Bioperfumes- more of ME and only ME scent
Posted by ritaglh on Feb 15, 2008
I came home last night from the “I Smell Love” event, with a mysterious new pheromone scent on my arm, my husband urged me to buy it. I would, only it isn’t available yet. The Science museum and Dana centre organises some nifty events, especially this one led by the perfumer and aroma scientist George Dodd. Here is a link to a previous scent event.
This was an enjoyable smelling event interspersed with scent science talks. We were invited to contemplate that couples spend approximately 1/3 of their life with their partner and their odours/pheromones. Also, our sense of smell and feelings are processed in similar areas of our brain. Dodd was suggesting that we are reaching a stage where we can alter our own pheromone profile to enhance our relationships, essentially so we don’t get tired of our partner’s B.O.
Some 5% of our DNA has been reserved for our sense of smell, and apparently this enables us to interrogate other’s immune system and hence establish mate compatibility. Our body odour can be likened to our own bar code, which in turn can nowadays be decoded and read. We also each have a personal portfolio of smells we cannot smell. Last night we were able to explore 6 of some 200 human pheromones that have been discovered so far, though at the time we didn’t know they were pheromones.
Dodd was proposing that we could take an individuals pheromone profile to create a “Bioperfume” which could be synthesized and recreated in intensity to boost or amplify our own profile. For example, by using a GCMS machine, identifying your own odours, recreating them synthetically and mixing them up together at higher concentrations than found naturally, perhaps adding some nice flowery essential oils and voila an Ueber You scent. Imagine an ultimate bespoke fragrance where the essence of you has been captured and wearing more of yourself and less of other things. This kind of science and techniques have been pioneered and are already available.
But what about for those of us who are not actually that keen on our own odour? Don’t I wear perfume precisely because I want to smell of something other than myself, something that I like more than me? We are moving from the conscious realm to exploring our unconscious reactions to smell here, and I personally fear there is something vaguely improper in radiating more of me intentionally. Are most of us not actually repulsed by our own natural odors and especially those of others? Perhaps consciously, but probably not unconsciously.
Might not wearing such a Me perfume, actually repel others, or is it possible that it might make us completely irresistable? If we are honest, we have probably been attracted to real body odours for millenia, otherwise would we be here today, had our ancestors who may not have had access to daily showers and perfumed soaps, not been drawn to their loved ones. Anyway, as a specialist in the Psychology of Scent and pheromones, Dodd is an expert in this field. How can I object, when as you will see below, I was besotted by one of the synthesized pheromones myself?
I am reminded of the poor man who attended a class I once did, whose body odour was so repugnant that each attendee was anxious to sit as far away as possible from him. He may have had a kidney disorder where toxins were excreted more from the skin rather than through normal routes, or perhaps just poor diet or hygiene. Nevertheless, the suffering for those around us was unbearable and we were all nauseated by catching a whiff of him. After months of enduring his odour we elected one of us to email him to alert him in the most sensitive way possible, and he simply never came again!
At this point I was thinking of Patrick Suskind’s book, Perfume where the protagonists tries to steal the scent of others to drench himself with. Modern perfumes have according to Dodd become more and more de-eroticised, less animalic and more vanilla. By wearing celebrity scents are we not on some level declaring that I like you more than I like me and by buying some of You (your smell/perfume) I can become you and loved like you?
After the talk it was time for us to receive our very own scent bags with 6 scent strips, colour-coded with mini stickers. One scent strip was so special that it was given to us individually. We were warned that some people might have very strong reactions to it. (All, the more reason to have a good sniff, so I thought) One poor woman took one whiff and had to run to bathroom to vomit! I approached her later and she said it was the worst smell she had ever smelt in her life, worse than gangrene. We were not given any indication what the smells on the strips were and only found out at the end of the evening.
On the first strip I smelt cheese, the second smelt glorious and of honey. I could not inhale this deeply enough. The third smelt of nothing and I asked to smell the same strip of the person sitting next to me, as I could smell rien. (Yes, later I discovered this was the scientific placebo). The other strips smelled mostly musty, of old barrells, earth or like armpit odour. We then had to list favourites and compare our favourites with people around us who chose similar colours and those who chose different ones.
