News and my favorite posts from around the Internet for the week of July 24-30, 2010 include new fragrances by Shakira and Britney Spears. Acqua di Parma goes black tie and why is there so much Blue/Blu/Bleu in men’s fragrances.

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The last thing most of us need is to be nasally assaulted by Eau de Cheap Headshop Harvard Square, vintage 1972!
Migraine-inducing, monster-sillage, in-your-face hippie-dippy roll-on abomination.
For many, this is the only patchouli they’ve ever known; no wonder it has such a vile reputation…
Montale Patchouli Leaves is a fine choice for either men or women, perfectly suited for all seasons; it blooms in the heat, and comforts in chillier climates.
It is patch perfection, a Preciousssss that is affordable, even in these times.

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THe six winners of the mini cutie pots of Dabney Rose Amberleah.

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The Italian perfume house Bois 1920 has released a new trio of fragrances under the name Le Voluttuose (The Voluptuous). The three fragrances in the collection Kimono Rose, La Vaniglia, and Notturno Fiorentina all live up to the billing given the collection name as they all have curves and beauty in abundance. Another artist known for his love of the voluptuous is Peter Paul Rubens. One of his most frequent subjects was the goddess Venus, very often accompanied by Cupid. Rubens’ version of Venus was a full figured woman also full of curves and his paintings are perfect companions for the three fragrances in this new Bois 1920 collection.

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Nuda- aka “nude”- is the eighth fragrance in the Nasomatto line, based in Amsterdam.
It’s the one of the line that I would absolutely shell out the required dosh for- no lie.
The one of which I’m truly fond, and find so joyfully wearable

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  Velvet ribbons, gold vermeil and glass beads, Prettily stranded throwing sparks of light In the sun Miss Dabney Rose shows her wares Oils to make your skin gleam ruby red lipcolor in tiny glass jars Flowers captured in time, liquid precious potions to keep your complexion Youthful elastic and soft But most precious of [...]

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I came across Miss Dabney Rose while “butterfly netting” perfumers on the web. I was attracted by her funky style. She’s a Biker Chick who pulls no punches. She’s tough, gentle and loves nature with all her heart. I “know” this woman in the recesses of my ethereal nature for she knows what I know…the fragrance of Love and the ultimate art of fine perfume have everything in common… a pure expression of “emotional privilege”. All in all, a woman after my own heart. She “gets it”. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Dabney Rose.

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I met Ineke for the first time this past April, at Sniffapalooza Spring Fling, and asked her what “G” would be and the only answer she gave me was, “Shakespeare meets manga”. I have to say that is one of the more interesting sound bite descriptions I’ve received for a fragrance and I’ve been eagerly awaiting some more information. Now we have it, as the press release for Gilded Lily has arrived on my desk.

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The ideal of Agonist Parfums to create something that captures the melancholy of the Swedish culture matched with the richness of the Scandinavian surroundings. The Infidel does a most interesting job of creating a near somber mood while feeling as deep as a fragrance gets. The Infidel is a fragrance that is designed for those who like the unusual and if that describes your taste in fragrance it is worth seeking The Infidel out to try.

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The Japanese market has always been seen as a market, maybe even a world, apart from Western aesthetics. The assumption behind the great majority of fragrances inspired by or for a Japanese aesthetic is that light clean lines are what are desired. When I am thinking about fragrance Houses that embody that kind of style, one that would be low on my list would be Montale. It was with a great deal of surprise when I read in 2005 that Montale was making a Japanese market exclusive fragrance, Mango Manga. I thought it would be so very interesting to see a perfumer who is all about bold powerful notes try and adapt his style for this different audience. Now in 2010 Mango Manga has been released to the rest of the world and we can all enjoy Pierre Montale’s Eastern vision.

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Parfum Sacre was a spice and amber laden rose fragrance that surrounded the central rose note with a warm enveloping spicy grouping of notes. It was surprisingly light for a fragrance full of intense notes. When I first smelled Parfum Sacre it was an opulent fragrance. I was shocked to find the currently reformulated version of Parfum Sacre to be a wan imitation of the original. Once again the heavy hand of IFRA and their regulations had squeezed the lush juice out of a memorable fragrance and neutered Parfum Sacre in the process. Because of that disappointment my level of skepticism with the new 2010 release Parfum Sacre Intense was very high. What I found, instead, was a perfume House which found a way to pay tribute to the original Parfum Sacre and somehow create a new fragrance that allows it to surpass the current formulation of the original.

