New Face for Coco Mademoiselle yet again!

It seems like it was only yesterday that Keira Knightly was chosen as the face of Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle fragrance, as we reported and commented on here on Perfume Shrine. The commercial finally convinced us that it wasn't such a bad idea after all, or at least the artistry that went into it convinced us on the skills of the artistic team at Chanel and their collaborators.
But Keira's contract at the Coco Mademoiselle stint ends this summer and a new face will front the marquises: that of Mademoiselle Hermione, that is the young actress Emma Watson who plays Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films.

According to the Daily Mail:

"The 18-year-old actress has signed a two-year contract worth £3million with the French fashion house to promote the brand.[...] Emma has been slowly integrated into the Chanel brand. They have been dressing her for film premieres and parties over recent months to see if she is the right fit. Once it became clear she is growing into a beautiful young woman and wears the Chanel brand so elegantly, they had to sign her up. Chanel realises it is important to target a young audience."

A better choice I should think, judging by the pictures and by the far more expressive face of miss Watson! The only disadvantage is that the girl is far too young for the older consumers to identify with (I deduce Chanel doesn't target those; why didn't they choose her for Chance though?) and hasn't really shown her acting chops in anything less commercial or more artistic. But time is on her side.

That would also indirectly mean that Keira is going to front another product in the Chanel stable:

"Sources said Chanel is creating a new role for Miss Knightley who, in her latest advert, poses provocatively with just a bowler hat covering her modesty".

And probably that would entail a more sophisticated one than Coco Mademoiselle too, as it would mean an upgrade, rather than younger still (Chance is out of the running following that trail of thought). So which would it be?
No.5 is officially taken by Audrey Tautou who is replacing Nicole Kidman. Coco is very much tied to 80s images and it would be a hard act to follow those wonderful Vanessa Paradis commercials as a caged bird by Jean-Paul Goude anyway. Cristalle and No.19 seem to be slowly disappearing from the US market so it wouldn't make sense to have such an advertising budget for only the European and Asian markets. Les Exclusifs are too exclusive for print ads and commercials. Does that leave Allure and Allure Sensuelle (face of latter being Anne Mouglalis)?

Myself I think they're saving her for the Chanel makeup collections or their skincare, for which surely the fresh-faced Keira couldn't be wrong. If someone -other than a professional model- is identified as the face of a fragrance, it usually means they won't be posing for another fragrance so soon.
I am very curious to see now that the great artistic director Jacques Helleu is dead what they will come up with!


So, what is your opinion on Emma as face of Coco Mademoiselle and which is your guess for the next product Keira will front?

Picture of Emma Watson via Dailymail.co.uk. Link brought to my attention by RoseInfo on MUA

YSL Tribute Coming to an End...and a Little Poll

These past two weeks, ever since Yves Saint Laurent left this vain world for hopefully a better one (or so we have been lulling ourselves to sleep?), it has been a great pleasure writing about the fragrances of the Yves Saint Laurent brand, many of which have been firm favourites, or indeed faithful allies in everyday battles.

Even the ones that have not produced quite the same frisson of excitement in me, such as the otherwise competent spicy fougère Jazz for men (1988) or the girly-sweet Baby Doll (1999) have been additions which have caught my eye at some point for different reasons: if only because they were parts of a line that I liked.

Same goes for some rare ones, such as the unisex Eau Libre with its suave black models, a practice for which Yves was famous; or Pour Homme, his first masculine for which he himself posed in the nude questioning our acceptance of female nudity over male; or even the discontinued fruity Vice Versa.

And of course there are some other fragrances, such as the fabulous incense and spice fireworks of Nu (2001), the controversial M7 (2002) -with its alleged inclusion of agarwood/oudh for the first time in a mainstream fragrance and its provocative ads echoing Yves's nude- or the pleasant almond flower caressed by vanilla of Cinéma (2004); I opted to leave those for another time. The reason? They were created when Yves himself had already retired from his house and so his vision was not the driving force behind them. But they will soon get their share of criticism or praise on these pages.

So for now, a little visual love expressed in the elegant advertising and fashions of Yves Saint Laurent from the 1970s.
And two clips from later on: Jazz from the late 80s and Cinema from a few years ago.



And on to you, dear readers:
1.Which is your most favourite fragrance in the Yves Saint Laurent line?
2.Which is your most despised? Why?
3.And if you could suggest something for the brand for the future, what would that be?

Looking forward to hearing your responses!



For a review of YSL L'homme click here and for a commentary on Elle, click here.

Clip of Jazz uploaded by Ilovelowe and of Cinema by LightBlv on Youtube. Ad pics from the 70s: of Rive Gauche parfum(top left), Y (top right), Eau Libre (mid right) and Pour homme (mid left) from parfumdepub.

