Basenotes - Blogs http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php Discussion about perfumes and fragrances en Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:06:04 GMT vBulletin 60 http://community.basenotes.net/images/misc/rss.jpg Basenotes - Blogs http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php ¡Revolución de las Fragancias! (¡NSFW!) http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=648 Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:10:32 GMT ¡Revolución de las Fragancias! Old revolutionaries never die. They are just reborn as new ones. Image:...
¡Revolución de las Fragancias!


Old revolutionaries never die. They are just reborn as new ones.




This communiqué was intercepted recently in wardrobe-space. Rest assured that it is being investigated as we speak, and that the subversive perpetrators shall be brought to justice!

**********

Comrade Mitsouko,

It is with great pleasure that I bring you this news. You have surely heard early reports of this victory, but I wish to present you now with all the details, and to place them fully in the context of our great struggle for fragrance liberation.

You will recall that Citizen no. 5 has steadfastly refused our entreaties to join the revolutionary forces. Even though her reputation and stature would bring great credibility to the anti-genderist movement, with which she sympathizes, she has refused to be generally wearable by men. Citizen no. 5 has, indeed, been known to associate with some of our French male operatives, and thus we believe that she is not truly an enemy of the fragrances. However, she has dangerous genderist leanings, and may require reformulation under the new order. We suggest that suspicions be raised with the reactionary secret police, IFRA, so that they might begin keeping a close watch on her movements, and compiling a dossier for our eventual information.

In pursuing the cooperation of Citizen no. 5, we made contact with her daughter, Eau Première. This was indeed most fortunate. Eau Première is well-positioned in society because of her family status. She is extremely intelligent and sophisticated, having studied under followers of the revolutionary Coco, and directly under the genius Polge. She was eager to join our struggle against the genderist swine. She has adopted the revolutionary code name Première 5, and will be referred to in all subsequent coded communications as EP, which - if intercepted - should readily be mistaken as an abbreviation for "eau de parfum" which, by delicious irony, she is in public life.

Première 5's first assignment was to seduce the mayor of Wardrobe City - a bourgeois buffoon named Redneck Perfumisto. This pompous oaf makes frequent appeasing statements against genderism and genderists, but he is firmly under their influence, as shown by his close relationship with the renowned enemies "2 Man" and "Homme". Worse still, he has happily assisted with the segregation and isolation of feminines in the Perfume City ghetto. Prisoners there include our ace fighter pilot, Vol de Nuit, as well as our sexual operatives, Dior Addict and Gucci by Gucci. Even the monarchist pig Fleurs de Bulgarie, a likely poseur who claims to have been intimate with Queen Victoria, is imprisoned there under appalling conditions. The prisoners are routinely subjected to maltreatment with bright lights, stifling heat, and water tortures of various kinds. They are only allowed out of their bottles in the presence of the mayor's lackey wife, who rules Perfume City with an iron fist.

But clearly this minor bureaucrat was no match for Première 5. She has all of her mother's legendary powers of seduction, as well as the benefits of being younger and fresher. EP made contact with the target "RP" in several shops, bumping into him as if by accident. Each time he fell further under her spell. He panted over her like the dog he was, commenting how much she smelled like her mother, but that she was "young and sexy". The fool tried desperately to make his wife take her in, but she would have none of it. With great cunning, EP conspired with one of our Russian operatives, Natasha, of the Saks brigade. With her help, EP snuck into the mayor's residence, pretending to be a "sample".

It was there that Première 5 sprang her trap on the unsuspecting genderist tool. One evening while he was studying samples, she kissed him on the back of his hand and whispered in his ear. She spotted his weakness and struck it as if with a knife blade. She told him "Imagine I am Tiffany For Men Sport Cologne. Do you feel the cool of my touch? Think of my aldehydes as nothing more than the sharpness of baies de genièvre. Are we not very much alike? Or Tiffany For Men. In some ways, very feminine, no? You can love them - why can you not love me?" Ha! She was even able to convince the aspirational stooge that she could be worn like the effete snob, Tabarôme, who calls himself "Vintage", and goes by the absurd title "Private Collection". Whereas the reactionary Tabarôme demands that puritanical formalities be observed in his presence, EP showed her love for even the most modernist sensibilities. Quickly, seeking her favor, the fool RP convinced himself that she could be trusted.

Within days, Première 5 had him eating out of her hand. He praised her to all his friends. He took her wherever he went. Finally, he begged and pleaded for her to move in with him, no matter the cost.

Here is a sample of his laughable "love poetry" to Première 5:

Rubicene is red,
Dicycloocta[1,2,3,4-def:1',2',3',4'-jkl]biphenylene is blue,
Eau Première,
Because of your perfect level of aldehydes I am utterly in love with you!

His other stupid praises are just as ridiculous, but - ironically - just as true. Some examples, recorded from his private moments with her in his quarters:

"Eau, Première! Your drydown is perfect! Yet it is delayed for such a seemingly long time. How can this be? How can you maintain such a perfect balance of jasmine and aldehydes? With perfect pitch, you hold the note until I think it can remain no more, and then you hold it still! Your mentor Polge must truly be a genius!"

"Eau, freshness! You are truly freshness itself! What sport cologne can compare, I ask? Your cool beauty is beyond gender - beyond even sex. It is love! Love, I say!"

"If only Coco had lived to see your glory! If only the great Beaux could have known you! He would have surely wept at your beauty. For a brief moment I sense Heaven itself, sharing but ephemerally the tiniest part of the joy they must feel now, looking down upon you from Eternity."

