Perfume Shrine

Friday, January 16, 2015

Top 10 Best-Selling Feminine Fragrances: France 2014

Best-selling fragrances lists are a very popular feature of the Perfume Shrine blog and for a reason: they provide probing into the psyche of the masses ~which we perfumistas love to think are distant from ourselves and yet we feel a pang of welcome "belonging" when we find one of our favorite perfumes in them! Ever the optimists, I should wager. Listing also has the added benefit of enraging so many with so little effort, so if you're generally grumpy it's great ammunition as well.
In any case, if you haven't consulted our Perfume Best-Sellers Lists they're all grouped (by country and by year) on the Right Hand Column of this blog, so scroll down to get a look. For this post we venture into France...land of Parisian chic.

the timeless La Deneuve; one of us actually (via)

The French top sellers list of perfumes is always a great way to discuss the cultural differences (or rather the differences we think there exist, please consult my introduction on this article for more thoughts) between American and French tastes in perfumes. After all, the French style of perfume has been very narrowly defined in past decades, though globalization, emerging markets and the rise of industries in other lands has helped change/broaden that.
So without further ado, here is the full list of French best-sellers for 2014 according to the NPD Group analysis of the market:

1. Lancome La Vie est Belle qualifying for 5.3% of the market (66 millions euros)
2. Dior J'Adore (last year's #1)
3. Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire
4. Chanel Coco Mademoiselle
5. Chanel No.5
6. Yves Saint Laurent Opium
7. Thierry Mugler Angel
8. Dior Miss Dior
9. Guerlain Shalimar
10. Kenzo Flower by Kenzo

What do you think? Agree, disagree, surprised?
Share your thoughts in the comments and share what you smell on people in your area if you like!

Related reading on Perfume Shrine:
Best-selling Fragrances USA & France 2013 (1st quarter)
Top 20 Best-selling Fragrances for women in France for 2011,
Best-selling Fragrances UK 2014,
Best-selling Fragrances Brazil 2011,
Top appreciated fragrances France 2012,
Past ascribed gender: Best masculine fragrances for women, best feminine fragrances for men

Models Anja Rubik and Helena Christensen Launch Their Own Celebrity Scents

Original by Anja Rubik (a former Chloe face) and Dead of Night Perfume Oil by Helena Christensen are two new perfumes by two supermodels, one of the latest trends in fragrance launches.

Dead of Night Perfume Oil is an exotic blend of jasmine, oudh and amber, inspired by an oudh oil which had an "intoxicating and hypnotic" effect on Helena Christensen. The former supermodel promotes it as the creative director for the artisanal fragrance house ERH1012 which was founded by entrepreneur Elizabeth Gaynes.

Original by Anja Rubik on the other hand is a combination of lilies, green tea and amber, developed in collaboration with perfumer Patricia Choux, and is inspired by the black & white photography of Robert Mapplelthorpe which had always fascinated Anja. The model, who has worn Yohji and Angel in the past, specifies in Allure that her scent is intentionally unisex and niche-smelling. The eau de parfum Original by Anja Rubik has made its debut on Net-a-Porter.com.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Parfums Babani: Orientalism and "le Japonisme" in retro fragrances

The history of modern perfumery isn't written only in terms of Guerlain, Caron, Houbigant, Piver, Floris, Penhaligon's, Chanel, Poiret's Parfums de Rosine fragrances and all the better known representatives of the 19th and early 20th century which are common lore on the lips of fragonerds online. More obscure entities exist, companies steeped into the lethe of history, but not without merit; companies, in fact, ready for a resurrection!

Among them parfums Babani is among the most exotic, the poster child of the sweeping vogue of Orientalism in the turn of the 19th century on to the 20th and a re-interpreter of the chypre fragrance recipe in an... Egyptian fashion! (aka Chypre Egyptien 1919) The sumptuous robes japonaises (particularly the nagajubans peignoirs they made to great success) and the eastern artifacts the Babani boutique on 98 Boulevard Haussmann carried were the foreshadowing of a great line of fragrances with such names as Sousouki, Afghani, Yasmak or Ming.

"Parfum inconnus d'orient et d'extreme orient" was the slogan attached to them in glorious dream-like illustrations by Michelle Puchon dotting the periodicals of the era, as well as the American imports that Elizabeth Arden stroked a deal to promote on their behalf.

The entire history of Babani perfumes appears on the article I have published on this link on Fragrantica. (You're welcome to comment here or there).

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Lisa Eldridge Goes to Lancome

Perfume Shrine is mostly dedicated to scent-related subjects and trivia (with a side dish of some art history and some style from time to time) rather than cosmetics, but the news was too big not to share with some of my regular readers.

The star make-up artist (and the down to earth tutor for many, with her "be accessible" motto transpiringly so lovingly on her tutorials) has changed alliances from her former position as Chanel ambassadress (her videos on Chanel.com were wonderful) to Lancome (a company of the L'Oreal group). Encouragingly in a video aired on January 6, Eldridge promises to work on developing new products and new colors, as well as limited editions, and she will have a hand on the official site.

Her own site and Youtube channel will continue to remain independent.

Monday, January 5, 2015

Fragrance Articles You Have Been Searching For

Happy New Year to all!!!
With several years of historical presence of the Perfume Shrine on the ether it's expected that some things need to be specifically Googled in order to unearth links. Therefore I have updated the Search function on this blog (you will see a blank space with a headline of "Search This Blog" at your right hand top) and I have compiled a small selection of some links: here is a round-up of some articles readers have shown an interest in, but which are not immediately appearing on the Right Hand Column menus. Enjoy!