2013 launches: 55 posts

Neela Vermeire Creations has recently presented its new fragrance Ashoka. Inspired by one of India’s greatest emperors, perfume was created by Bertrand Duchaufour. It is “a tribute to an emperor who was conquered by his own compassion at the moment his victory was assured. He converted to Buddhism and devoted the rest of his life to spreading the Buddha’s teachings, to truth, to justice and to compassion for all living creatures beneath the sun…. His own evolution from ruthless conqueror to benevolent emperor is reflected in Ashoka’s journey from the fierce opening to a softly floral heart & the gentle embrace of its richly complex drydown.”

Ashoka includes notes of fig leaves, leather, white and pink lotus, mimosa, fig milk, osmanthus, rose, water hyacinth, vetiver, styrax, incense, sandalwood, myrrh, tonka bean, and fir balsam. Ashoka will be available in select stores from early autumn 2013.

In other news, Mohur will be released in a higher extrait de parfum concentration. Its amethyst glass flacon and other bottles from Neela Vermeire’s collection were recently re-designed by Pierre Dinand, a renowned bottle artist. Via press release (the image of King Ashoka via wiki-images, some rights reserved).

This spring, in addition to Caligna, L’Artisan Parfumeur will add two new candles to its Grasse Collection: Le Printemps (spring) and L’Été (summer).

Le Printemps (spring)

Inspired by spring in Grasse, this candle blends laurel, rosemary, lentisk and thyme, and accents the herbs with spicy star anise.

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Christian Dior has added a new fragrance to La Collection Privée. Gris Montaigne, developed by perfumer François Demachy, is a classical mossy chypre with notes of bergamot, jasmine sambac, Turkish rose, Indonesian patchouli, moss, and amber.

Gris Montaigne is currently available at Harrods in London, alongside the England inspired makeup collection:  Claridge’s 48 eye shadow palette and lip gloss, My Lady powder, Windsor nail polish. Gris Montaigne will launch at Dior boutiques worldwide later this spring. Via elle.fr and dior.com

Do you know the feeling when you try an outfit and can’t decide whether it suits you or not? You think, “maybe it would be fine if I were to add a different purse or wear my hair up…” Those are the kind of pieces that end up gathering dust in the closet. Perfume is not exactly like clothing, because some fragrances don’t cast their spell on you immediately, but as my recent experience with Chanel 1932 proved, sometimes the first instinct is the correct one.

I admit to having a certain reverence for Chanel. Its perfume collection includes some splendid gems like No 5, Bois des Iles, Cuir de Russie, and No 19, and even releases like Allure and Coco Mademoiselle have the kind of attention to quality that one rarely finds at department store counters. For this reason, I wasn’t ready to give up on 1932, a new addition to the Les Exclusifs collection, but when I first tried it on my skin I found it to be pale and limpid.

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Tom Ford is launching a new perfume in the Signature Collection, which includes fragrances like Black Orchid, Tom Ford Noir, Violet Blonde, and White Patchouli. Sahara Noir is inspired by the Middle Eastern perfume tradition and the incense notes. As Ford says, “Middle Eastern culture has an extraordinary appreciation for the luxurious, emotional and memorable qualities of fragrance; perfume is worn there in a way that feels very familiar to me. Sahara Noir is my interpretation of this heritage. It is a deep and substantial perfume that caresses the senses.”

Sahara Noir is a woody oriental perfume based on frankincense. Bitter orange, cypress, calamus, cinnamon, papyrus extract, Egyptian jasmine templar and rose absolute from Morocco are used to accent the heart of the composition.

“A beeswax extraction from Burma lends body and a supple, honeyed-animalic richness. The dry down is amber-laced and warm. It is formed by a special blend of two facets of labdanum—labdanum absolute and a uniquely rich natural fraction of labdanum known as ambreinol—with rich benzoin from Laos and vanilla bean from Madagascar. Lebanese cedar, frankincense resin, agarwood and Peru balsam add luxurious substance and lasting presence.”

Available at Tom Ford Beauty counters starting May 2013. 50ml bottle of Eau de Parfum retails for £100. Via press release