Which fragrances does the president of the Fragrance Foundation choose?

In a very comprehensive, and quite extensive, coverage in In the Cut, Jane Larkworthy tackles that rather intriguing subject, Linda G.Levy, the president of The Fragrance Foundation since 2017.

She seems to have a quite extensive collection, naturally, as would be expected, with the occasional renegade choice or two in there, but not extremely deviating from the norm of the niche buying public.
As ms.Levy herself states, "my selection includes — but is definitely not limited to — Frederic Malle Portrait of A Lady, Diptyque Philoskykos, Le Labo Bergamot, Creed Floralie, Cartier Carat, Bond No. 9 Little Italy, Narciso Rodriguez, Diana Vreeland Staggeringly Beautiful, Tom Ford Neroli Portofino, and Atelier Cologne Iris Rebelle. I always have a travel size bottle or two in my purse."

Scent does seem to be of genuine interest to her, extending to indoors surroundings, with the choice of scented candles, with her favorites being Otherland Kindling, Nest Bamboo, and Cire Trudon Salta.

You can read the entire article in the link.

Perfumes of the Rich & Famous: the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge and the Beckhams -what do they really wear?

"More than a third of Britons believe they know whether a date is "the one" within seconds of meeting them after catching a whiff of their fragrance", as quoted in an article in the Daily Mail.

via tumblr

Beyond the obvious (catching a whiff of a childhood scent like your mother's can be relaxing or that smelling something unpleasant might get you off your food for a while) the article goes into mentioning a few mega famous people's choices. If you have been following the Perfume Shrine you know that the Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge is a no brainer, and you even had info on the scent of Kate Middleton's wedding day promptly reported, but the rest is interesting.

"With input from expert master perfumer, Penny Williams, they found two high-profile celebrity relationships had strong scent compatibility ratings.

Indeed, both the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and David and Victoria Beckham had scent compatibility ratings of nine out of ten.

With Prince William wearing Ralph Lauren Polo and Kate wearing Dior Dune, Penny Williams said their choices 'complement without clashing'."

Something tells me they have both moved on (Kate was reported to wear Dune as a student), scent-wise, but let's not spoil it for the Daily Mail. They carry on:

"Meanwhile, David Beckham wears his own cologne Instinct and Victoria opts for Anna Sui's Sui Dreams, Chanel No.5 and her own Intimately Beckham.

Mrs Williams, who has worked in the industry for 24 years, added: 'Her collection of scents range from everyday to spritz [sic: did she mean "glitz"?]. This suggests a multi-tasking lifestyle and fragrance used for benefits beyond the scents themselves. If he wears Instinct and she wears Sui Dreams, it's very harmonious.'"

I bet Victoria has hundreds of bottles back home, if only as gifts from all the designers she is in contact with. 

But the crucial point is: do you match your fragrance with your partner's? Please share in the comments. I find it a great idea myself, more on which on a subsequent article. 

Perfume Quote: Guerlain Jicky- "witty without being coarse"

Our hero is in Paris with various characters of repute or disrepute, whereupon he visits the author Colette. Impressed by her perfume, he describes it as "kinky".

via slate.fr

 

"The room smelled of her perfume (at some point I asked her what it was, and Colette said: " Jicky. The Empress Eugenie always wore it. I like it because it's an old-fashioned scent with an elegant history, and because it's witty without being coarse--like the better conversationalists. Proust wore it. Or so Cocteau tells me. But then he is not too reliable.)"
~ From Truman Capote's "Answered Prayers"*

via quoteauthors.com

*appearing in Susan Irvine's guide & echoed by ewojdula/mua

"I probably have around 50 [perfumes] at home, some I just like for the bottle, some I wear all the time": Gwyneth Paltrow Digs Fragrance (and Boss Nuit)

