One of the best interviews I have read recently was posted on French blog Simon~says! (thank you for the link, Anissa.) François Simon, a food writer, talks with Catherine Deneuve in his article, Rencontre Avec Catherine Deneuve, about a dizzying range of perfume topics—her first perfume, her role as a fragrance muse, her favorite perfumes on men, the strange scents that she enjoys, etc. The original interview is in French, which I highly recommend reading. For those who do not speak French, I will post a few interesting excerpts. To round out the topic, I will also include mentions of Deneuve's other scented references from her previous interviews. The legendary movie star is an avid perfume lover, and she even wrote a preface to Frédéric Malle’s new book, On Perfume Making.
Deneuve mentions that she selected Noir Epices by Michel Roudnitska for the role of Princess Marie Bonaparte in the mini-series Princesse Marie (2004.) Noir Epices was a perfect way to slip into the character of a strong, bold, audacious woman.
The actress mentions that she loves Frédéric Malle’s fragrances and regrets that he does not release more perfumes. She selected Lipstick Rose by perfumer Ralf Schwieger for her role in Christophe Honoré's film Les Bien-Aimés (Beloved).
She was told that Iris Poudré was inspired by Belle de Jour. She loves this creation by perfumer Pierre Bourdon and Frédéric Malle.
Deneuve was the face of Chanel No 5 in a campaign for the American market. Working with photographer Richard Avedon was one of the highlights of this project for her.
Francis Kurkdjian Lumiere Noire for Her
This spicy rose and patchouli blend originated as a bespoke perfume for the actress. According to Marc Chaya, president and co-founder of Maison Francis Kurkdjian Paris, when Maison Francis Kurkdjian was founded, Deneuve and the perfumer agreed to include it in the line.
Fresh Rose Menthée
In an interview with the UK Times Online, the movie star mentions that she "always sprays her pillows with nice scent. Her favourites are Rose Menthée by Fresh, anything by Jo Malone, Frédéric Malle..."
On Seasonal Perfumes
She loves to change her perfume with each season: musk in her hair during the summer, amber in the fall, jasmine and gardenia in the spring…
On Some of Her Favorite Notes
Jasmine and gardenia are among her favorite scents; however, she insists that they must be of great quality, otherwise the results are catastrophic. They must be impeccable, otherwise they are too heady.
She also loves orange blossom and enjoys Serge Lutens’s take on it. Another orange blossom composition she singles out is Frédéric Malle Cologne Bigarade created by perfumer Jean Claude Ellena.
Scents of Paris
Lily of the valley and rose are the quintessential Parisian scents for Deneuve.
Her first perfume, her longest fragrant love affair.
When speaking about certain unusual odors that she loves, Deneuve talks about the scent of helichrysum. In the summer, she loves to wear Sables, which smells like the sun.
Serge Lutens Fragrances
“I also love the perfumes of Serge Lutens. He is also an artist.” In several interviews she mentioned that she loves Ambre Sultan, Un Lys, and Rose de Nuit.
Diptyque Candles and L’Ombre das l’Eau
Deneuve likes to buy candles at Dyptique and some of its fragrances, like l'Ombre dans l'Eau, for her friends. The eaux de toilette are very chic, but for her, Diptyque is associated with its exceptional candles such as Feu de Bois, Mousses (Moss)...
Oud Scents
She loves the scent of oud, which she experiences on her trips to Morocco. However, she herself cannot wear it.
How She Likes to Perfume Herself
Deneuve's famous quote is "You should put scent where you like to be kissed." She mentions that she usually puts perfume behind the knees and on her neck. However, she does not like to perfume her clothes, because the fragrance remains on them for too long.
On Her Perfume Deneuve (1989)
It was a fragrance created by Avon; however, when the company was sold, Deneuve was dropped. It cost too much. The fragrance was of excellent quality, but there was a technical problem with the bottle due to its low, rectangular shape. The actress believes that it would not work today, with the possible exception of the United States. If it were proposed to her to launch a fragrance, she would be pleased, but she would not want it to bear her name. It resonates with what Deneuve told Elle Magazine in 1994, "I've liked working for this fragrance. But today I don't feel it. Actors and perfume is an impossible match."
As the actress said on Larry King Live, "I was given the possibility to do my perfume in America. And I had a great pleasure to do that. I loved it. And I learn a lot of interesting things, you know, doing that. I got very involved with that."
“I once loved a man who wore Eau Sauvage by Christian Dior. I cannot tolerate it on anyone else.”
I can absolutely agree with her on the Diptyque room fragrances. We first bought Feu de Bois for the sitting room, because it so closely emulated the smell of logs burning in a fireplace and made the room feel snug even in summertime. Later we bought Figue for the upstairs part of the house, to take us back in memory to walks along the Adriatic coast, when the afternoon sun would drive us to seek shade beneath fig trees.
