Lady Gaga and her celebrity scent

Can I just yawn my way out of all these celebo-scents? Theoretically, there is nothing wrong with a famous person having a fragrance out bearing their name and ugly (or pretty, as the case is) mug on the bottle, but so very often the juice inside is just swill... Not to mention it's often unlikely that there would be any class involved (see this) or innovation (see that) or at the very least a sense of continuity with the "brand? (see that, for Pete's sake).
At any rate, who else but Lady Gaga, the major pop culture phenomenon of the last -oh, how long was it, again?- years, to bring out a new celebrity fragrance. According to People, Gaga has signed a deal with Coty to launch her own fragrance, set to be in stores in spring 2012. The lady herself has been known to wear Chanel Gardenia. Go figure! Who knows how the new fragrance will smell like, but I guess we're to be greeted with news of "rock accords" and "jarring fashion sense chords" soon.
Wondering what will really set it apart? Perhaps much like the eponymous pop star's garments, it will require special staff to hold on and use for its designated purpose. Or something...

Photo of Lady Gaga in all her feathered glory via zimbio

Evening of British Perfumery at Harrods

Harrods Perfume Dairies exhibition is inviting you to an Evening of British Perfumery on Thursday 16th September 2010 6.30pm - 8.00pm
Explore the best of British perfumery, led by curator Roja Dove, with speakers from Ormonde Jayne, Floris, Grossmith, Penhaligon's and Clive Christian

A Very Special Guerlain Event: Fragrant Reportage at Harrods Perfume Diaries

~by guest writer Fiordiligi

The Perfume Diaries exhibition, currently attracting plenty of attention at Harrods department store in London, offered an enticing and perhaps once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Guerlainistas last Thursday, September 9, 2010. Harrods and the organisers of this exhibition managed to persuade the legendary but now somewhat frail Jean-Paul Guerlain to travel to London, accompanied by his successor as “nose” at the house of Guerlain, Thierry Wasser, in order to participate in an interview for a few fortunate perfume fans.

From left to right (click for reviews): Guerlain Pour Troubler, Chant d'Arômes, Fleur Qui Meurt, Après L'Ondée


In an intimate setting within the exhibition space, Jean Paul Guerlain and his protégé (who clearly enjoy a relationship of mutual respect and admiration), responded to questions from the Harrods Fashion and Beauty Director Marigay McKee. A measure of the importance of this event was the appearance of Harrods owner (but perhaps not for much longer if the Press reports are to be believed) Mohammed Al Fayed at the beginning of the session.

The opening question and its response summed up the entire Guerlain ethos: when asked by Ms McKee to explain Guerlain’s longevity as a perfume house, Jean Paul had an unhesitating one-word response: quality. Later, he also insisted that another reason for the success of the House was the fact that they only sell what they can produce; in other words, Guerlain is a perfumer, unlike the fashion houses which “buy in” a fragrance to which the designer’s name can be appended and which can be sold alongside handbags and dresses.

Jean-Paul Guerlain’s first creation for the family business was when he was 15 years old, and he is still making perfume (thank goodness!) some 58 years later. When asked for his most personally meaningful creations, he cited Vetiver and Samsara, and then added Nahema. It is well known that the Guerlain family has always nurtured a tradition of stories lying behind the creation of each fragrance, and Jean Paul talked about the creation of a fragrance being linked to love, being in love or wanting to woo someone. Later, the relationship between food and perfume was also discussed (Jean- Paul apparently being a wonderful cook).

Mention was made of the next scent by M.Guerlain (Arsene Lupin), already discussed here, and the travels he still undertakes in search of the raw materials for Guerlain fragrances, including to Liguria, Calabria (for bergamot) and India. He loves to travel, still, and has particularly fallen in love with Nepal and Tibet.

Naturally, the bulk of the short interview was spent in discussion with the Guerlain legend, but Thierry Wasser, an elegant figure in a dark suit, who clearly worships his mentor, spoke modestly and self-effacingly about how he came to Guerlain through his work at Givaudan and, interestingly, how he always makes up the original formula of the Guerlain “greats” as a reference before attempting to re-work it. The mention of the new IFRA restrictions led to the most marvellously eloquent Gallic shrug and hand gesture from M Guerlain – “pah” would describe it best! Clearly, he, like the rest of us, is not impressed.
Mr.Wasser would obviously not be drawn on any new projects although he did say that something was being planned to celebrate the centenary of Jacques Guerlains’ masterpiece L’Heure Bleue in 2012.

