Perfume boss' claim settled out of court

AN employment tribunal brought by a former perfume counter manager at a North-East department store has been settled out of court, The Northern Echo understands.

Alex Skye, who worked at Binns, in Darlington, over the Christmas period last year, claimed he was dismissed from his job amid subconscious racial and gender discrimination.

The 34-year-old was employed by Fragrance Expert, which operates the perfume concession at the store, not Binns’ parent company House of Fraser.

Mr Skye, whose parents were from the Asian sub-continent, was dismissed during his probationary period.

He claimed he was treated less favourably by his employers than if he had been a white woman, which he described as fitting the stereotype of the typical perfume department manager.

The terms of the settlement remain confidential, but a spokeswoman for HM Courts and Tribunals Service confirmed that the case was no longer proceeding.

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Need a New Perfume This Fall? Here Are 4 Fragrances I'm Loving

Killer Queen by Katy Perry: Names aside, this scent is pretty darn good! Wild berries and red velvet flower notes make up the bold fragrance that is sweet but masculine.

Estée Lauder Modern Muse: This fragrance blends jasmine, vanilla, and soft musk to create a scent Lauder is calling "dual-impression." Perfect for tomboys who want a floral-meets-woodsy perfume.

Valentina Limited-Edition Oud Assoluto: On first application this limited-edition perfume is pretty cheery. Then notes of oud wood enter the picture, creating a sensual and sophisticated aroma.

Tom Ford Shanghai Lily: If you're going to splurge on a fragrance this season, make it this one. The mix of warm spices, a touch of florals, vanilla, and frankincense is pure perfection.

What's your go-to fragrance? Are you the type of gal who likes to play with different scents, or do you have a signature perfume? Share!

Photos: Courtesy of brand

The 10 Best men's fragrances

For the new season, don’t just change what clothes you wear – opt for a hardier fragrance as the weather begins to chill

1. Yohji Homme

If your sartorial tastes are a tad  avant-garde, then look for a scent that reflects this. Yohji Yamamoto’s signature fragrance is a mixture of rum, cardamom and coffee, offering up a spicy and sophisticated concoction.

£35 for 50ml, Yohji Yamamoto,  selfridges.com

2. Gucci Made to Measure

This fragrance has a real air of exclusivity about it. It takes as its inspiration the bespoke tailoring service that the label also offers. With a top note of lavender and a base of patchouli, at its heart is balancing nutmeg which adds texture.

£49 for 50ml, Gucci, houseoffraser.co.uk

3. Amazingreen

Comme des Garçons’ fragrance packs a punch to the nose with a base note of gunpowder and vetiver mixed with, as the name suggests, lots of green: green tea, green pepper, jungle and palm leaves.

£45.60 for 50ml, Comme des Garcons,escentual.com

4. Vetiver Vert

Czech & Speake is world renowned and Vetiver Vert is one of its best. That vetiver is a ubiquitous ingredient of many male fragrances is common knowledge; but here it is lifted by top notes of bergamot and mandarin.

£85 for 100ml, Czech & Speake,czechandspeake.com

5. Moon of Baroda

You wouldn’t normally associate rose oil with a male scent but it’s become increasing popular over the past few years – something to do with how the rose reacts with male skin makes it smell less feminine. Here, Taif rose is the base note that is balanced by fragrant cedar wood.

£145 for 50ml, Thameen, selfridges.com

6. Private Blend London

This luxurious fragrance has been specially created to celebrate the opening of the first Tom Ford store in London. It’s a mixture of exclusive oud oil and musk, creating a scent that plays with the senses.

£140 for 50ml, Tom Ford, tomford.com

7. Luna Rossa Extreme

This is the latest fragrance from the Prada stable. The heart of the scent is amber mixed with hot black pepper and zesty bergamot. Thrown into the mix are vanilla, juniper and labdanum. It’s a veritable melting pot of flavours which, surprisingly, work well together.

£45 for 100ml, Prada,  fragranceexpert.com

8. 1996 Inez & Vinoodh

If you could bottle the essence of fashion it might very well smell like this – a collaboration between the famous fragrance company Byredo and the equally famous fashion photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. It takes as its inspiration one of the duo’s photographs taken in 1996 combining juniper, black amber, leather and patchouli.

£88 for 50ml, Byredo, liberty.co.uk

9. Velvet Desert Oud

Oud oil is probably one of the most valued in the perfume world –not for nothing is it also known as “liquid gold”. Thankfully, a little of this stuff goes a long way, here providing the base note for the new Dolce & Gabbana fragrance. Heady incense also has its part to play.

£170 for 50ml, Dolce & Gabbana,  harrods.com

10. Vetiver Extraordinaire

Vetiver is a very familiar ingredient of men’s fragrances due to the way it retains its aroma over long periods of time. When used as a base, it anchors the mid and top notes. Here, though, the scent has been flooded with vetiver, making it refreshing and crisp.

£110 for 50ml  Frederic Malle, liberty.co.uk

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Enter To Win Tru Fragrance’s Ultimate Fall Fragrance Package

It’s fall: leaves are changing, everyone is drinking pumpkin spice lattes, and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Fall fashions are in full force, too, with boots, sweaters and scarves making daily appearances. To complete your autumn look, perfume yourself with a fall fragrance such as those created by Tru Fragrance, a boutique fragrance development company. Tru Fragrance researches seasonal trends and bottles up the best scents to provide fragrances for retailers across the country. They also create special limited edition fragrances, like the recent “Tru Blooms Fountain of Roses, that was created with an initiative that beautifies Chicago’s public green spaces, supports local nonprofits, and creates and sustains jobs for residents.”

For the perfect arsenal of autumn scents, enter our giveaway to win the ultimate fall fragrance package. This collection includes:

Tru Blooms Limited Edition 2012
Francesca’s Tuileries
Lace by Charming Charlie
Velvet Noir Limited Edition by Francesca’s
For future updates and fragrance trends, check Tru Fragrance out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TruFragrance and Twitter: https://twitter.com/trufragrance.

