Mauboussin & Arielle Dombasle LE SECRET D’ARIELLE

The good old 80’s are back! Springing to our minds through an intoxicating, feminine, very sensual fragrance with personality. Those are just a few attributes I can use to announce this special collaboration between Mauboussin and Arielle Dombasle, inspired by her world and revealing a special and precious bond with her first perfume.

News of a collaboration between French jewelers & fragrance brand Mauboussin and French-American actress & singer Arielle Dombasle left me with an instant feeling of heightened, impatient expectation. The reason is twofold: on the one hand the great reputation of Mauboussin perfumes (not to mention their diamond jewels and watches!), on the other the notoriety of Dombasle as a true lover of perfume. In fact, her signature scent has long held something of a fascination to me, back when I was compiling my perfumes worn by celebrities list almost 15 years ago, being highly responsive to her personal choices.

I can live without lipstick, without a hairbrush, but I cannot live without perfume

Arielle Dombasle

The design maintains Mauboussin’s jewelry touch and style, just like the other wonderfully designed Mauboussin’s flacons, but in a different way than usual. Le Secret D’Arielle is like a small precious amphora, ‘locked’ in a black box with mirrors inside. The bottle is put on a pedestal with golden stairs surrounding it. The design of the packaging brings the idea of a luxurious shelf or box in which one could find a piece of expensive jewelry or high-end watches. The well designed amphora holds a concentration as high as 30% of perfume extrait.

Mauboussin presented this new fragrance at the same time they launched chypre-flowery Promise Me, also a fragrance with a classic and provocative style. So what is actually new with Dombasle’s edition? Nothing much if you explore the notes of the composition. But it is a high quality juice and has a beautiful, musky trace, and that is what I really miss in numerous new compositions. An echo of the ‘good, old 80s’ and the designer perfumes with attitude of those days, not following today’s trends.

Mauboussin Le Secret D’Arielle brings a flowery composition made in the traditional French way. I would say, yes, but with the most delicate and powdery touch of iris and musk, in a non aggressive, subtle way. You know that feeling when you apply your fragrance again and again just to get more of a specific blend since you are craving its sensuality? This is how I feel when I try it. I can tell you this about the notes: there is a white flower bouquet, pink pepper, tuberose, rose and iris, warmed up with amber and musk. It sounds like a common flowery perfume but no: your skin will sing! The flowery bouquet is there, you can feel its sparkliness and richness. It is a pure pleasure that reminds me of high quality perfumes which uplift your spirit. Carefully, slowly, teasingly.

• Top notes are pink pepper and white flowers
• Middle notes are tuberose, rose and iris
•  Base notes are musk and amber.

Arielle Dombasle celebrated the launch with a special party in Paris. Mauboussin recently offered this fragrance on their website for 240 euro per bottle and suggests to wear Secret d’Arielle perfume extrait on pulse points: on our neck and wrists. I have followed their advice and it really filled my days with sensuality.

Secret d’Arielle and comes in a 30ml Extrait de Parfum.

 

Dior Les Extraits: Miss Dior Extraits de Parfum

Since Miss Dior, created by Christian Dior in 1947 to accompany the launch of his couture label, Dior fragrances have truly made their mark thanks to their scope of influence and the use of the noblest of materials. Over 60 years after creation, François Demachy, Dior Perfumer-Creator since 2006, continues boldly and passionately.

François Demachy has revisited some of Dior‘s iconic fragrances to create a collection special editions. The collection named Dior Les Extraits is made up of five perfumes that are renowned for their rich feminine scents. The five J’Adore Extrait de Parfum, Poison Extrait de Parfum, Diorissimo Extrait de Parfum, Miss Dior Extrait de Parfum and Miss Dior Extrait de Parfum Original, are some of the best perfumes ever made in the world. The Extraits stands at the top of the fragrance pyramid as the primary expression.They are made from rich natural ingredients extremely high in concentration that reacts differently to each person’s skin. It takes three thousand Rose De Mai Absolute roses to obtain a kilogram of essence to create the extract used in this collection.

Since its beginnings in 1947, Dior has been both a fashion and fragrance designer. For Christian Dior, who was passionate about flowers, perfume was the ultimate accessory: it added the ‘finishing touch’ to his couture creations.

