Showing posts with label l'artisan parfumeur. Show all posts
Showing posts with label l'artisan parfumeur. Show all posts

Monday, January 25, 2021

L'Artisan Parfumeur Mure et Musc: fragrance review

Berries are an especially pliant fruity note in perfumes; no less because a certain group of synthetic musks has a berry undertone. The classic Mûre et Musc by L'Artisan Parfumeur paved the way in as early as 1978. The passionfruit focus of Escada's own Chiffon Sorbet didn't come out of the blue either: Guerlain's Nahéma (1978) brought a saturated fruity mantle to the central rose lending sonorous timbre. 


 

The idea for using this fruit in fragrance was conceived by Jean Laporte, the founder of the small niche brand of the pioneering group of artisan perfumers of the 1970s, L'Artisan Parfumeur. His little wonder of innovation from 1978, Mûre et Musc, still seduces its audience just as much over 40 years later. Discreet and gentle, Mûre et Musc was almost hippy-ish in its innocent naivety. The fresh tanginess of citrus (comprised of lemon, orange, and mandarin with a hint of spicy basil) complements the blackberry, enhancing the sweetish trail with a musky base note that lingers for a very long time on skin and on clothes.

Flanked with raspberry ketone, blackcurrant bud, and Galaxolide (a clean smelling musk), this structure would be simple, direct, innocent, sweetish, and tart in equal degrees, and captivating to those harboring the same memories in their heart of hearts! He succeeded with Mure et Musc, a huge cult phenomenon which gave rise to a constellation of berry musks that took the market by storm and formed the springboard for many young girls to jump into the realm of fine fragrance.

But why did it become so special in people's minds that even drugstores came to order their own blackberry-musk mix for their not-especially sophisticated clientele? "Its cottony-fruity notes that melt flawlessly to the skin. It's a close-to-the-skin perfume, which brings people in," to quote Jean-Claude Ellena who oversaw the commemorative editions that reprised the theme decades later for the, now owned by a conglomerate, L'Artisan Parfumeur. The original's cute innocence and come-hither subtlety still beguile the young at heart.

 

 

Saturday, December 10, 2016

L'Artisan Parfumeur Tea for Two: fragrance review

Serious tea drinkers, as opposed to recreational ones, fall into two main categories: lovers of the inkiest, most tannic, smoky blends on the one hand, and the ultra-refined amateurs of floral-tinged varieties on the other. Tea for Two falls neatly into the cult obsession of the first group, people in search of a jolt of adrenaline thanks to the Lapsang Souchong tea variety felt all the way through, but also with the secret need for a comforting gingerbread man biscuit on the side. 

via

It's easy to picture Tea for Two on a bohemian, intelligent type who frequents libraries and smoking joints where important matters are discussed, because the complex mix of tobacco, aniseed and cinnamic vanilla is inextricably tied to a certain image in our minds. We all fell in love with someone like that at high school. Some of us still have this happen to us. Tea for Two tags at once at the unrequited longing and consoles for its loss. What could be more addictive?

Sunday, November 13, 2016

L'Artisan Parfumeur Saffran Troublant: fragrance review

Although saffron and roses are a favorite combination in many a niche fragrance offering these days, back in 2002, when Safran Troublant actually launched, it was unusual and arresting. Typically with L'Artisan Parfumeur, the road was laid for other travelers to travel through; paths well trodden and less explored alike, but the French brand founded by perfumer Jean Laporte in the late 1970s was a pioneer.

via Pinterest

Safran Troublant, if not marking high on the novelty value impressions score nowadays, still is an arresting scent, if only because it manages to balance the precarious precipice of clandestine smolder and comforting warmth. Roses are not especially simpatico for various reasons, but when given the sheath of a pitch-black collaborator, such as leather, or patchouli, or aoudh or -indeed- saffron, I stand on attention and pay my respects.

There's something about Safran Troublant, at once mouthwatering and "troubling" as its moniker in French denotes. The lactonic creaminess it projects recalls eating rosewater puddings with vanilla, someplace East. The suede-like saffron spice is enhanced by the depths of an irresistibly cozy, musky embrace that draws you in closer. Oddly enough it creates desire to the same degree that it quenches it; a discreet fragrance you might take for granted, like one's mainstay in the wardrobe, but leaving you with the renewed sensation of always looking at it with eyes afresh.

