Perfume Shrine

Friday, April 3, 2015

Guerlain Flora Rosa, Teazzura, Le Plus Beau Jour de ma Vie: new fragrances

Two new editions of Guerlain fragrances join the venerable stable of thoroughbreds this spring and summer, belonging in the Acqua Allegoria line which has produced some surprising gems these past couple of years. [For a comprehensive guide into all the history & fragrance notes of Guerlain Aqua Allegoria fragrances, consult this link.]

Flora Rosa is a travel exclusive Aqua Allegoria fragrance, like some of the last couple of years' Aqua Allegorias have been (namely Bouquet No.1, Bouquet No.2 and Bouquet de Mai, starting from 2010) Flora Rosa had been announced for 2013 and was re-issued in both 2014 and in 2015. The fruity floral scent has notes of rose, red berries, white musk and orris. The difference between the previous editions lies in the packaging (the box is flecked with rose petals), but not the juice which remains the same.

Teazzura on the other hand is the regular retail Aqua Allegoria and a new composition. A sparkling floral citrus composition with green tea notes that will revive and awaken your spirit just as azure waters do...
The Aqua Allegorias are sold on Guerlain counters for €85 for 125ml of eau de toilette.

The other Aqua Allegoria fragrances in production for 2015 are last year's Limon Verde, the famous Pamplelune, Herba Fresca, Mandarine Basilic, Lys Soleia and Nerolia Bianca.

Le Plus Beau Jour de ma Vie is the more budget friendly eau de parfum version of Le Bouquet de la Mariée posh parfum extrait (which retails at €750 for 125ml), a special perfume aimed at brides. The new wedding fragrance is available in the bottle depicted. As Guerlain presents it : "A perfect companion for magical moments, Guerlain’s new fragrance Le Plus Beau Jour de Ma Vie captures the essence of happiness in a bottle. Seal the moments of boundless joy and relive the intense emotions of these special occasions with this soft sparkling floral scent."
Τhe composition of Le Plus Beau Jour de ma Vie includes fragrance notes of citrus, orange blossom, angelica, pink pepper, rose, sugar almonds (confetti), incense, patchouli, white musk and vanilla.

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Fragrance Stylistic Terms Explained

I have comprised a short, and concise I hope, guide into the terminology of fragrance and the subdivision of the fragrance families. Although the different terms used to describe perfumes have been adequately explained in the various articles on this blog (consult the links below or the right hand column under Perfume Terms), a cheatsheet comes in handy, I thought.

via

If you're trying to decide between -say- Dior's Hypnotic Poison (a gourmand) and Prada Candy (another gourmand), isn't it useful to know what connects them in 2 secs or less?

Related reading on Perfume Shrine

PERFUME TERMS

Monday, March 30, 2015

The True Story Behind the Diptyque Name

Where does such a name come from?

Time and loyalties made it familiar. But in 1961, it was nothing but a technical word for art specialists.

The diptych is a picture divided in two hinged panels of the same size. Each panel is painted inside and outside. The real subject of the diptych is depicted within the inside paintings, which interact from one panel to the other. Hence the opening of the panels discloses the topic of the diptych which can otherwise stay shut to keep solemn its religious holiness… or to hide a licentious content. The diptych was very much in vogue in the Flemish painting of the XV and XVI centuries.

So why diptyque? The name sounded obvious to the three founders when they first acquired the space of the 34 boulevard Saint-Germain to create their boutique: from outside, it consisted in two equal sized windows on each side of the entrance, one on the boulevard and the other on rue de Pontoise, as if an opened diptych. Added to the metaphor, the rarity of the name and its somewhat electric and international sounding convinced them all to go for it.

At the time, there was a nightclub just next to the boutique on rue de Pontoise named the Orpheon. When it came to close down some years later, diptyque acquired the place to gain space. Although the symmetry got broken, the name was kept.

Before it became the boutique, which has changed very little since diptyque started, the space had been a little coffee shop, an office for the swimming pool of Pontoise on the other side of the Boulevard, and also a boutique of ladies ‘lingerie.

