Don't miss an issue...Subscribe to Sniffapalooza Magazine!
In the 18th century, in Parma, Italia, there was fine printer and typographer named Giambattista Bodoni -- his work was called by many of his time and since, as the exemplar of sophistication in design. Beautiful books, exquisite typefaces, amazing sense of airiness and restraint. The type of our masthead is custom designed and hand-drawn by Tim Girvin and his team in NYC | Seattle, creating a perfection on the classics from centuries past, to a new revised and refined titling treatment -- just for us! Sniffapalooza Magazine Banner by Tim Girvin. Sniffapalooza logo/banner: Bond No. 9 is a registered trademark of Laurice & Co. ©2008
All rights reserved 2006-20010. All content belongs to Sniffapalooza Magazine. All articles by individual writers and contributors, understand and agree that each article that is accepted by the Editor for publication; becomes the property of Sniffapalooza Magazine for the sole purpose of publication for Sniffapalooza Magazine. Articles may be archived for permanent use on the web site for Sniffapalooza Magazine and for future issues.
All articles remain the property of Sniffapalooza Magazine for display purposes only.
Sniffapalooza Magazine
Sniffapalooza Magazine garnered TWO nominations in the
TOP FIVE finalists in the category of Editorial Excellence in Fragrance Coverage 2009 Blog!
The Fragrance Foundation and the 2009 Fifi Awards recently announced the Top Five finalists in the category of Editorial Excellence in Fragrance Coverage 2009 Blog. Sniffapalooza Magazine garnered TWO nominations in the TOP FIVE finalists in the category of Editorial Excellence in Fragrance Coverage 2009 Blog over selections from perfume blogs from around the country! The Editorial Excellence in Fragrance Coverage Blog category is an historic and appreciative gesture on the part of The Fragrance Foundation for the quality work on online fragrance blog sites, legitimizing them as editorial vehicles. If you have not seen our two "Top Five" articles that the Fifi panelists chose, you can view the full articles here in their entirety. This is truly a honor for us.
Congratulations to Elena Vosnaki and Nathan Branch for catapulting Sniffapalooza Magazine into the FiFi Award Nominations that were chosen for this historical award nomination. A sincere heartfelt thanks to the Fragrance Foundation and FiFi Awards. See all the nominations Fifi Awards here at www.fifiawards.org.
Raphaella Brescia Barkley
Editor In Chief of Sniffapalooza Magazine
Sniffapalooza Magazine was founded and created by Raphaella Brescia Barkley out of love and passion of fragrance.
She formed the popular international on-line fragrance site in early 2006 after joining the Sniffapalooza organization in 2005.
Under her direction as Editor In Chief, Sniffapalooza Magazine's contributors garnered TWO nominations in the TOP FIVE of The Fragrance Foundation
and the 2009 Fifi Awards finalists in the category of Editorial Excellence in Fragrance Coverage 2009 Blog over selections from perfume blogs
from around the country. The Editorial Excellence in Fragrance Coverage Blog category is an historic and appreciative gesture on the part of The Fragrance Foundation for the quality work on online fragrance blog sites, legitimizing some as editorial vehicles. To see the Top Five, view here.
A former model, beauty queen and professional ballet dancer, Ms. Barkley also has a business background that includes experience in marketing,
fundraising and event management. She served as Artistic and Executive Director for two successful major arts organizations; working
with international ballet super stars with primary responsibility for all event productions. She was also responsible for all fund raising/grant
writing in excess of $500,000 and for all event management, including overseeing 100 volunteers. Raphaella is also a former teacher who
owned three studios; was artistic director of two professional ballet companies and a choreographer who directed musicals, television
commercials and was personal manager to dancers from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. After retiring from the performing arts world,
she became the General Manager of a boutique historical hotel in a ski-resort.
Passionately involved in fragrance, Raphaella has spent the past few years researching and studying fragrance before joining Sniffapalooza.
She currently has a fragrance library of around 400 fragrances of which she blames her grandmother. View "Couer de Fleur...Heart of the Flower" here.
After discovering Guerlain, Caron, Creed, Bond No. 9, and many truly artistic niche fragrances, Raphaella gave away all of her "mass commercial"
fragrances to her little sister. Other interests involve collecting Raphaella's Roses and rose fragrances. She is currently also in the process of
re-discovering classic and iconic fragrances, mass luxury fragrances and wishes her little sister would
give back all her old perfumes.
Raphaella is also the new Contributor for Beauty Fashion Magazine, a national industry beauty magazine featuring her new column,
Raphaella believes that fragrance is an art form, magical and healing. She still stops to smell the roses.
Sniffapalooza Magazine is independently owned and operated by Raphaella Barkley.
October 15 thru November 2009
In this special issue; our biggest yet, we feature an Exclusive Magazine Interview with Francis Kurkdjian, Owner and Perfumer of Maison Francis Kurkdjian By Cristiane Gonçalves. Maison Francis Kurkdjian's new line will premiere at Bergdorf Goodman next week just for Sniffapalooza. We announce that Robert Piguet's Futur will premiere at Bergdorf Goodman and we feature the news here with a mini Interview with Perfumer Aurélien Guichard, we feature a Magazine Interview with Gérald Ghislain of Histoires de Parfums as he discusses with us first, his new launches later this fall that will be featured at Takashimaya NY. Creed Unveils SUBLIME VANILLE, the latest fragrance part of the new Royal Exclusives, Fashion Designer Josie Natori graces our magaizne with an interview as well as TWO reviews of her spectacular new fragrance; Natori. The first review is titled "An Alchemical Scent: Natori" a new fragrance review by Christine Lewandowski and the second viewpoint is by Victoria Austin with her new review of " The Ying and Yang of Woman: NATORI EAU DE PARFUM". Michael Davis features a new fragrance review of the new Bond No. 9 Andy Warhol, Success is a Job in New York, "Smells Like Success" and Interview with Laurice Rahmé, Bond No. 9 Founder and CEO.
MAISON GUERLAIN, Les Elixirs Charnels announces a new Guerlain Fragrance: BOISÉ TORRIDE. Guerlain BOISÉ TORRIDE will premiere at Bergdorf Goodman. We feature a new fragrance review; CREED Acqua Fiorentina A Nouveau Renaissance By Victoria Austin, a new fragrance review Acqua di Parma Magnolia Nobile:The Notable Beauty of a Noble Flowery Fragrance By Cristiane Gonçalves, New Fragrance Review LOVE AS ETERNAL AND TENDER AS SPRINGTIME: 3 FLEURS by Parfum d’Empire By Suzanne Keller, Juliet by Juliet Stewart New Fragrance Review By Victoria Austin. We move on to Annick Goutal A Tuscan Journey Eau d’Hadrien, A Rose is a Rose is a Rose…Unless it’s Andy Tauer’s Une Rose Chyprée; new review By Victoria Austin, RAINY DAYS AND AMOUAGE DIA POUR FEMME Fragrance Review By Suzanne Keller, LIKE TOURING THE ROOMS OF A GARDEN Estée Lauder Private Collection Jasmine White Moss Parfum By Suzanne Keller and Like A Night In Arabia; Amouage Ubar Fragrance Review By Suzanne Keller.
We also feature PARFUM D’EMPIRE 3 FLEURS and WAZAMBA, NIGHTSCAPE New Fragrance by Ulrich Lang New York which will premiere at Aedes de Venustas, we feature products from Lafco New York, Takashimaya New York Ineke's Latest Fragrance Field Notes From Paris and we feature an article " Field Notes from Paris" By Bill O'Such,
Ajne's Perfume Pendants, and we finish with For The Men...Perfumes of the Land and Sea; Part Three with Men's Fragrance World Premiere Review of Gravel Fragrance For Men By Dr. John King.
