Monthly Archives from March 2006

October 2006 Archive

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October 2, 2006



Perfume Review & Musings: Dzongkha by L'Artisan Parfumeur

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Dzongkha is a Bhutanese word meaning the Bhutanese language and is the name given to one of the two latest L'Artisan Parfumeur creations, the other being Fleur de Narcisse. Dzongkha was composed by Bertrand Duchaufour and is a reflection of the nose's impressions while visiting the Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan located between China and India. Duchaufour also created Timbuktu, Méchant Loup, Patchouli Patch, and Piment & Poivre from the same house. Dzongkha is the third fragrance issued in the L'Artisan travel series.

Dzongkha is an exotic leather scent further described as a woody chypre and contains the notes of lichee, peony, cardamom, Chai, incense, cedar, vetiver, spices, Indian papyrus, iris, and leather...

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The 5th Sense in the News: JAR, Scents of the 70s, Covert Perfume Protest for the Love of Kate Spade, Sarah Jessica Parker Caught Red-Handed in Paris, L'Occitane & the Blind, At Least One of the 15 Das Parfum Fragrances Will Surely Be Yours

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The Cult Of JAR; Why selling $600,000 jewels is a little like selling Cabbage Patch dolls.

Forbes 

An interesting biographical article about Joel A. Rosenthal, jeweller and perfumer extraordinaire.

 
Scents of the Seventies return as shoppers splash out on nostalgia

The Independent

The come backs of Brut, Old Spice, Charlie's, Maxi, Hi Karate and others... 

 

Continue reading "The 5th Sense in the News: JAR, Scents of the 70s, Covert Perfume Protest for the Love of Kate Spade, Sarah Jessica Parker Caught Red-Handed in Paris, L'Occitane & the Blind, At Least One of the 15 Das Parfum Fragrances Will Surely Be Yours" »

October 3, 2006

Fragrance News: West Side by Bond no 9

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The newest creation by the house of Bond no 9 is set to launch on November 1st 2006 and is called West Side. Like the other fragrances in the collection of the New York perfume house, now part of a catalogue of 27 fragrances, it is inspired by the spirit of a New York City neighborhood or, sometimes also, as in the cases of Fire Island and Hamptons, by that of a nearby region much frequented and loved by New Yorkers.

West Side is seen as embodying the musical beat of New York City and is described as "...an ultra-melodious eau de parfum that finds the scent equivalent for the sounds of music in its full-bodied, mellow composition, its undulating rhythms, its harmonies, its pitch—and yes, its notes.  Whether they’re high or low, dark or light, sweet or sharp—notes are what music and fragrance are both about"...

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October 4, 2006

The 5th Sense in the News: Great Article on the 15 Das Parfum fragrances by Thierry Mugler

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There is a detailed article by Isabelle Cerboneschi in Le Temps about the perfumery work that went into the creation of the Das Parfum collection of 15 fragrances by Thierry Mugler based on Perfume, The History of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind. The piece also contains an interview of Christophe Laudamiel (Lauder Youth Dew Amber Nude, Kors Island...), one of the two perfumers who interpreted the novel's olfactory descriptions, together with Christophe Hornetz...


Continue reading "The 5th Sense in the News: Great Article on the 15 Das Parfum fragrances by Thierry Mugler" »

October 5, 2006

Fragrance News: More on Aura by Thierry Mugler

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I wanted to call your attention again to the semi-official news that Aura, the virgins' perfume in Das Parfum, will be commercialized on a wider scale, probably next year. I also wanted to add further information about the conception of the perfume other than the one I presented in my post yesterday.

Christophe Laudamiel has explained that together with Christophe Hornetz they sought to compose a perfume that would offer perfect equilibrium between the different ingredients used. It was conceived of as a perfume in which you would not be able to distinguish the different elements going into the composition, but that you could wear with all other existing perfumes...


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New Perfumes & New Line: After My Own Heart, Balmy Days & Sundays, Chemical Bonding, & Derring-Do by Ineke

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The Ineke perfume house made its debut this fall introducing a line of four fragrances created by its owner and nose Ineke Rühland, a San Francisco based classically trained perfumer in the French school tradition (ISIPCA and Grasse). Her eponymous line comprises After My Own Heart, Balmy Days & Sundays, Chemical Bonding, and Derring-Do, the latter being labeled as a men's fragrance. To each perfume corresponds a letter of the alphabet...


Continue reading "New Perfumes & New Line: After My Own Heart, Balmy Days & Sundays, Chemical Bonding, & Derring-Do by Ineke " »

October 6, 2006

Fragrance News: Further Information on The Coffret Collector by Thierry Mugler

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No, we are not obsessed, we are just being thorough and systematic....The website dedicated to Das Parfum by Thierry Mugler contains interesting information and descriptions in French and German of the 15 perfumes inspired by the novel. We learn, for example, that Christophe Hornetz and Christophe Laudamiel had been working on recreating some of the olfactory visions of Süskind in their spare time, as hobbies, prior to moving on to the official project.

The limited edition sets are now sold out on the French and German sites but they will launch in the US in the middle of next month and the coffrets will be shipped in December. According to Thierry Mugler Parfums, only 380 sets out of the 1500 existing ones were put aside for retail at the international level...


