Roxana Villa talks the talk and walks the walk.
And I love her for this- among many, many other reasons.
She launches herself whole-heartedly into each endeavor with a full heart and a willing spirit.
Her perfumery is no exception.
She is a perfectionist, romantic visionary for whom botanical is best.
Two of Roxana’s newer compositions are Peace and Gracing the Dawn; she was kind enough to send them last week.
Sylvie Chantecaille has released some nice fragrances for her Chantecaille fragrance line. Frangipane and Jasmine were my favorites of the first five fragrances released under the Chantecaille label. Jasmine was the last release back in 2003 and the fragrances had not recently been widely available. That has all changed as Chantecaille has returned with three new fragrances. Senior Editor Ida Meister, Patty of Perfume Posse and I agree the best of these three is Kalimantan. The other two fragrances Vetyver and Petales are worthy of some attention, too.
This inspiration for Acqua Di Parma Colonia Essenza is confirmed by the press materials where the following statement resides; “Colonia Essenza is a new fragrance that highlights the essence of the original Colonia fragrance. The more recognizable notes and accords that represent the “soul” of Colonia are boosted….” If this was the basic brief the perfumer worked off of, they succeeded and, the first two-thirds of the development of Colonia Essenza take this inspiration and make something inspired until the base unfortunately returns to something all too common and keeps Colonia Essenza from being a complete triumph.
“Oh, Mama ! I could wear this and never tire of it…it’s my drug!” quoth he.
Out of the mouths of babes.
Only, my babe will soon be 20.
But the newest L’Artisan Parfumeur Coeur de Vetiver Sacre creation simply blew him away.
What’s in this potion that makes young existentialist types get the vapors ?
Amanda Walker’s company A Perfume Organic …well, they are for real. The minimally packaged perfumes are presented in charming glass roller bottles inside flower seed embedded paper boxes printed with soy inks. The little sample pouch is similar with its simple undyed fabric, unbleached paper sample cards, simple glass perfume vials. All good. I am reminded of the I Ching’s 22nd hexagram “Grace”. The highest form of “grace” also means “undyed”. The explanation is that true grace is achieved when the outside and the inside match, in a simple, graceful, undyed manner. Perhaps this is the definition of Natural Grace.
If Tania Sanchez is correct the smell that drives men wild is bacon. If the department store fragrance counters are any indication the smell that many perfumers think drive women wild is wood. Because of this tsunami of terpenes hearing there was another woody fragrance on the way was not news. I received the announcement of Kenzo Homme Woody/Boisee’ with a little more anticipation because Olivier Polge was the perfumer behind it and he had made one of the best men’s florals of 2008 in Kenzo Power. Kenzo Homme Woody/Boisee’ succeeds where so many other flankers and woody fragrances have failed previously because of two very simple reasons. First, even though this is a flanker it bears little similarity to the previous fragrance for which it shares its name. Second, even though it says woody on the label it doesn’t have to be an unrelenting parade of wood
