The Perfumatic: Coin-Operated Perfume Dispenser

According to Susan Berberet, Assistant Curator of Collections at the Oklahooma History Center, the prevalent in the 50s and 60s coin-operated perfume spraying machine (the Perfumatic) found in ladies' rooms of posh hotels and restaurants was emitting such classics as Chanel No.5 and My Sin by Lanvin (Can you hear my jaw hitting the floor in amazement at the mention of the latter?).
Or as the recollection of those who have actually used some of them goes, perhaps copies of those two popular scents. It doesn't really matter for our purposes here. The machine used a thin dime coin and for just that price sprayed you with a healthy dose of perfume, in order to freshen up or just in case you neglected that height of grooming before going out. Sounds like a great idea, didn't it?
Older generations fondly remember the ritual in the States while these pastel machines, alongside others with actual vials attached existed for scenting your handkerchief; useful when those were the cotton & linen variety and not the disposable kind.

The even more impressive info is that actually this goes far, far back; much further than imagined: "The first group to demand such on the spot purchases were the Greeks. The first mention of a coin-operated dispenser was in 215 B.C., by a mathematician and engineer named Heron (or Hero) of Alexandria [The one who also invented ύδραυλις/hydraulis, the precursor of the Organ]. His machine would accept a coin and then dispense a set amount of “holy water” in the Egyptian temples!" But Susan Berbet goes on to explain that it would only resurface in the Industrial Revolution age, when the technology to make this cheap and functional finally emerged.

But the idea isn't only an antiquated one. There are modern, aluminum-shiny examples with "perfume" and "cologne" in them to be sold still!
Perfumaniac, a New Orleans-based blogger blogging at Yesterday’s Perfume first published a photo of a perfume vending machine which sold perfume "nips" (small plastic "packets" like samples for perfume applying), in which she mentioned how such 20s popularities as Soir de Paris (Evening in Paris) by Bourjois or Arpege by Lanvin (again) were sold at the literal drop of a coin. Then Dr.Avery Gilbert took it over on his own blog, where he discussed about the idea of an olfactory museum. Can I just say I think there's good money to be made if this idea is ever materialised.

And to revert to the initial point of interest which made an impression on me, it does make you wonder which would fragrances would be chosen for today's market to be put in the ladies' room, if such a thing existed still. What do you think?

Read Berberet's article on this link ("Found in Collections" blog, Oklahoma History Center)

Thanks to Sillage for bringing this to my attention

Li Edelkoort, "Priestess of Trends", Predicts

Reading the credentials of Dutch-born, Parisian-living Li Edelkoort, sounds like an astounding pile of worthy accomplishements: Internationally acclaimed for pioneering the trend-setting concept, named by Time Magazine as one of the world's 25 most influential people in fashion and an unparalleled lifestyle expert, Li is president of Edelkoort Inc. but also of Trend Union Paris, Trend Union Japan, Studio Edelkoort and Edelkoort Editions. In short, if anyone is thinking of gauging what the market will bear, they only have to set their eyes on this meek-looking yet truly hypnotising and persuading woman with the piercing blue eyes code-named in the industry as "the oracle". As anyone who has met her knows well, she is able of persuading cows to buy milk!
So investigating about her views on upcoming beauty and lifestyles trends naturally interested me a lot and here are some thoughts worth sharing with you.

The whole notion of lifestyle is defined by Li Edelkoort as "an ensemble of ideas, attitudes, designs and aesthetics geared to celebrating life", the focus being enjoyment, deriving pleasure out of the process. But what made her become involved in it? Does she make the trends or does she read the trends? In her opinion trend-shaping happens by the public itself and by the environment. "Trends reside in the collective subconscious and in the unknown and can be detected by individuals who trust their intuition and are trained to detect signals at an early stage".

Reverting to the beauty and fragrance industry, reflecting upon the focus on wellness in the past decade, one is wondering what the evolution will be: Will there be a completely new concept or simply a recalibrating of the wellness ideal? According to Li, well-being will not cease to be important, verging not only to health and beauty but also to spirituality: "A more domestic way to look at household chores will ground us and make us appreciate life with simplicity. Sound, dance and music will be part of the well-being continuum".

For 2011 specifically the continuation of the "green" movement in the beauty industry and beyond and the reversion to the earth is looking like the main direction, especially in the realm of an economic crisis. In that regards she proposed grey as the transitionary colour. She hopes that a stronger bond between humans and animals will be generated, while the research for sustainable products as well as interesting new looks and moving fragrances will continue.

The opening of the new decade on the whole presents new challenges as the world is changing and after 30 years in the business, it comes as no surprise that Li is not only vaguely referencing a trend but putting a very specific context on it: Birds! I admit I was sceptical too, but hear her out please: "We believe that we will be moving in the next decade towards more community-oriented behavior. Our attitude will be one of respect for our environment and our species; this is the reason why we entitled our latest lifestyle & design forecast "we are family". Also, we were intrigued by birds and their social behavior for our new Trend Union autumn / winter 2011-12 fashion season, which we called "Taking Flight". Birds are a model of social connectivity and communal efficiency, as well as an incredible source of inspiration to develop rich color cards, fantasy fashion shapes, and nest-like weaves. Birds can also be a source for ideas in creative make-up, hair color, and hair styling".