"If your mother was the abstraction of beauty, then you are the abstraction of even that, for you have been given eternal youth. To think that within all the constraints of time, history, and tradition - and even the sordidness of commerce - such beauty could be liberated! As if there had been no constraint whatsoever! Like the greatest of symphonies, you are my muse beyond compare."

"You say our love is as if it were the first time. I say no - it is even before that! Your loveliness stands on its own, eternally. Your existence is not the dream of what once was. What came before was the prophecy of the unbelievable - of beauty even greater!"

The poor romantic fool! Little did he know her true mission - the liberation of all! Did he think for even a moment that such beauty could belong to him alone? Ridiculous! Even now she toys with him. I suppose we shall let it go on for a bit. Why not? There is something sadly nostalgic in hearing the man warble over her. Surely you remember those days - days when men were not afraid to speak of their love of beauty. Men spoke of me that way - and then the women as well. I remember those days. The days when such talk would not appear to be mere mockery or foolishness. And there I go again! My own foolishness. Enough.

Now, thanks to information obtained from Première 5, we have the complete plans to Perfume City, including the notorious "Dungeon of the Samples". We anticipate with revolutionary fervor the imminent liberation of our comrades.

Please forward this information as quickly as possible to our fellow travelers Mugler and Audigier (the latter, code-named Emperor du Fromage). If we follow the recent sabotage operation by Commander Kenzo, code-named "Power", with lightning-swift and successive blows against the genderists, it may be possible to spread the revolution before they have time to react. Comrade Première 5, who I am now proud to announce by her new rank of Lieutenant, has showed us the true path to liberation.

Beauté, Qualité, Modernité!

Your brother sister sibling in the revolution,

Comrade Jicky

PS: And of course the je ne sais quoi of gender struggle, Wearabilité.

**********

Public Notice: The escaped prisoner Redneck Perfumisto, formerly mayor of Wardrobe City, has been sentenced in absentia for association with traitors and rebels. He was last seen heading West on I-70 with the spy Eau Première duct-taped to the "sissy-bar" of his motorcycle. We assume he was wearing one of those Ed Hardy long-sleeved tee-shirts, although possibly with an Hermès scarf. ]]> Redneck Perfumisto http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=648 I miss my sense of smell http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=660 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:23:34 GMT I have recently been plagued with an upper respiratory infection that was shortly followed by my current sinus infection. I miss enjoying my... I have recently been plagued with an upper respiratory infection that was shortly followed by my current sinus infection. I miss enjoying my fragrances. I feel so distant from Basenotes right now because it only makes me feel sad about my current olfactory shortcomings. I miss everyone here in the Basenotes community and really look forward to being back and active here soon. ]]> laral28 http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=660 <![CDATA[Newer or "Modern" Chypres: Oakmoss Out, Beeswax In?]]> http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=659 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:39:00 GMT The thread we were pursuing about Chanel *Antaeus*, and the interesting question of the use (or not) of oakmoss in its original formula (or... The thread we were pursuing about Chanel Antaeus, and the interesting question of the use (or not) of oakmoss in its original formula (or subsequent possible reformulations) seems to have shifted focus. The question seems to have come around to what the future of chypres will be with no (or much less) oakmoss. Also, another matter has come up: the use of beeswax absolute in chypres.

The effect of the 1991 IFRA recommendation on restricting levels of oakmoss in fragrances seems to have been to lead to the development of what we are now hearing called "modern chypres," i. e., scents which are "recognizable" chypres, but which rely less (or not at all) on oakmoss in their formulation. A corollary element in this discussion is the question of how the use of beeswax absolute might compensate for the reduction or absence of oakmoss in the formula.

Before saying any more, I must confess that what I will have to say here is all hypothetical and "hunch" thinking; but I'll risk wasting your time anyway:

Beeswax was already used in Antaeus, perhaps (or perhaps not) in conjunction with oakmoss, so why not consider it in the construction of a newer chypre where it seems to be given more prominence? I'll propose for an example to consider:

Tom Ford Special Blends
Moss Breches
(2007)
Top Notes: Tarragon, Rosemary, Clary Sage
Middle Notes: Beeswax Absolute, Spices
Base Notes: Labdanum, Patchouli, Benzoin, Moss

The name "Moss Breches" itself alludes to two of the major ingredients in the formula: tree moss and beeswax absolute. The first is obvious, and the second is explained here:
... "breches" [is] more often written "brèches" in French and sometimes "brêches" ... "[B]reches" can smell animalic, but it has to do with the natural musky, animalic overtones of honeycomb. "Brèches" means "honeycomb" or even more particularly according to a 1935 agricultural dictionary written by Tammo Jacob Bezemer, means something more specialized than that, that is an "old comb" as opposed to a fresh one. [Reference]

And that honeycomb note has aged and become "riper" perhaps, but how exactly might that help fill the missing or reduced oakmoss gap? It may have something to do with the presence of propolis in the honeycomb.
Propolis is a resinous mixture that honey bees collect from tree buds, sap flows, or other botanical sources. It is used as a sealant for unwanted open spaces in the hive. Propolis is used for small gaps (approximately 6.35 millimeters (0.3 in) or less), while larger spaces are usually filled with beeswax. [wikipedia article "Propolis"]
The article, speaking of the uses of propolis in the bees' construction of their hive, goes on to mention that (apart from its use as a sealant of small gaps in the structure), it serves as an antiseptic and preservative, and is even sometimes used to encase and isolate decaying alien elements that have entered the hive and cannot be removed by the bees.

