Kathleen Tessaro The Perfume Collector: fragrance book review

Grace Munroe. Eva d'Orsey. One English and pampered into false security. The other French-countryside-born and exiled in New York, serving to make ends meet. One straight-laced by nurture, yet inquisitive, the other building herself from the bottom up and uninhibited by nature, picking up life lessons wherever she can, from decadent emigrés to call girls. One disillusioned by marriage, the other becoming the mistress of a cosmetics tycoon to help materialize her own plans. But when one inherits the other, though the two have never met, and indeed the heiress has absolutely no idea who this mysterious Eva is, the two lives intermingle and the English rose is in for some coming of age metamorphosis, the French way, with a brisk and brief perfumery introduction lesson in the middle of it. This the central plot of Kathleen Tessaro's new novel The Perfume Collector and if this reminds you vaguely of the journey of finding one's self with the help of French (or Frenchified) style icons after a failed marriage in her earlier novel Elegance it is because it is basically the same theme.

Source: Uploaded by user via Perfume on Pinterest

There is simply no way around it. The Anglo-Saxon is mesmerized by the lure of the Continental, with the latter's abandon to sensuality, its convenient compartmentalization of personal life & business and of its Cartesian logic (and non Protestant ethic) while wading through life. Even we have often elaborated on what makes this particular tick tick. And if there is one lesson to be derived is to suck the juice out of the bone of life because life is short, a sentiment with which I can't bring myself to disagree.

"The name, madam..." Eva could hardly say it out loud without blushing. "My Sin". Madame Zed said the words slowly, her black eyes unblinking. "What about it?"Eva hesitated. "It's just...well..what does it mean? What sin?"

 Madame was silent for a moment, looking past Eva, or rather through her, as if she were transparent. Finally she spoke. "Do you know what sin means?"

"To do something wrong?"Madame shook her head. "That's one meaning. But there's another, from the Greek, hamartia, which translates, 'to miss the mark'. That's the meaning I prefer. ""To miss the mark" Eva repeated, committing it to memory.

 "Yes", Madame continued. "We try and fail, like archers who aim for the target but fall short of the mark."Eva watched as she removed the lace shawl. "When you are older and have swum out into the stream of life, you'll see - there are no 'good people', little girl. We're all trying and failing, trying too hard and failing too often. Remember that. We shouldn't judge too harshly, in the end, the sins of others."

Tessaro does a beautiful job of putting the sequence in non-chronological order, starting in media res, and then retracing the tale to its beginnings as the search for the enigmatic Eva is conducted by both Grace and the reader through the flashbacks. To do this comfortably Tessaro breaks down the novel in two distinct narrative viewpoints, Exit to Eden style, and two different time-periods, one following Eva, the other following Grace. One feels that the blue-eyed blonde British K.Tessaro is having a particular pleasure into delving into the brunette territory of Eva, her primal name a nod to her budding but all potent femininity, sometimes to the point of exaggeration.

Bending closer, she gave his shoulder a shake. "Sir!"His eyes opened, blinking to focus. 'I'm sorry, it's only Madame wants you", she explained in a whisper. "She says..."Suddenly he grabed her wrist. "Hush!" And still in a fog of sleep, he pulled her close. Eva pitched forward, into his arms. Valmont inhaled.

 At first her natural seemed straightforward, simply; the slightly acrid, almost creamy aroma of a child's damp skin. But underneath that, a rich, musky element seeped through, unfolding slowly; widening and expanding to a profound, primitive, animalistic essence. The sheer range and complexity of her odour was astonishing. The effct, intensely arousing. It was the most compelling, deeply sensual thing Valmont had ever encountered. 

Eva pushed him away, horrified. "What are you doing?""You smell..." he murmured. "Yes, thank you!" She scrambled to her feet. "I hardly need you to tell me that!" she hissed. "Madame wants to see you...""No, you don't understand". He reached for her again; short sharp intakes now, savouring the notes, rolling them round on his olfactory palette. "It's unique. Completely unique.""Get off!" Eva swatted him.

 Suddenly something shifted in the bed; a body. The person next to him stretched out and rolled over onto their stomach. 

It was another man. 

The novel isn't devoid of some weaknesses, easily overlooked when regarded within its genre nevertheless. The pivotal scene of discovering the abandoned perfume shop -owned by perfumer to Eva D'Orsey Andre Valmont- is rather contrived. The name Valmont by itself is eerily problematic, bearing as it does no reference to Laclos's infamous hero (the mind being predestined to forever associate it with him), as it pertains to a homosexual Jewish youth apprentice (and later celebrated perfumer) who becomes Eva's entry to the magical world of smells. Of course Eva d'Orsey herself reflects the D'Orsay perfume brand (and I had to correct myself in each and every instance I typed her name for this review), though not deliberately. But the invention of the back story of the mysterious Russian Madame Zed (actually a real person, possibly of French origin, named Marie Zede, at the helm of the Lanvin perfume story back then), met at the height of her fame in New York city, is satisfying enough to forgive these minor quibbles.