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Kate Middleton's Wedding Perfume: Royal Scent Now Available Stateside

It's been a few weeks since and fans of Kate Middleton have had the opportunity to swoon over her latest look.
The Duchess of Cambridge may have returned to her royal duties but she's taking things slowly—understandably since she is caring for newborn Prince George.

So in the meantime, we've got an oldie but a goodie for her American fans: Kate's wedding day perfume has finally found it's way across the pond.

Illuminum's White Gardenia Petals is the exact scent that the brunette beauty wore while gliding down the aisle at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011, and it's found a home at Henri Bendel in New York City.

Now, keep in mind, smelling like royalty isn't cheap. The fragrance goes for $150 a bottle. But if you are a fan of florals then you won't be disappointed. The perfume is a garden of floral blends such as jasmine, lily of the valley, and yes, gardenia.

And if you are in NYC you can get a whiff of it (and other scents in the brand's line) at the 5th Avenue location.
Outside of the Big Apple? You can score it on henribendel.com.

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Vanilla-Scented Beaver Butt Secretions Are Used In Food And Perfume

Castoreum is an anal secretion beavers use to mark their territories. It also happens to smell like vanilla.
More specifically, the raw form is often described as "birch tar or Russian leather." But when diluted in alcohol (not the kind you drink), the substance picks up "more pleasant, musky and fruity nuances," according to Fragantica.

It's been used in both food and perfumes for years, according to National Geographic's Mollie Bloudoff-Indelicato, who dug up a paper from 2007 in the International Journal of Toxicology.

Castoreum comes from the beaver's castor sac, located between the pelvis and base of the tail. Because of its close proximity to the anal glands, the substance often contains anal secretions and urine. The compound is non-toxic.

The gland's butt-proximity doesn't stop Joanne Crawford, a wildlife ecologist at Southern Illinois University, from encouraging people to stick their noses under the animal's tail and take a whiff.

"People think I’m nuts," she told Nat Geo. "I tell them, 'Oh, but it's beavers; it smells really good.'"

The secretions contain about 24 different molecules, some of which act as beaver pheromones.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration calls the beaver's goo a "generally safe" additive for food. For the past 80 years, food scientists have added it to products, often labeled only as "natural flavoring." Fernelli's Handbook Of Flavor Ingredients puts individual annual consumption of castoreum extract at only .000081 mg/kg/day, in products like frozen dairy, gelatins, puddings, and nonalcoholic beverages.

Full Article 

Perfume thieves on the run after ripping off $4,000 in fragrances

Wanted: Two shoplifters who smell really, really good.

Detectives today released surveillance images of two women who stole more than $4,000 worth of fragrances from the Ulta store at 2609 W. Osceola Parkway.

They ripped off the Kissimmee store on Thursday.

"It is believed that these two suspects have committed similar thefts in other jurisdictions," Stacie Miller, a police spokeswoman, said in an email.

Tipsters can call the Kissimmee Police Department's Property Crimes Unit at 407-846-3333 or Crimeline at 800-423-8477. Send email tips to seeitsayit@kissimmee.org.

Sniff Test: Review of the fragrance Byredo 1996

"The scent is an olfactory snapshot not only of the image but of our emotional response to it," says Byredo founder Ben Gorham.

Photograph by: Handout , Byredo
This week's Sniff Test is Byredo 1996 ($170 for 50ml at Holt Renfrew). "The scent is an olfactory snapshot not only of the image but of our emotional response to it," says Byredo founder Ben Gorham. Dave Lackie and I take an honest whiff.

He Says:

There’s a trend in niche fragrances to go back to the earliest Givenchy, Chanel and Guerlain scents for inspiration. 1996 is such as scent. I smell strong patchouli notes at first sniff and make out cognac accents. But it is the amber that soon takes center stage. It’s interesting but smells a little ‘old’ for 2013. ★★ (out of 4)

She Says:

If we were well and truly transported back to 1996, what we would be smelling is probably the candy floss of Angel with a soupçon of CK one’s fresh androgyny. But in this case, the year references a photograph taken by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, ‘Kirsten 1996.’ The scent is just as personal – Ben Gorham originally formulated it as a Christmas gift, but by word of mouth, the private edition as proved popular enough to have a proper release. From the creamy vanilla and black amber floating under the sharper pong of juniper berries, smoky leather and tickling black pepper, you can see why. Rich, and quintessentially autumnal. ★★★

© Copyright (c) National Post

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Selena Gomez Reportedly Loses Big Bucks in Fragrance Lawsuit!

Selena Gomez is dealing with legal drama! Don't worry, it's not the type her ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber is used to!

According to TMZ, Selena will reportedly have to dish out up to $1 million to settle a lawsuit with fragrance company, Adrenalina, Inc..

All of this comes after Selena allegedly promised to work with the company to create a perfume line and bailed on the endorsement after she found out Adrenalina was really broke and not financially stable. Of course, the company decided to sue her once she didn't do the project because they supposedly spent a lot of money to set things up for her line.

TMZ says the perfume case has been dismissed but not without Selena having to pay up first. So far Selena nor her camp has commented on this situation.

Fragrance-free Odor Eliminating Sprays Now Available on SmellsBeGone.com

By choosing a fragrance-free air freshener option, you can discretely protect yourself and others from harmful chemicals and annoying smells while keeping the air around you fresh and clean.
Auburn Hills, MI (PRWEB) October 05, 2013

Fragrance Free Odor Eliminating sprays, which have quickly become some of Smells Begone’s flagship products, are now available on SmellsBeGone.com, the official online store for bio-degradable air freshener company, Smells BeGone. The new offering on the web store was offered due to overwhelming customer demand for fragrance free sprays via their website.

Tyler Smith, SmellsBeGone.com spokesman said, “Our all-natural air freshener sprays are a great alternative to those that contain heavy chemicals and scents, because they can be used daily in any home or office without bothering those who reside in them. By choosing a fragrance-free air freshener option, you can discretely protect yourself and others from harmful chemicals and annoying smells while keeping the air around you fresh and clean.”

