Madonna Launches Celebrity Fragrance

Finally, did I hear you ask? For years perfume enthusiasts have wondered how it is possible that even Z-list "celebrities" have their own juice out while Madonna, an affirmed perfume lover (as per our celebrity list) hasn't. Well, not anymore!

"The first fragrance from Madonna may not be what you'd expect. Merchandising company Signature Networks has announced a deal with the star that could see the introduction of a fragrance based on her English Roses book for children" (according to Goliath Business News)
Of course it was as far back as 2005 that Hello Magazine had this blurb out: "According to British newspaper The Sun, she's planning on launching an eponymous fragrance this Christmas in a deal reportedly worth £5 million". And in 2007 the rumours had already gained a significant amount of analysis behind them, citing Madonna's meeting with Firmenich executives, as per Théo Spilka. What transpires at any rate is that Madonna did have the plan in the works for about a decade.

The question by now was whether such a fragrance would actually sell well, taking into consideration Madonna has the bulk of her career behind her: Neil Katz, CEO of Parlux Fragrances, which markets the Paris Hilton scent, says, "Years ago, she could sell fragrance. But I don't know if at this point in her career, she still has that strong a following. I don't know." "She has most of her career behind her," Bousquet-Chavanne notes, but "she has a universality to her and a timelessness." Judging by her 1979 nudes inspiring the visuals for unrelated fragrance, well...
What is news is that perhaps this venture will market not the adults who grew up with her but the pre-teens, aged 6-14, who are the audience for her books and their parents who buy them. The news is actually even more complicated, as it will be the culmination of a wider project which involves a clothes and accessories brand. According to Happi.com: "MG Icon, the newly formed joint venture between Madonna and Iconix Brand Group, has announced its first direct-to-retail license agreement with Macy's, Inc. for Material Girl, a new fashion line, which will eventually include beauty products. Inspired and designed in collaboration with Madonna and her daughter Lourdes, the Material Girl junior collection will launch exclusively in approximately 200 Macy's stores and online in August. It will feature footwear, handbags and jewelry priced between $12.00-$40.00. According to MG Icon, future expansion plans call for Material Girl to be active in the beauty sector, with a fragrance bowing in 2011." Could it be called Candy Perfume Girl?

EDIT TO ADD: Nope, Candy Perfume Girl it ain't. Read more on Madonna's "Truth or Dare" on our updated article.


pics via ghollywoodgossip.com

"You could smell him coming a mile off"

"When Diddy hit Blighty for an extraordinary seven-hour booze bender" begins the article on the Mirror.co.uk which talks about how Puff Diddy played the diva (deus?) game the other night in London and stayed awake not to miss anything. But what's more impressive is how he had perfume henchmen spraying his "Unforgiven" fragrance all around, so people could smell him coming a mile off, according to one attendee "but you could hardly see him under all that mist from the perfume". Argh, argh....
"The megastar rapper transformed into Diva Diddy and was followed around by personal perfume sprayers who squirted his Sean John fragrance every 20 minutes. But clubbers were choking with laughter at one of the exclusive bars graced by the 40-year-old, when the DJ who was spinning his tracks started gagging after too much scent came his way. But not to worry, Diddy had someone acting as a walking coathanger there to waft it away"

The Plaza NYC introduces fragrance collection

You know there's something in perfume-as-the-new-It when hotels are launching their own fragrance lines...Costes was in the vanguard; now The Plaza is trodding in their footsteps with what seems like a lifestyle frag line.
The Plaza (www.ThePlaza.com), New York ’s iconic hotel, recently debuted a signature fragrance collection, fittingly titled The Plaza. The collection includes an eau de parfum, a candle, and soap (fittingly these are all exclusively sold at The Plaza Beauty at The Shops at The Plaza). There are plans to introduce additional exclusive scents to the hotel’s fragrance collection later this year.
The fragrance was created exclusively for The Plaza by one of the world’s "most celebrated perfumeries, Krigler, a 5th generation fragrance house" using "exceptional ingredients from around the world". The Plaza fragrance has top notes of bergamot, grapefruit, verbena heart, Texan cedar, oud, and iris, delicately balanced with undertones of amber, precious wood, and leather. The result they tell us is "an elegant bouquet that evokes the very essence of the landmark hotel – classic, timeless and romantic".
“We looked to The Plaza’s rich history situated on Central Park and Fifth Avenue to seek inspiration,” said Kristin Franzese, Executive Vice President, Retail. “The Plaza fragrance captures a moment in time. We wanted to create a modern scent that appeals to women who share the same dreams and aspirations inspired by the romance and classicism of one of New York ’s most iconic and glamorous destinations.”

