The "behind the scenes" for the photo shoot in support of Jessica Simpson Fancy.
Bunch o’ limited edition collector bottles 2008, part 7
More limited edition collector fragrance bottles, with the usual disclaimers: in most of these cases, the juice is unchanged, just the bottle is “special” (or not, as the case may be), and some of these may not be available in the US.
L’édition Luxe L de Lolita Lempicka, in a limited edition, signed and numbered (1805 bottles were made) Baccarat crystal flacon. 50 ml Extrait de Parfum, 800€ at Sephora in France…
Jo Malone Sweet Lime & Cedar ~ perfume review
Jo Malone’s new Sweet Lime & Cedar cologne was reportedly inspired by Thai food — the notes include sweet lime, jasmine, ylang ylang, coconut, tonka bean, pandanus leaf, tamarind, cardamom and cedar — and that’s fine with me: I love Thai food.
The opening is strong citrus with lots of greenery, and for a few seconds, it reminded me very much of Jo Malone’s Lime Basil & Mandarin, a popular scent that I understand is one of their bestsellers, but which I find unforgivably brash (apologies to its fans). Happily, Sweet Lime & Cedar softens rapidly, and then it’s just right: a mild, summer-y blend of citrus and woods. It isn’t a spice-fest and I don’t think I would have thought of Thai food on my own: the coconut is hardly noticeable, and the overall character isn’t really foody anyway. Still, the pandanus leaf (not a note I am familiar with, but it’s said to have nutty and hay-like accents, and both are present here) and tamarind add slightly exotic elements…
Soulless products
My heroes are the people who try to stay true to their vision despite the industry and its pressure, the ones fighting against soulless products, the ones making sure there is a connection between the juice, the name, the packaging and the positioning: anybody who loves the product enough to make sure it will be done right. How do you expect an emotional response to a product that you don't love yourself?
— Perfumer Cecile Krakower, quoted in Marian Bendeth's Scent Treks Through Time series at Basenotes.
Reminiscence Sol La, Si Do ~ new perfumes
Reminiscence has launched Sol La and Si Do, the second two fragrances in a projected series exploring musical and gourmand themes, Les Notes Gourmandes (see Do Ré and Mi Fa). Sol La and Si Do were developed by perfumer Jacques Flori.
Sol La ~ a citrus gourmand with notes of citron, bergamot, orange, bigarade, eucalyptus, lavender, pine, rosemary, heliotrope, almond, cedar, sandalwood, patchouli, tonka bean, benzoin and musk…