|
|
Safe Fragrances For Mother’s Day - May 11th 2008!
These are fragrances we recommend as potential gifts for Mother’s Day (or if you are looking for a safe present on other occasions) when you have no idea what to offer and your mother is leaving no subtle hints to help you. They are suggestions that might be especially good for moms who are not into perfume but whom you feel would be pleased to receive a scent as a present.
What do we mean by “safe fragrances”? It means mostly that they are safe to offer. Sometimes we test a perfume and at the end derive an impression that it would be well liked by a fairly wide circle of people. Intuitively they appear to us as compositions that offer a certain sense of restraint and elegance without showing too many strong facets. They are generally easy to wear but are not that easy and pandering to the lowest common denominator as to feel bland and uninteresting. In fact, it is quite an achievement to reach this quality of being. Receiving them, we hope, will provide the same sort of pleasure as that of receiving a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
Safe Fragrances to Offer To Your Mom In General
• Prada Infusion d’Iris
This one comes on top of our list, the rest of the list is free style. Elegant, discreet, feminine but still capable of making you feel excited about it. It is the equivalent of a crisp white feminine shirt worn by Grace Kelly. A masculine version is in the works but otherwise this composition is so versatile, it feels it could be worn by a man.
• Gucci by Gucci
A modern chypre with a very good sense of balance; it is very pleasurable to wear. Again, it is elegant, feminine without having just good manners to show for herself, but a real charm.
A Bit Riskier But Still Safe
In these two some notes - ripe full fruits - stick out more, yet they retain a sense of, again, balance and elegance that is easily transferable to a number of different personalities. Their glowing warmth is very appealing.
• Piguet Visa
The equivalent of a warm classic tweed made out of a sensual rich material.
• Badgley Mishka
A wonderful fruity chypre with a warm stewed fruit effect. It is elegant but somehow easygoing too. It offers great diffusion and is extremely long-lasting. It is a scent that never quits on you, in a good way......
Continue reading "14 Safe Fragrances To Offer On Mother's Day Or Any Other Day {Shopping Tips} {Perfume List}" »
Kenzo will launch a unisex fragrance in June of 2008 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fashion label. It is called Vintage and was created with the idea of capturing some of the spirit of the seventies, the decade that saw Kenzo Takada enter the couture scene in Paris......
Continue reading "Kenzo Vintage (2008): The Scent of the Seventies (2008) {New Fragrance}" »
Nivea Whitening products for men for the Thai market
Nivea, owned by Beirsdorf, is continuing to expand its distribution of Nivea Whitening products for Men in Asia due to the success of the line. They just launched NIVEA FOR MEN Whitening Oil Control in India. Fairness of skin is an ideal of beauty in the region, both for men and women. For men a white skin together with a smooth hairless face are thought to add to their beauty. We can still remember the Indian matrimonial ads in newspapers putting emphasis on the color of the skin, the paler the more desirable. Tanned skin is associated with the need to toil under the sun and therefore low-class status. Of course in the US and Europe you go buy sunless self-tanners to send the signal that you were last seen in Ibiza.....
Continue reading "Nivea Whitening Range for the Asian Men Market: Fairer Than Thou {Beauty Notes} (Grooming}" »
 Lolita Lempicka like every self-respecting successful fragrance brand puts out limited editions as the occasion arises. This is our first experience with one of their flanker editions to the original Lolita Lempicka (1997), which was a re-take on Angel by Thierry Mugler (1992). Fleur Défendue was created by perfumer Annick Menardo who also composed the original Lolita Lempicka. The scent already outsold according to Sephora US, not to be brought back. It sounded rather dramatic and perhaps even tragic so soon after its launch when first announced as the composition sounded promising. Either we are not quite ready for this composition or they were not quite ready to launch. At any rate, it flew off the shelves. If you are pining for it, the only recourse apparently is to turn to Europe where it is still available. (Update: one of the 2 sizes is back in store).
Fleur Défendue (Forbidden Flower) opens on conventional soapy top notes and segues into something with a bit more definition (white ambergris and some generic crunchy green accents). It reminds us there and then vaguely of a dozen other scents, Tommy Hilfiger Dreaming among them, which recently epitomized for us a kind of generic Jane-Doe scent.....
Continue reading "Lolita Lempicka Fleur Défendue - Forbidden Flower (2008) {Perfume Review}" »
Esteban Parfums has added a number of new fragrances to their collections. Today we call attention to two new compositions in the Collection Matières devoted to the showcasing of a specific raw material. The new additions are Cuir (Leather) and Patchouli, two a priori dark fumes that can be used as nice contrapuntal scents for spring and summer.....
Continue reading "Esteban Cuir, Patchouli (2008) {New Fragrances}" »
Fragonard perfumery have introduced a new fragrance for the summer called Belle de Soleil (Sun Beauty). The Eau de Toilette is a white floral scent which offers a classic composition....
