Serial killer suspect Felix Vail held onto women’s earrings, perfume samples

Mississippi native and serial killer suspect Felix Vail held onto more than a dozen earrings and other assorted women’s jewelry in his home in Canyon Lake, Texas.

Are these items that women left behind from visits with him? If so, why didn’t he return them?

Enzo Yaksic, founder of the Serial Homicide Expertise and Information Sharing Collaborative, said the earrings could be mementoes — items that revive memories.

Vail is the last known person seen with three women: his wife, Mary, whose body was recovered from a river in Lake Charles, La., in 1962; his common law wife, Sharon Hensley, who disappeared in 1973; his teenage bride, Annette, who disappeared in 1984.

In May, a grand jury indicted him for the murder of his wife, Mary. He maintains he had nothing to do with her death or the disappearances of the other women.

Vail, now 74, claims to have slept with hundreds and hundreds of women and lived with 40 different women. He repeatedly referred to women as “whores,” but doesn’t view himself as promiscuous.

His journals, obtained by The Clarion-Ledger, number more than 2,400 pages — much of them a collection of his day-to-day activities, including his sexual exploits.

In a May 24, 1985, entry, he went to bed with one woman in Tulsa, Okla., waited till she fell asleep and slipped away to have sex with a different woman. Hours later, he returned.

In addition to saving women’s jewelry, Vail collected advertisements with women’s images and many samples of women’s perfume, adding to the odd collection.

Are there women out there who recognize these earrings as theirs? What, if anything, can they tell us about Vail?

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How Two West Coast Hikers Turned Brooklyn's Trees into a New Perfume

"Wild" fragrance firm Juniper Ridge has been running a pop-up shop this fall in Brooklyn, where it's been hosting sidewalk distillations of local plantlife—literally making cologne from the trees and bushes of Williamsburg—and running the occasional smell hunt, a short guide to the trees of the neighborhood based on what the public can sniff.

Gizmodo was on hand last week for a stroll around the block with Juniper Ridge founder Hall Newbegin and chief distiller Obi Kaufmann. As Newbegin explains on the company's website, the overall Juniper Ridge process is pretty damn fascinating, and I was eager to learn more in person:

We distill colognes and perfumes from real plants, bark, moss, mushrooms, and tree trimmings found hiking the backcountry.

A hundred years ago, all perfumes were made this way. Today we're the only ones who handle every step of the process ourselves, from beginning to end.

That process can look pretty ridiculous at times. We go camping. We crawl around in mountain meadows. We smell the wet earth beneath fir trees, and spend whiskey-fueled hours geeking out over the scent of wind off a glacier.

We make our fragrances throughout the West Coast—on dirt roads and trails, around campfires, and in our Oakland, California workshop. All to capture the quiet beauty of the Mojave Desert at sunrise, or a late-season Sierra trailhead with winter right around the corner.

The fact that last week's "wild aromatic distillation" event would be hosted on the streets of Brooklyn, using vegetation from New York City's best borough, only added to the strange appeal of seeing (and smelling) how all this really occurs.

After all, what happens when you do the same thing in an urban environment—when it's not the smell of breezes off glaciers but winds gusting off the roofs of abandoned warehouses or a slow morning fog rolling down the Gowanus? How do you distill perfumes and colognes fromthat?

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What Comes Out of a Whale and Goes Into Perfume? Ambergris!

 

A New Zealand dealer holds a chunk of ambergris (or “gray amber”). Photo by Christopher Kemp

Literature is full of quests. Jason hunted for the golden fleece. Dorothy followed the yellow brick road to find her way home to Kansas. Christopher Kemp, you might say, went looking for a piece of whale poop, which in its most refined state is the worth-its-weight-in-gold substance known as ambergris. The material is used as a fixative in perfumery; it stabilizes and anchors the other notes, as the ingredients of a fragrance are known, and adds an underlying basso profundo of animalic mustiness.

Five years ago, Kemp, who is a molecular biologist at Michigan State, turned on the television while living in New Zealand and was intrigued by a story about a mysterious lump of material the size of a 44 gallon drum that had washed on shore. The initial speculation—that it was ambergris and worth a fortune— touched off a civilian scrum as locals hacked off pieces and carted their “payload” home. It turned out to be a cast-off piece of lard. The incident was the irritant that produced a pearl of a book— Floating Gold—A Natural (&Unnatural) History of Ambergris published by the University of Chicago Press. We asked Kemp to tell us more.

Many people must have seen the broadcast about the mysterious lump that washed ashore, caused a gold rush-like stampede, and turned out to be lard instead of ambergris, but you are the only one who wrote a book about it? How do you account for that?

I’d never heard of ambergris, but when I turned the TV on [and saw the news report] it must have burrowed into my subconscious. Every time I went to the beach I would look and say: ‘Is that it?’ Usually you Google something and get all your answers in ten minutes. Ambergris resisted that ten-minute Google. I wanted more. I wanted to know if people still use it and how it’s used and where do you find

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French police on the scent of perfume thieves

Sniffing out thieves who hijacked a lorry transporting Rochas perfumes in the latest in a spate of robberies targeting upmarket French fragrances.

Posh beauty products valued at tens of thousands of euros are expected to resurface on the pre-Christmas black market following the hold-up on Wednesday evening outside a Rochas production centre in the west of Paris.

The driver, who was attacked with tear gas and a stun gun, was found tied up on the road at the scene, and the partially emptied lorry was discovered in a nearby forest.

Thieves recently carried out a similar operation against a lorry carrying Guerlain perfumes in the same area and in June 2012 more than two million euros ($2.7 million) worth of the company's upmarket products were stolen from its factory at Orphin, also in the western suburbs of Paris.




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Iron-based process promises greener, cheaper and safer drug and perfume production

TORONTO, ON – University of Toronto researchers have developed a series of techniques to create a variety of very active iron-based catalysts necessary to produce the alcohols and amines used in the drug and perfume industry. The new synthetic methods promise to be safer and more economical and environmentally friendly than traditional industrial processes.