Besides fragrance-free solutions, Smells BeGone air fresheners come in many light scents that eliminate odors and leave behind light floral, citrus, or other fresh fragrance note that leaves the air in the home or office smelling clean. Smells BeGone odor neutralizing solids and the Clear Air Odor eliminating Beads, which freshen the air without the need for a flame or electrical outlet, and the Smell BeGone air freshener sprays, are available in these fragrance options. The Smells BeGone scent-free air freshener spray is a healthy choice for offices and homes that are looking to freshen up a room, but want to keep it natural and neutral smelling.

Smells BeGone products from Punati Corp. are the original air-freshening products that provide air purification without the need for heavy fragrances or toxic chemicals. The Smells BeGone product line, perfect for use in both the office or home, offers a full line of scented and scent-free air fresheners that change the protein that odor-causing bacteria feed on, resulting in fresh air throughout every room in the home. The products are safe for use around pets and young children, and contain biodegradable ingredients. For more information, please visit SmellsBeGone.com.

Illamasqua Launches New Freak Scarab Unisex Fragrance

It Enchants. It Captivates. It Corrupts.

Meet the decadent new fragrance that's designed to go unisex. Introducing Freak Scarab by Illamasqua.

We just highlighted this fragrance's original predecessor in our Goth Goddess Halloween Makeup look yesterday.

The original Freak fragrance created by this British beauty brand debuted in 2011. The unisex juice was made to celebrate the night, derived from an unusual blend of dark flowers. The brand followed their success up a year later with a limited edition version strictly for women dubbed Freak Extrait de Parfum (since discontinued). Wickedly dark florals comprised this scent as well, and now the brand is ready to add to their fragrance house with a scent that is said to call for "the age of indulgence to be reborn."

Freak Scarab is definitely a name you'll remember. Wondering what a scarab is? Think of the movie, The Mummy, and the ancient beetles that came to life amid the epic pyramid action scenes. Coincidentally enough, two new species of scarab were discovered only this week. Pretty freaky huh?

Now for the story behind the brands latest scent.  It is said the ancient Egyptians believed that the scarab beetle was the embodiment of the sun. While the snake god fought the sun god every night, it was the scarab - self-creating and self-reforming - that ensured the sun rose again every morning.

Top notes for this new fragrance include Blood Orange, Neroli Absolute and Ylang Ylang to awaken and entice the senses. The mid notes of the juice consist of Davana Oil entwined with Egyptian Jasmine, Honeysuckle and Queen of the Night to form a sensual heart. The base includes the warmth of Stewed Plum, which creates a distant depth, leading to the rich ancient accord of Mousse de Sax - Geranium, Anise, Moss and Leather. Can the description get any sexier?

The all black packaging is super chic, but the gold encrusted snake cradling the fragrance takes this scent to a whole new level. The bottle also includes a golden scarab that can be seen crawling up the side of the slanted bottle.

The 75ml fragrance is available online for purchase at Illamasqua.  you'll be planning to add this freaky little edition to your collection.

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Freak Scarab

No lighters, perfume allowed into Nusa Dua

The Indonesian military (TNI) has required all delegates and visitors entering from the secondary gate of the upscale Nusa Dua compound to leave their cigarette lighters and liquid substances at the security table over concern that the items could be used to light explosive devices.

Fingernail and paper cutters as well as scissors are also forbidden.

Before entering the gate, visitors will have to go through a scanning facility installed at the Santika Siligita hotel, located less than 100 meters from the entrance gate.

"I bought this lighter for Rp 200,000 (around US$20). Is there a guarantee that I will get it back when I'm done in Nusa Dua?" asked disgruntled visitor Ridwan, a manager with a Jakarta-based multimedia company," on Saturday.

An Army sergeant politely told Ridwan that the lighter would be placed in a special basket, which was already half full with hundreds of lighters and bottles of perfume.

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Palo santo: A fragrant wood with cancer fighting properties

In South America, both in urban settings and in the Amazon, I have encountered a fragrant wood used as incense and known as palo santo, which means “wood of the saints.” Appropriately named, the aroma of palo santo (Bursera graveolens) is heavenly. If you grew up attending Catholic church or any of the institutions in which incense is burned, palo santo may smell familiar to you.

Fragrant woods are not uncommon. In New Mexico, I have enjoyed many fires made of pinion pine, whose fragrance can be detected all through the streets of Santa Fe or Taos on a cold winter night. In northern India, I have smelled fires made of the incense wood deodar, whose aroma similarly wafts over the hills at night.

The tall tropical palo santo tree is related to both frankincense and myrrh, and it is widely distributed throughout much of Central and South America, as well as the Galapagos Islands. Because palo santo has become increasingly popular due to the booming Amazon tourism trade, it will eventually need to be cultivated. Otherwise, we will experience dwindling populations of these delightfully fragrant rainforest trees.

Full Article 

Man passes out from perfume on Seattle flight

It was just last week when the pilot of a Seattle-bound flight suffered a heart attack in mid-air and lost his life.  Now, a Federal Way may says he nearly met the same fate.

Scott Gordon was returning from a business trip on Sunday.  He was traveling by himself, on a flight from Phoenix to Seattle.

Gordon says it wasn't a heart attack he dealt with, but it was equally scary.
"My eyes started watering and my head started to pound and I just, it kept on hitting me, I kept on smelling it," he said.

The smell he's talking about was the perfume of someone on board the plane.

Gordon has always been overly sensitive to certain fragrances, and says this was one of the worst episodes he's experienced in his life.

He says he blacked out at times, and remembers several flight attendants shaking him as they called for help.
"The next thing I hear is the pilot over the speaker saying have emergency personnel at the gate, we have an emergency on the plane," he said.

He says he doesn't know their names or remember their faces, but he knows that a doctor and two nurses who were on board instantly came to his aid.

They pulled him to the floor, administered oxygen, and kept him calm.

"There was this gentleman that kept talking in my ear the whole time," he said.  "He told me, you're going to be okay.  When they finally got me up, everybody started clapping and cheering, like I just won the biggest boxing match of my life."

Scott says he'll forever be grateful to the U.S. Airways crew and the passengers who were so quick to help.
"I just never got a chance to talk to the people who saved my life," he said.  "It was definitely a godsend. I just wanted to say thank you, thank you for saving my life."

