Today we are continuing to introduce summer favorites and preferred holiday destinations of some of the most talented women perfumers and perfume line creators.
Patricia de Nicolaï, Parfums de Nicolaï
What are your favorite summer fragrances? What are the characteristics of your ideal summer scent?
“My favorite scent in Summer is my new Cologne Cedrat. It is a fragrance built around this special fruit called cedrat; it is close to bergamot, lemon and orange. It is very fresh. I mixed the cedrat oil with a spicy note: pepper, which enhances the freshness. Finally I add some dry woody notes to have a more longlasting cologne as usual. I launched this cologne this year and it seems to be very popular.”
What is your favorite holiday destination?
“My favorite place for holidays is in Brittany in France where I used to go since my childhood. It is a beautiful place, so different from the mediterrranée. The scenery is wild and very preserved. Because of the tide the view is changing all the time. The light is splendid and gives me good inspiration for my paintings. The climate is tonic and I practice lots of sports: golf, tennis, swimming... it is what I need to recover and be ready for a new year of creative work.”
Lyn Harris, Miller Harris
What are your favourite summer fragrances? What are the characteristics of your ideal summer scent?
“My philosophy with fragrance is to be completely free and unbound by definitions. Wear a summer fragrance in the winter for a burst of sunshine. Or wear a rich oriental in the summer if the mood takes you.
Citron Citron is wonderfully refreshing for the summer with its citrus and herbal notes (basil, marjoram). Figue Amere evokes the heat of the island of Ibiza, the source of my inspiration for this fragrance. I wanted to recreate the air that is rich with the scent of ripe figs and sea salt.
Terre d’Iris and Fleurs de Sel have more depth but are wonderful in the summer months.
Difficult to generalise. An ‘ideal’ scent, be it summer or winter, is one that inspires you, lifts you, enhances you and is meaningful.”
What is your favourite holiday destination?
“As a child, I used to visit a small village in Brittany called Batz sur Mer, where my family have a holiday home. I spent some of my happiest times here, visiting the côte sauvage and the famous salt fields which are the inspiration behind the fragrance Fleurs de Sel. This fragrance combines the rare herbs and wild flowers that are found at the edge of the salt fields.
Earthy top notes of red thyme oil, rosemary and clary sage are bound with wild flowers of iris nobilis, narcisse flowers, rose and a hint of ambrette seed (which gives the salty note), finally blending them on a base of woods, vetiver grass and moss with a note of leather. It is a deeply sensual and earthy fragrance that I have dedicated to this region of France. To me, it will forever symbolise the summer of 2006 in Batz sur Mer, where I created and finalised the formula.”
Isabelle Doyen, Annick Goutal
What are your favorite summer fragrances? What are the characteristics of your ideal summer scent?
“The smell of Suntan Lotion. In France its Coconut with Tiaré. I think it’s comparable with the Americans feelings toward "coppertone". Childhood memories. Each country has its own classic suntan lotion fragrance.”
What is your favorite holiday destination?
Isabelle likes to have a week all by herself - quiet, no responsibilities.
Images courtesy of Parfums de Nicolai, Miller Harris, René Schifferle.
Patricia de Nicolaï, Parfums de NicolaïWhat are your favorite summer fragrances? What are the characteristics of your ideal summer scent?
“My favorite scent in Summer is my new Cologne Cedrat. It is a fragrance built around this special fruit called cedrat; it is close to bergamot, lemon and orange. It is very fresh. I mixed the cedrat oil with a spicy note: pepper, which enhances the freshness. Finally I add some dry woody notes to have a more longlasting cologne as usual. I launched this cologne this year and it seems to be very popular.”
What is your favorite holiday destination?
“My favorite place for holidays is in Brittany in France where I used to go since my childhood. It is a beautiful place, so different from the mediterrranée. The scenery is wild and very preserved. Because of the tide the view is changing all the time. The light is splendid and gives me good inspiration for my paintings. The climate is tonic and I practice lots of sports: golf, tennis, swimming... it is what I need to recover and be ready for a new year of creative work.”
Lyn Harris, Miller HarrisWhat are your favourite summer fragrances? What are the characteristics of your ideal summer scent?
“My philosophy with fragrance is to be completely free and unbound by definitions. Wear a summer fragrance in the winter for a burst of sunshine. Or wear a rich oriental in the summer if the mood takes you.
Citron Citron is wonderfully refreshing for the summer with its citrus and herbal notes (basil, marjoram). Figue Amere evokes the heat of the island of Ibiza, the source of my inspiration for this fragrance. I wanted to recreate the air that is rich with the scent of ripe figs and sea salt.
