Poetry and calligraphy grace Hermès Hermessence Agar Ebene

Each scent from French Maison Hermès’ Hermessence Collection is an olfactory poem. On a quest to capture the balmy scent of agarwood which carries a warm and mysterious vibration at its heart, perfumer Christine Nagel dreamt up the Agar Ebene Eau de Toilette swirling with woody notes, fresh fir balsam. Warm and balmy, it’s a fragrance to spritz on throughout the year to whisk a reminder of nature into your everyday. A fragrance that marries the enveloping sensuality of two wood essences: a carnal agar wood softened by the sweetness of balsam fir, profound and mysterious.

Rashid Al Khadar’s verses, expressed in Mohammed Mandi Al Tamimi’s fluid strokes, echo the creative freedom of the Hermessence collection. The text by the celebrated Emirati writer, who died in 1980, invokes the emotion of fragrance in a declaration to his beloved. The poet sets the tone, the calligrapher applies his perspective, a line, a gesture.

Poetry and calligraphy grace Hermessence Agar Ebene. For an exceptional limited edition, the Agar Ebene flacon is adorned with the verse of Rashid Al Khadar, calligraphed in Diwani by the artist Mohammed Mandi Al Tamimi. The poem evokes the emotion of fragrance in a declaration to his beloved. Calligraphy unfurls on one side of the glass flacon of Agar Ebene. The interlaced script is engraved, then embellished with 24-carat gold leaf.

Hermès Hermessence Agar Ebene is available at Hermès boutiques worldwide and from the official Hermès website as 100ml Eau de Toilette $ 286, or as 200 ml Arabic Engraved Limited Edition (with the gilding) for $ 1475. There is also a set available of 4 x 15 ml travel flacons ($ 180); and a set of 8 x 15 ml ($ 360), however, you cannot add Agar Ebene to the set online).

Come into the beautiful world of Hermès.

Hermès H24 decodes the modern man

The world of fragrance is synonymous with the concept of the ‘Modern Man’, as stereotypes of smelling good have been deconstructed and have transformed from a once vein action into something of a commonality. With the idea of the modern man in mind, French Maison Hermès has created its latest olfactory experience that’s captured in a scent titled ‘H24’.

H24, a fragrance beyond the lines

Hermès H24 is considered the first major launch for men in 15 years, after Terre d’Hermès, which was created by Jean-Claude Ellena in 2006. Created by perfumer Christine Nagel, H24 looks to combine nature and technology with a sequence of contrasting scents that deliver something contemporary yet traditional, expected but still unconventional as the scent develops on your skin.

Christine Nagel, who loves to give her creations volume or texture, wanted to recreate textures of fine materials such as cashmere, silk, and velvet. The perfumer collaborated with the creative director of the men’s department of the French Maison, Véronique Nichanian, to create H2, a perfume inspired by the ready-to-wear collections and Nichanian’s opus.

I like to go towards natural, very classic raw materials, and work them using technologies that give them other renderings, other textures.

Christine Nagel, Hermès in-house perfumer

With this in mind, top notes of clary sage act as the backbone for H24, making for a botanical experience throughout the scent journey. This is combined with narcissus, rosewood, and sclarene, with the latter’s green and earthy scent soon transforming to represent the ‘modern’ part of H24 as it develops into something reminiscent of hot, metallic iron.

H24 is bottled in a design by Philippe Mouquet, whose flacon is shaped by the idea of an invisible hand that has gripped and manipulated the structure. The flacon is made of recycled glass and can be refilled. It’s packaged in a 100-percent recycled and recyclable paper box, which nods to the ideas behind the scent itself.

Hermès H24 is available in spray flacons of 50 and 100ml, a refill flacon of 125ml, and a travel spray of 15ml. at selected stores worldwide. Come into the beautiful world of Hermès.

Narciso Rodriguez For Her Eau de Toilette Limited Edition

The Cuban-American couturier Narciso Rodriguez launched his first scent Narciso Rodriguez For Her in 2003, which is very popular to date. Created by perfumers Francis Kurkdjian and Christine Nagel, Narciso Rodriguez For Her is a floral woody musk fragrance that conveys powdery nuances.

Narciso Rodriguez For Her Eau de Toilette won prestigious awards: FiFi Award Fragrance Of The Year Women`s Nouveau Niche 2004 and FiFi Award Fragrance Of The Year Women`s Nouveau Niche 2007.

