When every other celebrity or celebrity wannabe has a perfume, it was surprising that Madonna still did not launch one. This will change in spring of 2012, when Truth or Dare by Madonna will be released. Created by Givaudan perfumer Stephen Nilsen in collaboration with Madonna and Coty, the fragrance will be a white floral with gourmand accents.  Truth or Dare by Madonna will aim at an older demographic than most celebrity scents, women aged 27 to 50.

As Madonna said to WWD, “My oldest memory of my mother is her perfume, I carry it with me everywhere. She always smelled like gardenias and tuberose, an intoxicating mixture [that was] feminine and mysterious. I wanted to re-create this scent, but with something fresh and new about it as well.”

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

I am going to lay my cards on the table. I love Chanel to the point of forgiving it Chance and Bleu de Chanel. Even as I had qualms with the exclusive collections from other luxury houses, I have enjoyed and purchased every single perfume from Chanel’s Les Exclusifs. That is, until Jersey came onto the scene. To put it mildly, I am baffled by this scent, which is an orchestration of excellent ingredients that ends up smelling like a cheap Duane Reade candle.

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Elisabeth de Feydeau, an author of A Scented Palace: The Secret History of Marie Antoinette’s Perfumer has released a new book on fragrance. Just like her previous book, Les Parfums : Histoire, Anthologie, Dictionnaire is a fruit of extended and thorough research. It looks at the history of fragrance and explores the customs and traditions surrounding its use. The author also includes fascinating materials based on the interviews with perfumers working for Chanel, Guerlain, Dior, Hermès and other fragrance houses. I find it to be one of the best perfume themed books I have come across recently, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to those who speak French. Available from amazon.fr.

A new niche fragrance line has been born. Neela Vermeire Créations offers three fragrances (Trayee, Mohur and Bombay Bling) developed by perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour, which have been inspired by India.

Neela’s main sources of inspiration are memories of her childhood in India and many travels to visit her family there. Neela herself is proof that, though one may wander far and live in vastly different places, the fascination of India can never be left behind!

Neela’s love for art and fragrances was fostered in her early years by her family, and this project stems from an intimacy with the three great historic periods of India gained through her lifelong journey. Each fragrance, like each period, is unique yet totally connected. Each pays tribute based on the olfactive inspiration from various sources such as Indian spirituality, history, the amazing landscape, the peaceful Himalayas, the trips to hill stations and sea ports, the arts, the varied architecture, the amazing food, music, cinema and vivid colours of India.

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

Sometimes I encounter fragrances that are the equivalent of overpriced haute cuisine—glittering table settings, 5 waiters per customer and a gnawing sense of disappointment at the end of the meal. That is exactly how I find Christian Dior Patchouli Impérial—the promise of a beautiful experience with little substance and character when it finally dries down on the skin.

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