Gwyneth Paltrow, the celebrity face of the new Boss Nuit fragrance, shared during the Boss Nuit breakfast event that she has always been into scent; by the time she was 14 she was already addicted to Anaïs Anaïs, then graduated to Calyx and Coco by Chanel, and still remembers her mother's scent, the fresh jasmine Quadrille by Balenciaga. Now she says she "prefers something a little more complex". Hard to imagine something more complex than the original Coco which came out in the era of baroque orientals in the mid-1980s, but one has to throw a sales pitch when they're fronting a fragrance campaign, don't they!

via grazia.fr

Still Gwyneth comes across as pretty honest when she says that she does believe in a fragrance wardrobe: she doesn't only wear what she advertises, as claimed by other celebrities when promoting a specific fragrance. She also gives the reasons why she does keep a perfume collection, stating that the beauty of the bottle is enough for her to keep a few of those approximately 50 scents around and that with some others it's a "going steady" relationship. Her love for perfume has ben long, teaching her through the years the value of some perfume etiquette: Her daughter Apple "sprays herself head to toe, though I'm trying to teach her that less is more. Me, I just spray a little on my left arm, press it against my right arm, and then dab behind my ears."

Apart from a complete aversion to anything perfumed during both her pregnancies, when she says "I couldn't even stomach the smell of orange juice from across the room, let alone flowers or fragrance", Paltrow used to be the face of Estee Lauder Pleasures, following Elizabeth Harley and Carolyn Murphy, and of Pure White Linen and Sensuous by the same brand. Paltrow now goes for Boss Nuit by night, which she deems "feminine and alluring" (but appreciates that it feels "like an extra something, rather than a perfume pouring off me"), though she adds "that could be because of the branding - good job guys."

Read more about Gwyneth's beauty secrets on the Telegraph.

The Intimate History of Chanel N°5

After the catastrophic Brad Pitt No.5 campaign (largely faulty due to the horrendous script), Chanel goes all damage control and employs Marilyn Monroe at their Inside Chanel microsite.

 

The“Marilyn and N°5” video is part two of a larger Inside Chanel campaign that is available at www.inside-chanel.com.

Marilyn Monroe and the Unknown Perfume She Favored (Not the Chanel!)

Is there a single soul who hasn't heard the famous quip of Marilyn about wearing a few drops of Chanel No.5 in bed? I happen to know from reading biographies that she also kept a bottle of Joy perfume by Jean Patou, which is just as well. A recent Salvatore Ferragamo exhibition in Florence (Marilyn was an avid fan of the Italian shoemaker) alongside the 50th anniversary of Marilyn's tragic death in August 1962 revealed however an altogether unknown love for another perfume; quite different to the previous two, one which we wouldn't quite have pegged to Marilyn! Goes to show you how much we have made up our minds on how we view the iconic blonde...

Floris on Jermyn Street receipt ~click to enlarge

The evidence is rather conclusive (?)  A receipt from Floris on Jermyn Street in London during a dipping into the archives of the British brand -founded by Juan Famenias Floris of Spanish extraction in the early 19th century (1830 to be exact)- came up stating a purchase of six bottles of Floris Rose Geranium eau de toilette in 1959 under the alias of Miss Dorothy Blass, Monroe's personal secretary. Much as the name might mean nothing however, the bottles were to be sent to the Beverly Hills Hotel in Hollywood, California, where Marilyn Monroe stayed during the filming of one of her most celebrated films, Some Like it Hot. The hand-written "correction" striking out the Dorothy Blass name from the printed form to replace it with Marilyn Monroe Miller is telling. I don't know whether Floris is intent on resurrecting this fragrance based on this "leaked" info; if they did it might hint at other machinations behind it, but that remains to be seen.

Although quite different from the intimately sexy character of the Chanel (lots of sensuous musk and civet under the sweet jasmine and ylang ylang), Floris Rose Geranium does have some common thread with her other proclaimed love, Joy: the celebration of rose takes a quieter, more retro interplay with geranium (which is rosy in itself but somewhat more masculine than rose), sharp lemony citronella and the milkiness of sandalwood.

