Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Figue Amere

Today was an improvement on yesterday, so it's safe for you to continue reading this. I had a long pamper session last night and an early night and it certainly was a good cure for my miseries. Work continues to be dogged by staff shortages caused by sickness, as the bug I got last week, continues its rounds. I was once again in the SkinSpa area, next to lovely smelly things. Before you nag, yes, I was good and did manage not to buy anything today.

Besides, I didn't need to do any retail therapy, I had my fabulous bottle of Geranium Bourbon waiting for me. I had to have another pamper session when I got home tonight, just so I could put it on. But I was a bit daring today. I tried Miller Harris' Figue Amere. If I remember correctly, Lyn Harris was walking down an exotic beach and she passed someone eating figs, so she recreated the moment in Figue Amere. It isn't a sweet fig fragrance like Hermes Un Jardin en Mediterranee, it's more salty with a dark chocoloate drydown, which just made me feel edible all day.

I found an amazing French blogger, who is a perfume historian, the link is to the left under Nose that Knows, and he discusses formulae, ingredients and the development of the hard core of the perfume world. He talks with passion and enthusiasm about these old perfumes, which is great to read, I've learnt quite a lot visiting his blog. But one of the things that struck me about the perfume world of the hard core of Chanel, Dior, Estee Lauder, Lanvin, Guerlin etc, is that the fragrances are designed to order. So one perfumer wanted to design fragrances to match a woman's moods. Mme Chanel, didn't really create No 5, she had perfumers and apparently there is some controversy as to how she got the formula. NB. Don't quote me on the history, I'm still learning and my details may be dodgy.

Whereas the female perfumers, within small perfume houses create fragrances from moments or for loved ones. Annick Goutal, whose fragrances are also exclusive to our department store, created Grand Amour, after her second husband bought home a huge bouquet to celebrate an anniversary. How amazing is that? Lyn Harris' fragrances all come with a story: a walk in a spring-time wood, a walk on a beach. They just seem more personal somehow.

Of course there are male perfumers who create fragrances from moments as well. Creed launched their Virgin Island Water after a sailing trip round the Virgin Islands and that really does smell like a tropical holiday. Creed are a small family business who have been creating fragrances for Kings, Princes of the Realm, movie stars for hundreds of years. They are rather special.

Perhaps that's the difference. Rather than the celebrity of the moment wanting to convince their army of teeny-bopper fans to part with more cash, or a large fashion house thinking 'hmmm...what will we do for Spring 2009?'. These perfumers create from their moments of pleasure, their passions. It shows. Yummy.

12 comments:

  1. The way you describe these ragrances makes me drool, so thats it now im taking a day off work and going to squit myself silly with testers..lol
    I only posses 3 bottles of perfume my main one is CK's 'Eternity'.
    I also own Issey Miyake 'L'eau D'Issey' and Jasper Conrans 'Woman'

    Can you recommend something light and sensual for me to try Roses, i dont like heavy scents just subtle and feminine..
    Jo xxx

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  2. lol ...yes i did really mean squirt, typical blonde with keys that never work..

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  3. B*E*G ~ before I got this job, I only had 3 as well: Chanel's Allure, Gucci Rush II and Dior Adict II. I've now got 11 fragrances on my dressing table and I eye up more every day.

    Let me know when you're in the city and we can go grab coffee and cake and then work through the perfume selection we've got.

    Before we meet up decide how much money you want to spend and when you want to wear the fragrance. The first simply because I can happily lead you astray, but I wouldn't want you falling out with your bank manager. And the second I need to know if you want to find a fragrance to wear to work, to wear going out, to seduce your man. In my reality, you need to have a fragrance to match your mood, not to mention the time of year.

    Sounds like fun?

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  4. Ooo all that lovely perfume. Promise me you won't be applying it to your armpits ;)

    I completely agree. I love perfume with a history. It makes you feel like you're sharing a secret. It's the inspiration behind things that fascinates me. Wanting to recreate the smell of figs on holiday, or the smell of a wood in spring.

    I'm sure we've all had moments of "God I wish I could bottle that smell" at a particular moment. Thank heavns thee are people who can.

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  5. It sounds great ..
    That day off is a definate now
    I'll bring my cashcard ..lol

    I totally agree on the moods thats exactly how i feel, Eternity i tend to wear mostly as the fragrance feels right for me when im happy, the other two i tend to experiment with.
    I've only just purchased the Jasper Conran one, there was a lady wearing it when i was out one evening and i ended up having to go and ask her what she was wearing, so a bit of an impulse buy on my part, but totally enjoyable ..lol

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  6. Can we please stop off in the city and get me a new keypad too.. my f r and gap bar doesnt work very well as you can see..lol

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  7. Roses with nothing but perfume under her pits? Oh god hottie you've gone and got me overheated again...

    Quel image!

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  8. cogidubnus ~ *slap*

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  9. Oh punish me, punish me again...(sigh)

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  10. Anonymous10:04 am

    I say apply the perfume to your armpits, just don't ask us to sniff it! Although cogidubnus may disagree ;)

    I agree with B*E*G - the way you write about fragrance and perfume has made me think very differently about it. I'm going to hunt out the miller ones just because they sound so delish

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  11. Applying perfume to armpits is not a terribly good idea. It'll sting like buggery if you've just shaved and won't be very kind to your skin.

    I once had someone say that armpits were erogenous zones and he liked giving lovebites there. Suprisingly enough, I did not take him up on his proposition. I suspect I'm sexually boring.

    *sigh*

    I never gave perfume much thought up until last year and then I fell in love. The Miller Harris website gives the location of their shops in London...please let me know which one tempts you first.

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