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 Alexandre Menais Director of eBay Europe is reported to have said today that the French court ruling against his company, ordering them to pay over 60 million dollars in fine is "indecent". In consequence and while waiting for a ruling on their appeal, the often-dubbed "biggest garage sale on earth" will for now continue to carry perfumes from the Guerlain, Givenchy, Kenzo, and Dior brands all owned by LVMH. The latter through their spokesperson M. Malka have declared feeling "shocked" by eBay's decision to disregard the ruling and the law. eBay is insisting that LVMH is attempting to control distribution networks in an abusive fashion. (Via Fashionmag.fr)
See previous posts: eBay Risks Paying 80 Million Dollars In Damages; Landmark Ruling In Favor of Luxury BrandsPhoto © rmfphoto.net
 Editions de Parfums under the helm of its founder and perfume editor Frédéric Malle has unveiled its latest fragrance composition titled Dans Tes Bras (In Your Arms). It was created by perfumer Maurice Roucel. The celebrated French perfumer is also the author of Editions de Parfums Musc Ravageur, Rochas Tocade, Guerlain L'Instant, Insolence, Lolita Lempicka L, to name a few. It is thus Roucel's second contribution to the select offerings of the Parisian niche perfume house which is well-known for its quest for excellence and ambition to durably impact contemporary perfumery. The Editions de Parfums creations tend to be both demandingly intellectual and to privilege sensuality; with Maurice Roucel in the equation, he who is well-reputed for his sensualist approach and love of women, one can expect the sensual side to be prominent. His first creation for the brand, Musc Ravageur, soon became a new reference for musk perfumes....
 Portrait of the Artist
Continue reading "Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle Dans Tes Bras by Maurice Roucel (2008) {New Perfume}" »
Just posted on Beauty And The Salamander:  Chi Tea Organic Green Tea Liquid Extract: Antioxidants Boost & Cooling Help (We will soon add widgets on TSS to keep track of the latest post on BATS and vice versa)
 As a follow-up to yesterday's announcement, eBay has been sentenced to pay a 61.3 million dollars or 38.6 million Euros fine to luxury group LVMH by a French court today. This is a clear signal that the pressure put on the popular auction site has increased. Last month eBay had been asked to pay Louis Vuitton a much more modest indemnity of 20 000 Euros. According to WWD, this time, "Louis Vuitton received the lion's share and was awarded 19.3 million
euros, or $30.5 million; Christian Dior Couture received 17.4 million
euros, or $27.5 million, and Parfums Christian Dior, Parfums Kenzo,
Guerlain and Parfums Givenchy, were awarded around 3 million euros, or
$4.7 million.
eBay was ordered to stop selling fragrances and
cosmetics from those brands immediately, or face a fine of 50,000
euros, or $79,000, a day."....
Continue reading "Landmark Ruling In Favor of Luxury Brands {The 5th Sense in the News}" »
 The new Perry Ellis for Men by Perry Ellis represents an avowed effort on the part of the brand to go upscale under the aegis of its new owner since 2007, the Falic Fashion Group LLC. This evolution is immediately noticeable in the design of the bottle which is more soigné; it aims to convey a sense of luxury through the heaviness of the glass flacon especially (it is very heavy) - the cap is made of composite wood and the strap is a nice modernist touch and apparel reference but the metallic details could have been of better quality it seems; then the advertising is aspirational in two senses: both in the sense of presenting an image of luxurious lifestyle somewhere on the Italian coast, but also in making more democratically reference to a carefree summer holiday atmosphere; finally, the character of the jus itself comes across as life-affirming, frank, relaxed, sensual, devoid of complexes - the designers who mothered the scent do not hesitate to underline "... a bright freshness with commercial appeal." Perry Ellis for Men makes you think of a smiling, charming beau gosse who could not care less about what is in and what is out because every clothes fall great on his frame. The fragrance has an easy, smooth charm while being masterfully blended; it obviously did not torture itself about being avant-garde, edgy, or even trendy. It takes a well-tested classic persona of citrus + spices + woods + amber forming a fresh and warm contrast, but manages to impose its personality thanks to the quality of the treatment by perfumer Mathilde Bijaoui who reveals her finesse and a very good sense of balance.... Image from the photo shoot for the advertising for Perry Ellis for Men - model is Nir Lavi
Continue reading "Perry Ellis for Men (2008) {Perfume Review} {Men's Cologne}" »
Photo © LVMH
It is no mystery that attempting to buy luxury items such as a Chanel perfume on eBay sold at heavily discounted prices is risky business. More often than not, they turn out to be fakes. Ebay has been plagued with accusations of laissez-faire and brought to court or nearly brought to court a few times already. Tomorrow is the big test; a French court will decide whether or not the auction site will need to be severely sanctioned for alleged damages caused to several French luxury groups,....
