Due to popular demand from my female readers, a Men's Issue will be published and the House of Penhaligon will be featured.There will be an added feature but it will have to due with a British clothing design company that was established in 1873. It is truly one of the finest design companies in the United Kingdom that recently celebrated a 100 year old anniversary.This month I will showcase two creative houses of such refined craftsmanship who will come together to bring a wonderful and historical part of their world that will...
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This special Valentine's Day issue has been a labour of love. I wanted to convey different facets of love, passion, creativity and art all in the name of perfume.I hope that you felt I accomplished this goal. However, the success of this issue could not be possible without the help of certain individuals and I want to express my sincere thank you to all of them.email: fragrancebelleslettreseditor@live.comAdam of Luckyscent.comElizabeth Engelhardt of aimee majors public relationsSue Tobins of EuroparfumsMay St. Valentine's Day...
The cacao (kah KOW) tree was discovered 2,000 years ago in the rainforest of the Americas.On the cacao tree there are pods that contain seeds which can be processed into chocolate.It is said the first people to have made chocolate were the ancient cultures of Mexico and Central America. The people from Maya And Aztec mixed ground cacao seeds with seasonings to make spicy and frothy drinks.Later, however the Spanish conquistadors took the seeds to Spain and new recipes for chocolate were invented.Note: Information gathered and...
It gives me great pleasure to introduce to the Fragrance Belles-Lettres family of perfumers a young man who did not start out designing a fragrance at the perfume organ but he is the third generation of master pastry chefs from France.Mr. Francois Payard, owner of Payard Patisserie and Bistro in Manhattan New York is known for top of the line pastry masterpieces. He has received awards of high esteem over the course of his career. Mr. Payard has taken his love of chocolate to a whole new level. Not only does he cook with it...
I remember my first quest for more knowledge about the art of perfumery. I read many books and articles and in one of the articles there sat a perfumer also known as the 'Nose' who had a strange shaped desk in front of him. This desk was curved or better described as a U-shape.I continued to read the article and found out what this strange looking desk was all about. Since that time, I have always wanted that strange looking desk and I associate all master perfumer with this desk to construct a fragrance creation filled with...
Hilde Soliani, a master perfumer takes pride in her remarkable skills that were inherit ant by her grandmother. Ms. Soliani, is a perfumer from Italy and her range of fragrances range from the smoky tobacco filled rooms at a theatre to a scent made with the idea of flowing tulips. Her vast imagination and effortless skills has given her niche line a fragrances to be become a cult figure.It is not to my surprise that Hilde Soliani has created two remarkable chocolate fragrances that are befitting this special issue but what is...
When it comes to the master of arts and that includes not only the art of perfumery but vast knowledge in fine arts, then you would need to speak with Dawn Spencer Hurwitz.Ms. Hurwitz is a master perfumer, fragrance consultant, artist and owner and founder of Parfums de BEAUX ARTS/DSH in Boulder, Colorado.I have written about Ms. Hurwitz before and her knowledge of art that has been put into wonderful historical fragrances much like Francois Rance' is her expertise. She is the Michelangelo of finer touches when you need a fragrance...
Much like master perfumer, Hilde Soliani, master perfumer, Bertrand Duchafour has a twist to the art of perfumery with his gourmand creation on the sensational chocolate.The House of L'Artisan Parfumeur is a French niche perfume house established in 1976 by Jean Laporte and since that time there have been amazing fragrances produced.Mr. Duchafour is the perfumer for 2002 launch of Piment Brulant Eau de Toilette. This unisex fragrance is referred to as an Oriental Spicy scent and it consist of hot pepper, clove, cocoa, tonka,...
EAU DE CHARLOTTEFloral Fruity Gourmand for womenLaunched in 1982This beautiful and delicate scent was designed for Annick Goutal's daughter, Charlotte who wanted a fragrance to smell like her favorite blackcurrant jam.Eau de Charlotte toilette is a flowery scent that is for day or evening and it is long lasting with an elegant smell that wraps your heart and soul around the finest of scents and spices that the world has to offer.This fragrance simply glides and stay on the skin without feeling heavy or too sticky. It is simply...
There is nothing more fascinating then to go into a posh bakery with ceiling lights beaming on the variety of delicate pastries adorned with colorful frosting and stuffed with creme brulee filling or with luscious chunks of plump fruit.A tremendous work of art is ready to be put into an 18 karat gold frame and submitted to the Louvre Museum in Paris for pastries, if they had such a category.I love to read about a perfumer putting their taste buds into motion and create a gourmand fragrance that is adorned with a sweet and edible...
Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was a huge fan of Francois Rance' and had him to create several fragrance that was commissioned by Bonparte.Three of those fragrances will be featured in this review section.The fragrances are Laetitia Millesime, Josephine Le Vainquer Eau de Parfum and Le Vainquer Eau de Parfum (Napoleon)Josephine Le Vainquer Eau de Parfum and Le Vainquer Eau de Parfum are part of the Collection Imperiale. Jeanne Sandra Rance'the great-great granddaughter of Francois Rance' revised the name of these two fragrances...
Niche perfumery is the opposite of mass perfume production. Niche perfumes are created with devotion to fine fragrance notes and essential oils are used in place of alcohol. This is an area of perfumery that is truly fascinating because so many perfumers have created wonderful works of art and sometimes it can be hard to describe it.Niche perfumery applies to all parts of the world as long as the main goal is art and creativity.Niche houses tend to have their own perfumer in charge of the fragrances of the house, just like it...
The Gourmand fragrances are basically a new category. It is a fragrance that has edible notes such as spices, honey, amber, vanilla, cinnamon and of course, chocolate.These scents are delicious and in most cases smell just like the real thing.Gourmand scents are perfect for cooler seasons and are so fun to wear.Since the theme is chocolate for this month, here are some descriptions of different types of chocolate.DARK CHOCOLATEDeep earthy and bittersweet. Chocolate is known for its aphrodisiac properties (unisex).WHITE CHOCOLATEA...
PERFUME AND PASSION... A LOVE STORYOver 200 years ago, before the coronation Napoleon Bonaparte spoke with master perfumer, Francois Rance' about having two perfumes commissioned for himself and the love of his life, Josephine. These two incredible scents however were not to be released under 200 years after the coronation. The beauty and the rare talent of Mr. Rance' was to create a fragrance for Josephine to dominate whenever she walked into the room, but when the both of them were together, then the other fragrance is to...
Francois Rance' was known for using the finest ingredients and caught the eye of Napoleon Bonaparte. Mr. Rance' became Napoleon and Josephine Bonaparte's favorite perfumer and had several perfumes commissioned by Napoleon.The relationship between Emperor Bonaparte and Mr. Rance was one of respect and a great friendsh...
The HOUSE OF RANCE' is a dynasty of a family owned company that was founded by Francois Rance' in the 1600's.Mr. Rance loved the art of perfumery and in 1795 devoted his life to this art as a perfumer and created masterpieces for the French aristocracy.No, Francois Rance' did not create a gourmand fragrance but his creations go far deeper than the scent of chocolate or vanilla.He created perfume for the love of the art and therefore he was recognized for his rare talent and walked into the lives of many of the aristocracy to...
Greetings! Happy St. Valentine's Day to you!Love is in the air. The expression of kindness and respect on this special day is one of a kind. The sharing of delicately decorated Valentine cards nestled in a red or pink envelope for the intended with loving words written on it stating, BE MINE.Busy, busy are the floral shops wrapping up in beautiful shades of tissue paper red roses for the intended with loving words on the small card hidden beneath the stems stating, I LOVE YOU.Brightly red cardboard boxes intricately carved in...
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