Dr. Leonard Altman, who works at the Northwest Allergy & Asthma Center, said complaints about sensitivity to smells are something they hear about quite frequently.

He says it's not technically an allergy, and unfortunately, the only advice he can offer to people like Gordon is to avoid those fragrances as much as they can.

"Some people just have a heightened sensitivity to smells," he said.  "It somehow stimulates a neurological reflex, and if you stimulate it the wrong way, it leads to headache, nausea, vomiting, things of that nature."
He says confined areas, like planes, only compound the problem.

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PHOTO: Peter Andre Looks Scent-Sational As He Launches Perfume

Peter Andre shows there is no end to his talent as he launched two perfumes for women. The star, who is known for his appearance on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here and his short-lived marriage to former glamour model Katie Price, welcomed the crowds of adoring fans as he made his way to the perfume launch.

The singer and TV reality star, who is known for his 1990's hit 'Mysterious Girl' as well as his washboard abs, looked suave in an unbuttoned black shirt and trousers combo with a grey jacket.

Appearing in a happy mood, the reality TV star smiled as he posed with his fans before heading inside to launch the fragrances.'

With his days in the I'm A Celeb jungle well behind him, it has been alleged that former TOWIE couple Sam and Joey Essex could be entering the Australian outback. According to the Mirror a source said:

Whilst Peter greeted the crowds who had gathered to see him, Peter's girlfriend Emily who is pregnant with their child, was no where to be seen.

“It’s no secret ITV bosses have approached Joey but now they are hoping they can secure Sam too. They know it would be a massive ratings hit as it would be as gripping for viewers as when they watched Katie Price and Peter Andre fall in love.”

They continued: “It’s not a done deal but negotiations are on-going and it’s rumoured Sam has been offered a six-figure deal. The only problem is the TOWIE stars are contractually obliged to give 15 per cent of their appearance fee to TOWIE’s production company.”

Original Post

HPD: Man arrested, accused of selling stolen perfume in Harwin shop

HOUSTON – Houston police arrested a man accused of selling stolen fragrance out of a shop in the 8000 block of Harwin.
Police launched an investigation after receiving a tip about the alleged crime.

Parvez Ali Mohammad Ramzanali was arrested with more than 200 stolen items, including perfume from Victoria’s Secret, Abercrombie and Fitch, and Hollister, police said.

Ramzanali told police he bought the items off the street.
He has been charged with felony theft and was jailed with bond set at $40,000.

The Secret to Finding Your Perfect Perfume

The wall of scents that hits you when you approach a sea of perfume bottles is overwhelming to say the least. With so many notes lingering under your nose, it's hard to know where to start much less what will smell great on your skin. But with a few expert tricks, you can train yourself to sniff out your ideal perfume. Illuminum fragrance expert Bart Pawlak is breaking it down one whiff at a time.

Don't lock yourself into a certain scent.
"Never stop discovering new notes. As humans, we are naturally drawn to the familiar, so too often we end up with a lot of similar fragrances in different guises. Don't be afraid to explore different scents that you may not expect to like."

Set limits on how much you smell, even if it means making a few trips.
"Smelling fragrances is difficult for the untrained nose, and when we're testing many at a time, we can get sensory overload," says Pawlak. "Try a maximum of six fragrances at once."

Use your arms to your advantage.
"It's best to spray it on your skin and not just a blotter. It takes contact for a fragrance to come alive, and each one will smell differently as it reacts with your individual PH levels, your body temperature, and your own personal scent."


This is not the time for impulse buys.
"Let it develop on your skin throughout the day. If you still like it after all that wear, only then should you return to buy it."

You may want more than one.
"You don't have to (and sometimes shouldn't) wear the same fragrance all the time. Daytime scents are softer-think of florals. For night, you can wear a more intense perfume, like one with notes of thick amber or balsam. These will thrive where lighter scents would struggle to shine."

Now take your new smelling skills for a spin and sniff out some signature scents to wear this season.

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Olympic Orchid’s Siam Proun: An Earthy, Floral, Fall Fragrance

From the moment I signed up for Olfactif, a monthly perfume subscription box service, my nose has been in heaven. I could barely pick a favorite scent from my July and August collections, and September’s box did not disappoint. This time, however, picking a favorite was easy — the orange blossom, lavender, and mint notes highlighted in this highly concentrated and long lasting scent make me feel nostalgic for the present day in the best way possible. Priced at $65 for 30ml, Olympic Orchid’s Siam Proun is an instant classic.

According to Olfactif:

“Siam Proun is a radiant oriental fragrance, a Mediterranean garden atop a bright, rich, amber base. It is named after a villa in the south of France where perfumer Ellen Covey spent time with her family as a teenager, and recalls the scent of herbs and flowers carried on the seaside breeze.”

I mean … who doesn't want to smell like that?

Win-Win: Anthro's New Scents Are Affordable AND Smell Divine

We love perfume, but part of us wishes it was more democratic. Oftentimes we find a scent we love, only to find out it cost more than our monthly beauty budget. Why can't there be quality scents at an affordable price. Anthropologie to the rescue!

The retailer is releasing a perfume collection, called Eaude, on October 3. The four scents, developed in-house at Anthropologie, will retail for $28 apiece. There's Citrine, a fruity-floral with notes of peach nectar, raspberry, mandarin flower, Egyptian jasmine, rose, and vanilla; Lilas, with notes of liquid amber, cooked plum, and musk; Paeony, a spicy floral with notes of freesia, jasmine, and spiced musk; and Verte, which features bergamot, carrot, magnolia, and fresh mint accords.

Our team is pretty divided on which scent is the best, but at that price, you can afford to snap up more than one. Cough, Citrine, cough.

Anthropologie Eaude Fragrance Collection, $28 each, available October 3 at Anthropologie. 

Crabtree & Evelyn Celebrates Forty Years of Fragrance With the Limited Edition Heritage Collection

WOODSTOCK, CT--(Marketwired - October 01, 2013) - Since its inception, Crabtree & Evelyn has been telling stories through scent, not just with the finished perfume, lotion or soap but also with carefully chosen ingredients sourced from around the world.

