|
|
 Mata Hari dancing in the library of the Musée Guimet, 1905 © Guimet archives -- I picked this picture because Idole d'Armani has this girly, playful layer added to the more mysterious, more mature feminine layer of oakmoss: the idol is in a light, playful mood.
Idole d'Armani is a nice diversion from the musky florals and fruity florals that one has come slowly to accept as the smell of the Zeitgeist. Feminine shelves in perfumeries are by default now catering to the abstraction that are young women's tastes as defined by the invisible masters of fragrance fashion who tell them what will make them happy even before they can have a clear idea of what indeed would make them content perfume-wise. It is only normal that such an overwhelming favorable bias would exist for women in their late teens and early twenties as although not the richest consumers they are the ones most engaged in the dating game. They are also the most fickle too as there exists no inhibition anymore for this generation to the regular exploring of perfumery aisles rather than the settling down for a sig scent as the expression does not go for a "signature scent". Although that could have been a nice perky shorthand via SMS in contradiction though with the general ethos of hyper fast communication and up-to-the-minute version of reality. Imagine a daily message on Twitter saying "still wearing my sig scent today & meaning to do so until the day I croak." Somehow it does not sound eventful enough or in tune with a world in which a fragrance infatuation can live under 24 hours and global warming is referred to regularly to point to a future that is all about instability...  The ad features actress Kasia Smutniak
Continue reading "Armani Idole d'Armani (2009) {Perfume Review}" »
 When I start feeling in the mood for good thriller novels, I know it is summer at last in my head, and that I am now able to enjoy the most carefree days of the year. It might have happened to you sooner, but to me it has taken place really in August this year. The other day this realization together with a good level of heat made me review the newish trio of colognes by Hermès. Today, I am continuing this latter-day summer series with a perfume that seems to have flown a little under the radar this season; it has certainly been the case under my own radar. Although I noted the yearly Aqua Allegoria launch this year, I somehow failed to have an opportunity to try them until recently. Tiaré-Mimosa I did not hesitate to buy for its lovely skin-scent quality while Cherry Blossom although I thought it presented a little twist on the usual pink, girly cherry blossom scent, ultimately it could not really make me want to wear it more than or even as much as Tiaré-Mimosa. Let's qualify that. I have to confess that as a perfume blogger I am more often than not in the state of "wanting to wear perfume" rather than actually wearing any for myself as blogging about fragrance has turned me into someone less spontaneous about perfume Epicurianism, more careful to leave skin, and more importantly, mental space for reviews. Never mind this paradoxical development, it makes those perfumed moments even more special. I am not advocating a Tantric method of perfume-wearing to you. But to some degree, living an alternative to chain-perfuming like there exists chain-smoking - an adaptive behavior to innumerable market launches, admittedly - with rhythmic, stolen-time and rendez-vous perfuming to mark a pause, an event, a personal choice, has its virtues. One of them is to allow you to smell street or nature smells, smell what other people wear and the world at large. You can appreciate the smell of food better. You rediscover your own skin note. We are often told that love is being able to live and let live and not being able to let go is like a state of dependency, a form of addiction, which is, we are told by psychologists, the opposite of love. Taking a step back from perfume-wearing without shutting down your sense of smell, by all means, and considering the other interesting things you can do and experiment in life can only enrich your views on fragrance which in and of itself is really about the states of your mind and that of others. There is a line between perfuming yourself to live better and living to perfume yourself. But in truth, I sometimes miss the time when I could wear fragrance just for my secret pleasure...