Continue reading "eBay Risks Paying 80 Million Dollars In Damages {The 5th Sense in the News}" »
Dear Readers, We are pleased to announce that we have opened a new section on mimifroufrou.com dedicated to beauty stories and more oriented towards the visual arts. The new beauty blog is called Beauty And The Salamander. The Scented Salamander will continue to be devoted to perfume and olfaction stories and will cover those beauty products that are more scent-oriented. You can visit and bookmark us at http://www.mimifroufrou.com/beautyandthesalamander An Index of Beauty Reviews compiled from TSS will be added soon and will be updated automatically on Beauty & The Salamander. Here is a post about the upcoming July all-black Vogue Italia issue meant as a statement against the reported dwindling away of dark-skinned models in fashion pages and on runways. With thanks, -- Marie-Helene
 Trendy luggage brand Mandarina Duck has launched a new perfume aimed at satisfying the tastes of a more mature age group of women called Scarlet Rain. It was developed and produced by Idesa Parfums. The new scent also ties into the glamor trend as evidenced by perfumes like Lancôme Magnifique, Azzaro Couture, Kate Moss Velvet Hour, Ralph Lauren Notorious, Scarlet Rain will appeal to “a more mature, more feminine, more glamorous woman who revels in fashion and luxury”.......
Continue reading "Mandarina Duck Scarlet Rain (2008) {New Perfume}" »
Ralph Lauren will launch a new women's perfume this summer and fall called Notorious that hopes to revive the codes of old Hollywood glamour. Model Laetitia Casta who fronts the advertising campaign promisingly describes it in this way "It's so mysterious and I love the pepper smell." Illustrating a glam trend that is becoming more and more perceptible in fragrance, Notorious explicitly derived inspiration from film noir actresses "like Faye Dunaway in "The Thomas Crown Affair" and "Chinatown," Lauren Bacall in "The Big Sleep" and Ingrid Bergman in Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller "Notorious.".....
Continue reading "Ralph Lauren Notorious (2008) {New Perfume}" »
•• Interview with Serge Lutens Around El Attarine And Serge Noire ••
1) TSS: El Attarine is a reference to Arabian culture, to a well-defined place, the coranic school of Fès. It was written regarding Serge Noire that it is a perfume "without a sense of place". Are these two perfumes complementary ones for you?
- Serge Lutens: "El Attarine" is a perfume which synthetizes all the history or rather that spirit which presided over the birth of my perfumery, which has its roots in Morocco.
"Serge Noire" is not a perfume without a sense of place. It is quite the opposite in fact! It is situated on my own itinerary. I imagined and created Dior makeup and its image from 1968 to 1980. This period made me experience the last moments of what I would term "Parisian Haute Couture" (La Haute Couture parisienne): luxury (genuine, this time), rigor, mastery and respect for the feminine body image. That muffled atmosphere of the show rooms, of the fashion presentations - much more ritualistic than fashion shows - has made the perfume come to fruition in myself. An ethereal atmosphere, an elegance that is silent on a background of black serge suit materials, pale complexions, and tight straight hairdos......