Finally, back by popular demand, we offer we offer a haunting and compelling article titled Scents My Sister Loved; Essays
by Mark David Boberick that originally appeared in our last issue as well as Real Men Wear Leather by Michael Davis and other articles that appeared in our most recent issue of October 1.
This issue is dedicated to all of the incredible and amazing writers, old and new, who dedicate their time freely contributing to The Magazine. This Magazine would not be possible without them.
Sniffapalooza Fall Ball
Dear Fragrance Friends:
We've had a truly amazing Summer. The Sniffapalooza World Tour
took us to London, and now we're back and throwing ourselves into
planning another edition of the ultra-fabulous Sniffapalooza Fall Ball!
This is our biggest and most jam-packed event ever, so sit back and
enjoy reading about all the aromatic possibilities... we've added lots
of new experiences!
We're dubbing this event Celebration of the Perfumer, because we've got so many perfumers and fragrance designers joining us. We'll be welcoming Francis Kurkdjian, Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, Josie Natori, Ulrich Lang, Pedro de Leana, Neil Morris, Juliet Stewart, Montgomery Taylor, Gerald DuBose, Patricia Namm, Sarah Barton King, and Yosh Han, just to name a few! And we'll be visiting several new stores, like the elegant Krigler Perfumery at The Plaza, the sensational Anna Sui Boutique, and Pure Dark, the incredible new chocolate emporium.
For those of you who are just joining the Sniffapalooza family, the Sniffapalooza Fall Ball is an entire weekend crammed full of olfactory and multi-sensory experiences. You'll come away from the weekend with new knowledge, new friends, lots of new goodies, and a new perspective on a fragrant life. There's nothing else like it on the planet.
This year's event will be held on Saturday, October 17 - Sunday, October 18. As always, Saturday will be our uptown day, and Sunday will be our downtown day. Here's our itinerary-in-progress, with lots of special surprises in the works. Many details will be added which you will updated on in the coming weeks!
Guests we're in the process of scheduling for appearances, & more to come...
Juliet by Juliet Stewart
New Fragrance Review
World Premiere
By Suzanne Keller
Quite simply, it is named Juliet, and its creator, make-up artist Juliet Stewart, shares at least a couple things in common with Rossellini—both being Italian-born beauties who had careers with Lancôme Cosmetics at one time. Stewart worked for more than twenty years in the upper echelons of the cosmetics industry (including a ten-year stint as National Make-up Artist for Prescriptives Cosmetics) before opening her luxury boutique in Nyack, New York, where she currently offers professional make-up and personalized skincare. Juliet, the perfume bearing her name, is a delicate and joyous fragrance that wears like the most delicious of secrets... MORE...
Exclusive Sniffapalooza Magazine Interview with Juliet Stewart
Juliet Stewart launches new fragrance JULIET.
It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you Juliet Stewart; a friend as well as a beautiful and successful woman who is in charge of her life.
Juliet Stewart is an international make-up artist as well as a former model who also worked with companies such as Lancôme Cosmetics, Prescriptives Cosmetics, Estee Lauder Co and was National Make-up Artist exclusive to Saks Fifth Avenue.
In getting to know Juliet, I have found her to be a woman that is very true to herself, a feat that is not always possible these days and her journey was long. Not only is she a consummate professional, she is kind, caring and has a great sense of humor. Creating Juliet was a very personal experience for her and she truly believes in woman and what they go through as "real women in life". Juliet is also a survivor; one who has seen much in life and I wonder if this journey is a result of what she has gone through and now; with what she has accomplished.
Juliet Stewart, Photo by Dorothea Erichsen
Hair by Pamaya Red Salon
Scents My Sister Loved
Essays By Mark David Boberick
“Just buy it, you’ve earned it!” were the final words out of my mouth before my sister swiped her credit card. It was the summer of 2003 and my sister Dawn and I were passing the time in New York City between a matinee and an evening show on Broadway. We were on Madison Avenue in the old Creed Boutique near Barneys. Just a month earlier, we had both celebrated graduations: I, from high school, and Dawn, from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy where she had received her Doctorate of Pharmacy.
Earlier that day, while we were shopping before the matinee, Dawn and I happened
into Saks where she was greeted by the Creed sales associate who sprayed her
down with Silver Mountain Water. We were already late for the show and so we
made haste, ran across town and quickly took our seats. All through the first act,
I could see her wrist to her nose, transfixed.....
Interview with International Fragrance Designer
Raymond Matts
Working with the internationally renowned fragrance houses of Firmenich and, later, IFF, Raymond Matts implemented fragrance concepts for new and existing products and was accountable for all stages of development. The experience of a liaison between perfumers, salesperson and client played an essential part of his career today. “Having that technical and creative knowledge from my work at the fragrance houses has helped nurture partnerships and aid in the development process. It has proved invaluable.”
At Estée Lauder, Raymond Matts held the position of Vice President of Corporate Fragrance Development Worldwide and was responsible for the strategic, conceptual development and general management of the company's global product group. At Elizabeth Arden, again with instinct and elegance, Raymond Matts designed fragrances that captured an essence and defined an era. Currently, Mr. Matts continues to collaborate with the worlds top perfumers to explore modern olfaction in timeless, inventive ways; reaching the sophisticated consumer, designing signature fragrances with contemporary style. All unique and all true to raymond matts the art of perfumery inc.
Raymond Matts has created hundreds of fragrances and is a true giant in the industry. Sniffapalooza Magazine warmly welcomes Raymond Matts, fragrance designer extraordinaire.
Creed Acqua Fiorentina: Painting Plums And Carnations
In The Fresh Garden of Tuscany: New Fragrance Review
By Cristiane Gonçalves; Fragrance Writer Sniffapalooza Magazine
Every fragrance should be born as an Art masterpiece that should open new artistic dimensions in people’s minds and
senses, a type of scented Renaissance by its timeless and uniqueness features influencing individuals to have a new look at perfumery as the real eight Art. New raw materials and mixtures that would have the same effect of new textures on a painting or of new harmonic combination in a Music piece, everything moved by a breakthrough sensibility and the mission of composing fragrances praising the universal beauty – simply the Art beauty exists in real artists across centuries.
Inspired by the Renaissance Italian Art, the House of Creed, renowned niche perfume house founded in London and led by Olivier Creed presents Acqua Fiorentina, its new fragrance release, a real familiar scented project composed by perfumer Olivier Creed and his son Erwin Creed.
The fragrance is a floral fruity that features notes of plum, greengage, Renaissance roses, pink carnations, Calabrian bergamot, Sicilian lemon, cedar wood and sandalwood and, in a lovely creation to celebrate the beauty of this magnificent artistic and cultural movement, Acqua Fiorentina’s character is highlighted by two main interesting layers that are delightful like sparing, for a long time, a Florence landscape surrounded by edible plums and fresh citrus juice and then, being indulged by an addictive slight spicy-flowery scent with pink carnations blooming imaginatively around me as I would be Madonna muse of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting... more...
Back to Black, Aphrodisiac By Kilian; Sealed with a Kiss
New fragrance review and interview with
Kilian Hennessy
By Michael Davis
The scent of fresh, unburned tobacco has been a favorite scent of mine as long as I can remember. When I was a kid,
I found a pouch of my dad's pipe tobacco in his desk drawer. The electric charge of finding something taboo for kids and 'for adults only' coursed through me as I opened the pouch. I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes to focus on its rich aroma.
A tidal wave of honey, cherry/almond syrup, earth, and moist leaves washed over and through me. The intoxicating scent burned into my memory and still resonates strongly within me to this day. By Kilian Back to Black, Aphrodisiac brings that memory into full focus almost as if if it happened yesterday....more...
