Miracle Forever by Lancome: fragrance review

What is it that makes us pick up a bottle and anoint ourselves with its jus tentatively in the first place? The inviting colour, the presentation, the name, the brand imbued in history, the luring advertising? For me and Miracle Forever it was surely the beautiful colour of the bottle. Cradled in a simple architectural glass vessel of intense rosy-tinged purple Lancôme’s latest offspring will surely catch the eye. Justifiably so.

Lancôme is no stranger to perfumery. In fact its founder Armand Petijean, a Frenchman who had been François Coty’s student, started his company in 1935. While vacationing in the French countryside, Armand Petitjean happened upon a castle ruin that intrigued him- Le château de Lancôme. Inspired by the delicate, fragrant roses which grew among the weathered stones he went on to choose the rose as the symbol of his new company because he believed rose encapsulated the feminine beauty of a woman, hoping to bring the same beauty he experienced into the lives of all women.

Or so the legend goes. There is some controversy to the issue and out of a pure journalistic and historic point of interest I set out to see if this is true. Especially as Lancôme shouldn't necessarily be written with an accent circumflex. Armand Petitjean was looking for a name that sounded typically French like Vendôme or Brantôme. It was one of his assistants that came up with the idea of "Lancosme" (in which the "s" is not pronounced) - the name of a château in the Indre region of France. This impressed Petitjean and the spelling was eventually changed. The circumflex now perched above the "o" is the one that replaced the "s", in an effort to establish the idea of French-ness to the international market and the rose became the symbol of the company, appearing on boxes and in ads ever since.

The debut of the new fangled company was orchestrated with meticulous care and precision. Not one, not two, but five exquisite fragrances were simultaneously launched at the June opening of the Universal Exhibition in Brussels in summer 1935. The scents were Tendre Nuit, Bocages, Conquete, Kypre and Tropiques. A prize followed for mr. Petitjean’s company.
With his firm now firmly in the center of attention, he went on to produce skincare and makeup with great success, coming to the US in the 50s, attaching the company’s name to prestige and luxury from France for women everywhere. The line-up would then be joined by the immaculate oriental Magie.
Nearly all the bottles for the company’s scents were created by the great artist Georges Delhomme and they are today collectors' items. The Fish-Moon bottle for the eau de cologne Cachet Bleu (1935) is especially celebrated while the bottle with the engraved jasmine in bloom could contain different fragrances. The sensually shaped amphora of Marrakech brought out in 1947 today commands astronomical prices.

Envol coming out in 1957 combines rose and jasmine, and the bottle, with its original bud-vase shaped design, is complete with a rosebud cap.
In 1969 Ô, a fresh eau de toilette full of petitgrain and lemony tones with a tenacious sandalwood base that prevents it from fleeting into thin air was introduced in a frosted bottle with designs like a 60s wallpaper. Very pop-art and it soon firmly became a favourite for many people who embraced its fresh breeze in an era ripe for revolt and change, to hell with the old. This was followed in 1987 by Ô Intense, a now defunct offering that supposedly made the cologne more in tune with the heavier atmosphere of the carnal 80s, based as it was on rose absolute, a heavy attar. The accent circumflex is again redundant, but it entered the name in an effort to consolidate the spirit of Lancôme to the comsumer’s mind, a subtle move of great cunning, copied also in Ô for Men, another discontinued item, since the original was secretly used by many discerning males anyway. The last flanker to join this line was Ô Oui ! in 1998, and this one has stayed the course, but to me it is hardly related to the original, as it is bursting with aqueous fruits, in which melon is predominant, on a base of eunuch-innocent musks and has none of the crystalline transparency of its older sister.
Meanwhile the great Sikkim was launched in 1971, a rich fragrance enriched with Bulgarian rose and jasmine combination on a base worthy of a Caron perfume. Today Sikkim is sold exclusively at the Lancôme Institute: 29, rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré - 75008 PARIS
Not to bypass the completely elegant floral chypre named Climat that aromatized the 70s with its aura of infinite grace and romance , the men’s Sagamore with the intense woody character of a bygone era or the dark oriental “parfum fourrure” (fur coat perfume, as the French call these) brilliantly baptised Magie Noire (Black magic) of deep incensy rose with disturbing amber and labdanum.

