The winners of the draw….

…for the Eau d'Epices samples are:

In the USA (10):
Holly F.
Gail
Alica Cleis
Haider Lakhani
Woodgirl
Michael
Caragh Girl
Yuki
Fmc
Phyllis Iervelo

In rest of the world (4):
Liisa Wennervita
Patuxxa
Nadja Sand
Chanteuse des Iles


Congratulations!
Please email me using Contact specifying:
1. "Epices draw" and your country of residence in the title of your message for my ease
2. your alias/username with which you entered the comment
3. your full shipping address,
so I can have these sent out to you soon, please.

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

Serge Lutens Laine de Verre: fragrance review

One of my preferred short stories in the canon by American author Edgar Allan Poe is William Wilson. Less popular than many of his more exploitable, creepy or evocative stories, such as The Fall of the House of Usher, The Pit and the Pendulum or The Tell-Tale Heart, it manages to speak to the soul in a way that reminds me of a later favorite author, Herman Hesse, and his profoundly soul-searching novels with characters struggling to find their fate and to get to know themselves. This preface comes as  a necessary explanation on why I found Laine de Verre, the latest fragrance launch by Serge Lutens, as chillingly puzzling as the double face of Janus, the two antiscians in the above mentioned short story.

via tumblr

Maybe this was all an idea that was suggested by seeing Uncle Serge pacing up and down as if somnabulating against himself in a clip worthy of utter puzzlement… [watch the clip here]

The cryptic text is -as always- a springboard for discussion or a chance for ridicule; it all depends on your worldview:
"It is only after he had been penetrated by the winter that,
laying down his arms, the Lord of Glass came to place
at the feet of the Lady of Wool flowers and ferns which had frosted on him."

Laine de Verre means fiberglass (yes, the one used as insulation) and as odd as a perfume inspiration this sounds (the actual material being a potent sensitizer creating an instant itch on the skin it touches) there comes a point in perfumery that one has to drop the "noble essences from the Comores islands" and the "ethically sustained eco-certified ingredients" schtick and just reinvent the wheel. This moment in perfumery has arrived. Fiberglass, then, why not!! After Serge Lutens fragrances with names such as Tubereuse Criminelle (criminal tuberose), Fille en aiguilles (you'll have to read the review to find out on that, it's more complex than it sounds), Nuit de cellophane (cellophane night), Vitriol d'Oeillet (carnation's vitriol) and La Vierge de Fer (iron maiden), Laine de Verre shouldn't come as a shock, at least in what has to do with semantics.

The "eau" line, with its initial L'Eau de Serge Lutens providing the first chasm with the hardcore Lutens clientele and with L'Eau Froide as the second installment to curdle the blood (in a good way), Laine de Verre continues in this collection that is differentiated both in packaging as well as in concept from the regular Marrakech-inflected line: these are "anti-perfumes", scents which aim to be perceived as an aura emanating from the wearer, legible the way supersonic whistles are legible to higher frequency listeners.

The metallic berries and citrus from Mars and the sharp aldehydes from Pluto opening predisposes for the character of the scent which is alien for the modern consumer of apple-scented shower gels and giant fake peaches standing in for latheriness. Lutens marries the abstract idea of "clean" from the middle years of the 20th century (aldehydic florals, such as Chanel No.22 and White Linen) and injects it with modern signs for niche: frankincense, sharp lily of the valley, a mineral and cedar-musk like haze which one can't put their finger on (actually Cashmeran or blonde woods).

Although I still prefer the more incense-y L'Eau Froide (and cannot wear the super sharp and starchy L'Eau), Laine de Verre has to be the second best in the Eau fragrances by Lutens, subdued but there, average lasting power and throughout ironic the way Comme de Garcons fragrances with no-names such as Odeur 53 made their (well) name. It might sound like sacrilege to the average Lutensian fan, but what Lauder did with their Pure White Linen in relation to White Linen is what the French maestro is doing here as well with a tiny helping of that weird, bleach note that made Secretions Magnifiques so horrifically memorable. Anyone who is mentally striking this off their list, now that I mentioned THE HORRIBLE ONE, might be appeased: uncle Serge hasn't totally went out of his way to make us notice, no. Laine de Verre isn't shocking.

In the end it all boils down to intent. With the Eau series, Lutens is authoring a new grammar of "clean": decidedly cool, with prominent use of aldehydes but also incense, mineral and metallic, maybe with a hint of chalkiness like a crushed aspirin, no sign of dewiness or soft muskiness, they perfectly encapsulate a spick & span minimalist loft or a white padded insane asylum, again depending on your worldview. This hygienic approach is in violent clash against the very idea of an added on fine fragrance, much like William Wilson came crushing down violently against his own self and consolidates my belief that Serge Lutens is pulling our collective leg in a deliciously playful way.

pic: Man Ray, Andre Breton before L'enigme d'une journee by Giorgio de Chirico, 1922.