Classic Elegance for Any Generation
Estée Lauder Private Collection Jasmine White Moss Parfum Fragrance Review
Interview with Christopher Chong
Creative Director of House of Amouage
By Cristiane Gonçalves
“Perfumes are more than beautiful scents. It is a philosophy, a representation of life, living, who we are and how we want to define ourselves.” - Christopher Chong
Christopher Chong is the Creative Director of the luxurious House of Amouage,
a renowned niche perfume house whose rich heritage in raw materials of high quality,
artistic inspiration and the art in perfumery started in the roots of Sultanate of Oman and brings to the market universal and unique fine fragrances.
After the success of the classic Amouage Gold and so many others fragrances, in the last years under the direction and multi-artistic vision of Christopher Chong guiding the work of great world’s perfumers from Grasse, in the South of France, The House of Amouage has changed more and more for an outstanding and excellence performance in perfume making of global luxurious fragrance, among them Jubilation, Lyric and the last release Epic Man and Epic Woman.
In this delightful interview, Christopher Chong tells me about the new business approach of Amouage in the last 3 years, his creative inspirations, luxury in fragrances, the new fragrance Epic, among others issues. I hope you enjoy, Art in fragrances is all, mainly when a brand travels around the world. more....
Juliet Stewart created a beautiful fragrance and yes, she has stories to tell, about her mother; about Italy but
she does not use these to sell her fragrances. Her gorgeous fragrance is simply "Juliet". -Raphaella Barkley
More....
by Victoria Austin
The name Estée Lauder always conveys wonderfully vivid childhood scent memories for me of sneaking into my grandmother’s elegant bedroom to see what beautiful bottles adorned her perfume tray.
Billed as an intensely lush green floral chypre, Private Collection Jasmine White Moss Parfum delivers stunningly on every well blended note. An initial burst of radiant, crisp green and fruity notes married with white floral lushness and resinous woods speaks eloquently of the notes as they all seem to trumpet their presence in the first spritz. As the fragrance ascends into its phases, a lovely softness imbues so elegantly blended that it is difficult to transfix on any one note, which is one reason I love the Private Collection Jasmine White Moss. The top notes of mandarin and absolutes of black currant bud, galbanum and bergamot linger for rare bright moments until they segue into the heart notes of jasmine sambac absolute, ylang ylang and jasmine India absolutes. In many jasmine fragrances , there is distinct mildew dankness, but not here...
more...
"A Slight Intake of Breath" by KC Wilkerson
Guerlain Idylle New Fragrance
In this first fragrance he created as a perfumer for Guerlain, Thierry Wasser chose to celebrate a woman’s strongest emotion, beautifully capturing the heart pounding joy and sensuality of love.
Guerlain’s new Idylle fragrance is a timeless message of love, celebrating the varying facets and feelings experienced in a love affair. A mist of flowers float lightly and blissfully on the skin, symbolizing the tenderness and fleeting nature of relationships. The chypre accord adds a daring and stirring undertone reflecting that special moment when it all begins, when the explosion of the sense mingle with a surge of feelings. Each stage and each step in love’s emotional journey are distinctively cherished in the special harmonizing notes of Idylle.
“For Idylle, I imagined a bouquet of fresh and sensual flowers, a symbol of love."
-Thierry Wasser, Guerlain Perfumer
Top Harmony: A bouquet of lilies of the valley, peonies, freesia, lilacs and rose.
Middle Harmony: Guerlain created a special rose blend for Idylle with Bulgarian Roses of exceptional quality that were hand-selected one by one by Thierry Wasser and Jean-Paul Guerlain. This Guerlain-exclusive rose blend contains hints of raspberry and litchi; it takes 750kg of roses to obtain 1kg of absolute.
Base Harmony: This reinterpretation of the signature Guerlinade base includes patchouli and white musk for added sensuality.
Interview with Gustavo Pinha
House of Creed
Bergdorf Goodman's, New York City
The two new fragrances, Acqua Fiorentina and Sublime Vanille will be available for everyone to try at the upcoming Sniffapalooza Fall Ball October 17th and 18th.
Gustavo, please tell us, what exactly you do with the House of Creed? I don’t think the majority of people know the rigorous training you go through to be able to help with all the fragrances that are available from Creed.
I am a dedicated Specialist for The House of CREED. Each Specialist goes through a lengthy interview process, and once hired, through an intense training conducted by our national CREED educator Roberto Ferreira. The training really never ends though, it is the commitment to the brand that makes me crave the knowledge of its more than 40 scents. The passion makes sense as The House of CREED is unlike any other perfume house I have worked for in my 15 years in the industry. It is a privately held perfume dynasty that has been family owned since 1760, which hand selects the finest ingredients from around the world and still uses the infusion technique; an age old process that is not used in the industry due to its high costs. Since the foundation is so different, it’s like learning everything from scratch. It’s this knowledge that allows me to individualize each client’s consultation.
What are the most popular CREED fragrances at Bergdorf Goodman’s in New York City?
A scent is a very personal thing, why follow a trend. Yes we have scents that sell better than others, but mentioning them would almost be like discrediting the other fragrances in the line. For me, I am always looking for that signature scent and CREED really gives any fragrance aficionado the opportunity to find one. In the end, the fragrance of choice might one of our newer 6th generation scents or a Classic scent that might be 250 years old!
What is the best part of being a sales associate in the fragrance industry?
They say the best jobs are the ones you are most passionate about. For me, I could talk about fragrance all day. To have a house that is so rich in history and heritage allows me
to do just that…..talk about fragrance.
Tell us why you love fragrance so much and what it means to you?
A fragrance can have so many different meanings. For some people it could mean love, for others confidence, it could mean a finishing touch on the perfect outfit, or my favorite, an outlet to rekindle a memory about a place or a special someone. It is amazing that something so simple and pure can be so powerful.
Will the two latest fragrances; Acqua Fiorentina and the upcoming new Sublime Vanille be available at Bergdorf Goodman’s for everyone to try at the upcoming Sniffapalooza Fall Ball in New York City October 17 and 18th, 2009? Please tell us about these two new fragrances.
Yes !!! The two new fragrances, Acqua Fiorentina and Sublime Vanille will be available for everyone to try at the upcoming Sniffapalooza Fall Ball October 17th and 18th.
CREED Acqua Fiorentina is hand made with flowers and fruits from the orchards and gardens around Florence. Greengage plum is the masterpiece top note. Renaissance roses, pink carnations, vivid bergamot and Calabrian lemon are the master’s choice for the thriving heart. Warm base notes of Virginia cedar and Indian sandalwood are the sculpted wood frame for this work of art.
Sublime Vanille is the first of five scents in the Royal Exclusive line. The scent is hand made with vanilla-rich climbing orchids of Tahiti and heady Bourbon vanilla of South America. Tonka bean, bergamot orange, Calabrian lemon and rare musk in the hands of Olivier CREED become a fragrance as richly reassuring as family tradition itself. The Royal Exclusives are sure to be sought and safekept for decades and generations by CREED connoisseurs -- and those who wish to start their first fragrance collection with a true asset.
Gustavo Pinha, Bergdorf Goodman, NYC. Photo by Christine Lewandowski
"I wanted a fluid and sensual design, very feminine, that symbolises a drop of perfume, a drop of love"
- Ora-Ito, Designer
The exquisite design of Idylle’s bottle is owed to upcoming French designer, Ora-Ito, known for his ability to combine complex designs with simple lines for a modern, essential feel. He drew inspiration from Guerlain’s classic fragrance bottles and re-imagined their shapes for today’s Guerlain woman. Idylle’s bottle captures the moment of impact of one single, golden tear drop; a tear drop of love, of joy, of happiness. The curves evident from every direction are meant to evoke femininity and grace, reminiscent of the curves of a female, her stiletto heels and the sensuality of the Idylle fragrance.
Guerlain Idylle is available exclusively at select Saks Fifth Avenues. 50ml Eau de Parfum - $90.00 - 100ml Eau de Parfum - $130.00
Our spectacular back issues have won rave reviews and each issue is full of fascinating interviews, fragrance reviews articles and much more.
