WWYW- Birthday Party edition

By Tom Today I went to a birthday party. It was at Spago, where I'd never been before. I was the only man in a group of about 40. I am friends with about half of them and was invited by the birthday girl, who jokingly said "are you sure you'd like to be alone in a roomful of women? (Husband) wouldn't on a dare." Of course I answered "well I consider myself one of the girls.." Of course being ladies from the real Beverly Hills they ran the sartorial gamut from just-came-from-elementary-school jeans to Chanel suits. I recognized a few scents that I really love: Joy, Fracas and (the real, original) Chanel No 19 I recognised, all applied in the proper "you can only smell me if I choose to hug you" daytime strength. There were others I didn't recognise, but they were lovely ones. I'll have to shoot off a few emails to find out what they were. I wore nice Khakis, a blue blazer and a tie. Oh, and one spritz of Féminité du bois. What would you wear to a ladies who lunch lunch? Wolfgang Puck came through at one point to say Happy Birthday to the birthday girl and clapped me on the shoulder on his way out of the room, saying in that singular accent "How'd you manage to be the one man in this group of women?" My answer? "Blind luck".. Image: Basenotes

Russian Saturday: Cuir de Russie Сhanel

By Alena У кожаных ароматов очень широкий диапазон с двумя противоположностями на краях спектра: интеллектуальным и чувственным. Cuir de Russie Сhanel в разных концентрациях воплощает обе этих ипостаси. Из туалетной воды с годами чувственность испарилась.  В сухом остатке остались лишь страницы трудовой биографии. Русская кожа в духах – это фильм длиною в жизнь, лента ольфакторных кодов, разворачивающаяся во времени. Кадр за кадром. Шитьем на туфельках из тончайшей кожи золотая нить фледоранжа сплетается с серебряной нитью бергамота.  Это туфли девочки, которая только учится ходить.  Кожа мягкая, светлая,  пахнет нежно и сладковато. Альдегиды на этой стадии едва узнаваемы. Нельзя ожидать от ребенка стройности походки. Шаги становятся все уверенней, у туфель появляется небольшой каблук. Кожа становится плотнее, ровно настолько, чтобы держать форму. Куда она ходит в этих туфлях? Может быть даже на работу. Мы этого никогда не узнаем. Но это не так уж и важно. Главное не куда она ходит, а как: в аромате дорогого мыла и цветов, сдержанных, как и чувства, которые она демонстрирует на публике. От Русской кожи мне всегда хочется немного больше цветов. Ослаблена узда, задернуты шторы. Руки слегка пахнут кожей брошенных на комод перчаток, следами розы, иланга и ириса и чем-то неопределенным, бесконечно нежным, чувственным.  Сuir de Russie  обладают удивительной протяженностью.  Духи лучше наносить рано утром, чтобы не обрывать их на середине повествования вечерним душем. А им есть что рассказать! -------------- Leather scents form quite a wide range, with two opposites at the opposite ends of the spectrum: intellectual and sensual. Cuir de Russie Сhanel in different concentrations embodies both of these hypostasis. Over the years sensuality evaporated off the EDT. The dry residue contains only pages of its old bio. Cuir de Russie in perfume is a lifelong movie, a tape of olfactory codes, unwinding over time. Scene after scene. The golden thread of fleur d'orange intertwines with a silver thread of bergamot like an embroidery on shoes made of the finest leather. These shoes belong to a girl who is just learning to walk. Leather is soft, light, and smells gently and sweet. Aldehydes at this stage are barely recognizable. You cannot expect the harmony of gait from a child. Steps become more confident, shoes acquire a small heel. The leather becomes denser, just enough to keep up the shape. Where does she walks in these shoes? Maybe even to work. We will never know. But this isn't that important. What important is not where does she walk, but how: in an aroma of an expensive soap and flowers, restrained, as are the emotions she shows in public. From Cuir de Russie I always want a little more flowers. The bridle is loosened, curtains are drawn. Hands smell slightly of leather gloves thrown on a commode, traces of rose, ylang and iris, and something uncertain, indefinitely delicate and sensual. Cuir de Russie possesses a surprisingly long extent. The perfume is better to be applied early in the morning, so as not to break its story in the middle by the evening shower. And it definitely has a story to tell! Cuir de Russie Сhanel (Ernest Beaux, 1924/Jacques Polge, 1983): orange blossom, bergamot, mandarin, sage, iris, jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, cedarwood, vetiver, styrax, leather, amber and vanilla. Vintage ad is from Votre Beauté, november 1936