It was the year 1990 that saw the great bestseller of the brand, Trésor, a quite heavy-handed but soft, powdery, fruity composition by nose Sophia Grojsman, allying rose with peach in a formula that in fact relies mainly in 4 ingredients: Hedione (a synthetic jasmine), methyl ionone (a sweet fruity aroma), Iso E Super (a woody synthetic), and Galaxolide (a synthetic musk). The winning combination proved uber-successful to the point of asphyxia in many a european elevator during the early nineties.

The same intense fruitiness with the former -and the intentional spelling accident appearing in Ô- persisted in Poême in 1996. Fronted by the gorgeous, vulnerable looking French actress Juliette Binoche this was a mega-launch that was accompanied by verse by Baudelaire and Hugo for a fragrance that relied on an overdose of what appears to be orange blossom in clotted cassis (a fruity synthetic berry base). The sledgehammer sweetness dictates an extremely light application of this one.
The limited time window of the seasonal offering Mille et une rose to celebrate the millenium, which left hundreds of fans of its wonderful ambery rose tunes crestfallen when it got discontinued, has been recently amended by the introduction of 2001 Roses which is to be a mainstay, along with Sikkik, Climat and Magie in a Collection with limited distribution at select stores.

Miracle was added in 2000 with the face of Uma Thurman and the motto “Lancôme believes in miracles and magic” and Miracle Forever is joining the fairytale as a flanker now. Apart from the original Miracle, there is also Miracle Summer (2004 Limited edition), Miracle So Magic (2004) and Miracle Ultra Pink (2005), not to mention the male version Miracle Homme. As all these fragrances (the women’s at least) are more or less simple florals with varying degrees of depth so a woody oriental permutation was needed to clinch the deal and bring Miracle into the whirlwind of today’s taste for the sweet and patchouli-rich aromas of women’s perfumes. Of course one might argue that this segment has already been filled in Lancôme by Attraction (a not so successful attempt at an orientalised sensual perfume inspired by Angel) and the truly too recent Hypnôse (2005, another take on the gourmand patchouli orientalia of Angel).

Miracle Forever begins its fragrant journey on the weirdly spicy trip of star anise, the fragrant star-shaped fruit of Illicium anisatum, coupled with the sweetness of blackcurrant as if someone has spiked a kir royal cocktail with a pinch of a Chinese culinary aroma. The touch of the aromatic makes for an interesting beginning that is not completely out of synch with the light energising ginger accord of the original Miracle, although that one culminated in a floralncy that was less sweet and more airy.
The heart is floral with peony and white florals of which tuberose is listed, yet does not make its presence known to my nose. Instead the almond blossom which featured also in Yves Saint Laurent’s Cinema and in Kenzo Amour recently, lends a little powdery touch in alliance with the heliotrope spectrum, while the whole culminates in the rich patchouli swirls of fancy that fan out vanilla and amber in copious amounts, restrained only by a tad of cedar in the background making it last long. The overall sweetness differentiates it from the more woody, albeit similar in construction Allure Sensuelle by Chanel, making it more intense and more in your face. I think this is its greatest fault and the reason some will find it too much. If one genuinely likes the recent variations on the sweet patchouli fragrances, like Armani Code, MontBlanc Femme, Euphoria by Calvin Klein or indeed Hypnôse, Miracle Forever won’t disappoint. For the rest it is a case of a slight déjà vu.

Miracle Forever comes in an Eau de Parfum concentration in 30ml/1oz , 50ml/1.7oz and 75ml/2.5oz and the ads feature brunette beauty Shallom Harlow. It has already launched in Europe this fall, while it will launch in the US in 2007.

Pic of bottle from Perfumemart, ad for Envol courtesy of Okadi.

