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The Buzz

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Van Cleef & Arpels Oriens

The Popularity of Clover Aroma and L.T. Piver Trèfle Incarnat in Literature and Perfume since the 19th Century - Part 1 

Like This, Tilda Swinton

The Pure White Trend in Fragrances

Voyage d'Hermès

Three Cherry Blossom Perfumes

Balenciaga Paris Eau de Parfum

Sarah Jessica Parker SJP NYC

Bath and Body Works Twilight Woods

Burberry Sport Women and Men

Guerlain Flora Nymphea

Green Fragrances were Back in 2009 and will Stay in 2010

Valentine's Day 2010 and Beyond: Exploring Musk Oils Part 2

Valentine's Day 2010: Exploring Musk Oils Part 1

Lanvin Jeanne and Jeanne La Rose - Part 1

Les Parfums de Rosine Secrets de Rose

Maison Martin Margiela (Untitled)

Michael Kors Eau de Parfum

Kim Kardashian Eau de Parfum

Annick Goutal Ninfeo Mio

Issey Miyake A Scent

L'Eau Serge Lutens: The Enduring Scent of Anti-Conformism or the Anti-Anti Perfume

L'Eau Serge Lutens: Un Parfum d'Anti-Conformisme qui Perdure: L'Anti-Anti Parfum
 
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March 2008 Archive

Page 7 of 10  •  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

March 24, 2008

Scented Quote of the Day from Jacques Polge:

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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}

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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.

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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.....

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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:

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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.
 
  

March 25, 2008

11 Effortlessly Chic Spring Fragrances: The Classics

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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.

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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}

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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......

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Kimora Lee Simmons and perfumer Yann Vasnier from Givaudan © Wireimage

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

March 26, 2008

Clayeux Girl (2008) {New Fragrance}

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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}

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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}

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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) 

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

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

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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.

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

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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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March 2008 Archive

Page 7 of 10  •  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

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