nstperfume » fragrance notes

La Lavande & L’Immortelle

Robin — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 12:13:15 +0000

First, A short video about growing lavender in Provence. Below the jump, growing immortelle in Corsica. Both videos are from L’Occitane.

See also: another video about lavender, this one from Lush. Plus, vetiver, neroli, sandalwood, ylang.

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The story of sandalwood

Robin — Tue, 11 May 2010 14:20:13 +0000

Simon Constantine of Lush talks about the world sandalwood market. It isn’t the most visually stimulating video ever, but provides a good introduction to the subject.

Below the jump, another video from Lush, this one about a sustainable sandalwood source in New Caledonia. Here you’ll see how the trees are processed to make sandalwood oil.

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Ylang!

Robin — Mon, 03 May 2010 14:52:18 +0000

Harvesting and distilling organic ylang ylang in Madagascar. Video from Aura Cacia.

Lavender!

Robin — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:28:49 +0000

Another raw materials video from Lush (see yesterday's Neroli! if you missed it), this one about lavender being harvested and distilled in Provence.

Neroli!

Robin — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 14:33:31 +0000

Harvesting and distilling orange blossoms in Nabeul, Tunisia. Video from Lush.

The men really like the smell of this

Robin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:57:36 +0000

This video from the World Wildlife Federation shows Himba women in Namibia harvesting omumbiri¹ and making perfume. About 4 minutes long. You can read more about this project at The Nature Conservancy.

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My bff vetiver

Robin — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:22:39 +0000

For anyone who isn't familiar with vetiver outside of the world of perfume, here is a video (rather long, nearly 8 minutes) on the use of vetiver in erosion control in Hawaii.

And here's another, from Ethiopia.

Perfumista tip: on reformulations, or why your favorite perfume doesn’t smell like it used to

Robin — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:32:21 +0000

One of the many hazards of writing about perfumes is that they’re not static objects. If you pick up a new bottle of Jean Couture Coriandre, what you’ll smell won’t be at all what I smelled when I first bought it in the late 1970s. It might not even be the same as what I smelled when I reviewed Coriandre a couple years ago, and found it to be an entirely different animal than the scent I remembered. The Coriandre you smell tomorrow, or next month, or next year, might have changed yet again.

This has obvious implications for anyone blogging about perfume or reading perfume blogs. When you read a perfume review, unless it’s about a perfume that launched recently, you can’t be sure that what you’ll smell in the stores is the exact same fragrance.

This article is meant as a very basic primer on reformulation, and most of what I’ll cover is well-known to seasoned perfumistas.

Perfumes get reformulated all the time, and they always have. Why? Well, there are any number of reasons. Sometimes companies substitute cheaper ingredients as a cost-saving measure…

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Lazy Thursday poll ~ the perfume that changed your mind

Robin — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 23:17:56 +0000

Before the poll, I wanted to mention that I've removed the link to create a new reader account. That means that the only people who can comment, for the moment, are those of you who were already signed up for reader accounts. We're planning to move Now Smell This in a few weeks (knock on wood) and since everyone is going to have to sign up all over again, it seemed sensible to prevent anyone from taking the time to sign up for an account that would only be active for a short time.

I should also note that getting the new site ready is taking up much of my time at the moment. I haven't been writing as many perfume reviews as I usually do, and that will probably continue to be true until we move to our new website.

Today's poll was suggested by Tama. Was there a fragrance note you hated until you tried perfume x…

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Perfumista tip: on getting to know fragrance notes

Robin — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:59:27 +0000

One of the many obstacles facing perfume consumers today is how to go about finding fragrances they might like in the great sea of new releases. As I've written in the past, reading the list of fragrance notes for a given perfume can be misleading, but sometimes it's about all you have to go on other than the ad visuals or celebrity sponsorship. Just because you find Jude Law sexy as all get out, it doesn't mean you're going to love Dior Homme Sport; likewise, just because you like jasmine and saffron, it doesn't mean Ungaro by Ungaro is going to appeal to you.

Still, it helps to know a little something about fragrance notes. Most of us have neither the time nor the inclination to smell absolutely everything. Figuring out which notes you find attractive and which you detest can at least help you to narrow down your choices…

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