From food to clothes, with the amount of excess in our country you wouldn’t think that we would really need to import anything, ever. However, there are those lovely cheeses from France, cars from Italy, and delectable fragrances from our motherland, England, that we just couldn’t do without. From Clive Christian’s “most expensive perfume in the world” whose creations are modeled after the “old formulae” passed through decades, to Jo Malone’s mixing bath oils in the kitchen in the 1980′s, England has made impressive contributions.

Time: 1872, Place: London. A celebrated perfume house is granted the use of the crown by Queen Victoria as a mark of “quality and excellence,” gaining the name of The Crown Perfumery. Jump up a century and some change and British designer, Clive Christian, takes the helm, www.clivechristian.com. For a line with only six fragrances (three main perfumes divided into men and women) to say they do pretty well is an understatement.

“1872″ is probably their most traditional of the three, containing citrusy natural ingredients in a conservative formula and was originally made by the Crown Perfumery itself. The name refers to the year the Perfumery received their own title. “X” is the most recent addition and is the most mysterious of the bunch. The men’s fragrance combines pink pepper, ginger, pimento oil, and amber, among others, while the women’s is more fruity with peach, ivy, rose, and cashmere musk.

However, the reason you probably know Clive Christian is “No.1″ – recognized as “the world’s most expensive perfume.” We’ll put it to you this way – a 30 mL bottle goes for $1,820 – $14,500. Why? You may, and should, ask? Clive Christian has gathered the finest and most rare of ingredients with no limit to cost. Like what? The women’s “floral oriental” contains plum, cardamon, orchid, tonka seeds, and sandalwood while the men’s “oriental ambery” is made up of lime, thyme, heliotrope, ambery woods, and vanilla. AND, embedded in the crystal bottle is a white brilliant cut diamond.

Personal consultations are available with Clive Christian himself to develop and design an individual perfume bottle containing No. 1 for Men or Women for $50,000.
All of the fragrances are highly original and long lasting — very sophisticated but classy. So save up girls and you can be in the elite club of No.1 wearers. Give Victoria at Bergdorf Goodman a call 212-872-2581.

For the next generation of British noses, Jo Malone is a definite forerunner, www.jomalone.com. Born in Chelsea, she started helping her mother who worked for facialist Countess Labatti. Jo began her own private practice of facial massage and skincare. Meeting with success, she went on to develop, at present, 14 fragrances that are divided into five main types – spicy, citrus, light green floral, floral, and woody.

Ten years after working in her small, private location, Jo’s skincare and fragrance business was launched and was later bought by Estee Lauder. She has designed fragrances for French Connection, McDonald’s (lemon scented hand wipes), and scented the entire Royal Albert Hall for an event.

The thing that’s special about Jo Malone’s fragrances is that they seem to tell stories. Her newest perfume, “Orange Blossom,” is simply beautiful, combining clementine leaves with orange blossom and water lily to remind the creator of orange trees in the California sunshine. “Lime, Basil, & Mandarin” is the top seller and is perfect for upcoming spring months.

All of her fragrances can also be combined because they work so well together and allow the wearer to create his/her own customized scent. At the flagship store in NYC, “Scent Booths” allow both single scents and combinations of scents to be sampled at the touch of a button. Want to try a different pair? The scented air is then whisked out so no traces of the original remain and you can go all day. Once again, the staff at Bergdorf Goodman is EXCELLENT – 212-872-2766.
So, depending on your budget you can go all out or reign it in without sacrificing simple or complex layered fragrances made just for you or for the discerning few who know about these British treats. The Queen of England and of perfume would approve!

February is the month of fragrance……ahhh. Fragrance is such a wonderfully public and intimate arena of style. Everyone knows what you smell like as you step into an elevator or arrive at a dinner table, but what about the back of your neck after a shower or your hair after baking gingerbread…. only a privileged few. I cherish the nuances of life’s fragrances. When Jax was born I sprayed my current Estee Lauder “Pleasures” onto a baby blanket and insisted they wrap him in it when they separated us in the hospital. When John went on a business trip seven weeks after Jax was born, I was comforted by how much Jax’s fuzzy angel head smelled like Papa. And my husband wears scents better than any man I have ever known. Sometimes I will just have to grab him and sniff him and I’ll scream, “God what are you wearing?” And he’ll tease and say, “Oh, just that lotion that was in the bathroom in the hotel.”

