Iconic Chanel in the Power of Two

On the heels of a telefilm by Christian Duguray starring Shirley MacLaine as Coco Chanel after the War, two cinematographers are very busy into their own visions of how the eternal Mademoiselle of fashion built her fascinating life from her humble beginnings of being raised by seamstress nuns and her iconic career ~her indomitable perfumes forming a large part of her glory and occupying a place at every perfume lover's collection.


Coco Avant Chanel is the first one, set to screen on 22 April, and it stars Audrey Tautou along with Benoît Poelvoorde, Marie Gillain, Alessandro Nivola and Emmanuelle Devos. It is based on the book by Edmonde Charles-Roux's "L'irrégulière/mon itinéraire Chanel ". Directed by Anne Fontaine, the film examines the life and career of the renowned fashion designer in her formative years and early triumphs, leaving the darker Nazi collaboration and espionage charges which were at the nick of time alleviated with the help of Churchill and the Royal family as well the difficult return after years on the fashion scene left unsaid.


The focus of the biopic Coco avant Chanel as might be surmised by the title seems to be the modernisation of design and the liberation of women from the constrictions of La Belle Epoque mind-sets. I am proud to present you the trailer and preview pics.






On the other hand, the second film named Coco Chanel et Igor Stravinsky, is centered around a six-week period in which the renowened designer and the iconoclastic composer were believed to have had an affair.

Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky is starring Greco-French actress and Chanel model (you should have seen her in the Allure Sensuelle ads) Anna Mouglalis with Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen as Stravinsky. The film will open in autumn 2009, but these photos are meant to give you a little amuse bouche!

Which actress do you prefer for the role?



Pic svia allocine.fr, vanity fair via screeninglog, lightcamerahistory.wordpress.com and fashionfork.blogspot.com

Bulgari Omnia Green Jade: fragrance review

Much as I haven't been personally impressed by the Omnia franchise at the respected Bulgari brand ~despite liking many of their other perfumes~ I am forced to assume that it has been quite successful commercially in its Vulcan-knot bottle, since not only I constantly see it prominently featured at my local Sephora, but it seems to produce a descendant almost each subsequent year since its initial birth in 2005!

Omnia Green Jade is thus the third flanker to follow the original Omnia by Bulgari in its ambery flacon, the one which created questions as to how to spray it among first-time users due to its unusual design. The progeny had been Omnia Crystalline (in frosted glass) and Omnia Améthyste (in a violet flacon), both echoing other gemstones of different colours. Perhaps at the stem of my antipathy, or -to put it more accurately- indifference, is the -to me- ackward and hard to handle bottle design despite its poetic evocation of unbreakable bonds of love. On the contrary, I love the house's design in any other area and often shop there for trinkets, jewels, gifts and accessories at their luxurious boutiques. For those wondering, Bulgari is pronounced BOOL-ga-ree and is alternatively spelled Bvlgari, as if written in classical Latin characters since the founder Sotirios Vulgaris (VOOL-ga-rees) was a Greek goldsmith who took residence in Rome a couple of generations ago where he founded the eponymous house. The rest if history, as they say.

Omnia Green Jade (the green moniker surely a little redundant as jade is a specific shade of green gem anyway) was introduced as

"a new, precious, joyful fragrance inspired by the enchanting and sophisticated aura of the Jade gemstone. This crisp, floral green scent arouses a spirit of fresh floral emotions and embodies the natural, distinctive young woman seeking a sensual signature essence as pure and enticing as the first spring blossoms".

The demographic aimed at is "a little younger" which also seems a little redundant as the franchise is aimed at young women anyway. The new fragrance was officially presented at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes, France, last October and launched worldwide last February.

