New at beautyhabit: L'Artisan Explosions d'Emotions.
New at neimanmarcus: Jean Patou reissued classics.
Saskia Diez Gold & Silver ~ new fragrances
German jewelry designer Saskia Diez has launched Gold and Silver, two new fragrances developed by perfumer Geza Shoen…
Smell harassment
Japan's environment ministry came up with a novel suggestion earlier this year for women sweating out the summer in hot, energy-scrimping offices. "Combat body odor,'' the ministry suggested in a tip-filled Web page touting its turn-up-the-thermostat campaign, "by using scented fabric softener.'
[...] The ministry's suggestion spurred action by groups such as the Chemical Sensitivity Support Center and the Society Demanding Fragrance Restraint, while bloggers raged about "secondhand Downy." The Japanese media has coined the phrase "sume-hara," for "smell harassment."
— In case you were wondering why perfume houses make lighter fragrances for the Japanese market. Read more at In Japan, Scented Fabric Softeners Wrinkle Some Noses at the Wall Street Journal.
Avon Secrets to Keep Kiss ~ new fragrance
Avon has launched Secrets to Keep Kiss, a new fragrance for women. Secrets to Keep Kiss is a flanker to 2012’s Secrets to Keep…
Grossmith London Floral Veil & Golden Chypre ~ fragrance reviews
Years ago after a friend and I listened to Sarah Vaughan sing her heart-wrenching interpretation of “It Never Entered My Mind,” he turned to me and said, “Well, that song’s been done now. No one else could sing it better.” His comment ran through my mind as I sampled Grossmith Floral Veil and Golden Chypre. Have the ultimate basic floral and floral chypre already been made? There certainly are plenty on the market. Do the Grossmith fragrances have anything new to add — especially at their price?
Floral Veil and Golden Chypre are part of Grossmith’s Black Label Collection. (The collection also includes Amelia and Saffron Rose. Amelia has a dominant woody-musky accord that gives me a headache, and Saffron Rose deserves a true rose lover, so I’m leaving those to other reviewers.) Like the other Grossmith fragrances I’ve tried, Floral Veil and Golden Chypre smell rich, condensed, and expensive, and they last forever on skin. They are Eaux de Parfum, but I can’t imagine Extrait smelling any more luxurious. But are they interesting and compelling…