I’ve always been fascinated by the parallels between perfumery and wine and spirits – the creation process of the perfumer, winemaker and liquoriste are quite similar in knowing how to combine just the right ingredients to produce an amazing scent or taste. And both fragrance and liquor create a mood and give an emotional reaction… they have the compelling power to make us FEEL and transport us. Which is why I’m so drawn to them!

So yes, I’ll admit it  – I’ve been completely seduced by Absolument Absinthe. From the totally intoxicating aroma – notes include absinthe, black Chinese tea, bergamot, cannabis (yes!),  galbanum, lily of the valley, lotus flower, jasmine, ylang ylang, nutmeg, cardamom, sandalwood, and musk –  and also from the dramatic back-story of the drink that inspired it. And I *do* love a great story!

I did some research, and learned that Absinthe was originally portrayed as a dangerously addictive psychoactive drug and hallucinogen that made people lose control and act on their impulses in dangerous ways. The chemical compound thujone, although present in only tiny amounts, was blamed for its alleged harmful effects even though there was no scientific or medical evidence to support this claim, and Absinthe has never been demonstrated to be any more dangerous than other spirits.

Absinthe was incredibly popular as an alcoholic drink in the late 19th and early 20th century, particularly among artists and writers, who felt it inspired their creativity.  Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, Emile Zola and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec were all noted Absinthe drinkers who featured Absinthe in their work. But by 1915, Absinthe had been banned in the United States and Europe.

Fast-forward to the 21st century: Pascal Rolland, founder of the Liquoriste de Provence, is the brave innovator who reintroduced Absinthe liquor in France in 1999, after an 84-year boycott that spanned half the globe. Inspired by his customers’ increasing love of the Absinthe flavor,  and always looking for ways to stretch his creative wings, Pascal worked with a Master Perfumer in Grasse and produced his first perfume, Absolument Absinthe, in 2005… thus becoming the first liquor-maker perfumer!

Pascal and the perfumer experimented with cold extraction, heat concentration, and alambic distillation to obtain a pure essence of the absinthe plant.  A suggestion from another perfumer in Grasse to add the essence of cannabis resulted in a captivating and compelling, highly-concentrated long-lasting aroma of feminine amber and floral notes combined with masculine vegetal and woody notes. Friends and relatives begged Pascal to share his secret concoction with them, and he eventually brought the forbidden perfume to the public, where it became an immediate success.

And the rest, as they say, is history! Pascal loved creating perfume so much that he dedicated himself fully to his fragrances, launching several more over the years, and securing a place for Absolument Parfumeur in the select world of niche fragrances.

This article originally appeared in the Parfumerie de France Blog on 12/22/15.

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#love2lovewalmart

As someone who has loved fragrance just about my entire life, I never lose the thrill of trying a new fragrance. I read every fashion and beauty magazine I can get my hands on, but not until after I’ve flipped through them scavaging for the scent-strips. I scan the web regularly to see when new launches are happening, and, most importantly, where I can go to get a whiff of a new creation.

I’m particularly interested in the creative process, and I love a meeting of fragrant minds coming together to develop something unique that couldn’t exist without collaboration. So when I heard that Coty was working on a fragrance collection with Walmart called Love2Love, I got very intrigued. Coty, one of the oldest, still-in-operation fragrance companies in the world, and Walmart, where America shops – what a blast to see what they came up with!

A box arrived in the mail for me, courtesy of the PR and marketing company for Love2Love, containing 3.4oz Eau de Toilettes ($9.98) and 8oz body mists ($6.98), in the four fragrance combinations of the brand: Orange Blossom + White Musk, Freesia + Violet Petals, Jasmine + Sparkling Mimosa, and Fresh Rose + Peach. Yes, you read those prices correctly! 

As I started to try each one, I was very pleasantly surprised with the quality, especially at that gentle price-point. Really beautiful accords and they last on my skin! As I researched more, I found that Coty had employed some of the most renowned Master Perfumers in the world to create this line. Very impressive, and makes my heart glad to know that great artistic fragrances can be manufactured at reasonable prices and everyone can afford to smell good!

Here’s a brief summary of the Love2Love Collection, and I will follow with more updates as I test-drive each one:

Orange Blossom + White Musk

Maurice Roucel, Perfumer.

