I have a photo of me as a 6 year old painting my lips with my mom’s lipstick. Everything about this picture makes me smile –the awkward way in which I am holding the little tube, the serious look on my face, the way I hold back my auburn curls with one hand while I try to paint a perfect cupid’s bow mouth. Yet, it was not just the rich red color that drew me to the lipstick. It was also the scent of rose and violet that I associated with glamour and beauty in my mind: a scent of my mother’s good night kiss as she was preparing to leave for the theater with my father.  The scent of lipstick had such a strong draw for me that it once made me surreptitiously reach for the black tube while my mom was not around and taste the waxy cream. Needless to say, that was not a pleasant introduction to lipstick. Since then, I have been using lipsticks for purposes other than gustatory, and I still have a soft spot for fragrant varieties. Likewise, in fragrances I find myself seeking out the makeup accords that suggest something glamorous and sophisticated, with a delicious touch of retro.

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When I recently compared Guerlain classics to their reformulated versions, I decided to do a similar exercise with Caron next. I already knew that some fragrances were reformulated beyond recognition, but I did not anticipate how different they were going to be. Yet in some cases I was pleasantly surprised to find beautiful perfumes, similar to their original versions. Below are my notes that I hope might be helpful to other fans of this remarkable fragrance house which seems to be losing its identity lately.

To make the comparisons I used the same guidelines as I did recently with the Guerlain classics. With some exceptions, which I will note, I have only compared the extrait de parfum concentrations. I relied on testers at Bergdorf Goodman and at the Caron boutique. While Caron fragrances have been reformulated a number of times over the past few years, I looked only at the fragrances sold today. I have included all fragrances sold today, except for Eau de Reglisse, Eau Fraîche and Eau Pure (Violette Préciuese, Miss Rocaille, Eau de Caron and Eau Forte have been discontinued).

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

Is the fragrance market the best arbiter of what is good? In the case of Nu, my answer is an emphatic no! This Yves Saint Laurent fragrance created in 2001 by Jacques Cavallier under the creative direction of Tom Ford explores such dusky and moody territory that it could never have been a commercial success. Yet, for those of us who love to stray over to the dark side, Nu offers a fascinating experience—a combination of opulent incense notes, spicy carnation, creamy sandalwood and the fiery flourish of dark spices. Although the name and the imagery suggest a sensual, femme fatale fragrance, I find Nu polished and elegant, with just enough smoldering allure to keep things interesting.

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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 Bond No. 9 concept of celebrating New York has always appealed to me, as did a number of fragrances from this house — fragrances that beautifully explored the spirit of the city’s many distinctive neighborhoods through their olfactory profiles. The peaches and incense of Chinatown, the dramatic musky roses of Broadway Nite and the bitter patchouli coffee of New Haarlem remain among my favorite fragrances to this day. Madison Square Park, a tribute to one of Manhattan’s most vibrant and trendy locales, is the most recent addition to the Bond No. 9 collection.

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In April, Guerlain will unveil the new lipstick collection Rouge Automatique, inspired by the classical heritage. 25 shades of the new lipstick are named after the perfumes from Guerlain archives.

Availability/Pricing: The new Spring shades of Rouge Automatique are available in April 2011 for $35 at select locations of Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and at Bergdorf Goodman.

See color swatches below (click on the photo to make it larger)

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