 My 2009 Halloween Shopping ListMarilyn Miglin Fo-Ti-TiengThe Body Shop Love Etc.Fall Fragrances: Cornucopia of Dark FruitsL'Occitane Labdanum de Séville, Mimosa de l'EstérelRobert Piguet FuturKate Moss VintageFrapin L'HumanistePatriotic Bestseller Perfumes: DiscussFaguenat, Faganat...Fug?Sniffing Rich Orientals in ParisL'Artisan Parfumeur Havana Vanille Dolce & Gabbana Rose The OneGuerlain Idylle - Part 1Guerlain Idylle - Part 2Kat Von D Saint & SinnerCalvin Klein CK Free for MenMariah Carey ForeverWienerBlut KlubwasserPrada L'Eau AmbréeSerge Lutens Fille en AiguillesBritney Spears Circus FantasyYves Saint Laurent ParisienneIdole d'ArmaniGuerlain Aqua Allegoria Tiaré-Blossom, Cherry BlossomHermès Eau d'Orange Verte, Eau de Pamplemousse Rose, Eau de Gentiane BlancheParfums de Nicolaï Weekend à DeauvilleSerge Lutens Fourreau NoirEssential FaithPenhaligon's Anthology: Eau de Verveine, Extract of Limes, Gardenia, Night Scented StockMac Naked Honey & AfricanimalChopard CascadeLancôme Hypnôse SensesJuliette Has a Gun Midnight OudNarciso Rodriguez EssenceQueen Latifah QueenBenefit Laugh With Me LeeLee, There's Something About Sofia, My Place Or Yours GinaThe Body Shop White Musk White Hot SummerRochas Eau SensuelleL'Artisan Parfumeur Côte d'AmourChloe Eau de ParfumGuerlain Les Fleurs du Guildo: An Early 19th Century Precursor of Marine ScentsLush VanillaryByredo Bal d'AfriqueZadig & Voltaire Tome 1 La Pureté - Part 1Zadig & Voltaire Tome 1 La Pureté - Part 2Guerlain MuguetGuerlain Muguet (en français)Spring Notes: Lily of the Valley & DiorChanel Cristalle Eau VerteChristian Dior Escale à PondichéryFrédéric Malle Géranium pour MonsieurGobin-Daudé Sous Le BuisRoger et Gallet Bois d'OrangeMontale Patchouli LeavesStetson All AmericanStephen Jones by Comme des GarçonsGivenchy Harvest 2008: Ange ou Démon Jasmin Sambac, Amarige Ylang Ylang, Very Irresistible Rose Damascena, Organza Fleur d'OrangerYves Saint Laurent La Nuit de l'HommeYves Saint Laurent l'HommeThe Sex Factor in Men's FragrancesNina Ricci Love by NinaHermès Kelly Calèche EDPAnnick Goutal Un Matin d'OrageGuerlain La Petite Robe NoireSerge Lutens Nuit de CellophaneParfums MDCI Péché CardinalHermès Vanille Galante - Part 1Hermès Vanille Galante - Part 2
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   If I wanted to smell like the overheated dressing room of a 1950s Hollywood actress getting ready to go on the set or the stage, this is what I would wear. The new Dolce & Gabbana Rose The One captures more than the scent of a big, luscious and aquatic rose-peony-lychee bouquet with all its sails out, it also evokes fleetingly the rapid, inner sensations of a backstage beauty atmosphere.
In this setting, one can sense that the actress is slightly bothered by the artificial electric heat, the excitement of having to show herself to the world and one can smell her nervous musky perspiration, the body powder melting a bit on clean skin, the whiffs of makeup, nail polish, and of course, there must be a huge bouquet somewhere in the room with fluorescent roses and Madonna lilies smelling a bit of Marmite. Perhaps there is an electric kettle in the room to explain the slightly muggy, tropical quality.
I am reminded of distant smells from the past from classical dancing studios where chalk, sweat, dust and the scent of youth mingle. Perhaps if you added a fresh rose bouquet to a painting of ballerinas by Degas, it would smell a bit like this...