Narciso Rodriguez For Her is extremely sexy, very attractive and very seductive, and formed the basis of the entire Narciso Rodriguez collection and all creations that were launched later. The opening of the fragrance offers sweet osmanthus, with its apricot-like aromas, mixed with orange blossom and bergamot. The heart is ruled by musk, combined with amber, resting on a wood blend of vetiver and patchouli, and complemented by soft powdery vanilla.

Packed in a beautiful black and gold packaging, the new festive edition has the same ‘black’ flacon, but this time it is decorated with gold-colored details around the neck and a gold-colored label. Perfect for the holidays.

Narciso Rodriguez For Her Eau de Toilette Limited Edition is available in a 100ml flacon at selected stores worldwide. Come into the beautiful world of Narciso Rodriguez.

Hermès Un Jardin Sur La Lagune

French Maison Hermès is one of the most luxurious fashion houses in the world that crafts elegant clothing lines and chic perfumes. Founded in 1837 by Thierry Hermès, the brand boasts with its stylish looks and unusual cuts. All Hermès Perfumes are elegant, sensual, timeless and delicate. Each Hermès Perfume is full of intense and invigorating freshness. The first Hermès perfume showed up in 1951 with Eau d’Hermès being one of the best creative spirits in the world of fragrances.

This time, his place of paradise is none other than Un Jardin Sur La Lagune.

French Maison Hermès launches a new unisex perfume Un Jardin Sur La Lagune part of its famous Jardin Collection. This new eponymous perfume offers a new aroma of intoxicating garden notes with enchanted parenthesis. Notes that make this perfume so unique, so different and intoxicating.

Hermès Un Jardin Sur La Lagune leads us to Venice and reveals the magic of a hidden place behind a stone wall.  Perfumer Christine Nagel uses floral notes of magnolia and Madonna lily among with sea and wood nuances to conjure up a secret garden on the water. A maritime and sunny fragrance that puts a smile on your face.

The story is about a mysterious garden that an English lord build on the water inside the lagoon in Venice at the end of the 19th century . This private garden, the biggest in Venice, that has stood still in time, is simple in all its splendor and an inexaustible source of new discoveries, when the wind and salty water left crystal deposits on the flowers.

The illustration for the packaging of Un Jardin Sur La Lagune is signed by the famous Bosnian artist Safet Zec, an established Venetian

Hermès Un Jardin Sur La Lagune will be available in a heavy glass flacon as a 50 and 100ml Eau de Toilette at selected stores worldwide and at Hermès Boutiques. Come into the wonderful world of Hermès.

 

 

 

 

Hermès reinvented its classic Terre d’Hermès scent

Former perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena of French Maison Hermès was reponsible for the creation of classic scents from the house, like Voyage d’Hermès and of course Terre d’Hermès. On the latter, which he created in 2006, he said the scent was meant to evoke the idea of, ‘Feeling the earth, lying on the ground, gazing at the sky’.

Fast forward to 12 years later, and the house’s new nose, Christine Nagel, has taken on the daunting task of reimagining Terre. Her creation: Terre d’Hermès Eau Intense Vétiver. Tasked with revisiting a living olfactory heritage she brings a new intensity and vegetal slant to the scent.

How exactly did Nagel approach the task of creating a new version that still reflected the woody and mineral elements of the original? According to Hermès, her role was like that of a ‘watchmaker fascinated by a mysterious movement’. She examined the scent from every angle in order to understand its compexities and intimate mechanics, and then deconstructed it – choosing to reassemble the scent and illuminate certain points of the fragrance.

The key ingredient is vetiver, as the name suggests, but this version is given more roundness and warmth. Nagel also transformed the original note of black pepper to Sichuan pepper – this variety is greener and more citrus, lending an energy to the scent and helping the notes to melt into each other effortlessly. Finally the bergamot orange, picked before it has reached maturity, is part of the new juice, adding a fresh, daring quality to the scent. This transforms the original juice from a woody and mineral fragrance to one that is more woody and vegetal.

 

Hermès Terre d’Hermès Eau Intense Vétiver is presented in the iconic Hermès glass bottle, and is topped with a warm brown stopper that has the appearance of leather tanned by the sun.

Hermès Terre d’Hermès Eau Intense Vétiver is still utterly refined, unapologetically masculine and unerringly elegant. And from Hermès we would expect nothing less.

