Montale Mango Manga: An Animated Fruity Floral

July 23, 2010July 23, 2010

The Japanese market has always been seen as a market, maybe even a world, apart from Western aesthetics. The assumption behind the great majority of fragrances inspired by or for a Japanese aesthetic is that light clean lines are what are desired. When I am thinking about fragrance Houses that embody that kind of style, one that would be low on my list would be Montale. It was with a great deal of surprise when I read in 2005 that Montale was making a Japanese market exclusive fragrance, Mango Manga. I thought it would be so very interesting to see a perfumer who is all about bold powerful notes try and adapt his style for this different audience. Now in 2010 Mango Manga has been released to the rest of the world and we can all enjoy Pierre Montale’s Eastern vision.

NEW FRAGRANCE: Hermes Eau Claire des Merveilles- Got Milk Accord?

July 21, 2010

In 2004 Ralf Schweiger and Nathalie Feisthauer created a burst of citrus, spice and wood meant to resemble ambergris.
In 2010 Jean-Claude Ellena is once again headed back to the Merveilles well and has created a third flanker called Eau Claire des Merveilles. This time around the only similarity in the notes used comes at the end, as in all of the Merveilles flankers, it is about a woody/ambery finish. Unlike the other three versions this trip is totally different in arriving at that finish

EnVoyage Perfumes Carmel de Ville: Olfactive Landscapes Of The Monterey Peninsula

July 20, 2010July 20, 2010

Certainly one of the most successful examples of this kind of artistry are the first two fragrances in Hermes “Un Jardin” series; Un Jardin en Mediterranee and Un Jardin sur Le Nil. For both of those fragrances the perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena spent time in the Meditteranean and near The Nile and let his nose become the way we would experience his impressions of those locales. I am reminded of this by perfumer Shelley Waddington and her Carmel By The Sea Series for her Envoyage Perfumes label

Parfums de Nicolai L’Eau Mixte: Mixing Up Eau De Cologne

July 19, 2010

It has been a very good year for perfumers to re-interpret the eau de cologne style of fragrance construction. Each new iteration has seen some of the most talented perfumers we have, take the classic architecture of eau de cologne and impose their own design on this venerable style of fragrance.
Patricia de Nicolai makes some interesting additions to make L’Eau Mixte an Eau de Cologne all her own.

Bourbon French Parfums: There Is A Perfume House In New Orleans

July 18, 2010

There is a house in New Orleans, no it’s not the “House of the Rising Sun”, but a perfumery that has existed for over 150 years. Unlike in The Animals classic song, the House of Bourbon French Parfums, hasn’t been the ruin of many poor boys although they might have made a few perfumistas poor.
Since 1843, Bourbon French Parfums haven’t changed very much, although the name has. From the earliest days until the present whoever “le nez” has been, they were influenced by all that makes New Orleans a special American city.

Demeter Fragrance Library Funeral Home-Sometimes You Need a Fragrant Smile

July 17, 2010July 17, 2010

When I contacted Demeter and asked for a sample to review and I told them they could send me anything I realized that anything is exactly what I could get. When my box arrived from Demeter I eagerly opened it and found waiting inside, Funeral Home. My first reaction was “Ewwww!” but then much like Bill Cosby in his famous “Chocolate Cake for Breakfast” monologue; I stopped and thought what could be in Funeral Home. Flowers…flowers would be in Funeral Home. Polished wood…..polished wood would be in Funeral Home. Clean carpet…clean carpet would be in Funeral Home. Flowers, wood and clean carpet that sounds like a fragrance, six sprays of Funeral Home coming up!