The Scented Salamander: Perfume & Beauty Blog & Webzine: November 2007

November 2007 Archive

Page 4 of 7 • 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

November 18, 2007

The Quest for The Civet Oil {Ask Marie-Helene & the Readers}

When wearing civet cat fur was in (1925). One wonders how civet cat pelt smells like?

I received a little while back a query from Peter about a mysterious civet oil bottle. I answered as best I could - happening on an interesting thread while doing so - but thought that readers in the US especially might add more information. Here is his letter,

"Hi,

Back in the early to mid 1970's, I was given a rather small bottle of
civet oil. It was black and I believe dimpled in the center and a
small screw on cap with an applicator wand, could you tell me who
made that fragrance?

Thank you.
Peter, Block Island, Rhode Island."..........

Continue reading "The Quest for The Civet Oil {Ask Marie-Helene & the Readers}" »

Posted by Marie-Helene Wagner | Permalink | Comments (10)

Digg This Stumble Facebook Del.icio.us

November 19, 2007

Marlene Dietrich Parfums Grès Collection: More Info on the Cult of the Dead {New Perfumes} {Scented Images}

We previously reported on the new collection by Grès which features a trio of perfumes dedicated to the memory of Marlene Dietrich. They illustrate yet another sub-category of celebs fragrances (see also WAGs' fragrances), the posthumous celebrity fragrances, also an angle explored by the new Dior Passage collection which combines homages to living and dead celebrities.

If we were wondering whether perfume has become completely separated from its religious roots, the answer would be a resounding "no". Just like incense used to be burned to deities and unfurl in the sky to communicate with the divine in ancient times, perfume flacons are now more than ever being filled with juices that waft more or less subtly towards a pantheon of celebrities who have passed away.......

Continue reading "Marlene Dietrich Parfums Grès Collection: More Info on the Cult of the Dead {New Perfumes} {Scented Images}" »

Posted by Marie-Helene Wagner | Permalink | Comments (0)

Digg This Stumble Facebook Del.icio.us

Scented Quote of the Day, from Arcadi Boix Camps: {Updated}

Creation of the world and expulsion from paradise Giovanni di Paolo.jpg

The Creation of the World and the Expulsion from Paradise, Giovanni di Paolo, 1445, The Met

If you thought one could not wax lyrical after knowing one was smelling a fabricated perfume molecule, think again. Perfumer Arcadi Boix Camps from Auram Art & Perfume is stunned by the beauty of Paradisone and tells us about his unconditional love and admiration for it,

"Paradisone is one of the most unbelievable and radiant molecules I have ever smelled, even more so than the wonderful Helvetolide (Firmenich). It is pure vibration, a storm of delicacy and diffusion.[....]

"One smelling strip of Paradisone in a 70-m2 room diffuses the space with the angelic aromas of one million flowers. Again, as a perfumer, I must publicly say thank you to the chemists, because Paradisone's synthesis was among chemistry's miracles along with racemic, laevo and dextro Ambrox.......

Continue reading "Scented Quote of the Day, from Arcadi Boix Camps: {Updated}" »

Posted by Marie-Helene Wagner | Permalink | Comments (0)

Digg This Stumble Facebook Del.icio.us

TV Spot for Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue pour Homme {Scented Images} {Men's Cologne}

After reading that Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue pour Homme contains the much celebrated Paradisone, we happened on the TV spot for the perfume featuring model David Gandy (see advert). A certain idea of paradise, we are sure, for many people. Did you notice how blue that water is?

Posted by Marie-Helene Wagner | Permalink | Comments (0)

Digg This Stumble Facebook Del.icio.us

Escada S by Escada {New Perfume} {Scented Images}

Escada has introduced a new women's perfume simply called Escada S. It is billed as a major launch and reportedly destined to become iconic of the brand. Escada has set up a website showcasing the new fragrance complete with commercials and the making-of these. The model is Sophie Vlaming.......

Continue reading "Escada S by Escada {New Perfume} {Scented Images}" »

Posted by Marie-Helene Wagner | Permalink | Comments (0)

Digg This Stumble Facebook Del.icio.us

OK & Bad Phthalates: New Reports {Fragrance News}

"Hitting back against claims that diethyl phthalate (DEP) poses serious health risks, the Fragrance Materials Association (FMA) declared the commonly used perfume ingredient safe.

In September, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) warned consumers to avoid exposure to the phthalate, which helps fragrances linger after application, citing animal studies indicating that it affects growth and food consumption.......

Continue reading "OK & Bad Phthalates: New Reports {Fragrance News}" »

Posted by Marie-Helene Wagner | Permalink | Comments (1)

Digg This Stumble Facebook Del.icio.us

Petite Amande by Mungo & Maud: A Fragrance for Dogs & Humans too {New Perfume}

Petite Amande Mungo & Maud.jpg

If the dog-friendly perfume creation trend continues to develop we will need to inaugurate a dog-perfume section on this blog; the latest brand to enter the arena of caninophile fragrances is Mungo & Maud , London-based self-described "dog and cat outfitters", with a scent called Petite Amande (Little Almond), which is meant to be worn by both dogs and human beings. It was created by perfumer Lyn Harris of Miller Harris......

Continue reading "Petite Amande by Mungo & Maud: A Fragrance for Dogs & Humans too {New Perfume}" »

Posted by Marie-Helene Wagner | Permalink | Comments (0)

Digg This Stumble Facebook Del.icio.us

White Musk for Men by The Body Shop {Perfume Short (Review)} {New Fragrance} {Men's Cologne}

40 Coupe Salt Flat Racer David Perry.jpg

40 Coupe Salt Flat Racer by David Perry

The Body Shop introduced this fall a novel masculine version of its bestseller White Musk initially launched more than a quarter of a century ago in 1981. It is called White Musk for Men. The composition is signed by perfumer Evelyne Boulanger who also did L'Artisan Patchouli Patch, Zagorsk, Jaisalmer in the Comme des Garçons Incense Series as well as Carnation in the Red Series, amongst others.