Despite the description of greeness as well as the corrreponding packaging and advertising (featuring a delicious pair of Bulgari earrings in fat drops of jade), Omnia Green Jade is traitorous to its name, being rather a subdued floral musky-woody in the style that has been well established for some years now. Perfumer Alberto Morillas, responsible for the original Omnia as well, has been playing these releases like sharply tense violin strings at the twist of his experienced graceful fingers, much like he recently did with Essence for Narciso Rodriguez, but with somewhat predictable results.
For this one “I thought of its colours, green with white shadows, of the energy of this millenary gemstone, symbol of the good, the beautiful and the precious,” explained Alberto Morillas. “I have built the scent around a white petal cascade and a vivid freshness, combined with the rare and mystic texture of white wood and exotic musks.” The promise of spring-time in this transitory phase in which the first buds are tentatively raising their heads beneath the still cold air is enough to have us on pins and needles for the full blown effect of spring's arrival and usually a little spring-like fragrance is very much desired, nay craved, at this particular time of year. Imagining green fragrances I often revert to sharper impressions of tangy, crushed lemon leaves like in Ô de Lancôme, of galbanum sharpness of the vintage Vent Vert ; I crave warmer weather vetiver offerings, little spring bells of white as the lily-of-the-valley of Diorissimo and the elegant insouciance of Chanel No.19. Omnia Green Jade is light and ethereal, but not particularly reminiscent of spring's blossoms nor its green grasses. Its feel is abstract and subtly musky-woody, meant to correspond to modern urbane environments rather than rolling on the knolls of some Tuscan countryside. The pistachio note (which sometimes alludes to lentisque, commonly known as mastic) is not quite as discernable in its oleaginous, fluffy vibrance as I would have wished. If anything, there is a subdued floral note of transparent peonies, coy unsweetened violets and "clean" lily of the valley in its hidden core, quite toned-down, soft and timid and foiled in blonde, pale woods, tea-like and subtle clean-skin-musks. The overall impression is of a competently-made office-appropriate scent that does not create ripples on the pond, jade-hued or otherwise.

Notes for Bulgari Omnia Green Jade
Spring Water, Green Mandarin, White Peony, Nasturtium, Pear Tree Flower, Jasmine Petals, Fresh Pistachio, White Woods, Musk

Bulgari Omnia Green Jade is currently available at major department stores in Eau de Toilette concentration in sizes 0.84oz/25ml, 1.32oz/40ml and 2.2oz/65ml and in two ancilary products: 200ml shower bath and 200ml body lotion.

Ad pic via bluebellgroup.com. Pic of jade earrings via morethanscentsable.com

Frequent Questions: the differences between concentrations of Narciso Rodriguez For Her

Narciso Rodriguez most successful foray into fragrance so far has been his original Narciso For Her. We were discussing the other day while reviewing his new Essence how Narciso For Her became the kickstart of a whole new genre of modern fragrances that aim at the young-ish demographic yet do not smell of fruity cocktails or vanilla desserts and for that he should be applauded. However the range of this fragrance is rather confusing to say the least, as every product in it has some difference in smell and packaging. To elucidate matters and help readers along, I am hereby trying a breakdown of all the different versions in packaging with reviews and comparison on the Narciso brand fragrances themselves.

The original fragrance appeared first as Narciso Rodriguez For Her Eau de Toilette in a black austere bottle painted from the inside, so that there is a clearly discernible "edge" of clear glass at the bottle and the sides (this allows one to judge how much juice is left in the bottle too!). The lettering is in pink as is the box (where the letting is in black). I fell in love with this as soon as it hit the stores and I still cherish it. People of all walks of life loved it and there is a reason: It is soft, "clean" in the most sensuous sense of skin that has been bathed but is living its day along nevertheless; musky in the sense that it beckons you closer radiating harmonious warmth; and feminine all at once. Three days into faithfully wearing it, a compliment: "You smell very nice , like expensive soap! What is it?" Although I don't peg it as soapy, it gives an enigmatic vibe between just showered and sighing under a caress that won't remain at that for long. Its plaint nature makes it meld with one's personal smell ceasing to be something that floats above it and clinges on to clothing and bed-sheets in the most gracious manner.
The Eau de Toilette version is the most sillage-worthy (meaning it leaves a trail of scent behind when you wear it) and projects quite potently.
Interestingly, several people however have trouble smelling it properly due to specific "musk anosmia" (a common condition in which certain musks remain undetected from the nose, hence perfumers used a multitude in a single perfume so that the nose picks at least some). Others with less of a threshold for "living" smells report it is a bit "dirty" for their taste. As always in the subjective matters of fragrance opinions, your safest bet is trying it out before buying. Having said that it is terrifically well-made, even if I suspect it might be 100% synthetic, and a best-seller for all the right reasons!

