The winners of the draw...

...for the Harad book are Larie, Marjorie, and Cacio. Congratulations and please email me using Contact with your shipping data so I can arrange getting your prizes in the mail soon.

Thanks everyone and till the next one!

Serge Lutens La Vierge de Fer: the Iron Maiden Referencing New Fragrance

She walks on through the night
Her circumstances slight
Are only helping her to fail
And though she feels she's right
She tries with all her might
And makes the deepest peril pale
Oh, but she is unreal
Oh, but she doesn't feel
Oh, but she is unreal

She chooses who to love
And then unlike a dove
She takes the laughter from their smile
She wears a velvet glove
Her friends may find it rough
It is a gauntlet all the while

via laparousiedejesus

Could Serge Lutens have been listening to the 1970 Iron Maiden song by Barclay James Harvest (one of my long favorites[1]) and thinking of his own mother, who entrusted his keeping to the hands of relatives as a small child? We'll never know.

What we do know is that this hard-as-nails recollection is mixed: the fragrance pays tribute to Serge's own mother, poignant, since the anthropomorphic torture device know to us from the Inquisition days and the heavy metal band replicates the iconography of Mary, mother of Jesus. Aside from any notions (and involuntary misunderstandings) of grandeur, the concept of tending to fragility, to past traumas for the semi-abandonded Serge (much like a device of torture would reference), is at art's core and thus drives creation. And his fixation with 19th century romanticism (De Profundis or Vitriol d'Oeillet) and its darker side (Douce Amere), all the way through to German Expressionism (La Fille de Berlin) continues...

Vierge de Fer, the latest perfume to adorn the sumptuous Lutens line means Iron Maiden (also referenced as "Virgin of Nuremberg") and recalls the Inquisition dungeons we have come to associate with heavy metal bands, gothic tales and heavy SM tones.



The fragrance focuses on lily (a flower highlighted in Lutens's Un Lys previously) with a mineral, hard and cold aspect, that recalls the hardness of iron, and incense. According to Lutens himself: "The lily in Vierge de Fer is more glorious than in Un Lys. That one was fresher, more lily-like actually. It played on the whiteness of lily. This one [Vierge de Fer] plays on the heady aspect. It's a lily whose pollen hasn't been dusted off, it has kept its stamens and anthers. This is a lily which affronts, once again."[2]

Vierge de Fer has just been presented and will be widely available in September at Les Salons du Palais Royal in the beautiful bell jars of 75ml eau de parfum concentration and on the official Lutens e-boutique.

[1] For some reason or other, I first loved it as a teenager. Must have been the glorious bass line, as I loved following songs with strong bass lines.
[2]quote via Nicoals Olczyk translated from the French

Help Support a Niche Line: Join the Kickstarter Campaign for Le Cherche Midi

I had covered Le Charche Midi in the past, noting the attention to detail and no-frills approach of Nathan Motylinski who heads it. Independent entrepreneurs are to be admired for their courage in this highly competitive world where behemoths clash their swords with family-owned houses who try to resist as best as they can. The scents by Le Cherche Midi are good too, so now that they've embarked on a Kickstarter campaign to fund their future plans, I thought it worthwhile to share with you so that you too can put your money where your mouth is and help support an indie.

This is the page on the Kickstarter site and they have 11 days to run till completion. There are clips and information on the new fragrances there and you can see the rewards for the pledges (yes, there is some instant gratification built in too)
As you can see the participation starts extremely low (just 1$!) so everyone can help out. À vous!

Free Perfume Book Giveaway: Coming to my Senses

"Alyssa Harad’s affair with scent begins in secret, late at night, by the glow of her computer screen when she stumbles on a blog devoted to perfume. Candid, elegant, and full of lush description and humor, COMING TO MY SENSES takes readers from a private museum of rare essences in Austin, Texas, to the glamorous fragrance showrooms of Manhattan, and finally to a homecoming in Boise, Idaho, to prepare for Harad’s wedding." She's one of us, guys, need I say more?

Thanks to the kind provision of the publisher, I have three paperback copies for USA residents for the picking. Please leave a comment to be eligible. Draw remains open till Wednesday midnight and winners will be announced on Thursday.

News on the Distribution of Ramon Monegal NM Exclusive Pure Mariposa

The Spanish brand with the catapulting US presence Ramon Monegal had created Pure Mariposa exclusively for Neiman Marcus. With the clients of Neiman Marcus as his muse, Ramon Monegal has created a fruity, green-floral, woody scent that captures the timeless elegance, sophistication, spirit, and modernity of the Neiman Marcus woman. Up till now you could find this fragrance only at Neiman Marcus.

But now the Begdrof Goodman superstore has offered us the chance to own this fragrance on their online boutique. You can find the link here, along with the rest of the Ramon Monegal perfume line.

