BrianBuchanan 12 months ago
10
7
The Female Sense of Smell
There has recently been some chat on message boards to the effect that "women generally have a better sense of smell than men".
The Mechanism
Why would females have a better sense of smell? Could it be because women have more cells in the olfactory bulb than men?
43% more according to the Daily Mail. [1]
The Evolutionary Argument
There is an evolutionary argument that says hominids developed their...
BrianBuchanan 12 months ago
3
1
Is the Bluebell a Green Floral?
'The olfactive profile of the Bluebell is reminiscent of the Hyacinth.It is not a very strong fragrance but it becomes very noticeable when walking through a Bluebell wood.
We describe it [as] a green-floral, as it is oily-green and quite intoxicating.
Bluebells are not part of the ‘white flowers’ category (Jasmin, Orange Blossom, Tuberose, Ylang, Gardenia,…), not because of their colour but because...
BrianBuchanan 1 year ago
6
1
Are Feminines Becoming More Masculine?
In these days of foghorn pongs and woody sharp citrus, the need to compete with male peacocks may have obliged perfumers to boost up their feminines, just to get them heard above the din.
But how did we get here?
Some Background
In the past, masculine perfume, and perfume in general, tended to keep itself in check. In the seventies there were things like Yatagan, Grey Flannel and Z-14, which had strong...
BrianBuchanan 1 year ago
5
2
Climate Crisis brings Whiff of Danger to French Perfume Capital
Mainstream media reports on the plight of growers in the perfume industry
In Grasse, droughts, heatwaves, and excessive rainfall have made growing flowers increasingly difficult...
https://www.theguardian.com/wo...
BrianBuchanan 1 year ago
4
1
My Love is Like a Red Red Rose
Champagne, chocolates, a single red rose...
What would you give your Valentine?Wine would last the evening, chocolates maybe the weekend, a cut rose a few days. What about something more permanent, a rose perfume?A rose - is a rose - is a rose they say, but they're not all the same.
Just as roses are different from each other so are rose perfumes. There are thousands to choose from, and to make...
BrianBuchanan 1 year ago
3
If Coty had been Vegan he would Never have Made a Fortune
Before he became the famous industrialist, Coty began as a pharmacy assistant in Paris. He was set to work compounding formulae for cosmetics and colognes, and soon having got the hang of it, started making his own versions.
The owner, seeing Coty had talent, advised him to go to Grasse to be trained, but Coty wasn't content to be an apprentice and struck out on his own.
He made...
BrianBuchanan 1 year ago
1
The Architects Club
In 1910, the architect Adolf Loos gave a lecture entitled Ornament and Crime.
It wasn't a condemnation of jewel thieves but an attack on the naturalistic flourishes of Art Nouveau buildings.
Loos thought 'the elimination of ornament from useful objects' was the way to go, and this lead to the Form Follows Function school - which praised grain elevators and similar industrial buildings for their straightforward design....
BrianBuchanan 1 year ago
9
2
Fahrenheit - a perfume on a Different Scale
Fahrenheit is a monument - but it didn't spring from nowhere. Like most great art it had its genesis in what went before and was a product of its time.
Fahrenheit is an eighties perfume and is typically bold, and it can be overpowering if too much is used. But in most ways Fahrenheit is not typical at all.
Maurice Roger, who was Dior's Director of Perfumery at the time was not content to turn...
BrianBuchanan 1 year ago
1
What was the first bestseller for Men?
Rosemary-lavender. Vanilla-sandal.
Pour un Homme is barely more than that.
Two accords - carefully balanced - unfold in a stately dance that blends cool and warm, chewy and hard, beige and blue.
Pour un Homme is an old fashioned scent and could be misunderstood. But, to reject it - just because it doesn't grab you by the nose - would be a mistake. It takes time to get to know this one, and - in the end - it pays...
BrianBuchanan 1 year ago
2
Smell-alikes : clones, copies and replicants - a podcast
Are perfume copies like the real thing? Are they safe? How much do they cost and are they worth it? A journalist from the BBC investigates. Includes an interview with Sarah McCartney of 4160 Tuesdays.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/...
BrianBuchanan 1 year ago
9
3
The Secret Life of Ernest Beaux
Ernest Beaux is known for Chanel N°5, the most famous perfume in the world. But the man remains in the shadows, a name less familiar than some of the others in the Chanel circle: Stravinsky, Diaghilev & Nijinsky of the Ballets Russes, Winston Churchill - to name a few.
Beaux was born in Moscow on the seventh of December 1881, one of eight children by two marriages. His parents were French expatriates...