The parfum concentration of Narciso For Her comes in a roll-on 10ml/0.33oz for the purse (depicted on the right), in clear glass with black painted on the inside. The scent is the same, although the volume and sillage are being a bit toned down as the fragrance is smeared on rather than sprayed, which produces a difference in evaporation of the molecules. The lasting power is very good, same as with the Eau de Toilette, although the same problem with musk anosmia surfaces again for several people.

As of 2012, the previous version of the purse roll-on has been discontinued and a new Narciso for Her extrait de parfum version is issued with a dabber style bottle with a black curvy cap, as depicted above.


The bottle that is black on the outside, same design as the Eau de Toilette, without clear glass edging however, in a pour bottle, is the Narciso Musc for Her version. The lettering is again in pink, reading Musc for Her. Beware the confusion as this is a completely different scent: this is pure Egyptian musc lacking the floral tone (orange blossom) and alcoholic sharpness of the Eau de Toilette as well as the patchouli-woods base. The scent is the softest, most erotic thing one could wish for in the "clean" lightly powdery musks genre and although it is based on Abdoul Karim's Egyptian Musk oil that Caroline Besette Kennedy ~who was the friend and muse after which Narciso Rodriguez created his fragrance~ was buying off the streets of Manhattan, it smells very upscale. One of the missions of any perfume board worth its salt is to find decent alternatives to popular scents which are either hard to get or too expensive (and this one is at 150 euros retail for 50ml/1.7oz, but oh, so worth it!). Although Body Time Egyptian Musc and Auric Blends Egyptian Goddess have been proposed as substitutes for perfumistas on a shoe-string budget, I am reporting that none of those rather fabric-softener musks comes really close. There is something unutterable in Musk for Her which makes it enigmatically alluring like nothing else on the market today: not too sweet, not too sharp, not too laundry-like, it traipses along the way of familiarity and supple mystery which is the sign of any product worth making one's own. It is a gift to make to those who come really close to you to savour the nectar.
Narciso Musk for Her has an oily texture based on silicone to be used on pulse points or all over quite liberally because it is a light enough scent. As it becomes one with skin and does not project as much as the Eau de Toilette does, one solution would be to wear it on hair ends to extend its sillage-radius, a trick used with very good results.
As this is notoriously the product with the most complaints about not being able to smell it from numerous people it is highly adviseable to try it out before buying. Also, as silicone-based products might go "bad" (ie.losing their scent in this case) over time, one would be advised not to stockpile.
Edit to add: As of 2011, this is discontinued, nowhere to be found, making it a rare collectible. 


The pink bottle with black lettering in a black box with pink lettering (the mirror image of the original, therefore) came more than a year after the initial products above and is Narciso Rodriguez For Her Eau de Parfum concentration. It has a slightly tweaked formula, resulting in a different scent. Its rose/peach-flesh top note is quite pronounced, veering it into more fruity chypre avenues than a woody musk, which didn't exist in the original Eau de Toilette. Less people seem anosmic to this version as the more floral elements take center stage.

Limited editions: There is a limited edition For Her bottle numbered and signed by the designer that circulated a few years ago. Also a bottle with little sparkly stars for the holidays of 2005 and a new home candle in a black minimalist tin. The white bottles are limited editions from 2006 and 2008 respectively to commemorate the scent's success. All those variations have the exact same delicious scent as the Eau de Toilette and are aimed at bottle collectors mostly.