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In 2004 Ralf Schweiger and Nathalie Feisthauer created a burst of citrus, spice and wood meant to resemble ambergris.
In 2010 Jean-Claude Ellena is once again headed back to the Merveilles well and has created a third flanker called Eau Claire des Merveilles. This time around the only similarity in the notes used comes at the end, as in all of the Merveilles flankers, it is about a woody/ambery finish. Unlike the other three versions this trip is totally different in arriving at that finish

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Certainly one of the most successful examples of this kind of artistry are the first two fragrances in Hermes “Un Jardin” series; Un Jardin en Mediterranee and Un Jardin sur Le Nil. For both of those fragrances the perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena spent time in the Meditteranean and near The Nile and let his nose become the way we would experience his impressions of those locales. I am reminded of this by perfumer Shelley Waddington and her Carmel By The Sea Series for her Envoyage Perfumes label

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It has been a very good year for perfumers to re-interpret the eau de cologne style of fragrance construction. Each new iteration has seen some of the most talented perfumers we have, take the classic architecture of eau de cologne and impose their own design on this venerable style of fragrance.
Patricia de Nicolai makes some interesting additions to make L’Eau Mixte an Eau de Cologne all her own.

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The winner of The Rose Tattoo so generously donated by Neil Morris Fragrances is

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There is a house in New Orleans, no it’s not the “House of the Rising Sun”, but a perfumery that has existed for over 150 years. Unlike in The Animals classic song, the House of Bourbon French Parfums, hasn’t been the ruin of many poor boys although they might have made a few perfumistas poor.
Since 1843, Bourbon French Parfums haven’t changed very much, although the name has. From the earliest days until the present whoever “le nez” has been, they were influenced by all that makes New Orleans a special American city.

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When I contacted Demeter and asked for a sample to review and I told them they could send me anything I realized that anything is exactly what I could get. When my box arrived from Demeter I eagerly opened it and found waiting inside, Funeral Home. My first reaction was “Ewwww!” but then much like Bill Cosby in his famous “Chocolate Cake for Breakfast” monologue; I stopped and thought what could be in Funeral Home. Flowers…flowers would be in Funeral Home. Polished wood…..polished wood would be in Funeral Home. Clean carpet…clean carpet would be in Funeral Home. Flowers, wood and clean carpet that sounds like a fragrance, six sprays of Funeral Home coming up!

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Neil had been inspired by a woman he’d met in a motorcycle shop.
One of those people whom it is easy to dismiss, perhaps-
Not as tough as she looked in her leathers, bearing a rose tattoo on her arm…
She was one of the kindest, gentlest souls he had ever met; he wanted to create a homage to her.
A testament to her very goodness.

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Alfredo Dupetit-Bernardi had his own unique way of interpreting the brief Anya McCoy laid out. Hr. Dupetit-Bernardi chose to work with three of his existing compositions as the foundation upon which he would build his “woody erotizing musk”.
Botanical Musk Nr. 5 served as a primer on Hr. Dupetit-Bernardi’s style of natural perfumery.
Hr. Dupetit-Bernardi found his own solution to the “mystery”. In this case it involved taking what came before and re-interpreting it into something brand new.

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Ernest Daltroff the founder and first in house nose of the House of Caron fled for his life during World War II occupied France. Approaching Ellis Island, his eyes fell upon the majestic splendor and imposing beauty of the Statue of Liberty, welcoming him to the safe haven of America. Deeply moved, he promised to create created Lady Caron to honor Ernest Daltroff

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Our draw, courtesy of www.lafcony.com and Sebastián Alvarez Murena, the co- founder of Eau d’Italie, LafcoNY and Hotel Sirenuese Positano for Au Lac, (which was based on an illict love affair ) is…

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Thank you to Etienne de Swardt of Etat Libre D’Orange for one of CaFleureBon’s fave… “Jasmin et Cigarette”. The winner is:

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Christopher Chong, the creative director for Amouage, was “inspired by the recollections and fragments we acquire on our journey; the fragments that collectively represent a tome of memories … the notion of the hidden treasures in a library “.
Truly, there is something here for all tastes.
The goal was to transcend gender; all three are to be worn by anyone.

