The Perfume Bee Has Moved!

I've made the leap from Blogger to Wordpress. With this change comes a new look and a new address:

http://theperfumebee.com

If you've included me in your blogroll or list of favorites (for which I am most appreciative!), please change the link to:

http://theperfumebee.com

In celebration of the big move, I am giving away a special fragrance in a prize drawing.

I hope you'll buzz over to the new website and check it out!

All the best,
Christine

Spring Break

Just a note to let you know I'm away for the week. It's Spring Break in Oregon and I'm at the beautiful Oregon Coast.

The Perfume Bee has been undergoing some fresh changes in format and design lately. I will share the new look with you next week. Meanwhile, here are some of my favorite pictures of the Oregon Coast. Have a great week!


Yaquina Head Lighthouse


Oregon Inlet


Pacific Sunset

photos © Copyright 2007 by The Perfume Bee.

My New e-Book is Available: "The Perfume-Lover's Guide to Paris: A 3-Day Walking Tour"

I am happy to announce my new e-book, The Perfume-Lover's Guide to Paris: A 3-Day Walking Tour, is now available for immediate download.

This practical, easy-to-use guide is for people who want to visit the city's finest boutique perfumeries by foot and by metro. Written as the guide I'd wished I'd had on my recent trip to Paris, this e-book is filled with useful addresses, metro stops, photographs, and descriptions of the major perfumeries in the perfume capital of the world.

Guerlain...L'Artisan Parfumeur...Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle...Caron...Etat Libre d'Orange... these and many more perfumeries are covered in the guide.

Whether you have a few hours or a few days, if you love perfume and you are going to Paris, I think you'll find this guide useful. 33 pages.

Cost: $9.95 US dollars

Niche Fragrance Launch: Two New Scents from "Eau d'Italie"

Sienne l'Hiver and Bois d'Ombre
image source: wwd.com

The 3-year old niche fragrance line Eau d'Italie, has announced the creation of two new scents: Sienne l'Hiver (Siena in Winter) and Bois d'Ombre (Woods of Umbria). The fragrances were blended by French perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour (Créations Aromatiques) and were inspired by the Italian winter. The co-founders of Eau d'Italie, Marina Sersale and Sebastián Alvarez Murena, had originally planned on launching just one fragrance inspired by winter in Italy.

"We wanted to work on the idea of winter in Italy, so we sent the perfumer some ideas. He came back to us with two very unique and completely different proposals, both of which we loved and decided to work on, with the intention of later choosing between them," said Sersale. "In the end we decided to launch both of them. What we create depends very much on what inspires us, and this allows us a lot of creative freedom." (via wwd.com)

The unisex fragrances are described (by Eau d'Italie) as follows:

Sienne l'Hiver: an earthy fragrance composed of subtle nuances like coal roasted chestnuts, black olive, autumn leaves and truffles followed up by French straw, iris root and white musk.

Bois d'Ombre: a deep woodsy scent with hints of cognac, leather, iris root and vetiver.

The fragrances, both to be available in 3.4-oz. bottles eau de toilette, will retail for $120 each and will be available in the U.S. in June. Retailers will include Lafco in New York and Los Angeles and Takashimaya (tel. 212-350-0100) in New York.

To read more about Eau d'Italie, please visit wwd.com.

Fifi Awards Finalists Announced

Fifi Award
The FiFi Awards are an annual event to honor the fragrance industry’s creative achievements and are considered the “Oscars” of the global fragrance industry. Over 1,000 members of the international fragrance community attend the glamorous “FiFi” Ceremonies, held in New York City. The awards are presented by celebrities from the world of fashion, theater, film and TV.

This year's top 10 finalists for the major categories have just been announced by the Fragrance Foundation. Winners will be announced during the 35th Annual FiFi Awards & Celebration held on Thursday, May 31st, 2007 at the Winter Garden at The World Financial Center in New York City.

Here are the top 10 finalists for Fragrance of the Year FiFi Award in each distribution category (in alphabetical order):

NOUVEAU NICHE – WOMEN’S:
• Ange ou Démon – Parfums Givenchy
• Anna Sui Dolly Girl on the Beach – P&G Prestige Products, Inc.
• Armani Privé Cuir Amethyste (unisex) – Giorgio Armani Parfums
• Delices de Cartier – Cartier North America
• Fleur de Narcisse 2006 – L’Artisan Parfumeur
• KenzoAmour – Kenzo Parfums
• Missoni Eau de Parfum – Missoni Profumi
• The Scent of Peace Bond No. 9 New York – Laurice & Co.
• Tom Ford Black Orchid – Tom Ford Beauty
• Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Extreme Amethyst Edition – L’Oréal USA

NOUVEAU NICHE - MEN’S (Eleven finalists due to one tie):
• Armani Privé Cuir Amethyste (unisex) – Giorgio Armani Parfums
• Baldessarini Ambre – P&G Prestige Products, Inc.
• David Beckham Instinct – Coty Beauty
• Dunhill Pursuit – P&G Prestige Products, Inc.
• Figue Eau de Toilette by Calypso Christiane Celle (unisex) – Calypso Christiane Celle
• Fire Island Bond No. 9 New York – Laurice & Co.
• Fou d’Absinthe – L’Artisan Parfumeur
• L’Homme Yves Saint Laurent – YSL Beaute
• Montblanc Starwalker – P&G Prestige Products, Inc.
• Paul Smith Story – P&G Prestige Products, Inc./Inter Parfums USA
• Viktor & Rolf Antidote – L’Oréal USA

