Posted by Robin
on
4 February 2008
The Beat is the latest feminine perfume from Burberry, and in keeping with the iconic brand's ongoing efforts to stay trendy and of the moment, it is aimed (what else is new) at a young audience:
With model Agyness Deyn as its face, Beat is targeting a young, urban and hip crowd, said Burberry's creative director Christopher Bailey. “The mood of the fragrance is young, modern, energetic, dynamic, expressive, fun, vigour, verve and spiritedness … All words that describe the mood, inspiration and sense of ebullience that we wanted to evoke.” (via Cosmetics International, 12/14/2007)
The Beat is described as a sparkling floral woody fragrance; the notes feature bergamot, mandarin, Ceylon tea, cardamom, pink pepper, bluebell, iris, white musk, vetiver and cedarwood. It starts very bright, with tart fruit and juicy citrus. There is lots of pink pepper (can anybody remember what perfumes smelled like before pink pepper became obligatory?)…
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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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Posted by Robin
on
15 May 2007
Le Jasmin is one of a series of soliflore fragrances from Annick Goutal (others include Le Muguet, La Violette, Le Chèvrefeuille and Néroli). It was originally released as a limited edition in 2004, and has been recently relaunched, again as a limited edition. Like the others, Le Jasmin was created by Camille Goutal in collaboration with perfumer Isabelle Doyen, and the notes include jasmine, magnolia and ginger.
A commenter yesterday described Serge Lutens A La Nuit as “moist, humid, sultry, alive”, and those four adjectives neatly sum up its character. It is a jasmine-lover’s jasmine, and as much as I love it, “easy to wear” isn’t the first phrase that pops to mind. Le Jasmin is an entirely different sort of jasmine soliflore, and whether you love it or hate it, I don’t think anyone could compare the experience of wearing it to being buried alive in jasmine petals. Annick Goutal calls it “fresh and sparkling”, and I would add “playful and light” to that list…
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Posted by Robin
on
8 March 2007
The Annick Goutal line occupies a rather in-between place among perfume fans — the company probably qualifies as niche based on their size and their limited distribution; still, they are available in a number of mainstream stores (three department stores in my local mall carry them), and the line doesn’t feel niche. The feminine perfumes are emphatically pretty, romantic even; they don’t, like so many niche perfumes, challenge traditional notions of what a woman ought to smell like.
Eau de Camille and Eau de Charlotte are both very much in that mold. They were created by Annick Goutal for her daughters…
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Posted by Robin
on
21 June 2006
The UK-based lingerie line Agent Provocateur released their first fragrance, called simply Agent Provocateur, in 2000. The “exotic floral chypre” was created by perfumer Christian Provenzano, and includes notes of saffron, coriander, rose, jasmine, magnolia, ylang ylang, gardenia, vetiver, amber and musk.
There are fragrances that are sexy in a non-obtrusive kind of way, and then there are fragrances that are sexy in an in-your-face kind of way. Agent Provocateur is in-your-face sexy. It smells, quite simply, like a fragrance that you would wear to seduce someone, which is, after all, the raison d’être of the Agent Provocateur brand…
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