Continue reading "Dolce & Gabbana Rose The One (2009): The Scent of Backstage Beauty: Florist Rose {Perfume Review} {Rose Notebook}" »
 Chloé Eau de Parfum was launched in 2008 as a successor, in name only, to the original Chloé from 1975, a tuberose-laden soliflore perfume with an immense if not for some an overbearing presence to outwit Fracas created under Karl Lagerfeld's tenure at Chloé. The new Chloé attaches itself symbolically to this heritage like a descendant bearing the same first name. But in the hands of perfumers Michel Almairac and Amandine Marie of Robertet it was turned into a completely different person except for the fact that this time too it is a floral perfume with a marked propensity to be a soliflore and that there is a little hint of Narcisse by Chloé (1992), another lesser known floral predecessor from the same brand. Chloé in 2008 turns out to my surprise to be a beautiful even touching rose composition. It reveals an unexpected measure of originality, quiet charm and even a nostalgic and poetic atmosphere. But this is where I feel the need to draw a distinction between the beauty of the rose + litchi + peony + cedar accord that unfolds here, which is aesthetically compelling, and the whole texture of the composition itself which suffers a bit from the parcimonious attribution of riches. In other words, it feels like looking at a beautiful, sincerely drawn and painted aquarelle but realizing at the same time that some parts of it are not completely finished to full effect due to, say, the drought and lack of water....
Continue reading "Chloe Eau de Parfum by Chloe (2008): Closet Rose Soliflore {Perfume Review} {Rose Notebook}" »
 Added: Review of Idole d'ArmaniArmani is mostly interested in reaching out to the feminine portion of the global and American fragrance market in particular with their upcoming September opus called Idole and they really wished women were not so fickle. This is what transpires from an article in today's Women's Wear Daily where founder Giorgio Armani laments the difficulty of keeping women in the bosom of the brand. Men, that's another story, and Armani confesses to having a better grasp on the male psyche because he is a man himself after all and men are more faithful in their perfume tastes. Interesting conceptions about gender and cultural preferences emerge, "It's much more difficult," he said. "Women are very unfaithful --
psychologically speaking. Maybe it's because I'm a man and I know what
men like. [They] like fragrances that [make them] feel like a man. Now
there is too much promiscuity between a female and a male fragrance."
And,
"American women like a certain kind of fragrance, stronger and very
personal," he observed. "I sometimes say it's a little bit like an
elevator fragrance. When a woman gets onto an elevator, you can smell
this fragrance. It's a bit too much."...
Continue reading "Idole d'Armani (2009): To Conquer or Not The US Feminine Market {New Fragrance}" »
 The smell of muguet (Convallaria majalis), or lily of the valley in English which has also retained the French word, especially in the field of perfumery (and it must smell even better and more refined if you say it in French, no doubt), is instantly delightful, delicate and Fresh, with a capital letter. The scent of a little sprig of muguet evokes by its own self without any exertion of the imagination whatsoever the woodland and the cool of the forest. When closing your eyes, the aroma bespeaks of damp grass and sitting sessions ending with clothing moist by an over-application of dew and patterned with water-rings. When you further smell lily of the valley, you have to realize that it is really a miraculous kind of freshness compared to the sizes of the shapely little bells. If you approach your nose close to the flowers, it suddenly feels as if it had entered halfway inside a refrigerator and next, that your nostrils and the tip of your nose just turned into ice. Those slender blooms are like mini air-conditioners working at the maximum of their power with no perceptible sound of a motor humming. How can something smell so fresh? Isn't it also rather that they create a micro-climate of freshness around them and then send out all the atmospheric cues of re-processed air to our noses? A lily of the valley smells is this paradox: it smells as fresh and glacial as blue spearmint without smelling minty at all... 