Fragrant news: soon it might be Eau de Kate and Gwen

Coty Inc., that firm of an illustrious past and a perilous present, has signed a new deal for a fragrance licencing deal with the naughty super-model Kate Moss of innovative fashion sense and snow-sniffing affinities and another one with singer Gwen Stefani.
What is not-so-affectionately known among perfume-loving circles as a celebrity scent, that is.
Coty has under its belt fragrances either in the lower or the upper division (through the network of Lancaster cosmetics) that bear famous names and is in fact the leader in that specific market segment. Names of such famous people as Céline Dion (Céline Dion , Céline Dion Notes, Fever and Belong), Jennifer Lopez (Glow, Miami Glow, Glow in the dark, Still, Live), Sarah Jessica Parker (Lovely, Lovely liquid satin), Kimora Lee Simmons (Baby Phat), David and Victoria Beckham (Intimately for men and women respectively), Shania Twain (Shania Twain) and Kylie Minogue feature prominently on bottles of perfume under the Coty Inc. umbrella.
Another deal has also been signed with singer/rocker/sporadic actress/enterpreneur Gwen Stefani, whose favourite scents include many Victoria Secret's body lotions and the aromatic oeuvre of Vivien Westwood (Boudoir, Libertine). It will debut in fall 2007 and is said to represent her sense of style, as expressed in her own fashion label of clothing.

Whether the juice will be any good remains to be seen, but this celebrity trend has taken really outlandish proportions.
Only in 2006 a staggering number of 26 celebrity-endorsed perfumes have hit the market. According to fashionunited.uk, "The first celebrity to promote her own perfume was Elizabeth Taylor, back in 1991, when the actress launched the successful White Diamonds scent. The trend really gained momentum with the success of Jennifer Lopez's perfume Glow which was launched in 2002 and generated more than $80 million in sales in its first year."

In fact, and to put accuracy back in journalism, the Italian actress had already launched along with her eyewear collection an eponymous scent in the previous decade, in 1983 to be exact and, lest we forget, Catherine Deneuve also had in 1986. Those two however had been very good, quality scents (a chypre no less!) that met with an unjust demise. There was also the line of Alain Delon and Omar Sharif, both launched during the 80's. Few of them escaped unscathed.
Autres temps, autres moeurs!

The recent frantic pace of the market however made celebrity-endorsed products reach an all-time high, with every A-lister and plenty of D-listers as well, having launched lifestyle products (and eventually perfume, worse luck), beckoning us to wear them, eat them or smell like them! Why would anyone in their right minds want to smell like a dubious personality such as Paris Hilton is beyond me, but the fact remains.
You shalt not judge lest you be judged and all that, however and the verdict will come when I get to sniff the labour of Kate and Gwen (or more accurately, of the noses who will work for Coty on their behalf). Till then......

Info on the upcoming deals comes from Women's Wear Daily. Pic of Kate Moss courtesy of the Pirelli calendar

You're the touch of wind, that surprises my body

For reasons of symmetry with my previous post, and antithesis as well (taking into account the above song talks about a never-ending internal winter that the singer cannot put up with anymore), I have decided to present you a list of male perfumes that could be used throughout winter; so as to "be a touch of wind, that surprises the body".

The song above can be listened to by clicking on the window. (courtesy of mpanikos on Youtube). It is sung by Greek songwriter Alkinoons Ioannidis from a record composed by Nikos Zoudiaris and is called "I cannot". The title of today's post is actually a line from the lyrics.

The whole text follows, translated by me:

If you could only slip in the darkness,
if you could only fly like an elf;
Tonight I will surely die,
I will die if I can't see you.

Aided with sweet wine I will become
an argonaut and come and find you.
To just meet you for a while
in my soul's seabed.

No, I cannot. Winter is hurting me.
Any more I cannot...
My yard is burned by snow, any more I cannot.

You're the touch of wind
that suprises my body
I have never satiated myself of you,
it was all but a moment.

XS Black by Paco Rabanne
Don't think of it as Extra Small, think of it phonetically: Ex-Cess. Excess of loveliness, of novelty points, of prettiness in a new release antithetical to the blandness of recent offering for men. Young and sweet, redolent of strawberries, pralines and patchouli with an unidentified floral note in there. Official notes: calabrian lemon, kalamazni, praline, cinnamon, balsam, black cardamon, palissander wood, black amber and patchouli. To me it's the illegitemate child of Innocent by Mugler and L'artisan's Voleur de Roses who has inherited very becoming genes.
If one is as cute as the boy advertising it, it doesn't hurt either.

London men by Burberry
The best tobacco and mulled wine-spice combo I have smelled from the recent batch. I have already said my piece . Go read it and then hurry and go test it!