Perhaps it's just as well: Chanel got its most famous unsolicited endorsement through Marilyn (to the point that even rival brands today, such as Dior, try to gnaw on some of this Marilyn perfume legend) but the woman kept a secret as to her more private choice of fragrance, a tiny reflection of her inner maze. Or so it seems, at least for now.

Pic of Floris receipt via dailymail, pic of Marilyn putting on makeup via aranthasgourmetbeauty.com

Jennifer Love Hewitt Has Them Hooked from the Nose

“I carry McCormick’s Pure Vanilla — the baking kind — and dab it on my neck,” Jennifer Love Hewitt, the popular American actress and producer, tells Us Weekly. “Men are attracted to the scent! One time, I put it on and four different guys were like, ‘You smell amazing!’”

"Vanilla is the bronzer of the fragrance world. In large doses, it's overwhelming, but when used to subtler effect, it can be wonderfully sexy. [...] a great deal of what we associate with vanilla scent, in terms of perfume, is just an approximation, created in a lab, which is then usually wrapped around some other note (fruit, chocolate, musk) for a sickly, cavity-inducing effect. " writes Allure.

Vanilla cooking extract is really vanillin, not the richer, more treackly product of the vanilla pod (which is an orchid), but it has the intensely soft, cuddly scent of childhood. Could it be that the subliminal message is a child-like quality is most desirable? Or is it that triggering a happy time for most people is a feel good, win-win situation?

What Perfumes Does Karl Lagerfeld Keep in His Bathroom?

Peeking into celebrities' private lives has been the collective, flesh-eating story of our modern urban lives; there's simply no way of avoiding it and we've been conditioned to expect our daily dosage of carnage. To that end Karl Lagerfeld exposes his bathroom himself to Harper's Bazaar, photographic his Parisian apartment and his array of skincare and haircare (you'd expect the latter) comprising Creme de la Mer, Elseve, Kerastase, Dior, Shu Uemura and Klorane Dry Shampoo (an intriguing revelation is that he uses it to make his hair look whiter than it is!). But what fragrances does he keep beside the newspapers?

click to enlarge (via harper's bazaar)

On his counter I can spot two Serge Lutens bottles (my money is on either Sa Majeste la Rose, Douce Amere or Arabie), Guerlain Shalimar Parfum Initial as well as the classic Shalimar in the black limited edition bottle "Black Mystery", Balenciaga Paris, Chanel Les Exclusifs Eau de Cologne (this was made to his exigency, so it makes sense to always stock it and use it) or even more possibly No.22 since the name is short on the bottle, as well as Guerlain Cologne du 68 or alternatively his own Karleidoscope which shares a similar looking bottle. I also spot a silvery can of Jean Paul Gaultier fragrance on an upper shelf.

What? No KL fragrances?

Liv Tyler is one of us (Perfumista, that is!): Perfume Choices of the Famous

Liv Tyler has been careful to observe the contract she has with Givenchy re: their Very Irresistible advertising campaign, but she lets slip here and there some hints that maybe she's into more options than she lets on.

We had mentioned in the past how beautiful Liv likes to wear a fragrance to make herself identifiable with, but now it turns out she has had a collection since her teenager years. Her newest comments also hint at her ...disloyalty to her "assigned fragrance", if you read between the lines that is.

According to Movie NTDT the 34-year old actress, famous for her "Lord of the Rings" Arwen portrayal, still keeps the fragrance bottles she liked as a teenager and can't bring herself to throw any of them because of the memories of those times they trigger for her. "I have a collection of fragrances I've had since I was a teenager -I don't wear them, I just smell them for the memories. I wear Very irresistible -it's delicious- but I think it smells better on my grandmother. Every time I see her I say "You smell so good" and she says "Very Irresistible".

