Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire model 2, Aqua Allegoria Jasminora & Elixir Charnel Floral Romantique : new fragrances

Guerlain has set up its sights high again this spring with several releases vying for perfume enthusiasts' attention: some are meant for the exclusive boutique circuit, some are for wider distribution. Let's see them in detail.



La Petite Robe Noire - Model 2 (set to launch widely on Valentine's Day 2011 and already circulating in Guerlain boutiques and espaces at Bergdorf Goodman's and Harrod's). This is version 2.0 of the previous contrarian opus La Petite Robe Noire which had Guerlain fans up in arms back in 2009 ("sacrilege! cartoon of a nighty! what's Chanel doing chez Guerlain?"). The new version in Eau de Parfum, created by Thierry Wasser, will be less fruity-tangy and more powdery-floral with an orange blossom note and accents of iris and...marshmallow, "infinitely delicate and perfectly sweet" (all right, the first edition wasn't the paragon of mature sophistication either!). At least the new one has an intriguing note of leather (!) and is promised to be powdery which is unusual to say the least for a fragrance aimed at the quite young.

Head notes: Bergamot, Lemon, Galbanum
Heart notes: Orange Blossom, Marshmallow, Iris
Base notes: Leather, White Musk

ETA: We have updated with a full review on this link.




Elixir Charnel Floral Romantique: It launches on May 1st, i.e. one day exactly after the exclusive -and supremely ephemeral, one day only- distribution of Guerlain Muguet which we announced a few days ago and have now supplemented with an official pic of the special bottle. Elixir Charnel Floral Romantique is another fragrance for the Guerlain boutique circuit and not for wide distribution.
The fifth chapter in the notoriously bad-copied line of Elixir Charnels (Carnal Elixirs) ,after Boisé Torride, should see the line-up completed, as it tackles the one fragrance family that was lacking: the floral.

Composed as an Eau de Parfum (in 75ml bottles) by Thierry Wasser, Guerlain Carnal Elixir Floral Romantique includes fresh top notes of mandarin and orange, heart notes of jasmine, ylang-ylang and tiare, with accents of lily and carnation and a woody base of cedar combined with smoked tea, chestnut, ambrette and mate tea.
The fragrance will make its debut in early June 2011.


Aqua Allegoria Jasminora: It launches in May 2011 in the familiar Aqua Allegoria line in the revamped packaging we got to know last year from Flora Nymphea and the travel exclusive Bouquet No.1. Jasminora will be part of the big department stores fare although the name is a nostalgic throw-back to glamorous eras of Guerlain history.
Head notes: Bergamot, Cyclamen, Galbanum
Heart notes: Jasmine, Freesia, Lily of the Valley
Base notes: Musks, Amber

Edit to add: We have updated with a full review of Jasminora on this link. 

Everything is coming up floral for Guerlain this spring it seems! What gives?

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Upcoming releases from Hermes, or Guerlain, et al.

pic via tunisiefemme.com and Skin Care Beauty Product blog

Aura by Swarovski: new fragrance

Swarovski, the famous crystalliers, had announced their desire to launch a perfume at least two years ago. Now, this spring, after strenuous work on the concept and packaging, will see this project becoming materialized in a new fragrance for women, called Aura by Swarovski. The fragrance is a product of the collaboration between the crystal company and Clarins Group. Curiously enough, one of the greatest obstacles was the incorporation of crystal in the context of a commercial bottle. Finally a graceful symbiosis of metal, glass and decorative crystal was agreed upon, examples of which you can see on the pictures of the bottles below.

The fragrance of Aura by Swarovksi is centered around floral notes of white tuberose, garlanded by fruity accents of litchi and a background of rosy pink pepper. The jus for Aura was created at Firmenich by acclaimed perfumers Jean-Pierre Bethouat and Olivier Cresp.
The accompanying advertising campaign was produced by the New York agency Select with the tag line "aura: the grace of light" and will hit glossies and TV screens this coming spring.

Aura by Swarovski will circulate in 4 rechargeable bottle sizes: 15 ml, 36 € ; 30 ml, 56 € ; 50 ml, 76 € ; 75 ml, 96 €. The extrait de parfum will launch in 2012.
Plans for limited edition collectors' bottles as well as a line of "bijoux de maquillage" (decorative makeup items) are on the cards as well.
Distribution of Aura will begin on April 1st 2011 in France and worldwide in big department stores and select perfumeries, as well as in the eponymous boutiques of the crystal maker.

