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Perfumes The A-Z Guide by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez

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EC2
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Perfumes The A-Z Guide by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez

Post by EC2 » Sun March 28th, 2010, 3:52 pm

Just finished this one.
Copied from my Amazon review
This is a great guidebook to perfumes and very pointedly and wittily written. It should be read for the descriptions alone and it's one of those perfect pick up and browse books for when you're between serious reading. It's also great to keep on the coffee table as a talking point, and to take with you next time you go to buy perfume. Great as a present for a girlfriend too. However, some perfumes are missing from the book - all the Crabtree & Evelyn range for example, and taste is always subjective. I loathe Chanel number 5 - to me it smells like one of those loud, floral-scented furniture polishes. However, my delight in Ralph Lauren's Romance (2 stars) as a day perfume marks me out, according to the book as 'the kind of young woman who get their hair cut precisely the same as their friends and shop from the same catalogs so even their boyfriends can't tell them apart.' Humph! I score the full five stars with Clinique's Aromatics though. 'Like watching Lauren Bacall in The Big Sleep after 12 episodes of Cheers....a masterpiece.'
Bottom line, an entertaining and informative even useful book, but treat it like Captain Barbossa's advice in Pirates of the Caribbean. 'More like guidelines really.'
Les proz e les vassals
Souvent entre piez de chevals
Kar ja li coard n’I chasront

'The Brave and the valiant
Are always to be found between the hooves of horses
For never will cowards fall down there.'

Histoire de Guillaume le Mareschal

www.elizabethchadwick.com

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Miss Moppet
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Post by Miss Moppet » Mon March 29th, 2010, 9:18 pm

[quote=""EC2""] taste is always subjective. I loathe Chanel number 5 - to me it smells like one of those loud, floral-scented furniture polishes. [/quote]

I wear Chanel no 5 so I was glad to find out that it is one of the few classic perfumes which hasn't had the formula altered so the company can use cheaper ingredients. So if you hate it now you would have hated it when it first came out! By contrast, Balmain's Vent Vert, which I read about in a James Bond book, has been very much watered down. I was also very disappointed in Joy (Marilyn Monroe wore it, most expensive perfume in the world) and L'Heure Bleue. I just couldn't stand the smell of either of them. Whether that was because they'd undergone alteration or were not my cup of tea, I don't know.

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Post by EC2 » Mon March 29th, 2010, 9:53 pm

[quote=""Miss Moppet""]I wear Chanel no 5 so I was glad to find out that it is one of the few classic perfumes which hasn't had the formula altered so the company can use cheaper ingredients. So if you hate it now you would have hated it when it first came out! By contrast, Balmain's Vent Vert, which I read about in a James Bond book, has been very much watered down. I was also very disappointed in Joy (Marilyn Monroe wore it, most expensive perfume in the world) and L'Heure Bleue. I just couldn't stand the smell of either of them. Whether that was because they'd undergone alteration or were not my cup of tea, I don't know.[/quote]

Yikes Miss Moppet, I hope you're still talking to me - no offence intended!
The book talks about the altering of formulas. Some of the ingredients are banned now by the EU becuase of being allergens etc, so some perfumes are shadows of their former selves. One of my favourites - L'Air du Temps is apparently a sufferer (I still like it though) and only scores 2 stars. They give L'Heure Bleue 5 stars. Other top rated include Joy, Jicky, Dune, Tommy Girl, Knowing, Pleasures, Lolita Lempicka, L'air du Desert Morocain, Cristalle, Breath of God, Shalimar, Loulou, Mitsouko. One stars (among several pages) go to Charlie, Curious (Britney Spears) Diamonds (Beyonce Armani) Joop! Ghost Cherish, Amarige, Ange ou Demon, Armani Code.
As I say, more like guidelines really, but a real fun read just for the comments!
Les proz e les vassals
Souvent entre piez de chevals
Kar ja li coard n’I chasront

'The Brave and the valiant
Are always to be found between the hooves of horses
For never will cowards fall down there.'

Histoire de Guillaume le Mareschal

www.elizabethchadwick.com

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Post by Miss Moppet » Mon March 29th, 2010, 10:32 pm

The New York Times didn't like Danielle Steel's perfume very much.

Wouldn't it be fun if more authors had their own perfumes? You and Sharon could use genuine medieval recipes.

I'm afraid Lady Moppet's might smell like...cat.

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EC2
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Post by EC2 » Mon March 29th, 2010, 10:45 pm

[quote=""Miss Moppet""]The New York Times didn't like Danielle Steel's perfume very much.

Wouldn't it be fun if more authors had their own perfumes? You and Sharon could use genuine medieval recipes.

I'm afraid Lady Moppet's might smell like...cat.[/quote]

Heh, I could use Alison to sniff out the 'notes' for us! She thought Rosamund Clifford smelled lovely, and royalty seemed to waft about with an incensey sort of smell.

Why would Lady Moppet smell like cat? Is there an episode that explains this? I sort of imagine her smelling of flowers and sandalwood...or maltesers!
Les proz e les vassals
Souvent entre piez de chevals
Kar ja li coard n’I chasront

'The Brave and the valiant
Are always to be found between the hooves of horses
For never will cowards fall down there.'

Histoire de Guillaume le Mareschal

www.elizabethchadwick.com

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Miss Moppet
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Post by Miss Moppet » Mon March 29th, 2010, 11:41 pm

[quote=""EC2""]Heh, I could use Alison to sniff out the 'notes' for us! She thought Rosamund Clifford smelled lovely, and royalty seemed to waft about with an incensey sort of smell.[/quote]

Must have been the soap they used? I won't ask what the peasants smelled like. Or the monks come to that! Imagine Eau de Thomas Becket...
EC2 wrote:Why would Lady Moppet smell like cat? Is there an episode that explains this? I sort of imagine her smelling of flowers and sandalwood...or maltesers!
I just thought Lady Moppet might smell like a cat because she was named for a cat...I expect she does smell like Maltesers sometimes, but only when Oscar accidentally squishes them in her hair. Actually I think Lady Moppet's favourite scent is Poison. Given the choice, she prefers not to smell like food.

And so do I. Last time I was in Harrods one of the salespeople was trying to shift the latest perfume and said, "I know just what it'll remind you of!" And yes, the smell was identical to that of Love Hearts. What I didn't understand was why a woman in her 30s was expected to want to buy something which smelled like sweeties for 10 year olds.

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Post by chuck » Mon March 29th, 2010, 11:49 pm

As a young lad I bought my first girlfriend a bottle of "Evening in Paris" (big spender)...don't remember the smell, but it came in a small blue bottle.....than later in High school I bought a bottle of "My Sin"...She smelled great and she really liked it...not sure if they still produce it.....I don't miss women/girls smelling like over ripe lemons.....My Hippie days...remember the lovely lasses wearing Patchouli/Frankincense/woodsie incense type oil perfumes........"The Scent of Women" is a beautiful thing to experience.....Yes "I'm a new age sensitive guy".....oh yes... less is better....

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