“For Holiday 2007 Bond No. 9 Has Finally Gone Over The Top!” This is motto for this holiday season over at Bond no.9. And whatever preferences you have there has to be something that will please the eye, at least, for sure.The presentation is very luxe…
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November 30th, 2007 — Christmas, bond no.9, candle, gift, limited edition, saks fifth avenue, silver factory from helg @ Perfume Shrine
The origins of the olfactory theory of Shape?
November 29th, 2007 — linda buck, luca turin, lucretius, nobel prize, richard axel, shape, smell, theory from helg @ Perfume Shrine
If anyone is at all familiar with the theory of perfume breakdown and the notion of searching for how the sense of smell works, then that one is familiar with the conflict between the standard theory of Shape versus Luca Turin’s theory of Vibration; th…
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Lancome Contest
November 29th, 2007 — Contest, Lancôme, lancome from helg @ Perfume Shrine
Perusing the official sites of perfume and cosmetics companies is always fun, but it is double fun when one stumbles upon quizzes, contests and gift finders. One such case is the Canadian Lancome site, which has been online since 2001 and is offering t…
Related StoresAnya’s Garden Kaffir and Temple
November 28th, 2007 — Anya's Garden, Fairchild, Lime, Oud, Pan, Review, kaffir, naturals, review, temple from helg @ Perfume Shrine
We have dabbled in Anya’s Garden, an artisan natural perfumery stationed in Miami Shores, Florida USA before, here at the Shrine. We were really taken with her wild-hearted Fairchild and consider Pan to be one of the most unique things to ever grace th…
Related StoresL’air de Rien by Miller Harris
November 27th, 2007 — Review, gainsbourg, jane birkin, l'air de rien, miller harris, musk, name of the rose, oakmoss, review, sexy from helg @ Perfume Shrine
Jane Birkin piqued the imagination of thousands when she sighed heavily throughout “Je t’aime, moi non plus”, the Gainsbourg song that Brigitte Bardot had refused to sing and which the Vatican renounced as sinful. Her personality, her insouciance…
Related StoresPontevecchio men’s by Nobile 1942: fragrance review
November 26th, 2007 — Nobile1942, Review, masculine, new, niche, pontevecchio, review, vetiver from helg @ Perfume Shrine
Lured in by Pontevecchio W, the corresponding fragrance for women, which received a glowing review at Perfume Shrine some days ago {click for review}, there I was testing the masculine companion also laced with iris to see where it would get me… I am…
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Optical Scentsibilities: imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
November 23rd, 2007 — Ralph Lauren, advertisement, femme, ferragamo, optical scentsibilities, rochas, romance from helg @ Perfume Shrine
Surely you have heard the above dictum: “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”. It’s actually a quote by Charles Caleb Colton (1780 - 1832) Lacon, volume I, no. 183. The man had won a place in my heart for his other quote: “Many books require no…
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Anonimo Veneziano by Nobile 1942: fragrance review
November 20th, 2007 — Chanel, Labdanum, Review, anonimo veneziano, casanova, coco, new, niche, nobile 1942 from helg
“I had removed my mask, and was drinking some coffee under the ‘procuraties’ of St. Mark’s Square, when a fine-looking female mask struck me gallantly on the shoulder with her fan. As I did not know who she was I did not take much notice of it, a…
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Pontevecchio W by Nobile 1942: fragrance review
November 19th, 2007 — Kie?lowski, forster, iris, la double vie de veronique, nobile 1942, pontevecchio, review, room with a view, woman from helg @ Perfume Shrine
“‘Leonora,’” he read, “’sat pensive and alone. Before her lay therich champaign of Tuscany, dotted over with many a smilingvillage. The season was spring.[...]A golden haze. [...]Off the towers ofFlorence, while the bank on which she sat was carpeted w…
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New niche line: Nobile 1942
November 19th, 2007 — line, naturals, new, niche, nobile 1942, nobile 1942 from helg @ Perfume Shrine
“I have the simplest of tastes; I am always satisfied with the best”. This delightful aphorism by Oscar Wilde serves as the leitmotif for niche Italian brand Nobile 1942. Not exactly newcomers, as they hail from as back as –wait, you guessed it!-…
Related StoresA little teasing!