Notes for Pure Mariposa for Neiman Marcus by Ramon Monegal 
Top Note
Fresh festive colorful: orange, grapefruit, bergamot.
Fruity vital, cheerful: yuzu, black currant, plum.
Ozonic pure, graceful: helional, melonal, calone, ultrazur. (molecules)
Middle Note
Green natural: oakmoss, grass accord, fig.
Floral rich, elegant: Osmanthus, jasmine, lily of the valley, rose wardia, tuberose.
Base Note
Woody powerful, harmonious: sandalwood, cashmeran (m), iris, anchouli (m).
Silky sophisticated, majestic: peach, tonka bean, amber.
Available as 1.7 fl.oz. (50ml) of eau de parfum.

Dos Gardenias

Two gardenias for you;
With them I wish to say:
I love you, I adore you, my life.
Place all your attention on them,
because they are your heart
and mine.

Two gardenias for you
that will have all the warmth
of a kiss.
Of those kisses that I gave you
and that you shall never find
in the warmth of another love.

Beside you they will live
and they will talk to you
as when you are with me.
And you will even believe
that they say to you: I love you.

But if on one sundown
the gardenias of my love
shall (happen to) die
it's because they have guessed right
that your love is over
because there is someone else.

[translation via http://lyricstranslate.com]

Source: sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net via Rosalie on Pinterest

Antonio Lugo Machin romantically sings "two gardenias for you" and I'm swooning in my gardenia fragrance of the day which is Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia by E.Lauder. To find out about more fragrances with dominant gardenia, please consult the link. And happy weekend to all!

Jean Louis Scherrer: 1935-2013

The French designer is no longer with us. Dead at the age of 78 after a long illness, this dancer turned fashion designer, will remain etched in our memories as an elegant couturier (who started at Dior, worked for Yves Saint Laurent and then Louis Féraud before opening his own house in rue du faubourg Saint-Honoré in 1962) and the head of a perfume line of infinite grace and luxury: Jean Louis Scherrer pour femme, Scherrer II, Nuits Indiennes...

Stéphan Roulland said of him: "What Yves Saint Laurent stood for in Rive Gauche, Jean Louis Scherrer stood for in Rive Droite".

“It’s a beautiful brand and a prestigious house, with a fairly dramatic and very, very tumultuous history,” noted Didier Grumbach [president of the Chambre Syndicale, French fashion’s governing body] who detailed the house’s numerous changes of ownership in his 2008 book, “Histoires de la Mode.” “Despite that, he maintained a great reputation through his couture designs, which were pleasant, slightly bourgeois and less radical than those of Saint Laurent, with whom he worked at Dior,” Grumbach said. “The quality of the workshops was very well-known.”
[source] 

Repose en paix.

The winner of the draw...

...for the La Via del Profumo bottles is Matt. Congratulations and please email me -using Contact or email on profile- with your shipping data so I can arrange for your prize to get in the mail for you.

Thanks everyone for the enthusiastic participation and till the next one, very soon (and an intriguing one at that, stay tuned!)

FRAGments - Underground, Artisan and Indie Perfume Event/Collective

FRAGments - Underground, Artisan and Indie Perfume Event/ Collective will bring together olfactory and perfume artists from across North America in a gallery setting to present a curated selection of their work. The event will be the first in a series to be held in a unique space and coincide with the first Saturday of the season. Each event will feature a moderated salon discussion followed by a reception and exhibition where perfumer/creators will be able to present their work in a collective pop- up shop designed and styled by FRAGments.

The name for the series is derived from FRAGRANCE MOVEMENT and picks up on the slang word for perfume, "FRAG". While the event represents a collective, implicit is the recognition that independent, artisan perfumers are fragments of a whole that move in different directions. FRAGments seeks to celebrate these differences.

Artisan perfumery is a growing movement where individuals are exploring unique olfactory directions through a variety of fragrant media and palettes” says Maggie Mahboubian, founder and curator of FRAGments. “However, very few venues exist for these perfumers to present their handcrafted work. FRAGments will fill that gap”. She adds, “it will provide a small scale, intimate forum for artisan perfumers to interact directly with their audience”. Another unique aspect of this event is that it will define a community and spotlight the art of fragrance design through interpretive and experimental work.

The first FRAGments event will be held at MorYork Gallery in Los Angeles, the studio of eclectic sculptor, Clare Graham whose work visually embodies the spirit of this diverse group of perfumers, who create unique, multifaceted and experimental olfactory art. For more information about Clare Graham and this extraordinary venue please visit: www.claregraham.com

The event will begin with a salon-style discussion session moderated by Saskia Wilson- Brown. Ms. Wilson-Brown is the director of the newly formed Institute for Art and Olfaction in Los Angeles. The IAO supports the work of olfactory artists through grants, research opportunities, lectures, workshops and a materials library. For more information please visit www.artandolfaction.com

Event Details:
Summer Solstice Saturday, June 22, 2013
11am-12pm, Moderated Discussion Session with perfumers 12pm-5pm Pop-up Shop
The following artists will present their work at the 1st FRAGments event on June 22:

JK DeLapp, The Rising Phoenix Perfumery (www.TheRisingPhoenixGroup.com) David Falsberg, Phoenicia Perfumes (www.phoeniciaperfumes.com)
Amanda Feeley, Esscentual Alchemy (www.esscentualalchemy.mysupadupa.com) Lisa Fong, Artemisia Natural Perfume (www.artemisiaperfume.com)

