The Beautiful Mind series, a project from perfumer Geza Schoen, will debut in January with the launch of Intelligence & Fantasy, a new fragrance created in collaboration with Christiane Stenger, who at 12 was the youngest person to be awarded the title of Grandmaster of Memory (she is now 22):
The goal was a scent that would appeal to head and heart, by connecting the mobility of the mind with the depth of memory. “An ode to summer and its memories,” is Schoen’s description. “A refreshing sparkle followed by tropic flowers, luscious woods and musk.”
[...] A fragrance that celebrates the life of the mind with a lush appeal to the senses may seem a little paradoxical on the surface, but that in itself is perfectly in keeping with Geza Schoen’s ethos. Besides, he declares, “The Beautiful Mind is meant to remind us that a smart woman is a sexy woman.”
The notes include magnolia, bergamot, mandarin, pink pepper, freesia, osmanthus, rose, hedione, tiare absolute, cedar, musk, sandalwood and cashmeran.
The Beautiful Mind Intelligence & Fantasy will be available in 100 ml Eau de Toilette, and is available now for pre-order (with free shipping) at Aedes, $200. (via aedes)
Seems a little tame for Schoen, but maybe those notes will respond to his talents. Could this be the magnolia scent so many of us have been looking for?
R, I love his work but don’t think of it as wild, or terribly edgy…just interesting. I don’t have them listed, but he supposedly did all or almost all of the Ormonde Jayne line.
The magnolia is in the top notes…so hard to say.
The bottle is hideous. Even if I liked the scent, I could never stand to have that thing in my collection, and the unfortunate fact is that an ugly bottle will even dissuade me from trying a scent, which may be ridiculous, but there it is.
I don’t like it either, although that’s never stopped me from buying anything.
yeah, that is probably the worst bottle design they could have gone with.
I am torn — there’s something kind of cool about putting her face on the bottle, but the finish (at least in this photo) looks kind of scary.
There something disturbingly holographic about it, like it’s about to lurch out at you.
Exactly.
ordering a decant surely solves this uglybottle-problem…
True!
I’m pretty much with Pyramus on the bottle hate. Reminds me of cheap, oldskool sci-fi or an episode of PBS’s ‘Nova.’
Overall, this is prompting a “Meh” from my brain’s craving center, but may be lovely coming from Schoen. Someday I’ll get around to trying his scents (and others) from Biehl PKW.
Looks like most everyone agrees, so far.
I thought for a split second this was the name of a new Britney Spears flanker.
My mind also went there for a nanosecond because of “Fantasy,” but “Intelligence” quickly wiped away all possibility of a Britney connection.
LOL!
The bottle is very sci-fi-esque to the point that I’m getting Dr Who flashbacks and it immediately turned me off of it when I received my Aedes newsletter last night. Nothing about the description really sings to me, either. It might be a nice summer scent, but for the price tag I think I’ll have to pass.
Oh, I do love some of GS’s work. I will definitely give this one a try.
If you try it, please do let us know how it is. I may be able to get over my bottle aversion if it turns out to be a surprising gem.
Will do!
K, I deleted that email from Aedes the minute I got it. I tried to talk myself into being interested, but just couldn’t do it.
I did the same. I felt terrible because I usually just love getting new emails from Aedes. This was not the case this time around. All I could think about was the Russell Crowe film upon hearing the title and the bottle was just awful to look at.
Don’t like the bottle much, either, but the fragrance sounds worth a try. I agree with its creator that a smart person is a sexy person. 🙂
Yes — the whole inspiration for the scent is so much nicer than, say, a fragrance inspired by some random celebrity.
Judging from the bottle and the tittle, i expected a list of notes edgier and more interesting, something like some CDG fragrances.
I don’t like to see faces on bottles, it looks someway cheap. For some reason, the photo reminds of the cover of the Black Eyed Peas last album, energy never dies:
http://www.getmusic.com.au/images/local/300/cf9b0b88-d013-4723-835e-2955862fb898.jpg
And, finally, 200 bucks? For a ugly bottle like this? No thanks, I can buy with some more dollar a Kilian that is sophisticated
Oh, it really does!
But you don’t know if the fragrance is worth the $ or not! At least, I don’t decide that based on the bottle. This could be fabulous. (or not, admittedly)
I think it’s weird to buy an expensive fragrance with a cheap bottle. I don’t mind if the bottle isn’t sophisticated, but if the bottle looks like something i’d buy on a drugstore, It does affect me when I’m gonna buy it. If it’s fabulous, I’ll have to buy a decant rs
Doesn’t bother me at all…rather the opposite: I hate thinking I’m paying a premium for packaging!
