Hermes Hermessence Epice Marine: new fragrance preview

The sea accord is sweet. The smell coming from the bed of the ocean and the misty fog in Brittany is not. To evoke therefore the changing scenery of Mont Saint Michel which recalls seascapes by Turner and pirate adventures full of spices, wooden floors and smoked woods, in house Hermès perfumer Jean Claude Ellena pairs an algae & smoky whisky accord with spices to render a "spicy marine" fragrance, namely Epice Marine (which translates exactly like that). Marine fragrances are the anathema of many a hard-core perfume aficionado, mainly due to the prevailing of this genre during the 1990s, a landmark for perfumery which created with its deeply artificial nuance as many foes as it did acolytes. But if there is one illusionist able to shutter biases and make perfumephiles see things anew, it is without doubt Ellena. And that's what he does in his latest Hermessence; beyond the sea, but not far from it all the same.

Epice Marine, the 11th Hermessence fragrance, is inspired on the one hand by the Saint-Malo milieu, full of celtic traditions and the marine songs of the changing scenery of Mont Saint Michel, that is so familiar to Olivier Roellinger (3 stars Michelin chef & owner of Maisons de Bricourt in Cancale) and on the other hand by the Provencal countryside of Cabris where Hermès perfumer Jean Claude Ellena spends his days immersed in the serene Mediterranean blue. The conversation between these two opposing, and yet converging worlds, took the course of a passionate and prolonged epistolary exchange of views between the two men during the course of many months, starting with Roellinger's invitation to Ellena in october 2011 to come over at Cancale at La Maison du Voyager (the voyager's mansion) where the chef grew up and keeps his spice & savory archives for his restaurants.

pic provided to PerfumeShrine via Hermes

An idea begins to take shape in Ellena's mind as he listens to his friend recount the seafaring adventures required to amass and distribute green cardamom and Sichuan pepper on the Spice Route during the 16th century and the trafficking conducted by pirates. Contrary to bourgeois perfumery, which uses several accords and complicated combinations "to render an effect", Ellena likes to zero-in on the essentials, rendered in an artistic way which allows to highlight unexpected facets.

Toasted cumin grains, sent from Cancale to Cabri, seal the deal for the new concept: Epice Marine will focus on this polarizing note which is central to the adventures of seafaring. But contrary to the usual cumin essence which has a tendency to recall human sweat to some people, this toasted cumin variety renders an aromatic oil which is human-smelling all the same, carnal and skin-like, as Ellena divulges, but in a very sensual tonality. Ellena has this spice distilled to render an essential oil which encompasses notes of toasted bread, hazelnut, sesame; these nuances are deeply exciting to Ellena, who proceeds to write to Roellinger to relay his appreciation and to inform him that he is continuing, with a bigger order for the toasted spice, allied with cinnamon and cardamom.

via aromo.ru

Epice Marine by Hermès also uses a generous helping of bergamot to give a vibrant start. To that he has added a synthetic molecule which recalls algae, a more oceanic feel than the sea accord. This is done intentionally as the "sea" note is sweeter than the ocean at Brittany (la Bretagne), which is drier, saltier, more savory. The coupling of the algae note with the spice manages to evoke that. But one thing is missing... The scent of the marine mist, that deep humid scent that comes out of the seabed. This is the definitive accent, provided by a smoky, peaty note of whisky constructed anew by Ellena himself, specifically inspired by the Bruichladdich whisky (a gorgeous single malt from the Hebrides with elegant floral notes). It evokes the boiled buckwheat and the North-East winds of the foggy Brittany.

After 24 mods, the perfumer is still not satisfied with the development of the composition. The smokiness and the oceanic notes seem a little flat to him. He reworks the oakmoss essence variety used in the base, deducts the vetiver variety used previously, and works on a source water "note" to lessen the salty aspect of the fragrance. It is now March 2012. In two months the finished fragrance will be ready but it will take a while to see the light of day: in September 2013 Epice Marine will hit the boutiques. The adventure begins...

 certain notes thanks to Sybille Grandchamp of Vanity Fair France, translated by the author.

