Tangled Up in L'Heure Bleue

Old Labels

2009-11-14T15:55:00.000-05:00

It's been a long time since I looked closely at the old Prince Matchabelli Labels my aunt gave me ages ago. I remember beach combing as a kid, and creating make-believe gypsy patterans, little piles of shells, beach glass, & whatever dross we found on the beach.

Blog Break

2008-11-14T13:13:00.003-05:00

Magical Moon

2008-10-28T12:53:00.000-04:00

Magical Moon Eau de Parfum by Hanae Mori 2006
Headnotes: Blooming Osmanthus Flower, Sugar Cane, Star Fruit
Heartnotes: China Rose, Orange Flowers, Guava Nectar
Basenotes: Patchouli, Incense, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Musk
A very warm oriental fragrance. This is a romantic perfume that is both light and potent at the same time. It truly lives up to the name.

"Conceived by master perfumers under a full moon in a garden of night-blooming flowers, its rich buds and blooms are harvested according to an ancient lunar calendar, blended in vats lined with blue moonstone, and bottled under a full moon." --Sephora.com

There is a scented valley in China, where Buddhist Monks planted Osmanthus long ago. Today these groves of Osmanthus perfume the air in the fall, during the Moon Festival. The gentle rains are fragrant and petals float down on a scented breeze. Moon cakes are made for the festival, using flavoring from the Osmanthus. The flowers are also used to make tea, jam, sweets, wine and liqueurs.

Maja

2008-10-09T11:07:00.005-04:00

From Spain. Maja. Eau de Toilette, pretty mild. spicy and a little soapy. nice.

Rose Essentielle

2008-09-30T18:34:00.000-04:00

St. Theresa of Lisieux (The Little Flower) is the Patroness of florists, pilots, and of France. (possibly because she was French, flew around in the sky, and smelled like roses even though she wore no perfumes) In "The Dharma Bums" a novel by Jack Kerouac, a hobo tells a young man about St. Theresa and how she promised to shower the earth with roses from heaven, forever, for all living creatures. She did a good job showering my yard.

Rose Essentielle by Bulgari is a true rose scent, light but enduring, and it smells like the roses in my yard. (pictured here)

Eddy's Perfume Review

2008-09-29T10:19:00.000-04:00

Eddy has been with us for 90 days now, and his warranty has expired. Time for him to earn his keep helping Ched review scents.

Iris Ganache by Guerlain. This (if properly applied) is a light warm scent. Iris butter blended with patchouli and cinnamon makes it both spicy and gourmand. Lightly sweet unless you pour it on. (Why is it that excitable humans tend to overdo it?) I suppose you humans think more is better. Yikes.

Maeve Brennan Again

2008-09-27T00:00:00.008-04:00

I was thrilled when Maeve's stories were collected and reprinted. I have been a fan of hers for many years. I've mentioned her in at least 4 blog posts, like this one.

After her death, Maeve Brennan was called a genius. In life she was loved by her many friends. Angela Bourke, Maeve's biographer described her office at the New Yorker:

"Glass panels in the metal door dribbled light into the corridor of Sleepy Hollow, but Maeve worked with her door open, and instead of the dreary cells the men tolerated, her little office became a bright and fragrant space, where she would sit behind her typewriter, wearing enormous reading glasses. She smoked constantly, but so did everybody else, and Maeve wore Russian Leather perfume that wafted along the corridors and gathered in her room. She brought in potted plants, had the walls painted white, the ceiling Wedgwood blue..."

They no longer use the same formula for Russian Leather, the new scent smells very similar, but toned down. The original had more Pizzazz -- the word Pizzazz was coined by Diana Vreeland, editor of Harper's Bazaar, (where Maeve once worked.)

Mariella Burani

2008-09-24T10:10:00.000-04:00

I was able to thoroughly test Mariella Burani products since I found a perfume shop that had several gift sets and bottles. They were using one of the gift sets as a tester. The perfume itself smells like something that was created long ago, something that only Mrs. Gottrocks could afford to wear. It smells expensive and tres chic. Wearing Mariella Burani might forever ruin some of the classics for you, as it feels warmer, richer, and you'd reach for it instead.

Avin ( the SA pictured) was captivated by it. for her it held some memory of a scent, a favorite place, ( so real it evoked strong emotion, yet she could not place it.) For me it is the best of all the classic Aldehydic scents, each note captured perfectly. The strong citrus and aldehydes at the top, the violets and roses blooming in the heart, with unusual notes chiming in. It is a masterpiece that is still available online and in some shops. Warning: For evening wear only unless you are a daring femme fatale.

