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In the 18th century, in Parma, Italia, there was fine printer and typographer named Giambattista Bodoni -- his work was called by many of his time and since, as the exemplar of sophistication in design. Beautiful books, exquisite typefaces, amazing sense of airiness and restraint. The type of our masthead is custom designed and hand-drawn by Tim Girvin and his team in NYC | Seattle, creating a perfection on the classics from centuries past, to a new revised and refined titling treatment -- just for us! Sniffapalooza Magazine Banner by Tim Girvin. Sniffapalooza logo/banner: Bond No. 9 is a registered trademark of Laurice & Co. ©2008
All rights reserved 2006-2009. All content belongs to Sniffapalooza Magazine. All articles by individual writers and contributors, understand and agree that each article that is accepted by the Editor for publication; becomes the property of Sniffapalooza Magazine for the sole purpose of publication for Sniffapalooza Magazine. Articles may be archived for permanent use on the web site for Sniffapalooza Magazine and for future issues.
All articles remain the property of Sniffapalooza Magazine for display purposes only. Sniffapalooza Magazine is independently owned and operated by Raphaella Barkley.
Sniffapalooza Magazine is independently owned and operated by Raphaella Barkley.
Raphaella Brescia Barkley
Editor In Chief of Sniffapalooza Magazine
Sniffapalooza Magazine was founded and created by Raphaella Brescia Barkley out of love and passion of fragrance.
She formed the popular international on-line fragrance site in early 2006 after joining the Sniffapalooza organization in 2005.
Under her direction as Editor In Chief, Sniffapalooza Magazine's contributors garnered TWO nominations in the TOP FIVE of The Fragrance Foundation
and the 2009 Fifi Awards finalists in the category of Editorial Excellence in Fragrance Coverage 2009 Blog over selections from perfume blogs
from around the country. The Editorial Excellence in Fragrance Coverage Blog category is an historic and appreciative gesture on the part of The Fragrance Foundation for the quality work on online fragrance blog sites, legitimizing some as editorial vehicles. To see the Top Five, view here.
A former model, beauty queen and professional ballet dancer, Ms. Barkley also has a business background that includes experience in marketing,
fundraising and event management. She served as Artistic and Executive Director for two successful major arts organizations; working
with international ballet super stars with primary responsibility for all event productions. She was also responsible for all fund raising/grant
writing in excess of $500,000 and for all event management, including overseeing 100 volunteers. Raphaella is also a former teacher who
owned three studios; was artistic director of two professional ballet companies and a choreographer who directed musicals, television
commercials and was personal manager to dancers from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. After retiring from the performing arts world,
she became the General Manager of a boutique historical hotel in a ski-resort.
Passionately involved in fragrance, Raphaella has spent the past few years researching and studying fragrance before joining Sniffapalooza.
She currently has a fragrance library of around 400 fragrances of which she blames her grandmother. View "Couer de Fleur...Heart of the Flower" here.
After discovering Guerlain, Caron, Creed, Bond No. 9, and many truly artistic niche fragrances, Raphaella gave away all of her "mass commercial"
fragrances to her little sister. Other interests involve collecting Raphaella's Roses and rose fragrances. She is currently also in the process of
re-discovering classic and iconic fragrances, mass luxury fragrances and wishes her little sister would
give back all her old perfumes.
Raphaella is also the new Contributor for Beauty Fashion Magazine, a national industry beauty magazine featuring her new column,
Raphaella believes that fragrance is an art form, magical and healing. She still stops to smell the roses.
Sniffapalooza Magazine is independently owned and operated by Raphaella Barkley.
October 15 thru November, 2009
In this special issue; our biggest yet, we feature an Exclusive Sniffapalooza Magazine Interview with Francis Kurkdjian, Owner and Perfumer of Maison Francis Kurkdjian By Cristiane Gonçalves. Maison Francis Kurkdjian's new line will premiere at Bergdorf Goodman next week just for Sniffapalooza. We announce that Robert Piguet's Futur will premiere at Bergdorf Goodman during the Sniffapalooza Fall Ball and we feature the news here with a mini Interview with Perfumer Aurélien Guichard, we feature a Sniffapalooza Magazine Interview with Gérald Ghislain of Histoires de Parfums as he discusses with us first, his new launches later this fall that will be featured at Takashimaya NY. You saw it here first at Sniffapalooza Magazine; Creed Unveils SUBLIME VANILLE, the latest fragrance part of the new Royal Exclusives, Fashion Designer Josie Natori will be appearing at Sniffapalooza Fall Ball and we have an interview as well as TWO reviews of her spectacular new fragrance; Natori. The first review is titled "An Alchemical Scent: Natori" a new fragrance review By Christine Lewandowski and the second viewpoint is by Victoria Austin with her new review of " The Ying and Yang of Woman: NATORI EAU DE PARFUM". Michael Davis features a new fragrance review of the new Bond No. 9 Andy Warhol, Success is a Job in New York, "Smells Like Success" and Interview with the fabulous Laurice Rahmé, Bond No. 9 Founder and CEO.
MAISON GUERLAIN, Les Elixirs Charnels announces a new Guerlain Fragrance: BOISÉ TORRIDE.
Guerlain BOISÉ TORRIDE will premiere at Bergdorf Goodmans during Sniffapalooza's Fall Ball. We feature a new fragrance review; CREED Acqua Fiorentina A Nouveau Renaissance By Victoria Austin, a new fragrance review Acqua di Parma Magnolia Nobile:The Notable Beauty of a Noble Flowery Fragrance By Cristiane Gonçalves, New Fragrance Review LOVE AS ETERNAL AND TENDER AS SPRINGTIME: 3 FLEURS by Parfum d’Empire By Suzanne Keller, Juliet by Juliet Stewart New Fragrance Review By Victoria Austin. We move on to Annick Goutal A Tuscan Journey Eau d’Hadrien, A Rose is a Rose is a Rose…Unless it’s Andy Tauer’s Une Rose Chyprée; new review By Victoria Austin, RAINY DAYS AND AMOUAGE DIA POUR FEMME Fragrance Review By Suzanne Keller, LIKE TOURING THE ROOMS OF A GARDEN Estée Lauder Private Collection Jasmine White Moss Parfum By Suzanne Keller and Like A Night In Arabia; Amouage Ubar Fragrance Review By Suzanne Keller.
We also feature PARFUM D’EMPIRE 3 FLEURS and WAZAMBA, NIGHTSCAPE New Fragrance by Ulrich Lang New York which will premiere at Aedes de Venustas during Fall Ball, we feature products from Lafco New York, Takashimaya New York Ineke's Latest Fragrance Field Notes From Paris and we feature an article " Field Notes from Paris" By Bill O'Such,
Ajne's Perfume Pendants, Sniffapalooza visits Krigler Perfumery at the Plaza New York City and we finish with For The Men...Perfumes of the Land and Sea; Part Three with Men's Fragrance World Premiere Review of Gravel
Fragrance For Men By Dr. John King.
Finally, back by popular demand, we offer we offer a haunting and compelling article titled Scents My Sister Loved; Essays By Mark David Boberick that originally appeared in our last issue as well as Real Men Wear Leather by Michael Davis and other articles
that appeared in our most recent issue of October 1.
This issue is dedicated to all of the incredible and amazing writers, old and new, who dedicate their time freely contributing to Sniffapalooza Magazine. This Magazine would not be possible without them.
Our spectacular back issues have won rave reviews and each issue is full of fascinating interviews, fragrance reviews articles and much more.
Interview with Francis Kurkdjian
Owner and Perfumer;
Maison Francis Kurkdjian
By Cristiane Gonçalves
Francis Kurkdjian opened recently his new House, the Maison Kurkdjian in September, 7th, 2009, a memorable occasion when a beautiful dream came true - the dream of a very talent perfumer and composer in opening his house - an invitation to his world of fragrant Arts, his Maison as the genuine meaning of the word, as he naturally and splendidly says:
“I chose to add the word “Maison” (house) before my name. It is not stylistic concept but rather a way to express what I believe”. A house has soul and history, inhabitants and friends and sometimes children. All those emotions derived from “home” join together under this word and animate my dream: to create as my greatest happiness the ability to inspire even little pleasures for others” (1)
I am far from the Parisien Rue D’Alger, n. 5 – the new address of Maison Kurkdjian, however I would have the pleasure of feeling the doors opened to his artistic world in this interview, coming into there and, much more, be inspired one more time by a dedicated and visionary artist of the scents whose perfumes always captured my fragrant tastes. As always, Francis Kurkdjian is very spontaneous and captivating – fascinating virtues, mainly, to work with emotions, people and fragrances, besides, as a real gentleman and sensitive soul demonstrates he is an artist whose passionate enthusiasm and discipline in the métier is to bring beauty, harmony and joy to the world.
I warmly welcome Francis Kurkdjian and you, dear reader, with one more amazing interview at Sniffapalooza Magazine. – Cristiane Gonçalves
CG: If you should define yourself fragrantly and in some words, which is the scent behind Francis Kurkdjian that evokes who you really are?
