Van Cleef & Arpels will launch Féerie Rose des Neiges, a new limited edition fragrance for women, in September. Féerie Rose des Neiges was inspired by the rose Fée des neiges, and is a flanker to 2008′s Féerie…
Van Cleef & Arpels has launched Precious Oud, a new addition to 2009′s Collection Extraordinaire. Precious Oud is a tribute to the “legendary ingredient, oud wood”, and was developed by perfumer Amandine Marie…
Tsars come in all shapes, sizes and scents — from the gigantic, most likely musky-cumin-y-indolic-smelling Peter the Great (Unwashed) to the diminutive Nicholas II who had a penchant for fine French and English toiletries. Van Cleef & Arpels’ “fancy”-fougère Tsar was developed by perfumer Philippe Bousseton, and released in 1989. When I first smelled it long ago, Tsar was “too much” to bear (or wear); today, not many perfumes are too much for me, so I decided to give Tsar a re-try.
Tsar includes fragrance notes of bergamot, artemisia, rosemary, caraway seed, juniper berry, cinnamon, geranium, jasmine, pine, vetiver, oak moss, sandalwood and amber. Tsar begins with the scents of bergamot, artemisia (wormwood), juniper berry and a droplet of cinnamon oil. Quickly, one smells rosemary, pine and geranium leaf. Tsar’s opening is “green”, but NOT crisp or juicy; it’s smooth and polished. As Tsar segues into its heart notes, I detect creamy “white flowers” in quantity small enough not to annoy, or scare, manly-men. Tsar’s base smells of amber-y wood tinged “green” with moss.
What is Tsar’s overall effect? Imagine a scrubbed-clean gentleman…
Van Cleef & Arpels has launched Un Air de First, a new fragrance for women. Un Air de First is a flanker to the house’s debut perfume, 1976′s First, and promises to be modern but faithful to the spirit of the original…
What does midnight in Paris smell like? In spring and summer, the warm atmosphere heightens the scents of grass, earth, and flowers in the gardens; aromas of food and drink waft from bistros and cafes. Year-round one smells cigarette smoke, exhaust fumes, cologne on passersby …and dog turds. I don’t remember midnight in Paris smelling like tonka beans, but judging by Van Cleef & Arpels Midnight in Paris Pour Homme, tonka beans perfume the Seine, the fountains, the air.
Tonka bean is on the verge of becoming the “new violet leaf” in men’s fragrances; it’s everywhere. I bought some tonka beans (Dipteryx odorata) from a local herbal apothecary and perfumery so I could smell the real thing (1 oz of tonka beans costs around $2.50). Tonka beans smell a lot like (musky-nutty) vanilla and are used in the making of desserts as well as in perfumes (when I smell tonka beans I think of nougats, frostings, sweet syrups, custards). In the U.S., tonka beans, which contain coumarin, have been banned from use in foods since 1954 due to their blood-thinning properties, but that hasn’t stopped chefs from using the fragrant beans.
Midnight in Paris Pour Homme is billed as a “floral-leather” fragrance…
Stella McCartney in conversation with Alexandra Shulman (video, talks about new scent L.I.L.Y) http://t.co/VAKYigvK "French parfumier Guerlain on trial over 'race slurs'" article at Telegraph http://t.co/lVDxoZMi Vote for NST's Mood Board on FB and win a Zoya Nail Polish collection! http://t.co/MXHMN7I3