November 16th, 2007 — Perfume Bloggers from helg @ Perfume Shrine
Worshippers of the Shrine, please stay tuned for next posts which will occupy themselves with a new niche line with fabulous products!
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November 16th, 2007 — Guerlain, Shalimar, Tom Ford, advertisement, black orchid, george hurrell, opium, optical scentsibilities, veronica lake from helg @ Perfume Shrine
It had been no secret that Tom Ford’s Black Orchid for women photoshoot involving Carin Roitfield’s daughter (Carin being the editor in chief of French Vogue, no less) had been “inspired” by old Hollywood iconography. Tom Ford if nothing else is a bril…
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Continue reading → Optical Scentsibilities: head thrown back in abandon
The Dior Chypres series ~Miss Dior: fragrance review
November 15th, 2007 — Chypre, Galbanum, Review, christian dior, commercial, dior series, edmond roudnitska, inside, levis, ma griffe, miss dior, oakmoss, paul vacher, slitskin from helg @ Perfume Shrine
“I will tell you of a perfume which my mistress has from the graces and the gods of love; when you smell it, you will ask of the deities to make of you only a nose”. It is in those words that the Roman writer Catullus speaks of the seductive guiles…
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The Dior chypre series ~Eau Fraiche: fragrance review
November 13th, 2007 — Caron, Review, bulgari, christian dior, dior series, eau, eau fraiche from helg @ Perfume Shrine
One might think that unisex or “shared” fragrances, like DNA remnants on a TV show that focuses on forensics, can be traced back to CK One and the 1990s. That one would be much mistaken. Almost every house of perfumery and many small artisanal loca…
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Dior sketch ads: how lovely!
November 11th, 2007 — Art, Fragrance, advertisment, christian dior, diorama, eau sauvage, illustrator, miss dior, rene gruau, sketch from helg @ Perfume Shrine
How can an obituary be glamorous? Or related to scent barring the mental connection with funeral flowers? Well, it can, if it involves René Gruau, chief visualiser and illustrator for parfums Christian Dior.Here is his obuitary from the Guardian: “Ren…
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November 9th, 2007 — Perfume Bloggers from helg @ Perfume Shrine
The Black Widow decant winner of the lucky draw announced is Lillie!Soon a little package will be crawling its way to you. Enjoy!To my other readers:Please check back later on for a fun post on Dior. Coming your way shortly.
Related StoresThe Dior Chypres series ~Diorella: fragrance review
November 8th, 2007 — Chypre, Fruity, Review, christian dior, dior series, eau sauvage, edmond roudnitska from helg @ Perfume Shrine
Everyone has an aunt that used to bathe in cold water regardless of it being winter or summer, slip on her bathing suit first thing in the morning and go for an invogorating swim on the first sign of warm weather in mid-spring. She wore long masculine …
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The Dior Chypres series ~Diorling: fragrance review
November 7th, 2007 — Bandit, Chypre, Leather, cabochard, christian dior, dior series, diorama, diorling, paul vacher from helg @ Perfume Shrine
If Diorama is synonymous to a classical goddess, then Dioling is fit for a dark Rennaisance angel. This supremely elegant leather chypre that saw the light of the day in 1963 is one of the rare beauties that have such smooth contours, so velvety a shee…
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The Dior Chypres series ~Diorama: fragrance review
November 5th, 2007 — Chandler Burr, Chypre, Fruity, Review, christian dior, dior series, diorama, edmond roudnitska, jean claude ellena, luca turin from helg @ Perfume Shrine
“Cabochard, Dioressence, Diorama were offerings to goddesses, not presents to women”. This is how Luca Turin addressed the masterpiece by Edmond Roudnitska that came in 1949 like a luminous cognac diamond to adorn the crown of Christian Dior parfums. H…
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Fragrant news: Guerlain Les Parisiennes additions and deductions
November 5th, 2007 — Guerlain, Les Parisiennes, bee bottle, coriolan, derby, new, reissued from helg @ Perfume Shrine
Isabelle Rousseau, director of public relations for Guerlain confirms that the defunct masculine scent Coriolan , a scent of juniper berry bitterness coupled with balsamic notes and an immortelle drydown, will be reissued in Les Parisiennes collection …
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The Dior Chypres series ~1.the hidden force: Edmond Roudnitska
November 4th, 2007 — Art, Chypre, aesthetics, christian dior, diorama, diorella, diorling, eau sauvage, edmond roudnitska, femme, miss dior, paul vacher, rochas from helg @ Perfume Shrine
Perfume Shrine embarked on a mission: to disect and discuss one of the bastions of chypre: la maison Dior in its former glory, when under the baguette of Edmond Roudnitska and Paul Vacher it produced classics that remain up there in the pantheon for al…
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Optical Scentsibilities -new feature!