Founder Cy Harvey's inspiration was 'to explore everything and keep the best'. With this in mind, his fragrance architects set sail on their aromatic adventures to discover such natural treasures as Spanish neroli, Italian bergamot and Sicilian lemon. These superior varieties were then brought back to vast fragrance archives, the legacy of Crabtree & Evelyn. The Heritage Collection is infused with 40 years of expertise in fragrance foraging and draws on the knowledge of where to source the most beautifully scented botanicals. The resulting seven compositions exalt the classic aromas of the Mediterranean coastline and Europe's ancient cities, expressed as exquisite Flower Waters and Eau de Colognes.

Begin a fragrance journey inspired by sun-ripe aromas that transport the senses to distant shores. The eclectic range of emotive scents is redolent of the grandeur of their provenance and rich heritage. Precious, vintage ingredients with a timeless beauty are given the modern Crabtree & Evelyn English touch. Explore elegant, feminine florals and polished citrus scents with a masculine edge, each one destined to become a contemporary collectable.

Sevillian Neroli Eau de Cologne 
When Arabian traders settled in Seville they planted bitter orange trees to create perfumed gardens. Today the ancient trees continue to line the streets and courtyards, providing the scented signature of Seville. In the refined scent of Sevillian Neroli, the aroma of Spanish neroli sparkles with notes of grapefruit, lemon, tangerine and white tea, blended with cedarwood and clove.

Old Windsor Eau de Cologne
Set upon the river and surrounded by ancient oak forests, the village of Old Windsor was once the domain of kings and queens. Today this area of natural beauty continues to be a much-loved place for traditional English pursuits. Old Windsor Eau de Cologne exudes English refinement and luxury through notes of bergamot, bitter orange and verbena blended with English lavender and sandalwood.

Hungary Water Eau de Cologne
In the 14th Century, tales were told of a unique scented tonic, presented to Budapest's royalty along with the promise of eternal youth. With strange coincidence they became famed for their youthfulness and beauty, allegedly bestowed by the tonic's rejuvenating scent. Hungary Water continues the legacy, taking influence from the original Crabtree & Evelyn rosemary recipe and blending with uplifting notes of pink pepper, spearmint, cypress and geranium.

Neapolitan Bergamot Eau de Cologne
Bergamot is famous for lending its zesty signature to the very first eau de cologne, inspired by the scented impression of an Italian morning. With the same innovative and romantic spirit, Neapolitan Bergamot is an aromatic rendering of time spent exploring the Mediterranean coast. The classic aroma of Italian bergamot and lemon articulate the rising sun over the bay, while the modern accords of ginger, lavender and thyme are reminiscent of the embracing scent of the coastal breeze.

Florentine Freesia Flower Water
Florentine Freesia is the scented expression of a journey across bridges of gold to the magnificent floral havens surrounding villas and castles from a bygone Renaissance era. The enticing scent of Italian freesia, cyclamen and muguet are blended with orange, pear and amber in this elegant, fruity-floral composition.

Venetian Violet Flower Water
In the historic, floating city of Venice, the violet is as enduring as the opulent architecture. This graceful flower decorates the bridges reaching over the canals and resides in paintings and poetry as a symbol of purity and modesty. Discover a scent that translates the classic elegance of violet with modern, fruity notes of lychee, raspberry and peach.

Old World Jasmine Flower Water
Jasmine, one of the oldest known botanical scents, is native to the temperate regions of the Old World. On arrival in Europe, via the Silk Road, it was quickly adopted and loved for its exotic fragrance. Become enamored again with the unreservedly feminine scent of white jasmine, gardenia and cyclamen blended with a sparkling citrus signature.

Heritage Collection
Eau de Cologne 100mL $59.00
Flower Water 100mL $59.00

What's Gucci Made to Measure Fragrance Spokesman James Franco's Favorite Smell? Spaghetti

James Franco's love affair with Gucci is still going strong. The GQ cover alum was tapped to be the face of the label's new fragrance Made to Measure that just hit shelves (the commercial came out over the summer, but if you want to see Franco drive a classic Lambo in a seriously well-cut tux, click here) and he took part in a short behind-the-scenes film for the ad. The video gets a little heady (Director Nicolas Winding Refn says Franco is supposed to be "trapped inside the bottle"…we got lost) so we reached out to Franco to get the straight scoop on the juice.

"The man that might wear Gucci Made to Measure is someone who is trying to make a statement," he says. Unsurprisingly, Franco's approach to scent goes back to his favorite place—the classroom. "One of my favorite writing teachers, Robert Boswell, would always talk about how in writing we just focus on the visual or the oral. He says if you can bring in all five senses, it will give a reader an even richer experience of whatever story you are telling. When you smell something it gives you a feeling or evokes memories." (The man speaks truth—ever feel your heart race when you walk by someone wearing an ex's perfume?) In case you're wondering which scents get Franco's feelings and memories flowing, it's "pine needles, incense, and spaghetti."

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James Franco - Gucci "Made to Measure" Fragrance Commercial

Music, perfume and pornography

Manchester band James celebrate the 20th anniversary of one of their most successful albums, Laid, this month. Released in 1993, their fifth studio album would turn out to be their most challenging and was their first made with the technical and experimental wizard producer Brian Eno.

He was a member of Roxy Music and has worked with U2, David Bowie,Talking Heads, Depeche Mode, Grace Jones and James Blake. Eno describes himself as a non-musician and is described as a "sonic landscaper". He uses the studio as a compositional tool, which is the title of one his in-depth essays.

James by this time had a string of successful singles and albums and could have taken a much easier route to recording their most experimental album thus far, although no one could have predicted which way the new recordings would go, apart from Brian Eno of course.

Enlisting one of the most sought after producers in the world is one thing but what lay ahead for James was something that would creatively crush most groups.

First they had to convince the much in demand Eno to produce their new album. This arduous task was left to singer Tim Booth who took to the challenge with some trepidation:

"We had approached Eno to produce our very first album and he was always number one on our list. We were massive Talking Heads fans, who he had previously worked with, and every time he worked with a band he always brought the best out of them, so we thought he's the man to work with."