Then came an embarrassing but funny hand raising to confirm our preferences. I say embarrassing because who wants to confess that they liked the goat pheromone, pig tongue scent or tomcat spray before finding out what they were? Regarding my honey scent, this was a synthesized human pheromone that some men smell of naturally, but more than half the room raised their hand to say they hated it.. All of the scent strips had single synthesized pheromones, carefully purified.
Dodd finished our humorous and revelatory evening by inviting us to pay attention to the scent of our loved one, our home and the world around us tomorrow. I was very grateful for the opportunity to speak to his partner Elizabeth Mountford who spoke to me about Allels and biochemistry. I asked her which perfume she was wearing and she confessed she was wearing none. I can imagine that her odour free slate being a welcome relief when your partner is a perfumer. I did manage to ask Dodd if I might acquire a sample of the lovely honey pheromone, which he kindly agreed to.
In September George Dodd is commencing a perfume course at his Perfume Studio in Scotland for those who may be interested. He also runs shorter courses there too. In London you can purchase his floral compositions at French’s Dairy reviewed on this site recently. You can also arrange to have a bespoke perfume made via Scent Systems.
Image Credit: Thankyou to David Drummond of 11 Cecil Court, London for this 18th paper cut image
Last Image from a painting by Marie Laurencin, Jeune Fille a la Guirlande, 1935
Perfume Museums
Posted by ritaglh on Feb 14, 2008
On my to do list is to visit as many perfume museums as I can find. On my recent trip to Paris, I visited the two Fragonard museums, though the Scribe one was closed for renovation. On Tuesday I explored the hidden private museum of Floris in London. In January I had planned to visit the perfume collection at the Harris Museum up North in Preston, but the room is being renovated and so is the website. The perfume collection should be open again in March. This has one of the largest perfume bottle collections in the country. Usually, the Cotswold Perfumery also do tours of their factory in an 18th century building, but due to flooding their shop and tours are closed till the end of March. The Cotswold perfumery also hold regular perfume making workshops.
Here are some pictures from the Fragonard museums. The Rue de Scribe one is housed in a beautiful mansion. The objects are carefully arranged with special lighting, they seem so covetable. Crystal, glass and printed boxes, more like treasure chests, sit side by side with gilt and ormolu finishes. Cherubs, flowers, gilding and gold and brown liquids offer a glimpse of the luxury that perfume is and aspires to. There are also small collections of antique bottles in several antique markets and arcades in London. In Burlington Arcade, several of the antique dealers have perfume bottles, some are even priced over £20,000 pounds.
My dream perfume organ. Row upon glorious row of amber flacons and robust stoppers. An artist palette with a rainbow of colours and textures. Little glass soldiers making formations and saluting and contents just waiting to be set free. A perfumers organ is closer to a dictionary or a thesaurus, where words or notes can be strung together to create the most prosaic poetry or blended compositions. The perfumer, like the organist in a cathedral knows how to read and play the music to create a sense of the sublime.
Equipment for Distillation. Shiny copper vats that can still be used today. On a trip to Mauritius last year I visited a fragrance garden that was distilling fresh vetiver in copper vats. The vetiver was growing on the nearby hills surrounded by sugarcane. Fresh water distilled vetiver is sweeter and smoother than the vetiver I recognize in most men’s fragrances. No matter how much I begged or bargained, I could not purchase a single drop of the freshly distilled oil as it was destined for someone else. But I was able to inhale deeply over the oil gathered at the end of the rubber hose…
An old perfume bottle. This bottle is coloured a lurid lime green.
Below are some pictures from the Floris Museum collection. Firstly, here is a letter written in 1853 by Florence Nightingale thanking for the “nosegays of beautifull sweet smelling roses which have cheered my sick bed.” The collection here is truly charming and I deeply appreciate being given rare access to this hidden chamber. Thankyou Floris.
If you wish to see these in person, you are welcome to join me on the Mayfair Memoire tour. More on the meeting with the bespoke perfumer at Floris next time.
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.
