Perfume, by William Kaufman, is yet another coffee-table type survey of the world of perfume. It offers a more detailed history of perfume than some of the other books reviewed here, starting with the use of aromatic materials in ancient Egypt, moving on to an overview of perfume flacons through the ages, and then tracing the origins of the modern perfume industry in France via the production of perfumed gloves in Grasse…
Serge Lutens Rahat Loukoum perfume review
Rahät Loukoum was launched by Serge Lutens in 1998. The fragrance was inspired by the thick jellied candy that is popular as lokum in the Middle East, and known in the Western world as Turkish Delight (for a brief history, see the Turkish Delight entry in Wikipedia). It was created by nose Christopher Sheldrake, and the notes include fresh white almond, crushed cherry pits, hawthorn, heliotrope, Turkish rose, balsam, tonka bean, aldehydes, white honey, musk and vanilla.
Rahät Loukoum opens with tart cherry and a big dose of alcohol. As has often been noted, it smells pretty much like cherry cough syrup. The almond notes intensify over the next few minutes; the notes indicate “fresh” almonds, but to my nose they have the almost smoky scent of just-toasted almond slivers…
Perfume news
There is a round-up of the new fall fragrance launches (link no longer working, sorry!) in the Detroit Free Press.
In November, The American Society of Perfumers will award their Perfumers’ Choice Award. Finalists in the women's classics category are Clinique Aromatics Elixir, Paco Rabanne Calandre and Giorgio Beverly Hills. The men’s classic finalists are Giorgio Armani pour Homme, Davidoff Cool Water and Guerlain Vetiver. (via cosmeticworld)
Aramis Always For Her & For Him, Fragonard Diamant ~ new fragrances
Aramis will launch Always for her and for him, a fragrance duo fronted by tennis players Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf, next February.
The Always for him fragrance features lime, ginger, lemon, mandarin, marigold, cardamom, cedar and vetiver. It will be in 30, 50 and 100 ml Eau de Toilette and in matching grooming products…
Candle report: Red Flower Indian Jasmine
Capturing a grove of night blooming jasmine is a next to impossible task for a candle, yet Red Flower Indian Jasmine comes close. At first, the scent is subtle and gentle, a bare whisper of white flowers, however about half an hour after lighting the candle, one is suddenly surrounded by the opulent fragrance of jasmine. The scent is rich, yet soft, vacillating between green jasmine flowers and barely opened gardenia buds. The alluring scent makes Indian Jasmine candle a perfect choice for a romantic evening.
Despite my affection for the fragrance…