October 6th, 2008 — , book review, perfume book, preview, roja dove, the essence of perfume from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that Roja Dove is the encyclopaedic resource to turn to on everything perfume-related. Even better that he is a very charming man to talk to as well. A former Cambridge medical student, Roja worked for many years …
Related StoresContinue reading → The Essence of Perfume by Roja Dove: book review and preview
October 5th, 2008 — , Autumn, Pacifica, blissoma, irie star, solid fragrance from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
Sometimes in order to feel pampered and special one needs a little indulgence to make us feel like we deserve a little something for ourselves. In the spirit of divulging some of my finds to inspire you I am listing some of the things that make me tic…
Related StoresOctober 4th, 2008 — , Guerlain, boutique guerlain, collectible, limited edition from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
Guerlain has been challenging us to show just how serious of a perfume nut we are for some time now: it feels that if we don’t mortgage our house or sell our first born’s kidneys to the black market we’re not quite up there in strategic placement in th…
Related StoresOctober 3rd, 2008 — , Autumn, september, try to remember, youtube from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
“Then summer fades and passes and October comes. We’ll smell smoke then,
and feel an unexpected sharpness, a thrill of nervousness, swift elation, a
sense of sadness and departure.”
~Thomas Wolfe
The end of one season and the progression into another …
Related StoresContinue reading → Try to Remember when Life was so Tender that No One Wept Except the Willow
October 2nd, 2008 — , limited edition.narciso rodriguez from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
Narciso Rodriguez has given his two fragrances, For Her and For Him, limited edition mirror-bottles to drive your inner obsessive-compulsive crazy taking care of the inevitable smudges. Come on, admit it, you always wanted to check your lipstick while…
Related StoresOctober 2nd, 2008 — , change, discussion, reader's mail, scent memory from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
One of my readers, the lovely Sandra from Prague, sent me an intriguing mail the other day recounting a phenomenon not unheard of among perfume lovers ~no, not reformulation:
“Before taking off to Tunisia, I bought a fragrance pretty much unsniffed - O…
Continue reading → It Smelled so Good and Now I Am Not Loving it as Much!
September 30th, 2008 — , Chypre, Gourmand, Guerlain, Oriental, boutique guerlain, carnal elixirs, christine nagel, elixirs charnels from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
Like probably half the female population of the affluent West with about 40 minutes to kill on a winter’s week evening ~nails filed at advertising breaks~ I used to watch the comedic escapades of four women on the verge of breakdown (which rarely resul…
Related StoresSeptember 30th, 2008 — , Vetiver Series, citrusy vetiver, comparison, smoky vetiver, soapy vetiver, straight vetiver, sweet vetiver from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
There is just something about empyreal vetiver that makes it the perfect transitional olfactory module between an Indian summer of bright blouses and the more serious tweeds of truly autumnal weather. Vetiver’s shades of green oscillate between the pal…
Related StoresContinue reading → Vetiver Series 5: the Straight, the Strange & the Sweet
September 28th, 2008 — , Lyra, Q, Review, Roxana Illuminated Perfume, Woody, floriental, naturals, oak, roxana villa from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
“Kennst du das Land wo die Zitronen blühen? Im dunklen Laub die Gold-Orangen glühen, ein sanfter Wind vom Blauen Himmel weht,die Myrte still und hoch der Lorbeer steht, Kennst du es wohl?” (=Do you know the land where the lemon trees blossom? Among d…
Related StoresSeptember 26th, 2008 — , Cinnamon, Cumin, Oriental, Review, aziyade, niche, parfums d'empire, pomegranate, youtube from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
“The delicate exactitude with which he reproduced the impression given to his own alert nerves by unfamiliar forms, colours, sounds and perfumes” is how a contemporary critic describes the cadence literary style of Pierre Loti, French author of “Aziyad…
Related StoresContinue reading → Aziyade by Parfum d’Empire: fragrance review
September 25th, 2008 — , Floral, Kenzo, Review, masculine, new, power, youtube from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
by guest writer Mike Perez
The new men’s fragrance, Power by Kenzo, is ‘on paper’ a fragrance that easily entices my curiosity: The perfumer is Olivier Polge (Dior Homme, The One for Men, Flowerbomb) It’s a floral fragrance marketed to men. …
Related StoresSeptember 23rd, 2008 — , Frederic Malle, Maurice Roucel, Review, cashmeran, chemistry, dans tes bras, fragrance history, musk, salicylate, violet from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
It would not be an overstatement to say that the “library” comprised of Frédéric Malle edited tomes of olfactory literature is one of the most stimulating lines in modern perfumery. Now perfumer Maurice Roucel gives us another volume to gnaw our …
Related StoresContinue reading → Dans Tes Bras by Frederic Malle: fragrance review