Heather Kauffman, Jolie Laide Perfume (www.etsy.com/shop/JolieLaidePerfume) Maggie Mahboubian, Parfums Lalun (www.parfumslalun.com)
Christi Meshell, House of Matriarch (www.matriarch.biz)
Mik, MIKMOI San Francisco (www.mikmoi.com)

Ayala Moriel, Ayala Moriel Parfums (www.ayalamoriel.com)
Persephenie (www.persephenie.com)
Sherri Sebastian, Sebastian Signs (www.sebastiansigns.com)
Nikki Sherritt, Rebel and Mercury Parfums (www.rebelandmercuryperfumes.com) Meredith Smith, Sweet Anthem Perfumes (www.sweetanthemperfumes.com) Dawn Spencer-Hurwitz, DSH Perfumes (www.dshperfumes.com)

Laurie Stern, Velvet and Sweet Pea’s Purrfumery (www.purrfumery.com) Roxana Villa, Roxana Illunimated Perfume (www.illuminatedperfume.com) Shelley Waddington, En Voyage Perfume (www.envoyageperfumes.com)

Event Highlights and Notables:

*Persephenie will present an experimental olfaction project.
*En Voyage Perfume will be launching their new fragrance at the 1st FRAGments event. *House of Matriarch will spotlight their Blackbird fragrance which was just named a Top 10 fragrance for 2013 by Men's Journalmagazine, the only Indie fragrance that made their Top 10 list.
*Esscentual Alchemy will present “Moon Valley” - Featured in Vogue UK May '13 issue in their Natural Beauty Selections.
*Mario Gomez, Olfactory Ambassador will represent perfumers who are not able to attend event.

FRAGments - Underground, Artisan and Indie Perfume Event/Collective The 1st Event to be held on June 22, 2013 at MorYork Gallery, 4959 York Blvd, Los Angeles, CA.

Perfumery Material: Beeswax, Sweet Animalic Intimacy

The note of beeswax is among the few natural "animalic" notes in perfumery that are totally cruelty-free, i.e. involving no harm to the animal from which they're derived. For this reason, beeswax absolute is among the most prized materials in the natural perfume palette, where the absence of synthetics can be a problem. With its naturally fixative qualities, it aids the anchoring of more volatile notes.
Beeswax absolute (Apies Millifera) has been taken from the actual beehive without disruption to the lives of the bees for a long while. For perfumery, the wax is taken from hives that have been used for more than 5 years, therefore the material retains the scents of honey, propolis and the smell of the bees themselves, which makes beeswax a pheromone-rich essence with all that entails.

photo collage: punmiris.com

The wax in the hive is collected carefully by hand and is then solvent extracted. The major countries producing beeswax absolute are Spain, France and Morocco where apiculture is ingrained in tradition, but California in the US is rapidly gaining momentum. The resulting essence is fully miscible in alcohol and dipropylene glycol, making it easy to work with.

The scent of beeswax absolute is a very pleasant, complex composite of both honeyed, sweet aspects (with floral facets) and of essences of a musky, intimate ambience reminiscent of sweet hay and cured tobacco. The essence of beeswax absolute is used in perfumery to render golden-ambery fragrance notes, and serves as a middle to base note. The honeyed aspect of the material with its background of hay serves as a good underpinning of lavender and rose and is great in juxtaposition with naturally bitter oakmoss.

Beeswax absolute has comforting, spiritually balancing and lifting, solar properties when used in aromatherapeutic blends and recalls the joyful activity of bees.

Notable fragrances with prominent beeswax absolute notes:

Annick Goutal Myrrhe Ardente
Chanel Antaeus
Demeter Beeswax
Dior Leather Oud
D'Orsay Tilleul
DSH Cimabue
DSH Parfum de Grasse
Hermes Caleche Fleurs de Mediterranee
Krizia Theatro alla Scala
L'Artisan Fleur d'oranger 2007 (limited edition)
L'Occitane Reve de Miel
Maria Candida Gentile Sideris
M.Micallef Charm
Ramon Monegal Cuirelle
Roxana Illuminated Perfume To Bee
Serge Lutens Chene
Serge Lutens Feminite du Bois
Serge Lutens Un Bois Vanille
Sonoma Scent Studio Nostalgie
Tom Ford Moss Breches

CB I Hate Perfume #610 Outside: new fragrance

Christopher Brosius of CB I Hate Perfume maverick brand launches his latest ready-to-wear fragrance, #610 Outside. Formulated by founder and perfumer Christopher Brosius, Outside pays true homage to his country roots; after one too many a run-in with mosquitoes in the family's Pennsylvania garden, Christopher designed this fragrance to be first and foremost, a bug repellant. It is a fresh, vibrant scent that has notes of Lavender and Oregano, among others - and with it's bug-repelling qualities - it's here just in time for those sweltering summer BBQs.

Christopher Brosius, a cult figure among perfume cognoscenti is a Fragrance Foundation award-winner and the first perfumer to ever be recognized by the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum for the way scent is designed. He has created countless groundbreaking scents and continues his work today through his namesake label, CB I Hate Perfume.