Monday, August 29, 2016

L'Artisan Parfumeur Eau de l'Artisan: fragrance review

Twenty three years after its introduction to the line of L'Artisan Parfumeur, Olivia Giacobetti's take on the pleasures of a Mediterranean herb garden L'Eau de l'Artisan is still relevant in what concerns a fragrance that replicates its dewy herbaceousness. (I hear Jo Malone launches a whole line devoted to such things as parsley or fennel and carrot blossoms).

via pinterest
The "jardin potager" as it's called in French is usually a patch that features culinary verdant herbs meant to be picked and plucked spontaneously to season a salad here and a pot roast there alongside blossoming plants and vegetables in an aesthetically pleasing way. And personally? I prefer it even to the glories of the roses's beds and the petunias's designs blooming in feisty colors down the path...

L'Eau de l'Artisan beautifully replicates the bunch of them with basil and marjoram being the delectable and quite prominent aromatic heroes. They both give piquancy and a certain earthy bite which is not miles apart from what they offer to a dish.The tension is built between the lemony verbena and the mossy backgrounds which - not unlike the seminal Eau de Campagne by Sisley - translate as a very fresh and very subtle chypre.

I also seem to discern thyme: another popular Med choice, the scorched stems of which dot the hills in summer; the herb often garlands a roasted leg of lamb. Credit to L'Artisan for creating a fragrance that is not meant for mutton dressed as lamb then, as so many mainstream fragrances are, but goes for a little joyful introspection into the memories of our summers spent in the countryside.

Friday, January 23, 2015

Penhaligon's & L'Artisan Perfumeur: Niche Fragrance Brands Bought by Puig

I have tired of saying it: we're experiencing the end of niche. Niche was a marketing tool to grow companies and then sell them to the highest bidder. The sale of Editions de Frederic Malle and Le Labo last autumn to the Lauder Group is followed by the sale of British traditional house Penhaligon's (established in 1870 as they boast) and of French artsie proto-niche (well, at least when it was founded by Jean Laporte in the late 1970s) L'Artisan Parfumeur to the Spanish group of Puig.

Jenner Studio photo via archdaily

Puig is at least no LVMH....They do nevertheless cater to a more mainstream perfume portfolio: Carolina Herrera, Prada, Paco Rabanne, Valentino....but also Comme des Garcons, which is anything but conventional in their fragrances.

Two years ago I was complaining on L'Artisan Parfumeur losing the grip on niche. In fact actively seeking to distance itself from the Jean Laporte, Olivia Giacobetti, Anne Flipo and Jean Ellena past. They were commissioning hundreds (or so it seemed, at least) new fragrances on Bertrand Duchaufour and seemed to branch out. Now it's evident even to the most well-meaning why that was.

Penhaligon's (funnily enough employing the same indie perfumeur, the Mitsotakis of niche apparently) was following a similar trajectory, a markedly different business model than its small shop cutesy of its long past.

All the same it's another tombstone on niche perfumery. How much longer will Serge Lutens withhold after having bought his rights for handling his name from the Japanese giant Shiseido?

Saturday, October 18, 2014

L'Artisan Parfumeur Re-Launches Two Long Lost Fragrances

The cult status of some perfumes, alongside the demand from a vocal audience online, has resulted in several companies re-releasing fragrances that we thought gone for ever. This the case with Venezia by Laura Biagotti, Yohji fragrances, the Patou Ma Collection line of vintage perfumes, or the 2014 relaunch of the three Helmut Lang fragrances (Helmut Lang eau de parfum, Helmut Lang eau de toilette and Cuiron).

via

Usually it doesn't help that either the newest launch differs somewhat from the older one for reasons of conforming to current perfumery allergens regulations (the case of Venezia), or that the price is significantly elevated (i.e. the Helmut Lang trio).  But it's small consolation in the heart of the dedicated fan all the same. L'Artisan Parfumeur has already re-issued one beloved fragrance from the discarded pile, Jour de Fete (review of 2014 version & comparison with vintage on this link). 

Now they're re-issuing another cult favorite, Tea for Two, much lamented and fetching high prices on auction sites, as well as an oldie from the 1980s, Eau de Caporal. Both are going to be part of the permanent collection with retail availability later this year.



L'Artisan Parfumeur L'Eau du Caporal was originally composed by the founder of the brand, Jean Laporte in 1985, and was an aromatic fougere laying mint over lavender and oakmoss adhering scentwise to an outdoorsy rough image of a military man.
L'Artisan Parfumeur Tea for Two is the original smoky tea, an aromatic spicy from 2000 composed by perfumer Olivia Giacobetti, reminiscent of Lapsang Souchong brews and something of a reference; a witty blend of black tea and gourmand delights, gingerbread and honey.

