An Exceptional Perfume Bottle from Serge Lutens

The Christmas limited editions by Serge Lutens are always gorgeous and precious in every sense of the word: hand engraved on glass, beautiful and evocative designs and truly expensive (logical, if you think there are only a handful of bottles produced in the first place).
This year Serge Lutens presents La Fille de Berlin, a composition based on rose, which takes on dark, disturbing tonalities, a rose with thorns that recalls gothic tales. The bottle as you can see is one of a kind. Numbered editions from 1 to 30, dated and monogrammed. A unique bottle, engraved by hand, with platinum enameling. Just beautiful...

Christmas Gift Shopping part 3: Masculine Fragrances For All Styles

Opting for a fragrant gift for a man poses two major risks: The first is the man in question is not interested in scent, period. The bottle will collect dust on the bathroom shelf and he will only wear it once a year or so, to please you. Why gift him with fragrance then? Probably in order to induce him, through a very well judged choice, to open up and experiment a bit for both your sakes. It's a market fact that 75% of masculine fragrances are bought by women.

Another risk is the man in question is very much determined in what they like (or think they like) and your favorite is not necessarily his favorite. Excepting perfumistos who have an avid interest in fragrance all by themselves and are not opposed to a owning collection of colognes for all occasions and moods (a fragrance wardrobe), many men are somewhat "married" to their scent of choice. Diverting them might be a tall order, but replenishing them with the old bystander time and again feels like refueling the fridge with milk. Not sexy.

So, here are a few suggestions for festive season gifts for men, stemming from a personal curation of relied upon choices that might see you through most styles of fragrance wearing. [You can find more Christmas Gifts Shopping Guides consulting our link. ]

pic via oystermag

• Stylish & Unconventional Chaps

Dior Homme: This out-of-the-box thinking on how a masculine fragrance should be (full of the flesh-meets-starch note of orris and a dusting of cocoa powder) has become a modern classic. It's still lovely and feels very to the minute, plus the austere bottle is luxuriously heavy and there are ancillary body products too. After Jude Law, now fronted in ads by Robert Pattison, subject of many a teen swooning. Available at major department stores.

Biehl Parfumkunstwerke GS03: This is a niche fragrance brand, meaning you will only find it at specialized boutiques or online (try luckyscent.com in the US or ausliebezumduft.com if in Europe, they also do samples for you to try before committing). But the plus is he won't be smelling like anyone else! A modern upbeat cologne, this diaphanous fresh aura will be buzzing around him for very long, but will never come across as intrusive. Soapy, lightly spicy with a hint of pink pepper and juniper, woody and sophisticated. Perfect!

• Sensual, Hedonistic Scents 

Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb: Candied citrus over tobacco, amber and vanilla make for a rich, satisfying cologne that invites you to peel off layer after layer. Great for winter and will have those who smell it salivating for more. Available at major department stores.

Ramon Monegal Mon Patchouly: Some people hate patchouli, some people love it. It's such a distinctive material, no less because it's associated with the 1960s and hippies. But if he loves it,  oh how he will love Mon Patchouly by this niche Spanish brand that has infiltrated the United States last year. The warmest, plushest whiskey and rum evoking patchouli, darkish, with a chocolate underlay, it's good enough to imagine you're John Hamm for a day. Available at www.RamonMonegal.com

pic via GQ

• Tried & True, Surefire Bets

Prada Luna Rossa: Sometimes one doesn't want to venture too far out into uncharted territories. When reviewing this fragrance there was a mention of the "Modern Urban Male Accord": briefly, aromatics such as lavender, fanned on a laundry day clean base of modern ingredients that give diffusion and lasting power. Prada's cologne is among the nicest in this standard genre. Available at major department stores.

Chanel Sycomore: Vetiver is an exotic grass with a scent at once cooling and earthy, like upturned dirt. It has given us so many classics over the years (such as Guerlain Vetiver) that it's a staple in any discerning man's fragrance wardrobe. Chanel does a superb vetiver composition, lightly smoky and just beautiful beyond words. Available at chanel.com

• Budget-Considerate Fragrances for Men

If you're shopping the more economical end of the market, you can't go wrong with Old Spice. This timeless classic, full of the scent of carnation, agrestic lavender and warm spices has been modernized in its image thanks to the -by now a marketing case study- recent campaign. It won't remind him (or you) of his dad anymore. Phew...

Grey Flannel by Geoffrey Bean is a dependable choice that isn't too common. The scent is woody, traditionally masculine, with a delicious violet note on top that catches one's attention. Available online and at several drugstores.

The winner of the draw....

...for the Perfume, Art and Craft of Fragrance book is Anna in Edinburgh. Congratulations! Please email me using Contact with your shipping data so I can arrange having your prize in the mail soon. Thanks everyone for the enthusiastic participation and till the next one!

Best Soft, Powdery Violet Fragrances (via Reader's Mail Request)

The lovely Margaret sent me the following query in an email and as it touches on a subject I have skimmed when talking about the creation of violet fragrances, it's worth sharing with you for more suggestions and recommendations when searching for the Top Violet Fragrances out there.

