From a collaboration between D'Orsay and artist Laëtitia Rouget, the limited edition 05:33 A Minha Vida Portuguesa candle: "The sunny, invigorating notes intertwine, evoking the bewitching aromas of Mandarin, Neroli and Fig, for a romantic and poetic experience, full of surprise. The earthenware pots are reusable and reveal a design when the wax is fully consumed." 250g for $134 at D'Orsay.
So for ages I've been dithering over whether to break my "no bottles over 30 ml" rule to buy Astier de Villatte Grand Chalet. It's neither my absolute favorite nor the absolute best of the things on my buy list, but at the moment, I don't own any linden fragrance, and really, is that any way to live? But meanwhile, somebody bought out D'Orsay, and last year they reissued everything under new names. The old Tilleul, the 2008 version of the brand's linden (from perfumer Olivia Giacobetti) is now Vouloir être ailleurs ("In its tiny, sweet voice, “Vouloir être ailleurs” transports us back to heady, carefree times. Linden flower, honey and freshly-cut hay take us back to when we were 15. Almost adults yet cradled by the perfumes of our childhood. Little did we know then, that in just a few days, we would be grown up for good. A radiant interlude") and while the ad copy says nothing to me except that 15 year olds in France must smell much better than 15 year olds in the USA, just look at that adorable little 30 ml bottle. Please, somebody try it and tell me if it is better than Grand Chalet.
French brand Parfums d’Orsay will launch Al Kimiya, a new luxury collection of layerable fragrances. The initial duo includes Oud et Bois and Ambre et Musc…
More limited edition collector fragrance bottles, with the usual disclaimers: in most of these cases, the juice is unchanged, just the bottle is “special” (or not, as the case may be), and some of these may not be available in the US.
From Lalique, the 2014 limited edition of Lalique de Lalique, Deux Paons (Two Peacocks). $1800 for 100 ml Parfum at Lalique. Also available in 85 ml with a darker front panel. You can see all of the Lalique de Lalique limited edition bottles from 1994 through 2014 here…
I love lots of trees, but right up there in my top five trees for scent is the linden (Tilia X europaea). When I smell linden blossoms, a scene, or should I call it a fantasy?, comes to mind: it’s late spring or early summer, the temperature is 75 degrees F and it’s sunny, a gentle breeze is blowing. With a stack of my favorite books and a hamper full of goodies, I’m reclining on a comfortable chaise longue…right next to a linden tree in full bloom. There I could happily sit, eat, read, nap…all day. If you must, take away the seating and books, and I’d be just as happy wandering down an allée of linden trees with my hamper, stopping every now and then to listen to the rustling of the lindens’ heart-shaped leaves, the singing birds in the branches, and the hum of the thousands of bees drinking the linden blossoms’ nectar. You can even have the hamper, just me and the lindens would be enough for a wonderful afternoon. If you haven’t smelled a blossoming linden tree, find one and give the flowers a sniff — they are a joy to experience.
Linden-scented perfumes, soaps and candles are favorites of mine (linden honey is delicious too). Recently, I experienced two new linden (“tilleul” in French) fragrances — Frau Tonis Parfum Linde Berlin No. 10 and Parfums d’Orsay Tilleul pour la nuit…