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In many ways Hr. Tauer is emblematic of what can be achieved when a perfumer chooses to follow his own path. With Carillon pour un Ange Hr. Tauer has taken flight, as if on the wings of angels.

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We thank Sarah Horwitz Thran of Sarah Horowitz Perfumes … for this “Perfect Draw.” Judging from the comments we hope you expand your distribution overseas!!!

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The City of Lights has drawn American writers, musicians and artists from the 1800s to the present… Henry James, Nina Simone, Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Van Morrison, Charlie Parker are just a few; today Tom Ford and Marc Jacobs are ‘expatriates’. The draw is for lady caron , a tribute to another beacon of light, The statue of Liberty created in 1876 and the first sight founder Ernest Daltroff saw as he approached Ellis Island. For those of us who visited Paris…it is amazing *how fluently one can speak in French , where perfume is concerned !*To enter the draw please write a comment on site about your favoirte Caron perfume or what the Statue of Liberty means to you. All three draws.. for Etat Libre D’Orange Jasmin and Cigarette,Eau de Italie Au lac and Caron Lady Caron close July 16 at 10 pm est

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Summer strode into California this year with the heat buzzing at around three digits daily. It’s dry, acrid and sometimes unbearable .My scents always come to the rescue. Although I am not in the habit of having winter- summer rotation fragrances I do find I am drawn to gauzier, less dense ones at the height of summer. This summer, three fragrances have my heart and I cannot get enough of them.

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Whether they traveled to France by EuroRail or by airplane, our European friends are all involved deeply, passionately in perfumery and leave with us their scented Souvenirs de Paris. To be eligble for this draw please comment on your favorite L’Eau d’Italie perfume, or why you would like to win Au Lac

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Nous sommes tous citoyens de la France… We are all citizens of France, the legendary ex-patriate Josephine Baker once said. To celebrate Bastille Day,(Independance Day) I asked friends from all over the world who have traveled to Paris, lived in France, are citizens of France to recall their olfactive memories. Thanks to Etienne de Swardt of Etat Libre D’Orange we have a draw for a 1.7 0z bottle of “Jasmin et Cigarette”. Please leave a comment on site about your favorite French perfume, your own travels or life in France and you are eligible.Bonne Fête du 14 Juillet!

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Let me have a fragrance that unleashes the skin’s freshness –

“I long to shed the indolic submersions of night and wake to a body overflowing with this Perfect Veil of newborn light.” After 5 years, and thousands of fragances late. Perfect Veil is still a top ‘skin scent pick” on luckyscent.com site; if you want to enter the draw, for a full size please leave a comment about your “perfect ‘ scent from Sara Horowitz Parfums Ps.marlene Goldsmith, Madonna, Jennifer Garner, Jennifer Morrison, Rachel Zoe are fans

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In this interview with the Camille Goutal, Ms. Goutal’s daughter who has led the Company’s endeavors, including its famous fragrances (her “partner in perfume” is nose Isabelle Doyen), we have an insider’s view of the complex relationships between scent, memory, tradition and innovation, mother and daughters, as well as Camille Goutal’s personal memories of one of the most innovative and influential women of modern fragrance, her mother Annick Goutal

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Place is distinct from space — it’s a terminus of locality, it’s where you are, what you are, and — in your consciousness — presence. Being present is paying attention. And scenting brings one to a feeling of sentience in the center of your experience — fragrance can be the strongest context of memory. Sisell Tolaas sprays her wrist liberally with what she calls Guy No. 3. “I wear it to parties,” she says. S&M Guy and Guy No. 3 were derived from the sweat of two of the nine men who were the subject of Tolaas’ 2006 exhibit the FEAR of Smell — the Smell of FEAR at MIT’s List Visual Arts Center.

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We don’t cut and paste press releases. Its just not our style. If we get an official release from a fragrance company, it will always have our own spin. In todays’ Woman’s Wear Daily, six scented articlesappeared. Each one connects to me personally… through times in my life, former jobs, memories and scent.
And this quote by Betsey Johnson made my day…. and I hope it makes yours too…”There’s something important that should come along with a fragrance. A compliment.”