Josie Natori Interview
Two New Fragrance Reviews of Natori
SM: I just recently discovered your latest fragrance, Natori Eau de Parfum, and I have to say, it is very beautiful. In a world of mass fragrances, this gorgeous floral oriental caught my attention. Why did you decide to re-release this fragrance?
Josie Natori:: NATORI is an exotic sister scent to my earlier fragrances. It is a modern evolution of something I developed in the 80s. Then I didn’t realize you needed partners who are in the business and have the infrastructure. The timing is right at this moment for me to release a fragrance with my partner Parlux Fragrances, Inc. Parlux and I worked closely together in a creative collaboration to develop not only a fragrance that updates the original ingredients but one that brings to mind all that NATORI represents. Plus, I feel very special to Parlux, different to them, and I love that....more
Juliet by Juliet Stewart
New Fragrance Review
By Victoria Austin
There’s a new girl in town. And she’s beautiful -- an unforgettable beauty.
And you will want to meet her…for many extraordinary reasons.
Juliet Eau De Parfum is the stunning creation of Juliet Stewart, a classic
Italian beauty and seasoned artist in the beauty industry.
“Be Unforgettable" and "Own Your Beauty,” is the philosophy from which Ms. Stewart operates. Her new fragrance was created to remind us of our own unique beauty and allow it to help open us up to all the power and possibilities within that beauty. Her words inspire, and her fragrance more than lives up to the inspiration.
Juliet Eau De Parfum commences with a bright infusion of citrus that is not a harsh or overpowering blast as can be experienced with some citrus notes in the opening. Instead, Juliet has this reviewer at hello, with a fresh
and light wafting of citrus that is gracefully balanced in the first mist from the sleek bottle....MORE
Like A Night In Arabia; Amouage Ubar
Fragrance Review
By Suzanne Keller
My bottle of Amouage Ubar arrived this morning and I have been in full swoon ever since. This newly
relaunched fragrance, named for a long-lost ancient trading city of the Middle East, smells true to its
heritage—and the way it juxtaposes the delicacy of lily-of-the-valley against the perfume’s deep and
full-bodied fabric is masterful in creating the feeling of twilight settling over the open walls of a warm city. I read somewhere that lily is the Persian personification of night: the words lil or lilleh are designations for evening. Lilies-of-the-valley are of the lily family*, and though here in the United States we think of them as cheerful harbingers of spring and, thusly, more daylight, I have to say that the cool-and-ethereal quality of the lily-of-the-valley note in Ubar does very much remind me of evening, the way it twinkles throughout the fragrance like a night star...more
For The Men...
Perfumes of the Land and Sea; Part Three
Men's Fragrance Premiere Review
of Gravel Fragrance For Men
By Dr. John King
John King continues his personal Scent Trek in search of perfumes that remind him of home and abroad. A must read for the men! (and women looking for unique gifts)
In my first article; Part One, I introduced you to my home territory near the Malvern Hills in central England. Malvern was hitherto famous for its water, drunk by the Queen. Now following my article, people may hopefully be aware that it has a fragrant ecology too. In my second article, Part 2, we ended up in the rooftop studio of Italian perfumer Lorenzo Villoresi, in Florence. Before we leave Italy I should like to take a quick look at a couple of real Italian classics, the coniferous mens colognes of the 1950’s.
Perfumes of the Land and Sea: Part 3. Dr John King continues his Scent Trek...
Pine Forests of Italy: Aqua di Selva, Silvestre
Sharing the same dark green bottle, these neglected gems deserve a revival - they have a simple discreet freshness difficult to find today. It’s a scent of Alpine forests, which also reminds me of the freshly cut cupressus trees in my garden.
(I love his magnificent obsession of Gravel photos and he has a great You Tube video here with great photographs) -RB
CREED FRAGRANCE COMPANY
TO OPEN STORE IN MANHATTAN
Start of 250th Anniversary Celebration
NEW YORK
The Paris-based CREED royal perfume house has signed a lease to open a 400 square foot boutique in the landmark building at 794 Madison Avenue on the northwest corner of 67th Street in New York City in time to serve its American clientele for the 2009 holiday season. It will be CREED's only stand-alone store in America. Among the more than 40 CREED fragrances and other goods the store will offer men and women will be Windsor, the fragrance CREED made for the Duke of Windsor in 1936.
"The debut of CREED's first ever store on New York's most prestigious retail corridor sets the stage for CREED's 250th
anniversary celebration," said Emmanuel and Thomas Saujet, CEO and President, respectively, of International Cosmetics
& Perfumes, Inc. (www.icperfumes.com), CREED's exclusive, authorized distributor in the U.S. and Canada.
"We proudly choose New York to be first in what will be a collection of CREED boutiques across North America," Messrs. Saujet added.
Beyond a festive opening this year, the New York store will offer clients special events and commemorative goods throughout the next 16 months to celebrate CREED's 250th year in business, which occurs in 2010, Messrs. Saujet added. Based in Paris, CREED is the world's only private held luxury fragrance dynasty, passed from father to son in an unbroken line since 1760, serving more than 10 royal houses, heads of state, world renowned film and music stars, titans in business, top athletes and the discerning public for 249 years.
Today, CREED is headed by sixth-generation master perfumer and worldwide CEO Olivier CREED. Working alongside is his son, Erwin, 28, seventh generation of the House and its designated future chief. Together they travel the world in search of the world's finest blooms, spices, woods and fruits for use in CREED fragrances, which father and son make by hand in France using methods that date to the company's start in 1760. CREED's first fragrance client was King George III. Among CREED's historic U.S. clients were New York City Mayor Richard Varick in 1788. In 2009, Washingtonian Magazine reported First Lady Michelle Obama wears CREED Love In White, a fragrance named for Mr. CREED's love of sailing. The first bottle of that fragrance was presented to First Lady Laura Bush in 2005.
Amouage EPIC
Amouage is proud to announce the launch of its new fragrances: Epic for Woman and Man. The fragrances continue the narrative that Christopher Chong, the House’s Creative Director, commenced during the celebrations for the 25th anniversary of Amouage and continued through all recent fragrance launches.
"Jubilation portrays the tale of the nymph trapped eternally in a mystical nocturnal world. We see her singing longingly of her eternal desire to the moon. In the next fragrance, Lyric takes us back to her past as a mortal when she is an ambitious young operatic singer who sells her soul to the Svengali character in her quest for perfection and immortality.
In the latest instalment of the story we see Epic Woman emerging from the metamorphosis seen in Lyric’s watery underworld and begins her quest for the fulfilment of her immortal voice. Her quest this time is to find the long lost legendary aria from the oriental opera Turandot by Puccini, who died before completing the opera. Legend has it that this aria is an impossible and dangerous composition. Fatal to a man’s mortality, it is buried in the sands in a secret place somewhere along the Silk Road.
Epic Woman finds herself in an other-wordly setting of the remote and formidable landscapes of the ancient Silk Road. In the twilight she sees a light in the mirage as this long lost aria beckons to her, yet continually to elude her. This guiding beacon is Epic Man who appears to her only in those desperate moments when she believes herself to be entirely defeated. Driven by the inevitability of her destiny – the perfect voice finding the perfect aria – she is drawn by an insurmountable will to the summit of this surreal and bleak landscape. Here, finally, she is united with her fate. The aria is hers. She has become the Legend."
Both Epic fragrances are the fusion of ingredients from both Arabia and the Orient - essences that would have been plied along the ancient trading routes. Oud is one of the rarest and special ingredients traded since ancient times featured in both fragrances and this is teamed with Chinese tea and oriental flower essences to complete the fusion of the two geographies’ shared trading history.
