l’artisan parfumeur: 47 posts

L’Artisan Parfumeur will unveil a new perfume collection in September 2013. Explosions d’Emotions will include three new fragrances created by perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour: Amour Nocturne, Déliria, and Skin on Skin.

Amour Nocturne captures the idea of tenderness. It features notes of milk, caramel, gunpowder, cedarwood and orchid.

Déliria is about intoxication. It blends metallic notes, rhum with the gourmand sweetness of toffee apple and cotton candy.

Skin on Skin is described as seductive. It includes iris, rose, lavender, saffron, whiskey in addition to suede and musks. and suede velvet leather with saffron, whisky, lavender and rose.

Perfumes will be available in L’Artisan Parfumeur boutiques, counters and online.  125ml/£135. Via fashionmonitor and press release.

I have a friend who loves mimosa so much that when I mentioned seeing cut branches at a florist shop, she didn’t hesitate to make an hour long journey to Manhattan. In New York, these aromatic yellow flowers are both rare and expensive (they’re usually flown in from the South of France), so she was determined to find a perfume that bottled its unusual scent of almonds and violets. My first recommendation was L’Artisan Parfumeur Mimosa Pour Moi, because it’s the closest approximation of mimosa in full bloom.

The first inhale of Mimosa Pour Moi is a rustle of green leaves, with a soft brush of violet petals and drizzle of creamed honey. It’s effervescent and breezy, with strong hints of cucumber peel. The cuddly, soft impression of mimosa is created from these disparate elements shortly thereafter, and suddenly you imagine yourself holding a large bouquet of mimosa and burying your face in it. Instinctively, I reach to brush away the pollen from my nose.
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In the depths of winter, when I begin to lose faith that spring will ever come again, the yellow pompoms of mimosa lift my spirits. No matter how rushed I am, the slender branches arranged in the florist’s windows tempt me to slow down, and I walk out of the store burying my face in a large bouquet. The fluffy flowers caress my cheeks and dust them with lemon-yellow powder, and the scent is vivid and joyful to match the explosive color–a mixture of green violet and honey soaked almonds. It’s delicate, but remarkably persistent, filling the room with the aroma of Provence within minutes.

Even if you haven’t smelled real mimosa*, chances  are you’ve encountered it in perfume. This material is one of the most intriguing and complex. The mimosa used in perfumery belongs to a related family, Acacia, with two varieties processed commercially for their fragrant oil–Acacia decurrens var. dealbata (called simply mimosa in the perfumery trade) and Acacia farnesiana (cassie). The former is the pompom like yellow mimosa in my photo, the latter is simpler and more austere but equally fragrant.

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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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L’Artisan Parfumeur is bringing back two perfumes as limited editions this summer. Ananas Fizz (originally created by Anne Flipo in 2004) and Côte d’Amour (by Céline Ellena in 2009) will join the collection in May.

Ananas Fizz is “a celebration of summer and of the Victoria pineapple, typical of the French Reunion Island, in the Indian Ocean.” It’s a blend of citrus, lychee, and pineapple, with a twist of frangipani and vanilla. A light fragrance, it’s designed to be used liberally, as a cologne.

Côte d’Amour is “like a voluptuous, caressing marine breeze,” a fragrance  inspired by a stroll along the coast in Loire-Atlantique, in the West of France. It includes notes of dune flower, cypress, pine, wet woods, marine and salty notes.

100ml Eau de Toilette will retail for £55/70€. Via press release