French niche line Etat Libre d'Orange has launched two new fragrances, Fils de Dieu and Bijou Romantique...

It’s the seasonal interregnum in Seattle. King Winter is waning and Princess Spring is itching to begin her reign/rain. This is the period when amber, musk, incense and oud fragrances start to feel passé and weigh heavily on my body and spirit. As the witch-hazels and camellias bloom and wintersweet scents the air, I yearn for lighter “green”, floral and citrus-y colognes, but right now they too seem a bit “strange” to wear…like the shorts I’m beginning to see on many Seattleites!

Perfumer Ralf Schwieger developed Atelier Cologne Vanille Insensée — Princess Spring’s ‘regent’ — and it fits my mood, and the current (changeable) weather, perfectly: it’s neither too heavy, nor too light — it’s just right.

I have never been a huge fan of vanilla-centered perfumes...

Roses are red, violets are blue...and this "valentine" to Lipstick Rose is long overdue. Seriously, I've intended to write a review of this fragrance for quite a while, but I kept getting distracted by new releases and so on. Sometimes we tend to take our loved ones for granted, in perfume as in relationships, but I've decided not to delay any longer in sharing my thoughts on Lipstick Rose.

Lipstick Rose was launched in 2000 as part of the original product line from Editions de Parfums. It was created for Frédéric Malle by perfumer Ralf Schwieger, and it is described by Editions de Parfums as "a vision of glamorized femininity" that evokes the "bonbon" scent of lipstick; its notes are listed as rose, violet, musk, vanilla, vetiver, and amber. Lipstick Rose has a fizzy, aldehydic opening with a sweet-but-tart raspberry note. The fragrance's heart is a blend of talc-dusted tea rose petals and violet liqueur that does, yes, remind me of certain highly-scented lipstick brands. After Lipstick Rose's flirtatious early development, its base of vetiver and soft musk makes a sophisticated appearance. The lasting dry down is a haze of candied violets and plush, ambery vanilla, with that sly musk lingering beneath. This fragrance has excellent staying power and noticeable sillage (particularly during the first hour or so).

Lipstick Rose is something of a paradox...

Atelier Cologne will launch a sixth fragrance, Vanille Insensée, in February:

He wove through the crowd when suddenly his heart quickened. That scent. It was hers...

Atelier Cologne, a new niche perfume house based in Paris and New York, recently introduced its range of five fragrances. Atelier's signature concept is the “cologne absolue": fragrances inspired by the historic recipe of the original "Eau de Cologne" — a mixture of citrus and herbal ingredients — but blended in stronger concentrations for a richer and more lasting effect. Each of the fragrances in Atelier's debut collection is centered around a citrus motif, and each is intended to embody a "singular moment" of memory and experience.

My current favorite from Atelier is Grand Néroli, created by perfumer Cécile Krakower. Grand Néroli opens with a radiant burst of neroli and orange blossom (those two lovely, but differently-achieved, products of the same flower). This opening accord is soon pierced by more astringent notes of lemon and petitgrain, for a lively blend that mellows after an hour or so. Grand Néroli's middle phase includes a salty aspect with a very subtle “beachy” feeling, but it never becomes as marine-like as Le Labo Neroli 36. The galbanum seems to extend the citrus notes without turning them too green...

Hermès launched Eau des Merveilles in 2004. The fragrance was created by perfumers Ralf Schwieger and Nathalie Feisthauer, and has notes of elemi, bitter orange, Italian lemon, Indonesian pepper, pink pepper, ambergris accord, oak, cedar, vetiver, balsam of Peru and tears of Siam. Eau des Merveilles, or Water of Wonders, was said to have been inspired by ambergris:

"For me, ambergris is a magical material," said Givaudan's perfumer Ralf Schwieger...He explained that it reminds him of the biblical tale of Jonah and the whale, where the prophet was swallowed alive.

"Ambergris has so many facets -- ambery, woody, dark, a salty-sweet concoction with [notes of] ink and tobacco. My idea was to re-create it in my way," he said. (Women's Wear Daily, 12/12/2003)

Fittingly, the finished product has a definite undertone of salty seawater...