Fragrance Belles-Lettres Magazine

Fragrance Belles-Lettres: The Magazine is an online fragrance magazine established in 2009 dedicated to niche perfumes which includes natural/organic perfumes. This magazine is created to explore vintage and modern with a journalistic approach and an aristocratic flair. This magazine consist of perfume reviews, articles and exclusive interviews conducted with industry leaders, perfumers and authors. Fragrance Belles-Lettres: The Magazine is published through NOBLESSE LUXE PUBLISHING LLC.

Showing posts with label 21 natural perfumers. Show all posts

Alec Lawless Dies

Posted by Unknown 16 April, 2012 0 comments

Noblesse Luxe Publishing
"Redefining the High Life"

A Great Perfumer Passes Away

British perfumer, Alec Lawless founder of Essentially Me and author of several books died in a crash.
Essentially Me was honored last year (2011) with a UK FIFI AWARD nomination and finalist for the highly successful and beautiful natural perfume, EMPRESS OF INDIA.

I got to know Mr. Lawless last year through email discussions and recognizing his passion for natural perfumes. He was such a wonderful and nice man and this news deeply saddens me.

EMPRESS OF INDIA perfume showcased a spirit of freedom and historical culture aspects that makes it a true masterpiece that truly embraced me with the first sniff from the bottle.

I will always remember Mr. Lawless's numerous classes focusing on the making of natural perfumes and how much he gave of himself.

Fragrance Belles Lettres Magazine salutes a great perfumer with a purpose that goes beyond the fragrance.

F.H.

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VALENTINE DAY 2012 FRAGRANCES

Posted by Unknown 20 February, 2012 0 comments

Noblesse Luxe Publishing
"Redefining the High Life"
ESTABLISHED IN CHICAGO

                   VALENTINE DAY
          ALL MONTH IN FEBRUARY:
       New Fragrance Announcement
                                   Sweets to the Sweet

Happy Valentine's Day everyday in Febuary! to one and all! This is such a wonderful time of the year for me. I love to share these tender moments with my children as they eat my homemade Red Velvet cupcakes smothered in Cream Cheese frosting with sprinkles of red, yellow and gold hearts. Delightful!

Well this year, I celebrate this entire month with my favorite fragrance picks for February by starting out with new fragrance launches. Then, I will post in the second part of this segment, fragrance reviews of scents that I have used given to me in the form of samples and decants.

Here the NEW and EXCITING fragrances that are true gems of the ocean.

Ambre Nue Cologne Absolue by Atelier Cologne
Blue Jasmine by Bellyflowers (Elise Pearlstine)
*Hindu Honeysuckle by Providence Perfume Company
Violette by Fragonard
Tiara by House of Sillage
Eau Pear Tingle by Opus Oils
Bouquet de la Reine by Floris
Island Vanilla by Pacifica
*Eau Eternelle by S. Poncet
Amber Oud by Kilian
Water Calligraphy by Kilian
Coconut Milk by Sarah Horowitz
*Secret Garden & Oud Luban by Aftelier Perfumes
  Cologne du Maghreb by Tauer
  Esoteric by JoAnne Bassett
Lovebird by Suzy Larsen
  *Star F*****by Opus Oils for Tiger Powers
Chronos Eau De Parfum, Anthea Eau De Parfum, Aphella Concrete De Parfum and Hermes Eau De Parfum by Lord's Jester
Electron by A Dozen Roses
*Trayee, Mohur and Bombay Bling by Neela Vermeire Creations
*Only For Her by Hayari
*Carmine and Forbidden by House of Matriarch
*Azagury by Jacques Azagury
*Lemon Cloud by Jordi Roca and Agusti Vidal
*EFJ by Gydja
*Carmel Boheme (New Edition) and Go Ask Alice by En Voyage
  *Osirius by Therapeutate Parfums (Rodney Hughes)

Note: Fragrances with asterick will be followed with a review, coming soon.

F.H.

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NEW LAUNCH- Luscious Roses by Joanne Bassett

Posted by Unknown 02 December, 2011 1 comments

Noblesse Luxe Publishing
"Redefining the High Life"


                                              LUSCIOUS ROSES
            The Dark & Sensual...A Rose Oasis

JOANNE BASSETT Perfumes

JoAnne Bassett, natural perfumer and owner of JoAnne Bassett Perfume is turning up the heat with LUSCIOUS ROSES, a NEW fragrance that arrives just in time for the holidays.

LUSCIOUS ROSES is a full-bodied scent that is created with six different roses from four countries. It is totally feminine and it is full of deep and exotic notes that are classic and spellbinding.

