Tag Archives: perfume gathering

Sylvaine Delacourte and Jan E. Vos in Zagreb

Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume June 21, 2014 Comments: 7

Yes, you read that right! 🙂

There was a great perfumista event today in Zagreb, organized by Juraj of the Bleauog.

I don’t want to sound dismissive of Juraj’s part of the event (but I know him and talked perfume with him before). He talked about perfume history and changes that happened in how perfumes used to smell and how they smell now but for me the highlight of the event was hearing Mr. Vos’ talk about how Puredistance came to life and how synchronicity has played an enormous role there (synchronicity being something many perfumistas believe in) and then Mme Delacourte, as the last guest/speaker.

Before that, we heard an interesting theory by Zoran Kurelić who argued that Luca Turin’sDSC_0348 Guide was a decisive moment in perfume history and changed, in a good way, the perception and ability of people to discuss perfume more easily and using a common ground. Whether you agree with what Luca thinks about a certain perfume or you don’t, The Guide is something all of us have read. (somehow Tanya’s name got forgotten in all that) 😉

Mr. Vos says for himself that he is a doer and someone who loves beauty. It was fun listening to him talk about how Puredistance came to life and how he built it with the idea of long term luxury however long it takes as they don’t advertise but they have certainly built a great relationship with bloggers.

Listening to Sylvaine Delacourte was definitely a treat. 🙂 It is obvious she loves what she does and does it with passion. She certainly made me wish I had a job at Guerlain. Somewhere where I could work close to her. 😉

Her favorite perfume is L’Heure Bleu and she’s been loyal to it all her life (well ever since she discovered it). Closely followed by Cuir Beluga which is a perfume she made with her preferences in mind.DSC_0349

My knowledge of the perfume world seems to be limited as I wasn’t aware of the fact that L’Art et Matiere line was her brainchild. And if I ever win the lottery, I’ll go see her for a bespoke perfume (which I’ll then have 2l of and my own private formula).

I loved how everyone today, while answering questions, said that they don’t believe in masculine or feminine definition of perfumes as they are meant to evoke emotion. So whatever works for you, is meant to be enjoyed.

Unfortunately, all my hopes were dashed in the end when I asked Mme Delacourte if there is a chance of Guerlinade ever getting re-released. You can guess the answer to that. 😉

Sharing the perfume bug

I've been thinking, Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume March 6, 2014 Comments: 22

I can’t really say I shared the perfume love as what I chose requires more getting used to than what people generally smell in mainstream stores (god, that sounds so condescending). 🙂

Anyway, yesterday I shared my love and a little bit of my collection with my female colleagues. I already had several perfume-y coffees with one who then spread the word. So that is how yesterday I ended up giving them a crash course through what perfumery offers if you know where to look.

I admit to being ambitious and offering them 22 perfumes to try. 😀 That was mean of me. 😉 And they did!
I never expected them to find anything to love among them, my goal was to make them understand how many more notes and possibilities exist out there and that they should try and figure out if they possibly like something and might want to discover more.

What I learned surprised me. 🙂 It seems people  (women in this case) are fed up with sweet perfumes. That was what everyone kept saying, I don’t want anything sweet. And the general consensus on what they found good was also surprising (although it shouldn’t be as I love it as well).

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I made them cheat sheets with all the perfumes so they can take notes for themselves

That was Monegal’s Cuirelle. 🙂 Closely followed by Tom Ford’s Tuscan Leather. 

I shouldn’t get surprised anymore that Cuirelle is such a hit among people who smell it. Especially after reading Birgit’s interview with Ramon Monegal where he said his favorite perfume is “true leather”. It’s obvious he knows what to do with that. 😉

It was a boisterous gathering (all perfume gatherings somehow end up boisterous) and we laughed a lot. I heard some interesting adjectives being ascribed to perfumes:

– smells like toothpaste (for Vamp a NY)

– lemon peel! (Bigarade Concentree)

– Terrible! Smells like sweat. Just too much. (Tubereuse Criminelle – I had to bring that one for shock effect) 😉

– Toilet cleaner (Tuscan Leather) – actually have no idea how that came about…

We agreed to meet again with a selection geared more toward spring and summer in a couple of months.

I definitely hope to keep this up until their perfume vocabulary upgrades from: It’s interesting/ok/sweet/too much, to – Oh, I smell white flowers/amber/green stuff, etc..

That’s not asking too much, is it? 😉

 

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