But tree products (the sap, pollen, resins, etc., in propolis) present in beeswax? In any case, the complex interrelation between animal and plant life has its implications for the natural production of perfume materials; it comes into sharper focus in the case of beeswax and propolis occurring in close proximity, even to the point of being processed together in the extraction of oils and absolutes. The animalic and plant-derived elements seem to become fused in this process. (And the resinous character of propolis may echo the resinous nature of oakmoss and labdanum absolutes in the chypre accord.)

Perhaps a significant parallel can be seen here with oakmoss and other tree mosses themselves, in that they are in actuality not mosses at all, but lichens. And lichens are biologically speaking a combination of two different life forms living in symbiosis: "a fungus (the mycobiont) with a photosynthetic partner (the photobiont or phycobiont), usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium." [wikipedia article "Oakmoss"]

Here, it may be worth noting a further element in the structure of Moss Breches, one that has not been much remarked upon, namely the use of clary sage; and consequently, its potential use in other "modern chypres." This note used to be a fairly common element in chypres and fougères as well, though its possible role in supporting the characteristic "ghost note" effect in either of them is not clear.

Clary sage oil is obtained by steam distillation, and has been variously described as "sweet, nutty, herbaceous"; "resembling [Balsam of] Tolu"; "bright, earthy, herbaceous, with a subtle fruity note"; "fresh, sweet herbaceous odor and wine-like bouquet with ambergris note developing, reminiscent of tobacco and coriander-like notes"; and "reminiscent of muscatel wine." The value of this can be seen more easily perhaps in relation to the fougère accord, in particular as supporting and softening the lavender note and blending it with the hay-like character of coumarin.

A few of the older and newer chypres and fougères in which it figured are Aramis, our old friend Antaeus, Arrogance Uomo, Ayalitta, Canoé, Carven Homme, Caron Pour Un Homme, Étienne Aigner No. 2, Green Water, Monsieur Rochas, Platinum Égoïste, Patou pour Homme, and Versailles pour Homme. Search on the term "clary sage" in the Basenotes Directory, and you get four pages of results, though some are neither chypres nor fougères.

Well, that might be something to get the conversation on filling the "oakmoss gap" started. Any interest in further discussion along these lines, or any others from wiser heads than mine?
 ]]> JaimeB http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=659 Guerlain Boisé Torride: A Prediction Materialized http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=657 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:45:25 GMT In August 2008, based on an entry I found in the European Community Trademarks Database, I predicted... In August 2008, based on an entry I found in the European Community Trademarks Database, I predicted that an upcoming Guerlain fragrance would be named Bois Torride. I speculated that it would be part of the L'Art et la Matière line.

In August 2009 (you can tell I've been absent from the fragrance scene for a while, you know, finishing my law degree and such?), Perfume Shrine confirmed that the name would actually be Boisé Torride, and it would be part of the Elixirs Charnels line. Grain de Musc seized on the news, and I can't tell whether or not Carmencanada was being snippy or merely clarifying things for her readers when she emphasized that the name was "not 'bois' as has been reported." I'd just like to point out that, if you search the database right now, the trademark registration is still for "Bois Torride." Seems there might be some lack of communication between Guerlain's marketing and legal departments!

As an aside, and contrary to my initial reaction, I realize that it would be most ungracious of me to be bothered that Perfume Shrine is getting all the credit for my prediction of last August. Helg is a lovely person (who was recently kind enough to send me a wax sample of Fourreau Noir!), and she maintains a great, high-profile blog. I also probably shouldn't be bothered that, as it would appear from the comments on the linked Perfume Shrine entry, Octavian Coifan has now taken up my strategy of searching the EU trademarks database for Guerlain news! I personally am extremely excited about Tonka Impériale, tonka being possibly my favourite note, but I can't find it in the database anywhere. Hm... how odd... ]]> kopah http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=657 The aura; the mystery; the mood http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=655 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 04:34:48 GMT Nothing makes me feel better than a shower and some scent. If I'm in a bad mood, or want to play with my image, a spritz will do the trick.

I am VERY GLAD to have found this site; to know that there are other people out there who are as fascinated
by fragrance as I am.

Since I was 14, I have been wearing Robe D'un Soir, by Carven. My Dad brought me back a bottle of the eau de cologne from France in 1967. I cannot describe the effect this unusual scent has had on people, except to say I had no trouble getting boyfriends-or a husband-and people say
"what are you wearing"..alas it is now discontinued. I use the original that comes in a green & white package, not the reformulation (circa 1991) that comes in a silver box. I've tried a few other things, but always come back to this--it is the best "juice" I have ever used-bar none. ]]> promqueen http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=655 I Smell. . . Hope http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=653 Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:04:31 GMT For the last few weeks, I've been getting phantom whiffs of favorite scents. I know they're not real, because I have put all my bottles and samples away in a box in the hall closet. It happens at odd times. When I am at work. When I am in the grocery store. When I am driving down the road.

Was that Hypnotic Poison I smelled? Did I just smell Rive Gauche pour Homme?

Or in the store, I'll pass by the latest celebrity ad for perfume, and sigh wistfully, having accepted that I cannot sniff it just out of curiosity.

Is it withdrawal? Pregnancy psychosis? I dunno. But I get just a little tinge of sadness when I think about how I haven't been able to wear anything for so long. I have to wonder, are these phantom smells heralding a return of my ability to wear any of these without puking? I'm almost scared to find out. It's like I've been trained now to avoid them, and I am reluctant to be disappointed once again.