Ouch!

pic via lotr.wikia.com

Chris Evans: The Actor who Loves Fragrance

"It's not too classy what I was dousing myself with, but I always made sure I used something," the Captain America actor and currently, alongside actress Evan Rachel-Wood, face of Gucci Guilty reveals to People magazine. Though Chris Evans would of course endorse his current advertising stint for Gucci, it's cute to hear him say: "I like it. Thank god - wouldn't that be horrible if it smelled terrible?"

The actor is sincere on actually liking fragrance in general: He initially sported his father's colognes when he was a teenager and then began to use Polo Sport and various Abercrombie scents in his twenties.
 He even seems to be knowledgable regarding discreet fragrance application: "I give the little mist, then do the walk-through." [source]
Way to go, Chris!


Dear readers, if you don't fancy Captain America, do yourself a favour and catch Puncture with Chris Evans; that's a great movie and he was pretty great in it too.

Robert Pattinson's of Twilight Saga Favourite Fragrance

In this endless roller-coaster of what celebrities do and what they like, when said celebrities are not issuing a fragrance themselves, we're busy asking what perfume celebrities are wearing. In the case of Robert Pattinson, notably Edward in the Twilight films series, the question isn't exactly a simple one.

Reportedly the rising Brit star has a thing for the artistically crafted Serge Lutens line of fragrances with the conceptual rationale behind it. He rotates between them, taking care to completely empty one bottle of cologne before buing the next one. I guess he's a serial monogamist so to speak, in what regards perfume choice at least.

Changing Perfumes to Suit the Character

"I've always chosen different scents for different characters I've played," Kirsten Dunst explained to the British edition of Company magazine.

"In All Good Things I wore patchouli-based scents. At the moment it's Bulgari's Mon Jasmin Noir". (No wonder, she posed for it!) In the past she used to wear Blush by Marc Jacobs. One is curious to see whether her memorable turn as a child blood-sucker in "Interview with a Vampire" was accompanied by any specific fragrant choice!
Another actress who does the same is Kerry Washington: For "Ray" she wore rose oil. Otherwise her staple is Piguet's Fracas. Perfume does lend itself into helping you feel differently!

Fragrance Choices of the Famous...Again

When back in 2000 we first started putting out the fragrances chosen by the rich and famous (and several historical personages in the mix as well, including royalty) we had been compiling for years in what culminated into the Fragrances that Famous People Wear list, we had no idea this feature would be so popular. Now it seems magazines online pick up on our crumbles and the rest of the celebrity frag listers by mentioning these date for easy-lazy reportage. The latest article on the Daily Gossip is just that, picking alphabetically a handful of names to kickstart an article about fans who want to fashion themselves about their favourite stars. If your favourite star is between Adriana Lima and Dita von Teese, you might find some suggestions to at least inspire your next sampling spree.

Scent for a Royal Wedding: The Fragrance of Kate Middleton on her Happiest Day

Friday's royal wedding of Kate Middleton to Prince William raised several questions as to what the bride and groom chose for their attire and the ambience of their memorable day. Among those, perfume aficionados were extra curious to find out Kate Middleton's (or shall we say Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge) personal fragrance. We had discussed how Kate used to enjoy Dune by Christian Dior in her student days before, a fragrance choice that showcased her special style and discerning taste. And hundreds of companies were clamoring for her attention. Floris went as far as creating a scent called Wedding Bouquet: "Created exclusively to celebrate the marriage of Prince William to Miss Catherine Middleton, Wedding Bouquet draws inspiration from the most acclaimed Floris wedding fragrances of the past whilst introducing a modern twist using a white flower theme." And so did Grossmith with Bethrothal, as we reported previously on these pages.

But for her special day Catherine Middleton chose White Gardenia Petals by Illuminum, a quite recent release, according to Michael Donovan of Illuminum's PR Company. The fragrance is described "As fragrant as a bouquet of white flowers, quivering in the gentle April breeze, this is a delicate and nuanced scent. The top note of stately gardenia evokes classicism, whilst heart notes of ylang ylang, muguet and jasmine bring a trio of frivolous white flowers into play. Amber wood underscores this light, fresh bouquet, adding depth and deep rooted tradition." It is available at Roullier White.

