Dior Addict Eau Fraiche, Dior Addict Eau Sensuelle, Dior Addict Eau de Parfum: new fragrances

Three new fragrances in the Dior Addict stable arrive in June 2012.  "Fashion label Christian Dior is introducing its Dior Addict fragrance line through a comprehensive social media push that includes a Facebook application, four social videos and a Twitter hashtag campaign to push the upcoming “Addict to Love” film." reports Luxury Daily. You can find the teasers below.

 Composed by in-house perfumer Francois Demachy, they promise to present lighter (or more intense, if possible!) interpretations of the original Dior Addict.

Dior Addict Eau Fraiche (freesia woody)
"Luminous, glittery fragrance full of freshness and desire..."

 Notes: bergamot, grapefruit freesia, white lotus, pomegranate woody notes, white musk

 Dior Addict Eau Sensuelle (rose floral)
"Soft, floral composition for a natural and sensual woman. A very personal fragrance..."

 Notes: rose oil, rose absolute rose essential oil, jasmine, white musk, cedar

 Dior Addict Eau de Parfum (modern oriental)
"Dior Addict is a promise..."

 Notes: silk blossom, mandarin wood queen of the night vanilla

 The new collection has the added bonus of being available in small size bottles of 20ml (perfect for carrying in one's purse) starting from 45 euros for Eau Fraiche and Eau Sensuelle and from 47 euros for Eau de Parfum.

The Importance of Perfume Bottle Design

"I bought Daisy because I liked the bottle. Is that bad?"Lauren Wilkey, a 25-year-old style blogger from Old Bridge, N.J. wrote on her blog. "You want the bottle to be so beautiful and unique that somebody wants to keep it out in the open. Then they are more likely to use it," says Kecia Coby, founder of KCR Consulting who worked with the Kardashians on their fragrances.



 Just two quotes from a longer article on the Wall Street Journal on the current commercial importance of perfume bottle design. As the number state: "The faster cycle is driving U.S. sales of fragrances, which neared $5.8 billion last year, up 7.6% from 2010, according to Euromonitor International. Sales of so-called premium fragrances (defined by price, retail outlet and other factors) topped $4.8 billion, up 11%. Celebrity fragrances get a lot of buzz, especially among younger shoppers, but they make up less than 5% of sales, says Karen Grant, global beauty industry analyst at NPD Group". "Maybe before, when not every celebrity wanted a fragrance, when not every designer wanted a fragrance, you could focus maybe a little less" on the bottle design, Mr. Lekach said. "It's become incredibly important—certainly as important as the actual fragrance."
photo via makeupandbeautyblog.com

Serge Lutens Santal Majuscule: new fragrance

A new fragrance by Serge Lutens is always news on Perfume Shrine. In addition to the Paris exclusive Lutens Une Voix Noire which we announced a while ago on these pages (and the accompanying Le Vaporisateur Tout Noir, an all black portable atomiser for carrying your favorite Lutens fragrance in your handbag in total style, coming out in October 2012), the maestro is bring out another fragrance this year.

Set for launch in July and destined for the export line (black label high concentration oblong bottle), Lutens presents his third fragrance with Santal in the name, after Santal Blanc (recently upgraded to the exclusives line) and Santal de Mysore; this time it's Santal Majuscule! (Meaning "capital sandalwood", sandalwood in capitals, sandalwood to the max; or perhaps thus implying it's un parfum capiteux, which means heady, intoxicating in French).


We can also hypothesize whether it will be a classic interpretation of sandalwood (not very likely given the rationing of the Mysore variety) or an etude on the different species of Australian sandalwood with its interesting facets. Newer info right off the source suggests this is a study on the scent of Indian sandalwood (which means anything!), which I find imaginative; this is what they told me for all it's worth.

As correctly surmissed on Basenotes back then, at any rate this is the name of the new Lutensian opus (this is official) and we can get an appetite till July rolls.