FK: There have been no scents to date that are me or represent perfectly who I am and what I feel. I guess since I have been a perfumer, I am running after the perfect scent and fragrance knowing it does not really exist. This is why I keep creating, working and searching even though Le Male by Jean Paul Gaultier, the very first fragrance I have created is a huge success. After a few years within the industry, I noticed that perfumers were claiming that perfume is an art form but beside commercial works...more
Sniffapalooza Magazine's with Francis Kurkdjian By Cristiane Gonçalves as he talks to us first about his new line Maison Francis Kurkdjian.
April 15, 2009
In this special issue, we feature The Perfume of the Wind: An Interview With Jean-Claude Ellena with an Introduction by Michel Roudnitska By Michelyn Camen.
We also feature Niche, Nicher, Nichest: In Two Verses featuring interviews with Ralf Schwieger, Andy Tauer, Antonia Bellanca, Ron Robinson, Ulrich Lang, Gerald Ghislain, Beth Terry, Maria McElroy and Liz Zorn,
By Michelyn Camen, Roxana Villa’s Vespertina, An Illuminated Perfume by Trish Vawter and Hilde Soliani Parfums: A Collection That Commands The Spotlight By Felicia M. Hazzard.
We feature a new fragrance review; Parfums MDCI Peche Cardinal By Diane Artzberger, Sue Phillips and Bloomingdale's Presents Exclusive Custom Perfume Event at Roosevelt Field, NY, SNIFFAPALOOZA UND DIE 1. DEUTSCHE DUFTMESSE IN DÜSSELDORF in German or Sniffapalooza and the First German Fragrance Fair in Dusseldorf By Manuela Pfannes-Völkel, Scents in the City: Fragrance: The Plaza Beauty Store by Warren Tricomi By Michelyn Camen and we close with Living Perfume: The Natural Alchemy of Mandy Aftel at Henri Bendel.
Jean-Claude Ellena
May 1, 2009
The Fragrance Foundation and the 2009 Fifi Awards recently announced the
Top Five finalists in the category of Editorial Excellence in Fragrance Coverage 2009 Blog. Sniffapalooza Magazine garnered TWO nominations in the TOP FIVE finalists in the category of Editorial Excellence in Fragrance Coverage 2009 Blog over selections from perfume blogs from around the country! In this issue of Sniffapalooza Magazine you can NOW VOTE in the FiFi Awards "Favorite Fragrances of 2009" in all Top 8 categories for men and women. The Fragrance Foundation presents the famous FiFi Awards, the 'Oscars' of the fragrance industry.
We also feature "Perfumes in Dialogue with One Another" By Elena Vosnaki,
"London Calling; Czech and Speake No. 88 & Frankincense and Myrrh" Fragrance Reviews For The Men by Mark David Boberick, "Fracas; For The Woman Who's Smokin' Hot" By Suzanne Keller, Ormonde Jayne Special Sniffapalooza Magazine Champaca Offer, "Calè Fragranze d'Autore; Perfume: The Embodiment of a Story" By Bettina d'Onofrio, Bond-No. 9 offers a Mother’s Day Raffle, Verveine by Molinard offers a Mother's Day Charity Event with Sniffapalooza, "Cherry Blossom; The Peace And Quiet Of An Earthly Existence" By Felicia M. Hazzard, Diptyque’s New Fragrance L’Eau de Tarocco and osMoz.com offers a collection of olfactory exploration kits called "Les coulisses du parfum". We close this issue with "Raphaella's Roses" Part Three.
Sniffapalooza Magazine garnered TWO nominations in the
TOP FIVE finalists in the category of Editorial Excellence in Fragrance Coverage 2009 Blog!
The Fragrance Foundation and the 2009 Fifi Awards recently announced the Top Five finalists in the category of Editorial Excellence in Fragrance Coverage 2009 Blog. Sniffapalooza Magazine garnered TWO nominations in the TOP FIVE finalists in the category of Editorial Excellence in Fragrance Coverage 2009 Blog over selections from perfume blogs from around the country! The Editorial Excellence in Fragrance Coverage Blog category is an historic and appreciative gesture on the part of The Fragrance Foundation for the quality work on online fragrance blog sites, legitimizing them as editorial vehicles. If you have not seen our two "Top Five" articles that the Fifi panelists chose, you can view the full articles here in their entirety. This is truly a honor for us.
Congratulations to Sniffapalooza Magazine for being in the Top Five in the FiFi Award Nominations that were chosen for this historical award nomination. A sincere heartfelt thanks to the Fragrance Foundation and FiFi Awards. See all the nominations Fifi Awards here at www.fifiawards.org.
Sniffapalooza Magazine
Sniffapalooza Magazine
October 1, 2009
In this issue of Sniffapalooza Magazine we feature a fascinating Interview with International Fragrance Designer extraordinaire Raymond Matts , Interview with Christopher Chong; Creative Director of House of Amouage by Cristiane Gonçalves, we offer "Creed Acqua Fiorentina: Painting Plums And Carnations In The Fresh Garden of Tuscany" a New Fragrance Review By Cristiane Gonçalves, we feature an Exclusive Sniffapalooza Magazine Interview with Juliet Stewart as she talks about her new fragrance and we are proud to announce the World Premiere of a New Fragrance Review "Juliet by Juliet Stewart" By Suzanne Keller
We share with you the Sniffapalooza Fall Ball schedule of events for the upcoming event in New York City,We welcome back Michael Davis with his review and interview with Kilian Hennessy of "Back to Black, Aphrodisiac By Kilian; Sealed with a Kiss", we offer a haunting and compelling article titled "Scents My Sister Loved; Essays By Mark David Boberick" and we share with you the new Guerlain Idylle created by Guerlain's Thierry Wasser.
Victoria Austin covers "Classic Elegance for Any Generation: Estée Lauder Private Collection, Jasmine White Moss Parfum Fragrance Review", Interview with Gustavo Pinha, House of Creed from Bergdorf Goodman's, New York City, Real Men Wear...Leather by Michael Davis and we give a warm welcome back to Dr. John King in his series "Perfumes of the Land and Sea, Part Two" as he features masculine fragrances.
Amouage offers EPIC, Creed announces the opening of an exclusive boutique in New York City celebrating its 250 Anniversary, three new fragrances from La Prairie; Life Threads: Silver, Gold and Platinum, a new release; Le Secret d'Iris Perfume Precieux, an interview with Perfumer Gerald Dubose and we feature Prince Harvey's AGELESS™ Perfume and Eau Flirt perfume.
September 8, 2009
In this issue of Sniffapalooza Magazine we feature an in-depth and fascinating Interview with Marian Bendeth; Global Fragrance Expert and owner of Sixth Scents, a must read for any perfumista or anyone interested in the industry. In this interview, you will be able to read and explore thoughts that no one has ever discussed on the Internet or anywhere. It is truly groundbreaking and we welcome Marian Bendeth with utmost respect for her lifelong and considerable knowledge.
We welcome a new contributor/fragrance writer and I am proud to announce, a future collaboration with Cristiane Gonçalves from Brazil who will also be featuring exclusive upcoming interviews with international Perfumers and exclusive reviews of fragrances for Sniffapalooza Magazine. Cristiane Gonçalves starts this issue with a review of "Gump’s Baroque Pearl: The Birth Of A Fragrant Jewel " with a mini-interview with award-winning Master Perfumer Olivier Gillotin from the
legendary fragrance house of Givaudan.
Next, we feature upcoming “Arabian Nights” PURE OUD by Kilian and "London Sniffapalooza" by Divina Alexiou who will also be joining Sniffapalooza Magazine. To end summer, we offer two beautiful reviews of "An Eclispe of Beauty Over Darkness"; Frederic Malle Editions de Parfums UNE ROSE and "A Door to Another World; Serge Lutens Tubéreuse Criminelle by contributor Suzanne Keller and new fragrance, L’Humaniste for men by P. Frapin & Cie. We introduce the new Yves Rocher Tendre Jasmin and Sniffapalooza Magazine is the first to announce the sneak peak of Fragrant Memories: Introducing Bare Skin, the first fragrance from Leslie Blodgett Perfume Diaries from
CEO of Bare Escentuals & Bare Minerals.
Master Perfumer Olivier Gillotin
Marian Bendeth
August 20, 2009
In this issue of Sniffapalooza Magazine we feature "Scents for a Sultry Summer"
By Elena Vosnaki, we introduce the new Creed Acqua Fiorentina, Bond No. 9 Andy Warhol Success is a Job in New York, Bond No. 9 Perfume, the new Bond No. 9 Harrods for Him and Her as well as the Harrods Swarovski Limited Edition. We feature the new Estée Lauder Private Collection JASMINE WHITE MOSS, the new Acqua di Parma Magnolia Nobile, new fragrance from designer JOSIE NATORI, Giorgio Armani IDOLE d’Armani fragrance review by Emmanuelle Pagès, Jovoy Custom Perfume Experience at PXA By Diane Artzberger, Profumi del Forte Review By Diane Artzberger and new fragrance QUEEN by Queen Latifah. We are pleased to present an Interview with Perfumer Lissa Liggett of LISSA LIGGETT Perfumes, Hanae Mori Parfums support of "Pink Initiatives" this Fall, the 8th scent of “L’Oeuvre Noire” Back To Black By Kilian, new Fragrance from Parfums DelRae Mythique and a link to view my new column in Beauty Fashion Magazine called "San Francisco Beat". We will be gearing up for Fall soon and will feature many upcoming reviews and interviews.
