Perfume 101: 517 posts

” ‘Eau Sauvage was a real chef d’oeuvre in its original form,’ retired perfume-maker Pierre Bourdon, who created Dior’s Dolce Vita and Yves Saint Laurent’s Kouros, said of the 1966 scent. ‘It used to be very green and fresh. Today, it has been replaced by something softer and duller,’ ” from EU threat spotlights perfume makers’ secrets.

All my life I’ve been hearing that things used to be better in the past. Paris used to be more exciting, Rome cleaner, New York cheaper. When I began exploring the world of perfumery on a professional level, I was told by many older colleagues that the golden age of fragrance had passed. Talk about curbing one’s enthusiasm! Despite these warnings, I persisted with my perfumery training.

But you need not be inordinately nostalgic to realize that many perfumes used to be better before many classical materials were banned or restricted and before fragrance companies started reformulating en masse. There is something fascinating about the delicate and precise balance of essences. Even the smallest changes can have dramatic consequences. Imagine what happens when a perfumer is told to remove whole building blocks of a composition or to make a chypre (a mossy perfume type) without moss.

Continue reading →

The more that women’s fragrances begin to smell alike in one pink synthetic blur, the more I find myself considering the men’s fragrance section.  The overly sharp woody or harsh herbal notes that traditionally signify a “male” scent aren’t my cup of tea, but there are plenty of men’s fragrances that make for an interesting and distinctive feminine perfume.

A combination of desperation and curiosity led me to the men’s counter at Nordstrom, where I was promptly shied away from Kiehl’s Musk by a female salesclerk.  “That’s for men,” she said, about the slightly animalic musk scent that has been called a mall cognate to Serge Lutens’s hot and sweaty Muscs Koublaï Khan.  So what if someone raises an eyebrow about a cross-gender spray-and-play?  The men’s section contains novelty and surprise, two qualities that have been lacking in recent women’s issues.  There are gems at the men’s counter that are sure to intrigue if not outright delight.  Here are some that I wear myself and buy for men, straight from the mall:

Continue reading →

I have a new article in the Financial Times Magazine’s fragrance column, Smouldering Scents of Seduction. The topic this month blends my favorite themes–perfume and classical Hollywood. In helping me understand what makes for the ultimate bombshell fragrance, I turn to Farran Smith Nehme and Laren Stover. Nehme, whom you might know as The Self-Styled Siren and film critic writing for the New York Post, has an impressive knowledge of classical cinema, while Stover wrote the best-selling The Bombshell Manual of Style. They are also perfume connoisseurs and great interview partners. It’s all tongue-in-cheek, of course, and I hope that you will enjoy our discoveries.

What is the hallmark of the ultimate bombshell perfume? I wonder this as I’m enraptured by the first glimpse of Ava Gardner in the 1946 film noir The Killers. She sits at the piano, wearing a black satin gown that elegantly drapes over her curvy figure. She gives Burt Lancaster one look and he is ready to follow her anywhere, even if it will lead to trouble. Such is the power of a bombshell. My typical day is more about routine than glamour, but perfume is my way to pretend otherwise. Please read the rest by clicking here.

What perfumes have bombshell potential for you?

Image: Ava Gardner in The Killers.

It’s cold, rainy and gloomy. What do you wear to brighten up your mood? Since January transitioned into April without much difference in weather, this question has been on my mind a lot. I have a whole arsenal of mood lifters, and perfume is one of my favorite ways to dream. In my article for ELLE, titled Perfume for a Rainy Day, I explore fragrances that bring a ray of sunshine. I also describe why you don’t need a separate seasonal wardrobe and how you can experience your fragrances in new ways at different times of the year.

“The calendar and the blossoming cherry tree near my apartment building suggest that spring is here, but the lingering presence of winter is still noticeable in the biting wind and dark clouds. As I wake up to yet another cold, foggy morning, all I want to do is huddle under the blankets until summer. Hibernation, unfortunately, is not an option for me, so when the incessant rain feels especially oppressive, I instinctively reach for perfumes that warm me up.” Please read the rest at ELLE.com.

What perfumes perk you up instantly?

Photography by Bois de Jasmin

What are your favorite spring scents? Though we may not yet be done with the snow, our cherry trees are in bloom, and I’m already thinking about spring perfumes. Spices, sandalwood, and amber are slowly giving way to everything crisp and gauzy–citrus, orange blossom, violets, and roses. I’m reaching for Christian Dior Eau Sauvage, Ann Gérard Perle de Mousse, Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche (it’s the last of my vintage stock, so I ration it carefully), and Chanel No 19 Poudré. L’Occitane Rose 4 Reines was a recent discovery–an inexpensive rose that smells plush and velvety. I will save Hermès 24 Faubourg for those days when I need a warm  cashmere wrap.

Speaking of perfume wardrobes, I promised to post a link to my article, The Fragrance Wardrobe, which appeared in the November issue of Red Magazine.  It was one of my favorite writing projects last year, and it is a pleasure to share it with you. I hope that you will enjoy it. Please click on the link below to read it, or you can now find it at my Publications page.

The Fragrance Wardrobe

Photography by Bois de Jasmin