Just one or two questions came from the small audience before the interview ended, to prolonged applause, and it would not be an over-statement to say that Jean Paul Guerlain looked very touched by his reception.

Fiordiligi is going to a private view of the actual exhibition guided by Roja Dove on Tuesday, so hopefully she will grace is with a companion piece here soon!

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Guerlain news, Guerlain Series of reviews


Photo of Guerlain bottles via Grant at Basenotes, many thanks and please visit

Rihanna is Out with a Perfume Soon: Reb'L Fleur

In a chat on her official fansite, Rihanna Daily, Rihanna(identified by a special pink admin name) told fans she’s done recording the entire album and promises it won’t disappoint. [...] The pop star also revealed the name of her new fragrance, which will be out by the end of the year, and it’s a familiar name to the Rihanna Navy: Reb’L Fleur. It’s much like the new tattoo she recently got on her neck, “rebelle fleur.” [source]
Guys, it's official now!




Update: According to the Parlux press release the new Rihanna scent is "Daring, sexy and truly memorable, Reb’l Fleur is as much in tune with Barbados-born Rihanna’s roots as it is with the glamour of her present life in New York City." The bottle design is rather quirky: an inverted stiletto heel wrapped with satin ribbon and topped with a gold ring. Reportedly, however, industry professionals weren't wowed and I kinda see why.
The scent will be available for purchase from February 2011. Reb'L Fleur by Rihanna includes fragrant notes of tuberose, violet, hibiscus, and coconut water [source].



Top pic via popcrunch ,second pic via Rihannadaily.com, bottle pic via Parlux

Top 5 Sexiest Fragrances

A BellaTV snippet (via PopSugar) featuring 5 picks from Scent Bar in Los Angeles (the brick & mortar store of Luckyscent). Basically a promo for Luckyscent, but oh well...it's a rather fun clip! Gotta love Zelena when she wrinkles her nose sniffing a bottle at 00:05. What bottle is that, by the way, anyone knows? Is it a Nanadebarry, Monocle Laurel or one of the Six Scents? And again when she first smells Molecule 01 (watch her expression, priceless micro-detail there) and proclaims it smelling very natural. I mean...Yeah, baby, yeah!

The five sexiest fragrances for men and women in the world according to Steven Gontarski, Scentbar expert (cute guy) are:

Lumière Noire pour Femme by Maison Francis Kurkdjian
Monyette Paris by Monyette Paris
Molecule 01 by Escentric Molecules
Costes 2 by Costes
CDG Red Series Sequoia

Agree? Disagree? Have your say! Which scents rate as sexiest to you?

Annic Goutal roses review: Rose Absolue, Rose Splendide, Quel Amour

Annick Goutal is no stranger to roses: From the retro-smelling rosiness of Ce Soir ou Jamais, to the refined Turkish rose on a powdery base of iris & sandalwood of Heure Exquise, all the way through the fabulous skincare which utilizes rose serum for its caring and skin-regenerating properties, high quality rose essence has a pride of place in the Goutal range, reflecting Annick's passion for the fragrant bloom. The three latest launches come as a trio of limited editions nicknamed Rose So Chic that highlight varying facets of "the king of flowers", the rose, resulting in as many permutations created by perfumer Isabelle Doyen, fit for a different woman or a different mood. Two of them (Rose Absolue and Quel Amour) are lighter interpretations of the existing perfumes in the line, while Rose Spendinde is a new release.

From lightest/fruitiest to "heaviest"/truest they are:

Quel Amour: The impertinence of peonies, the burst of wild rose and geranium rosa, combine with a sharp note of red currants, pomegranates and wine peaches, lending a sense of sweet cravings. Quel Amour smells rather innocent, with a mischievous, sweet tooth (a little whiff of lilac) deriving from a fruity heart and a wine-y, slightly sour note in the aftermath coming from the currants. Basically a berry-rose chord with a zingy, citrusy top note, Quel Amour is romantic the way texting sweet nothings is or settling a little lovers' argument through an apology on your Facebook profile: There is just something about it that appeals to the young and is completely uncomprehensible to the older generations. If searching for a fruity floral to offer to a young one you could do much, much worse elsewhere.