Habit Rouge by Guerlain
Named after the red riding jacket of men for going hunting on horses in the english countryside this is class and comfort in a bottle. For men timid enough to go for the iconic oriental Shalimar and women who want a little less vanilla on their body.
First launched in 1965, composed by perfumer Jean-Paul Guerlain, the fragrance has attained classic status. It opens with citrus, then meanders along a slightly spicy path to some cinnamon paired with patchouli, finally leaving a leathery, vanillic impression. Powdery like opoponax and soft like a caress. Take care as the eau de parfum now circulating does not share the same formula as the classic Eau de cologne.

Arabie by Serge Lutens
Do you hide a man from the souk in your heart? All khol-ed eyes and heavy languorous lips? (This last bit brings to mind another great Alkinoos song which I will post when I fully review this one). One of the few fruity scents I like. Dried, candied fruits like dates in a gold liquid and the magic of benzoin bring exotic and intense pulsations to your mind. It smells coppery...

Obsession for men by Calvin Klein
The scent of choice for a rich, intense, dark, full-bodied amber with a touch of sweetness. It is single-minded and has one single effect. Makes one want to jumb your bones. Even felines seem to be attracted to it, per one zoo study (!) I won't elaborate. Needs to be sold with a NC-17 warning label on the box.

Antaeus by Chanel
This is pure man's clean sweat and animalistic labdanum. Created in 1981, still sexy after all those years. Complex and passionate like the mythological hero that inspired it. For when you want to make an impact!

Vetiver Extraordinaire by Frederic Malle
After all the sweet recommendations, a dry one for the grand finale. Vetivers are usually left aside for warmer weather as they have the quality of giving a grassy, earthy, cooling feeling that is so welcome in summer. This has the best qualities of the erathy aroma, not coupled with citrus as usually happens and lasts well and it struck me that it could be worn on a very bright, cold, snowy day, when the whole world is glistening with the pureness. The resinous base hints at you that pleasures of the home await after snowfighting.

Years go by and I'm here still waiting, withering where some snowman was

Today is cold and gloomy. And despite all odds, I feel elated, "a little warm in my heart when I think of winter". The meteorologists have predicted the first snow around the area I live in. Although I know I probably won't see any, as I'd have to drive quite a bit to escape the smog that prevents snow to fall, just the thought of the silent, white blanket craddling our hopes and yearnings is enough to make me dream.
Winter has always been a favourite time for me for reasons beyond logic. It's an instinctive preference, formed at a very early age. As my mother, firm in her belief that children should brace the cold so as to become sturdy (and I did), took me for a stroll as a toddler in bitter cold along the pier, seeing the angry stormy petrol-green sea splash furiously, the wind on my flushed little face, steel skies towering over me, my hands in woolen mittens, candied apples consumed, I felt happy and strangely at home. That was who I am. The joy of returning to a warm house augmented the pleasure already experienced, to be greeted by an adoring father.
Although I am not the person who becomes overjoyed in Christmas for reasons already discussed (much more prefer the Orthodox Easter which is a vastly more mystical and sensual -tied to pagan- celebration in my mind) , winter never fails to make me feel like I was when my feet couldn't touch the ground when I sat on the very armchair I am now sitting cuddling with a good book.
And so perfume should follow. Hence a little list of things that bring to my mind all the joys of winter, of love, of "white horses gone ahead".

Quotes and the title come from the lyrics of the trully great, moving song "Winter" by Tori Amos which you can listen to by clicking on the window above (courtesy of Rasberryswirl on Youtube). You can read the lyrics here

Un Bois Vanille by Serge Lutens
Who else but Serge and Shledrake could come up with a vanilla that is comforting, rich, smooth, deeply woody and never tacky? Vanilla is such an ubiquitous smell, really, which makes it hard to do properly. This is grown up, but with a wink to our childish aspirations.

L by Lolita Lempicka
I had bought a bottle in summer and reviewed it , when it first launched here, but didn't open it for months, relying on samples. Now is the proper time to take the plunge and crack my beautiful bottle open. To me, this is the perfect dark vanilla, with the inclusion of immortelle that adds a salty kiss on warmed skin. Created by Maurice Roucel, responsible for Poison, Musc Ravageur, Farenheit, L'instant and Insolence .

Must by Cartier
Best in pure parfum, Must smoulders and entices, unfolding siren notes of civet and amber anchoring narcissus and mandarin. The unexpected green note of the start has a loose-mouthed effect on the rest of the formula. It highlights it, the way the best conversationalists inspire interest by an unwonted beginning.

