Perfume Review – Tom Ford Private Blend Lavender Palm

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Kafkaesque

Perfume tastes never develop in a vacuum. Like ducklings, we are imprinted by the things around us, especially from an early age. Our childhood experiences, the perfume tastes of our family, the first scents we were exposed to and adored — these all help to shape our tastes as an adult. My early childhood experiences happened, at one point, to involve an excessive amount of lavender. Unlike other smells to which I was exposed at the time — such as orientals or powerhouse, indolic florals — I ended up having some hesitancy about the ingredient for much of the rest of my life.

As a perfume blogger, however, I try to keep an open mind and to be fair to all sorts of scents. But the reality is that perfume is a highly subjective thing, and some people are simply not the ideal, target audience for certain types of fragrances. Such is the case with me and Tom Ford‘s Private Blend Lavender Palm — a scent I can appreciate, but can’t relate to on a personal level. Some perfumes have changed my mind about ingredients that I previously struggled with, but Lavender Palm doesn’t. I find it quite schizophrenic and discordant at first, then far too simplistic and unbalanced. The very high cost for what later becomes a very simple fragrance further guarantees that I would absolutely never wear it. However, I think there are some who may find this to be a delightful twist on the more traditional lavender fragrances.

Source: Manface.co.uk

Lavender Palm is a unisex eau de parfum which Fragrantica puts in the category of “Aromatics.” The perfume was created for Tom Ford by Yann Vasnier and is described by Selfridges as:

Tom Ford’s creative take on the free–spirited ethos and chic elegance that defines California. It is a sensuous yet stylish remix of earthly lavender, bright citrus, moist palm leaf accord, clary sage, sensual woods and smooth tonka bean.

For some, Lavender Palm actually does seem to evoke California. One of my closest friends tried it months ago and wrote to me that, as he left Nordstrom’s, a waft of air brought out the perfume and strongly reminded him of home. He actually is from Southern California originally; and he had no clue about Tom Ford’s goal when he wrote to me. Others seem to have had the same impression, such as the reviewer at CaFleureBon who imagined Palm Springs and the big parties in the 1970s at the famous Kaufmann House. I’ve lived in California — both Northern and Southern — and I’m afraid I don’t see it.

According to Fragrantica, the notes in Lavender Palm are as follows:

two types of lavender, bergamot, lemon, clary sage, lime blossom, pink and white oleander, olibanum, green moss and vetiver.

Lavender Palm opens on my skin with an immediate burst of lavender and lemon, but there are vague hints of other things hiding underneath the surface. Less than a minute in, they start to rise to the surface. There are florals, but also, some very woody, earthy, musky, and herbal elements. The latter borders almost on the medicinal at times; it is sharply pungent and with a subtle whiff of something camphorous. At the same time, one can definitely smell a very root-y type of vetiver. It’s not fresh, bright or green, but dark brown and smoky.

Oleander Flowers.

There is also an extremely disconcerting talcum powder note that smells simultaneously of irises and of babies. It has to stem from the oleander plants which Fragrantica describes as having “talcum-like floral note, with hints of pollen sweetness.” Here, the talc is a very disconcerting note when placed side-by-side with the earthy vetiver and the very pungent herbaceousness of both the lavender and the clary sage. When you add in the scent of the top of a baby’s head, it borders on the jarring and discordant for me. It’s almost as if the perfume is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde — two completely separate perfume personalities in one bottle.

Clary Sage. Source: TreeFrogFarm.com

Twenty minutes in, there is an odd creaminess that suddenly appears, along with an increasingly strong impression of medicinal camphor. I can’t pinpoint the cause, though I suspect it results from the clary sage (which is not the same sort of sage that you use in cooking). In my prior dealings with the plant, it smelled sweet, fresh, and with just a hint of lavender or peppermint. Fragrantica, however, describes the plant as having a “bracing herbaceous scent that smells like lavender with leathery and amber nuances, thus very popular from old times for perfumed products.”

Even if that’s the version which I’m smelling here, it doesn’t explain the more medicinal edge to the perfume. I can’t attribute it to either the Lavender Absolute or Lavandin (a lighter version of the scent) which CaFleureBon says were used in the perfume. And it doesn’t smell like the sort of pungency one finds in moss or oakmoss, either. It can’t come from the olibanum, because that’s just another word for frankincense. No, what I’m smelling are intensely mentholated, medicinal notes that almost resemble the camphorous aspects of pine trees or cypress wood.

But Lavender Palm isn’t finished yet. There is also something that is an oddly salty, almost aquatic note. It’s not wet, exactly, and it’s also not exactly like the beach, so it’s hard to explain but there is definitely an oddly aquatic element. I thought I was hallucinating, so I did a Google search for the “Lavender Palm and aquatic.” It turns out that I’m not the only one. One blogger, Full Time Ford, (and who seems to write about nothing but Tom Ford) wrote a whole review about how the perfume reminded him of the Adriatic Sea. But, on Basenotes, another poster (“rogalal“) was not so enchanted, writing:

That aquatic “seaweed” smell comes in and the lavender goes all metallic and artificial. At this point, it’s really only the leftover cumin that’s keeping Lavender Palm from smelling like hundreds of commonplace metallic aquatics. The base is a dark mix of piney tar smell and quinoline (that dark leather smell used most notably in Tuscan Leather), but the aquatic chemical smell sticks around, keeping the lavender very metallic and fake-smelling.

I don’t agree with a number of things in that review, not the least of which is the mention of cumin! (Really??!) I certainly don’t think the lavender ends up smelling metallic or fake. But I am glad to see that he also experienced the same aquatic smell and that he too noted a pine-tar smell.

So, to summarize, at the end of the first thirty minutes, I am simultaneously smelling: lavender, lemon, earthy vetiver roots, salty aquatic notes, something bordering on creamy, as well as mentholated and medicinal elements, iris, talcum powder, and the head of a newborn baby. I find that to be completely schizophrenic. Forget what I said about two perfumes personalities in one bottle. This is not bipolar; it’s Sally Field’s famous Sybil with multiple personality disorder.

To be fair, when I tried Lavender Palm a second time and put on much less, I had a different experience. As with many Tom Ford scents, the amount you use can impact what you smell — which is why I usually test each one at least twice. Using a lesser amount, I essentially smelled just lavender, lemon and vetiver — in one straight linear line. There were brief hints of more herbal elements like clary sage but, basically, it was just a big, simple, flat-line. I’m not sure if that’s much better….

In both tests, however, the perfume’s middle and final stages essentially turn into a simple triad of lavender, vetiver and lemon. No benzoin, no tonka, no vanilla, no soft mosses. Instead, the vetiver which often dominated over the lavender with hefty notes of earthiness and smokiness, and some occasional flickers of lemon. There really isn’t much more to say than that.

I like the idea of a lavender perfume that isn’t the usual soliflore or a predictable lavender vanilla scent. And I expected to love a lavender perfume that included vetiver, bergamot, and frankincense (which is one of my favorite notes). Unfortunately, this is just not a scent for me. I couldn’t wrap my head around that odd, schizophrenic opening in the first hour and then, subsequently, I found the fragrance both simplistic and imbalanced with the excessively top-heavy vetiver.