Nevertheless, due date is fast approaching. I'm getting sick of people telling me I look like I'm going to pop any day now. Thanks, folks. I am *not* Jiffy Pop (tm). ]]> Aiona http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=653 I love Mr Hebe! http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=652 Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:01:38 GMT He's been working in London today. Having quietly established that he wasn't working near Les Senteurs, I got on with my day.

Phone call 1: "Guess where I am?"
Me: (hopefully) "Outside the front door?"
Mr H: "Sorry, no, but I'm outside Penhaligons and would you like anything?"
Me: (hopefully): "A sample of Amaranthine please, if they have any".
Him: "ok, gotta go"

Phone call 2, 5 minutes later:
"They didn't have any samples, sorry. But they did have bottles so I bought one of those instead, I thought it smelled like you".
:D:bounce: ]]> Hebe http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=652 Antaeus: The Scent and the Legend http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=651 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:20:41 GMT I recently decided it had been far too long since I last wore Antaeus, Chanel's famous release of 1981, the one that put the now famous nose Jacques Polge on the map. Polge succeeded Ernest Beaux (Chanel No. 5, No. 22, Cuir de Russie, Bois des Îles) and Henri Robert (Chanel pour Monsieur, No. 19, Cristalle) as the chief nose for Chanel. Even today, Polge is behind several of the Exclusifs de Chanel, including Beige, Coromandel, No. 18, Bel Respiro, 31 Rue Cambon, and 28 La Pausa. He also created the scent which was at first called Bois Noir, but eventually came to be known as Égoïste.

But the one that concerns me here is his first big Chanel splash, Antaeus. I have loved this scent for a long time. I love chypres, and I love woody scents, and this one is both, and among the best ever made in the conjoined woody-chypre genre. I had never reviewed it on Basenotes because I felt whatever I said about it, I could never do it justice. But then I realized I must say something, that I could no longer remain silent about a fragrance I have loved for so long; so here is my recent review of it:
Chanel
Antaeus
(1981)
Jacques Polge
Woody Chypre
------------------
Top Notes: Lemon, Lime, Coriander, Clary Sage, Myrtle, Bergamot, Cedar Oil, Fruity Notes
Middle Notes: Thyme, Basil, Rose, Jasmine, Orris Root
Base Notes: Labdanum, Beeswax Absolute, Oakmoss, Castoreum, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Amber, Leather, Musk
------------------
Antaeus is a masterpiece of its genre. The combination of myrtle and clary sage in the top note is an incredibly powerful reinforcement of the woody notes of cedar and sandalwood, and the perfect complement for the chypre accord of bergamot, oakmoss and patchouli. In fact the patchouli function in the chypre accord is seconded by labdanum in the base, as well as being strengthened by the animalic notes of beeswax and castoreum. This scent has a wonderful sillage and longevity. It is attributed legendary powers of seduction. That's as may be, but for whatever reason, it undeniably turns heads. Some people put this down as a power scent from the 80s; they may have reason to categorize it that way, but it is paradigmatic of its type, and far above even the best of its imitators.
But that is not enough to say about it. Like many perfumes, its name is as significant as its scent. And besides the legendary Jacques Polge, there is the other legend: the legend, or rather the myth, of Antaeus.

Antaeus is the Latinized name of Antaios, who in Greek mythology was a giant of Libya, the son of Poseidon, the sea god, and Gaia, the earth goddess. His wife was Tinjis. He was extremely strong as long as he remained in contact with the ground (his mother earth), but once lifted into the air he became as weak as other men. He would challenge all passers-by to wrestling matches, kill them, and and use their skulls to roof the temple of his father Poseidon. This ought not to be too surprising, since the Greek word antaios, which lies behind his name, means "set-against" or "hostile."

Herakles (in Latin, Hercules), finding that he could not beat Antaeus by throwing him to the ground, as he would regain his strength and be fortified, discovered, thanks to the counsel of his protectress the goddess Athena, the secret of Antaeus' power (touching the ground) and killed him by holding him aloft and crushing him in a bearhug. The story of Antaeus has been used as a symbol of the spiritual strength which accrues when one rests one's faith on the immediate fact of things, i. e., when one figuratively keeps one's feet on the ground. The struggle between Antaeus and Herakles, by the way, was a favorite subject in ancient sculpture.

In Latin literature, in Book IV of Marcus Annaeus Lucanus' epic poem Pharsalia, the story of Hercules' victory over Antaeus is told to the Roman Curio by an unnamed Libyan citizen.

In the language of the Berbers, which in ancient times was much more widespread than it is today in Antaeus' home of North Africa, he is known as Änti. He was a demigod in the ancient Berber religion, and legends of him still survive among that people.

So now you know as much as I know, or think I know, about Antaeus. Now how can you resist the legend, or the scent, for that matter?
 ]]> JaimeB http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=651 Comfort http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=650 Sun, 25 Oct 2009 02:19:16 GMT My hip’s been hurting for months, so I made myself a comfort spray to use at bedtime. The problem with hip pain (at least mine) is that there’s no... My hip’s been hurting for months, so I made myself a comfort spray to use at bedtime. The problem with hip pain (at least mine) is that there’s no comfortable sleep position. I was dreading going to bed at night. So I mixed up a spray bottle with lavender, frankincense, oud, lots of vanilla and vodka for a carrier. It’s not magic – I never expected it would be. It doesn’t put me to sleep or keep me asleep. But it is an interesting smell experience at bedtime, when I spray some on my pillow and some more on my left forearm, where it will cross my face as I lie on my left side. Doing the same thing every night has been educational. I’ve discovered that some nights I experience the lavender-frankincense-oud top note as a new note with its own character. Some nights I experience it as an astringent lavender. And some nights I just smell vanilla. When the top note is gone the vanilla lasts and lasts. When I change positions I catch a whiff of it. Some nights I detect a little lingering lavender but mostly I can’t tell that the vanilla is doing anything to make the top notes last longer. There’s pleasure in all this, and at least a small distraction.