The research takes advantage of Earth's extensive supply of iron – the fifth most abundant naturally occurring metal – substituting it in place of the rare elements of ruthenium, rhodium, palladium and platinum traditionally used in the design of hydrogenation catalysts. The result is an exceptionally efficient class of iron complexes whose abilities rival and even surpass those of conventional industrial catalysts.

"There is a research effort world-wide to make chemical processes more sustainable and green by replacing the rare, expensive and potentially toxic elements used in hydrogenation, catalytic converters in cars, fuel cells for the efficient conversion of chemical energy into electricity, and silicone coatings, with abundant ions such as iron," says U of T chemistry professor Robert Morris, principal investigator of a study reported in the November 29 issue of Science. "Iron is about 10,000 times cheaper to obtain than ruthenium. And less than 200 metric tons of platinum-type metals are mined in the world every year, not all of it can be recycled after use, it is not essential to life, and it can be toxic."

"We found a way to make the ferrous form of iron behave in a catalytic process much more efficiently than a precious metal. We did this by finding molecules containing nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon and hydrogen, that bond to, and enhance, the reactivity of iron," says Morris.

The scientists inexpensively produced varieties of alcohol with different biological properties – which can be used in flavour and drug synthesis – and different smells, a property important to the perfume industry. In one example from the study, the precursor alcohol to a cancer treatment can be made using the hydrogenation process catalyzed by iron. Using iron, the resulting complex is often a better catalyst than the industrial one based on ruthenium.

The sustainable technology incubator GreenCentre Canada is already pursuing the commercialization of the new iron catalysts.

Source

Funding for this research was provided by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and GreenCentre Canada.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Robert Morris
Department of Chemistry
University of Toronto
416-978-6962
robert.morris@utoronto.ca

Sean Bettam
Communications
Faculty of Arts & Science
University of Toronto
416-946-7950
s.bettam@utoronto.ca

Helvetica Perfume, 'For Those Who Dare to Be the Same' Breathe in the distilled modernism of pure water

What do you get for the designer who has everything? How about nothing?

Helvetica The Perfume is literally just water, or "modernism distilled." Created as a gag gift by creative collective Guts and Glory, each bottle costs $62 plus shipping. If you're interested, you might want to hurry, because all shipments go out by Dec. 5.

As you might expect, most of the copywriting around the pseudo-perfume is pretty entertaining, capturing the best of black-turtle-neck designer speak with an implied wink.

"This typeface was to have no intrinsic meaning, allowing the content to convey the message. … It is in this spirit that we have created the ultimate Modernist perfume–a scent distilled down to only the purest and most essential elements to allow you, the content, to convey your message with the utmost clarity."

The Twitter feed is pretty good, too. We've dropped in a few of our favorite posts below.

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5 Things You Didn't Know About Perfume, Courtesy Of Frédéric Malle

We like to consider ourselves pretty scent-sitive (har, har) when it comes to fragrance. As our perfume preferences have evolved, we're finally able to sniff out top and base notes — and sometimes even the layers in between. But, like our favorite multi-dimensional fragrances,there's a lot more to perfume than meets the nose. The man with a firm grasp on all its many nuances? Frédéric Malle.

And, lucky for us, his newly relaunched website is a goldmine of tips and tricks for choosing and applying fragrance. Case in point: Though we religiously put perfume on our pulse points, it might be wise to spritz it in our hair instead. Because of the slight oiliness of hair and the heat emitted from the head, scent has more staying power and will diffuse throughout the day. But, Malle cautions, “Be careful not to spray hair too often, as the alcohol contained in the fragrance might dry it.”

Click on over to Beautylish to learn four more little-known facts about fragrance from the mix master himself. (Beautylish)


5: More expensive doesn’t mean better.

Even as a purveyor of high-end fragrances, Malle admits that price is often a marketing tool used to “position” perfumes. “Fragrances are like food; they can be delicious and cheap. A talented perfume can make a great fragrance for little money,” he writes. The brand prices its products based on the cost of its raw materials and their concentration (“like a restaurant that sells a dish made with caviar for more than something cooked with eggs and potatoes!”). Also, synthetic-based perfumes can be more expensive than natural ones, which feels counterintuitive given the price of some organic and natural skin care lines on the market. This is because rare, high-tech raw materials are often more expensive than natural oils and essences.

George Takei Releases Perfume, 'Eau My'

"Star Trek" alum and gay icon George Takei really never lets us down -- and the name of his new fragrance certainly doesn't either.

Echoing his signature phrase, Takei has fittingly (and hilariously) named his new unisex fragrance "Eau My."

Marketed under the tagline "Set phasers to stunning!" this is one cologne that we can'twait to wear around town.

"Eau My" is currently available for pre-order through Amazon.

SLATE: Beyoncé’s New Fragrance Was Inspired by Maya Angelou and Smells Like Overcoming Adversity

Women’s Wear Daily reports this week that Beyoncé, not content to just drop a new album out of the sky and force everyone to Google “Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie,” will soon release a new fragrance inspired by a Maya Angelou poem. According to Marsha Brooks, vice president of global marketing for a firm that oversees Bey’s fragrance business, the perfume, called Rise, will give off a “strong sense of ‘overcoming adversity and rising above it all.’”

Based on the name of the scent, The Cut smartly guesses that Bey’s inspiration was Angelou’s “Still I Rise,” which does seem tailor-made for the star, especially the quatrain that goes:

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Beyoncé is actually not the first to tie her famous-person fragrance to a poet—Tilda Swinton released a scent in 2010 inspired by the Sufi poet Rumi and the scent of ginger. How long until other celebrities, eager to recreate Bey’s (and Tilda’s!) success, hop on the poet-perfume money-train? When they do, here are some suggestions:

Eau de Robert Frost: Smells like apples, woods on a snowy evening.


Eau de Emily Dickinson: Smells like clean Laundry and gunpowder.


