quinta-feira, 31 de dezembro de 2015

Ferrari Amber Essence

por: Sandra Raicevic Petrovic

Ferrari expande a ESSENCE COLLECTION com uma nova edição inspirada no âmbar. Amber Essence Special Edition chega como uma luxuosa edição limitada apresentada em exclusivo no Harrods; oferecerá uma 'sofisticada versão' do precioso âmbar decorado com caxemira e patchouli. 

A coleção Essence está classificada por concentração. As eau de parfums incluem as seguintes edições: Cedar EssenceEssence MuskEssence OudSilver Essence, Leather Essence e Vetiver Essence. A linha de eau de toilettes chamada Essence Collection Les Eaux inclui as edições deste ano Bright NeroliNoble Fig e Pure Lavender. Todas elas glorificam os ingredientes-chave de suas composições acentuados pelos nomes.
A composição de Ferrari Amber Essence baseia-se no âmbar combinado com a suavidade e calor da caxemira e profundos tons terrosos, delicadamente especiados com noz moscada. 
FERRARI AMBER ESSENCE
edição 2015


notas-chave
âmbar, caxemira, patchouli, noz moscada
A fragrância vem num elegante frasco com o mesmo formato das edições Essence Les Eaux.O frasco é feito de vidro transparente e coroado com uma tampa de metal e couro. Os pormenores na tampa repetem a cor do couro da luxuosa caixa de cartão. Os pormenores prateados do frasco e caixa contribuem para o sofisticado contraste da nova edição especial. O líquido é de um quente tom ambarado e a fragrância pode ser comprada em 100ml Eau de Parfum, pelo preço de 170 libras.

New From Zoologist Perfumes: Bat Eau de Parfum


New From Zoologist Perfumes: Bat Eau de Parfum

by: Dr. Marlen Elliot Harrison

Fragrantica is excited to announce the launch of the new fragrance from Zoologist.
"Mystical, mysterious murmurings glide upon a blanket of inky sky. Shadows smear across the moonlight, their darting journey shrouded in darkness. Bats, the only mammal capable of true flight, are enigmatic and alien.
Bat Eau de Parfum from Zoologist escorts you on an odyssey through the night. This unique olfactory experience carries you with the fruit bat to a sumptuous feast in a lush tropical jungle, before whisking you down to the recesses of its cavernous home.
Sweet Sycamore figs and soft fruits ensnare you with addictive notes, then beckon you deep with primordial mineral scents that evoke a rugged enclosure redolent with hints of damp soil and vegetal roots. Allow yourself to hang, draped in pitch black, as alluring musk wafts over you with every unfolding of the thousands of leathery wings that surround you.
Bat Eau de Parfum is designed by Dr. Ellen Covey, winner of the 2015 Art and Olfaction Awards. She is both a master perfumer and a university professor who has studied bats extensively, and she now shares her insight and creativity through this one-of-a-kind perfume." - owner and founder Victor Wong


Size: 60 mL / 2 fl. oz.; Unisex
Parfum Concentration: 25%
Top Notes: Banana, Soft Fruits, Damp Earth
Heart Notes: Fig, Tropical Fruits, Mineral Notes, Myrrh, Resins, Vegetal Roots
Base Notes: Furry Musks, Leather, Vetiver, Sandalwood, Tonka

Bat Eau de Parfum does not use animal products.

Mercedes Benz CLUB: Club Extreme, Club Fresh

by: Sandra Raicevic Petrovic


Mercedes Benz CLUB from 2013 has received new successors: Club Extreme and Club Fresh, which arrive on the market in 2016. Club Extreme was announced as a more intense version of the original, while Club Fresh is aimed at those who prefer lighter and refreshing fragrances. Both fragrances are signed by perfumer Olivier Cresp who has collaborated closely with INCC and Mercedes-Benz since the first edition for men Mercedes Benz from 2012. Olivier Cresp also developed compositions Mercedes Benz Club from 2013, Mercedes Benz Sport from 2014, Infinite Spicy by Olivier Cresp from 2015 and the latest fragrance, which is also expected in 2016, Mercedes Benz Man.
The dynamic, deeper and more intense composition of  CLUB EXTREME is characteristic for a blend of woody-oriental aromas embellished with masculine leather notes. The composition opens with bergamot, mandarin and lotus flower, illuminating delicately the warm and intense aromas of amber, leather and sandalwood in the base. The base contributes to intensity and depth, thanks to patchouli, dry wood and musk.  
MERCEDES BENZ CLUB EXTREME 
edition 2016

perfumer Olivier Cresp

bergamot, mandarin, lotus
leather, amber, sandalwood
patchouli, dry wood, musk
A lighter, more luminous and refreshing version is provided with CLUB FRESH which is characterized by aromatic notes. The fragrance starts with fresh, juicy green apple, bergamot and pear, surrounded by zesty lavender and sage in the heart. The transparency of the composition is achieved by ozone notes overlapping ambrox, musk and cedar in the base.
MERCEDES BENZ CLUB FRESH
edition 2016

perfumer Olivier Cresp

green apple, pear, bergamot
lavender, sage, ozone
ambrox, musk, cedar
Club Fresh and Club Extreme repeat the futuristic design of Mercedes Benz Club, notwithstanding that Club Fresh is created in bluish mettalic shades while the color of Club Extreme is dark grey. The fragrances will be available as 50 and 100ml Eau de Toilettes.

Ferrari Amber Essence

by: Sandra Raicevic Petrovic

Ferrari expands the ESSENCE COLLECTION with a new, amber-inspired edition. Amber Essence Special Edition arrives as a luxurious limited edition presented exclusively at Harrods; it will offer a ‘sophisticated version of precious amber decorated with cashmere and patchouli’. 
The Essence collection is classified by concentration. The eau de parfums include the following editions: Cedar EssenceEssence MuskEssence OudSilver Essence, Leather Essence and Vetiver Essence. The line of eau de toilettes titled Essence Collection Les Eaux includes this year’s editions  Bright NeroliNoble Fig and Pure Lavender. All the above glorify key ingredients of their compositions accentuated with their names.
The composition of Ferrari Amber Essence is based on amber combined with the softness and warmth of cashmere and deep earthy tones, delicately spiced with nutmeg. 
FERRARI AMBER ESSENCE
edition 2015


key notes
amber, cashmere, patchouli, nutmeg
The fragrance arrives in an elegant flacon of the same form as the editions of Essence Les Eaux. The bottle is made of transparent glass and crowned with a metal and leather cap. The detail on the stopper repeats the leather color of its luxurious outer carton. The silver details on the bottle and outer carton contribute to the sophisticated contrast of the new special edition. The liquid is a warm amber shade and the fragrance can be purchased as a 100ml Eau de Parfum, priced at 170 pounds.

