New Images of the Great Cate for Armani Si Eau de Toilette New Campaign

That's Cate Blanchett, for the upcoming new publicity for Armani Si, a nouveau chypre fragrance built around a blackcurrant note, that has already taken a significant share in the market. The Italian maestro's white shirts from the previous ads give way to something a bit more casual, it seems; a silvery grey cashmere jumper with short sleeves or a dress, from the looks of it?And a killer raincoat for when in the car.

Anyway, sartorial matters aside, the new commercial will air in September 13th, filmed by Irano-American flim maker Massy Tadjedin. Darius Khondji is the director of photography and the clip has been filmed in Australia. Tim Munro is behind the print campaign. Photos by Josh Prendeville, from Cate Blanchett's fan site.

Bang Bang

The heat made me pick Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle Carnal Flower today, a sexy ‪fragrance‬ built on the greener, fresher side of the lush tuberose blossoms. A favorite with American women, it won my heart when I first tested it many summers ago one fateful hot afternoon; it spoke of the eternal west and riding into the sunset cutting my losses.

What perfume are you wearing today?

Vacation in a Bottle: Fragrances to Take you Away

Whether your mind is set on Honolulu, Bali or Amorgos, there's bound to be at least one fragrant composition that presses all the right buttons for you; windswept, transient, sprayed with sea salt, evocative of endless white sand and dry rock or of tropical heat beach-smelling fragrances are a cult favorite for a reason. We all have fantasies like that, especially in the last days spent in the office before our vacation, right?

via

So in the interest of aiding the daydreaming somewhat (not that it needed much aid) I have composed a detailed slideshow of some of the best "instant vacation" perfumes that have the power to transport you to your own mental slice of heaven. Here is the direct link, enjoy! And get the sarongs, the flip flops and the straw hat at the ready while you're at it. A last minute luggage packing is easier than you think.

For more suggestions broken down not according to destination but according to style, consult my PerfumeShrine article Beach Fragrances: Sunny and Summery.

Don't forget to share your own favorite suggestions of "vacation in a bottle" fragrances in the comments below this post! I'd love to read them.

MANE: Let Perfume Talk

LET PERFUME TALK is an interactive digital experience featuring perfumes made by MANE, a company that specializes in producing fragrances for the cosmetics and beauty industries as well as flavors for the food industry. Following the success of its interactive experience “Find Your Essence”, MANE is launching a second emotionally intense experience, “Let Perfume Talk”, to reinforce its creative image.

Inspired by the way social media works, MANE asks a simple question: "What's your mood today?"

To evoke MANE’s creativity and fragrances, clients are invited to choose from the seven interactive sensory worlds where images, music and interface all work in harmony:

ALIVE
IN LOVE
HAPPY
ZEN
NATURAL
REBELLIOUS
SEXY

The application’s concept and strategy encourage you to share the experience with your contacts—an approach that aims at maximizing the virality of the operation.

The digital experience Let Perfume Talk created by Shakebiz is available on all mobile and tablet devices, with a tactile version available on iOS (iPhone and iPad) and Android, in addition to a desktop version. Click for the iTunes link or the Google Play link.


info via press release

Vive La France! French Style & Perfume

With Bastille Day coming up tomorrow (and with a grateful note to the French for promoting a unified Europe) I decided to do a collective post with all things Francophile.
Obviously lots of fragrances hail from France anyway, so a big chunk of the blog is paying homage to French style, but let's collect some of my various articles for ease; click the highlighted links to get there.

Gainsbourg and Birkin by Reg Lancaster, Paris 1969
via

French women (Parisian women in particular and baptized Parisians, since it's not technically ethnicity which accounts for it) are known for their savvy style which looks effortless, but isn't really (grooming and attention to detail go a long way).
My slideshow of 4 Secrets of French Women and Their Perfume has already become an internet classic, but I have also written a concise  Perfume Application Guide the French Way.

I have also recently composed a brief history of the house of Christian Dior and highlighted/reviewed 4 Dior fragrances which are worthy of investigation.

For Perfume Shrine aficionados there's also:

The Culture Wars: American vs. French,
Scent in Literature, a series of articles highlighting excerpts from novels and poetry, often French, which elaborate on the fascination of scent and smell,
Easy & Quick Paris Perfume Shopping Guide
"French Style" Perfume: Connotations & Meanings 
Best sellers in fragrance in France for 2009,  for 2010, for 2011, for 2012, for 2014.

And since Bastille Day incidentally recalls De Sade as well, there's also BDSM and Scents, a series of rather tantalizing posts with lots of perfume suggestions.

Happy July 14th to all Francophiles!