CB I HATE PERFUME #610 OUTSIDE
A sincere disdain for bugs, especially the flying variety, is the inspiration behind the latest CB I Hate Perfume scent, Outside. More than 10 years in the making, this bug repellant perfume has finally been brought to fruition by utilizing elements organically found in plant life, and it’s been well worth the wait.
“I hate bugs. Particularly mosquitoes. So this perfume began in 1992 as a bug repellant for me when I lived in the country. I knew from my research that one of the principal reasons plants produce their essential oils is to protect themselves from insects and I discovered several essential oils that were particularly effective to protect me from insects as well. The challenge then became to blend these various oils so that they truly smelled like perfume. Which, after a period of experimentation, is just what I did.”

So forever say goodbye to chemical sprays, creams and citronella candles and embrace CB’s latest Limited Edition fragrance that just so happens to keep you smelling lovely and bug-free at the same time. CB fans might remember an original version of the scent found only in the Gallery, but the new incarnation of the fragrance is more refined, and wears ‘deeper and richer’ than the original. OUTSIDE perfume is a refreshing, lively scent that contains notes of lavender, geranium, patchouli, bergamot and a touch of Oregano, among others. It opens with a burst of freshness, and dries to a ‘soft,’ slightly floral finish.
OUTSIDE is currently available in 15ML Absolute ($115) and a 100ML Water Perfume ($100) at the CB I Hate Perfume Gallery in Brooklyn and online at cbihateperfume.com

La Via del Profumo Milano Caffe & Venezia Giardini Secreti: fragrance reviews & free bottles giveaway

I'm starting with the really spectacular: We have a giveaway on Perfume Shrine, one winner will win TWO free perfume bottles of the newest creations by La Via del Profumo straight from Italy, one of Milano Caffé and one of Venezia Giardini Secreti (the first two fragrances in the new Italian Series). The draw is open to all till Wednesday 19th midnight and all you need to do is comment in the comment section below to be eligible. The winner will be announced on Thursday.

Now that we got this off our chest, let's concentrate on the gorgeous fragrances themselves!

La via del Profumo, an authentically artisanal line of exquisitely crafted fragrances, composed by natural perfumer Abdes Salaam Attar (Dominique Dubrana) in Italy, is proud to present the new "Italian Series," an homage to five great Italian cities (Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome and Naples) and the Italian country as a whole.

MILANO CAFFE

A sybarite fragrance needs the proper mind-frame to work and Italy with its languid climate and smooth contours of land naturally lends itself to it. The pervading and intoxicating scent of freshly ground coffee is one small part of this luxury of letting time slip by. The mingling of chocolate in the composition of Milano Caffé recalls the dusting of cocoa powder on the white "caplet" of a hearty and filling cappuccino, drunk leisurely with a view of the impressive Duomo before taking a stroll down the Via Montenapoleone for some serious window shopping. The Milanese are nothing if not sticklers for detail, from their dog's collar to their impeccable shoes, and I can feel in Milano Caffé the vibrancy of the elegant woody and spicy background which hums underneath the culinary notes of the top. Coffee is naturally a complex smell, comprised of caramelized & smoky/acrid facets on one end, of woody, like freshly sharpened pencils, on the other.

via virtualtourist

The dry quality of the fragrance despite the tonka bean and ambery richness elevates the composition into classic resinous-balsamic level; one mistakes smelling Milano Caffé for a full-bodied vintage that peels layer after layer after layer. In fact, what is most surprising is finding a hint of the cocoa-facet of orris and something which reminds me of the fluff, the flou quality of the resin opoponax, amidst the proceedings. This caress under the dark and bitterish flavor of coffee only serves to consolidate the infiltrating appeal of that highly prized bean, that elixir of life, the coffea arabica, cutting its slightly acidic character. Although the spicy woodiness might make Milano Caffé more conventionally masculine in direction, its richness and cuddly chocolate note makes it a great choice for the woman who doesn't follow trends but rather sets them herself. After all, it is no accident that coffee and coffee shops were seen as the nursery of revolution and of anarchy, and that both Ottoman Turkey in the 17th century and the Ethiopian church banned the exotic bean's secular consumption; it's that stimulating!

VENEZIA GIARDINI SECRETI

Venezia Giardini Secreti is inspired by the small "pockets" within Venice and the tales of the very popular in Italy Corto Maltese cartoon books, specifically "Favola di Venezia" ("Tale of Venice"). Venice is also the abode of Chevalier de Seingalt, more commonly known as the greatest womanizer of them all...

