Annick Goutal Les Orientalistes : Fragrance Review of Ambre Fetiche, Encens Flamboyant, Myrrhe Ardente

The deeper I delve into perfumery, the more often I pose the question, “why perfume?” to myself. Why do I write about perfume? Why is it that exploring this subject never fails to be exciting and fascinating? Perhaps, it is because scents provide a way to experience the world in a manner that cannot be replicated with any of our other senses. Recently, an illustration of this appeared in the guise of Annick Goutal Les Orientalistes, a trio of fragrances inspired by the classical oriental notes—amber (Ambre Fétiche,) myrrh (Myrrhe Ardente) and frankincense (Encens Flamboyant.) They offered me an inspiration to dream.

Serge Lutens Sarrasins : Perfume Review

White jasmine, black jasmine. New love, old flame. That is how I think of Sarrasins, the newest fragrance from Serge Lutens’s exclusive range, and À La Nuit, the 2000 launch. Given the deep purple color of Sarrasins, one is led to expect a dark and sonorous rendition of jasmine. However, nothing could be further from the truth—Sarrasins is radiant, almost see-through, from its initial burst of citrus and wintergreen notes to the dry, leathery base. By contrast, À La Nuit has a remarkable heft, given its high calorie oriental base of vanillic balsams and resins. ...

New Perfume Releases to Anticipate : 2008 and Beyond

It is now almost the end of May, and while it is too early to tally up the launches and pick favorites, I cannot resist making a list of upcoming fragrances that spark my curiosity. It is not a complete list of new launches, by any means, but simply a list I keep for myself of new perfumes that catch my eye for one reason or another. They may be coming from a brand I like, have an interesting story behind them or just seem like they could offer something different.

• NEW: Serge Lutens El Attarine--attar, everlasting flowers, Serge Lutens's Morocco... It sounds like a Lutens classic in the making. Exclusive collection.

• NEW: Serge Lutens Serge Noire --Another exciting Lutens to anticipate. Export collection.

• NEW: Tom Ford White Patchouli, Italian Cypress, Arabian Wood--White Patchouli is coming in September, and it is going to be a fragrance based around patchouli, a counterpart to Black Orchid. The notes include dark, smoky patchouli, peony, bergamot, jasmine, rose, coriander, ambrette seeds. Italian Cypress and Arabian Wood will be the new fragrances in the Private Blend Collection. They will commemorate the opening of Tom Ford boutiques in Milan and Kuwait.

• NEW: Prada Infusion for Men--a masculine counterpart to Infusion d'Iris. Features notes of neroli, iris pallida, vetiver, cedarwood, incense and benzoin. Sounds simply wonderful!

FiFi 2008 Winners Announced

The winners of 2008 have been announced. As The Fragrance Foundation commented, "On Tuesday evening, the 36th Annual FiFi® Awards were hosted by The Fragrance Foundation at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City. The stars were out as notable presenters Zac Posen, Salt-N-Pepa, Danity Kane, Alyson Hannigan, Cynthia Rowley, and Bernadette Peters took the stage to honor the industry’s luminaries with the coveted FiFi ® Awards trophy."

Hall of Fame Award Winner: Vera Wang

FRAGRANCE HALL OF FAME
Annick Goutal Eau d’Hadrien – Gary Farn, Ltd.

FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR – WOMEN’S LUXE
Daisy Marc Jacobs – Coty Prestige

FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR – MEN’S LUXE
Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Pour Homme – P&G Prestige Products, Inc.

FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR – WOMEN’S NOUVEAU NICHE
Prada Infusion d’Iris – Puig Beauty & Fashion Group

FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR – MEN’S NOUVEAU NICHE
Armani Privé Vetiver Babylone – Giorgio Armani Beauty

Dior Addict : Perfume Review

Life is full of ironies. The more I smell Dior Addict, the more I admire it and the more I realize that I will never be able to wear it. The contrasts between a languid floral oriental and an assertive dry chypre that fascinate me on a technical level render the fragrance very sharp. The impressive sillage of dry woody notes and rich vanilla drapes around me like heavy velvet. Russian women, whose tastes in perfume run the gamut from classical floral aldehydic to high calorie orientals, embraced it, but according to market research, they are the only ones who did. …

Tom Ford Velvet Gardenia : Fragrance Review

Have you ever noticed how faces are much easier to recognize in caricatures when their features are exaggerated than in photographs? For this same reason Tom Ford Velvet Gardenia might offer the truest gardenia one can find in the perfume form. Certainly, there are plenty of fragrances that incorporate beautiful gardenia accords (Hermès Calèche, Dior Diorama, Estée Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia), but to smell Velvet Gardenia is to experience a flower magnified by several degrees—smooth, waxy petals, green leaves and woody stems, animalic, dark notes of its roots. Its scent is creamy and intoxicating, smoldering and airy, floral and balsamic. What seems at first like an improbable juxtaposition of effects soon unfolds into a complex gardenia story. ...

