Bond No. 9 Andy Warhol Union Square (2008) {Perfume Review} {New Fragrance} {Celebrity Perfume}
Andy Warhol exclaimed one day,"My favorite smell is the first smell of spring in New York".With that, Union Square the latest Bond No. 9in the Andy Warhol collection starts like a fresh spring bouquet redolent with visions of flowers colored like pastel Easter eggs and then puts on a light creamy white Chinchilla wrap around its shoulders to assuage the chill of too much sappiness too early. The textile of this impression weaves discreet floral motifs intertwined with soft green grassy accents.
Union Square, despite the psychedelic colorings of the Flower silkscreen paintings by Andy Warhol, which inspired it and which are reproduced on the bottles in all of their 10 glorious colorful variations is an ode sung to softness and restraint, perhaps timidity even, an unexpected interpretation of the universe of an artist known for its eccentricity and use of arresting colors and volumes.
But the truth is that Warhol’s favorite scent is known to have been that of the violet, whose characteristic delicacy reveals another side of Warhol, the shy one. If we look at it from that angle, the bottle becomes Warhol’s outer persona while the perfume itself or “jus” as it is sometimes called in the industry offers a glimpse into his interiority......
Halle Berry To Launch Fragrance with Coty: The Rise of The Ethnic Factor in Fragrance & Beauty Marketing {Fragrance News} {Celebrity Perfume} {Trend Alert}
Coty have announced that they will launch a signature perfume fronted and developed by Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry in the spring of 2009.
Not only is this news a consolidation of the celebrity perfume trend, but even more significantly perhaps it also shows how fragrance and beauty brands are reaching out to women from minority communities (see recent news about Shakira) with the more recent inclusions of women with African-American ancestry in the stables of celebrities that sell perfumes (see Avon Imari with Jennifer Hudson, Armani Diamonds with Beyoncé Knowles and the projected scent by Tom Ford fronted by Erykah Badu, still to be confirmed). Even pionneer of the new generation of celebrity fragrances in the 21st century JLo has picked up on this trend by accentuating the importance of her Hispanic heritage with her latest fragrance named with a Spanish name, Deseo, a facet of her perfumes that had not been explicitly stressed before.....
Article on L'Osmothèque in the NYT {The 5th Sense in the News}
There is an interesting reportage in the New York Times by Chandler Burr about a visit he made to the Versailles-based conservatory of perfumes, L'Osmothèque in L'Heir du Temps (some perfume lovers assuredly would prefer to insert the term "pilgrimage" here).
We learn that Jean Kerléo its director was motivated to found it because as a young perfumer he experienced constant frustration over the fact that more senior perfumers would repeatedly tell him that so-and-so accord he had created had been done better or more beautifully in a previous, disappeared perfume (great perfumers are humble).....
Parfumerie Générale has a new perfume titled PG 19Louanges Profanes (Profane Encomia). It is described as an "immaculate, pure, and luminous oriental", the equivalent of "... an olfactive prayer written with the ink of six religious symbols"....
Mona di Orio new Amyitis fragrance is so concentrated on the central and deep idea of freshness - one realizes after a while - quieted down by a more fluid and liquid sensation of shadowed coolness that it will need the full context of summer to reveal all of its character. For now, one can just will mentally that it is Summer, abstract from the distractive surrounding February New England snow that feels like it missed the train and arrived late, imagine that the air is sweltering and then sip in through the nostrils a whiff of Amyitis to measure abstractly its meant contextual impact.
Doing this is experiencing in imagination the age-old thirst for freshness of people who have crossed the desert repeating itself once more as in a ritual. These travelers seemingly without transition step out of the stony mineral sand sea behind them to enter a lush green garden, the dust of the journey still covering their leathery sandals as suggested in reverse in the perfume by the passage from green notes to slightly dusty ones....
An imaginary depiction of the gardens of Babylon by Maarten van Heemskerck in the 16th century.
25th Anniversary of Tova Signature Fragrance {Perfume News}
Tova Borgnine is fêting the 25th anniversary of her most famous fragrance Tova Signature, which is a scent all about "clean sensuality", with a new website filled with historical archival material. Since its introduction, reportedly more than 10 millions flacons have been sold. The perfume has been nominated for the 2008 Fifi Awards Hall of Fame...
Thierry Mugler is freshening up this spring with a spring and summer limited edition of Alien called Alien Eau Luminescente, which should attract the attention of lovers of light and fresh amber-y florals. The gorgeous packaging is inspired by the semi-precious stone Topaz "withenergizing properties". The perfume was composed by Dominique Ropion, the author of the original Alien....
Mistinguette bracelet with an Hortensia and pink pepper bouquet
Aquarelle is a chain of florist shops in France which succeeds in maintaining an artisan flair. In fact, I just discovered they were a chain as I always thought of them as my neighborhood independent florist. The big wide-open store rue de Buci is charming with its heavy wooden beams and their flower compositions which overflow onto stands on the sidewalk immediately catch your eye with their creative details. Actress Jane Birkin is a fan and can be sighted there regularly....