Acqua di Parma Colonia: Fragrance Review & Giveaway of Luxurious Body Products Set

It had been ages since I had last smelled the refined herbal, acrid top notes of Acqua di Parma's cologne, atavistically named Colonia and encased in the sunniest crocus yellow this side of the earth's "omphalos". (Seriously, if there's one shade in the beauty business packaging to rival Hermes's coveted orange and Tiffany's delicate robin-egg blue, it's Aqua di Parma's yellow; a true trademark). It was the mid-1990s, I recall, when I was first taken with the "niche" circuit and when coincidentally Diego della Valle decided to rescue not only driving shoes (establishing the famous Tod's loafer) but also credible Italian cologne resold as a refined commodity since at least the times of Jean Marie Farina. Acqua di Parma was immediately eye-catching but it was the simple, to the point elegance of subtlety (fragrance wearing for the pleasure of fragrance wearing -not announcing any deep and meaningful messages about one's self importance) which cinched the deal. My first bottle found its rightful place on my vanity. The rest is history.

via

In Alfie, the modern version of the film from 2004, this is all Jude Law, devastatingly charming*, with a full head of hair thank you very much and ruining his marriage with the help of Sienna Miller, used to have on his bathroom shelf: Acqua di Parma Colonia. And who can blame him**? Apparently the scent scored, as scads of females were hankering for his guiles, Susan Sarandon in all her mature knowingness no less. The cineaste reference isn't without peer: reportedly both Ava Gardner and Cary Grant liked and wore Acqua di Parma's classic cologne in the 1930s. Today you can feel like a movie star when stepping out of the bath of any 5 star hotel in the world where Acqua di Parma bath and body products are a sine qua non.

The story of Acqua di Parma goes like this: In 1916 Master perfumers created a new fragrance in a small laboratory in Parma using natural ingredients. It was an unusually fresh and modern fragrance – the first true Italian Cologne. Today Acqua di Parma is still true to its heritage. The fragrances and the packaging are still both hand-designed and Acqua di Parma is an iconic symbol of the refined, exclusive, and purest Italian lifestyle.

via 

The brilliance of Colonia by Acqua di Parma lies in the intensely sunny, succulent marriage of both sweet orange rind essence and bitter orange notes (citrus aurantia from which neroli, petit-grain and orange blossom absolute derive) to the soapy mossiness of the base; it gives a genuinely chyprish scent nuance, evocative of tall cypresses, proudly standing against Tuscany winds, with a backdrop of lemony verbena, delicate rose and a hint of patchouli, like spots of sienna tiles and stuccoed walls silhouetted serenely in the distance. It's enough to shed away your winter stressed shell and bask in the Italian sunshine Ava-style. Who in their right mind could ask for more?

Notes for Acqua di Parma Colonia:
Bergamot, Citrus, Lemon, Bitter Orange, Sweet Orange, English Lavender, Bulgarian or Damascene Rose, Verbena, Clary Sage, Rosemary, Cedarwood, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Oakmoss.

For our readers, we have a luxe gift set of Colonia bath & shower gel, hair conditioner and body lotion in the glorious yellow boxes and bags. Please enter a comment to be eligible. Draw is open internationally till Wednesday midnight. Winner to be announced sometime in Thursday.

*it is my personal quirk that I prefer his portrayal of the murderer photographer in the grim & great  Road to Perdition...don't mind me.
** this film still tells you all about the intended audience of the product placement

In the interests of disclosure, I was given the set via a PR opportunity. 

Frequent Questions: How to Get Rid of Bad Smells (of Stinky Perfumes, Cat Piss, Dog Poo, Mold, etc) from Home, Car and Body

Maybe your beloved doggie is counteracting against a new pet by marking his territory in urine or your small apartment can't contain the litter-box stink of 5 cats. Perhaps you're just in Potty Training 101. Maybe your apartment just happens to have mold on the odd wall (or even worse, behind some wall where you can't even see it). It might be that you spilled something particularly stenchy all over the carpet or your couch. Maybe your car has retained the stench of a million cigarettes smoked or the equipment of many a fishing expedition (trust me, I know how the latter smells only too well). And you might be experiencing skin problems with bad smells: tenacious, repugnant (to you) perfumes that won't budge no matter how many times you wash, kitchen scents of chopping onions and garlic, even private parts' intimate smells which you would like exterminated because you're seeing your doctor, a new love interest or just because...
The thing is, to all those everyday and arguably pedestrian -but seemingly insurmountable- problems there's a solution. Let's examine each one of them in this small and practical "how to get rid of bad smells" guide.

via

How to Get Rid of Unwanted Perfume & Kitchen Smells on Skin & Fighting Other Bodily "Bad Smells" 

If you're a perfumista it's a rite of passage: the fragrance you most abhor will last the longest. What to do?