The Myriad Muses in Myrrh 3: My Myrrh Perfume Reviews


The Myriad Muses in Myrrh 3: My Myrrh Perfume Reviews

by: Elena Vosnaki

Myrrh was a risky bet for Serge Lutens back in 1995 when he launched La Myrrhe. I remember the facts distinctly because it was my very first bell jar acquisition. The sacred, resinous goo was known more for being part of the gifts to baby Jesus than for its illustrious history in perfumery where it had made only cryptic appearances. Egyptologists and the greater clan of archaeologists knew about its use in embalming of course. A material for embalming coming out of your perfume bottle and emblazoned on the label too: La Myrrhe. Possibly off-putting? And yet, by the pricking of my thumbs, this mystical potion this way comes. And I was sold.
La Myrrhe instantly impressed me as the most spiritual fragrance I had tested at the purple seraglio that Serge built in homage to scents of another era. It contained the soapy and bright (like linen washed by the rays of the sun, as if absolved by the soil of sin) notes which I recalled from my mother's Chanel No.5 eau de cologne. It was also vivaciously sweet with an underlay of bitterness; as if white marzipan paste was really made of some mysterious fruit that is half mandarin and half sour cherry and it felt both chewy and unyielding at the same time.
People usually identify the scent of incense with mysticism and this has some evident association backing it up; after all incense is burned all around the world for religious processions and celebrations as well as for praying. What's more, with hippies and New Age, incense has become supremely popular as the default scent for regrouping and meditation. Of course I'm using the term "incense" rather narrowly here (since there are several kinds of incense blends) to denote mostly frankincense. And it makes sense: frankincense is a pure smell with shades of pine and citrus and it's logical that we associate it with purity and cleanliness. But what about myrrh...that bitter demon of a smell?
Frankincense is met at church as the censer spreads the fragrant smoke in the congregation. Myrrh is met at asketaria; monastic places of anchorites who end up their days exuding the smell of sanctity...or so witnesses say.
The word "demon" (δαίμων) means spirit or divine power replete with knowledge in classical Greek mythology; at least up to the Neo-Platonics. Hence Socrates's famous claim of "being true to his inner demonium" and Diotema's lesson to him in Plato's Symposium that "love is a greater demon". Is myrrh therefore a demon? An entity between material (mortal) and spirit (divine knowledge)?
Myrrh is indeed someplace between the two; its very nature bears this duality. On the one side a numbing of the senses; a narcotic hedone that lulls the pain. On the other a scourging bitterness that reminds us of the pain of life. Two isomers that share the same structure arranged in different ways; two faces of Janus.
Lutens and his perfumer sidekick Christopher Sheldrake were therefore the first to showcase the Janus-like nature of myrrh for all its worth in their epoch making creation. Experiencing La Myrrhe takes multiple uses. I very much doubt I was fully aware of the complexity and irony built into it when zooming on the reddish liquid and paying for it that momentous time back. It must have been pure instinct or the patron saint of perfumery St. Magdalene who guided my young hand.
When it came to Keiko Mecheri's Myrrhe et Merveilles however, the thrill of the unexpected was fractured into a thousand pieces. La Myrrhe had it for lunch. For a long time I felt that the Mecheri line followed the Lutensian opus a bit too closely for comfort; it felt like glorified duping and if one is going that way why not admit it... I thought. But thankfully testing and retesting for the purposes of really getting an education on myrrh, I saw the error of my ways and finally came to appreciate this Mecheri fragrance for what it is: a luxurious and somewhat aloof soapy myrrh; one which showcases the element quite well.
If you squeeze your eyes a bit and look at it that way, Myrrhe et Merveilles might start giving you impressions of classic Opium. It's only a slice of its hot iron hiss on a white starched shirt but it's plenty. The floral heart is rather spicy like carnations and almond blossoms smothered in musk. The musk is so prominent that the compoisition feels silken. Powdery almost. The "merveilles" (i.e. wonders) manifest themselves through the details, but they're enough to differentiate it from its mystical predecessor.
But it is the third perfume with dominant myrrh that makes for the sharp contrast.Myrrhe Ardente (perfervid myrrh) by Annick Goutal had a totally different approach than either Lutens or Mecheri. There was no attempt of dressing an apocryphal smell into classic tailoring to render it wearable by a modern sensibility. On the contrary, the element of myrrh was taken as a significant nod to the sweeping genre of Orientalism that marked the late 19th century and which almost singlehandedly - if we count Guerlain and Houbigant as those influenced by it -  gave us modern perfumery.
Camille Goutal then and her perfumer Isabelle Doyen began with a beautiful thesis proposition in 2007: how would oriental bath rituals of the harems (as seen in paintings by Ingres and the rest of the masters of the times) translate into scents? The sensuous Les Orientalistes line was born; initially a line of three fragrances for women or men which included Ambre FeticheMyrrhe Ardente and Encens Flamboyant. By the next year, another addition to the line increased the number by one: Musc Nomade; a vegetal musk which I count among my most favorites, built on ambrette seed.
They're all sensual fumes, molding themselves into the idea we have of the Orient and it seems to me (only a casual observation which might be proven wrong) that people seem to prefer either the opulent Ambre or the densely smoky Encens out of the quartet. My own preference lies to the outsiders.
The sacred side of myrrh is not part of the concept. Rather the lulling sensuality of its opiate-like escapism is at heart. The Goutal fragrance implores us to look upon myrrh with eyes sooted with the blackest black of the lamp which burns lighting up the harem and to adorn our body with oils which speak of a thousand caravans carrying mysterious cargo across the Middle East. It makes me think of Loti; not Plato. The sweet facets brought out by the addition of benzoin and beeswax bring out a sticky "cola" note which is not at all at odds with the natural shade of the essential oil of myrrh. The gentle smokiness rendered by the earthy woody notes of vetiver is a welcome reminder that we're dealing with something that harkens back to the roots of perfumery; "through smoke".
Maybe I like to feel protective towards the unsung. Myrrhe Ardente deserves a wider audience.

