One of the men I most revere in fashion for his work and what seems, in a world where it’s so rare to find it nowadays, to be a delightful reticence to bare all every day for publicity. He is always friendly and charming in his interviews but restrained and totally about his craft and art.
Here he introduces his Fall-Winter 2013/14 Ready-to-Wear CHANEL show
Are you spending too much on perfume? Here is a scented tale for you.
The Oil in the Alabaster Box
There are many faiths in this world. There are also many myths and legends. It’s up to you to find the truth on your fragrant journey. Let’s travel to the east this Easter to visit with a woman living on the boundaries of her culture. She has recently met a man. She believes him to be her spiritual guide. He is surrounded by men at a dinner party. She is uninvited and has to make her way past the guests to be able to offer her teacher a scented gift. The gift is spikenard oil, a costly perfume ingredient which at this volume, a Roman litra, costs the equivalent of spending a year’s salary on a scent; a scent so potent that the home where this story takes place becomes filled with fragrant air.
The room grew still
As she made her way to Jesus
She stumbles through the tears that made her blind
She felt such pain
Some spoke in anger
Heard folks whisper
There’s no place here for her kind
Still on she came
Through the shame that flushed her face
Until at last, she knelt before his feet
And though she spoke no words
Everything she said was heard
As she poured her love for the Master
From her box of alabaster
Don’t be angry if I wash his feet with my tears
And I dry them with my hair
You weren’t there the night He found me
You did not feel what I felt
When he wrapped his love all around me and
You don’t know the cost of the oil
In my alabaster box
– lyrics: Janice Sjostran
for chanteuse Cece Winans
– an interpretation of Mark 14:3-9
Judas the accountant thought this money would have been better spent feeding the poor. Nevertheless the teacher accepted this gift from a woman’s heart.
Jesus looked at her with a smile “your deed will never be forgotten. Your story will be told throughout all the lands and for all time and in ways you have never even dreamed of“.
Little could she have imagined that one day the story of her alabaster box would be told on the World Wide Web.
– a Roman litra ~ 327 grams
Album Version – Cece Winans – The Alabaster Box
A more melodic version.
Spikenard Foot Oil Giveaway
We also have a gift to give away. Brie in New York has made some spikenard foot oil especially for this post. If you would like to encounter this scent and look after your own or your loved one’s feet please leave a comment below, then go visit Jordan River at The Fragrant Man, like the site on Facebook or follow on Twitter @TheFragrantMan.
The gift recipient will be announced on Easter Sunday on The Fragrant Man and mailed to you on Tuesday.
Spikenard or nard originates in India and Nepal, high in the Himalayas. The root of the plant is the source for one of the rarest and most precious oils.
Brie would like to say that she is not a professional perfumer. This is an interest for her. She blends with the best of intentions, carefully choosing oils for their healing properties as well as for the enjoyment of smelling. Brie says that spikenard is quite tenacious and challenging to work with as in her experience it takes over the blend (similar to tea tree oil).
“Infinite passion. Endless possibilities.” goes the tagline on this wonderful fragrance from Shiseido, one of Japans leading cosmetic and beauty houses. As with a lot of my smells, I bought this one on a whim as well. I was a huge, HUGE fan of a previous Shiseido men’s fragrance, Basala for Men, which has been discontinued for so long now it is but a distant fragrant memory for me. Developed in 2009 by Françoise Caron and Francis Kurkdjian, Shiseido’s guide tells me that this is a spicy woody frag layered with exotic fruits and masculine musk, and I reckon they are pretty much bang on with how this one plays out.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:: Top: Nashi Pear, Bergamot, Kumquat Middle: Nutmeg, Violet, Rhododendron Base: Patchouli, Leather, Musk
So still being a bit new to reviewing perfumes, forgive me if my terms aren’t always right or clear but I am learning as I go.
Lets start with the bottle – a hefty chunk of clear glass housing a lovely translucent sea green/blue liquid. Topped with a mirrored cube that picks up every tiny fingerprint, but when polished looks amazing sitting on your dresser, very masculine, contemporary and smart bottle that I love to pick up. Very similar to another favourite bottle design – Gucci’s original Men’s Gucci Pour Homme EDT.
I spray with abandon to get a full dose of Zen onto my skin, and the opening is very fresh, very clean and maybe just a little sharp for my nose. It’s possible that I put too much on, but I like to get that full hit with anything I spray. Call me greedy – I don’t care! Once its settled in a few minutes, the fruits really start to come through and it becomes a whole lot more pleasant. I find it to be refreshing and not at all too sweet either.
The opening notes don’t seem to linger too long before it grows into the middle, the lovely violet and Rhododendron beginning to steal the show. This stage is altogether lovely, and each chance waft is a delight, calming and caressing, never impatient.