Eau de e.e. cummings: Smells like mud-lusciousness, puddle-wonderfulness.

Eau de Wallace Stevens: Smells like the odorlessness that is not there, and the odorlessness that is.


Eau de Elizabeth Bishop: Smells like something—either codfish or knowledge—that makes one’s nose run and one’s eyes water.


Eau de William Butler Yeats: Smells like a spreading laurel tree, ale from the country of the young.


Eau de Philip Larkin: Smells like the beer bottle you knock over groping back to bed after a piss.


Eau de Sappho: Smells like disconnected notes of incense bright shaking leaves hoplites?


You get the idea. Which literary treasures will Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber, and Mariah Carey grace with their brands? Our only advice is to stay away from the Beat poets, who probably don’t smell too good.

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Christina Aguilera Looks Sexier Than Ever in Marilyn Monroe-Inspired Perfume Ad (PHOTO)

Back in October, The Voice coach Christina Aguilera flaunted her bodacious bod while filming an ad for her perfume, “Unforgettable." As she tweeted back then, “Feeling sexy & seductive on set with Mark Liddell filming.”

Just in time for Christmas, the sexy songstresstweeted another photo that depicts her spraying perfume on herself with the caption that simply read, “#Unforgettable.” The photo is dimly lit so it’s hard to see what she’s wearing, but it looks to be a super sultry black, low-cut dress and her hair seems to be an ode to Marilyn Monroe.

Although she has worn some demure styles onThe Voice this season, she’s also gone the sexy route, showing off her newly-svelte frame. Can you blame her? As the “Say Something” singertold Jay Leno in an interview on The Tonight Show a while back, “I’m 32 and feel sexier than ever!”

The vocal powerhouse recently celebrated abirthday, and let’s just say 33 is looking pretty good on her. Like many celebs, however, Christina has had to fight rumors that she got plastic surgery to lose the weight. Those on her inner circle insist she lost it the old-fashioned way — through diet changes and exercise. In fact, a friend told Life & Style recently about some of the ways Xtina stays slim.

“Christina takes her lunches and snacks with her to work now, so she can watch how much she eats instead of overindulging in anything bad for her,” the friend revealed via Hollywood Life. “She eats carbs, protein, snacks like pretzels — she just watches how much she eats.”

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Northwest perfume shoplifter gets probation

A woman accused of participating in a grab-and-dash shoplifting of dozens of perfume bottles was sentenced to three years probation.

Reshava Young, 21, was one of three women accused of the thefts from a northwest side store in August.

Oro Valley Police described the theft as brazen, saying the women walked into the store, grabbed 40 bottles of perfume and walked out.

Police tracked down and arrested the women within 30 minutes of the crime.

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Making Sense of Scents: Fragrance tips for savvy shoppers

The fall-winter season is upon us. The chill in the air signifies that it is time for a change in wardrobe choices. We put away our lightweight linen trousers, tank tops and flip-flops and opt for chunkier sweaters, skinny jeans and boots.

Of course, no outfit is truly complete without its main companion — a great scent.

According to the maven of all things fashionable, Coco Chanel, “A woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future.”

Though this is not a foregone conclusion, why take the chance?
SCENT SELECTION

Visiting a department store’s fragrance counter can be as daunting as climbing Kilimanjaro.

We are faced with images of designer-clad sex-symbols who want us to believe that all need to be like Charlize Theron in a Dior J’Adore ad is a spritz of scented magic. Forget the personal trainer, dieting and team of stylists and makeup artists that help bring this image to fruition.

When Helaine Gottschalk went shopping for a fragrance other than her beloved Eternity by Calvin Klein, she did so by teaming with fragrance experts Amanda Dabney, Lynda Sims and Manisha Argawal at Belk in Cordova Mall.

Gottschalk is a savvy shopper and had an idea of what she was looking for — a fragrance that allowed her to transition from her everyday routine to special events without much fanfare.

“I really don’t give any consideration to time of day, occasion, etc. Probably because I don’t like the heavy, overpowering ‘night time’ fragrances. My choices are lighter ‘go everywhere’ scents,’’ said Gottschalk, a Long Term Care Insurance Specialist.

She also knew that she wanted something that was either, floral, green or “spicy.”

THE NOSE KNOWS

The Sense of Olfactory (smell) is a very powerful one because it can transport one back to a certain time and place and create nostalgia, evoke a specific feeling or conjure a memory.

For Gottschalk, this is especially true.

“I know that I lean toward the floral, green, warm spicy scents because my mother wore that combination,” she says. This combination reminds her of the Shocking, by Schiaparelli, a fragrance her mother favored.

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Beyonce Kisses Madonna's Daughter at Concert, Announces New Fragrance

Beyonce plants a sweet kiss onMadonna‘s daughter Mercy James in this brand new pic from her concert posted to Instagram.

“Mercy James gets a big fat one from the Queen. B !” the 55-year-old entertainer posted to her Instagramabout Bey, 32, and her little one, 8.

Later that evening, Bey took the party from the concert venue to Dave & Busters, where she took shots with fans! Check out the video below.

It was just announced that Beyonce will be releasing her third fragrance called Beyoncé Rise, WWD reports.

Queen Bey owned 2013 and now she’s taking her superstar dominance into 2014. According to reports, Mrs. Platinum-In-Less-Than-A-WeeK is prepping for the February release of her new fragrance, RISE.

“The spirit of RISE encourages women to be all that we are,” Beyonce said in a press release for the new perfume, which was inspired by her favorite Maya Angelou poem, Still I Rise.

“The fragrance concept is a about female empowerment and finding the inner strength that makes women so beautiful,” Marsha Brooks, vice president of global marketing for fragrances in the Coty Beauty division of Coty Inc., said in a statement. “[Knowles] has done a lot of fruity florals. She’s done gourmands. Pulse was this electric citrus-y floral. This is sexy and sophisticated. We tested it in multiple countries with excellent results.”

Dita Von Teese: 'Erotique' Fragrance Launch!