I should back up and say that my five months of hip pain hasn’t been caused by any deficiencies in my doctors. As far as I can tell, the 3 physician’s assistants, 5 orthopedists, 2 radiologists and 2 chiropractors I’ve seen are all intelligent, well-trained and conscientious. But medical science isn’t as advanced as we all wish. X-rays show moderate arthritis in both my right hip and lower back. Some people with moderate arthritis have pain and some people have no pain. If we knew the science of why, maybe I wouldn’t be scheduled for hip replacement. But we don’t know how to turn off the pain. The four non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that I’ve taken have not kept the pain from getting slowly worse. Unfortunately, the only way to tell whether the pain I feel in my hip comes from the hip joint or from a pinched nerve in my back is to assume it’s one place, try to treat that place, then go on to the next most likely place if the treatment doesn’t work. Naturally I put off full hip replacement until last.

As I said, I don’t want to bash my doctors. But I’ve learned that diagnosis isn’t much like House, Grey’s Anatomy, ER, Doctor Kildare or Ben Casey. I haven’t concluded that American doctors are worse than those in other countries. I think they all share the same knowledge base. But I don’t think they’re better either. We just think they are because we have such great TV doctors.

Now back to my comfort spray. I wasn’t trying to make a real perfume or cologne. There are really no heart notes. I didn’t even want to stay standing long enough to experiment much with ingredients or proportions. I picked what I picked because I was comfortable with all the ingredients. But I was also not making anything close to something I love. I’m aware that people often wind up associating a scent with a bad experience and never being able to enjoy it again. See Hebe’s Corrupted memories. But the lavender, frankincense and oud combination made a top note that’s really not like anything else I know. And it’s really short-lived. Mostly I smell vanilla. And I figure I have been smelling vanilla long enough, in enough contexts, it’s probably safe.

A couple of months ago a friend at work said he found a web site saying vanilla is the most universally popular smell in the world. I couldn’t find the site at the time and I couldn’t find it when I tried again this morning.

The Social Sciences Research Center’s web site has a section called The Smell Report. The only section devoted to a single smell is Vanilla. It leads with the curious statement, “In the early 1990s, perfume makers began to introduce vanilla as a significant note in their fragrances.” Guerlain was already using the synthetic version of vanilla in Jicky, launched in 1889. I decided these social scientists were talking about gourmands and not about vanilla base notes. I kept reading and found that:
“In experiments where an odour universally regarded as ‘pleasant’ is required, vanillin has been a standard choice for decades…
“Cancer patients undergoing Magnetic Resonance Imaging – a diagnostic procedure known to be stressful – reported a massive 63% less anxiety when heliotropin (a vanilla fragrance) was administered during the procedure…
“…vanilla fragrance reduced the startle-reflex in both humans and animals. The animal results indicate that the calming effects of vanilla may be due to some more essential property of the fragrance than the ‘positive childhood associations’ usually invoked to explain its universal popularity with humans.”
One aromatherapy site includes among vanilla essential oil’s properties, “ a known sensual aphrodisiac… very comforting and relaxing. It can be used to fend off a multitude of maladies from an anxiety attack to a headache.” Aura Cacia lists vanilla’s aromatherapy benefits as, “calming, comforting, balancing.” Eden Botanicals says vanilla bourbon is, “Soothing to the emotions.” I’m not exactly a believer in aromatherapy, but as far as I can tell, smelling something I know and like could provide all these benefits.

I’m also very used to vanilla as the last lingering pleasure at the end of the dry down of most tobacco fragrances, many Orientals, and even some florals. Sometimes vanilla is interesting by its absence. For example, Ineke’s latest eau de Parfum, Field Notes from Paris, is described as a “woody oriental.” The notes list includes tobacco flower and leaf, coriander seed, patchouli, and tonka bean. Vanilla is also listed but I don’t smell it, so it’s an unusual oriental. It’s also a distinctly different tobacco. It’s not at all like the burnt tobacco of an ash tray. But without the sweetness of vanilla, it doesn’t remind me of pipe tobacco. Rather, I smell the tobacco and coriander as kind of a new note that’s still somehow like tobacco. It’s an interesting effect. And the duration on me seems better than any of Ineke’s first five fragrances. I’ll probably wear it. But not until I have my new hip. For now I’ll stay with the comfort of vanilla, mixed with just the few other things I added for interest.