Juliette Has a Gun new trio: Lucifer, Marilyn & Mary Jane

"Candles always fascinated me. I do not know, if it is a kind of neurosis, but I can't wait at the idea of receiving a new one. As soon as I lit it , the charm of the light and the smell incite me to want to buy more and more. And because I like making only what I love, I could not resist the desire to create my own candles. I wanted to present them to you as a Triptych - now, it belongs to you to discover it ". Thus introduces Romano Ricci, founder of Juliette has a Gun line of fragrances, his new trio of candles, fit for creating a romantic atmosphere this Valentine's Day: 48 euros for 200g each in silvery pots bearing text on the outside.


Lucifer
Interesting... if there is a God, how there could not be also a Devil. How the white could exist without its opposite side, the black?
I wanted this candle to embody something which is-in the end- natural.
Aren't we all sinners?
Straight to hell!

A scent of fire and live embers. A wood fire scent!

Marilyn
Marilyn Monroe - With her beauty and her sensuality, she is the icon of "Glamour". But Marilyn was more than a fantasy of the 50's. She was the biggest star of theses times, and remains, unquestionably, the most famous woman of the XXth century.
This candle with notes of red lipstick delicately powdered is dedicated to her, so she can continue to be among us. Notes of iris and violet.

Mary Jane
Mary Jane: what a tender name for a drug...
For 5000 years, numerous persons use the resin consisted of pressing Marijuna. Are they wrong? Certainly! If we inhale it, we are invaded by a feeling of happiness, we feel suddenly more artistic, or...simply better.
The Marijuana - center of the male imagination? According to french writer Charles Baudelaire, it could be responsible for our " desire of immortality ".

The scent of hash, with notes of oud wood and pine resin.

Pic via maisonclothes. Thanks to my reader ashraf for additional info.

Frequent Questions: Via Verri by Etro & all its Versions Reviewed

Via Verri by Etro, one of the harder to find fragrances of the noble Italian niche perfume line, has circulated in at least three different versions. It therefore constitutes something of a mix-up, being identical in name but differing in both smell and date of launch. To be fair, the name is sine qua non, since it denotes the street address of the flagship boutique of the refined parsley & colourful silks textile brand in Milan. So let's disentangle this thread of Ariadne in another installment of Frequent Questions on Perfume Shrine today.



The original Etro creation Via Verri (2006) was launched by the Italian textile & fashions brand of Etro in commemoration of their flagship in Milan which is on Via Verri (Old Road). The traditional (and oddly classy for something so adorned) bottle featured the familiar design on the label on the glass in a circle, while the cap was in gold relief. The box was the classic parsley design of the house, adored by those who were old in the cult of Etro. The scentof Via Verri from 2006 was a heavenly mix of dark yet fresh roses, their petals not quite wilting , the whole enlivened with subtle violet and musky tonalities which persisted for long. Today, it is difficult to procure as it has been substituted by the subsequent versions, and in my opinion it remains one of the refined yet instantly identifiable as roses fragrances which appeal to people who are not especially keen on rose to begin with. But of course it also captures the hearts of those who are, anyway...





In November 2008 a Vintage Limited Edition of Via Verri by Etro was issued. The bottle bears a label which clearly indicates "vintage" underneath Via Verri (technically a misnomer, since it's not the original creation) with the number of the lot, since it only circulated in limited amounts. The bottle, issued only in 100ml/3.4oz contenance, was shaped in the familiar "old style" of Etro flacons: cool, elegantly shouldered glass but with relief designs echoing the textile tradition of the house and a stopper in etched glass, encased in a monochrome box of maroon.
There is also a Vintage version with the typical relief gold cap, also in relief glass for the body of the bottle, but I haven't seen that one in person. It is in Eau de Toilette concentration.
The scent itself is a spicy mix with floral-woody accents: Cardamom and coriander surface first alongside nutmeg and sweet mandarin, while the base is formed of cypress, musk, oak and "mineral amber", giving a warm underlay.