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Le Bron James can’t take the ‘heat’ of New York City…. Nor can the Amtrak commuters who waited for hours during yesterday’s commuting delays. Summer in any big city can overpower your senses. Especially your sense of smell. Cafleurebon has some important tips on how you can stay cool when the temperature rises… Whether you ride the subway, the T or le metro.

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In Greek mythology,The Hesperides were three nymphs who tended a blissful garden belonging to the Goddess Hera in Tangier, Morocco. The succulent and much guarded fruit of Hera’s orchard started The Trojan War, when Paris of Troy was asked to the choose who the fairest amongst Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. The winner is

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The winner of Cafleurebon’s draw for Alexandra Balahoutis’ Strange Invisble Perfumes Temple of Musk for the Natural Perfumer’s Guild The Mystery of Musk Internet Project is …

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My favorite scents for summer are aquatic, reminiscent of suntan oil, and smell of citrus. So grab yourself an orange, put on your sunscreen and join me on the beach this summer. All it requires is a spritz.

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Yes the IFRA rules change, I must always keep up, especially because I use many natural and raw materials. But I can always create with what is available…. I am not affected too much by these rules and my advice to any new perfumer? Never compromise your art for commerciality

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Is it difficult to blend an accord similar to animal musk but solely with botanicals? You betcha. But the skilled perfumer can provide his or her customer with scents similar in effect to real musk by providing the human system the stimulus needed to enhance ones own ‘musk’ or personal scent. – We thank Anya McCoy and the Natural Perfumer’s Guild for including Cafleurebon in this project. We chose to spotlight each perfumer and their work individually. The draw for the bottle of Strange Invisible Perfumes Temple Of Musk we are giving away in conjunction with the project, ends July 7, 2010 at 11:59 pm EST

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*The Dogdays* are here- no denying it.I’ve never been a summer girl; I was */born hot/*. Now, if I lived a Caribbean life, or the much more sensible rhythm of
those in warmer climes- The lingering glass of pastis at noon, the leisurely siesta, the gentle early evening ambling along ancient Roman paths near Avignon, so I choose to greet the summer swelter by creating my own personal Paradise vis a vis scent

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There are few perfumers who have a signature style. One is is Olivia Giacobetti. Mme. Giacobetti also has an undeniable architecture to her fragrances, that of sheerness in beauty.Mme. Gicobetti returns with three new ‘green’ fragrances for Honore des Pres dubbed the “We Love NY” collection. The fragrances are packaged in that most disposable of New York City commodities the take-away coffee cup. While the packaging around this collection could be termed disposable, or common, the fragrances inside are not. Mme. Giacobetti’s We Love NY collection for Honore des Pres accurately captures many of the more pleasant smells of New York City and if one is up for an unusual olfactory tour your first step should be to acquire these fragrances

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As in the words of Jean Claude Ellena, “A perfume must tell a story on the skin”. With eleven of the twelve submissions in, and having sniffed each one, I chose to write about the Mystery of Musk fragrance that told MY story…. Charna Ethier’s Musk Nouveau. The fragrance truly reminds me of the vices of my youth;a flashback to Paris of the early 1980s. Nous rencontrons l’auteur quand elle vivait à Paris

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I asked Ambrosia Jones of Perfume by Nature to give us a peek into her creative process as she developed Craving for the Natural Perfumer’s Guild Mystery of Musk Project.
“Musk to me has always been about craving…it is about longing and animal passion….real, animal, natural….which is why “Craving” had to contain real scents, notes that reminded me of things I loved and craved myself….I didn’t want to create a clever perfume, I wanted to create a scent that made people feel passionate…It’s about smells I love, smells that make me feel happy, sexy, satiated….”

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It’s happening again
the craving
craving the blessed boy
it’s a chemical reaction
no one can understand
a biological impulse
that sets fire to my insides
remembering
the honey drip of his tongue
with deep wet kisses
remembering
the sweet caramel of his lips
pressed against the softness of mine

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Elise Pearlstine’s Verdigris is dirty, it is green, it is as rich and sexy as it was meant to be. The fir balsam, the clary sage and green mandarin greets the nose with a rainbow of bright flavors, the complexity and depth of the natural plant essences matched equally with the animalic drydown.
its as if Eve was indeed approaching Adam in the Garden and I… the voyeur…

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From first sniff, the quality of materials was apparent, as if no expense had been spared. This was clearly NOT going to be a timorous, powdery musk. If the submission of Graines de Paradis by Sharini is a portent of things to come, the future of natural perfumery looks pretty damn sweet. Its the real thing!

