Espaço Perfume + Arte

crédito fotográfico : + Q Perfume Blog

Lembrança do evento - um perfume com a carinha do Boticário

Faculdade Santa Marcelina e Grupo Boticário

inauguram Espaço Perfume em São Paulo

A Faculdade Santa Marcelina (FASM), uma das mais renomadas instituições de ensino superior em Moda no Brasil, inaugura nesta quinta-feira, 23/09, às 14h30, em parceria com O Boticário, o Espaço Perfume Arte + História, na cidade de São Paulo. Dedicada à história da perfumaria nacional e internacional, a mostra tem como objetivo registrar 5 mil anos da história do perfume, sua relação com a moda e, ainda, curiosidades sobre sua produção.

O Espaço Perfume é gratuito e aberto ao público de todas as idades. Visão e audição são estimulados por um acervo rico em imagens, cores, sons, fragrâncias e muita informação, começando em 3.000 a .C. Ao todo, mais de 500 peças históricas, entre objetos originais e réplicas, ilustram e ajudam a entender a composição de um perfume, conhecer suas matérias-primas e ver os frascos que acondicionam o produto final – que também instigam a memória, e provocam verdadeiras viagens no tempo. O acervo foi composto com a colaboração de mais de 100 marcas do segmento de perfumaria nacional e internacional.

Fiquem por aqui e confiram nos mínimos detalhes como foi a festa de inauguração! + Q Perfume Blog teve o prazer de ser o único blog e mídia sobre fragrâncias a estar presente no evento para prestigiar a querida Renata Ashcar. Tirei várias fotos, aguardem!!

MADly in rose & Pillow Talk

To SP who I never met in person but pillow talked with many times.

There were times when a man and a woman met in real life. A time where facebooks, virtual sex and J dating did not exist. A time when movies had romance, a touch of comedy and naivité, instead of steaming 100% exposed sexual intercourse. I can't say I miss those times, because I was not even born in the 50's, but I do love to watch old movies at TCM.

Pillow talk is one of my favorite romantic comedies of all times. The first movie starring the lovely pair Rock Hudson & Doris Day was about two neighbors that had nothing in commom but a shared a party line. Jan (played by Doris) was an interior decorator who starts to get angry by the amount of time her neighbor Brad Allen (played by Rock Hudson) spent over the phone chatting with women. Specially because he was a composer, who sang a supposedly love song just written for them, to ALL of them, just changing each time the name of the new victim of his charms. As they develop a huge fight due to this line sharing, they meet at a nightclub, and Brad pretends he is a Texan guy called Rex. They continue to talk/fight over the phone as neighbors, and Brad suggests that Jan is jealous of his popularity. She brags about Rex to her neighbor and all the fun begins.

Pillow talk is a delicious comedy that brings the romantic times when a man and a woman would speak for hours, and flirt for days before jumping to bed.

As I sprayed Rose Absolue Parfumée by Annick Goutal on my wrist this morning, the first thought that came up to my mind was "this is a perfume that smells like a romantic comedy from the 50's!" WOW! This perfume is from the times when Rock Hudson was every women's fantasy and still in the closet holding a pink pillow!" LOL

Rose Absolue was created in 1984 by Annick Goutal in a composition of 06 different roses.

This soliflower perfume was relaunched as Rose Absolue Parfumée, in the brand's new collection Rose so chic!, composed by 03 fragrances: Rose Absolue Parfumée, Quel Amour Eau Parfumée and Rose Splendide Eau Parfumée.

The new "remake" is a lighter version of the original, composed by Moroccan, Bulgarian, Turkish, May, Egyptian and Damascenean roses.

I am not particularly crazy about Rose fragrances with very little exceptions, but this perfume is so vintage, so oldie but goodie, that I thought it was worth reviewing.

I read the description offered by Osmoz as a "timeless" fragrance. Well...really?

The perfume brings a lot of the pinkish aura of the feminine world. It does make one wonder why we don't pillow talk anymore. When was the last time a man brought you roses... or why men does not dress neat anymore.The start is not my favorite, but as the fragrance settles it does become a beautiful bouquet.Tea rose is my favorite note among all others. if vintage is a way of calling something OLD without being rude...well, this fragrance is vintage for sure.