September 23rd, 2008 — , bell'antonio, hilde soliani, niche shopping, vecchi rosetti from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
You might remember that we had reported and reviewed the new exclusive niche line by Italian jewelry and fragrance designer Hilde Soliani. The magnificent Bell’Antonio, a fragrance focused on multi-nuanced aromatic tobacco and dark roasted coffee, and …
Related StoresContinue reading → Hilde Soliani News: More Exclusive Stuff Available in NYC Now
September 22nd, 2008 — , Ralph Lauren, advertising, commercial, laeticia casta, new, notorious from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
“The roles have made me famous, but my life has made me Notorious,” says Laetitia Casta (does she realise the ambivalence of the term, I wonder!), iconic French model and budding actress who stars as the sultry face of Notorious , the new Ralph Lau…
Related StoresContinue reading → Notorious by Ralph Lauren: new fragrance and commercial
September 21st, 2008 — , Caron, Paris shopping, Travel Memoirs, boutique guerlain, fragonard from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
introducing guest writer Elysium
There might be doubts about which perfume is the most beautiful, but there is no dispute about where the Mecca of fine fragrances lies. Paris, La Ville-lumière, is the place where people from all over the world gath…
Related StoresSeptember 18th, 2008 — , Chanel, Jacques Polge, Les Exclusifs, Review, beige, chris sheldrake, hawthorn from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
Beige evokes different things for different people: from the suave to the anodyne all the way to lackluster, it is a neutral nuanced enough to escape the unambiguous reactions to black or white. Although the adjective has degenerated into invoking a bl…
Related StoresContinue reading → Chanel Les Exclusifs Beige: fragrance review
September 17th, 2008 — , Linda Pilkington, exclusive, interview, ormonde jayne, perfumer, seraphim from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
Today I am trying to disentangle the thread of the elusive Seraphim by Ormonde Jayne and to clear misunderstandings: surely such an elusive fragrance should have something important to say instead of putting question-marks all over the place. Surely so…
Related StoresContinue reading → The elusive Seraphim by Ormonde Jayne: the What, the How and the Why
September 17th, 2008 — , Review, jasmine, jitterbug, oil, opus oils, youtube from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
“Plants that wake when others sleep. Timid jasmine buds that keep their fragrance to themselves all day, but when the sunlight dies away let the delicious secret out to every breeze that roams about.” It is in those enraptured words that Thomas More s…
Related StoresContinue reading → Jitterbug perfume oil from Opus Oils: fragrance review
September 15th, 2008 — , Linda Pilkington, interview, ormonde jayne, perfumer from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
Talking to the woman behind the heady array of exquisite scents circulating under the brand name Ormonde Jayne proved to be not only deeply stimulating but also utterly delightful. Linda Pilkington has the well-bred, kind voice that matches her tiny at…
Related StoresContinue reading → Interview with a Perfumer: Linda Pilkington of Ormonde Jayne
September 15th, 2008 — , Announcement, perfume book, roja dove, the essence of perfume from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
Roja Dove, for years “professeur des parfums” at Guerlain and mastermind of Harrod’s Haute Parfumerie in London (a Mekka pilgrimage for any perfume afficionado) has written a new book, The Essence of Perfume. What is it about?
“Dove leads us on a fasci…
Continue reading → Roja Dove’s New Book at a Discount for our Readers
September 15th, 2008 — , Announcement, Cinquième Sens, perfume workshop from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
Cinquième Sens is a company founded in Paris in 1976 taking its name from the Fifth Sense, our sense of smell. They are now offering training programmes and workshops for the appreciation of fragrance for professionals as well as fragrance lovers.
Fir…
September 12th, 2008 — , Announcement from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
Between travel and work I am taking two days off to conduct a couple of interviews.
Will be back next week with exciting features, the continuation of our vetiver adventures and some (hopefully) interesting commentary on various fragrant matters.
I …
September 12th, 2008 — , campaign, dr.muglerstein, thierry mugler, video clip from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
Some of us, last time we checked, have singed our retinas with an image of unrecognisable designer Thierry Mugler as Manfred the body-builder (was the name intentionally Byronesque?)in socks, sandals and little else. Everyone is free to do as they see…
Related StoresContinue reading → The Island of Dr.Muglerstein: what is Thierry Mugler doing now?
September 11th, 2008 — , Shalimar, Shalimar Eau Legere, boutique guerlain, comparison, eau de shalimar, flanker, jean paul guerlain, mathilde laurent, reformulation, shalimar light from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
Why would a legend need modernising? Why would anyone take a mythical perfume such as Shalimar and create lighter versions of it?