Monday, July 21, 2014

L'Artisan Parfumeur Premier Figuier: fragrance review & history

Composed by perfumer Olivia Giacobetti exactly 20 years ago in 1994, Premier Figuier still remains one of the very best out there, conjuring a vivid image of late August days spent in the Greek countryside when cicadas are loudly singing at the scorching hour of noon and people hot and weary from a sea dip are sitting beneath the shade of the fig tree to enjoy their Spartan meal of fresh fruit and cool, still water. The coconut curls note is rounding the foliage with just the right sweetness and provides an euphoric touch.

via behance.net

Giacobetti in an unstoppable strain of fig-producing mode, went on to create an Eau de Parfum version to the best-selling Premier Figuier, baptized Premier Figuier Extreme (2004), highlighting the rounder elements and extending its stay. She also created Philosykos for Diptyque, two years after her seminal "first fig tree" for L'Artisan. Philosykos, the friend of figs.

The re-creation of the smell of fig trees in perfumery is possible thanks to two crucial ingredients: stemone and octalactone gamma. Stemone (Givaudan tradename) imparts a green, fresh tonality like mint that combined with octalactone gamma (prune-like) evokes the earthy, sticky green of fig leaves (a smell of dry earth, scorched by the sun of a hot place with a hint of bitterness) and the milky sap of the young fruit plus the acid green of galbanum. The always handy Hedione (a fresh jasmine note, Firmenich tradename) and Iso-E Super (a dynamic and shape-shifting woody synthetic, IFF tradename) are often utilized to bring “lift” to the genre. The coconut note is an important part, not because it imparts a tropical feel (figs grow in the temperate zone) but because the young fruit sap contains a sensitizing "milk," a lactonic note. Coconut is also lactonic, i.e. milky in nature, hence the inclusion more realistically brings to mind the fig tree burdened with its succulent-to-be load. The milky note isn't a random thing, nor has it escaped attention through the ages. The classical Greek writer Athenaeus of Naucratis writes in Deipnosophistae how rural populations were making cheese out of milk by curdling it using the twigs and leaves of the fig tree. It is even described in Homer's Iliad!

via pinterest

It's not decided whether Giacobetti was intimate with this bit of classical knowledge when she added a milky, butyric note into the green woody skeleton. All I know is that in Premier Figuier it was crucial that the tempering of bitterness (naturally occurring in the fig leaf itself, smelled best when crushed between the fingers) with the sweetish milky note is done just right! The effect is not too dissimilar to an apricot (another lactonic note in fragrance) run under fresh water and opened in two halves in a cool yard. While wearing Premier Figuier I am often reminded of this little fact as I receive compliments on the "apricot scent" on me… :-)

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Jour de Fete 2014 re-issue: review & comparison with the original from 2004

Remember when we announced that Jour de fete by L'Artisan Parfumeur, discontinued for quite a while and lamented by perfume lovers, was re-issued this year by the niche brand in an answer to pleas by fans requesting it back?


Well, here you are. I have tested the new version and have compared with the older one, composed by Olivia Giacobetti. You can read my thoughts by following this link over to Fragrantica with beautiful illustration. 

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

L'Artisan Parfumeur Haute Voltige, Rapelle-toi, Onde Sensuelle: three new fragrances in Explosion d'Emotions

L'Artisan Parfumeur continues to harness the creative powers of perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour who adds to the line Explosion d'Emotions with three new fragrances: Haute Voltige (acrobatics), Rapelle-toi (remember!) and Onde Sensuelle (sensual wave). They form the Collection Detonante (the detonating collection) packaged in bright fuchsia.




The press release describes them in rapturous tones and I quote:

Haute Voltige
capture the exuberance
True excitement. Feel the goose bumps on your skin
as an intense joy takes over. This is an Eau de Parfum with an expansive and extroverted personality: where
a generous floral peony note meets with the unexpected fruitiness of pomegranate.
An explosion of joy.

Rapelle-toi
feel the beauty inside
Silence as a door to our inner thoughts. A contemplative fragrance, anchored in the stillness of our surroundings. With its mesmerising opulence, gardenia evokes this quiet introspection, enlivened with fresh vibrating notes of Sichuan pepper. This magnificent flower is enhanced with musks and smooth sandalwood with honey accents.
A beautiful transcendence.

Onde Sensuelle
the ache of desire
An insatiable, voracious desire is felt like a deep force, surging under the skin. A wave of sensuality washes over you. This Eau de Parfum is a work in contrasts, between a burning spicy bouquet of ginger, saffron and cumin, and the icy crispness of juniper berries and cardamom.
It recreates the sensation, and tension of this urge.
A captivating wave of passion.