Dita Von Teese is super sleek at the launch of her new fragrance Erotiqueheld at Fred Segal on Thursday (November 21) in West Hollywood, Calif.

The 41-year-old burlesque beauty met with fans at the store in a meet and greet setting!

“Tonight from 5-8pm I will be at Fred Segal on Melrose in L.A. for my perfume Erotique.” Dita tweeted out earlier in the day.

Earlier in the week, Dita tweeted out about living on the west coast.

“Single & living in LA’s “cool”area. Accustomed to men w/beards wearing ladies’ sunglasses, but just saw a hot guy skateboard by in TIGHTS.” she wrote.

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Fab Five: Fragrances

Halloween. Check. American Thanksgiving. Check. That means the countdown to Christmas has begun. Giving a fragrance as a gift can be challenging unless it’s a repeat performance or a request. We take the guess work out of five new fragrances that are a fit for a range of budgets.


All is golden




A beguiling scent that’s at once assertive and luxuriously soft and rounded. Fleur d’Or & Acacia is slightly musky but with a sparkle of floral notes. You just don’t want to stop drinking in the scent — in other words, rather intoxicating.


75 mL, $75 | L’Occitane


Baked goods




With a hint of sweetened coconut and a base of sweet vanilla, this limited-edition fragrance from the Demeter Fragrance Library is as good as any sweet holiday treat — minus the calories and regret.


$20 | Real Canadian Superstore


Happy Heart




Fresh and subtle, this crisp fragrance from Clinique smells so much sweeter thanks to its philanthropic attachment to the company’s Happy Hearts Fund that sees $10 from the sale of each fragrance go directly to the non-profit foundation. The charity is dedicated to rebuilding schools and restoring communities after natural disasters.


$42 for 30 mL | Hudson’s Bay


Flash of fashion




This sexy scent by shoe-design king Jimmy Choo boasts bold undertones of pink pepper, exotic white flowers and powdery woods to create a powerful and provocative fragrance that is the perfect partner in crime for a little black dress.


$73 for 50 mL| Hudson’s Bay


Sexy secret




At first sniff this sparkling perfume is all refreshing fruit, but the base notes of Madagascar Vanilla mixed with the dessert-like scents of caramel and crème brûlée added a surprisingly mature element to this light pink elixir. The overall effect is a fun fragrance that is enjoyable — and appropriate — at any age.


$78 for 100 mL | Victoria’s Secret


© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun





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Smells like a perfume launch

LAHORE: It seems that launching fragrances has become the latest vogue. With many international fashion houses and celebrities jumping on the fragrance launch bandwagon, it was inevitable that the trend would transcend borders and permeate into the local fashion scene. And the first to catch the wave are designer brothers Nabeel and Aqeel Iftikhar. Going by the label Nabeel & Aqeel, the two have launched their signature perfume line for both him and her.

Although France is the hub of fragrance manufacturing,  and most designers and celebrities seeking to make perfumes go to perfumeries in the country for desired scents, the Iftikhar brothers took a different direction. In order to make affordable and quality products, the duo went to Spain to get their perfumes manufactured. “Our signature fragrances are inspired by glamorous, age-old perfumeries, where exquisite ingredients are used to create one-of-kind scents of sophistication and luxury,” says Nabeel.

Nabeel & Aqeel fragrances comprise five Eau de toilettes – four for men and one for women. “It took us six years to conceptualise this range and bring it to the market,” shares Nabeel. “The reason why we opted for Eau de toilette rather than Eau de parfum is that the latter are generally stronger and much more expensive; the former easily last for about four to six hours and are not very strong,” he further says. Nabeel & Aqeel acknowledges the personal significance of perfumes, and that the mark of a good perfume is how long it lasts.

The brothers explain how working with perfumes is a risky business: “There is a lot of financial investment required and we are talking big numbers,” says Nabeel.

Without revealing the name of the perfumery, Nabeel & Aqeel share with us that their product line is launched at an introductory price of Rs2,600 per bottle.
The collection features the following five perfumes:

1. Phantom: A strong, woody fragrance with notes of citrus that might not be everyone’s taste. Top notes of the perfume are orange, shiso, grapefruit and pepper, while heart notes include flint, mineral and geranium leaves. The base notes are those of oak, moss, vetiver, patchouli and benzoin.

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HELVETICA PERFUME CRITIQUES THE FOUNDATION OF THE SCENT INDUSTRY

Every year the perfume industry rakes in millions of dollars selling scented liquid. Faun Chapin and Megan Paradise, founders of the branding agency Guts and Glory, wanted to test their luck in the industry by creating a signature scent that blends together “the purest and most essential elements.” The fragrance is so pure that it only contains water and air.

The Helvetica scent might seem like some dodgy branding stunt driven completely by profit, but it is actually a genuine attempt to critique the perfume industry, as well as the commercialization of water. The duo wants people to realize there is nothing wrong with having a natural human scent, and that perfume is “an amazing category of absurdity in a lot of way.”

2 ounces of Helvetica (read: two ounces of water) is retailing for $62. Just in case you feel like you’ve been duped, the fragrance bottle is printed with 24-karat gold. If you aren’t happy with your purchase (or if you are more of a Times New Roman person), you can return the bottle for a full refund.

The Helvetica

Pitbull to Debut Unisex Fragrance Line

Pitbull will be ringing in the new year with a fresh scent. The rapper will unveil his new fragrance, simply called Pitbull, on Dec. 31.

According to Women’s Wear Daily, the 32-year-old artist will present his men’s and women’s scents at his New Year’s Eve show in his hometown of Miami at American Airlines Arena. Pre-sales will begin Dec. 1 at Amazon.com, which will be selling the scent exclusively until Valentine’s Day.

“When we started talking about it, it was about very sexy smells,” says Pitbull about his fragrance. “The woman can wear the men’s cologne and the man can wear the women’s perfume. I love to mix [men's and women's fragrances] up and see what kind of people you attract…I am a walking focus group.”