LUXE – WOMEN’S:
• Armani Code for Women – Giorgio Armani Parfums
• Badgley Mischka – Elizabeth Arden
• Betsey Johnson Parfum – Colorful Licenses USA/Karis Group Ltd.
• Burberry London for Women – P&G Prestige Products, Inc./Burberry Fragrances
• Donna Karan Gold Eau de Parfum – Donna Karan Cosmetics
• Insolence – Guerlain
• Juicy Couture – Liz Claiborne Cosmetics
• Pure White Linen – Estée Lauder
• Stella in Two – Stella McCartney Parfums
• Vera Wang Princess – Coty Prestige

LUXE – MEN’S:
• Burberry London for Men – P&G Prestige Products, Inc./Burberry Fragrances
• Calvin Klein euphoria for Men – Coty Prestige
• Cannabis Santal Eau de Parfum – Fresh Inc.
• Lacoste Essential – P&G Prestige Products, Inc.
• Lucky Number 6 for Men by Lucky Brand Jeans – Liz Claiborne Cosmetics
• Polo Double Black – Ralph Lauren Fragrances
• Prada – Puig USA
• Terre d’Hermès – Hermès
• Unforgivable by Sean John – Sean John Fragrances/Estée Lauder
• Versace Man Eau Fraiche – EuroItaly/Fragrances Elite International

POPULAR APPEAL – WOMEN’S (Five finalists in this category):
• American Beauty Wonderful Indulgence – BeautyBank Inc.
• Bijan Black Women – Five Star Fragrance Company
• Celine Dion Parfums Always Belong – Coty Beauty
• Dianoche by Daisy Fuentes – BeautyBank Inc.
• Stacie J – Golden – Revelations Perfume & Cosmetics, Inc.


POPULAR APPEAL – MEN’S (Two finalists in this category):
• Antonio Antonio Banderas – Puig Beauty USA, Inc.
• Bijan Black Men – Five Star Fragrance Company


PRIVATE LABEL/DIRECT SELL – WOMEN’S (Eleven finalists due to one tie):
• Banana Republic Alabaster – Inter Parfums USA
• Banana Republic Jade – Inter Parfums USA
• Banana Republic Rosewood – Inter Parfums USA
• Crystal Aura – Avon Products, Inc.
• Dream Angels Desire – Victoria’s Secret Beauty
• Mary Kay® Affection™ – Mary Kay Inc.
• Play-Doh – Demeter Fragrance Library
• Secrets d’Essences Voile d’Ambre – Yves Rocher Inc.
• Signature Collection Japanese Cherry Blossom EDT & Perfume Mist – Bath and Body Works
• Signature Collection Sensual Amber EDT & Perfume Mist – Bath and Body Works
• Thierry Mugler Interprets Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (unisex) – Clarins Fragrance Group

PRIVATE LABEL/DIRECT SELL – MEN’S (Five finalists in this category):
• Banana Republic Black Walnut – Inter Parfums USA
• Banana Republic Slate – Inter Parfums USA
• Driven – Derek Jeter – Avon Products, Inc.
• Re: Verb – Revelations Perfume & Cosmetics, Inc.
• Thierry Mugler Interprets Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (unisex) – Clarins Fragrance Group

To learn more about the Fifis and the Fragrance Foundation, please go to the fragrance foundation website.

Jasmine 2006 Literary Award Goes to Hannah Betts

Journalist Hannah Betts has been awarded the 2006 Literary Award for new press at the 2006 Jasmine Awards, the most prestigious awards in beauty journalism. Her award-winning article is titled "Picking up the Scent," in which she discusses the development of one's olfactory palette. She states:

Fragrance is the consummate marriage of art and science, and it pays to approach the subject with the seriousness with which you indulge other sources of sensory and aesthetic stimulation, such as music, literature, wine and food.

The three principal genres are: floral, oriental (musky, spicy and exotic), and chypre (citrus top notes, floral heart, mossy underbelly).

....In developing an olfactory palette you rapidly come to appreciate that tastes collide. My own penchant for the mossier, leatherier, more resinous chypres such as Caron's Tabac Blond chimes with my predilections in tea, wine, food and scotch, where a smoky lapsang or peaty Islay malt will always be more desirable than pastry or pudding and wine.

Her poetic prose is a delight to read. And her clarification of what defines a chypre is worthy of a read all by itself. To check out the rest of the article, please visit the TimesOnline.

Guerlain Launches New L’Art et la Matière Fragrance: Iris Ganache

Iris Ganache by Guerlain
image source: OsMoz

The House of Guerlain has announced the launch of its fifth fragrance in the niche L’Art et la Matière collection: Iris Ganache. According to OsMoz, this fragrance

‘envelopes you like a pashmina shawl, and leaves a powdery trail of an extreme elegance’. Created by designer Thierry Wasser / Firmenich, in collaboration with Sylvaine Delacourte, Iris Ganache reveals an iris butter ‘worked like a pastry ganache’. A mouthwatering scent, like ‘white chocolate shaded with floral notes’ and enhanced with cinnamon, bergamot, patchouli, white musks, cedar and a slightly ambery vanilla note.

This sounds like a very warm, all-enveloping fragrance. Although I must admit to being a bit confused by the description. Is it more like a powdery pashmina shawl or a flowery, buttered pastry? Or a little of both? Like wrapping oneself in a gooey, sugary chocolate éclair?

Mixed metaphors aside, if it is anything like the first four fragrances in the collection, it is sure to be exquisite. Please click here to see my previous comments about this collection.

This fragrance will be available at the Paris House of Guerlain in June.