Apparel brand Guess which has now been renamed Guess By Marciano in the year of its 27th anniversary is preparing to introduce a new women's fragrance in March of 2008 called Guess by Marciano Eau de Parfum....
Au Nom de la Rose Femme & Homme (2008) {New Fragrances} {Rose Notebook}
French Florist brand Au Nom de la Rose (In the Name of the Rose) have introduced two debut personal fragrances for women and men which pay homage to the queen of the flowers, rose. The scents are called Au Nom de la Rose Femme and Au Nom de la Rose Homme The brand say that they had been dreaming for years of creating a line of beauty products based on rose and now this dream has become a reality.
Au Nom de la Rose Femme is described as being both simple and refined like the flower itself and mixes classicism and originality....
Here is a PR release from the New York Cosmetic, Skin and Laser Surgey Center with some interesting details in it regarding standard cosmetic procedures stars go through to get ready for their big event on Oscar night and counter-act the scrutiny of HD TV viewers. Following our post yesterday about Plasticopedia, it just makes you realize further how beauty is a highly professionalized business for red-carpet attendees. Botox in the armpits to prevent you from perspiring and spoiling your couture gown? Interesting.
Dr. Rokhsar is a specialist of non-invasive surgery techniques, including the 15 mn non-surgical nose job (he uses injections of a filler substance called Radiesse, a calcium substance very close to the type found in our bones and teeth).
New York, NY (February 26, 2008) – Long before the crash diets and extreme workout plans go into effect, Hollywood’s hottest stars are planning out their beauty regimens – right down to the minute they walk the red carpet! Aside from typical hair, makeup and shapewear, movie stars are known for “cheating” their way to perfect skin, plump lips, and smooth-as-silk foreheads with the latest cosmetic procedures offered by Dr. Cameron Rokhsar, a Board-Certified Dermatologic Surgeon practicing in the posh Upper East Side of New York City.
According to Dr. Rokhsar, “Hollywood has most of Americans fooled. They tell reporters things like ‘Oh, I just do yoga and pilates and drink lots of water!’ when they really have meticulous schedules set months in advance of awards season to guarantee they will look flawless on the big night.” Dr. Rokhsar explains both the quick fixes and the long-term planning that goes on leading up to the Oscars – the biggest night in Tinsel Town:...
Yves Saint Laurent Paris Pont des Amours (2008) {New Fragrance}
Bridges in Paris are places where lovers stop to kiss shielded away from the traffic and able to feel the natural life of the city courses through their consciousnesses as they catch sights of the Seine flowing on (actually and more truthfully lovers stop traffic in Paris if they need to kiss). Yves Saint Laurent each year proposes a new limited-edition twist on its classic rose and violet fragrance Paris. This spring, from March the 3rd 2008, you will be able to discover Paris Pont des Amours (Paris: Bridge of Loves)....
Indult C 16: A Whiff of Musk from the Past (2008) {New Fragrance}
Indult, a Paris-based perfumer house which was inaugurated last year is releasing its fourth fragrance after Manakara, Isvaraya, and Tihota in an even more limited-edition format: C 16 will be available in only 213 bottles.
The perfume was created by Francis Kurkdjian and is a recreation of, among other things, Tonkin musk or Chinese musk which was deemed to be the best kind in the past. It is still possible to come by real Tonkin musk today but its use as an infused ingredient in perfumery is very rare and marginal.
C 16 is exclusive to Colette in Paris and should be available from March 2008. (cf. Colette Newsletter)
Hilarious Axe Ad {Perfume Adverts & Scented Images}
Here is a look at a hilarious over-the-top ad for Axe Body Spray, the new perfume sociological phenomenon that enraptures male teenagers and young adult men. Looking at these images and other Axe ads makes you realize that the creative advertising campaigns are key to the success of this product. If you're easily shocked, don't watch!
Gaping At Celebrities: Plasticopedia {Beauty Notes}
Chronology of Paris Hilton's nose jobs
The question is: did they have plastic surgery, yes or no? In a voyeuristic society that is practicing the sport of intense gazing on HD TV screens loving to exercise distant normative control and passing unending judgmental opinions on famous looks and in doing so sometimes pushing celebrities to go under the knife to correct imperfections normally left alone, Plasticopedia tries to answer your questions and contribute factoids to the public debate....
TV Ad Spot for Tommy Hilfiger Dreaming {Perfume Adverts & Scented Images}
Model Mona Johannesson is the face of Tommy Hilfiger's latest women's fragrance, Dreaming. Now you can see her promote the perfume awaking to a new day unhurried to get out of bed with artistically undone hair and bedsheets.Thanks to Agnes for the link!