The richness of both fragrances evokes the precious commodities traded along the Silk Road – gold, pearls, tea, silks, jade, spices and frankincense. They also contain the smoky splendour and opulence of Arabia whilst maintaining the poetic depth of Chinese culture. Both bottles and the Swarovski stone trims are inspired by the deep striking green of imperial jadeite of the Orient, which is believed to provide protection from evil and the gold-plated caps reflect the radiance of Arabia. Epic Woman’s box is representative of precious, translucent mother of pearl. The Man’s box is inspired by an antique, Chinese, leather travelling case reflecting the leathery notes in the base of the men’s fragrance.
Epic Woman is a spicy floral oriental fragrance with silken top notes of Cumin, Pink Bay and Cinnamon, which blend smoothly into a romantic, floral heart of Damascene Rose, Geranium and Jasmine. Rich base notes of Amber, Vanilla, Frankincense, and Orris balance the more masculine essences of Patchouli and Oud in the unique and intriguing finale.
Epic Man is a woody oriental fragrance shining with essences of Pink Pepper Berry, Cardamom, Saffron and Nutmeg - creating a powerful and complex range of top notes. The heart notes feature Geranium and Myrrh and evoke the floral splendour of an imperial court. The base notes of Oud, Leather and Patchouli are layered with Castarum and the House’s signature use of Frankincense.
Available at Bergdorf Goodman and Aedes.
Olivier and Erwin Creed
For The Men...
Perfumes of the Land and Sea Part Two
By Dr. John King
Dr John King continues his personal Scent Trek in search of perfumes that remind him of home and abroad. A must read for the men!
In my first article, I introduced you to my home territory near the Malvern Hills in central England. Malvern was hitherto famous for its water, drunk by the Queen. Now following my article, people may hopefully be aware that it has a fragrant ecology too. Not a very spectacular one, I admit. From the perfumer’s point of view Malvern remains a rarefied place, characterised mainly by fresh air, stunning views, and the faintest hint of gorse and broom. You might also find some damp mosses if you are lucky and there’s certainly plenty of grass.
But now it’s time for us to really get down to earth. In this issue I’m going to look at the fragrant joys of ploughed fields. Unsurprisingly, we are in the territory of men’s fragrances here – or, with due respect to Nathan Branch 1 , those ostensibly intended for men.
I
An Alchemical Scent: Natori
New Fragrance Review
By Christine Lewandowski
Fragrance is important to me. It is part of my identity. However, I think long and
hard before I make the decision to purchase a new fragrance. The scent must be
something very special, to make it into the collection these days. Caroline Sabas
of Givaudan has created a beautiful fragrance for Josie Natori. Natori is at once
familiar and as comfortable as a beloved outfit.
Every aspect of this long lasting scent blends to make a perfume much more than the sum of its parts. Those “parts” being: “Sparkling Aldehydes, Rose Petals, Dark Plum, Ylang-Ylang, Purple Peony, Night Blooming Jasmine, Black Patchouli, Mysterious Amber, Satin Musk Accord”. As a result, Natori seems to melt into the skin. There is barely a peep from the aldehydes, just enough to give the flowers a little lift at the start. It is interesting that in aromatherapy, rose, ylang-ylang & patchouli all share calming attributes, according to acclaimed aroma therapist and author Robert Tisserand...more
Andy Warhol, Success is a Job in New York, Bond No. 9
Smells Like Success
New Review and Interview with Laurice Rahmé
Bond No. 9 Founder and CEO
By Michael Davis
A few years ago, I went to an exhibit of Andy Warhol's drawings at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. I was more familiar with his silkscreen prints and had only seen few of his drawings prior to the exhibit. I had read that some of his first jobs were commercial illustration
projects for magazines and department stores. Many of these early assignments were part of the exhibit. The gallery rooms were filled with drawings of people, shoes, bugs, and ccessories. While moving through the rooms and viewing a seemingly endless collection of drawing,
I thought Warhol drew so many shoes he must have seen them in his sleep.
Flashback to the 1980s when American culture was immersed in shoulder pads, new wave, and Trivial Pursuit. However, there was nothing trivial about our pursuit of money and investing that became widespread during this time. We glorified Donald Trump and glamorized Wall Street. Andy Warhol had his finger on the pulse of American culture and returned to painting images of dollar bills, a subject he originally began painting back in the early 1960s. Instead of dollar bills, Andy replicated the dollar sign on his artwork. The dollar sign in his painting and prints of that time had a sketchy quality reminiscent of his early drawings. The hastily drawn and reproduced images of the dollar sign were a metaphor for Warhol's view that paintings and prints had become a consumer items.
Andy Warhol Success is a Job in New York is a spicy gourmand scent that gives new meaning to the phrase, 'sweet smell of success.' Claude Dir of Givaudan is the perfumer who created this scent for Bond No. 9. He also created the floral woody masterpiece, Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue for Bond No. 9. For Success is a Job in New York, Claude Dir blends spices, citrus, floral notes, fruit and oriental notes resulting in a rich, heady fragrant experience. Every time I wear Success is a Job in New York, the initial sweet accord of spicy top notes and floral heart notes make me feel as if I am in the best confectionery on Earth. It is like being surrounded by a multitude of many different accords that smell familiar and comforting yet not instantly recognizable. Sampling this scent and discussing it with others gave rise to a few questions....read full review
Laurice Rahmé, Bond No. 9 founder and CEO, took some time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions about Andy Warhol Success is a Job in New York...more
RAINY DAYS AND AMOUAGE DIA POUR FEMME
Fragrance Review
By Suzanne Keller
I decided that my fragrance this week should complement the weather, so I’ve been
using up my sample of Amouage Dia pour femme. It smells like a bouquet of expensive
flowers grown in France and purchased on a rainy street corner in London. Dia’s complex
bouquet possesses all of the elements of classic French perfumery, yet it’s treatment
strikes me as being more fluid and dewy.
Perhaps that shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering that the Amouage company intended Dia to be the daywear equivalent to their ultra-luxurious fragrance, Gold, which is largely regarded as a nighttime-formal scent (with the emphasis on “formal’), and that the company hired perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena to formulate Dia... further testament, I believe,
to Jean-Claude Ellena’s genius...more...
LIKE TOURING THE ROOMS OF A GARDEN
Estée Lauder Private Collection
Jasmine White Moss Parfum
By Suzzane Keller
LOVE AS ETERNAL
AND TENDER AS SPRINGTIME:
3 FLEURS by Parfum d’Empire
New Fragrance Review
By Suzanne Keller
An olfactory emblem of Love: that is the concept behind 3 Fleurs, the latest offering from Parfum d’Empire and perfumer Marc-Antoine Corticchiato, who is also the creator of the much-acclaimed artisanal brand. Uniting three flowers that throughout time, in every great civilization, have come to symbolize some facet of love—sweetest rose for passionate love, warm jasmine for romantic love, and sensual tuberose for forbidden love—3 Fleurs does indeed hit its mark. The first thing I thought upon smelling it was, “This is the perfect wedding perfume.” Immediately followed by, “If I had a daughter, I would want her to have this perfume.” This scent, to me, is about love in its most tender, pure and joyous expression....more
I was sure my dalliance with Estée Lauder’s new Private Collection series scent—Jasmine White Moss—would be brief, would end in a dismissive shrug. I hadn’t even planned to seek the scent out. Fortunately, a wiser woman than I sent me a sample of Jasmine White Moss in the parfum concentration, and though I approached it with jaded skepticism, I was white-eyed with surprise by the time I finished my first long sniffathon with it.
Jasmine White Moss is a “modern chypre” (modern in that it does not contain oakmoss, the fragrance note long considered the pièce de résistance of chypre perfumes, but now largely restricted due to IFRA regulations). While I’ve not yet tested it in the more popular, less expensive, and lighter weight eau-de-parfum concentration, nonetheless I’m thrilled to discover that the pure parfum formulation has all of the hallmarks of a great chypre fragrance:
CREED Acqua Fiorentina
A Nouveau Renaissance
NEW Fragrance Review
By Victoria Austin
Garnering the abundance of fruits and flowers of the verdant
earth around Florence, CREED formulated Acqua Fiorentina
as they have for centuries -- by hand -- and without the addition
of synthetics. Greengage plum is a new and unique element
used in this formulation, and what a beauty it is, emanating a
tantalizingly juicy quality creating a luxurious path to the heart notes.