Continue reading "Guerlain Aqua Allegoria 2009 Tiare-Mimosa with Notes on Cherry Blossom: My Perfume Rendez-Vous {Fragrance Reviews}" »
 This is the French version, part 1, of my review of Fourreau Noir by Serge Lutens first published in English. Le premier aspect qui frappe le regard en contemplant l'objet le parfum Fourreau Noir de Serge Lutens qui va sortir en septembre 2009 est le jeu des teintes transparentes se fondant les unes dans les autres - brun fauve, gris perlé, mauve passé - composant la couleur subtile et rare du jus de Fourreau Noir. C'est très beau, esthétiquement satisfaisant, et différent de la couleur que l'on aperçoit sur la photo de presse, se rapprochant plutôt des teintes du portrait d'Emily Brontë ci-dessus. Cette recherche de la teinte parfaite - Serge Lutens est aussi un artiste coloriste, ne l'oublions pas - on y devient sensible comme à une allusion offerte d'entrée de jeu par le parfum sur l'atmosphère qu'il contient et va révéler. Fourreau Noir est avec Fille en Aiguilles l'une des deux dernières créations de Serge Lutens lesquelles semblent toutes deux se rattacher de par leur argument narratif de surface à une thématique haute couture et falbalas. On sait que Lutens a travaillé chez Dior, un passé qu'il a invoqué pour Serge Noir. On connaît également sa photographie ultra esthétisante de femmes mi-geishas et mi-poèmes de mode. On serait donc tenté, légitimement, de se rabattre sur le thème de surface en notant également au passage la récurrence d'une autre obsession, celle pour la couleur noire apparue de manière explicite dans, encore une fois, Serge Noir, mais aussi dans Five O'Clock au Gingembre (voir index des perfume reviews)... 
Continue reading "Fourreau Noir de Serge Lutens: La Version Française - 1ère partie {Critique de Parfum}" »
The first remarkable aspect of the upcoming perfume Fourreau Noir by Serge Lutens that meets the eye is the interplay of brown, gray and purple shades that fade into each other in the light and make up the color of the jus which is of a rare, subtle hue. It is very beautiful and different from what appears on the picture of the flacon above and more like some of the tints in the portrait of Emily Brontë below. In this color research you feel, more than with other fragrances by the same brand, an atmospheric hint. Fourreau Noir due to be launched on September 1, 2009 is one of the two new creations by Serge Lutens with Fille en Aiguilles which on the surface of their stories seem to be bound by a common thread of couture reference and fascination for black found explicitly in some of the newer offerings by the house such as Serge Noir and Five O'Clock au Gingembre. I would like to argue, after having myself pointed out the couture trope before discovering the perfume, that this level of apprehension does not yield the most meaning out of the composition at hand which would tend then to be reduced to a mere textural effect of supple velvet thanks to the rich, lush tonka displayed throughout the fragrance. What I personally appreciate most in my experience of Fourreau Noir is its psychological depth and in particular its moving poignancy which transcends the usual Lutensian complexity. Secondly, it enables me to better understand how the vision of the non-perfumer yet author of fragrances, Serge Lutens, is distinct from that of the perfumer in the technical sense, in this case Christopher Sheldrake. This dichotomy is arguably blurry at the edges in the end especially because of the many years spent together by the two men collaborating with each other. Who is to tell how each nose now intuits what the other one wants or can say? There is no doubt however in my mind that the consistency of Serge Lutens's vision is palpable not just through the recurring palette of notes and accords that suggests in particular here immediately Encens et Lavande, Gris Clair, Chypre Rouge, Serge Noir, but much more deeply through his use of perfumery as a means of retelling his biography, at once relived and dreamt upon. The metaphors, the obsessions are Lutens's own. There is also a touch of Englishness to the scent that I perceive and translate into a streak of Brontëan romanticism, perhaps Sheldrake's mark, perhaps a common restrained sensitivity derived from the English-influenced and septentrional North of France. In the two men, there is also this double contrasted biographical anchoring in exotic cultures: Sheldrake's childhood in India, Lutens's adulthood in Morocco... Emily Brontë
Continue reading "Serge Lutens Fourreau Noir (2009): Biography, Memories & Longing {Perfume Review} {New Fragrance} Updated" »
 To me perfume oil is as American as apple pie. A certain kind of fragrance oil that is at least. Not the kind sold in the souks or boutiques of the Middle East redolent of roses, jasmine and oud. I mean made-in-America musk oils designed for the dating scene. Dating is very American. The Art of Manliness blog bemoans the death of dating and wants to resurrect it (thanks for the picture below!). It is a form of modern courtship with its own rules. When a dating perfume is called Essential Faith, it is even harder to miss the allusion to the religious American sensitivity, one of the highest in the world, and the next anticipated step, marriage, marital bliss. "The scent of spirituality [...] Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible, and receives the impossible. Embrace the personal, seductive scent of the body, soul, and spirit."