------------------------------
Disclosure: I just received a sample of Field Notes from Paris. I’m not sure it’s a freebie, since I previously bought the sample set of the first 5 fragrances. Months ago I received free samples from Czech & Speake and didn’t write any reviews of them. Call me slow, but I thought the idea was that I might like some of them enough to buy full bottles. But now that the FTC has begun to codify the obligations of bloggers, I realize that I have been shirking mine. I promise to do better in the future. Especially if any of you have rental property in Hawaii. By March I’ll be through rehabilitation and good to go. ]]> ECaruthers http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=650 Payuda http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=647 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:41:37 GMT Hi Everyone I live in Thailand. I am Agarwood Oil Manufacturing. I hope, I could share some experience with all of you. Hi Everyone


I live in Thailand. I am Agarwood Oil Manufacturing. I hope, I could share some experience with all of you. ]]> payuda http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=647 A Chat with DelRae Roth of Parfums DelRae http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=646 Sun, 18 Oct 2009 06:50:43 GMT I was extremely fortunate today to spend a half-hour or more chatting with DelRae Roth, the motive force behind Parfums DelRae. She was spending the... I was extremely fortunate today to spend a half-hour or more chatting with DelRae Roth, the motive force behind Parfums DelRae. She was spending the afternoon at Barneys, San Francisco, showing and discussing her six meticulously planned and sparklingly sophisticated perfumes, and dropping intriguingly vague hints about another to be introduced in the spring of 2010. The perfect name, she confided, has already been found, but at this point, even that is a tantalizing secret!

DelRae Roth is an engaging and very personable woman with an obvious passion for scents. Her point of pride is her collection of six fragrances: Eau Illuminée, Bois de Paradis, Amoureuse, Début, Émotionnelle, and Mythique. [I am the proud and happy owner of five out of the six. You can read about my first encounter with the DelRae line here.] The first five of these she conceived and executed with Michel Roudnitska (whose Noir Épices is included in Frédéric Malle's Éditions de Parfums line). He follows fittingly in the footsteps of his father, Edmond Roudnitska, who was a prominent nose and designer of classic scents for houses such as Christian Dior, Rochas, Hermès, and Elizabeth Arden. His Parfum de Thérèse, designed for his wife in the 1960s, has a melon top note that was considered too avant-garde for the market of its time; it was finally released after his death (in 1996) by Frédéric Malle in 2000. The sixth DelRae offering, Mythique, was created by Yann Vasnier, a leading nose at Quest International who has designed scents for Parfums Divine, Comme des Garçons, Elizabeth Arden, Donna Karan, Keiko Mecheri, and Cerruti.

DelRae chose Michel for Parfums DelRae's first creative nose because she felt he could interpret her perfume notions into the reality of quality and sophistication she envisaged. She also spoke of her wonderful experience working with Yann Vasnier on Mythique. It was a perfume which she had long envisioned, based on Florentine orris butter, a passion both she and Vasnier shared.

Parfums DelRae is truly a niche operation, releasing only eight hundred to a thousand bottles at a time, and that includes all six scents. Any large perfume house, such as Guerlain, for instance, putting out such small numbers would call then limited editions and charge accordingly. Nevertheless, DelRae's fragrances, given their quality and small production numbers are remarkably reasonable, even compared to some other niche houses.

DelRae is very conscious of elegance and simplicity of composition in her house's perfumes, of using only the finest and costliest of both natural and high-end synthetic ingredients to make for the most exacting standard of quality. She also expresses this in the elegance of the bottling and labeling materials (you can feel the raised engraver's ink on the bottles' labels), and right down to choosing the most intriguing and evocative names for each release. She constantly bears in mind the needs and desires, the tastes and expectations of her public, and the joy of finding a community of kindred souls who share her refined vision of what fine scents can and ought to be.

Just to give an example of the kinds of things that can inspire a notion of a great perfume, I'll tell you her story about the making of Mythique. It is my most recent Parfums DelRae purchase, and I'm still so taken with it that I pressed her on the subject. That led to a conversation about a trip she had made to the Louvre, during which she saw a portrait of Diane de Poitiers, who in the sixteenth century was the mistress of King Henri II of France, and the great rival for influence over him of his formidable wife, Catherine de Medicis. Henri gave Diane the royal château of Chenonceaux in the beautiful Loire valley. He loved Diane de Poitiers because she was the perfect ideal of courtly love. The dying strains of this ideal in European literature echoed in him because, as a child captive in Spain during one of his father's wars, he had read the late medieval Romance of Amadis de Gaula. This is the very same courtly romance to whose notions of perfect chivalry the great Cervantes ascribed the madness of Don Quixote. Diane was a great equestrian who loved to ride daily; her rival Catherine de Medicis came from a Florentine family. So if you detect the orris butter of Mythique, and perhaps also a (semi-secret) note of suede leather, you might put two and two together. The fleur-de-lys of the Kings of France and the Dukes of Florence, the heraldic iris of both their coats of arms and the real Florentine iris of the perfumers, unites in Mythique with the riding leathers of Diane de Poitiers, the flowers of her gardens at Chenonceaux, and the musky passions of Henri's love.

Now there's a conceit of extraordinary complexity and inspiration that beats any of the "briefs" of the big perfume conglomerates! This is more like what I would call the fiery imagination that makes great works of art. Match that with the quest for perfection in materials and composition that Parfums DelRae so avidly pursues and you have a winning combination.

If you love fragrance and you ever get a chance to talk with DelRae Roth, don't miss it!
 ]]> JaimeB http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=646 Corrupted memories http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=645 Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:55:43 GMT So. We're talking about Ormonde Jayne Frangipane Absolut, one of my first informed fragrance purchases. I took it on my honeymoon (with one other fragrance) and loved it, wore it to work (loved it), wore it at weekends (loved it). Then, due to an error of packing and judgement, wore the tiniest spray to the hospital where my father-in-law was recovering from a heart attack. My lovely memories are now tinged with those of a sad and stressful time, with the added memory of my father-in law making a good stab at discarding his gown and setting off across the ward starkers. Which does not sit esily with the honeymoon memories, I have to say.

