On the occasion of its 50th anniversary celebration in 2011 Diptyque launched 34 Boulevard Saint-Germain. Named after the address of the first Diptyque boutique in Paris the unisex scent presents a mixture of green notes, spices and a woody base. I smell geranium and finest suede and think it is a very delicate scent for men.

Now the French perfume house has released the unisex fragrance L’Eau du Trente-Quatre, the white companion and a homage to the change of seasons on Boulevard Saint-Germain. Perfumer Olivier Pescheux created a soft spring melody with citrus notes like bitter orange, lemon, grapefruit and verbena in combination with spicy nutmeg and cinnamon on a base of incense, patchouli, moss and musk. The result: A great citrus scent with longevity that doesn’t drown in the quicksand of thousands of other citrus scents. The longer I wear it the more I love it. Bitter orange and musk are the two dominant elements of this creation. For me this one is for the girls! And as a lover of purism I adore the simple chic of the vial with its magnetic white cap and the sheathed atomizer tube.

If you prefer a scented candle I have good news for you: Diptyque has added a new spring candle to its collection – Jonquille, the French term for narcissus. The funny thing is that I don’t smell narcissus but jasmine. Try it out yourself…

Category: unisex
Year: 2013
Perfumer: Olivier Pescheux
Notes: bitter orange, lemon, verbena, grapefruit, lavender, juniper berries, nutmeg, cinnamon, geranium, tuberose, musk, patchouli, incense, cedar wood, cistus

www.diptyqueparis.com

Today I want to introduce a new release for those who are yearning for powdery scents. Unfortunately L’Eau en Blanc, the new perfume by Lolita Lempicka, is a limited edition. Inspired by susurrant wedding gowns and the color white, L’Eau en Blanc smells like baby powder, wedding almonds and the icing of a multi-level butter-cream tart, that tastes even better when eaten in the dawn. Sounds good?

The legendary flacon in the form of an apple is made out of pale pink crystal this time. You will feel like being covered by candyfloss wearing this scent. Without exaggeration it will let you move in your own personal little cloud, L’Eau en Blanc has a very intense aura.

Powdery iris and white violet are the groomsmen: soft powder notes and slightly sweetness. Add some almond flavor, which comes from heliotrope and some carrot seeds, which go very well with iris and finally some musk for a bride, who isn’t completely innocent.

This apple isn’t only for brides, but also for the bridesmaids, hopeless romantics and Snow White, who love sweet, powdery scents.

L’Eau en Blanc was created by Annick Menardo, who has been working for Lolita Lempicka and who also is responsible for the great success of Hypnotiv Poison by Dior. Cherchez la femme!

Category: women

Year: 2012

Perfumer: Annick Menardo

Notes: white violet, violet leaf, iris, raspberry, musk, heliotrope

www.parfumslolitalempicka.com

First of all I have to say that I really love the violet flacon of Jeanne Couture with its beautiful dark purple ribbon. I adore Alber Elbaz’ work for the house of Lanvin in general. Jeanne Couture is an amazingly individual scent for a sophisticated, sensual, young woman. It smells like Fashion Week. Stylish people from all over the world get together. By the way I love accents. Italians who speak English, Americans who speak French, Frenchmen who speak German – a mélange of cultures which you get a lot in the fashion scene. But I am wandering from the subject, back to Jeanne Couture.

The dominant impression I get is blackcurrant even though it is not listed. Blackcurrant with bergamot, sparkling like a glass of champagne backstage, when the models are prepared for the show. Beauty surrounds you and the atmosphere is pure magic. Jeanne Couture picks up some fruits from the buffet, okay she adds some raspberries, and tries to relax before the spots go on. Coulorful dresses, different textures, ribbons – ‘couture couture’. Gowns like brilliant flowers. I love the peonies in Jeanne Couture as much as I love them in Stella by Stella McCartney.

