Isabelle Doyen says that she became a perfumer through a convergence of circumstances. At the age of 4, she asked herself how a pear can smell of rose and a rose smell of pear. She found this mystery dizzying. She was intrigued by the notion of perfume and she thought that it was a very unique pursuit. Now, it has been 18 years, since she has been practicing the art of perfumery.

She created the following fragrances for Annick Goutal: Ce Soir Ou Jamais, Duel, Eau du Fier, Eau du Sud, Gardenia Passion, Grand Amour, Les Nuits d’ Hadrien, Mandragore, Petite Cherie, Sables, Vanille Exquise, and Songes, to be released in 2006. Her other fragrance is Eau du Prince Jardinier by Prince Jardinier.

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

Sweet, warm and delicately animalic aroma of amber is not the only reason why this note is such a popular presence in the modern perfumery. It has an ability to round out other notes, smoothing the progression from one accord to another and fixing more delicate aspects of the composition in place. Its sensuality has a soft quality, which means that amber laden fragrances have a seductive subtlety.

The most beautiful aspects of amber shine in Hermès Ambre Narguilé, which was created in 2004 by Jean-Claude Ellena as a part of Hermèssence range. Like his other amber focused L’Artisan L’Eau d’Ambre, Ambre Narguilé does not merely hint at the idea of amber, but develops it fully. Yet, while being a rich voluptuous note, amber in Ambre Narguilé does not obscure other notes layered over it. It provides a beautiful backdrop against which the radiant and smoky facets of the composition unfold. It is strong, yet delicate, like carved marble screens of Mogul palaces.  …

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Walking through the fragrance aisles of Sephora makes me feel as if I am browsing through a Hello magazine with the names like Britney Spears, J.Lo, Paris Hilton, and Kimora Lee Simmons popping before my eyes. However, I am selecting the fragrances labeled with names famous for things that are only tangentially related to fashion and fragrance on purpose. Currently, there is a strong trend for celebrity fragrances, with new offerings coming up what seems like every week. From Celine Dion to Nicole Richie and Maria Sharapova, celebrity status and perfume come hand in hand. From a perfume industry perspective, any brand capable of selling fragrance is welcomed, given the changes in its business model and the high rate of competition. The number of releases is increasing each year, with the consumers exhibiting less and less loyalty to a single scent. While the number of new fragrances in the 1950s were around 10-20 per year, with the average market life of a product around 15-20 years, in the recent decade, there are close to 150-200 launches each year, with the market life averaging 3!

I cannot help but feel a bit of reticence, especially in light of the fact that I have no particularly strong desire for any specific celebrity perfume, simply because it bears a famous name. Should I happen to dislike the celebrity in question, then I might be less eager to try their perfume. However, are such pre-conceived notions justified? In order to answer this question, I stand in front of fragrance shelves in Sephora resolutely glancing past Annick Goutal and Bvlgari to try Alan Cumming The Fragrance and Britney Spears Fantasy. I briefly contemplate a blind testing, however for the sake of preserving a sane appearance, I decide that an open mind shall do. …

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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 rose is indelibly associated with Lancôme, given its founder Armand Petitjean’s strong passion for this flower. An avid rosarian, he cultivated roses in his garden in Ville d’Avray, outside of Paris and as a result, not only has the rose become an important symbolic representation of the house, but it has also found a central place in the Lancôme fragrances from Conquête (1935) to Trésor (1990). To commemorate the millennium, Lancôme chose its symbol to shine in a fragrance composed of several different types of roses, such as dune rose, musk rose and Bulgarian rose. The fragrance was named 2000 et Une Rôse (now called Mille et Une Rôse).

The task of creating an outstanding rose fragrance is complicated by the fact that the theme has seen many variations, from the dark chypric to the light citrusy roses, from the languidly seductive to the coyly delicate interpretations. Composed by Christine Nagel, Mille et Une Rôse is a rose that tantalizingly straddles the line between natural and abstract. …

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The new fragrance by an Italian perfumer Laura Tonatto is inspired by Caravaggio’s “The Lute Player.” The fruits and flowers depicted in the painting by an Italian Baroque artist are recreated in the nine fragrances, three fruity and six floral. The tenth fragrance combines all nine notes in order to evoke a scent that might have filled the painting. The cylinders with gel perfumes will be on display until November 20th, 2005 at The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, the permanent residence “The Lute Player.” The fragrance will be released as a limited edition of 1000 bottles.

Caravaggio. The Lute-Player. c.1595-1596. Oil on canvas. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia. From abcgallery.com.