Maison Francis Kurkdjian will launch Aqua Vitae in August. The new spicy and fresh unisex fragrance was inspired by a trip to Formentera…
Jean Paul Gaultier Le Beau Male ~ fragrance review
As the world warms up, an uncomfortable-looking, badly proportioned and PhotoShopped piece of sun-broiled beefcake (tattooed of course) contorts himself on a sheet of melting ice, using a threatened species’ hide as a cushion; welcome to the world of Le Beau Mâle*, Jean Paul Gaultier’s latest men’s fragrance. I would describe this “world” as ugly, dumb…not sexy. If you have about 20 minutes of your life to spare (waste), watch the annoying, disjointed, and, I assume, unintentionally, funny Le Beau Mâle promotional videos — talk about much ado about nothing! The Francis Kurkdjian interview is especially weird; he compares Le Beau Mâle to the comic book series Largo Winch; Lady Chatterley’s Lover; You Can Leave Your Hat On (the Joe Cocker song from 9½ Weeks); and A Streetcar Named Desire (Marlon Brando version). Succinctly put, my reaction to all this, the print ads, the videos, and the perfume, was: “WTF!”
Le Beau Mâle is billed as a fresher take (a mix of “hot” and “cold” notes) on original Le Mâle…
Ted Lapidus White Soul Gold & Diamonds ~ new perfume
Ted Lapidus has launched White Soul Gold & Diamonds, a new flanker to 2010’s White Soul…
Lavender remains in the family DNA
Perfumer Francis Kurkdjian answers questions — lots of questions, some technical, some personal, some just inane — about the new Jean Paul Gaultier Le Beau Male; below the jump, Jean Paul weighs in. Both films are apparently designed to be cut and shown in shorter segments, so the opening repeats several times.
(And if you missed it, find behind the scenes of the photo shoot here.)
Home fragrance: Papier d’Armenie, part 2
Back in 2006, Kevin wrote a detailed post about Papier d’Arménie, the traditional French incense papers soaked in an alcohol-based mixture of benzoin and other aromatics. At the time, he sent me some to try, and I’ve since purchased more. I’ve continued to use them from time to time as an easy (and cheap) way to scent my home — all you do is rip a small sheet out of the package, fold it like an accordian, and light it.1 I like the scent best from a room or so away (as Kevin pointed out, it can smell a bit harsh from close up), and I like it even better unburned; a few loose papers will nicely scent a drawer.
Later, I got my hands on some of the La Rose papers (see above) that perfumer Francis Kurkdjian developed for the Papier d’Arménie brand in 2009.2 These smell just fabulous unlit: sweeter, creamier, more floral and less harsh than the original. Burned, I do like them a little better than the originals, but the rose is much clearer in the unlit paper. And again, they work nicely as sachets.
But the reason for today’s post is a more recent discovery, although it was released earlier: the Francis Kurkdjian version of Papier d’Arménie developed for the “Year of Armenia in France” in 2006…