EDIT TO ADD: The new Santal Majuscule revolves around three main notes: sandalwood of course, bittersweet cocoa absolute and Damask rose, fresh and slightly spicy. 
As Serge, cryptically as usual says: "Provoked by the fresh and peppery prickle of the Damask rose, it reflects the sweet bitterness of childhood memories via cocoa absolute. Medieval legends recounted in precious books ...creamy spicy dressing for a majestic Sandalwood. Its name? Sandalwood: The Sacred Wood / Capital: The Rare Illuminations."
And the motto as seen in the ad, in Latin no less? "Oboedi silentiis meis, non imperii" (Obey my silence and not my orders)

official ad of Serge Lutens new perfume Santal Majuscule

Additionally, if you haven't read it yet, there's a short interview (in English) with Lutens on Botanical Inspirations on Another Magazine, on his previous fragrance L'Eau Froide and his home on Morocco.


photo by Lutens, Despointes (Unknown Lady in a Hat), 1972.

A Taste for Rose: Exploring the Many Nuances of Roses

May and June are traditionally the months when the queen of flowers, the rose, makes its regal appearance in gardens across the world. Shakespeare said it well "At Christmas I no more desire a rose. Than wish a snow in May's new-fangled shows; But like of each thing that in season grows." [from Love's Labour Lost] Ovid wrote: "The sharpest thorn often produces delicate roses" and a Turkish proverb claims "Thorns and roses grow on the same tree".
Rose has captured the imagination of all cultures, of all men. Its association with beauty, romance and physical perfection dates back a long, long time ago and doesn't show any signs of waning. All it asks is our appreciation. Like in Saint-Exypery's Little Prince, we must tend our rose (literal and metaphorical), for it to bloom and to reach its peak. But bend to actually smell the roses, literally, and you find a nuanced, multi-layered cornucopia of fragrant notes, evolving, tingling, provoking you into reaction... Rose isn't a simpleton.

The Rose Family
The rose is a rose,
And was always a rose.
But the theory now goes
That the apple’s a rose
 ~Robert Frost (1874–1963)  

There are Five English Rose Fragrance Descriptors
According to David Austin Roses, the following descriptors, much like in wine and tea (or indeed like perfume!) serve to guide like a compass into how rose can have specific nuances in its scent profile.

Myrrh: An aromatic, anise-like scent; among roses it's found almost exclusively in English roses.
Fruity: Because the rose is related to apricots, pears, apples, strawberries and others, fruity notes often surface.
Musk: A romantic scent, it often comes from the flower's stamens. People are especially sensitive to the scent.
Old rose: The classic rose fragrance, it's found almost exclusively in pink and red roses.
Tea rose: A strong scent — like that of fresh tea — that often dominates a flower. Other fragrances can become evident over time.

An Expert's Favorites 

Michael Marriott handles as technical director and head rosarian for David Austin Roses and along with fellow scent expert Rober Calkin regularly oversees the production of roses. Not every variant can fit the needs we have. As Elenor Roosevelt once said: "I once had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: no good in a bed, but fine up against a wall".

Here Marriot has chosen his top David Austin roses, based largely on their scent. His list of favorite rose variants:
Gertrude Jekyll: Marriott says this is considered the quintessential old rose fragrance: strong, rich, complex and well-balanced. (USDA Zones 4-8)
Munstead Wood: Also a strong old rose scent, it features notes of blackberry, blueberry and damson plum. (Zones 5-9)
Lady Emma Hamilton: A strong, fruity fragrance (pear, grape and citrus) that complements its orange and yellow coloring. (Zones 5-9)
Scepter'd Isle: With a strong myrrh fragrance, this variety has won the Royal National Rose Society's award for fragrance. (Zones 5-10)
Harlow Carr: Another old rose floral scent that complements a classic old rose form. (Zones 5-9)

Read more tips on appreciating the scent of live roses on this link
pic mmdelrosario.hubpages.com

Perfumery Material: Cashmeran/ Blonde Woods

Thanks to its pliability, which fits like a glove many diverse compositions of different fragrance families, or thanks to its diffusiveness and tenacity, Cashmeran or blonde woods is a molecule which forms the core of many a modern perfume formula; a synthetic not found in nature but copiously used in products we use every day from soap to shampoo and deodorant.