By Alena Сhanel No. 5 – аромат из разряда “объять необъятное”. Мое ревью получилось похоже на откровения слепца из буддисткой притчи о слоне. Я била себя по рукам, чтобы не пуститься в тяжкие и не начать исследовать предмет в ширь и в глубь. Зачем умножать энтропию информационного пространства? Книга о No. 5 уже написана*. No. 5 никогда не был для меня ароматом соблазна, каким он, казалось, читался с многочисленных рекламных образов. Может я сталкивалась не с теми выпусками, не с теми концентрациями. В конце концов такой легендарный аромат имеет право быть многоликим. Парфюмерную воду выпуска 2000-х я надевала, когда мне нужно было трудится, а не хотелось. Аромат добавлял мне в моих cобственных глазах возраста и авторитарности. Я надевала его, когда мне нужно было написать неприятное письмо или закончить рутинную, требующую концентрации, работу. No. 5 превращала меня в рабочую лошадку, которая покорно и с радостью тянет свой плуг. В ней были резкие адьдегиды малинового цвета; плотная и сбитая, будто от попавшей на нее влаги, пудра; цветы, сплавленные в яркую, почти леденцовую массу. Со временем резкие грани аромата смягчались, пудра подсыхала и переставала стоять комом в горле. С той “Пятеркой” мы не очень дружили. В то же время, No. 5 никогда не был для меня “старушечьим” ароматом. Старшее поколение моей семьи никогда не пахло духами, может поэтому я вообще плохо понимаю, что люди вкладывают в это понятие. А после бережного перебора формулы в 2008 году мне хочется рассмеяться в лицо каждому, кто говорит о No. 5 как о бабушкиных духах. Сколько времени мы потратили тогда на изучение кодов! Кажется, это был единственный случай, когда мы гонялись за новым, а не за “чем старше, тем лучше”. В туалетке Chanel No.5 этого нового выпуска – тридцатые с их культом юности и здорового тела и духа. Я нахожу его в картинах Дейнеки, на фотографиях Мункачи, в студенческом альбоме моей бабушки. В нем вера в счастье для всех и каждого, которое еще немного – и настанет. Эта отчаянная вера в светлое будущее как единственный способ заглушить нарастающее предчувствие войны. Скоро спортивные марши сменятся военными. В туалетке Сhanel No. 5 – звенящая чистота. Девушки в cкрипящих крепдешиновых платьях в горошек идут по умытой набережной и несут в руках охапки цветов. На лепестках капельки утренней росы. В глазах надежда. Из горлышка флакона пахнет тонкой альдегидной пудрой. На коже она рассыпается тысячью смеющихся колокольчиков: сочный лимон, острое лезвие бергамота. Связка шариков-цветов рвется в небо: белоснежный жасмин, светло-красные розы, сплав ландышей-гиацинтов. Лица устремлены в небо. Чувствуется горячее дыханье иланг-иланга, запах чуть спотевшей кожи: это сандал. Ирис приглушает громкость и охлаждает. Юность так свежа! Моя туалетка Chanel №5 в сумочном варианте: я смогла устоять перед инженерной конструкцией флакона, похожего на джеймсбондовскую штучку. No. 5 один из тех редких ароматов, который я люблю наносить именно из спрея. Разлетелись брызги – и воздушные шарики полетели в небеса. Chanel No. 5 – мой утренний колокольчик. Эмоциональная миква. Прошлого нет, только будущее. И оно, кажется, обещает быть светлым. ----------- Chanel No. 5 is the scent of the categories “embrace the boundless”. My review turned up to be similar to the revelations of the blind man from the buddhist parable about an elephant. I had to sit on my hands to prevent myself from throwing caution to the wind and starting