L’Artisan Parfumeur will launch Côte d’Amour in May. The new perfume has been certified natural by Ecocert, and follows 2007’s L’Eau de Jatamansi, the brand’s first foray into the natural perfume market.
Côte d’Amour is a salty aquatic fragrance developed by perfumer Celine Ellena…
Sublime Balkiss is the lastest from perfumer Celine Ellena at The Different Company. The modern (i.e., oakmoss-free, i.e., not chypre-ish) chypre fragrance was named for the Queen of Sheba, and features two kinds of patchouli: the traditional essence, and a “modified modern patchouli” which emphasizes the cocoa powder notes.
Sublime Balkiss opens on a veritable berry-fest: it's juicy and rich, like a dark berry liqueur with a touch of sparkle (the notes, in addition to the patchouli: bergamot, violet, blueberry, blackberry, blackcurrant, lily of the valley, rose, lilac). The base is dry, earthy-woody and smooth, with hints of spice but only very subtle cocoa…
The Different Company has launched Sublime Balkiss, a “surprising fragrance, with a familiar touch to it”. It is named for Balkiss, aka the Queen of Sheba, and is described as a modern chypre fragrance without oakmoss (real or synthetic) or animal-derived raw materials.
Sublime Balkiss was developed by perfumer Celine Ellena, and features two kinds of patchouli: the traditional essence, and a modified modern patchouli which emphasizes the cocoa powder notes…
According to my local weather forecast, it is currently “46°F Feels Like 39°F”. I can vouch for the “feels like” part — it is darned cold and dreary for May. I considered just staying in bed, but instead I thought I’d spray on a bit of the tropics today…
First up, Floral Solaire (or Golden Floral), the fourth release from niche line Filles des Iles. Filles des Iles is the latest venture from the same team that brought us the strikingly unconventional fragrance Dinner by Bobo — remember that one? It was once described, somewhere (sorry I can’t remember where), as meat served by a sweaty waiter. This time around, they’re doing rather conventional tropical florals, which presumably have more widespread appeal. Floral Solaire, developed by perfumer Celine Ellena, is described as “an expressive, teasing and fascinating scent”, and features notes of cedrat, star fruit, tropical breeze, passion fruit, lily, tiara, orchid, flamboyant, amber, benzoin, soft sand, musk and vanilla.
Tropical floral is probably not my favorite category to begin with…
Celine Ellena, daughter of Jean Claude Ellena and a perfumer in her own right (see The Different Company Sel de Vetiver, among others), talks to Smithsonian Magazine about what it is like to be a perfumer today, and answers the burning question of whether or not she talks shop with her father. On why humans feel the urge to wear perfume:
At the beginning, I think, we created fragrances to talk with God. Fragrance is mysterious. Now when you wear fragrance, you want to send a mysterious message. You want people to smell you, to be listening.
Read the rest at Smithsonian magazine (link no longer active, sorry!), and many thanks to Aimee for the link!