The answer is simple and rather alarming on certain levels: the modern young consumer doesn’t especially like the original…
September 10th, 2008 — , Guerlain, Oriental, Review, Shalimar, Vanilla, fragrance history, jacques guerlain, luca turin, vanillin from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
Shalimar…its sonorous name reverberates long after its smell has evaporated, conjuring images of prodigal sensuality and old-fashioned romanticism like no other; holding us spellbound in a mirage of forbidden dreams. And yet, the very name which mean…
Related StoresContinue reading → Shalimar by Guerlain: Review and History Info for an Iconic Oriental
September 9th, 2008 — , Announcement, vetiver dance, winner from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
The time you’ve been all waiting for has finally come!
Scentscelf, Dimitri the redolent one, Vetiveronica, Six’ and the Anonymous (?)who mailed me from Italy all win a sample of the new, unreleased Vetiver Dance. Please mail me (using the address in …
Related StoresContinue reading → Announcement: Andy Tauer’s “Vetiver Dance” Winners!
September 9th, 2008 — from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
The results for the Tauer full bottle and sample draw will be announced tomorrow. Sorry for the delay, but the participation has been overwhelming with over 100 entries to run through the random site (my fingers ache but it was worth it).
Thanks for yo…
September 8th, 2008 — , Prada, Review, infusion d'homme, infusion d'iris, masculine, new from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
~Introducing guest writer Mike Perez
Iris. In a men’s fragrance. What’s the first scent that pops into your head? I would be surprised, if you didn’t immediately think of Dior Homme by Christian Dior.
Dior Homme, released in 2005 has become the…
Related StoresContinue reading → Infusion d’Homme by Prada: fragrance review
September 7th, 2008 — , Natalia Vodianova, Shalimar, advertising, campaign, commercial, new face, youtube from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
A few days ago we introduced the new face of Shalimar by parfums Guerlain, Natalia Vodianova, shot by Italian photographer Paolo Roversi. The ad prints that will appear in major fashion and beauty magazines only give a hint of the upcoming advertising …
Related StoresContinue reading → The new Shalimar by Guerlain commercial with Natalia Vodianova
September 7th, 2008 — , Laura Mercier, News, exclusive, nuits enchantees, shopping from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
Laura Mercier has a UK-only limited edition fragrance for women coming to the US, available at Nordstorm for 4 days only. It’s Nuit Enchantées (=Enchanted Nights), inspired by the One Thousand and One Nights tale and tagged as “the perfect sensual sc…
Related StoresContinue reading → Laura Mercier exclusive Nuits Enchantees in the US: fragrance news
September 5th, 2008 — , News, Raphaella Brescia Barkley, snifapalooza magazine from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
Congrats to Raphaella Brescia Barkley, Editor in Chief of the Sniffapalooza Magazine, for scoring: the online magazine that emerged out of the Snifapalooza NYC event has been going from strength to strength lately and has found its audience, among them…
Related StoresSeptember 5th, 2008 — , Neil Morris, News from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
We’re pleased to bring you good news for Neil Morris fans: contrary to most firms, there is a decrease in prices, which is great if you have been contemplating getting one of those famous Vault scents (I highly recommend Dark Season, Dark Earth and Par…
Related StoresSeptember 4th, 2008 — , Chanel, Les Exclusifs, Review, Vetiver Series, death in venice, luchino visconti, sycomore, vetiver, youtube from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
“Do you come from Heaven or rise from the abyss, Beauty?
Your gaze, divine and infernal,
Pours out confusedly benevolence and crime,
And one may for that, compare you to wine …
From God or Satan, who cares? Angel or Siren,
Who cares, if you make— …
September 3rd, 2008 — , Guerlain, discussion, marketing, opinion from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
If you have been under a rock in a cave in the Sumatran soil, you might have missed the discussion around Guerlain’s modus operandi of the last few years. Let’s do a very brief recap for those of you who might have: First there was a colossus who bough…
Related StoresSeptember 3rd, 2008 — , Guerlain, Natalia Vodianova, Shalimar, advertising, campaign, new face from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
One of my loyal and discerning readers, AlbertCan, informed me a few days ago that according to Forbes, Natalia Vodianova had signed with Guerlain (among others) to front products in their advertising campaigns. The news he scooped (and allowed me to …
Related StoresSeptember 1st, 2008 — , Calvin Klein, Review, new, secret obsession from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
We had announced the news of the upcoming Calvin Klein fragrance back in May and with it a few musings on how these things work as well as commentary by its new face, sexy actress Eva Mendes; who (to her credit) had contributed a few words on body perc…
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August 31st, 2008 — , Announcement from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
Due to the overwhelming participation in the latest draw for full bottles of Andy Tauer’s new and as yet unreleased Vetiver Dance , I am extending the participation deadline till Thursday midnight. Winners will be announced at the end of the week.
