2011 in Review: 25 to Remember This Year By; Mona di Orio, Bertrand Duchaufour, and Pierre Guillaume Lead The Way

December 28, 2011December 28, 2011

As the end of the year arrives it is time to look back over all that the last twelve months have produced and list the best of the year. In 2011, I tested 471 new releases and reviewed 207 of them. Even those numbers didn’t allow me to test half of the new releases for the year. The fast and furious nature of these releases makes it difficult for anyone to truly have a handle on everything that came out in any given year. That being said out of those new fragrances I did try there were some pretty amazing releases.

NEW FRAGRANCE REVIEW Isabey L’Ambre de Carthage “The Third Reconstruction”

December 27, 2011December 27, 2011

Both Isabey and Carthage survived being lost only to arise again. The Isabey perfumes are being slowly re-created and released and in 2011 we get the third reconstruction L’Ambre de Carthage.

NEW FRAGRANCE REVIEW: Czech & Speake Vetiver Vert “For A Green Man”

December 25, 2011December 25, 2011

As we entered the fall I heard a rumor that Czech and Speake was going to be adding their first new fragrance since 2003 and it was going to be a vetiver based fragrance. As we moved further into the fall some of the UK based members of the internet forums got a chance to try Vetiver Vert and the verdict was it was good and in some of those early tester’s words it was spectacular.

My Favorite Gingerbread Fragrances + Secret Scent-a-Claus Draw

December 24, 2011December 25, 2011

My favorite sensorial aspect of the holidays is no different as my touchstone scent is gingerbread. I thought I’d build a fragrant Gingerbread House of my favorite five fragrances, four walls and a roof Our draw is from a secret santa.

CaFleureBon Green X-Mas 2011: ‘Twas The Night Before Natural Perfumers’ Christmas

December 24, 2011December 24, 2011

It seems every holiday season I am somehow compelled to edit “’Twas the Night Before Christmas”, by Clement Clarke Moore, into something amusing, I hope. For 2011 I am imagining a fine smelling house crammed full of Natural Perfumers on Christmas Eve. The Christmas tree above is our own Editor Tama Blough’s complete with natural goodies and soy milk for Scent-a Claus.

FRAGRANCE REVIEW: Strange Invisible Perfumes Dimanche + Sunday Lunch in Paris Draw

December 23, 2011December 26, 2011

Alexandra Balahoutis is one of the most talented natural perfumers because she is uncompromising in using natural ingredients to realize her vision. Early in the year Ms. Balahoutis released a very limited edition named Dimanche.