Scent Systems-niche naturals
Posted by ritaglh on Feb 14, 2008
I do miss Hiram Green’s old shop near Carnaby Street. Local artists used to paint custom murals on his walls, that were ever so sparsely and selectively shelved with sumptuous scents. His shop introduced me to a new world of natural perfumes that I have never forgotten, and I still feel vaguely nostalgic about. I enjoyed many a meandering in the cupboard sized store as-well as fragrance discussions with him, so it was with pleasure that I discovered scent system’s own luxurious and entirely natural perfume collection.
These single note florals have their own shelves amidst treasure troves of jewellery in the former home of the first dairy in London, called French’s Dairy, found in the fashionable Bloomsbury quarter off Lambs Conduit Street. Inhaling natural perfumes is an entirely different pleasure from smelling most perfumes. Although I am partial to aldehydes and hedione in most commercial perfumes, I really do enjoy deeply inhaling natural perfume oils, and there really is a difference.
As I had been exploring violet perfumes recently, I first approached the wild violet scent. Coupled with some rose, this has gorgeous natural orris heart. Imagine the beauty of Iris Noble of Acqua di Parma, intensified and more sublime, a scent that compels you to sniff ever more deeply. The soul of the scent is immersed in sandalwood and plant musk. Despite no aldehydes, this fragrance sparkles a little like lemonade with violet syrup. There are musical notes of Indian flowers and champaca absolute, that Ormond Jayne officianados are sure to recognize. This is a powdery feminine fragrance but not saccharine sweet, more of a wooden canoe filled with fresh garlands and poesies floating on a lake.
Next, I approached the tuberose with caution. Many love tuberose, but it is usually a flower I stay away from. This has top teasers of citrus and coriander, middle notes of rose and heliotrope, tiare lily with Karo Karounde absolute, which I had never smelt before. The base notes are sumptuous with vanilla, honey and plant musk. My immediate response to this perfume is bulging black tassels, full bodied lilies and what the perfume Fracas could dream of smelling like if it contained more naturals. I also smell ripened fruit in a dimly lit lacy boudoir with lots of velvet cushions.
The Rose perfume was a revelation. I am very partial to rose fragrances and this one is not the scent of a single rose, but a veritable rose garden in a Moroccan courtyard, shaded by neroli, bitter orange and petitgrain. It is easy to tell that this bouquet contains roses from around the world, including Grasse, Morocco, India, and Turkey. These are spicy roses, deep velvety reds on a floor of vetivert and vanilla. The vetivert balances the sweetness and whispers the grass and stems are as beautiful as the petals. Rose growers will recognize this rose perfume, but tea rose scent admirers may not. Having a collection of rose oils from around the world, I would hazard a guess that there is less Rose de Mai and Turkish rose and more of the Moroccan and Indian notes. There is also the surprising addition of heather absolute, possibly a signature from its creator, George Dodd, who operates from a remote part of the Scottish highlands. By the way, I am going to attend a talk he is giving this evening on Perfume at the Dana centre in London…
One of the most interesting and unusual fragrances in the collection is the Oeillet or Carnation, although I did find some superficial similarities with Mona di Orio’s carnation. This is a spicy floral. Teasing with top notes of bergamot, clary sage and galbanum it is followed by actual Indian carnation absolute, the kind mentioned in the Kama Sutra. This also has basmati flower and cistus. The alto on the base has patchouli, vanilla and heliotrope as well as the plant musk. I smell spicy banana flambe, peppery and creamy cointreau. This has an earthy aroma and the closest to an oriental of the collection. However, this is the one I would be least likely to wear myself.
The final floral is the Jasmine. This contains the precious oil where one million flowers are needed to produce one kilo. My nose leads me to a Jaipur jasmine garden at night, while eating blood red oranges from a silver plate and walking barefoot in the dried grass. This is inviting with an icing of pineapple, vervein, heather (here it is talisman like again), cradled by bountiful blooms of jasmine, orange, broom, lavender and rose. Sweetened by vanilla, vetivert, plant musk and lovage. This scent reminded me of one of Mandy Aftels solid perfumes of Jasmine and orange, with the more fruity sparkle and herbacious depth to tone down the sweet cloyingness of real indolic jasmine. This is charming fragrance and an appetising introduction to naturals.