The most modern version of Etro Via Verri 2010 in Eau de Toilette circulates as above in the revamped bottle of the brand; still elegantly shouldered glass, this time smooth without relief, and with a silver cap. The white label clearly mentions the year of launch as 2010 and is white and square in shape. The scent of the newest Via Verri 2010 itself is a reflection of the previously Vintage Limited edition, veering into the spicy woody family with added lemony accents, rather than the rosiness of the original creation. It is described in these poetic terms: "The femininity of the rose is trailed by the warm opulence of jasmin. Amber and musk bring warmth, with the lively freshness of bergamot and floral notes of precious iris. Then the sharp spicy notes of white pepper and cardamom create more woody and oriental accords."
Please note the outer packaging is completely different than previous editions, the box bearing a white & black schema with a purple square around the name of the brand and the scent, like all the rapackaged Etro scents.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Frequent Questions, Etro news & reviews

pic of Via Verri Vintage via gunni/gut-rasiert.de Modern Via Verri 2010 pic via modepilot.de

The winner of the draw...

...for the Oud Leather bottle is Stephan who posted at 19:42 (there were two readers by the same name). Please email me asap with your shipping address, using the contact on Profile or About page, so I can have the prize out in the mail for you.

Thanks everyone for the enthusiastic participation and till the next one!

Dior Leather Oud Full Bottle Giveaway

You heard this right! A full bottle (250ml) of the new Leather Oud in La Collection Couturier Parfumeur, hailed as the most refined in the bunch, has landed on my lap and it is for the taking for a lucky reader, minus a 5ml decant I am keeping for reviewing purposes.
Enter a comment saying what inspires you in the range of Dior and what does not (doesn't have to be specific perfumes only, you can discuss company practices, style of perfumery, cohesion or distribution patterns, whatever you choose!) and I will pick a winner by Monday. International participation is welcome.

Here is how Leather Oud is described by Dior: "Christian Dior searched the world, looking for the most beautiful fabrics that exist. Like the Designer (Couturier), the Perfumer (Parfumeur) chooses the most beautiful raw materials, one of which is Oud Wood from Indonesia. Highly powerful, vibrant and deep, Oud Wood is rare and particularly recognizable by the leather scents that it diffuses when burned. Using this unique wood, François Demachy created an intensely masculine fragrance, with strong character in which Leather notes intertwine with those of Gaiac Wood, Cedar and Sandalwood. An intense Woody Leather scent created with Oud Wood, a rare and precious wood with powerful animal notes that add warmth to the fragrance when in contact with the skin."

Incidentally, I have been asked by an industry magazine to comment on Demachy's work for publication. Watch out for an article focusing on my views on these pages as well next week.

Hermes Un Jardin sur le Toit: new fragrance

Hermès is not shying away from industriousness, even in the shade of risk of hostile take-overs from the LVMH Group which we had discussed this past autumn. Thankfully, this has been prevented and they're still catering to the tastes and standards of a true luxe house. On that note, they're introducing the fourth scent in the Jardins series, called Un Jardin sur le Toît (A Garden on the Roof), following the success of Un Jardin sur la Mediterranée, Un Jardin sur le Nil and Un Jardin après la Mousson.


The newest Hermès Jardin scent will include fragrant notes of apple and pear, alongside tea rose and will belong to the olfactory family of Greens. Sounds promising if only because of the seemingly constrasting themes (fruits and green? and tea rose too?).
ETA: Newer information talks about the smell of compost, magnolia (one of the strongest "trends" lately) and of weeds entering the composition as well!


For the launch, Hermès went out on a limb, inviting the press into a cooking class, a gardening lesson and then a rooftop garden at Hermès HQ in Paris. Hermès’ head cook, guided the press representatives into making a fruit compote that would include the fruity components of the fragrance (apple and pear). Then they progressed into the potting shed with the house's gardener, where they planted up Tea Roses into orange ceramic pots, which echoed of course the famous Hermès signature orange. Finally they were greeted to a rooftop garden where they smelled the green fragrance in its entirety. Ah...

Un Jardin Sur Le Toît will be exclusively available at Harrods and the Hermès Boutiques from 2nd April priced £55 for 50ml in the standard Jardin series bottles. 

A full review of Hermes Un Jardin sur le Toit is now on this link. 

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Voyage d'Hermes review, Iris Ukiyoe Hermessence review, Interview with perfumer Jean Claude Ellena

pics via Vogue blog. Thanks to Federico and blog.svd.se/ for additional info.