Erwin Creed
June 24, 2009
In this issue of Sniffapalooza Magazine we feature an interview with Roja Dove By Diane Schofield from London, Capri and Carthusia: An Awakening And Journey Of The Senses By Joanne Mooney, In Fiore's Fleurs Blanches and Rose Noir; Fragrance Review By Trish Vawter, Andy Tauer Perfumes announces his new Mémorables Une rose chyprée, Edelweiss; A Fragrance Review by Victoria Austin, Persona by Profumo.it/ La Via del Profumo and Lentisque by 06130 Zéro Six Cent-Trente Reviews by Elena Vosnaki, Neil Morris Fragrances has ten new scents from his Vault Fragrance line and offers a special discount and we offer Back to "Haute Parfumerie“ Guerlain By Emmanuelle Pagès.
Avery Gilbert's book "What The Nose Knows" was nominated for the Royal Society Prize for Science Books, Bond No. 9 needs your help in voting now to help choose the final bottle of "Brooklyn" and we feature new fragrances such as Bath & Body Works® Signature Collection, White Citrus and Butterfly Flower, C.O. BIGELOW’S new Lemon Blends and Lemon Eau de Parfum, New Fragrance “VV Platinum” by Roberto Verino and NEW Fragrances KISS by J. Del Pozo, TOUS IN HEAVEN HER, TOUS IN HEAVEN HIM and Estée Lauder Introduces the new Pure White Linen Pink Coral.
A very special welcome to our new contributors as well as our regular writers!
February 1, 2009
In this issue we feature a Sniffapalooza Magazine Exclusive:
A Dozen Roses Unlike Any Others that feautures Perfumers, Retailers and “Friends- in- Fragrance” as they tell us the about the most intriguing 'rose in their garden'. Featured guests are: Linda Pilkerton, Adam Eastwood, Christopher Chong, Alexandra Balahoutis, Ben Gorham, Dawn Spenser Hurwitz, Ron Robinson, Nobi Shioya, Gérald Ghislain and Neil Morris. Iinterview with Symine Salimpour, Founder and Owner of Hors Là Monde as she also introduces Lady Shiloh, Real Men Wear…Perles By Michael Davis and Sniffapalooza Magazine interviews Mercedes Ganon of Parfums Mercedes Jus D’ Amour.
We feature Crazylibellule and the Poppies L’eau de Crazy Cologne, Diptyque opens new a boutique in New York City with exclusive Diptyque Roses Candle and you can Take an Olfactive Journey with Sue Phillips of Scenterprises/Perfume Studio. We offer to our readers Ginestet: Gets Sweeter With Time; The History, The Fragrance, The Aroma By Felicia M. Hazzard, Love Notes By Michelyn Camen, Kingsbury Fragrances Twilight Rose review By Raphaella Barkley, Ron Robinson introduces Pearl Eau De Parfum by Apothia Los Angeles and Ajne offers us Aphrodite honoring The Goddess of Love and for the men; Adonis. We close with The Naturals: Sniffapalooza Magazines Interview with Natural Perfumer Lisa Fong of Artemisia Natural Perfumes.
Mercedes Ganon
Symine Salimpour
February 12, 2009
In this issue we feature Sniffapalooza Magazine Interviews Perfumer Kristen Michèle of Kristen Michèle Parfumeur, an in-depth article about melon in fragrances called "Niche Meloncholy" By Elena Vosnaki, upcoming Guerlain releases, Love the Key to Life by Michelyn Camen and Parfums des Beaux Arts: A Gallery of Masterpieces featuring Dawn Spencer Hurwitz By Felicia M. Hazzard.
We also feature Raphaella's Roses, Ormonde Jayne now offers initial engraved bottles, Estée Lauder shows us Valentine’s Day Gifts, Viva La Ajne hits Las Vegas and Sniffapalooza Magazine features "The Naturals" with an interview with Julie Longyear of Irie Star/Blissoma. If you missed our last Valentines Day issue view here
A Dozen Roses Unlike Any Others By Michelyn Camen that feautures Perfumers, Retailers and “Friends- in- Fragrance” as they tell us the about the most intriguing 'rose in their garden'.
Kristen Michèle
March 15, 2009
Sniffapalooza Spring Fling Issue, a Spectacular Fragrant Feast!
In this special Sniffapalooza Spring Fling Issue, we feature four breaking news items. Sniffapalooza Magazine Exclusives... Turtle Bay SPAfumerie will introduce the re-launch of Futur de Robert Piguet during Sniffapalooza Spring Fling and we include a special note from Joe Garces, President of Robert Piguet Parfums, Sniffapalooza Magazine Exclusive; NEW Amouage Ubar will be unveiled during Sniffapalooza Spring Fling April 4 and 5th, 2009 at Bergdorf Goodman's and Aedes De Venustas. Christopher Chong, Amouage Creative Director and David Crickmore, CEO of Amouage will be there with Marlena Egan from EM Distribution to introduce the fragrance to Sniffapalooza members.
Aedes De Venustas to launch the newest fragrance Amouage Ubar as well as the new Molinard 160 with special guest; Jean-Pierre Lerouge Benard, Owner of Molinard and Sabine Hernandez. Jean-Pierre Lerouge Benard will attend both Henri Bendel and Aedes De Venustas to unveil 160, Molinard's New Anniversary fragrance. 160 The New Molinard Fragrance will be showcased in "avant-premiere' during the Sniffapalooza Spring Fling Event, April 4th, 2009 and will be released this summer.
In this issue, we feature an Interview with Roberto Ferreira from the House of Creed that include Creed Reviews For The Men by Christopher Voigt and Mark David Boberick and Reviews For Women, Real Men Wear...Lavender featuring Creed Royal Scottish Lavender by Michael W. Davis, we feature a very special DSH Perfume: The Road Less Traveled And What You Can Find There By Christine Lewandowski with comments by Sofia Lewandowski. We continue with a Sniffapalooza Magazine Interview By Raphaella with Perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz as she talks about fragrance and inspiration. We feature the itinerary/schedule of events for the upcoming Sniffapalooza Spring Fling in New York City, Pretty in the City; The Paradox of Pretty By Michelyn Camen, Bond No. 9 Astor Place:Mesmerizing New Eau de Parfum which includes the exclusive news of the Pre-Sniff Party of the new Bond No. 9 Astor Place at Bond No. 9 during Sniffapalooza Spring Fling! We offer Bond No. 9 Fragrance Reviews of Brooklyn and Boca By Kathy Patterson and we are proud to feature the very beautiful Lisa Hoffman: Wife, Mother and Perfumer with a Mission, A Sniffapalooza Magazine Interview By Felicia M. Hazzard.
Read about KILIAN’S latest temptation, travel sprays for men and women, Hanae Mori Parfums Contest Winner, Guerlain new releases, Aedes De Venustas newest releases, GREENWITCH: In Honor to the White Lady, A Green Chypre Perfume By Roxana Villa, upcoming event at Turtle Bay SPAfumerie, review of Annick Goutal Un Matin D’Orage by Diane Artzberger, ONDE By Michelyn Camen, Gump's San Francisco NEW fragrance called Baroque Pearl, SCENTS FOR THE MIND: The Attars of Asia By John E Smith and finally end with Celebrity Fragrant Watch!
Sniffapalooza Magazine
A Sniffapalooza Magazine Exclusive
Burning Down The House Series
The Influencers Speak
Sniffapalooza Magazine and Michelyn Camen interviews Jean Claude Ellena; In-House Perfumer of the House of Hermès, Michel Roudnitska, Mandy Aftel, Kilian Hennessy, Chandler Burr Perfume Critic for the New York Times, George Wuchsa-The Global E-tailer of First-In-Fragrance, Ron Robinson of Apothia, Andy Tauer, Yosh Han, Franco Wright and Adam Eastwood of LuckyScent, Vero Kern and Sarah Horowitz-Thran. The ‘Power’ Influencers of Niche---men and women whose names are the ‘Mount Rushmore’ of the revolution. Serge Lutens, Frederic Malle, Thierry Wasser, Bertrand Duchaufour, Laurice Rahmé, Neil Morris, Karen Dubin and Karen Adams of Sniffapalooza. Part Five features Christopher Brosius of CB.I Hate Perfume, Linda Pilkington of Ormonde Jayne Fragrances, Christophe Laudamiel and Christoph Hornetz ‘Les Christophs’, Nobi Shioyo of S Perfumes, Karl Bradl and Robert Gerstner; Co-Owners of Aedes de Venustas Boutique, Alessandro Gualtieri of Nasomatto and Marie-Helene Rogeon ‘La Reine de le Rose’ of Les Parfums de Rosine Fragrances
Niche fragrance at its best is cutting edge, thought provoking and controversial. These are our anti-heroes and heroines of scent. Some are outspoken, some stay hidden in the shadows. All are unique. Why did the sales of niche fragrances double within the last year and a half, while the commercial fragrance industry is losing ground? With nearly a thousand new launches a year, millions spent in advertising, flanker after flanker, what is happening to our fragrant world? I posed this question to a group of industry ‘influencers’ (les nez, the retailers, the niche and artisnal perfumers, the critics, the bloggers, and the owners of fine fragrance companies), who are leaving their thumbprints, as unique as their words, on the match that is burning down ‘the house of mediocrity’.