You’re absolutely right. I hate also the case when the package and the bottle are faboulouse, but the juice is meh
Yes, and that happens WAY too often.
“Grandmaster of Memory”! At 12? That seems a little early. I’d like to see Ms Stenger recompete for that title when she hits 40!
Lol. Or even at 32. 🙂
When I read this, my huge inner nerd (well and outer one, too, since I am proud to be one in almost every way) rejoyced. At last! A perfume for *us!* 😀 I wonder if Bill Gates is in talks to develop one?
The bottle does sound really meh though. I suppose you could always buy an empty decant bottle and have at it. The description made me think of those portraits whose eyes seem as if they’re following you around a room. Do not want, especially for two hundred bucks.
I sure would have done better at 12 than I would now, LOL…
Now this sounds very intriguing. I’ll definitely try it if I can. The notes sound divine but I did have to look up hedione…..learn something new every day on NST!
For anyone else who needs it:
https://nstperfume.com/perfume-glossary/
I love that the copy actually included a few aromachemicals (hedione and cashmeran). It appeals to the fragrance geek in me–it’s like getting a chance to peek behind the curtain a bit. I think most PR people want everyone to believe that all the notes are “natural.” To be fair, “jasmine” conveys more than “hedione” to most of the populace.
Yes, although those 2 (and cashmeran in particular) are frequently listed, even in mainstream perfumes.
True, cashmeran does get a number of mentions. I think it’s due to the fact that it sounds like a very luxurious aromachemical. 🙂
I don’t remember seeing hedione in lists much, if at all.
No, not as often, but to give one example, Bath & Body Works has listed it as a note before — more often it probably gets listed as jasmine.
I love fruit/tropical floral/woods so this does sound right up my alley. They had me at tiare, but the magnolia and woods certainly add to the enticement. Too bad about the ever-present pink pepper. I’d figured it was being usurped by oud at this point, which seems a worthy challenger to pink pepper as the note du jour. Granted, I can’t think of any tropical ouds…
Montale must make a tropical oud! But don’t know it.
Man oh man, I’ve been on such a Montale crusade here I should be getting a percentage! Anyhoo, at the risk of sounding like a spokesmodel again, Montale does in fact make a tropical oud. Aoud Velvet’s notes are listed as oud, ylang ylang, orange blossom, tiare, vanilla, tonka bean and Mysore sandalwood. It’s lovely — one of my favourite Montales, in fact.
Thanks R! I think I have tried that one & had forgotten. They really ought to publish a catalog, and then of course give you a cut.
the bottle is freaking scary… i agree, though the notes sounds good but seeing the bottle will scary me away!
Looks like we all agree on this one.
LOL, you know what? I love this tacky, creepy, oh so inappropriate bottle!! It appeals to the sci-fi geek in me. It’s just too bad that the bottle and the perfume description seem to be so at odds. In a bottle like that, Intelligence & Fantasy ought to be what CYLONS smell like! (eh gad…first ever comment on NST and I’m already exposing the geek in me).
Hi and welcome! It’s true, the description doesn’t seem to match the bottle. We’ll have to wait and see…maybe it will be more interesting than it sounds.
i truly like the juice actually, however it seems that beauty and mind equals unisex after a couple of minutes : D which I don’t mind at all, just expected something more feminine based on the notes
Interesting! Have a sample on the way & looking forward to trying it.
please let me know Robin what you think of it : )
You know, I like it — it’s really quite enjoyable to wear, and very summery. Agree it isn’t as feminine as the notes make it sound, and it doesn’t evoke the inspiration (or the bottle design) for me at all, not even slightly — although not entirely sure what would. But this is fresher, less edgy, than I would have expected.
Just chiming much later to say I agree with this assessment! Just tried it at Aedes where I’d asked for something summer-weight, romantic and floral but not too lush; this was the first one the SA (Miguel! Thank you!) picked up, and it fit that description pretty much right on. Very likable but not remotely edgy, nothing like the packaging at all.
This post is way later. I have a sample of the product. I am not sure whether I am going to buy it, given the cost. However, I do think it fits the “Beautiful Mind” description in one sense; it is a subtle, elegant smell, good for days when one wants to feel chic, smart and sophisticated.