I have worked long enough in fashion to know how stressful it can be backstage if the models don’t find their shoes and everything just seems to be lost. But there is no better feeling than watching the show, you stop breathing. What about Jeanne Couture? She walks down the catwalk, fully present in the spotlight, highly concentrated to find the perfect pose for the photographers at the end of the stage. Her scented trail is musky and slightly woody and when you smell it, I am sure you will find it distinctive. I love to wear it, it’s special. Very feminine.

Last week I fell in love with Neela Vermeire’s Bombay Bling, this week it’s Jeanne Couture. Funny thing, both are fruity and sensual. What I want to tell you is, that normally I don’t like fruity perfumes – fruity in form of citrus notes in the headnote okay, but not so dominantly. And now two weeks in a row! Must be the weather.

What are you longing for in spring?

Category: women

Year: 2012

Perfumer: Domitille Bertier

Notes: raspberry, violet leaves, dew peony, magnolia, cedar, musk

I have a problem with chilly notes in perfume, I can’t tell you why, it is, like it is. For me a perfume is something very sensual and even a well-done Cologne can be sensual, in a way. I am a woman and I want to feel like a woman. Maybe for a man, but my boyfriend didn’t seem to be very impressed of L’Eau Froide although he is mad about incense scents.

L’Eau Froide gives me the same effect I’ve already had with Craft by Andrea Maack, M/Mink by Byredo and the whole Blood Concept line. Chilly metallic notes make me feel sick.

To give you a short impression of what’s inside the bottle nevertheless: L’Eau Froide is a variation on a theme. While L’Eau was a burst of Ambroxan and smelled very clean and synthetic, L’Eau Froide is L’Eau plus incense and an aquatic accord. Crisp with a mint note and yes, maybe comparable to smoking a menthol cigarette outside in the snow. It’s chilly, but for me it isn’t inherently consistent. The mixture of incense with aquatic notes is really strange.

I am not a cold-blooded creature, that’s for sure. And I prefer the warm, woody, spicy or sunny incense scents like Ouarzazate by Comme des Garçons or Louanges Profanes by Parfumerie Générale.

L’Eau Froide will be on sale world-wide in March. At the Palais Royal in Paris it is already available.

Please tell me if you disagree! How do you like chilly scents? And on which occasion do you wear them?

Category: unisex

Perfumer: Christopher Sheldrake

Year: 2011

Notes: lavender, aquatic accord, musk, vetiver, mint, Somalian incense

www.sergelutens.com

Photo: Nirrimi Hakanson

Pierre Guillaume is one of my favorite perfumers. I love the signature of his perfumes and think that he is a modern genius of perfumery.

In summer I love to wear his No. 16 – Jardins de Kerylos. Time of the figs! A lot of perfume houses have launched fig scents as many people love the scent of this sexy fruit with its milky and sweet yet tart, green flavor. But Jardins de Kerylos is one of my favorites next to the limited edition Bois naufragé, the second fig scent by Parfumerie Générale.

What makes Jardins de Kerylos so special? Well, of all the fig scents I have tested, it is the most pure fig ever. It’s green, light and reminds you of grass. This makes it absolutely remarkable. Sometimes Jardins de Kerylos smells like the white flesh of a Granny Smith apple under the peel but it is more this sweet-and-sour aspect than the smell of apple. Do you know how cut up leaves smell like, or the branches of a fig tree, the moist wood inside, the grass beside the tree? Put all these impressions together and you get Jardins de Kerylos.

During our vacation in Spain we had a fig tree in the garden and there was no bigger pleasure than picking fresh green figs from the tree and cutting them in two halves. The bright red color inside is so unbelievably beautiful that I am always deeply impressed. The smell of a fresh fig is one of my favorite smells ever. It smells like a perfume! My friends know and love my pasta with fresh figs. And sitting in the green grass in the shadow of a fig tree is a perfect moment. Jardins de Kerylos captures this moment brilliantly.

Category: unisex

Perfumer: Pierre Guillaume

Year: 2006

Notes: fig, grass, sycamore wood, musk

www.parfumerie-generale.com