Inspired by a trio of oranges… notes are sparkling bergamot, bitter Tunisian orange, sweet Italian orange, orange blossom, peony, cedarwood, orris, sandalwood and musk.

Freesia + Violet Petals

Sophia Grojsman, Perfumer

Influenced by the emotions of falling in love… notes are peach blossom, lily petals, lavender, Turkish Rose, Princess Rose, violet blossom, freesia, sheer musk, heliotropene, and crimewood.

Jasmine + Sparking Mimosa

Richard Herpin, Perfumer

A floral, fruity scent capturing the romance of flowers… notes are peony, raspberry, mimosa flower, honeysuckle, jasmine, sweet pea, musk, rosewood and almond blossom.

Fresh Rose + Peach

Calice Becker, Perfumer

Interpretation of a bouquet of delicate antique roses delivered to the perfumer… notes are lychee, cassis buds, peach nectar, geranium, Bulgarian rose, orris and musk.

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As a pastry chef, it’s a no brainer I’m fond of perfumes that fall into what the fragrance world categorizes as the Gourmand group of perfumes. This means foodie notes – and predictably that often includes vanilla, fruits (peaches, grapefruit), berries, caramel, chocolate, coffee, tea, and often times a healthy dose of sugar or honey. It can also include spices. At the least, if you choose a vanilla or gourmand perfume, it’s low calorie indulgence.

But there’s nothing more heartwarming, especially in the chilly seasons, than vanilla-based perfumes. More often than not, I’m stopped and asked what I’m wearing. Yes, I live a red carpet of scent – the what are you wearing to me is never about Gucci or Zak Posen, and my answer is usually, I’m wearing Guerlain, Chanel and other perfumers. Nothing is more flattering than to wear a scent that doesn’t overwhelm or upstage but instead, has people stopped in their tracks and asking you what your fragrance is.

Of course, a lot depends on which vanilla perfume you choose (no one wants to smell like a cookie or cupcake….or do they?) but if you are open to it, you’ll find there’s something in the vanilla/gourmand spectrum that’s sure to please. There’s pretty well a vanilla scent for every personality out there or your many moods or personas. I’ve worn every perfume on this list and I’ve also been known to tuck a vial of vanilla oil in my purse for a quick dab, en route to tango or touch my wrists with Nielsen Massey Double Strength Madagascar Vanilla.

What’s remarkable about vanilla perfumes and their fruity, sugary cousins, is the various approaches perfumers use on the pathway to perfumes that are warm, sensual, comforting and simply….delicious. There’s also a price-point vanilla perfume to suit every budget from the most bargain priced vanilla perfume oil (Bigelow) to the most extravagant (Guerlain’s Spiritueuse Double Vanille).

If you like vanilla perfumes, there’s no need to stop with one. I’ve adopted a posse of great vanilla scents – as well as sugared berried treats that to my mind, fall into this same luscious category. Here’s my stash of vanilla favorites :

When Thierry Mugler launched his famed Angel perfume in 1992, the love affair between this iconic gourmand fragrance and its devotees was like most great love affairs: instant and durable. The fragrance notes of Angel as per perfume descriptions on perfume sites and what fragrance counter representatives will tell you is only part of the story. Top notes of bergamot and mandarin; middle notes of passion fruit, peach, apricot; base notes of patchouli, vanilla, chocolate and caramel. There is also rumour of vanilla, caramel, sandalwood, patchouli, blackcurrant, fresh citrus, melons, peaches and plums.  What is agreed on, across the board, is that this is angelic perfume that you almost want to lick off whoever is wearing it or drink it straight from the bottle. To say it’s for the hedonist is no understatement – and to suggest it takes it’s fragrance notes from home comforts and recipe books on classic desserts – is not far off the mark. This is a fragrance for the food fanatic – and the sort who eats dessert first.

For a vanilla perfume, Serge Lutens’ Oriental classic, Un Bois Vanille, is as nice on men as it is on women (or so it seems to me). This is an adult, gently leathered vanilla, by nose Christopher Sheldrake (2003), and is delivered via a route of caramel, bitter almond, coconut milk, beeswax, benzoin, tonka bean, guaiac wood, musk and sandalwood. It has almost an incense-like tone to it and it warms and evolves the longer you wear it. Sweet, girlish vanilla – this is not. It’s serious but warm and lingering and definitely about being a woman who knows what she knows.

