Perfume Shrine

Anya's Garden Moondance and Starflower: fragrance reviews (& a draw!)

2009-11-11T00:35:00.001+02:00

When the well-trodden becomes anew there is reason for joy. If certain white flowers have always seem unatainable to you, if you found yourself avoiding tuberose for reasons too complicated to unfold, all naturals indie brand Anya's Garden has two aces up her sleeves: Moondance and Starflower, two unconventional new fragrances that ~in typical Anya style~ will surprise you!In the words of Anya

Avery Gilbert talks to Katie Puckrik

2009-11-10T16:19:00.007+02:00

Very interesting interview: cute, relevant questions, non-technical, accurate replies.

How to rekindle your sex life through perfume

2009-11-10T15:56:00.011+02:00

"If your wife smells of ikan keropok, try telling her in the nicest way possible that she stinks. If you want to see your wife wearing some sexy lingerie “once in a while” (remember what happens when familiarity sets in), go out and buy her something alluring. If you think sex is boring with your partner, you might want to ask yourself what you’re doing about it. After all, it usually takes two.

Kate Moss Vintage: her love for old things (new fragrance)

2009-11-10T14:15:00.031+02:00

In an interview she gives to Brendan O'Connor (a professed lover of scent, judging by his wearing of Chanel Bel Respiro), alongside the watching eye of Steve Mormoris, vice president of Global Marketing for Coty, Kate Moss talks about her newest fragrance after Kate (2007), Velvet Hour (2008) and Kate Summer Time (2009). It's called Vintage to reflect her love for old things "that have stories"

Perfume Use in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance: myths and truths

2009-11-09T14:11:00.057+02:00

It is not unusual to hear the Middle Ages considered as the age of the Great Unwashed or to think that Western Europe had by that time ceased to partake of the pleasures of perfume and aromatic components used for reasons of well-being, aesthetic advancement and spiritual therapy completely. Nothing is further from the truth, which we will try to clarify with this article on fragrance history.It

Mythology Series: Pomegranate

2009-11-06T14:27:00.089+02:00

Whenever I break open a big, heavy pomegranate (Punica granatum), admiring the scattering of its brilliant, wine-coloured tangy-tasting seeds, I can't help but cast my mind to the myth of Persephone and Hades, the chthonian deities forever linked with this autumnal aromatic feast. Its name deriving from the Latin (pomum for apple ~meelo in Greek~ and granatus for seeded, resulting in the Italian

CKfree Bottles Giveaway

2009-11-05T08:58:00.003+02:00

We are hosting a giveaway of two full bottles of CK Free, the newest Calvin Klein fragrance, courtesy of their promo company. Simply enter a comment you'd like to be included and we will pick two winners. (Contest is reserved to US residents, only*)If I were to review the brand, Calvin Klein fragrances have gone through an arch, I notice: from the provocative/innovative (Obsession for men and for

The winners of the draw...

2009-11-05T01:54:00.000+02:00

...for the Le Cherche Midi gift set of candles is Samantha D and for the Le Cherche Midi complete fragrances samples set is Zazie. Congrats and please mail me using the email on profile with your shipping addresses so I can send these out to you!Thanks everyone for the participation and till the next one!

Hello Kitty Woman: new fragrance (or Embracing Your Inner Child)

2009-11-05T00:01:00.012+02:00

Fans of the definitive girly brand Hello Kitty by Sanrio ~and there are many~ will be delighted to find that after children's fragrances and millions of accessories, a new (pink) juice for adults (debatable...) under the name Hello Kitty Woman is launching under the aegis of Koto Parfums. Composed by Corinne Cachen, this new gourmand is based on the preference of the creator on candied red apples

Frederic Malle’s New Madison Avenue boutique

2009-11-04T19:41:00.010+02:00

With personal objects from Malle's collection and art deco exteriors hiding the futuristic "smelling columns" that were popularised for the ultimate sniffing experience in his other shops, the first free-standing F.Malle boutique in New York is reality. His 18 fragrances composed by some of the star-perfumers of today along with his new home fragrances collection (which we highlighted previously

Ormonde Jayne Tiare: fragrance review

2009-11-04T09:02:00.048+02:00

Radiant, yet weightless, Tiare radiates the sharp, bright light one notices reflected on sunny days in the northern extremities of the Northern Hemisphere rather than the tropical beaches evoked by the name (coming as it does from the national emblem of Tahiti). Possessing an arresting optimistic streak of intense hesperidic notes ~lime and mandarin~ along with shimmering, diamond-like florals in

Le Labo City Exclusives online!

2009-11-03T23:41:00.010+02:00

You had been saddened to find yourself bound in your own city when fragrant treasures were issued exclusively for other destinations? Now you can sigh with relief. "They are making only 25 bottles of each scent, so if you’ve been pining for the tuberose and white flower laden New York fragrance or the woody, sexy vanilla-bourbon-drenched smell of the Paris perfume Vanille 44, now’s your chance to

Issey Miyake A Scent: fragrance review

2009-11-03T07:03:00.002+02:00

After the definitive 90s bestseller L'Eau d'Issey and the definitive 90s commercial "tank" Le Feu d'Issey (affectionately termed "Phew d'Issey" by its detractors, but rhapsodised by fragrance critic Luca Turin for its undoubted olfactory innovation), Miyake who has been held on public record saying he doesn't like perfume and never wears it, launches his third "elemental"-inspired scent. A Scent,