This is just a line to tie in sexuality and religion, how erotic is that? Next comes the aura of confidentiality that surrounds a product that is not sold everywhere yet begs to be better known for its qualities and defects. A brand that rests on a unique perfume indeed shows real faith in its product and signals a certain level of unreported popularity when this scent has been in existence since 2005. Essential Faith was originally launched under the name Faith but due to trademark registration issues had to be changed to its current one in October 2008. A central claim for this unisex fragrance is that, "Essential Faith
works with each individuals own, natural body chemistry, activated by
body heat, providing each person with their own unique fragrance. It
smells slightly different on everyone, and no two individuals will
smell alike." ...
Continue reading "Essential Faith Oils (2005) {Perfume Review}" »
 Penhaligon's Anthology is a new collection of fragrances launched this month by the old British house established in the late 1860s by newly arrived in London then barber William Henry Penhaligon (no one seems to know the exact year of foundation). As its name indicates, there is an archival bent to this project, at least initially. The brand plans to release four more "archive fragrances" in 2010 and four more in 2011. The revival of these scents were entrusted to perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour and fragrances manufacturer CPL. The perfumer is now better-known as the master-perfumer of L'Artisan Parfumeur, . Duchaufour as it is obvious by now has a non-exclusive contract, which works both ways. One of the latest perfumes by L'Artisan, Côte d'Amour, was created by an external perfumer, Céline Ellena. I am very tempted to nickname this Anthology "Duchaufour Unleashed" as I did not anticipate that it would bear so much of his personal touches. It is also an opportunity for me to catch a side of his that seems almost rebellious and certainly anti-conformist. Did Duchaufour turn into Dean (James)? Eau de Verveine (1949)Notes: citrus, woods, soft metallics, crumbled herbs, spices, musk and vanilla. The initial impression is aromatic, a bit iris-y and sweetly ambery. It is less fresh and herbal than one might have expected from the name of the fragrance and more constructed around the idea of the culturally-connoted distinguished trail for the gentleman playing on subtle woodsy and even subtler leathery undertones. I was expecting a verbena infusion, it is more of a verbena-tinged ambery men's cologne. The signature is classic with the twist that it is a warm ambery fougère rather than a cool, bracing one. It evokes the type of toiletries one might find in the mahogany paneled
bathroom of an exclusive British gentlemen's club... 
Continue reading "Penhaligon's Anthology Part 1: Eau de Verveine (1949), Extract of Limes (1963), Gardenia (1976), Night Scented Stock (1976): Archival Papers Dipped in Contemporary Solutions or Duchaufour Unleashed {Perfume Reviews} {New Fragrances}" »
 The European advertising for the fragrance featuring model Michaela Hlavackova
Perfumers: Béatrice Piquet and Juliette Karagueuzoglou of IFF
Perfume notes: top: pink pepper, grapefruit flower, mandarin; heart: Belle de Nuit, Evening Maiden Orchid, Heliotrope; base: Living Precious Woods, musk, amber. Cascade is the new perfume by jewelry brand Chopard. It comes with the recommendation that it features an original accord of Belle de Nuit flower. The composition is like a medium-bodied oriental showcasing a floral metaphor of femininity through the intoxicating and complex scent of the Belle de Nuit. Voir Venise et puis mourir, to see Venice and then to die they say. I think, at times, when catching a whiff of the floral accord in Cascade, to smell the Belle de Nuit and then die. If my needs were those of an insect, I would certainly follow suit....  The advertising for the Middle East. The model now is covering her shoulders and wearing a black outfit that resembles traditional clothing. Her hair is slightly darker.
