Sunday This and That - New Fragrances Abound

It many be slow on the makeup front, but new fragrances are popping up every day. Even though I have enough perfume to take me to the grave, I want so many new (and old) fragrances, I think I qualify for the word "addiction."

ME is a new fragrance from Lanvin. A completely original creation designed by Alber Elbaz, ME is a Lanvin accessory - refined and sophisticated in every detail. Created for the self-confident and empowered woman (no meek gals need apply, I guess), the sheer gourmand eau de parfum opens with notes of sparkling blueberry "for a bright and addictive sensuality. The voluptuous white floral heart is hyper-feminine and elegant, while magnetic liquorice black wood leaves a sensual and addictive trail." That description attracts me, so I'll have to dash into Nordstrom this week to catch a whiff.

Diptyque's latest is Eau Moheli is a unisex floral woody musk fragrance I'd like to try, although the presence of patchouli scares me. The nose behind this fragrance is Olivier Pescheux. The fragrance features floral notes, ylang-ylang, patchouli, pink pepper, ginger, vetiver, benzoin, and incense. I'd like a sample, which I might be able to get from SPACE NK or Beautyhabit.

Tom Ford's anticipated Sahara Noir has arrived at counters. As I expected, it's not a fragrance for me (I have a very nice sample, courtesy of Dustin Lujan), but I'll bet it's amazing on men. Inspired by the mystery and luxury of the Middle East,Sahara Noir evokes the untamed beauty of the Arabian Peninsula - Tom Ford’s ode to the enchanting power of one of the land’s most ancient and treasured ingredients: frankincense, a precious desert resin. If you want to think about fragrance for Father's Day, your dad might like this. The guys who are into fragrance sure do.

I need to get my hands on Tommi Sooni's new Passerelle, sold at Luckyscent. "There are perfumes that smell like flowers, and then there is Passerelle, a gorgeous, plush fragrance that captures the incandescent bouquet of an entire summer garden. With the exotic aromas of Australian blossoms artfully interwoven with the more familiar scents of jasmine, rose, mimosa, and honeysuckle, this perfume weaves an entrancing spell from the moment it is applied. The delicate flowers bloom in the heat of the Australian sun, their aromas visibly shimmering, perfuming the air we breathe. The flowers are there, yes; but also the underlying scents of stems and leaves to remind us of how those blooms are born."

Passerelle has its roots firmly planted in French perfumery, and we're told it shows in the richness of its composition. It is elegant, feminine, exceptionally beautiful, and provides the full sensory experience that only truly masterful perfumes can accomplish. Wit h notes of jasmine, tea tree, myrtle, boronia, silver wattle (mimosa), yellow rose, honeysuckle, wintersweet, golden trumpet, Australian sandalwood, and petigrain, I'm so there. I love Tommi Sooni's fragrances, and Passarelle has gone on my buy list.

I'd also like to get a whiff of Mona di Orio's new Eau Absolue. As you know, she tragically died, but her house lives on, and this new fragrance has attracted lots of attention.

Eau Absolue is a memoir steeped in her love for the Mediterranean. Composed in her signature olfactory chiaroscuro construction, the scent envelopes with warmth, bringing a summer breeze with a zesty bouquet of bergamot, mandarin, clementine, and petitgrain. The cirtruses splash against the epicurean spice of pink peppercorn.

The scent dries down with earth, but softly floral, with whispers of geranium, dry vetiver, and balsamic St. Thomas bay leaf. "The nocturnal shade intensifies, arching ever deeper, until plunging directly into a caress of cistus labdanum, the ambry smell of the Mediterranean, and sensual musk, an elegant and intoxicating denouement. Eau Absolue - Les Nombres d’Or Notes." Mona's fragrances have always been complex, and I'm sure Eau Absolue is too. Still, I want to try it.

I'm making my way through the Luckyscent sample pack of an exciting new niche house is based in Argentina. Fueguia 1833 Patagonia Laboratorio de Perfumes was founded in 2010 by Julian Bedel and Amalia Amoedo. Bedel, the in-house perfumer, comes from a line of naturalists and has continued the tradition by identifying new native species to use in his art. One of the aspects that makes Fueguia 1833 so special is its use of ingredients native to South America. While Bedel does use classic components from the European tradition, he combines them with native species sourced in South America, harvested by local communities under sustainable projects and distilled under his supervision. In addition to unusual ingredients, Fueguia 1833 has a unique sensibility, drawing inspiration from the culture and history of Patagonia (as the territory including Argentina and Chile was dubbed by early explorers). Bedel has developed scents inspired by the music, literature, and history of the region, and is especially fascinated by the voyage of Charles Darwin and the time he spent in Patagonia.

Bedel describes his scents using the concept of the atom, as opposed to the model of a pyramid. Instead of referring to top, middle, and bottom notes, Bedel envisions the primary note as the nucleus and other prominent notes as electrons, orbiting around the nucleus. Although there may be as many as a hundred components in a particular formula, Bedel limits his descriptions to three major notes. The first note listed will be the central “nucleus” of the fragrance. Each fragrance comes in a recyclable glass bottle in a hand-made wooden box, crafted from wood from fallen trees. So far, I've put several on my buy list.

What's enticing you these days? Do you wear and enjoy fragrances? If you do, you  might want to join one of the Facebook groups dedicated to our love of fragrance. The largest one to which I belong is Facebook Fragrance Friends. You can go there and request membership.

Photos and some descriptions courtesy of the makers or Luckyscent