Annick Goutal Grand Amour: fragrance review

A sexy actress in her boudoir after her performance: Pensive , smiling hazily to herself as she lifts her hair off her forehead and gazes at her image in the mirror. Her most enthousiastic fan has sent her armfulls of liles , bunches of honeysucle and posies of hyacinth to fill the room and her lacy clothes with an initially fresh and sweet fragrance , with a penetrating aroma that becomes deeper and slightly decaying as time passes. The whole concoction is intoxicating somehow, yet it makes her think of him with nostalgia. She thinks she's falling in love... It's a Grand Amour. It has to be!

That had been my impression of this rich floriental, composed by Isabelle Doyen, redolent of heady flowers and a balsamic ambery base when I had tried it for the first time back in 1997 when it launched, on a trip to Austria. I recall that the splendid presentation of the butterfly bottle alongside the dewy flowers in the filigree vases around with their fin de siècle ambience had captured my attention and provoked the above image, which is still firmly with me after all those years. The recollection made me nod my head a little when I read Tania Sanchez in Perfumes,The Guide saying: "[it]has impressive ambitions, combining aloofness and warmth in search of that magical proportion that turns a starlet into a star".

Grand Amour immediately stroke me as a little decadent and "intimate", not as airy as the majority of the Goutals I had hitherto tried, and indeed, alongside firm staples Passion and L'Heure Exquise, most of my favourite Goutals fit into the category that the Goutal people term as "capiteux"; more or less "heady". Inspired as it was by the bouquets that the cellist Alain Meunier presented to Annick during their courtship Grand Amour is officially described as "A perfect balance of carnal flowers, lily, hyacinth, honeysuckle. A hymn of sensuality with notes of amber, musk, myrtle".

The atmosphere of Grand Amour is one of sustained uncertainty, poised as it is between the unctuous base of its resinous orientalia and the grassy, sappy, almost refreshing floral top; honeysuckle first reveals its yellowish, nectarous blossoms, reminding me of the exquisite moment when winter falls into spring, then hyacinth takes reign with its intoxicating pollen-like aroma. Its powdery, dry earthiness is the perfect accompaniment to these first days of spring when the longing to see new bulbs erupting sprouts is so ingrained into the melancholy of a long winter. In several ways (the soap, the powder, the hyacinth) Grand Amour is comparable to Guerlain's classic Chamade from 1969, another head-long dive into romance, yet I do not detect much of the characteristic galbanum and oakmoss of the latter (at least in its vintage form).

The Eau de Toilette highlights more of the romantic, soapy aldehydic hyacinth notes while the Eau de Parfum of Grand Amour is more base-heavy in the incense-like myrrh tonality and allover denser and sultrier. It is also naturally more orange-hued in contrast to the light straw-coloured Eau de Toilette, so don't be alarmed if you come across dark juice, it's not necessarily spoiled. If you really like that sort of effect and are that sort of woman, I guess you need both versions.

Notes for Annick Goutal Grand Amour:
lily, hyacinth, honeysuckle, Turkish rose, jasmine, French mimosa, amber, vanilla, myrrh.

Grand Amour by Annick Goutal is available as Eau de Toilette (30-50-100ml) and Eau de Parfum (50ml, 100ml) in the classic gadroon bottles and in a red butterfly bottle at boutiques carrying the Goutal line and several online venues. Check Lianne Tio's Nederthelands boutique on this link as well.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Annick Goutal news & reviews, Interview with perfumer Isabelle Doyen

Photo of Hanna Schygulla via Fromn Blank to Blank. Photo of Annick Goutal bottles rested atop Edouard Vuillard 's painting The Dress with Foliage by Elena Vosnaki

Jennifer Aniston Launches her Own Celebrity Fragrance: Lola Vie

In a sea of celebrity scents (ie.commercial fragrances fronted by celebrities who lend some of the glamour into pushing -often mediocre at best- juice) another newcomer is ready to strut her foot into the mess and with a flick of her honey-gold mane make us look and hopefully sniff long enough to buy: Friends show and several movies' star Jennifer Aniston, also known for her marriage to Brad Pitt.

"According to OK!, Jen has been developing the perfume for nearly two years, although she is apparently on the fence about what to call it. The actress "has yet to get 100 percent behind any name," says an insider, "but the one she favors is 'Aniston.'" Not so, says her spokesman, who calls the eponymous perfume speculation "wrong." "It will not have her name," he assures us. Another moniker that was apparently nixed: Echo. "It’s all about capturing the idea of romance and freedom at any age," the source explains to the mag, "but it's hard to do that in just one word." [source]
Tell us about it! No word on the juice...it's all about the name! We'll update when more info becomes available.

