Christophe Laudamiel on How Smell Works

How does our brain pick up scents? Fractally it seems and not even trained noses get everything at once. As acclaimed perfumer Christophe Laudamiel says:
"[Smell perception of fragrant molecules] is processed like patches, like facets. And even the best experts can smell only five to eight facets at a given time," explains Laudamiel during his Big Think interview. "For the brain to register a facet, you have to have at least several components for each facet which together are going to give this signature that then you will recognize as coffee. But you won't be able to recognize the different things that you would see in coffee. Some of them, if you take them one-by-one... smell like raw potato, another one is going to smell like smoke, another one like toasted bread, another one like earth, and et cetera." And goes on to add that when creating Aura for the Thierry Mugler coffret he composed for the issue of novel-adapting film "Perfume, Story of a Murderer", asked to recreate the scent of a virgin, "he focused on the scents of milky elements like rice and the soft and velvety scents of water lily and apricot skin. Of course, to add a little human je ne sais quoi to the fragrance, he also added an a few aldehydes, which helped to mimic the notes that our decomposing skin emits regularly".
Read the rest of the article on the Big Think link.


Pic from the film "Perfume, Story of a Murderer" via jdnightghobhadi/livjournal

Win an A.Tauer Bottle of Your Choice! (and reviews on Une Rose Vermeille & Eau d'Epices)

Andy Tauer has been at the Pitti Fragranze exhibition in Florence, but his generosity to the perfume community is well documented and knows no territorial bounds. Therefore, he offered a contest for Perfume Shrine readers with a brand new bottle of perfume as prize and the winner gets to choose between his two upcoming launches: ROSE VERMEILLE or EAU D’ÉPICES.
So what should you do to enter the contest? Simple: State which is your favourite Andy Tauer scent & why in the comments; or if you haven't tried any, why you would want to sample an A. Tauer fragrance and maybe which catches your fance.
I will pick the best entry (to my discretion) and forward the winner's data to Tauer, so he can send them the fragrance. Contest is open till the end of the week, Sunday midnight, so you have plenty of time to participate.

In the above context and to help you a bit, I have sampled both fragrances and they're predictably very good. Of course all spicy fragrances by Tauer are awesome and the characteristic "Tauerade" (the house's beloved mix of labdanum, Tonka and the ambergis note) in the base is echoing through both. The spicy bouquet on top of L’eau d’épices is comforting and cozy. I don't know if it's the approaching cool of autumn and the longing for evenings spent by the fire, wrapped with a fluffy blanket and holding a mug of muled wine, but there's something immediately appealing about this scent which I am sure will find many fans. The cardamom is especially nice and coupled with the labdanum at the base created a sweet, resinous feeling. Tauer likens it to a walk through a pineta and I wouldn't disagree. The other spices are more of a familiar clove-y mix which recalls pomanders, the juicy citrus peel festooning the spicy prongs.
Une Rose Vermeille is a fruity rose, but fruity in the way that natural rose essence has a tangy, sometimes honeyed-hesperidic quality: the rose pairs with the mandarin and the framboise very well. After all, Tauer does love his roses and treats them like princesses. Andy here used Bulgarian rose absolute, which is very costly, and bypassed the powdery aspects into highlighting the liqueur-like tones so it reads "modern" and almost edible, like the rose jams we used to make around here, rather than "retro". Succulent!
Both fragrances project clean somehow, they feel "fresh" and bright and could be worn by either sex, but they're a far cry from the laundered & bleached "clean" fragrances that flood the market and recall functional products rather than fine fragrance. This is ascertaindly fine fragrance and is proud of it!

By the way, Andy intimated that he's introducing a smaller 30ml flacon for two of the Homage scents, Une Rose Chyprée (you can read a review here) and Une Rose Vermeille. Good news for those with tighter budgets!


