Later Day Chypre Quiz

I am busy organising a project on historical "chypres" and the restrictions on oakmoss affecting their status and perception by the public which will involve university students. In the interests of helping me out in this research, I would like you to offer me your insights: Which older chypres in your opinion are ruined and which have remained more or less worthwhile? (even if changed) Which newer, modern chypre fragrances are worth testing and how do they flesh out the chypre concept according to you?

For those who are not sure what a chypre fragrance is, please refer to this link for the definition of chypre fragrances and some historical chypres. Refer to this link for the new breed of "pink chypres" or "nouveau chypres" fragrances. And to this article for what the chypre concept translates to from an aesthetic point of view. (see if you agree or not!)

Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Bouquet No.2: new fragrance

After last year's Bouquet No.1, the succession has materialised at Guerlain:  
Aqua Allegoria Bouquet Numero 2, developed by in-house perfumer Thierry Wasser is presented with the tag line of old in vintage Guerlain advertisements: "inspired by nature, created by Guerlain".

The new take in Bouquet No.2 is on more tropical accords, rather than fresh florals unlike last year's edition; this time centered on the fruity notes of litchi, fanned on rose and iris for tenacity and elegance. The bottle is the typical, familiar 75ml/2.5oz spray bottle with the beehove latticework on top, the standard of the Aqua Allegoria line, to be distributed as a travel retail exclusive (much like last years Bouquet No.1).
According to the official Guerlain blurb: "Nature is an emotionally-charged setting where we gather treasures, which inspires and enfolds us. Every year, when springtime comes, the Guerlain perfumer conjures up gardens filled with scents, in a blend of allegory and exhilaration."

L'Artisan Parfumeur Mandarine: fragrance review

Mandarine by L'Artisan Parfumeur began its "career" under a different guise: a limited edition bottle for summer 2006 under the name Mandarine Tout Simplement (i.e. Simply Mandarin), along with the regular line launch of Fou d'Absinthe, based on absinth. Mandarine is recently re-issued in the regular bottles of L'Artisan, in 50ml/1.7oz size, so it's fitting to give it a review.

Extremely true to the mandarin fruit, succulent and fresh and tart, Mandarine by L'Artisan Parfumeur is really as if you have piched your nails on the rind of a ripe mandarin, juice dribbling down your fingers, the tartness almost spritzing you in the eye. Then it fans out into a little indeterminable wood accord, of which cedar seems to be the main note. It's pretty simple and unadorned by weighty accents.
The succulent, lightly peachy-bubblegum note that you might detect after a while is due to frangipani. Nevertheless, this is not at all a floral perfume by any means, nor a floral fruity either. It stays resolutely within the realm of fruity woody. As soon as one sprays Mandarine one is transported to a sunny place, with a bowl of fruits on the porch and a summery frock on. Sunglasses optional : this is a friendly , not aloof scent at all. Rather sweet, but the tartness keeps it from being cloying.

Perfumer Olivia Giacobetti is known for her unusual watery creations that are far from the "marine" type of frags so typical of the 90s (witness the watery ambience in Navegar or her Preparation Parfumee for Andree Putman) and her beloved dough/yeast note (as in the cucumber-watery lilacs of En passant ), but here I can detect none. That's a good thing to me personally, because sometimes they ruin the perfume for me.
Mandarine makes you go "ahhhhh" at first sniff , but then it disappears suddenly. I have no trouble with most L'artisan fragrances and their staying power (I regularly wear Premier Figuier, Timbuktu,Oeillet Sauvage without problems to give you an idea), but of course citrus and hesperidic notes are volatile to begin with, hence the swift evaporation. For those who complain about short-lived staying power, that might be a concern. Now that it comes in a 50ml bottle, it would be a "killer" to have in your bag and spray away at the first opportunity.

More info on availability &shopping on the L'Artisan site.

Which is YOUR preferred fruity fragrance for summer? 

Painting of Mandarins via Sadie e Valeri blog

FiFi Awards 2011: the Complete List

The Fifi Awards are the Oscars of perfumery, sort of. They're organised and awarded by the Fragrance Foundation and demand clout in the industry. Here is the complete list for 2011, courtesy of the Fragrance Foundation. I'll let you be the judge of the choices...

Fragrance Hall of Fame
To be nominated for The Fragrance Hall of Fame, Award, a fragrance must be on the market 15 years or more, and supported by marketing strategies, which helped the fragrance achieve awareness and success in 2010.