The highlight for me though is much later when the nutmeg, leather and musk begin to (slow) dance together. This is when the real masculinity of this fragrance comes to the fore and stays right where it can be enjoyed. I also get a hint of tobacco or cigar smoke in my nose, although it’s clearly not mentioned anywhere so I may just be adding that in from my own experiences or desires. One minor disappointment for me is that the patchouli seems to have gone missing. If you read my last review of Boss Elements Aqua [LINK], I mentioned how much I love patchouli and although it’s included in Zen for Men, I can’t really find it.
Zen for Men lasts well on me, I get a good 6-8 hours of smell and as other reviewers mention, it stays much longer on clothing so I will often spray this when I am throwing on a jumper (sweater for you north americans!) in the cooler autumn months and let the fragrance taint my jumper, so that until washing it becomes the Zen jumper.
Shiseido’s marketing suggests that this fragrance provides freedom when you find enlightenment, with dynamic essences, and internal passion intensified by an endless energy. Umm, ok, lol. It’s a bit much for me. But lets cut to the chase – it smells bloody good. So ignore the mumbo-jumbo marketing stuff and get your hands on this one.
CheapSmells has 50ml/$47
Mr Lutens is the magician of the fragrant stratosphere. A self-described sorcerer. A virtual recluse who conjures mysterious and amazing perfumes. He puts the genie in the bottle and you get to take it out. He is A Spell Jar of Adventure. The gravitas of the critiques of his releases and by who makes for fascinating reading. Wax Samples are the entry point to this particular wormhole. You have been warned. The solid perfume is an almost exact scent rendering and an excellent method to choose what to explore further in these eau de parfums. After that you have three collection choices, La Fille de Berlin, Selective Distribution (formerly ‘export’) and Exclusives. And after that you have numbered limited edition flacons. The Exclusives come in bell jars that until very recently have only been available at the Paris store. Hence the need for a pilgrimage. All 36 bell jars will suffice you for 3 years at the rate of a bottle a month. Clever people place small glass marbles in their bell jar to raise the juice level after constant application.
What interests me is going further, not into the perfume, but deeper into myself, exploring my innermost depths to extract darkness from light, and make it just as visible – Serge Lutens
sergelutens.com
In 1992 Serge opened his house of perfumes called Les Salons du Palais Royal. His vision was for
a unique place in the world where one would come as an enlightened being to define oneself through one’s perfume, in order to stand out from the identity-free crowd which previous times had imposed upon us.
It is to this salon in Paris than many a perfumista has made a pilgrimage. The latest one to embark on a quest for a bell jar is our very own Portia. Which bell jar of Sergian notes is calling out to her as she leaves The Land Down Under for The Perfume Capital of the Universe? A dry dry desert wind, a night or tuberose, a cry from the depths, the sweat of Kublai Khan, blackened amber, or the atmosphere, if not the very voice of Billie Holiday? If you can guess (and if this offer is not edited out!) then a decant will be yours on her return (Ed: Better than a decant I have something VERY special for our winners Jordan. SEE BELOW). Careful here, Portia is unpredictable! I’m thinking Sarrasins. What do you think?
Jordan River
References and Further Information
Serge Lutens Bell Jars are now available in New York at Barneys.
La Fille de Berlin (Selective Distribution range) was launched at Les Salons du Palais Royal last month.
As you know it’s our ONE YEAR BIRTHDAY WEEK. There are 3 prizes today for our lovely readers who leave a message in comments with a Serge Lutens fragrance I may have bought from the Palais Royal Store. Courtesy of the beautiful girls who work there I have 3 x Solid Sample Quartets to give away.
#1. De Profundis, Santal Blanc, Iris Silver Mist, Louve
#2. Chene, Un Bois Sepia, Borneo 1834, Vetiver Oriental
Entries Close Friday March 22nd 2013 10pm AEDST and winners will be announced in a separate post on Sunday 24th March.
Winners will be chosen by putting names on same sized papers, folded similarly, put on a tray and TSO Jin will pick them. He doesn’t even stop watching TV to do it usually.
The winners will have till Wednesaday 27th March 2013 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or I will give the prize to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.
I LOVE the new La Petite Robe Noire movie. In honour of my being in David Jones Guerlain yesterday and how helpful the SA Penny was. She knew her stuff and was so helpful and friendlly, even inviting us to come back and chat whenever we were in town. Jin spritzed Habit Rouge which sang beautiful powdery spice on his skin for hours and I went all out for L’Heure Blue parfum. OMG! I am in love.
Base: Haiti vetiver, Laoese benzoin and Balsa wood.
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The not extreme version os this fragrance was the first perfume I bought for TSO Jin. He still wears it regularly and when we found the Frag, Deodorant, Wet Pack Set on a ridiculous special he bought some and now all his friends wear it too. So I know what the extreme must smell like because when they all get together it is a fabulous scent cloud to be in the midst of. We saw this recently and Jin tried it but the notes list doesn’t do the product justice, there is no mention of the wetness or space between the notes, the soft but insistent weaving of this fragrance through your own body smell so that though all Jin’s mates smell similar they all also make Bulgari Man smell quite different with one note or another taking prominence on their skins.