Continue reading "Fragrance News: Further Information on The Coffret Collector by Thierry Mugler" »

October 7, 2006

New Perfume: Black Orchid by Tom Ford

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The latest fragrance by Tom Ford, Black Orchid, is now available for pre-order at Neiman Marcus. Orders are expected to ship no later than November 1st 2006.

Top notes are black truffle, ylang ylang, bergamot and blackcurrant. Heart notes are mysteriously said to be composed of "...dark, tempting Florals and rich Fruit Accords. The heart is deepened with the intoxicating Lotus Wood"; apparently this is where the secret ingredients lie. Base notes are described as being composed of "...Patchouli, Incense and Vetiver. Vanilla Tears add a fluid creaminess to warm Balsam and smooth Sandalwood"...


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October 9, 2006

Fragrant Shopping: Aromatic Cinnamon Bark Boxes From Vietnam

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I was offered some time ago a wonderful fragrant present. Quê is the name for cinnamon in Vietnamese and in this case it designates boxes handcrafted out of cinnamon bark from the cassia tree. These scented boxes, I was told, are popularly used as tea boxes so that the sweet, spicy, and woody aroma of cinnamon will penetrate the tea leaves left there to macerate in protected obscurity....

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New Perfume: Encre Noire by Lalique

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Lalique has issued its fourth men's fragrance called Encre Noire (Black Ink). It was created by Nathalie Lorson of Firmenich and comes after three previously launched prestige fragrances: Le Lion (1997), Le Faune (2000), and Equus (2001).

The new perfume is described as having a marked woody character. It makes use of two different types of vetiver: Bourbon vetiver which is warm, rich, and offers leathery accents and Haitian vetiver which is mysterious, smoky, and almost dirt-like. These notes are introduced by a cypress note in the head notes. Base notes are composed of Cashmerean wood and musks...

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October 10, 2006

New Perfume: Paprika Brasil by Hermès

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The Hermessence collection of olfactory poems now includes a sixth opus by the in-house perfumer, Jean Claude Ellena. It was inspired by Brazil wood or ember wood and the work of French anthropologist Lévi-Strauss, Tristes Tropiques. It was conceived of as a unisex fragrance.

Top notes are pimento, clove, paprika. Heart notes are iris, green leaves. Base notes are reseda, ember wood, woody notes.

The perfume is exclusively sold in Hermès boutiques. 

Source: Ozmoz 

Fragrant Reading: The Smelling Committee of 1891

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Notcot, one of my favorite design catalogues, ran a piece recently about a Smelling Committee that was set up in 1891 to investigate the olfactory identity of Brooklyn. This makes for a delightful and interesting read. Article is by Caitlin Berrigan and tells us also about the recent reenactment of that initial experience which took place, anew in the Brooklyn neighborhoods, in September 2006...


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Scented Thoughts: On Chandler Burr's Take on Dzing! by L'Artisan Parfumeur

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I just went reading Chandler Burr's latest reviews of three fragrances in the New York Times: Puissance 2 Jean Paul Gaultier, Dzing! L'Artisan Parfumeur, and B*Men by Thierry Mugler. In it, the author develops the idea that these perfumes are to some extent reflections of a range of olfactory notes found in construction works. They all get 3 stars for succeeding in doing that.

I can only speak for Dzing! to say that I think it deserves better than a 3 star rating, even if that translates into meaning "breathtaking" by NYT standards. I feel that the originality of the fragrance is not properly recognized in this article as it is reduced to a flattening realistic interpretation of its personality. Chandler Burr is saying, in other words, that he smelled those notes before on the street around construction workers, hey, no big deal. "L’Artisan Parfumeur’s Dzing!, a unisex fragrance created by Olivia Giacobetti, the author of Diptyque’s popular Philosykos, is similar to the scent that daily bathes the urban hard hat, with his hammer and nails. I bet this guy never thinks about this complex scent, and I bet he would recognize it instantly". Does that do justice to Olivia Giaocobetti's imagination, originality again, and artistic risk-taking? I think not....

They don't know yet that they are wearing Dzing! by L'Artisan Parfumeur but they will soon, when they open the New York Times....

 

 

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October 11, 2006

Blog Correspondence {Ask Marie-Helene}

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Dear Readers,

I just wanted to thank the readers who have sent me letters requesting fragrance advice and would like to take this opportunity to ask them to be patient. You messages are very important to me as I am sure they will be to others. I will answer them as soon as I can.

Best,
Marie-Helene 

Photo is of a correspondence written between two young men in the 1860s and taken by Muffet

New Perfumes: Un Parfum D'Ailleurs et Fleurs, Un Parfum Des Sens et Bois, & Un Parfum de Charme et Feuilles by The Different Company

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The Different Company has released a new trilogy of perfumes inspired by the visions of three different gardens. They are called Un Parfum D'Ailleurs et Fleurs (A Perfume of Elsewhere and Flowers), Un Parfum Des Sens et Bois (A Perfume of the Senses and Wood) Un Parfum de Charme et Feuilles (A Perfume of Charm and Leaves). They were composed by Céline Ellena who says that she "writes using aromas to further move into the abstract and the immaterial". She is also the author of Jasmin de Nuit, Sel de Vétiver, and Rose Divine...


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October 2006 Archive

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