"We got no response for years until we sent him some demos and I wrote him a letter and one morning out of the blue, he rang me about 9am and we had an hour and half conversation about music, perfume and pornography. Finally he agreed to make our new album, so we had managed to land him after about 12 years."

Working with someone as "out there" as Brian Eno was never going to be straightforward — he could well be from planet Mars.

"He came in and listened to all our appalling demos on cassette. He would listen to them for two hours every day and make precise notes and came up with some really interesting ideas and observations and won our respect in days," beams Booth.
James - Laid (Version 2)

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NEST Fragrances Launches Fine Fragrances Collection at Sephora

NEST Fragrances (NEST), a leading designer and manufacturer of luxury scented products for the bath, body and home, today announced the launch of the NEST Fine Fragrances Collection at Sephora. The collection of five distinctive fragrances will be available for purchase starting this week in 160 Sephora stores across the United States and on Sephora.com. Based on the original NEST Fine Fragrances Collection that debuted in the fall of 2012, which was inspired by the botanical artworks of 18th Century British artist Mrs. Mary Delany, the new collection was designed and developed exclusively for Sephora.

“We are so thrilled that Sephora asked us to develop a Fine Fragrances collection tailored exclusively for their client, and we are very pleased with the final result,” said Laura Slatkin, Founder and CEO of NEST Fragrances. “We have worked extremely hard over the past year to perfect this remarkable collection of exquisitely designed fine fragrances and we are tremendously excited to now share it with Sephora’s vast community of discerning beauty clients.”
 
“Fragrance is a beautiful and very personal exploration, of which Laura and her team has worked extensively to deliver a gorgeous fragrance experience for our clients,” said Margarita Arriagada, Chief Merchant for Sephora. “We are delighted to welcome this wonderful collection of NEST Fine Fragrances to our scent family.”

With Mrs. Delany’s extensive library of lush, botanical artworks serving as her inspiration, Slatkin worked with longtime collaborator Alexander Solodukho, a Russian-born artist, to perfect the original botanical artwork that adorns the NEST Fine Fragrances Collection’s unique and luxurious packaging. Meticulously formulated by the world’s most accomplished master perfumers, NEST Fine Fragrances is a sophisticated and elegant collection of extraordinary fine fragrances featuring three existing fragrances, Amazon Lily, Midnight Fleur and Passiflora, and two new Sephora-exclusive fragrances, Dahlia & Vines and White Sandalwood.

Amazon Lily is a radiant fragrance that blends a medley of delicate florals with the sparkling citrus essences of Brazilian lime, tangerine and bergamot over a base of Galapagos driftwood and white musk; Dahlia & Vines is an opulent combination of beloved floral notes. The essence of a lush bouquet of peony, dahlia, rose and daffodil is wrapped in green garden vines and blended with hints of pink pepper, lychee and raspberry; Midnight Fleur – a 2013 Fragrance Foundation Awards Finalist for Women’s Prestige Fragrance of the Year – combines rich notes of patchouli, black amber and vanilla with nuances of jasmine, rhubarb and blue cyclamen. This sultry blend is bold and irresistible; Passiflora is a vibrant floral that blends citrus notes of bergamot and clementine with passion flower, water hyacinth and lily of the valley. Dewy-green nuances, Anjou pear and a hint of black currant provide a modern twist to this elegant fragrance; White Sandalwood is a sophisticated fragrance that combines white sandalwood from India and Australia with creamy almond, white musk and exotic spices. This alluring fragrance balances sensual woody notes with decadent essences.

When launching the original NEST Fine Fragrances Collection in 2012, Slatkin said: “While Mrs. Delany’s work was highly regarded for its exacting and meticulous technique, what really moved me was the remarkable beauty of her botanicals. There is an elusive, sensual quality to them that resonated with me. Her botanicals are beautiful works of art and they were the inspiration for me to create the NEST Fine Fragrances Collection.”

Each fragrance is available for purchase in a specially designed 1.7 Fl. Oz. (50mL) Eau De Parfum Spray flacon for $65, and a 0.27 Fl. Oz. (8mL) Eau De Parfum Roller Ball for $25. All five Eau De Parfums are also available for purchase together in a coffret set that retails for $38, with each fragrance contained in a 0.25 Fl. Oz. (7.5mL) mini flacon, and a Luxurious Hand Cream Set, which also retails for $38, with each fragranced hand cream contained in a 1 Fl. Oz. (30mL) tube.

The NEST Fine Fragrances Collection for Sephora is available for purchase now on Sephora.com and, beginning this week, in 160 select Sephora stores across the United States. In addition, Sephora.com now features a wide assortment of NEST Fragrances’ luxury home fragrances and personal care products for purchase.

About NEST Fragrances 

Founded by renowned fragrance expert Laura Slatkin, NEST Fragrances (NEST) is a leading lifestyle fragrance brand that designs and manufactures a wide assortment of luxury scented products for the bath, body and home. Featuring a variety of exceptional personal care, home fragrance and fine fragrance collections, NEST combines chic packaging with exquisite fragrances specifically designed to enhance one's everyday living and entertaining experience. Well-known for her impeccable sense of style, Laura Slatkin created NEST Fragrances for those who aspire to enrich their lives and environments with the essences of luxury, sophistication and beauty through fragrance. NEST Fragrances products are sold at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s, select Nordstrom stores, and a wholesale customer network of more than 1,200 boutique stores across the U.S.

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Bette Midler and Jo Malone Team Up to Perfume Gowanus Stink

Bette Midler’s New York Restoration Project won’t be able to clean up the Gowanus Canal, so the singing legend settled for the next best thing: bringing a community garden to the surrounding neighborhood.

The new garden, located on Carroll Street between Third and Fourth Avenues, is named in honor of Gil Hodges, who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers and later managed the New York Mets to a World Series title. That, of course, meant flowery puns about baseball were the order of the day at a dedication ceremony last week.

“Gil Hodges planted seeds of inspiration for many young men,” State Senator Eric Adams said. “I feel sorry for the Brooklyn Dodgers. They should have stayed.”