Classic Values ~Kouros by YSL: fragrance review

Kouros : how misrepresented you are. I almost feel pity... Or perhaps not. Because it has been over applied and misused by many, it earned a reputation of no less than "piss" (enter the comment of a character in the indie film “The locals” who says so, when the other guy slips a bottle of Kouros out of the glove compartment saying girls at work like it). Yet I still love it in small doses!

Someone I know who actually did work for Yves Saint Laurent back in his heyday had a little anecdote on its creation to share: when Yves visited Greece in the 1970s he made a stop at Sounion/Sunium, that cape at the edge of Attica with the famous Poseidon temple {click to see an atmospheric photo and here for a more classical one}. This temple is situated at an advantageous point for surveillance of the Aegean in case of a potential enemy fleet and formed part of the Holy Triangle, marked by three major temples (Aegina island – Athens – Sounion cape). The day was bright, the sea ahead was azure blue, the columns of the temple stood imposingly solid. The only etchings on the marble then were those of Lord Byron who obviously felt the need to leave his name on a piece of antiquity: see, vandalism was not unknown even back then, even if Byron assisted the country’s National Revolution. It must have made an impression: he quoted Sounion in Don Juan ~

"Place me on Sunium's marbled steep,
Where the waves and I can only
hear
Our mutual murmurs sweep
There, swanlike, let me sing and die."

But I digress... Yves contemplated the view and was inspired to recreate the feeling in a perfume. The progressive sketches he made were of stylized columns that little by little became the austere white image of the bottle we know today. "Living Gods have their perfume: Kouros", ran the advertising campaign.

Kouros the name was in keeping with the Greek theme: Kouros (plural kouroi) is an iconographic type of the archaic Greek sculpture of 6th century BC that featured the famous archaic smile. A statue of a young man, in the nude, with one leg slightly protruding before the other, it gives the impression of motion that is about to happen any minute now.
Kouros, the fragrance, composed by the great Pierre Bourdon (Iris Poudre, Ferre by Ferre, Dolce Vita, Cool Water) launched in 1981 and became iconic of that period winning a FiFi award the next year and holding a place in bestsellers for years to come. With its intense, pungent almost orangey blast of the coriander opening it segues on to warm clove, sensual oakmoss and a touch of ambergris (that infamous whale byproduct that is so hard to come by) and infamously civet, managing to smell both sweet and bitter at the same time, urinous with sage, quite powdery which is unusual for men’s scents; insolent, animalic, audacious, almost Gordon Gekko! The drydown is like freshly washed hair on a sweaty body.

It is usually recommended to all ages, but frankly I can not picture it on the very, very young, nor the old. It's best in between: a little experience is necessary, but not that much! To be rediscovered by a new generation pretty soon. I just wish they came up with a feminine version of this one : if it’s so common to do so with women’s perfumes, then why not with men’s?

The Flanker Fragrances of Kouros

The original Kouros is one of the fragrances with the most "flankers" over the years (flankers are new, often wildly different fragrances coat-tailing on the success of a best-seller using the name and bottle design in new twists, as devised by the company). These tried to lighten up the load of the odoriferous original. The experiment started with Kouros Eau de Sport in 1986 (now discontinued) and Kouros Fraîcher in 1993 which added bergamot, orange blossom and pineapple, while still remaining the closest to the original.
From 2000 onwards, interest picked up, a comparable case as with Opium, and parfums YSL launched Body Kouros composed by Annick Menardo (of Bulgari Black fame) in a black bottle goving a twist through vibrant eucalyptus on the top notes and adding Camphor-wood and Benzoin to the drydown, the latter's sweet caramel vibe clashing with the mentholated notes of the former.
Kouros Eau d'Ete in 2002 plays on blue-mint, rosemary and cedarwood and comes in a clear ice-blue bottle. Kouros Cologne Sport came out in 2003 and relied on cedrat, bergamot and tangerine for the top with the florancy of jasmine and cyclamen in the heart. Neither of those really resembles the original ~which is either good or bad according to your reaction on the latter.

Kouros Cologne Sport Eau d'Éte sounds a little like they ran out of words (cologne, sport and summery!): it launched in 2004 as a limited edition in a gradient blue bottle (predictably). Yet another limited edition Kouros Eau d'Ete launched in 2005, with just a marginal play on the box.
The latest was the Kouros Tattoo Collector (2007), another limited edition: lighter and with a peppery accent it comes in an Eau Tonique concentration which fits somewhere between Eau de Toilette and Apres-Rasage/aftershave. And what about the tattoo? Well, it came along with two temporary tattoos in the box. Booh, if you're going to be serious about anything, get a real one, please!
This year sees a gradient bottle of blue (again!) with the tag Kouros Energising. Ooouff! Enough!