The winner of the draw...

...for the Dandy decant is Marina79. Congratulations and please email me with your data using the contact on Profile or About page so I get this out to you soon.

Thanks for the participation everyone and till the next one!

Teo Cabanel Early Roses: fragrance review

"One day, its Royal Majesty, our Self, should get out of the throne room and with its Court, the mind and the heart, sit down and decide about its life".
~Tasos Athanasiadis, The Throne Room

There are fragrances which are complex like symphonies and then there are fragrances which take on a gorgeous essence as a point of departure into exploring subtle nuances. Early Roses by Teo Cabanel belongs in the second category, imparting a morning-dew fresh rosiness with woody-musky undertones, as delicate and tender as that first kiss on the lips on a warm May's day when happiness is so overwheling that it's ripe with the burden of a budding melancholy already.

Jean François Latty (the perfumer of YSL's classics, Jazz and YSL Pour Homme) signed the latest and fifth opus of Teo Cabanel, a small exclusive perfumery originally established in Algiers in 1893 and reborn by a young heiress, Caroline Ilacqua in 2005.

Early Roses is a floral rose étude, subtle and pastoral like walking in a garden covered by dew, with fragrant notes of roses, red berries, jasmin, bulgarian rose, sustained by amber, musk and woody notes. Although Cabanel features another rose perfume in their portfolio, Oha, the comparison couldn't be more pronounced: While Early Roses is a budding young woman eagerly anticipating the miracle of life unfolding before her, Oha is a mature chypre floral when some heartache has left its indelible mark. The prettiness without vulgarity of Early Roses comes as confimation that Teo Cabanel, producer of the amazing warm floriental of amber & ylang ylang Alahine as well as another floral named Julia, is a niche brand to watch out for.

Early Roses pretty much begins as it ends, structured in an almost linear style. The first hit is unmistakeable fresh rose, cut with a little fruity tanginess, no powder or real sweetness, very fresh like in some Rosine fragrances. A complimentary rosy note of pink pepper is there as well, making the scent feel contemporary and keeping it from any sourness probably aided by some hedione (fresh green jasmine note). The warmer underscore of woodiness (comparable to that in Stella but a little bit creamier) comes almost immediately, blossoming into lusher rosiness. The floral core is flanked by clean musky notes, producing a skin-like effect throughout which lasts well although always in the lower, subtle register. If you are searching for the embullient roses of Paris by Yves Saint Laurent, or want your Eaux de Parfum to have ooomph, you might find it too sotto voce for your tastes.
Decidely girly, I think most men who are adventurous in their fragrance choices would find some challenge in borrowing it, but the experiment wouldn't be without merit.

Available as Eau de Parfum in 50ml/1.7oz and 100ml/3.4oz.



Music by Greek composer Evanthia Reboutsika from the album The Star & A Prayer.
Painting Roses by William Whitaker.

Doutzen Kroes Loves Perfume but doesn't Pick it Herself

Doutzen Kroes obviously wants to smell sweet for her man. In a short article in The Belfast Telegraph, the Dutch model and Victoria’s Secret Angel who wed DJ Sunnery James in November last year, reveals that she often asks his opinion when it comes to choosing her clothes, hair style and make-up looks (Somehow I find this a bit hard to believe for a model, at least regarding hair cut and colour). Sunnery is particularly good at picking up scents, she reveals, so Doutzen is glad to oblige. “I asked my husband to choose a fragrance that he loves on me, as I obviously want to smell good for him,” she laughed.

Doutzen also adds she rarely leaves home without a bottle of fragrance in her bag, as she likes to spritz herself with it throughout the day (Perfume Police are you listening?), while her other perennials are her favourite mascara (L'Oréal Telescopic we're told) and lipstick, as well as her iPod.

What about you? Do you indulge a beloved one or are you 100% firm in your stance to pick only what you like yourself?

photo of Doutzen Kroes by Mario Testino via christinaiak blog

Guerlain Muguet 2011: News on a Seasonal Release

Guerlain lately re-issues a special edition of their delicate and spring-like Muguet each year as a limited edition on the 1st of May (Traditionally the day when muguet ~lily of the valley in French~ is offered as a porte-bonheur, a good luck charm in France).
For 2011, Guerlain's Muguet will be embottled in the apothecary style flacons of re-issued Vega and Sous le Vent, but there will be handpainting on the glass as well!