Pic credits from top to bottom: Luxuryculture.com - Tumblr - Boutique.az - Wikimedia Commons

PERFUMES E SIGNOS : CÂNCER

O Homem Canceriano 

O homem do Signo de Câncer é bom companheiro, muito simpático, o e logrará graças a seu temperamento agradável, conseguir tudo o que ele deseja obter, mas, sua volubilidade lunar o faz um companheiro difícil, porque no fundo é auto-indulgente, brando, passivo, e por isso resulta ser muito estranho à "vida comum".
Apreciador de seu próprio ambiente, busca o melhor: a segurança, o conforto, a educação dos filhos, a fartura na mesa (não pelo prazer, mas pela sua necessidade). Para ser fiel, busca idealizar à sua companheira, coisa que não o logra sempre, pois suas concepções são muito particulares: fixa sua atenção nos mínimos detalhes, dos quais se queixa.
A mulher de um canceriano necessita aguçar demasiadamente seu talento, flexibilidade e diplomacia, coisas que em verdade são difíceis de se achar. Ademais, a imaginação do nativo de Câncer é tão fértil, que chega a ser, não raro, hipocondríaco, a criar doenças que em verdade só existem em sua imaginação lunar, mas que o faz prostrar-se em convalescênça.
O Homem CancerianoO canceriano nos seus romances é muito exigente, requer e pede muita atenção, o que pode incomodar seu companheiro. São apaixonados,de uma maneira lunar, fria, são esperançosos e temerosos. Sua imaginação lunar os faz muito teatrais e vivem verdadeiramente seus próprios dramas, com suas tristezas e alegrias. Requer muita ternura e a dá com grande cautela, para posteriormente não se sentir ferido. Pode se mostrar teimoso e obstinado como o caranguejo que se esconde em seu caracol, quando sua imaginação o faz ver coisas que não existem, ou o faz vê-las agigantadas, quando são na realidade passageiras.
Enfim, tem caráter exigente para com os demais, de maneira que não pode ter o mesmo gênio que eles.

Como beijam

O canceriano coloca a própria alma no ato de beijar. No momento em que seus lábios se unem à boca da pessoa amada, ele traduz o mais puro romantismo e faz dessa carícia uma verdadeira declaração de amor.

Seus sonhos

Sincero e sensível, você é muito emotivo. Além de ser romântico, é também sonhador. Está sempre rodeado de amigos e pronto a amparar qualquer um que precise de sua ajuda. Seus sonhos mais comuns são os que envolvem crianças e pessoas em dificuldades. Seus desejos amorosos e sexuais costumam ser liberados durante os sonhos.

O comportamento

Em Câncer, é preciso digerir tudo o que foi feito anteriormente, assentar a criação em uma base firme, integrá-la no ambiente coletivo em que todos vivem para que ela possa ser incorporada, e também deixar suas sementes para um futuro que não se conhece ainda. E exatamente isso é que Câncer faz e assim irá agir na vida: interiorizando o que vive, assentando em sua vida o que aprendeu, criando um apoio para as pessoas que considera iguais – e daí criando o conceito de uma família, ou tribo – onde irá gestar e nutrir, acalentando sonhos, o futuro de toda a coletividade.
Instável como as marés, relacionada a este signo, que está sob a regência da Lua, o astro regente, Câncer se move de acordo com seu instinto de proteção, seu sentimento e suas emoções. Essa internalização é que corresponde ao tipo Câncer, que é sonhador, um pouco tímido, ligado no cuidado da prole, preocupado com o futuro, mas com um olho no passado, um signo de silêncio, de auto-proteção, pois a semente precisa estar cercada de cuidados para poder germinar na proteção do escuro, longe dos olhares e dos comentários.
Daí que dizemos que quando um projeto está sendo gestado, é melhor guardar segredo, não expor a notícia ao mundo, aguardando quando ela romper a terra e mostrar seus primeiros galhos verdes. Essa é a natureza Câncer. Para cumprir com essa função, de sentir o que é preciso para garantir a gestação, Câncer se torna ou um eterno sonhador, sedentário e apegado demais à pátria, à família ou às tradições, cheio de manias que considera fundamentais, ou se inibe, tornando-se resignado e melancólico.
Este signo inaugura o segundo processo trifásico dentro do ciclo maior de criação do universo, iniciado em Áries. (O primeiro processo trifásico compreende a ação e manifestação da ideia, que vai de Áries a Gêmeos).

Como se vestem

Corajosamente românticos, os cancerianos são fiéis à moda retrô.
Preferem os tons pastéis, o branco.

PERFUMES PARA O HOMEM DE CÂNCER
O Canceriano gosta do tradicional, mas nem por isso  é sinônimo de que goste de coisas antigas e velhas. A tradição é feita através de suas memórias olfativas de forma que é comum achar um canceriano que só use uma única fragrância. Como também são volúveis quanto ao humor, costumam procurar fragrâncias que demonstrem seu temperamento , provavelmente  nesse sentido escolherá uma fragrância para bom humor e outra para mau humor. Observe que, se ele estiver de mau humor o perfume vai ser o mais agressivo possível. Uma outra característica é sua ligação a fenômenos da natureza e à natureza em si, de forma que eles vão amar algo que lembre mar,terra,campo, madeira e folhas. Para os cancerianos separamos os seguintes perfumes:
Givenchy Gentleman de Givenchy 
Givenchy Gentleman Givenchy Masculino
O perfumista que assina esta fragrância é Paul Leger As notas de topo são Mel, Canela, Bergamota, Rosa, Limão verdadeiro ou siciliano e Estragão as notas de coração são Patchouli ou Oriza, Raíz de Orris ou lírio Florentino, Jasmim e Cedro as notas de fundo são Couro, Âmbar, Patchouli ou Oriza, Almíscar, Musgo de Carvalho, Baunilha, Vetiver e Civeta
Narciso Rodriguez for Him de Narciso Rodriguez
Narciso Rodriguez for Him Narciso Rodriguez Masculino
O perfumista que assina esta fragrância é Francis Kurkdjian A fragrância contém Folha de violeta, Patchouli ou Oriza, Âmbar e Almíscar.
Fleur du Mâle de Jean Paul Gaultier
Fleur du Mâle Jean Paul Gaultier Masculino
O perfumista que assina esta fragrância éFrancis Kurkdjian A nota de topo é Petitgrain a nota de coração é Néroli as notas de fundo são Camomila e Manjericão