Mariella Burani 1992
Head: Bergamot, Mandarin, Orange, Grapefruit, Lemon, Aldehydes
Heart: Rose, Violet, Ylang, Ylang, Peach, Iris, Lily,
Geranium, Coconut, Jasmine
Base: Cedar, Balsam, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Vanilla, Musk, Oakwood, Tolu, Styrax, Labdanum, Castoreum, Benzoin.
A Powerful, deeply satisfying, classic yet sultry evening scent.

Donovan does Guerlain

2008-09-19T13:28:00.000-04:00

Donovan: Wait, Bob! Before you fire up a ciggie, try my truly gorgeous new 'fume!

Thierry Wasser at Guerlain

2008-09-17T00:00:00.002-04:00

Thierry Wasser (seen here with Jean Paul Guerlain) was born near Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Obsessed with botany and earth science as a child, he received his degree in Botany at age twenty. Four years later Wasser was a Junior Perfumer with a degree from Givaudan. If you've tried Dior's Addict or Lancome's Hypnose, you've experienced the creativity of Thierry Wasser who is now the head perfumer at Guerlain.

Wasser is the nose behind 2007's Quand Vient La Pluie, (bergamot, heliotrope, violet, jasmine; patchouli leaves, praline note, white musk, herbs, woods.) and Iris Ganache (bergamot, vanilla, cinnamon, and iris butter in a patchouli base.) Both are excellent~ elegant yet modern.

Angelique Noire

2008-09-16T20:34:00.000-04:00

Today I was reading a post at Merle Sneed's
blog. I thought, hmmm... Sneed's blog smells really good.
Then I realized it was the Angelique Noire I had put on this morning. I went out to get a haircut, and afterwards as I was
walking to the liquor store I thought...this haircut smells so good. Then I realized it was the Angelique Noire. This kept happening to me all day. I thought the perfume had faded, but it kept wafting back, probably due in part to my incredibly warm, soft skin.
( I am a bit tipsy as I write this )
Angelique Noire is a dark angel, a mysterious blend of notes
that always surprises me when I wear it. Always.
Perfumer: Danièle Andrier
Some of the notes are Angelica, Bergamot, Spices,
Almond Wood, and the famous Guerlain Vanilla.

Gossamer and Kirsch

2008-09-10T18:11:00.000-04:00

Gossamer was hard to love. At first he scared me the same way he scared Bugs Bunny. Then I liked him just a little, then I felt he was endearing & sweet, or he tried to be sweet. This reminded me of his perfume look-alike that smells like Cherry Liqueur. I wasn't so sure about that at first either. But I came to accept Delices De Cartier just as I had accepted Gossamer. They are both lovable.

-Photo of Gossamer with his hair in TNT curlers at Bugs Bunny's beauty salon.
This was JUST before his head exploded.

* Update

Unlike cherry liqueurs and many 'cherry brandies', Kirschwasser is not sweet. The best Kirsch has a highly refined taste with subtle flavors of morello cherry and a slight bitterness from the stone.

Cherry Brandy is much sweeter and not as nice to drink. The fact that Delices de Cartier smells like a tart cherry Kirsch rather than cherry brandy or cherry candy/ cough drops is what makes it a worthwhile perfume. It will not bring to mind candy or cough syrup, but it is a very boozy scent.

Coral Negro Perfume by Suchel

2008-09-07T00:00:00.000-04:00

Coral Negro: Head notes include citrus and spice, heart notes are mainly tropical florals, and the soul of the scent is sandalwood, amber, with touches of musk and patchouli. Suchel perfumes are award winning scents and the history of perfumery in Cuba is a very old and respected one. The French house of Molinard was at one time a huge favorite in Cuba. Habanita by Molinard is still a popular perfume.

I have a thing for Coral Negro which keeps it in my top five, and here is a quote from from a good friend of mine regarding Coral Negro. I couldn't describe it any better than he does.

"The saleswoman brought out a bottle, she said it was The Black Coral of Suchel for me to try. Instantly I found it to be on par with the best French perfume. It had a warmth, and was seductive. I decided to buy a bottle for my wife. In the days I spent in Cuba, while sampling the handcrafted fragrances offered in the boutiques and visiting the impressive Perfume Museum, it was as if I was in a place like Grasse, but more mysterious ~ with a very, very spirited nightlife. " ~J.C.