 

 

 

 

Hermès Twilly d’Hermès

Maison Hermès is founded in 1837 by Thierry Hermès. Originally focused on equestrian accessories, the company has evolved over time into leather handbags, scarves, accessories, fashion and fragrance. For Hermès, the perfume adventure begins in 1951 with Eau d’Hermès, composed by Edmond Roudnitska, one of the greatest creative spirits of the world of fragrances. Sinds then Hermès crafts exquisite, eponymous and mouth-watering perfumes with delicate and beautiful designs.

Hermès Twilly d’Hermès is a new flamboyant fragrance for women with a fresh floral aroma. The name and inspiration are pulled from the iconic narrow silk scarves available in colorful prints that represent a carefree yet glamorous fashion accessory. Even though it is designed to please more the younger generation, it can also be an extremely popular among the elder generation due to its unpredictable spirit.

Top notes: Ginger
Heart notes: Tuberose
Base notes: Sandelwood

Created by Christine Nagel, Hermès Twilly d’Hermès has a composition around three main ingredients: Ginger – its fresh and spicy character allegedly possesses a soapy quality in this composition, Tuberose – a sweet, creamy and opulent flower that we expect to be more transparent in this interpretation, something along the way of orange blossom, and Sandalwood – warm and sweet, it gives an oriental signature to the base of the perfume. It is supposed to be spicy and sharp as the beginning, yet sweet and warm at the end due to sandalwood accords. Twilly d’Hermès has a pretty design featuring a silky ribbon around the cap with a colorful Twilly d’Hermès pattern.

A square glass bottle, rounded on the edges, comes in a mild color of peach with the famous black hat-like stopper. The perfume bottle features a silky ribbon around the neck with a colorful Twilly d’Hermès pattern.

Hermès Twilly d’Hermès is available from September 2017 as a 30, 50 and 85 ml Eau de Parfum.

 

 

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Giorgio Armani’s ‘Si Rose Signature’ dressed in a new couture design

Launched in 2016, Giorgio Armani’s ‘Si Rose Signature’ is an ode to the modern woman, with a busy and bold, yet elegant persona. Like a rose—the scent’s hallmark ingrediënt – ‘Si Rose Signature’ blooms each springtime with a collector edition bottle this 2017. With actress Cate Blanchett as the face of this campaign, the scent is reinterpreted with a new couture design showcasing the fragrance’s feminine and sensual side.

Created by perfumer Julie Massé, who created ‘Si Intense’ with Christine Nagel, this Eau de Parfum stands out with its twin rose notes. In fact, ‘Si Rose Signature’ inherits the signature May Rose notes of ‘Si’ and pairs them with Damask Rose.

 

Giorgio Armani’s ‘Si Rose Signature’ fragrance remains unchanged in this collector’s edition, with the same floral aroma as the 2016 original. The scent has a double rose accord – with May Rose and Turkish Rose – enriched with notes of bergamot, mandarin, freesia and blackcurrant aromas of Cassis Neo Jungle Essence. This is matched with iris and osmanthus, ambrette and vanilla notes. This is followed by base notes of ambrette absolute, Pure Jungle vanilla extract and patchouli.

This year, Giorgio Armani has dressed ‘Si Rose Signature’ in a silky powder pink ribbon that winds around the fragrance’s Onyx lid and falls down over the glass bottle, where its two ends cross. The ribbon evokes the décolleté of a haute couture gown, with delicate and refined style. A discreet black circular badge bearing the fragrance’s name holds the ribbon’s crossover ends in place, echoing the deep black finish of the lid, which has golden rings at its base.

An ode to femininity: Giorgio Armani features actress Cate Blanchett in a stunning new campaign for ‘Si Rose Signature’.

Giorgio Armani ‘Si Rose Signature’ is available in 50 ml (€89) and 100ml (€128) Eau de Parfum. The 2017 limited edition collector edition of ‘Si Rose Signature’ is available now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L’Hommage à L’Homme

Hommage à L’Homme is a beautiful masculine fragrance by Lalique. The scent was launched in 2011 and the fragrance was created by perfumers Christine Nagel and Mathilde Bijaoui. A beautiful, virile, woody, spicy fragrance. A praise to masculinity and travel.

 

Lalique Hommage à L’Homme Eau de Toilette (Click photo to enlarge).

