It’s funny how my brain will absorb and retain information from fashion-and-beauty magazines when I’m getting so forgetful in some other areas. When I heard that Serge Normant was planning to release a fragrance, I nodded sagely to myself and thought, “Ah yes, Julia Roberts’s stylist.” I’m not even a Julia Roberts fan, so why do I know and remember this fact? Obviously, the ink used to print women’s glossies has some sort of peculiar chemical-bonding effect on my brain.

In any case: stylist Serge Normant’s first fragrance is Avah, a composition of ylang ylang, jasmine, amber, soft woods, and musks with the tagline “Enter the exotic.” It’s formulated to be worn on hair as well as skin, which makes sense for the brand. The name “Avah” supposedly means “desire” and “life,” although I haven’t been able to track down that etymology. (Let me know if you have a better idea of its origin!) In the “making of” video for Avah and its ad, Normant mentions his interest in making women look (and smell) “sexy without hitting people over the head” and he describes the scent and its visuals as having a style of “rawness with a little touch of sophistication.”

That all sounds just about right…

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