November 2nd, 2007 — Boucheron, advertising, fidji, lumiere, mystere, optical scentsibilities, rochas from helg @ Perfume Shrine
Perfume Shrine has an eye for the visual as well as a nose for the olfactual, as has surely been apparent to our readers by now. In the interests of pursuing the investigation of common themes running through perfume images, a new feature is introduced…
Related StoresFragrant News: Christian Dior La Collection Particuliere
October 31st, 2007 — Rose, christian dior, collection particuliere, iris, iris, tuberose from helg @ Perfume Shrine
According to latest news on Russian site Moon-fish, Christian Dior House celebrates its 60 years anniversary and to commemorate the event will release La Collection Particulière, a new exclusive line of feminine scents. There are three perfumes in the…
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Happy Halloween!
October 30th, 2007 — Fragrance, Halloween, The Body Shop, bottega veneta, candle, intreccio, l'artisan, nectarine, oil, pumpkin from helg @ Perfume Shrine
Hally Halloween to all the readers of Perfume Shrine and may the benevolent ghosts of your loved ones be around you on the dia de los muertos. I like to believe that our cherished, most loved ones can escape the Night’s Sultan on this special occassion…
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October 30th, 2007 — Black Widow, Oriental, Perfume, Review, Spicy, bob rafelson, debra winger, naturals, sexy, theresa russell from helg @ Perfume Shrine
“Bob Rafelson’s Black Widow with its good, flashy star-performances by Debra Winger and Theresa Russell, comes on with the seductiveness of an expensive perfume that inevitably evaporates before the night is over”. When the New York Times critic gives …
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Chypre Rouge by Serge Lutens: fragrance review
October 29th, 2007 — Immortelle, Review, Serge Lutens, arabie, celery, chris sheldrake, christian dior, chypre rouge, eau noire, fenugreek, lille, sables from helg @ Perfume Shrine
It’s not often that a perfume assumes a stolen identity to pass icognito under our noses, hiding its true nature under a misnomer. Chypre Rouge is not a chypre by any stretch of the imagination, even taking into account the new chypre contestants that …
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Chypres series 7: The Chypres that Time Forgot
October 26th, 2007 — armani, chypre series, coriandre, deneuve, emerald, halston, jean louis scherrer, pour femme from helg @ Perfume Shrine
There are some chypre fragrances that got sidetracked for various reasons, none of which is the fault of their actual scent. Either their heyday ended in an abrupt change in the public’s sensibilities or they fell out of production because of a deal th…
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Paloma Picasso Mon Parfum: fragrance review
October 25th, 2007 — Chypre, Paloma Picasso, Patchouli, Review, castoreum, de falla, jewel, mon parfum, ritual fire dance, soir de lune from helg @ Perfume Shrine
It’s hard for me to speak of Paloma Picasso perfume and not implicate the obliviously innocent in this. Because it happens to be the signature choice of someone I knew, someone who is most probably unawares of this blog, its writer and musings. I doubt…
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Fragrance review: Midnight violet by Ava Luxe
October 25th, 2007 — Ava Luxe, Floral, Review, animalic, earthy, midnight, violet from helg @ Perfume Shrine
By guest writer Ida MeisterI am such a neophyte, that I feel a disclaimer is in order. To begin with: it should be noted that I am neither a writer nor a perfumer. I am simply a woman possessed by a 50 year love affair with fragrance, who lives for her…
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Labdanum: an important material
October 24th, 2007 — Amouage, Andy Tauer, Anya's Garden, Diptyque, Labdanum, Le Labo, ayala moriel, christian dior, chypre series, cistus, crete, herodotus, paracelsus, patou, rock rose from helg @ Perfume Shrine
It is well known to our readers by now that chypre perfumes are dependent on a strict formula that juxtaposes bergamot and oakmoss, interlaying labdanum and other earthy elements such as vetiver or patchouli.Perfume Shrine has already focused on oakmos…
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Chypre series 6 ~Masculine chypres: does such a thing exist?