The fragrances are presented in Eau de Parfum bottles of 125ml and are set to launch in early May 2014. 

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

L'Artisan Parfumeur Re-Issues a Much Requested Perfume as Limited Edition for Spring 2014

Each year, L’Artisan Parfumeur’s spring limited edition is a much-anticipated event for fragrance aficionados and collectors. For 2014, the iconic Parisian fragrance house re-releases a discontinued fragrance which has been much requested and sought after by its many fans, the almondy Jour de Fête.

This Eau de Toilette was created in 2003 by Olivia Giacobetti, a perfumer long associated with the creativity and originality of L’Artisan Parfumeur. It plays with the symbol of traditional French celebrations: “la dragée” (the sugar- coated almond). Jour de Fête was imagined as a fresh almond surrounded by a layer of icing sugar, and as almond flour with a taste of wheat and honey. Jour de Fête, meaning ‘Happy Day’ or ‘Festival Day,’ is a delicious celebration of this sweet symbol of French celebrations, with its crispy sugary coat melting into a subtle vanilla. Light and airy, the dragée transports us to the wheat fields of the French countryside, reminiscent of the insouciance of childhood. Jour de Fête is a flamboyant yet delicate fragrance, a treat for special days.

The eau de toilette will be retailing for 55 GBP for 100ml, available from March 2014.

info via press release

Friday, May 24, 2013

L'Artisan Parfumeur Amour Nocturne, Deliria, Skin on Skin: new fragrances in Explosion d'Emotions collection

This September, L’Artisan Parfumeur launches Explosions d’Emotions, a thrilling new collection of Eaux de Parfum. Faithful to the vision of its founder, Monsieur Laporte, the cult Parisian perfume house sets a new standard with three exceptional fragrances. Three concepts, translating the extraordinary emotional power of fragrance, created without compromise, with master perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour.


 According to the official blurb the collection includes:

AMOUR NOCTURNE

the intimacy of the night Infinite tenderness becomes ecstasy. Live a moment of sublime intimacy... Cedar, surrounded by soothing notes of hot milk and caramel, gives way to a powerful burst of gunpowder, and orchid. An explosion of love, beyond time and place.

DELIRIA

exhilaration of the senses
Prepare to be thrilled. Your senses will be shaken into a delicious blur. Déliria is the fantastic contrast between metallic, rhum and gourmand notes of toffee apple and candy floss. Top and base notes lose themselves in the heart of the fragrance in a dizzying cloud.

SKIN ON SKIN

a wanton embrace
Skin on Skin awakens our animalistic instincts...to touch, to get closer, to smell. It merges a sensual iris with a suede, velvet leather. The intertwining of saffron, whisky, lavender and rose, melts into musks and skin effects. A carnal creation to be used without moderation.

The new packaging is inspired by the aesthetic codes of L’Artisan Parfumeur; a harmony of luxurious materials: – sensual, thickly-textured white paper with original debossed motifs; precious metals; a beautifully facetted glass flacon. L’Artisan Parfumeur is proud to be ‘Made in France’, of its artisanal attention to detail, and, naturally, of ‘le luxe à la française’; the union of simplicity and sophistication.

PRODUCTS: Three Eaux de Parfum 125ml
LAUNCH DATE: Early September 2013
Available in L’Artisan Parfumeur boutiques, concessions and website.
RRP: £135

Monday, April 22, 2013

L'Artisan Parfumeur L'Ete en Douce (previously Extrait de Songe): fragrance review


Essence of a dream, that is Extrait de songe, was the very poetic name of a limited edition “clean”perfume for summer 2005 by L’artisan Parfumeur. The latter lost a legal battle over the coveted name with Annick Goutal who had the name Songes (=dreams) copyrighted for her own, completely different, floriental composition. Hence the lovely Extrait de Songe became extinct... Later it was rechristened as L'Eté en Douce (playing on a French idiom, meaning "summer is sneaking up on you") and entered the L'Artisan portfolio as a re-issue.
However many perfume fans say the fragrance in either name smells quite close to another older L’artisan offering, one of the Moodswings coffret, Lazy Mood, developed by the same perfumer, Olivia Giacobetti. This got me thinking.