Fifi by Fifi Chachnil
From a french lingerie company, this is lacy knickers in dusty antique rose to wear between fluffy blankets, your hair in loose curls. Sweet blond tobacco and citrus notes clash and couple adoringly, a little soapy element with a swoosh of powder, much like Boudoir by Vivien Westwood is constructed, with copious references to the milkiness of Luten's Fumerie Turque. It has a complex character, lighter than Anne Pliska, that was surprising to me and it is definitely complimended by cold weather, as it smells nothing like it should in the heat (hence my delayed appreciation for it).
Thankfully that's one perfume that smells actually better in eau de parfum than parfum/extrait. So, it's also economical!

Muschio e Ambra by L'erbolario
This little italian company makes great products of skincare and perfume and has the most nostalgic labels imaginable; they all seem like they have come out of a paintings index. Muschio e ambra tranlsates as musk and amber and has the delightful smell of aged patchouli and slightly bitter fir resin that stays on your skin for hours on end in the eau de parfum.

24 Faubourg by Hermès
Because after all the orientals one associates with winter, one would want a rich floral to lift the spirits and immerse oneself in their delicacy. This is like the queen of elegance and it veers on floriental. Rich orange blossom on a smooth amber base, sweet but not sacharine. Imagine yourself draped in thick silk and powdered to perfection, your lips painted in a becoming auburn shade to compliment the dark colouring of the juice. Another Maurice Roucel creation. This is the very elegant, classy projection of a lady. Go for the eau de parfum in winter.

Gucci EDP I by Gucci
A nostalgia for great perfumes of the past makes for this thyme, cumin, orange blossom and heliotrope-laced composition that is anchored by vanilla and orris. It smells the way grand dames smelled, but has some air of modernity in there as well, making it a very urban offering for a lady with a hidden side. It proved not to be a big seller for the house, which could be good news (you'll be more unique wearing it) or bad (it will at some point get discontinued), depending on your outlook in life; as with everything else.

Schizm by Ayala Moriel Perfumes
You have probably guessed by now that Ayala's natural perfumes have made an impression on me. Besides her very wintery Fκte d'Hiver her more complex, chypré Schizm is exactly what its name alludes to; the duality of woman: it starts peppery and sharp to segue onto floral notes of which the narcottic tuberose prevails, all bedded down in a country road near a forest, leaves trampled underfoot a campfire smelled at the distance. The official notes are: Black pepper, Cedarwood, Mandarin, Tuberose, Orange Blossom, Jasmine, Oakmoss, Musk notes, Incense

Angel by Thierry Mugler
I am talking about the body cream and not the eau de parfum here. Big vats of nasty chemicals are what many people perceive and yes, I can see why. I am doubtful it contains even one natural ingredient in there. And I know, most of you have either a love-it or hate-it relationship with it, because of its mothballs rolled in toxic caspirene-coumarin aroma of choco-caramel and patchouli. Just try a smidgeon of the body cream. It's all one needs...

Douce Amère by Serge Lutens
Bittersweet, more bitter at first, less so after a while, weird like glue, it transports the soul. A mix of cool and warm, it interpolates various moods, that crystallise in one absinthe-liquor prepared the original way, with vanillic sugar on the spoon and everything.
If one is melancholic but not really sad, this compliments the mood admirably in the colder season.

Pink Sugar by Aquolina
What a glorious candy fair smell that reverts us to childhood all over again? The mega-blast of intense tooth cavity giving sweetness is very intense, so what better time to use just a small bit in the dead of winter? Not to be taken seriously. Caress the inner child!

Essence of John Galliano by Diptyque
The complete antithesis of the above mentioned Pink Sugar, for good measure and to prove the schizophrenic tendencies of Perfume Shrine. Not a proper perfume but a room spray that also comes in a candle. Upon spraying the association with tar and birch is overwhelming, so I suggest decanting in a dab bottle to use on one's hands. (it needs a little distance from your face) Dark, deep smokey incense paired with guaiacwood, evoking mustiness and darkness, serenity and centering all in one, rich like Avignon by Comme des Garcons, but with less of a warm feeling, much in the manner of Etro's Messe de Minuit, albeit more wearable.

Painting by Greek painter Nicolaos Gyzis courtesy of eikastikon

Angelical demons or how something so dark can smell as sweet?