Continue reading "Chopard Cascade (2009): Drunk Insects & Beautiful Widows {Perfume Review} {New Fragrance}" »
 Perfumer: Romano Ricci
Perfume notes: saffron, Bulgarian rose, patchouli, musk, amber, sandalwood, oud Midnight Oud is the latest opus by perfume house Juliette Has A Gun which defines one of the aspects of its general enterprise as " Luxury, in its spicy and singular version." Juliette's gun is nothing else but her seductive perfume of course. Romano Ricci, founder of the label officially signs here his second composition after Citizen Queen, according to the 2009 press release (in 2008, the brand attributed the perfume to Francis Kurkdjian). It is intriguing a priori to see a very Parisian perfume house jump head along into an arabesque exercise, without any prior warning signals or sense of anticipation. It appears even more meaningful it seems since several brands this year are tackling oud compositions (see upcoming article). Romano Ricci, the founder and now perfumer-in-title of Juliette Has A Gun, succeeding to nose Francis Kurkdjian, said "Following Citizen Queen, Lady Vengeance, and Miss Charming, I decided to dedicate a limited edition fragrance to the Arabian soul.
Inspired by middle east's rich and sumptuous culture, «Midnight Oud» is an opulent composition. A mesmerizing blend of local ingredients, Saffron, Musk, Amber, and Sandalwood, crowned by the most evocative all, OUD. "...
Continue reading "Juliette Has A Gun Midnight Oud (2009): Adapted Opulence: Oud for Urban Chypre Tastes {Perfume Review} {New Fragrance}" »
 Perfumer: Alberto Morillas of Firmenich
Perfume Notes: powdery musk, iris powder, rose petals, modern musks, benzoin balm
 Essence is the latest perfume by designer Narciso Rodriguez who worked
with perfumer Alberto Morillas to perfect the idea of a variation on
musk. The couturier has, as it turns out, such an instinctual love for
and affinity with musk that he has de facto exclusively dedicated his
collection of signature fragrances to this raw ingredient. The
masterpiece in his library so far is his debut scent, Narciso Rodriguez
for Her in Eau deToilette version which as time passes by confirms its
enduring qualities more and more. Morillas said himself that he loves Narciso
Rodriguez for Her, composed by Christine Nagel and Francis Kurkdjian,
and that it had not been easy for him to follow up on their creation.
In fact the process for Essence was both so tortuous and simple that
after a year of tests and deliberations, both Alberto Morillas and
Narciso Rodriguez who acted as a full-fledged artistic director, went
back to the initial idea for the scent: to make a fresh, crisp and pure
musk perfume. But the interesting thing is that Essence goes beyond
that point as I was able to find out thanks in part to happenstance.
Going back over some of the explanations given by Rodriguez, I note the
term "dual" which he applies to the packaging, "It's an idea that started with For Her. I loved the idea of duality,
that you have to get close to someone to know what they are on the
inside. The packaging for For Her was that: there was this very
mysterious black bottle encased in another classic bottle. Now that
idea has been reinvented for Essence and made very modern and very
sensuous by this futuristic but very accessible and very tactile
bottle....