Lalique celebrated to be 20 years in the fragrant business… and many more in the business of providing precious crystals for perfumes. In order to mark this important anniversary, they launched a new masculine fragrance aboard the luxurious Orient Express. The chosen spot couldn’t be more laden with historical memory: Not only had René Lalique decorated several of the legendary train’s wagons with his ornate creations, but his grand-daughter Marie-Claude launched the first feminine scent by the house of Lalique, ‘Lalique de Lalique’, on the Orient Express herself in 1992. Nowadays Lalique counts 9 fragrances in their catalogs, 5 for women and 4 for men, distributed in a very selective circuit of doors.

Homage à L’Homme (Homage to Men), is a light spicy woody fragrance for men which reads as a ‘niche’ scent, developed by acclaimed perfumers Christine Nagel and Mathilde Bijaoui.

L’Hommage exists in a hazy netherworld where it’s basically a mainstream scent that’s much better than its brothers at the discount store, but it’s nowhere near as good as the artful scents it’s clearly inspired by.

• Top Note: Violet Leaf, Bergamot, Saffron
• Middle Note: Chili Leaf, Violet, Black Pepper
• Dry-down Note: Cistus, Oud, Musks

It goes on with that incredibly common ‘grape drink’ violet smell that masculine scents use to lure in inexperienced noses, but instead of mixing it with the bleachy aquatic smells it’s usually paired with, L’Hommage pairs it with a very nice pine forest smell. The grape keeps it sweet and inoffensive enough to not scare away consumers who would never wear a real top-notch smoky wood perfume, while a pinch of leathery oud simmers in the background. There’s a moment a few hours in where the grape has largely faded and the whole thing smells like a smoky pine forest with a pinch of oud, but L’Hommage maintains an artificial ‘fakeness’ that’s probably intended to keep it safe for the wear-it-to-work crowd, but that unfortunately also smothers any hope of real perfume transcendence. The drydown is just more sweet fake woods, now paired with pie spices, again, really not bad, but it could have been so much better (for the pampered people among us). But despite that: it’s one of the best mass-market scents I’ve smelled the last years. Hommage à l’homme smells ‘dressy’ and suited to all seasons, it has good sillage and excellent lasting power.

Limited edition: Lalique Hommage à L’Homme Extrait de Parfum in Crystal (Click photo to enlarge).

It is available in two declinations: Lalique Hommage à L’Homme Extrait de Parfum, 100ml, in crystal for collectors (cost 1200 euros) which is inspired by Art Deco style with the sculpted Pan-pipe man (on both sides of the bottle) , referencing the original sculpture made by René Lalique for the Orient Express in 1929. The Eau de Toilette bottle in glass, designed by Thierry de Baschmakoff (Aesthete), which is also inspired by Art Deco style, was inspired by another René Lalique project, the ‘Duncan’ bathroom accessories collection of 1931.

Lalique was also reissuing the flacon ‘chèvrefeuille’, decorated in gold, in a limited edition of 50 numbered pieces for collectors, in celebration of its 20th anniversary

What a gem from Lalique! It’s an absolute pleasure to smell and could not possibly offend anybody. I can recommended it as a blind buy for anyone in search of subtle sophistication and class. Considering the price, you can’t go wrong with Hommage a L’Homme, as Lalique continues to wow me with the care they put into their product and packages

by Jean Amr

 

The Noses: Christine Nagel

A New Nose for Hermès

Hermès appointed its first in-house nose, Jean-Claude Ellena, a little over ten years ago. Now, as Ellena approaches his seventh decade, he’s preparing to hand over the reins to Christine Nagel, who developed blockbuster Narciso Rodriguez for Her (with Francis Kurkdjian), Jimmy Choo Flash and Guerlain’s Les Elixirs Charnels collection. It’s no ordinary handover. ‘Jean-Claude is giving it to me little by little’, says Nagel, it’s being what Ellena refers to as ‘the spirit of the house’.

Christine Nagel the new nose for Hermès since summer 2014 wearing her Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso watch….

(Click photo to enlarge).

Ellena personally chose Nagel as his apprentice, and she’ll take over in a few months or a few years, whenever the two of them decide that she’s ready. For now, she’s slowly and meticulously soaking up that aforementioned spirit. ‘She’s watching the person in charge of fashion, silk, jewelry, talking to all of the people who make Hermès, because the brand is its artists and craftsmen,” says Ellena. “She has to see everyone put a lot of energy and work into the details, the small details are so important.”

