Perfume review: Annick Goutal Mandragore

Posted by Robin on 6 April 2005 41 Comments

Annick Goutal Mandragore

Mandragore is the latest fragrance release from the Annick Goutal line. It was developed by her daughter Camille in collaboration with Isabelle Doyen, the house nose.

Mandragore is, as far as I know, the first fragrance to feature the scent of mandrake, a Eurasian plant with purple flowers and a forked root, long thought to have magical powers. The other notes include bergamot, black pepper, ginger, spearmint, star anise, boxwood, and sage leaf.

Mandragore starts out with dense bergamot and spice notes…

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L’Artisan La Chasse aux Papillons Extreme fragrance review

Posted by Robin on 5 April 2005 26 Comments

La Chasse aux Papillons by L'Artisan Parfumeur

Today I am comparing the new La Chasse aux Papillons Extrême perfume, released by L’Artisan Parfumeur this year, with the original version, now referred to fondly on the fragrance boards as diet La Chasse.

La Chasse aux Papillons was originally released by L’Artisan in 1999. The fragrance was created by nose Anne Flipo, and has notes of citrus, orange blossom, linden, tuberose, and jasmine. La Chasse is one of many fragrances that I dismissed on the first try, only to later become hopelessly smitten. It is the classic, ethereal spring-time white floral, very fresh and girly — a white floral even a white floral hater could love. It starts with light citrus notes and a lovely burst of linden. The orange blossom also adds a nice, dry zing, and helps to balance out the sweetness of the tuberose and jasmine. I wouldn’t exactly call it green, but there are grassy notes as well. It is not an overly complex perfume, but for what it is, it is perfect. Like most of the L’Artisan Eau de Toilettes, it is short lived; it lasts for about 3 to 4 hours on me…

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Perfume shopping

Posted by Robin on 5 April 2005 2 Comments

Senteurs D'Ailleurs in Brussels now has the IUNX line, including all of the fragrances, and a selection of the body products and candles. They do not have online ordering, but they will do mail order if you email them from the website. Unfortunately, there is not yet a list of the IUNX fragrances on the site, but apparently there will be one soon.

The Bergdorf Goodman Beauty event will be April 7 - 9. Get $25 off any $100 purchase, and a number of the lines are including gifts with purchase. As far as I know, you can only get the discount in person or over the phone, not online, but someone please correct me if I am wrong.

Thank you to Melissa for the news that Floris is having their annual sale April 2nd through the 16th. As of now, there are good prices on Malmaison, Tuberose, Vetiver, Seringa, Santal, Limes and others. I have no idea if these are "while supplies last", but many are unboxed so I would suspect that to be the case.

Lusciouscargo now has the Acqua di Parma & Blu Mediterraneo lines.

Sephora is planning to close all their UK stores by May. (via the Moodie Report)

An interview with Luca Turin

Posted by Robin on 4 April 2005 50 Comments

For the true perfume fanatic, Luca Turin needs no introduction. The first edition of his Parfums: Le Guide was published in 1992, and quickly brought him to the attention of perfume fans and perfumers alike. It became the bestselling perfume guide in France, and for many of us, it remains the gold standard of intelligent writing about perfume.

His theory of smell first gained widespread notice through the BBC documentary The Code in the Nose, and was later the subject of Chandler Burr's 2002 book The Emperor of Scent. If you are not familiar with his theory, you can read a very brief background on shape vs. vibration in this ~~article on Olfaction~~ (link no longer working, sorry!). There is a longer article on current theories of olfaction on the Leffingwell site.

Since 2001, Dr. Turin has been with Flexitral, Inc.

The Emperor of Scent leaves off in 1999. Have your theories about how smell works changed since then, and if so, how?
The state of the art has moved on, though the main points remain unchanged…

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