Narciso Rodriguez For Her Delicate: new fragrance, limited edition

Narciso Rodriguez For Her Eau de Toilette Delicate Limited Edition is launching for 2012.
The fragrance is somewhat changed compared to the original NR For Her and features notes of vetiver, musk, african orange flower, amber, coriander, vanille, bergamot and black fig.
Available as eau de toilette in 125ml/4.2oz bottles of light purple and a matching box.

For a breakdown of all the variants/editions of Narciso Rodriguez For Her perfume, consult this link (with pics) and this one for the NR Musk Collection perfume editions.

Diptyque Eau Rose & Rosa Mundi: new fragrance & new candle

Ushering spring-time with rose scents...Diptyque, purveyor of fine fragrances and great quality candles, is voting for roses this spring with two releases centered on the queen of flowers.With St.Valentine's Day around the corner, they're romantic gifts to be given.

Eau Rose eau de toilette de Diptyque
"Eau Rose, a totally new fragrance that pays tribute to the queen of flowers, the rose. Forever immortalized by Ronsard’s famous poem “Mignonne, allons voir si la rose...”, it was only a matter of time before diptyque decided to showcase the rose. To get off the beaten track and create something different, the Eau Rose has been conceived to stand out as a genuine infusion of roses. [...] a rose that changes as the hours go by and melts into the scent of the person wearing it." (official press)


Since the times of the legendary Semiramis, who cultivated roses in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, roses have fascinated perfumers. Tea rose with spicy notes, luscious carnal roses, milky roses, satin rose or rose pompoms.....just roses!!
Imagined like a rose infusion, Eau Rose celebrates the multiple olfactory facets of the rose, in its natural state; from morning dew (with tart  notes of bergamot and blackcurrant) to daybreak (thanks to fruity lychee) to the sensual woody nuance of musks and cedar of nighttime.
Coveted in Grasse and the Isparta region in Turkey, Rosa Centifolia and Rosa Damascena infusions sign an essentially natural fragrance, soft and powdery woody, and not aging at all, thanks to the tartness of the fruit notes which refresh it.

Top notes: bergamot, black currant and litchi
middle notes: jasmine, geranium and rose
base notes: Virginia cedar, musk and white honey.

 Eau de Toilette spray 100ml retails for 72 euros/98$US. The fragrance is also available in a roll-on (20ml for 35euros). Already available at Diptyque boutiques, on SpaceNK (in the UK) and on the Aedes website.

Rosa Mundi candle by Diptyque
A limited edition candle focused on rose, Rosa Mundi comes in 190gr glass jar for 45 euros.
A surprising scent... soothing, romantic and sparkling. And a name that sounds like an ancient rose, a descendant of the famous Damask rose...and the love story that has become legendary through the centuries.

Rosa Mundi, a variety of rose, was named after Rosa­mund Clifford, the mistress of King Henry II (England’s monarch from 1154 to 1189). Rosamund Clifford (1150-1176), also known as the "The Fair Rosamund" or "Rose of the World", was his ill-fated long-time mistress; Princess Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry's subsequent wife, jealous of her husband's relationship with Rosamund, is said to have had her murdered by poison (the legend says she offered her the choice of dagger or poison and Rosamund chose poison). Her family paid for a tomb at Godstow Nunnery near Oxford, instructing the nuns to place Rosa Mundi roses upon it on the anniversary of her death. This became a popular local shrine until 1191ntil St. Hugh of Avalon, Bishop of Lincoln,  visited the place and saw Rosumund's tomb right in front of the high altar. Calling Rosamund a harlot, he ordered her remains to be removed from the church. Thus her tomb was taken to the cemetery at the nuns' chapter house close by, in the end destroyed during the 'Dissolution of the Monasteries' (1536 -1540).The rose variety remains to remind us of the fair Rosamund...

The new graphic design of the packaging and the label of the candle makes it a special presentation amidst the Diptyque range.