a broad and deep investigation on the subject. Why should I increase the entropy of informational space? The book about N°5 has already been written*. No. 5 has never been a scent of temptation for me, as, it seems, it coul d be perceived from numerous advertisement icons. Maybe I was coming across wrong releases or wrong concentrations. After all, such a legendary perfume could rightfully have many faces. I wore the EDP circa 2000s when I had to unwillingly do some work. The scent gave me, in my own eyes, some age and authoritativeness. I wore it when I had to write an unpleasant letter or finish routine work that required concentration. No. 5 would turn me into a workhorse, the one that docilely and happily pulls the plough. The scent had sharp aldehydes of raspberry color; dense and stocky, as if it was soaked, powder; flowers, alloyed into bright, almost candy mass. After some time the sharp edges of the scent would soften, the powder would dry and not stay like a lump in the throat. We weren’t actually friends with that No.5. At the same time, No. 5 has never been a "granny" scent for me. The older generation of my family never smelled of perfumes, so I don’t really understand what is the meaning of that notion. And after careful reassembly of the formula back in 2008 I want to laugh in a face of anyone who talks about No.5 as of an "old lady’s” perfume. How much time we spent back then learning all digital codes! It seems to be the only case when we were running after the new, not after ”the older – the better”. In the EDT Chanel No. 5 of that new release are 1930s, with their cult of youth and healthy body and soul. I see it in the paintings of Deyneka, in the photographs of Munkácsi, in a student album of my grandmother. There’s a belief in a happiness for all and everyone, that, just wait a little bit, will come. That desperate faith in a “bright future” as the only way to suppress the growing premonition of war. Sports marches will be replaced by military ones soon. In the EDT Chanel No. 5 is a ringing purity. Girls in squeaky crepe de Chine polka dotted dresses walk down the shiny embarkment, holding heaps of flowers in their hands. Drops of the morning dew on the petals. Hope in the eyes. From the bottle’s neck it smells of fine aldehyde powder. On the skin it scatters into thousand of laughing bells: juicy lemon, sharp razor of bergamot. A bunch of flower balloons bursts into the sky: snow-white jasmine, light-red roses, alloy of lily of the valley and hyacinth. Faces looking at the sky. In the scent there is a warm breath of ylang-ylang, a smell of slightly sweetened skin: that’s sandal. Iris softens the loudness and cools the composition down. Youth is so fresh! My Chanel No. 5 EDT is a purse version: I couldn’t stand the engineering construct of a flask that looks like James Bond's gadget. No. 5 is one of those rare scents that I like to apply by spaying. Splashes fly – and so do balloons in the sky. Chanel No.5 is my morning bell. Emotional mikveh. There’s no past, only future. And it seems to be bright. *Tilar J. Mazzeo ”The Secret of Chanel No. 5: The Intimate History of the World's Most Famous Perfume” Chanel ad from 1921 by French caricaturist Georges Goursat (1863–1934), also known as SEM. No. 5 Chanel (Ernest Beaux/Jacques Polges, 1921): aldehydes, bergamot, lemon, neroli; jasmine, lily of the valley, rose, orris; vetiver, sandalwood, vanilla, and amber.

