Ormonde Jayne Tiare: new fragrance

Ormonde Jayne fans (and you can count us among them) will be thrilled to hear of the latest creation of the superb quality niche house: TIARE (the flowery emblem of Tahiti and pronounced tee –a- ray).

Linda Pilkington, the founder and creator of Ormonde Jayne, has been searching for the perfect gardenia-tiare aromatics for long and has zeroed in Tiare Absolute from Tahiti (extracted in Tahiti, refined in the US and furthermore in France before it reaches the OJ studio in London) that provided the means to arrive at the desired result. Like precious jewels resting on dark green foliage, the unsurpassed beauty of the Tiare flower is hand picked whilst still unopened and laid in oil for 15 days to extract the fragrance. In case we have been wondering why a tropical floral amidst the season of fallen leaves and the mulled wine & spice allusions we crave, the brand reassures us: "Like the woman who wears Tiare, this is a perfume that totally ignores seasons and the time of day, a perfume so artfully blended and infinitely refined... but with a dash of scintillating appeal".
Notes for Ormonde Jayne Tiare:
Top: Mandarin, Orange Flower and Sicilian Lime
Heart: Tiare, Freesia, Water Lilies, Jasmine, Orris and Ylang
Base: Cedar, Vetiver, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Moss and Musk

Linda Pilkington, who must be thrilled as Ormonde Jayne as been shortlisted for the Warpole awards of Best British Emerging Luxury Brand, divulges:

“From the moment I first encountered Tiare, the search was on to find the purest oil extraction. Tiare is a flower that doesn’t give up its secrets easily and it took many different incarnations, finding a subtle progression from citrus to flower, before I felt that we had an exceptional perfume”.

Prices: £68 for Eau de Parfum 50 ml spray bottle and £ 180 for pure Parfum (50 ml with stopper)

Available from The Royal Arcade, 28 Old Bond Street , London W1S 4SL and Ormonde Jayne at Boutique 1 Jumeirah Beach , Dubai as well as online at Ormonde Jayne (worldwide shipping) from November 19th.

Update: Full review uploaded on this page. (click link)

some info via press release

Pamela Anderson: just the person to launch another celebo-scent!

I just got sent the most disturbing news. OK, I should probably tone it down because it's not as if I found out having multiple sclerosis or some such debilitating disease or learning that my on-the-side "dough" for a tough day has magically gone up in smoke due to some accountant investement malhandling. No, the news is much more sedate, yet it does still have something of the creepy in it.

The news came in the form of an email by Laurie Pike who writes for the LA Magazine and I am quoting verbatim, because it's perfectly worded: "Malibu is known as an enclave for celebrities, a surf haven, the subject of a Courtney Love song. It's a surprise that the name of the storied town hasn't been used before for a fragrance. Can't you just imagine? Notes of sea air and orange blossoms, perhaps? Maybe a little essential oil of patchouli to reflect the hippie vibe? Now: consider Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Evocative of spring break and, for old timers, the setting of the Connie Francis film Where the Boys Are. And, um, not much else. So why on earth is Pamela Anderson launching a fragrance called Malibu way the hell down there?
The event takes place November 5 at a club called the Living Room. Whatev!"

I mean, whatev! I'm sure it will be claaaassy (please don't remind me how she must have smelled when she had filmed that little yachting clip with then husband Tommy Lee) and right at the synchronicity when Pamela is looking for scraps of fame in the dustbins of younger, comelier (ooops) contestants.
Just when we were saying that the celebrito-trend is withering and dying, eh? Now, I've seen it all. Oh, wait, the judge of Britain's Got Talent Simon Cowell is issuing one too, perhaps it's "got talent" as well.

For some relentless but witty and creatively hillarious celebo-parody in both prose and imagery, you really shouldn't miss this page on Galley of the Absurd. This is true pop-culture-of-the-moment and Damien Hirst has nothing on it! Really, click on the link, it's unmissable.


pic of Malibu ad via lamag.com and X-ray Pamela Anderson via funslol.com

Guerlain Mouchoir de Monsieur: fragrance review

~by Mike Perez

Some fragrances play the part of the “quiet, silent type”. Let me explain: Strangely, there are fragrances that I’ve sampled that smell like nothing at all. Well…not nothing…but it smells as if a hole has opened up in the air and for a few minutes there is a blank space where the top notes belong. Like pushing PLAY on your IPod and watching the track begin (0:00, 0:01…) and no music plays. This has happened to me several times and I have no idea why. However, most of the time (luckily) scents that start out this way usually turn out to be fragrances that I grow to love. Like Mouchoir de Monsieur by Guerlain.

Before this I sampled the ‘classic’ lavender fougere by Guerlain: Jicky. The Eau de Toilette was too excessively talcum powder prominent, and although I could appreciate the lavender, it felt uncomfortable and slightly matronly on me.. Jicky Eau de Parfum is a shocker: so embarrassingly civet prominent in the top notes, I was instantly repulsed. Waiting for those top notes to calm down took a bit too long and tiresome so I considered sampling the parfum next when I got a sample of MdM.

The first time I sprayed it – I smelled a tiny bit of the Guerlinade, but that was it. Nothing. Sample off? Nose fatigue? A second time, I smelled a bit of the lavender but nothing as spectacular as the Aqua Allegoria Lavande Velours by Guerlain – a gushing lavender / purple violets that’s almost aroma therapeutic . The 3rd time I smelled it I was instantly greeted with a totally different accord – the familiar style of perfumery like Jicky – but swirled together into an entirely different pattern. Jicky remixed into a sturdier more solidly constructed accord. Wonderful! Perfect balance, with all of the parts of Jicky that I wanted: exceedingly high quality lavender, rosemary and bergamot; that unique fern aura; the rich Guerlinade – they are all here, but blended into the civet and woody notes in a richer and luxurious way. The fragrance evolves with a quiet, floral heart giving the patchouli a sophisticated, powdery nuance. Small parts of it remind me of wearing a refreshing eaux cologne, yet it simultaneously retains subtle and important details of Guerlain’s classic feminine fragrances. Not an easy feat.