One might wonder what a picture of the Austrian actor Helmut Berger has to do with the legendary perfume commissioned by Marlene Dietrich to the house of Creed, Angélique Encens. And yet there is an unmistakable connection.

As is often the case with Perfume Shrine, obsessions take on many forms, one of which is cinematic. Helmut Berger, né Helmut Steinberger in Salzburg, Austria in 1944 was director Luchino Visconti’s preferred actor and also partner for the length of Viconti’s last 12 years of life.
In the latter’s magnum opus “The Damned” (also featuring a very young Charlotte Rambling, another one of Perfume Shrine's fixations; the film is originally named “La Caduta degli dei”, meaning Fall of the Gods, and has influenced both “Cabaret” and The Night Porter artistically) he plays the role of Martin Von Essenbeck, black sheep of a rich family of pre-WWII steel industrialists, marxistically scrutinized in their entrapment into the Nazi rise and their role in history as they first resented Adolph Hitler, then accepted him, and at last embraced him.

His memorable tour de force as an immature, closet pedophile, perverse son to the unscrupulous arch-mother of the dynasty included a priceless segment in which he reprises the role of Marlene Dietrich in Josef von Sternberg's Blue Angel , her classic film of fatal seduction, for the delectation of family viewers.
The sight is compelling, disturbing and alarming to watch as real-life bisexual Berger, dressed in transvestite attire, down to the hat and stockings of Marlene, performs a dance and song at the beginning of the film.

Angélique Encens has an uncanny way of reminding me of that performance in its haunting quality. Created in 1933 by the house of Creed it ties in with the background of the byzantine plot of the film as well, which contributes to my fixation. Apart from Marlene Dietrich, less mysterious Marie Osmond is a great fan as well, which is perhaps something you were better off not knowing, if you recall the cute image of the latter from 70’s shows.
Today the fragrance is part of the Private Collection, a collection of scents by famous patrons, which basically translates as very expensive and hard to get perfumes, if only because they come in truly huge bottles of 250, 500 or 1000ml. That’s a lot of jus! Enough to bathe in it literally. Luckily my sources are more cunning than that and I was able to procure a "decant", perfume-talk for a small quantity taken from someone’s larger bottle; naturally at a more reasonable price than that for the entire bottle.
Although Angélique Encens was created for a woman -albeit a woman that proved to be an icon for homosexuals for so long, still to this day- I can see it effortlessly worn by discerning and adventurous men, even if they do not share Berger’s sensibilities.

Built around the dark green of the strange angelica plant, the harsh green of it tied to Chartreuse , here it couples it with sensuous vanilla and incense. Angélique Encens is an anomaly in the house of Creed, because it lacks the shrill metallic note that most of the other offerings possess; sometimes to their detriment (Spring Flower), other times to their advantage (Silver Mountain Mist). Instead it is smooth and rich from the very start, which makes for an orientalised feeling right away. The vanilla shows itself through from the very beginning. It’s as if one has taken the peeled black pods and immersed them in a seemingly innocent beverage quickly under the table, adding dashes of alcohol; some person who is trying to hide the darker side of an addiction with a wide smile, seemingly appreciative of all your jokes and ramblings but with a too bright, crazy eye.
The inclusion of carnal tuberose takes an unexpected turn that astonishes with its intricacy and pairing with the herbal aspects, as it only reveals itself sporadically at the mid phase of the development of the glorious bouquet. Each unfolding stage is a wonder of velvet plush and baroque that entraps you in its spin of strange twisted comfort (an oxymoron if there ever were one). The inclusion of ambergris and unidentified precious wood and resins makes the perfume mysterious and mesmerizing, completely fit for the colder season, just like The Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky is too. A little childish amusement, a lot of dark russian soul. The final drydown of vanilla and amber lingers on and on and on, making us doubt our ability to disentangle ourselves from our obsessions.

Official notes: angelica, tuberose, amber, incense and vanilla

Available from Bergdorf Goodman in the US, Les Senteurs and Escentual.co.uk (later by phone or mail order only and not on-line)
Mail info@escentual.co.uk or call 02920 437343 (shop: 63-67 Wellfield Road, Cardiff, UK)


Top pic of Helmut Berger courtesy of Robinson Archive. Pic of Visconti's "The Damned" DVD jacket from Wikipedia.