In this extraordinary edition of “Burning Down the House”, an unprecedented panel of fragrance game-changers and some of the greatest innovators in the Fragrance industry share their personal perspectives and thought-provoking answers to the question: “What are your feelings about the state of contemporary fragrance and how do you think the industry must evolve in order to stay relevant to an oversaturated market?”
Serge Lutens
Laurice Rahmé
Frederic Malle
January 6, 2009
In this issue we feature a Sniffapalooza Magazine Exclusive: An Interview with Camille Goutal, Artistic Director; Annick Goutal Parfums, By Michelyn Camen,we feature the continuing series "Real Men Wear Violets" By Michael W. Davis and The Scent of a Woman: Verno Kern’s Rubj" by Michelyn Camen. We continue this issue with "Milieu…The Fragrance for the New Year" By: Felicia M. Hazzard and "An Old Chypre Recipe Reborn; Aedes Attains A Class Act With Une Histoire De Chypre" By Barbara vanBok. We also offer the press release for the NEW Bond No. 9 BROOKLYN fragrance and Sniffapalooza Magazine interviews New York City Perfumer Alexis Karl of Scent by Alexis, we introduce two new products; the new release of PureDistance Parfume and a Puredistance Perfume Lounge opens in Vienna, we close out with ExfoliShave.
Camille Goutal
October 18
Sniffapalooza Fall Ball New York City
In this huge and special issue we continue to feature the spectacular must-see series titled Burning Down the House by Michelyn Camen: The Influencers Speak - Uncut, Unplugged and Unedited with The ‘Power’ Influencers of Niche---men and women whose names are the ‘Mount Rushmore’ of the revolution. Serge Lutens, Frederic Malle, Thierry Wasser, Bertrand Duchaufour, Laurice Rahmé, Neil Morris, Karen Dubin and Karen Adams talk to Sniffapalooza Magazine. The House sizzles in this issue.
We feature an interview with Perfumer Aurélien Guichard of GIVAUDAN, Sniffapalooza Magazine exclusive interview with Dr. Avery Gilbert; Olfaction expert and Scientist, interview with Kilian Hennessy of By Kilian by Michelyn Camen, Interview with Jessica Dunne of Ellie and Ellie Nuit by perfumer Michel Roudnitska, a feature on Téo Cabanel at Henri Bendel, Michael Davis tells us why "Real Men Wear Roses, Interview with Cathy Gins of Aromawear, Bringing Sexy Back By Michelyn Camen, Interview with Sarah Barton King of The Pink Room and a Halloween article by James Dotson titled Perfumes of the Dead, Bringing Sexy Back By Michelyn Camen, a beautiful poem, Love Among the Spices by Michelyn Camen and Michael W. Davis and Ralph Lauren's NOTORIOUS. Sniffapalooza Magazine features the upcoming FALL BALL and in no particular order we visit Takashimaya, Bond No. 9, Bergdorf Goodman's, Henri Bendel, Aedes de Venustas, Lafco NY and much more. Each feature is full of information, perfumers, fragrances and interviews.
Each article is full of photographs, so scroll down, click away, have fun and welcome to this special issue of Sniffapalooza Magazine Fall Ball.
Aurélien Guichard
Thierry Wasser
December 15, 2008
In this issue we feature "Fragrance for the Designated Driver: ‘Spritzers’ That Leave Us Giddy" By Michelyn Camen, we welcome a new guest contributor, Elena Vosnaki features a in-depth article "Jean Claude Ellena Is All About The Dirt!", "A Holiday Treat, an interview with the incomparable Monsieur Olivier Creed by Michelyn Camen, "A Tale of Two Cities: Isfarkand by Ormonde Jayne" By Michael W. Davis and we feature the continuing series UNDER THE RADAR: Red Flower; An Exclusive Sniffapalooza Magazine Interview With Founder and Owner, Yael Alkalay by Michelyn Camen.
We continue this issue with Voluspa Floraison Collection: The Fragrances of Luxurious and Faraway Places By Felicia M. Hazzard, a new Bond No. 9 release called Boca, Sniffapalooza Magazine is honored to interview the well-known Dominique Dubrana; Composer Perfumer of the Italian company La Via del Profumo, we offer a very warm welcome to John E. Smith, an author and herbalist with his article "Attars -Fragrances Of The Soul" and Bergdorf Blends Ajne for Blokes and finally, we end with my favorite "Christmas Present Fragrant Picks". We close out this issue with some photographs from the Sniffapalooza Holiday Fete last weekend in New York City with Michael Edwards and watch for our exclusive interview coming soon!
Jean Claude Ellena
Monsieur Olivier and Erwin Creed
Kilian Hennessy
In a series written exclusively for Sniffapalooza Magazine, prepare yourself for a multi sensory olfactive journey, where fragrances embrace the worlds of fiction, fine art, film, music and dance.
Tales, myths, and larger than life characters thrive in the world of perfumery and this is what makes perfumery mysterious, multifaceted, intriguing, magical, and forever wavering between fact and fiction. In Volume 1, Book 1i. we meet the niche ‘feminines’ who had most profound effects on us from both a literary and olfactive perspective. In Volume 1, Book ii we meet a Cop and three Queens, a pampered socialite and a woman of ill repute, and an aging beauty and a Goddess. These fictional and/or iconic women span centuries and continents, blurring the lines between truth and fiction and time --- from the 10th century BC to the Year 2058. These are their fragrances; the scents that would bring them to life and live forever in the realm of our imagination.
Part 3 features Men in fiction – flawed as all men (and women) are, but men who dare to dream, to rule or to experience. Whether they are vilified or placed high atop a pedestal, here are five iconic men who 'lived' in a world long before our own time. These men will always resonate with us and are brought to life here through fragrance.
All rights reserved 2006-2010. All content belongs to Sniffapalooza Magazine. All articles by individual writers and contributors, understand and agree that each article that is accepted by the Editor for publication; becomes the property of Sniffapalooza Magazine for the sole purpose of publication for Sniffapalooza Magazine. Articles may be archived for permanent use on the web site for Sniffapalooza Magazine and for future issues.
All articles remain the property of Sniffapalooza Magazine for display purposes only. Sniffapalooza Magazine is independently owned and operated by Raphaella Barkley.
Sniffapalooza Magazine is independently owned and operated by Raphaella Barkley.
December 30, 2009
In this special issue before the year ends, we feature Beth Schreibman Gehring
with her fascinating article "Why I Write About Perfume…" a sure read for all perfumistas. We feature a special in-depth Interview By Cristiane Gonçalves with legendary perfumer Olivier Gillotin; Givaudan Senior Perfumer as he discusses perfumery. One of the most anticipated releases for tuberose lovers is finally here! Tuberose lovers can rejoice now as one of the finest houses, HISTOIRES DE PARFUMS has released the new TUBEROSE TRILOGY'S. We then offer a Yves St. Laurent Paris Fragrance Review by Beth Schreibman Gehring.
I personally would like to wish all of our readers a wonderful upcoming New Year and may everyone be blessed in 2010. I would also like to thank all of the wonderful perfumers, fragrance companies, PR companies and all the professional individuals and friends who have been so kind to me this past year. This issue is also dedicated all the talented and professional contributors who have made this magazine possible. Please enjoy these great features by our outstanding contributors in this issue of Sniffapalooza Magazine!
Robert Piguet Futur
Interview with Perfumer
Aurélien Guichard
Futur, Robert Piguet’s romantic green floral woody fragrance originally launched in the 1960s has been reintroduced. Futur fuses fresh citrus, romantic flowers and rich woods.
Robert Piguet Parfums is pleased to announce the launch of FUTUR de Robert Piguet. Futur joins Fracas as a grand addition to the Robert Piguet collection.
Futur will premiere at Bergdorf Goodman during the Fall Ball. I had a chance to sample this last April and it was not at all what I thought it would be. I had heard friends call this a "green leather"; which it really wasn't. I, of course fell in love with it immediately at first sniff. I am definitely interested in the Parfum version as well; it is said that Futur EDP "is more voluptuous and floral than that of the Futur parfum, which is less woody."
Once again Robert Piguet Parfums turned to perfumer Aurélien Guichard of Givaudan to undertake the delicate process of adapting Futur’s original formula to respond to today’s sensibilities. We asked Aurélien Guichard a couple of questions...he was very gracious to comply as we know he has a very busy schedule.
