Victoria: 2669 posts

New York perfume boutique Aedes de Venustas is releasing another fragrance on June 1st, 2013, following the launch of Aedes de Venustas Signature EDP. Iris Nazarena was created in collaboration between co-owners Karl Bradl and Robert Gerstner and perfumer Ralf Schwieger (the creator of Frédéric Malle Lipstick Rose, Hermès Eau des Merveilles, Etat Libre d’Orange Fils de Dieu, and Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine). The fragrance  is described as an incense layered iris, and it was inspired by the rare Iris Bismarckiana (also known as Iris Nazarena), which grows mainly in the mountains east of Nazareth.

“The suede-soft petals of the mystical muse are sketched in a subtle sfumato of brown, purple and white, brushed with powdery iridescence. The limpid ambrette, with its pear, rose and musk facets, sheds the tender light of dawn on the top notes. Rose adds a touch of floral sensuality, while the aromatic, resinous juniper berry introduces the incense theme. The cool, vivid green of star anise conjures the stylized stems and leaves of the flower. Patchouli and vetiver allude to its roots, driven into dark earth and rock. The sacred smoke rising from the altars weaves its mineral, leather-scented tendrils throughout the development with incense, clove and oud.”

Iris Nazarena Eau de Parfum will be available June 1st, 2013 at Aedes de Venustas, www.aedes.com and Barneys New York. 3.4oz/$245 Via press release

A Russian friend told me that when she first moved to Sicily twenty years ago she couldn’t get used to the overabundance of oranges. Back in Moscow you had to queue for hours to get a box of precious Jaffa oranges but the sidewalks in the villages around Palermo were covered with fallen fruit. Or in what seemed to be a case of utter decadence, people would use oranges to polish copper. “Imagine cleaning your dirty pots with oranges!”

I think of this story whenever I cook with oranges or try an orange based fragrance. I imagine myself eyeing in dismay the piles of orange opulence–wasted, unwanted!–and stopping to stuff yet another orange into my purse. Even though oranges for me are not a rare luxury, I find their vibrant color and exuberant taste irresistible. My kitchen is never without at least one orange, and there is often a small bottle of Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine (Blood Orange) in my purse.

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“We smell with our mind. Your mood affects the way you smell. The French verb sentir, ‘to smell’, also means ‘to feel’. Smells change our moods. It’s no good if you’re tired. You must be intellectually fresh,” said the late International Flavors & Fragrances perfumer Bernard Chant.

Chant was the creator of Clinique Aromatics Elixir, Estee Lauder Azuree, Parfums Gres Cabochard, Ralph Lauren Lauren, Aramis, and many other perfume classics. I love this quote, because it applies equally well to the professional perfumers’ work and enjoyment of scents in general. Creating fragrances is about the imagination, the ability of the creator to capture an abstract idea–dew covered orchids, a walk along the beach, a childhood memory–in a drop of liquid. For this reason, some perfumers resent the term “nose,” which reduces their work to a mere technique.

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After reformulating its 1927 classic Bellodgia to death, Caron added a new version called Più Bellodgia. Più in Italian means more, but Caron fibs when promising more of anything with this take on Bellodgia. It’s a pale floral that I imagine more as a shampoo than a fine fragrance.

Now that I’ve told you how I feel about it, I’m tempted just to move onto something else. But I don’t like to write grumpy reviews without offering further details, and it’s far too easy to be cross about Caron these days. Their classical collection has been dramatically reformulated (to be fair, it’s not entirely their fault), and in the search for a new consumer, they keep releasing perfumes that don’t fit their aesthetic. We all need to move with the times, and it’s a tricky compromise to keep the loyal customers happy while attracting a generation of fragrance wearers who recoil at moss and leather.

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L’Artisan Parfumeur will unveil a new perfume collection in September 2013. Explosions d’Emotions will include three new fragrances created by perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour: Amour Nocturne, Déliria, and Skin on Skin.

Amour Nocturne captures the idea of tenderness. It features notes of milk, caramel, gunpowder, cedarwood and orchid.

Déliria is about intoxication. It blends metallic notes, rhum with the gourmand sweetness of toffee apple and cotton candy.

Skin on Skin is described as seductive. It includes iris, rose, lavender, saffron, whiskey in addition to suede and musks. and suede velvet leather with saffron, whisky, lavender and rose.

Perfumes will be available in L’Artisan Parfumeur boutiques, counters and online.  125ml/£135. Via fashionmonitor and press release.