Chanel recently made an official announcement that Jacques Polge is getting ready to hand over the reigns to a successor. The search led to his son, Olivier Polge, who has been working as a perfumer at International Flavors & Fragrances since 1998 and counts many excellent perfumes in his portfolio, including Balenciaga Paris, Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb, and Dior Homme. He will replace his father as Creator of Chanel Fragrances.

Jacques Polge will not be leaving Chanel right away, and the plan is to have him train Olivier and integrate him into the team. Since 1978 Jacques Polge has been not only creating Chanel perfumes, but also ensuring their preservation, and he will continue doing so for the time being.

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Suzanna reviews two India inspired fragrances

Neela Vermeire is an Indian perfume lover living in Paris whose “creative partner” is none other than perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour, king of the travel-themed fragrance.  The Neela Vermeire Creations line consists of four fragrances themed around different periods of Indian history: Mohur, Trayee, Bombay Bling, and Ashoka. I’ve already reviewed Mohur, and today I will talk about Trayee and Bombay Bling.

After Mohur, my favorite was Trayee, a fragrance inspired by the Vedic era that uses notes of Ayurvedic medicine and religious rituals.  Trayee is a smoky perfume featuring a stunning incense note.  Also in there is a “ganja accord” that I will call “green bud” for those who might recognize it, and a sense-awakening jolt of ginger, cinnamon, and clove at the top.  Here and there, Trayee reminded me of black tea leaves (this is not listed) steeped plain, without sugar.

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“It’s like drinking sunshine,” said my 11 year old cousin when she tried my orange blossom scented lemonade. Although her unexpected and poetic compliment made my day, I can’t take any credit. First of all, the idea comes from my friend Muna (whom you’ve met before). Second, it’s all in the lemon and orange blossom pairing.

Some combinations in perfumery are considered absolutely perfect. There are classical ones like coumarin and lavender, personal innovations like Jacques Guerlain’s bergamot and vanilla in Shalimar, or modern discoveries like cotton candy and patchouli in Thierry Mugler Angel. And then, you have natural marriages like orange blossom and citrus that are so harmonious than after you try it once, you know that these two are meant to be together.

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If you use Google Reader to read Bois de Jasmin through the RSS feed, you’ll have to switch to another tool–Google Reader is going to be phased out by July 1st (and that’s today). There are many other alternatives to read this and other blogs, and based on my research, Feedly seems to be one of the favorite choices. But it’s not perfect, and it doesn’t pick up the correct feed if you enter “boisdejasmin”. To subscribe for Bois de Jasmin, you have to either enter “boisdejasmin.com/feed” in the search box or follow this link. You can also migrate your feeds easily from Google Reader to Feedly.

The other two choices include Newsfire, Blog Lovin’, and Digg Reader.

Of course, you can always follow me by subscribing via email (just enter it in the box at the bottom of each post) or click here. You can unsubscribe anytime, and your personal information remains private. Facebook and Twitter are the other ways for us to keep in touch.

A few weeks ago I promised you to compare the current formulation of Guerlain Après l’Ondée to the older one. I finally had a chance to do so, and I’m happy to report that Après l’Ondée still smells fantastic. It’s different in some ways–the spicy notes are milder, the musky drydown is sweeter, but overall, it’s recognizable. It’s a watercolor of violets and carnations, with a delicious twist of anise. However, some people found that they had difficulty smelling it, and it’s probably due to the type of musk and/or violet notes. So, definitely try it on your skin first.

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The first time I tried Parfums de Nicolaï’s Eau Soleil I was surprised. I expected a walk in a Sicilian orange grove perfumed with the zesty freshness of orange flowers and crushed green leaves, but instead of a gauzy, sunlit vision, the fragrance opened on my skin with a peppery, bitter tang. My orange blossom garden fantasy was nowhere to be found.

The mark of a good perfume is its ability to hold your attention. However different Eau Soleil was from my expectations, it followed me throughout the day. I would catch myself stealing little sniffs from my wrist or else enjoying the herbal and green scent that hovered around me. The next morning, I reached for the same scarf I wore the day before and for a few minutes I stood with my face buried in the silk scented with white flowers and soft musk. Eau Soleil courted me successfully.

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