The women’s fragrance is described as notes of raspberries, crisp red apples, nectarine blossom, jasmine, vanilla and musk. Meanwhile, the men’s version smells like an “opening act” of sun-drenched bergamot, mandarin and sage; and “an encore” of rich tonka bean, musk and amber.

The fragrances will come in tall bottles shaped by the skyscrapers Pitbull saw while traveling to exotic locations like Malaysia, Dubai and Shanghai. Prices range from $30-$55 depending on bottle size.

And since Pitbull is an international artist, limited edition versions are in the works as well, including Pitbull Miami, due out in 2015, and Pitbull Rio, aimed for 2016. Pitbull London and Pitbull Berlin are also in the planning stages.

“I think that a soft, sexy sensual scent isn’t what people are going to expect from me,” Mr. 305 tells WWD. “The innovative part of that is when you have a man who comes with a scent which I would say is more womanly, I think that’s innovative, especially when you have a man who will admit it.”

Deputies searching for woman who stole 20 bottles of perfume from Wellington beauty store

 

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Palm Beach County Sheriff’s detectives are asking for the public’s help in finding a woman who stole 20 bottles of perfume from a local Ulta beauty store. The retail theft happened Dec. 1 around 1:50 p.m. at the Ulta store at 1020 State Road 7 in Wellington.

 

The woman was seen carrying a large, black bag which was filled with the 20 bottles of perfume. In total, the perfume is worth $1,428. The woman returned to the store Dec. 7 and store management called the sheriff’s office after recognizing her. The woman left the store.

 

 Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 458 TIP

 

 

Fragrance sales to be flat this holiday

What used to be a go-to Christmas gift is no longer smelling quite as sweet.

After gaining back some of the ground lost after four years of negative sales during the economic downturn, fragrance sales are basically flat on the year, and experts predict they will continue their holding pattern during the holidays.

According to The NPD Group, 15 percent of shoppers will purchase a fragrance this holiday, which is unchanged from 2012; similarly, Euromonitor forecast that the category's sales will tick higher by only 0.2 percent this year.

But despite waning interest in the category, and competition from the lower-priced lip and nail care segments, fragrance can't be ignored. NPD reported that fragrance will still be the fourth-most popular holiday purchase this season, which experts attributed to its reputation for being an easy gift, its attractive packaging and its characterization as a value buy.

And with 45 percent of the year's fragrance sales occurring from October to December, retailers will continue their efforts to push the category on to shoppers' lists to ring up positive holiday sales.

"Fragrance is something that I feel like the stores are always pushing," said Virginia Lee, senior research analyst at Euromonitor.

Most of the growth in the prestige fragrance category—sales logged primarily in department stores—has come from pricier, niche fragrances such as Demeter Fragrance Library's Oud, and scents from Jo Malone and Tom Ford, Lee said.

She pointed to Bond No. 9, Estée Lauder's Modern Muse and Coty's Marc Jacobs Honey as other fragrances she expects to perform well.


While celebrity perfumes continue to saturate the market—including scents from Rihanna, One Direction and Taylor Swift—the category's real value growth is now being driven by an older, more sophisticated shopper who doesn't care to smell like a pop star, Lee said. She also predicts prestige will continue to outperform mass offerings, as higher-income shoppers have the money to burn on a $250 fragrance, she said.

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Beyoncé Rise (2014) {New Fragrance} {Celebrity Perfume}

Pop singer Beyoncé will launch a new women's perfume from February 2014 called Rise. She inaugurates a new franchise after Heat and Pulse...


The fragrance was composed by perfumer Loc Dong of IFF. The name of the perfume "Rise" is meant to be a war cry, inviting women to be all that they want to be in life.

The composition features a floral accord of orchid as this is Beyoncé's favorite flower, inspired by either a varietal, Gold Symphony, or an imagined accord called this way. MTV Style show a picture of the press package an editor was sent with opulent orchids attached to it. Generally speaking, the perfume has been created around the color gold to symbolize energy, optimism, power and strength. Beyoncé's husband is not fortuitously lanching a perfume for men inspired by the color gold as well, Jay Z Gold for Men.

The eau de parfum opens on top notes of bergamot, apricot and basil sorbet followed by a heart showcasing the Gold Symphony orchid accord , freesia and jasmine sambac. In the base, which is woody, there are notes of cashmere woods, musk and vetiver.

Eau de Parfum , 15 ml 15,49 € * approx

Eau de Parfum , 30 ml of approximately 24.99 Euros *

Eau de Parfum , 50 ml 32,99 € * approx

Deo Body Spray 150 ml approx 8,99 € *

Body Lotion , 200 ml approx 8,99 Euro *

Shower Gel , 200 ml approx 8,99 Euro *

Via Cosmoty.de

The PJs, Pumps and Perfume Dhani Wants For the Holidays

Deciding what to ask for for Christmas is almost as difficult as deciding what to get other people. There are just SO MANY THINGS I WANT. However, I was able to narrow that list down to a few favorites that, hey, you might want to!

1. A.P.C. Silk Lucy Dress, $455, available at Steven Alan
Pretty sure this is the LBD, er, LND (It’s navy) of my dreams. I’m obsessed with the classic shape and flattering belted waist.

2. Marina Pajama Shirt, $145 & Paloma Pajama Short, $64, both available at Sleepy Jones
Pajamas are my jam(as) and so is purple. Radiant Orchid may be Pantone’s color of 2014, but I’ve long been into the color. As silly as it sounds, it works really well with my skin tone.

3. Narciso Rodriguez For Her Eau de Toilette, $77, available at Sephora
My reason for wanting this is pretty simple: It’s my favorite scent and I’m almost out of my probably-eighth bottle.

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Germany's Douglas hunts more deals after buying French perfume chain

* Nocibe deal set to close in first half of 2014

* Douglas sees attractive growth for perfume sales

Nov 19 (Reuters) - German books-to-cosmetics retailer Douglas Holding aims to complete its purchase of French perfumery chain Nocibe in the first half of next year and is on the prowl for more acquisitions, its chief executive said on Tuesday.