Chemistry 
The proper name of Cashmeran is 1,2,3,5,6,7-hexahydro-1,2,3,3-pentamethyl-4h-inden-4-one. You might also come across it as "musk indanone" or "indomuscone". Though commonly refered to as "blonde woods" in perfume speak, the reality is that the ingredient Cashmeran (an International Flavors and Fragrances appelation) is actually a musk component with a yellow, trickly texture. Its scent profile takes over a vast sea between woods and ambers, abstract and indefinable. Not currently under the allergens list controled by IFRA it is used in a variety of products. There are som concerns that excessive use of polycyclic musks might do some liver damage, but we're probably talking massive amounts here.

The name Cashmeran derives from its tactile feel which recalls the smoothness and softness of cashmere wool.  Among the first perfumes to use it in a considerable degree were Loulou by Cacharel (1987) and Paco Rabanne Sport (1986).
as is Sexy Graffiti by Escada (2002). Tempting though it may be to imagine that modern best-seller Cashmere Mist by Donna Karan (1994) is full of it, in reality the powdery soft perfume doesn't use it.

Insoluble in water and hydrophobic, Cashmeran is therefore a prime target for use in functional perfumery too, since it won't rinse out: detergents, fabric softener, alcoholic lotions, deodorants, shampoos, you name it... But fine perfumery has profited of its advantages as well.

Scent Profile: Abstract, Musky, Woody, Concrete Hit by Rain
The diffusive, musky-woody scent is reminiscent of concrete (especially the abstract woody scent that concrete gives when hit upon by rain, a cityscape in the rain), also lightly spicy, lightly powdery. Though perfumers sometimes describe it to also have apple and pine facets I admit I haven't detected those myself. It is however used as a powerful floralizer as it aids the expansion and diffusion of floral notes, especially accords of jasmine, as in Thierry Mugler's Alien (it's also used in Womanity) or the lighter Flora Nerolia by Guerlain (where it's married to neroli and frankincense as well). Other cult fragrances to feature it prominently include the discontinued Feu d'Issey and Kenzo's Jungle L'Elephante and Jungle Le Tigre.
In Histoires de Parfums' Tuberose Trilogy, Gislain chose to include the note in the Tubereuse Virginale offering, where blond woods coexist with naturally cohabitating, heady white flowers on a base of patchouli and vanilla. Dans tes Bras by Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle contains a hefty dose of Cashmeran alongside the violet nuances and so does his Une Fleur de Cassie, while Wonderwood by Comme des Garcons, Diptyque's Eau Particuliere, Nasomatto Duro, Byredo La Tulipe and Al Khatt by Xerjoff Shooting Stars collection are a few more niche offerings exploiting Cashmeran's diffusiveness. Perfumer Mathilde Laurent, currently in-house perfumer for Cartier, has a particular fondness for it.

How to Incorporate Cashmeran into Perfumes 
Blending well with other modern ingredients (ambroxan, allyl amyl glycolate, damascones, ethyl maltol...) as well as natural ingredients (frankincense, clary sage, citrus, geraniol, linalool, patchouli, tonka bean, vetiver, etc.), Cashmeran presents a vista of options for the creative perfumer.

It can serve woody or warm musk compositions (see Miami Glow by JLo), formulae resting on rose and saffron, tobacco or oud masculine blends (see Nomaoud by Comptoir Sud Pacifique or Byredo's Accord Oud), even perfumes with jonquil or cassie. It can even aid aqueous olfactory scapes, such as in Armani's Acqua di Gioia Essenza!
Tocca Florence, Tom Ford White Patchouli, Step into Sexy by Avon, Philosophy Love, Blumarine Innamorata, Kylie Minogue Dazzling Darling, Hugo Boss Hugo (in the flask bottle), Anna Sui Night of Fancy, Oriflame Paradise and Burberry Body are a few more of f the fragrances featuring this musk-woody component.

Another one of the advantages of this fairly inexpensive musky component is that it has a medium potency in volume projection, but a long trail that surpasses a full day's length. Being a mild sensitiser, its ratio is currently restricted to no more than 2% of the compound.

It's clear we will be seeing it more and more admitted as such in official perfume press releases in the years to come.