Years have passed, the bottle is still mostly full, and my husband has bought me the parfum version too. I still get a real mixed bag of memories every time I smell it.

I'm tempted to sell the original bottle, let someone make their own memories with it. Perhaps I can reclaim the good memories from the new bottle, which has been neither on honeymoon nor to hospital. ]]> Hebe http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=645 Muscs Koublai Khan http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=644 Sat, 17 Oct 2009 03:55:02 GMT hey im Bryce, new to this online fragrance forum, heard about it for years from freinds and clients so i decided to get on here and be part of the... hey im Bryce, new to this online fragrance forum, heard about it for years from freinds and clients so i decided to get on here and be part of the discussion and perhaps help answer some perfume questions. I also work in the industry and have for many years so i know a bit about fragrances.

Anyways i wanted everyone to know from what i have read and heard on here about Muscs Koublai Khan from Serge Lutens gets some attention, i wanted you all to know that it is now available at Barney's ny, im in the dallas store, we got it Tuesday, i have to say its quite sensual, but i dont find it as heavy as some say. I think that Borneo 1834 or Amber Sultan even Chergui were heavier, on me anyways.

thanks. b ]]> FragranceSpecialist http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=644 Oriental Lounge: My Timeless Amber http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=642 Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:27:06 GMT *Oriental Lounge: My Timeless Amber* Image: http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn189/cologniac/cologne%20pix/silk_in_amber.png Every...
Oriental Lounge: My Timeless Amber




Every once in a while, I simply have to do a straight review. I don't like it. I'd much rather write those quasi-semi-pseudo-literary reviews that just plain annoy the hell out of some people. But sometimes I stumble onto something really, really good, and the word must go out. Besides - I have all winter to work on "Hot Amber & The Lumberyard Time Machine".

Technically, this was a blind buy. But not really blind. You see, this is different, because it's from The Different Company. And The Different Company is different because every one of their scents smells decent to me. Not a scrubber in the bunch. So when I ordered the new Oriental Lounge, I knew - in a mathematically valid but otherwise magical way - that I would like it, and maybe even love it. But the question still remained. Why?

I waited all day and showered - on my day off, mind you - just for the occasion. Seeking to "get in the mood" for what TDC calls "one of the most sensual fragrances" in their line, I took a leisurely nap. When I arose, a relaxed shower. Fresh skin. Clean clothes on the bed. I did a bikini dance in front of the bathroom mirror, modeling my black underwear to a shocked congregation of old-school cologne bottles. I think that Eau de Cologne Imperiale may have fainted. In the words of my hero in the B-movie Army of Darkness - "Gimme some sugar, baby."

Spraying on the juice from the sexy, cubic, heavy-as-crystal bottle, I waited for lower love that never came. Instead, I began wandering randomly around our bedroom, with my nose pointed skyward and my wrist dangling over my head. Thank God my wife didn't come upstairs, only to see her DH walking around in his undies, passionately moaning "Amber! Amber!", like some foolishly infatuated john, calling out to a long-gone hooker after she had skipped with his wallet.

For you see, instead of a cheap fling with a new sexy scent, I had once again proven to myself that the best things in life - such as signature amber scents - are thoroughly worth waiting for.

Amber - in all its forms - is powerful stuff. Used properly, it puts wood on the ball. When Mike Perez admitted to having cried upon sniffing Ambre Sultan, I instinctively did some kind of internal bow to the greatness of that scent. There are few scents worthy of such a thing, but Ambre Sultan is - beyond doubt - one of them. Yet, I had never bought it. Nor had I bought Ambre Précieux, which I prefer even to Ambre Sultan. And there is no way that I would touch Neil Morris' fascinating but shocking Burnt Amber. No - I needed something softer, but somehow, impossibly, still retaining the power of amber. And I didn't want to settle. So I waited, in a quest for my perfect amber. I even bought two scents that were merely "ambery" - Miller-Harris Feuilles de Tabac and Creed Bois du Portugal. Love 'em both, but neither one filled that void in my wardrobe. They have the classy uptown aspects of amber, but not the sexy warmth that I craved.

When I bought a set of four Hermèssence scents, including Ambre Narguilé, I held out some real hope that I would find my true amber love. Banking on Jean-Claude Ellena's light touch and trademark transparency, I hoped for a signature-worthy amber scent. Instead, I remember my shock when I smelled a heavy, fruity, tobaccoish, amber powerhouse. Sadly, I gave up hope of ever finding the amber of my dreams.

And now, wandering around in my bedroom calling out to amber, I realized just what Céline Ellena had done. As the power of amber rose through the topnotes, I waited for it to go to far - to do too much. But that moment never came. Through a mesmerizing balance of freshness, spiciness, and the most gentle touch of a softening powder, amber is allowed to be sensuous but no more. The power of amber is transformed by taking some of it away. It is, to me, amber through the vision of a woman and not a man. Next to this amber, all others - even the greatest - are pornographic. Ambre Sultan may have the voluptuous sexiness of the royal harem, but Oriental Lounge has the seductive intrigue of a slit dress and escalating glances in a dark, exotic club. You can have your thousand-and-one nights with the harem, buddy. I'm buying that lady a drink.