Continue reading "Spring Notes: Lily of the Valley - Muguet... & Dior {Scented Thoughts} {Fresh Notebook - Green Floral Freshness}" »
 As reported last time, Géranium pour Monsieur is the latest Editions de Parfums launch due out in May 2009. Evolving from a brash and super fresh opening to further green crushed freshness then floralcy and dark woodland obscurity, it is touted as an innovative take on the traditional showcasing of geranium (not the rosy kind, but the green leafy kind), a key note used in masculine colognes called fougeres (fern) in reference to their eponymous ancestor Fougère Royale by Houbigant (1882) a creation by perfumer Paul Parquet made possible thanks to the synthesis of coumarin by Perkin in 1868 with its freshly mown-hay nuance. In a slight departure from the overall professed unisex creed for the house, it is the third perfume by Frédéric Malle to appear with a more marked masculine persona after Vétiver Extraordinaire and especially French Lover (French-market name)/Bois d'Orage (US-market name)... 
Continue reading "Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle Geranium pour Monsieur (2009): Brash Masculine Floral or a Green Fougere Gone Black {Perfume Review}" »
 Sometimes one falls in love with an unforgettable waft of perfume and this event heralds the beginning of an obsessive quest. Risa writes, "I was eating dinner in Manhattan in a sushi restaurant when a table of 4 sat down next to us....within 5 minutes the ladies perfume empowered the area...i was absolutely in love...yet i heard them talking it was not my language of English. the perfume was extremely powdery, yet had a violet scent to it....soft and quite a statement.....might u be able to suggest anything....to this day i am so upset i didn't even try to ask her....it was fabulous...probably a scent from Europe , and i cant even get it here...but i have been trying to look up anything i could online, and i have been quite unsuccessful...PLEASE HELP..."
Risa
Dear Risa, We're here to help, whenever we can. First of all, let me tell you how I can well imagine that scene, which sounds like a missing episode from Sex and the City!...
Continue reading "Mystery Violet Perfume in Manhattan...Please Help! {Ask Marie-Helene} {Violet Notebook}" »
 Lyric for Man by Amouage The Skinny:
Perfumer: Daniel Visentin
Artistic Director: Christopher Chong
Gender label: masculine, but easily adopted by women
Notes: top: bergamot, lime; heart: rose, angelica, orange blossom, green galbanum, spicy ginger, nutmeg, saffron; base: pine, sandalwood, vanilla, musk, frankincense
Characteristics: a fresh and warm, dark and transparent green spicy rose oriental fragrance with a sustained aqueous facet and discreet powdery one.
Personality: subtle, elegant, offbeat
Wearability: very easy for a woman, easy for a man
Price point: $$$; worth it. Exceptional lastingness and diffusion
Bottle: an almost black-red glass (darker than on the picture) and a lighter black plastic cap than on the women's flacon but without feeling flimsy. Here the Swarovski crystal appears on the face of the cap and a crown motif appears on a metal appliqué on top of the cap.
Perfumes discussed: Penhaligon's Hammam Bouquet, Czech and Speake No. 88, Un Jardin Après La Mousson, Fabergé Brut, Yves Saint Laurent Paris, Lyric for Woman, Yohji Homme.
Lyric Rose, The Men's Version, and Gender
Amouage, as is their habit, launched at the same time a duo of fragrances for women and men which in this case turns out to be a dual homage paid to the rose. They being a perfume house shaped by the culture of the Middle East (and that of Oman in particular), it was interesting for me to anticipate how the creative team would work on a masculine version of a rose perfume that would be made, in principle, to stand a few degrees of virility apart from the feminine version while, one could surmise, taking into account the cultural heritage of the rose traditionally considered to be a popular scent in Arabic men's perfumes. By opposition, modern Western perfumery broadly defined tends to interpret the lushness and floralcy of the rose scent, whenever it is showcased prominently, to be women's appanage; it was not so in the 19th century (see for example the literally sulfurous Penhaligon's Hammam Bouquet) and even today Czech & Speake No. 88, a men's perfume showcasing a dark even sombre incensey rose belying these proclivities. It may be due perhaps both thanks to the colonial history of Great Britain and the country's traditional inclination for floral fragrances including soliflores that this cultural perception of the intensity of the rose otto was never completely forgotten. For it is a given that the rose in such cases will be masculinized.
