June 4-6th, 2007

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Meade

I belong to a wonderful group of bloggers known as the Beauty Blog Network. Recently, some of these women have had their lives turned upside down by the diagnosis of cancer in either themselves or a loved one. Elke Von Freudenberg, founder of the Network, has responded with the terrific idea of “Comments4aCure.” On June 4-6, 2007, twenty-five participating bloggers will be joining together to raise money and increase awareness for cancer charities.

On these dates participating beauty bloggers will donate a specified dollar amount for each comment posted on their blog those days to the cancer charity of their choice.

For a list of participating bloggers, please visit Comments4aCure.

The Perfume Bee will be donating to The National Brain Tumor Foundation. I will donate $1 per comment up to $100. So comment freely, and comment often! I urge you to visit all the wonderful blogs that will be participating in this worthwhile event and leave a comment. It’s an easy way to help raise money to find a cure for a dreadful disease, and it is a fun way to see some very cool blogs.

In addition to our Comments4aCure campaign, the Network has created other outlets for fund-raising for cancer awareness and prevention:

• Coments4aCure CafePress Boutique
  Teri from Beautiful Makeup Search has set up a terrific Cafe Press store filled with great merchandise displaying the Comments for a Cure logo. Notepaper, mugs, shirts… it’s a great collection of items to choose from. Beautiful Makeup Search will donate profits from the sale of Comments4aCure gear to The Brain Tumor Foundation.
• Beauty Goodie Bag Auction on Ebay / Mission Fish Auction
  A giant goodie bag, overflowing with the latest and greatest beauty finds, will be auctioned off on Ebay, via Mission Fish to the American Cancer Society. The auction will start on June 10 and run for 7 days.
• Beauty Blog Members Ebay Auction
  Several of the Network members have put together their own goodie bags full of their personal favorites and will auction them off via Ebay. Auctions will be announced.

I’ll post a reminder as the date approaches. Meanwhile, please mark your calendars for June 4-6, and keep tabs on news and updates by visiting the Comments4aCure website.

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Luxury designer Hermès has announced the creation of Kelly Calèche, a new fragrance for women.

Created by in-house perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena, the fragrance contains notes of iris, mimosa, tuberose and climbing rose.

Hermès is well-known for its iconic Kelly Bag, favored by movie star legend/Princess Grace Kelly. Perfumer Jean-Claude was inspired by the rich history of Hermès to make a floral leather.

“One of the first things I wanted to do when I entered Hermès was work with leather,” said Ellena. He also kept in mind a passage from French author Jean Giono’s ‘Jean le Bleu,’ in which the narrator speaks of his departed father, a cobbler, as ‘making soles in angel leather.’”

When I read that last phrase, I stifled a little gasp. Angel leather?!?

This fragrance will launch in the new Hermès boutique opening on Wall Street in NYC on June 21. It will have a limited launch in August, followed by a worldwide launch at the end of that month.

Cost: $75 for 50ml eau de toilette spray and $110 for 100ml edt spray.

top photo image source: wwd.com

bottom photo: Kelly Bag, image source: toffsworld.com

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The popular press has published several interesting articles about perfume in the past few weeks. London Times writer Vicci Bentley discusses the natural vs. synthetic issue of perfumery in last Sunday’s article, “Natural Selection.”

“Modern perfumery couldn’t exist without synthetic molecules,” says the perfumer Roja Dove.

“Synthetically enhanced scents are loud and tenacious; natural oils keep themselves to themselves,” (natural perfumer Mandy) Aftel says.

As always, there is plenty to say on both sides of this lively debate.

Also in the news, Time magazine (May 3, 2007) features an informative article about perfume titled, “The Smell of Competition,” by Jeremy Caplan. In the article, Jean-Pierre Subrenat, chairman of the World Perfumery Congress and former head of the American Society of Perfumers, had this to say about master perfumers:

The best scent specialists are so savvy that they can identify the most prominent three ‘notes’ in any commercial product with a smell, and can often guess who designed it.

It sounds like “Name that Tune” except with scent!

This issue has a related article describing how perfume gets made. It includes a terrific picture of the “smell camera” used to detect and absorb the molecules surrounding a plant to record its scent. You can see it here.

Both of the Time magazine articles can be read online here.

image source:
istockphoto.com

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Wow! What a week for perfume bloggers! First was the unpleasantness regarding possible “pay for favorable reviews” addressed earlier.

Fortunately, this was quickly followed by good news in the perfume blogosphere. Several happy announcements by three perfume bloggers include:

• Victoria of Bois de Jasmin has announced her new job as Creative Coordinator with IFF (International Flavors & Fragrances), one of the top five fragrance houses in the world!
• Ina of Aromascope has begun working for the wonderful French perfume company, L’Artisan Parfumeur, at their new store on Michigan Avenue in Chicago; and
• Ayala of Smelly Blog has announced that Ayala Moriel Parfums are now available at Elemental Beauty Concept in Dnepropetrovsk and in Kiev, Ukraine.