Powder Puff: Chanel No 19 Poudre

By Tom Apparently Chanel decided that the best way to mark the 128th anniversary of the birth of Coco Chanel was to come out with a flanker of Chanel No 19, which arrived in 1971, the year of her death. Interesting, but I think what they did to the original would have Madame Chanel clutching her faux pearls. Poudre takes out the main green and leather from No 19 and substitutes powder and an inoffensive skin musk. Comparing the two side-by-side, No 19 is green and rather cold in a way that is very French. Poudre loses all that and is face powder and skin musk. In fact, Poudre sort of comes across as No 19's rather dowdy older cousin from up country who's visiting Paris for the first time. She's met No 19 for lunch in a print dress which she realizes is wholly wrong here and is feeling very out of place, unstylish and elderly. Her cousin No 19 is polite and kindly asks her about her trip and her life on the farm while inwardly thinking that it was a good decision to meet at this place near her cousins hotel, in an arrondissement where she's guaranteed not to meet anyone she could possibly know. Guess which one I want to wear. $85 for 1.7 oz, exclusively at Saks and Chanel Boutiques. I tried from both.

For the Love of Orris: Bottega Veneta, Tom Ford Violet Blonde, Chanel No 19 Poudre

By Marina Smelling new releases shows that orris trend is here to stay. Bottega Veneta, Tom Ford and Chanel all feature it prominently in their recent launches. Certainly, in the three fragrances in question, the accord is rendered differently. I describe it to myself simply in terms of thinner-thicker, colder-warmer. The thickest and the warmest orris is n Bottega Veneta's new EDP. From the ads to the composition, everything is done supremely elegantly. The perfume is both opulent and a "skin-scent", with orris enhancing the expensive, velvety-suede-y aspect of the blend. Expensive, yet subtle. Old money.  Predictably, Tom Ford's Violet Blonde is rather more nouveau riche, but I like it a lot all the same. From Laura's lips in the ads to something vaguely fruity, there is a dose of vulgarity here that some will find thrilling, some will dislike. Orris is as prominent and thick as in BV, but is a touch cooler, the color of cold neon purple. Jasmine provides a nicely animalic nuance, and the fruitiness, probably from the same jasmine plus mandarine, is, to me, an interesting part of the composition. Those who were turned off by the fruity accord in Black Orchid, might sense and dislike it here too.  Chanel No 19 Poudre is the coldest and most transparent orris of the three. Tom did not love it. I can't say I do, but I like it. The creators toned down the greenness of galbanum and the animalic quality in the original and brought up a notch the powdery side of iris. To me, there is not enough powder here to justify the 'poudre' in the name. No 19 Transparente would be a more fitting description. Very wearable, impeccable in any situation. Could be much worse, eh?

"A type of conversation that happens in perfumery": WWD BeautyInc INterview with Jacques Polge

"What's your favorite fragrance not created by you? I will never denigrade my confreres, but I'm not going to advertise them, either! That said, we all love the first perfumes made by the great houses, like Guerlain or Coty, because that's te beginning of it all. There's a type of conversation that happens in perfumery. When Coty did Chypre de Coty, Guerlain did Mitsouko. If we try to name all the fragrances with a relation to Shalimar, we'd be in the hundreds. I will say there'sa perfume by Schiaparelli that's now gone called Shocking. I worked for the company that made it before I was at Chanel. It has a lot o patchouli and every time I work with patchouli, I think of it. What about favorites among your own? I'd say Allure for women, becayse it's very simple and when I smell it on a woman it's very pleasant. (...)" Two fragrances for Chanel by Polge are coming out this fall: "a women's scent for the limited edition Les Exclusifs range called Jersey, in honor of one of Coco Chanel's favorite fabrics, and No 19 Poudre, a rethinking of the original No. 19, with added notes of iris. (Source, WWD BeautyInc, Sat. May 21st, The Frgarance Issue, pages 8-10.)

Exclusively for Facebook fans: Rouge Coco Shine, before its debut in the US

Like Chanel and shop Rouge Coco Shine (only, no other products can be purchased through this option,  which is rather inconvenient). With your Rouge Coco Shine Facebook purchase, you receive free standard shipping and two samples, for two days only. I rarely post about beauty products here, but am a fan of the new Rouge Coco Shine texture and shades (Boy, Unique, Rebelle). Let me know, which shades you choose if any.

Side B: Bleu de Chanel and Mark Jacobs Bang

By Tom What better way to celebrate Labor day than wandering around the mall? Well, there are lots of them, but part of the day I wandered around the mall anyway. The mall was the Beverly Center, which is a 20 minute stroll from my hovel in Beverly Hills' glamorous "Industrial Triangle". I was there to see the new iPod line- not that I was going to buy one since I already have two that I don't use much since I have an iPhone. I was sadly thwarted in this pursuit so onward I wandered. Bloomingdales had both of these new releases, which I am perhaps the last person to smell in the blogosphere. Bleu de Chanel is listed at Bloomingdales website as a "woody aromatic" with "a procotave blend of citrus and woods" and admonishes us to "Be unexpected" Sadly the juice doesn't take it's own advice. The square blue bottle dispenses rather square blue liquid that takes the idea of "blue" in it's most literal form. Yes, the dreaded aquatic. It's so clean, so fresh, so stridently inoffensive that frankly the name should be "Blah". Or perhaps "Bleech" $59 for 1.7oz and $79 for 3.4. Marc Jacobs Bang is listed (in all caps) as "FREE AND ELECTRIFYING, SEXY AND ALLURING" and "FRESH, PEPPERY AND WOODY". It is. It does have that "fresh" aspect to it but the pepper and woods keep the seashore aspects to a minimum, just a light metallic shimmer. The bottle looks like something from the "Fortress of Solitude" set in "Superman 2" but I can't fault the scent, it's very nice. I would caution to go steadily, the first couple of house were ALL CAPS on me- the one spray in the crook of my elbow was throwing massive sillage until it calmed. Not for the over-applier... $55 for 1.7oz and $75 for 3.4. Reminder- while the draw for the samples is closed, the deal offering all PST readers an introductory discount of 10% off their first order at Indiescents is still open. Just enter “PST” at checkout. Offer is good until September 30th.