Douglas, which was taken private by investor Advent and the Kreke family this year, is aiming to become Europe's top perfumes retailer as it seeks stronger growth than that it believes is achievable in confectionery, jewellery or books.

"We want to extend our growth through acquisitions, also in Germany," CEO Henning Kreke told a news conference, adding that Douglas is looking for family-run firms.

Douglas announced last month that it was in exclusive talks to buy Nocibe from private equity firm Charterhouse Capital.

Kreke said on Tuesday that Douglas intends to close the deal in the first half of 2014 once it gains approval from the French cartel authorities and labour representatives.



With a combined 625 stores and 4,000 employees, the purchase of Nocibe would make Douglas the second-largest perfumery chain in France in terms of revenue, behind LVMH's Sephora and ahead of Marionnaud. (Reporting by Matthias Inverardi; Writing by Emma Thomasson; Editing by David Goodman)

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JUSTIN BIEBER'S NEW PERFUME AD IS THE FANTASY YOU NEVER WANTED

Ladies, Justin Bieber’s got a new perfume ad out and, boy, is it a doozie. In support of his new Justin-time for Christmas fragrance, The Key, Bieber stars in a new YouTube movie about his perfume unlocking some unlucky girl’s dreams and wishes. This perfume ad is the teaser for the movie, which is also (you guessed it) an ad.

But let’s get ourselves in the right mood to watch this masterpiece. Close your eyes and think about your wildest fantasy. Perhaps it’s winning a top industry award or solving political conundrums with Olivia Pope. Perhaps it involves Michael Fassbender or Idris Elba. (Hey, at least one of them’s got to.) I’ll wager it does not involve Justin Bieber giving you the key to his heart in a perfume bottle you had to buy yourself before he wakes up in a cold sweat while dreaming about you, now does it?

Bieber is now a name synonymous with peeing in mop buckets, going Alec Baldwin on paparazzi, and spitting off hotel balconies. Dreamy, ain’t he? So it’s no wonder that when he releases a commercial all about how badly we must want to have him as our very own main squeeze, the immediate reaction is eye-rolling. As in major disapproval. Deal with it, Beliebers.
1. YOU CAN BUY THE KEY TO HIS HEART!

OMG. Only you and millions of other girls with access to Target or Macy’s will have a true connection to the Biebs. How special.
2. AND THE KEY GETS YOU UNLIMITED CANDY FIGHTS!

Isn’t that the hallmark of romance? Sitting in a room filled with the remnants of a Katy Perry video while you giggle and Bieber takes the opportunity to suffocate you with whipped cream?

3. HE SLEEPS IN NOTHING BUT TATTOOS AND CHAINS!

Ouch. Also yuck. Maybe after one of those candy fights you should buy him some pajamas. That is, if you have any money left after buying this scented deal with the devil.
4. WHEN HE’S THINKING ABOUT YOU, HE’LL MAKE HIS “SELFIE FACE.”

Also known as the “I’m not quite sure, but I probably need to poop right now” face.

5. YOU CAN SLEEP WITH A KEY IN YOUR HAND BECAUSE THAT’S HOW THE VOODOO OF THIS WHOLE PERFUME DEAL WORKS.

Just make sure you hold on tight, or all that picturesque candy fighting is going to include you with a key-shaped dent on your cheek.

In conclusion, we see what you’re doing, Bieber, and it’s a smart marketing strategy. But we’re smarter.

 

Image: Youtube

It’s All About The Hair In One Direction’s Macy’s Perfume Commercial: Watch

One Direction have filmed a cute Macy’s commercial to remind fans that their Our Moment perfume is still in stores — just in time for black Friday sales. (So sweet of them!) Not only that but the retail giant will donate $2 to Make-A-Wish for every fragrant-smelling bottle sold.

The commercial itself is all about the band’s iconic hairstyles. They drop by Macy’s for a chat with store manager Harold, who proceeds to rock each and every one of their hairstyles. It turns out he’s looking to become the sixth member. See the humorous video up top.

Is 1D’s perfume on your shopping list? Tell us in the comments below.

Get an eyeful of even more pop music coverage, from artist interviews to exclusive performances, on Idolator’s YouTube channel.

One Direction's Funny Macy's Commercial & Miley Cyrus' Tattoo Flashback

Why One Bottle Of Perfume Can Cost $440

One step into Sephora's fragrance aisle, and it's easy to get overwhelmed. One by one, you pick the most attractive-looking bottles, spritz them on blotters and end up covered in a strange mixture of clashing scents. Overwhelmed, you make your final choice, leaving the store $60 poorer.

This familiar experience could be likened to speed dating, if you ask Fabrice Penot, co-founder of the French perfumery Le Labo. Since most brands only have a few seconds to please consumers, Penot says that the resulting fragrances are created to seduce olfactory senses with exploding top notes, the part of the perfume you smell for the first 15 minutes after spraying.

"It's like you meet a guy and for the first 15 minutes the guy is amazing and he's perfect," Penot says. "But after a week, the guy has no substance; there is nothing." Like this hypothetical man, Penot says, many brand-name fragrances fail to deliver a long-lasting, quality experience.

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The 5 Hottest Guys in Perfume

Unofficially, it appears to be Hot Men Week at the Cut. (Thanks,People magazine!) Although technically, I guess every week is Hot Men Week? But for the first time, we are having a hot men and beauty crossover, courtesy of the highly scientific, researched observation I made three weeks ago upon attending a string of scent events: There are a lot of attractive men in the perfume business.

While these men are easy on the eyes, they're also extremely talented at their craft and have better senses than a bloodhound. Read on to learn about the scents they associate with their first kisses, their scent turn-offs, and what they love about fragrances. Because you know what they say about men with big noses, right? They make great perfume.