New face for Cerruti 1881 for Men

The emblematic for the house of Cerruti fragrance Cerruti 1881 for Men (the date denoting the founding of the house of Cerruti) is set for a new advertising campaign starting June 2010 sponsored by the licencee Coty with a new, untarnished face that has never before been associated with beauty or perfumes: Marc Lavoine. The French singer and actor was established in 1985 when his pop sensation "Elle a les yeux revolver" (i.e. She has killer eyes) with its Far East instrumental passages made it to the Top 4 of the French charts ~staying in the top 10 for 13 weeks~ and thus catapulting his career. The pulling traits that got him chosen? "His allure, his gaze and his voice which lend him an undeniable magnetism; an accompished and authentic man". (Quote according to the International senior vice president of marketing of the European licences of Coty Prestige). Marc is reportedly flattered to be participating, fronting such a masculine standby from 1990. Marc has aged in an appealing way, foregoing the too cute hair of the 80s, so who's to argue?

May I just ask whether this is a return to more traditional masculine prototypes, away from the metrosexual images of recent? Could this be -coupled with Dior's decision to utilize Alain Delon's classic 60s photo for Eau Sauvage- a new welcome trend? I'm crossing my fingers.



Photo collage of Marc Lavoine with Cerruti cologne bottle by Perfumeshrine

Marc Jacobs Splash Apple, Pomegranate, Biscotti: new fragrances

THE MARC JACOBS 2010 SPLASH COLLECTION announces itself with the motto "Indulge in an array of macaroons at a patisserie on a sweet summer’s day..." Yup, their popular Splash collection in the homonguous glass bottles with the simple labels for -ahem- splashing all over are back and this time with culinary themes running through them. Don't knock them off-hand, remember when we really liked their light Winter Amber back in the day?

Marc Jacobs introduces three new limited edition Splash Scents this spring in APPLE, POMEGRANATE, and BISCOTTI , inspired by the decadent indulgences of a Paris Patisserie. (Duh! I suppose saying you're inspired by a Stockholm or Belgrade patiserrie doesn't quite cut it with fragoholics, eh? Anyway...)

MARC JACOBS APPLE
Deliciously fruity, apple is aromatic and energizing, built around a green apple impression full of freshness. Developed by Yann Vasnier of Givaudan, tart yet refreshing apple juice opens with juicy apple, lemon and grapefruit. The unexpected surprise of rosemary, jasmin and soft stellata magnolia playfully join in. At last, warm driftwood, coriander and cardamom gently delight. The crisp green tint reflects summer's breezy, garden-fresh color palette.

*Fragrance house: Givaudan
*Perfumer: Yann Vasnier

MARC JACOBS POMEGRANATE
Inspired by the sparkling radiance of this fruit of myth pomegranate exudes an inviting balance of elegance and brightness.
Created by Perfumer Patty Hidalgo of Fragrance Resources, the fruity floral fragrance invigorates with an blend of mandarin flowers, bergamot, and lemon chiffon, rhubarb and violet mix with uplifting pomegranate. The dry down is a sugared musk with a blend of vanilla, and amber.
The corresponding pink tint is a hint to the fruit.

*Fragrance house: Fragrance Resources
*Perfumer: Patty Hidalgo

MARC JACOBS BISCOTTI
Savory aroma and a touch of citrus for the most gourmand of the lot of these limited editions. Crisp yet also comforting and refreshing.
Developed by Richard Herpin of Firmenich, this citrus floral treat opens with the freesia, bergamont and orange flower, the heart of pistachio blossom imparts a sweet richness while creamy and soft vanilla add balance and a smooth softness.
The warm golden tint is reminiscent of a crisp biscotto.

*Fragrance house: Firmenich
*Perfumer: Richard Herpin

MARC JACOBS SPLASH SUMMER 2010 COLLECTION availability:
Marc Jacobs Apple, Marc Jacobs Pomegranare and Marc Jacobs Biscotti are available in 300ML/10.0 FL. OZ. for $68.00 from March 2010 at fine department stores (including Saks Fifth Avenue, Sephora, Bloomingdale's, Lord & Taylor, Macy's, and Nordstrom) and MARC JACOBS Boutiques while supplies last.

info & pics via press release

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