Perfume Breath and Bubblegum
Posted by ritaglh on Feb 11, 2008
Encens et Bubblegum by Etat Libre dOrange is a highly unusual combination. Available from Les Senteurs I gravitate to this and wear it for fun. It brings a smile to my face every time I smell my wrist. A reminder of the child within who still loves sweets and the bukhoor or frankincense I burn regularly to purify our home. You can’t help but feel slightly adolescent wearing this and yet it seems to be flying out the shop door. This range of scent is rather risque and not the kind I would give my mother, but if I removed the lable it might just pass censorship…
I like the idea of a sweet scent emanating from my mouth. I also like the sillage of someone else chewing gum and have enjoyed the Kanebo rose gum to perfume my own body. This gum has geraniol amongst other odourants that is supposed to not only perfume la bouche but also the body for a couple of hours.
Like Prince Charles, I also use the Rose mouthwash by Floris, except I hear he buys it in extra large bottles and a box full at a time. This leaves a fresh sweet, rosy taste in the mouth. But take care to dilute it, because it is quite strong. Another favourite is the Jasmine Toothpaste by the Italian company Marvis, a little hard to find in London though.
Thanks to Angela from The Sycamore Boutique & Scent Shop for kindly letting me know about Chowards scented gum and Violet mints. I was finally able to locate some of these violet scented sweets to add to my collection at the Cyber Candy store in Convent Garden. They also sell Candy Perfume in several flavours including strawberry and Sour Apple. These are a scented spray perfume sweet. They are marketed under the Hello Kitty licence and smell delicious. I can’t imagine spraying them on my neck, but they are sure to sweeten the breath.
I can’t talk about perfumed sweets without mentioning the Musk lifesavers which I grew up with as a child in Australia. They can be purchased at the Australia Shop in Covent Garden. I can smell someone eating these a mile off! I gave a packet to my next door neighbour and I can smell her the musk sillage in the lift after she has used it! Most people I know hate them, but they really do taste the closest to perfume I could imagine. Another childhood favourite from living in Finland are the Fazer Violet Pastilles, which are perfumed hard licorice sweets. (See the Nibbling Violets entry below for more violet sweets.)
Bubble gum lipgloss and lipbalms, perfumed and scented are also available by America’s original Dubble Bubble Bubble Gum. Though they smell good enough to eat, they are made of paraffin oil and Petrolatum, so not exactly for eating. But if your mad for that kind of scent, this is yet another way to smell sweet.
As Valentines Day is coming up shortly, here is a Violet card for you courtesy of David Drummond Vintage Performing Arts store on Cecil Court, London.
Luca Turin- How Smell Works
Posted by ritaglh on Feb 8, 2008
It was just as well that his new book, Perfumes The Guide has yet to be published, because afterwards he joked, he “would have to wear a bullet proof vest!” Thus commenced an extraordinary lucid joint lecture by Turin for the British Society of Perfumers and the Society of Cosmetic Scientists held at the Kings Fund in London earlier this evening. Actually, I hope he does give another lecture after Profile Books publish this new guide, perhaps from behind a pope shield?
Although his third lecture for the SCS he introduced this as his goodbye talk as he is due to take a sabbatical from Flexitrol and go back to University at MIT to work on sensors and molecular electronics. During his time between 2002 and 2007 with Flexitral they have patented numerous new odorants, and they seem to have been churning them out at a phenomenal rate, even with 2/3 of the cash available going to patent lawyers.
He apologised for sounding bitter about the filing of similar patents by rival companies, shortly after theirs. However, it is because to paraphrase him, “I actually am!” Jibes aside, this was a detailed slide presentation on the latest research, or state of the art of what we know about the olfactory system. I confess, most of the science, despite clear and illustrated diagrams went over my head.
I did take note though of some of the quirkier explanations. For example, the olfactory bulb was described as the only ”bit of the brain hanging in the breeze” and his revelation that some people don’t even have a bone in front of it, though most of us have “the snot on the way,” did surprise me. Apparently, odour receptors are proteins in the membranes. I also heard that 347 odorant receptors for smell have been sequenced in the human genome. Interestingly, these are not all found in the brain. There are some in the heart, kidney and even sperm.
