Last year, Ragna Rostad-Ruffner of Divine Life Perfumes introduced me to one of my favorite rose scents, Dharma Rose. This year she gave me her two most recent rose scents, Trinity Rose and Rosita. Together the make a lovely trio of compelling fragrances that sit squarely in the “dark rose” genre.
Bruno Fazzolari created several of his scents to be used in conjunction with his art exhibitions. Eventually, he took the plunge and launched a line of these perfumes, which are Monserrat, Lampblack, and Five, adding additional scents inspired by other forms of art, Jimmy and Au Delà.
Mark Twain said it best,”In the Spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather in four and twenty hours.” Our top ten spring fragrances with draws from Tommi Sooni, Serge Lutens, Ormonde Jayne, Penhaligon’s & Etat Libre D’Orange
San Francisco recently hosted our second Salon, and I found some new talent, including Mik, the San Francisco-based perfumer for a new line called MIKMOI. Mik launched his line the day of the Salon, and it was the kind of launch I really appreciate; his Asian-influenced design aesthetics were cohesive and I have to say the perfumes, Ao, Itoh, Aldwych, and Vesper, are delightful.
In 2011, Diptyque released a fragrance called 34 Boulevard Saint Germain. Designed to remind the wearer of the fragrance one would experience on entering the Paris flagship store. This spring, another version was released, L’Eau du Trente-Quatre, to represent the greener aromas that emerge in the shop when Paris heats up in the summertime.
Recently, Brent Leonesio, The Chairman of Smell Bent, confided to me that he was working on a new project that involved not only a new smellie, but a comic book as well. I was excited to see what he was up to, and thrilled when a package arrived containing the comic and a sample of the new perfume, called Sweet Tyranny. I immediately sat down to read and smell.
