Browsing by date: July 2007

Lanvin Arpege ~ perfume review

Lanvin Arpege fragrance

In 1927, Jeanne Lanvin asked André Fraysse to create a perfume for her daughter’s 30th birthday. Fraysse was only 27 years old, but with Paul Vacher’s help he created what is often recognized as the second great aldehydic floral fragrance, and one of the five most esteemed in the world: Arpège.

Hubert Fraysse reformulated Arpège in 1993. I haven’t smelled the original Arpège, but the consensus seems to be that the reformulation is a respectful play on the original. Combining Osmoz and Basenotes’s information for the newest version of Arpège yields topnotes of aldehydes, bergamot, neroli, and peach; a heart of jasmine, rose, lily of the valley, ylang ylang, coriander, and tuberose; and a base of sandalwood, vanilla, tuberose, vetiver, patchouli, and styrax.

Where Chanel No. 5 is languid, Arpège is full-bodied. If No. 5 is a vase of summer flowers, then Arpège is that same vase three days later, flowers ripe and spicy, with a dirtier base…

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Online fragrance shopping

Deal at eluxury: get free shipping with coupon code FF07, expires at end of the day.

Deal at home101store: take 20% off everything but Slatkin and previously discounted items using coupon code CHOPSTICKS, good through 8/31.

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Rich Hippie Groovy ~ new fragrance

Rich Hippie Groovy perfumeRich Hippie has launched Groovy, a new unisex fragrance:

It’s an expert combination of Madagascan Mandravasarota Leaf, Canadian Black Spruce, French Grand Fir and Croatian Juniper Berry. The ingredients are of the finest quality and have been wildcrafted…

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Chanel No. 5 ~ perfume review

Chanel no. 5 perfume advert

Nothing says Grand Perfume like a classic aldehydic floral, and nothing says classic aldehydic floral like Chanel No. 5. But I’ll be the first to admit that I often have trouble with aldehydic fragrances. In the name of personal olfactory growth, I’ll be reviewing a week’s worth of classic aldehydic fragrances in the order in which they were created. At the top of the list, by birth date and by reputation, is Chanel No. 5.

Ernest Beaux created Chanel No. 5 in 1921 as part of a suite of nine fragrances he presented to Coco Chanel. Depending on which story you believe, No. 5 was an accident when too much of a particular aldehyde was added to a scent or was a deliberate attempt to replicate Coco’s modern and blatant use of synthetic materials — think of her ropes of faux pearls.

As is true of many perfumes, No. 5 contains more than one type of aldehyde. Aldehydes provide sparkle and can boost the dispersion of some notes. When you get a strong hit of aldehydes right away from a fragrance, chances are that you’re smelling an “aliphatic” aldehyde. Although some people think of a dose of aliphatic aldehydes as “perfume-y” and old fashioned, when Beaux made it the signature of No. 5 (and No. 22), it was revolutionary…

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Online perfume shopping

New at hamptonct: the Tocca fragrances.

New at nordstrom: Thierry Mugler Eau de Star.

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