Dawn Spencer Hurwitz has repackaged her Essence Oil line, and added five new fragrances:
Hula Hula ~ “A lusciously sweet tropical nectar! This flowery, creamy, fruity-citrus scent is kind of like a deliciously sexy mixed drink and a Hawaiian sunset…”
New at first-in-fragrance (Germany): Ulrich Lang Anvers 2.
New at sephora: Christian Dior Midnight Poison.
The luscious aroma of flowers attracts lovers, and the biological role of that smell is similar: to attract pollinators. “Plants need to attract insects, bats and hummingbirds to transfer the pollen and create fertile seeds,” says Hugh Iltis, professor emeritus of botany at UW-Madison.
— From Curiosities: Why Do Flowers Smell, And Why Do Plants Smell, Too?, in Science Daily, with thanks to Ruth for the link and post title!
In 1927, Jeanne Lanvin asked André Fraysse to create a perfume for her daughter’s 30th birthday. Fraysse was only 27 years old, but with Paul Vacher’s help he created what is often recognized as the second great aldehydic floral fragrance, and one of the five most esteemed in the world: Arpège.
Hubert Fraysse reformulated Arpège in 1993. I haven’t smelled the original Arpège, but the consensus seems to be that the reformulation is a respectful play on the original. Combining Osmoz and Basenotes’s information for the newest version of Arpège yields topnotes of aldehydes, bergamot, neroli, and peach; a heart of jasmine, rose, lily of the valley, ylang ylang, coriander, and tuberose; and a base of sandalwood, vanilla, tuberose, vetiver, patchouli, and styrax.
Where Chanel No. 5 is languid, Arpège is full-bodied. If No. 5 is a vase of summer flowers, then Arpège is that same vase three days later, flowers ripe and spicy, with a dirtier base…
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