For the decoration and scenting of the Westminster Abbey and the guests' and VIP bathrooms, the PR team from Jo Malone informs me that they went with their room fragrances & candles (Orange Blossom, Grapefruit and the perennial favourite Lime, Basil & Mandarin)

.

Perfume Choices of the Famous: Liv Tyler

According to reportage, the stunning actress - for some years now an ambassadress for Givenchy and the face of the new fragrance Very Irresistible L'Intense - says "she doesn't like to change her fragrance as she wants people to recognise her smell but hates it when the scent is too much".

She's quoted as saying: "I like having one perfume that I wear all the time, so it becomes part of you. When someone remembers your scent, it's incredible. I don't like it when you first spray on a fragrance. It's nice when you've put it on in the morning, then in the evening, you can subtly smell it." [source]
Of course she's quick to point out that the newest Givenchy is her favourite. As if she wouldn't. Doesn't really matter: Liv is lovely whatever she wears.

Doutzen Kroes Loves Perfume but doesn't Pick it Herself

Doutzen Kroes obviously wants to smell sweet for her man. In a short article in The Belfast Telegraph, the Dutch model and Victoria’s Secret Angel who wed DJ Sunnery James in November last year, reveals that she often asks his opinion when it comes to choosing her clothes, hair style and make-up looks (Somehow I find this a bit hard to believe for a model, at least regarding hair cut and colour). Sunnery is particularly good at picking up scents, she reveals, so Doutzen is glad to oblige. “I asked my husband to choose a fragrance that he loves on me, as I obviously want to smell good for him,” she laughed.

Doutzen also adds she rarely leaves home without a bottle of fragrance in her bag, as she likes to spritz herself with it throughout the day (Perfume Police are you listening?), while her other perennials are her favourite mascara (L'Oréal Telescopic we're told) and lipstick, as well as her iPod.

What about you? Do you indulge a beloved one or are you 100% firm in your stance to pick only what you like yourself?

photo of Doutzen Kroes by Mario Testino via christinaiak blog

Kate Beckinsale Shops for Scents at Frederic Malle

The fickle world of celebrities sustains its course into having us breakdown their fragrant choices. This time courtesy of Angela Buttolph at Grazia Daily who snaps Kate Beckinsale on a shopping romp for Christmas gifts at the F.Malle counter at Barneys, Los Angeles, decked in her black leggings, her pensive gaze captured for eternity as she sniffs candles in the characteristic red shade canisters of the Home Collection. (Might I also add that it's refreshing to see normal-size thighs on a celebrity instead of sticks?) But much more important in my opinion is the enthusiasm that Angela instils in the piece, as she recounts her own exploration of the Malle line instead, in what transpires as a rite of passage for a fumehead: "Beauty insiders will have been nodding approvingly knowing that Beckinsale has exquisite taste, because those candles aren’t just any candles; they’re candles from the sexiest perfume label on the planet – Frédéric Malle. So look away now if you are a perfume obsessive or have any kind of addiction issues, or have access to a credit card…because I can tell you from personal experience that Malle’s fragrances are more addictive than crack cocaine (and just as pricey a habit)."
With poetic references to her favourites, Une Rose (the classic earthy rose in the collection before Portrait of a Lady busted into the scene this season) and En Passant, it's worth a read for anyone who identifies with discovering fragrances that speak to one's soul. What did Kate buy in the end? Who cares...

photo of Kate Beckinsale shopping at Barneys via OhhLaLook

"You could smell him coming a mile off"