RB: Aurélien, not many people remember how the original Futur smelled like. How different from the original re-creation is this one? Is it just a more modern approach or have it keep it close to the original?
Aurélien: The original Futur, smelled almost the same as this one. Only a very few ingredients have been replaced by more contemporary ones.
RB: I have heard people say that this a “Green Leather”. Is it?... more
Perfumer Aurélien Guichard
Interview with Gérald Ghislain Histoires de Parfums
RB: Gérald, your fragrances Histoires de Parfums, recently received rave reviews and a 5 star rating in The Perfume Guide’s Spring Issue. Of Histoires de Parfums 1740 Luca Turin said "I felt something give way when I smelled 1740: the shimmering classical accord of leather, immortelle, spice, rich pipe tobacco and a sort of lived-in buttery warmth is simply irresistible. And why resist?" and of Histoires de Parfums 1969 he said it "contains one of the most magnificent top notes of all time, a golden late summer landscape of every joyful childhood, with a sky painted in huge vanilla and rose slashes in the manner of Tocade above shadowed woods of fruit and cedar as in Féminité du Bois." ...more inside
Gérald Ghislain
Histoires de Parfums
Sniffapalooza Magazine Interview with Gérald Ghislain
We reported it first last October, Gérald Ghislain
announces new Tuberose Trilogy launch's!
Histoires de Parfums founder Gérald Ghislain took a few moments out of his busy schedule to answer some questions and to tell us about the new upcoming launch of four new fragrances coming out soon. By the end of the autumn Histoires de Parfums will launch a trilogy of three new tuberose fragrances that are inspired by the different facets of this extraordinary flower...
The names of those three new perfumes are : CAPRICIEUSE : a tuberose enhanced by iris, cocoa and saffron, VIRGINALE : a very pure and creamy tuberose, ANIMALE: a tuberose for men and women, the wild side of the flower. The Moulin Rouge also asked Histoires de Parfums to create a fragrance to celebrate the 120 years of this mythical place in Paris. The fragrance: 1889 MOULIN ROUGE
This was very exciting news as I especially love Tuberose fragrances and there is no doubt, that his new scents will be works of art. All of the Histoires de Parfums are available at Takashimaya NY during the Sniffapalooza Fall Ball next week and don't forget that Takashimaya is offering $25.00 off every $100.00 spent. There is also a link below where you can order samples. What better way to discover works of perfume art? -Raphaella
Marian, first, let me congratulate you on winning the 2009 Canadian Fragrance Awards; Best Media Editorial Awards for your article on Kilian Hennessey titled "II Fragrance Delecto"-The Scented Mask of Kilian Hennessy that was published on Basenotes. What an honor, how did this feel?
MB: Thank you Raphaella. Well, winning my first media Award was a shock as I really see myself more as a fragrance correspondent or interpreter of scents. When I won my second, it was another unexpected thrill and now winning my third Awards with Kilian and Basenotes, I feel a lot more confident but I still have a lot to learn. Kilian was most generous with his time and answers and we share this Award with him.....please everyone’s tastes so they must create scents that hopefully hit their targets in each Country. In terms of body chemistry, I cannot reveal how my formulation is created publicly, and I could never train someone to do my work. It is part research based on hundreds of thousands of consultations with the fragrance public, part intuitive and mostly experience fine-tuning my nose to pick up specific notes or accords with different body chemistries...
"The pursuit of fragrance is merely humanity coveting
and cloaking ourselves in the very best of nature". - Marian Bendeth
Sniffapalooza Magazine
Interview with Marian Bendeth
Global Fragrance Expert and owner of Sixth Scents
Marian Bendeth is President of Sixth Scents and is a Global Fragrance Expert and consultant to many top perfume houses.
She is truly a pioneer in the fragrance consulting industry. She is the first person anywhere in the world to provide the public
and perfume houses with personalized fragrance wardrobing consultations based on body chemistry, psychology, fashion sense,
environment and lifestyle as well as psychological profiling on over 2,000 plus fragrances. Since entering into the fragrance
industry in 1983, and opening Sixth Scents in 1989, Bendeth can still claim this exclusive role. She is the only one in the
world to provide direct consulting to everyone involved in the fragrance industry from Perfumers, Fragrance and Flavour Houses,
Retailers, Vendors, Distributors, Buyers, Marketers, Trainers, the Media and the General Public. Marian Bendeth truly has a
rare business and a rare gift.
In this interview, you will be able to read and explore thoughts that no one has ever discussed on the internet or anywhere. It is truly groundbreaking.
It is an honor to interview and introduce a dear friend as well; someone that I consider “the real deal” in the fragrance industry. Not only is she highly respected in the fragrance industry, she is extremely knowledgeable about fragrance and has a formidable amount of friends and influence in the industry. On a deeply personal note, Marian is the most humble woman I have ever met and she has changed the way that I view fragrance. I also love what she states about the blogging industry. You can find more information on Marian Bendeth here, as well as links to her various award-winning articles. - RB
“Fragrance should never be worn like a thick scented choker, where the scent emanates from the neck in strong blasts like a foghorn! Rather, it should sparkle like twinkling stars, where small bursts disperse here and there; they elude us, pique our curiosity and make us want more.”
–Marian Bendeth
December 10, 2009
In this issue we feature and welcome a new contributor and professional writer; Beth Schreibman Gehring, who brings to us her "Halston Classic Fragrance Review", new contributor Lindsey Adams also joins us in her first interview with Katie Puckrik and we also give her a huge welcome to Sniffapalooza Magazine. For the Men, we feature "L"Humaniste, by Frapin A Divine Bottle" By Michael Davis, Alpenrose Fragrance Review by Bergduft Parfums by Victoria Austin and John King continues his Scent Trek in Perfumes of the Land and Sea:
Part Four. The Paris-based CREED royal fragrance house announces the debut of CREED's official online store offering the world's largest selection of guaranteed, authentic CREED fragrances, grooming goods, accessories and home products including a sneak peek video of boutique in NYC, Ormonde Jayne announces a new fragrance ~ Tiare, Bond No. 9 offers Luxury Christmas Presents, diptyque opens Madison Avenue Boutique, we highlight diptyque's Winter Candle 2010 Collection and NEIL MORRIS FRAGRANCES
announces "Four from the Vault" Gift certificates.
Interview With Olivier Gillotin
Givaudan Senior Perfumer
and Vice President Fragrances USA
By Cristiane Gonçalves
Fragrance Writer; Sniffapalooza Magazine
Experienced in composing fragrances for various renowned brands such as Dior, Donna Karan, Elizabeth Arden, Ralph Lauren, among others, the Givaudan Senior Perfumer and Vice President Fragrances USA Olivier Gillotin is passionate for scents and emotions and takes the best from this intimate combination.
“My style of perfumery has more to do with sensations, feeling and emotions… I do use naturals odors but more as emotions than trying to imitate nature”. With a solid professional background of more than 25 years working in the perfumery through a multi-cultural path in diverse countries such as France, United States, Mexico, Brazil, etc and perfume studies in the International Givaudan Perfumery School, Olivier is a very self-confessed perfumery lover … perfumery, his love at first sight, now at Sniffapalooza Magazine only for you.
CG: When did your love for perfumery begin?
OG: In 1972, I was student in Paris. I was studying biology and preparing nice arts, interested to work in advertising. One day, I met a cousin who was perfumer in Chanel and he invited me to a party he was doing one week after. In this party, I met other perfumer, also in Chanel who was a true artist. During all night he told me about creativity and odors. This issue was like love at first sight. From that moment that I realized that all my life I was always interested by the odors of the nature.
CG: Where are your main sources of inspiration and/or general influences to make fragrances?
OG: Nature is the “über” artist. I have always been highly influenced by the odors found outside. Being from Bretany (the West coast of France, in front of Ireland) my influence is more from sea, apples, pears (the most fancy of the fruit I had as a kid), roses, genet, honeysuckle, pines. I discovered more exotic florals like jasmine and ylang when I was already 25 years old. Also in 1983, I went to work in Argentina, then Brazil and Mexico. It has been like an electroshock with tropical fruits and intensely testing food. It definitively changed my way of creating fragrances. I still use a lot tropical odors combined with a more European structure. I am also quite inspired by painting of Picasso, Miro and Dali
CG: How is your style in perfumery, I mean, how you associate your creative and technical works in practical way?
OG: My style of perfumery has more to do with sensations, feeling and emotions. I am much more an abstract artist than an impressionist. I do use naturals odors but more as emotions than trying to imitate nature.
CG: Do you think you have an “olfactive signature” on your perfume creations? Something that is like a fingerprint of Olivier Gillotin
OG: It is funny to hear it because I personally don’t think so, but people who work with me say that yes; I do have a strong signature in my work. Probably it is more by the fact that my perfumery is clearly not classical.
CG: When you are creating a fragrance, what is the most challenging issue you deal with in?
OG: The most challenging is to put the combination of a high creative idea with a reassuring and comfortable effect. Perfumery like all arts is 90% perspiration, 10% inspiration. Then the other difficulty is to explain my ideas, using more feelings than others it is harder to explain.
