Scent a Celebrity Series: ARTSNIFF – Scenting Lady Gaga

“The Scent a Celebrity Series is my vain attempt at picking perfumes for those who don’t know any better, yes I mean celebrities. Let’s face it, most celebrities are incapable of choosing decent clothing, boyfriends, girlfriends, movies, (insert-celebrity-mistake-here) let alone having the ability to make decisions about something as important as their scent – that’s where I come in. Never fear my dear schlebs, I will ensure that you are appropriately scented, all you need to do is listen.”

No celebrity needs more perfume assistance than Lady Gaga, especially after the massive disappointment that was her debut fragrance ‘Fame‘ and it’s safe to say that because of this her taste level perhaps isn’t where it should be. Fame’s crime wasn’t that it was a dreadful fragrance (general consensus was that it’s decidedly ‘meh’) but the fact that it was frightfully generic and captured only the pretentious element of Lady Gaga’s personality without any of the talent.

Love her or hate her it’s hard to deny that Lady Gaga is indeed talented. Yes, a lot of her ideas are derivative and she does have a tendency to bang on about how what she does is ‘art’ (her upcoming album is annoyingly entitled ‘ARTPOP’) but all-in-all she’s an exciting and provocative voice with a brand of pop that is satisfyingly addictive.

With this edition of the Scent a Celebrity Series, I have picked four perfumes that accurately capture the weird and wonderful persona of Lady Gaga – a woman who has sported fashions made from Muppets, beef and bubbles, to name just a few. Amongst them, these scents embody a spirit that seeks out the weirder odours and isn’t afraid of perfume that is challenging, confrontational and darkly beautiful.

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“I Rock Tom Ford” – Tom Ford Private Blend Atelier d’Orient Collection Review

There is a song on Jay-Z’s latest album entitled ‘Tom Ford’, and in said song Mr Z raps the line; “I don’t pop molly, I rock Tom Ford.” Well much like our good friend Jay-Z, I too am not one for recreational drug use and also have somewhat of a penchant for the offerings of American fashion designer Tom Ford – who knew we’d have so much in common?

Unfortunately that is where the common ground ends and unlike Jay-Z I do not have the adequate finances to rock any Tom Ford clothing (oh but how I wish I did), however my budget can certainly stretch to the designer’s olfactory offerings and like many others I have found there to be a number of sniff-worthy perfumes residing within the Tom Ford corner of the department store.

Mr Ford is relatively active on the olfactory front with two lines of perfume to choose from – the widely available and reasonably priced ‘Signature Collection’, which contains the likes of Black Orchid, Violet Blonde, Sahara Noir, Grey Vetiver and Noir; and the more exclusive and definitely pricier ‘Private Blends.’ Personally, I have found more love for the perfumes in the Signature Collection (much to the relief of my partner and bank balance), however the Private Blend certainly has more than its fair share of gems, which leads me nicely onto Tom Ford’s latest collection – ‘Atelier d’Orient.’

The Atelier d’Orient Collection is inspired by; “the sublime beauty, enigmatic sensuality and exquisite luxury of Asia” and each of the four fragrances within the collection are reported to contain; “ingredients that have treasured prestige in the Orient.” Speaking of the collection, Tom Ford states that each fragrance captures a distinct mood – “captivating romance, colonial elegance, luxurious exoticism and rich mysterious sensuality” – with each serving as a perfect representation of the bold Tom Ford aesthetic.

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New Escentual Post: Amouage Fate Woman & Fate Man Reviews

This week on Escentual I have revisited two fragrances that I reviewed a month or so ago – Fate Man and Fate Woman by Amouage. The latest duo from the famed Omani house have just launched over at Escentual and as usual are intriguing compositions full of surprise and mystery.

As usual, just click on the above image to head over to the Escentual Blog and read the review – it’ll be worth your time, I mention wizards and everything. You may also feel free to leave a comment either here or there, and I look forward to reading your thoughts.

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Neela Vermeire Creations Mohur & Ashoka Giveaway

Following on from yesterday’s Desert Island Sniffs episode with the rather wonderful Neela Vermeire of Neela Vermeire Creations I am very pleased to be able to offer a rather spectacular giveaway in celebration of Neela’s welcome return from her desert island – you didn’t think I’d leave her there, did you?!

Marooned no more, Neela is generously offering one lucky winner a full 50ml flacon of the transcendently beautiful Mohur Eau de Parfum (Neela’s top Desert Island Sniff) with a sample of Ashoka, Neela’s brand new perfume launching later this year. Details of how to enter this incredibly generous giveaway can be found below the jump.

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Desert Island Sniffs – Episode 1: Neela Vermeire

One of my favourite past times is listening to Radio 4’s longstanding series ‘Desert Island Discs’. If you’re not familiar with the concept, the premise is simple: a famous face or person of interest is shipwrecked on a desert island with eight records of their choice. The idea being that the person tells the story of their life through the songs that have made a significant impact on who they are today.

It has long been my belief that scent, much like music, allows us to travel back in time and experience moments past – moments that have influenced, changed and shaped us in to the human beings we have become. This series (nattily entitled ‘Desert Island Sniffs’) looks to explore the way perfume has influenced the lives of prominent members of the perfume industry.