Throughout one gets the impression the author has always had a peripheral interest to scents (if her pivotal mention of one in her previous novel Elegance is any indication, since I'm unfamiliar with the rest) but needed to stumble upon the online perfume aficionado community to get the juices going and to borrow the lingual framework on which to build her descriptions. Some phrases ring rather modern when describing conversations with people involved in the industry in as far back as the 1920s and the 1950s. But if the reader is a casual one and not a follower of every board and blog concerning fragrance and smell, this gets bypassed easily. What is perhaps more apparent to the average eye is the awe-struck descriptions of Paris, as recounted by the impressionable heroine Grace Munroe, to the point where London is chastised for having "bundled" its monuments tightly together (an observation which as a formerly frequent visitor to the city left me surprised) and the Parisian weather glossed over while the heiress lunches al fresco at every opportunity. There's a missed opportunity there to go on an tangent and report a lay woman's impressions on some of the intelligentsia of the Parisian 1950s, but we're dealing with chick lit and Tessaro handles her weapons knowingly and with ease.

All in all, The Perfume Collector doesn't disappoint. It's an easily paced read whose prose doesn't suffer the way it would in a less skilled author's hands and which should keep you good company on the chaise-longue while sunbathing or on the train ride commuting to work, eradicating the grayness and the city torpor via fantasy.

The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro is available for purchase  on Amazon on this link.

Photo Perfume store. Photographs by Hans Wild. From the historical archives of LIFE Magazine 1947.
Disclosure: I was sent a copy for reviewing purposes. 

Le Labo Lys 41 and Ylang 49: new fragrances

Florals are never taken lightly in perfumery and even less at Le Labo where it has taken three intense years to add to the brand's floral chapter. Le Labo is thus proud to present imperfect twins, the result of a long creative process and the birth of two new floral statements - LYS 41 & YLANG 49.

LYS 41 is an overwhelming white floral - a blend of jasmine, tuberose absolute and lily, bewitching in its noble, warm and sunny approach yet treacherous once caught in its web of noble woods, vanilla Madagascar and musks. LYS 41 rewards those looking for a statement with an addictive floral buzz that is as potent as its wake and as insistent as the people following you around. Good luck. Lys 41 has been created in collaboration with Daphné Bugey. Daphné is one of Le Labo’s iconic noses, she is the perfumer behind Rose 31, Bergamote 22 and Neroli 36.

YLANG 49 is a chypre floral, where Pua Noa Noa (gardenia from Tahiti) completes the floral voluptuousness of ylang ylang... Patchouli, oakmoss, vetiver, sandalwood and benjoin follow to tip the blend into darker sensual undertones... Ylang 49 is a walk in the woods, a lush floral bouquet in your hand, listening to G. Gould's well-tempered clavier and realizing that a floral composition can go beyond flowers, in the same way a fugue in D minor is way beyond the D... Ylang 49 was composed with Frank Voekl who was also involved in the creation of Santal 33, Iris 39, Musc 25 and Baie Rose 26.

LYS 41 & YLANG 49 IN A NUTSHELL

	Lys 41	Ylang 49
Notes	lily, jasmine, tuberose absolute, warm and sunny notes, woods, vanilla Madagascar, tiare, musks	ylang ylang, pua noa noa (gardenia from Tahiti), patchouli, oakmoss, vetiver, sandalwood, benjoin
Concentration	25% (Extrait de parfum)	30% (Extrait de parfum)
Perfumer	Daphné Bugey	Frank Voekl

Prices & Sizes:

15ml: €€45 (boutiques & online)
50ml: €€110
100ml: €€170
500ml: €€560
travel tube kit: €€105
travel tube refill: €€105 .
perfume oil: €€90
amulet: 57€€
ceramic oil: 37€€
body oil: €€50 (available in Fall)
body lotion: €€50 (available in Fall)
shower gel: €€38 (available in Fall)

Date of release: 8th June 2013
Availability: Le Labo stores, corners and online: http://storeinternational.lelabofragrances.com

A new city-exclusive (San Francisco), Limette 37, is also in the cards, to be officially announced on May 20th (my announcing post on it of May 14th has since been retracted at the request of the company)

Bacchic, anisic-tasting cookies: Mediterranean Fennel biscuits

You may find similar recipes under “Bacchus Biscuits” because the followers of Bacchus carried a stalk of wild fennel with them; an image rather suggestive, if you think about the symbolism of the god. Irrespective of sexual connotations fennel is very popular around the Meditternanean where anisic flavours (such as the aroma present in aperitifs such as pastis, tsipouro and ouzo) are very familiar and beloved since infancy; even bread is often peppered with anise, paired with black olives and a slice of good cheese for a light supper. These fennel biscuits are crunchy, not soft (though they're never supposed to be gritty), a popular notion with the Greeks, maybe because the arid climate allows for a coordination with the local cuisine; you would never associate mulch stuff with Mare Nostrum. In addition there's a lightly sweet aspect to fennel which is at the same time quite refreshing, further enhanced by the richness of butter and the finishing of salt. 