CG: As a master perfumer and also a Vice President with an outstanding background in one of the leading companies in Flavors and Fragrances, what were the main initial achievements you had in your career you think were important to establish you as a legendary perfumer and a renowned fragrance executive?
The question is quite tricky: Yes I have added some very good success and thanks to a management who has faith on my hard work, I obtain a nice position but the question look a bit pretentious, even if it is very kind from you to recognize me. I absolutely love my work and feel a very lucky professional. As for my earliest success, clearly perfumes like Red Door and White Diamonds, developed with other perfumer, certainly helped me but I have also been very influenced by discussions with Jean Louis Siozack who opens my eyes (nose I should say) on the value and interest of simple and clear ideas and way of creating. Also perfumes like “10 Corso Como” and “Cristobal of Balenciaga” are an important part of my olfactive evolution. Since I came back in Givaudan (I did Givaudan perfumery school, quite a while ago), “Dior Higher” has been a good way to start in a company. Since then, I have been lucky to have a good amount of wins, but when a perfumer pretends that he/she is very successful without mentioning all the people around him or her, this is pure arrogance.
CG: I absolutely agree with you about recognizing that perfumer success also comes with teamwork, very kind from you to mention the importance of others people to make a fragrance reach us, perfume wearers and lovers. Thanks.
Making fragrances now is very different from how was in the past mainly because there is few time to perfumers to perfect their creations against the strong demand of the recent market. With hundreds of releases per year are on shelves, some of them are easily forgotten over the years. Givaudan has created iconic unforgettable fragrances as Thierry Mugler Angel, Robert Piguet Fracas, etc, what you think it essential for perfumers to create winning fragrances nowadays which become modern classics for the present and the future?
OG: You have to realize that it is very different to work in a very quick project than one which last few years. With some customers, the development of a perfume can last 4 to 6 years. For shorter development I use proactive works. Each time I got a new idea, I start to do a simple sketch and from there develop little by little. After many years of work, I do have a nice reserve of ideas to pick from.
CG: This sounds nice, proactive ideas.
By the way, do you think the IFRA regulations of some materials will impact on how perfumers create their fragrances, that is, their creativeness on perfume making will be affected? In general, what you think about this issue?
OG: Regulations are affecting us, a lot. Being positive I would say that limitation always help creation. Jean Paul Sartre wrote that he never felt so free than during the German occupation in the Second World War, which means that nobody or nothing block your spirit and your ideas, just yourself. In fact more limited you are more creative you become to go around the obstacle. There is no doubt the perfumes are going to be quite different to what we had some years ago, I feel it is good to be obliged to evolved; it makes life difficult but so much more interesting.
CG: What are your deepest fragrant memories? Do you think they have influenced what you are today as a perfumer?
OG: There are few. The first one is the sound and the odor of the tempest in Brittany. It is intense, violent, salty, sexy, recomforting by its beauty and accelerating; not at all what people think when they have never lived a winter tempest in the North Atlantic. The other is the first time I eat tropical fruits like guava, papaya and mango…It was like paradise, sensual and erotic. The influence is as strong as the memory, never fading, as intense now as was when I discovered it.
CG: Do you have a fragrance dream? Some raw material you would like to explore on a fragrance, some accord would you like to develop and/or some personal focus on fragrance creation you envision from now to the future and never had the opportunity to work on?
OG: A fragrance dream is the fragrance I will have the idea tomorrow. I feel lucky to have the possibility to try all raw materials I want. Since many years I also have worked helping research trying to see which new product can work nicely and how. Like a kid in a candy store, I am fascinated by the scenttrecks (live studies of plants all over the world) developed by Givaudan. They are an easy way to travel like I was a kid in a boarding school, traveling in my readings.
CG: Givaudan has some excellent initiatives in sustainability on raw materials through its Innovative Naturals Programme such as the sustainable sourcing of Venezuelan Tonka Beans and of the Laotian benzoin in Northern Laos and the preservation of sandalwood oil from Western Australia. In general lines, how do you contribute actively to these initiatives?
OG: Very good question. My contribution is to use those products. Also during the development of those products the input of the perfumers are asked.
One more time, I feel very lucky to work in a company so much involved in sustainability in raw materials and use a product without destroying the eco equilibrium such as the sandalwood from Australia. Besides to have lived in countries which are opposite of Europe and where an important percentage of people lack education, the work of Givaudan to help places like Laos to develop natural raw materials to help them and give them also school for their education is very rewarding and push you to use those products.
The Sandalwood from Australia is another way to use a product without destroying the eco equilibrium.
CG: Now a very special question: What is the scent that expresses yourself, your essence?
OG: As I mentioned before, my perfumery is about sensations and emotions. That means there is more than one scent. There are raw materials which I love like ciste and incense for their resinous odor as good in men as in women, the rose like Robert Frost wrote “a rose is a rose and was always a rose”. There are also products I love but we cannot use anymore like marigold which reminds me my grandparents garden when I was 3 or 4 years old (my first olfactive memory).
CG: Beautiful scented memory! And now, a classic question for a perfume industry professional. How do you envision the future of perfumery?
OG: The future is bright: With countries like Brazil and China, two giants who are waking up to luxury and moving more from perfumes of necessity like soaps and detergents, to perfumery of pleasure, we have a lot of work in front of us. Will the perfumery in the future very different of now? Yes and no. Yes because legislations are going to be tougher and tougher; No because the idea is still to create perfumes which make people smile, feel better, and fall in love.
CG: Olivier, to finalize this unforgettable interview, some news about your next fragrance works you would like to share with us.
OG: The only thing I can say is….It is a fragrance developed with passion, intensity and subtility, a clear idea with facets.
Thanks for your participation in this interview for Sniffapalooza Magazine. We wish you great fragrant achievements.
Cristiane Gonçalves, Senior Fragrance Writer
Sniffapalloza Magazine
Yves St. Laurent Paris
Fragrance Review
by Beth Schreibman Gehring
By now almost everyone knows of my passion for Nuit de Noel at Christmas time but besides my beloved Caron the other fragrance that I crave in December is Yves St. Laurent's completely irrepressible Paris! For some reason, this is the perfume that I love to travel with and do so as often as possible! Maybe it's simply a matter of the power of suggestion, could anyone possibly resist a perfume named after the one of the sexiest, most luscious cities in the world? I don’t know about you but I’m just not that strong!
I personally find Paris to be a very appropriate winter fragrance for many different occasions, whether it be a December wedding, Christmas tea, or a slowly unfolding morning spent with the New York Times Style section while drinking tea and eating warm chocolate croissants with your lover in bed. Paris is a fragrance that works equally as well with denim or cashmere and I've worn it with all that or nothing at all. It’s a bit like your favorite gold necklace, you know....the one that nestles between your breasts just so and warms very quickly, smelling of sweet skin and metal.
I was only about seven when I became aware of my mother’s Shalimar and I instantly loved it. That could have been because it does smell just a little bit like chocolate mousse, which was at the time the favored smell of this particular toddler, but I also think that it was also because of the way that my father looked at my mother whenever she wore it. She would stand in front of the mirror and apply her lipstick and then she would apply her fragrance, layering perfume on her wrists and cleavage and then indulging herself with a spray or two around her hemlines.
At that moment, my father would walk into the bedroom as if on cue to fasten her pearls around her neck, brandishing their symphony tickets and looking at my mother with utter adoration. You could tell that he was utterly captivated by her. My mother was absolutely gorgeous with thick black wavy hair, huge brown eyes and a complexion that could only be described as cream mixed with honey. She’d been a Yardley English Lavender girl during the war and she really looked the part.
I remember watching my father as he’d scoop up her pearls and arrange them around her neck just so. Then putting his lips to her neck he’d deeply inhale her fragrance with his eyes shut and a gentle sigh. I remember wanting that magic for myself even as a very young child. You could tell by the way that he looked at her that she was completely adored by him. She rewarded him with a kiss and a perfectly knotted bow tie and then they were off, a veritable explosion of cashmere and velvet disappearing gaily into the snowy midwinter night. To bear witness to such a memorable display of heady passion was provocative for a youngster with a fiery imagination like mine. I’ve never forgotten the longing that it stirred and that was the moment that carnality took on common sense and won.
In my twenties I grew up to discover Diorissimo purely because Mick Jagger adored it and at that time the Rolling Stones were my world. I fell in love with all things British from that moment on. Piccadilly Circus and Mary Quant were my muses and life in the 70’s was such avant garde and decadent fun. The 80’s were reckless with Obsession and Opium and the 90’s brought me Enya, Aveda and aromatherapy.
So far the 21st century and the onset of my 50th year have brought me a hunger for the vintage scents of my youth and a passion for the wonderful artisanal perfumers that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. An hour or two in their company leaves me refreshed and excited. Artistic mavericks, passionate natural educators and perfumers embrace a bohemian yet elegant sensibility that allows me to enter the world of gorgeous handmade perfumes without feeling like a complete and total neophyte.
