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Michelyn Camen's New in Niche

New In Niche - Malle Dans tes Bras, Creed Love in Black, Tuscan Soul, Strange Invisible Perfumes and more...

by Michelyn Camen, 03 August 2008

I received an email from a new Basenotes reader. Her name is Joyce and she lives in a town about one hundred miles out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. She emailed me that she stumbled upon the Basenotes site while using Google to look up a fragrance she used to wear – First by Van Cleef & Arpel’s. Up popped the reference in my last column. She read my columns and the writings of the other contributors and posters.  She was amazed; she never knew such special and unique fragrances existed. Joyce mentioned that there really wasn’t a place to buy these wonderful sounding perfumes in the stores near where she lives.

She loved that e-tailers (such as First in Fragrance, Beauty Habit and Lucky Scent) offer small samples for sale, so that she could try before she bought a full bottle. Joyce’s email  mentioned she wished that the fragrant offerings from the better specialty stores around the world would follow suit ,”Out here the stores only seem to stock Estee Lauder and ‘cheap smelling or Juicy Fruit scents’ that my eleven-year-old granddaughter likes, but I want a fragrance that is elegant and sophisticated”. Joyce wrote to me how much she loves Fracas by Piguet and Bluebell by Penhaligon’s and never knew  before our correspondence that she could order them online.

But it was her memory of more gentile days that resonates with me. Her email explained a different place in fragrances’ time “There weren’t any looming department store fragrance models spraying you with latest perfume that faded as soon as you left the store. The experience of shopping was an occasion.”

She wrote about a specialty store (long out of business) named Siedenbachs’s. Joyce recalled, “It was quite an exclusive store. Back then they had the windows within a little circle you could walk through to view the mannequins’ wearing the latest fashions. They were beautiful. But the thing everyone remembers was their unique way to get the ladies to enter the store. They misted the most beautiful fragrances outside while the women looked at the clothes, subconsciously creating an unforgettable environment.”

Joyce remembers, “Things were so different in those days, women dressed up to go downtown, some wore hats and gloves. There were Tea Rooms for the ladies to have lunch, several little shops, somewhat like the Boutiques you mention in your articles. Perfume was expensive for that time, but they were well made and finding one you loved was a precious discovery.”

Thank you Joyce, ‘Citizen of the Fragrant World’ for reminding even the most jaded among us how unique quality niche fragrances were … and still are.
   

Dans Tes Bras by Frederic Malle

Warning! A new fragrance by Frederic Malle may cause symptoms of fanatical behavior and bouts of obsession, affecting even the most blasé perfumistos. And, if said new fragrance is created by Maurice Roucel, the nose behind the wildly revered Musc Ravageur, hang tight to your shopping bag.

At a lovely cocktail party held on the terrace at Barney’s flagship NYC store, Dans Tes Bras (in your embrace) was introduced to a select group of editors. Frederic Malle was treated like a rockstar and there were reported sightings of editors’ swooning when Dan Tes Bras was finally unveiled.
 
The central ingredient In Dans Tes Bras is a synthetic musk called Cashmeran. In fact Malle joked that both he and Mr. Roucel overdosed the fragrance with the ingredient. Cashmeran is a very deep and full bodied aroma, which is very intense, diffusive and long-lasting. The general olfactive profile of Cashmeran is musk, woody, spicy.

Dans Tes Bras is rich in nuances: aromatic, floral (heliotrope and jasmine), fruity (apple), woody (pine) and earthy (patchouly), with musky and vanilla undertones. Also, a blend of salicyclates (a 2-hydroxybenzoic acid, one of several beta hydroxy acids) is an ingredient although better known as an antiseptic, it does bring forth a salty skin scent property.

Dans Tes Bras responds in a different way on certain people’s chemistry; just as a lover’s embrace can be nurturing or cruel.  

It was a hot day; the guests were either outdoors on the terrace (which seemed to intensify the scent) or chatting in the air conditioned main room; I had the ultimate testing audience. On a Barney’s executive, Dans Tes Bras was fruity, a bit sweet and musky. On a young female editor of a fashion magazine, it was light, floral and innocent.  On a male perfume critic and on me, Dans Tes Bras was an edgy embrace, a note came through that reminded us both of the piercing metallic scent of blood  found in  Rossy de Palma‘s Eau de Protection by Etat Libre d’Orange. When I casually mentioned this to Mr. Malle he looked skeptical.