Carlos Huber, creative director of Arquiste



I was always aware of fragrance as part of the day-to-day. My grandfather wore Armani Classic. And my dad claimed to not be a fragrance guy. But he wore sophisticated Spanish cologne and smelled like lavender, pine, and rosemary, and very nice, and very manly. My parents would buy me miniature scents and I would wear them to pretend to be like my dad. In Spanish culture, you always dress up for things. For men, it’s not seen as a superficial or metrosexual thing. It’s a manly thing, just as you would put on a suit and tie.

I love that scent is not just a beauty product, but it can can change people’s days, mindsets, and a person's opinion of something. It goes deeper. If I can bring extra meaning to scent with history and those little details, that’s when you hit the magic stuff. Being in fragrance, it’s all about focusing on the smell of living things and the smell of life. In a way, it's about combatting decay.

There aren't good and bad scents. There are just ones you don’t like as much. I'm not personally a huge huge fan of Oud. I don't know if it’s because I come from a different scent culture. It’s really strong and overwhelming for me, and invasive. But I appreciate it. Also, I don't like very ambery things that don't mix well with florals. It smells a little like cheese.

Chocolate. The girl I first kissed was wearing this chocolate-flavored Chapstick/lipstick. We were 14 or 15. I was like, Mmm. It wasn’t something you wanted to eat, but it stuck. It was during a movie. I remember the moment, leaning over, but I don't remember what I saw. I just remember thinking, I need to make this happen.






David Seth Moltz, perfumer at D.S. & Durga

My wife and I started to make products like shaving products and creams as a hobby. I was a musician, working in a restaurant, and she was an architect. I started to make scents, and people really loved it. So we said, Why don't we start a company? It really took off. We realized we were able to put our passion for music into the making of the juice and packaging. I make all of our scents, and my wife does the design. If she doesn't like a scent though, we're not going to put it out.

I’m turned off by overly sugary, fruity florals that are ubiquitous [on the] mass-market. They can be done in a great way too, like J.Lo Glo. But usually, they’re a little bit like the Real Housewives of XYZ. Also, Fabulosa — that cleaning product? That is just disgusting to me.

I’m from this small town near the ocean. In the summertime, there’s this smell of the ocean salt. When you drive north towards my town, there’s this smell of this disgusting bacteria that grows on the sand. Once you get past that, there’s the most beautiful, scented salty air. It’s a mix of salt spray and roses – which used to grow on huge bushes behind my parents' house. When my cat used to come in, a burnt bacon-y smell would waft in, too. It’s the scent of cold woods in the winter. Those two scents combined.

My first scent was a bottle of Pierre Cardin, which I won when I was 6 at camp. It was a black and red bottle. Also, my dad wore the Polo in a green bottle. Pierre and Polo – I wore those when I was 6.

My first kiss was when I was fifth grade at a dance at Temple Bethel. There was a girl who was older. When we left, she was like, "Let’s say goodbye." I was like, "Okay." And she said, "No, we have to say goodbye properly." And I was like, Holy crap! It probably smelled like the Body Shop, watermelon body-splash-something.

Sensual fragrances aren’t just one thing. I love big, sexy florals and old-fashioned Grandma scents. My wife and I, we both love old-fashioned scents that are complex, like Chanel and Guerlain. They’re like the Rolling Stones and the Beatles of fragrance. Chanel No. 5 is also a great Grandma scent. My grandma wore it. My wife has Agent Provocateur in the pink bottle, and I fucking love that scent.





Kilian Hennessy, founder of By Kilian

Sensuality is very subjective, and often cultural. In India, women that pick the tuberose flowers are not allowed to approach men, as the scent is supposed to have an erotic power of attraction. For me, my most sensual scent on a woman is Beyond Love, Prohibited. It is a pure extreme tuberose scent which is the epitome of elegance, glamour, and eroticism on a woman's skin.

My first date smelled like my first scent, which was Vetyver from Guerlain. But the scent I wore on my very first date with my future wife was A Taste of Heaven, Absinthe Verte. Both scents have a very fresh yet elegant opening, but in both cases, the perfume has a very sensual and long-lasting dry down.

It's good news, I guess, that there are a lot of “hot men” in the perfume business. At last, perfume designers finally exist! After 30 years of products conceived either by marketing directors coming from the mass market or perfumes conceived by fashion designers, I am so happy to see the birth of perfume creators and designers with a strong perfume culture.





Frederick Bouchardy, founder of Joya

I am not a perfumer. I am a designer and producer, so I direct the creation of fragrances for my own brand, and I interpret other artists' and designers' visions and manufacture scented artifacts for them in my studio. People feel a real sense of ownership when it comes to the scent they choose — for their skin or space —
which is a beautiful thing. I mean, this is why we produce fragrances. I also think that there are a lot of real aficionados who believe they have their own story to tell through fragrance — they mix oils, make soaps and candles. This is also fantastic, because it pushes companies and creators to design signature works that really have a reason for existing.

My childhood smells like lily of the valley from my folks' house upstate. That those tiny little bells have such a powerful, unplaceable, sweet smell ... It's just seems like it can't be real. My grandfather used to wear an Eau de Cologne splash called Gingembre (ginger). It was subtle, clean, very French, and what I remember a grown man was supposed to smell like.

My first kiss is another upstate memory. I’m not sure why, but it's the scent of rhubarb, which used to grow around the barn. My first girlfriend was very cool. We used to go camping and swimming in the lake nearby, even when it had a film of algae. She loved U2. And she had her hair cut a bit like Miley Cyrus does today. I planted a first kiss on her and jumped on my bike and sped off.

A fragrance is sensual when it makes your skin tingle or get warm. The most sensual one I've created has to be something I handmade for my woman. I think it was called Smoke & Flowers. It smelled like white florals (tuberose, gardenia, jasmine) on fire.

I do believe we have hard-wired responses to certain scents. Habits and tastes are learned and acquired, for sure, but how else can you explain the seductiveness of Auntie Anne's pretzel butteriness wafting through the airport?





