Floris has launched Madonna of the Almonds (shown above left), a limited edition perfume for women. The scent is being introduced in conjunction with the novel of the same name by author Marina Fiorato — "an unforgettable story of love and art set against the backdrop of the Italian wars".
Fresh zesty citrus notes of bergamot and lemon, so redolent of Italy, mingle with the delicate floral accord of almond blossom, jasmine and hint of the bitter almond kernel. Counterbalanced by the sweetness of vanilla and a secret mix of fruits and spices this fruity floral fragrance is underscored by incense, sandalwood and musks.
Floris Madonna of the Almonds is available in 100 ml Eau de Parfum, £75. (via florislondon)
Tova has introduced Tova Signature Platinum (shown above right), a flanker to 1982's Tova Signature (and see also: Tova Signature Summer, Signature Reserve and Signature Lavender Essence):
The legendary Tova Signature eau de parfum has been enhanced in an effort to recapture the mystique and allure that made this a fragrance unlike any other in the world. Three main steps were taken in this fragrance reformulation:
Tova has gone back to the original creators of Signature and they have sourced the highest quality ingredients available--the finest jasmine and bergamot from Italy, French lavender from Provence, and rare East Indian sandalwood.
Signature Platinum also features a higher level of musk notes which are responsible for the long-lasting richness that originally set Tova Signature apart from other fragrances.
Tova has increased the concentration of fragrance from 28.5% to 32.5%, making Tova Signature Platinum one of the most highly concentrated eau de parfums in the world!
Tova Signature Platinum is available at QVC; $36 for 50 ml Eau de Parfum. (via qvc)
“Madonna of the Almonds” (book or fragrance) calls to mind:
(A) an art history geek spoof rather than homage (though after Madonna of the Egg, I guess anything is possible)
or
(B) A sitcom I once saw where Latina women were making pilgrimages to someone’s office to see the “Madonna of the Paper Clips” (in the vein of “Madonna of the Grilled Cheese”: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6511148/)
HA — thanks for the link, great story!
Sorry, I forgot to add that on a more serious, I received my first Floris samples last week and they weren’t bad. This one sounds good to me also. I enjoy almond (as evidenced by the fact that I just bought a bottle of AdP Mandorlo di Sicilia this weekend… but it was cheap!).
Joe, I’d like to try this one. Apparently the author had it done as a custom scent, which could be a plus, or not
This Tova business has my cynical radar going nuts right now. A while back, posters on QVC’s online community were squawking their heads off about the Tova formula not being the same as it was. The complaints ranged from “It smells like bug spay” to “it disappears almost immediately”. I believe QVC now owns the Tova brand and it was obvious that they tinkered with the formula in an effort to cut costs. Now, they’ve probably gone back to the original formula, and are using the word “Platinum” in order to generate some excitement and obfuscate the fact that they made a major boo-boo by tinkering with what worked in order to save a buck or two.
Sounds vaguely like they’re trying to go back to the original, yes…although somehow I doubt it really is exactly the same given how many materials have been regulated in the interim.
Ack! If QVC owns the brand now it is probably all shot to hell. Tova had some good stuff – Tova Night in particular was a nice scent, and I remember it won a FiFi (for what that is worth).
I have never been able to get into almond scents. People are always giving me almond-scented bath products and I just never quite like them. Oh well.
They both at least, sound interesting-like they are really trying. I hope the Tova isn’t loaded with heather. For some reason , heather smells slightly masculine or medicinal to me. : (
I liked Kiehls Heather when they still made it, but offhand can’t think of many other scents with lots of heather…