A bridal bouquet is a fashion accessory that “should accent the dress,” not obscure it,” says floral designer Lorraine Cooper, AIFD, in the September issue of Flowers& magazine. The article, aptly titled “It’s All About the Dress,” includes 12 bouquets she created to complement six popular wedding gown silhouettes — all magnificently photographed by Ron…
Two of my perfume souvenirs on our recent trip to the UK were two “voyage sets” of Miller Harris eau de parfum sprays. Each one is titled “La Collection Voyage”; one is sub-titled “Pour Elle” and the other “Fleurs.” I bought them both in the niche fragrance boutique in Terminal 5 of Heathrow Airport — a place that is a great consolation for perfume-lovers with layovers!
World Duty Free boutique in Heathrow Airport, Terminal 5.
“Pour Elle” contains Miller Harris’ fragrances Tangerine Vert, La Pluie and Terre d’Iris. “Fleurs” includes Rose En Noir, Noix de Tubereuse and Fleur Oriental. Here is my dilemma: they are still in their boxes, sealed. Which to try first? I sampled Rose En Noir and Noix de Tubereuse at the sales counter, and took the plunge on the other set because I have long wanted to try La Pluie and Terre d’Iris. I have a 100 ml bottle of Miller Harris’ Geranium Bourbon, which I like very much although its spicy, aromatic vibe is a departure from my usual green and white florals.
Miller Harris “Fleurs” set
Any votes? Please share your thoughts in the comments, and tell me if you have any favorite Miller Harris scents!
Miller Harris “La Collection Voyage Pour Elle”
Welcome to the new home of soon-to-launch Louis Vuitton perfumes, plus sibling Parfums Christian Dior (Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior are both owned by LVMH): a restored seventeenth century perfumery in Grasse, France, with the enchanted name “Les Fontaines Parfumees”, or “The Perfumed Fountains.” It joins the previous purchase and restoration by Parfums Christian Dior of the Chateau de la Colle Noire, twelve miles away in Callian and former home of the legendary designer Christian Dior himself. Continue reading
You may be thinking, “yes, yes, I know, you just got back from a trip so you’re using ‘roads’ as some kind of travel metaphor.” Nope. ROADS is, in its own words, “a contemporary and highly creative lifestyle brand based in Dublin, Ireland.” I was able to buy a discovery set of ROADS’ fragrances in the lovely fragrance department of Dublin’s Brown Thomas department store on Grafton Street. I had visited Dublin’s only specialized stand-alone perfumery dedicated to niche fragrances, Parfumarija, where I bought an Ormonde Jayne discovery set. (By the way, Parfumarija is well worth a visit). The delightful sales assistant, when I asked if she stocked any fragrances that are specifically Irish, suggested that I might like some of ROADS’ fragrances and thought I might find them there. Continue reading
I recently returned from a trip to the UK with a mind overflowing with lovely memories and bags overflowing with lovely souvenirs: mostly books, because that’s how I roll, but also quite a few niche fragrances that are hard or impossible to find in the U.S. I bought some great ones in the lovely fragrance department of Brown Thomas, a department store in Dublin, but I still wanted something actually made in Ireland. Dublin Airport to the rescue! While browsing in the House of Ireland boutique for some last-minute gifts for friends and family, I found some scents by Fragrances of Ireland, which are made in County Wicklow. Which one to choose? I tested Connemara and Innisfree and bought the latter. Continue reading
This is a very informative post about a recent meeting of Perfume Lovers London, where they explored rose scents and the aromachemicals that make a rose, by any name, smell sweet. Enjoy!
This was the first “business as usual” PLL event hosted by Lizzie (Odette Toilette), Laurin and Callum at the October Gallery in London since taking over the group.
The wonderful Nick Gilbert
Leading us through this rose themed evening was fragrance expert, Nick Gilbert. If you haven’t already checked out his YouTube channel Love to Smell with Pia of Volatile Fiction, you really should. Nick runs his own consultancy business and couldn’t be better placed to present us with the aromachemicals used to create rose scents along with examples of how each has been used in a particular perfume.
Below is a rough reconstruction of some of the perfumed proceedings after an introduction by Lizzie.
Lizzie, radiant in orange.
Nick: The reason I chose rose for this evening is because although there are are 300 molecules in rose absolute, there’s only 4 that humans can smell…
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I’ve returned from a trip to the UK that included a visit to the year-old duty free boutiques in Heathrow’s Terminals 4 and 5 dedicated to niche and high-end designer fragrances, as well as a stop at a beautiful independent perfumery in Dublin and an unexpected bargain at a VERY well-appointed fragrance department of a department store I had never heard of before. And, of course, many visits to fragrant gardens with more roses than I have seen since … well, since I visited the UK last summer.
I’ll be posting this week and in August about my finds and encounters, including some wonderful discovery sets and samples of unfamiliar or new niche fragrances, so please join me on a vicarious journey of fragrant discovery!
Parfumarija in Dublin; image from http://www.parfumarija.com
Scentbird: Asia’s unprecedented and unspoiled beauty has been an eternal inspiration to designers of perfumes, who simply cannot suppress the urge that…
I have a new love: Fentimans Rose Lemonade. It is pale pink, fizzy, sweet, and scented like roses. It is “botanically brewed” lemonade with the addition of rose extract, which provides a soft floral fragrance and taste. What a perfect summer drink to sip while the summer roses are in bloom!
Image: Fentiman’s.
Update: now that I’m back home and have found a local supplier of Fentimans Rose Lemonade, I have concocted a summer cocktail based on it: Old Herbaceous’ Rose Cocktail. Enjoy!
My family and I will be traveling to Devon, Cornwall, Belfast and Dublin this summer! I am excited at the possibility of visiting at least one perfume-related site during our trip, and I’ve identified a beautiful perfumery in Dublin: Parfumarija, which is close to where we will be staying. Doesn’t this look lovely?
Parfumarija in Dublin; image from http://www.parfumarija.com
Any other suggestions for fragrance places to visit? They don’t all have to be retail stores!
Serenity Now Scents and Sensibilities 