The Extreme is fuller, heftier and has the half life of plutonium.
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MyPerfumeSamples has the original Bvlgari Man from $2/ml to $7/5ml
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Don’t you LOVE Eric Bana. OMG!! I have had a serious crush on him for years.
See you tomorroew.
Portia x.
Peter Lindbergh photographed actor Eric Bana for the latest campaign image of Bulgari Man Extreme fragrance.
This fragrance marks the beginning of my love affair with all things fragrance.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords: Top: Green lilac, mint, reed, mandarin orange, red pepper Heart: Water lily, amaryllis, white peach, rose, pepper, violet Base: White musk, cedar, vanilla
I was sitting in the perfume connection, in a group interview for Christmas casual positions and they were testing our noses. They sprayed about 12 fragrances and I can tell you nothing about them, except for l’eau par Kenzo. This fragrance struck me from the very first moment I smelt it. It is light and fresh, with a slightly spicy edge. It opens with a cucumber/watermelonesque fresh aquatic feel, dries down with a subtle peppery warm feel.
When I wear L’Eau Par Kenzo I feel clean, fresh and summery. I have this sense of calm joy, like walking through the shallow waters of a tropical beach.
It is my quintessential fragrance, so much so that when a friend has worn this out she has been told she smelt like me. I have even been snorted by a good friend in David Jones (Ed: one of our prestige department stores in Australia) whilst wearing it. 😉
It is a very easy fragrance to wear that makes you feel great!
L’Eau Par Kenzo is becoming harder and harder to find. If you see it buy it!
I am still waiting expectantly for the Louis Vuitton fragrance. Here is a teaser of their Paris Fashion Week FALL’13 collection. So fun and sexy, which are not words I usually associate with the Louis Vuitton ranges. Also extremely wantable and wearable.
Photo Stolen butterflydiary
My question to you all today is:
What notes do you hope will be included in the Louis Vuitton perfume?
My answer: I am hoping for a new look at leather. It makes sense that they would use leather but I would like it to be a bright, sparkling leather with earthy undertones that give a two speed fragrance of dark and light through the whole story. A hefty, rich undertow with a green/floral overlay.
When Pure DKNY came out it was sold as a fragrance helping Ugandan women through creation of farming and production of vanilla beans. A worthy cause. There was also much talk about the use of recycled glass and paper in the packaging and that it was all biodegradable. Excellent small steps towards sustainability, but also great leaps in awareness. When you have a company that is viewed as fashion forward by not only the high rollers but also mainstream then the message is heard loud and clear across the financial divide.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords: Top: Ugandan vanilla, dewdrop floral petals, lotus and Bulgarian rose Heart: Jasmine, freesia and orchid Base: White amber, sandalwood and vanilla in water
Pure DKNY opens so clean and bright that it can burn out your olfactory system. That first fragrant burst is a watery, clean, fresh burst of fun. If you don’t like the style then stay far from Pure DKNY because it is an overdose. Usually I am not into it but for some reason Pure DKNY captures my attention and keeps it. I love the way it gives off a super saturated lightness filled with flowers that only hint at themselves, it’s a bouquet. The warmth of the vanilla and amber comes in early and slowly but surely takes over the whole composition leaving you with a pretty over-skin-scent that remains as a barely there whisper for about 5 hours till I completely lose it. There has been some talk on the blogs of boring and lack of imagination, while Pure DKNY will not change the world with its outrageous newness I think there is a compelling case for a fragrance that does smell good, is wearable and very pretty. It is a step away from the usual DKNY big fat feature fragrance here and I think the watery aspect will deter many perfumistas but I went through my decant so quickly that there is now a bottle in my collection.
Totally office friendly, wearable for any occasion.
I have taken a while longer than the rest of you to get to Elie Saab. Some of my beautiful trivia ladies were extolling its virtues when it first came out and I loved it on them. It seemed that mainstream had hit a terrific winner and I was glad for the regular fragrance shoppers of the world that they were being offered something lovely, wearable and interesting compared to a lot of the other stuff we are all offered daily. I never seemed to get it on my skin though, so here goes.
Le Parfum EdP by Elie Saab 2011
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords: Top: Mandarin blossom Heart: Orange blossom, gardenia Base: Vetiver, rose, honey
I can totally see why everyone went crazy for Elie Saab. It’s sweet, pretty, translucent and hefty. It is white blossom tamed and prettified, a sexless rendering which makes it seem both sophisticated and youthful. Fresh and dewy while feeling so perfectly put together and seamless that it should cost far more than it does. It has a story, is entrancing and lasts for ages. Blossom, white blossom, lovely and pure white blossom with only the slightest trace of something herbaceous to keep it grounded.
Wearable anytime and for any occasion. I love Elie Saab.
Photo stolen SeedOfHappiness
Australian Perfume Junkies 