Continue reading "Fragonard Belle de Soleil (2008) {New Perfume}" »
When life throws you lemons, just splash on some sexy Hello Sugar! This is the new scent by Bath & Body Works. It appears to be a sugary lemon concoction in the vein of the Fresh fragrances, but much cheaper ($12, 50) and hopefully decent-smelling.....
Continue reading "Bath & Body Works Hello Sugar! (2008) {New Fragrance}" »
Guerlain Jasmin ca. 1928 Lalique glass from Ragoarts With the summer approaching, my nose has become, for some reason, curious of three notes in perfumery: jasmine for its solar opulence and at the other end of the light spectrum, anise and lavender for their pristine pale greenish and bluish coolness. There was a Jasmin by Guerlain introduced in 1928, four years after Jasmin de Siam (1924) which is also at times referred to as simply "Jasmin", so further clarification is needed to sort these two out. There was also a Jasmiralda in 1917 by the same house. All these jasmine perfumes came out when the house was led by head perfumer Jacques Guerlain (1874-1963). It was an era which resembled in some ways ours in that perfume launches were not hyper selective but rather fluid, following the fashions of the day, meant to bring a spark of seasonal excitement to the élégantes who were used to expecting the latest new scent, the perfume that was dernier cri. Has this practice ever drastically changed? One may wonder about this representation. Perhaps right after WWII and before the advent of mass travel and consumption, there was a perfumery that was de facto more rarefied and elitist for a relatively short period of time at the end of years of privation imposed by the war and immediate post-war restrictions. What has evolved surely is the growing shedding of casualness when presenting a brand new creation, but perhaps not so much the fashionable appeal of perfumes.
A testament to the practice of widely-accepted seasonal perfumery creations is the fact that many of the perfume bottles containing the new Guerlain fragrances were re-used as undifferentiated containers except for the names on the labels and colors of ribbons which facilitated a rapid turnover of new launches without the big fanfares we have become accustomed with, with apexes of spectacularly theatrical launches as those of Yves Saint Laurent Opium and Dior Poison in the 1980s. Having said that, one cannot but marvel at the variety of perfume flacons that Guerlain offered even if some were "recycled". Having experienced the undifferentiated Guerlain amphora flacons, it never felt like a lack of imagination on the part of the house but rather like a consolidation of its myth. Jasmin by Guerlain was offered in a packaging of its own despite the fact that the composition is rather modest and feels more like a seasonal scent than a full-fledged composition. But then again it corresponded to a taste for soliflores.....
Continue reading "Guerlain Jasmin (1924/1928) {Perfume Review}" »
Here are some words of wisdom from actor Ashton Kutcher about perfume-wearing etiquette on his "woman", i.e., Demi Moore. Take it from a guy: "If I can smell the perfume and we are not making out, then she is wearing too much. With a lot of things in life, more is better. But perfume does not apply.".....
Continue reading "Scented Quote of the Day from Ashton Kutcher:" »
"Une essence. Un voyage" Dior created a new collection of fragrances illustrating a summery cruise theme and plans to launch a new fragrance each year. The first one to be launched in May of 2008 is called Escale à Portofino and is described as a reinterpretation of a classic cologne but with feminine accents. It was created by perfumer and LVMH-Dior artistic director François Demachy........
Continue reading "Dior Escale à Portofino (2008) {New Fragrance - New Line}" »
Acqua di Biella, established in 1871, have introduced a new and even novel line of perfumes including bath and beauty products inspired by wool called Le Vie della Lana (The Ways of the Wool). The first fragrance to appear in the collection this spring is titled Cashmere Twill and is a unisex composition by perfumer Maurizio Cerrizza incorporating an intriguing "essence of wool" in the top notes.....
Continue reading "Acqua di Biella Cashmere Twill in Le Vie della Lana Collection (2008) {New Fragrance - New Line}" »
Les Parfums de Rosine have launched their latest creation, Zéphir de Rose (Rose Zephyr), based on a rose and anise accord, "an English rose emanating an anise fragrance." It was composed by perfumer François Robert who de facto officiates as the in-house nose. The intent was to put the emphasis on an ethereal and wind-swept rose thanks to the coolness and airiness of anise......
Continue reading "Les Parfums de Rosine Zéphir de Rose (2008) {New Fragrance}" »
We know that many perfumistas will appreciate and savor the fact that an upcoming debut novel by Claudia Guadalupe Martinez bears as title the commonly bandied about disparaging expressions "old lady perfume" and "old lady smell" put together in one neat stroke of the pen. By the way, The Smell of Old Lady Perfume aims a young adult audience. The disturbing smell it refers to is the narrator's grandmother's, a "smell" "worse than Sundays" that will help test her mettle (we know, it can be hard).......
Continue reading "The Smell of Old Lady Perfume (2008) {Fragrant Reading}" »
Donna Karan New York offers two new limited-edition flankers in the Delicious series for this summer. Red Delicious Charmingly Delicious and Be Delicious Charmingly Delicious respectively described as a floral oriental and a fresh citrus......