October 23rd, 2007 — Chanel, Chypre, Fougere, Fougère, Leather, Shiseido, Woody, antaeus, aramis, armani, citrus, gentleman, givenchy, masculine, pour monsieur from helg @ Perfume Shrine
In this month of chypres examination and discussion, Perfume Shrine pondered on their origin, their composition, the modern variations, their aesthetics and the relation they have to the zeitgeist (Click on the links to go to respective subject). It wa…
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Femme by Rochas: fragrance review and associations
October 21st, 2007 — Chypre, Review, edmond roudnitska, femme, manos hadjidakis, melina merkouri, mikis theodorakis, phaedra, rochas from helg @ Perfume Shrine
There are times when I reflect upon a fragrance to realise that it has been painted by the brush of a rampant personality, bigger than life, more enduring than the everyday routine. And those precious, troubling fragrances make it to my heart almost wi…
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Interview with a perfumer: Jean Jacques
October 19th, 2007 — Aromatics Elixir, Francis Kurkdjian, Guerlain, balmya, colors of love, interview, jean jacques, l'oreal, lapidus, masaki, oriflame, pour homme, takasago from helg @ Perfume Shrine
It is always a pleasure to come across a young person who is entangled in the web of perfumery. Jean Jacques is such a young frenchman who has been immersing himself in scent to piquant effect, all the more so because he is what the French call nez; a …
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October 18th, 2007 — Francis Kurkdjian, Patchouli, Review, amethyst, fatale, gem, iris, jean jacques, musk, oriflame from helg @ Perfume Shrine
Has it ever happened to you to completely dismiss something new merely on the value of past experiences and then be proved wrong? Surely it has! This is what happened to me with the newest perfume by Swedish skincare and cosmetics brand Oriflame, conce…
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Twin peaks~Aromatics Elixir and Earth by Apivita
October 17th, 2007 — Apivita, Aromatics Elixir, Clinique, Review, boorman, david lynch, earth, excalibur, smell alike, twin peaks from helg @ Perfume Shrine
Perfume Shrine is introducing a new feature: Twin Peaks. Lynch inpired but lynch-free for the fragrances it aims to juxtapose and compare highlighting their similarities and kindred spirits. I sure hope you enjoy finding some smell-alikes for things yo…
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Not another commercial!
October 16th, 2007 — Chanel, Jacques Polge, advertising, commercial, das parfum commercial, esprit, no.5, tim duquette from helg @ Perfume Shrine
I stumbled upon this lethal CHANEL commercial, originally found by Octavian Coifan, with actor Tim Duquette and directed by Marcel Langenegger. It just begged for commentary, don’t you think?(Uploaded by TIMDNYC on Youtube) Click to watch.The chronolog…
Related StoresLucky draw for Daisy mini: the winner!