Herrera For Men de Carolina Herrera 

Herrera For Men Carolina Herrera Masculino
Herrera For Men foi criado por Rosendo Mateu e Carlos Benaim. As notas de topo são Alecrim, Lavanda, Limão verdadeiro ou siciliano e Néroli as notas de coração são Trevos, Trevo branco e Gerânio as notas de fundo são Sândalo, Tabaco e Ambargris

Safari for Men de Ralph Lauren 
Safari for Men Ralph Lauren Masculino
As notas de topo são Aldeídos, Artemísia, Coentro, Lavanda, Notas verdes, Néroli, Bergamota e Limão verdadeiro ou siciliano as notas de coração são Cyclamen, Cravo, Canela, Estragão, Jasmim e Rosa as notas de fundo são Couro, Sândalo, Âmbar, Patchouli ou Oriza, Almíscar, Musgo de Carvalho e Cedro

The One for Men de Dolce&Gabbana

The One for Men Dolce&Gabbana Masculino
O perfumista que assina esta fragrância é Stefano Gabbana As notas de topo são Coentro, Manjericão e Toranja as notas de coração são Gengibre, Flor de Laranjeira e Cardamomo as notas de fundo são Âmbar, Cedro e Tabaco

Noir de Tom Ford
Noir Tom Ford Masculino
As notas de topo são Bergamota, Verbena, Alcarávia, Pimenta rosa e Violeta as notas de coração são Pimenta preta, Noz-moscada, Íris da Toscana, Gerânio, Rosa búlgara e Sálvia Esclaréia as notas de fundo são Opoponax, Âmbar, Patchouli ou Oriza da Indonésia, Vetiver, Civeta, Baunilha, Styrax, Couro e Benjoin



A Mulher Canceriana

A Lua é um "planeta" nitidamente feminino; portanto, é nesse sexo que as características do signo se encontram mais acentuadas. A sensibilidade da canceriana é realmente agradável: poética, romântica, imaginativa; são laços realmente fascinantes que a muitos homens enlaçam.
Embora sua imaginação a faça sair por vezes da realidade, ao ponto de torná-la errante e volúvel, requer uma grande dose de vontade e realismo para retornar novamente ao caminho reto.
Afora isso, a nativa de Câncer é uma boa espôsa, que pode suprir a seu marido: cuidados, afetos, romances, detalhes e comodidades que têm efeito ao bem-estar da vida conjugal.
Tende, também, a idealizar seu companheiro, que deve ser dotado de atributos e características invejáveis, etc., a tal ponto que se se decepciona, o golpe pode ser verdadeiramente forte; e aos cancerianos isso lhes afeta muito.
A Mulher CancerianaNo entanto, conta com grande, firmeza interna, e saberá usá-la em si mesma, e também em seu companheiro, em casos extraordinários de necessidade. Como mãe, é muito dedicada, e por vezes exagerada. Viver com uma canceriana é viver com uma "Lua variável", no que se necessitará compreender consideravelmente.
Para mulher do signo de câncer, o mais importante é o ambiente doméstico, resultando demasiado carinhoso para com seus filhos; porém, pode haver casos em que um nativo de Câncer contraia matrimônio por pura 'conveniência', mas o que busca na realidade é a segurança, e nada mais que isso.
O capricho lunar lhe imprime maravilhosamente o aspecto maternal, o que se pode notar mesmo nos homens. Como é imaginativo, idealiza muito a seu companheiro, o que pode resultar em grande perigo, já que a única maneira de não desiludir-se é não se iludir.

Como beijam

A canceriana coloca a própria alma no ato de beijar. No momento em que seus lábios se unem à boca da pessoa amada, ele traduz o mais puro romantismo e faz dessa carícia uma verdadeira declaração de amor.

Seus sonhos

Sincera e sensível, você é muito emotiva. Além de ser romântica, é também sonhadora. Está sempre rodeada de amigos e pronto a amparar qualquer um que precise de sua ajuda. Seus sonhos mais comuns são os que envolvem crianças e pessoas em dificuldades. Seus desejos amorosos e sexuais costumam ser liberados durante os sonhos.

O comportamento

Em Câncer, é preciso digerir tudo o que foi feito anteriormente, assentar a criação em uma base firme, integrá-la no ambiente coletivo em que todos vivem para que ela possa ser incorporada, e também deixar suas sementes para um futuro que não se conhece ainda. E exatamente isso é que Câncer faz e assim irá agir na vida: interiorizando o que vive, assentando em sua vida o que aprendeu, criando um apoio para as pessoas que considera iguais – e daí criando o conceito de uma família, ou tribo – onde irá gestar e nutrir, acalentando sonhos, o futuro de toda a coletividade.
Instável como as marés, relacionada a este signo, que está sob a regência da Lua, o astro regente, Câncer se move de acordo com seu instinto de proteção, seu sentimento e suas emoções. Essa internalização é que corresponde ao tipo Câncer, que é sonhador, um pouco tímido, ligado no cuidado da prole, preocupado com o futuro, mas com um olho no passado, um signo de silêncio, de auto-proteção, pois a semente precisa estar cercada de cuidados para poder germinar na proteção do escuro, longe dos olhares e dos comentários.
Daí que dizemos que quando um projeto está sendo gestado, é melhor guardar segredo, não expor a notícia ao mundo, aguardando quando ela romper a terra e mostrar seus primeiros galhinhos verdes. Essa é a natureza Câncer. Para cumprir com essa função, de sentir o que é preciso para garantir a gestação, Câncer se torna ou um eterno sonhador, sedentário e apegado demais à pátria, à família ou às tradições, cheio de manias que considera fundamentais, ou se inibe, tornando-se resignado e melancólico.
Este signo inaugura o segundo processo trifásico dentro do ciclo maior de criação do universo, iniciado em Áries. (O primeiro processo trifásico compreende a ação e manifestação da idéia, que vai de Áries a Gêmeos).

Como se vestem

Corajosamente românticas, as cancerianas são fiéis à moda retrô. Casacos justos com ombreiras, inspirados em Lauren Bacall, roupas vendidas em antiquários - seda, linho, renda - tudo com botões de época, autênticos. Saches perfumados enchem suas gavetas, lencinhos bordados estão sempre em suas bolsas. O perfume é delicado, feminino. Usam colares de pérolas, anéis ou pulseiras de prata antiga que certamente pertenceram a alguma bisavó. Ou um brinquinho de quando eram bebê.
Preferem os tons pastéis, o branco, o lilás, o rosa. Na maquiagem escolhem os enfumaçados que realçam seu ar sonhador e expressivo. Pregas, plissados, bordados, blusas fechadas por broches, meias de seda, o mais puro mohair numa suéter alvíssima. Enfim, tudo que se costuma chamar de convencionalmente feminino, sempre bem comportado. Adoram as rendas pelo seu romantismo; as sedas pela suavidade; as lingeries e os cetins. São capazes de usar camisolas com frufrus e chinelinhos com fitas coloridas.

