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Gai Mattiolo That's Amore Tropical Paradise Tahitian Vanilla & Tahitian Water (2010) {New Perfumes}
: wow, look at that, I'm already drooling, great color, looks superb. how ...
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Parfums de Nicolaï or 3 News for this Spring 2010: l'Eau MiXte, Un Soir en Sicile, New Boutique - Update
: Would love to read an announcement that PdN has updated their website. ...
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Are You in the Mood for Oud Aromania? {Trend Alert} + Oud Timeline {Sniffing Suggestions}
: You own a very interesting blog covering lots of topics I am ...
Lucy on
The Popularity of Clover Aroma and L.T. Piver Trèfle Incarnat in Literature and Perfume since the 19th Century - Part 1 {Scented Thoughts (on St Patrick's Day)}
: Wonderful post! I wish there were more clover scents available at this ...
Ruth Ann on
Le De by Givenchy (1957-2007) {Perfume Review & Musings} {New Fragrance}
: I too was so excited that Le De was again available! But, ...
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Like This, Tilda Swinton by Etat Libre d'Orange (2010): Aphrodisiac Pumpkin {Perfume Review} {Celebrity Fragrance}
: Thank you for an excellent back ground on this fragrance.
Lucy on
The Pure White Trend in Fragrances: A Return to Fundamentals {Trend Alert}
: Yes, I agree this is a trend, and I am very much ...
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Yves Rocher Rose Ispahan {Perfume Review In A Nutshell} {Smell-The-Roses-Till-Valentine's Day Challenge - Day 10}
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Mitsouko on
EOS for Him & Her (2009): Beer-Based Carbon-Neutral Fragrance Smells of the Future {New Perfumes} {Fragrance News}
: Oh, brilliant! I can't wait to smell like waste and rancid beer! ...
Mitsouko on
In Canada, Perfume Intolerance Mounts in Public Spaces, Honolulu Agrees and The Stinky Bus Trope in Pop Culture {The 5th Sense in the News}
: If there is one thing that I find more obnoxious than stench ...
Linda on
The Quest for The Civet Oil {Ask Marie-Helene & the Readers}
: I forgot to put the anti-spam number in my post so here ...
Linda on
The Quest for The Civet Oil {Ask Marie-Helene & the Readers}
: I too have been searching for the Civet Oil I bought in ...
Theresa on
Kim Kardashian Perfume (2010) {New Fragrance} {Celebrity Perfume}
: I smelled the fragrance in Sephora's and I was quite shocked how ...
Manhattan on
Beyonce Heat (2010) {New Perfume} {Celebrity Fragrance}
: Just purchased this Fragrance today in Manhattan, and I have to say ...
ruby on
Dior Escale à Portofino (2008) {Perfume Review}
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Comments
I haven't listened to the link yet but I have read Stamelman's book. It's quite interesting, though much too text-heavy to be a coffee-table book (try reading it in bed or in a couch, ouch!). But it's no really a perfume connoisseur's work: lots of it is really comparative literature. It's more about the written discourse on fragrances than on fragrances themselves. And even so, I would be much more interested in digging up more material in the press of the time, than in reading analyses of Baudelaire and Colette: their texts speak for themselves.
You are of course entirely right about the soliflores: I believe you're referring to Eugène Rimmel's and Septimus Piesse's books, which do indeed offer recipes for bouquets.
Posted by: carmencanada | February 15, 2008
It's completely false. It's enough to have a look in perfumer's catalogs (sales) to see that single-flower perfumes were always a separate category. Even in 1820! Then you have the bouquet, then other complex mixtures.
One example of a succes in the early 19th cent. - Mousseline perfume (with vetiver).
Posted by: Octavian Coifan | February 15, 2008
I'll reserve my own comments for a formal review of the book.
Regarding the perfumery manuals I had in mind, indeed these two but earlier ones also from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Posted by: Marie-Helene | February 16, 2008
A good reminder is that of the famous eau called l'Eau de Mille Fleurs (the 1000-flower water) that dates back to the 17th century (at least). The name is of course meant to be understood as a hyperbole but it was indeed made of the distilled essences of several flowers.
Posted by: Marie-Helene | February 16, 2008