How and Why Do you Wear Perfume : Fragrance Giveaway

The draw is closed and the winner is Laura! Thank you very much to everyone who participated. We received a range of very interesting responses, and they are going to be very helpful for my friend's school project.

For someone who loves fragrance, it is always interesting to find out why others wear perfume. My annual giveaway this year ties in with a study on the generation Y fragrance usage for an FIT consumer behavior class, and I am excited to hear your thoughts. Likewise, the prize for this giveaway is very special--tailored to your likes, exclusive (you will not find it in stores) and quite unique. Your answers will be submitted anonymously and your personal information shall not be shared in any way, shape or form.

Giveaway Questions: How do you choose your fragrances and how many do you own (decision based on brand, mood or other?)
When do you wear your fragrances?
Where do you buy your fragrances?
Why do you wear your fragrances?

Rules to participate: you have to be a female, age 16-24, with a wardrobe of 3 or more perfumes. The draw is now closed.

Prize: You will win a unique fragrance that is not on the market and which corresponds to your olfactory preferences.

A Scent by Issey Miyake : Perfume Review

Only the travails of copyrighting a fragrance name can explain why Issey Miyake chose a nondescript a Scent by Issey Miyake to identify its most recent launch. Or perhaps the reason is really the “poetry of minimalism” mentioned in the press release. At any rate, a Scent by Issey Miyake disappointed me. Purportedly inspired by the smell of Japanese mountains, a Scent most strongly reminded me of Chanel Cristalle, albeit in its most attenuated form….

Top Favorite Fall Fragrances : Perfume Article

Autumn is one of my favorite seasons, given the melancholic connotations in the early dusks and fallen leaves. It is a time when I fully give in to nostalgia, imagining the cherry trees in the garden of my childhood turning russet, the first frost on the shaggy bushes of chrysanthemums near the wooden gate, and the plaintive cry of cranes crossing the overcast sky above the terracotta roof of our house. Thinking of these familiar images, I reach out for a compilation of Turgenev and gaze out of my window at the rows of slender maple trees dropping their crimson leaves into the puddles.

This year is different in that I found myself with precious little time for nostalgic contemplations. I have started perfumery school full-time, which means that now I spend all of my day smelling which makes for a different routine at work. I am preparing for my winter wedding in India, planning things like accommodations for my friends and the colors of my wedding outfits, since white is not traditional. Still, I notice that my fragrance choices for autumn fall into the nostalgic realm: classical ambers, animalic chypres, spicy orientals and dark roses. However, since the choices themselves depend on my mood and the weather, I decided to organize my list in this manner: a set of fragrances for each autumnal mood.

Inspiration in Perfumery

Fascinating glimpse into the creative process in perfumery (quoting famous perfumers such as Henri Robert, Andre Fraysse, Ernest Beaux and Edmond Roudnitska) excerpted from The Complete Technology Book on Herbal Perfumes & Cosmetics By H. Panda, p. 53-54.

"Different perfumers react to different stimuli. Thus Henri Robert interviewed some years ago, mentioned that he always kept an odour-diary throughout his worldwide travels. On returning to his laboratory, with the aid of these notes, he would attempt to recreate in memory the various olfactive impressions that he had received: 'something suggested, for example, on a May morning on the Riviera or in the heat of a tropical afternoon, the impression arising from a market scene, a visit to the grand magazines or a concert.' He might then decide to translate this or that olfactive reminiscence into a formula. ... The place which he considered the most unfailingly stimulating source of odour-impressions was Paris, or to be more precise, a very small section of the Faubourg St. Honore. Here he was able to find the strongest impression of artistry, beauty and that subtle feeling of elegance so necessary to achievement in the sphere of fine perfumery.

Opal Basil and Lemon Sherbet : Flavor and Fragrance

Few things remind me more of summer than basil. Its interplay of bitter peppery notes and sweet licorice-anise is made vivid by the dark, tangy verdancy, a perfect counterpoint. In perfumery, it is a classical herbal note, used in both masculine and feminine fragrances for its cooling aromatic effect. Paired with citrus, it makes for a scintillating sensation. Thus, Hermes in-house perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena relies on the green note of basil to wrap its grapefruit accords in fragrances like Hermessence Rose Ikebana and Eau de Pamplemousse Rose. In fact, the combination of basil and lemon is a perfect one to appropriate for gastronomical explorations, whether one wishes to compose a simple salsa or a fish marinade. Furthermore, I would like to suggest another idea--a chilled drink that traces its roots to the Middle Eastern sherbet tradition. It is an essence of summer in a glass.

Blog Updates and New Subscription Options

With the new features being available from typepad, I spent the last couple of weeks doing some much needed updates and clean ups. Also, I am offering a few new subscription options for you to follow the updates on Bois de Jasmin. The most novel one for me is the Twitter, which turned out to be a lot fun. Besides giving updates about new articles on Bois de Jasmin, I share about my studies in perfumery and daily scent discoveries. 

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Hermes Cologne Trio : Fragrance Review

The refreshing crispness of classical cologne with its brilliant citrus-woods accord and the uncluttered simplicity of its composition can belie a mesmerizing richness. One only needs to experience Guerlain Eau de Cologne Imperiale or Annick Goutal Eau d’Hadrien to understand how alluring a cologne can be on a hot summer day. Or, for that matter, on a freezing winter morning when reminders of spring are so welcome. At the same time, even more interesting are modern interpretations seeking abstraction where classical tradition relied on nature. For this reason, Hermes Cologne Trio was an anticipated launch for me, including as it did the classical Eau d'Orange Verte as well as modern renditions such as Eau de Pamplemousse Rose and Eau de Gentiane Blanche.