Continue reading "DKNY Red Delicious Charmingly Delicious & Be Delicious Charmingly Delicious (2008) {New Fragrances}" »
Yves Rocher has released a new special edition fragrance called Ode A L'Amour Passionnément! (Ode to love Passionately). It is part of the Ode series......
Continue reading "Yves Rocher Ode à L'Amour Passionnément! (2008) {New Perfume}" »
The following video interview is excerpted from a DVD titled "Au coeur du parfum" put out by Givaudan. In this 4: 42 mn segment you will see a short interview with Gérard Delcour the president of the Comité Français du Parfum and a slightly longer one with perfumer Christine Nagel.......
Continue reading "Video Interview on the Perfume Industry {Scented Images}" »
Firmenich have announced that they have developed a new olfactive system that allows them to capture food flavors in a very accurate manner. It is dubbed Taste-The-Smell and was developed in collaboration with Dr. Clotaire Rapaille, an anthropologist who specializes in studying cultural archetypes and providing feedback to various industrial branches to better market their products.......
Continue reading "New Generation of Gourmand Scents with Smell-The-Taste {Fragrance News}" »
The popular Japanese franchise Hello Kitty will launch two new perfumes in Europe on April 26, 2008. One called Hello Kitty Baby Perfume is destined to infants and toddlers with reportedly innovating notes in this universe of fragrances, i.e, raspberry, hazelnut, and violet. The other one, Hello Kitty, targets girls and is described as being gourmand and fruity. To emphasize the children universe references, the latter scent will be also available as part of a pochette surprise which includes 3 surprises.
Ferre has launched a new perfume titled Acqua Azzurra for Men. The perfume which is described as being woody and fresh with a salty and aqueous accord in the base was created by nose Mark Buxton.....
Continue reading "Ferre Acqua Azzurra for Men (2008) {New Fragrance} {Men's Cologne}" »
Country singer Tim McGraw is set to launch his first signature perfume called McGraw in August of 2008. The simple rather virile name of the fragrance already sets the tone, "Tim resonates with the American consumer — he is admired not only for being a great musician, but also for being a great husband [to Faith Hill] and father [of three]. We see this as one of the most significant mass market fragrance launches since [Coty launched] Celine Dion five years ago.".....
Continue reading "Tim McGraw McGraw (2008) {New Fragrance} {Celebrity Perfume} {Men's Cologne}" »
Designer James Heeley has introduced a new perfume in its Heeley line called Sel Marin (Sea Salt). It is all about "sun, sand, and a wave of sea air". (For another upscale salty and marine perfume with a seaweed note see Profumum Acqua di Sale.) Top: lemon - Sicilian bergamot Heart: Sea salt - seaweed Base: vetiver - birch - cedar
Available $105 for 100 ml or $3 for a sample at Luckyscent.com
Guess by Marciano, as reported earlier, represents the brand's effort to offer a more sophisticated and upscale Guess perfume on the occasion of its 27th anniversary. Smelling the perfume having forgotten all promises, it is unexpected to discover the unfolding of a composition that should be going more firmly in the direction of one of those "pink" or "fruit-salad" fragrances for young women with their fruity-floral and milky tonalities, and see it in fact renew the genre by smelling deeply ambery. Instead of the light white musks and usual pinkish touches like rose, peony, and litchi, we discover a rolling-out of a more substantial and satisfying ingredient, ambergris, treated almost in an old-fashioned way, that is in an animalistic way. Distant references like Weil Zibeline and Jean Desprez Bal à Versailles pop up, only as if they had fallen into a vat of fruits and dulce de leche, in a good way.
The fragrance was created by perfumer Barbara Zoebelein of Drom Fragrances and developed by Parlux Fragrances, Inc. It could be seen as a milky woody oriental with a powdery overtone. Something of the spirit of Le Feu d'Issey can be detected here in the intensity of a lactic and spicy (cardamom) impression that feels grown-up rather than babyish. The vintage allusion found in the scent is reinforced by the fishnet motif on the flacon which precisely aims to reflect the spirit of a bygone era. Jasmine is showcased both on the bottle and in the scent.......
Continue reading "Guess By Marciano (2008) + 5 Bottles as Giveaways {Perfume Review}" »
New in the US are three luxurious fragrances by French perfume house and more generally speaking bienêtrerie (an invented word) Auguste established in 1994. They are Esprit de Cuir, Esprit de Chypre, Esprit de Chine. Bottled in antique-looking porcelain flacons that seem inspired by tea caddies, these are available in pure parfum concentration only. In France, they are sold privately through a registered sale system. All seem to present a characteristic old-school, authentic vintage flair according to the ad copy, "The old-world, vintage feel of the composition [Esprit de Cuir] is astounding. If somebody told us that this was an ancient scent discovered, perfectly preserved, in an attic, we wouldn’t have been surprised." .......
|
Digg This
Stumble
Facebook
Del.icio.us