These perfumes are beautifully presented in cubed bottles and glass stoppers and the fragrances transform and sing on the skin. While intense initially due to the high absolute content, these may not have the staying power of chemical fixatives used in modern perfumery, but the scent does unfold and develop on our bodies. This is the kind of perfume that needs to be daubed with a stopper rather than sprayed on with an atomizer. For the sheer exploratory enjoyment or introduction to naturals I suggest purchasing the sample box available exclusively from the Scent Systems website for only £34. The 17ml bottles retail for £229 each. The floral fragrances are also currently available at W1 at the fabulous John Rocha shop on Dover Street. Green and Dodd also offer a bespoke perfume service, which I hope to write about another time.
Taoist Inspired Aromas
Posted by ritaglh on Feb 7, 2008
Cinq Monde has just opened their first spa shop in London, in fact the official spa opening is on 22 Feb between 12-8. I nipped in to receive a complimentary tin of Black Tea with rare spices, but more importantly to sniff out these new scents in London. In addition to Taoist, Balinese, Siam, Ayurvedic and even Brazilian treatments you can purchase their five perfumes created by Olivia Giacobetti and Jean-Pierre Bethouart. Each of the fragrances symbolically represent not 0nly Taoist elements, colour coding for energetic messages, but also five different spa rituals in five countries; Kyoto, Moroccan Atlas, Kingdom of Siam and Java.
If you would like to “surpass yourself” you could try the Kyoto Rose absolute with Ginger, associated with the Taoist element of wood. This smells of green tea and roses. (I did find similarities with a couple of Rose de Rosines scents). The ginger note is more noticeable than the rose note. On the scent strip this is associated with renewal. This scent colouring is pale green.
For a “desire to undertake” there is the red coloured Orange Blossoms of Morocco. This really does smell of orange twigs and blossoms and is described as Vitality and symbolically associated with the element of fire. I drink white tea as it is referred to in Morocco, made with orange blossom water and boiling water and this scent reminds me of my childhood orange blossom tree in the garden. According to their leaflet, this scent transmits “the desire to undertake and to make a commitment”
My favourite of the five is the sunny yellow Bergamot and Guaic Wood from the Siam range. This is gorgeous in a tropical island holiday kind of way. The key word is harmony and their perfume wheel indicates it is good for self confidence. The blurb is accompanied by a charming 18th century Thai poet, Sunthon Phu: “Gilded dusk, the sun poses its last rays on the Kingdom of Siam, reflection of an ancient time with amber colours.” This scent is supposed to meet an energy need for “comfort, equilibrium, stability and anchoring and is associated with the element of earth.
The light blue one, symbolizing inner peace and inspired by Java, is a weird scent of Eucalyptus and cinnamon. Having grown up surrounded by Eucalyptus trees in Australia, it is not a note I personally enjoy in fragrance but it does have an “energy message of reflection and decision making.” Although only a couple of notes are described in each of these fragrances there are rounding notes of other citrus and herbaceous dollops. The key word for this one is lightness and is associated with the element of metal.
Finally, the dark blue bottle holds the key to soothing away tensions. Most people who like vanilla scents will enjoy this one and it is paired with cardamom. I adore cardamom in coffee, tea and Scandinavian yeast buns. This scent is inspired by the gardens of Bangalore in India and the adjective is Inner Peace. I smell mainly pop corn and clotted cream but this is eminently wearable.
Their fragrances are accompanied by aromatic candles as well as bath and shower oils. This spa can be found on Marchmont street close to the revamped Brunswick Square.
I am not convinced that I will acquire all these virtues by wearing the colour tinged scents, but I am inspired by the marketing and cross references, as well as the contexts that these unusual scents can be found. You can try them here.
Roja Dove - finding my signature fragrance
Posted by ritaglh on Feb 1, 2008
Anyone reading my blog might think I work for the Haute Perfumery, but I don’t blame you for thinking so. Yesterday, I discovered my signature scent cost an aspirational £1000 pounds! But if I could live on perfume alone, I would buy it. I had been looking forward to an exclusive fragrance consultation with one of Roja Dove’s personally trained specialists, ever since I received my glossy black exclusive invitation at the V&A. This is something every woman should try at least once in their life and at only £50 for a moment of luxury and discovery it is superb value for a lifelong investment.
I was invited to sit in the black lacquered den, surrounded by embroidered silk cushions and offered a drink. An attentive staff member invited me to add ice and lemon to my still water as I waited for Clement to return with three test strips, plucked from a lalique box with rippled glass inlay. I was introduced to the process and we commenced with a floral, chypre and oriental. All the test strips were sprayed secretly, so I couldn’t rely on what I already knew about fragrances houses or bottles. Hence, I came to the strips fresh, instructed only to have two at a time, one in each hand, only to alternate between the two at intervals. (Just like when alternating between a lollipop and a gherkin, as you lick the sugar after a gherkin, it tastes all the sweeter for it.) More than once I accidentally hit my nose with the scent strip, which of course is taboo for scent sampling, as a little of the fragrance remains stuck on your nostril.