PERFUMES PARA CANCERIANAS 
Ao contrário do que se diz a mulher canceriana não é tão retrô quando o assunto é perfume. Ela está mais para elegante do que retro. Gosta de delicadeza, sensibilidade e classe. Perfume de canceriana é o típico perfume de mãe, aquele que o filho nunca esquece. Como gostam de usar o tato, elas amam aromas que remetem a macies e suavidade. Para as cancerianas separamos:
Chloe Roses De Chloe de Chloe
Chloe Roses De Chloe Chloe Feminino
As notas de topo são Bergamota, Estragão, Lichia e Limão verdadeiro ou siciliano as notas de coração são Rosa Damascena, Magnólia, Cedro, Maçã, Cassis ou groselha preta e Pêssego as notas de fundo são Almíscar branco, Âmbar e Notas amadeiradas

Les Creations de Monsieur Dior Forever and Ever de Christian Dior
Les Creations de Monsieur Dior Forever and Ever Christian Dior Feminino
Les Creations de Monsieur Dior Forever and Ever foi lançado em 2009. A nota de topo é Frésia a nota de coração é Jasmim a nota de fundo é Tintura de Rosa

Alien Eau Extraordinaire de Thierry Mugler

Alien Eau Extraordinaire Thierry Mugler Feminino
Alien Eau Extraordinaire foi criado por Dominique Ropion e Veronique Nyberg. As notas de topo são Bergamota, Chá, Néroli tunisiano, Limão verdadeiro ou siciliano, Limão tahiti e Laranja as notas de coração são Tiaré, Heliotrópio, Flor de Laranjeira, Pimenta e Ylang Ylang as notas de fundo são Âmbar branco, Cashmeran, Sândalo, Baunilha e Almíscar branco

Terracotta Le Parfum de Guerlain
Terracotta Le Parfum Guerlain Feminino
O perfumista que assina esta fragrância é Thierry Wasser As notas de topo são Bergamota, Côco e Tiaré as notas de coração são Flor de Laranjeira, Jasmim e Ylang Ylang as notas de fundo são Almíscar e Baunilha

Dolce Vita de Christian Dior 
Dolce Vita Christian Dior Feminino
Dolce Vita foi criado por Pierre Bourdon e Maurice Roger. As notas de topo são Lírio, Pêssego, Toranja, Bergamota, Rosa e Cardamomo as notas de coração são Damasco, Magnólia, Lírio, Canela, Heliotrópio e Pau-brasil as notas de fundo são Sândalo, Côco, Baunilha e Cedro

Rose Essentielle de Bvlgari
Rose Essentielle Bvlgari Feminino
O perfumista que assina esta fragrância é Beatrice Piquet As notas de topo são Rosa, Violeta e Amora as notas de coração são Jasmim, Rosa Taif e Mimosa as notas de fundo são Almíscar, Sândalo, Patchouli ou Oriza e Madeira Guaiac

Ange Ou Demon Le Secret de Givenchy 
Ange Ou Demon Le Secret Givenchy Feminino
 As notas de topo são Limão verdadeiro Amalfi, Chá e Oxicoco as notas de coração são Jasmim, Peônia e Vitória Régia as notas de fundo são Notas amadeiradas e Patchouli ou Oriza

Os perfumes e os homens

Recordo-me perfeitamente de quando jovem estudante de teologia, as palavras do Senhor Cónego Orlando nas nossas conversas sobre como um homem se devia apresentar, discreto no vestir, nas palavras e sobretudo no perfume! O seu odor devia ser assim, discreto e que passasse despercebido aos demais que o rodeiam. Sem a mínima dúvida, este sacerdote foi um exemplo para mim do gentleman em todas as aceções da palavra: discreto no gesto, nas palavras, sempre a procurar a palavra certa que não magoasse o seu destinatário e sempre aprumado no vestir.
Mas, aqui discordávamos! O perfume de um homem não tem de ser discreto (óbvio que não tem de ser exasperante nem agoniante), pode impor-se aos que o rodeiam marcando um ambiente e definindo os seus gostos pessoais. Isto porque é um facto que o perfume que escolhemos diz muito do nosso mood e estado de espírito mais que propriamente a distinção habitual que é apresentada verão/inverno ou homem/mulher.
DR

COMO ESCOLHER O PERFUME ADEQUADO PARA CADA UM DE NÓS?

Ter a consciência que a divisão comercial homem/mulher que existe atualmente no mercado nem sempre é “lei”, muitos dos mestres perfumistas e grandes marcas, como a Byredo, acabaram com a distinção de perfumes masculinos e femininos para serem unisexo. Mesmo as matérias-prima dos perfumes como jasmim ou rosas, no ocidente são identificados como sendo de perfumes femininos e no oriente estes mesmos são identificados e usados por homens. Neste sentido, não há como ir experimentar e ver se aquele perfume está mais identificado com o seu olfacto ou estado de espírito. Recordemo-nos que compramos um perfume para nos agradar primeiro que tudo, não agradar outrem.
DR

COMO USAR O PERFUME?

No homem como na mulher, existem pontos de fácil absorção na pele do corpo pela circulação sanguínea como os pulsos ou a zona do pescoço, nuca ou atrás das orelhas. Locais já tradicionais no uso de perfume.
Não misturar aromas nem pensar que o perfume substitui a higiene pessoal, mesmo que seja em quantidade exagerada, a função do perfume não é ser seu substituto e muitas vezes é “pior a emenda que o soneto”.
Se o seu perfume é spray, opte por borrifá-lo pelo corpo numa área aberta, criando uma névoa ao seu redor ajudando a fragrância a se espalhar de maneira uniforme.
Uma pele hidratada ajuda a reter a fragrância por mais tempo. Após o banho, aposte nos hidratantes sem perfume ou, ainda, em uma loção da mesma linha do perfume que pretende usar. Desta maneira, não correrá o risco de misturar odores. Aplique o perfume a, pelo menos, 30 cm de distância do local alvo. Desta forma, exageros e acidentes são evitados.