Continue reading "Narciso Rodriguez Essence (2009): Dual White & Black Musk {Perfume Review} {New Perfume}" »
 Perfumer: Steven DeMercado of Fragrance Resources
Perfume Notes: Top: golden Tequila accord, Italian bergamot, Mediterranean mandarin; mid notes: Baie rose, jasmine noir, cognac, Moroccan coriander; base notes: Indonesian patchouli, sandalwood, vanilla absolute, tonka absolute, Egyptian incense, sexy musk. Queen by Queen Latifah is the hip-hop singer and actress's debut perfume with a launch scheduled for August 2009. The perfume was made to reflect her love for "golden tonalities, smooth textures, and a certain fondness for exotic flavors", all of which can be felt in the final jus. In fact, the code name for the perfume while it was still in its development stages was "Pure Gold", an indication that semantics played a role in this case to help anchor the inspiration for the fragrance. About Queen the perfume, Latifah said, "For me, beauty really does start on the inside. It's like a state of mind, a state of love if you will. I see fragrance as just a natural expression of this state of love. Scent expresses a woman's confidence and sensuality; it's how she embraces her body, her mind and her strength."
Queen Latifah has recently come into the open to magazine Essence about the secret she had been withholding about her past as a sexually molested child by a teenager who had been entrusted with her care. It makes it all the more powerful a statement. Queen which comes with the tag line "Love steps out first" is a distinctive oriental gourmand with a deep skin-scent finish and a surprisingly rather expensive-smelling sillage. Parlux who developed the fragrance prefer to dub it for their part a " warm, sexy, golden oriental."... 
Continue reading "Queen Latifah Queen (2009): {Perfume Review} {New Fragrance} {Celebrity Scent}" »
 This is an advance review of Crescent Row, the new triptyque of perfumes by Benefit Cosmetics to launch next month. In the past, the brand issued a debut fragrance titled Maybe Baby followed by B Spot in 2008. The new collection is more ambitious in terms of story-telling around the scents and is inspired by the creative and whimsical vision of sisters Maggie and Annie Ford Danielson, daughters of co-founder Jean Ford and nieces of Jane Ford....
Continue reading "Benefit Cosmetics Crescent Row Laugh With Me LeeLee, There's Something About Sofia & My Place Or Yours Gina (2009) {Perfume Reviews} {New Fragrances}" »
 White Musk White Hot Summer / Eté Tropical (Tropical Summer in French) is the latest entry in The Body Shop library of white musks inaugurated in 1981 with White Musk. In the recent past the franchise has been reactivated with the creation of distinctive flankers (see White Musk for Men; White Musk Intrigue; White Musk Blush) and ancillary products. This summer we have yet another twist on the basic concept and I have to say that I was surprised by how good it is. In contrast to the extrovert sunset-in-Acapulco-Escada-like bottle or the scrunchy-for-teens first impression, the perfume betrays a remarkable sense of subtlety and is a precisely calibrated composition in the genre of the "veil" fragrances that are particularly popular in the United States, but also have become acclimatized to countries like France...
Continue reading "The Body Shop White Musk White Hot Summer/Ete Tropical (2009): Undefinable Sweetness {Perfume Review} {New Fragrance}" »
  Eau Sensuelle is the latest flanker to Eau de Rochas and is the first perfume created by perfumer Jean-Michel Duriez for the house while he continues to be the nose for Patou. Both brands are owned by Procter and Gamble. Eau Sensuelle wishes to be a return to the French roots of the house and a tribute paid to Hélène Rochas. I find first impressions of a fragrance helpful because this is often the time when the olfactory illusion is at its strongest or perhaps better said refer to a moment when we translate it most in visual terms. Smelling further, you start analyzing more and perceiving the scent more in broken-down sections of olfactory perception, which can be either technical or abstract. Sometimes when a perfume is good the images recur...