"Dear Elena,
I came across Perfume Shrine a few months ago while browsing the " net " trying ( without success ) to find information on making perfume with violets ; that is violet flowers. I find your website fascinating, particularly the history of perfume and your wonderfully evocative descriptions of the perfumes. Do you know of any perfume which is made today with violet flowers?"

via Melissa Frank at Pinterest

Did I know indeed. For all practical purposes, violet flowers are non existent in perfumery. Our back and forth took the direction of an exchange for more info.
I immediately replied to her thus:

"No wonder you didn't find information on perfume making using violet flowers. There is no sufficient cost-effective oil from the violet flower and perfumers routinely use synthetic molecules, called ionones, to render the violet note (The violet leaf note does yield a different oil which can be used, but the effect is different).
There are two main directions in violet fragrances, apart from the violet leaf one (very much in use in masculine fragrances) which renders a watery, lightly metallic note and I gather is not what you're searching for.
Therefore, one direction is sweet violet perfumes reminiscent of Parma violet candies (of the viola odorata kind). The other is more powdery violet perfumes which are sometimes reminiscent of cosmetic products (face powder and specifically lipstick when coupled with rose). I was wondering which is that you're seeking (or another one entirely) as that would help me direct you more accurately."

Margaret was quick to point out that
"Perfumes reminiscent of Parma violet candies sounds a bit too sweet for me ; I think I would prefer the powdery type of violet perfume. As far as I could glean from the internet , violet perfume was once made by the cold enfleurage method , a very time consuming and expensive process Incidentally, I read in a biography of Empress Eugenie of France that violet was her signature scent. As she was such a fashion icon of the era , violet became the scent of the Second Empire To give you an idea of the sort of perfumes I like, they are light floral romantic and elegant such as Diorissimo or the original Fete by Molyneux"..

Indeed the violet flower essence was not cost effective and it had all but disappeared by the time (late 1950s-1960s) that Steffen Arctander was writing his guide to botanic materials.
I then emailed her back with a list of soft violet fragrances, with a powdery undertone in most cases (in fact some are so delicate and feminine that I had included them in the Parfums Lingerie list I coined back a while, you might want to check both lists):

 penhaligon's via pinterest

Balmain Jolie Madame (with a hint of leather)
Borsari Violetta di Parma (soft and quiet, not very sweet)
Bvlgari Pour Femme (the original one in the transparent bottle, but not frosted glass)
Caron Aimez-Moi 
Chloe Love, Chloe
DSH Violetta de Murano
Guerlain Meteorites (discontinued fragrance, but sometimes can be found at discounters and on Ebay; it's a very powdery soft violet reminiscent of the homonymous face powder)
Gorilla Perfumes Tuca Tuca
Kenzo Flower
Laura Tonatto Eleanore Duse (sensual and romantic)
Penhaligon's Violetta (lightly sweet violet)
Sonoma Scent Studio Lieu de Reves
Tom Ford Violet Blonde
Yardley April Violets (traditional soft violets)
YSL Paris in eau de parfum (the eau de toilette is cleaner, the eau de parfum more powdery)

pic via

"I believe you'd find the true "cosmetic" accord a bit thick for your tasting, Margaret, such as the one found in Lipstick Rose by Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle which indeed smells like retro lipstick  (so I'm saving you the cost of buying expensive samples!). Possibly Drole de Rose by L'Artisan Parfumeur (in the same category) might be lighter smelling to you nevertheless. I'm just mentioning it because I think it's a very girlish, feminine perfume, softly powdery, like cosmetics.

I'm afraid you won't find a truly 100% all naturals violet fragrance out there that is a violet soliflore. Perfumers need to make conscessions to using synthetics to produce this note. But some are more natural than others (Gorilla, DSH, Laura Tonatto). These brands can be found Googling. All natural violet fragrances that are worthwhile and true smelling include Anya's Garden Moondance, where the violet impression is however injected with a little tuberose."

I was about to mention Guerlain Apres L'Ondee to her, from the classics which intermingle naturals and synthetics, but the newer reformulation of the eau de toilette is warmer with more heliotrope rather than the older balancing act of cool violets and heliotrope-anise, so I refrained.

Of course violet fragrances can run the gamut, with woody-earthy violets (where the note is coupled with the analogous iris), face cosmetics reminiscent rose-violet fragrances (which we skimmed the surface of in this post), sweet style Choward's candy rich sugared violet scents or green, leafy violets full of spring foliage. We will revert with different lists of the top selections in those categories in our Best Violet Fragrances Guide.

Last but not least, one interesting tidbit I found on violets mentions that bisexual women and lesbians used to give violets to women they were wooing, symbolizing their "Sapphic" desire, because Greek poetess Sappho described herself and a lover wearing garlands of violets in one of her poems. The giving of violets was popular from the 1910s to the 1950s.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Violets, violet leaf and ionones (synthetic violet notes)

"Perfume, The Art & Craft of Fragrance" by Karen Gilbert: book review & free copy giveaway

Fragrance expert, author, teacher and speaker Karen Gilbert demystifies the secretive world of perfumery in a new book, Perfume, The Art & Craft of Fragrance, that inspires readers to explore their olfactory sense and create their own personalised fragrances.
[I am hosting a drawing of one free copy for a lucky reader, so if you're interested read on.]

