The Scented Salamander: Perfume & Beauty Blog & Webzine: March 2008

March 2008 Archive

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March 24, 2008

Scented Quote of the Day from Jacques Polge:

Here is a beautiful and interesting quote from Chanel in-house perfumer Jacques Polge about what it takes to be a nose (translation after the jump):

"Je crois qu'il faut une certaine forme de sensibilité, une espèce d'attirance pour un certain type de langage qui n'use pas de mots et dit les choses différemment. Je crois que le parfum dit d'une manière bien particulière des choses qu'on ne pourrait pas dire autrement. Quand on fait des parfums, on n'est pas du côté des puissants, ceux qui contrôlent l'image et le son, on est du côté des silencieux. Il faut donc cette attirance." .....

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Guerlain Vol de Nuit Evasion (2007) {Perfume Review}

Maria Casares in Robert Bresson Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne - Vol de Nuit evasion hints at the retro glamor of Parisian ladies wearing oakmoss-laden perfumes

Vol de Nuit Evasion starts with a fairly pungent animalic powdery aldehydic and fruity overture that smells promising. As it develops it becomes slightly sharper and reminiscent also of 31 Rue Cambon by Chanel with its sweetish spicy amber-y body softened by iris, as well as of Chanel no. 18 with its strong emphasis on the fruity tipsy note of Ambrette Seed.

The scent further mimics the acrid smell of sweat as it evolves with a woody undertone of oakmoss and slightly marine extravagance of ambergris. At this point one thinks that Vol de Nuit Evasion is an exercise in recapturing the borderline offensive sexual charm of the Parisienne of olden days.....

Vol de Nuit Evasion might have felt a bit thin for an elegant Parisian at the turn of the 20th century used to wearing richer Guerlains, but it might just work out for today's Guerlain woman.

Photography by Lartigue from Masters of Photography

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Beauty Quote of the Day from Yves Saint Laurent:

Maria Falconetti in "La passion de Jeanne d'Arc" by Dreyer (1928)

“The most beautiful makeup for a woman is passion. But cosmetics are easier to buy.”

You can read more about the French worldview in a funny article in the New York Times, A Guide to the French. Handle with Care from which this quote by YSL is excerpted.

Image: Cinema High and Low

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March 25, 2008

11 Effortlessly Chic Spring Fragrances: The Classics

Here are some suggestions for wearing spring fragrances, in several installments.

Today, I turn to the "effortlessly chic" category. By that I mean that as lighter, fresher perfumes these perfumes tend to dress down a bit but not overly so. They retain an air of elegance and sophistication about them mixed with a dose of studied nonchalance and casualness.

Why should some perfumes be considered to be particularly appropriate for spring time? Their vernal quality is suggested by their rich, yet still frail floral notes, their freshness, and their luminosity bespeaking of the spring equinox and daylight-saving time.

Green notes that are just a bit crunchy also contribute to this feeling of smelling half-open buds. These scents to me offer transparent, airy, cool nuances rather than ripe, decaying ones.

When brainstorming about the topic, I had to realize that the house of Guerlain had been particularly committed to offering interpretations of springtime perfumes. Nina Ricci too, although only one of their scents is mentioned.

1- Diorissimo

No list about perfume classics embodying the yearning for spring would be complete without Diorissimo by Dior. Composed by master-perfumer Edmond Roudnitska in 1956 it remains a central reference as the lily-of-the-valley fragrance as it has come to embody the very spirit of spring for generations of wearers.

The scent of Diorissimo is like drinking muguet-scented champagne on the pristine empty streets of a clean and empty Paris in the wee hours of the morning listening to the distant sound of party laughters. You feel like you own the city of lights and spring, both. It too should have been called Joy......

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Baby Phat Fabulosity (2008) {New Fragrance} + Launch Party Pictures {Scented Images}

The new Fabulosity by Baby Phat © Wireimage

Kimora Lee Simmons launched her third fragrance with Coty under the label Baby Phat following Goddess and Golden Goddess; it is called Fabulosity, a key notion for Simmons and which is also the title of an advice book she has written.

The perfume which is said to be "more explosive and passionate" than the Goddess perfumes was created by perfumer Yann Vasnier of Givaudan. It is described as a fruity oriental with top notes said to be "addictive" and "explosive" (again!) according to Cosmetic World......

Kimora Lee Simmons and perfumer Yann Vasnier from Givaudan © Wireimage

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March 26, 2008

Clayeux Girl (2008) {New Fragrance}

Clayeux, an European brand for children's clothing has released a new perfume titled Girl. It was created by perfumer Michèle Saramito of Robertet.....

