Happiness is a feeling that is hard to describe in words, but the latest research by Quest International claims to have found a scent of happiness. The British and American respondents identified the aromas of red berries, tropical fruit as well as orchard fruit as the scents that made them feel happy. The French prefer the smells that are sweet, powdery, floral, and musky woody. Does this mean that the American market will see even more fruity-florals in the future? (via Cosmetic World).

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

Although rose is often seen as dowdy and old-fashioned, the perfumer Jacques Cavallier set the silky rose petals on the transparent ambery base and rendered the flower crisp and spicy in his fragrance for Stella McCartney. Rose Absolute followed the original, and it was still exciting, being darker, richer and warmer. Then there were a few summer limited editions, Stella Sheer, which offered a lighter take on the rose-amber marriage. Now, Stella in Two takes inspiration from the success of the original creation by offering yet another Stella variation. This time, Stella can be bought in two parts, Peony and Amber. Is it possible to stretch the concept too far? As I have discovered, yes. I was won over by the retro charm of the original, loved the richness of Rose Absolute and enjoyed the freshness of Stella Sheer. Now, I feel ready to explore something new. ….

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Le Lebo, a niche New York based lab, is offering its newest fragrance, Tubereuse 40. Developed in collaboration with the renowned perfumer Alberto Morillas, Tubereuse 40 is described as a non-heady tuberose “shaped around citruses and musks that give it an unexpected unisex “eau de cologne” identity despite its impressive 30% dosage of oil in alcohol.” 40 refers to the number of ingredients in the perfume formula, as with other Le Labo fragrances.

Tubereuse 40 is the first in the series of city-centric fragrances that Le Labo is planning to introduce. Paris, London, Tokyo, Los Angeles and Dallas will follow in the future. “Nostalgic of the days where brands and their soul offered authenticity that deserved that little extra travel commitment to be truly experienced, Le Labo will develop a scent exclusive to every city that it will decide to be in. Its own little contribution to the fight against globalization. Small productions that lie at the opposite spectrum of economies of scale and critical masses : the Internet and phone will be useless, you will have to travel to get it.” Now, in my experience, such hurdles have not stopped many perfume maniacs I know! I am curious to see what the fragrances shall be like.

Tubereuse 40 is priced at $230 for 50ml and $360 for 100ml. Le Labo fragrances are available from their boutique in New York’s Nolita as well as Barneys. More information can be found at Le Labo website.

Temptations and Libations (Williams-Sonoma at the Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle @ 59th St; 6pm)
Takasago perfumer Andrea Lupo, master mixologist Jerri Banks and chef Gretchen Young will create cocktails, gustatory delights and fragrances, displaying how the world of food and beverage can inspire creative perfumery.

Le Labo (233 Elizabeth St; 2pm-5pm)
The co-founders of Le Labo will introduce the art of fragrance making by exploring the main olfactive families and their most representative raw materials.

The encapsulated fragrances can be used not only for scented strips inside magazines, but also for stamps, as Stamp Center Blog shares in one of its recent entries. You can get a whiff of Chanel No 5, an aroma of blooming flowers from Greece, or a fragrance of New Caledonia’s sandalwood. Stamp Center website offers the examples of scented stamps for sale. Of course, this made me immediately think of numerous other possibilities, from the state centered fragrances, such as that of Oregon blackberries, New York bagels and Florida oranges, to the seasonal aromas.

In other news reported in auFeminin, the perfumer Francis Kurkdjian has created a scent for the burning incense paper, Papier d’Arménie, in celebration of a year dedicated to Armenia in France. The traditional paper is heavily scented with the vanillic powderiness of benzoin, while the new fragrance created by Kurkdjian augments its warmth with incense, vanilla, woody notes and myrrh. Please see Papier d’Arménie website for more information and history of Armenian paper. Also, Guerlain has recently released a fragrance Bois d’Arménie created by Firmenich perfumer Annick Ménardo.