quarta-feira, 30 de dezembro de 2015

Vince Camuto Capri

por: Sandra Raicevic Petrovic

Vince Camuto lança uma nova fragrância feminina, Vince Camuto Capri, que vem um frasco com a mesma forma das edições anteriores Vince Camuto de 2011, Fiori de 2013 assim como Bella Amore de 2014. O frasco da fragrância Capri é colorido de azul, aludindo ao oceano azul que rodeia a ilha de Capri, enquanto a sua composição interpreta os aromas frios e refrescantes do Mediterrâneo. O gargalo do frasco é decorado com uma fita azul com o pendente Vince Camuto com um emblema em relevo. A caixa apresenta uma ilustração com uma flor azul.  
Capri 
Vince Camuto Capri providencia revigorantes aromas cítricos sobrepostos num bouquê de flor de pêssego e violetas, enriquecido com uma mistura de almíscar e baunilha. Como as brisas do Mediterrâneo, os aromas de Vince Camuto Capri enriquecerão seus sensos e representarão a beleza da ilha de Capri de forma olfativa. 

A fragrância Vince Camuto Capri está disponível em 100 ml Eau de Parfum pelo preço de $82. Pode ser comprada no website oficial Vince Camuto.

Armani Code Profumo

por: Sanja Pekic

Armani Code Profumo surge no início de 2016 como uma nova versão da fragrância masculina Armani Code de 2006 em concentração perfume. É anunciado como um perfume único que possui uma sensualidade selvagem.

As notas de topo de tangerina verde, maçã verde e cardamomo abrem a composição com um vigor especiado. A flor de laranjeira e a lavanda no coração são enriquecidas com noz moscada. A base termina com o calor da fava tonka, do âmbar e do couro.

 
Notas de topo: tangerina, maçã, cardamomo
Coração: flor de laranjeira, lavanda, noz moscada
Base: couro, âmbar, tonka
O ator Chris Pine é o rosto da fragrância. O frasco de design standard é atualizado com cores de bronze e castanho. A fragrância está disponível em 30, 60 e 75 ml Eau de Parfum.

Tradução: Miguel Matos

Mixing perfumes: Art or Sacrilege?

by: Serguey Borisov

Upcycle – to reuse (discarded objects or material) in such a way as to create a product of a higher quality or value than the original.
After at a younger age we tried to mix one of mom’s perfumes with dad’s after shave (one with a distinct mouthwash base note) and got some kind of peculiar smelling liquid, we received some pedagogical feedback from our parents, stood corrected and went for the straight path again. At least, most of us did. But then again, not all of us were taught this way. Like for instance the people of the Arabian Peninsula; they got used to lavishly mixing up to 10 perfumes, smokes and attars right on their skin and clothes, being taught by their elder relatives. Some perfumers went for a classical training and started creating perfumes from oils and synthetics.
And then there’s this Dutch art-project by Erik Maarten Jeroen Zwaga, who mixes perfumes from different brands in order to create some new, perfume-like art form. (I am terribly sorry for the poorly chosen word, of course, not “to mix perfumes” but “to up-cycle perfumes”!) So I contacted Erik to find out more about his beliefs, methods and theories.

Sergey Borisov: Hello Erik, I found your enterprise Le Bienaimé (http://www.lebienaime.com/) very interesting in terms of both contemporary art and art perfumery, so I’d love to ask you some questions.

Erik Maarten Jeroen Zwaga: Thank you for these kind words, and the fact that you consider my work as contemporary art  shows that you understand it.

Sergey Borisov: Please, tell our readers how you came to the idea of mixing & up-cycling perfumes?

Erik Maarten Jeroen Zwaga: In the Benelux countries, I’m considered as the most important perfume critic – for what that’s worth. I have an artistic and journalist background – self-taught. With a friend, I wrote a very commercial book about perfume in the nineties. It was my introduction into the world of beauty, perfume, art, taste and ‘manners’. I had the chance to write about it in various Dutch and Belgian magazines in my own way. My style: I’m not impressed by name and status, I’m more interested what lies behind the world of beauty – and what makes it tick. My fascination with perfume– born at an early age – never fainted, so I started to write a lot about it which resulted in my blog –  www.geurengoeroe.com – this can be freely translated as ‘the pope of perfumes’, my international name.
Erik Maarten Jeroen Zwaga
Sergey Borisov: Why did you choose Le Bienaimé as the name of your enterprise? Is it a luxury or niche brand? What is the price policy for Le Bienaimé products?

Erik Maarten Jeroen Zwaga: I call it ‘artistic refined and re-tuned’. Le Bienaimé reveals my ‘romantic’ feeling towards perfume, and my interest in what a well chosen name combined with a ‘logical’ bottle and a good story can do. It gives wings, a starting point to mesmerize and wonder about the strong message of beauty. The name Le Bienaimé conveys this yearning perfectly, as it was the nickname of Louis XV and the family name of the perfumer responsible for one of the best fragrances ever: Quelques Fleurs from Houbigant.
But to make Le Bienaimé not a boring, cliché, traditional house, I added a ‘political’, contemporary statement. I ‘improved’ the socialist slogan from ‘power to the people’ to ‘perfume to people’. This expresses also my fun view on business – too many brands take themselves too seriously. I add a touch of wit and ‘elegant fun’.

Sergey Borisov: The notion of up-cycling is a very post-modern idea. How did you come to it, and why do you like the idea of creative reusing better than the usual perfume creation process?

Erik Maarten Jeroen Zwaga: Although writing is a creative process – forgotten by more and more journalists these days; as a serious journalist you must seduce the reader in a way, by thoughts, by the way you express them – I began to miss working with my hands. So I moved to Brussels for a change of scenery, to ‘retire’ with my ideas. There, I refined and sharpened my ‘philosophy’ and my thoughts about art and its function: everything has been done already, so why do it again, why create new things while you can do it with existing ‘artifacts’. Today, in my view, the ‘function’ of artists is to ‘reshuffle’ old things, place them in a ‘new’ light, and make people wonder about it and wonder about their own preconceived ideas. One day I decided to do that as well with perfumes.

Sergey Borisov: What are your ingredient materials? Do you have any distinction in commercial EDT, EDP, Extrait de Parfums before making your “melanges magiques” (like, do you prefer niche or luxury, or mass perfumes)? Do you use essential oils, absolutes, synthetic materials and/or bases and Attars in your up-cycling process?
                              