After women flowers are the most divine creations

Christian Dior

François Demachy, created two beautiful versions of Miss Dior, a timeless, iconic fragrance.

Christian Dior Miss Dior Extrait de Parfum Original

Maison Dior’s first ever perfume introduced in 1947, Miss Dior’s signature is chypre. For Extrait de Parfum, it has been pared down to give a modern edge to become bold and elegant. The luminous floral chypre that combines Essence of Indonesian Patchouli with floral absolutes: Egyptian Jasmine Absolute, Orange Blossom Absolute and Rose de Mai Absolute.

Christian Dior Miss Dior Extrait de Parfum Original

An elegant fragrance with a dash of impertinence. In the Extrait de Parfum, the initial accord unfurls in an intense trail that brings out its daring, elegant qualities: a green floral chypre that blends Galbanum, Jasmine Sambac Absolute, Rose de Mai Absolute and Essence of Indonesian Patchouli.

Christian Dior Les Extraits Miss Dior Parfum is housed in an extraordinary flacon, created in Saint Jean de Braye, France, retaining the characteristic shape that made it famous and gaining additional decoration.

All five editions from Dior Les Extaits:  Miss Dior Extrait de Parfum, Miss Dior Extrait de Parfum Original, Diorissimo Parfum, Poison Parfum and J’Adore Parfum are are available online and in store  as 0.5 oz (15 ml) priced at $175.

Dior Les Extraits: J’adore Extrait De Parfum

Dior has revisited some of their iconic fragrances to create a collection special editions. The collection named Dior Les Extraits is made up of five perfumes that are renowned for their rich feminine scents. The five Miss Dior, Miss Dior Original, Diorissimo, Poison and J’adore are some of the best perfumes ever made in the world. The Extraits stands at the top of the fragrance pyramid as the primary expression.They are made from rich natural ingredients extremely high in concentration that reacts differently to each person’s skin. It takes three thousand Rose De Mai Absolute roses to obtain a kilogram of essence to create the extract used in this collection. François Demachy, the House’s exclusive perfumer-creator explains “The extract is the olfactive idea enhanced by the note.”

Christian Dior Les Extraits J’Adore Parfum

Feminine, classic and sensual. For the J’Adore Extrait de Parfum, Dior gives a dense and dazzling expression to the primary accord, composed a generous and intense bouquet of flowers that work in a beautiful harmony.

J’adore is the fragrance of flowers that bloom with absolute femininity. The sensual bouquet of J’adore, in which ingredients with character like Rose de Mai Absolute, Damascus Rose Absolute, Jasmine Sambac Absolute and Ylang-Ylang Essence dominate.

• Top notes of Ylang-Ylang essence
• Heart notes of Damascus Rose absolute
• Base notes of Jasmine Sambac absolute

Christian Dior Les Extraits J’Adore Parfum is housed in an extraordinary flacon, created in Saint Jean de Braye, France, retaining the characteristic shape that made it famous and gaining additional decoration.

All five editions from Dior Les Extaits:  Miss Dior Extrait de Parfum, Miss Dior Extrait de Parfum Original, Diorissimo Parfum, Poison Parfum and J’Adore Parfum are are available online and in store  as 0.5 oz (15 ml) priced at $175.

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

 

Dior Les Extraits: Miss Dior, Miss Dior Original, Diorissimo, J’Adore, Poison parfum editions

Christian Dior Les Extaits  Poison Parfum, Miss Dior Extrait de Parfum, J’Adore Parfum,  Diorissimo Parfum and Miss Dior Extrait Parfum Original.

This isn’t exactly new news, but because the bottles are so perfect in their Extrait de Parfum form that they needed to show off a bit for flacon fanatics who hide in the confines of Yakymour.

Christian Dior Miss Dior Extrait de Parfum

Christian Dior Miss Dior Extrait de Parfum Original

Since Miss Dior, created by Christian Dior in 1947 to accompany the launch of his couture label, Dior fragrances have truly made their mark thanks to their scope of influence and the use of the noblest of materials. Over 60 years after creation, François Demachy, Dior Perfumer-Creator since 2006, continues boldly and passionately.

