The Perfume Bee

I am happy to announce my new e-book, The Perfume-Lover’s Guide to Paris: A 3-Day Walking Tour, is now available for immediate download.

This practical, easy-to-use guide is for people who want to visit the city’s finest boutique perfumeries by foot and by metro. Written as the guide I’d wished I’d had on my recent trip to Paris, this e-book is filled with useful addresses, metro stops, photographs, and descriptions of the major perfumeries in the perfume capital of the world.

Guerlain…L’Artisan Parfumeur…Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle…Caron…Etat Libre d’Orange… these and many more perfumeries are covered in the guide.

Whether you have a few hours or a few days, if you love perfume and you are going to Paris, I think you’ll find this guide useful. 33 pages.

Cost: $9.95 US dollars

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Sienne l’Hiver and Bois d’Ombre
image source: wwd.com

The 3-year old niche fragrance line Eau d’Italie, has announced the creation of two new scents: Sienne l’Hiver (Siena in Winter) and Bois d’Ombre (Woods of Umbria). The fragrances were blended by French perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour (Créations Aromatiques) and were inspired by the Italian winter. The co-founders of Eau d’Italie, Marina Sersale and Sebastián Alvarez Murena, had originally planned on launching just one fragrance inspired by winter in Italy.

“We wanted to work on the idea of winter in Italy, so we sent the perfumer some ideas. He came back to us with two very unique and completely different proposals, both of which we loved and decided to work on, with the intention of later choosing between them,” said Sersale. “In the end we decided to launch both of them. What we create depends very much on what inspires us, and this allows us a lot of creative freedom.” (via wwd.com)

The unisex fragrances are described (by Eau d’Italie) as follows:

Sienne l’Hiver: an earthy fragrance composed of subtle nuances like coal roasted chestnuts, black olive, autumn leaves and truffles followed up by French straw, iris root and white musk.

Bois d’Ombre: a deep woodsy scent with hints of cognac, leather, iris root and vetiver.

The fragrances, both to be available in 3.4-oz. bottles eau de toilette, will retail for $120 each and will be available in the U.S. in June. Retailers will include Lafco in New York and Los Angeles and Takashimaya (tel. 212-350-0100) in New York.

To read more about Eau d’Italie, please visit wwd.com.

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Fifi Award
The FiFi Awards are an annual event to honor the fragrance industry’s creative achievements and are considered the “Oscars” of the global fragrance industry. Over 1,000 members of the international fragrance community attend the glamorous “FiFi” Ceremonies, held in New York City. The awards are presented by celebrities from the world of fashion, theater, film and TV.

This year’s top 10 finalists for the major categories have just been announced by the Fragrance Foundation. Winners will be announced during the 35th Annual FiFi Awards & Celebration held on Thursday, May 31st, 2007 at the Winter Garden at The World Financial Center in New York City.

Here are the top 10 finalists for Fragrance of the Year FiFi Award in each distribution category (in alphabetical order):

NOUVEAU NICHE – WOMEN’S:
• Ange ou Démon – Parfums Givenchy
• Anna Sui Dolly Girl on the Beach – P&G Prestige Products, Inc.
• Armani Privé Cuir Amethyste (unisex) – Giorgio Armani Parfums
• Delices de Cartier – Cartier North America
• Fleur de Narcisse 2006 – L’Artisan Parfumeur
• KenzoAmour – Kenzo Parfums
• Missoni Eau de Parfum – Missoni Profumi
• The Scent of Peace Bond No. 9 New York – Laurice & Co.
• Tom Ford Black Orchid – Tom Ford Beauty
• Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Extreme Amethyst Edition – L’Oréal USA

NOUVEAU NICHE - MEN’S (Eleven finalists due to one tie):
• Armani Privé Cuir Amethyste (unisex) – Giorgio Armani Parfums
• Baldessarini Ambre – P&G Prestige Products, Inc.
• David Beckham Instinct – Coty Beauty
• Dunhill Pursuit – P&G Prestige Products, Inc.
• Figue Eau de Toilette by Calypso Christiane Celle (unisex) – Calypso Christiane Celle
• Fire Island Bond No. 9 New York – Laurice & Co.
• Fou d’Absinthe – L’Artisan Parfumeur
• L’Homme Yves Saint Laurent – YSL Beaute
• Montblanc Starwalker – P&G Prestige Products, Inc.
• Paul Smith Story – P&G Prestige Products, Inc./Inter Parfums USA
• Viktor & Rolf Antidote – L’Oréal USA

LUXE – WOMEN’S:
• Armani Code for Women – Giorgio Armani Parfums
• Badgley Mischka – Elizabeth Arden
• Betsey Johnson Parfum – Colorful Licenses USA/Karis Group Ltd.
• Burberry London for Women – P&G Prestige Products, Inc./Burberry Fragrances
• Donna Karan Gold Eau de Parfum – Donna Karan Cosmetics
• Insolence – Guerlain
• Juicy Couture – Liz Claiborne Cosmetics
• Pure White Linen – Estée Lauder
• Stella in Two – Stella McCartney Parfums
• Vera Wang Princess – Coty Prestige