Continue reading "Interview with Serge Lutens Around El Attarine And Serge Noire {Passion for Perfume - Portrait}" »
Photo © Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido Serge Lutens s'exprime autour de la création de ses deux derniers parfums, El Attarine et Serge Noire. Nous apprenons qu' El Attarine est un condensé de son expérience d'artiste et d'esthète du cinquième sens, un hommage rendu à la parfumerie lutensienne d'inspiration arabe. Quant à Serge Noire, il est son parfum le plus personnel, son préféré aussi, mais aussi de manière plus inattendue, un hommage rendu à l'esprit de Dior filtré par le souvenir et l'imaginaire de Serge Lutens.... Interview de Serge Lutens •• Autour d’El Attarine et de Serge Noire
1) TSS - El Attarine est une référence à la culture arabe, à un lieu même bien particulier, l’école coranique de Fès. Il est dit de Serge Noire qu’il s’agit d’un parfum “sans lieu”. Sont-ce là deux parfums complémentaires pour vous?
Serge Lutens: “El attarine” est un parfum qui reprend toute l’histoire ou plutôt l’esprit de la naissance de ma parfumerie, prenant racine au Maroc.
“Serge Noire” n’est pas un parfum sans lieu. Bien au contraire ! Il se situe sur mon parcours. J’ai imaginé et crée le maquillage Dior et son image de 1968 à 1980. Cette période m’a fait connaître les derniers instants de ce que je nommerais “la Haute Couture parisienne” : luxe (réel, cette fois), rigueur, maîtrise et respect de l’aimage du corps féminin. Cette atmosphère feutrée des salons de présentation, des défilés – beaucoup plus rituels que shows – a fait naître ce parfum en moi. Une atmosphère éthérée, une élégance silencieuse sur fond de tissus tailleurs en serge noire, teints pâles et cheveux plats......
Continue reading "•• Interview de Serge Lutens •• Autour de El Attarine et de Serge Noire {Passion for Perfume - Portrait}" »
The house of Creed will release a new perfume for women this September 2008 titled Love In Black. It was inspired by the sense of elegance, beauty, and personality of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. Creed established in 1760 is well-known for its celebrity clientèle and for their periodic perfumery homages to iconic women. From the press release, here is an early preview,
"Sixth-generation master perfumer Olivier CREED presents his homage to onyx-eyed beauty Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis with his new creation, Love In Black, a fragrance that celebrates the mystery and style of this legendary woman. The fragrance -- even its bottle –- call upon elements of nature symbolic in her extraordinary life. To mark the 40th anniversary of her wedding to Aristotle Onassis in the Greek isles dotted by black sands and night-blooming wildflowers,....
Continue reading "•• Creed Love In Black (2008) •• A Celebration of Jackie Kennedy Onassis {New Perfume} " »
Nomad Tea is part of the Series 7 Sweet, which also features Burnt Sugar, Wood Coffee, Sticky Cake, and Spicy Cocoa. Like practically all of the Comme des Garçons scents since their debut in 1994, it aims to provide aesthetic olfactory pleasure through the sensation of anticipated and realized discovery thanks to an expressly sought-out unusual twist and with oftentimes, but not in this case, a little dose of provocation. The perfume brand owned by designer Rei Kawabuko loves to capture smells of the real world and transcribe them into liquid manifestos that are more or less incisive. Odeur 53 and Odeur 71 are compendia of street, office, home smells, Guerilla 1 only indirectly alludes to a butcher's shop without going to the extent of copying the literal aromas of, say, raw red meat and mutton fat, Red Harissa turns a terracotta red spicy condiment for Couscous into a plausible perfume ingredient, and much more. Nomad Tea is a serene perfume travelogue, like a tea scent can be, making the international roads of tea bifurcate in one imagined place, the scent bottle whimsically shaped like a turban/pumpkin/garlic bulb/fennel, which is meant to represent a sweet. Letting the scent evaporate on your skin is accepting an invitation to drink Moroccan mint tea made with astringent bitter green tea from China sitting at a café terrace in Paris and next, jump to Myanmar on the map to inhale and chew on some fermented Laphet. It is a scent that manages to be both slightly meditative and refreshing, with a calming influence also thanks to the woods, a welcome general psychological state to encourage in ourselves to counteract the summer heat.... Old woman drying tea leaves, Namhsan, Myanmar by Coole Images