For those who are looking for a bright, fresh lavender, I don’t think this is the one for you, either. While the perfume is much lighter than many of the fragrances from the Private Blend line, it is light only on a relative basis. The earthiness and smokiness of the vetiver and the dark woods give it a far greater heft than what you may be used to in more conventional, sweet lavender fragrances. Those elements may also render it too masculine for some.

It may be perfect, however, for those who are looking for an unobtrusive but woody lavender perfume. From CaFleureBon to Basenotes to Fragrantica, the majority opinion is that the perfume is average to moderate in sillage and projection, especially by the standards of a Tom Ford fragrance. Unfortunately, it is also reported to have below-average duration. (I think that’s the first time I’ve seen a CaFleureBon reviewer say that!) On me, Lavender Palm had moderate-to-low sillage for the first hour, and then became close to the skin after two hours. All in all, on my perfume-consuming skin, it lasted about 6.5 hours — which is very low for a Tom Ford, especially from the super-concentrated Private Blend collection. On others, I’ve read reports ranging from “it does not last” to 6 hours to 10 hours. The huge Tom Ford fan blogger, Full Time Ford, claims he found faint traces on his skin over 24 hours later — but that sounds like a pretty unique case from all that I’ve read.

The real issue may be the cost. Tom Ford Private Blend perfumes are never exactly cheap. But, in my opinion, they normally have a lot more complexity and depth than Lavender Palm. One of the Fragrantica commentators who loved it and found it “simplistic… but done incredibly well” seemed to have drawn the line at the price:

What is though no laughing matter is the criminal price they charge for what is essentially a lemony lavender.

I think it more a vetiver-lavender, but I agree with his general point. Even more so when one considers that lavender is hardly the most expensive ingredient around. Lavender Absolute may be a slightly more costly version, but still, it’s lavender — and $205 for the very smallest bottle? (As a side note, in its limited-distribution run at just the Beverly Hills boutique, a 250 ml bottle was priced at $950. Yes, you read me correctly and no, that is not a typo. $950!!! The prices was adjusted downwards when the perfume was fully launched in January 2012.)

Nonetheless, as I always say, price is subjective, as is the whole issue of perfume itself. In fact, I think perfume is one of the most subjective things around, so if this is a scent that intrigues you, I hope you will give it a try at the very least.

But you may want to do it soon. Lavender Palm was released in limited distribution less than two years ago (in the fall of 2011) and just a year ago (in January 2012) on a world-wide basis. Yet, for reasons that I simply cannot understand, it is not listed anywhere on Tom Ford’s website! It’s not in the Private Blend section, the Women’s fragrance section, the men’s fragrances, or in any other part of the “Beauty” section. Believe me, I searched repeatedly!

I have read nothing to indicate that it has been discontinued, so I have no explanation for its omission unless, perhaps, Tom Ford is contemplating removing it from the line? The thing is, perfume houses rarely come out with an official announcement that they’re discontinuing something; it’s too much of a declaration of failure. Instead, they usually start by removing it from their website, and then wait for all their stock with retailers to be used up. Or vice-versa. I fear that may be what is happening here, though, if that is the case, then it must have be an extremely poor seller for Tom Ford to pull plug just a year after its global release. On the other hand, the recently discontinued Amber Absolute is still shown on the website, as are some of the musk line which I’ve read were discontinued, too. (You can find a list of discontinued Tom Ford fragrances at the Perfume Shrine but it is only updated as of Spring 2012.) So, who knows what is really going on?

In the end, whatever my feelings about the scent itself, I give Tom Ford and Yann Vasnier enormous credit for imagining such an unusual twist on lavender. Salty, aquatic notes and floral, talcum powder, with earthy vetiver and heavy woods as well – it’s very creative and different. 5 points to Gryffindor!

DETAILS:

Cost & Availability: As noted above, this perfume is not listed anywhere on Tom Ford’s website. It is, however, available at numerous high-end department stores where its price is just like that of other Tom Ford fragrances: $205 for a 50 ml/1.7 oz bottle, or $495 for a 200 ml/8.45 oz bottle. In the US, you can also find it at fine retailers such as Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, and many others. In the UK, you can find it at Harrods where it sells for £135.00 or £195.00, depending on size. It is also sold at Selfridges. Elsewhere, Tom Ford fragrances are carried in numerous different countries; hopefully, you can find one near you using the store locator on the Tom Ford website.

Samples: If you are intrigued, but are also sane enough not to want to spend such a large amount without testing it out first, I suggest stopping by one of the stores listed above for a free sniff. However, you can also find samples starting at $3 on Surrender to Chance, or on other decant/sample sites like The Perfumed Court. I think Surrender to Chance has the best shipping: $2.95 for any order, no matter the size, within the U.S., and $12.95 for most orders going overseas. (It’s a wee bit higher if your order is over $150.) International shipping has leaped up in price (from $5.95) due to the U.S. Postal Service’s recently increased prices.

Perfume Review: Absolue Pour Le Soir by Maison Francis Kurkdjian

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Kafkaesque

The sun was setting in the East. The heat of the city sent shimmering swirls of dust into the air, blending with the smell of spices and the sweat of its people under the rose-tinged sky. But dusk was also when the invaders came. The fierce, sweaty, hairy men stormed the ramparts of the palace, attacking and forcing their way past the Sultan’s guards.

Théodore Chassériau – “Moorish Woman Leaving the Bath in the Seraglio.” Wikipedia

They ran down The Passage of Concubines before arriving at the Seraglio, the innermost sanctum of the palace and home to the Sultan’s harem. As they broke down the heavy door made from the finest sandalwood, the smell of their sweat and wet leather mixed with the swirls of incense that billowed from within. They entered the women’s quarters and beheld the naked beauties at their bath. It was an instant war between warm human flesh, the mysteries of women, sweet honeyed intimacy, and feral, musky masculinity.

The Favorite Consort haughtily stepped to the forefront, approached the leader of the invaders and placed one cool, honeyed hand firmly against his sweat-stained leather cuirass. “I will wash your feet with the nectar of the finest Persian roses, feed you molten honey and spiced treats in rooms of silk and incense, and perfume your leather with the finest sandalwood, if you leave the women unharmed.”

“Picking the Favorite” – by Giulio Rosati. Source: The Athenaeum.Org

“The Slave and the Lion” by Georges Rochegrosse.
Source: Tumblr

He stared at her, his swarthy face silent. Finally, he nodded but not before pulling her closer to demonstrate his dominion. Their bodies were a meld of musk, sweat, dust and spices, warm flesh, heady flowers, wet leather, creamy sandalwood, sour notes, smoky incense, and ambered honey.

That was the vision which immediately arose in my mind when I wore Absolue Pour Le Soir (“Absolue”) from the luxury niche perfume house of Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Paris (“MFK”).

Francis Kurkdjian.

