Hermès will celebrate the 10th anniversary of their 24, Faubourg fragrance, created by perfumer Maurice Roucel in 1995 (aren't they a year late?), with the Carré de Soie collection: a limited edition bottle (Eau de Toilette in 50 and 100 ml) and matching scarf. Look for it in September. (via cosmoty.de)
Chandler Burr's Scent Strip: fragrance in The New York Times
Scent Strip is a new regular column on fragrance in T: The New York Times Style Magazine. Chandler Burr, the author, has been widely touted as the “first full-time perfume critic for an English-language newspaper” (see The Guardian, also CosmeticsDesign, Gawker, and an interview with Basenotes, among many others). More from Burr in The Guardian:
He argues that the industry as a whole will benefit because the column will enliven public interest.
“All false humility aside, I and the New York Times hope it will do that…”
Home fragrance: L'Occitane Amber Home Perfume Spray
I have always loved the smell of amber in perfumery. Ages ago, I was told by a not-very-well-informed pharmacist-herbalist that amber aroma came from a tree — it was “just the resin” of a fragrant plant from India. I took him at his word until I went into a Beverly Hills aromatherapy boutique and asked for amber essential oil. The clerk grimaced and said: “There is no such thing.” Abashed, I did not ask for an explanation and one was not offered. Investigations commenced.
The scent of “amber” (as most of us know it) is an Indian creation — a blend of fragrant oils, waxes, gums, resins and powders. Amber is used in Ayurvedic medicine as a calming agent; its use relaxes one for enlightening meditation or…good sex. This fragrance blend may have been created to mimic the scent of rare and expensive ambergris — thus the name “amber” (derived from the Arabic word “anbar”, meaning “ambergris”). Amber recipes vary widely, but most contain benzoin, sandalwood, patchouli, and frankincense; myrrh, vetiver, agarwood, cedarwood, and any number of spices and floral notes may be added to the mix…
Prada Tendre ~ fragrance review
Prada released the Prada Tendre fragrance earlier this year. It was created by Carlos Benaim and Clement Gavarry, who also worked on the original Prada fragrance, and the notes include citrus, mandarin, neroli, bergamot, maté leaves, cedar, cardamom, plum, vanilla, incense, jasmine, vetiver, patchouli leaves, sandalwood, labdanum and benzoin.
Like Calvin Klein’s Euphoria Blossom, Prada Tendre was developed to perform in the lucrative Asian market where heavy fragrances do not sell, and again as with Euphoria Blossom, its olfactory relationship to its parent fragrance is not entirely obvious on first sniff. Mind you, the original amber accord is still there, but it is no longer the star of the show…
Eau D'New York in The Summer: the smell of the Big Apple, part two
Eau D'New York in The Summer (link to audio broadcast and transcript) is a radio piece by Beth Fertig, in which she and fragrance designer Ann Gottlieb check out the smells of the big city in August, very much like the recent Washington Post article Eau Dear: Sniffing Out the Big Apple's Smelliest Spots. Many thanks to Stanzi for the link!