Les Nez Parfums d'Auteurs Manoumalia (2009) - Part 2: More Information {New Perfume}
Manoumalia is a creation offering an undeniable anthropological flavor in the method that gave birth to it. The latest perfume by brand Les Nez Parfums d'Auteurs (lit. The Noses -- Authors' Perfumes) we now learn (see earlier announcement today) was inspired by the Wallisian olfactory culture of New Caledonia in French Polynesia.
Perfumer Sandrine Videault composed the fragrance but also undertook to do olfactory fieldwork of an ethnographic type to garner information from local sources and meet people who possess "...a deep and sincere olfactory culture" in her view. Videault has been familiar with the culture since she was a child.
Following a TV program on RFO the perfumer was extended an invitation by a Wallisian lady named Malia who offered her to come and explore their local perfume culture. The result is Manoumalia which attempts to stand as an "olfactory picture" of Wallisian cultural habits in the realm of the fifth sense...
The fragrance composition is described as a floral-woody-ambery perfume incorporating aromas that hold special meanings and represent different styles of perfume applications in Wallisian culture while offering a modern Western structure. Wallisian perfumes are used in various guises as jewelry (necklaces, bracelets), makeup (curcuma), hair color (sandalwood sawdust).
From top to bottom, the scent features notes and accords of fragraea, vetyver, tiare, sandalwood sawdust, ylang-ylang, ambery accord. Fragrea (fragrea berteriana) also called the Perfume Flower Tree or Pua Kenikeni or Ten Cent Flower is said to be the equivalent of the Tiare flower to Tahitians.
Please stay tuned for more on this perfume when it becomes available. Meanwhile you are invited to sample it in advance (see previous post).
Via Les Nez press release
Previous Posts in New Perfumes:
Les Nez Parfums d'Auteurs Turtle Vetiver Exercise 1 (2008), Manoumalia (2009)
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Comments
Thanks for the heads-up, M-H! Thanks to you and René's kindness, I've now secured my samples and will be expecting them in late January.
Have a lovely holiday season! :)
Hugs
Posted by: Dusan | December 22, 2008
You're welcome! A warm and lovely holiday season to you as well :)
Posted by: Marie-Helene "May" Wagner | December 22, 2008
I received an email today from LesNez telling me that they'd sent out a sample of the new Manoumalia, and that the best translaton of their promotional material could be found on the Scented Salamander -- and then they provided me with a link to your entry.
I thought you'd be interested to know that they think highly enough of your post to recommend it to other bloggers.
Thanks for the translation work. I look forward to receiving the Manoumalia.
Posted by: Nathan Branch | December 22, 2008
Thank you very much for your kind words. I am happy to be of help as a French speaker.
The Manoumalia project sounds quite authentic and no doubt will generate a healthy dose of discussion in the blogosphere, from what I can judge from the initial reactions.
Best wishes for a happy holiday season!
Posted by: Marie-Helene "May" Wagner | December 22, 2008
I was lucky enough to also receive a sample of this exquisite perfume. I have never smelled anything so lush and tropical before.
If I close my eyes, my mind drifts off to a deserted island, filled with flowers of different scents all mingled together with a little sea spray thrown in for good measure. Lying on my woven hammock, being swayed by the tall palms, I experience a pleasure unknown to me before this moment.
This veritable instant vacation, calms me in the midst of my busy workday here at the computer.
Posted by: Cleopatra's Boudoir | July 14, 2009