Although my passions have always been fashion and fragrance, my lifetime has been spent in public relations and luxury goods marketing, most specifically in the arena of fine tableware and jewelry. As you can probably imagine this does enable me to fall easily and passionately in love with a wonderfully sexy sales pitch and by now it should be apparent to anyone reading this that I am blissfully enslaved by my own brand of hedonism.
Why I Write About Perfume…
By Beth Schreibman Gehring
Some people think that it is funny, this absolute fascination that I have with all things fragrant. They laugh hysterically when they see my perfume trays and my husband double dares them to open my closet doors and poke through my sample boxes! My obsession doesn’t come as any real surprise to me, because for my entire life I’ve been surrounded by fragrance of one sort or another, from my earliest memory of the little cobalt bottle of Attar of Violets that my mother kept in her mother’s velvet jewelry box and the Shalimar that she always wore, to the bottle of vintage Caron “Nuit de Noel” that I just purchased for myself at Christmas. In between there have been many favorites from Norell to Soir de Lune, Diorissimo to Halston. I’ve loved chasing their elusive magic with the promises present in each new bottle and succumbing to the hunger created by the marketing genius that supports the passion and vision of the master nose that created it.
The introduction of the internet has been an incredible tool for connecting with those of like mind and it was through this medium that I discovered the entertaining world of the perfume blogs. As a writer, blogs appeared to be a wonderfully fluid tool through which I could hone my craft and as a marketer,
I was intrigued by the possibilities that this new media could generate. So I began to read them obsessively and quickly became brave enough to leave comments. I made many new friends and entered into a previously unknown realm of fragrances through this brave new world. Most importantly I was having fun with my writing once again, enough to rekindle a long held dream of becoming a fulltime fashion journalist.
It wasn’t too long after I began to tentatively post some reviews of my own that I was invited by various editors to become a regular contributor. I love the many wonderful writers that I’ve been privileged to share these virtual spaces with and I’ve been honored that so many readers have responded to my articles and reviews with pleasure. I really enjoy hearing from those who have let me into their lives through our shared love of scent. It’s a gift to be able to connect with so many fascinating people and one that I don’t take for granted. I know that I’ve done my job when people write me to let me know that they consider me a friend because of the memories that we share.
My love of perfume is such an intimate part of me that I can’t bear to be standoffish or haughty about it, although I’ve had friends suggest that I should grab my 15 minutes of fame and push the proverbial envelope of notoriety. When I write about fragrance I can’t help but bring my passions to the page and like my mother before me I desperately want my readers breathlessly near the nape of my neck, inhaling my perfume.
I’ve been honored to have met so many people who have read my reviews and we throw our arms around each other and hug like long lost friends. I love being their portal into a world that we all cherish, I love being a part of their lives. They are so generous with me and the only reason that I exist as a writer at all. Without them I’d just be sitting here all alone in my dressing room on my island of perfume samples, typing away on my laptop pretending that I was making a difference in the world.
Writing for editors who are as talented and professional as mine has given me entre’ into a world that was previously completely off limits to a layperson such as myself. I’m not a nose and I have absolutely no professional training in perfumery. I’m a blissfully happy consumer and I know what I like, but I have absolutely no professional language with which to express it. I feel that as a blogger or citizen journalist of sorts that I must be respectful of this world that I do not completely know, yet am privileged enough to be a part of. Fragrance has been such an important part of who I am and how I present myself that I think that perhaps I do have something to share. I’m not one who truly cares what notes comprise the fragrances that I adore, I care about how I’m feeling when I wear them and how people respond to me. I’m not at all concerned about being an expert…
I truly just want to feel the love. I have one hard and fast rule. If I don’t like the fragrance, I won’t write about it. I’ll give you my opinion but it’s truly just my opinion, nothing more. What we are talking about is perfume which is by its very nature one of the most personal things that we use every day, in the most intimate of places. I truly have to believe that the people who create these elixirs that we love feel exactly the same way about them as we do. I am aware that people I’ll never meet will read my words and I know that they pay attention to my opinions. Like I said…I just truly want to feel the love!
About Beth Schreibman Gehring
Sniffapalooza Magazine welcomes professional writer Beth Gehring as a new featured contributor. Passionate about life, colorful and inspiring, Beth Schreibman Gehring has been helping others create lives that they love for over 20 years. Years of experience as a visual stylist blended with an extensive background in public relations and an emphasis on personal and corporate branding allowed her to work in and eventually become the President of one of the most prestigious Jewelry, Gift and Tableware businesses in Northeast Ohio.
Along the way she discovered that many were drawn to her for her ability to live everyday with beauty, creating each moment as a magical new gift, a never-ending circle of celebrations, feasts and fun. It is her belief that in designing powerful and beautiful rituals for our lives and beautiful environments to live in, we create magical experiences for ourselves and our families. A life filled with personal revelry and celebration supplies all of the magic necessary to create anything that we can dream of! An experienced personal shopper, life stylist and bridal registry consultant, she has the taste and expertise to help you choose gifts for yourself and others that that you will love giving and delight in receiving!
Beth has been privileged to have many of her articles published nationally, and has enjoyed giving many interviews over the years, most notably to Martha Stewart Living, Gifts and Decorative Accessories, Town and Country, The Cleveland Times and Tableware Today. A gifted cook and creative hostess, Beth has also had the distinct honor and pleasure of designing the table settings for several TV series, including "Julia Child cooks at home with Friends" , "Julia Child cooks with Jacque Pepin" and the " Todd English and Olives restaurant" cooking show. She has also created the table setting designs for the books of the same name. Beth is also delighted to be a featured writer on Perfume Smelling Things www.perfumesmellinthings.com
Images courtesy of Vintage Ads and Stuff, Duke Library, Pierre-Dinand website Additional images supplies by Editor.
It’s fun to think of myself every now and then as someone who is shaping public perceptions of the perfume industry but I can’t fool myself for very long nor do I want to. Perfume is as intimate as passion and that’s all it will ever need to be for me. What’s peculiar when blended with my particular chemistry might be pure joy for another.Isn’t that part of the delight of finding a personal fragrance that is both adored and provocative? The personal connection to the process of discovery far supersedes for me the trendiness of wearing the latest and greatest, although the latest could be a perfect fit and is always fun to try. I know that I’m not writing for the Wall Street Journal or The New York Times and as much as I’d wish to say that I was, I’m simply a woman who enjoys writing on her blogs about beloved perfumes and the profound impact that fragrance has had on my life. For now, I’ll leave the marketing to the professionals and simply concentrate on the simple pleasures that I experience each time a new perfume comes my way. After all of these years I still seem to enjoy trying them all and for now, that is more than good enough.
Each new fragrance discovery takes me back to that first moment when perfume became equated with passion and I treasure those earliest memories. Last year when my mother died I had the bittersweet pleasure of inheriting all of her pearls. She had quite a collection, baroques and freshwater, a simple strand of creamy white cultured ones and her favorites, a gorgeous opera length strand of natural blue grays that belonged to her grandmother. These pearls are well over 120 years old and belong to a time in history when free divers held their breath and dove into the watery depths, braving uncertain tides and dangerous creatures so that they could be harvested for the very fashionable tastes of my grandmother. They hold the essence of those women as well as the scent of every woman who’s ever worn them. On the days when I miss my mother the most, I go to my jewelry box and put them on. They have a beautiful luster and a wonderful fragrance, lighthearted and giddy like the woman that she was when she was having fun being herself, always the belle of the ball, forever the sparkling Yardley girl.
Olivier Gillotin
Cristiane Gonçalves has recently joined Sniffapalooza Magazine in a new collaboration for new articles/new fragrances reviews and interviews exclusive to the Magazine. Cristiane is a fragrance writer and global fragrance consultant from Brazil, specialising in Oriental Perfumery, Luxury Fine and Niche Fragrances and Brazilian Perfume Brands. She is an award winning pioneer in Brazil in Fragrance Expertise Blogging as owner, editor and writer at Perfume da Rosa Negra which won the 9th Basenotes Awards Best Blog Finalist. She also writes for the main online fragrance publications such as Sniffapalooza Magazine, PerfumeCritic and Osmoz.
Cristiane has also a broad general culture and multilinguistic background and a solid experience and expertise in Management and Human Resources, acquired in top-levels companies such as Johnson & Johnson, IBM and Unilever. She is a true passionate woman for fragrances and an excellent learner in perfumery, having reached respect and recognition by great professionals in the global perfume industry. She is internationally involved in the development of scent culture and has the gift of connecting various dimensions as literature, visual arts, music and others artistic expressions with the magnificent perfumery world and her unique writing style. She may be contacted at cris.perfumedarosanegra@gmail.com . Sniffapalooza Magazine gives a warm welcome to Cristiane Gonçalves and we look forward to this very special collaboration.
This isn’t a pretentious fragrance, it's lighthearted, fun and just sweet enough to be coy, yet when that vanilla warms up watch out because Paris not unlike the city it’s named for is just so very sexy and as so many things Parisian tend to do becomes very edible. Whenever I wear this one, I’m usually struck by a sudden longing for a bottle of Veuve Cliquot and a fancy box of foiled covered marrons glaces from La Maison du Chocolat ...... not to mention my utterly darling husband. Did I fail to mention that it also inspires a strangely obsessive craving for just about anything La Perla and last but not least any saucy thing written by Nin or Colette? I’m completely serious....try it and see!
