Agent Provocateur is releasing a new fragrance, called Eau Emotionnelle. According to the AP press release, “to create the new scent, the oriental top notes of the Agent Provocateur signature fragrance have been peeled back and refreshed with cape snow bush, lie de vin and pink pepper. The heart has been modified with white tea and Japanese osmanthus and the base accord has been softened slightly.” Eau Emotionelle possesses the sensuality of the original, “yet celebrates her debut as a charming sister to the inimitable signature scent.” The packaging has the same shape and colour as the original, however the bottle will bear a pink net effect finish, trimmed with black lace. Eau Emotionnelle launches in the UK in June, and worldwide later this year.

A Greek legend tells a story of the flower blooming from the blood of Hyacinthus, a youth accidentally killed by Apollo. Remembrance is the meaning tied to it. Unlike the more delicate lily of the valley, everything about hyacinth is bolder and more vivid–the masses of star shaped flowers on thick stems, the heft of blossoms, the headiness of perfume. This intoxicating sweet fragrance, almost oily in its magnificent richness, has been praised in the Persian poetry, mentioned in the Bible as Lily of the Valleys and loved by the Marquise de Pompadour. It inspired people to sell their possessions during the bulb craze of the seventeenth century and influenced perfumers to capture the enthralling fragrance which is rich, voluptuous, yet intriguingly spicy and green. Indeed, its unique qualities make hyacinth a fascinating note to explore.

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

Gucci Envy proves the Easter fantasies in pastels that many spring flowers can inspire are not the only route for a modern floral. This composition released in 1997 has the quality that marks the most interesting of the large house releases—it does not try to be cerebral and unapproachable, yet it maintains the suspense. If Diorissimo creates an impression of capturing the smell of forest glens on a misty May morning, Envy is a gust of wind that brings spring into the city. …

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Aedes is now carrying the entire Parfum d’Empire line, including Ambre Russe, Eau Suave and Eau de Gloire. Also, the newest Serge Lutens fragrance, Gris Clair as well as Diptyque Eau de Lierre is now in stock. Aedes offers a rebate on the sample orders between May 1st and August 31st 2006. If you place or have placed a sample order during this time, you will be refunded $15 when placing your next product order. Be sure include the invoice number in the comment box in order to receive the refund.

Luckyscent has just received L’Artisan Fleur d’Oranger, Sage Moonstone, Sage Coral and Tristan Brando of Monyette Paris Untitled #2.

Spring came into my house with the bouquet of tulips, their crimson petals touched with the delicate scent of wet foliage and rain drenched earth. As I sat on the floor, caressing the satiny buds, the memories of past springs rushed forth, scattering like pearls from a broken necklace. Some were sweet, others were less so, and yet all of them were tinged with something ineffable that makes heart skip a beat.

The smell of acacia blossoms after the rain… wearing short sleeves for the first time in months… tasting first strawberries… the chestnut trees coming into bloom overnight, as if someone had orchestrated this breathtaking transformation by magic—these are the details that conjure the exuberance of spring for me.

For the past few years I have been living in places where spring is a mildly unpleasant transition between the dreary winter and the scorchingly hot summer. It has been a consolation that some fragrances have never failed to afford me a glimpse of the idyllic spring—blue skies with a few wispy clouds, tree branches dotted with sticky buds, rain drops on apple blossoms, and elation caused by the seemingly trivial things. Seasonality when it comes to perfume is an issue of few rules and many subjective viewpoints, but smelling the acacia trees jeweled with the delicate clusters of white blossoms makes me wish for a fragrance that captures the intoxicating scent marrying orange blossom, jasmine and a hint of coconut. If one cannot have an ideal spring, then one can search for that spring via perfume. …

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