ETA: You can see the new Muguet 2011 below (pic kindly provided by my reader Rappleya)
ETA2: Upon further research, Guerlain has confirmed that they have updated the design of Muguet 2011 with the one depicted second from top, favouring a sewn label versus handpainting. I admit I'm not particularly enthusiastic on it after seeing the previous design....

3/26/11 update: My faithful and wonderfully generous reader Judy informs us of the latest after seeing the Muguet 2011 with her very own eyes and I quote:
"The new release of Muguet is around 5 ounces, twice the size of the past releases [ed.note: this was amended by other witnesses, bringing the volume down]. Also it is in apothecary-style container, first shown on your site as the new-release bottle , but w/minor changes. The bottle still has the pretty muguet design on the outside. Also, the price is scary, sky-high, around $500, although Bergdorfs is having a "Beauty Week" beginning April 6th, and at that price, if the customer does a pre-sale, the sales person will hold the Muguet til May 1st for the $100 discount."

The design that was meant to be

the udated design for Muguet 2011...

Previously Muguet circulated in the standard quadrilobe with (2009) or without the superimposed atomiser "pouf" (2007) and the flacon fleuri design brough back from 1900 for the Eau de Toilette version for 1999, while the accompanying Eau de Toilette tester of the same year was embottled in the classsic Habit de Fete gold-cutouts style flacon with Millesime 1999 embossed on it. You can find pictures of those attached below.

The concentration for 2011's Muguet is Eau de Parfum and the volume is 125ml for 400 euros.

Previous incarnations of Guerlain Muguet include the following:

Guerlain Muguet flacon (Verrerie Royale de Romesnil) with atomiser for 2009

Guerlain Muguet quadrilobe flacon (Verrerie Royale de Romesnil) for 2007

Guerlain Muguet in flacon fleuri (originally 1900 design) for Eau de Toilette in 1999

"Habit de Fete" design for Guerlain Muguet, 50ml Eau de Toilette tester bottle, 1999

thanks to Wim Janssens and Mr.Guerlain (Ulrik) and especially my readers Rappleya and Judy who helped disentangle this mess!

Heidi Klum Shine: a new celebrity fragrance

The saturated market of celebrity scents (fragrances issued by celebrities in collaboration with some big perfume -producing company under their own name) is getting one more contender: Heidi Klum's fragrance, Shine.

The supermodel will release Shine alongside Coty Beauty. The new perfume is expected "to make people smell and feel delicious" although dissonant voices feel the move is a sellout for the classy “Project Runway” star. So why the choice? On Coty's part it seems obvious enough: Steve Mormoris of Coty Beauty said, “Heidi has a unique position in the market. She is not just a supermodel or a celebrity - she is also a businesswoman. She is very multifaceted - we plan to create a fragrance which celebrates all of those facets.”
The former Victoria’s Secret Angel on the other hand said, "I am thrilled to be partnering with Coty on my new fragrance. Working for a long time on developing a signature scent and watching it finally come to life is so exciting. I never thought my nose would recover from sniffing so many scent combinations, but it is all worth it." [source]

Now, how will it smell? I think "delicious" hints at a fruity floral with sweetness or a vanillic floriental without animalic notes. I could be wrong, but...

Edit to add: Updated news on the Shine fragrance by Heidi Klum: "an oriental scent made of pink peppercorn, pear and mandarin top notes; a mimosa absolute, sunflower, and lily of the valley heart; and musk Cosmone [ed.n. a novel aromachemical], vanilla and Venezuelan tonka bean drydown."
 Sweet, fruity, clean musk drydown. All check!

One commenter on People writes "I’m sure Heidi, like most celebrities, have them means to buy a lot of fragrances I can’t afford. I would expect her perfume would smell great and hopefully incorporate a lot of the characteristics from those more expensive lines so I can smell great too."
Sadly, in my personal experience in fragrant sniffing, celebrities doing brand extension through perfume launches don't necessarily expand their own taste into fragrance (JLo and Sarah Jessica Parker being exceptions), instead leaving the marketing team of Coty, Parlux, etc. decide what the intended audience would buy best...

Launch of Heidi Klum Shine is scheduled for autumn 2011 in North America and Latin America.