Opium was born middle-aged, and all the better for it. From day one, it was the come-hither perfume of the tanned woman in furs who is beginning to look a great deal more beautiful than her husband. Naturally, young women loved it because it suggested a past that would take some time to explain.
— Luca Turin in Notes from the nose -- Opium at NZZ Folio.
Then, in our madcap Saks round, [Luca] Turin randomly sprayed on a Guerlain eau de toilette that, he said, was the only thing he wore for years. I loved it. Eau de Guerlain is pure, unsweet citrus, with a lingering light verbena scent on the drydown. "If you want citrus, there is simply nothing better out there," his review says. Bergamot and citrus, also the dominant notes in Eau Sauvage, are apparently what I want.
— Food writer Corby Kummer goes shopping for a new fragrance in A Rose by Another Name at Technology Review.
Tiaré goes one further and takes on the most impregnably classical thing of all: the feminine citrus floral.
For reference, this category includes such marvels as Caron’s Alpona, Diorella and Chanel’s Cristalle, i.e. what Diana the Huntress might wear on a big night. Tiaré is clearly modeled on Cristalle, with a haughty, silken freshness up top and a green, acidic, olive-oil fruitiness below. But Linda Pilkington does not know her place: Tiaré is better than its model, richer, more complicated, more interesting.
— Luca Turin, in Notes from the nose -- Tiare at NZZ Folio, with many thanks to Abyss for the link!
Perfumistas will want to take note of two special events hosted by the Smithsonian Resident Associate Program in Washington, DC this coming February:
The Art of Fragrance (In Collaboration with the Embassy of France With Sparkling Wine Toast) with Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez, Friday, 5 February at 6:45 pm:
Tonight, we cut through the usual perfume-babble to illuminate the art of fragrance…
Another corpse flower has bloomed at Western Illinois U, & they're expecting 2 more... http://t.co/oRnROz6j (& they've got live video)