This one of a kind fragrance is a treasure because it consist of Rose Otto, one of the most expensive oils found in nature. It comes in an exquisite hand-blown perfume bottle and it holds 1/2 ounce of parfum and it comes in a Thai silk box.

Inside the exquisite hand-blown perfume bottle lays a liquid ruby red gem of pink-cabbage roses, red-Bulgarian damask and white-rare Bulgarian Alba roses. It is steeped in my favorite vanilla absolute with age old patchouli. It comes with a sweetness for tuberose, a high-kick of frankincense, powdery balsam and bergamot.

         **LIMITED EDITION**

  PURCHASE: 1/2 ounce LUSCIOUS ROSES Perfume $400.00 US

1/2 ml LUSCIOUS ROSES Perfume Sample $5.00 US

                      www. joannebassett.com

F.H.

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NUVOL DE LLIMONA (LEMON CLOUD) by Roca

Posted by Unknown 29 September, 2011 1 comments

I could careless what season it is. If I want to wear white after Labor Day, then I will wear white, well winter white (it looks better with my complexion) and if I want lemon meringue pie in the middle of January, then I will eat lemon meringue pie.

What if you could put your favorite dessert in a perfume bottle. What would it smell like and how would it look. Well in order to fit my lemon meringue pie in a perfume bottle, it would take some really sweet ingredients and the meringue would have to be at the top and slightly burnt.

Oh how luscious this all sounds. Guess what? My dream has come true. No really it has. I discovered a NEW perfume that was inspired by a top chef in Spain. He took his childhood memories and emotions and bottled them all up and it comes in the scent of a lemon. Yes a lemon.

NUVOL DE LLIMONA means "lemon cloud" is the NEW fragrance created in 2011 by perfumer, Agusti Vidal of Barcelona, Spain and Jordi Roca.

Jordi Roca, Pastry Chef

Jordi Roca, a pastry chef creates mouth-watering desserts for the family business that are considered one of the best in the industry. NUVOL DE LLIMONA perfume is inspired from a dessert that was created by Chef Roca that consist of a "cloud of lemons surrounding cake treated to milk and sweeties".

I am so excited because Mr. Vidal scent me a sample and I should be receiving it shortly. Why am I so excited? This is due to what I love about perfumery and that is the ART OF PERFUMERY. The ART OF PERFUMERY comes from inspirations, travels, memories, emotions and concepts that draw from an energy that promotes a positive ray of light that forms into a perfumery. It is the niche category of perfumery that draws me more and more on how wonderful a vision can be with an open heart to creations of all kinds.

NUVOL DE LLIMONA features TOP NOTES: bergamot, tangerine
MIDDLE NOTES: lily of the valley, milk and custard
BASE NOTES: sugar, syrup, toasted sugar and musk.

It comes in a 50 ml white bottle that is round and puffy like a white cloud and cost 50.00 euros.

My review of NUVOL DE LLIMONA "LEMON CLOUD" will occur when I receive my sample.

PURCHASE: nuvoldellimona.cellercanroca.com/en.html

PHOTO CREDIT: photo of NUVOL DE LLIMONA perfume by El Celler Can Roca and photo of lemon meringue pie by dummies.com, photo of Jordi Roca from Facebook profile page.

F.H.

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THE FRAGRANCE NAMING SCENT EVENT

Posted by Unknown 05 July, 2011 2 comments

WANT A CHANCE TO NAME A FRAGRANCE?
This is your chance to name a one-of-a-kind Natural perfume that is in existence but NAMELESS.
We look forward to the knighting of this ROYAL fragrance by all interested Fragrance Devotees.
More information COMING SOON!

PHOTO CREDITS: BY CLIPATOF.COM

F.H.

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TITANIA by Bellatrix Perfumes

Posted by Unknown 22 June, 2011 1 comments

TITANIA

The solo flight to realization

Titania, Queen of the fairies married to Oberon, King of the fairies is a very proud creature that is always surrounded by her fairies who sing sweet lullabies while she falls to sleep.

Titania is a loving person who hasn’t experienced the horrors of life in respect to be dealt with wrongly. She has her fairies there to protect her from the unpleasantness of life such as snakes, spiders and beetles.

The fairies could not protect Titania for what is about to happen. No one figured the fact that jealously by her husband would become a major issue. He was jealous of Titania's relationship with the Indian Boy. It was only a friendship, so why would Oberon secretly be that angry with Titania for such an innocent reason. Shakespeare's version did not answer this question, so I can only come to my own conclusions.

Well, this issue for Oberon was bigger than it seem so therefore he had to do something about it. The fairies do not have powers over the King, so while Titania was sleeping, Oberon’s servant, Puck used the flower, “love-in-idleness” and placed the drippings of this flower onto Titana’s eyelids for her to wake up and be in love with the first thing she would see.