Edit to Add: According to UsMagazine "A rep for the actress, 41, confirms that her first fragrance will be named Lola Vie, which roughly translates into 'laughing at life' in French" {sic} and is being developed by the Falic Group which is also behind Eva Longoria's eponymous fragrance. I would rather think that it takes texting in mind, as in LOL @ Vie (where throughfully vie means life in French) "I've worked on it for over a year," Aniston recently said of her scent to London's Capital Breakfast Show. "When they asked, I don't think they really expected me to be [so] picky. But you've got to have it smell right."

According to recent reportage, Aniston, a former fan of Miss Dior and Anais Anais in her formative years, has progressed from the "heavier" scents and is now aiming for a "non perfume-y" scent that will have people exclaiming "What is that smell? You smell great!" I'm supressing a yawn as we speak, but maybe there might be something decent in the works, who knows?
The advertising campaign makes ample use of ms.Aniston's lithe body, clad in only a towel, sitting on the rocks of a deserted beach.

Photo collage created by Perfumeshrine. Photo of Aniston for the ad campaign through Popeater.com

Wandering Wonderland (Game & Giveaway)

Indie perfumer Roxana Villa of Roxana Illuminated Perfume has created a trial version of a green fragrance with rose at the heart titled "Smell Me". She will be giving away five samples of the fragrance as part of this blogging collective inspired by the tale of Alice in Wonderland.
GAME: To be entered to win a sample of "Smell Me" please visit each participating blog and determine which character from the story each blogger has assumed. E-mail your guess to Roxana (at) IlluminatedPerfume.com. Five winners will be chosen to receive a sample of the first edition trial of the fragrance!

"They are rattling breakfast plates in basement kitchens,
And along the trampled edges of the street
I am aware of the damp souls of housemaids
Sprouting despondently at area gates.
The brown waves of fog toss up to me
Twisted faces from the bottom of the street,
And tear from a passer-by with muddy skirts
An aimless smile that hovers in the air
And vanishes along the level of the roofs"
~T.S Eliot Morning at the Window

Years back when I started perfume blogging I began with the enthusiasm of the passionate collector who was trying the plethora of new juice on the market as soon as they were available. Even though it was plenty, it was nowhere the sheer mushroom-sprouting-quality that has sprung lately. It was impressive just how involved and meticulous I had been in the project, first and second and third chorus echoeing in my ears "try this", "try this", "try that"... It was hard finding one's way into this enchanted land of fragrance, but once one did, everything began to have meaning and a passionate discourse among aficionados began concerning the relative merits of this or that. I recall I was grinning on several pretensions, as I continue to do. Some call me stregatto, others prefer to call me sane. The crux of the matter is that several things have changed as online perfume writing and online discussion of perfumes has evolved and we're seeing an expansion from all strata. I continue to file all in my big library and note little cryptic notes, which might make no sense, in the borders. Can I help anyone find their way in the entangled fragoland? It all depends on where you're going. And if you don't need to delineate a specific course, then it doesn't really matter which way you go and you're in for the ride down the rabbit's hole if you walk long enough. It's all good!


Check for hints of the other characters:
Roxana at Illuminated Perfume Journal
Heather at Memory and Desire Won't be participating after all due to personal reasons
Lucy Raubertas at Indie Perfumes
Beth Schreibman Gehring at The Windesphere Witch
Tom at PerfumeSmellin'Things: The hint is "quote the raven: 'teatime'"

Picture stills from the Disney film Alice in Wonderland by Tim Burton with Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Mia Wasikowska courtesy of the guardian.co.uk for entertainment purposes. Alice illustration by Roxana Villa.

Parfums Piguet Re-issuing Another Classic

Robert Piguet is known for their excellent reconstructions of their old vintage portfolio, from Fracas and Bandit all the way down to the more recent Baghari, Cravache, Visa and Futur. It seems that the committee at Fashion Fragrances and Cosmetics and Joe Garces, who own the licence for the Robert Piguet brand of perfumes, have scored on the perfect resurrection: the magnificently individual and long-lost Calypso, on which we had rhapsodized in a manner befitting the ancient bard theme a while ago, is being re-issued with much fanfare. The official site declares: "A unique and powerful fragrance from Robert Piguet will be unveiled soon - check back often for release announcements."
Calypso then, you might as well get all revved up! Can you colour me super-excited!

