Bois de Jasmintag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-1591612009-07-10T14:31:40ZPerfume Reviews and Thoughts on All Topics Fragrance RelatedTypePad
This is an Atom formatted XML site feed. It is intended to be viewed in a Newsreader or syndicated to another site. Please visit Bois de Jasmin for more info.
Top 10 Favorite Summer Fragrances 2009 tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c706153ef011570f80962970c2009-07-10T10:31:40-04:002009-07-10T14:33:23Z2009-07-10T14:31:40ZMark Twain once said that “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” He should have visited New York this summer! I have been wearing my fall jackets in the middle of July and packing an extra sweater just in case, along with an umbrella and a trench coat. As much as I would like to complain, I have to admit that I enjoy cold summers because they allow me to fully appreciate the delicate scents that fill the air. The green foliage that tends to dull and faded by this time is instead bright and crisp. The wild roses are still covered with raspberry scented petals. The strawberries are still delicious and sweet. I have also enjoyed darker, richer perfumes that ordinarily would have been too overwhelming in the summer heat. Yet, this summer the...BoisdeJasmin .ArticlesMaria Tallchief, Balanchine and Guerlain : Perfume Vignettetag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c706153ef011570939c2a970c2009-07-06T14:34:10-04:002009-07-06T18:34:43Z2009-07-06T18:34:10Z"One afternoon, we went to the House of Guerlain. George [Balanchine] wanted to choose a perfume for me. We sampled several before he settled on L'Heure Bleue (the expression the French have for twighlight), a beautiful, subtle fragrance that I still use today. George dabbed some on my neck below my ear and lowered his head. His lips softly touched mine. The solemnity with which he conducted the perfume ritual, and the unexpected display of affection, was a surprise and was more fulfilling because of that. I felt gratified and loved" (p.66, Maria Tallchief By Maria Tallchief, Larry Kaplan) The first time I've read this passage from the autobiography of a renowned ballerina Maria Tallchief, I felt both moved and saddened. The former reaction was ellicited by the effect of perfume on these two people. The latter by my realization...BoisdeJasmin .ArticlesTender Butter Cookies (Kurabie) : Flavor and Fragrancetag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c706153ef0115706e8a4a970c2009-06-29T11:04:06-04:002009-06-29T15:18:14Z2009-06-29T15:04:06ZAs much as I love trying various unusual flavor combinations, from making forays into unfamiliar cooking traditions to sampling durian, a scent of warm butter invariably seduces me more than any other exotic spice or fruit. It is really a perfume in itself--sweet, floral, grassy, with a hint of milky almond and green apple. Harold McGee in his treatise On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, quotes the Irish poet Seamus Heaney on butter, "coagulated sunlight... heaped up like gilded gravel in the bowl." ... There are many ways to experience the sublime flavor of butter with few distractions. One is to melt a lump of it over pasta, along with a liberal sprinkling of parmesan and black pepper. Or in order to take advantage of the season, you can toss some butter into blanched green...BoisdeJasmin .FlavoursMAC Naked Honey and Africanimal : Fragrance Reviewtag:typepad.com,2003:post-679358992009-06-18T12:51:58-04:002009-06-19T13:22:20Z2009-06-18T16:51:58ZRecently MAC has launched two new limited edition fragrances in the Creations Hue range: Africanimal and Naked Honey. Prepared as I was to find them perfectly pleasant and well-done as most MAC scents, I was taken aback by the beauty of Naked Honey. It took me from rainy New York to the sun dappled garden of my childhood, to the linden lined alleys of Paris, to the warmth and languor of long summer days… How did Harry Fremont of Firmenich who created Naked Honey know exactly what my idea of a perfect summer smells like? I could wax poetic, but please smell Naked Honey and tell me if this opulent linden blossom and honey fragrance does not evoke the smell of sun on warm skin, the heady lushness of green foliage and the profusion of summer blossoms. My sentimental associations...BoisdeJasmin .New ReleasesReviewsChanel Beige Perfume Reviewtag:typepad.com,2003:post-672901392009-06-09T13:35:43-04:002009-06-09T17:35:43Z2009-06-09T17:35:43ZA few years ago I had a revelation about Coco Chanel. Sure, I had read several books about her and her fashion contributions, but it was only at the Chanel exhibit at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art that I could begin to comprehend her ability to reinterpret shapes and structures, to appreciate the novel construction techniques, as well was Chanel’s spectacular use of seemingly muted colors like white, black, ivory, grey… And of course, beige! … Seeing the folds of beige fabric form everything from a tailored cardigan jacket of wool boucle to the deliciously decadent splendor of a ball gown opened my eyes to the warm, elegant and sensual effect of this color. The allure of this shade was not lost on Chanel who commissioned an eponymous scent in the 1930s, along with Rouge and...BoisdeJasmin .ReviewsPerfume Expo America New Dates and Invitation tag:typepad.com,2003:post-653099532009-06-08T09:49:00-04:002009-06-08T23:57:33Z2009-06-08T13:49:00ZPerfume Expo America will now be held on June 30th –July 2nd at the Hilton Hotel located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York. The day open for perfume aficionados and blogs is July 2nd from 9 AM to 3 PM. The entrance while free is by invitation only. I have more tickets to give away, so please send me an email at editor at boisdejasmin dot com. This year, Perfumery Event Perfume Expo America is taking place in New York City on June 9-12th at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Blog readers can register for a free entry on their website at Perfume Expo America. The event is open to perfume aficionados, blogs and press only on June 11. The exposition is designed to showcase both classic and emerging niche perfume brands, in addition to select skin care...BoisdeJasmin .NewsPilaf with Apricots, Dates and Saffron Shirin Plov : Flavor and Fragrancetag:typepad.com,2003:post-662131172009-05-27T15:56:57-04:002009-05-27T20:00:19Z2009-05-27T19:56:57ZDescribing the taste of shirin plov, an exquisite rice dish originating from Azerbaidjan’s capital Baku, is not unlike talking about a fine perfume. It has a bright top fruity note of apricots and raisins, a warm heart of rosewater and saffron, while the milky-popcorn notes of basmati rice and butter provide a sensual and lingering backdrop. It is a memorable combination that gives one a full taste of Azerbaidjan—the country on the Caspian Sea coast, whose history is a tapestry of influences. Indeed, shirin plov is not simply a delicious dish—its interesting manner of preparation and elaborate flavorings with Persian accents provide a glimpse into the rich mélange that is Azeri culture. Soviet cookbooks on the Azeri cuisine liked to include a serious sounding figure of forty when discussing the types of pilaf. Then they proceeded to list them all....BoisdeJasmin .Flavours