There’s also Guerlain’s Special Edition Shalimar, Ode à la Vanille. This gorgeous scent is not as easy to procure but stay tuned, Guerlain might have some news. Here again, Guerlain house perfumer Thierry Wasser developed a new, vanilla-enriched Shalimar Ode à la Vanille; it includes fragrance notes of lemon, bergamot, rose, jasmine, iris, incense, opoponax, tonka bean and two types of “infused” vanilla: Madagascar vanilla and Mayotte vanilla. As Shalimar Ode à la Vanille segues from middle to base notes it becomes ambery-floral — first, with dark vanilla, opoponax, a hint of frankincense, some tonka bean and leather-musk notes, then with a vanillic flower accord.

Guerlain’s Spiritueuse Double Vanille was introduced in 2007, is almost a perfume collector’s vanilla because it’s both exceptional and it’s not always easy to find but it’s worth it – and is described as the queen of ‘boozy’ vanilla fragrances. That’s not the full story – this glorious vanilla masterpiece also has some wood, spice and a heady pear offering to make this the stuff of a femme fatale. Beware of women wearing vanilla – not all vanilla is innocent and this one is sensual, sophisticated and wrapped in mystique.

Philosophy’s Falling in Love is blackberries, a bit of musk, and vanilla. People fall in love with you (for a moment) when you wear this innocent (not so long lasting but then, love is like that) scent.

Launched in 2004, Viktor and Rolf’s Flowerbomb has become a classic. It’s as romantic a sweet perfume as you can fine and combines hints of tea, freesia, jasmine, rose orchid and me thinks, a hint of vanilla and/or orris root which reminds of vanilla in an incense sort of way. This is a fluttery, sweet scent that (a lot of) men swoon for. It was banned at my tango class – so that tells you something.

Jean Paul Gauthier Classique is sweet and fruity. Vanilla and musk are the main wafts, and it’s done as only the French can do such combinations, with total sophistication. I smell a bit of apricots, sugar and orris root, which makes the whole concoction magical.

If you like your vanilla straight up, pure and seductive, this amazing, iconic little amber bottle of Bigelow Oil of Vanilla is addictive. I sense a touch of musk or patchouli but it’s mostly vanilla. People swoon when I wear this.

Yves Rocher Organic Bourbon Vanilla is a totally affordable vanilla that’s very true to the scent. It’s not long lasting but then it’s not offensive either. A nice introduction to vanilla sort of perfume.

Pink Sugar by Aquolina was introduced in 2004 and is becoming a classic. It’s a lively, flirty vanilla that is wrapped in cotton candy, raspberries, licorice, strawberry, along with a touch of bergamot, caramel and warm woods. This is just happy vanilla and sugar and no one is immune to it’s balanced sweetness.

Proudly Canadian (Quebec on top of it!), Sexual Sugar by Michel Germain is a warm, quietly seductive sugar scent boasting top notes of wildberries, sugar coated orange zest, followed by passion and orange flower water, jasmine, and anchored with fresh roasted almonds, vanilla crème brulee and sandalwood – a pastry chef’s perfume paradise. This is easily a signature scent if you’re into gourmands but don’t want to overwhelm people – it’s subtle, sweet and simply, lovely.

Hanae Mori by Hanae Mori is an Oriental fragrance for women. Hanae Mori was launched in 1995. The nose behind this fragrance is Bernard Ellena. Top notes are black currant, wild strawberry, blackberry and blueberry; middle notes are jasmine, ylang-ylang, rose and peony; base notes are sandalwood, Virginia cedar, Brazilian rosewood and almond tree. All in all, it’s fruity and warm but the overall bouquet, has a touch of that wonderful vanilla vibe – but it’s really more woods and berries.

Nothing is more pleasant than apricots with vanilla and the classic Vanille Abricot from Comptoir Sud Pacifique is a gem. It also comes in Vanilla Extreme and Vanilla Coconut. The only drawback is it’s lack of holding power but it’s so inviting, lightly floral and still sweet with vanilla and mellow apricots, it’s easy to forgive it.

The Body Shop Madagascan Vanilla Flower is lovely but nowhere near as amazing as the Body Shop’s previous vanilla oils which were deeply vanilla with bits of musk and florals. But then the Body Shop is famed for discontinuing beloved products without a warning. Perhaps one can learn to love Madasgascan Vanillia Flower sooner than later and stock up!