Perfumery Material: Ylang Ylang/Cananga Odorata

"Poor man's jasmine" isn't quite the enthralling description, is it? And yet this is how Ylang-Ylang (pronounced "ee-LUNG-ee-LUNG") is affectionately refered to by perfumers, because the lowest grades of the oil are quite economical, especially for a flower essence. The inclusion of this naughty-looking yellow blossom in fragrances is legion to mention; contrary to what one might expect, not due to the lower costs, but due to its exquisite, heady, tropically sweet scent that is close to that of jasmine. Legendary perfumes such as Chamade by Guerlain, L'Air du temps by Nina Ricci, Patou's Sublime or Opium by Yves Saint Laurent are put on angel's wings thanks to this intoxicating blossom.

Botany & History
The botanical name Cananga Odorata is derived from the Malaysian word, “kenanga” which is the vernacular for the genus. The Genus Cananga has two species; only one of them is used in perfumery. Cananga odorata is the source of cananga and ylang-ylang oil and absolute while Cananga latifolia, which produces a functional oil, is also commercially used for other purposes.

The large, yellow-green, strongly scented flowers almost resemble tiny human parts, so it comes as no surprise that according to The Essential Oils Book by Colleen K. Dodt, ylang ylang:
“…. is believed to be antidepressant, aphrodisiac, sedative, calming, euphoric…It has been found effective in reducing sexual difficulties resulting from anxiety, stress, and depression.” Its effect is indeed exhilarating, introxicating, aphrodisiac!

Cananga odorata originated in South East Asia, discovered around 1740 in Malaysia by the French botanist Pierre Poivre, and it was introduced to the Comoros Islandes in 1909. It naturalized as far as Papua New Guinea, the  Pacific Islands and the Philipines; basically climates of humid warmth. It has also been introduced into tropical countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and even the Americas, specifically as an essential oil plant.

Production of Ylang Ylang Aromatic Essences
The essential oil of cananga odorata is produced via steam distillation, resulting in two distinct products: cananga oil for the soap and toiletries manufacturingand ylang ylang oil, typically available in variations of grades (there are five of them and another one is a blend of the first 3, with the Superior Extra grade from Mayotte island off Madagascar being reseved for high quality fine fragrances; this is the one that Guerlain harvests for their exclusive boutique scent Mayotte in Les Parisiennes line). Ylang-Ylang Absolute is also available for the discerning perfumer: Extracted via volatile solvents, washing with alcohol the concrete rendered from the ylang ylang petals.The absolute has an intesely sweet-floral odour with a typical balsamic floral note. It aids diffusion and lingers for hours.  Last but not least, there is an ylang-ylang CO2 essence, a quite expensive and fine product distilled by carbon dioxide; a certain amount of pressure is applied and then the gas changes to liquid ensuring the preserving of the flower's odour profile.

Ylang Ylang in Perfumery & its Key Role at Guerlain &Chanel
For all its atrributes, ylang ylang is a very frequent floral essence in fine fragrance perfumery and a constituent in Vanille Galante. It naturally encompasses salicylates and eugenol (a spicy ingredient); the former in the form of benzyl salicylate is the basic ingredient in the Ambre Solaire suntan lotion, with its white flowers tinge, which is synonymous with summer vacations to many Europeans (The ingredient first entered the composition for its sunscreening properties and later overstayed thanks to the fond reactions of users to its smell).This is why many ylang ylang dominant fragrances produce the association with suntan lotions: so many people have used a suntan lotion aromatized with salicylates/ylang ylang in their lives! (for more fragrance notes associations refer to The Vocabulary of Scent)

For all practical purposes the scent of ylang-ylang has been instrumental in more legendary fragrances than we're anticipating. Fine grade ylang ylang is making its presence known even more than jasmine does in the iterations of Chanel legendary No.5 (and is an intergral part of other Chanel classics such as No.22, Bois des Iles and Cuir de Russie). It is notably a signature trademark of most Guerlain fragrances, including many of the revered classics, such as Mitsouko and L'Heure Bleue. Guerlain indeed value so much the production of ylang-ylang in Mayotte that they bought 20% of the plantation of Combani. Jean Paul Guerlain personally inspected the hectares with ylang-ylang there in the years from 1995 to 2002. Vicious tongues eventually squealed on him using illegal workers to pick up the flowers (because the cost on Mayotte was very high compared to neighbouring islands labourers), resulting in him abandoning the plantation and choosing to operate in the neighbouring island of Anjouan from then on.