Oberon’s bet would be an animal in the forest but while Titania was sleeping, it was one of the most pleasant dreams of her life.

It was of the scent of rose buds and violets. It was the scent of perfume and with this in mind, Titania by Bellatrix Perfumes composed by Ankica Milic took the challenge boldly by preparing a scent depicting the dream of Titania in the woods where her faith would be tested.

TITANIA is a compelling fragrance that literally takes you inside the woods while Titania is laying down fast asleep with the scent of roses and violets and chypre scented grass and trees hovering over her like a full bloom Rosewood tree.

Puck takes center stage again as he uses a flower to help him make the spell a success. He doesn't care about the results. He just does what he is told for the most part but there are those times he adds his own version of the story. This time Puck stayed on course and took the “love-in-idleness” to Titania's eyelids but according to faith, that was not strong enough.

Ankica took the spell on Titania and placed it carefully and completely with the surrounding in the forest so beautifully in a poetic form that keeps Titania's dreams pure and pleasant.

Titania, the perfume features rosewood, pink pepper, menthe peperita, tuberose, rose damascene absolute, Neroli, Iris, labdanum, violet leaf, orris butter, sandal album, angelica root, ambrette, oak moss and patchouli

Titania's light and delicate spirit was something Oberon could not destroy when she awaken to have fallen in love with Nick Bottom who had been given the head of a donkey.

Through this trial and tribulation, Titania weathered the storm and she could never let the love and joy of the Indian Boy go away even under a spell.

Titania, the perfume takes me through each chapter of Titania’s life with an elegant portrayal of love being tested by an evil-doer.

A walk through the woods doesn’t have to be a frightened experience, Ankica Milic’s version of Titania’s life through a fragrance so determined to give Titania the victory, is a spell I would not mind having cast on me.

INFORMATION: bellatrixperfumes.com

BLOG: be-bellatrix.blogspot.com

PHOTO CREDITS: Rosewood Trees at Morme Seychellois National Park (victorianogden.blogspot.com), Puck sprinkling spell on Titania (art.com), Titania's beautiful world (100prettythings.blogspot.com), Vivian Leigh as Titania (lib.washington.edu), Ttitania and the Indian Boy (by Joseph Paton 1821-1901) delivery.superstock.com

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DREAMS by Yuko Fukami/PARFUM PHYTO

Posted by Unknown 16 June, 2011 6 comments

DREAMS

The scent that evokes the enchantment

Dreams, we all have them. Rather it is dreaming about going to an exotic location for a vacation, obtaining a bigger home or dreaming of starting a business venture, we all dream.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream-A Scent Event is a sensory celebration that allows natural perfumers to envision or to “dream” of what it would be like to be in an enchanted fairytale located in the woods where fairies are obligated to help the lives of humans who often times make mistakes in decision making.

These perfumers take those visions in their minds and translate them using the world’s finest fragrance notes into a poetic literary marvel that speaks to our minds, hearts and souls.

Hermia & Helena

All of the characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare have a dream. For example, Helena’s “dream” or conquest is to have Demetrius fall in love with her and Hermia dreams of being able to marry Lysander and not Demetrius as her father wishes.

It takes a lot of ingenuity to makes your dreams become a reality and that is why I am obligated without any persuasion to write about my aromatic experiences with the fragrances designed for this artistic scent event.

Dreams can come in colors as well as scents and the fragrance, DREAMS is an indication that in this case dreams do come true if you follow your "nose".

DREAMS is a fragrance composed by Yuko Fukami of Parfum Phyto. DREAMS takes us deep inside the walls of our minds and into a place that is deep inside the woods. It is a place of solitude that speaks to our soul with plenty of room for self-evaluation.

Yuko eloquently simplifies this most difficult task of having our most innermost moment exposed into an enchanting scent that brings the essence of Shakespeare’s play into a thought provoking piece of literature.

DREAMS is a woody scent that brings a lively spirit to an area in the woods that can be dark, dreary and damp. Its enchanting and magical powers bought many fairies to this area to perform their duties for humankind.

This woody scent is a bright indication that all dreams are not bad. It creates the attitude that “I can do all things that are possible”. It magnifies the mind with the following.

Top Notes: coriander, Virginian cedar wood

Middle Notes: tuberose, violet leaf, cassie

Base Notes: hay, flouve, ambrette seed and ambergris

DREAMS, the fragrance is not just for sleeping or the faint of heart, it is also for daydreamers, too.