The Western history of beauty reinforces the feminine attributes of the rose as this most desired and cultivated of flowers has been made to become in the end a stereotypical symbol of feminine beauty since the antiquity when the rose was sacred to Aphrodite. In the Islamic tradition however, the rose's aroma has been exoterically endowed with religious meaning, and if there is any gender association, it might be considered to be just as masculine as feminine through its connection with the figure of the Prophet Mohammad. It is thus said that the emanations of the rose are derived from the very sweat of the Prophet who invites "whoever" wishes to smell his person to drink it in. According to this tradition he expresses his own transfigurative mystical experience by referring to the intoxicating olfactory power of the rose, pointing at the same time possibly to a favorite perfumery accord: rose and musk,
"When I was taken up into heaven, some of my sweat fell upon the earth, and from it sprang the rose; and whoever would smell my scent, let him smell the rose."
The mystical use of the rose trope to express the exquisiteness and ineffability of the divine, further popularized by images of Sufi poetical transcendance. It carries therefore a priori an universalistic message despite the fact that Arabian feminine beauty, as in the West, is also unavoidably and classically compared to that of the rose. Of the rightly-named Rose-in-Bloom in the 1001 Nights, it is thus said that
"her name was Rose-in-Bloom; and the reason of her being so named was her excessive delicacy of beauty and her elegance."...
 October rose by Catmadogma: this picture is cool and warm like the perfume with a similar effect of watery transparency
Continue reading "Amouage Lyric for Man (2008): Unusual Rose {Perfume Review & Musings} {New Fragrance} {Rose Notebook} {Men's Cologne}" »
 Lyric for Woman by Amouage
The Skinny:
Perfumer: Daniel Maurel
Artistic Director: Christopher Chong
Gender label: feminine
Notes: top: bergamot, spicy cardamom, cinnamon, ginger; heart: rose, angelica, jasmine, ylang ylang, geranium, orris; base: oakmoss, musk, wood, patchouli, vetiver, sandalwood, vanilla, tonka bean, frankincense
Characteristics: a deep dark fruity and resinous rose encased in a classic oriental structure offering a nod to Shalimar and the guerlinade
Personality: opulent, rich, luxurious, classic, politely transgressive
Wearability: easy in the evening; you will get more noticed during the day
Price point: $$$; could have had more originality for that price, not just richness; sorry to haggle
Bottle: very nice; the cap is in a heavy good-quality plastic topped with a Swarovski crystal. The flacon is made of hefty dark, almost black-red (darker than on pictures). The
Perfumes discussed: Joy, Shalimar, Habit Rouge, Parure, Musc Nomade
This review is a composite picture of several impressions of the scent.
Lyric Woman by Omani niche perfume house Amouage is rich enough to support a variety of interpretations and can surprise you overtime with its different accents, although I think it is safe to try to encapsulate it as a dark wine-y rose oriental.
Although the rose is conspicuous at first, it tends to lose its centrality in the perception of the perfume as it develops further, for it is a very dressed-up rose in full regalia, bedecked with gold and carbuncles, including no doubt Burmese Pigeon Blood rubies. The rose here is less of a diva on its own than part of a general operatic atmosphere of ostentation with a decorative, ornate style although it blooms at times, especially peeking through a second layer of application.
As I said earlier (Perfumes that Sing Vs. Perfumes You Want To Eat), I am also more struck by the deep colors and tonalities of Lyric than by lyrical qualities, such as flight. The one criticism I have that stays with me with some persistence is regarding the use of a slightly juvenile, "easy" and regressive vanilla accord in the midst of rather convincing opulence and nocturnal ambiance...
Continue reading "Amouage Lyric for Woman (2008): Ornate Operatic Rose {Perfume Review} {Rose Notebook} {New Fragrance}" »
Zara is a Spanish fashion brand, famous for having made high fashion styles accessible to the demos. It was founded by Amancio Ortega Gaona, a notoriously reclusive personality, a fact that did not prevent him from becoming the richest man in Spain. Zara, in particular, is known for its exceptional turnover rate as new designs are brought into the stores in a matter of days and sold out or replaced equally swiftly, as need arises. The Zara boutiques usually receive new clothes twice a week. According to the Independent (May 23, 2001), "Zara has never conducted an advertising campaign. Word of mouth, and the rapidly changing clothes on offer, seem magnetic enough for customers to come flocking through the doors. The company owes its success to swiftly identifying stylish catwalk trends and bringing them to the high street at a fraction of the cost, within days."