After all, we all have different expectations of what a sensual scent could be. Perhaps for some of us, tenderness without a bit of pain is not a true embrace?  
 

  • Available: at Barneys NY in October-November 2008 -- and Les Senteurs in the UK (Patience…and stop twitching)
  • Price 50ml spray/$150 and 100ml spray/$220

 

Gaiac by Martine Micallef

For those of you still twitching, a coveted niche line was finally introduced this month to the US market and is available for immediate gratification. Gaiac by Martine Micallef, the French painter and perfumer known for her use of rare and costly ingredients, has introduced eleven scents stateside.

If you are looking for a ‘your-skin-but better’ scent with a twist, Gaiac may be the one. Gaiac is a woody sensual fragrance that uses precious gaiac wood as one of its main ingredients. I didn’t even bother testing this on anyone else because I found it totally enthralling.

On my skin, the fragrance opens with cloves and vanilla in a blend of subdued sweetness. As it settles, the gaiac wood dances with the vetiver note in a perfectly executed pas de deux.  After two hours, I still smell the aroma of sweet woods.  The top note is listed as bergamot with jasmine and cloves at the heart. However, it’s the sensuous and subdued wood and vanillin notes --- vetiver, vanilla and the haunting aroma of guaic wood which linger, even after showering seven hours later.

I may have discovered my autumn scent in the middle of a NY heat wave.

 

Love in Black by Creed

The House of Creed is steeped in the heritage of  “pere en fils” that is legendary as are many of their clientele, who range from Princess Grace, Audrey Hepburn, George Braque, Cary Grant, Aristotle Onassis and now, with Love in Black, the iconic Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

Black is a color that has many connotations; from the epitome of chic to the depths of despair. As the first publicized collaboration between Mr. Olivier Creed and his son, Erwin, there is a hint of the changing of the guard in this new fragrance; one senses a fashionable touch that was missing in Love in White.

The Company describes the new perfume as Violet/Oriental. For those readers who care about the ‘perfume pyramid’: Top notes are night blooming wild flowers, violet, and cedar,  with heart notes of Iris, clove, and musk and bottom notes of rose and blackcurrant.

The perfume opens with a brief explosion of very dark, fresh violets, and then distinctly introduces an iris accord. These two florals are well-defined and deserve recognition as many lesser fragrances have the two accords overly blended. The passage from violet into iris is distinctive. There is a transition from purple velvet to grayish mauve suggesting the colors of twilight.

Especially impressive is the redolence of the iris; Love in Black’s iris accord manages to avoid clichés of sweet, powdery, vintage-like imitations.  

As a fragrance, one gets the sense of a veiled mystery; considering the perfume’s muse, how appropriate. At first sniff, I did not understand why Love in Black would be a dedication to Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis. But after a few days wearing Love in Black the connection is clear; her tenacity, her refinement, and the quiet elegance of the drydown, along with an undisclosed gourmand nuance suggests her sweet sadness. 

Love In Black should satisfy fragrance aficionados who may not have found a scent from Creed that captures their penchant for ‘contemporary chic’. The structure is as minimalist and linear as a bespoke black dress or suit, which depending on the occasion; you will reach for day and night.

 

Tuscan Soul by Salvatore Ferragamo

Pierre Bourdon, the nose for Ferragamo’s latest fragrance, (and first unisex scent) Tuscan Soul has a passion for ingredients. The renowned perfumer, (whose olfactive creations range from the highly praised  Davidoff’s Cool Water for men and Shiseido’s Feminitie de Bois for women to the controversial Frederic Malle’s Bois D’orage -- aka French Lover) is respected not only for his nose but knowing his way around an Italian kitchen. He filmed a French documentary titled Envoye Special where he spoke about perfumery while preparing splendid Italian cuisine.

The alliance with Ferragamo is a good fit --the iconic perfumer with the iconic Italian luxury lifestyle brand. In creating Tuscan Soul, Mr. Bourdon traveled frequently to Tuscany to study native flora like the magnolia flower, fig leaf and fig wood, lemon leaves  all ingredients in what may be considered a ‘lifestyle’ fragrance, since it a figurative interpretation of an unexpected  new direction for the Ferragamo brand - very relaxed and natural. The Eau de Toilette is classified as a Citrus/Floral/Woody fragrance, with top notes of bergamot, and petitgrain, heart notes of magnolia blossom and orange blossom with base notes of Iris and the wood and leaves of the fig tree.

