Top Comforting Scents

Sometimes, things get a little hectic, life is a bit stressful, weather is acting up on you when you least expect it and you're finding yourself reaching for some comfort. Where do you seek solace? Today I am participating in a blog-o-rama with thirteen fine bloggers under the united theme of Comforting Scents for Uncomfortable Times organized by fellow blogger & perfumer Ayala Moriel. Come aboard and indulge in the selection!

Library smells
Odd beginning, but I wanted to get this off my chest: There is something deeply comforting about an old English-style library; velvet-upholstered Chesterfield couches, mahogany desks, green-hued lamps, the trails of blond tobacco pipes smoked by those who inhabit it and rows and rows of leather-bound books. A little armagnac in a tumbler wouldn't hurt either! I intend to recreate this ambience in a special room in my house when I'm older. People might say I have the tastes of a dried-up old man going hunting, but I don't care. In the meantime, I'm recreating that atmosphere with Etro Gomma, the magestic sweep of Doblis, the elegant Diorling and the home candle for the otherwordly Messe de Minuit. For me, they feel like home.

Orange Blossoms & the Sea-Spray
The smell of spring coming, rushing in might be an apter term. Even when the first hot rays are shining, it's the promise budding orange blossoms bring on the bigaradiers that flank the streets of where I live that signal their happy song, ushering in Easter and the return of Bacchus. And it is the salty, iodine scent of the sea brought by the gentle breeze of the evening, rolling along the coastal avenue under the palm-trees that speaks of the joys but also of the yearnings of the Big Blue.

Chanel Bois des Îles
It's not hard to see the appeal of fine cashmere: Its luxurious, pliable, warm but never stuffy yarns, enrobe the body like a beloved's hug. There are several fragrances which claim to be "a cashmere scent" (short for I-want-to-cuddle) but this classic by Ernest Beaux remains unsurpassed, especially in extrait de parfum where its artistry shines like a bright star in the galaxy. Its creamy sandalwood, the doughy iris that provides the plush, some ylang-ylang, hazy opoponax and the labdanum smidge in the drydown account for the most huggable scent you can think of. Simply sublime!

Ava Luxe No.23
This is like cheating as it is along the lines of the afore-mentioned Bois des Iles, at least in general concept. But it bears its own mention because the creamy sandalwood base along something like cheery citrus on the top just makes me feel safe and peaceful. The acacia and hawthorn notes are like sugar-spun biscotti, the musk is warm, powdery, inviting. I guess that's comfort...

Frédéric Malle L'Eau d'Hiver
There is a hint of spiciness hidden, a little heliotrope and hawthorn, some sweetness and the feel of a choir of angels singing atop a lightly salmon-coloured pillowy cloud and I'm transported. I always loved this one, composed by Jean Claude Ellena in 2003 and only this winter did I invest in my own bottle. From now on, the ethereal song can be repeated at will.

Baby scent
Those little creatures burb and poop and pee and perform all possibly imagined inelegant functions, but there is something about their own personal smell, their innermost buttery, milky, a little musky essence that one cannot possibly fully appreciate it until they have a little one of their own and it cuddles up to bed with them. It's yummylicious and utterly addictive!

Hearty, humble food
There is something to be said about the comforting aspects of reverting to the womb through indulging in the familiar scents and tastes of childhood. But what is most surprising is that even though possessing an inquisitive palate early on, it is those humbler carbohydrate-rich tastes which bring on that sense of psychological satiation like you're at peace with the world. I often long for a hearty plate of lentil soup, its garlicy vapours engulfing me on a dreary winter's day, or some on-the-spot composed zabaglione I recall gulping down as a treat after classes when little. Its aroma between a dessert and a vitamin-full supplement has something compelling about it. And of course organic strawberries eaten with fingers, scooping fresh cream along the way: What's more decadent, more delicious, more like a final declaration of spring-coming? I may be a fan of Slow Food, but there's nothing wrong with a couple of easy dishes sometimes. And, oh, cooking by itself is comforting (and sensual) by its very nature.

Salep
This traditional Turkish drink has always been something of a remedy-all at my house. Probably because it does aid a rough throat, which is all I ever suffered from (and it was quite often, I can tell you that!). The poppy-seed dust folded into warm milk has something of the ritual of arcane shaman practices that catches the imagination. And the crushed cinnamon on top adds to its attractiveness: It was only later I learned cinnamon is sometimes tied to Aphrodite. Figures...

So which are your comforting smells? Share them with us!