Zara partnered with Puig in the past to introduce several fragrances starting with Zara Woman, Zara Man and four limited edition scents called Zara Textures in 1999. The fragrance line was originally set up by Carlos Benaïm and Alberto Morillas. The perfumes were created by Rosendo Mateu. In 2003 I Homme was launched. The brand this year released 6 new fragrances in the beginning of 2008, three for women and three for men: Rosa Bulgara, Flor de Azahar, Lirio de Agua, Sandalo, Vetiver, and Ambar, which are all part of a new line of perfumes called Agua Perfumada. The Perfumed Water line is also made by Puig. The spirit of the range is described as being "classical, minimalist, and elegant", according to Look 4 Fashion. Perhaps in keeping with the company's motto of proposing affordable versions of high-end patterns and materials, it is not surprising to notice that the packaging for the new perfumes resemble in shape and size the line of Les Exclusifs by Chanel......
Continue reading "Zara Rosa Bulgara with Notes on Flor de Azahar, Lirio de Agua (2008) {Perfume Review} {New Fragrances} {Rose Notebook}" »
The Huntington in San Marino, California is organizing an exhibition about the historical role Joséphine de Beauharnais played in developing the cultivation of modern roses in Europe through her passion for them. It is titled La Rose Impériale: The Development of Modern Roses. The show takes place as part of the 100th anniversary of the rose garden at The Huntington. Rose lovers will be able to see these: “ ...110 rare illustrated herbals and rose books, including a first edition of Pierre-Joseph Redouté’s glorious multivolume work, Les Roses (1817-24)...... (Image is from from Redouté's album)
Continue reading "La Rose Impériale: Exhibition at The Huntington Until April 28, 2008 {Scented Paths & Fragrant Addresses} {Rose Notebook}" »
French Florist brand Au Nom de la Rose (In the Name of the Rose) have introduced two debut personal fragrances for women and men which pay homage to the queen of the flowers, rose. The scents are called Au Nom de la Rose Femme and Au Nom de la Rose Homme The brand say that they had been dreaming for years of creating a line of beauty products based on rose and now this dream has become a reality. Au Nom de la Rose Femme is described as being both simple and refined like the flower itself and mixes classicism and originality....
Continue reading "Au Nom de la Rose Femme & Homme (2008) {New Fragrances} {Rose Notebook}" »
Note: The Rose Challenge becomes a permanent feature as the Rose Notebook. Dear Readers,
We are announcing a challenge for the next few weeks, the Smell-The-Roses-Till-Valentine's Day Challenge. Until Valentine's Day, we will cover a rose scent or edible or rose-related topic a day. Rose remains the "queen of flowers" and is one of the most popular floral perfume categories that exist. We want to celebrate its beauty and track down its most discussion-worthy incarnations. Hopefully in doing this, we can help you choose the perfect rose to offer as a gift on Valentine's Day or just invite you to dream about the beauty of roses! There will be feminine roses, masculine roses, roses to drink and roses to eat, pourquoi pas?
See you soon,
Marie-Helene Roses, Roses, Roses, Roses.... Day 1: Comme Des Garçons Red Series: Rose (2001)
Day 2: Penhaligon's Hamman Bouquet (1872)/(2003) Day 3: Isabel Derroisné Rose Divine (2006).....
Continue reading "Smell-The-Roses-Till-Valentine's Day Challenge {Fragrance News} {Notebook: Rose}" »
The new Vivara by Emilio Pucci created by perfumer François Demachy is a perfume that manages to surprise you, enchant you, and mesmerize you all along the way. It actually blew my mind. At first you think that it is a very interesting fragrance, then it becomes frankly beautiful, then you think no, it is more than interesting, it is original and a bit strange, yet endlessly beautiful. You then wonder: how did they manage to create a perfume that is both so obviously quirky yet classically and superlatively enchanting? Vivara will keep you guessing for ever. It is a breathtaking beauty that is extremely sophisticated in its structure and will make your more traditional perfumes look like they were made in the kitchen sink.