Erik Maarten Jeroen Zwaga: During the last ten years, my attitude towards mixing fragrances has changed enormously. I began purely out of sheer curiosity: what will happen if you start mixing? A whole lot, I’ve found out! My ingredients are regular perfumes that I receive, or buy for half the rate or less from some shop owners. Also on flea markets and in auctions. It’s very interesting to smell what a drop of a pure essence can do to a mass-market fragrance. For instance: I combined a whole lot of summer masculine fragrances made by Calvin Klein, Givenchy and Paco Rabanne, and the name for the result was easily found when I smelt it after three months: Typical Male. Not good, not bad – like most of mainstream fragrances. I was not satisfied. So I split and added rich patchouli (Nobile 1942) and a very cheap aldehyde cologne from Spain that reminds one of Chanel № 5.  The result was amazing: an edgy sharp opening calmly transforming into a warm woody base.

Sergey Borisov: There are some “bad” perfumes, those that people do not like. Some of them feel dated, some of them are of a strange, different taste, and some are just unbalanced. Would they be good “ingredients” for you? Are there any “bad” ingredients for you? Which “ingredients” do you consider “bad”? Is it possible to make something “good” out of “bad” ingredients?

Erik Maarten Jeroen Zwaga: One of my guidelines is: how can I improve a classic concept, but I also go by my amazement why certain ingredients have not been mixed yet. For instance, I mingled different upscale vetiver fragrances. The result: just vetiver. So I called it Veryvetyver. Then I added a galbanum and a fig fragrance to it. Because of that it became different. The new name is VeryVert.
Making something good out of something bad is the most difficult challenge. I always have in my atelier different bottles that I fill with 2 or 3 ml samples. In one bottle I add only rose fragrances, in another one oriental fragrances and so on. Other bottles are filled at random - which lately resulted in a beautiful soft sandalwood composition that I called Santal Imprévu.
Sergey Borisov: What are your conceptual relations with your ingredient materials?

Erik Maarten Jeroen Zwaga: Interesting question: I’m very attracted to the “battle” of classic, vintage and modern chypres. So now I’m trying to mingle them, hoping to create the best chypre perfume ever and I will present it in a huge bottle adorned with a lot of different perfume stoppers and will make it ‘the most expensive fragrance of the world’. Meaning it should always be one euro more expensive then the most expensive perfume at that moment. I hope that someone who understands the idea, a museum or a modern art lover, will buy it.

Sergey Borisov: I mean – do you like them? Do you love them?

Erik Maarten Jeroen Zwaga: I think I have a conceptual relationship with perfume in general – the imaginary power it can evoke. For me, perfumes are a way of communicating, and with my work I show that you can perceive the world differently. Perfume can be more than a nice juice in a bottle. A good name or expression makes a perfume even more interesting I think. I’m working with a line for my introduction in Paris called P = Perfume. The unusual names make it interesting at forehand I think: Procure, Pro deo, Prodigal, Profane, Profiligate, Profit, Proforma, Profusion, Pro patria, Prophecy, Propitious, Protocol, Prototype.

Sergey Borisov: Do you like some “ingredients” more than the others? Do you use absolutes, oils, bases or molecules in your creation process?

Erik Maarten Jeroen Zwaga: I love every ingredient material just because they smell or stink – I consider it as a kind of miracle that nature can produce this (even with humans). One of my favorite ingredients is galbanum and scented pea. Mostly I use existing perfumes, and sometimes I combine them with absolutes and oils. It’s an interesting process: with one drop of essential oil you can enhance a cheap perfume. I’m still busy with a vanilla fragrance that has to smell sweaty and rough instead of the sweet and rhum-like cliche – I added too much coriander oil. It’s not refined, but ugly in a way, and needs some extra work.

Sergey Borisov: Do you believe that “ingredient materials” are perfect – or intrinsically imperfect and need to be improved?

Erik Maarten Jeroen Zwaga: It depends on the quality. Sometimes you smell jasmine that isn’t jasmine to me. White musk can be horrible and sometimes perfect – it depends also on the temperature and season in which you smell it.

Sergey Borisov: Do you wear fragrances non-mixed and do you enjoy wearing them?

Erik Maarten Jeroen Zwaga: Mostly for analyzing fragrances for my perfume blog: www.geurengoeroe.com. When you work so much with perfumes like I do, you easily get bored. But then sometimes one new fragrance makes you wonder again why certain ingredients of perfume families work so well? I had it recently with lily of the valley. It’s in my head. So now I’m thinking: how would it smell during winter, can it smell cold and icy? So that brings me to a new idea: the four seasons… how does a flower smell during spring, summer, autumn and winter. The last fragrance I wore alone was Cuir by Mona di Orio – I was going to a social event. I overdosed it, just to see if people would react.

Sergey Borisov: What is your creative process? Could you describe it: what`s the idea that sparks the start, and how do you develop it? Is it possible to re-create your perfumes later?

Erik Maarten Jeroen Zwaga: A creative process can have different sparks. Now I’m developing a new series called ‘Pornification of Society, Pornification of Perfume’. This is my comment towards the boring marketing idea that sex sells. In my perception it doesn’t. Some names: Come Again?, Fake It, Second Night Stand, Take A Shower First.
But I’m also creating perfumes led by ingredients. Currently one perfume store sells my line ‘Les Eaubades’, conceived especially for them. A ‘commercial’ line from my one piece series Les Eaubades in which I pay tribute to classic perfume houses by using their niche and mass-market fragrances. The Hermès work is called Hermjesty, The Dior is called Riod, the Guerlain is called Guerlainissimo!
About the development process: I recently bought a 15 ml extract of Jicky Guerlain. I have a friend who almost starts crying when I talk about my new sacrilege. So I thought: wouldn’t it be interesting to make classic, ‘heritage’ fragrances more daring by just adding civet, or more contemporary by just adding oud.
No, I can’t recreate my perfumes. Never. That’s the idea, to enjoy the ‘fleeting’ moment of a perfume in a real, pure way.
Sergey Borisov: Do you align your “perfume ingredients” by their main themes, or by brands, or by mood, in order to compose an up-cycled perfume out of them?

Erik Maarten Jeroen Zwaga: By brands and by themes alike. For another niche perfume shop in Amsterdam I made ‘A Week In Fragrance’. For every day of the week a perfume that is based upon a popular perfume family. Thursday is called Ambracadabra – a mixture of amber fragrances mingled with an animalic touch. Saturday is called Green Washing – a mixture of classic green fragrances. Sunday is called PS or Perfume State – my attempt to recreate the lost Opium Yves Saint Laurent.