There we discover a sheer veil capturing the beauty of Renaissance
roses, pink carnations, bergamot and fresh Calabrian lemon. The final
notes of Virginia cedar and Indian sandalwood bring restrained warmth to the mix. There is lushness in these notes, but a lovely transparent one that is finely tuned. The opening greengage plum note drips with sweet nectar in the beginning, but is not overly sweet to my nose. The entrance of the heart notes brings forth a lush rose and carnation garden at dawn when the blooms are fresh with dew, wafting on a cool morning breeze that drifts into the orchard picking up the sparkling citrusy lemon notes to cool the spice of the carnations, but not cancel their aroma completely. As the dry down ensues, only a soft warmth from the cedar and sandalwood can be detected, keeping Acqua Fiorentina floating and drifting like the Arno River in a pastel pink dawn....more
Creed Acqua Fiorentina is avaliable at Bergdorf Goodmans during the Sniffapalooza Fall Ball.
Meet Gustavo Pinha at the Creed counter (see his interview here)
Acqua di Parma Magnolia Nobile:
The notable beauty of a noble flowery fragrance
New Fragrance review
By Cristiane Gonçalves
Acqua di Parma, traditional Italian perfume house founded in 1916 and known by its exclusive and elegant
fragrances has released Acqua di Parma Magnolia Nobile following the same outstanding perfume making
focused on a gentle way of exploring a flowery scent and its delicate facets as well as was made when the
maison produced the cult and unforgettable Acqua di Parma Iris Nobile. Instead of iris flower, Acqua di Parma highlights now a white floral bouquet with a magnolia’s interpretation expressing a travel over its allurement, comfort and refinement qualities which bloom around an adorable sensorial garden filled by sweet roses and a subtle creamy flowery scent of tuberose with hints of woods and vanilla.
A composition by perfumer Antoine Maisondieu, the fragrance opens top notes of bergamot, lemon, citron, middle notes of magnolia, rose, jasmine and tuberose and base notes of sandalwood, patchouli, vetiver and vanilla. Magnolia Nobile is created by pure essences and, in a coherent manner, is much aligned to the identity of Acqua di Parma which captures the noble scented features of each fragrance as composed in a handmade process evoking the elegance and luxury in a high level of excellence and honoring the craftsmanship of the impeccable Italian roots in perfumery. More...
NIGHTSCAPE New Fragrance
Ulrich Lang New York
The wait is over: after anvers (2003) and anvers2 (2007) Ulrich Lang will be launching his third
fragrance called NIGHTSCAPE in October 2009.
A big fan of Patchouli, Lang wanted to develop a fragrance that contains Patchouli and feels like a
scent that points to the future rather than the 60s and 70s vibes usually associated with the ingredient.
Bye-bye, Flower Power: Nightscape is a sensual, mysterious and long lasting scent with notes of
Bergamot, “green” notes, a floral heart note of jasmine and geranium interwoven with cedarwood and a
base of soft leather notes, musk, amber, tonka bean and patchouli...more
Creed Unveils New
SUBLIME VANILLE
Royal Exclusives
FIRST IN A NEW COLLECTION-WITHIN-THE-COLLECTION
A new, unprecedented collection of CREED fragrances called Royal Exclusives
launches in December with Sublime Vanille, an investment-quality fragrance
and object of art from master perfumer Olivier CREED and his son, Erwin.
The first ornately carved, hand-blown glass bottle of Sublime Vanille to arrive in the U.S. from Paris was presented to the head of Sotheby’s auction house as Mr. CREED’s gift. In CREED’s 249 years, the Royal Exclusives are one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken. It’s a statement about the artistic value and heirloom quality of fragrance, bottling and collecting. The Royal Exclusives are sure to be sought and safekept for decades and generations by CREED connoisseurs-- and those who wish to start their first fragrance collection with a true asset.
Sublime Vanille is hand made with vanilla-rich climbing orchids of Tahiti and heady Bourbon vanilla of South America. Tonka bean, bergamot orange, Calabrian lemon and rare musk in the hands of Olivier CREED become a fragrance as richly reassuring as family tradition itself.
Sublime Vanille is also an art object. Bottled in hand-blown Pochet glass etched with CREED’s famous crest, the fine fragrance is released with a gentle squeeze on a fabric pump, in perfumery’s classic tradition. When not in use, the pump is easily removed and replaced with a multifaceted hand-cut glass stopper that turns bottle into sculpture. For transport, the glass top is covered with white Italian leather, secured with a gold cord...
Sublime Vanille will be available at Bergdorf Goodman's to try at the upcoming Sniffapalooza Fall Ball.
Reviews coming soon. Sniffapalooza Magazine has had a sneak test but at press time, could not fit it in. It is gorgeous!
PARFUM D’EMPIRE
3 FLEURS and WAZAMBA
MAISON GUERLAIN
L E S E L I X I R S C H A R N E L S
New Guerlain Fragrance
BOISÉ TORRIDE
SMOULDERING WOOD
Odes to feminine voluptuousness, Les Elixirs Charnels highlight the pleasure of marvellously daring olfactory discoveries. Subtle forbidden fragrances that delicately reveal the many facets of a woman. Depending on her desires, she can choose…
Guerlain loves women and has always celebrated their sensuality. A new expression of sensuality now completes this collection of Elixirs Charnels.
SMOULDERING WOOD, A NEW OPUS FOR FEMININITY TOUCHED WITH ANDROGYNY.
THE SMOULDERING WOOD OF FEMININITY TOUCHED WITH BOISÉ TORRIDE, SMOULDERING WOOD
Guerlain BOISÉ TORRIDE will be avaliable at Bergdorf Goodmans during
the Sniffapalooza Fall Ball. Visit Jason Beers at the Guerlain Counter!
Robert Piguet Futur
Interview with Perfumer
Aurélien Guichard
Futur, Robert Piguet’s romantic green floral woody fragrance originally launched in the 1960s has been reintroduced. Futur fuses fresh citrus, romantic flowers and rich woods.
Robert Piguet Parfums is pleased to announce the launch of FUTUR de Robert Piguet. Futur joins Fracas as a grand addition to the Robert Piguet collection. Futur will premiere at Bergdorf Goodman. I had a chance to sample this last April and it was not at all what I thought it would be. I had heard friends call this a "green leather"; which it really wasn't. I, of course fell in love with it immediately at first sniff. I am definitely interested in the Parfum version as well; it is said that Futur EDP "is more voluptuous and floral than that of the Futur parfum, which is less woody."
Once again Robert Piguet Parfums turned to perfumer Aurélien Guichard of Givaudan to undertake the delicate process of adapting Futur’s original formula to respond to today’s sensibilities. We asked Aurélien Guichard a couple of questions...he was very gracious to comply as we know he has a very busy schedule.
RB: Aurélien, not many people remember how the original Futur smelled like. How different from the original re-creation is this one? Is it just a more modern approach or have it keep it close to the original?
Aurélien: The original Futur, smelled almost the same as this one. Only a very few ingredients have been replaced by more contemporary ones.
RB: I have heard people say that this a “Green Leather”. Is it?... more
Perfumer Aurélien Guichard
Annick Goutal
A Tuscan Journey -Eau d’Hadrien
The Limited Edition Collection
For the perfumer Annick Goutal, many of her inspirations came from intense emotional moments she experienced in her favorite corner of the world, Tuscany. Eau d’Hadrien, one of her first creations, celebrated the passion and times of Roman Emperor, Hadrien. In celebration of Annick’s love for Tuscany and the best-selling Eau d’Hadrien for over 25 years, a limited edition collection has been created – featuring a fresh new look for the brand. Eau d’Hadrien – The most sought after Annick Goutal fragrance, is a subtle combination of bold citrus notes which evoke the heat of the Mediterranean sun and the coolness of the shade of a lemon tree... AND..