Francis Kurkdjian began his career as something of a young prodigy in the perfume world and has become one of its most celebrated, admired creators. As Luckyscent succinctly explains,

In the era of perfumer-as-star, Francis Kurkdjian (pronounced “kurr-janh”) has been the first to break away and found a house bearing his name. But Maison Francis Kurkdjian is not just another niche brand: its stated ambition is to become a house with “a soul and history”, the Guerlain of the 21st century. And if anyone can pull it off, it may just be the charismatic boy wonder who had already composed a blockbuster— Jean-Paul Gaultier’s Le Male— at the age of 25, and has since authored a slew of highly acclaimed scents, both mainstream and niche, from the cult Christian Dior Eau Noire to the best-selling Narciso Rodriguez for Her.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian released Absolue Pour Le Soir in 2011 as a more concentrated, spicier, naughtier, more animalic eau de parfum version of its 2009 cashmere and rose Cologne Pour Le Soir. On its website, the company describes the mood of Absolue as follows:

When the night takes on its own life, the tempo changes. Take along, longuorous [sic] breath. Linger till dawn, keep your head in the stars. You’re suspended in time.

The most detailed set of perfume notes that I’ve found has been on Luckyscent which lists the following ingredients:

Infusion of benzoin from Siam [aka Siam Resin], cumin, ylang-ylang, Bulgarian and Iranian rose honey, incense absolute, Atlas cedarwood and sandalwood.

Source: etshoneysupliers.

Absolue Pour Le Soir opens on my skin with a rich, dark, molten layer of honey and cumin. There are notes of deeply resinous amber which conjure up a colour image of red-gold in my mind’s eye. There is almost a leathery note like wet, sweat-infused rawhide with an underlying sour-sweet element which evokes a hotly lathered horse and saddle. (It definitely helped contribute to my image of an attack on the seraglio!) I think musk can often have a leather undertone (to my nose at least), so I’m chalking it up to that because there is no doubt that Absolue is a musk perfume. The whole thing is overlaid by that rich honey and resin which oozes over everything like a wave of hot lava.

The cumin becomes much more pronounced after the opening minutes and it soon shares equal footing with the honey. And, yet, it almost feels as though there are other spices too, like cloves, star anise and cinnamon. Flickering and dancing in the background are the rose notes, creamy sandalwood, incense, and almost woody, sweet smokiness from the Siam resin. The resinous notes here don’t feel like pure Siam resin, and I have to wonder if they left out mention of labdanum. That is another resin, but it has a more animalic, musky, masculine, dirty edge to it. (You can read about both types of resin and their differences in my Glossary.) Given that Absolue’s notes don’t actually include any mention of musk as an ingredient, I wouldn’t be surprised if labdanum were used to create some of the more animalic, naughty accords.

There is something about the way that those resins combine with the spices, the rich rose, smoke and sandalwood that repeatedly makes me think of the middle to end stages of my beloved (vintage) Opium. I recently purchased a bottle of the latter from the 1970s (do not ever buy current Opium!) — and the similarities are pronounced in my mind, especially once the sandalwood becomes more noticeable. That said, the two scents are very different. Absolue is much dustier and heavily dominated by musk and cumin — which is not the case with the more floral-dominant spices of Opium.

The cumin is really interesting in Absolue. Unlike some of my other experiences with the note, it never has a really sweat-like accord after that first minute or two. Yes, there is an earthy feel to the scent, but it doesn’t make me give worried sniffs under my arms as some perfumes — like Serge Lutens‘ Serge Noire or Amouage‘s Jubilation 25 –have done. Moreover, there is nothing skanky, funky or intimate about the note or how it interacts with the other ingredients. Unlike the very animalic Musc Tonkin by Parfume d’Empire, there are no unsettling impression of deeply feminine intimacy or of unwashed panties. Rather, the cumin in Absolue Pour Le Soir just feels like the pure spice, albeit one which my nose is somehow convinced is mixed with star anise and cloves. The dusty, dusky dryness they impart are a perfect balance to the sweetness of the dark honey and resins; they prevent the perfume from being gourmand in any way.

As time passes, Absolue becomes much more of a true oriental in the grand old style. Superbly blended, the perfume takes on a more complex character and different notes peek out at different times. Sometimes, the creamy, spiced sandalwood is more pronounce while, at other times, the smoke and incense accords come to the foreground. All of them are tinged with cumin for the first hour and, then, by the floral notes for the second (and subsequent) hours, particularly the rich roses and the creamy, very indolic notes of ylang-ylang.

“The Pasha’s Concubine” by Ferencz Eisenhut.

The indolic nature of the ylang-ylang may prove to be a problem for some people. Very indolic flowers — like jasmine, tuberose and ylang-ylang — can occasionally take on a very extreme character, evoking impressions of rotting fruit, plastic-y flowers or a litter box. That doesn’t usually happen to me and I’m on record as saying how much I adore some of the most indolic perfumes around, like Robert Piguet‘s Fracas. Here, however, there is a definite sour note on my skin which I suspect stems from the ylang-ylang. It arises after the first hour and lasts for another solid hour before the perfume transforms again, with the rich rose nectar taking the lead along side the creamy sandalwood and musk.

Over time, Absolue Pour Le Soir changes again. At the fourth hour, it is an absolutely luscious, heady, rich, rose perfume, with incense and sandalwood. In its later stages and during the dry-down, it is predominantly amberous resin and honey with just a dash of musk and a hint of creamy sandalwood. Unlike some, like the Candy Perfume Boy, I never smelled the metholated aspects of cedarwood or any hint of immortelle. Nor did I smell raw beeswax, as a few have mentioned on Luckyscent, or primarily incense notes. But I suspect that the perfume will change slightly each time one wears it, highlighting different facets and some of the comments on Fragrantica bear out that impression. It is a sign of just how brilliantly it has been blended.

I’d read a lot about Absolue Pour Le Soir’s “dirtiness” before trying it out and I really expected a skank monster filled with unsettling intimacy. I tend to struggle with those notes, so the online comments left me with much trepidation. It’s one thing when someone on Luckyscent says simply, “Dirty bee – very naughty, dirty bee!” But when a highly respected perfume blogger like The Candy Perfume Boy writes that it initially triggered a “fight or flight” reflex and that he originally “chose flight“….. well, one starts to worry a little! Not even the fact that he eventually succumbed to buying a full bottle, rapturously calling it a “beautiful, filthy beast” really allayed my hesitancy. Then again, Absolue Pour Le Soir made The Scented Hound, a perfume blogger who generously gave me a sample of the scent, gush in a way that he rarely does. He wrote that the perfume made him feel “incredibly sexy.” In fact, after succumbing to a full bottle (which seems to be a common theme when it comes to this scent), he later wrote that it “makes me want to take myself on a date.”

I think both bloggers’ assessment of the perfume is absolutely correct. As The Candy Perfume Boy wrote so beautifully, “[i]t is a fragrance that has the power to shock due to its dichotomy of ugliness and beauty.” However, I think that the “shock” will depend significantly on how much exposure you’ve had to really musky perfumes. I reviewed Parfum d’Empire‘s famous (infamous?) Musc Tonkin just last week and I think that may have immunized me from things that others may find to be a filthy, dirty beast. With Absolue Pour Le Soir, there is none of the animalic funk (and faint terror, if truth be told) that I felt at the opening minutes of Musc Tonkin. That was a truly “dirty” monster of an opening — all animalic fat, skin and hair. This is not.