The solace of the shady gardens breeds flights of fancy and the escape of the intrigue of the political world: "When the Venetians are tired of the constituted authorities, they hid in these three secret places, these doors at the bottom of the secret passages opening to beautiful places and other stories ..." Whatever the story is, Venezia Giardini Secreti is redolent of the sweetly intoxicating scent of blooming jasmine and of rose blossoming in the summertime, allied to the mysticism and the marine signature of ambergris, an emblem of the naval tradition of "La Republicca Marinara".

via 

In a way there is a kinship between Tawaf, La Via del Profumo's jasmine fragrance from the Arabian Series, which is redolent of the jasmine sambac variety, rich, heady, like an aching pleasure and a call of beauty, and the latest offering in the Italian Series. And yet in Venezia Giardini Segreti the direction veers into less of a resinous floriental, with the anchoring of the base providing the softest pungency, an animalic hint more than a mysterious, apocryphal rite. For all the secrecy of the passages under the canals—which lead to gardens of a hundred delights and of the erotically charged tales of Casanova—the elegance and grace of Venezia Giardini Segreti is manifested in a touch of soft leather, a hint of motherly milk, a whiff of salty sea ...

Recommendations, Trends & Forecasting

At the request of many of my readers, I'm sharing some previous articles and consultations in print magazines, featuring my views on perfume trends and forecasting. On Happi, Christine Esposito posed to me interesting questions regarding the direction of trends for spring-summer 2013, but she also covers many stats for the industry at large, including end of 2012 sales data in the US, celebrity scent launches and the description of a trip from Brazil to Grasse, France. Read the article here.

Beauty Launchpad, which is distributed in the Middle East and India, asked me for my recommendations on perfume ads that speak to the imagination. The article is called "Fantasy & Promises: A Selection of Memorable Perfume Ads". Obviously due to space constraints, I couldn't expand on everything that has caught my mind's RAM, but I hope you enjoy reading all the same, following this link or directly below (you will need to use the "zoom" button)

Fantasy & Promises: a Selection of Memorable Perfume Ads [Beauty Launchpad, India]

Publish at Calameo or read more publications.

The Different Company South Bay, Kashan Rose and White Zagora: new fragrances

The Different Company introduces three new additions to their esprit collection, South Bay, Kashan Rose and White Zagora, all composed by perfumer Emilie Coppermann and priced at 86 euros each for 90ml of eau de toilette.

Kashan Rose is a surprising fragrance, developing with notes of the Persian rose celebrated at the festival of the May rose in the city of Kashan. The fresh, fruity and spicy blend of sage, litchi, pink pepper and cardamom, segues to Persian rose. Rose petals are surrounded with hawthorn and peony, on a base of ambrette, sandalwood and musk.

Notes for Kashan Rose
litchi, sage, cardamon, pink pepper Persian rose, hawthorn, peony sandalwood, ambrette seed, musk 

South Bay is a luminous woody composition with fresh citrusy accents. The composition opens with a luminous blend of grapefruit, mandarin leaves and tamarind. Woody accords of grapefruit tree with freesia flowers and eglantine (Rosa rubiginosa) become stronger in the central layer of the composition, enhanced with creamy sandalwood, vetiver and suede creating the base of the perfume.

Notes for South Bay
grapefruitt mandarin leaf, tamarind grapefruit wood, freesia, eglantine sandalwood, suede, vetiver

White Zagora is a sensual oriental fragrance based on orange blossom accords. The top emphasizes neroli, citrus notes of which bergamot is the most discernible, with orange blossom in the heart, sweetened with honey, tuberose and sweet peach blossom. The base is warm, sensual and soft, via osmanthus, white musk and amber.

Notes for White Zagora
neroli, citruses, bergamot orange blossom, peach blossom, tuberose osmanthus, amber, musk

More on the official site.

New Roger & Gallet Flagship Store Opening

The French brand Roger & Gallet needs no introductions:
 Acquired by the group L'Oréal in 2008, Roger & Gallet is no stranger to stand-alone shops. Their historical boutique, from 1932 to 1984, stood at Faubourg Saint-Honoré (the famous neighbourhood where Hermes also resides to this day). Since then the products have been distributed in pharmacies and the circuit parapharmacie. The new boutique therefore opens a new chapter in the brand's path.

The new Roger & Gallet flagship store is opening on 195 rue Saint-Honoré, taking its place on any decent Paris perfume & beauty shopping guide, this Thursday June 14th. The design has been conceived by Bénédicte de Lescure who has worked on the packaging and illustration of Caudalie and the mise-en-scene for Cartier et Atelier Renault.

Bons achats!

Father's Day Special: Top Fragrances for Dads

We tend to view mothers as the primary caregivers in the family (and they usually are), but the role of the father is perhaps even more pivotal taking things into the long shot: for little boys he's their superhero, their early model and their mischievous truant collaborator (and what greatest sharing is there but partaking in guilt?); for little girls he's their harbor, their prototype, the man who teaches them how to love men for the rest of their lives, their perennial confidence boost. A loving father goes a long way and simple things, like the memory of their aura, their warmth, their grooming routine in front of the mirror, is the fascination of many a wide-eyed child for a reason.

My own beloved father used to wear the original, leathery Trussardi Uomo fragrance in that black-croc dressed bottle that looked like a million bucks and smelled as solid as a Roman temple pillar. You could lean on this elegant man's graceful frame, physical and mental both, and his scent only served to ascertain that. His prolonged flirt with Xeryus (Givenchy) or Habit Rouge (Guerlain) and his love of citruses only revealed other facets of his artistic personality. Dad's fragrances, more than my mother's which were constant love affairs, became snapshots of certain periods in his life and they continue to fascinate me with their mercurial nature and the way he plays with them.