Fraîche & Easy

Last summer practically forced me to wear citrus scents. Ever since, my taste has been gradually becoming fresher and fresher. I learned to appreciate clean, fresh perfumes for three reasons: a) the noli me tangere quality, the icy, poker-faced feeling that they lend me; b) the cooling effect in the heat; and c) the easy, relaxing comfort that they provide. A good fresh scent to me is an olfactory equivalent of a good chillout tune. A no-brainer, calming sound/smell in the background. And if that seems like I am damning the genre with faint praise, I am not: being able to make to one's life easier without being obvious about it is a great quality in a perfume. Or indeed in a person. This summer my fresh scent wardrobe (already including L'Eau de L'Hermine, Vanille Galante, Puredistance, Lotus Blossom & Water Lily, Eau de Fleur Magnolia and Cristalle) benefited from the discovery of the following: Cristalle Eau Verte by Chanel. Sweeter, more floral, in no way a chypre and significantly softer and gentler than actual Cristalle, this is basically...a different scent entirely. Please, don't look in it for a variation on Cristalle that will still be recognisable as the classic favorite. Taken on its own merit, however, it is a lovely, harmonious, incredibly easy-to-wear citrus fragrance with a pretty magnolia note in the heart. The citruses in the top are slightly sugary, with a floral accent added by neroli; the heart enhances the floralcy with jasmine, honeysuckle and the aforementioned magnolia; and there is something dry and green in the base that lasts, discreetly, all day, long after the citrus sparkle is gone, and adds some of that hard, brisk Chanel-y edge to the overall very easy-going composition. Elegant, versatile, youthful...as much of a little white dress (a summer must-have) as the original Cristalle. Only, while the latter I imagine as a somewhat haughty shift dress, Eau Verte is, perhaps, more of an egalitarian and more flirty baby-doll. (Bergdorf Goodman, $105.00 for 3.4oz.) Eau Divine by Divine offers the dry, spicy freshness that I love in summer. Anise, ginger and nutmeg add an interesting twist to what could have been a rather ordinary unisex blend. I also love the unexpected presence of violet in the heart. The slightly powdery solidity of the note adds body to the fairly transparent mix and a certain retro feel. It smells "French" and a little old-fashioned to me. It should come in a huge retro splash bottle (oh, wait, it does!) and a tome of Bonjour Tristesse, because the Sagan's France is where Eau Divine takes me. And that is one of my favorite places. (Divine.fr, 50€-145€) Cote d'Amour by L'Artisan Parfumeur inhabits approximately the same territory, but very now. Celine Ellena's characteristically gauzy and modern composition is the smell of skin heated by the sun, salty from the sea, with a saline, weedy undertone that seems to stick to one after a day on the beach. In that respect, I find this quiet, chilled out scent quite sexy. With its spa-like, herbal ambiance, in reminds me a lot of L'Eau de Jatamansi, however, Côte d'Amour has much less of that "I am natural and choke-full of the ingredients that are good for you" feel that I resented in Jatamansi, although there is still some in the blend of immortelle, rosemary and pine...still, when I am in Côte d'Amour, I am not aware of wearing an ORGANIC blend, but of wearing a perfume. A very non-perfumey one, but still. (Luckyscent, $155.00 for 8.4oz) Bigarade Concentree by Editions de Parfums. There are perfumes with an animalic undertone. Jean-Claude Ellena's citrus masterpiece smells...human. I can't describe it in any other way. Few citrus scents easily blend with the wearer's skin. They tend to sit on top, sparkling as if in a myriad of tiny unmeltable crystals. Bigarade Concentree melts into the skin. A friend with a very keen nose suspects that there might be some cumin, and I agree. Nothing humanizes a perfume like that warm, dirty spice. Put too much of it, and -voila!- the scent is animalic. Clearly, only a touch (might have) been added to the bitter orange overdose of Bigarade C. It also might be hay, with its strangely fleshy aroma. In any case, a unique take on citrus that I couldn't get enough of this summer. Men should be forced to wear this, as the perfume smells even more human on them. (Barneys, $85.00-$200.00) Eau des Lagons by Comptoir sud Pacifique is another scent to be shared with a male. It is, perhaps, more unisex that any of the scents described here; read: it is rather masculine. Like Côte d'Amour, it manages to be evocative of the sea without smelling too obviously aquatic. Unlike the quietly languid Côte d'Amour, Eau des Lagons is brisk. I would even call it sharp, but in a good way. It is a wake up scent, a "I need to be alert at work" scent. A friendly sort of slap on a cheek that would prevent one from nodding off in the heat and the boredom. The beginning of the scent is momentarily fruity; immediately, the sweetness disappears, and it becomes all about rind, zest, sap, salt, driftwood and very white musk after that. I see Eau des Lagons as transparent white. Pure, almost sterile white...If you need a politically correct, but not boring office scent, this is the one. (Comptoirsudpacifique.us, $85.00 for 3.3oz) What are your fresh perfume favorites? Do share. If you would like to be in a draw for samples of Eau Divine, Cote d'Amour and Eau des Lagons, please say so in your comment. The winner will be announced on Friday. Image credits, Numero, Miles Aldrgidge.

