Victoria: 2669 posts

Wishing that all of my US friends stay safe, dry and prepared as the storm approaches! I’m keeping my fingers crossed that everything will be ok. I’m thinking about you!

Florabotanica is a good illustration of where most big brands, even those that start out with good intentions, end up as they chase market success. The first launch by Balenciaga, Balenciaga Paris, was a transparent violet leaf composition that wouldn’t be out of place in the L’Artisan Parfumeur collection. Not surprisingly, it didn’t take off that well. People need time to appreciate something unfamiliar, and the only way to do this is to support the brand and spend resources on educating the staff. In other words, you need time, money, and some new marketing tactics, all of which are in short supply at most fragrance houses today.

So, after the perfunctory flanker to Balenciaga Paris, L’Essence, we  have Florabotanica. It was composed by perfumers Olivier Polge (who also created Balenciaga Paris) and Jean-Christophe Hérault. The inspiration behind Florabotanica is described by Balenciaga as “not just a pretty flower, but a pretty dangerous flower.” This time Balenciaga took no risks. If you find transparent roses dangerous, then yes, I suppose that Florabotanica is right on the mark. I found it just pretty and meek.

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What perfume would you wear on a first date and why?

Do I wear something subtle or do I put on a statement fragrance? I haven’t been on a first date since I met my husband, but I still remember how torn I was when making a decision about our date. In the end, I rejected Robert Piguet Fracas as too dramatic and L’Artisan Parfumeur Mimosa Pour Moi as too much of a wallflower. I wore Serge Lutens À La Nuit, and this lush jasmine scent is still my husband’s favorite.

If I would pick a first date perfume today, I would pick something that makes me feel good–Serge Lutens Bois de Violette, Chanel Coromandel, Olfactive Studio Lumière Blanche. For this reason, I wouldn’t wear a new, not yet thoroughly tested perfume on a first date. Tried and true would be my preferred choice.

Photography by Bois de Jasmin

I sometimes receive comments from people who want to learn more about scents, but are afraid that this hobby is too expensive for them. How could you try all of the fragrances you read about without ending up broke? As with most interests, a perfume hobby can be as expensive or as budget conscious as you want. When I was a student living on a meager stipend, spending even $20 on something non-essential required  major planning. Today, given my family responsibilities, I need to think twice before every perfume purchase, so I’m still very budget conscious.

But the truth is that the joy of discovering perfume is not in amassing dozens of bottles on your dressing table; it’s in smelling and experiencing the pleasure of scents. For this you need not spend a cent.  If you are trying to manage your perfume hobby, let me share a few tips that have helped me learn about scents, understand my perfume tastes and keep within budget.

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The first round of perfume recommendations was a lot of fun! Many of you asked for “Recommend Me a Perfume” to become a regular feature, and I’m happy to add it. So, every other week on Saturday I will run a thread for perfume recommendations.  You can also use this space to ask questions: where to find a particular perfume, how to make decants, etc.

How it works: please post your requests as comments here. To receive recommendations that are better tailored to your tastes, you can include details on what you like and don’t like, your signature perfumes, and your budget. Then check the thread to see if there are other requests you can answer.

The perfume counter can be confusing and intimidating even to the most experienced perfume lovers, so having your advice is very helpful!

Photography by Bois de Jasmin

Last night I finally caught the new Brad Pitt Chanel No 5 commercial, and I don’t even know what to say.  The monologue is so awful, so cringe inducing that it made me feel embarrassed for Pitt. “It’s not a journey. Every journey ends, but we go on. The world turns and we turn with it. Plans disappear. Dreams take over. But wherever I go, there you are — my luck, my fate, my fortune. Chanel no. 5. Inevitable.” Now that I see it written down, it makes even less sense.

I then spent an hour browsing through the Chanel No 5 archives until I found a similar style of No 5 commercial with Catherine Deneuve: subdued tones, simple photography, natural styling.  But you only have to listen to Deneuve to see why her commercial makes you want to run out to smell No 5 and why Pitt’s is inspiring parodies. “I know that he loves me for what I am deeply. I know because he cares about the little things, he brings my coffee always in a small cup, because it is precious to me. He gives me Chanel No. 5 because I love to put it in a special place, behind my knee.”

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