has left Le De in the twilight. It's perhaps telling that Bette Davis, no spring chicken when Le De became available in 1958 ~the actress was hitting 50, well into maturity by the standards of the time~ chose to wear the ill-fated one. Le De remains today a snapshot of how women used to smell, ladylike and in pearls, and even in the re-orchestrated re-issue that the company launched in 2007, seems a captive of time in one way or another.
The oddly named Le De is a reference to the particle of nobility in Hubert de Givenchy's name. In 1952, at the age of 24, Givenchy opened his own design house on 8, rue Alfred de Vigny in Paris introducing it with the "Bettina Graziani" collection, named after Paris's top model at the time. He had a tight budget and only three staff working in a room loaned to him by friend and mentor couturier Cristobal Balenciaga.
The landmark of Givenchy's style, and the contrast to his more conservative contemporary Christian Dior, was innovativeness: The revolutionary use of cheaper fabrics employed in designs that intrigued with their aesthetic viewpoint, instead of their bourgeois luxury (influenced no doubt by Balenciaga), and his "separates", instead of the more standard option of dresses. Audrey Hepburn, later the most prominent champion of Givenchy's fashion (and to many the fashion plate whose image both benefited from and inspired him in equal measure), met the French designer in 1953 during the shoot of Sabrina. He had mistakenly thought he was going to meet and dress Katherine Hepburn...An immediate friendship was forged over this misunderstanding and Hubert went on to design almost all the wardrobes she wore in her movies, prompting him to later say that "Audrey's image is associated with my name". She never failed to note that "Hubert gave me self-confidence. In one of his suits with the beautiful buttons I can forget my shyness and talk in front of 800 people". Their friendship lasted till her untimely death.
Le De came about when Hubert chose decided to gift his friend with a perfume; actually he commissioned two, the other being L'interdit (created in 1957 and commercialized in 1964) and they were hers alone for a whole year. In 1958 the idea of launching perfume under the aegis of his house saw Le De being introduced to the market while L'Interdit was immortalised in another classic Audrey Hepburn film, Breakfast at Tiffany's.
Comparing vintage and modern Le De Givenchy
The vintage edition of Le De comes across as a strange floral etude in the lineage of Le Dix de Balenciaga, with the violet note treated in a non sweet manner, contrary to all confectionary and makeup references that violets usually translate to perfumery. Instead the astringency of the violets gains soapy and powdery nuances (thanks to orris and rose) presenting the suds and puffs of a beauty ritual through the sheer panel of a light filter. There is no natural reference, just abstraction. The narcissus essence is laced with the impression of a horse's sweat, segueing into a musky feminine aura that is lived-in contrasting nicely with the general "groomed" effect. It is subtle enough that you won't catch it unless you're looking for it.
In 2007 a re-issue of Le De Givenchy was launched under the auspice Les Mythiques, a homage collection to the classics in the Givenchy line. The modern Le De is a play on humid floralcy. A dewy floral would theoretically appeal to modern sensibilities, even though this style had commercially expired by the time that the company thought about launching it. The violet is subdued and a "clean" orange blossom and lily of the valley are making it approachable and familiar. The structure recalls a woody musky floral and sillage and projection remain low-key, though perfectly calibrated to function as a constant halo. As of time of writing, the modern Le De is still available from Harrods.
How to Differentiate Different Editions
The original Le De Givenchy was introduced in 1957. The vintage bottle has rounded shoulders and is following the classic mould common for L'Interdit as well. It was available in eau de toilette and extrait de parfum. The 2007 re-issue of Le De Givenchy in Les Mythiques line is encased in a lilac box with the logo of Givenchy repeated in the design motif of the packaging. The bottle in frosted glass, tall, with sparse lines and sharp shoulders. EDIT: My reader Lily notes that there is an update on the Les Mythiques 2007 edition, introduced in 2011, with slight differences in the packaging, although I haven't come across it in person. If anyone can describe the differences and whether there's a change in scent I'd be happy to include the info.
Notes for the vintage Le De Givenchy:
Top notes are coriander, mandarin orange, tarragon, bergamot and brazilian rosewood
middle notes: carnation, lilac, orris root, jasmine, ylang-ylang, lily-of-the-valley and rose
base notes: sandalwood, amber, musk, oakmoss and guaiac wood. Notes for the 2007 Les Mythiques Le De Givenchy:
Top notes: coriander and lily-of-the-valley
middle notes: jasmine, ylang-ylang and bulgarian rose
base notes: sandalwood, vetiver and incense.
Les Feuilles Mortes: music by Joseph Kosma and lyrics by poet Jacques Prévert.
Yves Montand sung it in 1946 in the film "Les Portes de la Nuit".
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