Free Agent Provocateur Scent

From now until next Wednesday, if you spend $150 on beauty products at the boutique of Agent Provocateur online, you'll receive an Agent Provocateur Signature Fragrance Purse Spray ($55) for free! Sound nifty, huh?

News via Bella Sugar

Kenzo Les Eaux de Fleur Collection trio: Silk, Tea and Magnolia

Everyone is coming out with a "collection of scents", so why not Kenzo?
The new Kenzo Les Eaux De Fleurs Collection includes three floral fragrant waters inspired by Japan and created upon silk-tree flower, tea blooms and magnolia blossoms, called respectively Eau de Fleur de Soie (silk), Eau de Fleur de Thé (tea) and Eau de Fleur de Magnolia (magnolia). The plan is to add a new flower each year. What ties them? An ethereal floralcy, delicate transparence and subtlety. One might call them inoffensive. Also, they're by no means soliflores (ie. fragrances which focus on replicating the smell of a single flower). These limited editions are available in transparent bottles of a uniform design presented in different colours: pink for silk flower (as the flowers indeed resemble pink ventailles), green for tea flowers and whitish-yellow for magnolia blossom.
They all cost 52 euros for 50ml of Eau de Toilette at Sephora which is where I tested them myself.




Eau De Fleur de Soie (silk-tree blossom) is created in cooperation with perfumer Jean Jacques as a velvety, nonchalant floral-fruity of silk blossom with fruity accents in the heart of the fragrance. Very light and airy, it progressively becomes a little "thick" with an orientalised wink.

Eau De Fleur de Thé (tea blossom) is created by perfumer Aurélien Guichard and is the most unisex of the lot. The tea blossom is garlanding a heart of bitter notes of inky tea, finishing on a musky trail. It seem to be inspired by two of Bulgari's tea fragrances: Eau parfumée au thé vert (green tea) and Eau parfumée au thé blanc (white tea). The tea note eschews the green apple variety "green tea" accord which floods the market, but instead has a realistic tannic, a little inky green tea leaves tonality complimented with lime and white musk.

Eau De Fleur de Magnolia (magnolia blossom) is created in cooperation with perfumer Francis Kurkdjian and marries citrus, non-sweet accents to the complimentary radiant lemony facets of creamy magnolia blossoms, giving off a posh soapy feel. The lingering note is one of woodiness, when the floral notes have but vanished into thin air.

None of the above wowed me beyong the "perfectly nice, if rather unmemorable", which is a shame really, because I quite like the Kenzo portfolio on the whole: Kenzo Summer is a delicious and sensual creamy mimosa and milky musks concoction to dispell any dark thought with its bright yellow halo. Kenzo Jungle L'Elephant is a trusted spicy-fruity oriental that sets one apart. Kenzo Parfum d'été had been the green aqueous floral of one of several summers ago spent on Cyprus island. Kenzo Flower is a best-seller for a reason: it re-introduces the violet and powder note to an audience who is urban and quirky; not exactly the Victoriana envisioned by other traditional brands. Its spins (Flower le Parfum and Flower Oriental) are rather interesting as well! Kenzo Amour captures the comforting scent of a rice milky pudding tasted after reading bed-time stories. Even Kenzo Homme has something about its aromatic woodiness in the midst of vast spaces of water that keeps my interest for a little while.
The new collection Eaux de Fleurs should provide enjoyment to those who want a pretty spring or summer fragrance with a soft ambience about it without requiring further thinking on their part. If pressed I would choose Eau de Fleur de Magnolia for its creamy touch bearing a slight wink to Santa Maria Novela's individual Calycanthus refreshing élan, with Eau de Fleur de The as a second choice for its bitter accents although all three are quite pleasant.

They are all available at Amazon now: Eau de Fleur de Soie, Eau de Fleur de The, Eau de Fleur de Magnolia for 55$.

Pic via Kenzo

The Year of Chanel?

2009 has been in many fragrant ways so far a marked year for Chanel, due to their 100th anniversary: what with the new Chanel No.5 campaign which prompted us into an images retrospective, the new Cristalle Eau Verte and the wider distribution of Les Exclusifs Beige online. But it's shaping up to also be a heavily charged optical year for them as well!



The famous photographer Douglas Kirkland was commissioned in summer 1962 by Look Magazine to follow and photograph Gabrielle Chanel for a story on her. Initially sceptical, later enthusiastic, Chanel posed for a series of classic photos that are now shown in a rare exhibition between May 9 to June 6 (Mon-Sun 11am-7pm) on the third floor/ VIP Salon of the Honolulu Chanel Boutique in Hawaii (2116 Kalakaua Avenue), curated by James Cavello of Westwood Gallery, NYC. The choice isn't random: The Honolulu boutique, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, was the first Chanel boutique to open on American soil. The special occasion will be marked by an exclusive preview display of the Paris-Moscou collection and the creation of a limited edition J12 white watch with blue sapphires. 10%of the proceeds from photo purchases will be donated to the Hawaii Children's Cancer Foundation. So if you happen to be on Hawaii in the course of the month, you know what to do.