To my surprise, I gravitated toward the orientals, which was Shalimar by Guerlain, so a whole new world of fragrance family was introduced to me that day. I have always inclined towards floral aldehydes, so this was like rediscovering perfume all over again for the first time. I was then asked what perfumes do I have at home, and of course, this took a while. I have an eclectic collection consisting of some classics like Ma Griffe, Balenciaga Le Dix, Diorissimo, Osmanthus by Different Company, Lady by Contessa di Casteliogne, Clean, L’ame Soer by Divine, Violet scents, pure rose oils, pure sandalwood, Agarwood/aloeswood and numerous middle eastern perfumes, including ones from Arabian Oud, Black Musks, Al Qurashi and obscure Islamic perfume shops around the UK, but I will save the rest for another time.
Left alone for a moment and tempted to peak, Clement went off to spray a further 12 scent strips, with only mysterious numbers or letters to identify them. Two by two I enjoyed most of them, but this game required eliminating one scent at each round. This was harder than it sounds but the consultant was resolute. I had to choose. I was given little poetic introductions, just whispers and hints of what was to come, but never influenced to like or dislike. One’s I had to discard included Guerlain Shalimar, Caron En Avion, Roja Dove’s own Enslaved, Mitsouko, Ombre Rose which I almost held on to till the end and some exlcusive scents whose names I cannot recall.
The ones I was ready to fight for to keep included a semi bespoke including No 7, and ambergris sonata, and No 4 was the closest I have ever come to smelling a fragrance reminiscent of burying my nose deeply into a glorious fresh bouquet of fragrant blooms. I could barely pry my nose away from this scent strip and only let go once I had smelt no. 6. Oh that number 6! My signature scent. This perfume smells of happiness, joy and excitement on a sunny spring day off, to enjoy art and countryside, loved ones and hope. It fizzes and sparkles and is transported on velvet couches of resin. Even my loving husband commented on how wonderful I smelt when I got home.
To smell this perfume is a rush and to use my daughter’s catch phrase, it rocked my world. It is suggestive of how the original Shalimar may have smelt with a large spritz of bergamot and one of the roundest “seamless” compositions as Clement described it. It comes in thick card casket, a black velvet bag with purple satin interior and in a traditional perfumers flask, containing 250 ml. So at £4 per ml, this is actually good value. This semi bespoke range is not on display and only available in limited editions of 50 per fragrance, when these exclusive scents are sold, then fini. There were many other fragrances I smelt that were simply glorious, but when you have smelt the best, will I ever be able to accept another scent as comprise ever again? Fortunately, perfume though is not like love, there are so many scents in the world to enjoy and I have only scratched and sniffed my way through a tiny portion. This is one of the pleasures in discovering fragrance, hoping to one day discover a scent of holiness that can transform you into a fragrant being just by inhaling.
Nibbling Violets
Posted by ritaglh on Jan 30, 2008
Owing to a rare find of a vintage Devon violets bottle and a request for violet perfume, my attention has gravitated towards a violet theme this week. (The bottle on the right with a hand painted violet still smells great, with notes of absinth, actual violet leaf and sweet violet top notes.) For those who know me as obsessed with roses, it seems an act of betrayal to write about violets first, but I will brave the recriminations. I already had a collection of rose sweets from around the world, including the Japanese Kanebo rose bubble gum, rose water, boiled Gulab sweets from India, cachous from England, rose shaped drops from Italy, rose creams, fondants, syrups, confit, jam, crystallised petals, rose honey from Bulgaria, turkish delight, Iranian rose ice-cream, German rose elixir, rose sugar and Chinese rose tea, not to mention other rose oils and rose themed collection. (Yes, I will write about them another time..)
Violets have traditionally been the flowers that were exchanged on Valentines day and ebay still sells hundreds of vintage violet postcards. Here in the UK we can still buy parma violet sweet rolls. Charbonnel and Walker even supply rose and violet creams to the Queen. So, violets are not extinct yet, though definitely not as popular as at the turn of the century. The Liberties Store florist were selling bunches of violets just this week, though only lightly scented.
My first memory of violets involved a visit as a child to an old lady who had a dresser full of violet perfumes and purple Nick knacks. She taught eye exercises and promised that if I did them daily I would have good eyesight. I still perform them and when I do I recall the smell of violets and all things sweet and purple.