Instead, what I found was something that was definitely musky, yes, but not truly animalic or heavily skanky. It was lovely and approachable and, as time went by, damn seductive! I keep having the insane vision of a bottle of Andy Tauer’s dusty, dry, spicy L’Air du Desert Marocain having a three-way with a large pot of musk and a big vat of honey. Well, that overlooks the bottle of cumin and the big vase of the most lusciously meaty, beefy, dark roses to be found this side of Persia. But you get my point.

Those who love clean, fresh or light scents will not be a fan of Absolue Pour Le Soir. Those who despise cumin notes, musks or rich orientals, likewise. But for everyone else, especially those who love spice or some naughtiness in their scents, I strongly urge you to try a sample. Absolue Pour Le Soir is a very unisex, versatile, luxurious fragrance which would work on a man or a woman, at the office or on a date. It has strong sillage for the first hour, after which it becomes moderate for the next hour before becoming significantly closer to the skin at the third hour. You don’t need to violently inhale at your wrist to smell it, but no-one across the room is going to be bludgeoned on the head by it either. It’s extremely heady, but not overpowering. (Unless you drown yourself in it, in which case, it may be a whole other matter.) And Absolue has fantastic longevity. On my perfume-consuming skin, there were faint traces of it over ten and a half hours later! On Fragrantica, the vast majority of voters put the perfume’s longevity in the highest category (“very long-lasting”).

Plus, by the standards of niche perfumes, it is almost quite affordable. (Well, as “affordable” as this sort of luxury niche perfume can be.) This incredibly high-quality perfume costs $185 for a 2.4 oz bottle – which is almost a third larger than the traditional “small” size of 1.7 oz. Other perfumes of this quality that I have tried have tended to start at $200 (again, for that smaller 1.7 oz quantity), with some going over $300. In my opinion, it is of infinitely better quality than a number of perfumes that I’ve tried from better known houses and that have been in the mid-$200 range. Moreover, it’s a lot more distinctive.

“Reclining Beauty” by Georges Antoine Rochegross. Source: Christie’s.

At the end of the day, though, perfume is meant to be a voyage of the senses — both of mind, smell, and imagination. For me, Absolue Pour Le Soir transports me to the Sultan’s harem. It initially conjures up visions of sweaty, musky, leather-clad warriors who have leaped off their mighty steeds just moments before entering the feminine heart of the palace. Later, it makes me feel like the Sultan’s favorite consort — perfumed, indulged, sensuous — as she reclines over brightly-coloured pillows of raw silk, confident in her power and beauty. At the end, in its absolutely intoxicating dry-down phase of honey and amber, it makes me feel as languid as a cat stretching out in the sun.

Warrior or Consort Queen… it’s all just a few drops away.

DETAILS:

You can buy Absolue Pour Le Soir from the Maison Francis Kurkdjian website where the eau de parfum is available in two different sizes. The 2.4 oz/70 ml bottle costs €115, while the 6.8 fl oz costs €160. Prices are not given for US dollars. You can also order Absolue in a Discovery Kit of 4 samples (which you can also mix up with other scents from the line). “Each pouch contains 4 samples of 2 ml each. It’s up to you to choose.” The sample set costs €12. In America, Absolue Pour Le Soir retails for $185 for the 2.4 oz bottle and can be found at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Bigelow, and Luckyscent. In the UK, you can find Absolue at Liberty, London where it retails for £115.00 for the 2.4 oz/ 70 ml bottle. For all other places, you can turn to the company’s website whose Points of Sale page which lists retailers around the world where you may find Absolue or other MFK perfumes, from Europe to Asia, Oceana and the Middle East. If you’d like to try a sample, you can find it at Surrender to Chance which sells vials starting at $3.99 for 1/2 a ml. Luckyscent also sells a sample at the link posted above.

Reviews en Bref: By Kilian Love (Don’t Be Shy) & Straight To Heaven (White Cristal)

Posted on February 16, 2013 by Kafkaesque

As always, the Reviews en Bref are for perfumes that — for whatever reason — didn’t seem to warrant one of my lengthy, exhaustive reviews. In this case, it’s because I really don’t think I have the skin chemistry for the three By Kilian fragrances I tried from his L’Oeuvre Noire collection. In fact, I have not had such a miserable perfume experience in a while.

STRAIGHT TO HEAVEN (WHITE CRISTAL):

In 2007, Kilian Hennessey — the scion of the famous LVMH luxury conglomerate — came out with a perfume collection for his By Kilian perfume line. It was called L’Oeuvre Noire and contained a number of different scents, one of which is Straight to Heaven (with “White Cristal” being a subtitle). It was created by the perfumer, Sidonie Lancesseur, and Luckyscent gives its notes as follows:

Martinican rum absolute, dried fruits accord, Javanese nutmeg oil, hedione, cedarwood, Indonesian patchouli oil, ambergris, vanilla absolute, white musk.

I think “Straight to Heaven” might be more aptly named “Straight to the Doctor’s Office.” This is a scent that replicates the pure rubbing alcohol, antiseptic, medicinal scent of a doctor’s office or a hospital. It opens with a pure blast of an incredibly metallic, medicinal scent of the stuff used to clean your arm before you get a vaccination shot. Except, here, it is combined with fake powdered vanilla and sugar. Despite that, the medicinal note doesn’t have any of the sweetness that often comes with the medicinal note in agarwood. Here, it is really like pure grained alcohol and cold antiseptics. It’s like being in a hospital room after they’ve scrubbed everything down and disinfected the counters, before trying to cover up the smell by spraying some Glade Powdered Vanilla in the air.

After a little time, there are more chilly, mentholated aspects to the medicinal scent. There are also some soapy aspects that I attribute to the cheap-smelling musk. I don’t initially smell any of the rum that everyone talks about with this scent, but that does eventually arrive. About three hours later. Then, Straight to Heaven turns into an odd combination of Vick’s Vapor Rub and some oddly “off” boozy note. There is patchouli, too, but it is completely dominated by the cedar. Everything is dominated by that cedar. There is no escape from it and it turns everything medicinal. There is also an underlying synthetic, chemical tinge to everything. Straight to Heaven simply doesn’t smell particularly natural; the ingredients don’t smell rich, luxurious, or soft.

In utter olfactory exhaustion and misery, I went to bed, wishing I could scrub this off. When I woke up, there were still faint, flickering, minute traces of the fragrance on my skin. It was now mere vanilla powder, soft but with some sort of chemical twist, and musk. It was almost 14 hours after the time that I first put on the perfume!

A lot of people talk about the boozy “rum” nature of the perfume. I disagree. Strongly. This is not a scent that is predominantly rum in note — and certainly not a pleasant one at that. I love boozy rum scents, from Teo Cabanel‘s glorious Alahine, Hermès‘ Ambre Narguilé, Guerlain‘s Spiriteuse Double Vanille or Tom Ford‘s Tobacco Vanille. Straight to Heaven is not like ANY of those. It is primarily a cedar perfume, though I would argue it is a medicinal, rubbing alcohol fragrance first and foremost. I’m not the only one who thinks so. On Makeupalley, where the perfume has a 3.3 rating out of 5, there are as many reviews noting the strength of that note as there are those who consider this a “rum” perfume. My favorite comment is that from “cerulfox” who writes:

My opinions on the By Kilian typically waver between indifference and derision, having tried all of the L’Oeuvre Noire collection and finding myself only liking three of the ten. Straight to Heaven is one of the dislikes. It starts off with a piercing cedar note that quickly disappears to be replaced with a strident booze note. I’m assuming that’s the rum, but on my skin it’s so overwhelmingly alcoholic I might as well have doused my skin in Everclear or straight grain alcohol. All of rum’s typical spice notes are muted and virtually non-existent compared to the screechy alcohol. This remains until Straight to Heaven evaporates into a puff of generic skin musk. Honestly this is more akin to Straight to AA rather than Straight to Heaven, the booze note is so strong.