Remember the Edmond Roudnitska dictum that says never to compare two perfumes, it is unfair? In this case one would be tempted to add, unlike in fairy tales, hide the others, here comes a woman of unparalleled beauty and charm and it would be just nonsensical to compare other more ordinary beauties to her....... Pucci evening dress, 1966, MET collection
Continue reading "Vivara by Pucci (2007) {Perfume Review & Musings} {New Perfume}" »
François Joyaux, who used to be best known as a specialist of political sciences and Asia (cf. La Nouvelle Question d'Extrême-Orient), has become a renowned rose expert and author. He has already written several books on the topic including his latest one bearing the title Les Roses de l'Impératrice: la rosomanie au temps de Joséphine (The Roses of the Empress: rose mania in the times of Joséphine), in which he studies the rose craze in the society of the First Empire which reflected itself in all aspects of culture and society from architectural ornamentation to rose collecting. Joséphine de Beauharnais in particular is famous for having developed a unique collection of roses in the greenhouses at Malmaison, which were drawn very precisely by artist Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759-1840) and published in a book of prints called Les Roses (1817-1824)....... Rosa Gallica Charles de Mills
Continue reading "Roseraie de la Cour de Commer, Les Roses de l'Impératrice: La Rosomanie au Temps de Joséphine by François Joyaux {Scented Paths & Fragrant Addresses} {Fragrant Reading} {Rose Notebook}" »
 As the summer approaches I want to retain the mood of spring and crave freshness and dewiness more than at the end of winter when all one can think of is about the forthcoming warmer days. As the temperature heats up I anticipate some of the more scorching days of summer and realize that I want to cultivate a freshness that is precisely that of spring, not that of winter nor of summer's cooler days. Perfumes help us cultivate the moment and turn the wheel of time a little. Rose Essentielle by Bulgari feels just right for today's purpose of slowing down the advance of the season and put back the arm of the clock to that position in earlier spring when the new chilliness was too close to the rough cold to be fully appreciated. Especially in New England where temperatures can swing from one extreme to the other in record time, fragrances may prove helpful in making one not feel entirely deprived of these more subtle-feeling days.........
Continue reading "Rose Essentielle by Bulgari {Perfume Review & Musings}" »
 Les Parfums de Rosine, a niche perfume house exclusively dedicated to the celebration of the rich multiple facets of the rose flower, has released their latest creation, Diabolo Rose. It was composed by nose François Robert based on an idea by Marie-Hélène Rogeon, the founder and owner of the brand.....
Continue reading "Diabolo Rose by Les Parfums de Rosine {New Perfume}" »
Futuristic Perfumes After having whetted our appetite with the announcement of the upcoming release of Azzaro Now and, especially, recently reviewed the new CK IN2U, we wanted to seek out other examples of the futuristic trend in fragrance creation. For these fragrances, the sensations that they create make one feel like one is entering an universe that has been depicted most often in science-fiction novels or movies. They aim at disorienting the perfume wearer, but it must be added, only to some extent. Taking into account the fact that olfaction is the sense of memory, these perfumes, although they make reference to a world that seems hard to place at first, are really artful combinations of familiar and novel notes that tease our senses of both the affective past and the projected future......
Continue reading "Neblina/L'Esprit de Neblina by Yves Rocher {Perfume Review & Musings}" »
 The latest creation by the house of Balmain is called La Môme (The Kid) and pays homage to an encounter in the 1950s between the great propular French singer Edith Piaf and couturier Pierre Balmain. It was released in February 2007 to coïncide with the debut of Olivier Dahan's biopic La Môme about the life of the singer. The perfume was created by Guillaume Flavigny who is also the composer for Purple Lips by Dali and Lulu by Lulu Castagnette, together with Antoine Lie, amongst others. The young perfumer won a prize in 2002 with the Société Française des Parfumeurs for a fragrance called In The Mood For Love. La Môme has top notes of May Rose, freesia, and pink pepper. Heart notes are Damas Rose absolute, violet, raspberry, and myrrh. Base notes are orris, musk, amber, and opoponax.....