The information is concrete, corroborated and beyond any doubt.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Robert Piguet news and reviews

Thanks to youstink and neoty26 for drawing my attention to it.

Jacomo Art Collection: Awakening of the Sleeping Beauty

The luxe brand Jacomo, which has graced us with the liquid emeralds of Silences and the elegant Anthracite pour homme and pour femme is back after its acquisition by the group Sarbec Cosmetics which had put it to slumber. A new art-inspired collection, of which the three first instalments ~in proper niche numerical fashion~ are being issued as we speak, is promising to put Jacomo back on the map of luxury perfumery where it deserves to be. Established in the 1970s, Jacomo has always travelled a bit under the radar for those not immersed in French perfumery. Yet their undeniable attention to detail in composing their perfumes has created a mini-cult.

Now, Jacomo hopes to revive the name by inviting artistis to paint for the packaging of the new perfumes, named 09, 02 and 08.

Gourmand 09 is packaged in orange and is a spicy fruity woody formula that combines notes of citron, orange pulp, pink pepper, mango, cinnamon, vanille, praline and sandalwood. The artist creating an aquarelle for the box is Stina Person, who drew women's legs in heels and fishnets to denote the playful character of the juice inside.
Oriental leathery 02 is packaged in yellow, encompassing notes of bergamot, lily, amber, vanilla, patchouli, and tonka bean. The illustrator Cecilia Carlstedt gives it a face of a bohemian woman from the 1970s, flower in her hair and all; perhaps as a nod to the past of the brand?
The aromatic 08 is embottled in shocking pink (the emblem of India) and illustrated by Daniel Egnéus in green sketches of ganesh protectors, an allusion that refers to the composition inspired by India's Massala tea, with its accords of cardamom, ginger, and black tea. The formula is extending it with notes of freesia, a milk accord, and dried fruits. Honey, cinnamon and amber contribute to the base notes of the third Jacomo fragrance in the triptych.



Art Collection by Jacomo will be available at Beauty Success, Passion Beauté, some Sephora stores and select department stores in eau de parfum in 50 ml (54 euros) and 100 ml (72 euros).
Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Jacomo Silences review, Upcoming releases

Midnight Gardens: the Inexplicable Pull of Nocturnal Blooms

"Daphne du Maurier’s nameless heroine in Rebecca describes the blooms at Manderley estate as “crimson faces…slaughterous red, luscious and fantastic…monsters, rearing to the sky, massed like a battalion, too beautiful…too powerful…not plants at all.” With this in mind we’ve decided to design our own haunting garden, one that smells sweetest, like cloves and honey, and whose flowers only come to life in the darkest hours of the night".


Part of an exciting article by Jaclyn Gallucci on Longislandpress.com which you can read here in its entirety, it reprises the haunting nature of some of the headiest and most impressive blossoms around: the night-blooming flowers! Moonflowers, night phlox, tuberose, four o'clock, woodland tobacco, August lily, evening stock and ebb tide rose all make an appearence with little snippets of history, gardening info and olfactory descriptions. Recommended reading!

Photo collage by Jessica on Polyvore

Etat Libre d'Orange Like This Tilda Swinton: Musing on a Muse

Etat Libre d’Orange, the brand of interesting scents and provocative names, takes on another unusual muse; after Rossy de Palma, the cubist-looking Spanish actress renowned for her work in Almodovar films, the visually striking and fiercely talented Tilda Swinton is their next "muse". The enigmatic, ambiguous, eternally pale and socially provocative actress (living a polyamorous existence in Scotland) broke into the scene with Virgina Woolf's Orlando film adaptation in 1992 never to divert far from our attention span ever again. Even though Tilda is not exactly beautiful (or pretty, in the conventional sense of big eyes, round contours, flowing mane) she is arresting and compelling to watch, making the camera love her. Etat Libre d’Orange dedicates their latest fragrance, inspired by the verse of the Persian poet of the 13th century Rumi and named Like This to Tilda Swinton, rendering the most unexpected "celebrity scent" in a long while. Perhaps the choice wasn't really that unexpected: Several perfume enthusiasts in the online community when asked which celebrity should have their own fragrance mention her name, adding that Etat Libre would do her justice (that remains to be seen, but I am willing to test the theory out!)