So when I went looking for my Valentine perfumeries, I was looking for not just the smell of foreplay but something more – a family affair of sorts, something that would linger through the years smelling of babies, laughter, passion, a bed of flowers and grandma’s cooking. I found that many of the good perfume houses think this way. They do not look for something that is momentary and fleeting, but rather a lasting memory. For instance, FLORIS. FLORIS is the oldest perfumery in England and dates back to the 1700s. I visited their only other retail site in the world other than their 270-year-old London shop at 89 Jermyn Street – right here in New York at 703 Madison Avenue. In its nine generations of scent making, the same family has owned FLORIS, first the Floris’ and now, the Bodenhams (name changed only due to male sons by Floris-Bodenham marriage). Floris is steeped in tradition – it is the epitome of classic elegance. Floris holds two royal warrants – “Perfumers to HM the Queen Elizabeth II” and “Manufacturers of Toilet Preparations to HRH The Prince of Wales.” It is of course, the perfume that “Mum” wore. But it is so much more.

If we imagine a perfume manufacturer as a master chef of scent, then Floris has thought of all the seasons and all the possible ingredients to flavor the banquets. Let us start with their “Lily of the Valley.” My mother’s favorite flower. It reminds me of spring and open windows. “China Rose” is a more heady rose scent, a winter night at the theatre. “Lavender” soothes and comes in a variety of bath products besides their Eau de Toilette. I would like to try their Lavender bath gel and moisturizer on Jax – he floats into the smell of Lavender. And finally, for the ladies, “Seringa” is one of their most popular fragrances based in lilac and mandarin – light. But let us not forget our less fair gender – our regal kings and warriors. “No. 89″ is actually said to be the favorite scent of Ian Fleming’s James Bond….ooohh baby. Their “Elite” is a mature smell for men, their “JP” a little more energetic. And the newest fragrance for men by FLORIS is “Santal,” which dares the contemporary Renaissance man with smells of lavender, green grass, exotic crushed peppercorns and zanzibar cloves fused with sensuous wood notes and vetiver……mhhh…now if that’s not a feast of the senses.

I cannot leave FLORIS without mentioning their unisex line – Cefiro. You know how there is always something sexy about wearing your husband’s oversized shirts to bed or a big sweater on a cold day? Well, now FLORIS let’s you share your perfumes as well. Cefiro is fresh, citrusy. And how nice to economize your traveling bags then to just throw the one perfume in? I think this was actually the big idea behind Cefiro. FLORIS has a hotel amenities line in collaboration with the Savoy Group, i.e. the Ritz Carlton and New York Palace. Although FLORIS fragrances are what bring even the Queen of England out of her carriage, they have lines dedicated to shaving, the bathroom, home décor, and many wonderful gift accessories. Just visiting their New York store on Madison Avenue is a treat. Tina King has been the general manager 11 of the 14 years of the New York store’s operation. Besides Tina’s wonderful fit to the line’s classic elegance, she adds a personal touch of humor and whimsy as well. I won’t give too much away, but exclusive to the store experience are fancy shower caps with huge yellow roses, special doggy and baby accessories, and bejeweled vanity mirrors. Let’s just say men, and John I hope you are reading, next time you want to say you’re sorry with some flowers, go to FLORIS instead. You’ll not only be forgiven, but we might just get to share a little shower time trying out some products…oohh la la. Go visit the New York store itself, shop online at www.florislondon.com, or the Floris Mail Order catalogue can be ordered by telephone on: 1-800-535-6747 or by e-mail: enquiries.usa@florislondon.com . You will find FLORIS also in Nordstrom’s on the West Coast, and Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman here in the East. No excuse hubbies, get there.

London wins again. Of course we all know Burberry’s of London, the famous plaid. Well, Burberry’s is also a family affair of fragrance, and leaves an indelible memory. The perfume line for Burberry’s is about 3-4 years old. It features “Touch” for women in Eau de Parfum and “Touch” for men in an Eau de Toilette. The women’s line is accompanied by lotion, crème, shower gel, and soap. The men’s line is accompanied by after shave balm, shower gel, and deodorant stick. In May 2003, Burberry’s decided to launch “Tender Touch,” which was reformulated from its original perfume to reach a younger woman. With Burberry, Jax does not have to wait and just use scenty bath products. He too can have a smell of his own. Burberry’s included in their line “Baby Touch.” This line comes in an alcohol-free baby splash and a five-years-plus Eau de Toilette. “Baby Touch” also has a lotion, massage oil, and baby wash. The entire baby line was formulated by a pediatrician and dermatologist and is hypoallergenic. The whole line has a classic, yet energetic scent. It is a picnic overlooking the dunes on the Cape, an outing in Bryant Park at Christmas. Christian Jorgensen is the Business manager at the Saks counter, and he will guide you through this line lovingly. I must admit to not having luck finding a Burberry’s dedicated Internet site, but grouped with distribution sites. Too bad, I wanted to know more.