Our receptors can smell 10’s of thousands of smells and large odor companies like Givaudan have samples of over 200,000 scent molecules. Any odor molecule is processed by the olfactory epithelium, onto the olfactory bulb and onto the Neocortex, where brain imaging can show how certain odors light up different parts of the brain. There are so many more odorants than there are receptors.
The discussions of various academic papers relating to the smell were discussed by Turin, as well as the human capacity to smell the difference between isotopes. The talk lasted approximately one hour and a lucky few had the opportunity to ask some questions.
I would have liked to ask about his forthcoming book, but appreciated the opportunity to have a brief chat with his eloquent wife and co-author Tania Sanchez. I asked her what perfume she was wearing and she volunteered that tonight it was the infamous Nombre Noir. (I am sure there must be an amazing story of how they had a acquired a bottle of it, but I daren’t ask) PS: Thanks to Heather from Memory and Desire for sharing the Nombre Noir Story by Turin
I can only dream of having an opportunity to smell some of the many hundreds, if not thousands of perfume bottles that might be in their possession. Just as I am sure eyes never tire of beauty or loved ones, nor the ears of speach and music, so I doubt that even in smelling thousands of scents, my nose will ever tire of the amazing array of scent compositions all those talented perfumers and scientists, have dedicated their talent and time to create. ”Thank you for the music, the songs your singing, thanks for all the joy their bringing…”
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.
Spiritual Scent Sellers
Posted by ritaglh on Feb 5, 2008
Where can I find a scent seller like the one in a charming story by the Noble Literature Prize nominee and Korean poet, Ko Un. In his story of a pilgrims spiritual quest, called, “Little Pilgrim” there is a story about the protagonists meeting with the blue lotus perfume seller. The pilgrim Sudhana has been despairing at having learnt nothing at all on his spiritual quest, when a song drifts toward him, sung by the old perfume seller. Her lyrics are more than a market sellers chant or a PR media campaign offering empty promises. She is offering a perfume where after one breath, “your whole being will brim with joy” or anointed in that perfume, “you may enter a furnace unscorched”. Or another refrain that says that this fragrance will fill “the enemy army with thoughts of love” and a scent whereby all crimes are abolished and the smelling of which “provides a deep meditation”
As the pilgrim heard these words “a faint perfume filled the air” and his mind was “delivered from the melancholy… and once again overflowing with joy.
Who can tell me, have you found such a fragrance?
In the middle ages pilgrimages were a way to see the world, and seek God’s favour, receive blessing and healing amongst many other motives. Most places of pilgrimmage sold souvenirs of the pilgrims journey. In addition to pilgrim badges, people could purchase clay or metal ampullae (small holy water flasks) to carry back on the journey home. Here is a wonderful article on Pilgrimmage Art on PDF and here are some UK detector finds of Ampullae. The image I have added is of an ampullae available to see at the V&A museum in London. If you are interested in buying replicas try here. The name for this blog was inspired by these ancient ampullae and I draw parallels between my modern day search for the odor of sanctity, with the medieval tradition of buying bottles of holy water. Are we not all buying something much more ineffable than scented water? With names like opium, samsara, virtue, pleasure, joy etc are these not qualities closer to emotions, virtues and divine qualities?
On my recent trip to Paris I happened upon two organic perfumes promising “vitality” and “presence” and beneficial for L’Esprit. Traditionally, aromatherapy has extolled the physical and healing benefits of scents and oils, as does Unani Medicine and many religious traditions. There are even certain Afro Carribean Protestant Christians, according to W. Zane in his book Journey’s to the Spiritual Lands” where in a ritual called “Rising” the floor that a pilgrim has laid on is spiritually cleansed by washing it with perfume. In one extraordinary church the famous Florida Water is poured on the floor and then set fire to. The pilgrim is then made to walk through the fire. (Disclaimer: do not try this at home!) Apparently, the pilgrims spiritual journey becomes more intense and vivid after this ritual. Historical recipes for this water include ingredients such as bergamot, lavender, lemon, cinammon, ylang ylang, neroli, jasmine, musk and rosewater. Even the original bottle lable may refer to the Fountain of Youth said to have been located in Florida.