Fragrances easily available in department stores:

Caron Pour Un Homme: The trusty tryst of vanilla and lavender produced this classic of classics many moons ago (but still very relevant). Cuddly and freshly scrubbed at the same time, it was Serge Gainsbourg's favorite, a controversial dad if there ever was one.

Dior Homme: A fragrance that defies the odds and sets its own rules with a note of iris that feels like the coolness of body talc. For modern dads who appreciate subtlety, elegance, a hint of sweetness.

Aramis Aramis 900: The masculine equivalent of the ultra-mossy, forest-fresh Aromatics Elixir (Clinique) for women, it is nothing short but distinctive, powerful, enveloping, captivating.

Hermes Equipage: A more conservative choice for dyed in the wool classicists who know best. The pairing of the spicy carnation amidst warm citrus and deep, earthy notes makes for a fragrance to be noticed.

Hermes Terre d'Hermes: The best-selling cologne for men since its creation some years ago, it's up there for a reason. A flinty-earthy impression under the exhilarating scent of bergamot citrus, it's super fresh and at the same time super lasting.

Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche pour Homme: The classic grooming scent of the barbershop, all soap and cologne and inedible scents, becomes an interpretation for a contemporary man with an eye to detail.

Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb: A liquid confectionary, a sweet tobacco & rum fantasy fragrance for dads with a sweet tooth. Among the better masculine releases in the last few seasons.

Source: Uploaded by user via Perfume on Pinterest

A little harder to track, but very worthwhile:

Aqua di Parma Blue Mediterraneo Myrto di Panarea: A new take on luminosity, removed from the usual fern-like fragrance "notes" or of sea-evoking fragrances, it takes the unusual scent of the myrtle tree, poised between oleaginous and spicy fresh, to hint at a Mediterranean escapade. For easy-going, casual style dads.

Les Parfums de Rosine Rose d'Homme: When rose gets bastardized via deep, leafy notes of pungent patchouli the result is a surprising elegance that is all its own. A little daring.

Hermessence Poivre Samarkande (Hermes boutique & online exclusive): Freshness in the form of a peppery scent? Yes, indeed. The spiciness is bracing but refreshing at the same time, like a lightning in the sky bringing eagerly anticipated rain.

Chanel Les Exclusifs Sycomore (Chanel boutique & online exclusive): If you like the smell of vetiver root (an eastern grass with a potently cooling, green like freshly turned earth aroma) Sycomore is among its most beautiful representations, with a hint of smoke and a touch of cocoa dust. Even if your dad isn't that handsome to begin with, he will seem incredibly so when wearing this.

Penhaligon's Castile: Sometimes you want him to smell clean, you know? Like you're again a child nuzzling at your freshly showered dad's neck. Castile is based on orange blossom and imparts a soapy, lathered feeling.

Tauer Perfumes L'Air du Desert Marocain: Dads with an adventurous, hippy disposition will appreciate this orientalized, resinous, mystical fragrance based on ancient rites of incense. Sumptuous, dry and unlike anything else.

Guerlain Mouchoir de Monsieur: If you like the idea of Caron pour un Homme (a sweetish, cuddly lavender), but want to go more unusual, opt for this one. It has a background ambience constructed by a note that used to come from an animal source (but is now ethically recreated in the lab), namely civet, which gives a lived-in sexiness underneath the proper gentleman atop. It used to be the favorite scent of King Carlos of Spain, if that says anything.

Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle Angeliques sous la Pluie: Cool, vibrant, melancholic sometimes, with a note of gin and tonic. A very refined choice for introspective dads who don't wear their hearts on their sleeves; he will say all he has to say through deeds.

Whatever you do this coming Father's Day, don't forget to honor the most important thing: his love for you and the love you have for him. And if you're further apart, it's never too late to forgive and forget and build those bridges anew.

Bonus (mental) points to anyone who recognizes the film stills in this post ;-)

The Invention of Albertine: Confession of an Epicurean

―by guest writer AlbertCAN

“Indeed, my roving mind was busy with a thousand projects: a novel, travel, a play, marketing a fruit cocktail of my own invention. (Don’t ask for the recipe; I have forgotten it.)”
 ~Jean-Dominique Bauby, «Le Scaphandre et le Papillon» (1997)

Lucid intoxication is the best tease: a demure wink, the deft nudge. L'Art de la séduction interdite. With verve and panache, an exquisite intrigue is truly a meeting of the minds, for the transcendent provocation can only be mischievous when done right; any more or less the pas de deux of sensuality goes awry.

Regina Lambert: Oh, did they do that kind of thing way back in your day?
Peter Joshua: Sure. How do you think I got here?*

Source: Uploaded by user via Cheryl on Pinterest

Thus the psyche was in full epicurean swing when putting together my new signature champagne cocktail one recent morning, which took all but one nifty trial. Elena initially half-jokingly referred to it as Albertini—lovely idea, but the recipe’s lack of gin and vermouth called for a slightly different signature, so Albertine it was christened.