On Fragrantica, more people find the “booze note” to be “rum” than hardcore alcohol disinfectant. The most amusing review comes from “gmstrack” who titles his comment with “Headline: Woody Oriental Drinks Rum in Hamster Cage” and then writes:

After reading several reviews, it seems like this fragrance is in a special purgatory: too conventional for some and too medicinal or dirty hippy for others. I definitely fall in with the too conventional camp, but at the same time, I find Strait to Heaven very comforting. Maybe childhood memories of playing in a cedar swamp have something to do with this. The patchouli could be dirtier, the cedar turned down just a tad and, oh yes, dump in something interesting (rum doesn’t count). Heh. 3/5

Well, he’s correct that it can be purgatory for some. Me, for example. I was incredibly relieved when it was all finally over. And, I was convinced that nothing could be worse. I was mistaken. Badly mistaken. You see, I hadn’t tried Love (Don’t Be Shy) yet….

LOVE (DON’T BE SHY):

Love (Don’t Be Shy) is another fragrance from Kilian’s 2007 L’Oeuvre Noire collection. It was created by Calice Becker and is categorized on Fragrantica as an “oriental.” If this is an oriental, then I’m the Queen of Sheba. It’s pure gourmand, in my opinion, if not a sugar bomb.

The most complete list of notes that I have seen for the perfume comes from Luckyscent which says that the perfume was inspired by a marshmallow:

Bergamot calabria oil, Tunisian neroli oil, pink pepper berries oil, coriander seeds oil, honeysuckle, orange flower absolute, orange water absolute, Egyptian jasmine absolute, Bulgarian rose concrete, Bulgarian rose oil, iris butter absolute, reconstituted civet oil, caramelized sugar, vanilla absolute, cist labdanum absolute, white musk.

Love opened on me with notes of neroli and caramelized sugar that were so strong, they just about blew my head off. Neroli always comes across to my nose as sharper and slightly more bitter and metallic than orange blossom, though they are both from the same flower and stem only from differences in production or distillation. Normally, orange blossom notes are one of my favorite ingredients in a perfume. Here, however, it is strident, screechy and damn unpleasant.

Following soon thereafter is honeysuckle, pink peppercorn, rich gooey violet notes, cloyingly synthetic, saccharine-sweet vanilla and musk. The orange and sugar notes dominate, however — by a mile. Or thousand. Though the inspiration is supposed to be marshmallow, I see more one of those bright orange taffy sweets that are pure sugar. There is absolutely nothing even remotely approaching an animalic, skanky civet note on my skin, no matter what the perfume notes may say.

As the perfume develops, it turns into a cloyingly sweet, powdered vanilla, with tooth-achingly sweet sugared roses, and sweet, candied violets. If you’re sensing a theme here, you’re not wrong. This is diabetes in a bottle. I have either developed ten cavities just from wearing it or 80 pounds. It is unbearable — not to mention synthetically cloying in the worst way possible. I am strongly reminded of those cheap $4 sweet perfumes for pre-teens, though I suppose the quality of this one is vaguely better. Except for that vanilla note. No, that one seems about as cheap as you can get.

Love eventually became less sweet — but that’s all relative. After a while, the orange notes receded and it became much more like a marshmallow with powder, sugar and more cloying vanilla. I have found I have much less patience with really unbearable scents these days and won’t torture myself for hours just for the sake of a review. So, I eventually scrubbed this one off. I simply could not bear another minute of it.

But, no, Love was not finished with me. Despite two washings of my arms with very hot water and much soap, there were faint traces of that cloying scent which remained for hours. And hours. I’ve read that synthetic, chemical ingredients are used, in part, because they increase the longevity of a scent and Love certainly proves that theory correct. The fact that Kilian perfumes cost $235, $145 or $135 (depending on the form in which you buy them) is a whole other issue. But I can tell you this, even if this were a $10,000 perfume given to me for free, I would not wear it. The mere thought of it makes me shiver.

As a side note, I also tried By Kilian’s Cruel Intentions (Tempt Me), his woody oud Cruel Intentions By Kilian for women and men fragrance from the same 2007 collection. I’m not even going to bother writing about it. Something about the vanilla base in all these perfumes simply does not agree with me. I find Cruel Intentions to be equally unbearable, despite a list of notes that would normally appeal to me:

Top notes are african orange flower, bergamot, rose and violet; middle notes are guaiac wood, agarwood (oud) and papyrus; base notes are vetiver, musk, sandalwood, styrax, vanille and castoreum.

On me, that screeching, sharp, cloying and very synthetic vanilla simply overpowers everything. I suppose there are faint traces of vetiver and, eventually, some sandalwood — but they are hard to detect. I am simply bashed over the head by that same fake, powdered vanilla which made my stomach heave in Love (Don’t Be Shy). A number of people on Fragrantica say that Cruel Intentions is primarily a sandalwood fragrance. I love sandalwood, but there is no way I’m going to last long enough to find out. Plus, I have to say, I’m highly skeptical that anything will overcome this horrid, synthetic, vanilla powder (and white musk) that has been an overwhelming hallmark of two of the three L’Oeuvre Noire fragrances that I’ve tried thus far. As I said at the start, perfume hasn’t made me quite so miserable in a while. It’s hard to believe that these perfumes come from the same house which produced the oud Arabian Nights Collection — a line that is miles apart from this one.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to scrub myself clean…..

New Perfume Releases: Volume 4 – February 15, 2013

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Kafkaesque

Below is another compilation of the latest perfumes that are either already out on the market or that will be soon. As always, I will try to cover both men and women’s fragrances, niche and mass-market. So, yes, it will be long (very long!), but feel free to just scroll through to whatever interests you. (Plus, there are some pretty pictures!) All posts are taken via Now Smell This (“NST”), Fragrantica or some other cited source. Most of the sites have some discussion of the fragrance in question so, if you’re interested in further details, be sure to check out the original listing.

Today’s entry will cover everything from: a new Tom Ford (oud) fragrance that pays tribute to the Middle East; two new Guerlain perfumes for Spring; Estée Lauder‘s surrender to the insane, never-ending Oud mania; niche perfumes from Frederic Malle and By Kilian; sugar and spice from Jo Malone; new releases from Caron and Robert Piguet; and more. We will end with a foray into the celebrity world with two perfumes from Maroon 5‘s singer, Adam Levine. You may be surprised to learn that they’ve gotten good reviews and that he worked with a serious perfumer to make a very affordable duo. (But as a warning, the very last photo shows a lot of skin, so it may not be safe for work and you may want to stop scrolling right before the end.) If you’re a fan and in New York, you might be interested to know that he’s going to be launching the perfumes in person today, February 15th, at Macy’s. Details will be at the very end (but before the NSFW photo).