Rose Splendide: Fresh, green and musky, this "eau parfumée" is reminiscent of an early morning walk through gardens sparkling under the new day's dew...A composition based on the delicate, fragile Centifolia Rose, enhanced by the fresh scent of magnolias, musk and a touch of pear, for an incredibly mischevious revelation ! Rose Splendide is presented as the scent of a rose that has not been cut yet, and indeed this continuity between stem and thorn and flower is what keeps me interested. The gorgeous face creams and toners in the Goutal Spendide range have been aromatized for years with a comparable scent (Damascena rose and a bit of blackcurrant) and it was entrancing enough to keep me coming back for more, muffling the siren calls of several other high-end skincare lines. The mysterious underlying muskiness alongside the herbal/leafy touch on top (which reads as cut-grass green) is what seals the deal for me, making Rose Splendide my favourite in this trio of rose fragrances.

Rose Absolue: The quintessence of the noblest roses from the East and West : May, Turkish, Bulgarian, Damask, Egyptian and Moroccan roses. A creative folly for eternal feminity now reinterpreted in an Eau Parfumée. Like an armful of fresh roses, intense in their message, over the top romantic like bowing down on bended knee with the Seine at the background to propose, Rose Absolue is a must-try for anyone in love with roses. The light musk trail at the base notes lends it a whiff of something starting to hint at more intimacy; the love story is beginning to veer off the platonic and into the carnal but it's not quite there yet. The only drawback is the relatively lower staying power.

All three Goutal fragrances in the Rose So Chic collection are circulating as 100ml Eau parfumée spray, under a limited edition presentation of a pink/reddish organza ribbon around the neck under the "turban" cap. They retail for 85$. Annick Goutal will donate 5€ from each purchase of any of three fragrances to AVEC (Association pour La Vie Espoir contre le Cancer) between September 1 and October 31st, 2010, as a commemoration of Annick's battle with cancer.

New Dior Homme Commercial Directed by Guy Richie

The new Dior Homme commercial titled Un Rendez-Vous stars suave Jude Law engaged in ~apparently~ some role-playing sex game with a girlfriend (introducing Slovak model Michaela Kocianova who has a ridiculously predictable thick accent and sounds like Elmer Fudd!). The news is it's been directed by acclaimed British director and ex-Madonna-spouse Guy Ritchie. “You know who I am,” Law growls as Michaela Kocianova helps him slip into his pants, obviously made at the Dior ateliers. “I know who you are. You know where I’ve been. I know where you’ve been….” The dialogue is left at that (it's sounding all too repetitive or is it just me?)— and it’s never quite clear who Law is talking to. Then Law jumps into a vintage car and speeds off to the Eifel Tower. Nice touch to have the girl wearing his cologne, Dior Homme is great on women's skin too! (Have been enjoying it myself)



Greaaaaat, now what do YOU think? I'm a little stumped myself (Isn't it a little confusing? There's some back and forth between past and present all while they're talking on the phone). I like Guy Ritchie's cinematic work on the whole.
And what's that with famous cinematic directors reprising commercials for perfumes lately? (see Scorcese and Chanel Bleu)

More reading about the Ritchie-Dior film: Whiteblog.net

clip brought to my attention via popwatch

Penhaligon's Sartorial: new fragrance

Due to launch in October 2010, Sartorial [the new Penhaligon's fragrance for men] continues the theme of heady innovation. Formulated by Penhaligon’s master perfumer Bertrand Duchafour to reflect the aromas of the workroom at Savile Row tailors’ Norton & Sons, it features notes of oakmoss, tonka bean, lavender and beeswax, which picks up on the blocks of beeswax used in the workroom to coat each thread before stitching. [source]