Christian Dior Diorissimo Extrait de Parfum

François Demachy has revisited some of Dior‘s iconic fragrances to create a collection special editions. The collection named Dior Les Extraits is made up of five perfumes that are renowned for their rich feminine scents. The five J’Adore Extrait de Parfum, Poison Extrait de Parfum, Diorissimo Extrait de Parfum, Miss Dior Extrait de Parfum and Miss Dior Extrait de Parfum Original, are some of the best perfumes ever made in the world. The Extraits stands at the top of the fragrance pyramid as the primary expression.They are made from rich natural ingredients extremely high in concentration that reacts differently to each person’s skin. It takes three thousand Rose De Mai Absolute roses to obtain a kilogram of essence to create the extract used in this collection.

Christian Dior Extrait de Parfum

The compositions are re-arranged and overseen by in-house perfumer Francois Demachy, which means that fans of Miss Dior Le Parfum in particular, should give a side by side comparison between the recent (which won many fans) with the all too recent and let us know what they think. It means good news for both Diorissimo and Miss Dior Original which were attenuated in their last iteration in Extrait de Parfum.

Christian Dior J’Adore Extrait de Parfum

The five fragrances available as perfume extract are housed in extraordinary flacons created in Saint Jean de Braye, France, retaining the characteristic shape that made them famous and gaining additional decoration. All five editions from Dior Les Extaits:  Miss Dior Extrait de Parfum, Miss Dior Extrait de Parfum Original, Diorissimo Extrait de Parfum, Poison Extrait de Parfum and J’Adore Extrait de Parfum are are available as 0.5 oz (15 ml) priced at $175.

Soon more of these beautiful fragrances here on Yakymour…

 

 

 

Amouage presents Interlude collection as luxurious gifts

Give the most important woman in your life this Mother’s Day with Amouage’s ‘Interlude’ collection of Fragrance, Candle and Bath & Body products. The introspective fragrance for women evokes an air of disorder while maintaining a sense of balance and tranquility. Amouage Interlude for Woman, in the heart of chaos and disorder this floral chypre fragrance reveals an interlude moment of unity and sentiment.

Top notes: Bergamotm Grapefruit, Ginger, Tagete
Heart notes: Jasmine, Frankincense, Rose Absolute, Orange Blossom, Helichrysum, Opoponax
Base notes: Vanilla, Benzoin, Amber, Sandalwood, Agarwood, Oakmoss, Leather, Tonka Bean, Musk, Animalic

‘Interlude’s’ floral chypre reveals sweet Bergamot and bitter Grapefruit creating turbulent tensions in the top notes while Rose, Frankincense and Sandalwood in the intricate heart are masqueraded with an unconventional combination of Nut, Coffee, Kiwi, Honey and Agarwood. Warmth is injected to the fragrance’s contradicting accords with an opulent base of sumptuous Amber and Vanilla.

 

‘Interlude’ Extrait de Parfum is bottled in Amouage’s signature glass crystal in a mesmerizing midnight blue hue with gold-plated detailing, accentuated with a sapphire blue Swarovski crystal. Vibrant colours enrich the packaging in an abstract and conceptual representation of orderly chaos.

The ‘Interlude’ Bath & Body Collection, presented in rich blue packaging and housed in beautiful white boxes incorporating Amouage’s signature jacquard design, comprises a full complement of products including perfumed Bath & Shower Gel, Soaps and Guest Soaps, Body Lotion, Hand Cream and the ultra-rich Body Cream for dry skin. Formulated by renowned French experts, the collection is perfumed with the highest concentration of fragrance possible, and the products harmoniously layer and nourish the skin with the finest of ingredients.

Amouage Interlude Woman Soap, 150gr.

Amouage Interlude Woman Guest Soaps

 

Amouge Interlude Woman Showergel, 300ml

Perfect for dry to vèry dry skin. Amouage interlude for Woman Bodycream, 200gr.

Providing more ways to enjoy the fragrance is the ‘Interlude’ candle. Encased in beautiful blue hue Italian glass with an exquisite art-deco inspired, 24 carat gold-plated holder, the candle is specially formulated with the best mineral wax to diffuse the strongest possible scent. The candle burns for a generous 40 hours, leaving any room with a rich, elegant trail of scent.