LUXE – MEN’S:
• Burberry London for Men – P&G Prestige Products, Inc./Burberry Fragrances
• Calvin Klein euphoria for Men – Coty Prestige
• Cannabis Santal Eau de Parfum – Fresh Inc.
• Lacoste Essential – P&G Prestige Products, Inc.
• Lucky Number 6 for Men by Lucky Brand Jeans – Liz Claiborne Cosmetics
• Polo Double Black – Ralph Lauren Fragrances
• Prada – Puig USA
• Terre d’Hermès – Hermès
• Unforgivable by Sean John – Sean John Fragrances/Estée Lauder
• Versace Man Eau Fraiche – EuroItaly/Fragrances Elite International

POPULAR APPEAL – WOMEN’S (Five finalists in this category):
• American Beauty Wonderful Indulgence – BeautyBank Inc.
• Bijan Black Women – Five Star Fragrance Company
• Celine Dion Parfums Always Belong – Coty Beauty
• Dianoche by Daisy Fuentes – BeautyBank Inc.
• Stacie J – Golden – Revelations Perfume & Cosmetics, Inc.

POPULAR APPEAL – MEN’S (Two finalists in this category):
• Antonio Antonio Banderas – Puig Beauty USA, Inc.
• Bijan Black Men – Five Star Fragrance Company

PRIVATE LABEL/DIRECT SELL – WOMEN’S (Eleven finalists due to one tie):
• Banana Republic Alabaster – Inter Parfums USA
• Banana Republic Jade – Inter Parfums USA
• Banana Republic Rosewood – Inter Parfums USA
• Crystal Aura – Avon Products, Inc.
• Dream Angels Desire – Victoria’s Secret Beauty
• Mary Kay® Affection™ – Mary Kay Inc.
• Play-Doh – Demeter Fragrance Library
• Secrets d’Essences Voile d’Ambre – Yves Rocher Inc.
• Signature Collection Japanese Cherry Blossom EDT & Perfume Mist – Bath and Body Works
• Signature Collection Sensual Amber EDT & Perfume Mist – Bath and Body Works
• Thierry Mugler Interprets Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (unisex) – Clarins Fragrance Group

PRIVATE LABEL/DIRECT SELL – MEN’S (Five finalists in this category):
• Banana Republic Black Walnut – Inter Parfums USA
• Banana Republic Slate – Inter Parfums USA
• Driven – Derek Jeter – Avon Products, Inc.
• Re: Verb – Revelations Perfume & Cosmetics, Inc.
• Thierry Mugler Interprets Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (unisex) – Clarins Fragrance Group

To learn more about the Fifis and the Fragrance Foundation, please go to the fragrance foundation website.

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Journalist Hannah Betts has been awarded the 2006 Literary Award for new press at the 2006 Jasmine Awards, the most prestigious awards in beauty journalism. Her award-winning article is titled “Picking up the Scent,” in which she discusses the development of one’s olfactory palette. She states:

Fragrance is the consummate marriage of art and science, and it pays to approach the subject with the seriousness with which you indulge other sources of sensory and aesthetic stimulation, such as music, literature, wine and food.

The three principal genres are: floral, oriental (musky, spicy and exotic), and chypre (citrus top notes, floral heart, mossy underbelly).

….In developing an olfactory palette you rapidly come to appreciate that tastes collide. My own penchant for the mossier, leatherier, more resinous chypres such as Caron’s Tabac Blond chimes with my predilections in tea, wine, food and scotch, where a smoky lapsang or peaty Islay malt will always be more desirable than pastry or pudding and wine.

Her poetic prose is a delight to read. And her clarification of what defines a chypre is worthy of a read all by itself. To check out the rest of the article, please visit the TimesOnline.

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Iris Ganache by Guerlain
image source: OsMoz

The House of Guerlain has announced the launch of its fifth fragrance in the niche L’Art et la Matière collection: Iris Ganache. According to OsMoz, this fragrance

‘envelopes you like a pashmina shawl, and leaves a powdery trail of an extreme elegance’. Created by designer Thierry Wasser / Firmenich, in collaboration with Sylvaine Delacourte, Iris Ganache reveals an iris butter ‘worked like a pastry ganache’. A mouthwatering scent, like ‘white chocolate shaded with floral notes’ and enhanced with cinnamon, bergamot, patchouli, white musks, cedar and a slightly ambery vanilla note.

This sounds like a very warm, all-enveloping fragrance. Although I must admit to being a bit confused by the description. Is it more like a powdery pashmina shawl or a flowery, buttered pastry? Or a little of both? Like wrapping oneself in a gooey, sugary chocolate éclair?

Mixed metaphors aside, if it is anything like the first four fragrances in the collection, it is sure to be exquisite. Please click here to see my previous comments about this collection.

This fragrance will be available at the Paris House of Guerlain in June.

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La Collection parfumée de Molinard
image source: OsMoz

The House of Molinard has announced a new fragrance collection called La Collection parfumée de Molinard. The collection involves a restyling of the house bottles to have sleek lines, rounded shoulders and sharp corners.