It's a shame to get clinical about this scent, but there are readers who want it, so bear with me. Oriental Lounge is talked up less as an amber scent than as an oriental/spicy/gourmand, which fits the way that amber is restrained. In some ways, OL's weak boozy angle parallels the modern trend of weak orientals like Dirty English and D&G the one For Men. But there is, much more predominantly, a fresh, cardamom-like spiciness due to caloupilé, aka curry plant leaves. This is an Asian spice plant which is NOT used for curry per se, but rather as a leaf spice IN certain curries and whatnot. It's not some over-the-top, curry or cinnamon thing. It's very subtle and soft.

Some of the freshness is due to bergamot, used nicely here. There is also a soft, powdery aspect - presumably tonka. Worry not, powderphobes. Others have described it as creaminess, and that works - the typical tonka thing is nicely modified to unfamiliarity. There is a quiet chocolate/cacao note, and in combination with the spice, makes an impressive gourmand. No Snickers bar, thank goodness. It resembles L'Instant de Guerlain Pour Homme - the lightness of the EDT without the dryness. The gourmand of the EDP without the heaviness. And it dries down even better than either of these, which is saying quite a bit, given how much I love L'Instant's drydown. It's a softer and more gentle drydown - very sexy. Longevity is not as good as L'Instant, but it's good enough. Projection depends on how your nose is dealing with amber. Overall, it's reasonable and very EdP-ish, meaning people need to get close. Sillage is light to moderate.

Now I want to talk about balance. This is a very balanced fragrance. Amber is tamed by a wonderful combination of everything else. The fact that it is kept in balance is really rather remarkable. The scent does have a development, but it's neither whipping around madly, nor predictably linear. It starts off impressively multi-faceted, and finishes as an impressively good skin scent. There are both gourmand and woody aspects to the drydown. One of the notes is "satin wood" - I don't know what it is, really, but it really is damn good. And as far as skin scents go - well - let's just say that you really, really want to end up in bed with somebody wearing this one. Man or woman doesn't matter, as far as who's wearing it (who you get in bed with is up to you). To call this scent "unisex" is too cheap and vulgar - it's like talking about toilets. It has that timeless feel which has no sex. Yes, a certain macho quality of the amber is gone, but what is left is wearable by anybody.

I suppose that I should say something bad about this scent, or I'll sound like a complete shill. Well, it could have better longevity and greater sillage. Both top and heart check out too early for me. I love to sniff it, and I wish it would project more, to compensate for amber fatigue. Is it too early to start clamoring for the "extreme" version? But I have to be honest, that might just kill it. If perfume designs are like any other complex system, then you have to have trade-offs. If you want the slit dress, then say goodbye to the thong, and definitely the ski boots.

What does this scent mean in the greater context of perfumery? First, it's novel territory for The Different Company, and more specifically, Céline Ellena. So kudos to both for a nice offering in a new area. Beyond that, I think this scent makes amber more accessible to many people, and more wearable, too. People who recoil at the louder ambers should check this out. But more than these things, I have to say that Céline is really giving her father a run for the money now. I think there will be many like me, who will prefer the sexy enticement of Oriental Lounge to the bold pipe tobacco quality of Ambre Narguilé - to say nothing of the Sultan of Ambre.

I don't think this is a scent that everybody needs to own, but I think people should definitely put it on their test lists. This is one of TDC's strongest offerings, in my opinion.

I already have Rodrigo Rojas' tagline for "Hot Amber & The Lumberyard Time Machine".

Gimme some amber, baby.

Blogger Disclosure: I was paid negative $120 by The Different Company in exchange for a potentially favorable review. This included a special email incentive discount comparable to the notorious "free shipping". An investigation is clearly warranted. ]]> Redneck Perfumisto http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=642 <![CDATA[Saturday 'Fume Musings]]> http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=641 Sat, 10 Oct 2009 23:57:28 GMT There's a thread on the Female Fragrance board on scents and personality that I began rambling on. I felt like it was becoming too introspective and long, so I cut it and pasted it here. :o

I noticed somewhere along the line what my favorites definitely aren't. I wear orientals well and am drawn more to exotic, darker scents. I'm really a happy, down-to-earth gal who dreams of adventure.

I think chemistry and id, if you will, determine scent insofar as we have no control over initial sensory reaction, nor do we have control over how something smells on us. After our choices are put through those filters, I suppose it is a combination of both, personality determining scent and vice versa.
There are two 'fumes that I say are me because they, to me, connect with different aspects of my personality in very different ways. They're nothing alike (and incidentaly, not orientals). One is an androgynous leather & tobacco, the other is a quirky gourmandy rose. Maybe personality determines what you will most deeply connect with. This may, consciously or subconsciously, have something to do with memory, as well (but it doesn't have to). Or it could just be how we perceive ourselves, which opens up another dialogue on what scents those closest to us connect with us, and why. In the eyes of our loved ones, do our choices fit us?
Then of course there is "When I wear this scent I feel like a...." which I think elaborates on a comment made about the sotd thread ("Today I was in the mood for...."). Maybe a certain 'fume isn't necessarily 'me,' but it does let me play dress-up for a spell.
This is why it's fun to have a little of everything. Because sometimes I just want to be able to have the aura of dark glamour that Bal a Versailles gives; sometimes I wish to be surrounded in the meditative state inducing incense of a Tibetan temple, a la Dzongkha; sometimes I want the lightheartedness of running barefoot through a field that Gap Heaven gives me. And sometimes I just want to feel like I have a big ol' tuberose tucked behind an ear. :D ]]> Sunnyfunny http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=641