Even Ms. Midler, who cut the ribbon to officially open the garden, commented on the possibility: “Jay Z needs to bring the Dodgers back. If he can’t do it, no one can.”

In 1999, when then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani sold off plots of city green space that had been mostly occupied by squatters, the NYRP snapped up some 55 plots in the most undesirable neighborhoods. Since then, they’ve restored them piecemeal, taking on corporate sponsors to help with the project.

For Gil Hodges Community Garden, the corporate sponsor was Jo Malone London, the U.K.-based fragrance and beauty brand. The company already sponsors a public park in London’s Battersea neighborhood and is working on a second in Edinburgh, so they liked the idea of continuing the English garden theme. Many of the garden’s plants—basil, mint, sage, peonies—are main notes in some of Jo Malone’s most popular fragrances. Still, corporate branding was kept to a minimum, with one small plaque acknowledging the company’s involvement.

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Fine Living: Stop and smell the roses at Russian Tea and Fragrance fest

THE RUSSIAN RIVER Rose Co., producers of California's only rose-estate bottled rose water and perfume, is ready to put its roses to bed for the year, but not without one last blowout — its fourth annual Russian Tea and Fragrance Festival.

The festival, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 19 and 20 in Healdsburg, celebrates both the Russian heritage of owner Michael Tolmasoff and the debut of the company's 2013 rose oil perfume and rosewater, which he distills on site.

"Rose oil on the free market commands $1,200 to $2,200 an ounce and it's highly prized by the French perfume industry," explains his wife, Jan.

This year, a ton of the company's Bulgarian rose petals yielded the company only 3 to 4 inches of the coveted oil. Tolmasoff blends it with perfume alcohol to create 300 atomizers of concentrated rose oil perfume that he sells for $26 a quarter-ounce.

Rosewater is a cherished ingredient in tea and as a culinary ingredient favored by people in India, Iran and the Middle East.

During the festival, there will be traditional Bulgarian folk singers, sips of authentic Russian tea poured from his family antique samovars, rosewater-infused teas to sample, rosewater desserts to taste and free spritzes of the estate's "Rose Embrace" perfume and rosewater.

In addition, there will be tea leaf readings, rose sorbet making, a presentation of Tolmasoff's private collection of antique perfume atomizers and a flight of garden scents such as cherry, lavender, mint, lemon and agasthace to test your fragrance familiarity.

But behind the spectacle are the gorgeous gardens, set amid vineyards and swathed in roses, some with ancestors that date back to the early ages.

"We have rose plants that have roots dating back to when people threw rose petals at emperors who returned as conquering heroes," Jan Tomalsoff says.

The 400 heady Bulgarian perfume roses the Tolmasoffs have planted in a field on their 15-acre property are just one of 649 varieties they grow, she is quick to add. They include hybrid teas, polyanthas, floribundas, grandifloras, hybrid musk, Portland and climbers.

Guests are welcome to wander through the two acres planted with roses, 130 varieties of irises and various perennials that attract bees, birds and butterflies.

They are also encouraged to explore the various themed gardens — shade, butterfly, perfume and antique rose are some — and stroll the 500-foot long rose allee.

Look for the polyantha roses Fluffy Cloud, Little White Star and Pink Sweetie, and the deep pink, fragrant climber called Rachel's Smile. These are roses that the Tolmasoffs hybridized and registered with the American Rose Society.

And then there's the 1-acre nursery that will be open. Between 400 and 600 more roses, representing 100 varieties of roses and propagated on their own rootstock, are potted and ready to go for fall planting.

"The nursery is loaded and any rose you see in the nursery we can walk you out to see in the garden," she promises. Prices range from $8 to $28.

Keep your eye open in the nursery for the rare 1927 apricot hybrid tea rose called Gruss an Coburg.

"It's a beautiful heritage rose that blooms like crazy and produces fragrant cut flowers," she says. "Really, everybody should have at least one heritage rose."

If you miss this event, there are others throughout the year, including a rose pruning class in January, an iris class in August, the perfume rose harvest in late spring and a pollinator class in the fall.

For more information, call 707-433-7455 or go to www.russian-river-rose.com.

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THE OBSESSION GOES ON: ROGUE BY RIHANNA IS THE ONLY CELEBRITY FRAGRANCE YOU NEED TO TRY THIS YEAR

The room is dark. The strobe lights have died. Thumping beats of another one of her now countless number one singles fades in the distance. A cloud of smoke clears. Rihanna, sitting atop her throne of hundred dollar bills, vintage Chanel jewelry, and discarded wigs, holds out her iPhone and snaps another one of her infamous and yet somehow impossibly glamorous Instagram selfies. She squints, inspecting the shot behind her perfectly lined cat eyes and false lashes. Good, she thinks.

“Rogue by Rihanna” she types as the caption, “in stores now! #PhuckYoPhragrance”

I’m surprised you even opened this article, because I can feel you rolling your eyes through the computer screen. Celebrity fragrances are, to some, the bane of the beauty industry. And I get it, I do.

But to others, they’re fun! They’re an extension of their favorite artist and the entertainment industry in general, and that’s cute. It’s another way to own a piece of your favorite artist or celebrity. Some people like that.

Personally, I can’t help but love them because I am obsessed with everything “pop” and also will buy anything I am told to. The bottles! The ad campaigns! The fragrances! It’s all so exciting.

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Jennifer Lopez Reveals Why Her New Perfume Makes Her Feel Sexy

Jennifer Lopez is one of the most beautiful women in the world and also a hugely successful business woman. This October, she is introducing her 20th fragrance, JLove, and telling HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY what it means to her! Watch our video below!

Jennifer Lopez is feminine and glamorous and both of those words describe her new perfume JLove by Jennifer Lopez! Jennifer, 44, is dishing on the inspiration behind the ad campaign. See HollywoodLife.com‘s exclusive video interview with Jennifer and her two stylists Rob Zangardi and Mariel Haenn below!

Jennifer Lopez’s JLove Perfume — Her Newest Scent
Her new scent is fruity and floral but also exotic and sensual.