Continue reading "•• Comme des Garçons Series 7 Sweet Nomad Tea (2005) •• {Perfume Review} " »
 Following up on the critique of the launch party of Prada Infusion d'Homme (see previous post), here is another point of view that explains the conceptual and artistic ambitions of Prada's non-conventional perfume advertising project, which actually aims to encourage the workings of your imagination rather than immediately make you buy the product. It is an anti-impulse-buying position and more about becoming attached to the universe represented by the perfume, its unmistakable coolness and sense of difference, thus touching upon one of the big instincts for perfume-buying: to set yourself apart with a few drops of scent and delineate your personal space in a society that can be alienating,
"Prada has launched a project that distances itself from traditional perfume advertising to obtain more coherent results with its contemporary vision of the world of today’s men. This cultural project overturns traditional thought and breaks away from the usual easy approach to follow a new experimental path. It prompts and encourages a specific thought process in the viewer that elicits absolutely personal sensations.....
Continue reading "•• Explanation of the Prada Infusion d'Homme Cultural Project •• 9 Movies for 1 Cologne {Perfume Adverts}" »
Prada men's show spring 2009 © Fashion Wire Daily In a rare case of non-favorable or it could even be said non-complacent reporting on a perfume launch party, columnist Godfrey Deeny from the Fashion Wire Daily critiques both the organization of the launch for the upcoming Prada Infusion d'Homme which took place in Milan on June 22, 2008 and the lack of innovation seen in the fashion show that was presented instead of the anticipated collective sniffing. "Few things are more painful than watching a major luxury label get things badly wrong, which was very much the dismaying case Sunday night in Milan when Prada decided to launch its latest men's cologne and made it tricky for most guests to actually smell the very product......
Continue reading "•• Critique of Prada Infusion d'Homme Launch Party •• Too Avant-Garde & Cultural? {The 5th Sense in the News}" »
Un Zéphir de Rose (Rose Zephyr) is one of the two latest creations by Les Parfums de Rosine (see Eau Fraîche Rose d'Eté). It was launched in the spring of 2008. The Rose Is Queenly Throughout
Like Diabolo Rose last year, which was composed around rose and mint, it promised to be a perfume based on a cool green pairing but with anise this time. As it turns out, Un Zéphir de Rose is more to the point a celebration of the natural beauty of an exceptional quality of Bulgarian rose essence. In this sense it is more accurate to view it through the lens of an exquisite and minimally adulterated rose soliflore. The perfume was created by perfumer François Robert in 2008 and rose is present at all three stages of the perfume development. Perceptibly so and more than any of the other Parfums de Rosine we have experienced thus far, it can also be assimilated to a vintage harvest edition resting on the unique quality of a rose cultivated one particular year. The idea of adding an aniseed nuance to Un Zéphir de Rose was inspired by a rose bloom from Marie-Hélène Rogeon's garden near Paris which presented this natural facet....
Continue reading "•• Les Parfums de Rosine Un Zéphir de Rose (2008) •• A Real Natural Beauty {Perfume Review} {New Perfume}" »
Les Parfums de Rosine have introduced a lighter version of their Rose d'Eté (Summer Rose), a fruity-floral composition based on a yellow rose laced with ripe apple. The new scent is called Eau Fraîche Rose d'Eté. This Parisian niche perfume house is wholly dedicated to creating rose perfumes. If you are a rose devotee and haven't yet heard of them, they are a must-try......