FRAGRANCE HALL OF FAME WOMEN’S
Issey Miyake L'Eau d'Issey
Beauté Prestige International

FRAGRANCE HALL OF FAME MEN’S
Jean Paul Gaultier 'Le Male'
Beauté Prestige International

CONSUMERS' CHOICE AWARD MEN’S
BATH & BODY WORKS SIGNATURE COLLECTION FOR MEN TWILIGHT WOODS

CONSUMERS' CHOICE AWARD WOMEN’S
BOMBSHELL - VICTORIA’S SECRET

FRAGRANCE SUPERSTAR
Gucci Guilty

FRAGRANCE SALES BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR
At the discretion of the Board of Directors, a retailer can be recognized for having done something out of the ordinary. This year, it was decided to honor a brand, who at retail, achieved record-breaking sales to set a new benchmark:
Mary J. Blige and Carol’s Daughter.

Halle Berry - The Elizabeth Taylor Fragrance Celebrity of the Year Award
This award, presented by the Foundation’s Board of Directors is to honor a celebrity who has embraced and promoted the world of fragrance over a period of time. It celebrates the ongoing success and support given by the celebrity to the industry and therefore attracting consumers to the category.

Fergie - 2011 FiFi® New Fragrance Celebrity of the Year Award
Selected by the Foundation’s Board of Directors, this award recognizes a celebrity whose very first fragrance has enjoyed instant success with the consumer and brought recognition to the fragrance category.

EDITORIAL EXCELLENCE IN FRAGRANCE COVERAGE – WOMEN’S SCENT FEATURE WINNER
ALLURE – POETIC LICENSE, SEPTEMBER 2010

EDITORIAL EXCELLENCE IN FRAGRANCE COVERAGE- MEN’S SCENT FEATURE WINNERS
A TIE!
ELLE MAGAZINE – PICKING UP HIS SCENT, DECEMBER 2010
MARIE CLAIRE MAGAZINE – MAKING SCENTS FOR MEN, OCTOBER 2010

EDITORIAL EXCELLENCE IN FRAGRANCE COVERAGE – WOMEN’S SCENT BITE WINNER
ELLE MAGAZINE – MIX MASTERS, SEPTEMBER 2010

EDITORIAL EXCELLENCE IN FRAGRANCE COVERAGE – BLOG
ELLE.COM – AN EAU OF OUR OWN, OCTOBER 2010

TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR – FRAGRANCE CREATION & FORMULATION
ROBERTET FRAGRANCES – “SEED TO SCENT”

TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR – PACKAGING TECHNOLOGY & DELIVERY SYSTEMS
INTERNATIONAL FLAVORS & FRAGRANCES – “REDKEN RADIANT SEA SPRAY”

TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR –INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
FIRMENICH – osMOZ iPHONE APP

BATH & BODY LINE OF THE YEAR
COCO MADEMOISELLE BATH ESSENTIALS - CHANEL

INTERIOR SCENT COLLECTION OF THE YEAR
JONATHAN ADLER “HAPPY CHIC” – THE MAESA GROUP FOR JONATHAN ADLER

BEST PACKAGING OF THE YEAR - WOMEN’S LUXE
GUCCI GUILTY – P & G PRESTIGE

BEST PACKAGING OF THE YEAR - MEN’S LUXE
MARC JACOBS BANG – COTY PRESTIGE

BEST PACKAGING OF THE YEAR - WOMEN’S BROAD APPEAL
BOMBSHELL – VICTORIA’S SECRET

BEST PACKAGING OF THE YEAR - MEN’S BROAD APPEAL
HERVE LEGER HOMME – AVON PRODUCTS

BEST MEDIA CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR - WOMEN’S
GUCCI GUILTY – P & G PRESTIGE

BEST MEDIA CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR - MEN’S
BLEU DE CHANEL - CHANEL

PERFUME EXTRAORDINAIRE
GIVAUDAN

FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR - SPECIALTY BRAND – MEN’S
BANANA REPUBLIC/REPUBLIC OF MEN ESSENCE EAU DE TOILETTE – INTER PARFUMS USA

FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR - SPECIALTY BRAND – WOMEN’S
BOMBSHELL – VICTORIA’S SECRET

FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR - BROAD APPEAL – MEN’S
HERVE LEGER HOMME – AVON PRODUCTS, INC.

FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR - BROAD APPEAL – WOMEN’S
HALLE BY HALLE BERRY PURE ORCHID – COTY

FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER
MY LIFE BY MARY J BLIGE – CAROL’S DAUGHTER

FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR SPECIALTY LUXE – MEN’S
TOM FORD AZURE LIME – TOM FORD BEAUTY

FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR SPECIALTY LUXE – WOMEN’S
BALENCIAGA PARIS – COTY PRESTIGE

FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR - INDIE BRAND
SIX SCENTS PARFUMS: SERIES THREE (UNISEX) – SIX SCENTS PARFUMS

FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR - MEN’S LUXE
BLEU DE CHANEL – CHANEL

FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR - WOMEN’S LUXE
GUCCI GUILTY – P &G PRESTIGE

For the first time, two top scorers of The Fragrance Foundation’s Online Certification Exam for Sales Specialists were recognized from the Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 sessions:
Fall 2010 Top Scorer: Amanda Markey, C.F.S.S. Nordstrom, Ross Park, Pennsylvania.
Spring 2011 Top Scorer: Nicole Maki, C.F.S.S. Nordstrom, Mall of America, Bloomington, Minnesota.

Twin Peaks: Musc Ravageur & L de Lolita Lempicka

Tracing kindred spirits in perfumery is occasionally as uncomplicated as finding the common mastermind behind them. In the case of Musc Ravageur and L de Lempicka that one is none other than Maurice Roucel, celebrated perfumer and creator of some of the most delectable orientals and florientals in existence (and the occasional stellar chyprish floral, such as in K de Krizia). Although the fragrances are not 100% interchangeable, as evident in my review below, they bear a keen similarity that would have lovers of one eager to discover the other and those on a budget discovering a smell-alike that isn't a travesty.

In Musc Ravageur the explosive departure of bergamot, tangerine and cinnamon is set against a backdrop of vanilla, musk and amber. No flowers, just a refined skin scent. Yet contrary to name, Musc Ravageur isn't really about musk! Though it is rather "dirty". It's more of a spicy oriental, old-school-style and raw. And the reason I am including it in a section devoted to musks is mainly due to nomenclature and readers' expectation.
If you have been fearing (or loving, like myself) the reputation of Muscs Kublai Khan and Christopher Brosius I Hate Perfume Musk Reinvented, you will be puzzled by this one, recalling as it does the base of such classic orientals as Shalimar or even less classical, like Teatro alla Scala by Krizia.

Smelling Musc Ravageur on skin one cannot but form an opinion towards the latter. Musc Ravageur, just like the big paws of its creator, is more of a naughty & voracious home cat with a furry tongue giving you a bath, rather than a wild tiger in the jungle shredding its prey in pieces. A very sensual amber -rather than musk, compare with Kiehl's Original Musk oil for instance- is hiding in the core of the fragrance. A characteristic citrus-spice top note is there (I detect clove and lavender as well), which recalls the Gallified "oriental" mould, and a silky vanilla-amber dry down which isn't really sweet, but interplaying between warm & cool, almost a bit herbal. The artistry lies in having the amber perform like a Chinese gymnast: all over the place, but with an elasticity that creates the illusion of weightlessness!

The fashion designer with the borrowed names, Lolita Lempicka, came up with a wonderful vanillic scent in L de Lempicka, that has lured even me, who am not crazy about vanilla like -apparently- most of the rest of the female population at this particular moment in perfume history. L is no ordinary childish foody vanilla because it manages to combine an ambery depth with a salty kiss, like skin baked in the Mediterranean sun, under a cloudless azure sky. Featuring immortelle flower, the infamous note in Annick Goutal’s Sables and Christian Dior Eau Noire, it has a weird sense of hot summer images (immortelle is a very usual sight around the Mediterranean coast) despite vanilla’s traditional association with winter and homely smells. A cul de sac manicurist's existence in a crammed, abandonded apartment in the suburbs of some French town during the summer perhaps? More appealing, surely.
In Sables the impression is more of a wearable maple syrup, a very warm hug, a drier beach with no fish like that near a fossilised forest at the island of Lesbos. Sables is like seeing the earth’s history in a long gaze and a moment of eternity becoming yours.
L de Lempicka comparatively is much tamer than the Goutal and for that reason, above all, it will undoubtedly be more popular. It features also orange and cinnamon notes that contribute to the likeness I detect with Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur. However the effect is not as spicy-dense in L de Lempicka, while at the same time L comes off as more calorific and rounder, more ambery. L de Lempicka also lists almond , bergamot, precious woods (sandalwood) , tonka bean (coumarin notes)and solar musks. It comes in Parfum and eau de parfum and my review is based on the latter.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: see more smell-alikes on the Twin Peaks articles link

Photos of Catherine Deneuve,top via MademoiselleB, bottom film still from Roman Polanski's thriller Repulsion