Francis Kurkdijian, founder of Maison Francis Kurkdijianand the nose behind many scents

Perfume is not a beauty product. It has nothing to do with nail polish, mascara, or lipstick. Perfume is not even a product, as it is invisible once you have sprayed the fragrance on you. I like the fact it is invisible and yet it gives you incomparable and unsurpassable feelings and emotions. There is nothing like this. Maybe music, but the feeling is not as deep.

I like when the fragrance melts on the skin, when it becomes part of you, with the idea of being your own smell and not something you put on. This is what I try to achieve for every single fragrance of my collection. This idea is very complex to achieve and explain. The fact that a fragrance melts on skin is a technical issue that can only be created when you use a certain amount of natural ingredients or integrate in your formula some sensual/animalic notes that give the fragrance a "natural" twist or feeling.


Each of my family members has a distinctive scent which I can still remember. My grandfather used to dilute his own cologne. A blend so special, I have never discovered the recipe. I remember him mixing things. I was so intrigued and fascinated and also proud of him! He was a hero to me. My grandmother was the ideal grandma: caring and loving. She covered me with kisses and, of course, her fragrance (Femme by Rochas), which would be printed on my skin from all her kisses.


My late mother had different fragrances. She was very modern, I think, for her generation. From fresh fragrances such as First by Van Cleef & Arpels or Fidji by Guy Laroche to Mitstouko, or even For Her by Narciso Rodriguez. She loved chypre notes/fragrances.

As a perfumer, I am a normal person, you know. Dirty smells bother me like anyone else…

Nakedness can be composed of many things in a wide olfactory range, from delicate, soapy, clean smells if it’s after showering to more sensual, narcotic ones after sex, for example.

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Justin Bieber Made An Insane Short Film To Sell Perfume Or Something

Per Jezbell

The message here, in this most Herzogian of The Bieber Works thus far, is that Justin has a key. It is a key to your room that Justin will use when you are sleeping and that is not creepy at all. It is also a metaphoric key to your heart. Your heart is also a bottle of shitty perfume you can buy at Macy's for $60. Wait—SIXTY FUCKING DOLLARS? Are you high, Macy's? $60. Sixty actual dollars. Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ's toenails, Macy's.

If you still can get enough Bieber from this 3:35 minute video, don't forget, you can also watch the trailer for his new film "Believe," which hits theaters Dec. 25. Again, the title of that film is "Believe," shortened from the original title "Believe You Can Sell Crappy Perfume To Teenage Girls At Any Price You Want."

JUSTIN BIEBER THE KEY - OFFICIAL SHORT FILM

Lady Gaga's Pee to Turn into Perfume

Pop icon Lady Gaga's urine is all set to be bottled up and sold as a perfume. During an event she was backstage and she apparently couldn't make it to the ladies room and hence ended up going to a dressing room where she peed in a bottle. Since then, that bottle has been considered a pop artifact.

Meanwhile, TV presenter Andy Cohen's personal assistants found a recipe to make it into perfume and cooked up Gaga's fragrant sample for all to enjoy.

"It's a long story, but she did. She said on her way out, 'Look, I couldn't get my way to the bathroom, I'm sorry'.She's a superstar, she's Lady Gaga, she can pee wherever she wants as far as I'm concerned," Cohen said.

"So, we have it in a pretty bottle. I know, it's kind of gross, but that is a pop culture artifact, if you ask me. That is going to be worth something," he added.

This comes as no surprise as the pop icon is reknowed for her tantrums and over the top antics.

Recently, Lady Gaga's former assistant, Jennifer O'Neill, filed a lawsuit stating that she slept in the same bed as the pop icon.

"I was by her side virtually 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That includes sleeping in the same bed with her, because she did not sleep alone," O'Neill stated.

She also alleged that she even had to fulfil Gaga's basic needs. "She might have said: 'I need some tea... can you get my computer for me...I need a tampon, the toilet doesn't flush' ", said O'Neill who is suing Lady Gaga for $390,000 in unpaid overtime.

Police Search for Suspected Perfume Pilferers

Joliet police are looking for two suspects who allegedly stole perfume from a Plainfield-areaWalgreens store.

Police shared images from surveillance footage that show the suspects, both female and Hispanic, entering the store, 4822 Caton Farm Rd.

According to police, the duo stole two bottles of perfume at around 4 p.m. Nov. 16. Police said the suspects were seen leaving the Walgreens parking lot in a black Ford Focus "with a license plate number similar to P985579."

According to a store employee, both suspects frequent the Walgreens, police said.

Anyone who can ID the suspects is asked to contact Joliet Officer McKeon at 815-724-3380.

Would You Try Pot Perfume? Here's Your Chance

Perfumes are a particular passion for many of us at R29, from Britney Spearsto the Olsen Twins to Marc Jacobs' latest offering. We simply can't get enough of the scented stuff. And, that's why we're so excited about the news of Liberty's latest scent. Actor Richard E. Grant told the Daily Telegraph he has been working on a unisex fragrance with a top "nose" in Paris, and will be selling this scent in London's favorite department store next year.

The Iron Lady actor was prompted to pursue his passion for perfume by his close friend, the accessories designer Anya Hindmarch. She suggested he try his hand at the craft after she observed him smelling every object around him.

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MK and A Want to Sell You a Perfume That Smells Like Lying in Bed

The December issue of Allure has two covers: One of Ashley Olsen, one of Mary-Kate Olsen. The tycoons are launching a duo of perfumes connected to their designer label Elizabeth and James.

As Fashionista reports,

Just as there are twin-sided fragrances on the way — Nirvana White and Nirvana Black — the girls got twin-sided covers, one featuring Ashley in white and the other Mary-Kate in black.

Apparently to these sisters, Nirvana is "when we're in bed at home." So the fragrance is "intimate" and smells like linens and bodywash (floral musk, sandalwood, violet). Chic.

Of course, Nirvana is not the first scent from these two: They had a bunch of tweenage perfumes back in the day. Raise your hand if you had Tokyo Fusion or NY Chic.

[Fashionista, Allure]