There are also ancillary body products: a body lotion tagged Narciso Her Scented Body Defining Lotion (not very potent in the smell department)in a pink bottle with black label, a shower gel in a black and peach bottle and a squat pot of Narciso Her Body Cream in a black glass pot(better fare this one on lasting scent than the lotion). Additionally there is a Narciso Powder Brush with the product incorporated in the device, a Narciso spray deodorant and a Narciso Hair Mist in a 30ml/1oz spray bottle which is weaker than the Eau de Toilette but eerily reminiscent of its mysterious aura.

Narciso for Her had received praise even from the difficult mr.Turin on his blog on 27/11/05, when he noticed that despite not a great deal of innovation it sure smells wonderful. He later wrote in Perfumes, the Guide: "But give Narciso to someone you like and stand at attention as she sweeps past. You then realise that some fragrances, like gravitation, reliably generate an attractive force that day in and day out, without fuss or explanation, though theories abound".
Excellently said!

Notes for the Narciso For Her edt: Honey Flower, Solar Musk, Orange Blossom, Osmanthus, Amberlyn, Vanilla, Tactile Musk, Tactile Woods, Vetiver.
Notes for the Narciso For Her edp: Pink Chypre, Pink Floral, Voluptuous Woods, Soft Amber, Sheer Chypre, Flower Honey, Tactile Woods, Amber Light.

Perfumeurs : Christine Nagel and Francis Kurkdjian (Quest).

Available through major department stores.

LIMITED EDITIONS/VARIATIONS IN THE NARCISO RODRIGUEZ "FOR HER" LINE


The two versions of Her and Him in "the Musk Collection" are limited editions from 2009 in shiny bottles. The packaging is black with a coloured inlay on the bottom citing "Musk Collection, Eau de Parfum Intense".
Narciso Rodriguez for Her limited edition Musk introduces musk in the central role, along with notes of ylang-ylang, jasmine and orange blossom.  
Narciso Rodriguez for Him limited edition Musk, will fuse musk with essences of iris and red berries.
Available both in 50ml Eau de Parfum Intense.

Narciso Rodriguez For Her Iridescent is a limited edition launched in April 2010. Perfumer Francis Kurkdjian made it as soft as silk, while the liquid contains tiny sparkling particles. Personally I haven't noticed any sparkling effect on either skin, hair or clothe, but it looks pretty on my vanity.

The scent is similar to the pink EDP. For Her Iridescent contains fragrant notes of honey flower, orange blossom, osmanthus, amber, musk, woody notes, vetiver and vanilla.

It is available as a limited editions of 50ml and 100 ml of Eau de Parfum.

Narciso Rodriguez for Her in Color Eau de Parfum was launched in 2011 and is bottled in a fuschia bottle and pink box.  Available in 100ml.

Top notes are rose and peach; middle note is amber; base notes are musk, sandalwood and patchouli.

It's very close to the original EDP but with a peachier warm note in the floralcy of the core.

Narciso Rodriguez For Her Eau de Toilette and Eau de Parfum Delicate Limited Edition is launching for 2012. The bottles are recognisable by the lilac-tinge to the packaging and the "delicate" on the box (pictured above).
The fragrance is somewhat changed compared to the original NR For Her and features notes of vetiver, musk, african orange flower, amber, coriander, vanille, bergamot and black fig.
Available as eau de toilette in 125ml/4.2oz bottles of light purple and a matching box.

Pics via ebay & punmiris

Eau Sensuelle by Rochas: new flanker to Eau de Rochas

The iconic summer fresh scent of Eau de Rochas is joined by a new flanker, Eau Sensuelle. Three years ago Reflets d’Eau de Rochas in feminine and masculine versions was the first foray into flankers for this scent and now a new one joins the ranks, with the emphasis on a rather richer and probably sweeter -by the looks of it- interpretation. The interesting part is that Eau Sensuelle by Rochas will be the first creation of Jean-Michel Duriez, the new in-house perfumer for Rochas and resident perfumer at head of parfums Jean Patou for some years now.
Notes for Eau Sensuelle include: sanguine orange, bergamot, mango, dried fruis, pink pepper, jasmine sambac from India, iris and white musks.
Launch is scheduled for April 1st for 62 euros for 100ml.


Info & pic via auparfum.com