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Jude Law will be the Face of the Next Christian Dior Fragrance {Perfume News} {Celebrity Fragrance}

Fresh off the press -- Christian Dior Parfums have announced that actor Jude Law will be the face of their next masculine fragrance....

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Maison Martin Margiela to Develop a Line of Perfumes with L'Oréal {Fragrance News}

Antwerp-based fashion designer Martin Margiela of Maison Martin Margiela has announced the signature of a partnership agreement with l'Oréal Luxury Products Division to create a line of perfumes,

"This agreement expresses their shared wish to combine their expertise and reflect the unconventional and innovative world of Maison Martin Margiela through a perfume."......
(image is from Maison Martin Margiela and chosen by the brand to illustrate the news)

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Relaunch of Sali Oguri Pink Manhattan for a Limited Time Only {Fragrance News}

New-York based singer and perfumer Sali Oguri will relaunch a limited edition of her cult fragrance called Pink Manhattan now renamed Pink Manhattan Purrfume. The pure perfume oil is the same as before but it has been re-packaged into a larger size roll-on (1/3 fl oz.)

The scent is exclusively sold through her website for USD $ 95.

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Parfums de Nicolaï Les Magnifiques (2008) {New Perfumes}

Perfumer Patricia de Nicolaï from Parfums de Nicolaï has released a new collection of perfumes called Les Magnifiques. It includes four fragrances in higher concentration forms bottled in more luxurious flacons. The quatuor includes reformulations of three previously issued compositions, Maharanih, Sacrebleu, and Cédrat and a new rose soliflore called Rose Intense (there is a Rose Pivoine in the catalogue).

When offering a new concentration for a perfume, the perfumer has to do more than just add more of the same. She or he needs to re-balance the whole composition and in this case offer an interpretation of intensity that can find support in the addition of new perfume notes meant to convey this idea....

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Safi Eau de Parfum by Safi (2008) {New Fragrance} + Launch Party Pics {Scented Images}

Nyakio Grieco has launched a new perfume called Safi. It is described as a fruity-floral and features notes of fresh lychee, pineapple and black currant, stargazer lily, freesia, neroli, muhuhu wood, bamboo, crisp papyrus, vetiver.

The scent was introduced at a party at Apothia at Fred Segal in Los Angeles on March 20th 2008, see pictures after the jump....

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Santa Maria Novella Tabacco Toscano (2008) {New Perfume}

Santa Maria Novella has introduced a new unisex perfume called Tabacco Toscano. It is named after and inspired by the renowned Toscano cigar which was introduced in 1818 in the Tuscan town of Lucca.....

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CEW Beauty Awards Finalists {Beauty Notes - News}

The Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) group have determined a list of finalists for some of the best products in the beauty industry. Since this is a perfume blog first and a beauty blog second, we will take the liberty of listing the finalists starting with the perfume categories.

AVON
Derek Jeter DRIVEN Black EDT

Bond No. 9 New York
Andy Warhol Silver Factory

Calvin Klein Fragrances
Calvin Klein MAN

Dolce & Gabbana Fragrances
Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Pour Homme

Tom Ford Beauty
Tom Ford for Men......

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Victoria's Secret Isle of Pink (2008) {New Fragrance}

The lingerie brand Victoria's Secret has launched a new limited-edition perfume called Isle of Pink meant to evoke the folly (added) of a spring break in the Carribean.

To bring home the concept of the line, the perfumes are displayed on an island-type table that looks like a mound of pink. Walking past the door of one of their boutiques, it is hard to miss the pink aura from the corner of your eye. A few feet away from it near the entrance, the boutique smells of, essentially, cotton candy. I took a mental note and decided to take the plunge the next time around. But here's their tantalizing invitation....

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March 27, 2008

Unforgivable Black & Unforgivable Woman Black (2008) {Perfume Reviews} {New Fragrances}

Unforgivable Black and Unforgivable Woman Black by Sean John are the two latest additions to the Sean John perfume portfolio. His debut scent was Unforgivable for Men in 2006 which was a commercial success earning the brand $150 million globally.

Last year Sean Diddy Combs also designed a women's version of Unforgivable, which he noted had nothing to do with the original men's version except for a subtle "synergy note" of bergamot as he wanted the feminine scent to stand on its own. He told Women's Wear Daily,

"I didn't want to take the easy way out as far as just making a feminine version of the men's. Women and men are totally different. I like a woman to smell like a woman, and a man to smell like a man."

After everyone has had time to take in this statement and digest it, we can point out that this time the Black duo takes the synergy route that was rejected the first time around. The two perfumes are very much two birds of the same feather but this time they seem to belong to one of those species of birds where the male's plumage is more colorful than the female's one due to male active sexual competition over female mates......