INFORMATION: parfumphyto.blogspot.com

yuko@parfumphyto.com

PHOTO CREDITS: Green FairyWP by Pygar (escapeintolife.com), A Day in the Forest by Celtic Dreaming (deviantart.com), Helena and Hermia (artexpertswebsite.com), Girl sleeping by saintssilkymoped (photobucket.com)

F.H.

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RELISSE NOIRE EAU DE TOILETTE-NATIONAL MACAROON DAY

Posted by Unknown 31 May, 2011 3 comments

NATIONAL MACAROON DAY

REGLISSE NOIRE: A Chic & Sexy Gourmand

Today (May 31st) marks National Macaroon Day in the United States and what a treat it is!

I simply love the light, baked confection described as either small cakes or meringue-like cookies.

The macaroon “le macaron” in French (pronounced mah-kah-rone) is a sweet little cookie type that comes in multiple colors with a plush marshmallow/meringue filling and then it is protected with another cookie at the bottom.

It is sweet but not overly sweet and when it is baked to perfection each incredible ingredient melts in your mouth when cooked at the proper temperature.

This reminds me of another delicacy in the form of a gourmand eau de toilette.

REGLISSE NOIRE Eau de Toilette is a tempting tasteful aroma that uses the finest organic notes in a gourmand fragrance.

It is a sophisticated chic eau de toilette made with the essence of the French macaroons that came to France in 1533 with the pastry chefs of Queen Catherine de Medici, wife of King Henry II.

REGLISSE NOIRE features…Top Notes: White pepper, ozone, mint, shiso leaf

Heart Notes: Star anise, ginger, licorice, cocoa

Base Notes: Patchouli, cedar wood, vanilla, vetiver, and musk

Ms. Buchanan is not just satisfied with the scent but REGLISSE NOIRE has to be presented in a beautiful bottle.

The REGLISSE bottle is refillable and has a sleek and sexy vintage bulb atomizer that gravitates to the bygone era.

I like going into a French pastry shop and when I order multi-color macaroons to go, my experience is like an operetta.

First, there is a beautiful ornate box layered with wax paper. The colorful macaroons are placed gently in the box side by side like a rainbow. The lid is put on very carefully and then the pastel color ribbon is placed over the entire box and slowly the ribbon is tied and then you have “presentation”.

Jessica September Buchanan

Ms. Buchanan grew up in Canada and then moved to Grasse, France to study perfumery at the prestigious Grasse Institute of Perfumery. So, Ms. Buchanan has been trained at one of the finest schools and she took her studies very seriously and by wearing REGLISSE NOIRE, you are getting the gift of “presentation”. It is the beautiful scent given in a vintage designed bottle that is the signature design of 1000FLOWERS. Its presentation, is the French way.

REGLISSE NOIRE is lovely presentation of black licorice.

It stays at the center of the heart and all the other notes are swept with a husky note of patchouli and musk for stability that makes a great scent for men, too.

So celebrate today with a French macaroon and the fragrance of REGLISSE NOIRE. Remember, it is the presentation that counts!

To celebrate National Macaroon Day, I spoke to Jessica September Buchanan about REGLISSE NOIRE. Ms. Buchanan expressed her joy in creating it.

THE INTERVIEW

Hi Jessica and thank you for spending time with me today.

You’re very welcome- it’s my pleasure!

First, Jessica when did it become a reality that you would own a perfume company and launch your very first fragrance line?

I have been developing my company since the mid 90’s, so being an entrepreneur was always a priority for me. I began by selling pure essential oils under my own label in 1996, and then slowly developed a collection of natural cosmetics that were aromatherapy based. Eventually this passion was to become focused in the direction of natural perfumery. After my time spent studying in France, I decided to devote myself entirely to a life path of refining my skills in the perfumed art.

Who are your mentor(s) in the perfume industry? The person(s) who inspired you and guided your career?

I have had many mentors along the way. While in France, not only did we have great teachers in our school, but I completed 2 internships (in Mane et Fils and Robertet), in large perfume houses in the Grasse region. During these sejours, I met and was taught by various perfumers, evaluators, chemists, and marketing specialists. I have also been greatly inspired by some of the masters of the perfumed art- those living and those who have passed on. I am very inspired by the teachings and philosophies of Edmond Roudnitska, by the creation style of Jean Claude Ellena (Hermes), and by the classic teachings of Jean Carles. My latest inspiration, a perfumer whom I admire greatly and who I actually pray to for guidance now and then, is Earnest Beaux, the perfumer who created, amongst many other fragrances- Chanel 5. That era, the 20’s and 30’s of perfumery is a fascinating time and the fragrances that were created then are, in my opinion, exquisite.