Kudos and best wishes to all of you, dear bloggers!

And yours truly had a lovely mention on Grant’s Basenotes this week in which he noted my Perfume-Lover’s Guide to Paris e-book. Thanks, Grant!

All in all, it was a very busy week for perfume bloggers and hopefully our readers are keeping up with these events which have been unfolding at such break-neck speed!

I wish you all a pleasant weekend, and, whether you are a mother or have/had a mother, may you enjoy a very happy Mother’s Day!

Mary Cassatt. Sleepy Baby. c. 1910. Pastel on paper. Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, USA. Image source: abcgallery.com

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Designer Carolina Herrera has announced the launch of two new, limited-edition fragrances, one for women and one for men. Christened 212 Splash, hers has notes of litchi, grapefruit, sandalwood and musk. His contains notes of fresh mint, ginger, musk and frankincense.

Both fragrances come in soda-shaped packages.

Which might go nicely with the perfumed ice-cubes from designer Kenzo.

These perfumed ice-cubes for the body melt when they contact warm skin.

The ice-cube becomes fluid and releases its perfume. The sensual power of a perfume built on the fragrance of rice steam. Creamy and milky notes that envelop the body. Icebergs of pleasure made of plant water, extracted without using chemicals from the heart of the rice plant, rich in essential oils, trace elements and mineral salts (via kenzoki.com).

The perfumed cubes are packaged in boxes of 12 and cost €23 ($31 US).

Would you like a twist of lime with that?

images and info source: osMoz.com

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There has been quite a bit of discussion on the perfume blogs and message boards this week regarding the existence of unethical bloggers who allegedly are getting paid for their favorable fragrance reviews.

Whether or not this is actually going on is beyond the scope of this blog. However, I would like to go on record as stating that I have never had the fortune or misfortune of being paid for my fragrance reviews. While I have received some free samples for review, I have paid for the vast majority of my samples (including shipping and handling)!

I take the review of fragrances very seriously. Especially when the fragrances are created by a single individual who is putting her/his heart and soul into bringing their fragrant dreams to reality. It takes great courage and talent to nurture a fragrance from concept to market, and I have much respect for the gifted niche perfumers whose fragrances I’ve had the good fortune to review. Having said that, I do everything in my power to remain unbiased and impartial and let my olfactory aroma-receptors do the analysis!

As for advertising, this blog is a “commercial-free” zone. I accept no paid advertising. The perfumers and perfume boutiques I list in my sidebar are there purely based on the fact that I like them and wish them well.

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Here’s a little day-brightener! This 1958 French commercial for “Soir de Paris” is quite charming and captures the essence of French style in the late fifties. Enjoy!

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Suggestion #12: Dab carefully; Spritz often!

This suggestion refers to the nature of fragrances. Eau de toilette, which is very light, can and should be spritzed on with carefree abandon. The lighter notes will quickly evaporate and soon it will be time to spritz again. Typically less expensive than other forms of fragrance, it is easy to be generous.

Conversely, concentrated perfume should be dabbed on the pulse points more sparingly. Full strength perfume is very precious, like liquid gold, and should be treated with discretion and respect.

Similarly, in life, it is wonderful to share our light-hearted jokes, opinions and funny stories in the proper environment. On the other hand, it is important to be sensitive to the situation. It is best not to be flippant when the situation calls for diplomacy; likewise, one shouldn’t be a wet blanket when the situation calls for joy!

If in doubt, you can ask yourself: Is this an eau de toilette or perfume moment? And having answered that, you are sure to make the right choice!

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As a follow-up to my prior post about the new Courvoisier L’edition Imperiale men’s fragrance, I thought you would like to know what the bottle looks like. It reminds me of an upscale hip-flask.

It is launching in the UK this month. Cost: £80 ($160 US) for 75ml edp, £95 ($190 US) for 125ml edp.

image source: cosmeticsbusiness.com

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Giorgio Armani has two new fragrances for summer: Summer Mania for Women and Summer Mania for Men. The women’s scent has notes of pear, jasmine, sandalwood milk, musk and white amber. The men’s fragrance is a citrus cocktail with notes of saffron blossom, musks and a breath of sea spray.

The frosted-glass bottles come in shades of turquoise for her and midnight-blue for him. Eau de toilettes 2.6 fl. oz., limited edition.


Meanwhile, Cartier is launching Delices Eau Fruitée. This fruity blend has notes of Sicilian bergamot, green mandarin orange, rhubarb leaves, jasmine, sun-drenched yellow lily notes, griotte, sandalwood, amber,and musk.

Eau de toilette 1.7 fl. oz., €59 ($80 US) and 3.4 fl. oz., €84 ($114 US).

images and info source: OsMoz.com

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