Every year a new limited edition version of this scent is launched with a different and gorgeous variation of the bottle, however the traditional formulation of Paris still remains my tried and true favorite. It just makes me so happy every time that I wear it because I'm always whisked back to the pastries and macarons from Bouchon Bakery, fresh flowers and the strolls down 5th Avenue in December that I enjoy with Jim while we munch on bags of steaming, freshly roasted chestnuts. Paris is a brightly contemporary yet truly seductive fragrance, elegant and redolent of vanilla, rose, bergamot and sandalwood, conjured with just enough violet to make any sort of holiday magic possible!
About Beth Schreibman Gehring:
Sniffapalooza Magazine welcomes professional writer Beth Gehring as a new featured contributor! Passionate about life, colourful and inspiring, Beth Schreibman Gehring has been helping others create lives that they love for over 20 years. Years of experience as a visual stylist blended with an extensive background in public relations and an emphasis on personal and corporate branding allowed her to work in and eventually become the President of one of the most prestigious Jewelry, Gift and Tableware businesses in Northeast Ohio.
Along the way she discovered that many were drawn to her for her ability to live everyday with beauty, creating each moment as a magical new gift , a never-ending circle of celebrations, feasts and fun. It is her belief that in designing powerful and beautiful rituals for our lives and beautiful environments to live in, we create magical experiences for ourselves and our families. A life filled with personal revelry and celebration supplies all of the magic necessary to create anything that we can dream of! An experienced personal shopper, lifestylist and bridal registry consultant, she has the taste and expertise to help you choose gifts for yourself and others that that you will love giving and delight in receiving!
Beth has been privileged to have many of her articles published locally and nationally, and has enjoyed giving many interviews over the years, most notably to Martha Stewart Living, Gifts and Decorative Accessories, Town and Country and Tableware Today. A gifted cook and creative hostess , Beth has also had the distinct honor and pleasure of designing the table settings for several TV series, including "Julia Child cooks at home with Friends" , "Julia Child cooks with Jacque Pepin" and the " Todd English and Olives restaurant" cooking show. She has also created the table setting designs for the books of the same name. Beth is also delighted to be a featured writer on www.perfumesmellinthings.com
December 10, 2009
In this issue we feature and welcome a new contributor and professional writer; Beth Schreibman Gehring, who brings to us her "Halston Classic Fragrance Review", new contributor Lindsey Adams also joins us in her first interview with Katie Puckrik and we also give her a huge welcome to Sniffapalooza Magazine. For the Men, we feature "L"Humaniste, by Frapin A Divine Bottle" By Michael Davis, Alpenrose Fragrance Review by Bergduft Parfums by Victoria Austin and John King continues his Scent Trek in Perfumes of the Land and Sea:
Part Four. The Paris-based CREED royal fragrance house announces the debut of CREED's official online store offering the world's largest selection of guaranteed, authentic CREED fragrances, grooming goods, accessories and home products including a sneak peek video of boutique in NYC, Ormonde Jayne announces a new fragrance ~ Tiare, Bond No. 9 offers Luxury Christmas Presents, diptyque opens Madison Avenue Boutique, we highlight diptyque's Winter Candle 2010 Collection and NEIL MORRIS FRAGRANCES
announces "Four from the Vault" Gift certificates.
If you are now so very tempted (And I hope that you will be!) you’ll find Yves Saint Laurent's Paris very easily at almost any Nordstoms, Dillards or Saks Fifth Avenue.
Photographs courtesy of: Chestnuts -www.avignon-et-provence.com, Bouchon Bakery- Beth Schreibman Gehring
Jean Claude Ellena
FROM ULTRA FEMME TO VIXEN WITH
A SPRITZ, HISTOIRES DE PARFUMS’ NEW TUBEROSE TRILOGY OFFERS THREE SEDUCTIVE NEW SCENTS
One of the most anticipated releases for tuberose lovers is finally here!
- French perfumery pays homage to the tuberose with a new fragrance trio
that portrays the many personalities of this powerful floral -
Paris, France – French perfumery Histoires de Parfums is adding a tale dedicated to the legendary tuberose to their library of scent. Offering three interpretations of this unique and mysterious plant that blooms once per year at night, the Tuberose Trilogy evokes moods and emotions from ultra femme to vixen, giving you the option to choose the tuberose tome that best represents you.
First discovered in Mexico thousands of years ago, the tuberose is a flower of many faces, and its powerful fragrance is considered an aphrodisiac. It presents a noble challenge for any perfumer to bottle, yet has inspired many legendary fragrances through the ages. The latest addition to the Histoires de Parfums scent library, which includes 12 existing fragrances, the Tuberose Trilogy captures the sweet and heady perfume of the tuberose and combines it with different middle and base notes to create three distinct tuberose fragrances.
Histoires de Parfums
Sniffapalooza Magazine Interview with Gérald Ghislain
We reported it first last October, Gérald Ghislain
announces new Tuberose Trilogy launch's!
Channeling your ultra femme side? Try TUBEREUSE 1-CAPRICIEUSE (capricious), a powdery floral that combines the freshness of bergamot and the warmth of saffron with essences of iris and ylang-ylang. The base notes of opulent suede and cocoa leave a mysterious and addictive trail.
Ready to unleash the vixen within? You need TUBEREUSE 2-VIRGINALE (virginal), a floral oriental that combines sparkling mandarin orange and sweet cherry with smooth frangipani, Tahitian tiara flowers and sensual jasmine. A blend of patchouli leaf, blond wood and vanilla form the base notes of this deep and sensual scent.
Want to play with the big boys? TUBEREUSE 3-ANIMALE (animal) oozes power and inner strength with a floral and tobacco leather scent that opens with a bath of fresh kumquat and neroli and leads into a strong combination of plum, herbs and dry grasses. Blond tobacco and Immortelle flower leave intense base notes that linger.
The fragrances in the Tuberose Trilogy – TUBEREUSE 1-CAPRICIEUSE, TUBEREUSE 2-VIRGINALE and TUBEREUSE 3-ANIMALE – retail for $185/each at www.histoiresdeparfums.com, as well as at select retail locations nationwide. (Takashimaya NY)
ABOUT HISTOIRES DE PARFUMS
Histoires de Parfums is a library of scent housing 12 volumes of fragrance including men’s, women’s and unisex collections. Written by Gerald Ghislain, each bottle tells the story of a character, ingredient or historical year. Created from the finest raw materials, these fragrances are created in the longstanding tradition of French perfumery. Gerald formulates perfumes by incorporating classic olfactive families and unexpected elements to create unique scents with rich top, middle and base notes. For more information, please visit www.histoiresdeparfums.com.
These blue gray pearls are the very strands that she was wearing that night with my father and they still smell faintly of her Shalimar and the essence of my grandmother’s sweet violet perfume that started me on this journey so very long ago. It may be my overly vivid imagination, but I even believe that they still smell of the sea. I can still see my mother, brushing her raven colored hair and laughing at my father while she was dabbing on her perfume. She seemed to know something of the mysteries that could lay between a man and women and she shared her knowing openly with us. Her love of fine perfume became my touchstone, her raw and honest passion for life birthed my own gift of self expression and I am grateful for the love of her.
She pushed me mercilessly to create a life filled with beauty and was thrilled when I began to write. Quite often she is my Muse and a luscious one at that. It would have been my parents 68th anniversary this past Christmas day, so I broke out her pearls just before dawn. I inhaled deeply and was amazed to find her standing beside me, if only for that moment in my mind. Beautiful fragrance or any scent for that matter has the profound ability to reconnect us instantly to the richness of our lives and those who matter most to us; a gift that because she is gone I am profoundly grateful for. Now that I am grown, with a wonderful husband and son I know what she knew to be true.
She knew that the sense of smell was the most potent of our senses, lingering long after the moment had passed and that one whiff of something exquisite was enough to bring back a breathless memory or two. I love sharing my memories through my passion for perfume. When I was a young girl, my mother told me that the most beautiful things in the world are quite often not seen, but available through the subtlest of nuances. I am thankful for the opportunities that I have been given to know all of the many ways that her words were destined to come true.
It delights me to know that I’ve may have inspired you to try a fragrance that you wouldn’t normally dare or that I’ve reconnected you with a long forgotten fragrant love. But if I’ve left you speechless even better...that was my mother’s gift. She brought so much beauty to my world and taught me almost everything that I know about fragrance, fashion and seduction. She was an extraordinary cook, filling our home with the most decadent aromas and a wonderful gardener who grew such fragrant peonies that one stem could perfume a room. She loved gardenias and wore them whenever she could. My mother’s delight in everything beautiful has always inspired me to create my own luscious life. What more can you ask for than the gift of being able to create your life as a work of art thorough every breath, every day.
That’s who she was, who I strive to be and that is why I love and write about fragrance...
Olivier Gillotin