Christmas '09 Gifts ideas: Annick Goutal limited editions

2009-11-03T00:07:00.007+02:00

The bestseller of Annick Goutal, the bracingly lemony Eau d'Hadrien with its refined cypress and citron accents is issued in a limited edition Noel 2009 in a precious flacon boule (ball bottle) with a butterfly top and printed gold stars.The bottle is numbered, issued in only 639 pieces around the world and signed by Camille Goutal. Additionally there is a Coffret Noel with 5 small candles of 35g

Christmas '09 Gifts ideas: New Diptyque candles & solid perfumes

2009-11-02T13:01:00.008+02:00

Three new candles by Diptyque come in a brilliantly coloured presentation Wycinanki, making them each a perfect Christmas stocking stuffer! The scents are:Marrons Grillés (Roasted chestnuts): The scent mixes the gasoline-like Cade and birch to the sweetness of tonka bean and vanilla.Benzoin: The benzoin essence is caressed by a charismatic patchouli and woody cypriol from India, sublimated by the

Ineke Field Notes from Paris: fragrance review

2009-11-02T00:01:00.002+02:00

Field Notes from Paris is the latest instalment in the alphabetical line by San Francisco-based independent perfumer Ineke Rühland, a woody oriental inspired by her early days studying perfumery in Paris and at the Versailles, her strolls at le Marais and the fervour of trying to accumulate knowledge of her craft. The first four fragrances, alphabetized from A to D, came out in 2006. Two years

Amouage Contest: Win Epic bottles and samples!

2009-11-01T21:01:00.000+02:00

Courtesy of Extrait.it with which we have a nice rapport, I was honoured to receive news of the contest they have organised after their Christopher Chong interview which I had linked to in the recent past. What is it? Write about the mystery man in the Jubilation videos and enter the contest to win 50 samples of the latest Epic by Amouage while the grand winners (one male, one female) chosen by

Lancome Magie Noire: fragrance review of the perfect Halloween scent

2009-10-31T14:21:00.058+02:00

If there is one perfume which conjures up a devilish sorceress in full-wiccan attire it is none other than Lancôme's splendlidly devilish Magie Noire (pronounced ma-zhee nou-ahr and meaning Black Magic) by perfumer-alchemist Gérard Goupy.Introduced in 1978, Magie Noire is an ardent scent full of insupportable sensuality which projects with the mysterious force of an evil heroine; having you grip

Balenciaga Paris: new fragrance

2009-10-30T10:53:00.029+02:00

A while ago we had been thrilled by the choice of Charlotte Gainsbourg, shot by Steven Meisel, as the new face of the upcoming Balenciaga signature women’s scent, due out in February in Europe (March and April for Asia). Called Balenciaga Paris, it is the first fragrance authored by Balenciaga and Coty Inc., a partnership which began in 2008.“We’ve been basically out of [the fragrance] business

Naomi Campbell raises a stink?

2009-10-28T18:14:00.007+02:00

The famous supermodel is accused of cutting her longtime associates out of their profits share in her eponymous celebrity scents brand."Moodform Mission is a partnership of Campbell's former London modeling agents and a cosmetics outfit based in Miami Beach, Fla. The firm worked for years _ even designing the perfume bottles _ to line up a 1998 fragrance deal for Campbell with a German company

Chanel No.46: fragrance review & history

2009-10-27T08:07:00.005+02:00

Amidst the fragrances that Gabrielle Bonheur (Coco) Chanel commisioned, No.46 stands as something of a largely unknown enigma. When Ernest Beaux had presented samples to Coco for her choosing for her first perfume launch, he had prepared 10 of them in total, numbered from 1 to 5 and from 20 to 24. Among them, No.5 and No.22 were the winning contestants, issued on 1921 and 1922 respectively.

Le Cherche Midi: fragrance reviews & Gift Set giveaway

2009-10-26T00:01:00.108+02:00

Le Cherche Midi, a niche brand that provides Eaux de Toilette alongside matching candles and fragrant "cubes" for home fragrancing, translates as "found moments" and its origins echo the welcome respite that the tucked-away Rue du Cherche Midi in the Left Bank of Paris offered to the wanderers of its cosmopolitan alleyways. The desire to capture that serene ambience and translate it into

Germaine Cellier (1909-1976): Innovator and Iconoclast

2009-10-23T14:45:00.015+03:00

In the pantheon of great modern perfumers it is not often that we come across women, at least during the first half of the 20th century. Amongst them, one star shines brightest, that of Germaine Cellier; untrammeled by convention, free-spirited in an era that frowned upon most of her customs, but which could not deny her bold, ebullient approach to perfumery. It is no accident that Guy Robert's

Sign of the Times (and a Little Rant)

2009-10-22T13:23:00.039+03:00

When reading upon perfume boards one comes across an involved discussion by numerous perfume lovers about fragrances that could be aptly described by the rather ghastly term "fruitchouli", you realise that something is quite rotten in the kingdom of Perfumistadom! You might expect Tina Turner to get out the saxophones and break into "We don't need another hero fruitchouli" (beyond Thunderdom) and

Mathilde Laurent Responds to Perfume Shrine's Questions (& a little on Cartier Les Heures du Parfum)

2009-10-21T00:01:00.060+03:00

Most of you are familiar with Mathilde Laurent through her early work at Guerlain, when as a young graduate of ISIPCA, under the aegis of Jean Paul Guerlain she created her modern epics, faithful to the patrimony of papa Jacques: Her Guet Apens (later re-issued as Attrape Coeur, the whole entangled story can be read on this link) is one of the most celebrated "new Guerlains" among cognoscenti, in