Armani Privé Rose Alexandrie, Vétiver Babylone in Les Eaux Collection (2008) {New Fragrances}
Armani have released two new perfumes in their more upscale niche collection Armani PrivéHaute Couture Fragrances which started as a private collection for friends. This is a sub-section of their collection titled Armani Privé Les Eaux, indicating a lighter, fresh thematic and indeed both fragrances offer fresh eruptive departures while playing with contrasts of daylight and night shade or desert heat and earthy cool shade. The perfumes are called Rose Alexandrie and Vétiver Babylone. Rose Alexandrie is inspired by the gardens of Alexandria....
Mac Fafi Collection: Lips & A Bit of Cheek, The Reviews Part 1 {Beauty Notes & Reviews}
The new Fafi collection by Mac Cosmetics, which we made an announcement about earlier (see picture of collection), is loaded with popular culture references and as usual is chock-full of colors. The tints in fact are much more vivid than appear on the pictures and then again some of them, like the fluo pink color in the tube Totally It, look all reasonable once applied.
Cultural Notes: Origins of the Fafinettes
The universe of the collection is that of Fafi, a French artist and cartoonist who draws her initial inspiration from intersecting cultural traditions where characters present a mix of traits usually found separately as characteristic of babies, little kids or gamins in the French tradition, and sexually mature adults. She herself simply likes to stress that she draws her inspiration from her friends and girls she observes on the street. It was her dream to have her drawings on makeup packaging and they look great on the Mac line. One would have just wished that there were more of them on the lipstick cases for example instead of the same character being repeated over and over.
Soonie's Rose by Margaret Keane
One can identify in her universe a trend deriving from the prevalent Kawaisa (cuteness) culture in Japan with its references to the Anime and Manga aesthetics but also closer to home for Fafi, the Poulbot sub-culture in France. Finally coming full circle one discovers the influence of the Big-Eye Movement born in the USA, an expression made popular by Wayne Hemingway in his book Just Above The Mantelpiece: Mass-Market Masterpieces. In it he attributes the birth of this inspiration to Margaret (and Walter as a pseudo) Keane in North Beach San Francisco California at the end of the 1950s. However, it must be stressed that Poulbot already drew gamins with oversized eyes. Keane's "large-eyed waif" paintings were beloved by actress Joan Crawford who collected them and had one made of her for decorating her home. Big eyes are typical of this cultural sensitivity, so much so that in Japan young women try to imitate the enormous eyes of Animes by wearing lenses that dilate the pupils and make the eyes seem more like tea saucers, an ideal of beauty that can be more easily achieved with a white pencil liner (see Fafi: Fascinating: Snake-eyes Matte White Eye Khol cf. press release)....
Givenchy have released a new trio of vintage Harvest fragrances based on exceptional harvests just like wines offer exceptional vintages. This time mimosa, rose, and jasmine have been deemed worthy of being bottled up in the perfumes called Givenchy Harvest 2007 Amarige Mimosa, Givenchy Harvest 2007 Very Irresistible Damascena Rose, & Givenchy Harvest 2007 Organza Jasmine. Last year the perfume brand issued a 2006 Millésime trio featuring orange blossom, ylang-ylang, and a different kind of rose (rosa centifolia: the other rose used in perfumery).....
Givenchy Ange ou Démon EDT Tender (2008) {New Fragrance}
Givenchy released a lighter version of Ange ou Démon in eau de toilette concentration in January of 2008 called Ange ou Démon Tender. It is a floral oriental scent centering on lily and contrasted with oak wood.
Perfume Tolerance & Consumption Is Down A Notch or Two in the US {The 5th Sense in the News} {Scented Thoughts}
There is an article in the New York Times that attempts to interpret the drop in sales and perfume-wearing in the US which was reported recently by the NPD Group.
Interestingly, this exacerbation of invisible social tensions between people who are wearing and smelling perfume in the public space seems to be more characteristic of North America and Canada and has been frequently covered in the press in that region (this specificity was not expounded upon in the article).
Taking a step back, one could think that it may be linked to over-sensitization and change of sensibilities as a result of anti-smoking policies in public spaces. Some people have noted that while they did not use to notice cigarette smoking so much twenty or thirty years ago, they have been made to be hyper conscious of the smell today. New social boundaries have been defined where volatiles are concerned and perfume may be logically following suit....
Diptyque L'Eau de L'Eau, L'Eau des Hespérides, L'Eau de Néroli: Say "Fresh" Three Times (2008) {New Fragrances}
The Germanopratine perfume house and boutique Diptyque will introduce a trio of colognes in the classical sense (no gender implication) from mid-May of 2008. They were created by perfumer Olivier Pescheux.
L'Eau de L'Eau as its name indicates is a "freshened-up" version of the first Diptyque fragrance called L'Eau inspired by the spicy recipe of a 16th century pomander,
From the press release,
"It opens with the bright notes of a radiant Cologne, brimming with green mandarine, grapefruit, lemon and petitgrain. It then cedes to a sensual middle note of spices and flowers – clove, cinnamon, ginger, pink peppercorns, geranium, lavender and orange blossom. Benzoin balm, tonka bean and a hint of patchouli round out the persistent aura of the original L’Eau bouquet."....
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