I wonder why am I surprised by a perfume marketing suggestion that by wearing their perfume, I will magically acquire virtues? (my own words) The fragrances are really rather interesting. Presence de Bach has notes of Clematis and Vervain, wild rose and honeysuckle on a base of oak, pine and and crab apple. It is reminds me of cologne and a herbacious and softer version of 4711. Vivacity, also manufactured by Fleur Essences et Harmonie, is sweeter and floral. It has Gorse, Centaury, Hornbeam, Chestnut, and Olive on a base of Larch and guess what: Mustard! The sales staff at Le Printemp asked me which one I preferred and I would have to say Vivacity.
Here is a poem by the famous poet Ummi Sinan and translated in a soon to be published book by the singer and musician Latif Bolat: (Try substituting the word perfume for the word rose in this poem and come close to a concept of a perfume paradise…)The Rose by Ummi Sinan
I dreamt I came to a magnificent city
whose palace was the rose, rose.
The crown and throne of the great sultan
his garden and chambers were the rose, rose.
Here they buy and sell but roses
and the roses are the scales they use;
the marketplace and bazaar are all roses, rose
is for the rose, rose.
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.
Perfumed Chocolate
Posted by ritaglh on Feb 1, 2008
Kaori: “meaning perfume, scent and fragrance.” The language of scent has been borrowed to describe a plethora of taste or gustatory sensations. I am always trying to find ways to eat perfume as well as imbibe it. So discovering delicacies where the lines blur is always a pleasure. Whether it be describing cigars, teas, coffee, sugar, sweets, cheese, oils, vinegars, wine or in this case chocolate and fragrance we reach to same language.
The Japanese language has a beautiful vocabulary to describe the pleasures and aesthetics of scent and emotion, and how the expression of such art resonates within us. Galler, the Belgian Chocolate sell an exotic chocolate box called Kaori. Within the orange casket lie brushes of perfumed chocolate sticks to dip into aromatic inkpots and thus with “compose your own Kaori.” The three compositions are powders of orange and nibs, tea and poppy and a gold liquid of Kalamansi (a Japanese citrus). The brushes are filled with flavours of saffron, yuzu, cardamon, ginger, vanilla & coconut and lastly strawberry with balsamic.
If I could create my own chocolate brushes, I would add rose, violet, jasmine, pandan, kewra, musk, orange blossom, cinnamon, honey, frankincense, grapefruit, truffle, salt, pepper, chilli, galangal, ginger, tonka bean, sumac among others. For the dips I would choose perfumed gooey fondants, ganaches, caramel, honey, gold flakes and my imagination runs wild… But Galler has read my mind, they have also created Les Florales, ganaches scented with rose, jasmine, violets and orange. These can be found at Harrods in London.
If you are looking for a romantic chocolate box for Valentines Day, I can also recommend another favourite Chocolate house, La Maison Du Chocolat. They do subtley scented ganaches and also the occassional ganache making/tasting workshop. Their new “The Book of Love” box includes an actual book with 6 stories of Love and Chocolate, charming vignettes written by the French journalist Emmanuelle Gaume. The ganaches include rose petals, caramel, mint, chilli and passionfruit with liquorice.
For caramel she writes: “love would be the true reason of my existences, my search to conserve and always seek these pure and sublime moments.” I would love to quote more, but I suggest you read it yourself.
Finally, I can’t write about perfumed chocolate without mentioning my most favourite truffle I have ever tasted. Rococo’s Chocolatiers make fresh rose oil scented truffles with a crispy outer shell rolled in pure chocolate nibs. When I bite into the outer layer, the wonderful texture and bitternes of the nibs enrobe a soft sweet rose center that melts rapidly in the mouth. One of the most blissful chocolate perfume experiences. They also sell geranium, rose, violet, saffron, and jasmine amongst many other traditional perfume notes in their chocolate. They also have fabulous events during chocolate week in London, I attended a quaint chocolate and storytelling session last summer.
Please let me know of any other perfumed chocolate recommendations, thankyou.