Perfume Review: Chanel Beige

Beige is the new addition to Les Exclusifs de Chanel collection of fragrances. Inspired by Chanel's love for the color ("I take refuge in beige because it's natural," said Mademoiselle), the fragrance is meant to evoke all shades of the elusive hue: from honey to whitish... I have heard several complaints about the name being boring, and by the admission of the Chanel people themselves: "beige may seem quite ordinary." Personally, I am a big fan of the color; stepping into my wardrobe is akin to falling into a sandpit...Like Chanel, I think that "behind this apparent simplicity, it [beige] hides a discreet sensuality." It seems to me that the composition focuses on this sensuality rather than the everyday versatility of the color. The white floral blend of Beige is a silk evening gown, not a practical jersey jacket. Jacques Polge interprets the slinky aspect of beige by using luscious floral notes of freesia and frangipani enriched by a touch of honey. The combination could have been too heady were it not balanced by a sharper note of hawthorn. The silky intensity of Beige, reminiscent of Gardenia, is roughed up by this slightly bitter, angular note, and the smooth-and-jagged effect is very attractive, an olfactory equivalent of raw silk. I particularly love the bitter quality of flowers, the quality that reminds me a little of Hermes's majestic 24, Faubourg. Beige is as elegant and ladylike as it gets (note the emphasis on the discreteness of its sensuality). It is a cold, somewhat arrogant beauty, a "better than thou" scent. It smells like a Proper Perfume in that it is abstract, complex, and, regardless of whether it is full of natural ingredients or totally synthetic, it smells...man-made, for a lack of a better term. It is, in short, very Chanel; and I can't help but admire Polge's ability to keep his creations so very much in spirit of the House. I happen to adore this kind of dressed-up, ladylike, slightly bitchy, coldly intense floral fragrances, so I am thrilled to see one more in Chanel's collection. If I were not a fan of this particular style, I might have questioned the necessity of a very classic smelling white floral in the line that already includes Gardenia. Whether you are attracted by this concept or not, you should smell Beige anyway, if only to refresh a memory of what a Perfume is supposed to be like. In this age of Smells, when perfumes are not supposed to be perfumey anymore, Chanel should be applauded for sticking to their guns and (once in a while) doing what they do best- timeless classics. Beige will be available in October, at first exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue, 200ml for $190. The quotes and the image of the bottle are from Chanel press release. Our reviews of other Les Exclusif fragrances: 31, Rue Cambon, Bel Respiro, Bois des Iles, Chanel No. 18, Chanel No. 22, Coromandel.