Harry Fremont: 6 posts

Elisa questions whether Estée Lauder’s Modern Muse can be her inspiration.

I am a longtime fan of the Estée Lauder lineup. The first perfume to take my breath away was White Linen – my grandmother wore it, and one day (I was 12 or 13) she let me use a dab of the lotion from her purse. The scent rushed up at me like a blast of cold air, snow blowing into a hot room from an open window. I stood there smelling my hands in awe.

Years later, when my interest in perfume turned to full-blown obsession, Estée Lauder was one of the first lines I was drawn to return to. I bought a small bottle of White Linen, and others followed. I now own upwards of ten Lauder perfumes. With this many hits, of course I pay attention when they announce a new release, even if the marketing is suspicious. (Their first “major launch” since Beyond Paradise? What happened to Sensuous?)

From the get-go, Modern Muse smells very Estée Lauder – fresh, feminine, floral, and bright, pretty in a grown-up way, without the over-sugared sweetness of so many recent launches. There’s a crisp, leafy-green top note and a touch of juicy citrus, more like tangerine than dry, tart bergamot. These effects are layered over what the press materials call “dewy petals” – and yes, there is a petal-like feel to the floral accord, a white bouquet of lily, with its distinctive waxy, vanillic notes, plus raspy jasmine and orange blossom.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

One of the most popular feminine fragrance genres, modern green florals, has much to recommend itself for someone who is looking for a pretty and wearable fragrance. When the crisp, leafy notes are woven through the opulent floral accords, the compositions attain a vivid, bright quality. While classical floral bouquets are usually much more languorous and sensual, with rich honeyed and animalic facets, contemporary florals strive for a clean and luminous impression. Estée Lauder Wild Elixir is the latest addition to the available fresh green floral selection, a composition of honeysuckle, jasmine and gardenia notes painted in verdant hues.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

There is something so deliciously seductive and appealing about the scent of leather, whether it is the scent of a new car, an old vintage purse, a pair of new shoes still wrapped in crinkly paper, or equestrian gear. Whether rendered as animalic and sweet or smoky and phenolic in fragrances, leather notes can give a remarkable complexity to even the simplest accords. Tuscan Leather, a fragrance created for Tom Ford Private Blend collection by perfumers Harry Frémont and Jacques Cavallier is one of my favorite recent discoveries. It is not a particularly complex fragrance; in fact, it is almost a single accord. Nevertheless, it features the leather note so well and with such elegance, that whenever I am in the mood for a dark, smoky scent, it is the perfume I choose.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Naked Honey:

Africanimal:

Recently MAC has launched two new limited edition fragrances in the Creations Hue range: Africanimal and Naked Honey. Prepared as I was to find them perfectly pleasant and well-done as most MAC scents, I was taken aback by the beauty of Naked Honey. It took me from rainy New York to the sun dappled garden of my childhood, to the linden lined alleys of Paris, to the warmth and languor of long summer days… How did Harry Fremont of Firmenich who created Naked Honey know exactly what my idea of a perfect summer smells like? I could wax poetic, but please smell Naked Honey and tell me if this opulent linden blossom and honey fragrance does not evoke the smell of sun on warm skin, the heady lushness of green foliage and the profusion of summer blossoms.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

It is almost ironic that a fragrance described by its creators as “something Barbie might wear” turns out to be the most sophisticated release among the recent array of sweet and cute perfumes. The white floral bouquet of Juicy Couture fragrance is more along the lines of Christian Dior J’Adore and Marc Jacobs Blush, rather than Britney Spears Fantasy and Vera Wang Princess. While it does not attempt to break new ground in perfumery, Juicy Couture is an enjoyable scent. It is pretty without resorting to many clichés and girly without being puerile. …

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