One of the newest of vanilla scent offerings is Memoir Liquide’s Amour, a most gentle, feminine, warm vanilla from Memoire Liquide’s quartet of bespoke perfumes. With notes of incense, tonka bean and Madagascar vanilla, this is not for those wanting a complex vanilla; instead it’s more purely, simply vanilla and some other good things but never candy-like -just sweet and feminine. This is for any age and it brings a lot of compliments and double-takes. It’s one of a kind from a special, one-of-a-kind perfume company.

Warm Vanilla Sugar by Bath and Body Works is an Oriental vanilla fragrance for women. Top notes are floral notes and vanilla; middle notes are coconut, vanilla and rice; base notes are sandalwood, musk, vanilla and heliotrope.

For those that like their vanilla a bit dark and beguilingly complex, Love by Kilian, is an option. It’s vanilla but dark, moody, nuanced and sophisticated and disproves the naysayers who think vanilla perfumes are too sweet or simple. This is a big girls only, woman-on-a-mission perfume.

The post Vanilla Perfumes: The Sweetest Fragrance from the Bakery to the Boudoir….. appeared first on Sniffapalooza.

Sniffapalooza members spent a balmy Sunday in the heart of Soho celebrating the birth of the olfactive world’s newest innovation – Fragrance Republ!c

Fragrance Republ!c is a club for perfume enthusiasts that gives special access to original fine fragrances created by world-class perfumers exclusively for the club. Every month a different creation will be offered, and there will be varying  levels of subscription, including a free level (Free People), and Patrician and Senator levels, all carrying accompanying privileges and perks. As a Senator, members have the opportunity to become the muse of a perfumer and participate in the creation process!

Fragrance Republ!c’s credo is that beautiful, original and avant-garde scents are not created by marketing departments, financial goals or celebrity endorsements, but by world-class artists who function best when they are freed from the shackles of budget committees, advertising campaigns and focus groups.

FR believes that the exchange between perfumer and perfume aficionado can be a fruitful and educational one, resulting in a pure art form. A collaborative process that is democratic in nature, where people are part of the experience, inspires both the creator and consumer.

Exhilaration was in the air as guests were invited to experience the first seven fragrances, created for the club by perfumers Nathalie Feisthauer, Karine Chevalier, Cecille Matton and others, and to vote on their favorites. Fragrance Republ!c founders Francois Duquesne, and Bradley and Jonina Skaggs were on hand to guide the fragrance journey, answer questions, and assist at the laptop stations set up so guests could navigate the website to find out more information, enroll in the club, and pre-order the exclusive fragrances which will be available in October.

Fragrance Republ!c will do a major launch party during Sniffapalooza’s Fall Ball weekend, October 26-27 2013.

Sniffapalooza Founder Karen Dubin with Fragrance Republ!c founders Francois Duquesne and Bradley & Jonina Skaggs.

Photos by Madge DeAngelo

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What was interesting about this living situation was that literally all three rooms neighboring me housed one male whose prime cologne of choice was Polo by Ralph Lauren:

• ·         CS boy + Polo smelled like freshly cut grass.
• ·         Research boy + Polo smelled like straight Axe.
• ·         Country Club boy + Polo smelled like prickly spiciness.
• ·         My ex + Polo smelled like musky laundry (weird but true).

It was shocking when this realization of Polo’s widespread prevalence in my life was made. I remember it so clearly. I was hiding another piece of fruit in CS boy’s room (long story, inside joke) when I saw the dark blue bottle peering at me. Weird, I thought, he smells nothing like my boyfriend. I then marched over to Research boy’s room to brag about my latest mischief and in the middle of my story, spotted the bottle yet again in his roommate’s shelf, perched on top of a Chemistry textbook. Super weird! Later on, I was in CC boy’s room working on the latest problem set for our engineering class when once again, the dark blue bottle of ubiquitousness made another appearance on his desk. What the whaat?

I was surrounded by the delicious cologne and completely unaware of it. How strange is it that these four people (three of which living right by me) were linked by a single cologne. Either Polo has fantastic marketing (give them a raise, Ralph!), or this is a huge coincidence. The main lesson I learned here, though, is that scents really do smell very different on different people. I never would have made the connection if I had not physically seen these bottles (and inquired about them later). Never underestimate the power of your own skin to dramatically change the nature of a scent.

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