For those ~like me~ who appreciate the artistry of a good arts coffee-table book in all its glossy paper glory, a new issue is celebrating Coco Chanel, the myth, as well: Called Mademoiselle Coco Chanel Summer 62, it is written by Karl Lagerfeld and featuring the photos of Douglas Kirkland taken in the summer of 1962, as decribed above. Soon widely available. You can pre-order through Amazon!



Additionally, Chéri, the novel by Colette (written in 1920) recently filmed starring Michelle Pfeifer and Rupert Friend, has been one of Karl Lagerfeld's much prized books. Thus it formed the inspiration behind the photography behind the 2009 Spring Summer Accesories Catalogue for Chanel. The novel describes the love affair between an older former courtesan, Léa de Lonval, and her younger lover, Fred Peloux (affectionately called "chéri", ie.sweetheart) to whom she passes all her experience only to be disillusioned when he ultimately abandons her to marry the very young daughter of one of his mother's friends. The two lovers are incarnated in the campaign by Jerry Hall and Baptiste Giabiconi, shot by Karl Lagerfeld. The social mores of La Belle Epoque, known to Mademoiselle Chanel herself, are beautifully illustrated, none the less so in these exclusive images for Chanel.



And a funny interlap for the grand finale: The face of the upcoming Guerlain feminine fragrance, Idylle, singer and actress Nora Arnezeder, has been photographed by Karl Lagerfeld himself for the May issue of American Elle magazine in a story called "Karl's Diary", from where this dreamy black & white photo.



Related reading on Perfumeshrine: Two biopics on Coco Chanel, Interrupted by Death: The Lost Chanel, Chanel Les Exclusifs

Une Rose Chypree by Tauer Perfumes: fragrance review & draw

When I was testing Une rose chyprée for the first time, I was eating creamy Greek yoghurt sprinkled with shredded Valhrona 72% dark chocolate on top (an indulgence of my own imagining, highly recommended btw) and releafing through A History of Architecture: Settings and Rituals by Spiro Kostof.

The first impression as the drops of scent hit my skin was that I was actually tasting a bright mandarin-jam-filled chocolate nugget~a fun and intriguing experience which I would suggest you try at some point! Subsequent testing confirmed that the bright halo of clementine (and some linalyl acetate?) which was so unexpected and so deliriously juicy in Incense Rosé as well as in Mandarins Ambrées (the homemade soap Andy makes for the holidays) is making its appearence again. In the memorable words of Luca Turin on the former "The combination of rose, cardamom, and mandarin is so warm, so welcoming, you feel as if you’ve just heard a piece of good news you cannot quite remember."
Same goes for the affectionately called "Tauerade", a chord comprised of orris root/irone alpha and woody ambergris, which seems to weave through his work, the signature trait of an artist who has his own distinct style. That style has been loved by many fragrance aficionados starting with his masterful L'air du desert marocain and has progressed into a genuine cult, catapulting Tauer into the pantheon of independent perfumers worth of intently watching today.

But where is the rose?, you might be asking. The rose is there, but forget everything you have ever heard about your grandma's sour flower water, the toilet refresher that has you pinch your nose with its citral and geraniol intensity and the dusty pot-pourri that has been sitting on the mantelpiece begging for mercy into being thrown in the dust-bin already! None of those impressions is here and may I say it loud: "Thank God!". The diffuculty of working with rose is exactly the cultural associations with hygiene products that smell like sour wine and mouldy, crumbled pot-pouri bought by people who randomly heard about home fragrancing circa the early 1980s. Very few compositions get away with smelling like rose yet avoiding the miasma of the above, either by accenting the powdery violet ionones aspects ~such as Paris by Yves Saint Laurent and Creed's Fleurs de Thé Rose Bulgare~ or highlighting the jamminess of the fruitier facets of rose ~like in Liaisons Dangereuses by Kilian. Alternatively they can go the more covert chypre way, resulting in Cabaret (Grès), Aromatics Elixir (Clinique), Rose de Nuit (Serge Lutens), Diabolo Rose and Un Zéphir de Rose (parfums de Rosine). Andy has successfully solved the problem of working with rose and none of his fragrances evoke unpleasant images; only opulence.

The chypre accord of Une rose chyprée is built around oakmoss, patchouli, labdanum, and bergamot, while Tauer also uses treemoss in a balanced ratio resulting in a composition that is obviously chypre. The clearly perceptible vanillic undercurrent with a drop of Tolu balsam on the other hand gives an oriental nod, providing a soft, thick, envelopping mantle fitting both genders in its velvety embrace. A lightly "clean" effect is surfacing along with gentle spiciness like clothes clean, starched and pressed with a hot iron, a nod to his Vetiver Dance and the unreleased Eau d’épices. I asked Andy about the interesting effect, thinking that it could be the Lilial (which is very obvious in Vetiver Dance), but he told me that it might be the Givaudan aroma-chemical Okoumal, also present in some detergents: "It adds a vibrant undertone and is extremely lifting, especially to otherwise dark and stuffy woody resins".
The overall feeling of the fragrance is of a "thick" scent although it doesn't become stuffy. The lasting power is way beyond average, the fragrance stayed vibrant on my skin for a good 8 hours.