Long ago I imagine, in Habana Vieja the old men sat companionably, in well-worn linen suits and savored their espresso. Perfumed women in lovely handmade dresses brought them a light meal and another espresso ( which they had made from the freshest beans, spring water, raw sugar and boiled milk.) The women heated the water, stirred in the coffee, and boiled it for just a second in tiny pots over a fire. They carefully strained it through cloth. The strong scent of the espresso mingled with that of the cigar smoke and perfume on the breeze. When the Italian espresso machine came to Cuba it was met with great enthusiasm, as you can imagine. Since I've been reading the Coffee Messiah's blog I've been wanting an espresso machine. I doubt if I'll ever get one, and so I'll continue to make primative espresso.

Fun Factoid: French Colonists who settled in Cuba in the 1700s set the standards for coffee cultivation, standards that are still maintained today. Good to know, as I'm hoping to visit Cuba someday. Several of my friends have gone and all of them would like to go back.

One friend told me that François-René de Chateaubriand wrote that the Island of Cuba presents itself by the scent of vanillas and the perfume of tropical flowers. I wasn't able to find the exact quote anywhere, but Chateaubriand did spend time in Louisiana and no doubt sailed to Cuba at some point during his tour of The Americas. I've never read any of his books, but while searching for information on his travels, his novels and memoirs looked very interesting.

Perfume bottles are found on old Cuban postage stamps (I tried to find a clearer stamp image, but no luck.)

~ Yesterday's book review made me add a post script to this post.
The flashy cover review caught my eye ~ Rachel Kushner's novel Telex from Cuba set in the 1950's.

"Kushner has fashioned a story that will linger like a whiff of the decadent Colony perfume." ~ Susann Cokal for The New York Times

The Colony perfume she's referring to is Jean Patou's 1938 creation. (A strong tropical rum punch of a chypre with tobacco, leather, woods, and floral notes.)

Other quality perfumes inspired by Cuba include:
Cuba by Czech & Speake of Jermyn Street, London
perfumer: Robert Stephen
Head notes: a nice blend of rum, lime, and mint
Heart notes: rose, spices and bay
Soul notes: spices, tobacco, cedarwood, and tonka bean.

Cuba Express by perfumer Dominique Dubrana
for Abdes Salam Attar Dubrana chose 4 scents that reminded her of Cuba: coffee, tobacco, rum and cacao.
She blended them with tropical fruits and Caribbean spice.

Bob Dylan in Houndstooth

2008-09-06T23:00:00.000-04:00

I don't display perfume bottles until they are empty. While removing the metal cap and plastic tubing, I finally noticed the houndstooth design on the bottom of the Miss Dior Cherie Bottle.
I used this perfume all summer and never noticed the pattern etched on bottom of the bottle.

I've wanted to do a post on the sculptors who design perfume bottles for awhile, but the pattern got me thinking about clothing designers who also decide to make perfumes. Some, like Dior and Chanel, create classics and some use the cheapest chemicals possible to make a fast buck.

And seeing the houndstooth pattern made me think about Dylan's transformation from his old Folksinger clothing to Mod suits. It wasn't a shocking, sudden transformation, but over a five year period he goes from shabby to sharp, from hobo to hipster. Still some people are offended by the changes in his musical and personal style and hate him for it.

On May 17, 1966, Bob Dylan stands on an English stage, wearing a fitted houndstooth suit and pointed boots in front of a 5 piece band with his fender stratocaster, playing rock and roll. There are boos and catcalls from the audience, as some feel he has sold out by "going electric" and finally, just before the last number, someone in the audience screams "Judas!" at him.

Sometimes I think even the 'very resistant to change' are transformed, even if it is only a slight change of thought, or for some, maybe not much more than a new haircut. But I can't imagine anyone wanting to be the same person they were a decade ago.

"A worried man with a worried mind
No one in front of me and nothing behind
There's a woman on my lap and she's drinking champagne
Got white skin, got assassin's eyes
I'm looking up into the sapphire tinted skies
I'm well dressed, waiting on the last train
Standing on the gallows with my head in a noose
Any minute now I'm expecting all hell to break loose
People are crazy and times are strange
I'm locked in tight, I'm out of range
I used to care, but things have changed."
--Bob Dylan

A Post for Victor Tabbycat

2008-09-06T00:00:00.001-04:00

Now that September is here, it's time to start sampling some scents. I chose Sensual Amber by The Bath & Body Works because it's a warm, rich amber, perfect to have on hand for that first chilly day. The head notes contain a bit of fruit, so it seems sweet at first, but that doesn't last long. The woodsy soul of the scent make this a joy to wear, and at under twenty dollars, it's a bargain. It smells as good and lasts as long as similar scents that cost three times more.