Laziness, boredom, dullness….all of these words bring to mind the languorous days of a really hot summer, when one isn’t energized enough to actively do anything except sleep. We had a long bout of this in the summer and am afraid we will get it again soon enough.
When I am talking hot, I am not talking Canada “hot”. Nor Germany “hot”. These are euphemisms. These are mere bleeps on the radar of hotness, never managing to register with me. (It’s actually my preferred weather: if only we had 28 degree Celsius half the year long...)
I am talking 39-40 degrees hell hot, all red and fiery; when your own skin is becoming revolting to you and you want to tear it apart with one swift gesture like an overzealous Russian waxer with steroid-enhanced arms; when hair sticks on your forehead inviting you to turn into a travesty of a skinhead; when sticky liquid oozes off your pores just by sitting around doing nothing. Yes, you’ve guessed it: I hate those moments with a passion.
The “noon devil” of the hermits of Egypt, which draws out every speck of physical and mental vitality, is my personal nemesis.

However it is a small comfort that Extrait de songe/L'Eté en Douce exists for providing the illusion of a clean, cool, white cotton sheet that can be wrapped all around one and provide some solace from the scorching sun. Sloth according to Kirkegaard is the source of all evil. Wordsworth described it as “wild dullness”. It is considered one of the seven deadly sins by the Catholic church. Hamlet refers to the world as “tiresome, plain and dull” which probably explains why he never lifts a hand to actually do anything except talk for the better part of the play.
Samuel Butler says that boredom is a kind of spiritual failure, since the person who lets himself to emote it is more despicable than boredom itself.
But is it so bad, really? I wonder…

Billy Collins, the poet, calls boredom paradise itself. “It’s the blessed absence of things that the world offers as interesting such as fashion, media, and other people, whom Sartre –let’s not forget- characterized as hell.”
Anton Chekhov also idealized boredom in many of his plays, like in Uncle Vania and Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” remains without a doubt the manifesto of dullness, featuring characters that await for that bastard Godot who never makes an appearance and which proves boredom can be pro-active after all, because many had stood up and left the theatre from what I recall :-)) The New York author Richard Greenburg even wrote a book (titled “Take me out”) after a bout of boredom during one especially dull summer, during which he watched baseball matches on TV. Luckily I am not  that desperate. Brenda Way, choreographer, likes to sit and think when stuck in a jammed highway: She believes it aids her involuntary voyage to creativity by using her unconscious powers at those precise moments.

Made by nose Olivia Giacobetti, who is famous for her light compositions that are like Winslow Homer paintings, Extrait de Songe/L'Eté en Douce is typically her style and seems very fit for such moments. It's an interpretation of freshness without acidulated, fusing or sparkling notes and it reminds me of the style that Jean Claude Ellena later explored in one of his "cologne" duo, called Eau de Gentiane Blanche. The two fragrances do not smell the same, but they share a similar sensibility and apparently a generous smothering of ambrette seed.
Featuring an airy and totally linear formula, Extrait de Songe/L'Eté en Douce begins with linden and lots of "clean" orange blossom water, like the flower water used to sprinkle Mediterranean cookies with, segueing on to hay- like (coumarin?) and woody notes, it finishes off with a kiss of white musk and the bitterish ambrette like newly washed bed-clothes envelopping your showered body. It's all purity, all light! Uncomplicated, easy, soft, lastingly diaphanous, evoking the dew caressing grass in a field and on wild rose bushes, the freshness of lime trees and the warm scent of freshly cut hay; a fragrance that has no aspirations of creating discussion, but only of making you feel good about yourself! The whole projects at a white radiant frequency which must be as close to seraphic cool places as possible without actually hitting the bucket.

Whatever your camp is (and I suppose you still run a pulse if you're reading right now), Extrait de Songe/L'Eté en Douce manages to smell like it is the best thing to exonerate the bad and amplify the good aspects of boredom.

The original bottle of Extrait de Songe is a beautiful lavender blue degrade cylinder (the colour becomes more saturated on the bottom) with plain, silver sprayer, now a collector's item. The newer bottle under L'Eté en Douce follows the typical L'Artisan packaging with label in lavender blue.

Notes for L'Artisan Extrait de Songe/L'Eté en Douce:mint, rose, orange blossom and white musk

Please note: another fragrance by L'Artisan has just recently changed name, namely Vanille Absolument which used to be Havana Vanille (2009).

Inspired by a euro2day comment. Pic of kitten got sent to me by email, unaccredited. L'Ete en Douce bottle pic via duftarchiv.de

Friday, February 8, 2013

L'Artisan Parfumeur Re-issues Two Oldies for Spring

L’Artisan Parfumeur’s spring limited edition releases are a much-anticipated event among perfume aficionados.
This year, there will be two fragrances re-released from the brand archives, both much-loved and much-requested: Ananas Fizz and Côte d’Amour.