The creations have been grouped into 6 families: ‘Les Fleurs’, ‘Au Féminin’, ‘Les Orientaux’, ‘La Fraîcheur’, ‘Les Fruits’ and ‘Au Masculin’. (The Collection includes) six new fragrances: Bois Fleuri (Wood in Bloom), Vents et Marées (Winds & Tides), Pêche de Vigne (Red Peach), Chypre d’Orient, Eau de Verveine and Eau de Citrus. (via OsMoz)

The collection is due to be released in April.

While I have not yet tried these new fragrances, just reading about them made me nostalgic for other Molinard scents. So today I wore Habinata, the floral-oriental fragrance created in 1921. It features (via Ayala writing on Basenotes):

Top notes: Mastic, Cedarwood, Lavender, Bergamot, a hint of Juniper berry, Leather notes

Heart notes: Jasmine, Rose, Peach, Heliotrope

Base notes: Vanilla, Tobacco, Tonka Bean, Amber, Oakmoss, Musk, Opoponax, Vetiver

It is a rich, smoky fragrance that evokes the energy of the flappers of the Roaring Twenties. I imagine wearing it while frenetically dancing the Charleston, faux pearl strands a-flyin’!

Flapper does the Charleston;
image source: wikipedia.org

For my previous post about Molinard, please click here.

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In a previous post, there was a question regarding the availability of Chanel No. 19 eau de parfum. I have received a letter from Chanel-USA’s customer relations department, as follows:

Dear Christine,

Thank you for your inquiry regarding CHANEL N°19, that was Mademoiselle
Chanel’s personal perfume and named to celebrate her August 19 birthday.
Like its creator, Nº19 is forever young, intensely feminine,
contemporary and supremely spirited.

CHANEL N°19 Eau de Parfum is discontinued (emphasis added). I searched all CHANEL
Boutiques in the US and was unable to locate any remaining inventory of
that item….

CHANEL Nº19 can be enjoyed the following forms:

– CHANEL Nº19 Eau de Toilette Spray ….

– CHANEL Nº19 Body Lotion ….

Thank you for your interest in CHANEL.

Best regards,
(name)
Consumer Relations
CHANEL, Inc.

I had written my query to CHANEL-France, and my letter was forwarded to the American office. Thus, the answer is still incomplete. We know that in the United States, eau de toilette is the only form in which our beautiful Chanel No 19 is available. HOWEVER, I still have questions as to the availability of the eau de parfum (and parfum) in France. If any of you can shed light on this mystery, please drop me a line! Together, we can figure this out!

images source: french Chanel.com

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First there was Dali Purplelips, a floral/amber fragrance with notes of blueberry(!), purple granadilla, vanilla orchid, violet, amber and sandalwood. It was created by perfumers Antoine Lie and Guillaume Flavigny (Givaudan) and launched in September 2006.

In May of this year, Dali fragrances will be releasing Purplelight. This woody/floral/musky fragrance was created by perfumer Francis Kurkdjian (Takasago). It features notes of lilac, jasmine, cherry blossom, bamboo leaf and Tahitian tiaré blossom over a base of almond wood, vetiver and musk.

Eau de Toilette 1, 1.7 and 3.4 fl. oz.; Price €28 to 58.

What will be next? “Purple Rain”?

YouTube Video: “Prince 1987 LS Tour Live”
Perfume image and notes source: OsMoz.com.

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Designer Christian Lacroix has announced the launch of his newest fragrance, C’est la Fête! This translates into English as It’s Party Time! and this joyous energy is captured in the bright tropical hues of the packaging and flacon. Created by perfumer Jean Jacques (Takasago), the fragrance contains:

Top notes:
Pear
Passion Fruit
Blackcurrant
Bergamot
Apricot

Heart Notes:
Mirabelle
Jasmine
Tagette
Rose
Orchid
Vanilla

Base Notes:
Sandalwood
Musk

Price: 30 ml - 28€; 50 ml - 42€; 100 ml - 55 €; 200ml - 70 € ($37-$93).

image and notes source: beaute-addict.com.

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Because our olfactory sense is so closely linked to memory, people remember what perfume you wore long after they have forgotten what you had on. This is why you should spend at least as much time selecting a signature fragrance as you would on a wonderful dress. — Mona di Orio, The Daily Mail

In a not-so-recent (August 2006) Daily Mail UK article, author Judith Keeling interviews 4 notable women perfumers. She talks to Patricia de Nicolai (Parfums de Nicolai), Lyn Harris, (Miller Harris), Celine Ellena (The Different Company) and Mona di Orio , (Mona di Orio perfumes). The reason for bringing this article to your attention is that it highlights the creative minds behind four of my favorite niche perfumeries. In a world that has long been dominated by male perfumers, it is refreshing to hear from such gifted female noses. To read the entire article, please go to Scent of Success.

Meanwhile, our friends across the pond share their views on celebrity fragrances in a Daily Mail UK article today titled, “Celebrity Scents on Trial: From Celine to J-Lo.” Readers of The Perfume Bee will know that I am not a big fan of celebrity fragrances. Quite the contrary. But I include a link to this post because it features comments by Roja Dove, one of the world’s leading fragrance experts whose comments are always insightful, if sometimes blunt. For this article, please click here.

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