Sergey Borisov: Some of your perfumes consist of as much as 51 or even 72 “ingredients”! Those are huge numbers! How do you manage to understand the smell of such a heavy mix and improve it?

Erik Maarten Jeroen Zwaga: These perfumes I don’t improve: the result of the assemblage makes the perfume. If the bottle is full, the perfume is ready. I found out that ‘bad’ fragrances really don’t exist. The result of any mixed composition is always a fragrance – you like it or you don’t. You can distinguish this very well in eau de colognes, high end, low end: you get cologne. I know a shop owner who sells Neroli Portofino by Tom Ford (one of the most creative perfume brands) as a modern 4711 Kolnisch wasser. 

Sergey Borisov: Does it make a difference to you using a modern or a vintage formulation in your ingredient material?

Erik Maarten Jeroen Zwaga: It really depends; for example, for the recreation of Opium I mingled: Barynia Helena Rubinstein (vintage), Cinnabar Estée Lauder (vintage), Ispahan Yves Rocher (vintage), Jasmin Noir Bvlgari, JHL Aramis, Le Baiser du Dragon Cartier (extract), Tom Ford Noir, Opium Yves Saint Laurent (vintage extract), Terracotta Le Parfum Guerlain.
Sergey Borisov: Why would you recreate the true vintage Opium YSL using the true vintage perfume of Opium YSL? Why don’t you just enjoy the true vintage perfume?

Erik Maarten Jeroen Zwaga: I had only 10 ml of the extract… so it needed some addition. And this project was a good way to find out how oriental notes work in general. How would patchouli, amber and carnation work together? There`s one very funny company in Holland that sells fragrance copies. Alien’s copy is named Strange, the J’Adore clone became I Love It, and the Opium clone was named Opus. This last one is a good base (€ 6,99 for 100 ml) for an oriental up-cycle perfume, a sticky and overly sweet patchouli. Besides that: what triggers me the most is still how to make exiting perfumes from existing perfumes. By the way, one client who bought Perfume State (my Opium version) preferred mine above the classic Opium.

Sergey Borisov: Did you present your up-cycled perfume creations to the brand’s art-directors or the perfume-creators? What were the brands/perfumers’ reactions to your up-cycling their perfume creations?

Erik Maarten Jeroen Zwaga: Yes, I did. But very low key still. I want to‘re-launch’ my brand next year.
Some people from the brands didn’t understand it, some understood the artistic approach. What some of them don’t like is that they believe I ‘rape’ classic fragrances, they see it as an insult; they don’t like the fact that I ‘demystify’ the ‘fairy tale’ image of the industry. Others like it and are willing to help me to get my brand known in Paris.
Sergey Borisov: What is your price policy and how is the business going?

Erik Maarten Jeroen Zwaga: I’m going to change it. Besides my expensive line (€ 3.00 for 1 ml) I want to launch a more consumer friendly priced line. I believe that my approach toward perfume is also interesting for a broader audience, an audience without any real perfume experience – 90 %, I think – but that can see my perfumes more as a part of design and lifestyle.  
Most of the perfumes are liked and disliked for the wrong reasons. My goal is as well to let people find their favourite kind of scent – free from marketing and publicity tools. And that’s a fun way to spend your free time, it gives you a goal. The perfect example is my brother in law. I presented to my friends and family a lot of fragrances I received from different brands. He was one of the few, who returned them with some questions. Together we found out that he liked leather scents. Since then he is a happier person, because like he said: every morning I wake up and can choose out of four/five leathers – what a fine day to start. Recently he told me he had bought a new one and could explain with the right words why he likes it. This should happen to everyone!
The business is going well but can go better. We’re still in a crisis so people tend to play safe. But it’s so much fun when someone is smitten by it. Recently a DJ from Chicago bought three of my fragrances in Amsterdam and was so enthusiastic. Because of him, two other Americans bought some of them online. That gives energy.
But it’s still a lot of work to convince perfume store owners that my line specially made for them is really exclusive and one of a kind. For instance, if a shop in St. Petersburg or Moscow is interested, I would build a small collection around a Russian theme. The perfumes are good, but the given names make them even more special. For instance, ‘Вешние воды’ (Veshnie vody) - a short story by Turgenev is a beautiful name for a green spring like fragrance.
Interesting is also that I don’t get much media coverage in the glossies: journalists are afraid that it might conflict with the advertisers. And they don’t know – like most of their colleagues – how perfumes work. They use ‘like’, ‘beautiful’, ‘exceptional’ without explaining what it means according to them. They are more interested in the story, the new top model, the photographer – just the lifestyle blah-blah-blah. And that’s interesting, because the classic houses emphasize now more and more on craftsmanship and their experience. As Geurengoeroe I’m asked more and more by brands to get their managers to think out of the box, to promote perfume in another way – knowledge combined with fun.
 
Sergey Borisov: You probably have heard of so-called “millefleurs”, which are the mixed fragrant trials of a perfumer’s creative work for big perfume houses. They usually discard it as chemical waste, with the help of some companies specialized in chemical mixtures. Could you suggest some creative up-cycling for these complex fragrant mixtures?
                  
Erik Maarten Jeroen Zwaga: Yes, I know about it. I call my own ‘wastes’ millionfleurs. In this light, I’m intrigued by the idea to improve, with or without a real perfumer, fragrances that didn’t convince the customer. Like all those ‘smells as’ fragrances you can buy for a tenth of the ‘official price’, but then in a reversed way: ‘Made by xx, improved by Le Bienaimé.


Sergey Borisov: From what I gather, the up-cycling perfume project Le Bienaimé is part of a bigger project of yours. Could you tell us about it?

Erik Maarten Jeroen Zwaga: This is the smallest luxury group of the world (and are my initials, you could visit my web-site http://www.emjz.com/), in a reference to the greatest luxury group LVMH. Here, I conceive new brands in different fields and they will exist as long as I want. There are some up-cycled porcelain and crystal, clothes and bags, furniture etc. The newest brand to be added soon: you can hire me as Sir Silly as the alternative for Lady Gaga. My house rule: everything has been done in the world of art and design. So it’s a matter of re-arranging ‘artifacts' to shed a new light on them, to present them in a different light and make people think about it. I don’t call it recycle but up-cycle.

I would have expressed my opinion on Erik's concepts and the fragrances themselves - however, I have not had a chance to try them. I would like to know your opinion regarding this postmodern approach: are you "in the mix" or not?