List of Fragrances Highlighting Ylang-Ylang Notes:
NB. This list features perfume with predominant ylang-ylang notes, there are of course hundreds of other fragrances listing it as a secondary note.The links below direct to reviews.
Annick Goutal Songes
Boucheron Boucheron Femme
Cacharel Loulou
Calvin Klein Escape
Caron Nocturnes
Chanel Bois des Iles
Chanel Coco Mademoiselle
Chanel No.5
Chanel No.5 Eau Premiere
Chloe Chloe (original, 1975)
Dior J'Adore Eau de Cologne Florale
Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds
Estee Lauder Beautiful
Givenchy Amarige
Givenchy Harvest Collection, Amarige Ylang-Ylang de Mayotte Harvest 2006
Givenchy Ysatis

Guerlain (discontinued) Aqua Allegoria Ylang & Vanille
Guerlain Chamade 
Guerlain Cologne du 68
Guerlain L'Instant de Guerlain
Guerlain Mahora/Mayotte
Guerlain Samsara
Guy Laroche Fidji
Grossmith Hasu-no Hana, Phul Nana, and Shem el Nessim
Hanae Mori Hanae Mori (i.e. "butterfly")
Hermes 24 Faubourg
Hermes Vanille Galante 
Jean Paul Gaultier Classique
Jean Desprez Bal a Versailles
Kenzo Jungle L'Elephant
Lanvin Arpege
Lancome Poeme
Laura Biagotti Venezia
Nina Ricci L'Air du Temps
Patou Sublime
Rochas Byzance
Teo Cabanel Alahine
Tom Ford Black Orchid
Tom Ford Black Orchid Voile de Fleur
Van Cleef & Arpels First

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Perfumery's Raw Aroma Materials

photo of ylang ylang via Flowers Eddie Tam Makawao, Maui December 24, 2006 via hear.org

Open Poll: Fragrances to Get you Warm in the Cold

Today it's a holiday and I'm in a rush to exploit the time to finish a few magazine articles I need to submit shortly. As I stay inside hearing the wind howling outside my window panes, the trees making a sweeping sound, and the logs in the fire crackle, I warm my hands against the cup of steaming jasmine tea, thinking to myself  how fragrance has the potential to not only create a mental mood, but to actually produce a physical reaction beyond the wishful. I positively feel elated and caressed in a warm hug by my scent of the day choice of Serge Lutens Jeux de Peau, a delicious, milky-spicy-golden scent that radiates all around, like the purr of a fat kitty lazy in front of the fire.

So, in the interests of providing more scent options:
Which are your favourite warming fragrances when it's all cold outside?

Let us know in the comments! (and if you stumbled on this piece, read on what people vote for)

More on the Upcoming Louis Vuitton Fragrance

We had broken the news on the new, upcoming Louis Vuitton fragrance a while ago, mentioning that the brand had also issued a commemorative perfume for elite clients sometime in the 1980s (and we depicted the bottle too). What you may not know however, is that there were also three Louis Vuitton fragrances in the 20s and 30s, all of which were soon discontinued. Louis Vuitton (or rather LVMH) announced that Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud will be the perfumer behind the new fragrant creation. A Grassois, Jacques Cavallier composed Stella by Stella, Dior Addict and YSL Cinema among many many others.  According to WWD Cavallier started work for them this Tuesday, carefully adding he will journey the world on search of exotic and precious new juices. Mais oui!
So basically they're building up anticipation for a launch that will go down in history: the last bastion, the brand who resisted fragrance for long in our times, has succumbed. 

You can read our speculation on what the upcoming Vuitton perfume might entail on this link.