Whatever the secret is Fennel biscuits make for a perfect accompaniment to strong flavorful coffee (a good Greek coffee made in the traditional copper "briki" or a dark roast espresso) in the morning or in the afternoon, preferably after a brief siesta, when life seems anew full of promise and earthy pleasures. Ah...

Recipe for 25 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup soft butter (salted)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds (ground)
• 1 whole egg
• 1 3/4 cups plain flour
• 3 tablespoons cornmeal
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Directions:

1. Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the fennel seeds and the egg and beat. In another bowl, mix the flour, with cornmeal and baking powder, and whisk.

2. Stirring all the time, start adding the flour mix to the butter mix, slowly . When smooth and starting to come off the edges of the bowl, shape the dough into a log with floured hands, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

3. The next day, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Slice off the log into small cylinders of the log, roll them into a ball, then press them lightly with a glass to flatten again; you can also cut them with coupe-pâte. Arrange the slices on a bake-sheet in your baking pan. 

4. Bake until they begin to color on the edges, about 10-12 minutes (according to how thin the "slices" you cut were). Remove and cool on a rack. They can keep in a biscuit tin for up to a month. For further effect you can sprinkle aniseed when serving. 

 Song is "Σταλιά σταλιά" (i.e. drop by drop [and insatiably I drink your kisses]), written by Georgios Zabetas and sung by Marinella.

Etsy photo

White Noise Fragrances: More than Random Frequencies to Adapt to All Acoustics Conditions

Obviously the term "White Noise Fragrances" doesn't really exist; I just coined it, same as I had coined "parfums lingerie" in the past, in the hopes it catches on. The nomenclature of perfumery and -what's more, perfume use- is still in its embryo state compared to other fields of science and art, which have centuries of literature behind them, so I feel relatively safe and reckless enough (the scientific principle is proven anyway) to propose new terminology for effects we're all familiar with. Or aren't we?

via _esire @deviantart

Contrary to "skin scents", a term loosely used by numerous perfume aficionados to denote either a subtle scent that hover over the skin or mimics the latter's living, heaving aura, White Noise Fragrances do not attempt to appear any more "naturally occurring" than static. You can perceive them all right, they expand and detract minimally, just like an equal power signal with fixed width, always at the realm between comfort and annoyance. But contrary to the visual spectrum reference, they're not "white" as is the blaring light of some aldehydic florals, such as Chanel No.22, Lauder White Linen or the modern interpretation Tauer's Noontide Petals. Those are rays of sun eclipsing everything in their wake. These They are a constant buzz like the sound of a bubble-bee on a summer's morning; at the realm between comfort and annoyance, once again. But what we haven't quite admitted is that this can be a good thing, as it offers the experience of wearing perfume and at the same time accommodating the surrounding scenery; in a small way the definition of ωραίος in Greek, something which is in accordance (rather than discordance) to the time and place it applies, at once a broader and narrower, certainly more intelligent definition than "beautiful".

White Noise Fragrances can be exemplified by such cute little things like Cacharel's Noa and indeed it was a reader's query to fragrances similar to Noa, which put me into this thinking track and made me question just what makes such stuff oddly appealing despite their seeming lack of "character". If by character we mean an Al Pacino role where he claims the character through a spontaneous bout of angry shouting (increasignly trademarked by said actor), we're missing the mark. Fragrances such as these tend to be performing in varied degrees of histrionics, such as diva-esque tuberoses or shrill florals announcing their message from the rooftops. They do not possess the sophisticated quirk of an Elena Anaya either, the way a green chypre or a woody oriental would. Additionally, if you have always longed for your fragrance to make a statement, to be smelled as if embodying a hybrid between an object and a person, White Noise Fragrances won't appeal; they're too abstract and indeterminate. Yet they're one of the surest compliment getters; people just register them as "pleasant".
White Noise Fragrances aren't too imperceptible either, contrary to say some of the skin scents which recede and only surface when the skin is heated, such as the infamous Molecule 01 (Escentric Molecules), Narciso Rodriguez Musk for Her or Eau de Merveilles by Hermès. They're light, but they're not transparent.

