Victoria: 2669 posts

“In 1992 I starred in an advert for Coco perfume where I had to swing on a perch inside a gigantic birdcage. To prepare I spent a week learning trapeze with a circus instructor. It was a thrill to feel like I was flying through the air like a bird. I didn’t stop smiling for that entire week.”

From The world according to Vanessa Paradis. Read the rest of this interesting article in dailymail.co.uk.

It’s my pleasure to share with you that Bois de Jasmin won the 2011 FiFi Award for Editorial Excellence. The winning article was my exploration of functional perfumery, Luxury vs Function. I’m happy that this particular article won (my other two nominations were Red Lipstick Glamour and Building Perfume Wardrobe); although I talk on a regular basis about fine fragrance, I haven’t always recognized the art of functional perfumery. When I was first training in perfumery, I scoffed at making scents for laundry detergents, soaps and candles. You have a tiny budget, a handful of allowed materials and hardly any room for creativity. Where was the art in that?

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For Dionne, Anne Klein II (1986) was an integral part of her journey into perfume and also of growing into her skin. As we shared emails about the fragrance and as I read her moving story, I learned that Dionne loved incense and woods. She said, “I discovered that even though many florals go sour on my skin, incense and iris and woodsy notes smelled wonderful.” It was then clear why Anne Klein II with its sumptuous blend of patchouli, sandalwood and dark smoky notes would fit Dionne’s perfume personality. Although it was a bit intimidating to find anything approximating such a special and meaningful fragrance, I decided to plunge right into it.

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“Madonna has no patience for stupid people,” said expert perfumer Stephen Nilsen, at the recent London launch of the popstar’s debut perfume [Madonna Truth or Dare]. But as the veteran “nose” discovered, she doesn’t make it all that easy on the clever ones, either… “She told me she wanted white florals, and she loved the ‘addiction’ accord I created,” – a blend of vanilla, caramel and amber. But it was hard to schedule face time with the busy performer, essential when trying to peg a client’s tastes and establish a common vocabulary.”

Apparently, Madonna has no patience for IFRA either. You can read about that and more in a fun Guardian blog article written by Katie Puckrik (she is the author behind Katie Puckrik Smells).

As I browse through new cookbook releases, I notice that rose is the flavor of the moment, appearing in everything from drinks to desserts. Pastries that would traditionally be perfumed with vanilla, chocolate or coffee are now presented in rose and violet incarnations. While reading a recipe for a rose scented cream puff in the delectable new book Ladurée Sucré, I realized that more so than sweets, I wanted another rose perfume. I craved something pink and unapologetically girly. My search led me to Annick Goutal Rose Absolue and Rose Splendide, two rose fragrances that do not shy away from being pretty and romantic.

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