A Few Of My Favorite Things!

So, I‘ve been asked time and time again my favorite scents. The smells that I can’t live with out; the ones that I crave. My first experience with being haunted by fragrance was when I was a little girl. My mother had this beautiful grey woolen shawl that she wore almost everyday except when she would go out for a glamorous evening on the town.

After watching the wondrous ritual of her getting ready, I would crawl into her bed and watch the late late shows, usually Alfred Hitchcock or old reruns of the Twilight Zone. Scared silly and desperately clutching the shawl I would breathe in the warm, spicy scent of Yves Saint Laurent's Opium or Paloma Picasso mixed with earthy wool and my mother’s own essence.

This is how I became instantly addicted to perfume. Following my mother’s cue, I immediately fell in to the Classic Orientals much to my family’s dismay… Can you imagine a young girl of eight or nine soaked from head to toe in Opium? A bit much.

So here they are, in no particular ranking…



Garlic:

Mmm.Mmmmmm.Garlic. I mean, how can you not love the smell of Garlic? Something is wrong with you if you don’t love the smell of potently drenched, succulent, dripping with, buttery, yummy, Garlic. There is this restaurant by my office that has a snake of garlic perfume wafting through the air and around the corner. It’s like it some kind of olfactory hook in my nose that just grabs my body.

I often cook heavily with it, and I love the smell of my perfume mixing with the scent. I usually like a really heavy spicy, Oriental with my garlic. This is secretly what I imagine Sophia Loren’s kitchen to smell like. Almost sensory overload.





Freshly Baked Bread:

I remember one summer; I experienced heaven, in of all places, Brooklyn. Nestled amongst the grey warehouses and greasy Hipsters is a huge industrial bakery. On that cool summer night, still under the spell of puppy-love and blushed from wine, I shared a soft kiss. As I inhaled the freshly baked loaves, I sighed, “Hmm…This must be what heaven smells like…” Who knew bread could be so innocently erotic?






Florida Water with Milk& Honey:

Ok. Milk & Honey is just fabulous any way. It even sounds good together and how much more decadent can you get than a Milk & Honey bath?

I don’t mean a bath gel with powdered milk and dehydrated honey in the ingredients. I mean a quart of heavy whipping cream and a fat half cup of honey drizzled into a steaming hot bath. Then I add some sprinkles of Florida water ,which is traditionally reserved for Caribbean rituals, and sink deep into the silky warmth. It’s dizzyingly intoxicating.



Comet brand cleaner:
I know this is weird, but I love the smell of Comet brand cleaner, and it is this particular scent not some off brand scent. Here’s kudos to the industrial fragrance perfumer who created this scent, because this has been a staple in my life for many years solely based on the scent.

I have found myself on my hands and knees diligently scrubbing away in the tiles of my bathroom just to be able to breathe in that compulsively clean and sparkling scent!



So this is a short and sweet list of a few favorite scents that are seared into my olfactory memory, however new contenders find me everyday especially in the streets of New York!

Cheers,

Celene

New Year. New You? New Perfume!

All of us vow to start new and better habits at the beginning of each year. Quit smoking, start exercising, eat healthier. Why not start with a tiny baby step to get you in the mood for change?
Start with an easy everyday change, but one that can give you the feeling of a new identity. A new you for the New Year!

Making a change in your perfume can be as easy as switching from the Eau de Toilette version of your favorite standby to the Eau de Parfum version. Or as daring as going from one end of the spectrum, say a light citrus, to the total opposite end something like a deep and resinous woody elixir.

Luckily, with L’Artisan Parfumeur, we have so many perfumes in our range, the change will be easy to make. Let’s take a look…

For a quick no brainer way to make a change, stay in your favorite fragrance family:

Like light citrus perfumes?

Mandarine

or

L'Eau de Jatamansi

Try a deeper, warmer citrus for something safe but different.

L’Eau de L’Artisan

or

Navegar

Usually a soliflore girl?

Verte Violette

or

Mimosa Por Moi

Try a deeper, more complex floral instead.

La Chasse aux Papillon Extrême

or

L’Ete en Douce

Wear sporty, green, lush fragrances?

Fleur de Liane

Try an unusual mix of spice and green in place of your usual one.
Piment Brûlant

Another route could be to try a perfume not in the same family, but in a very similar one, say a green scent for those that usually wear citruses or a deep wood for someone that usually wears a rich oriental. These families are very close and very often mix and mingle in perfumer’s blends.

For example:
An Ambre Extrême devout could wear a deeper wood or incense fragrance such as Dzongkha or Passage d’Enfer with ease.

Have you worn Thé Pour en Été for years? Try Premier Figuier Eau de Toilette, a green, lush complex fruit perfect for a twist on the light and fresh fragrances.

Is Mûre et Musc your usual standby? Try some of our other fruits and gourmand scents like Jour de Fete, Ananas Fizz, Premier Figuier Extrême, Safran Troublant or Havana Vanille.



For those of you that really want a change for the New Year, be daring and try perfumes you’ve never tried before.
Come to the counter with plenty of bare skin, roll up your sleeves and dig in!

Always wear something light and fresh? Go for a deep and sexy oriental elixir.

Lighten your step with a crisp water note if you tend to wear rich woody scents.

The thing to remember here is to have fun!
It is not just a perfume. It is an attitude. A feeling. A memory.

Change your fragrance and you can change the world! Ok, maybe that’s a bit much…but you get my point.


Scentfully Yours,
Celene