Not surprisingly, Nagel, who’s always wanted to be a nose, is a bit intimidated. ‘There’s so much freedom to take a risk, to have a strong opinion’, says Nagel. ‘It’s very exciting but also very dangerous!’ She does, however, have one leg up on her predecessor: She actually wears perfume and compares her own skin to ‘a playground’.

‘I have a creative preference for compositions characterised by simplicity, which mirrors their philosophy’. ‘Favourite’ notes go in cycles: ‘I’ve phases when I’m deeply into a single type: woody, oriental, green facets. It can turn almost into an obsession, until I have the feeling I’ve found what I’m looking for, and then I move on.’ And is it easier to create for women, or men? ‘Gender in perfume is an everlasting debate. In reality, anyone can wear whatever he or she likes, even if the fragrance is supposedly ‘masculine’ or ‘feminine’. There’s no right or wrong…’

Fendi Theorema

• 1998 Fendi Theorema
• 1999 Lancôme  2000 Et Une Nuit
• 1999 Lancôme  2000 Et Une Rose
• 1999 Lancôme  Mille Et Une Roses
• 2000 Lagerfeld Lagerfeld Femme
• 2001 Chopard Madness
• 2001 Cartier Eau de Cartier
• 2002 Lagerfeld Lagerfeld Man
• 2002 Nina Ricci Mémoire L’Homme

Nina Ricci Mémoire d’Homme

• 2003 Guerlain With Love
• 2003 Morgan de Toi Morgan de Toi Femme
• 2003 Narciso Rodriguez for Her (with Francis Kurkdjian)
• 2004 Thierry Mugler B.Men
• 2005 Thierry Mugler Angel Garden of Stars – The Lily Angel
• 2005 Christian Dior Miss Dior Chérie
• 2006 Cartier Délices de Cartier
• 2006 Roberto Verino Mellow
• 2007 Jo Malone London Rain Collection, White Jasmin & Mint
• 2008 Guerlain Les Elixirs Charnels collection – Oriental Brûlant
• 2008 Guerlain Les Elixirs Charnels collection – Gourmand Coquin
• 2008 Lalique Lalique White

Lalique White

• 2008 Thierry Mugler A.Men Pure Coffee
• 2008 Thierry Mugler Miroir, Miroir: Miroir des Envies / Mirror of Desires (with Louise Turner)
• 2008 John Galliano by John Galliano (with Aurélien Guichard)
• 2009 Lalique Encre Noire Pour Elle
• 2009 Lancome Hypnôse Senses
• 2009 Lolita Lempicka Si Lolita
• 2009 Azzaro Travelling
• 2009 Guerlain Les Elixirs Charnels collection Boisé Torride
• 2010 Jo Malone English pear & Freesi
• 2010 Kenzo Unce Upon A Time Pour Femme
• 2010 Kenzo Unce Upon A Time Pour Homme
• 2010 Emilio Pucci Miss Pucci (with François Demachy)
• Pierre Cardin Signé Cardin for Him
• 2011 Lalique Hommage a L’Homme
• 2013 Jimmy Choo Flash

 

by Jean Amr

The Noses

We all have a nose.  But some ‘noses’ are very special indeed: that’s industry-speak for perfumer. In reality, being a ‘nose’ is a challenging job that takes up to seven years of study – and (mostly) qualifications in Chemistry…

Francis Kurkdijan (Click photo to enlarge).

I’m always fascinated by noses.  And by the ‘Creative Directors’ and ‘evaluators’ who work in this field, too: almost ‘go-betweens’ between brands and fashion designers, and those noses, a little-known, but most important role.

Aimé Guerlain (Click photo to enlarge)

Oliver Polge (Click photo to enlarge).

These men and (increasingly) women, have the talent and skills to whisk us through time and space – bringing back memories of people and places we’ve known and loved.  Through their artistry, we can feel more romantic, more powerful, more beautiful, more creative…

Jean-Claude Ellena (Click photo to enlarge).

François Demachy

Christine Nagel (Click photo to enlarge).

Thierry Wasser

Jean-François Latty (Click photo to enlarge)

I believe their talents should be recognised and celebrated – just as composers, artists and (more recently) chefs are acknowledged for their gifts, and the enormous pleasure they bring us.  Until lately, almost all perfumers worked behind the scenes, anonymously.  Now, noses are emerging from their laboratories, starting to talk about their creations, and what goes into them….

 

Starting soon……. here on Yakymour: The Noses!

by Jean Amr