Notes on the two new scents from Tauer Perfumes:
Scent N0. 12-EAU D’ÉPICES (eau de parfum, in the classic blue Tauer 50 ml flacon).
HEAD NOTES An Indian basket of spices with cinnamon, cardamom, clove and coriander with red mandarines.
HEART NOTES An opulent heart of orange blossom, jasmine, orris root and incense.
BODY NOTES A woody cistus ladaniferus resin, softened with ambergris, Tonka beans and vetiver.
Available worldwide end of September, about 120 $US

Scent No. 10-UNE ROSE VERMEILLE (eau de parfum, in a new 30 ml flacon, presented for the first time in Florence, September 10).
HEAD NOTES A citrus chord with lemon and bergamot with a whisper of lavender.
HEART NOTES Sumptuous bouquets of roses and violets, kissed by luscious raspberries.
BODY NOTES The richness of vanilla, sandalwood and Tonka beans, touched by the elegance of ambergris.
Available worldwide end of September, about 130 $US

Disclosure: samples vials of the scents were sent me by the perfumer

Ormonde Jayne Gold Rush: new products

Ormonde Jayne is spoiling us rotten again with a slew of new products:

Gold Crème, an opulent scented crème for the décolleté and shoulders is available in two of Ormonde Jayne’s award winning fragrances, Orris Noir and Ta’if. Gold Crème leaves skin delicately fragranced with a beautiful golden shimmer.

Price: £56 for 15ml
Stockist: 12 The Royal Arcade, 28 Old Bond Street, London W1S 4SL, 020 7499 1100
Ormonde Jayne, Harrods, Black Hall, London SW1X 7XL, 020 7730 1234
http://www.ormondejayne.com/

Gold Dust on the other hand is decadent, recalling retro films with dangerous heroines who wrecked havoc with their enchanted entourage and used big puffs of powder in front of their mirror. Gold Dust will be the ultimate luxury this Christmas and is exclusive to Harrods. 24-carat gold dusting powder, housed in a black lacquered handmade gold box crafted by British carpenters. The lavish puff is hand sewn in the Ormonde Jayne London studio in French satin with a beautiful champagne coloured marabou feather trim. Gold Dust is perfumed with the rare and exotic Ta’if Rose. Ta’if Roses are harvested only during April and are handpicked early each morning, five thousand feet above the shores of the Red Sea and overlooking the Arabian Desert. For the ultimate evening glamour, apply over Ormonde Jayne Ta’if Eau de Parfum or Parfum to leave you with an enthralling fragrance which will last the length of any party. Linda Pilkington, creator and owner says: “The ultimate in decadence and glamour for that bit of vampish femme fatale in all of us.”

Price: £400 for 15ml gold dusting power and handmade puff
Stockist: Ormonde Jayne, Harrods, Black Hall, London SW1X 7XL, 020 7730 1234

Finally, there is the Navidad Scented Candle for Christmas 2010. Fragranced with warm, festive notes of Mandarin, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Bay, Amber and Tonka, this limited edition candle creates the perfect Christmas atmosphere. Each of the three hundred limited edition Navidad candles is housed in an beautiful antique gold box with an embossed gold lid. Every candle is hand poured and finished in the Ormonde Jayne London studio.

Price: £60 for 290g Limited Edition Candle in luxury Christmas presentation box.
Stockist: as above for the Gold cream

some info & pic via press release

Hang on to your seatbelts!

I have been so burdened with fragrance writing and projects my arms are stiff, but I will come back with a BIG surprise and contest you won't want to miss in a short while. Very soon, promise!

Aftelier Candide: new fragrance

From niche, indie brand Aftelier, headed by Mandy Aftel, comes a new fragrance, Candide.

Candide is a bright, uplifting floral, expressing its theme of optimism through sublime jasmine and age-old frankincense. Recent research in the Journal of Biological Chemistry finds that the scent of jasmine is better than Valium at calming and soothing. The sunny color comes from the orange shades of jasmine , pink grapefruit, and blood orange essences. The smell of jasmine is uplifting and cheerful in a sexy way – the perfect blend of high and low, sweet and dirty. The pink grapefruit is juicy and sweet; the blood orange smells of mouth-watering orange mixed with raspberries. The name is an homage to the great novel by Voltaire, with its theme of optimism.

Candide is available in one quarter ounce ($150) and 2 ml mini size ($45). Our one quarter ounce perfume comes with a complimentary mini kit. Contact info@aftelier.com