Sartorial is a contemporary interpretation of a classic Fougère; the traditional notes of oakmoss, tonka bean and lavender have been stitched together with woods, ozonic and metallic effects, leather, violet leaf, honey and spices to create the perfect illusion of a tailor’s workroom. The modern thread running through Sartorial is beeswax. According to Whomyouknow: "This sweet smudged note ties together the more traditional elements; the oiled flash of shears cutting cloth, the rub of fabric beneath fingers, tobacco tinted cabinetry, puffs of chalk in the air and old paper patterns vanilla with age. Bringing together the great traditions of British perfumery and British bespoke tailoring, Sartorial is a fragrance for a new generation of gentlemen".
Basenotes member HDS1963 previewed it thus: "a very elegant and distinguished spice-topped fragrance which contains the heady lightness of previous offerings such as Castile and Douro, but with a rich-come-dirty spiciness to it lent by what smelled like a light cumin-sweetened by cardamom to it."

Will Sartorial join the fleet of scented cabs running the streets of London with drivers in attendance for questions from inquisitive passengers? (Currently there are 5 cabs, scented with Artemisia, Blenheim Bouquet, Endymion, Malabah and Orange Blossom).If you sport one, photograph it and post & tag it on Facebook you enter a prize draw for 100ml of the scent of your choice.

Notes for Penhaligon's Sartorial:
Top: Aldehydes, Ozonic Effect, Metallic Effect, Violet Leaf, Neroli, Cardamom, Black Pepper, Fresh Ginger
Heart: Beeswax, Cyclamen, Linden Blossom, Lavender, Leather
Base: Gurgum Wood, Patchouli, Myrrh, Cedarwood, Tonka Bean, Oakmoss, White Musk, Honey Effect, Old Wood Effect, Vanilla, Amber

Penhaligon's Sartorial will launch in the US on 11th October 2010 and will be available in Penhaligon’s boutiques, retailers carrying the line and online at www.penhaligons.com, in 50ml (80$) and 100ml (110$) of Eau de Toilette concentration.

photo via indieperfumes

Racy commercial for Intimately Yours by David & Victoria Beckham

"Racy": really? I thought it was rather predictable. What say you?

Intimately Yours duo of fragrances (for him and for her) by David & Victoria Beckham is set to be the 5th launch of the super-duet, promising it's the steamiest of their celebrity scents offerings so far. They would, wouldn't they?



Source Marie Claire UK

What's Life Without Fragrance?

For men, it apparently offers a sleeker look....
Enter Osmoz as well to win a year's worth of fragrance!

Watch also this clip and that one.

Clip via Osmoz TV

A Perfume Organic: Contest & Samples

A Perfume Organic, a fairly recent niche brand offering certified organic fragrances, is celebrating Fashion's Night Out this coming Friday 10th September in New York City at 2 Great Jones Street, Broadway & Lafayette from 6PM-10PM.

A contest with prizes is organized, some prosecco drinking and complimentary fragrance samples for all. Participate in a scavenger hunt-themed styling contest in multiple Soho New York-based locations called "Dots SPOTS." Meet at Imilla Road, and meet Richie Rich and celebrity stylist Mia Morgan who will co-host and judge your personalized looks!
Winning looks will win a day of beauty and styling with Mia Morgan, a new Dots wardrobe & a trip for two to a tropical location!
A Perfume Organic is an official sponsor for The Green Shows - the premiere fashion event exclusively committed to eco-friendly fashion - September 12-14th.

For more information: Imillaroad.com, A perfume Organic, The Green Shows

via press release

20% off Caron fragrances on Fashion's Night Out

Fashion's Night Out, Friday September 10th, hides a few surprises for our readers. Phyto Universe in New York City is organising an evening of offers and discounts from 6pm-8pm, with champagne served on the side too! Namely 20% off all Caron fragrances (remember they have the "urns" with pure parfum in there!), Lierac skincare and Phyto haircare. (You can also gain a 20% discount on future approintments booked on that evening and enter to win a 160$ Botanical Bliss treatment).

Where & When? Friday September 10th, 6pm-8pm at Phyto Universe, 15 Lexington Avenue (Entrance on 58th St.), New York, NY 10022

More info: www.phytouniverse.com or e-mail at info@phytouniverse.com