The perfume has top notes of white raspberry, frozen pineapple, pink grapefruit and tangerine. The middle notes are coconut orchid, water lily and tiare tahiti. The base notes are a delicious combination of vanilla sorbet, white wood and skin musk!

JLove is available now at Kohls.com!

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Bread perfume “Eau de Toast” is making us hungry

I love it when you get crumbs in the sheets.
Mmm, fresh bread. If only we all smelled that good. Well, if you attended London Fashion Week, YOU CAN:

For London Fashion Week, the Federation of Bakers offered a limited edition scent called Eau de Toast “to challenge the fashion for bread-free diets” and “to remind women who skip breakfast just what they’re missing out on.” Sample bottles of perfume were offered online but have now sold out.

Bottle of chemicals with breakfast?
Bread perfume! Let’s brainstorm the perfect slogan, shall we?

Bread perfume. Because your lady with a bun in the oven should smell like one too.
Bread perfume. Because yeast gets a bad rap. (WAIT, nix this one, that is awful.)
Bread perfume. Because there’s nothing wrong with being a little doughy.
Bread perfume. GET BAKED.
Knead a new scent? Try BREAD PERFUME.

A less punny but more accurate tagline might be “Full of toxic ingredients nobody has to disclose!” Or maybe “Way worse for you than actual bread!” But where’s the fun in those?

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Katy Perry reveals her perfume preferences

Pop starlet Katy Perry has just launched her third fragrance, Killer Queen. "I wanted it to have a few androgynous notes, so I added patchouli and I added kind of like a wood - 'cashmerean' or something like that," says Perry.

Although perhaps it's more about the message in the bottle? "It's an empowering fragrance that's sophisticated, but there's a lot of strength in it. The image is of a queen, with the royal factor. I'm very obsessed with the idea of a monarchy, and the ability for a woman to be the head position. I love that idea and I think it's very empowering," says 28-year-old Perry on the inspiration behind her perfume and the campaign that goes with it.

Whether her not-so-convincing perfume prowess entices you to try Killer Queen or not, what is clear is that Perry enjoys fragrance. "I wear fragrances every day," she says. (For the record, Perry doesn't spray her daily scent on skin, or dab it behind her ears, she dances into it: "I never douse myself in a fragrance; I spray then waltz into it!")

"I believe that your sense of smell is helpful in creating a lasting impression or a memory. Often, my first memory is based on a scent," she says. "My first boyfriend would wear Acqua di Gio by Armani. To this day if anyone gets near me, whether they come into an elevator or I am meeting them for the first time and they are wearing Acqua di Gio, I can spot it. And it just brings me back to when I was 16."

Perry also loves a dash of masculinity in her scent - hence the 'cashmerean' notes in her own. "I love Tom Ford's Black Orchid which is really cool because a woman and a man can wear it. And I love fragrances like Thierry Mugler's Alien because it's so distinct."

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A Tale of Three Perfumes

In the past few years, I have discovered I am a stubborn perfume snob. This self-discovery especially amazes me because, unlike my assured and often overbearing opinions on things concerning clothing and accessories, I've never really cared for perfume. As long as it smelled nice, I liked it. 'Nice', I have come to agree, is a rather rude word.

Since perfumes are the most convenient gift items, every travelling relative or boyfriend returned with a bottle or two from the duty-frees across the world. I don't think I ever bought myself a fragrance, my dresser would be lined with a dozen of them.

My first tryst with Chanel No 5 was as a teenager. It was a gift from an indulgent aunt and I wore it with as much joy as I did a body mist from The Body Shop. Youth is so obviously wasted on the young.

On my first trip to London with our son, at a particularly crowded Harrod's shop floor, I found myself elbowed in at a Jo Malone counter. The husband asked me to choose a fragrance, I tested a few and picked Lime Basil and Mandarin Cologne. I also learned here there is no such thing as 'masculine' or 'feminine' in perfume. You are supposed to wear what you like, the rest is marketing malarkey. Each time I wear this perfume, I am transported to my warm serviced apartment at Gloucester Road and pram-pushing evenings at Kensington Gardens.

Once, a friend suggested a flacon of Annick Goutal as a must-buy from Paris. I found a niche in the terribly touristy Champs Elysees and discovered a fragrance that would change my nose forever. 'Songes' was intense, captivating and very sensual. As are many perfumes, but it didn't allow me to wear anything else. (Incidentally, my son was three then, he played tic-tac-toe and chose the bottle for me.)

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Places that Work: Garden of Flowing Fragrance

Thousands of miles away from the Middle Kingdom, California’s Garden of Flowing Fragrance at the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, assists visitors in understanding traditional Chinese design. This is why the place works.

It’s safe to say that Americans visiting Flowing Fragrance know little about Chinese design. And that’s too bad, because how we relate to people from other countries is shaped by our positive experiences with their unique expressions, whether through art or literature or architecture. And what we experience at the Huntington is quite different from our own idea who we are; we value individual accomplishment, whereas the Chinese are more collectivistic.

These differing values determine our preferences for what our eyes are drawn to. For instance, research shows that people from individualistic cultures are apt to prefer rectilinear forms, whereas those from collectivist ones are more positive about curvy shapes.

While the Garden of Flowing Fragrance provides primarily a visual experience, its design doesn’t slight the other senses. As its name suggests, plants here exude distinct, positive scents. To unfold the culture more, a restaurant in the garden serves Chinese foods and teas; the textures underfoot and the sounds flowing water in the garden add to the cultural immersion. In addition, this multisensory approach is an important element of biophilic design.

The Garden of Flowing Fragrance at the Huntington is a place that works because its design makes it clear that cultures differ in how they choose to experience the physical world and because its designers didn’t forget that we are multi-sensory creatures. Humans, after all, can see, hear, smell, and touch the spaces where we find ourselves. And so, because many designed environments emphasize the visual, at the expense of our other senses, many places don’t work.

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Sally Augustin, PhD, is a principal at Design with Science. She is also the editor of Research Design Connections and the author of Place Advantage: Applied Psychology for Interior Architecture (Wiley, 2009). Sally, who is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, can be reached at sallyaugustin@designwithscience.com.