Continue reading "Balmain La Môme (2007) {Perfume Review}" »
Indult is a new high-end French perfume label that made its debut in January of 2007 and is currently exclusively sold at Sephora France. The name of the brand comes from Christian Latin "Indultum" meaning "concession, favor". Their name embodies their marketing approach which is typically one that is characterized by a new-luxury philosophy. As we already noted on TSS, "...Indeed to buy one of the Indult perfumes amounts to being a king or a prince granted a privilege from the Pope or feels like paying the King of Spain's tax on precious metals and products originating from America as the historical references go. Only 999 copies of each will be marketed...." Buying an Indult perfume in fact equates to buying a membership into a select club of perfume aficionados as only those who have purchased one of the fewer than 3000 flacons will be able to re-purchase in the future.
The three perfumes were composed by nose Francis Kurkdjian. Each one of the scents is said to be dedicated to the interpretation of an important note in perfumery: rose for Manakara, Patchouli for Isvaraya, and vanilla for Tihota. The perfumes convey a sense of luxurious exoticism coupled with urban elegance and even edginess, the latter trait not being too overtly expressed. The complexity is more structural than narrative, that is, the perfumes do not offer very complex developments but the satisfactory olfactory experience one derives from them rests upon an inner, understated complexity. The fragrances are high quality and elaborate. There seems to be a common thread running through them pointing to an interest for a sugar theme. Rather than feel infantile, it evokes the passionate quest for the raw material and the connoisseur's appreciation for its many nuances. It explodes nowhere better than in Tihota....
Continue reading "Manakara, Isvaraya, & Tihota by Indult {Perfume Review & Musings} {New Perfumes}" »
 In the emails I receive from readers I am often asked questions about rose fragrances. These requests make me realize that despite the fact that many people might think rose fragrances are a bit passé, not original enough, harking back to the days of yore when women wore flowery hats and scented their kerchiefs with violet and rose scents, that in spite of that stereotype there are many amateurs of rose perfumes.
I also realize that the slight prejudice that exists against rose fragrances amongst people who seek rarer scents may stem from the fact that many a rose fragrances smell a bit dull and conventional to the nose or appear to never smell as enthralling as the original natural flower. A recurring request is that the desirable rose scents smell both natural and have an interesting touch to them. Oftentimes I find that rose scents strip down roses of their character, their earthiness, their verdant freshness, their aqueous quality, their woodiness, in other words, of their complexity. Too often we are reminded of the flattened unidimensional scent of a rose soap. In this manner a rose scent can easily be perceived to be boring due to its enduring popularity and typification......
Continue reading "A Rose by Inis {Perfume Review & Musings}" »
Recently a reader from Greece contacted me to ask for some assistance in finding information about Borsari, a venerable perfume house based in Parma, Italy and in particular about one of its perfumes, Rosa Thea. This person was looking for a full bottle of it, a much more difficult task it seems than finding a miniature version of it. Seeing such enthusiasm for a perfume is always contagious and it made me want to seek out the fragrance and see by myself what all the fuss was about.....
Continue reading "Rosa Thea by Borsari 1870 {Perfume Short - Express Perfume Review}" »
 Eau d'Italie Le Sirenuse Positano is a line of perfumes originally inspired by Hotel Le Sirenuse in the locale of Positano on the Italian Amalfian Coast. To the initial Eau d'Italie have succeeded three other perfumes, all inspired by Italy and its history: Paestum Rose, Sienne L'Hiver (Sienna in Winter), and Bois D'Ombrie (Umbria Woods). I find that perfume and nostalgia being intimately linked, it is only fitting that a sense of place be translated into perfumes. The symbolic gesture of taking a handful of dirt and inhaling its scent deeply to be reminded of one's roots and provenance is something that all people who have been transplanted in their lives can relate to. It may be those few grams of earth, that some even take with them upon leaving, as it may be any types of physical evidences of our lives past. I also said earlier that nationalism as a deeply aesthetic emotion could be potentially shared and reactivated through the sharing of common, iconic smells. Le Sirenuse seems thus to be piecing together an image of Italy, ideal and worth remembering. It is a romanticized version of the Italian peninsula in the fall and winter...
