Reading The Perfume Lover by Denyse Beaulieu, the author of Grain de Musc, I felt as if I were following her on two big journeys. One was a personal journey into a lifelong fascination with perfume, and another into capturing the memories of a specific experience in perfume form. On the surface, it sounds easy—just tell a talented perfumer your story and let your scented memories unfold. However, I suspected that it may not have been all that straightforward. The language of perfume is subjective and elusive. What seems like a clear idea in your mind can be hard to grasp for other people. The most interesting part of The Perfume Lover is that despite these difficulties Denyse and perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour were able to pull together a beautiful and memorable fragrance. So, I asked Denyse to share with us how her book The Perfume Lover and her perfume Séville à l’aube, which will be launched by L’Artisan Parfumeur in July, came together.

by Denyse Beaulieu

“The pleasurable byproduct of wow.”  That’s how the legendary music critic Greil Marcus defines his writing. And since I started out as a jailbait rock critic during the punk era, whatever Greil Marcus says is all right with me. In fact, “the pleasurable byproduct of wow” strikes me as the best definition for both The Perfume Lover and Séville à l’aube. Bertrand Duchaufour’s wow came when I told him the story that inspired him to compose the fragrance. My wow was not only that he actually wanted to create a perfume based on my story, but that he allowed me to capture his creative process into words.

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Madonna has just launched her first fragrance Madonna Truth or Dare, but she is already planning ahead for more perfume releases. A second fragrance, a follow up to Truth or Dare, is already under development; as WWD reports, “it is due out ‘sometime next year.’ ” Also, the pop star would like to create a men’s fragrance, since her daughter Lourdes likes to wear cologne.

“She likes to wear cologne — don’t ask me why,” the star explained at the New York launch of her first perfume. “I love musk and amber and woody kind of fragrances on men. I love the smell of whiskey — we should make a men’s cologne that smells like whiskey. I can’t drink it, it’s too strong, but it smells amazing — a really good old whiskey.”

Via WWD and Jezebel

By Kilian Asian Tales Water Calligraphy and Bamboo Harmony are now in stock at Aedes.com and Saks Fifth Avenue. Both fragrances were created by perfumer Calice Becker. As by Kilian press release explains, the Asian Tales collection “was first conceived as an olfactive voyage, yet soon transformed into a spiritual journey as meanings behind symbols and words became increasingly significant and relevant. As the creation took shape, every detail was placed with careful attention and with the intent to pay homage to this great culture.”

Water Calligraphy includes notes of grapefruit, reseda, water lily, jasmine sambac, magnolia, cardamom, and vetiver. “It pays homage to water, the essential element of calligraphy. Its precise dosage allows for all the shades and nuances that make calligraphy an Art in Asia. Water Calligraphy is the olfactive impression of an aquatic flower sitting next to a pond of water lilies.”

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

The concept behind Annick Goutal Nuit Étoilée—”a starry night” in a reference to Van Gogh’s masterpiece–is so alluring that the idea alone should be enough to make me fall in love with the perfume. Add to this the signature Goutal bottle tinted sapphire blue, and Nuit Étoilée becomes even more irresistible. But while wearing this fragrance over the past couple of weeks, I’ve realized much to my regret that it doesn’t click for me. I enjoy some elements of Nuit Étoilée—the green musky sweetness, the delicious roasted almond of tonka beans, the sheer jasmine interlude, but admiring something on the blotter is not the same as wearing it on your skin. It evokes neither the moonlit forest nor the shimmering stars—it shuts me out of its dream world.

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Italian fragrance house and pharmacy Santa Maria Novella celebrates its 400th anniversary.

“The perfumer actually traces its roots back to 1221 by Dominican friars who cultivated medicinal herbs to make potions and balms. The company is housed in mediaeval halls with spectacular views on a cloister in the city centre. The fame of its products soon spread beyond the walls of the monastery and in 1612 the pharmacy opened its doors to the public under the patronage of the Medici family, which became an ambassador for the brand in royal courts.

When she married French King Henry II, Catherine de Medici (1519-1589) brought a bergamot-based perfume with her called “Eau de la Reine”, a revolutionary new fragrance which became wildly popular at the royal court. “Eau de la Reine” is still being produced by Santa Maria Novella, one of the products that has secured the success of the company despite the troubled world economy. In 2011, Santa Maria Novella’s turnover went up 37 percent.”

Read the rest in channelnewsasia.com, via Perfumer&Flavorist