Continue reading "Rochas Eau Sensuelle (2009): Simplified Rochas Signature {Perfume Review}" »
  Côte d'Amour is the latest L'Artisan Parfumeur from their 100% natural and organic series to come with Ecocert and Cosmebio certifications. As June 5, 2009 is international Environment Day to be celebrated on a global scale with the launch in 130 countries of the earth movie Home by Yann Arthus-Bertrand co-produced by Luc Besson and François-Henri Pinault of PPR, this is a fitting fragrance to consider wearing as a tribute, and beyond the gesture consider the interest of a new school of perfumes.  For those who cannot make it to the movies on Friday, the film which looks simply stunning from the preview images (see website), will be available on You Tube as this is a social project rather than a financial one (entry fees are waved or nominal - 2 € in Europe). The movie is meant to call attention to the unique beauty of planet earth, the dangers that beset it and the possible venues to remedy the issues at hand, chief amongst them climate warming. Yann Arthus-Bertrand has become famous for his breathtakingly beautiful aerial landscape photography, and although Côte d'Amour strikes a more intimate, familial chord it also manages to encompass in its own way the atmosphere of a long stretch of summery northern beach coast with the application of just a few drops of perfume. Moreover it does so with the same good intentions and to satisfy ethically-oriented customers...
Continue reading "L'Artisan Parfumeur Cote d'Amour (2009): The Risk of the Central Perfume Motif, with a Comparative Note on Diorissimo {Perfume Review} {New Fragrance}" »
 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}" »
|
Fin O'Suilleabhain on
Les Exclusifs: Bel Respiro, No 18, & 28 La Pausa by Chanel {Perfume Review & Musings} {New Perfumes}
: Hi ... can I ask about the Stravinsky / Chanel image. Is ...
Thalestris Dupont on
Fragonard Caresse (1929/2008) {Perfume Review}
: Lovely perfume! Reminds me of the spring 2011 when I was wearing ...
Karen Lindsey on
Long Lost Crabtree & Evelyn Fragrance: Help Please {Ask The Readers}
: I just found this site and I so need to find someone ...
Regina on
Happy New Year 2012!
: Valentine's Day will soon be here. Any recommendations?
C Sasich on
Easy Tricks To Create Golden Globes Hairstyles! {Beauty Notes - Hair}
: My fave was Michelle Williams - modern , effortless not overdone . ...
kelvin neo on
Victoria's Secret Life is Pink Wish Pink, Live Pink, Hope Pink (2010) *New Fragrances*
: Hi good day, Can i know where can purchase or order Pink ...
Alan on
A Funny Post About Scented Candles {Fragrant Reading}
: Hell-scent candle, lol.
Gina on
Two Organic Oud Scents: Sama Oudh Jasmin & Undergreen Black Classic (2011) {New Perfumes}
: I want to try Sama Oudh Jasmin but checked the websites. I ...
Tammy on
Top 12 Best New Department Store Fragrances of 2011 for the Holidays {Perfume List}
: Wish this came with a little print out sheet for my next ...
Toñi on
Dance with Givenchy (2010) {New Perfume}
: Where can I get Dance with Givenchy? It's impossible to find it ...
Toñi on
Dance with Givenchy (2010) {New Perfume}
: Where can I get Dance with Givenchy? It's impossible to find it ...
evageli karounzou on
Choppy Waters for Stella Cadente Miss Me {Fragrance News}
: at 2007 i was in paris an i bought this perfume.Since then ...
Mandy Aftel on
Aftelier Perfumes Secret Garden (2011): Featuring Real Civet & Castoreum {New Fragrance}
: Thank you so much Marie-Helene for your lovely review! You are great ...
Kay on
Mona di Orio Chamarré (2009): Perfume Review in Memoriam
: This is very interesting. First thing that came to my mind when ...
Maddy on
Bint el Sudan, The Other, African Chanel No.5: Interview with Nick Evans of International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. {Perfume Q & A - The Scents of Africa}
: Interesting post. I've lived in Ghana but I don't remember encountering anyone ...
All original content and translations herein copyright © 2006. All rights reserved; reproduction requires the author’s prior written consent. You are however welcome to provide a link back to the posts on this site as long as you explicitly mention their authorship, recognize the original source of the information you give, and acknowledge the site of origin.
Powered by Movable Type 4.32-en
|
Digg This
Stumble
Facebook
Del.icio.us
