Inside Perfume

Beiber Fever Comes to Fragrance

ryanny — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:51:08 +0000

So the Beiber fever has come to the fragrance world with Someday. It was bound to happen, but MAN this kid is picking up revenue in any area possible while he can! I took some time to watch this all play out before posting about it. First of all, the bottle design was an obvious rip-off of Marc Jacobs Lola! Very uncool, but it probably doesn’t matter. The teens Someday is targeted toward have probably never seen Lola. Further more though, it seems not too many fragrance fans were expecting much of a fragrance out of this. After all, how great can it be with a target audience of bubble gum pop screeching Beiber fans. However, again… does this matter? Personally, I don’t believe in good or bad, it’s all about preference. Obviously there’s a lot of preference… I mean they don’t call it Beiber fever for nothin’! Sales of Someday reportedly sky rocketed. Who’s to say the sales will last though. Done someday hold more stamina than a possible flash in the pan pop sensation? The truth is in the scent, and from what I hear, it doesn’t stand a chance. It seems Someday will wither and fade… someday… how ironic. This isn’t about a great scent or a legendary fragrance though. It’s just marketing the Beiber. Though there’s much more to be said about the Britney fragrances that HAVE lasted (probably better than she has). a good scent goes a long way.

Have you tried Someday? Do you like it?

Justin Bieber’s Hot Fragrance Trend

ryanny — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 16:00:26 +0000

I have to admit, Justin Bieber came up with a pretty good fragrance idea in collaboration with Etoile Nation… scented jewelry! The fragrant dog tags and bracelets have been at Walmart since fall 2010, and are now coming to CVS and FYE with new pomegranate scents, available for just $10. It’s got trendy written all over it, especially with the upcoming opportunity to get your own customized dog tags from Etoilenation.com/custom. Mom’s, brace yourselves for your kids trying to explain why they need $100 for those custom dog tags though! Surely they won’t want to be seen in school with the plain $10 version. Back to the great idea part though, what a practical format for those who don’t like putting perfume on their skin, or want to change scents throughout the day. Though in the form of a Bieber dog tag… you might want to leave it for the kiddies.

You can see Justin Bieber wearing his custom white gold and diamond dog tags in his “That Should Be Me” video with Rascal Flatts:

Read The Scent of Justin Bieber Fever by Molly Prior, WWD

Beyoncé Heat Rush Contest

ryanny — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 21:15:58 +0000

Beyoncé Heat now has a spin-off fragrance (available since January 2011), Heat Rush! Most spin-off fragrances are a variation of the original, and Heat has added a twist of orange to it with Heat Rush! It is described as “a fruity floral fragrance that softly lures like a gentle breeze.”

Top notes: Brazilian cherry, passion fruit sorbet, and blood orange
Heart: Yellow tiger orchid, mango blossoms, and orange hibiscus
Base notes: Rio sunset musk, honey amber, and teak wood

Very exotic and sensual! Very Beyoncé! Check out this video interview with the perfumer that worked with Beyoncé on the scent, Honorine Blanc:

As if that weren’t enough there is a contest going on, and apparently time is running out to enter. You could win a trip to New York to meet Beyoncé in person, and a pile of free gifts too… of course.

Click here to enter the contest.

Click here to visit the official Beyonce Heat website.

Lady Gaga Perfume

ryanny — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 21:01:11 +0000

In an interview with Suzy Menkes (NY Times/Intl. Herald Tribunal) yesterday at the Mugler show in Paris, Lady Gaga sat closely by the side of her “best friend,” Mugler creative director Nicola Formichetti and spoke about their collaborations and the fashion world. Lady Gaga has been openly discussing news of her forthcoming, debut perfume since January. When Menkes asked “what it will smell of,” Nicola Formachetti chuckled, obviously already being in the know of the shock value to come. Gaga explains that one of the several notes in the perfume is in fact based on her own blood! She says the reason is “so that it would smell like and feel like” her. As if that isn’t enough shock value, she’s reported saying previously that the “feeling and scent” of semen would be included as well! The perfumers at Coty, who will be producing the perfume, must be thrilled! Actually they probably seriously are thrilled in a geeky perfumer way, to be recreating these scents synthetically. You have time to consider whether or not you will even test the fragrance, as there’s no news yet on when we can expect to take a wiff of the bodily fluids. I for one can’t wait to find out if it will be strangely beautiful, or just repulsive. Rest assured I’ll be keeping tabs and posting news on this one though.