So, what do you think of Kouros? Love it or hate it?

Image of Archaic kouros from Getty museum, pics of ads by Parfumdepub

Bali Dream by Estee Lauder: a Travel Exclusive fragrance review

Fragrance brands have cottoned up to the fact that jaded travellers who have to sail through the Symplegades to travel by air are searching for a little escapism: anything really to make them get it through the tiresome waiting for their luggage to get checked, their passports to be scrutinized and their persons getting grind exceedingly small...
To alleviate those symptoms and to make an honest buck in the process, companies have invented the concept of Travel Exclusive: fragrances that are only available when you travel, at the duty-free shops in big airports. The trend had been noticed even two years before, in 2006 and re-affirmed in 2007: travel makes for serious inspiration behind fragrances.
The most notorious travel exclusive is of course the excellent Vetiver pour Elle by Guerlain, mysteriously restricted to French duty-free shops and arguably a very good feminine rendition of their iconic masculine with added floral notes.
But others have not been left behind: this year Lancôme launched Cyclades (named after the Greek complex in the Aegean sea), after Benghal (the name echoing the homonymous region in India) and Tropiques (a more general name evoking the tropics) in their "La Collection Voyage" (Travel Collection). Others include the unfortunately named JetLag by Azzaro (a fresh aromatic) and Lights of Champs Elysées by Guerlain (a gentle woodsy scent). Lauder has also played that game with Emerald Dream in 2007.

This year Lauder launched Bali Dream, an Indonesian-inspired travel retail exclusive for women in March. Bali has also been behind the weirdly named 7:15am in Bali by Kenzo, so there is something there...

"Follow tropical breezes to a flower-filled world. A place where Mood Orchids, Honeysuckle, Indonesian Jasmine and Pago Pago Coconut lead the way to a tropical paradise. Welcome to Bali dream".

According to Lauder, the top notes feature a profusion of Bali’s most prized flowers, moon orchids, along with magnolia and ginger. The heart is comprised of Chinese cassia, Indonesian jasmine, pepper, ylang ylang, gardenia, muguet and apple, on a background of woods and vanilla.
Although the impression that the notes would give would be a soft floral with a tropical tune to it and it is officially presented as a floriental, Bali Dream starts with an unmistakable fruity overture of none other than a mix of cantaloupe with indeterminate peach: apparently cantaloupe is the fruit of choice of late, as it appears in the latest Hermès Un Jardin après la Mousson as well. I admit that the mentioned apple did not register at all in my mind (at least not a real apple instead of the ersatz in shampoos) and leafing through Osmoz I see that it is not mentioned at all, which is rather telling.
Luckily the coconut is not emitting the evil fumes of a plug-in air freshener or the "dangling pine" pong of dilapidated taxis in 3rd world countries. It's pleasant and not loud, with a smooth ambiance about it and a very subtle, freshly spicy accent that might be due to ginger and pepper. The orchid accord with a vanillic backdrop is powdery, soft, velvety and indeed the protagonist of the composition, lasting well, trying to remind me for a brief second of the orgiastic abundance of the Singapore gardens.
The whole however doesn't really live up to the expectations of an exclusive that should have anyone booking a flight just to shop at the duty-free. Visit Bali for its magnificent humid landscape and exotic culture, but don't imagine for a second that this fragrance is its true embodiment.

Carolyn Murphy incarnates the face of the fragrance dressed in lilac-tinged chiffons to reflect the gentility of tones of the bottle.
The bottle of Bali Dream itself with its pretty matelassé recalls last year's Emerald Dream (a floral woody musk), which was -predictably- done in cool green.

Eau De Parfum Spray/Travel Exclusive in 50ml/1.7oz available at all Lauder travel retail counters at $85
There is also a 2 x 50ml duo set. The fragrances in the duo are individually packaged, making them ideal for gift-giving. Lauder has also created a Dream Destinations coffret. This features four miniature (4 x 4ml) edp sprays: two of Emerald Dream and two of Bali Dream. There is also a corresponding makeup palette.
Bottles of Bali Dream have already circulated on Ebay.

Notes (per Osmoz):
Top: ginger, orchid leaves, moon orchid
Heart: pepper, ylang ylang, cassia, jasmine, gardenia, tagete, plum, tuberose
Base: cedar, vanilla, coconut, Haitian vetiver, temple wood.

We will be offering a sample to a lucky reader, so please mention if you're interested in the comments.

Pic of Balinese dancers courtesy of BALIwww.com on Flickr. Bottle pic via Ebay.