So what is it with unusual, non silicone-friendly beauties that could be termed jolie-laide lately? We had noticed the phenomenon when Balenciaga had chosen Charlotte Gainsbourg a while ago for their new violet-laced steely scent Balenciaga Paris. Even though Charlotte, Gainsbourg's daughter by Jane Birkin, has known controversy since infancy (Lemon Incest is a hard act to follow!), somehow her contemporary profile minus Antichrist is rather tame. Her family life, married to director Yvon Attal, is steady, even bourgeois. Tilda on the other hand enjoys a much more controversial profile, a patrician background and her Celtic features and high colouring are unpredictable and more distinctive than Charlotte's. The White Witch part in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) was plenty memorable.

What is more interesting is that there seems to exist a brave new frontier in fronting fragrances through faces that communicate a certain intelligence (Tilda has been involved in installation art and cutting-edge fashion, notably for Victor & Rolf) and visual bravado. The audience has been tired of mainstream predictability and needs new "flesh". Is it also an indication of feministic streak that re-awakens through a bras-de-fer with the cemented ideals of Hollywood-esque attractiveness? Tilda is a creature of subtle and underground sexuality, which highlights the mystique that fragrance can inspire admirably. And perhaps the female buyers of fragrance long for it to be again -after decades when it was forgotten- a discreet game of mapping their own identity, intelligently and cohesively. In the words of Tilda herself: "I'm basically interested in identity, and I still find fascinating the question, 'How do we identify ourselves, and how do we settle into other people's expectations for our identity?' "

Like This was composed by perfumer Mathilde Bijaoui, including notes of yellow mandarin, ginger, helicrysum (everlasting flower/immortelle), neroli, Grasse rose de Mai, heliotrope, musk and vetiver, as well as the new synthetic Potiron Jungle Essence (Mane laboratories) reinforcing the smell of pumpkin. The word pumkin ~alongside its echolalia and the findings of Dr.Hirsch about its scent augmenting penile blood flow~ makes me giggle a bit when contemplating the polyamorous environment of Tilda. Is this intentional? It would be fun to think that it were!

Like This by Etat Libre d’Orange will be available in Eau de Parfum 50ml and is launching on 13th March 2010.
Photo of Tilda Swinton via papercastlepress.com/blog

Esxence: exhibition in Italy news

Esxence: the scent of Excellence, the Art Perfumery’s Event takes place from 25th to 28th of March 2010 in Milan . The location is the renowned art museum La Permanente, in the heart of the City.
Esxence’s new location will welcome a lot of interesting friends such as Michael Edwards, well-known author of the book “Fragrances of the World”, Maurice Maurin, the Great French Master Perfumer author of the book “ La Sagesse du Créateur de Parfum”, of which Calé was the mover behind the Italian translation. L'Osmothèque, le Conservatoire International des parfums in Versailles and the Museo del Profumo in Milan and other supporters will propose workshops and events committed to improve the Perfumery Art knowledge.

Among participants who will attend we can quote the 7th descendant of Creed dynasty, Erwin Creed, or the 8th descendant of Floris family, Tom Marsh, but also the “nose” behind the Italian brands Calé Fragranze d’Autore and Profumi di Pantelleria , Maurizio Cerizza, the dynamic Parfums d’Orsay owner, Marie Huet and the “big Breton” Antoine Vuillermet, owner and creator of Lostmarc’h. The wonderful world of Humiecki&Graef will be proposed by Sebastian Fischenich and Dmitri Denissov will be happy to teach you the story of Mark Buxton . The world of wet shaving and men’s grooming, from Truefitt&Hill to Gentlemen’s Tonic, will be a huge discovery!

To get an idea of the special atmosphere you could brea the at Esxence last year please visit Esxence gallery.php.
If you would like to visit please remember to register yourself on the website http://www.esxence.com/ to receive by e-mail your personal invitation.

Annick Goutal Passion: fragrance review

All Annick Goutal perfumes have little stories behind them which adds to the enchanting, small scale appeal they have: Passion was the first fragrance which Annick Goutal created along with perfumer Isabelle Doyen in 1983 for her own use. The second one, inspired by the floral bouquets her husband offered her while courting, was Grand Amour; also a firm favourite of Perfume Shrine and to be tackled later on. Sables was made for Alain, Annick's husband, while Eau de Charlotte and Eau de Camille celebrate her daughters' childhood memories.

