Floris has launched Madonna of the Almonds (shown above left), a limited edition perfume for women. The scent is being introduced in conjunction with the novel of the same name by author Marina Fiorato — “an unforgettable story of love and art set against the backdrop of the Italian wars”.
Fresh zesty citrus notes of bergamot and lemon, so redolent of Italy, mingle with the delicate floral accord…
At first, it didn’t look like my quick pass through a neighborhood thrift store would yield much. I did find a 1950s Red Wing dinner plate with a lotus on it that matched plates I had at home, and I considered buying a bundle of satin-padded hangers in peach, pale yellow, and coral. But just as I was ready to leave, I saw a familiar bottle on a shelf next to a stack of bruised guest soaps. It was a full bottle of Keiko Mecheri Passiflora Eau de Parfum. I’d just seen bottles at Takashimaya in New York for $115. This one was $10. How the bottle made its way to Portland and ultimately to the thrift shop, I’ll never know. A gift from a spurned lover? A sudden allergy to scent? Who cares? It’s mine now.
The Keiko Mecheri website lists Passiflora’s notes as passion fruit, floral notes, lychee, green mango, yellow fruits, and white musk. It says that Passiflora is “a perfume from a remote paradise island, an abundance of exotic notes, a zesty green and tangy touch comforted by crystalline musk” and adds that it is “mischievous, sparkling”.
Yes, Passiflora is a fruity floral…
Flora is lighter, the floral scent of course evokes a younger consumer, and she has a hedonistic, daring side. I don’t want to say that Flora is the daughter of Gucci by Gucci but maybe the younger sister.*
That’s Frida Giannini, Gucci’s creative director, explaining how Gucci’s new Flora fragrance fits into the larger scheme of things. I’m guessing she didn’t want to call Flora the daughter of Gucci by Gucci because she didn’t want to position Gucci by Gucci as so very old as all that, but in fact the two are light years apart — as near as I can tell, the “woods for women” / “masculine notes for women” (or whatever you want to call it) trend that Gucci by Gucci rode in on is over almost before we had time to adjust to it. Flora smells very of-the-moment: it’s light, clean, fresh and pretty, which I hope is what perfume consumers were after this spring because there’s plenty of it on the counters at the moment.
The notes for Flora are listed as citrus, peony, rose, osmanthus, pink pepper, sandalwood and patchouli, but they don’t matter too much: this is a sheer, almost-sparkling floral, very pale and clean, in which nothing stands out other than the peony…
Celine Dion has launched Spring in Provence, a new limited edition fruity floral green fragrance for women:
Provence in the spring…a magical journey for the senses. The warmth radiating from the hills in the golden light. Floods of amazing colorful flowers coming into bloom and inviting you to share their smile. Provence inspires Celine Dion’s art, her lyrics, her heart – and her new Limited Edition fragrance…
Vera Wang’s little Princess has grown up — a bit:
She’d trade her tiara in for a new guitar, attend a concert instead of the prom. Introducing Rock Princess, the daring new fragrance from Vera Wang. The fragrance is a dark, fruity floral with sultry attitude and modern style. It is edgy, but seductively sweet. Vera Wang Rock Princess – the music, the spirit, the new fragrance!*
Rock Princess is the second flanker to 2006′s Princess (it follows last year’s Flower Princess), and as you can see from the ad copy, it’s geared towards a slightly older audience, presumably one that has a later bedtime.
The juice has been tweaked to match. It’s still a fruity floral, but as advertised, it’s darker…
Another corpse flower has bloomed at Western Illinois U, & they're expecting 2 more... http://t.co/oRnROz6j (& they've got live video)