Vintage but fun!

You can find Annick Goutal fragrances at Essenza Nobile that kindly sent me this sample.

To catch a glimpse at pillow talk, click HERE.

Leather & Perfumery - Middle Ages & Renaissance - Part TWO

Katherine Heigl in gloves

As the use of leather comes from Ancient times, so does gloves. It is know that gloves and mittens made of animal furs were worn by cavemen to protect them from the cold. Egyptian women used gloves to protect the beauty of their hands. At that time, a common beauty treatment was to rub the hand with honey and fragrant oils, and cover them with a thin glove made of silk. The Romans put on the gloves while eating. These gloves were made from linen and silk. It was safe to take hot meat because the Romans did not use forks in those times. Such kind of gloves was called «Digitalia» and they were also used for cooking.

During the Middle Ages glove were means of protection to work and used by peasants while working with thorny or spiny grass. From the 12th century they received a prestigious status and became an accessory of first rate, decorated with gems, embroideries and pearls. They began to be worn by the church and by royalty. What started as a mean of protection to the hand, in the 13th century became a fashion ornament worn by people of taste and elegance.

Catherine de Medici -

As history tells, Catherine de Medici, born Italian and ruled France from 1547 to 1559, and had very little political influence as a queen, but a lot of influence on her court as a queen of taste and love for arts, architecture and perfumes. She even had her own private perfumer, who would follow with her anywhere the her court travel to. As she would wear poison rings to protect herself against her enemies, some historians say she introduced the fashion of scented gloves to mask the smell of these poisons. Others say she just disliked the smell of the leather of the gloves.

Masters gantiers et parfumeurs -

As civilization developed in Europe, during the Middle Ages, tanners and leather workers united in the trade guilds, as did the craftsmen in other fields. Royal charters or licenses were issued, permitting people to practice leather tanning. In the nineteenth century, vegetable tanning was supplemented by chrome tanning. This process uses chemicals, and today accounts for about 80% to 90% of all tanning done, except for the leather used in the soles of shoes and tooling leathers.

Cultivation of flowers for their perfume essence, which had begun in the 14th century, grew into a major industry in the south of France. During the Renaissance period, perfumes were used primarily by the wealthy to mask body odors, resulting from infrequent bathing. In 1656, perfumery received official recognition from the French, with the establishment of the Guild of Glove and Perfume Makers. Partly due to this patronage, the western perfumery industry was created. France quickly became the European center of perfume and cosmetics.

Patrick Süskind's novel Perfume, the story of a murderer, although sordid, provides an excellent panorama of the leather tanning commerce and perfume production for the aristocracy. Set in the 18th century in France, the book relates the story of Jean Baptiste Grenouille, a person born without any bodily odors or scents, but with incredible skills and incomparable sense of smell. At the age of eight he was sold and became an apprentice of a tanner. One day he finds a young girl with a marvelous scent, contrary to the stinky smells he was used to, found in the tanner. As he murders her by accident, he realizes that one cannot keep that wonderful scent. So he begins a sordid journey to try to capture the scent of women and to preserve it. he learns the perfumery craft with Baldini, a great perfumier, and from there he travels to Grasse to learn the technique of enfleurage, that he believed it would lead him to his quest.

For the movie trailer, click HERE.

Leather & Perfumery - Ancient Times - Part ONE

Modern European perfumery has its roots in the scenting of leather, which itself has a long tradition. + Q Perfume Blog invites her readers to feel the softness and the warmth of leathers. We will start our journey in the ancient times even before Christ to understand the origin of leathery notes in perfumery. We will continue to the stinky tanneries and the fine art of scenting gloves. We will see how leather and perfumes were always connected through history. We will end up our journey selecting beautiful leathery perfumes. So throw yourself on a leather chair or sofa and relax while reading me!