I have the recipe below, and true to my style it’s deceptively simple: always get the best quality ingredients one could afford when effortless chic is called for.

photo copyrighted by AlbertCAN

Albertine

One 750 mL bottle Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin brut champagne, well chilled
One carton (1 L) of unsweetened pineapple juice, well chilled
One bottle of orange blossom water
Twelve classic 6 oz. champagne flutes
Serves twelve: In each flûte à champagne add ¼ teaspoon of orange blossom water and ¼ cup of pineapple juice. The flute should be half full at this point. Top off with brut champagne. Serve immediately.

Vierge Albertine: Non-alcoholic variation. Substitute the champagne with equal part unflavoured sparkling water. (I prefer Perrier or San Pellegrino.)

Of course, the recipe in practice has plenty of savoir-faire in spades: get a 350 mL bottle of brut bubbly to halve the serving for an intimate six, or multiply thereafter according to one’s entertainment needs. Even compatible with all champagne glasses so long the master ratio below is followed:

¼ teaspoon orange blossom water for every ¼ cup unsweetened pineapple; half juice, half champagne in each glass.

I selected Veuve Clicquot because the aromatic bouquet is exceedingly smooth and intricate—not to mention beautifully priced in my end of Canada —yet frankly any dry sparkling wine of quality shall suffice. The operative words here being, of course, quality and sensibility: a delicate Prosecco could easily step in, but anything too cheaply priced is probably just, well, too cheap in taste. As for the exclusive editions of Perrier-Jouët, Louis Roederer Cristal and Dom Pérignon are definitely not expected—but who am I to say no to Dom Pérignon at a perfect moment?

Now a word of caution: Albertine, not unlike the eponymous heroine in Proust’s «À la recherche du temps perdu», goes down smooth and lingers on. An undisciplined can easily glean over six servings at once! So please experiment responsibly.

The champagne cocktail is dedicated to Jean-Dominique Bauby, whose memoir “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” honed my aesthetics many moons ago.

"My diving bell becomes less oppressive, and my mind takes flight like a butterfly. There is so much to do. You can wander off in space or in time, set out for Tierra del Fuego or for King Midas's court. You can visit the woman you love, slide down beside her and stroke her still-sleeping face. You can build castles in Spain, steal the Golden Fleece, discover Atlantis, realise your childhood dreams and adult ambitions." -Jean Dominique Bauby, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

* Quotes from “Charade” (1963)

"I simply am not there"

"There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman. Some kind of abstraction. But there is no real me. Only an entity, something illusory. And though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours, and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable, I simply am not there".

Quite a few products and scented things in his cabinet in this infamous scene. Care to identify them?

Perfumery Material: Lactones and Milk Notes

The subtly sweet, cozy, comforting scent of milk is a prized note in perfumes. Not only does it create a regression to childhood, welcome solace, but it enhances floral components and matches the sweeter elements really well. White florals and classical chypres often exhibit "milky" notes, due to added lactones, components whose name derives indeed from the Latin for milk; this is because in nature tuberose, jasmine and gardenia do contain lactones among hundreds of other molecules in their chemical makeup. And so do certain fruits which find themselves recreated in fruity chypres, such as plum, peach and apricot. Their infamous skin compatibility (bordering on the naughtily cuddly) isn't such a mystery; our bodies decompose proteins breaking them up in analogous materials, therefore lactones stick well on skin.

The recent rise of the gourmand fragrances sub-group (classified within the Oriental fragrance family) exhibited lots of fragrances that take milk notes as a departing point: either as wholesome as milk itself (notably in Matin Calin by Compotoir Sud Pacifique) or reminding us of milky desserts, such as rice pudding (as in Kenzo Amour), the condensed milk used in sweet tea (Jo Malone Tea Collection Sweet Milk), or crocus-tinged milk puddings (L'Artisan Parfumeur Saffran Troublant).

Source: l99.com via Lin on Pinterest

Retro and vintage fragrances are often described as "lactonic" when they exhibit milky facets, in contrast to contemporary fragrances under the gourmet umbrella; that's because lactonic although derivative of the Latin word for milk (lac, hence lacto- etc.) is a very specific perfumery jargon term denoting the conscious use of lactones, which was especially common in older fragrances. Lactones are cyclic esters uniting an alcohol group and a carboxylic group in the same molecule.

 The most usual lactones used are peach lactone (which has a milky peachy underone like in Caron's Fleurs de Rocaille) or milk lactone (Mugler's Dis-Moi Mirror has it). You can find lactones in infamous examples such as Le Feu d'Issey or Rush by Gucci. An unusual lactone emerging in a contemporary perfume is massoia lactone in Santal Massoia by Hermes., but the evocation of sandalwood and fig sap is possible because the materials themselves possess a milky facet.

Although milky notes smell similar to the drinkable variety, in reality the actual nourishing substance isn't used. Milky notes are rendered through illusion, via other materials, such as vanilla or sandalwood very often (as in Santal Blanc by Serge Lutens). These materials naturally have a "creamy" facet, a smooth, sweetish quality about them which can be interpreted as "milky" in compositions. Other materials such as musk from angelica or the resin benzoin have a fluffy ambience which can come across as milky in the right context.