It doesn’t scream for attention – it is essentially a subtle fragrance, hushed – making its presence known in tiny whiffs here and there, throughout the day, all day. It is, perhaps, for this reason why I couldn’t smell it when I first sampled it. There’s not a blast of aldehydes or synthetic woody ambers to diffuse this scent quickly. And the lavender, sometimes extremely medicinal and sharp, is soft.

I admit – I’m the quiet, silent type myself. At a cocktail party, you’ll find me off in the corner checking out the host’s CD collection instead of socializing and interacting with others. I speak very little but when I speak, I choose my words very carefully…looking you straight in the eyes.

I’m okay being this type of “guy”. It’s who I am. It’s who my father is. Problems come and go. Challenges are thrown my way... I have horrible days, just like everyone else does. I choose to keep all of that inside, most of the time – introspective, reflective and calm to everyone. Only when you get closer to me, do I open up, and only then will I reveal what’s going on underneath the surface.

Just like Mouchoir de Monsieur.

Notes for Guerlain Mouchoir de Monsieur (1904):
Top: lavender, lemon verbena, bergamot
Middle: jasmine, neroli, rose, tonka bean, patchouli, cinnamon
Base: Iris, amber, vanilla, oakmoss

King Juan Carlos I of Spain (depicted) was reputedly one of the few purveyors of Mouchoir de Monsieur before Guerlain decided to re-issue it more widely.


Pics of Cary Grant, Mouchoir de Monsieur bottle and Juan Carlos of Spain via Mike Perez

Travalo Atomisers: Review & Giveaway!

Whether you're someone who enthusiastically likes to carry their perfume everywhere (gym, holidays, strolls etc) but feels a little encumbered by the sheer weight, bulk and risk of a whole bottle in one's purse or a perfumista on a shoestring budget who likes to test lots of scents rather than settling on bigger bottles, you will be thrilled to hear that a new type of refillable atomiser has arrived and I am hosting a giveaway of 5 items for our readers: Travalo Refillable Atomiser doesn't necessitate you end up with climber's fingers (ie.titanium strong!) from spraying directly the nozzle of your bottle into those little glass or plastic vials ~which is usually the practice if one wants to decant from a spray bottle into a smaller purse vial; nor does it end up in wasted precious liquid in the process, which unfortunately happens all too often. Its patented pump fill valve technology makes refills a breeze eliminating any mess or fuss because Travalo refills itself directly from the mechanism of your bottle. (People who have used the resourcante bottles of Angel and Alien are familiar with the concept, it's the same thing in small scale)

Travalo stands 8cm long and weighs 12g, made from durable aircraft grade aluminium, so durable enough to withstand drops and bumps without spillage. It holds 4ml which is the equivalent of 50 sprays (so they say, I haven't actually sprayed as many times myself), so perfect for a weekend getaway. And perhaps of importance these days, it's airflight approved, which means you can carry it with you onboard.



How to Use the Travalo:



Travalo refillable atomisers come with a lifetime warranty for normal use (more at http://www.travalo.com/), they're available in 3 shades (pink, golden and silver) and they all include an integrated fill level window from which you can gauge how much is left in your container. They retail at 9.99£ each in the UK online and for 14.88 euros in Greece. I found them very practical, if a little expensive if you want to have multiples for your whole collection (I guess it all depends on just how vast that collection is!)
So, on to the giveaway: The company has kindly offered to gift 5 Travalo atomisers to our readers in the colour of their choice! You simply need to comment if you'd like one and I will pick 5 winners who will be sent their atomisers by the manufacturer.

In the interests of full disclosure I was sent one Travalo sample. The winners will be mailed theirs directly from the distributor. Both photos by Elena Vosnaki

Autumn Smells

Autumn and smells are entwined, perhaps more than any other season, if only because the cooling of the air leaves us with a newly fangled apprehension of our surroundings after the languor of summer and because autumn signals new beginnings along with a certain wistfulness.

I therefore had proclaimed a little contest the other day in which a winner would get a goody bag with lots of samples that had been accumulating in my drawers. After a difficult elimination process I chose RachelG whose entry was truly transporting and original. Runner-ups (honourable mentions) include NinaZ and Scott, who both expressed their sentiments beautifully! Thanks to everyone participating for the love and sentiment they brought to this, and till next time!

Here is the winning entry:

"To me, autumn is the smell of my cat coming in from the cold. It only lasts a minute, maybe less, but if I can scoop her up before she runs to the dinner bowl, and inhale deeply, there is a fragrance of incomparable beauty, and nearly impossible to describe: it is cold but alive, her fur, yes, but also wisps of the smoke from our chimney, the fresh cut woodpile she nestles in to watch for mice, the sweet brown of decaying leaves on the forest floor. Wandering outside won’t lead you to this smell, it is something unique to her and her kind. Maybe we walk too far from the ground, or maybe we don’t stay long enough in one place, but her autumn is a world truly apart from mine. While I love the rich wine and honey of my autumn, it is nothing compared to her wild and lovely life."

Rachel, please mail me using the email on Profile with a shipping address so I can send the goody bag to you!

Pic of Insomnium's album Across the Dark