Gravity Cannot Be Blamed ~In Love Again by Saint Laurent: fragrance review

"Gravity cannot be blamed for people falling in love" is one of Albert Einstein's wittier quotes. Although falling in love never held any sinister accusations against forces of nature in my mind, in a way I find myself equally irrationaly questioning my own reasons for choosing certain smells sometimes; such as a fruity fragrance I reach for in the summer months. What possesed me into buying one and actually enjoying it in the heat, me a self professed fruit-shunner?

In Love Again launched in 1998 as a Limited Edition, composed by Jean Claude Ellena. Yves Saint Laurent intended it as his last fragrance before retiring to celebrate his 40 years in the fashion business and thus it was a limited edition, accompanied by a seasonal makeup range, which was planned to be sold only in 1998. The bottle seen from above, as in a floor plan, was shaped into an irregular heart. The fragrance indeed disappeared after that, despite a devoted following gravitating towards its fresh, yet mischievous scent. Perhaps in an attempt to follow this successful turn, parfums Yves Saint Laurent issued Baby Doll in 1999 composed by Cecile Matton, initially as a Paris fragrance flanker, yet bearing a passing resemblance to In Love Again scent-wise, with its grapefruit opening and sweetly fruity denouement.

Yet fans were not entirely satisfied: Baby Doll just wasn't the same, being much girlier, sweeter and lacking the quintessential sophistication of the Yves Saint Laurent brand. Of course in many ways In Love Again was arguably also a departure from the dry chypre Y, the hedonism of Opium or the metallic aldehydic frost of Rive Gauche and the corresponding image of Yves as the ne plus ultra of French chic. You could picture those latest scents on bazooka-gum-chewing youngsters, carrying Manga-embossed bags.
Bottles of In Love Again went for as high as $500 on online auctions, till the company decided to bring it back. And so they did: They re-launched in a bottle with a hammered gold cap, instead of the harlequin one, and another box in green and blue in 2004, but the fragrance remained the same.

The initial burst of grapefruit rind, like you have just squeezed some with your bare hands dribbling juice all over, is a shot of energy ~a welcome good-morning kiss to kick off the day! In a way I can see how Jean Claude Ellena performed an anadiplosis in his Rose Ikebana for the Hermèssences, the exclusive line for the Hermès boutique as in-house perfumer in 2004: it was too good to pass up. In Rose Ikebana the idea is further explored with a garland of delicate, pulsating rose and tannin tea notes which combine to give a more ethereal and less sweet version like a satin hair ribbon drenched in morning dew. He deducted even more of the sweet elements of this accord in Un jardin sur le Nil, again for Hermès, in which he worked on a green mango note that ends up smelling like a refreshingly bitter grapefruit fresh from the fridge rested atop a smoky wooden counter top.

Somehow the success of In Love Again is that it manages to bypass the Scylla of hyper sweet, with a tart, zesty grapefruit accord that coaxes the sulfurous nature of the fruit into submission, making it easier to wear than the more difficult Pamplelune by Guerlain which often produces a strong ammoniac, catty effect on certain skins. A touch of green leaves, organic and warmed in the sun also contributes to its modern character, as well as what I perceive as tart berries.
But it also has a soft ambiance about it, without resorting to the Charybdis of ease that is the powder smell of certain white musks, nor stooping to cheap air-freshener style. Although a modern fragrance wih hints of the fruit-bowl, In Love Again has something about it which makes me enjoy it in the warmer months.

The comparison to Baby Doll is understandable up to a degree, due to the homoioteleuton freshness and grapefruit tang present in both. There is an element of optimistic dynamism about both, as well as youthfulness, but Baby Doll lacks the musky-woody element that keeps In Love Again from becoming too juvenile and therefore soon tires me with its overladen message of overt sweetness.

Contrary to many people I find In Love Again has good staying power, especially for a fragrance centered on a citrus note: those being almost synonymous to fleeting. The hesperidic burst of course dissipates after a couple of hours (a feat, even so!), but the drydown is detectable after half the day has passed with an inviting human warmth about it. The downside is of course that due to musk anosmia, some people are bound not to be able to detect the remnants at all. But for that only a skin patch test would bear the deciding verdict.

Notes:
Top: grapes, grapefruit, brimbelle/bilberry
Heart: tulip tree flower, grapefruit, water lily.
Base: blackberry, sandalwood, musk.

The collectible bottle is to be found on Ebay. The current version can be found easily online and in department stores. There are two limited editions, which came out in 2005 and 2006 respectively, with offbeat designs on the bottles and no serious pretensions: In Love Again Fleur de la Passion (with an addition of passion fruit, raspberry and peony; subtle and rather less musky) and In Love Again Jasmin Etoile (with a weak, pale jasmine, which doesn't make it very distinctive, plus tangerine and a touch of spicy star anise).

Pic of original ad (with collectible packaging from 1998) via parfumdepub. Pic of current bottle via MUA.