Now to a nearby neighbor in Italy. Bulgari also has a wonderful family tradition of scent. Interestingly, Bulgari is a brand known to most as an Italian jeweler. But don’t stop there and turn away in prejudice. Their perfume line is exquisite mostly because it is about the fragrance of aromatherapy. It draws you near, it soothes, it heals what ails you, and even excites. Their male and female fragrances are layered with herbs and spices. Their Pour Femme is based in jasmine tea, iris and Bulgarian rose and meant to act as an aphrodisiac to male admirers. Their Pour Homme is energizing, woodsy – a romping Puck, if you will. And then, the wonderful, wonderful swaddling babe and mama line, (you knew this would get to me, mamas), “Petit et Mamans.” Ohhhh, Bulgari, you have done so much right here. This line is chamomile-based with a powder fresh, dry down. It is lovely. It is just the right scent to rub on your belly while pregnant, wrap your babe in at the hospital, and splash your angel in on special days. Bulgari carries “Petit et Mamans” in an alcohol-free splash for zero to five years and an Eau de Toilette spray for after five years of age. For mamas shopping for a special baby shower or christening gift, Bulgari caters to you especially. They have an assortment of gift sets in this line that combines the “Petit et Mamans” with animal soaps and the accompanying shower gels and lotions in varying sizes and prices. Note to mamas, you need to look for this on the main floor of perfumes in the department stores. Although Bulgari does place “Petit et Mamans” in their baby sections at times, I could not find it there. As for the website, it had some fancy media introduction that kept knocking me offline. So for Bulgari, visit your local department store. Here in New York, you can find it at Saks or at www.bulgari.com.

There are, of course, some of the family members not covered here. What of my six-year-old niece in Massachusetts, and my 13-year-old niece in Long Island? What do they wear? Here is a brief synopsis. BCBGirls carries some nice fragrances for the six-year-old called “Nature” and “Star.” I’d leave their “Metro” and “Sexy” to someone other than either niece – too racy. I understand from a reliable source at Macy’s that for teenage girls, “Curve”, “Cool Water” and Glow (by JLo) are popular lines. There are also the more classic lines found in Tommy Girl, and “Lauren” by Ralph Lauren. Sandy Benjamin of the Men’s Fragrance counter guided me through the teenage boys. Thanks, Sandy. For teenage boys, Blue Jeans by Versace is a more “refreshing, clean” line that is now preferred over the heavier Calvin Klein of my dating days, thank goodness.

Tommy for teenage boys remains a classic. I say all of this and the thought of my Jax courting a girl with the smell of his new cologne makes tears run down my cheeks. And panic. But there it is, scents for the entire family. That and an attic of memories, I hope.

Here is a memory from my attic that still gives off a delicious fragrance. Eleven years ago I met my husband in the month of February. I think we were in a bar making fun of Valentine’s Day and all the “lovey doveyness.” Of course, we immediately proceeded to fall “lovey dovey” with one another and shame even the corniest of Valentine’s lovebirds. Shortly after we met, John went on a trip. I had just finished “Jitterbug Perfume” by Tom Robbins – a book about love, immortality and beets as the basenote in life’s eternal perfume. I slipped it into his hands as we said goodbye. He called me at the end of each day from New Orleans to read me his favorite lines. “Jitterbug Perfume” is our covenant of amour. So this month of February and the assignment of fragrances gave my heart a special smile. Who would have known 11 years ago that I would have met the one true scent of my life, and it would have a basenote of beets?

Love,
Mama

All too often we males gravitate to extremes when it comes to body odor. Worst case scenario? We smell like dirty laundry. Deodorant, good hygiene habits, and regular laundering of our clothes and linens can usually rectify that situation. The other extreme is the natural body scent that we emit that more often than not is overpowered by the other aromas in the immediate environment. The trick when it comes to cologne is to know your signature scent and successfully combining it with the product.
Before I elaborate, here are a few no-no’s that I highly recommend that you follow. 1) Do not drown yourself in cologne! I’veseen men use cologne like a second shower, spraying their hair, neck, armpits, wrists, and – yes, I kid you not – their family jewels. Not only will you become a walking potpourri exhibition, any display of affection from a hot date you might experience will turn sour when an innocent kiss on your face or neck elicits a flavor analogous to kissing a sponge doused in cleaning solution. The proper way to apply cologne is to spray a mist in front of you, then walk through it. If you have non-spray cologne, just dab a bit on pulse points on your neck and wrists. 2) Do not mix or confuse aftershave with cologne. Aftershave is NOT a cologne substitute. Unfortunately, most aftershaves on the market have evolved from being skincare products that moisturize and tone skin – staving off dryness and ingrown hairs – to vile concoctions that irritate and reek of old-world barbershops. Instead, use an odorless alcohol-based astringent (or non-alcohol for those with sensitive skin) in replace of aftershave, and then proceed to your cologne of choice. 3) Cologne is not deodorant. Remember, the chemical compounds in your eau de toilette works with, not against, those in your odor de body. Besides, the two cannot subtly cancel each other out – think the aroma of a French pastry shop mixed with that of a garbage truck driving by.