Posted by: Martyn | December 13, 2011 at 07:09
I think Sacrebleu is also one of her favourite perfumes...
Posted by: Alexandra | December 13, 2011 at 08:18
I love your descriptions, Martyn! Feu de Bois is fantastic! Its scent makes any room feel cozy and warm.
Posted by: Victoria | December 13, 2011 at 08:19
I read that too, but I could not find an actual interview that referenced it, so I did not include it.
If she wears all of the fragrances she professes to love, then she must have quite a collection!
Posted by: Victoria | December 13, 2011 at 08:20
yes, she is really into perfumes, and the art of seduction through them! Thank you Victoria for sharing!
Posted by: Alexandra | December 13, 2011 at 08:26
I wish all celebrities thought that way.
Posted by: civava | December 13, 2011 at 08:56
Wow, she's one of us!
Posted by: Dain | December 13, 2011 at 08:59
So do I! Smelling all of those bland celebrity scents makes me wish so even more.
Posted by: Victoria | December 13, 2011 at 09:02
She really is! The way she talks about fragrance is so poetic and interesting. I loved how she described the scent of Paris metro as that of carnations, iron and immortelle.
Posted by: Victoria | December 13, 2011 at 09:04
My pleasure! I always love reading about Deneuve, she is such a fascinating person.
Posted by: Victoria | December 13, 2011 at 09:04
it's a funny thing, but I can relate to her much more through her perfume choices than her films- that I love; those common favourite fragrances represent the common parts in our personalities.
Posted by: Alexandra | December 13, 2011 at 09:48
Ah, what a pleasure! A beautiful, clever and talented woman. She is everything! I would love to follow her tastes in fragrances but somehow these are not mine... Alas!
Posted by: Yulya | December 13, 2011 at 10:21
Lovely! There is a website in French Tout sur Deneuve where details about her perfume choices are described. There was an Iris by Different Company and she also wears several YSL fragrances: Paris and Yvresse, formerly Champagne which she wears in fall. Thank you for posting this, so interesting!
Posted by: Nikki | December 13, 2011 at 10:33
How interesting! Lumiere noire is an all-season favorite of mine.
Posted by: Carla | December 13, 2011 at 11:29
She also says in her interview that someone's choice of fragrance says so much about them. I also can relate to her better through her perfumes.
Posted by: Victoria | December 13, 2011 at 13:23
I also enjoy it, it is one of my favorites from the collection.
Posted by: Victoria | December 13, 2011 at 13:25
Gosh, she truly is a perfumista!
Posted by: Victoria | December 13, 2011 at 13:26
I love that she is passionate about it. I've never read such a scent focused interview with another star.
Posted by: Victoria | December 13, 2011 at 13:26
Sables is an unexpected choice but not really. Deneuve is an unexpected woman.
Posted by: Memoryofscent.wordpress.com | December 13, 2011 at 15:11
She is so beautiful.
Posted by: Joan | December 13, 2011 at 15:20
I read this interview through a link on Octavian's blog. It's such an interesting read. I also love seeing photo's of her and her daughter together. Each in her own way so stunningly good looking!
Posted by: Austenfan | December 13, 2011 at 16:56
she and i could be scent twins! and francis kurkdjian must have laughed silently to himself when i told him that i felt he'd created lumiere noire just for me! it's that good! and feels that personal! so fun to know it was her bespoke scent! thanks for the tidbits. fun stuff! will go read the french in a bit. thanks!
Posted by: minette | December 13, 2011 at 19:46
She is! Her taste is so eclectic.
Posted by: Victoria | December 13, 2011 at 22:36
I just watched La Chamade, and she is so beautiful in it.
Posted by: Victoria | December 13, 2011 at 22:36
I love seeing them together. Have you watched Beloved? They are both starring in it.
Posted by: Victoria | December 13, 2011 at 22:37
Wow, what a nice story!
I am glad that you enjoyed it. I never get tired of reading about Deneuve.
Posted by: Victoria | December 13, 2011 at 22:38
he's a very sweet man, and was easy to talk with during his appearance here. as lovely as lumiere noire is on my skin, his orange blossom scent for men (the name escapes me) is horrible! you should have seen his face when he put his nose to my arm with that one! i'd wanted to try it because i usually like men's scents on me - but oh, no, not this one! his reaction was so honest, it made me like him even more!
Posted by: minette | December 14, 2011 at 19:39
What a tease she is! I'm dying to know which jasmine and gardenia perfumes she liked,vs. which she thought were "catastrophic."
Posted by: Cathleen56 | December 14, 2011 at 23:29
Just received Lumiere Noire which I bought because of the article and it is really good. Lovely perfume! I am happy I got it.
Posted by: Nikki | December 21, 2011 at 12:39