It’s not usually this difficult to distinguish an aroma from a fine fragrance, but I would maintain Tuscan Soul leans slightly to the former. There is a soothing spa–like tranquility to the scent which may be Ferragamo’s plan—an entrée into the luxury spa industry. With a  collection of products that include an Eau De Toilette, a moisturizing body lotion, a soothing shower gel and an alcohol free Deodorant , all claiming to have bio-elements that claim to nurture and  soothe both body and soul. La Dolce Vita!

  • Availability: Limited Distribution to Neiman Marcus Stores and to the Ferragamo’s Boutiques, September 2008
  • Price: EDT Spray 2.5 ounces/$80 and 4.2 ounces/$105

 

Eleven Minutes by Parfums d'Imperfiction

With the many new ingredient  restrictions, the lack of funding, added to the editorial obstacles niche perfumers endure these days, it would seem that the future of the next generation is uncertain.

Talent is talent and always finds a way to emerge. There is Konstantin Mikhail Mihov, a 22 year old academic and self taught perfumer whose haunting fragrances will soon find their way to The United States.  Mihov, founder of Parfums d’Imperfiction, may be an academic but he is overflowing with passion. He sent me a link to a You Tube video, where (as the result of an ill fated romance), he aggressively shaves his head of long dark curly hair until he is bald. Despite his claim that “perfumery is merely a Sunday-afternoon enjoyment/stress release/sedative”, one must believe that Mihov’s impressive work may soon occupy more of his time.


The line is an embodiment of stories (to date Alice in Wonderland, The Alchemist and Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coehlo) that have touched Mihov, thus the play on the word ‘fiction’. And since each perfume carries the name of each novel, he modestly calls his own attempt as a perfumer to capture the emotions, and complexity ‘imperfect’ as they are one man’s interpretation. His fragrances are stories, stories of new lands, stories of new people, stories of dreams, stories of adventure, stories of wisdom, stories of stories.

I must confess Paulo Coelho is one of my favorite writers and Eleven Minutes is not only my favorite of Coelho’s novels but my favorite of Mihov’s three fragrances.  First, Eleven Minutes the fragrance is much more concentrated than the other two fragrances and for good reason, because of the complexity of the novel. The dreams and passions of Maria, the young naïve Brazilian girl symbolically represented with top notes of neroli, orange blossom (the symbol of young brides’ wedding wreaths) and mimosa, give way to the femininity and strength of Maria the prostitute, evoked by tuberose absolue tempered by a leather accord at the heart. Base notes are honey, beeswax and benzoin.

Eleven Minutes is an olfactive representation of  the knowledge of what one wants to do – of the plan that every woman has – to meet Prince Charming, or one chooses to do , become a prostitute (in any sense of the word). It is about the femininity (the tuberose absolute), about the strength (the leather accord), about the sparkle in the eyes (the litsea cubeba extracts), the “light” (the sparkling honey wax absolute), about Brazil (the mimosa absolute), about the multi-facet nature of Maria (the contrasts between the freshness and the darkness).


Mihov emailed me , “Eleven Minutes (created in February 2007) was a creation of  
love - it was not intended to be marketed and was aiming at the  creation of juxtaposing elements - leather and flowers (Kelly Caleche came on the market with the same idea long after). It is a lot more intense and not minimalist (when compared to Kelly Caleche). For me the honey was an important part of it but it is a complex reflection on the novel Eleven Minutes about a prostitute or on a larger scale  about life - about planning and failing plans BUT making the best out  
of those plans. It is also a book by Paulo Coelho. It is a reflection on love and it reflects how I feel about love too - which is why I find this to be the most self-reflective of the three fragrances - 
because of my strong association with the book and with this fragrance.”

Mihov is working on two more perfumes, and as I was given the honor to ‘pre-sniff’ both works in progress, I assure you there are more superb ‘fragrant stories’ from this young perfumer in our future.