Washing up usually doesn't really work. If you don't have specific skin sensitivities, rub your skin with some pure acetone (you may be using it already as a nail polish remover; more elaborate & caring polish removers may also work but not as quickly or effectively). It exterminates everything. Of course you will be left with the smell of acetone itself for a few minutes, but it's worth the effort. Lemon juice or witch hazel sometimes work on some fragrances; it will depend on the scent you used and on your Ph acidity.
If you applied fragrance all over and then changed your mind (or it's giving you a headache), washing all over with deodorant soap will work (in fact this is often the reason why people complain why their perfume doesn't last ~if this is the case, by the way, here are some Tips on Making your Fragrance Last Longer). If you're outside, without the option of a shower, using some baby wipes on the spots where you sprayed might cut down at least some of the odor. Alternatively using a deodorant spray (the stuff you use under your arms) as a body spray, i.e. all over, will also exterminate some of the fragrance as well.
For perfume application on clothes, you will have to wash or dry clean your clothes; the smell often lingers for several days or even weeks otherwise.

Washing your hands with toothpaste instead of hand soap (or dishwashing liquid) will get rid of most kitchen smells. Betadine Surgical Scrub (yes, the stuff doctors wash their hands with before doing surgery) is also a great help; if you regularly treat smelly stuff with your bare hands invest in the pump dispenser big bottle.

Naturally human bodies produce smells as a matter of course. Intimate genital smell, armpit sweat, smelly feet, bad breath, sebum accumulation on scalp...The solution unless there's a medical condition is usually a good shower. Wash your scalp rubbing gently, also behind your ears, where glands produce a sebaceous secretion that can smell intensely. Use a neutral deodorant under the arms,  but no deo of any way in your private parts because it's considered damaging to the good bacteria in the area (just dry your skin well, and if you need to get to skin folds use a hair dryer on cold setting). Opt for clean underwear and clothes (preferably line-dried). Brush your teeth, brush your tongue too (an often neglected spot) and rinse with some soda water instead of mouth rinse (those are full of alchol and further dry out your mouth which continues to smell bad after a while). Use that Listerine instead for a foot soak, diluted in warm water: it will make dry skin fall out and keep soles clean-smelling. Let your shoes bask in sunshine; it kills fungi and the clean air will have them thoroughly dried out. If you need to have your shoes deodorized & fungus-free use boracic acid in powder form (or Daktarin powder), sold at your chemist's.
And please don't put a hundred scented products on you in the hopes of being more fragrant; just opt for a good fragrance that expresses who you are, applied strategically (see our Guide on How to Apply Fragrance for Optimum Effect). And you're good to go!

via

How to Exterminate Undesirable Pet Smells

Poop stench, urine smell, vomit, food remnants scattered everywhere, bad breath...having a pet is a huge responsibility and the olfactory effect is partial proof of it.
Spot treating any soiled fabric with toothpaste, rubbing well and then brushing off with clear water works well; it even works on poop. So does the trick with soda bicarbonate, especially on urine stains; make a paste with water, apply, rub a bit and rinse. Bleach works perfect of course, but not everything takes to bleach (it blanches out fabrics and takes the shine out of some ceramic tiles with repeated use), besides it's got a bad smell of its own...so use at your own risk.
If your pet has bad breath, don't try to counteract with short term measures; take him/her to the vet for tooth cleaning. Cavities and infections in the mouth cavity can prove bad for the heart. 