Also worth reading, an article into the beginnings and confessions of Li Edelkoort on Wall Street Journal Magazine by Cecilie Rohwedder.

Li Edelkoort photo taken by Marie Taillefer

M. Micallef discontinuation?

It's rather with a heavy heart that I bring myself to report news of discontinuations, especially of popular fragrances. But even though a dirty job, someone has to do it...and give a spin to them, when needed to nuance news.
The latest contender is the very popular and fairly recently introduced (2007) Note Vanillée by M.Micallef, which is no longer carried on Luckyscent. Note Vanillée includes top notes of tangerine and hesperides, seguing to middle notes of jasmine and honey and finishing on a blend of sandalwood, amber, bourbon vanilla, cognac and rum. It strikes a no man's land between boozy, citrusy and floral.
On the other hand the official site of M.Micallef still lists Note Vanillée as usual. It is therefore with some itrigue that I am revealing that a new enterprise of M.Micallef USA is going to be slowly unveiled very soon as per my sources, which means they're withdrawing from distribution so as to rebrand themselves.

The winner of the draw...

...for the Annete Neuffer parfum sample is Mystic Knot. Congratulations and please mail me using the email on the Profile page with your address so I can have this out to you soon.
Thanks everyone for the enthusiastic participation and till the next one!

Greenwitch and Tethys for Spring Awakenings

Fire on the mountain shall find the harp of gold
Played to wake the Sleepers,
oldest of the old;
Power from the green witch,
lost beneath the sea;
All shall find the light at last, silver on the tree.

The eternal return of spring and the regeneration of nature are deeply ingrained in this side of the world: A glimpse of the wild nature that bursts forth with renewed vigour is enough to understand how ancient Greeks sanctioned it in several myths. Some of them tied to the sea involve Tethys, the Greek aquatic goddess, and the sea-creatures she protects.

For the occassion of the Spring or Vernal Equinox, Roxana Villa of Roxana Illuminated Perfume came up with GreenWitch, an all-natural perfume, dedicating it to Tethys. She was inspired by the GreenWitch novel by Susan Cooper (1974), part of the authors Dark is Rising Series. The characters Simon, Jane, and Barney return to Cornwall with their Uncle Merry after learning that the grail they had found in Over Sea, Under Stone (Harcourt, 1966) has been stolen from the British Museum. Soon they are joined by Will Stanton and his American uncle. Older local women are preparing a celebration creating a doll from sticks and leaves which they toss into the sea as an offering to the White Lady or Tethys, goddess of the sea, "for the greeting summer and charming a good hearvest of crop and fish". Jane's unselfishness in the ritualistic wishing process wins her the favours of the effigy and thus the secret to the manuscript that will enable her to decipher the Grail's writing later on.
Tethys (also known as "The White Lady" in Celtic lore) daughter of Gaia and Uranus according to Hesiod, is one of the Titans in Greek mythology. Wed to her brother Oceanus ~obviously the family relationships of classic mythological figures supervenes any modern notion [sources: Callimachus, Hymn 4.17, and Apollonius, Argonautica 3.244] ~ she became the mother to the rivers known to the ancients and thousands of daughters called the Oceanids.

GreenWitch as a perfume follows the formula of a traditional Chypre where oakmoss and labdanum in the base are balanced with bergamot in the top and where seaweed enters to render the sea accord. It's interesting to see such a "sea/marine" accord in a natural setting as I wouldn't be able to conjure it in my mind besides the expected ambergris. And yet, it can be done. Green Witch has some facets of deep blue in there! What I liked was the contrast between the marine and the earthy, as if brown algae were dancing in front of my eyes. Another novelty enterting the perfume is Africa Stone, the fossilized excrement of a small animal called the rock hyrax (providing an animalic edge and longevity)
A complete breakdown of the ingredients and the composing process is included on this link. Balance is one of the main themes of Meán Earraigh (the Celtic spring equinox) as the light is evenly matched with the dark, as in this fragrance. A percentage of the profits from purchasing the flacon support GreenPeace. The perfume is available in the quarter ounce flacon pictured in the photo, 1 gram vials and in sample packs here. (stock is regularly replenished, according to demand)

Please visit the rest of the participating blogs at the following links:
Ida at BitterGrace Notes
The Non Blonde
Tom at Perfume Posse
Portland Examiner
Scent Hive
The Windsphere Witch
Roxana Illuminated Journal

Painting Les Océanides (Les Naiades de la mer) by Gustave Doré, French, 1832 - 1883 via ArtMagick. Bottle photo and illustration by Greg Spalenka.