Ananas Fizz – Eau de Toilette 
Ananas Fizz is a celebration of summer and of the Victoria pineapple, typical of the French Reunion Island, in the Indian Ocean. A mouth- watering cocktail of citrus and sunny fruits, topped with the unexpected and radiant presence of the pineapple blends into a deliciously fresh fragrance. Ananas Fizz takes you into a swirl of litchi, frangipani tree; vanilla and of course pineapple notes, and is to be used without moderation!

 Côte d’Amour – Eau de Toilette 
Like a voluptuous, caressing marine breeze, the inspiration of this iconic fragrance of L’Artisan Parfumeur is a stroll along the coast in Loire- Atlantique, in the West of France. The soft caress of the sea air and the sand, the wonderful scents of the seashore, expressed by wild notes of the everlasting dune flower, cypress, pine trees as well as this iconic marine and salty notes, give this fragrance a personality like no other.

100ml Eau de Toilette for £55
Οut in March 2013 ιn L’Artisan Parfumeur boutiques, concessions and website.

news via press release

Sunday, February 3, 2013

L'Artisan Parfumeur Caligna: new fragrance



The name of the upcoming L'Artisan Parfumer fragrance, Caligna, comes from the Provençal word 'to court' or 'flirt', indicative of the concept of using local ingredients in the formula, such as clary sage and a special "jasmine marmalade" accord recalling a delicacy that perfumer Dora Bagdriche-Arnaud consumed locally. Caligna, the new perfume, is also using such Mediterranean-evocative notes such as fig, mastic, pine needles and oak notes.

Top notes
Clary Sage, Rose Bud, Fig, Mandarin tree Leaves
Heart notes
Clary Sage, Rose Bud, Fig, Mandarin tree Leaves
Heart notes
Pine Needles, Oak chips, Ambrox
 The promo will include images of dancer Gudrun Ghesquière, shot by American photographer Michael James O'Brien, for the first time.
Launch of Caligna by L'Artisan Parfumeur is scheduled for April 2013 and the concentration will be an Eau de Parfum 100ml.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Twin Peaks: L'Eau Froide by Lutens and Passage d'Enfer by L'Artisan Parfumeur

Monastic, cool, ethereal? In many ways L'Eau Froide is anti-Lutens, whereas Passage d'Enfer is L'Artisan Parfumeur down to the most minuscule detail. Though both brands are pioneers of niche, as Now Smell This notes they're a "study in contrasts". The Byzantine plot of a typical Serge Lutens is bringing the exotica of the Moroccan souk into a 19th century aesthete's dream sequence and from there into an urbanite's esoteric scent collection. L'Artisan on the other hand approaches perfumery via a luminous, refined, transparent approach as championed by founder Jean Laporte and perfumers Jean Claude Ellena, Olivia Giacobetti, Anne Flipo and Betrand Duchaufour. Even the ambers in the L'Artisan line are diaphanous instead of thick whereas their woody and "green" fragrances smell the way psithurism sounds.

via birdytg.blogspot.com
And yet...Inhale the icy ringing air coming from the thundra filling your lungs. Feel the chill of cold water in a silver-tiled pool where you anticipated warmth. Remember the surprising burning sensation on your tongue upon munching an ice cube against the hardness of adamantine. Feel the wet, clean feel of stones in a brook. And imagine a kiss from dead lips... If De Profundis aimed to capture the scent of death, the cold tentacles of a serene end to all can be felt in L'Eau Froide, from the pristine white-lined coffin to earth's cool embrace. I personally find this philosophical attitude to mortality very peaceful and cleasing to the mind. And not totally antithetical to the ethos of Lutens, come to think of it.

The terpenic, bright side of Somalian frankincense (reminiscent of crushed pine needles) is given prominence in Passage d'Enfer, much like in the Lutens 'eau' which unfolds the terpenes after a fresh mint start; this exhibits a hint of pepperiness (could it be elemi, another resin?) giving a trigeminal nerve twist. The effect is dry and very clean indeed (but unlike the screechy aldehydic soapiness & ironing starch of the first L'Eau), with a lemony, bitter orange rind note that projects as resinous rather than fruity and a projection and sillage that are surprising for something so ghostly, so ethereal, so evanescent. It's the scrubbing mitt of a monastery in the southern coastline, rather than the standard aquatic full of synthetic molecules dihydromyrcenol and Calone coming out of the cubicle in an urban farm. 