Continue reading "Paestum Rose, Sienne L'Hiver, Bois D'Ombrie by Eau D'Italie Le Sirenuse Positano" »
 West Side is the latest perfume launch by Bond no 9, an upscale niche perfume house dedicated to interpreting in fragrances the different neighborhoods of New York City. This time it is the West Side, home to Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Birdland and the Copacabana, that is honored in relation to its musical heritage. West Side is the house's 27th fragrance. The fragrance was composed by nose Michel Almairac who previously created for the same house The Scent of Peace and Fire Island. Some of his other works include the wonderful Burberry Burberry for Women, L'Artisan Voleur de Roses, Grès Cabaret, and my personal favorite hands down Gucci Pour Homme, a truly exceptional jus. West Side features top notes of rose, ylang-ylang, and peony; heart notes of sandalwood and amber; the drydown is redolent of vanilla and musk.
As West Side is meant to embody the musical beat of New York City it is described by Bond no 9 as "...an ultra-melodious eau de parfum that finds the scent equivalent for the sounds of music in its full-bodied, mellow composition, its undulating rhythms, its harmonies, its pitch—and yes, its notes. Whether they’re high or low, dark or light, sweet or sharp—notes are what music and fragrance are both about". Perfume and music are made to be even more consciously associated than is usual in perfumery with the evocation of an explicit musical imagery to guide the interpretation of the fragrance. The bold treble keys drawn on the flacons with vivid colors illustrate this artistic theme. All listening are invited to offer their own interpretations as "Fragrance, like music, is open to interpretation. Everyone who sniffs it will hear—and smell—a different melody of their own". So what is the sound of West Side on this day and as heard by this listener?...
Continue reading "West Side by Bond no 9 {Perfume Review & Musings}" »
 Perles de Lalique (Pearls of Lalique) is the most recent women's perfume edition by the house of Lalique. It was released in May in Europe and will be introduced in the USA in September. This modern take on a chypre was composed by nose Nathalie Lorson of Firmenich. Ideas behind the perfume were both a desire to tip one's hat to the Roaring Twenties as well as herald a revival of the chypres in modern perfumery. The flacon for the perfume is designed after the famous boîte à cactus created by founder and glass artist René Lalique (1860-1945.) The rectangular flacons for the edp are also inspired by it but in a more indirect fashion only keeping the opalescent white coloring dotted with onyx but still referring themselves to an art deco style...
Continue reading "Lalique Perles de Lalique (2006) {Perfume Review}" »
 Maréchale 90 is the modern 1994 reformulation of the original Eau à la Maréchale created in 1669 for la Maréchale d'Aumont wife of Antoine d'Aumont. Her name is also attached to a powdery concoction for hair and wigs called "Poudre à la Maréchale" which she created herself. It is reported that the air in the salons was heavily perfumed with this powder covering many an aristocrat's head. References to this preparation can be found in 19th century French literature where it designates a face powder as well. According to the Société Française des Parfumeurs, this perfumed powder originally comprised orris, coriander, clove, calamus root, and sedge...
Continue reading "Crown Perfumery Maréchale 90 {Perfume Review}" »
What I like about Rose d'Été (summer rose) and what makes it a distinctive rose fragrance to me is the slight scent of decay that emanates from it. It is not at all a fresh rose but on the contrary it is a rose redolent with all the scents of ripe summer fruits that surround this flower in the imaginary garden evoked by its creator. The way I sense it, it is that antepenultimate time of summer not quite yet that time just before the end of summer.
As the fragrance liberates itself from the glass phial there is a very brief moment dominated by fresh notes.Then you are invited to dip your nose into the soft satiny heart of a rose, that part of the flower which retains its scent at the heaviest. According to the description of the notes it is a yellow rose and it smells realistically so...
Continue reading "Perfume Review & Musings: Rose d'Été by Les Parfums de Rosine" »
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