Passion dazzles amongst them with its headiness, its perceptible sillage and its great lasting power, "like a flower with translucent antennae and a mauve plastic heart.” Complicated, chewy, cruel, yet beautiful, like life itself, Passion made Tania Sanchez reserve one of her more poetic reviews of it in Perfumes,The Guide: "It feeks humid, narcotic, unsettling, like a moonless July night without a breeze". It could be one of those nights about which Raymond Chandler wrote: "Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands' necks."

The artistry of course lies in how to manipulate the (excellent) materials: The exotic Ylang-Ylang has facets of banana and even coconut; sweet, buttery, creamy, almost bulemic. On its other end though it encompasses methyl salicylate which recalls wintergreens. Tuberose has facets of camphor which act as a counterbalance of its intense white floral sweetness. Pair them with a bitter green touch which supports the already present caphoraceous scheme (tomato vine leaves, the same as used in Eau de Campagne by Sisley and Folavril again by Goutal, plus oakmoss) and some vanilla to offset the "fruitiness" of the bouquet and you've got something unique!
Passion starts with a heady caphoraceous blast of what can only be sensed as vibrant tropical florals snowballing a cadenza of sweet and green notes that unify to the point where you don't know where the garden ends and the woman starts. There is something very ladylike about Annick Goutal fragrances, yet in classic French tradition the lady in question can forget all about ladylike manners in the bedroom. Passion is carnal, yet delicate and fragile at the same time, like a 22-year-old ready to be consumed by love. And even older ones...

Notes for Annick Goutal Passion: Jasmine, tuberose, ylang-ylang, vanilla, tomato leaves, patchouli, oakmoss.

Passion by Annick Goutal is available as Eau de Toilette (100ml) and Eau de Parfum (50ml, 100ml) in boutiques carrying the Goutal line and several online venues. Check Lianne Tio's Nederthelands boutique on this link as well.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Annick Goutal news & reviews, Interview with perfumer Isabelle Doyen

Photo from the film Betty Blue, 37.2°C le Matin via livejournal/Ohnotheydidn't. Photo of bottle of Passion by Elena Vosnaki.

No Alcohol-Based Perfumes in Our Future?

The somewhat alarming title which brings to mind declarations much more ominous than "perfumery is dead" etc. due to reformulations or a reversion to ancient perfumery tactics which relied on oil-based elixirs isn't completely demagogue. In fact there is some development afoot which requires a bit of thinking and reconsidering and perhaps some action, if we're serious about what we say and do in public. (I'm reminding you of the ethos we champion)
It seems that when Ava Luxe stopped making alcohol-based eau de parfum versions of her popular fragrances she was on to something, even if she is based in sunny California. According to latest news, all alcohol based perfumes made in Colorado, USA, will be banned if HR 10-1248 CSPCPA is passed, as legisltors consider it a carcinogen! Even though alcohol is also found in several toners as an astringent & a preventative of fungal growth the CO Safe Personal Care Bill is acting up into banning its use. Which would entail perfume too, perhaps!

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics began as a self-regulatory body within the industry grouping colleagues in the small personal care products industry with the aim of a peer-reviewed scientifically verifiable position on products. "When the FDA introduced the FDA Globalization Act of 2008, it appeared as if CFSC was pressing for stringent, and perhaps unnecessary, regulations to be included in the act requiring product registration fees that would be prohibitive for many of the CFSC small business signers. At that time, it also began to become apparent that perhaps an overzealous rush headlong was overstating the immediate necessity for some of the requirements suggested to be included in the act and that perhaps established authorities were not being consulted to provide scientific documentation that would anchor CFSC’s position with actual facts and tempered scientific reasoning." [source] Reminds you of something? Thought so!

Colorado, USA has a proposed a bill, proposed for effect for September 2011, known as The Colorado Safe Personal Products Act, unfortinately so broad and vague that if it passes under its present guise the personal care shelves in stores would go bare! You can read the entire bill here. To follow the bill as it is updated click here and change the range to House Bills 1201-1250 and then scan down to 1248. [source Kayla Fioravanti] There is a hearing scheduled for March 1, 2010 (including sponsors and opposers) while the committee is meeting in room 0107.
Concern might be valid, but like someone questions, "Will these chemicals be ones that cause cancer when topically applied at normal usage percentges or will this information come from studies in which rats were injected with 100% concentration of said ingredients? There is a big difference between putting an diluated ingredient on the skin than injecting an ingredient into the body at full concentration."