Mandragore Pourpre: The Inspiration:
The Mandrake Plant
A wonderful and mysterious plant, the mandrake has inspired numerous legends.
One such legend tells that its roots, pulled from the earth and warmed in the sun, gave
birth to mankind itself. In the Middle Ages, powdered mandrake was said to work as a
love potion and aid fertility. In alchemists’ writings, it was known as an aphrodisiac
with life-giving and pain-relieving properties...more.
A Rose is a Rose is a Rose…
Unless it’s Andy Tauer’s Une Rose Chyprée
By Victoria Austin
Zurich-based perfumer, Andy Tauer, is a master weaver of dynamic tapestries in scent. His talent for taking earthy, raw materials and crafting them into distinctive and beautiful fragrances is quickly becoming legendary. His L’Air du Desert Morocain quickly acquired a cult following (Dear Mom, I’ve joined a cult).
My other personal favorites, Le Maroc Pour Elle, that on several occasions caused me to be chased down by fervent sniffers to inquire what scent I was wearing, and more recently, Tauer’s exquisite Incense Rosé, have kept me singing Andy Tauer’s praises. We perfumistas are always expectant when we get wind that Mr. Tauer is brewing a new fragrance in his lab in Switzerland. And this latest release is no different. Une Rose Chyprée opens insistently, enveloping me with thoughts of old world vintage magnificence. No rose I’ve ever experienced has opened with this kind of depth and breadth and richness.
It’s as if the extracts and absolutes and pound of fresh rose petals contain the rich earth beneath them as well as all of the phases of a rose at once. Once again, Andy Tauer has given birth to something dramatically unique and opulent, begging to be experienced and celebrated. I’m on board with adding Une Rose Chyprée to my collection of Tauer’s previous fragrant triumphs. This modern vintage-esque rose chyprée has me by the nose and won’t let go....more
The Ying and Yang of Woman: NATORI EAU DE PARFUM
New Fragrance Review
By Victoria Austin
Josie Natori, highly accomplished business woman, designer of elegant lingerie and concert pianist, has released a new namesake fragrance, Natori Eau de Parfum with the help of Caroline Sabas of Givaudan, Ms. Natori’s love of her strong and self-reliant Filipino grandmother who wore perfume every day of her life and surrounded herself with beautiful flowers was the inspiration for this fragrance. A stunning, deep violet-black glass bottle inspired by the opening of precious lotus blossoms with a smooth as river stone top holds the sensual, lush fragrance that has me thinking “VaVaVoom!” on the first spritz.
A regal burst of aldehydes and rose petals intertwined with rich, dark plum notes creates a grand entrance like that of a beautiful...
LAFCO New York
Lafco New York is just one of my favorite places to visit in New York City. They have some of my favorite items in the world...including Lorenzo Villoresi and the famous Santa Maria Novella products. The Melograno Soaps (pictured below) are my favorite soaps in the world, that is how fine they are and they have become my secret addiction.
Here we feature a new product coming soon to Lafco NY; Avenue candles. "Building on the success of our House and Home candles, we are pleased to introduce our new candle collection: Avenue. After more than 15 years traversing the globe to nd extraordinary fragrance products, we decided to use our travels as the source of inspiration for this new collection. Each Avenue candle is poured into a beautiful hand blown glass vessel trimmed in gold or platinum. The fragrances are blended to invoke the mood and unique characteristics of each famous street. After every trip we take, to a new destination or returning to one of our favorite cities, we always want to take a little bit of our favorite experience with us. Our Avenue candles are our way of bringing these experiences back home."
Lafco NY carries many classic favorites as well. We also include an article By Mark David Boberick and a review by Michael Davis featuring the fragrance Paestum Rose from Eau d'Italie that is available at Lafco NY...more
Meet Segan Scot and Jon Breslow at the Sniffapalooza Ball Ball.
AJNE'S PERFUME
PENDENT A HIT
WITH CELEBRITIES
AT THE EMMYS
"I love it. It makes the perfect gift!" says Debra Messing
about Ajne's new Perfume Pendant. Julia Louis Dreyfus, Kate
Walsh, Perry Reeves, Lisa Rinna, Denise Richards and Sally
Pressman are all wearing their new Ajne Fragrances in our gold
and silver pendents after meeting celebrity perfumer Jane
Hendler at last week's Emmy awards.
A former Jewelry Designer, Hendler designed these stunning
bottles that are handmade in the Czech Republic. Choose
any of your favorite Ajne fragrances with a designer chain
to wear around your neck... including our new gourmand fragrance Vanille which Paris Hilton calls "divine." Each petite bohemian bottle comes in silver and gold and retails from $40 - $125
Ajne is so thrilled to have played such a big part of the Emmy celebrations this year matching up stars with our ready-to-wear fragrances and doing custom blends as well. We blended for most of the cast of the two hottest shows on TV right now... Entourage and Mad Men and many more big names. Below you will find a list of celebrities who are now wearing Ajne Perfume!
Ajne's Jane Hendler
Takashimaya New York
Ineke's Latest Fragrance
Field Notes From Paris
Field Notes from Paris By Bill O'Such
Sweet-scented Paris afternoons; Life measured out in coffee spoons.
Perfumer Ineke Ruhland has recently released her latest frgarance called Field Notes From
Paris and it was launched under the motto: "Life measured out in coffee spoons". Field Notes
from Paris is inspired by Ineke’s halcyon days studying perfumery in Paris and Versailles.
It captures the romantic, nostalgic feeling of sitting at a café and writing in a journal while
lingering for hours over a cafe crème. This “woody oriental” structure combines the warmth of tobacco flower and leaf with the vintage perfumery notes of coriander seed, patchouli and tonka bean. Field Notes from Paris is an enigmatic scent with a warm, comforting presence.
"Most people who venture out to Versailles go to the chateau and then promptly return to Paris. However, there is another site you should consider visiting, the Osmothèque. Here you can smell your way through fragrance history; from Parfum Royal by the Romans in 1st century A.D. to the perennially best-selling Chanel No. 5, launched in 1921. The only catch is that the sessions are in French only and need to be reserved in advance. The Osmothèque is located at the small but renowned perfumery school, Institut Supérieur International du Parfum, de la Cosmétique et de l'Aromatique alimentaire (ISIPCA). It was during our years in Paris that my wife, Ineke Rühland, studied perfumery at ISIPCA and apprenticed at a fragrance supplier"... more
Interview with Gérald Ghislain Histoires de Parfums
RB: Gérald, your fragrances Histoires de Parfums, recently received rave reviews and a 5 star rating in The Perfume Guide’s Spring Issue. Of Histoires de Parfums 1740 Luca Turin said "I felt something give way when I smelled 1740: the shimmering classical accord of leather, immortelle, spice, rich pipe tobacco and a sort of lived-in buttery warmth is simply irresistible. And why resist?" and of Histoires de Parfums 1969 he said it "contains one of the most magnificent top notes of all time, a golden late summer landscape of every joyful childhood, with a sky painted in huge vanilla and rose slashes in the manner of Tocade above shadowed woods of fruit and cedar as in Féminité du Bois." ...more inside
Gérald Ghislain
Histoires de Parfums
Takashimaya New York
Interview with Gérald Ghislain
Breaking News! Gérald Ghislain announces new launchs!
Histoires de Parfums founder Gérald Ghislain took a few moments out of his busy schedule to answer some questions and to tell us about the new upcoming launch of four new fragrances coming out soon. By the end of the autumn Histoires de Parfums will launch a trilogy of three new tuberose fragrances that are inspired by the different facets of this extraordinary flower...
