End gross practice #1 from fashion and music brands at literally no cost: demand that perfumer(s)’ names are on the bottle. Would they sell music or a poem with no singer, songwriter, or poet’s name on it? Do they hide the name of the fashion designer? When they do, you know the quality and the creativity of the fashion. Perfumery is no exception.
— Read more in Part 1: Christophe Laudamiel's Dear World Manifesto at BeautyMatter.
Longtime readers here at Now Smell This will be familiar with the idea of the purgatory basket. It doesn’t have to be a basket, strictly speaking: it could also be a bowl or box or drawer, any container that holds an assortment of samples we try, think about, and decide to reassess later. The delay might just be a matter of mood or season or, in my case, a busy calendar that distracts me from my usual sampling efforts.
I recently revisited four releases from 2021 (and one older fragrance) and realized that they all had some kind of “green” theme in common — gardens, vines, mosses. In addition to my usual rotation of L’Ombre dans l’eau and tart rhubarb-y scents, I might be branching out (hah) a bit this summer.
To start: I recently read Muriel Barbery’s A Single Rose, and its descriptions of Kyoto’s Zen gardens sent me hunting for the vial of Le Jardin Retrouvé Mousse Arashiyama (image below) that I’d stashed away for later reappraisal…
...she told me that in the spring of 2002, they had people from Abercrombie stand outside of a New York City club at 3 a.m. so they could ask two questions. They asked guys: “Which of these scents would you wear if you were trying to get laid?” And they asked girls: “Which fragrance would you prefer your lover to wear as you’re having sex?”
— Perfumer Christophe Laudamiel on the selection process for Abercrombie & Fitch Fierce. Read more in I’m the perfumer who created the scent you love to hate — Abercrombie & Fitch’s Fierce at MEL Magazine. (And it really is worth a read, especially if you've never really investigated how the perfume industry works.)
Last year, Grandiflora introduced Saskia, a new fragrance named for brand founder Saskia Havekes…
So…a lot has happened since I wrote my last review here. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, New York City and the surrounding areas have been on “lockdown” for the past couple weeks; social gatherings were discouraged even earlier. My husband and I are both working from home, scheduling video-chats with family and friends, doing some pleasure-reading and playing with our two cats. It’s a stressful time, but we’re grateful that we’re safe and sound.
Since I’m spending nearly all my time inside, it’s a happy coincidence that I started exploring the Keap candle line last month. Keap is a Brooklyn-based, online-only business, offering candles with “nature-inspired scents created alongside legendary master perfumer Christophe Laudamiel…”