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 Les Plus Belles Lavandes de Caron (The Most Beautiful Lavenders by Caron) was announced in 2008 as an unisex Eau-de-Cologne iteration of the house of Caron's famous masculine scent Pour Un Homme (For a Man). As if to make the genealogical link explicit, it takes as a name the tag line that used to be inscribed on the labels of the bottles of Pour Un Homme (see the 1934 advertisement below). Pour Un Homme is reputed for its characteristic aromatic freshness combining with a delicate sustained sweetness. It is a scent that manages to balance out these two facets without one overshadowing the other. Thanks to the subtle dosage of vanilla and amber, the lavender in Pour Un Homme seems to have been hand-picked as is from a dry windy hill as a representative of the sweetest varietal of the flower without ever feeling artful... 
Continue reading "Les Plus Belles Lavandes de Caron (2008) {Perfume Review}" »
 Mainbocher Corset, Horst P. Horst, 1939
Following my last article on the unadvertised, nay, covert trendiness of white musks in Paris, in complete contradiction of course with broadcast Gallic preferences for foul odors, here is a list of top white-musk trails to try out. By white-musk perfumes I refer and pay attention here to perfumes that are the animalistic equivalents of soliflores - I once used the term solabestia to point to those compositions that single-mindedly decide to achieve the smell (or reek, some would admittedly prefer to say) of civet or musk or castoreum or ambergris. Now, I am also starting to like the sound and the look of solibête. And by this therefore I do not mean the numerous fragrances - too numerous to count - that end with a white-musk sweep of the tail in the base notes. The more I think about it, the more I want to know who came up with that purely abstract antinomic idea of musk as and how come we do not have white civet and white castoreum bottled yet. In spite of the fundamental weirdness of the concept playing on symbolic inversion like black soap and black gloss or even black face-cream (cf. the new Le Soin Noir by Givenchy), not just people, but crowds love it. The particular selection I propose is based on a mix of historic, qualitative and trendy criteria: 1) they are included because they are are those fragrances that have been on the perfume scene long enough to suggest that, maybe, these specific cleaned-up musks are popular and are here to stay; 2) they are defining or paradigm-shifting, have enough personality to be considered the best in their categories and you simply must try them out to make up your mind about what suits you or does not; 3) finally, we bring in two newcomers because one always needs to keep updated and unearth new scents. TOP 7 WHITE MUSK PERFUMES TO TRY OUT: WHAT WHITE MUSKS PARISIANS MIGHT BE WEARING TODAY by Marie-Helene WagnerTHE BODY SHOP WHITE MUSK (1981)
The classic of classics as far as simple, unadulterated white musk fragrances go. It is probably the one that is the most easily accessible and affordable in Paris. In the US, it is one of the brands in this category that is the most imprinted upon people's retinas. If you are thinking: but hang on, what about Jovan White Musk sold at Walmart for a few miserly bucks? This one appeared a good 10 years later, in 1991 ( in case you don't know how to count). Jovan is more simplistic than TBS White Musk, nice, but somehow flatter and more one-dimensional. I did mention the fact that I would look at "simple" white musk scents, but there is a form of simplicity that relies on hidden ornamentation, as TBS White Musk shows... 
Continue reading "White Musks Part II: Top White Musk Trails To Try Out {Perfume Short (Reviews)} {Perfume List}" »
 In typical fashion for our general approach and perception of a perfume, images come first and then the first inhale. How much this precedence of the visual over the olfactory guides our thoughts about a fragrance is hard to decipher, yet we can recognize this shaping, almost hierarchical quality of vision over our nose where fine fragrances are concerned (except when a reviewer is offered the opportunity to sniff unnamed and unadorned lab samples, but then again, we see something before we smell it). Left to fend off in a less civilized environment or simply put in such conditions as to be able to smell natural aromas freely and unaware, the relationship of precedence inverses and we will experience oftentimes the sudden intrusiveness of a smell before finding its origin and identifying it with the help of our sight as we request for further clarification. We talked at length already about the images surrounding Secret Obsession by Calvin Klein and the brand made sure the images around the new perfume would be arresting around the idea of nakedness and feminine desire...