Continue reading "•• Les Parfums de Rosine Eau Fraîche Rose d'Eté (2008) •• {New Fragrance}" »
 The Beckhams will be launching a new duo of fragrances called Beckham Signature for Her and Him in September 2008 following the two Intimately Beckham Night scents last year. The new venture reportedly represents a foray into more prestige branding and is meant to reflect their new image since their establishment in California. It is not entirely clear what this means, but it seems to be an allusion to a more ostentatious, glamorous Californian lifestyle and maybe something to do with the myth of the American dream. At any rate and as always, Victoria promises that by purchasing the new scents, "You're getting a piece of David and me with this." The brand said, "We decided to launch Beckham Signature for Him and Her in the prestige market due to the high style and aspirational nature of David and Victoria,"[...] "In order to capture their iconic, sophisticated sense of style, it seemed appropriate to take the Beckham franchise to the next level. This is the most selective and exclusive fragrance launch yet." ....
Continue reading "•• Beckham Signature for Her & Signature for Him •• {New Fragrances} {Celebrity Perfumes}" »
Madame Figaro interviewed the co-president of Fragonard, Agnès Costa who directs the perfumery together with her sister Françoise. « Je ne suis pas un nez, mais je briefe la personne qui va créer le parfum et pour moi, la personne qui sait quelle fragrance elle cherche est aussi importante que l’artiste chargé de la mettre au point. » "I am not a nose, but I brief the person who will create the perfume and for me, the person who knows what fragrance she [or he] is looking for is as important as the artist who is entrusted with making it happen."
Read more......
Paul Smith Extreme for Women was launched in 2002 as part of a masculine and feminine duo and as a follow-up to British fashion designer Paul Smith's debut scents in 2000, Paul Smith Women and Men. They were meant to prolong the two first by making these even more accessible to a wider audience. The style that was sought was "classic-with-a-twist", to reflect Paul Smith's fashion approach. The bottles were thus designed by architect Sophie Hicks to reflect that image; the glass cap unexpectedly unscrews as for a splash bottle; one side of the flacon wears multicolored stripes, wavy for the women's, vertical for the men's but the shapes are very basic. Extreme for Women was composed by Antoine Maisondieu of Givaudan and is a priori described as a floral woody musky perfume. The Woodsy Twist Wood notes in feminine fragrances are still perceived as innovative in 2008 (see Estée Lauder Sensuous) as they are relatively less employed, in a prominent fashion that is. Féminité du Bois (Femininity of Wood) (1992) by Shiseido created by Serge Lutens, Christopher Sheldrake and Pierre Bourdon made a statement out of this foray into woody feminine notes for a creation that was sold as mainstream yet felt very different from it. Usually, when woody notes are used in the feminine context, they are for their warmth, sensuality and roundness. What Maisondieu did was to offer a double-distancing twist on this idea since he created a green sappy tonality for the woods in Extreme for Women. It might be a distant echo of the genre of feminine mossy perfumes. The term "woody" is by the way subject to interpretation and is used not just for literal wood notes like cedar wood or sandal wood but also for patchouli or even violet or iris in certain cases. In Extreme, there is a violetnote, there are also "blackcurrant branches" in the heart, together with more classic cedar and sandalwood in the base......
Continue reading "•• Paul Smith Extreme for Women (2002) •• Fresh As Green Tomato, Dusky As L'Heure Bleue {Perfume Review}" »
The new in-house perfumer for Guerlain, Thierry Wasser, explains to L'Express that as Guerlain launches on average 20 perfumes a year, that "one can't do everything". The next major Guerlain feminine launch will thus be the fruit of his collaboration with Annick Menardo, an ex co-author of fragrances. She also created Bois d'Arménie for Guerlain.....
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Alexandre Menais Director of eBay Europe is reported to have said today that the French court ruling against his company, ordering them to pay over 60 million dollars in fine is "indecent". In consequence and while waiting for a ruling on their appeal, the often-dubbed "biggest garage sale on earth" will for now continue to carry perfumes from the Guerlain, Givenchy, Kenzo, and Dior brands all owned by LVMH. The latter through their spokesperson M. Malka have declared feeling "shocked" by eBay's decision to disregard the ruling and the law. eBay is insisting that LVMH is attempting to control distribution networks in an abusive fashion. (Via Fashionmag.fr)
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