8th Annual Basenotes Awards Winners

It is that time of the year again! Basenotes has announced the winners of 8th Annual Basenotes Awards. The Basenotes visitors have voted to select their favorites, and you can see the results by following the link. Special congratulations to Now Smell This, the winner of Gold award in Best Blogs category and Perfume Posse in Silver. A big thank you to all of you who voted for Bois de Jasmin (Bronze) despite my long absence from these pages. I cannot express how much your support means to me. Also, a special thank you to Grant Osborne of Basenotes whose hard work and dedication are simply admirable.

Scents of Cities : Kiev

I can give you a long list of reasons why I am scent obsessed. The main one is that nothing captures better the feeling of a place than its smells. Therefore, I would like to paint an olfactory portrait of each city that made an impression on me and take you on a journey. The first city I selected for this series is the city of my birth, Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. The turbulent history of the city, from its grandeur as a capital of Kievan Rus to the post-Soviet confusion, marks every stone on its streeets. The gilded domes of the numerous Orthodox churches emerge from the lush greenery of the historic city on the Right Bank, while modern high-rises crowd the Left. Burial caves for medieval ascetic monks neighbor WWII memorials. Billboards advertising Nokia cell phones crown the baroque Stalinesque buildings of the 1950s. Most of my early scent memories are connected to Kiev, and no matter where I find myself, I only have to think of a few scents in order for all its streets, sounds and people to spring from my memory. ...

Estee Lauder Pleasures Revisited : Perfume Review

I enjoy re-reading books that struck me as memorable. As time passes and one gains more experience and knowledge, one’s perspective changes sufficiently to make new discoveries. Revisiting fragrance is not much different in that respect--the knowledge one gains in the interim makes one understand better the art and the pleasure of perfume. Estée Lauder Pleasures has been on my list to reevaluate for quite some time, largely because of its reputation as a modern classic. It was never a personal favorite--its clean and wholesome aesthetic runs counter to my love for things dark and mysterious. However, as I wear it, I cannot but admire its strong signature and its gorgeous layers of floral absolutes set against the crisp green notes. …

Guerlain Cruel Gardenia : Perfume Review

You would be hard-pressed to find a more devoted Guerlain lover than me. I also happen to adore white florals in all shapes and forms—jasmine, tuberose, seringa, gardenia, frangipani, magnolia. However, my first impression when I smelled Cruel Gardénia from the L’Art et la Matière collection was utter disappointment. Where is gardenia, I wondered? Sure, it flits through the top note, but the floral impression that lingers is that of orange blossom and ylang ylang wrapped in a cloud of hedione (airy and diffusive jasmine material). Nevertheless, it is very elegantly constructed, and I do not want to dismiss it altogether, even if I miss the intoxicating gardenia. …

Nina Ricci Nina : Fragrance Review

I cannot get away from Nina, despite all my best efforts. It tops the charts of best-sellers, its pretty pink bottle shows up at every trend presentation, and its cotton candy and dry amber scent pervades the subway. Along with Marc Jacobs Daisy and Vera Wang Princess, it is a good example of how given the right configuration of brand name, marketing and packaging, one can easily create a top seller. Of course, the fragrance is important too—it has to be trendy, pretty and likeable. I like Daisy well enough, Princess is inoffensive, but Nina and I simply cannot find a compromise. …

Audrey Tautou New Face of Chanel No 5 : Perfume News

It is now official—Audrey Tautou is going to be the new face for Chanel No 5. Jean-Pierre Jeunet will direct the next No.5 advertising film, which will be the third collaboration between Tautou and Jeunet (she has starred in his "Amelie" and "The Long Engagement.”) The film will be released in 2009.

I adore Audrey Tautou, and I look forward to seeing the new marketing campaign, but I still wonder how Amelie will manage to evoke the spirit of Coco. What are your thoughts?

Photo credit: © Emanuele Scorcelletti for CHANEL

Hermes Un Jardin Apres La Mousson : Perfume Review

The new Hermès fragrance Un Jardin Après La Mousson (Garden After Monsoon) was among my most anticipated launches this spring, simply because I loved the fact that Jean-Claude Ellena, Hermès' in-house perfumer, drew inspiration from Kerala, one of the most beautiful regions in India. Furthermore, my first stay in India coincided with the long awaited beginning of the monsoon. As the first few drops of rain fell on the dusty streets of New Delhi, the stifling dryness of the air was cleared, the dust settled and the stone facades of the grand Mogul mausoleums took on a mesmerizing sheen. I sat in the courtyard of my friend’s apartment building surrounded by the smell of wet jasmine and ate the most luscious mangoes I have tried in my entire life. It was pure bliss. On the other hand, the end to this season of never-ending and potentially destructive rains holds as much anticipation as its beginning. …