Continue reading "Calvin Klein Secret Obsession: Prelude to Love, Mmm...to a Review {Perfume Short} {Scented Thoughts}" »
 Jessica Simpson Fancy is the singer's first debut fragrance and second foray into the world of perfume following her dessert line of edible scents, which was based on a personal idea of hers. I do not remember exactly how I came up with the subsequent idea, but I remember reading about that range in an interview given by Jessica Simpson and coming away with the impression that she must have been a gifted child and that these sweet-tasting scents were an expression of her own idiosyncratic outlook on the world. What we can also retain from this is that for the young singer and actress the confluence of perfume and food is there as one of the pathways built into her brain and as a personal interest of hers from early on. With Fancy, she did not waver from her initial interest. Despite the fact that the new fragrance is described officially as a floral oriental, it is at the same time very much a gourmand and a fruity-floral scent, done in a girly way. My preamble about Jessica's personal emotional investment in the idea of what a fragrance can be is not to say that Fancy is an original perfume. In fact, it is quite the contrary. Fancy is very much in tune with a trend of perfumes that was especially exploited in the field of US celebs scents and which are built around a main self-indulgent sweet variation of fruit-salad-drizzled-over-with-cream, a very popular accord. The little difference we witness in this case is a slightly more grownup furry ambery facet reminiscent, however distantly, of classics such as Zibeline and Tabu. This vintage, retro touch, with a sprinkle of less-distant-in-time louder 1980s fashion-sense at times, has made a comeback recently in Guess by Marciano and others, and matches the style of the bottle...
Continue reading "Jessica Simpson Fancy (2008): Sweet Medley {Perfume Review} {New Fragrance} {Celebrity Scent}" »
 My apologies, I have been so busy off line that I neglected to follow up on the news of my new monthly column which is now featured on Glam.com! Dear Readers, From now on, each month I will be choosing for Glam.com three stand-out scents that I think are the best of the crop, usually for one element or two that they achieve to an exceptional degree...
Continue reading "Three Stunners for Midsummer: Top 3 Perfume Picks for July {Perfume Shorts} - New Monthly Perfume Feature on Glam.com {Fragrance News}" »
 Fleur de Liane (Vine Flower) is a new upcoming scent by L'Artisan Parfumeur to be released this fall in September-October 2008. It was inspired by sensations gathered by perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour in the midst of a tropical jungle located in the island of Bahia Honda in Panama during the rainy season where he reportedly also produced visual materials to nourish and accompany his vision for the scent, such as photographs and watercolors. The perfume is part of L'Artisan Parfumeur's collection of exotic, travel-inspired compositions called "Odeur volée par un parfumeur en voyage" (A Stolen Aroma by a Perfumer on His Travels). The series already comprises Bois Farine by Jean-Claude Ellena, which inaugurated this particular library of perfumes in 2003, followed by Timbuktu and Dzongkha, also by Bertrand Duchaufour who has recently been hired as L'Artisan Parfumeur's in-house perfumer. Duchaufour is noticeably looking more and more the part, his look having evolved from professional to edgy perfumer-artist. It is a reminder that perfumers are part of the branding strategies of perfume houses, like Jacques Polge for Chanel, a current that should accentuate itself as more and more perfumers are coming to the forefront of public attention... 
Continue reading "L'Artisan Parfumeur Fleur de Liane (2008): Variation on the Eternal Feminine {New Fragrance} {Perfume Review}" »
 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}" »
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) •• Natural Beauty {Perfume Review} {New Perfume}" »
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}" »
 Voluspa has put out a collection of four fragrances that can be used both as room sprays and body sprays in a collection titled Mika Room and Body Spray (not listed on their site). It features Apricot Nectar, Tart Rhubarb, Thyme Flower, and Tunisian Blood Orange, which are also available as scented candles.
The line is carried by Anthropologie which commissioned the bottle design so that it be in tune with their universe straddling the worlds of grunge/shabby chic/Paris appartment/retro charm and more. The glass spray flacons are covered with a mono-colored baroque floral pattern and the cap is made of white ceramic; they actually look better in person than on the pictures they provide......
Continue reading "Voluspa Apricot Nectar in the Mika Room & Body Spray Collection (2008) {Perfume Review} {Perfumista on a Shoestring}" »
Cannabis Rose by Fresh is the latest fragrance by the originally Boston-based brand, which started out by selling triple-milled soaps from France. It is the second perfume by Fresh featuring a cannabis or Marijuana note; Cannabis Rose is seen as the feminine counterpart to Cannabis Santal. It was created by perfumer Jérôme Epinette (see also Isabel Derroisné Ilaya, Jovoy Poudré and Fougère ) in collaboration with Fresh founder Lev Glazman. Perfumes have not infrequently played with the lure of the forbidden adding taboo notes to their compositions like Champagne in Caron Bain de Champagne during the Prohibition period, Absinthe more recently as a remnant of 19th century Bohemian culture, and finally Cannabis in the Fresh perfumes. Their mention may waken us a bit from a blasé slumber as a multitude of new perfumes try to capture the public's attention - these notes or accords are unusual and at the same time familiar and titillating - or it may, less sensationally so, attract our attention to the possibility of an harmonious pairing of notes, rose and cannabis, which might produce an interesting perfume. Well nothing of anything described above really happens; Cannabis Rose is obviously not playing the card of the devil nor is it trying to be "interesting" and controversial. It is however a very pretty fragrance, even exquisite at times, like a cleaned-up rose chypre perfume whose earthy moss and rose would have been purified, made more transparent and aquatic by being macerated in a glass of Vodka, with just a "tear" as the French say, of (fantasy) white vanilla Kahlua.