"When Diddy hit Blighty for an extraordinary seven-hour booze bender" begins the article on the Mirror.co.uk which talks about how Puff Diddy played the diva (deus?) game the other night in London and stayed awake not to miss anything. But what's more impressive is how he had perfume henchmen spraying his "Unforgiven" fragrance all around, so people could smell him coming a mile off, according to one attendee "but you could hardly see him under all that mist from the perfume". Argh, argh....
"The megastar rapper transformed into Diva Diddy and was followed around by personal perfume sprayers who squirted his Sean John fragrance every 20 minutes. But clubbers were choking with laughter at one of the exclusive bars graced by the 40-year-old, when the DJ who was spinning his tracks started gagging after too much scent came his way. But not to worry, Diddy had someone acting as a walking coathanger there to waft it away"

"When You’re Young, you Don’t Really Understand the Idea of Less is More"

There is a peculiar sense of style running with Ann Hatahaway it seems. According to My Fashion Life the 26-year-old actress is so brand-loyal/icon-impressed she even opts for things she doesn't really, really like!

“I will always love Chanel and I am completely irrational when it comes to their clothes. I will see a dress and not like it but when I hear it’s Chanel, I suddenly have to have it.” This apparently has earned her a place on the Best Dressed List recently, although one has to wonder: if you don't actively like what you're wearing does that make you stylish? She has also been famously known to opt for Maresha, Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana, Nina Ricci, and Marc Jacobs among others. Ann reverts to simpler fashions for everyday life, following the lead of Kate Winslet.
Could fragrances be far behind, we wondered? According to our Celebrity List not, since Ann seems to have been opting for Chanel's Chance for some while now. Is it because she likes it as much or is it because it's Chanel? Therein lies the question (with many others too I bet), still her fragrant reminiscences are interesting: “I remember being given my first fragrance when I was 12. It was a peach body spray and when you’re young, you don’t really understand the idea of less is more. Now, as the face of Lancome’s Magnifique I have to say that it’s one of my favourite scents. I love the smell of fresh roses.”
What happened to Les Exclusifs to which I am sure she has free access along with her Chanel gowns? I will ascribe this one to a diplomatic reply.

Pic of Ann Hathaway in Chanel look from the film The Devil Wears Prada via replicasreview.com

What perfume does Michelle Obama wear?

In an article by Roxana Sarmiento on Stylelist.com the elusive answer to many people's question as to what the current First Lady in the White House, Michelle Obama, chooses to wear as a personal fragrance is answered. The reporter credits The Financial Times with the info scoop and goes on to say:

"What's interesting is that she bought the fragrances based on scent alone (the bottles are identical) yet the names of the fragrances say a lot about her. Which did she choose? Noble, Divine, and Delicate (which is currently sold out). Sounds perfect for a First Lady, don't you think?"

The scents are created under the brand Boedicea the Victorious, a name which is a throwback to epic-making Celtic figures in the UK's history of fight against the Romans.
Noble ("en exotic calling card") is encompassing bergamot, rose, vanilla and patchouli. Divine takes jasmine as the core and calls us to "breathe in the ripeness of this fecund and sweet flower" garlanded with aldehydes, mandarin, styrax and sandalwood. Delicate is considered "a delightfull old fashioned quintessential British scent that is destined to be a cult classic" and is exploring the olfactory landscapes of fields of bluebells, hyacinths, rose, lily and jasmine underscored by galbanum and the spicy caravan of clove and cinnamon.

All in all, mrs Obama has chosen a true fragrance wardrobe, something for every mood!

According to Harrod's who carries the UK-exclusive brand (along with Selfridge's): "Prepare to be seduced by Boadicea The Victorious. Historically inspired, this brand takes its name from its muse, Queen Boadicea of the Iceni, who led her people to a glorious war against the Romans. The result? A range of scents which evoke and celebrate feminine strength with an urban edge - ideal for the modern warrioress. Renowned stylist Michael Boadi, in partnership with a royal English perfumer, using only the purest scents". [sic]

You can see the whole line on the Boadicea the Victorious site.