Free Perfume Book Giveaway: Coming to my Senses

"Alyssa Harad’s affair with scent begins in secret, late at night, by the glow of her computer screen when she stumbles on a blog devoted to perfume. Candid, elegant, and full of lush description and humor, COMING TO MY SENSES takes readers from a private museum of rare essences in Austin, Texas, to the glamorous fragrance showrooms of Manhattan, and finally to a homecoming in Boise, Idaho, to prepare for Harad’s wedding." She's one of us, guys, need I say more?

Thanks to the kind provision of the publisher, I have three paperback copies for USA residents for the picking. Please leave a comment to be eligible. Draw remains open till Wednesday midnight and winners will be announced on Thursday.

News on the Distribution of Ramon Monegal NM Exclusive Pure Mariposa

The Spanish brand with the catapulting US presence Ramon Monegal had created Pure Mariposa exclusively for Neiman Marcus. With the clients of Neiman Marcus as his muse, Ramon Monegal has created a fruity, green-floral, woody scent that captures the timeless elegance, sophistication, spirit, and modernity of the Neiman Marcus woman. Up till now you could find this fragrance only at Neiman Marcus.

But now the Begdrof Goodman superstore has offered us the chance to own this fragrance on their online boutique. You can find the link here, along with the rest of the Ramon Monegal perfume line.

Notes for Pure Mariposa for Neiman Marcus by Ramon Monegal 
Top Note
Fresh festive colorful: orange, grapefruit, bergamot.
Fruity vital, cheerful: yuzu, black currant, plum.
Ozonic pure, graceful: helional, melonal, calone, ultrazur. (molecules)
Middle Note
Green natural: oakmoss, grass accord, fig.
Floral rich, elegant: Osmanthus, jasmine, lily of the valley, rose wardia, tuberose.
Base Note
Woody powerful, harmonious: sandalwood, cashmeran (m), iris, anchouli (m).
Silky sophisticated, majestic: peach, tonka bean, amber.
Available as 1.7 fl.oz. (50ml) of eau de parfum.

Dos Gardenias

Two gardenias for you;
With them I wish to say:
I love you, I adore you, my life.
Place all your attention on them,
because they are your heart
and mine.

Two gardenias for you
that will have all the warmth
of a kiss.
Of those kisses that I gave you
and that you shall never find
in the warmth of another love.

Beside you they will live
and they will talk to you
as when you are with me.
And you will even believe
that they say to you: I love you.

But if on one sundown
the gardenias of my love
shall (happen to) die
it's because they have guessed right
that your love is over
because there is someone else.

[translation via http://lyricstranslate.com]

Source: sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net via Rosalie on Pinterest

Antonio Lugo Machin romantically sings "two gardenias for you" and I'm swooning in my gardenia fragrance of the day which is Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia by E.Lauder. To find out about more fragrances with dominant gardenia, please consult the link. And happy weekend to all!

Jean Louis Scherrer: 1935-2013

The French designer is no longer with us. Dead at the age of 78 after a long illness, this dancer turned fashion designer, will remain etched in our memories as an elegant couturier (who started at Dior, worked for Yves Saint Laurent and then Louis Féraud before opening his own house in rue du faubourg Saint-Honoré in 1962) and the head of a perfume line of infinite grace and luxury: Jean Louis Scherrer pour femme, Scherrer II, Nuits Indiennes...

Stéphan Roulland said of him: "What Yves Saint Laurent stood for in Rive Gauche, Jean Louis Scherrer stood for in Rive Droite".

“It’s a beautiful brand and a prestigious house, with a fairly dramatic and very, very tumultuous history,” noted Didier Grumbach [president of the Chambre Syndicale, French fashion’s governing body] who detailed the house’s numerous changes of ownership in his 2008 book, “Histoires de la Mode.” “Despite that, he maintained a great reputation through his couture designs, which were pleasant, slightly bourgeois and less radical than those of Saint Laurent, with whom he worked at Dior,” Grumbach said. “The quality of the workshops was very well-known.”
[source] 

Repose en paix.

The winner of the draw...

...for the La Via del Profumo bottles is Matt. Congratulations and please email me -using Contact or email on profile- with your shipping data so I can arrange for your prize to get in the mail for you.

Thanks everyone for the enthusiastic participation and till the next one, very soon (and an intriguing one at that, stay tuned!)