Check out the interview with Suzy Menkes for the INternational Herald Tribune and the New York Times

Oscar Pistorius Featured In New Thierry Mugler A*Men Campaign

ryanny — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 19:15:56 +0000

In the February 18, 2011 issue of WWDSTYLE, WWD reports that Thierry Mugler is launching a new campaign for Mugler’s first men’s fragrance from 1996, A*Men. The capmaign, which is very chic and colorful, features South African athlete Oscar Pistorius, known not only as a double-amputee sprinter, but a world record athlete. Read more from the original article in WWD.

Defiance Fragrances

ryanny — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 20:31:48 +0000

Defiance Fragrances is an edgy, youthful collection of original scents for those who dare to be different, but still want a quality eau de toilette spray (rather than a watered down aerosol deodorant). We’ve created four intriguing scents that you won’t find anywhere else: Cipher, Rival, Jinx and Grind; each unique in its own way!

Cipher
is a complex and mysterious new scent, a blend of woody notes, spices and warm musk.

Grind
is a dominating and exotic new fragrance, a lingering blend of citrus and spicy notes.

Jinx
is a complex and masculine new fragrance combining rich woods and warm spices.

Rival
is an energizing and stimulating new fragrance offering hints of fresh citrus and ozonic notes.

We have a fun new website dedicated just to Defiance, SmellOfRebellion.com! Read more about the scents, and get free downloads! Also, follow Defiance
Fragrances on Facebook, for your chance to win weekly Defiance prizes like free samples and Defiance t-shirts! This Friday (10/22/10) we’ll be giving out
a full collection of all four Defiance scents to one lucky Facebook fan. Just “Like” Defiance Fragrances to become eligible (must be able to receive shipment in the continental U.S.).

BANG! BANG!

ryanny — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:50:30 +0000

Marc Jacobs’ second men’s fragrance came out today with a… BANG! Sorry I had to say it! The new fragrance is called BANG. Now that Jacobs has the strength of his very successful women’s fragrances, Daisy and Lola, under his belt, he is certainly not aiming below the belt with BANG! Or is he? I guess it’s all in how you look at it. Jacobs was very focused on what he wanted to make with this men’s fragrance. He was insistant on making something that HE enjoyed and the HE wanted to wear, with the name HE wanted. It’s not an exotic scent, it’s very “black and white” he says. In his own words:

“…to take something quite classic and then dent it or bang it, that just kind of felt quite literal and quite right.”

The fragrance is being heavily publicized with a huge ad campaign featuring Jacobs himself oiled up and glistening, almost nude on a bed of shiny mylar! The website, marcjacobsbang.com, features exclusive photographs and videos from behind the scenes of the photo shoot, a great Q&A with Marc Jacobs. Finally, an interactive, social Facebook game, BANG YOU’RE IT! In the Facebook game you upload your own photo and it applies the “BANG effect,” the iconic dented metal design featured on the new bottle. You’re invited to “BANG” other people’s pics and they “BANG” yours, earning points and chances to win prizes.

The fragrance is described as elegant and sensual, peppery woody spicy, and full of energy. Top notes of three peppercorns, a heart of masculine woods, and base notes of benzoin resin with vetyver, white moss and patchouli.

Marc Jacobs BANG is available exclusively at Bloomingdale’s today.