Terre d’Iris and Fleurs de Sel have more depth but are wonderful in the summer months.
Difficult to generalise. An ‘ideal’ scent, be it summer or winter, is one that inspires you, lifts you, enhances you and is meaningful.”
What is your favourite holiday destination?
“As a child, I used to visit a small village in Brittany called Batz sur Mer, where my family have a holiday home. I spent some of my happiest times here, visiting the côte sauvage and the famous salt fields which are the inspiration behind the fragrance Fleurs de Sel. This fragrance combines the rare herbs and wild flowers that are found at the edge of the salt fields.
Earthy top notes of red thyme oil, rosemary and clary sage are bound with wild flowers of iris nobilis, narcisse flowers, rose and a hint of ambrette seed (which gives the salty note), finally blending them on a base of woods, vetiver grass and moss with a note of leather. It is a deeply sensual and earthy fragrance that I have dedicated to this region of France. To me, it will forever symbolise the summer of 2006 in Batz sur Mer, where I created and finalised the formula.”
Isabelle Doyen, Annick GoutalWhat are your favorite summer fragrances? What are the characteristics of your ideal summer scent?
“The smell of Suntan Lotion. In France its Coconut with Tiaré. I think it’s comparable with the Americans feelings toward "coppertone". Childhood memories. Each country has its own classic suntan lotion fragrance.”
What is your favorite holiday destination?
Isabelle likes to have a week all by herself - quiet, no responsibilities.
Images courtesy of Parfums de Nicolai, Miller Harris, René Schifferle.
What can I say, Lyn Harris is a woman after my own heart. I tend to show complete disregard for any kind of seasonal restrictions (or pretty much any restrictions, for that matter) in my fragrance choices. ;D I think I'd like to have a cup of tea with her some time.
ReplyDeleteI haven't smelled that Cedrat number, I don't think.
ReplyDelete*racks brain*
Love you M!
I smiled when I read Isabelle Doyen's responses: suntan lotion and a week without responsibilities. Nice!
ReplyDeleteI must try the Cedrat. I don't think it's in the USA yet. Beautyhabit, which carries most of her line, doesn't list it. I already know the Fleurs de Sel is a winner for me.
Like Ina, I completely agree w/ Lynn Harris about not having seasonal restrictions. And, like Isabelle Doyen, at this moment in time, a week to myself w/ zero responsibilities sounds like absolute heaven.
ReplyDeleteI totally disagree about the season thing... maybe it's because I live in southern Florida and like today and the rest of the month of August it will be in the mid 90's here. But it's really the humidity that kills scent here. Suffucating, that's what my orientals do to me if I even squirt one squirt. Oh well, I'll have to wait till the first week of November to break those out:-)
ReplyDeleteLovely series! I, too, must try that Cedrat thing (although all that citrus scares me; still, I do love PdN:)
ReplyDeleteIna,
ReplyDeleteCan I join you for a cuppa? :-)
Lee,
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried Cedrat either, but now want to.
Maria,
ReplyDeleteA week without responsibilities sounds sooo wonderful. Just lying on a beach, doing absolutely nothing.
L,
ReplyDeleteI agree with her too, although there are a few scents that I can only wear in cold weather.
C,
ReplyDeleteLike I said to L above, I mostly don't care about the weather scents-wise, but there are some scents that would just kill me in the heat. Like Oblique RWD or Coromandel.
J,
ReplyDeleteI bet even the cedrat would have PdN's trademark...I don't know how to call it...creaminess?
Just wanted to take this opportunity to say that I love Patricia Nicolai!!! I'm very fond of several of her fragrances and she makes it so easy to try them by offering them in 30 ml bottles which are reasonably priced. I've managed to accumulate 7 of them now - Baladin is my current favorite!
ReplyDeleteGail,
ReplyDeleteI am very fond of many PdN scents too. And the 30ml size...I wish all brands took notice of that handy size and the reasonable price.
I think I need to try Cedrat as well.
ReplyDeleteA week without responsibilities? Heaven!
Tom,
ReplyDeleteLet's all just run away somewhere...
I bet the Cedrat is amazing. I actually wore de Nicolai's Nicolai pour Homme today...beautiful!
ReplyDeleteBarry
Prince Barry,
ReplyDeleteI love Pour Homme. And New York too!
Isabelle Doyen's idea of a vacation is very nearly the same as mine :-)
ReplyDeleteGreat series, M!
Robin,
ReplyDeleteMine too :-)
And thank you very much!