My journey for the perfume coincided with a search for all the edible violet sweets I could find in London. I found violet cremes from Fortnum and Masons, both smothered in milk or dark chocolate, Prestat, Bendicks and Rocco’s violet cremes and violet chocolate block, even little purple violet boiled sweets in a cube, thick violet syrup and crystallised violets, tins of violet sweets from Italy, French Flavigny violet cachous and even petite round tins of violet sweets from Harrods. I tasted violet tea at Laduree’s, who also do a charming violet room spray, bought violet perfumed turkish delight and licorice pastilles scented with violet too. I even found long purple lollipops.
There were also more violet themed perfumes than I thought there would be. My favourite would have to be Berdoues Violette de Toulouse, sweet but not cloying, a powdery iris with a soprano voice. Another charming fragrance is the Penhaligons Violetta range. Courtesy of a very enjoyable and informative “Fragrance Profiling Appointment” I had the opportunity to explore their fragrances in a salon upstairs with a cup of tea and chocolate. I bought the lush Violetta hand and body cream and the old fashioned violetta talcum powder.
My favourite men’s fragrance shop, Trumpers do a masculine Ajaccio Violets fragrance, shaving soap and shaving cream. Apparently, Italian men in particular love this fragrance. This is a citrusy violet with light woody undertones, eminently wearable. Previously I have smelt and enjoyed Borsari’s Violetta di Parma, though it was nowhere to be found this week. A sublime and very popular violet fragrance, coupled with rose is Lipstick Rose editions Malle, available from Les Senteurs. I can’t imagine any woman not liking this one. Yardly also do a presentable Violet perfume, though a little sweet and cheerful and have been making it for many years and at around £11 it is also affordable. Even Jo Malone has a violet scented item in her collection, the Parma Violets Tea Linen Spray. Thanks to a complimentary arm and hand massage while exploring their fragrance range, Sarah the facialist introduced me to the secret spray, which she admitted using copiously in her own bedroom and on her clothes. I just had to have it too, with its lemony tea and light floral scent, it was an impulse buy.
A new, fresher and greener take on the violet theme is Violette by fresh. This has top notes of Bergamot and mandarin and a woody base with Patchouli and Sandalwood. Laura Mercier has a relatively recent addition to her fragrance line called aptly Violetta and sweet like the others. The company from Grasse, L’Aromarine also make Violette Eau de Toilette, amongst other single note fragrances. I found the Caron Violette Precieuse a little heady though blowing with a breeze of violets. I also bought a Violet Bath and shower Creme from the Rose & Co Apothecary, which is only reminiscent of violets, but still delicate.
Believe it or not, the hardest fragrance to find were the Devon violets perfume, from here in the UK, whose vintage bottle started this violet excursion. Please let me know which store in London stocks this, as I could only find it online. I will end with a quote from my spiritual teacher who upon noticing I was not particularly pleased with something, urged me to go and smell some violet perfume to make me happy! I did, and it did..
Divine-mmm! Maybe..
Posted by ritaglh on Jan 24, 2008
This was a fortuitous find, the Paris Boutique of Parfums Divine and close to Fragonard’s Perfume Museum too. I first came across this range at Liberty in London last year and immediately hinted to my husband that he would love the scent of L’Ame Soer on me. He duly obliged and I am the proud owner of a large size, which is now regrettably half empty. (I save this one for sleep and my pillow testifies to this.) It is rare for me to find a perfume that I fall in love with at first whiff, especially considering I spend a lot of time on my quest for the odor of sanctity, dismissing almost all as unworthy suitors.
So I wonder why this scent is so glorious? According to the Divine Olfactory Book it is a “hymn to adore” and of “innate sensuality,” and “The most beautiful of encounters…” Well, yes I concur.. I do have a preference for floral aldehydes, including Chanel 5, Balenciaga’s Le Dix and Arpege of Lanvin and L’Ame Soer falls under this family. With a classic combination of rose, jasmine and ylang ylang, a base of ambergris and aldehydes to make them dance, this may explain the attraction. I wear some scents for prayer, some for happiness, some for confidence, some for freshness but this one I wear because I am a woman.
Walking into this shop was a pleasure indeed. With a fresh white interior, chic black and white chairs, paper flowers displays and a spectrum of flacons, books to peruse and a knowledgable assistant, I didn’t leave in a hurry. There are only six glorious fragrances, two of which seem to be for men, which left three more for me to explore. My next favourite would have to be L’Infante, a friendly floral with jasmine, ylang ylang but with the warmth of musks and a tonka bean and vanilla base. A little like a blend of dessert and an apertif.