TOM FORD:

Tom Ford has a new perfume called Sahara Noir which will be available only in the Middle East at first, in March, before making its way to the rest of the world sometime in May. This will not be part of the Private Blend line. The Moodie Report has the most comprehensive information that I’ve found on the scent which, I have to say, sounds marvelous:

“Sahara Noir is rich and exotic; it wraps the balsamic, incense-touched notes of frankincense in gold and honey-coloured light,” noted Ford. “Middle Eastern culture has an extraordinary appreciation for the luxurious, emotional and memorable qualities of fragrance; perfume is worn there in a way that feels very familiar to me. Sahara Noir is my interpretation of this heritage. It is a deep and substantial perfume that caresses the senses.”

Frankincense is the key ingredient within Tom Ford’s new Sahara Noir fragrance

The oriental woody juice is crafted around a heart of frankincense. This key ingredient is complemented by top notes of cistus essence Orpur® (Orpur denotes a natural ingredient of exceptional quality and purity), bitter orange, Jordanian calamus – an oasis sweet grass – and Levantine cypress, famed for growing in the gardens of the 1001 Arabian Nights.

The heart blends frankincense essence Orpur® , cinnamon, cool papyrus extract, Egyptian jasmine templar and rose absolute from Morocco. A beeswax extraction from Burma lends body and a supple, honeyed-animalic richness.

The warm dry down is laced with amber. It is formed by a special blend of labdanum – labdanum absolute and a rich natural fraction of labdanum known as ambreinol – combined with benzoin, vanilla, cedar, frankincense resin, agarwood and balsam.

Sahara Noir is presented in a gold-coloured version of the Tom Ford signature fragrance bottle, made of metallised glass and finished with a golden name plaque. The flacon is packaged in a gold, fluted outer carton.

The perfume will come in a 50 ml size. There is no word yet on its price. I have to say, I’m dying to smell this and can’t wait for May!

CARON:

Caron has launched two new fragrances, one of which is a flanker to its famous 1927 carnation scent, Bellodgia! There isn’t much information out on them, but NST did have this to say:

Caron My Ylang and Piu Bellodgia

Caron has launched two new fragrances for women: My Ylang and Più Bellodgia. Both were developed by house perfumer Richard Fraysse.

My Ylang ~ a ‘radiant’ powdery fruity floral with cassis, mandarin, jasmine, ylang ylang, muguet and green vanilla.

Più Bellodgia ~ a ‘romantic’ fresh floral flanker to 1927′s Bellodgia. The notes include carnation, rose, jasmine, cinnamon, clove, cedarwood, sandalwood and musk.

Caron My Ylang and Più Bellodgia are available in 100 ml Eau de Parfum.

(via shop.essenza-nobile.de, prime-beaute)

GUERLAIN:

Guerlain will add to its Aqua Allegoria collection with Nerolia Bianca. The fragrance comes out in late March 2013. Fragrantica reports:

With this creation Thierry Wasser tried to reconstruct every fraction of a bitter orange tree; from its flowers, fruits and twigs to leaves. The scent is very fresh and citrusy. It contains accords of orange, bitter orange, orange blossom, neroli, twigs and leaves of orange and petitgrain.

It is available as 75 ml Eau de Toilette.

In addition, Guerlain also will have a limited-edition travel exclusive perfume to the line which will be available only at international duty-free shops. The Perfume Shrine has more details:

The travel exclusive for 2013 is Flora Rosa by Guerlain and is a limited edition (just like Bouquet No.2 etc were before it). A fresh and lively interpretation on the rose blossom, Jean Paul Guerlain’s favorite flower, it is boosted by other floral anchoring notes to give it duration and depth, Flora Rosa aims to fill the void left by the previous, discontinued Aqua Allegorias Rosa Magnifica and Rosa Bianca from 2011.

The new Guerlain Flora Rosa will be available from 1st March 2013 in eau de toilette 75ml at the duty-free internationally, retailing for 47.50€.

The German duty-free site, Heinemann, shows it will be available for online purchase for travelers through any German airport and at the cost of €46.

PRADA:

Iris lovers may want to celebrate. In March 2013, Prada will launch a new, limited
edition flanker to its iris perfume, Infusion d’Iris. This one will bear the extremely long name of Prada Infusion d’Iris L’Eau d’Iris. Fragrantica has more details:

Extremely elegant and sophisticated fragrance Infusion d’Iris by Prada was launched in 2007. Its Eau de Toilette version was introduced in 2010, while in 2012 the collection expanded with the Eau de Parfum Absolue edition. Prada launches Infusion d’Iris L’Eau d’Iris in March 2013, inspired by spring flowers and the fusing of iris and laurel in the gardens of Tuscany. The fragrance is a limited edition.
Daniela Andrier created this composition as a fresh and delicate interpretation of iris scent. It opens with green accords of Moroccan mint and Tunisian neroli. Pink laurel bay, lily of the valley, rose, iris and orange blossom are placed in the heart. The velvety base includes accords of white musk, woods and vanilla.

Top notes: mint, neroli. Heart: laurel, iris, rose, lily of the valley, orange blossom. Base: white musk, woody notes, vanilla.

The perfume will be available as a 100 ml/3.4 oz Eau de Toilette.

FREDERIC MALLE:

Frederic Malle is taking a break from collaborating with famous perfumers and, instead, launching a collection with famous fashion designers. His first effort will be with designer, Dries van Noten, and the perfume will be released today, February 15, 2013. The Perfume Shrine has the full details but here are the highlights:

Not only is the collaboration with a fashion designer news, it’s also an innovation on the formula front, as the new Malle perfume is touted to be inclusive of a new, natural Indian sandalwood from a sustainable source. Indian sandalwood, for those who didn’t know, had essentially been eradicated from perfumery in the last 20 years or so, due to concerns and regulations on the sustainability of the Mysore sandalwood. The news therefore is a leap of hope for the industry in general and sure to create a real peak of interest in the heart of every perfume fan out there. The new fragrance is an oriental woody, smooth and polished like the designs of Van Noten.
The composition has been undertaken by rising perfumer Bruno Jovanovich of International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) The fragrance notes for the upcoming Dries van Noten par Frédéric Malle are citron, sandalwood, guaiac wood, saffron, Spanish jasmine, tonka beans, Cashmeran/blonde woods, vanilla and musk.
As you can see the presentation of the bottle is also different than the rest of the Malle portfolio, as this is a separate line.

You can read more about the perfume, as well as the long discussion about it, on the Perfume Shrine link above.

BY KILIAN:

The scion of the Hennessey part of the LVMH luxury conglomerate, Kilian Hennessey, will launch a new perfume in April for his Asian Tales Collection. NST has more details:

By Kilian Flower of Immortality

Niche line By Kilian will launch Flower of Immortality in April. The fragrance is the third in the Asian tales collection that debuted in 2012 with Bamboo Harmony and Water Calligraphy. Flower of Immortality celebrates peach blossom, a symbol of immortality in Asian folklore.

Flower of Immortality is a fruity floral, and was developed by perfumer Calice Becker. Notes include white peach, carrot, iris, blackcurrant buds, rose, tonka bean and vanilla.

