Five perfumers, one from each of the major fragrance and flavor companies, were named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres last week by the French Minister of Culture…
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Browsing by tag: olivier cresp
Penhaligon’s Juniper Sling ~ fragrance review
Penhaligon’s new Juniper Sling was “inspired by London Dry Gin and the gin-drinking Bright Young Things of the 1920s.” Nancy Mitford, Cecil Beaton and Evelyn Waugh were B.Y.T. in England, and let’s throw in some Americans, too: Louise Brooks, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Louis Armstrong will do. How far we’ve dimmed — “our” bright young things include the Kardashian sisters, Justin Bieber, Prince Harry and Pippa (not to mention hoards of reality TV cringe-inducers). Much less depressing to talk about perfume!
Juniper Sling* does smell, upon first sniff, like a fragrant bottle of gin — there’s “booze,” citrus, angelica and vibrant cardamom (the opening is the best part of the fragrance). Under those head notes floats transparent iris and light-smooth leather…
A Food-y Trio: Bond no. 9 I Love New York for All, Jean Paul Gaultier Kokorico, Thierry Mugler A*Men Taste of Fragrance ~ fragrance reviews
Several years ago, the Bond no. 9 van skidded off the road and all perfumers onboard suffered minor head traumas that affected their sense of smell.* After the accident, Bond no. 9 perfumes started to smell alike, as if the same perfumes were being released over and over again, but in different bottles. Recent Bond no. 9 perfumes smell like middling-mainstream fragrances (Bond no. 9 pricing has not been affected, mind you). It’s been years since the debut of a Bond no. 9 fragrance excited me. (Of course, the Bond no. 9 “New York” idea is running out of steam. Pretty soon we’ll be getting “Fire Hydrant, South Corner of Central Park W. and W. 81st St.” in bright yellow bottles.)
Bond no. 9 is not the only perfume company that’s gotten lazy and complacent and pumps out the same type of “stuff” over and over again. When was the last launch that made you mad with desire…after you smelled the scent? At the same time I sniffed Bond no. 9’s new I Love New York for All, I received Thierry Mugler A*Men Taste of Fragrance and Jean Paul Gaultier Kokorico.
Today, I have three short and (cocoa) sweet perfume reviews. These perfumes have a lot in common; they are gourmands with coffee, cocoa, pepper, vanilla, patchouli, indistinct “woods” and sheer musk. I could almost write one review that would cover them all…
Mercedes-Benz ~ new fragrance
Mercedes-Benz will launch their debut fragrance for men in early 2012 under licensing arrangements with INCC Group…
Diesel Loverdose ~ perfume review
According to Women’s Wear Daily, the Italian denim-wear brand Diesel needs to amp up their women’s business “following a long period where it became heavily reliant on men’s sales”. Expect to see higher prices, better fabrics, more shoes and bags, and a more feminine look. Also key: Loverdose, their latest fragrance and part of their overall strategy to attract “a somewhat older customer than before, between the ages 25 to 55, with a sweet spot of around 30.”1
The ad copy for Loverdose is mostly about sex — quelle surprise! — with a splash of rock ‘n roll: yes, sex sells, apparently, whether you’re 15 or 25 or 35. Loverdose is meant to be a “beautiful but deadly narcotic for the senses” and reportedly it includes molecules that “stimulate the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that induces attraction and desire”.2 If it all sounds like the usual fragrance marketing fol-de-rol, luckily, the floriental juice has the same sense of humor as the television commercial, which features model Ashley Smith in a series of more-comical-than-sexy scenarios, and ends with her boyfriend not bothering to wake up when she comes home and kisses him.
Loverdose opens sweet and fizzy…
