Dimitri's brief

I do think this is a really great idea.

Dimi - it's very strange how you and Ken and I all converged on this idea of "Enchantment", but took it in different directions. Ken's take was very spiritual, mental, and abstract. Mine was more related to the place per se - a place of enchantment (no big surprise that I love New Mexico - "Land of Enchantment"). And your thinking was really enchantment itself, as in actual "enchantment". Very interesting connection. Given that the three of us have somewhat similar spiritual outlooks compared to many BNers, I can kind of see this.

But let me say what I had alluded to earlier about potential "poison apples". I had wanted to use (as you can see in the published brief) green black walnuts as the citrus replacement in the topnotes. They have toxicity problems due to juglone - highly allergenic - in some sense a poison apple, but I never even made a connection to your idea, which is actually a much richer entree into the whole idea of enchantment. I viewed the whole idea of using something with toxicity problems (or even its odor) as a unique thing, but potentially a deal-breaker. If you smell the things when fresh, they're very much like citrus that's somehow weird or off. The difference is a bit like cardamom. Which, to me, is how you might recreate the accord. I understand that the juice of green regular walnuts is used to create the walnut liqueuer nocino, but I'm not sure if black walnuts can be used, because the juglone content (or hydrojuglone, which turns into juglone) is so much higher. I know that people who are allergic to similar nuts had probably best steer clear (one of my friends can go to the hospital if he even looks at a walnut).

Some links on nocino:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nocino

http://www.pinkmochi.com/eriksrant/archives/000438.html

http://blog.khymos.org/2009/05/13/no...iqueur-part-i/

http://blog.khymos.org/2009/05/29/no...queur-part-ii/

Interestingly, black walnut trees (I've got 3 huge ones, which is where I got the idea of using the green fruit) have a much higher content of juglone than regular walnuts, and kill many if not most types of trees which try to grow too close to them.

Again, great brief. I get goosebumps just thinking of that picture of the apple in the witch's hand! : EEK :

A perfume for everyone who thought the witch was more interesting than Snow White Great ideas and very unusual imagery.Good luck!

Thanks Dareka and Red for commenting

Red, I like the direction you're going with regard to walnuts! Its an interesting angle... I kinda love that moment of panic when you are drinking a lovely port wine - one with walnuts suspended in the juice - and you bite down into the marinated nut and your mouth fills with a sudden ore-like bitterness! Its a moment of regret and revulsion, but eventually the familiar walnut flavour emerges and you ultimately think its delicious. That's precisely the kind of sensation I'd love the perfumers to capture with that opening spritz... that noxiousness that trips our biological "oh-shit,-Im-eating-poison-spit-it-out!" trigger.
For years, whenever I would come across coffee-flavoured foodstuffs (coffee cake, sweets and so on), I would encounter a physiological reaction to the taste and smell - my stomach would 'flutter' as if to warn me not to consume it.

I especially liked your comment with regard to perhaps using the odour of something with toxic properties. If it can be achieved without actually using any sensitizers, then that's wonderful.

Of course, the underlying aspect here is that the perfume eventually reveals itself as being something of great beauty... as if the poisonous spell of enchantment has slowly lifted.

Of course, the underlying aspect here is that the perfume eventually reveals itself as being something of great beauty... as if the poisonous spell of enchantment has slowly lifted.

It just gets better and better. I'll have something on my BN blog shortly - a commentary on these briefs, and when you see it, you'll see this same thought. Now I know I was reading between your lines correctly.

The ideas here are very appealing to me. Two fragrances in production come to mind, both of which seem paradoxically "sweet and poison" at the same time: Guerlain Shalimar extrait and Tom Ford Black Orchid. It would be wonderful to have the edgy modernity of Black Orchid with the utter refinement and subtlety of Shalimar extrait. (I am speaking here mostly of the fragrance vibe and not any particular notes.)

Interesting brief Dimitri. Your scent idea reminds me of playing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Especially when you require potions in the game and there are special potion stores which once you enter have smoking fumes of potions and perfumes wafting in the air and all sorts of weird draws and potion vials about.

I really like the imagery and contrasts in this. The blend of smells from the apothecary's drawers and the old forgotten bottles... and the repel/allure contradicton. This could be a very interesting fragrance.

please delete

Sorry about the above post - my wife had logged in earlier this evening and hadn't logged out, and I accidentally posted under her username :-/

What I wanted to say is thank you to Asha, Aerandir and Selky for your comments - its nice to know we all share a similar vision for this.

Originally Posted by Asha

The ideas here are very appealing to me. Two fragrances in production come to mind, both of which seem paradoxically "sweet and poison" at the same time: Guerlain Shalimar extrait and Tom Ford Black Orchid. It would be wonderful to have the edgy modernity of Black Orchid with the utter refinement and subtlety of Shalimar extrait. (I am speaking here mostly of the fragrance vibe and not any particular notes.)

I agree. Both of these fragrances achieve the desired objective in a huge way, and provide nice points of aim for the kind of overall qualities (as you say, vibe) we would want to shoot for. Black Orchid has this modern dark sexy/beautiful thing which I think speaks to the brief very well. Shalimar's refinement is..... legendary. I think these are things to shoot for. "Black Shalimar", if you will. A very delicate concept. Expressed in the imagery of the photo, the same apple in a white, "innocent", hand-model's hand - with the edge of a black robe. But no pentagrams, please, and go easy on diamond-shaped umlauts.

I love the dualities that you've called upon in your brief. I've always imagined that Maleficent was redolent of something like Shalimar, mysterious and frightening!

This sounds deliciously creepy in a Sweeny Todd kind of way.

What great imagery in your brief!