By Kilian Flower of Immortality will be available in 50 ml Eau de Parfum or in a 30 ml travel size, both refillable.

ETRO:

The Italian fashion house, Etro, is launching a new perfume in March 2013 called Rajasthan. Fragrantica has details as well as a photo of the colourful bottle:

Beautiful colors and bright, explosive shades are intertwined in the poetic composition of Rajasthan, which vividly depicts the splendor and glow of Maharadza’s palace.

Rajasthan perfume opens with luminous accords of lemon combined with elegant Damascus rose and its powerful sweetness. A gentle note in top notes is provided by yellow mimosa. The heart accentuates floral notes of acacia spiced with pink pepper and warmed with a blend of amber, labdanum and white musk enriching the base.

RAJASTHAN

damascus rose, mimosa, lemon
acacia, pink pepper
amber, labdanum, white musk

Etro Rajasthan arrives in a flacon embellished with cashmere motifs, playing with intense colors of bright pink and orange with tiny details in turquoise and purple, in the amount of 100 ml Eau de Parfum. The flacon design and notes of the composition reflect perfectly the beauty of India and offer a sort of passionate journey to the Orient.

I love that bottle! And I adore the perfume section of Etro’s website. Such colours, such vibrancy!

ROGER & GALLET:

The old 19th-Century beauty and fragrance house has teamed up with the famous perfumer, Francis Kurkdjian, to create a new fig scent that will be released in March 2013. Fragrantica quotes from the press release as follows:

Roger & Gallet are launching a new fragrance in March 2013, a creation of famous perfumer Francis Kurkdjian! The central theme of the perfume is fig blossom (Fleur de Figuier). Its scent is taking us to the Mediterranean and the French Riviera, relaxing and resting our senses. The inspiration behind the fragrance lies in gardens full of figs, placed between Cannes and Saint-Raphael at Massif de l’Esterel—the coastal mountainous region of Southern France. Scents of fig leaves, branches, milk and sweet fruits are mixed with mountain air and sea aromas to create an irresistible composition created by nature.

Initial notes of the fragrance introduce a refreshing blend of mandarin, mixing their luminous and juicy zest with sparkling grapefruit in an explosion of energy. The citrusy union is spiced delicately with caraway, reminding us of sweet sun-bathed fig fruit. The heart adds a blend of fig leaves with juicy fig fruit, resting on a base of sensual musk and fig milk, leaving a warm and cuddly trail on the skin.

FLEUR DE FIGUIER
mandarin, grapefruit, caraway
fig leaf, fig fruit, fig milk
musk, cedar

ROGER & GALLET FLEUR DE FIGUIER is available as 30 and 100 ml Eau Fraiche accompanied with 200 ml body care lotion, 200 ml shower cream and perfumed soap (separately and in a set). The brand’s perfumes usually range between $30-$65 and are available on Roger & Gallet website as well as at other retailers.

TOCCA:

Tocca has released a new perfume inspired by the 1920s. NST has details from the press release:

Tocca Liliana fragrance

Tocca has launched Liliana, a new fragrance for women:

A lush, green, rolling lawn is the setting for a roaring 20s party in full swing. Liliana conjures a reveler in the bloom of youth dancing the Charleston amidst flowing bottles of champagne and a spirited jazz band.

The lowering sun casts a golden sparkle as an intoxicating bouquet of muguet, gardenia and peony wafts from the gardens, filling the night with joie de vivre.

Additional notes include bergamot, neroli, watery peach, sandalwood, musk, benzoin and patchouli.

Tocca Liliana is $68 for 50 ml Eau de Parfum or $20 for a 10 ml rollerball.

The perfume is already out and available at Sephora.

ESTEE LAUDER:

Yes, even Estée Lauder has given in to the Oud craze. No, there is absolutely no end in sight to the madness. The Moodie Report has details on the latest perfume, Amber Mystique, which will be an amber oud fragrance:

Estée Lauder is building on the success of its Wood Mystique fragrance (the brand’s first unisex scent that specifically targeted the Middle Eastern consumer) with the introduction of Amber Mystique. It will be on-counter in Middle Eastern travel retail doors from March, before rolling out to selected travel retail locations across the UK and Europe from June.
Described as “full-bodied, intricate and darkly ornate”, the oriental amber juice was created for the fragrance connoisseur who uses scent to convey status, personal signature and good taste, according to the brand. […]

The Amber Mystique juice features notes of amber, Taif Rose NP®, Oud Wood, blackcurrant, raspberry, pink pepper, ylang-ylang, Bulgarian Rose, jasmine, incense, patchouli, sandalwood, labdanum, leather and musk.
The fragrance is presented in a reworked version of the original Wood Mystique flacon, in amber tones to complement the name, with the EL cartouche embossed on the front.

Estee Lauder Amber Mystique will be introduced first in the Middle East in March and then available elsewhere in June. Despite the article not saying so, I assume it will be available in the US and will not be a purely European exclusive. It will come in a 100 ml Eau de Parfum version.

VIVIENNE WESTWOOD:

Vivienne Westwood will have a new perfume out in April. NST reports:

Vivienne Westwood Flirty Alice perfume

In April, Vivienne Westwood will launch Flirty Alice, the third in the series that includes 2010′s Naughty Alice and 2011′s Cheeky Alice.

Flirty Alice is a floral fragrance, and features notes of bergamot, green tea, rose, vanilla and blond woods.

Vivienne Westwood Flirty Alice will be available in 75 ml Eau de Toilette.

KENZO:

Fans of Kenzo‘s Amour line of fragrances may be happy to hear that there is a new flanker out on the market. NST reports the following:

Kenzo Amour My Love

Kenzo has launched Amour My Love, a new limited edition flanker to 2006′s Kenzo Amour. Amour My Love follows last year’s Amour I Love U.

Kenzo Amour my love is a new declaration of love. A fragrance where the freshness of pink grapefruit meets the sensuality of peony and rose. A generous trail, to celebrate romance. Fall in love again with Kenzo amour.

The fruity floral fragrance for women features notes of grapefruit, passion fruit, gooseberry, peony, rose, cherry blossom, lilac, cedar and white musk.

Kenzo Amour My Love is available in 50 ml Eau de Toilette.

FRAGONARD:

The famous old, Grasse perfume house, Fragonard, is very close to my heart. And they have just come out with new fragrances. NST has the details:

Fragonard Belle de Nuit Intense

French perfume house Fragonard has launched Belle de Nuit Intense, a followup to their Belle de Nuit fragrance for women. Also new from the brand: Muguet, and Confidentiel for men.

Belle de Nuit Intense ~ “The night is yours… The lady in blue’s perfume is both opulent diabolically sensual [sic]. A ylang ylang, tuberose, gardenia and pear top note moves on to a middle note of jasmine, rose and lily-of-the-valley, rounded off with a back note of sandalwood and musk for an unforgettable floral and fruity fragrance. In 200 ml Eau de Parfum, €45.

Fragonard Muguet

Muguet ~ “A lucky eau de toilette that celebrates a top note of neroli, pink peppercorn. Borne by a middle note of jasmine, freesia and lily-of-the-valley, on a spicy back note of amber, cedar and musk.” In 50 ml Eau de Toilette, €15, and in matching bath, body & home fragrance products.