Please visit the rest of the participating blogs on these links:
All I Am A Redhead,
A Rose Beyond the Thames
BitterGrace Notes
I Smell Therefore I Am
Katie Puckrick Smells
Notes from the Ledge
Olfactarama
Perfume in Progress
Roxana's Illuminated Journal
Savvy Thinker
Scent Hive
SmellyBlog
The Non Blonde

Photo by Ayala Sender
The song is Southern Cross by Thanos Mikroutsikos on poetry by Nikos Kavadias, sung by George Dalaras

Annick Goutal Sous le Figuier candle: available again

Inspired by their latest creation, Ninfeo Mio, Camille Goutal and perfumer Isabelle Doyen invite us, through this candle, to a moment of escape in the Italian garden of Ninfa, at the shadow of a fig tree warmed by the sun. The candle Sous le Figuier would sublimate your rooms with its fruity notes of fig and peach mingled with mint to bring freshness and tonicity, sweet violet leaves and cedar wood for a warm final note. The softness and sensuality of the fig enter this elegant candle, presented in a clear glass streaked with gold and light and adorned with the Annick Goutal logo.

Beatrice Piquet (1963-2010)

Perfumer with Intenational Flavors & Fragrances Inc. Paris-based Béatrice Piquet succumbed to a prolonged illness... Famously responsible for the masterful L'Instant pour Homme for Guerlain, Burberry The Beat, the classic Trussardi Uomo in the black crock bottle, Bulgari Rose Essentielle, Davidoff's Echo, Boss Deep Red and Dark Blue, as well as assorted fragrances for Benetton, the Beckhams and Banana Republic, she was a quiet player in this emerging game of rock-stars. May she rest in peace.

If you want to grab a profile of the perfumer, you are referred to your local library for the Madame Figaro magazine of December 11, 2004, p.64.

pic via whatwedoissecret

Now You Can Smell Like Transformers & Other Blockbusters

Movie tie-in colognes might not be so distant in the future as we might have imagined...I stumbled upon the news that a reader of Cinematical blog named Jeff Solomon came across "perfumes for sale inspired by some of your favorite films.
Unfortunately, we're not talking about limited edition scents for Coco avant Chanel, or even Perfume. No, apparently somebody thought it would be a good idea to make scents inspired by such films as Bee Movie, Madagascar 2, and Transformers". (I assume these are the fragrances for which mr.Solomon provided evidence in the way of photographic proof; I kinda see how one would like to graft something of ms.Megan Fox onto them, although I am not sure it would be her scent necessarily). Thus reported Jessica Barnes, who goes on to note that "This isn't the first time that the world of the big screen has wound up at the perfume counter, as you might remember how back in 2001, NYC-based Demeter Fragrances released a limited edition perfume for Hedwig and The Angry Itch that was a scent reminiscent of hairspray, cigarette smoke, and cheap hotel rooms (kind of gross, but at least it made sense)".

Therefore assuming these might be official tie-ins produced by the major studios, thus cashing in on the mania that follows a huge box-office success, and not the underground product of hard-core fandom, should we be worried about the future? Do you want to smell like Madagascar 2 and all the zoo animals it includes? Or, wait, L'Artisan Parfumeur has already done that in their zoo-inspired (and terrific) Dzing!

pic from movie Transformers via www.wallpaperez.info

Guerlain Flora Nymphea: new fragrance, new film

To celebrate 10 years of Aqua Allegoria scents (meant to interpret notes in a simple, uncomplicated way), Guerlain releases this spring Aqua Allegoria Flora Nymphéa. Aqua Allegoria Flora Nymphéa, is composed of three main ingredients – seringa (NB this is not lilac but Philadelphus coronarius/mock orange which smells like heady white flowers), orange blossom and honey and was composed by in-house perfumer Thierry Wasser. To create the scent, Guerlain claims using "an exquisite orange tree flower that's been produced in Calabria for more than three generations". Fig and mimosa also combine with orange tree flower to create the romantic scent.

The outer carton of the fragrances in all the line of Aqua Allegoria scents changes: the symbol becomes the embossed bee in different colours upon a white background, instead of the romantic and swirling flower, herbs and spices designs of the past. In honour of the 10th anniversary Guerlain will also present an animated movie which will feature a nymph named Flora Nymphea who will tell the story of flowers and scents led by a bee, symbol of the brand. The movie was filmed in 3D production and is one minute long, told by Olivia Ruiz (click below to watch). The advertising campaign also features a feminine character – a nymph from a fairy tale, with pale pink floral petals. The Face is Anna Selezneva, photographed by Paolo Roversi.

Guerlain's Flora Nymphéa will be available as 125 ml of Eau de Toilette in a redesigned flacon by Robert Granai: the familiar honeycomb is reprised with its bee on the cap.