Th…
Related StoresAugust 31st, 2008 — , commercial, hai karate, optical scentsibilities, thomas crown affair, youtube from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
Some things are destined to become classics:In more ways than one.
The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), directed by Norman Jewison and starring Faye Dunaway and Steve McQueen, is memorable for its tour-de-force of cinematography, split-scenes direction infl…
Continue reading → Optical Scentsibilities: It’s Not Just a Game!
August 30th, 2008 — , News, luca turin, perfumes the guide, tania sanchez from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
It was with much interest that I just received news from Luca Turin that his ~co-authored with Tania Sanchez~ book Perfumes, the Guide, which Perfume Shrine had reviewed here, is getting supplemented. Apparently the questions of dr.Turin on what the f…
Related StoresAugust 28th, 2008 — , Andy Tauer, Review, Spicy, Vetiver Series, niche, pepper, swiss, vetiver, vetiver dance from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
“She is the embodiment of grace. She flows like water, she glows like fire and has the earthiness of a mortal goddess. She has flowers in her hair, jewelled hands and kohl-dark eyes. Her eyes speak a language that her hands will translate, her feet …
Related StoresContinue reading → Vetiver Dance by Tauer: Fragrance Review and Draw
August 27th, 2008 — , Guerlain, News, boutique guerlain, rumour from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
As a coda to the Guerlain news on new fragrance we had announced the other day, we were able to find a little more info that might elucidate one of our claims. It was hypothesized that the phrase Guerlain, Une Ville, Un Parfum, recently trademarked by …
Related StoresContinue reading → Guerlain and Chanel upcoming launches: fragrance rumours
August 27th, 2008 — , Gender, Vetiver Series, fragrance history, vetiver from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
Have you ever watched a conjurer put a volunteer from the audience into one of those contraptions that open and close via those ornamented Chinese doors? He enters as a man, next thing you see is the magician’s attractive female assistant emerge from t…
Related StoresContinue reading → Vetiver Series 4: the Secret of Gender in Vetiver
August 25th, 2008 — , Coty, Karl Lagerfeld, kapsule, new, versions from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
Karl Lagerfeld is best known for a few things: his trademark ponytail, his eye-glaring weight-loss, his prolific churning-out of numerous collections for several brands (Chanel, his own, Fendi etc.) and his perfume fetish. The latter got manifested not…
Related StoresContinue reading → Kapsule by Karl Lagerfeld: new fragrances ~Light, Woody, Floriental
August 24th, 2008 — , Guerlain, News, Thierry Wasser, bois torride, boutique guerlain, guerlain une ville un parfum, niche, rumour from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
Perfume Shrine is on an avalanche of heads-up involving upcoming launches from major houses such as Chanel (Beige) and Hermès (Vanille Galante) and today Guerlain news join them.
Is the apocryphal of perfume destined to be revealed on Perfume Shrine?…
Continue reading → Guerlain: Bois Torride and Guerlain, Une Ville, Un Parfum: fragrant news
August 24th, 2008 — from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
August 22nd, 2008 — , Hermes, Hermessence, News, exclusive, jicky, niche, vanille gallante from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
Hot on the heels of the news on a new Chanel in Les Exclusifs line, named Beige and mysteriously kept under wraps at Saks which however will carry it, as reported on Perfume Shrine first, here come the news on a new Hermessence.
AlbertCan had the scoo…
Related StoresContinue reading → New Hermessence Vanille Galante: fragrance news & musings
August 22nd, 2008 — from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
And the lucky winner for the draw on a sample of the super rare Dior-Dior is Pyramus!
Please mail me with your info so I can send the prize your way.
Thank you all for participating and stay tuned for another draw soon!
Related StoresAugust 22nd, 2008 — , Chayaruchama, Ida, Tribute from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
There are times when the esoterica of correspondence has a way of making one realise the little wonders that fill one’s life. Small tidbits that brighten the mundane with fairy dust of a fairy Godmother; a smile and a small confession, some wistfulness…
Related StoresAugust 20th, 2008 — , Design, Vintage, bee bottle, classic, niche, optical scentsibilities from perfumeshrine @ Perfume Shrine
Bottles get fairly often copied, er…*cough, cough*…”inspired” by other bottles it seems. After all we highlighted some on a previous post. Maybe the bottle designers/sculptors are just a handful (which they are, actually)and the rights for use are …
Related StoresContinue reading → Optical Scentsibilities: bottle design, part 2
August 20th, 2008 — , Review, Spicy, Vetiver Racinettes, ayala moriel, natural,