Fragonard Confidentiel fragrance for men

Confidentiel ~ “A perfume of secrets… This new eau de toilette for men will not, however, go unnoticed! Pepper and pink peppercorn liven up the grapefruit for a fresh and spicy note. The middle note puts an accent on magnolia and incense on a cedar wood, patchouli and sandalwood back note.” In 100 and 200 ml refillable Eau de Toilette, or 600 ml refill; matching grooming products also sold.

(via fragonard)

CARVEN:

Famed perfumer Francis Kurkdjian has created a new perfume for the classic house, Carven, which is also re-launching its famous Ma Griffe. NST has information on the new releases:

Carven Le Parfum

Carven will launch Carven Le Parfum, a new fragrance for women, and will relaunch the brand’s classic 1946 perfume Ma Griffe.

Le Parfum was developed by perfumer Francis Kurkdjian; notes for the floral scent include hyacinth, sweet pea, ylang ylang, jasmine, osmanthus, apricot and sandalwood.

In the UK, Carven Le Parfum will be introduced at Harrods in early May. There is no information on when it will be released in the US.

ROBERT PIGUET:

Robert Piguet, makers of the famous Fracas and Bandit, has just released a new perfume called Bois Bleu which was created by Givaudaun perfumer Aurelien Guichard. It is not currently available in the US but will be soon. CaFleureBon has further details:

“The intensity of precious woods, the aromatic accents of fresh herbs and the delicate touch of invigorating citrus tell the story of Bois Bleu de Robert Piguet. This bold and dynamic woody elixir combines iconic Piguet sophistication with modern refinement, offering an opulent scent for those not afraid to make a style statement. Discover the warmth of rich woods delicately accented with nuances of lavender. The invigorating composition of woody notes is perfectly balanced by crisp citrus and warm herbs. Fresh bergamot lends a citrusy touch in the top note that is perfectly nuanced by an earthy violet and spiced nutmeg heart. To complete the opulent presentation, mysterious sandalwood mingles with sharp cedar and exotic vetiver to form a warm and refined drydown.”
Top notes: bergamot and citrus
Heart notes: nutmeg and violet
Base notes: sandalwood, cedar and vetiver

Bois Bleu is an eau de parfum and comes in a 100ml bottle for $150. It is currently out and available in the UK at Harrods where it costs £130.

JO MALONE:

In March, Jo Malone will release 5 new limited-edition fragrances inspired by British pudding and tea time treats. NST has the details:

Jo Malone Sugar & Spice visual

Jo Malone will follow 2011′s Tea Fragrance Blends collection with Sugar & Spice, a new limited edition quintet inspired by “quintessential British pudding” flavors. Look for them in March.

The Sugar & Spice fragrances were developed by perfumer Christine Nagel. The fragrances are Lemon Tart, Redcurrant & Cream, Elderflower & Gooseberry, Ginger Biscuit and Bitter Orange & Chocolate. (I will update with individual notes when I can.)

The Jo Malone Sugar & Spice collection will be available in 30 ml Cologne, £38 each or £190 for the set.

[S]ome brief fragrance notes ~

Lemon Tart ~ citrus fruits, verbena, meringue and lemon thyme.

Redcurrant & Cream ~ redcurrants, strawberries, raspberries and creamy musk.

Elderflower & Gooseberry ~ gooseberries, lychee and elderflower.

Ginger Biscuit ~ ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla.

Bitter Orange & Chocolate ~ orange, cocoa, coconut and coumarin.

The perfumes are already mentioned on the Jo Malone website but there is no product or pricing information. I assume those will be provided and updated after March 1, 2013.

ADAM LEVINE:

I saved the best for last, if only because of one of the photos. Adam Levine has collaborated with a well-known perfume “nose” to make Adam Levine for Women and Adam Levine for Men. To my surprise, they have received a great review. (Yes, it apparently shocked the reviewer at CaFleureBon himself.) Mr. Levine does not seem to be like the majority of celebrities out there who leave the perfume details to the marketing team and focus groups. Instead, he seems to have played a very active part in things. And he also recruited someone who CaFleureBon called one of the top perfume noses around: Yann Vasnier from Givaudan. “M. Vasnier has slowly been letting a niche aesthetic find its way into his mainstream releases. He has been the most persistent in attempting this and in these two fragrances I think we’ve come to the place where we’re about to find out if the great majority of fragrance shoppers are ready to take a walk on the niche side.” All of this for perfumes that cost $35 an ounce!

As for the perfumes themselves, Fragrantica has a full report:

In February 2013, Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine is launching fragrances for men and women, with a wish to impress the world of today, according to his words. Fragrances are launched under license by ID Perfumes and Adam collaborated with perfumers of the house of Givaudan on the realization of his idea. “The fragrances are as innovative as they are classic. The bottles take the form of a microphone, with a luxurious, weighted cap in silver mesh. The black stem resembles the wire of a microphone, simple and sleek.”

ADAM LEVINE for WOMEN: The fragrance for women has been announced as intoxicating, sexy, unleashed… A fragrance that attracts and keeps the attention. Top notes will allure you with a blend of saffron, citruses, marigold and spices. The heart encompasses gentle petals of Indian jasmine, Australian sandalwood and rose petals, while the base is composed of benzoin tears and seductive, creamy vanilla. The perfume is available as 30, 50 and 100 ml Eau de Parfum.

saffron, citruses, marigold, spices
Indian jasmine, Australian sandalwood, rose petals
benzoin tears, vanilla

ADAM LEVINE for MEN: The edition for men leaves an unforgettable trail which opens with juicy mandarin, grapefruit and lemongrass. Aromatic support is provided by sage and violet leaf. The heart adds passion fruit, guava leaf and freshly cut ginger, on a base of cedar, sandalwood and amber. The perfume can be obtained as 30, 50 and 100ml Eau de Toilette.

mandarin, graperfuit, lemongrass, sage, violet leaf
passion fruit, guava leaf, ginger
cedar, sandalwood, amber

The fragrances debuted in Los Angeles on January 31, 2013 at Macy’s. In New York, they will be available also at Macy’s Herald Square on February 15th. You can find details at this link for the February 15th appearance. The perfumes cost $65 for a large 3.4 oz/100 ml size bottle and are available right now on the Macy’s website with a special “Bonus Offer.” You can read more at http://adamlevine-fragrances.com/.

But, wait, that’s not all. Apparently, Adam Levine is determined to become the Martha Stewart of celebrity perfumers because there are reports that he will be releasing two more fragrances (and as soon as the next two months)! From Glamazon Diaries, the details are as follows:

Maroon 5 front man and The Voice judge Adam Levine is said to be working on a new fragrance project with ID Perfumes called 222 by Adam Levine. The men’s and women’s scents, which will launch in May 2013, will be sold in department and specialty stores in the US as well as expansion to Canada, Mexico, South America, the U.K., Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Far East.

The project is currently in progress with no announcement of the notes that will be included for each perfume. The eau de parfum will be available in 1 oz., 1.7 oz. and 3.4 oz. flacons, retailing for $36, $45 and $65, respectively.

Well, I must say, I think he has a beautiful body. The disembodied hands, however….