Still this aesthetic is something with which the average perfumista hasn't come to terms with yet; it will probably take a whole generation to reconcile perfumephiles with "clean" after the horros that have befallen them in the vogue for non-perfume-perfumes in the last 20 years. I'm hopeful. After all being a perfumista means challenging your horizons, right?


Notes for L'Eau Froide (2012): olibanum, sea water, musk, vetiver, mint, incense, pepper and ginger
Notes for Passage d'Enfer (1999): lily, incense, woodsy notes and musk.

Both are available through niche distributors at more or less comparative price-points.


Saturday, July 14, 2012

L'Artisan Parfumeur La Collection de Grasse: new products (inc. scented gloves!)

L’Artisan Parfumeur looks to the roots of perfumery for its new collection: La Collection de Grasse (The Grasse Collection). In recent years, exotic travels have fed the creativity of L’Artisan Parfumeur and its perfumers, now the French perfume house returns to the mythical home of fragrance. The collection will debut this October with two stunning candles - L’Automne (autumn/fall) and L’Hiver (winter). In parallel, L’Artisan Parfumeur will launch a truly luxurious and surprising new product: scented leather gloves, perfumed with its iconic Mûre et Musc Extrême fragrance.


L’Artisan Parfumeur was inspired by Grasse, spiritual home of perfumery, and most specifically by the Grasse “arrière-pays,” or back-country, where mountains and Mediterranean meet. With the passing of the seasons, this fragrant landscape is alive with colours, and fleeting emotions. This new collection is also L’Artisan Parfumeur’s celebration of French artisanal heritage.

L’Automne and L’Hiver candles:
These two L’Artisan Parfumeur candles transport you to the Grasse back-country, creating a warm and cosy atmosphere for your home, redolent of the seasons. For the Grasse Collection, L’Artisan Parfumeur imagined a new handmade vessel to house the candle, and sought out other artisans, ceramic masters from the other side of the world, based in the Chaozhou region of China.
Available in two sizes 200gr (for over 60 hours burning time) for 55GBP and 1.5 kg (for over 100 hours) for 220GBP.
Spring 2013 will see the release of two more candles: Le Printemps and L'Ete. 

L’Automne A stroll through the wild landscape surrounding Grasse, where leaves and nuts fall onto the humid earth.
This candle recreates this special muffled atmosphere, where leaves on the ground soften the sound of footsteps. The air is getting fresher, and more humid, the light is getting paler, comforting as the wind picks up. At first, we detect a lavender note, which carries us into the countryside, then chestnut, caramel and blackcurrant notes. Finally, a cedar and lichen accord brings to a close this promenade in the Grasse back-country.

L’Hiver A gathering around the fireplace, surrounded by the comforting scents of smoky woods and pine needles.This candle is highly-evocative. Imagine being by a burning fireplace, safely tucked-up inside, when all outside is cold and dark. At L’Artisan Parfumeur, the winter season is often a time for reunions with those you love, moments filled with emotion. So, the ingredients were chosen with great care: clary sage, married with notes of pine and fir tree from around Grasse, to create this welcoming wintry scene.

click to enlarge


The Scented Gloves

The scenting process
The process of ‘scenting’ the leather was developed after extensive research by L’Artisan Parfumeur. The leather (the ‘raw skin’) is soaked for four hours in a very specific mixture of nourishing oils and the specially-developed Mûre et Musc Extrême concentrate. This process softens and scents the leather. The leather is then removed from the mixture and placed in a special drying-room, to be left to dry overnight. The mixture of oils and the Mûre et Musc Extrême concentrate results in the leather of the gloves being elegantly perfumed for around three years. The gloves can also be re-scented using the Eau de Parfum Mûre et Musc Extrême, without staining the leather.

The House of Causse. The savoir-faire of the glove-maker
The history of the House of Causse is closely entwined the glove-making workshops of Millau, in the South of France. The expertise of these workshops has ensured that Millau has become the glove-making capital of France. Causse is officially celebrated as an “Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant” (a company seen as part of France’s cultural patrimony). Causse gloves are still designed and made locally, by hand, with the same love and attention to detail. Far from being anachronistic, this painstaking artisanal work has found new meaning with L’Artisan Parfumeur and relevance to contemporary perfumery.
The beautifully soft black leather gloves, available in fours sizes (XS, S, M, L) fit your hand perfectly. The kid leather, of French provenance, is of outstanding quality, perfectly supple and soft to the touch, offering great comfort, as well as that certain French elegance. When you remove the glove, your skin is delicately scented, impregnated with your favourite fragrance. The Mûre et Musc Extrême scented gloves, lined with natural silk arouse the senses of both touch and smell.
Only 100 pairs are produced, available from October 2012 in selected L'Artisan boutiques for 320GBP. This year, with L’Artisan Parfumeur, Mûre et Musc Extrême will fit you like a glove!