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Dawn Spencer Hurwitz has created fragrant jazz with her work on The Mystery Of Musk project and it is beautiful music of the most fragrant kind.
If you would like to take the same journey I’ve described for yourself, all of these versions are available on Dawn Spencer Hurwitz’s website (https://www.dshperfumes.com/ ) in 30% perfume concentrations. I found all of them to have excellent longevity and modest sillage

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The perfumer Adam Gottschalk has developed this fragrance very close to the true nature of ancient wines. it is smooth and sexy in its subtlety with a really nice staying power. Dionysius lingers on the skin like the afterglow of a night filled with passion.

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In many ways Temple of Musk is the heads to Musc Botanique’s tails. Musc Botanique is the fragrance that captures the darkness of musk and the Hour Of The Wolf; Temple of Musk captures the brightness of musk and it is like standing in a Temple Of The Sun to greet the new day and all of the possibilities inherent in that.

Reminder: Temple of Musk is the bottle we are giving away at Cafleurebon

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Is there life after 40… you bet! In a series by Yahoo, called Second Act, men and women, like Mandy Aftel (who became a natural perfumer over 15 years ago) turn there lives around, pursue their bliss and in Mandy’s case create a legacy that has touched thousands of lives and has given legitimacy to natural perfumery
as ART. Mandy is not a ‘zealot’, she chooses natuals to paint her landscape, and happily co-exists in the world of fine fragrance

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When I saw Keiko Mecheri in the Spring for tea in NY, she mentioned she was working on six new fragrances; including a line of four summer citrus fragrances each evoking a personal journey reflecting her travels all over the world. WIN All four samples of La Collection Hesperidés. Leave a comment onsite about Les Parfums Keiko Mecheri

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Dawn wanted a fully-fleshed, rounded, complete perfume, not merely an accord-And it wouldn’t be hyperbole to confirm that she most certainly achieved her aim. I intend to purchase as big a bottle as I can afford, and wear it ‘til I drop, in all seasons.[Try to stop me]

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Tallulah B2 is a fragrance that one would not immediately associate with the musk category. Rather its an exploration of using vegetal musk, as an underpinning of a natural scent and is an inherent part of its structure. It may be hidden from view, but its essential to its compostion. Overall a pleasing bright floating floral with a perfumed petticoat of the most delicate of “musk”, peaking through.

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One of the perfumers who I have been wanting to try for a while is JoAnne Bassett. In Sensual Embrace Ms. Bassett chose to have her musk accord behave more like a promise of delights to come, and after the musk has enticed you in, the remains of Sensual Embrace fulfill that promise.

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Drifting sparks by Lisa Fong for Artemisia Natural Perfume was everything I had hoped it would be. The black currant and fruity sambac gave the sweet juiciness I was looking for reminiscent of animal musk, the ambergris and cedar gave longevity and the bois de rose a peppery kick. It reminded me of a woman’s personal scent, the allure of “musk” without a dirty animal funkiness.

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there’s a revolution in this bottle.
It’s in the fresh, restless bite of lemon,
sharpened and intensified by a defiant black pepper.
It’s in the unruly turbulence of a prune
and an in-your-face ambrette.
Electrified by aldehydes, you can feel the pure energy,
pared down and pumped up by leather, shot through
with heliotrope and brought back down to earth
by a raunchy patchouli.

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I have known Maria McElroy for five years. She is the embodiment of the duality within a woman. Incredibly stylish and chic, and has been known to ride shotgun on a motor cycle. Immersed in the culture of New York City, yet deeply spiritual, a student of the rich history and philosophy of Japan.

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Kewdra is pure carnality, a “Kama Sutra-evocative, smell of your
lover’s skin”…

I only had /one lover/ who smelled this way; he had spent 10 years in an
ashram, studying Kundalini.

/And he broke my heart./

Just like this scent.

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