News: 583 posts

If you love Shalimar Parfum Initial as much as I do, consider stocking up, because Guerlain is discontinuing this gourmand perfume with an iris twist (along with its flanker, Parfum Initial L’Eau). There will be a new Shalimar interpretation called Shalimar Souffle de Parfum. It’s described as tender, warm, and enveloping, featuring notes of bergamot, lemon, mandarin, jasmine sambac, orange blossom water absolute, vanilla from India and Tahiti, and white musk.

“To emphasize and give to the orange blossom its honeyed notes, Thierry Wasser used orange blossom water absolute. This absolute is the result of a very specific process. First step, distillation, to obtain the orange blossom water, then, extraction, to collect the precious absolute. This powerful absolute accentuates the floral trail of the fragrance.”

It will be available next month at Guerlain boutiques and counters. Via Guerlain.com (thank you to Jaime K for the news)

Jean Patou is relaunching three fragrances from its archives: Adieu Sagesse, Amour Amour (now called Deux Amours), Que Sais-Je? The perfumes were originally created in 1925 and were to represent three phases of love, seduction, doubt and abandon. In-house perfumer Thomas Fontaine brought them back, along with the earlier reissues of Chaldée, Eau de Patou and Patou Pour Homme.

Adieu Sagesse created by legendary perfumer Henri Alméras is a floral blend dominated by gardenia. It includes notes of jonquil, lily of the valley, neroli, carnation, tuberose, opopanax, civet, and musk.

Deux Amours (formerly Amour Amour), a classical floral bouquet, was created by Georges Reboul and Henri Alméras. It features notes of bergamot, black currant, narcissus, neroli, carnation, jasmine, rose, and vetiver.

Que Sais-Je?, another Alméras perfume, is a classical chypre. It includes orange blossom, apricot, peach, carnation, iris, jasmine, rose, amber, cistus labdanum, and civet.

The Heritage Collection is available at Jean Patou boutiques and counters. Via press release

Do you think only perfume lovers decry reformulations and look for the “vintage” blends, with all of the good things still intact? Elisa found a terrific cocktail blog by Paul Clarke about the reformulation of Lillet, a refreshing French aperitif, and she wanted to share it with you.

“Lillet is still in production, and is a lovely aperitif wine, but a reformulation in 1986 removed the product’s quinine bite (along with the quinine-related “Kina” from the name), in the process altering the flavor characteristics Lillet delivered when mixed in a cocktail. To read the rest, continue here.”

It looks like quinine is the oakmoss of the cocktail world!

Cartier is introducing a new flanker to its Baiser Volé perfume called Baiser Volé Lys Rose. Created by perfumer Mathilde Laurent, it’s a fruity interpretation of the original Eau de Parfum released in 2011. It plays up the lily notes with rose and red berries.

“A perfume that leaves a lingering trail. Every aspect of the lily, a flower of pure femininity, is explored for the first time. A flower of passion for highly charged emotions.”

Baiser Volé is also available as Eau de Toilette, Essence de Parfum, and Extrait de Parfum. All variations build on the lily theme, but they have different accents and characters.

If you’ve tried it already, please comment. I’m very curious to hear what it’s like.

Baiser Volé Lys Rose is available in 50ml ($88) and 100ml ($128) ml Eau de Parfum. Via press release

Italian fragrance brand Acqua di Parma is introducing a new fragrance this month. Ginepro di Sardegna is inspired by the aroma of Sardinia, an island in the Mediterranean sea, it blends pepper, nutmeg, juniper, cypress and sage with Virginia cedarwood (itself a type of juniper) and true cedarwood.

“Then he thought he saw the flame that released the scent of juniper from the wood logs in the fireplace; and this scent,
in turn, opened up, beyond a musky tunnel, a landscape of woods, rocks, green slopes that reached down to the blue line
of the sea.”
from “Il Cedro del Libano” Grazia Deledda

According to the press release, Ginepro di Sardegna “opens with the aromatic and balsamic notes of juniper blended with the sunny brightness of bergamot and the vivid spicy notes of pepper, pimento, and nutmeg that recall the green landscapes, deep blue skies, and bright colours typical of the lands of Sardinia. The energy of juniper, at the heart, is enhanced again by the aromatic resinous notes of common sage, with cypress bringing warm balsamic accents to the fragrance, in perfect balance with a base of warm and woody accents of Virginia Cedarwood. A feeling of deep satisfaction that is only offered by the Sardinian landscape, where the Mediterranean reaches the pinnacle perfection.”

Available at Acqua di Parma boutiques and department store counters. Via press release.