October 16th, 2007 — Perfume Bloggers from helg @ Perfume Shrine
As promised I did put names in a hat for the lucky draw I had announced on my Daisy by Marc Jacobs review and the winner is none other than Divina. I bet this would fit nicely with her miniature collection.Please mail me with an address so I can send t…
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October 15th, 2007 — Chypre, Clinique, Patchouli, aromatics, edvard grieg, elixir, helen mirren, ibsen, moss, nicol williamson, norwegian, peer gynt, velvet sheer from helg @ Perfume Shrine
If you have ever wandered in a dark, damp forest you know the smell of dead leaves trampled underfoot and grasses soaked with bog water. But do you know what trolls smell like? Do you know what the enchanted forest vibrates of? You feel it in the air, …
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The Quest for the Great Dry Citrus
October 12th, 2007 — Caron, Clarins, Guerlain, O, citrus, de nicolai, douro, dry, dynamissante, eau, hadrien, lancome, new york, penhaligon's, vie de chateau from helg @ Perfume Shrine
Perfumeshrine receives lots of mail from readers. Some with kind words of admiration, some with suggestions (which are much appreciated), some with questions on various matters. The latter usually make me ponder and try to come up with thoughtful answe…
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October 11th, 2007 — Daisy, cute, draw, honeysuckle and jasmine, i love love, light blue, marc jacobs, mini, moschino, musk, smell alike, sofia coppola from helg @ Perfume Shrine
If you doubt your eyes, you can never doubt your nose, it seems. It is unmistakeably capable of discerning that which the promotional material might deny. It has the ability to get not only molecules stuck in its receptive velcro but also memories, ass…
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We interrupt this program to announce…..
October 11th, 2007 — Perfume Bloggers from helg @ Perfume Shrine
…that a long-due review of a new scent will follow shorlycombined with a lucky draw for a very cute mini bottle of the perfume!!Stay tuned, it won’t be long and prepare to leave a comment if you want to enter the draw.Chypres will resume of course af…
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October 10th, 2007 — Chypre, Coty, advertising, bottle, box, crest, napoleon from helg @ Perfume Shrine
Advertising and presentation are icings on the cake of a great fragrance and in the case of Coty Chypre they evoke the lovely aesthetics of La Belle Epoque and the years that followed.Considering the success it had on the market and the avalanche of fr…
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Coty Chypre: fragrant pilgrimage and review
October 8th, 2007 — Bandit, Caron, Chypre, Coty, Guerlain, aphrodite, archaic, christian dior, cubism, edmond roudnitska, fauves, l'origan, la rose jacqueminot, mitsouko, oakmoss, picasso, sous le vent, venus from helg @ Perfume Shrine
By guest writer Denyse Beaulieu/CarmancanadaWhen friends complained to Pablo Picasso that the portrait of Gertrude Stein he’d just painted didn’t look like her, he answered something along the lines of: “Don’t worry. It will.”Though the famou…
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Chypre series 5: chronology and the zeitgeist
October 8th, 2007 — 19, Bandit, Chanel, Coty, Estee Lauder, Guerlain, cabochard, caleche, charlie, chronology, chypre series, diorella, edmond roudnitska, femme, ma griffe, miss dior, picasso, saint phalle, zeitgeist from helg @ Perfume Shrine
It has long been my opinion that fragrances do not merely reflect their makers’ vision or the desire to attain beauty and harmony through an ethereal means such as the fume of a precious liquid. They are routinely shaped by the circumstances that defin…
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Chypre series 4: aesthetics
October 5th, 2007 — 31 rue cambon, Chanel, Jacques Polge, Les Exclusifs, Psychology, chic, chypre series, colour rosette test, extrovert, sophisticated from helg @ Perfume Shrine
Previously on this series we mentioned briefly that chypres have apparently fallen out of favour in late years, with the exception of the very new “modern” ones discussed. And we pointed out that this is due to the differentiation in ingredients listed…
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Chypre series 3: the new contestants
October 3rd, 2007 — Chanel, Chypre, agent provocateur, badgley mischka, bergamot, coco mlle, masaki, miss dior cherie, modern, narciso, oakmoss, pink, pure turqoise patchouli, vetiver from helg @ Perfume Shrine
In our quest for chypre perfumes we stumble upon a peculiar phenomenon: there are scarcely any true chypres getting produced in the last 25 years!! Why is that? The answer is two-fold and fascinating in its denuement.First of all there is the matter of…
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