Cannabis Rose: The Perfume The principal notes you notice at first are rose, patchouli, cannabis, vanilla, "oakmoss". Sephora classifies it as a mossy woody scent. It feels like a chypre with a re-worked or new-style earthy, forest-y base to suggest the chypre lineage as oakmoss has seen legal constraints put on its immoderate use. The chypre connection becomes even more palpable in the drydown as a succulent note of sweet ambery labdanum amplifies, which together with the patchouli and the rose conjures up Clinique Aromatics Elixir. What was at first a vague familiar sensation becomes thus readable in the end. It is a purer, whiter, vodka-like Aromatics Elixir.....
Continue reading "Fresh Cannabis Rose Gift Set (2008): Clean Rosey Dirt {Perfume Review} {Beauty Notes}" »
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}" »
As announced earlier, makeup guru Bobbi Brown has launched a new perfume called Almost Bare because she does not like obtrusive fragrances and prefers barely-there scents that remind her of smells rather than complicated luxurious fragrances. She explained why. I am sure she is not the only one. Almost Bare is a well-made, well-balanced clean white floral perfume that is pretty and subdued. It is no wall-flower though. Although a tad more perfume-y than you might expect at first, it keeps its promise of bringing up smell associations found in the real world...... This summer's bronzed pink look
Continue reading "Bobbi Brown Almost Bare (2008): Almost Real {Perfume Review}" »
Kenzo Vintage is a limited edition unisex fragrance launching this summer to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Kenzo Parfums as well as the arrival of designer Kenzo Takada on the Parisian scene in the Seventies. The perfume thus pays homage to the spirit of the "live-and-let-live" era with its psychedelic floral patterns as if seen under the influence of psychotropic mushrooms and reminds us of the message of peace that the decade wanted to deliver in the midst of the Vietnam war. The purple flacon sports the forked peace symbol drawn by Gerald Holtom in 1958 and made into a household name and symbol. Episodically, like in this summer of 2008, one witnesses the resurgence of a short hippie revival in fashion and the peace symbol is usually called upon to grace newly minted tee-shirts and accessories. This time, perfumes seem to follow a hippie trend as well with the celebration of the 40th anniversary of Mai 68 (see also Lubin).
A Revisit of Kenzo by Menardo The fragrance was created by perfumer Annick Menardo who has delivered a masterful, reserved composition relying on an original play on effect and texture rather than singled-out pretty notes. The composition conveys a sense of understated originality. The subtle character of the scent reminds us of the reported preference for lighter, more evanescent perfumes in the Asian market, which it seems to take into account as a Japanese brand. It fits in well also with the unisex branding of the scent...... Early Hippie Group, San Francisco by Irving Penn, 1967 - Hamiltons Gallery Note the interesting filiation with the dandy archetype on the right (the man in a cape)
Continue reading "Kenzo Vintage (2008) {Perfume Review}" »
Yves Rocher is going to introduce Neonatura Breath - Souffle in the US market this spring of 2008 after they launched it last year in France. Described as evoking "...the radiantly heated sensuality of a warm breeze caressing the sand" and as showcasing a "sunny jasmine" we expected it to be a light summery jasmine with maybe an iodine edge to call to mind the backwash of the sea. Created by perfumer Delphine Lebeau from Givaudan, it appears in fact to be an economically priced mass-market version of a popular category of perfumes, the luscious tropical white floral blended with coconut, a warm-sand accord, and some citrus to add sparkle and fizz. Therefore we think it fits well in our Perfumista on a Shoestring column (much neglected) because it can effectively replace scents such as Ensoleille-Moi by André Gas, or Deseo by Jennifer Lopez or Origins Shedonism Exotic Floral Essence..... 
Continue reading "Yves Rocher Neonatura Breath - Souffle (2008) {Perfume Short (Review)} {Perfumista on a Shoestring} " »
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