The names of those three new perfumes are : CAPRICIEUSE : a tuberose enhanced by iris, cocoa and saffron, VIRGINALE : a very pure and creamy tuberose, ANIMALE: a tuberose for men and women, the wild side of the flower. The Moulin Rouge also asked Histoires de Parfums to create a fragrance to celebrate the 120 years of this mythical place in Paris. The fragrance: 1889 MOULIN ROUGE
This was very exciting news as I especially love Tuberose fragrances and there is no doubt, that his new scents will be works of art. All of the Histoires de Parfums are available at Takashimaya NY during the Sniffapalooza Fall Ball next week and don't forget that Takashimaya is offering $25.00 off every $100.00 spent. There is also a link below where you can order samples. What better way to discover works of perfume art? -Raphaella
Interview with Francis Kurkdjian
Owner and Perfumer;
Maison Francis Kurkdjian
By Cristiane Gonçalves
Francis Kurkdjian opened recently his new House, the Maison Kurkdjian in September, 7th, 2009, a memorable occasion when a beautiful dream came true - the dream of a very talent perfumer and composer in opening his house - an invitation to his world of fragrant Arts, his Maison as the genuine meaning of the word, as he naturally and splendidly says:
“I chose to add the word “Maison” (house) before my name. It is not stylistic concept but rather a way to express what I believe”. A house has soul and history, inhabitants and friends and sometimes children. All those emotions derived from “home” join together under this word and animate my dream: to create as my greatest happiness the ability to inspire even little pleasures for others” (1)
I am far from the Parisien Rue D’Alger, n. 5 – the new address of Maison Kurkdjian, however I would have the pleasure of feeling the doors opened to his artistic world in this interview, coming into there and, much more, be inspired one more time by a dedicated and visionary artist of the scents whose perfumes always captured my fragrant tastes. As always, Francis Kurkdjian is very spontaneous and captivating – fascinating virtues, mainly, to work with emotions, people and fragrances, besides, as a real gentleman and sensitive soul demonstrates he is an artist whose passionate enthusiasm and discipline in the métier is to bring beauty, harmony and joy to the world.
I warmly welcome Francis Kurkdjian and you, dear reader, with one more amazing interview at The Magazine.
– Cristiane Gonçalves
CG: If you should define yourself fragrantly and in some words, which is the scent behind Francis Kurkdjian that evokes who you really are?
FK: There have been no scents to date that are me or represent perfectly who I am and what I feel. I guess since I have been a perfumer, I am running after the perfect scent and fragrance knowing it does not really exist. This is why I keep creating, working and searching even though Le Male by Jean Paul Gaultier, the very first fragrance I have created is a huge success. After a few years within the industry, I noticed that perfumers were claiming that perfume is an art form but beside commercial works...more
Exclusive interview with
Francis Kurkdjian By Cristiane Gonçalves as he talks
to us about his new line Maison Francis Kurkdjian.
Franco Wright and Adam Eastwood, co-owners and co-founders of Scent Bar and Lucky Scent agree. They had an idea and flew to France to consult with niche house, Indult about creating a scent that captures the legends of leather. According to Franco, “When we went to Paris last Fall, (September of 2007), interestingly enough, it was our very first trip to Paris, and our very first appointment was to meet with none other than Francis Kurkdjian— in fact, he is the first celebrated ‘nose’ we ever met since we started Luckyscent in 2001.(Writer’s note: Kurkdjian is the nose behind Gaultier’s Le Male, Narcsico for Her, and Ferragamo's F de Ferragamo)
"So we met in a small café and had a talk about perfumes, his creative process and ideas for the future. He was kind enough to show us his laboratory and we smelled a few of his works ‘in progress.”
Wright continues, “Months later, back in L.A., we began serious discussions with Indult... They had already marketed three feminine scents, so the idea of doing a masculine scent was especially appealing. We knew it had to be the same high caliber and extraordinary quality of the existing Indult scents. Yet we all agreed to give Francis total creative reign, essentially a blank canvas for him to create an exceptional masculine fragrance”, Franco Wright says, “I suggested to Indult that we could create ‘a study in Leather’; one feminine; one masculine.”
Soon after, Wright and Eastwood realized they really wanted to focus solely on the men’s version; but
a masculine like no other –with nuances of the exotic, mystery and complexity. A few months later Reve en Cuir was born, and it was perfect...
Owning a leather-centric fragrance is as essential to a man’s wardrobe as owning a well made pair of shoes. Classic leather scents such as Knize Ten and the leathery chypre Aramis are long-time favorites of many men, at all price points.
Although there are many scents that try to replicate that familiar, yet strangely mysterious smell of leather, few fragrances provide a multi-sensorial experience. Reve en Cuir from Indult is perfect for those who are looking for something more than a leather aroma.
Perfumer Francis Kurkdjian designed Reve en Cuir using the skill of a master architect. He created
a rare fragrance that truly exemplifies perfect construction in the way it progresses on the skin. Reve en Cuir is a multifaceted progression of accords that are an interpretation of leather in various incarnations as opposed to merely replicating the smell of leather.
Reve en Cuir (trans. ‘dream in leather’) lives up to its name. The fragrance entertains with three distinct performances; all of which has the leather accord like a Greek Chorus running throughout.
Act 1 is Citrus Leather which introduces the scent. Citrus notes lend a very mild preface, more of an invitation--- a beckoning gesture that pulls you closer to the leather beneath. Act 2 is Smoked Wood and Leather evoking an image of a saddle on a wooden stand, warming next to a fireplace( my favorite ‘dialogue’ is the hint of clove at the beginning that slowly fades and seemingly morphs into a tendril of smoke.) The third and final act is Luscious Leather; it’s almost edible. Vanilla takes center stage in the finale, wrapped in a supple smooth leathery accord with just a touch of sweetness.
If you think Reve en Cuir smells great on you, hand the bottle to her. Make sure she gives it back.
Available EXCLUSIVELY at www.luckyscent.com and at Scent Bar
New York Times' Chandler Burr gives Reve en Cuir Five Stars
'Leather — old, dark, smoky, heavy — is diabolically difficult to adapt to an accessible 21st-century format. Under the creative direction of Maselli, Wright and Eastwood, Kurkdjian has succeeded masterfully. Rêve is a delectable, edible, light-infused leather that is instantly legible, deliciously impossible, as if an Hermès belt had been candied and baked by a patissier. Technically perfect (it lasts and diffuses like clockwork), it is also an aesthetic triumph. Hermès’s own Kelly Calèche wonderfully modernized leather; Rêve en Cuir is even better, stronger and more daring. It is not just the leather you never imagined — it is also the gourmand you never imagined. Indeed, membership has its privileges.'
Chandler Burr, The Moment Blog - NYTimes.com: Scent Notes
Images courtesy of LuckyScent.com, Perfumer Francis Kurkdjian photo courtesy of Paris; By Appointment Only.
Additional images courtesy of Editor. review of Chandler Burr courtesy of Chandler Burr and Lucky Scent
Perfumer Francis Kurkdjian
Real Men Wear… Leather
By Michael W. Davis
Obviously. It’s ‘ingrained’. That new car smell, our first perfectly worn in jacket, saddles, our first baseball glove; leather is in every man’s DNA.
How many of you guys (including yours truly) have wanted to look as tough and as cool as Marlon Brando or James Dean did in their leather jackets? Or did you gravitate towards the Euro-style and Gallic savoir faire of Jean Paul Belmondo or (I know you are out there) the head to toe ‘statement’ of Glenn Hughes from the ‘macho macho man’ ‘70s disco band The Village People? From the hide skins worn by our cavemen ancestors to the A–list sophistication of Diddy or Tom Ford, leather is part of a global masculine mythology.