Divine seems made for a lady, a floral chypre, tuberose, orange and rose de mai, with the support of sandalwood and musk. L’Inspiratrice is more of an oriental and their most recent creation. It has notes of patchouli, rose, topped by bergamot and some vetiver and more tonka and vanilla. I think some men could wear this too. Of the two men’s fragrances I prefer L’homme de Coer to L’Homme sage. It has some powdery iris and fresh herbs and berries on a base of woods, a very attractive scent for a man and for some women too.
The attendant Natalie, a perfume marketing expert shared that her five year old son likes and wears one of the men’s fragrances. But this perfume doesn’t need marketing. Yvon Mouchel, the brands creator works from Dinard in Brittany and his goal is to offer, “to each man and woman the olfactory world that he or she seeks.”
And buy, they do. They sell over 10,000 bottles a year in France and abroad. While I was in the shop, more than a couple of customers bought bottles immediately, although they only met the scents for the first time. I wish this shop was in London, but for those who are fortunate enough to go to Paris, this shop makes for a rewarding visit. Divine, 3 rue Scribe, 75009 Paris. www.divine.fr
Roja Dove Haute Parfumerie
Posted by ritaglh on Dec 12, 2007
I know a place where glamour and beauty still exist. This hidden chamber on the fifth floor in Harrods is accessible from the Egyptian escalators. I have lost count of the number of times I have been there to shimmer and indulge in luxury. I have never been there and not received a wonderful reception and erudite service. Each guest I have brought there has been impressed and cooed and purred. My mother found her dream fragrance there, Le Dix, a sublime perfume concentrate and they have the last 65 bottles in the world.
Lo and behold, yesterday I met the man in person, and even if I hadn’t seen him before, I would know it was him as he has the aura of a superstar. My guess is he was wearing a silk Versace chemise in Gold and black which matched the black lacquered furnishings. If you are lucky you may also meet him, but if you want a “voyage of discovery” to find your signature fragrance you can book a personal appointment with him. He is the most quoted expert on perfume fragrance in the world, and had I not been overawed I may have been able to remember exactly what he said.
I fear I may have made some inane comment about perfume but he delightfully responded by sharing something about cleaning his house recently and being able to recognise scents in his cleaning liquid that smelt like certain perfumes, and like a wine expert hinted at the nuances and subtleties. (I was left wondering what cleaning fluid he uses, mine just smells like lemons.) He has put all his perfume wisdom to some more good use and created some gorgeous perfumes of his own, which just have to be smelled to be believed.
Lucky Londoners will be able to hear him give a talk on Fragrance this Friday evening, 14 Dec at the V&A museum. Yes, yes, I will be there too, so come and say hello.
Musk, Ambergris and Aloes
Posted by ritaglh on Dec 11, 2007
Al Qurashi
For weeks now I have been checking the progress of this new fragrance shop in Knightsbridge. The doors were covered in paper, but tauntingly a sliver of the opulence, chandeliers and glass shelves, were still visible. Finally, they opened their doors three days ago and with excited anticipation I stepped into this Aladdins cave of exotic scents.
This shop exceeded my expectations. In row upon glorious row I peeked into bottles, lingering and deeply inhaling 30 year old vintage ouds, and scents made for royalty. Thick black unguents of musk and ambergris in this bazaar extravaganza. I had brought a guest to accompany me on this journey. She doesn’t even like perfume, nor does she own a bottle. However, today she discovered several scents she liked and vowed to purchase. Having never smelled scents sans alcohol, she thought fragrance gave her a headache, but these oils left her unaffected. While we were there a shop manager from an unamed perfume company confessed her favourites and most recent purchases.
They do some perfume with alcohol too, their Taif Rose one is exquisite, fresh, fruity with luscious blooms. But if you venture here, you can choose from numerous faceted crystal bottles or their standard bottles starting from 3ml and fill them with pungent oils. We were offered a soft couch to sit and discuss our favourites and refresh our noses with coffee beans. The senior sales consultant, Migena is extremely knowledgeable about the ingredients and happily waxes lyrical about the beautiful treasures. Even the names of the perfumes are sheer poetry.
Try their aloes incense, little brown truffles of wood and resins which can be burnt for purification and ambiance. In the glass cabinets there are large chips of oud. I am going back for Al Hay, (life) and at £25 for 3ml I consider this a bargain. The oils are so intense that only a drop on each wrist suffices for the day. But if your wallet is full, try some of the royalty collections at a couple hundred quid and rising. Mind you, the smelling is for free….. Not to be missed are the musks at the back left corner of the shop and the collections of ouds from around the globe.