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

I have such a strong sentimental attachment to Annick Goutal fragrances that sometimes I cannot appraise them objectively. Annick Goutal was the first artisanal fragrance house I discovered and its unusual fragrances, evoking stories and fantasies that for me felt quite real, made me realize that it is possible to communicate in a fragrant language. For this reason, a bottle of Petite Chérie remained in my collection for years, even though I hardly ever wore it. I simply loved the idea of it—a fragrance created by a mother for her young daughter, capturing the joy and innocence of childhood.

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Paris and perfume… These words are synonymous for most perfume lovers, and shortly after creating Bois de Jasmin in 2005, one of my first long articles was devoted to perfume shopping in Paris. Part I and Part II offered a walking tour of the capital’s best fragrant treasures. Since then, I have been meaning to update these posts with a directory of Paris fragrant destinations, based on my visits and new discoveries. This directory will include various perfume shopping destinations as well as my other favorite addresses.

The directory is frequently updated, therefore please check back periodically to see new additions, changes and updates. L indicates Left Bank, and R—Right Bank. If you have your own favorite places in Paris, whether perfume, food, fashion or art related, please do not hesitate to share. Of course, if you visit any of these places and have your own experiences (and updates!), please comment!

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This fall the perfume lovers will have some new books to anticipate. Pictured above is the English translation of perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena’s Le Parfum. Perfume: The Alchemy of Scent contains Ellena’s views on perfumery, marketing, materials and composition. The book is full of many interesting details about his own creative process, but on the whole, it is a general analysis. Available for pre-order on amazon.com. The official launch is November 2011.

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Another new launch from Thierry Mugler is the Eau de Toilette version of Angel. It is composed by Robertet’s perfumer Amandine Marie. The press release describes it as “Oriental—Gourmand—Powdery.”

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Thierry Mugler is unveiling a new collection called a “Taste of Fragrance.” The existing fragrances, Angel, Alien, Womanity and A*Men, were reorchestrated to include a taste enhancer. Thierry Mugler Parfums also worked with Hélène Darroze, one of the leading Michelin-starred French Chefs, to create four recipes inspired by the new interpretations of these four fragrances. The olfactory description of a Taste of Fragrance collection and the corresponding recipes appear below.

Angel

“For the ‘Taste of Fragrance’ the red berries, jam and caramelized almonds in the praline are combined with pure cocoa powder preserving its natural bitterness, making Angel infinitely succulent.”

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