No, White Noise Fragrances project at a steady, perceptible, above the skin volume which you can almost taste, but their buzz is sotto voce, unwavering, yet forceful like an inner bleeding that is pouring with no apparent source and no outlet. I just love them and frequently use them and it hadn't occurred to me till now what was the appeal besides their typical inclusiveness of various musks (smells which I adore). Now I have put my thoughts into a pattern I can see how it all makes sense. And I can propose a list of fragrances sharing those enviable qualities of Noa with all the necessary nuance to please different tastes within the genre.  White Noise Fragrances are not necessarily feminine-smelling in the traditional sense, though they're usually marketed to women, for some inexorable reason, and anyone could borrow them effortlessly. They're great for first dates, for office wearing (assuming your office doesn't have an outright ban on perfumes) or casual weekends, because even though they are detectably  fragrant they do not imprint themselves the same way as more traditional fragrant approaches do.
Though they include musk molecules in their composition (and Iso-E Super and Ambroxan most of the time), they're not tautologous with the "drugstore musk" fragrance type most are familiar with; indeed they can take a few elements of assorted accords. They also come in various price points, though they mostly abound in the mainstream market, since niche usually exalts the statement-making or the really transparent (in which case we're reverting to "skin scents").

Here you will find my suggestions. Feel free to augment the list with your own in the comments.

Mainstream Buzz 

Estee Lauder Pure White Linen

Donna Karan Cashmere Mist

See by Chloe

Bvlgari Eau Parfumee au thé blanc

Bvlgari Omnia Crystalline

Cacharel Noa

Gucci Eau de Parfum II

Estee Lauder Pleasures in the Garden (a limited edition trio)

Terre d'Hermès

Prada Infusion d'Homme

Dior Homme

CK Be

A bit harder to find but worth it

Voyage d'Hermès

Rochas Tocadilly (discontinued)

Chanel Les Exclusifs Beige

Serge Lutens L'Eau Froide

Chanel No.5 Sensual Elixir


Posh Indulgences

Guerlain Cruel Gardénia

Frederick Malle Angeliques sous la pluie

Alternative circuit

Oriflame Elvie

Zara White Jasmine

Design with Scents

Kingston Univesity in London is offering their “Design With Scents” course for a second time around and invite all interested parties in participating in this workshop that should please both designers and perfume aficionados alike.



 After the success of the 2012 edition, the interactive 5-day workshop returns at Kingston University London 8-12 July 2013. Designers and fragrance lovers will discover how scent is a powerful communication tool at both work and home, this year with an added panel of guest speakers.
Through a multi-sensory study programme, participants develop new design skills, explore the sense of smell, experiment with blending oils and receive their own personal fragrance kit. ‘Design with Scents’ is open to students and professionals from across all creative industries who will benefit from enhancing their projects and learning to communicate an idea to an audience.

Guest speakers this year include Master Perfumer Christophe Laudamiel, Dr Jenny Tillotson, Reader, Sensory Fashion at Central St Martins, Will Andrews, Fragrance Scientist from Procter and Gamble, author of ‘Urban Smellscapes’ Dr Victoria Henshaw from Manchester University and the intrepid scent explorer Odette Toilette.

Course leader: Nicola Pozzani, founder of S Sense The Senses Of Perfume. He was trained by perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena at the Università dell’Immagine of Milan and worked for fragrance houses Symrise and LVMH. An ambassador for scents as enabler for innovation and wellbeing, Nicola consults and trains with individuals and cross-sector organisations. He has been a guest speaker, amongst others, for the Scent Marketing Institute and the British Society of Perfumers. www.ssense-perfume.com Guest tutors: Joanna Norman, graduate of the Royal College of Art, Lecturer at Kingston University MA Fashion, and John Ayres, whose professional pedigree encompasses research chemistry, fragrance creation, development, marketing and sales. They have over 50 years experience of the fragrance industry between them gained from leading roles within market leaders International Flavours and Fragrances and Givaudan. They are co-founders of the fragrance consultancy Pandora.

Design with Scents
5-day Workshop– 8-12 July 2013 10.00-4.00pm Tutors: Nicola Pozzani, Joanna Norman & John Ayres.
Course fee: £490, inclusive of perfume kit.
Book and pay online - www.kingston.ac.uk/designbookonline
Short Course Unit, Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture, Kingston University, Knights Park, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT1 2QJ. Tel: 020 8417 4066
Email: shortcourse.design@kingston.ac.uk website: www.kingston.ac.uk/fada
The course is non-residential, and limited to 12 places only. Accommodation can be provided at our Halls of residence by logging onto www.universityrooms.co.uk using the promotional code SCUSS2012.