Jessica how did you come up with the idea of REGLISSE NOIRE EAU DE TOILETTE? Did it start with the fragrance notes?

I began with one raw material actually- Helional. I was fascinated with this material, by its modernity and transparence. I wanted to explore the idea of balancing opposites, of old and new, natural and ‘high-tech’, masculine and feminine. Mostly, I wanted to find a way to explore the place of connection where opposites meet. So to counter-balance Helional, the concept I chose was black licorice, and Liquorice Allsorts in particular. These old-fashioned candies also have personal meaning to me and are associated with my childhood. I decided to write a scent story that explored a merging of past memory with the present, and of familiar with new discovery, of technology and mysticism.

You describe REGLISSE NOIRE as “A CHIC SEXY GOURMAND”. Is this due to the Black Licorice?

Reglisse Noire holds notes of cocoa, spices and vanilla in addition to the black licorice- so as much as it can be considered a gourmand fragrance- it is not sugary nor a singular literal licorice scent. The perfume is an interpretation of licorice, while remaining sophisticated and elegant. There is a sexiness and sensuality as well, since the perfume is a warm and close ‘skin scent’, rich in wood and musks- one has to lean in close to fully appreciate it.

What does 1000 FLOWERS represent?

1000 Flowers represents the idea of limitlessness in flowers. It is associated with the Eastern concept of the thousand petalled lotus that can symbolize higher consciousness and freedom from illusion. The most beautiful perfumes on the planet are created by flowers- and flowers have been held in the highest esteem as expressions of love and celebration since the dawn of time. My company name pays homage to all that beauty.

Jessica, the packaging is simply beautiful! What is it about the packaging of the bygone era that inspires you to replicate it?

That’s very kind of you to say. Thank you. I worked for a long time to find a packaging solution that would be a thing of beauty to be kept, rather than just being thrown away like most packaging in the world. I have a small collection of old cigar boxes and I suddenly realized that this was exactly the idea I wanted to capture for my fragrance packaging. I also saw many examples of beautiful traditional fragrance and cosmetic containers in the perfume museums in Grasse. I spent most of the summer of 2010 working on the designs and prototypes of these boxes. Most people don’t realize that I do all the work by hand to bring each piece from raw cedarwood to the finished product.

Lastly, Jessica what is the message of REGLISSE NOIRE? What impression should it have on your customers?

Reglisse Noire is about fun. I wanted to play a bit and draw attention away from all the seriousness in the world. We are all far too serious and we could all do with a bit of ‘lightening up’! At the same time I have deep respect for classic perfumery, so I didn’t want to create some light confectionary cavity-inducing perfume. Therefore Reglisse is an elegant and well-constructed fragrance created with the best quality raw materials (organic cedarwood and wild French fennel for example). It’s possible to explore irreverence and play with finesse and sensuality !

PURCHASE: 1000flowers.ca indiescents.com

CONTACT: nectar@1000flowers.ca

PHOTO CREDIT: Picture of Macaroon Museum (dyingforchocolate.com)

*********************DRAW******************
Due to the generosity of Jessica September Buchanan & the 1000FLOWERS staff, there will be a draw for two samples of REGLISSE NOIRE EAU DE TOILETTE.

ONE sample will be given to each person. To enter the DRAW, please write a comment at the end of the review on this site and indicate that you want to be entered in the DRAW.

Thank you so much for participating!!

F.H.

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NATURAL PERFUMERS BLOGGING

Posted by Unknown 28 May, 2011 1 comments

The Natural Perfumers Guild:

Goes bubbly over blogging

On June 1st, 21 talented and courageous natural perfumers are set to blog on the fifth anniversary of the Natural Perfumers Guild.

Anya McCoy, President of the Natural Perfumers Guild describes this blogging frenzy to be an upbeat, fun and an intimate event for perfumers to get to know each other a little better.

The theme for opening day, according to Ms. McCoy “is fun and the logo is bubbly like a fizzy diffusive top note!

INFORMATION: naturalperfumers.com anyasgarden.com

F.H.

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Fragrance Belles-Lettres Est 2009 CHICAGO

The word "belles lettres" is a French phrase meaning "beautiful or "fine writing. Since this is a term to describe a category of writing, this will pertain to my passion about fragrances. I will review niche,natural, artisan and designer perfumes from all over the world. I write with passion but will use my journalistic skills that I obtained in college. Not only will I feature fragrances but I will feature new books on fragrances/perfumes, fragrance events and interview authors and perfumers.

I hope you take this journey with me and begin your own passion for the ART OF PERFUMERY!

Fragrance Belles-Lettres Magazine is a division of Noblesse Luxe Publication.

Felicia M. Hazzard
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief