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If you could smell one perfume in its original formula, what would you pick? For me, it would be a tie between Coty Jasmin de Corse and Guerlain Après L’Ondée extrait de parfum. Well, it might be possible. On Saturday September 15, 2018, 10am-5pm, the Osmothèque will open its doors to all vintage perfume lovers. Located in Versailles, the International Conservatory of Perfume has the largest collection of rare and long vanished fragrances recreated according to the original formulas. To date, the Osmothèque holds around 4000 perfumes, of which 800 are no longer available commercially. My beloved Jasmin de Corse is part of its archives.

The Osmothèque event is part of European Heritage Days, and visitors will have a chance to meet the perfumers, smell rare fragrances, raw materials and learn about the art of perfume creation. Each visit takes around 1.5 hours. A donation of 1 € is appreciated.

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Bois de Jasmin now has a monthly newsletter.  Please take a look at the first June 2018 issue. It will be a complement to the site and will include the perfumes I’m testing, books I’m reading, places I’m visiting and much more. I will also use it to update you on my perfumery classes, share tips for improving your sense of smell and give you recommendations. I envision it as a collage of inspiration, and I can’t wait to share it with you.

If you haven’t done so already, please subscribe to our mailing list. Or if you’re a current subscriber and would like the newsletter, when you enter your email address into the box below, you’ll have a chance to update your preferences.

Once you subscribe, check your inbox and be sure to confirm your email address. If you’ve subscribed, but you don’t receive any emails from me, please check your spam filter and add my email address to your contact list.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to let me know.

The June 2018 newsletter

Photography by Bois de Jasmin

I’m collaborating with the multi-sensory art project called In the Realm of Senses. The idea behind it is to explore the sensory dimensions of various art forms, discover how stimulating one sense enhances the experience of our other senses, and to create a platform where artists and participants can meet and experiment together. As you can see, it’s an extended version of what I do with Bois de Jasmin, so I’m happy to support this initiative. It has long been my belief that olfaction, the overlooked sense, can make our sensory experiences richer and that paying more attention to it gives more facets and colors to our surroundings.

In The Realm of Senses was conceived by Jeff Yang, a Chicago-based violinist, with a fascinating background in classical music and engineering. We’re in the early stages of taking the project off the ground, but among the perfumers involved are Ralf Schwieger and Christophe Laudamiel. If you’re in Chicago on June 16, 2018, please don’t miss our fundraising event.

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The next big Chanel launch is a collection of three perfumes, Les Eaux de Chanel. Like Les Exclusifs, they are inspired by places that were meaningful to Chanel. Perfumer Olivier Polge has selected three destinations, Deauville, Venice and Biarritz, and created three stories around them. All three are meant to explore fresh and effervescent notes, but they play with different characters and effects. I will share more detailed reviews as I test the perfumes carefully, and for now just a few general notes the collection.

PARIS-DEAUVILLE

Gabrielle Chanel opened her first boutique in Deauville on the Normandy coast in 1912.

“More than the actual reality of the destination, I liked the idea urbanites make of it when they dream of a
weekend away in the country. I wasn’t striving to capture the Normandy countryside as it stands today, but rather
the promise of a stroll through the tall grasses.” Olivier Polge

The fragrance is green, with the brightness of bitter orange rind, petitgrain and basil leaves. It’s accented with rose and jasmine, but the drydown has a layer of patchouli that gives it a chypre-like impression.

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The overview of our 2018 class and the description of our activities can be found here, Scents of the Burgundian Spring.

I have some news for you. I’m going to teach a new perfumery course in France next spring (April 18-21, 2018). Since it will take place in Burgundy, a region renowned for its wine, the three day course will reflect that. We will learn together about the aromatics used in perfumery and found in wine, practice sharpening our sense of smell and learn to take apart accords and recognize notes. We will also have an overview of perfume history in the form of some of the most iconic fragrances. At the same time, I will show you lost masterpieces, less well-known but equally fascinating blends and teach you a number of professional techniques for smelling, remembering scents and describing them. And we will certainly be enjoying plenty of good wine.

The course will be held in Château Le Sallay in Magny-Cours. It’s a Renaissance-era building, once the residence of the Counts of Nevers, that’s been restored as a 4 star hotel surrounded by a large park. It’s easily reached from Paris, and if you wanted to combine the course with a visit to the Loire Valley, it’s possible. 

Just like my previous two courses, this one is organized by Senses & Vacation. All of the details can be found via their website, The Art of Perfume. It also lists the program, accommodation details and much more.

The course program will be slightly different, but you can read about the course I taught in spring of 2017 here.

How to Book The Course: please go to The Art of Perfume website.

1st image by Anna Kozlova via Senses & Vacation, 2nd via Wiki-images, some rights reserved.