This area of the 5th arrondissement was quite popular, modest and not trendy at all. There were many artisans’ workshops around too. Only the beautiful swimming pool of Pontoise did attract some people from outside: built in 1934 and still open today, it is classified as a historic monument. But this part of the boulevard Saint-Germain remained remote from the mythical Saint-Germain-des-Prés which still was the trendiest place to be where the Parisian intelligentsia, starting with philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, had been mingling for years with artists from all over the world, writers, American jazzmen, stars from the music-hall, singers from the new scene of the French song, not to mention countless wannabes.

The early days of diptyque are humble: on the first floor of their boutique, three artists are creating the fabrics of their liking for their own pleasure… They invent a shop which reflects their tastes and personalities, and start to add to their own products a growing variety of original objects from other periods and other cultures, all of great craftsmanship, that they bring back from all over the world. This is another story to come… But it sure is this meticulous care for an aesthetic quality apart from the mainstream trends that will make the name of diptyque discreetly famous.

Thus runs the story...Diptyque have refurbished their brand by opening a special online magazine, called memento, which you can check out if you haven't already. Hours of fun await the perfume and arts enthusiast.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Parfums Carven: A Story of Clever Marketing & Great Fragrances

Just after World War II ended, Carmen de Tommaso, a French-born who originally studied architecture and interior design, opened a couture house with the aid of three businessmen friends who had happened to have been war prisoners together. Ailed by her minute size, what we call 'petite" nowadays, de Tommaso had the idea to cater to women who also had a comparable figure. To inflect her brand with a more Parisian (rather than Andalusian) flair, as her base of operations was Paris, Carmen, like Charles Revson (of Revlon), substituted a letter in her name and became Mademoiselle Carven ever since.

What made for the success of this couture house, one among many starting in the mid-20th century Parisian landscape, such as Dior, Piguet, or Balmain? Simple, original ideas and the proper dose of marketing.

Please refer to this link to read my article on the History & Vintage Fragrances of the French company parfums Carven.

Monday, March 23, 2015

Best-Sellers Feminine Fragrances: France 2015 (first quarter)

Last time we posted a perfume best-seller list on Perfume Shrine, a most interesting discussion sprang in the comments section. That's probably because French women and their fragrance is always a popular topic, France has a wide selection of both low-end, high-end and niche fragrances (plus distinctive classic style) and French women are characteristically non snobbish about them and because, well, discussing what people buy allows for feeling like we can probe into what makes people "click". Sort of "the knack" but in perfume terms.

via viacomit.net

For today's list I'm consulting the French Sephora site, who publish the top-30 of feminine best-seller perfumes in France for the first quarter of 2015. Some unsurprising "modern classics", some upstarts and some mind-boggling choices make the cut. Let's see them in order of sales.

1. La Vie Est Belle (Lancome)
2. Black Opium (YSL)
3. J'Adore eau de parfum (Dior)
4. La Petite Robe Noire eau de parfum (Guerlain)
5. La Petite Robe Noire Eau Fraiche, aka 'Petals' (Guerlain)
6. La Nuit Tresor eau de parfum (Lancome)
7. Si eau de parfum (Armani)
8. Miss Dior eau de parfum (Dior)
9. Hypnotic Poison eau de toilette (Dior)
10.Shalimar (Guerlain)
11.Lady Million (Paco Rabanne)
12.Lolita Lempicka le premier parfum (Lolita Lempicka)
13.Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet (Dior)
14.Flower by Kenzo (Kenzo)
15.Chloe eau de parfum (Chloe)
16.Narciso for Her eau de toilette (Narciso Rodriguez)
17.Flowerbomb (Viktor & Rolf)
18.Angel (Thierry Mugler)
19.Si eau de toilette (Armani)
20.Narciso for Her eau de parfum (Narciso Rodriguez)
21.Eau de Merveilles eau de toilette (Hermes)
22.La Petite Robe Noire eau de toilette (Guerlain)
23.Patchouli (Reminiscence)
24.The One (Dolce & Gabbana)
25.Very Irresistible (Givenchy)
26.Eau dynamisante (Clarins)
27.Nina (Nina Ricci)
28.Rogue (Rihanna)
29.Sweet (Lolita Lempicka)
30.Alien (Thierry Mugler)

It's interesting to note that Guerlain has 4 fragrances on the top-30 list, of which 3 are part of the La Petite Robe Noire stable and its ponies, with only one classic, the perennial Shalimar.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: