Posted by Kevin
on
31 August 2011
The perfume world is fickle. Though some perfume notes are perennial favorites — bergamot, sandalwood, and petitgrain come to mind — other ingredients become “problematic” over time. Once, Calone was all the rage…then, one day, perhaps due to overuse or a style shift in perfumery, Calone smelled dated. Not that long ago, rose-rich perfumes were considered passé. (Alongside antiquated rose were the scents of oak moss and carnation — suffering not only from associations with old times and ‘old folks,’ but difficult to work with, or re-create, due to IFRA restrictions.) Then, rose had a renaissance, a facelift, an attitude adjustment, and became “young” again, and is used in all manner of mainstream and niche perfumes, including men’s fragrances. Oak moss and carnation are still waiting for their rejuvenation treatments.
So, how do you “update” a dated aroma? How do you transform old-fashioned carnation, that much-maligned flower, associated with death, bad luck and bad taste, into something modern, edgy and desirable? One way would be to make carnation brazen: accent every facet of its scent, amplify its impact with newer, unusual perfume materials, make it bloom in a new way. Another tactic is familiar from the world of food…
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Posted by Robin
on
15 October 2007
Today is Blog Action Day, when “bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind”. Some 14,000+ 20,000+ blogs are participating. This year’s theme is the environment, so I’m highlighting a few of my favorite natural fragrances, and in the post below this one, you’ll find Pia’s review of scented cleaning items from Earth Friendly Products.
If you’ve never explored natural perfumery, now is the perfect time. For one thing, you’ve more choice than ever before: there are literally dozens of natural perfume lines, and anyone who thinks natural fragrances aren’t as sophisticated as those made with synthetics might be surprised by the range of offerings…
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Rereading Robin’s recent reviews of carnation fragrances, I was inspired finally to open the bar of Roger & Gallet Carnation soap that has been resting on my bathroom shelf for a while. Carnation is one of my favorite notes in perfumes, second only to rose, and I have just started to explore carnation-scented body products to accompany some of my fragrances.
The Roger & Gallet website is full of information about the company and its products, including a history of the company (which dates back to the Napoleonic era) and a lively feature on its perfumed soaps. In 1879, Roger & Gallet released a lavender-scented soap in an innovative round shape: until then, they claim, commercial soaps had only been produced in squares and rectangles. These circular luxuries became trademark products for Roger & Gallet, and the company still takes pride in the quality of its soap. According to the website, the soap’s vegetal base is manufactured by a “traditional cauldron method” and is “core-fragranced” with essential oils. Each finished soap looks like a gift, wrapped in pleated paper and sealed with a decorative paper ring bearing the company seal, which almost seems a shame to open…
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Posted by Robin
on
10 May 2007
A friend very kindly sent me some Malmaison by Floris so that I could wrap up last week’s posts on carnation (see Lorenzo Villoresi Garofano, Etro Dianthus, Caron Bellodgia). I had not smelled it in several years, and was surprised to find how closely it matched my memory — it is lovely stuff.
Malmaison was originally released by Floris in the first half of the 19th century; it was reformulated and relaunched in 2000. I do not know the notes, but it is reportedly based on the “rare Malmaison carnation“, and it is closer to the modern conception of a soliflore than any of the other carnation scents I’ve discussed so far. The top notes are, quite literally, a burst of fall spices…
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Posted by Robin
on
2 May 2007
Bellodgia, which according to Caron has long been “a particular favorite of American customers”, was inspired by the Italian town of Bellagio on Lake Como and is intended to evoke “fields of carnations smothered in sunlight”. It was created by perfumer Ernest Daltroff and introduced in 1927; additional notes include rose, jasmine, violet, lily of the valley, sandalwood, vanilla and musk.
Bellodgia in Parfum opens heady and sweet, and calms to a rich, dense fragrance, peppery-spicy and warm, with the floral notes layered over the traditional dark Caron base…
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