The use of lactones (see above) is a shortcut into putting a milk note into a perfume: the effect can be creamier or peachier or woodier depending on the calibrating of proportion and context. The effect of lactones into boosting the creamy facets of white flowers is the main reason why they were used so frequently in the past.

Milky notes seem to hit upon a sensitive nerve in perfume lovers and consumers in general. Almost as if going on a Jungian archetype they evoke a sense of fulfilment, sustenance of the body and the soul, a comforting elation that pampers the emotions when in stress. The popularity of milky notes is only set to rise as the times get tougher.

Roxana Illuminated Perfume Figure 1: Noir : Fragrance Review

The darkness of the night descends on the village, its tall chimneys and church bell tops eclipsed by the long shadows cast by primordial spirits, by wraiths, the flashes of strange illuminations marshaling the nighttime sky like snuffed pyrotechnics. The earth below, seemingly barren, hides in its gut an untrammeled secret, a secret with long tentacles creeping beneath soil and rock.



This Figure 1: Noir, this study on the inherent darkness of patchouli essence and of unusual herbal aromatics has an intoxicating effect, the murmur of perverse sweetness traveling on the wavelength of a morbid longing. What is it that makes these chthonian vibes rebound in one's heart of hearts? What is this calling, this piper who promises a golden lair and the forests echoing with laughter? There are things which we do not speak of. There are emotions we cannot put into a defined shape, marking the outline separating inner from outer world. Similarly, Figure 1: Noir sparked that eternally unfulfilled curiosity, that desire to capture the uncapturable, swirls of low earth rising for the skies, flesh vying to become spirit.

Figure 1: Noir is an intriguing all naturals perfume oddity, deep and resinous with a loamy plume of botanical musk featuring harmonious notes of patchouli, green vetiver, Mysore sandalwood, orris and valerian juxtaposed with the pungent tartness of buchu leaf, black cumin, green cognac and davana. The effect is as intimate and universal as human skin with an unsettling wild animalic shadow.

Available by Roxana Illuminated Perfume at Etsy in both liquid perfume and solid. (Image illustration by Greg Spalenka)

The winner of the draw...

...for the Caligna bottle is MariGo84. Congratulations! Please email me with your shipping data, using Contact or the address in my profile, so I can have this out to you in the mail soon. Thanks everyone for the enthusiastic participation and till the next one, very soon. ;)

Best-selling Fragrances in Brazil (2011-2012)

Brazil is an emerging market for the fragrance industry, what with niche brands catering to the country's tastes (see Batucada or Dior's latest Escale) that lean into a mix between sophisticated and tropical, and with prestige sector wanting to take over more than the little segment that they occupy compared to the local brands, such as Ó Boticario and Natura Cosmeticos. The reason for the latter is of course the high taxes imposed on the prestige perfumes which make purchases more difficult. Yet market forecasts which see Brazil as a major player by 2016 mean that the companies are focusing their undivided attention to this South American country and its olfactory preferences, in a way influencing the production of their fragrant launches internationally.


It's therefore interesting to see which are the prestige market leads in terms of sales volume (according to the NPD):

Feminine Best-Sellers in Brazil:
J'adore (Dior)
Carolina Herrera (Carolina Herrera)
Flower by Kenzo
Hypnose (Lancome)
Euphoria (Calvin Klein)
Dolce & Gabanna pour Femme
Lady Million (Paco Rabanne)
L'Eau d'Issey (Issey Miyake)
Ange ou Demon (Givenchy)
212 Sexy (Carolina Herrera)

Masculine Best-Sellers in Brazil:
Paco Rabanne pour Homme
Polo by Ralph Lauren
212 Men (Carolina Herrera)

As we can see, brands owned by Spanish group Puig are leaders. The style of feminine fragrances includes floral mixes with creamy and woody notes paired to powdery and vanilla accents, with the occasional gourmand touch (chocolate, coffee). Intense soliflores (such as white flowers) is also a big trend, according to experts Claudio Calvacanti (Orlandi's GO Sao Paolo) and Renata Aschcar (curator of the Brazilian Museum of Perfume), from comes the info. Masculine scents are perennially focused on the fougere structure, but sweeter and woody-ambery scents are on the rise.
Are you taking notes?

The Sounds and Fragrances Swirl Through the Evening Air

The prélude «Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir» by Claude Debussy (Préludes Book I, no.4) is the perfect musical piece to accompany my chosen scent for this weekend: Guerlain's classic L'Heure Bleue, itself inspired by the Impressionism movement and the beauty of the sky at the time that the French call entre chien et loup (between dog and wolf); a scent which conveys all the wistfulness of a gone pleasure and the anticipative mystery of the unknown ones to come.




The name of Debussy's prélude comes from a verse in Baudelaire, Harmonie du Soir:

"Voici venir le temps
ou vibrant sur sa tige
chaque fleur s'èvapore
ainsi qu un encenseoir
les sons et les parfums
tournent dal l'air du soir
valse melanconique
et langoureux vertige"

Krystian Zimmerman on the piano.
Enjoy and have a great weekend!