For Desert Island Sniffs my castaways will be asked to present five perfumes that have had a significant impact on their life – scents that are so important they would be the ones they’d pack if they were unfortunately marooned on a remote desert island. Along with their five perfume choices my castaways are entitled to one luxury item and a ‘perfume bible’ of their choice.

Let’s meet our first castaway…

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Crisp & White – Carven Le Parfum Perfume Review

The house of Carven appears to be going through a period of resurrection. In 2009 Guillaume Henry took over as Artistic Director of the house, lifting it out of its long-served period of retirement. Now, following the reinstatement of the brand’s fashion line M. Henry has turned his keen eye to the world of Carven Fragrances with the re-issuing of the brand’s classic scents ‘Ma Griffe’ (1946) and ‘Vétiver’ (1957).

In addition to the revival of Carven’s historical fragrances the brand have launched an entirely new flagship fragrance to capture the spirit of the brand. Simply entitled ‘Carven Le Parfum’, the fragrance sets out to embody the energy of Henry’s designs for Carven and create in perfume, the idea of the ‘Carven Woman’.

Le Parfum, which was created by perfumer Francis Kurkdjian (he of Maison Francis Kurkdjian and Le Mâle fame), is described as; “the concept of a sillage that combines several paradoxes, a fresh and ethereal fragrance that is, at the same time, ultra feminine. A fragrance that is as structured as Guillaume Henry’s line of clothing” and created for the Carven woman, who Kurkdjian says is “beautiful without even thinking about it.”

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New Escentual Post: K is for Kurkdjian…

The Latest Instalment in The Candy Perfume Boy’s Escentual A-Z of Fragrance: K is for Kurkdjian…

For the latest instalment in The Candy Perfume Boy’s Escentual A-Z of Fragrance I have taken a look at one of perfumery’s greatest talents – the one, the only Francis Kurkdjian. Taking a look at some of his best works and including interesting tidbits from his recent Perfume Lovers London talk, the piece serves as an introduction to a perfumer that certainly divides opinion.

So please head on over to Escentual by clicking on the image above and don’t forget to let me know your thoughts on Francis Kurkdjian and his perfumes in the comments box there or even the one here!

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105 Brompton Road – CREED Millesime 1849 Perfume Review

When I first started getting in to perfume I, like many others, spent a decent amount of time lurking the Basenotes forums and learning that there is just so much more perfume out there than one would think. During my months of discovery I came across the word ‘niche’ for the very first time and back then my understanding was that ‘niche’ described ‘special’ and ‘artisanal’ perfume – descriptions that may not be applicable today.

My first experience with niche perfume was with CREED, a brand that has many fans and many detractors, and it was a decant of Silver Mountain Water that opened my eyes to the startling fact that perfume could smell unusual. Whatever your opinion is of the CREED dynasty it is hard to deny that they have made a number of rather decent perfumes – Silver Mountain Water being one and Green Irish Tweed, Millesime Imperial and Virgin Island Water being others – and whilst I may have not paid the brand much mind over the last few years I cannot deny that they have a knack for creating classic and elegant perfumes.

CREED’s latest offering is Millesime 1849, a perfume that has been launched to commemorate the birth date of London’s premiere shopping destination Harrods – a place that is as much as tourist attraction as it is a department store. Millesime 1849 aims to capture the spirit of one of London’s most famous addresses and the “imperial epoch which inspires its name, as well as the glorious reign of Victoria”.

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Smelly News: New From Thierry Mugler – ‘Les Liqueurs de Parfums’

It’s that time of year again where Thierry Mugler gets set to launch their annual collection of limited editions. For the past few years the mad hatters over at Mugler have redressed the scents (and bottles) of their iconic fragrances (Angel, A*Men, Alien and Womanity) in a variety of enhancements, namely; booze, food and leather, begging the question of ‘what’s next?’

Well the answer to that question is simple – this year Mugler is covering familiar ground with ‘Les Liqueurs de Parfums’, four fragrances enhanced by the “essence of fine spirits”. The collection includes the ever-popular A*Men Pure Malt as well as the highly respected Angel and Alien Liqueur de Parfums, each accented by a different liqueur.

It it not known whether these are reformulated or new versions but the boxes are stamped with ‘Creation 2013’. There is also an entirely new Liqueur de Parfum edition for 2010’s Womanity. The collection will launch in the UK on 01 October 2013 and further details can be found below the jump.

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Wedding Bells and Candle Smells – Maison Francis Kurkdjian APOM & Aqua Universalis Perfumed Candles Review

As I get older I realise that I love my home comforts more and more, and a good night for me is one spent in with great food, a movie (which doesn’t necesarily need to be great) my Nigel and my cats. To perfect a relaxed evening at home all one needs to do is light a lovely smelling scented candle – and If there’s one thing I love just as much as perfume it’s a scented candle.

The great news for us perfume lovers is that many fragrance houses offer home fragrance lines, including scented candles, that capture the scent of some of our favourite perfumes and some that offer up entirely new odours. One fragrance house whose candle offerings are particular intriguing is Maison Francis Kurkdjian.

As part of our wedding day Nigel and I are dead set on including some Maison Francis Kurkdjian candles in our ceremony – after all it would be a crime for our wedding not to be impeccably scented now wouldn’t it? So we know what brand we want, and we know we want floral candles so that narrows the selection down to two candles; APOM and Aqua Universalis.

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