The market is becoming a bit saturated with books on perfume written in English lately (a far cry from 10 years ago) thanks to the revelation of perfume lovers online, which convinced the publishing houses that there is viable market interest, so finding a worthwhile, helpful one is a task that merits tackling. Gilbert's effort is nuanced, structured, honest and factual, and offers insights that go beyond the pretty pictures of coffee table books, long winded "stories" with little concrete info or just reviews with "notes" mentioned.

Karen Gilbert

Perfume, the Art & Craft of Fragrance is roughly divided into two major parts: one explains the basics of fragrance history, appreciation, psychology and understanding of perfumes, the other guides you steadily yet gently into experimenting with your own blends in inimitable Karen Gilbert style (I'm a fan of her other book too, Natural Beauty, which proposes several easy and useful recipes for homemade skincare). The chapters are divided as follows:

Introduction
1.The Psychology of Smell
2.A History of Perfumery and Fragrance Icons
3.Fragrance Classification
4.Natural and Synthetics Fragrance Materials
5.Creative Perfumery Techniques
6.Creating Perfume Sprays, Oils and Solids
7.Creating Bath & Body Products
8.Creating Home Fragrances
Resources
Index
Acknowledgments

Obviously the History section is a condensed version of what most aficionados might already know, briefly (no archaeological data included) going from the institution of Grasse as perfume capital to the introduction of synthetics in the 19th century and thereafter delineating the major periods of 20th century perfumery with a handful of mould-breaking fragrances mentioned. So is the Psychology chapter, which is running the basics and suggesting that one needs to experiment to find their own voice in this world. But the rest of the chapters are quite detailed indeed, with emphasis on how to distinguish materials, recognize them and use them effectively.

The book overall is aimed at both the complete novice who is eager to learn and the more experienced aficionado who wants to fine-tune some perceptions, build their knowledge and see how they can set into experimenting themselves. In short it manages to score two birds in one stone. If I were overcritical I might venture the thought that the complete novice would still find a couple of mentions troublesome to grasp. For instance in the pivotal chapter 3 (Fragrance Classification) there is a sub-chapter called Learning to Describe Fragrance which is mighty interesting, but in the Build Your Olfactory Vocabulary list there are such terms as "amine", "butyric", "phenolic", "ozonic" or "aromatic" which are not explained anywhere in the book, leaving the novice a bit perplexed. (Karen does explain later on the terms animalic and indolic well). Obviously a short tome can't encompass everything, so it's good homework at the very least. But Karen's approach overall is to be commended.

via karengilbert.co.uk

Gilbert guides the reader with an aim to inform and to resolve popular misunderstandings, not to flatter their ego or position herself a certain way (she doesn't need to, she has tenured at IFF and runs her own perfumery courses in the UK), which makes the book really useful, something that cannot be said for other books on the subject. Without touting my own horn too much and gaining confidence by the fact that Karen Gilbert herself is a fan of Perfume Shrine (she actually mentions it in the Resources page as recommended reading), I'd say that if you have been enjoying reading this site, you are bound to enjoy her book as well; it offers references and is easy to get what you're looking for without wading through tons of unrelated text.

There are many small gems in the tome, such as the differentiation of aromatherapy and aroma-chology,  info on more than one fragrance classification systems (in fact in the Orientals fragrance family chapter I found myself smiling in recognition while reading the differences between the "ambreine" and "mellis" oriental perfume accord), the Jean Carles method for training your nose, lots of synthetics mentioned by actual name, guidelines in which materials work best in home blends and which carrier makes for a better product in the recipes (this also makes a helpful hint when actually choosing bath & body and home fragrance products online as in checking the ingredients list) as well as where to get supplies. There is also the priceless recognition of the perfume online community in her use of the term "fruichouli". To offer an anecdote, it's perfume lover Mbanderson61 who coined it, I believe over at the chatty Perfume Posse, and if she had a dime for each time this term is mentioned online by us she'd be crazily rich now, but I digress.

I haven't found the time to test most of the actual formulae yet, apart from a couple of perfume oils and solids (because I happened to have suitable ingredients at hand) which turned out very good. I'm holding out for when the holidays come around.

Perfume, the Art and Craft of Fragrance would also make a lovely, decently priced Christmas gift for anyone with a passing interest in scent. The little tome is hardback, beautifully shot by photographer Jo Henderson and has nice, heavy, matte-glossed pages that just feel good to the hand. It's compact and small enough to be carried in a purse and read on the subway or during your lunch break, though you'll want to keep in your study for reference. It is available on Amazon for just 10.92$.
Bottom line: Recommended.

Gilbert, Karen, "Perfume, the Art and Craft of Fragrance", 2013 October,
CICO books, London New York.
Hardback
ISBN 978-1-78249-044-9

Retail Price 9.99GBP/16.95$US

There is a draw for one FREE copy of the book for a lucky UK-address reader. Please state in the comments whether you're interested.
Draw is open till Sunday midnight and winner to be announced on Monday.