How to Battle with Mold and Treat Stinky Fabric in your Home

Regularly spray the filters in your air-conditioning unit with some anti-fungal spray (available on the counter and in car maintenance stores) to fight against mold, fungi and some dangerous micro-organisms (such as the Legionella pneumophila bacterium).
Replace the shower curtain regularly. Wash bathroom mats and tiles in vinegar. Use bleach on toilet bowl and under the seat. Unplug the drain (it retains hair and soap residue) and use moisture-retaining sachets (sold in most super-markets) scattered in the bathroom.
Wipe the inside of your fridge and your dishwasher with vinegar (especially on the elastics on the doors). It will keep it fungus-free.
If you're building your home from scratch, keep in mind that having a window (instead of a ventilator) in your bathroom is indispensable. Lots of fresh air also helps fight against mould; it thrives on humidity so you should keep your home as dry as possible. If there's a pump leakage ruining a wall or roof get a plumber to fix it pronto; it's the one permanent solution to the problem and you better act quickly before there's a fungi colony.


Carpets, couches, curtains and other textiles in the home retain stench and reproduce it especially when the perceived temperature rises due to summer or humidity. Washing whatever you can is the preferable first step. Here's some more specialized recs:

1. For topical stains, apply a mixture of soda bicarbonate and water, make it into a paste and rub with a sponge. Carpets greatly benefit from a vinegar rinse, which keeps the colors vibrant, the acid killing a few bacteria in the process as a bonus.
2. For more extended spills & stenches Febreeze also works in a pinch; don't scoff it, it was made for a reason! Apparently not all markets were so well responsive to it though; for instance in Greece the only smell taboo apparently is being a negligent housekeeper, so Febreeze tanked and was soon thrown out of the market, but I digress.
3. When washing curtains and linens for storing, wash at the highest temperature the fabric can take and dry completely (preferably air-dry hanging out in the sun). Tuck them in air-tight containers with a bar of soap thrown inside; the soap holds any moisture and further aromatizes the fabric for a long time (soap doesn't spoil for years). The soap trick is particularly recommended with natural fur which smells horrendous if stored in mothballs. Lavender sachets (make your own by tucking dried lavender twigs inside tulle and securing with some ribbon) and cedar blocks -besides keeping moths away- also seem to keep clothes fresh-smelling for longer in the wardrobe. It's a nice and ecological alternative to commercial products of synthetic origin.

via

How to Have a Clean Smelling Car

There's no way around it: If you want your car to smell clean you have to keep it clean. It's such a small, confined space that if it's moldy, soggy under the seats and cramming with remnants of little passengers' vomit and other assorted putrid smells, it will continue to smell bad no matter how many car deodorants you're using. (Please do me a favor and throw away those god awful hanging "trees" with the fake coconut or artificial gag-inducing vanilla scent. Are they still selling these? WHY??)
Get thee to the car washer, demand an inside-out and then, starting with a literally clean slate, do the following:

1. Keep some scented powder or scented crystals in the ash-tray. It will neutralize smoke. If you smoke in the car, try to do it with open windows.

2. Try not to forget foodstuff lying around. Yes, that includes reminding your kids as well. It might also include investing in some airtight containers for your fishing equipment or anything smelly you're carrying. 

3. Be proactive and keep some barf bags in the car for kids and travel emergencies. These need to be immediately accessible in the fold behind the seats. Like a toilet roll tucked in the glove compartment at all times, it's a better safe than sorry practice.
4. If at all possible don't put perfume (or encourage other people to do it) in the car. The scent accumulates and after a couple of weeks it will become unbearable, especially if you're using multiple scents which intermingle.

If you have more ideas and tips on how to get rid of stinky smells, please share them in the comments!

The winner of the draw...

...for the new Penhaligon's atomiser is Calliope. Congratulations! Please email me using Contact with your shipping data so that I see this gets in the mail for you soon.

Thanks everyone for the enthusiastic participation and till the next one soon!

The winners of the draw...

...for the new Rosine samples are Taffy and Gil. Congratulations! Please email me using Contact with your shipping data (and Rosine draw in the title) so I can get these in the post for you soon.

Thanks everyone for the enthusiastic participation and don't forget to check out if you won the Penhaligon's draw; the winner will be announced sometime during the weekend.