Inspired by Victor Tabbycat, this film is a look at a Starling who crashes a party. The Starling didn't follow direction very well, though, he had an attitude, came in late and dropped some of the big crumb he was supposed to walk off with, plus he flew in when he was supposed to walk in. He refused to do a re-shoot. Typical. Everyone knows how frustrating these birds can be. Why do you think they call it 'flipping the bird' ? Exactly.

Insolence

2008-09-02T13:47:00.000-04:00

Insolence by Guerlain 2006
Perfumer: Maurice Roucel
Bottle design: Serge Mansau
Notes of violets, iris, and berries.
For casual wear.

Jardin for Marguerite

2008-09-02T06:31:00.000-04:00

The path to Marguerite's jardin?

This one is for Marguerite, who has a very inspiring garden. This was made for Marguerite on a sultry day in a weedy garden, not one as well tended as Marguerite's own jardin.

I'm always amazed at how blogger shrinks down my movies and blurs them. (sigh)

Benches

2008-08-27T03:00:00.001-04:00

For Tony.

Bal a Versailles (Jean Desprez 1962) To me this scent is a rosier but murkier copy of L'Heure Bleue-- but that's just how it feels on my skin. It works better in cold or rainy weather.

Man in the Red Hat

2008-08-25T00:00:00.001-04:00

If my blogger buddy Mickey Blackcat went to the mall, he'd head straight for the man in the red hat and apron. Thanks for being a good friend, Mickey!

When Summer Sizzles

2008-08-23T01:41:00.000-04:00

I feel sad that these men have to wear suits and ties all summer. It would be fun if suddenly it was the fashion for men to dress like the late Steve Irwin to work in NYC on hot humid days. Those little shorts and the cute hat. After all, it is a jungle.

There's something intoxicating about wearing a big floral on a sultry summer night. Applied correctly, (and worn with a skimpy sun dress) it can be really effective.

Jardins de Bagatelle by Guerlain is a prime example of something that really works on a tropical night.
Head: bergamot
Heart: jasmine, gardenia, tuberose,
Soul: woody notes
A graceful scent for those who enjoy ultra feminine florals. It is as sheer as a strong floral can be considering the tuberose gardenia combination. The famous Guerlain jasmine seems to calm this potion down just enough. Starting out sweet and emphatic, it becomes much more refreshing and delicate as it settles down about 30 minutes after application. It will last all evening. It would be almost Southern Belle except that it is thoroughly French.

The Poet's Chair

2008-08-23T00:01:00.001-04:00

~For Possum (LKD)

Cheers!

2008-08-22T00:00:00.003-04:00

This film is dedicated to Jenny Ha Ha of Flaw and Disorder, who has been blogging a lot less because she had a baby (a daughter) this summer. This film is a toast to Jenn & Ironman.

Six Unremarkable Things About Me

2008-08-19T00:00:00.000-04:00

1. Like many other people, I'm right handed.

2. Like many other people, I know how to send an e mail.

3. Like many other people, I feel that maraschino cherries are more decorative than anything else.

4. Like many other people, I enjoy being near bodies of water.

5. Like many people I appreciate that Bob Dylan has talent.

6. Like many other people, I buy food to take home and eat.

This was a tag from Possum, and I'll pass the tag to six other people: Post six unremarkable things about yourself. Appreciate the ordinary!
1. Mercury
2. Merle
3. Mouse
4. Megan
5. Mrs. Mayhem
6. Marguerite

Of course I'd love to know all of your truly unremarkable bits, so EvErYoNe is tagged.

Hardware: A Short Film

2008-08-18T00:15:00.000-04:00

I've decided to create a short film for each of my blogger commenters, and first up is Hardware, a film dedicated to Merle Sneed.

No film will exceed 30 seconds, and most will be 15 seconds or shorter.

It will be a sort of Film Festival, with each film inspired by some blogger out there, who has touched my life and expanded my mind. Thanking you all in advance for the inspiration.

This is Me

2008-08-16T04:11:00.001-04:00

Here I am spending another Saturday morning watching an old movie on TV. More than 150 channels and all I watch is one old movie channel.

I'm about to cancel cable, and just get old movies from the library ~ totally free!

What are Joseph Cotton and Claudette Colbert eating in this scene? It was dessert, and it wiggled. Could it be jello???