The fragrance was designed to smell more virile thanks to the addition of pronounced dry woody notes conjuring up the evocation of fast and hard driving in a scorched desert atmosphere.....

Continue reading "White Musk for Men by The Body Shop {Perfume Short (Review)} {New Fragrance} {Men's Cologne}" »

Posted by Marie-Helene Wagner | Permalink | Comments (2)

Digg This Stumble Facebook Del.icio.us

November 20, 2007

It Smells Like Brooklyn {Fragrant Reading}

No, this is not a Bond No. 9. A neurologist is fascinated by the impact scent has on memory and a family-based enterprise delivers the essence(s) of Brooklyn in a creation called Eau de Brooklyn. People tell how it reminds them of places they have visited, of smaller areas within the neighborhood......

Continue reading "It Smells Like Brooklyn {Fragrant Reading}" »

Posted by Marie-Helene Wagner | Permalink | Comments (0)

Digg This Stumble Facebook Del.icio.us

Dog Perfumes & Cool Art are So Uncool: A Rant {Fragrant Reading}

chien parfum.bmp

Michele Hanson abhors the new high-profile doggie perfume trend (see previous post) as well as the kind of art best described by her as "Bleak Art Events I Have Known - the bare stone walls, installations, statements, the odd mattress, pair of tights, penis-nosed mannequins. The chaps who deliberately hadn't explained their works, wanting to be enigmatic - a clever trick if one has created a load of old cobblers." What do they have in common? Apparently they are totally irrelevant.......

(Cartoon from humour.com)

Cartoon by Tony Husband

Continue reading "Dog Perfumes & Cool Art are So Uncool: A Rant {Fragrant Reading}" »

Posted by Marie-Helene Wagner | Permalink | Comments (0)

Digg This Stumble Facebook Del.icio.us

Fleur d'Oranger 2007 by L'Artisan Parfumeur: On Agricultural Values in Perfumery {Perfume Short (Review)} {Scented Thoughts} {New Fragrance}

Orange Blossom absolute

Some people remark that wine enjoys a status unparalleled by perfume despite the wide acceptance of the latter as an object of luxury. What is missing? First there is the suspicion that all that is contained in a bottle of perfume is not equally valuable: rare materials mixed with cheaper ones to offset the costs of producing a fragrance; the small percentage of "jus" that actually makes up the perfume, the rest being a much more common carrier. Finally and most importantly, it may be that what is touched by the hand of man, a little too much, deprives perfume of the natural nobility ascribed to the rich, unpredictable, and finally tamed products of the earth in traditional agricultural societies.......

Continue reading "Fleur d'Oranger 2007 by L'Artisan Parfumeur: On Agricultural Values in Perfumery {Perfume Short (Review)} {Scented Thoughts} {New Fragrance}" »

Posted by Marie-Helene Wagner | Permalink | Comments (0)

Digg This Stumble Facebook Del.icio.us

November 21, 2007

Perfume Advice From The Noses: Yay for Drugstore Fragrances & Nay for Body Chemistry {Fragrant Reading} {Scented Thoughts}

Coty Bottles.jpg

Three young perfumers from Drom, Pierre Constantin-Guéros, Valérie Garnuch-Mentzel, and Dephine Jelk offer liberal advice on dos and donts to perfume afcionados and attempt to debunk a few myths in passing. Guéros for example advises to overlook the shape of the perfume bottle and says, “You’d be surprised to know that a lot of drugstore perfume companies spend more on the juice,”. He does not believe in the alleged all-transforming power of each individual's body chemistry either,

“Unless you eat very spicy food all the time, your body chemistry won’t change a fragrance,” explains Guéros. “That’s a bit of a myth—you’d have to have a trained nose to be able to distinguish how a scent smells differently on two people.”........

Continue reading "Perfume Advice From The Noses: Yay for Drugstore Fragrances & Nay for Body Chemistry {Fragrant Reading} {Scented Thoughts}" »

Posted by Marie-Helene Wagner | Permalink | Comments (7)

Digg This Stumble Facebook Del.icio.us

Steffen Schraut Eau de Parfum by Steffen Schraut {New Perfume} {Fragrant Reading}

German fashion designer Steffen Schraut launched a new, eponymous fragrance for women called Steffen Schraut Eau de Parfum. It was developed by the M M Fragrance group based in Düsseldorf and in particular by nose Frank Rittler. You can read an interview of his here.

The perfume boasts a rich floral composition incorporating "about 120 natural essences".......

Continue reading "Steffen Schraut Eau de Parfum by Steffen Schraut {New Perfume} {Fragrant Reading}" »

Posted by Marie-Helene Wagner | Permalink | Comments (1)

Digg This Stumble Facebook Del.icio.us

Dior Is Targeting iPhone {Fragrance News}

Dior wants to retain an innovative image - 2008 Cruise Collection by Galliano

Director of Dior CRM, Internet, and Media Nathalie Lemonnier has announced that the luxury brand will transfer the format of the mini site Midnight-Poison.com onto that of the iPhone on November 29th 2007, the day iPhone will be launched in France......

Continue reading "Dior Is Targeting iPhone {Fragrance News}" »

Posted by Marie-Helene Wagner | Permalink | Comments (1)

Digg This Stumble Facebook Del.icio.us