History of Leather

Leather has played an important role in the development of civilization. From prehistoric times men have used the skins of animals to satisfy their basic needs. They have used it to make clothing, footwear, belts, containers for liquids, boats, armor, shelter, carpets and even decorative attire. The principle protective armor of the Roman soldier was a heavy leather shirt. Although leather sometimes was used for protection against poor weather, its primary use was in footwear and belts. Animal skins were worn over the helmet with bearskins being popular among legionaries and feline among with Praetorians. Ancient Roman taxidermists would retain the entire body and the head, with the front legs tied to fasten over the armor. The animal's head would fit over the soldier's helmet, and mostly was worn by the Roman aquilifer, who carried the symbol of Rome into battle.The Romans rarely used goatskin for their leather, preferring pig or sheepskin, although the ideal would be the preferred leather was that most readily available – cattle skin. The thickest and most durable leather was used for shoe soles.

Romans at battle

Pieces of leather dating from 1300 B.C. have been found in Egypt. Egyptian women used leather ornaments that were as praised as jewelry. Primitive societies in Europe, Asia and North America all developed the technique of turning skins into leather goods. The Greeks were using leather garments in the age of the Homeric heroes (about 1200 B.C.), and the use of leather later spread throughout the Roman Empire.

Illustration copyright - fashion-era.com

Tanned animal hide made the earliest shoes in China. They are ancestors of leather boots. In the ancient script engraved on bone and tortoise shell it depicts a whole animal hide was trimmed and stretched out. This would indicate that, at the time written Chinese was being formulated; socks and shoes were both related to leather. In ancient times there was no distinction between shoes and socks. The ancients would protect their feet by cutting out pieces of animal hide, wrapping them around their feet, and securing them with leather thongs. The earliest pair of leather shoes in existence in China is a 4,000-year-old pair of boots made from sheep hide, worn by a mummified female corpse discovered in the ruins of the ancient kingdom of Loulan, in the deserts of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The lower and upper parts were sewn together using thick hide threads.

The Indians of North America also had developed great skills in leatherwork before the coming of the white men. By accident or by trial and error, man discovered methods of preserving and softening leather treating animal skins with such things as smoke, grease and bark extracts.

Hebrews' Leather Solae - found in the Dead Sea desert -fist century BC

The art of tanning leather using the bark of trees probably originated among the Hebrews. In primitive societies, the art was a closely guarded secret passed down from father to son.

Romans, Greeks and Hebrews applied perfumed oils on belts, leather sandals and ornaments, either to perfume themselves or to better preserve the leather goods. Rosemary, marjoram, spikenard, jasmine, roses, anises, spices, lilies, orris, frankincense, myrrh, galbanum, cedar etc...mixed with vegetable oil bases such as olive and almond oil where the common perfumes of that time.

Voyage d' Hermès - Fragrance review and trends perspectives

VOYAGE D'HERMÈS EDT

photo credit and art: Hermès

Voyage d'Hermès EDT - review

Launch: 2010

Perfumer: Jean Claude Ellena (The one and only!)

Bottle design: Philippe Mouquet

Gender: Unisex

Olfactive family: Woody floral musk.

Olfactive Notes: lemony notes, cardamom, tea, floral and green notes, hedione, lavender, ginger, ambrette, woody notes, musk.

Description by the Brand:"The story of Hermès is a voyage. Voyage d'Hermès is lively and reassuring, new and familiar. Radiant and soft, it is a woody fresh, musky scent. A fragrance to share for both men and women."

Description by + Q Perfume Blog: A Misty foggy journey into the woods looking for the Holy Grail. MISTY, FLOWERY, CLEAN, TRANSPARENT, DELICATE.

Silage: Medium

Fixation: Medium

Rating:✬✬✬✬

Where:

✬✬✬✬✬ - Holy Grail is less holy than this creation!

✬✬✬✬ - a king's perfume!

✬✬✬ - it escapes like mist evaporating.

✬✬ - my senses are foggy on this one.

✬ - so transparent you can barely notice it exists!

You can find this fragrance at HERMÈS website.

2010 is the year of green-y, clean, transparent/fluid perfumes. Untitled by Margiela, Eau de Campagne by Sisley, Ninfeo by Annick Goutal, L'Eau by Serge Lutens, Eau de Fleur de Capucine by Chloé, A Scent by Issey Miyake, Eternity Men Aqua by Calvin Klein, L'Eau au Masculin by Lolita Lempicka...and the list goes on and on. We have been seeing a lot of green notes, labdadum, galbanum, fresh cut grass, verbenas, cardamoms, crushed leaves, mints, green teas, pale jasmine, transparent musks, water-y notes, citrusy, pale anises and delicate wood-y finishings. VERT, FRAÎCHE, TENDRE, AQUA has been very common words while naming perfumes this year. Predicted by famous trend setter and published here, Li Edelkoort brought the water element to fashion and architecture. Water was the main concern at the end of 2009.