According to Andy Tauer

"Une rose chyprée is an oriental rose on a chypre base. It is built around two natural extracts from rosa damascena, the absolute and the steam distilled essential oil. Its heart is lifted by spices (Bay and cinnamon) and a fresh accord built around bergamot, lemon and clementine. Green Bourbon geranium oil lets the rose petals shine and contrasts with the dark resinous accord in the base, built around labdanum, oakmoss, patchouli, vetiver and vanilla".

Une rose chyprée is the first scent of a series of things to come, namely the special line Tauer Perfumes "mémorables" (please note it's Tauer Perfumes and mémorables; not "perfumes mémorables" which would mix the two languages!). The aim is to present small size fragrances (0.5oz/15ml) like a sweet praline to be savoured. All of them will either be eau de parfum or parfum concentration (Une Rose Chyprée comes as an eau de parfum), none of them limited editions. The funny little bottles, resembling nail treatments, are practical and come packaged and tied with deep yellow ribbon, finished entirely by hand. I like Tauer's philosophy by which he doesn't put the emphasis on the outside or the details of fancy names and such but on the inside; namely the juice!

Andy had been working on this scent for a year and you can read his thoughts and problematics following his blog. Une rose chyprée will launch officially on July 1st, available through Tauer Perfumes (price 65 CHF and 20CHF shipping worldwide), Aedes, First in Fragrance and Luckyscent.

I have two samples to send to two lucky readers. State your interest in the comments!

In the interests of disclosure I was sent the small 15ml bottle by Tauer himself this time. If my previous dedication is any indication, you know my tastes have not been swayed.

Photo of Yoghurt and Valhrona Shreds © by Perfumeshrine. Kirsten Dunst from Miu Miu 08 via IamFashion.blogspot.com Bottle via Tauer.

Mona Lisa by Profumo.it: fragrance review

If Mona Lisa were Parisian and one hell of a sexy lady she would have worn Mona Lisa, the all natural perfume by Abdes Salaam/ Dominique Dubrana. Mona Lisa is a bespoke fragrance composed for a certain lady in the all too real life of Aspen, Colorado and Dubrana interacted with Laura Donna on mapping out the preferences of the lady in question.

She settled on a trio of natural civet, tuberose absolute and mandarin which Dubrana garlanded with other precious essences. The client, an entrepreneur and owner of Main Street Reprographics, a digital graphics company, named Mona, had asked for something "subtle but killer" - because for her, wearing fragrance is a social act as well as a personal pleasure.

The result? An Ava Gardner of a scent with the feel of Sarah-Moon-does-Seurat, laden with mystery and mock innocence. The real Mona was elated! "“I got it!! I just got my perfume. It is like nothing I have ever smelled before. It is a little bit musky, powdery. It is very light, like a feather. It is not an old scent, it is not a young scent, it seems very natural. As soon as I can I would like to create another. What fun having my own scent. I feel sooo special.” (through the Laura Donna blog)

Mona Lisa by La Via del Profumo doesn't really segregate into billows and notes, but has an amalgamated feel about it, very smooth, very soft, very feminine; the civet-animalic feel is so powdery velvet it gives a soft-focus effect to all the other notes and the florals especially. You can't pinpoint it as a tuberose scent for sure and that's a plus sometimes as too often tuberose scents are so focused on the glorious tuberose they become like a stage performance where only the central diva is noteworthy and all the others are in attendance. Here one has trouble seeing it predominate and it blends seamlessly and delicately. I would think that there was actually a tinctured alcohol with tuberose and civet in use for the composition and the rest of the ingredients are married to it through osmosis. Hardly recognisable as the intense floral of other compositions, it emits a slight hint of coconut. The animalic civet is giving such a powdery, plush feel, I am immediately seduced by my own arm! Mandarin remains succulent and juicy, especially lingering on clothes, a surprising effect given that after the initial outlay Mona Lisa stays very close to the skin. The background has an almondy, tonka bean ambience about it with the individual muskiness of ambrette seeds.

Mona Lisa smells enticing, like a proper French perfume of old instead of a random mix of natural essences and yet retains a vibrancy that instantly makes you feel good, reassuring, leaning to smell the scent on your arms again and again and again in all stages...
How does Dubrana do it? He doesn't say. It should remain thus: the enigmatic, sphinx-like smile of Da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

You can buy a batch of Mona Lisa on the Profumo.it/Via del Profumo site. (The incensy Persona and the heavenly neroli-ladden Morning Blossom are also highly recommended while you're at it!)

Photo Metro by Kees Terberg via les-leves.com, Photo by Sarah Moon via jessnewyork.blogspot.com