Calvin Klein Beauty

ryanny — Wed, 26 May 2010 15:22:22 +0000

You know when Calvin Klein unveils a new fragrance it’s a big deal. Calvin Klein doesn’t make trendy perfumes, they make classics. Their hits of the past are still vastly popular, especially with people that don’t necessarily follow the world of fragrance. In October 2010, Calvin Klein will launch Beauty worldwide. Beauty represents many firsts for Calvin Klein fragrance though. It responds to a gap in their fragrances, targeted at their Calvin Klein Collection customers, hoping it will be considered more prestige. It’s also the first Calvin Klein launch done completely by Coty, since taking over the license from Unilever Prestige in 2005. In an interview with WWD, Catherine Walsh, senior vice president of American Fragrances at Coty Prestige, said that Beauty is “…very elegant, and that’s why we wanted to work with Diane (Kruger),” spokeswoman for Beauty. She continued: “This woman we’re trying to portray – she’s not someone who doesn’t have experiences in her life. We wanted this woman to be worldly and well-traveled, a confident woman and a woman who had strength.” The scent was created by Sophie Labbé of International Flavors & Fragrances, with top notes of ambrette seeds, a heart of jasmine, and a dry down of cedarwood. The bottle alone is beautiful, with the simple, clean, elegant style Calvin Klein is known for, and it’s likely to live up to the staying power that Calvin Klein fragrances are known for as well.

Her Name Was LOLA!

ryanny — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 17:23:24 +0000

Lola by Marc Jacobs

Let me tell you about Lola. No not Madonna’s daughter Lourdes, but the latest hit perfume by the legendary American designer Marc Jacobs. Though she’s the second born, she is the older, more sultry sister of Jacobs’ first perfume Daisy, which was a mega-hit giving him “street cred” in the perfume world. Lola is a sensuous, fruity floral fragrance that opens with “sparkling fruitiness: pink peppercorn, pear and ruby red grapefruit.” The heart notes are described as ultra-feminine florals: rose, fuschia peony and germanium.” Finally, Lola’s “warm and seductive” base notes consist of “vanilla, warm tonka bean and creamy musk.”

Here is Lola, in her own words, on the concept and design:

Marc Jacobs designed Lola as an electrifying, over-the-top bouquet exploding from the bottle. Twisting layers of fabric, he fashioned the sumptuous swirls of a lavish floral bouquet. The iconic high gloss cap shines with astonishing proportions and playful colors making it irresistible to touch.

Illustrating his inventiveness, Jacobs designed two unique bottle shapes. The subtle faceted voluptuous glass bottle is a rich violet that expresses the sensuality of the fragrance. The carton is an artistic interpretation of the lush iconic floral bouquet – a bright fuschia berry and plum palette plays against a dramatic matte black background.

Lola embodies imaginative elements creating a lasting impression and a must have luxury.

What’s to be said of all this flowery delight? Lola has been available since 2009, there are ample reviews out there. Here are a list of my favorites:

Burberry The Beat For Men

ryanny — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:05:44 +0000

Burberry The Beat For Men followed a women’s version in September of 2008. Created by perfumers Olivier Polge and Domitille Bertier, The Beat was inspired by the music of bands like the Fratellis, Razorlight, Kasabian and Arctic Monkeys. The perfumers actually listened to their music while creating The Beat, making it a scent shaped by the youthful generation it’s made for.

Marketing for The Beat was stylized in a retro London fashion, as British is the signature style of Burberry. Artistic Director Christopher Baily is one of the top visionaries of out time.

From the Burberry The Beat For Men website:

The Scent:

Vetiver Bourbon Leatherwood Cedrat-Black Pepper-Violet Leaves

Burberry The Beat For Men is a fresh woody fragrance.

Leatherwood: A distinctive smoky scent characterised by a textured woodiness and lather accents.

Vetiver Bourbon: A multi-faceted woody note, combining subtle elegance with unmistakable style.

Cedrat, Black Pepper & Violet Leaves Accord: The fresh and sharp intensity of cedrat contrasts with spicy black pepper and is accentuated by the energising scent of violet leaves.

The Concept

The fragrance is about the guy who lives in the moment. A respect for British heritage, history and modernity. Masculine energy, innovation and creativity. Attitude expressing individuality.

‘We wanted to create a fragrance that expressed disbehevelled elegance – an unforced look, style and attitude that is young, modern, masculine and dynamic. Articulating the creativity, positivity, energy and open-minded, individualistic, effortless approach of The Beat man.’

-Christopher Bailey

-RyanNY