When I first tried Margiela's Untitled I found it very interesting. The super green note of galbanum combined with boxwood, toned down by cacau tenderness was really special. It bothered me thou the final fatty - cigarette ashtray combination.

As I recall, I compared it to Prada's Infusion d'Iris, also green-y and woody, but too soapy for my taste.

Than I found Voyage d'Hermès: Pure Perfection.

If I could rename olfactive families and reorganize them, I would diplay these three fragrances on the same shelf, from Prada to Hermès, in a scale of delicacy (from less delicate and stronger, to softer and more delicate).

I will not compare Ellena's previous Voyages as my fellows perfume blogers did. It would be just one more repetition of what has been said about this fragrance. Or either if it is disappointing or not to Ellena's fans. I am a fan, never disappointed!

What I would mention is that Hermès did follow a trend like any big massive production company. So what? Niche Perfumes such as Margiela and Serge Lutens also did! The difference is that Ellena has mastered this idea of transparency-green combination much better than anyone else.

GINGER

Voyage d'Hermès EDT has a fresh opening of citrusy-lemmony notes, combined with spicy-peppery notes of ginger and cardamom. You are not trimming the grass of your garden on a Sunday morning, you are not in a sauna or sucking air while skiing.

You are in a dream on top of a mountain, at early hours before sunrise...A foggy, misty humid dream of searching for something that it is not clear.

The little droplets suspended on the air, bringing a fresh bluish aura to your dream came bottled in a fragrance.

The freshness of ginger suggests it is a daydream, and not an obscure voyage into darkness, (another trend pointing out - but to be commented soon, in another article).

Notes of ambrette seed comes along, but it vanishes into the foggy clouds. The fragrance of ambrette reminds me of wet pavements drying out on a hot day - the smell of cement with a mineral hint. Also a hint that this could be a urban dream. Someone could also get lost in a mist foggy trail in a dream, trapped by buildings.

AROMATIC LAVENDER

Lavander notes brings the aromatic, fresh, clean roundup, and announce that flowers will be blooming. Like a reflection and a refraction of the tinny water drops, the flowery notes of this perfume do not come directly, exploding outwards the skin. It mirrors Ellena's sensitivity. It is implicit and intimate. Combined with tea (a combo that I love and it is found in many fragrances) the flowers receive an aura of nobleness knighthood.

MUSK

photo credit: profumo.it

Transparent musks with a slightly creamy-powedery under layered is wrapped into dry woody notes. I have seen this before in his work for L'Artisan Parfumeur, Bois de Farine. A very delicate version already experimented in the past of a pencil note, slightly powdery and slightly flowery.

What I love about musk is the fact that it can be very sexy, animal and glandular. Or very transparent clean. Animal source bringing the notion of cleanness is not new, but always amazes me! It is just the final touch for the misty delicacy of the fragrance.

Voyage d'Hermès EDT is a jewel. To me, it is as simple and as perfect and as chic as the Trinity Cartier ring. Three different metals rings, three different colors (pink, yellow and white gold) representing three concepts: love, friendship and fidelity.

As in Cartier's, Voyage d'Hermès EDT brings 03 concepts perfectly intertwined: transparency, delicacy and nobility.

Comparing Ellena's creation to Serge Luten's L'Eau, Voyage d'Hermès EDT represents the concept of water with more reality. L'Eau has aldehydes, magnolias, mint, clary sage, ozonic notes, musks and citrusy notes. The flower bouquet is too strong to be related to water. It has some transparency but not enough. At some point it reminds me of a combination presented by L'Ocitanne with jasmine and green tea. While Ellena's creations are round and perfectly finished, as Trinity rings; most Luten's always lack the polish that every jewel gets before displayed for sale. But this is another issue...

To enter to foggy journeys to the land of mystical Grails, kings, witchcraft and quests:

Excalibur - Click HERE

Monty Python The Holy Grail - 3 questions - click HERE