To discover the ‘making-of’ candles video, please click on this link:

In the same vein, please click through the below link to discover the ‘making-of’ video of the scented leather gloves



  info via press release

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Another L'Artisan Parfumeur Discontinuation

Many have lamented the passing of successful fragrances, artistically masterful and commercially popular, and one always wonders why this happens. L'Artisan Parfumeur has its own share of that (I'm still inwardly yielding my fist with rage at the discontinuation of Oeillet Sauvage and Jacinthe des Bois; both lovely, both initially limited editions and then brought into the main line in total uniformity with the rest of the bottles, a move which promised at least a marital contract and then derailed into a custody figh with plates thrown around).

Vanilia which gave its place to Vanille Absolument (or Havana Vanille as the successor was originally launched; it's hard to keep track, but we did announce the discontinuing there on the link first) was the proverbial straw which broke the camel's back. It seemed most uncomprehensible and caused a rucous online.

But now L'Artisan Parfumeur is axing another oldie with a cult following, namely Tea for Two (2000).
I fear for some of the quirkier/slower seller favourites along the line as well (Navegar, L'Eau de Navigateur, Dzing!).

I understand the need for a streamlined line-up and all that, it aids selection, but perhaps a more limited distribution or a special size for collectors or even a seasonal re-issue (like Clinique does with Wrappings every Christmas) would be appreciated by those who dearly love the fragrance in the first place.

Question: Is L'Artisan Parfumeur growing too corporate for its own good?

Friday, January 27, 2012

L'Artisan Parfumeur Love Messages: Have a Tree Planted, Win Perfume Bottles


L'Artisan Parfumeur fragrances are designed to arouse emotions and the company would like you to express yours as part of the new LOVE MESSAGES ‘happening’.Visit L'Artisan in their boutiques and corners from January 30th, pick up paper hearts and compose your heart-felt or amusing love messages, then place them in the giant bottles. The more the merrier; as for every 20 love messages received, a tree will be planted in Mali. And by the way, you will also have the chance to win fragrances! (for yourself or loved ones.)

Again this year (2011 saw 500 trees planted!), L'Artisan Parfumeur is working in partnership with TREE AID, an NGO that supports development and reforestation in Mali. The company chose this West African nation in honour of the iconic fragrance Timbuktu: this warm, sensual and bewitching elixir was inspired by Bertrand Duchaufour’s journey to this fascinating country.

Love messages event runs from: January 30th to March 30th.
Leave your love messages in the boutiques and on the L'Artisan Parfumeur Facebook page.
PS: Fragrances to be won for the most original messages...

Sunday, November 20, 2011

L'Artisan Parfumeur: London party & Christmas shopping offer

For our London (or UK) residing readers, I got an interesting promo in the mail which might be just the thing for those of you who are doing your Christmas shopping now and gearing it towards scented products.
The Paris Doorways packaging design is sublimely cute!



L’ARTISAN PARFUMEUR’S CHRISTMAS PARTY
IN COVENT GARDEN

Thursday 24th November, from 4 pm until closing

Come and do your Christmas shopping with L'Artisan Parfumeur
with drinks, nibbles and a magical seasonal atmosphere!

PLUS
Enjoy an exceptional offer with a
HALF PRICE 50ml FRAGRANCE OF YOUR CHOICE
when you purchase two Christmas gift sets.

Check selection & prices at www.artisanparfumeur.com

Friday, October 21, 2011

Win a Perfumed Trip to Paris for the Launch of L'Artisan Batucada



To celebrate the launch of BATUCADA, the new vibrant fragrance inspired by Brazil, L'Artisan Parfumeur offers you a special trip to Paris and a day full of olfactory adventures. To enter this competition, simply answer the following question at competition@artisan-parfumeur.com
(the answer can be found on our website - www.artisanparfumeur.com !)
Q. Which famous Brazilian beach is one
of the inspirations for BATUCADA'?

A winner will be randomly selected from among all correct entries and will win a one day / one night stay in Paris, hotel and transport included.
Your prize:
An exclusive perfume workshop with Karine Vinchon,
the perfumer who created BATUCADA

An evening in a fantastic Brazilian atmosphere
A night in a Parisian hotel
Now over to you!
Terms & Conditions

More info: www.artisanparfumeur.com

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