In the interests of disclosure I was sent a sample in the context of the brand's regular promos.  

Free Fragrance Draw for the Upcoming Launch of Tauer Eau d'Epices

It was a few days ago that I came forward and announced that Andy Tauer is relaunching one of his less well known perfumes in his line: Eau d'Epices. Personally I'm a huge sucker for spicy things (and if you've been following this blog you know it well) and Eau d'Epices is a hardcore spicy wonder, keeping your eyes (and nostrils and attention span) peeled to the last drop, but with sleight of hand, not crude clumpsiness. To give an analogy, it's the Dario Argento of spicy colognes, so you know it's love & hate territory, don't you.

And of course I have a draw which will let you sample if you hadn't had the chance in the past the re-issued Eau d'Epices before anyone else!

via pinterest/asri flickr

The specifics: I have 4 deluxe samples for the international readership (Europe, Canada, rest of the world) and 10 deluxe samples for the USA one. Please enter a comment posting your impressions regarding spicy scents and/or Tauer's line and you're eligible. Draw is open till Wednesday midnight and winners will be announced sometime on Thursday.

You know what to do. Keep them coming! I want to read them all.

February 27th: Anosmia Awareness Day & Fifth Sense

What does your sense of smell mean to you? Next time you inhale one of your favourite fragrances, consider the many among us who have lost their senses of smell and taste to conditions such as anosmia. Little understood and often dismissed by the scientific research and medical communities, smell and taste disorders can be caused by head injury, illness or age. Anyone who loves perfume, flowers, food and wine will appreciate the importance of the sense of smell - and the implications of losing this. Anosmia sufferers who have spoken candidly about their experience include Olympic double gold medal rower James Cracknell OBE; food writer Marlena Spieler; and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream’s Ben Cohen. Founded by Duncan Boak, Fifth Sense is the first charity to provide current, comprehensive information and advice about smell and taste-related disorders, leading the effort to educate society about the critical role that the sense of smell plays in our lives.

Fifth Sense will launch on March 15, 2014 with an event run in partnership with the University of London’s Centre for the Study of the Senses, whose Rethinking the Senses Olfaction Workshop takes place on March 14. For further information, please visit www.fifthsense.org.uk or email Fifth Sense at info@fifthsense.org.uk.

press info by Maggie Rosen

And here are two clips on Anosmia with professor Thomas Hummel from the Smell & Taste Clinic.

Guerlain Muguet 2014 and Guerlain News: Terracotta Le Parfum, reissues & discontinuations

Every May 1st, the Guerlain clientele can wear that year's limited edition of Guerlain Muguet which celebrates the "good luck" charm that lily of the valley stands for. The tradition of re-issuing the Muguet (i.e. Lily of the Valley) perfume dates from 2006 and you can find an article with the history and the bottles of the different annual edition of Guerlain Muguet on this link.

via elle.fr

This year Guerlain appealed to ceramist Brigitte de Bazelaire (associated with Porcelaines de la Fabrique who manufacture Limoges china since 1825). The process requires a double "baking" at more than 1000 degrees Centigrade.
The white biscuit porcelain container contains a bee bottle with a white bow and pale green liquid inside. The design reprises the style of Les Parisiennes, the boutique line sold at boutiques and espaces Guerlain. The scent is a realistic lily of the valley soliflore with additional notes of jasmine, bergamot and rose. The 2014 Guerlain Muguet edition is presented in 1872 numbered bottles internationally sold for 400 euros for 125ml, available from May 1st and for only a few days.

via elle.fr

There also other news for Guerlain maniacs:
First of all a discontinuation, though I'm expecting it won't go down with too much wailing: Guerlain L'Homme Eau (2010) is discontinued, a rumor which was originally reported on Mr.Guerlain's page and officially confirmed by Guerlain. Available therefore only while stocks last.

But there is also a reissue: Idylle Duet Rose Patchouli (from 2011), a flanker to the original Idylle, more info on which you can read on the linked article

Last but not least, Terracota le Parfum is a limited edition to celebrate 30 years of Terracotta products which have made the reputation of Guerlain makeup to the widths of the globe. This is a solar fragrance (reminiscent of summer via its salicylates allusions, not different than the effect in Terracotta Voile d'Ete  most probably) and you can see a linked picture of the bottle on Instagram.