 

Musc Botanique by Strange Invisible Perfumes

To reproduce an all-natural essential oil ’musk’ fragrance (not derived from the glands of deers)  is deemed a daunting undertaking by most perfumers who choose the synthetic muscone instead. But, true to the philosophy of Strange Invisible Perfumes to use only natural botanical ingredients in their fragrances, Musc Botanique can be considered a triumph in sustainable and botanical natural perfumery. This is a crystalline musk, with a surprising hint of the animalic in its composition.  Created by botanical perfumer and founder, Alexandra Balahoutis,  Musc Botanique is unisex and  is both sheer and  'carnal', in the way wild plants and flora draw us into their fragrant and seductive world. Botanical distillates of geranium, amber, angelica and frankincense produce similar characteristics of deer musk and prove you can wear musk in all its sensuality and be PC at the same time.  The scent only improves on the skin and the drydown (with the faintest hint of gourmand lemon custard) is exquisitely soft and sensual. Musc Botanique lingers on my skin throughout the entire day and into the evening.  What was most surprising was that this botanical scent did not fade or change once it had settled.

Now who was it that claimed natural, artisnal and botanical perfumery cannot equal or surpass other ‘fine fragrances’?

  • Availability:  Barneys  in September 2008
  • Price: $135.00/1.7 ounces

 

Geisha Blanche Eau de Parfum by Aroma M

Maria McElroy, owner and founder of Aroma M, has been an independent niche perfumer since 1995 and primarily is known for the popular  “Geisha” series of roll-on perfumed oils (inspired by her seven years spent in Japan). Geisha Blanche has been a best seller and was one of the first ‘clean’ indie fragrances on the market. Recently, McElroy introduced Geisha Blanche Eau de Parfum, and frankly I wasn’t expecting much of a difference from the original other than packaging and spray format.  

I was surprised. The Eau de Parfum is similar (more like a fraternal twin) to the oil version but magnified (for the better) a gazillion times.  Think of the movie classic The Wizard of Oz which opens with Dorothy and Auntie Em in Kansas, shot in black and white. That is the roll on oil version. Once Dorothy‘s house lands on the Wicked Witch of the East, and suddenly the entire movie is in color and that is Geisha Blanche Eau de Parfum. The fragrance is more vivid. It’s the same fresh blend of white flowers and lychee, yet more arresting. The presence of lychee is more prominent and engaging in this format and the astringent citrus note that always kept me from loving Geisha Blanche is barely detectable.

Definitely bottle worthy! And the Japanese textile inspired pouch is delightful.

 

Saffron James Parfums

Katherine Growney has an impressive resume. She is a former beauty editor for Harper’s Bazaar, Elle and Lucky.  So what DOES a successful beauty editor dream of when she turns in her last article? Create her own niche perfume company!  

This year, Growney introduced Saffron James Parfums, three fragrances based on Hawaiian ingredients. As a native Hawaiian, she grew up surrounded by the island’s fragrant aura and exotic flora. In honor of preserving Hawaii’s age old traditions, Saffron James Parfums, donates a dollar off every product back to the cultural and environmental preservations of Hawaii.
 
My favorite of the three is LE’A (lay-a): "1. Joy, pleasure, happiness, merriment; sexual gratification, orgasm. 2. Arcturus the zenith star of the Hawaiian Islands. 3. An olfactory homage to the Plumeria flower. 4. A captivating scent with notes of Pink and White Plumeria, Pineapple Leaf, Passionflower and Hibiscus."

Although I am not usually a fan of exotic florals LE’A ‘s lush  blend of plumeria and pineapple is perfect for the dog day’s of summer, when the streets of NYC are so hot that the asphalt begins to melt and people are so irritable that they are only nice to tourists. We can’t wait to get home to a cool apartment and to their significant other. See Definition Number 1.

Good Luck Katherine (Saffron) Growney, you are a role model!

See all New in Niche columns.

 end of article

Michelyn Camen

About the author

Michelyn Camen is a New York-based writer and is the former Editorial Director/Fragrance Editor for Beauty News NY and LA, as well as contributor to Access Magazine and a Senior contributor to Sniffapalooza magazine.

Camen is a multi award winning marketing executive and the Founder and President of BrandWidth Consulting Co., which specializes in brand development and positioning for niche and emerging brands. Email: fifthsensenyc@aol.com.

All articles by Michelyn Camen

Categories: , Michelyn Camen's New in Niche, Aroma M, Creed, Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle, Martine Micallef, Parfums d'Imperfiction, Saffron James Parfums, Strange Invisible Perfumes
 
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