News: 451 posts

Frédéric Malle is introducing a new home collection called Rubber Incense. It’s a “high tech” version of a lavender sachet, a plastic slab scented with existing perfumes : Marius & Jeannette (anise), Rosa Rugosa (rose), Jurassic Flower (peach and lavender accented floral), Saint Des Saints (Indian temple incense), Russian Nights (spicy violet), which are also available as candles and were developed by perfumers Sophia Grojsman, Carlos Benaïm and Bruno Jovanovic.

“The idea originated from candle prototypes scented with Saint des Saints perfume hidden in Frédéric Malle’s closet which emitted such a marvelous fragrance that opening the closet became a true pleasure. Rubber Incense was born. Designed to perfume small spaces like closets, dressing rooms or car interiors, Rubber Incense releases perfume for a long time without using electricity or a refill.”

$110, available in Marius & Jeannette, Rosa Rugosa, Jurassic Flower, Saint Des Saints, and Russian Nights. Rubber Incense is sold at Editions de Parfums boutiques, shop.fredericmalle.com, and Barneys New York. Via press release

Le Labo is introducing two new fragrances as part of their Classic Collection, Lys 41 and Ylang 49, and a new San Francisco city exclusive, Limette 37. Lys 41 was created by Daphné Bugey, the same perfumer who worked on Neroli 36, Bergamote 22, and Rose 31 for Le Labo.  Lys 41 features notes of lily, jasmine, tuberose absolute, woods, vanilla, tiare, “sunny notes”, and musk.

Ylang 49 is classified as a floral chypre. Its author is Frank Voekl, who worked previously on Baie Rose 26, Santal 33, Iris 39, and Musc 25. It lists notes of ylang-ylang, gardenia, patchouli, oakmoss, vetiver, benzoin, and sandalwood.

Both fragrances will be available at Le Labo stores, counters and directly at their website starting of June 2013. 50ml/$145; 100ml/$220, other sizes and body products are also offered.

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Happy May Day!

Every year in celebration of May Day (May 1st), French tea importer Mariage Frères presents its limited edition Lily Muguet tea.  It’s offered once again this year for a limited time. The lily of the valley flavor is available in black, green, and white teas.

“After an early-morning stroll through the vernal forests of France, Mariage Frères came back with the novel idea for a blend in which tea encounters the clean, bright fragrance of freshly picked Lily of the Valley, whose delicate aroma – vivid, sensual – enchants with the grace of magnificent legends. The flower, with its dewy sun-kissed petals, airy and tender with a satiny sheen, bestows its smooth, sweet bouquet on a green tea.–from Mariage Frères website.”

Lily Muguet is packaged in colorful lacquered tins. 100g tin/23-25€, depending on the variety. Available at Mariage Frères boutiques and mariagefreres.com.

French fashion house Carven is launching a new fragrance, Carven Le Parfum. Francis Kurkdjian designed the perfume, while Thierry de Baschmakoff (you might recognize his name via his association with The Different Company) created the bottle and the box. Carven Le Parfum will now have to live up to the rich Carven perfume heritage, which includes Ma Griffe launched in 1946 and Vétiver in 1957.

“Carven Le Parfum, for Francis Kurkdjian, is the concept of a sillage that combines several paradoxes, a fresh and ethereal fragrance that is, at the same time, ultra feminine. It opens with the spontaneity of Mandarin Blossom, combined with the delicacy of White Hyacinth. The heart is a somewhat impertinent floral bouquet composed with devilish cunning, built around Sweet Pea, Jasmine and Ylang Ylang. The sensuous bottom notes are precious and woody: White Sandalwood, Osmanthus and Indonesian Patchouli (quote via press release).”

The Eau de Parfum includes notes of mandarin blossom, white hyacinth, sweet pea, jasmine, ylang ylang, sandalwood, osmanthus, and patchouli.  Besides the Eau de Parfum (30ml/£38, 50ml/£55, 100ml/£72), there is also a collection of bath and body products.

Carven Le Parfum is launching on May 5th, 2013 at Harrods and Harrods.com and will be distributed widely starting June 5th, 2013.

Cult Perfumes: The World’s Most Exclusive Perfumeries is a new book devoted to small, artisanal perfumeries, or for the lack of a better term, niche. It includes interviews with the perfumers and creators, perfume descriptions and the history of various lines. The author Tessa Williams includes 25 different brands, from Amouage to Serge Lutens. There are even mentions of small lines like Byredo, Tauer Perfumes, and Nasomatto. It also contains a handy glossary of fragrance terms and a list of perfume museums around the world. Did you know that Japan has three such establishments?

There are plenty of photos, and at 192 pages Cult Perfumes is a cross between a coffee table book (albeit, in a small format) and a reference set. The book isn’t overly technical, and as such, it would be best for someone fairly new to perfume or curious to learn more about small, lesser known brands. Advanced perfume lovers might find the information too light.

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