It might be wise to be vigilant, because if this paranoia about possible toxics and carcinogens escalates the results would be akin to putting us in a plastic bubble. We're all for the informed choice of the consumer, but surely alcohol would have to be directly ingested and what's more in great quantities to effectuate such radical repurcussions such as tumour growths etc. Not to mention that alcoholics in poor situations are known to imbue clear alcohol to get their fix for years on end without necessarily cancers being the cause of their (eventual?) demise [of course no specific study has been conducted either, but let's just entertain the thought for the sake of our argument here a minute].
Food for thought at any rate! And possibly an incentive to write to your local Congressman/woman.



Here is a list of Colorado based small businesses who have raised their concerns and oppose the new Bill for further reading:
Oppose the Colorado Safe Personal Care Products Act Donna Maria Coles Johnson, IBN Colorado Safe Personal Care Products Act :: Take Action Immediately, Kayla Fioravanti, Essential Wholesale Colorado Safe Personal Care Products Act Kelly Bloom, Southern Soapers Tunnel Vision, Robert Tisserand, Aromatherapy Expert and Author Colorado Safe Cosmetics Bill, Cindy Jones PhD, Sagescript Institute The Colorado Safe Personal Care Act: How Will it Affect You, Lisa Rodgers, Cactus & Ivy You Can Die From Salt, Too, Anne Marie Faiola, Bramble Berry Oppose Colorado Safe Personal Care Products Act, Katherine Corkill, Sterling Minerals From the President – Colorado Safe Personal Care Products Act, Leigh O’Donnell, HSMG Colorado versus the cosmetics industry, Sarva Natural Artisan Soaps When Safety in Personal Care, Isn’t Safety At All, Jerell Klaver, Salus Natural Body Care The Colorado No Product Law, Marge Clark, Nature’s Gift Tilting at Windmills: The Colorado Safe Personal Care Products Act, Emily Topsham, GCD Spa Costly Confusion in Colorado: The Bubble Bill, Donna Maria Coles Johnson, IBN Related Articles: Colorado Proposes Ban on Cosmetics It Claims Cause Cancer, Cosmetic Design Bill Proposes the Colorado Safe Personal Care Products Act, Global Cosmetic Industry

Heeley Oranges and Lemons Say the Bells of St.Clement's: new fragrance

Oranges and Lemons, Say the bells of St. Clement’s: Yup, that's the full name of the latest Heeley fragrance which will be introduced in Excense 2010 in Italy. The brand by James Heeley had us all take notice with their Cardinal and Cuir Plein Fleur, to mention but two worthwhile specimens.

Born in Yorkshire, England, James Heeley studied Philosophy and Aesthetics at King’s College, London University. He lives and works in Paris. Product design, packaging, graphic design, interior design and perfume: the scope of his work is large, yet always approached with the same rigour and attention to detail. The apparent simplicity and elegance of his designs are the result of a continual thought process in which he marries form, function, and a coherent use of materials. Characterised by a certain degree of formalism, his idea of luxury is that it should abound with life and intelligence.

Now Heeley is after a playful new twist for their hesperidic fragrance in what has to do with its baptism at least. The name derives from an old British song:

Oranges and lemons, Say the bells of St. Clement’s
You owe me five farthings, Say the bells of St. Martin’s
When will you pay me? Say the bells of Old Bailey.
When I grow rich, Say the bells of Shoreditch.
When will that be? Say the bells of Stepney
I do not know, Says the great bell of Bow
Here comes a candle to light you to bed.
And here comes a chopper to chop off your head!

The fragrance? It contains notes of orange, lemon, bergamot, mandarin, neroli, petit-grain, Earl Grey tea, ylang ylang, vetiver, and musk.

info via Extrait.it

Amouage to open 2 stand-alone boutiques

"The luxury perfumer was founded 25 years ago at the request of Sultan Qaboos bin Said, Oman's head of state, as a way to both preserve the sultanate's biblical perfume-making traditions and provide gifts for visiting world leaders. Now, it's looking to infiltrate the European -- and eventually the U.S. -- markets with its own named stores selling an unique, expensive brand of perfume, and other luxury goods, for the body and the home.
Two new stores are planned for 2010 -- one in Dubai and one in London. The Dubai store, scheduled to open at the end of March, will be the first outside Oman. The London store, scheduled to open in May, will be the first outside the Gulf."

We love Amouage on Perfume Shrine and encourage you to read the whole article from cnn.com on this link.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Amouage news & reviews