With all of that said, let’s get down to some of my older and newer favorites:

Cool Water – Davidoff (retail: $47 for 75ml/2.5oz)

Now, before you sigh and roll your eyes, let’s honestly ask ourselves why Cool Water, when released in 1988 became an immediate success in Europe and later in the U.S. and is still one of the top sellers of men’s fragrances today. The distinctive and contemporary scent is youthful, yet appropriate for all ages. The cologne contrasts lavender and rosemary flavors against mint, coriander, and orange flower. The heart notes (ie. body of fragrance) of jasmine and geranium are offsets against sandalwood and earthy tones of moss. Vetiver provides a firm, masculine base. What does all of this mean? The fragrance is light and distinctive. The natural freshness is immediately disarming to those who approach you. I recommend it for daytime use, though it is a rule that I myself follow loosely. The best thing about it is that it’s appropriate for both semi-formal and casual attire. If you want to give off a down-to-earth, fun-loving impression, this is the fragrance for you.

Dunhill Desire – Alfred Dunhill (retail: $46 for 100ml/3.3oz)

Now I would be lying to you if I didn’t say that I’m seriously biased towards this truly unique and refreshing cologne. To date, I have yet to find another cologne that even comes close to the modest complexity of Dunhill Desire. Released in 2000, the fragrance features top notes (ie. first impressions) of bergamot, lime, neroli, and apple. Its heart notes tease the senses with patchouli, rose, and teak wood. Finally, its base notes (ie. subtler flavors) excite with a blend of vanilla, musk, and labdanum. Bergamot is a key ingredient in this concoction. Found in popular teas like Earl Grey, the citric flavors of bergamot rind combines nicely with the woody-apple tones to create a sexy, floral fragrance that is both simultaneously sensitive and masculine. Great for daytime casual or office wear. Convey a mysterious, yet soft and passionate side with this winner.

L’Eau D’Issey – Issey Miyake (retail: $70 for 125ml/4.2oz)

Issey for men is fresh, modern, and sophisticated. Created in 1994, the cologne blends citrus and spice with base notes of musk, amber, and woods. Women love this product and often buy the perfume counterpart. The cologne and perfume complements each other perfectly, which is more than I can say for other male/female scented releases like Gucci Rush. There is a genuine balance of verbena, coriander, sage, and mandarin orange with spices, sandalwood, cedar, and amber tobacco. The result? A fragrance that actually morphs with your body’s on chemistry as the day goes on. The complexity of the cologne is perfect for evening wear. If you’re going for a formal, scholarly impression, pick up a bottle and walk tall.

Black Vetyver Café – Jo Malone (retail: $75 for 100ml/3.3oz)

It was a chance encounter at Dean & Deluca that inspired Jo Malone to capture the distinct aroma and social allure of coffee in a fragrance – think of smells in the coffee bean aisle mixing with those in the flower bouquet aisle. Although not everyone loves to drink coffee, I have yet to find someone that doesn’t like the aroma. Released this past winter, this innovative fragrance fuses the bitter notes of coffee with the exotic spice of vetiver. You’ll also get hints of coriander, nutmeg, sequoia, temple incense, sandalwood, and vanilla. I truly believe that this product will become a top-of-the-line competitor with the best colognes on the market. Fantastic for evening wear, though not inappropriate for day wear, the cosmopolitan flavor of Black Vetyver Café is disarming, trendy, and alluring. Just released, the cologne is hard to find; visit the Jo Malone Shop in the Flatiron Building @ 949 Broadway (212-673-2220).

I’ll leave you all with this bit of advice. There are hundreds of men’s fragrances to choose from in the market. Pick a few that you like – four is a nice round number. It’s classy to make sure that you wear the right cologne for the appropriate occasion. Remember that certain colognes smell better on some people than others; so before you buy, get second opinions from friends or a significant other. Stick with your selections. After all, nothing leaves a greater and more memorable impression than your signature scent.

Like Shelby in Steel Magnolias said, “Pink is my signature color”, my best friend Rachel proclaims, “Samsara is my signature scent”. I don’t have a “signature scent”. I’m of the “use whatever mini-bottle of perfume comes with the makeup gift set” variety. But I’m the exception to the rule. Most people devote their entire lives to wearing one specific fragrance. I can be transported back to high school with one whiff of Design or be comforted whenever I sense Nina Ricci “my mother’s signature scent” within a mile radius. And it’s not surprising when a woman’s signature scent is actually part of the everlasting, prolific and famous perfume family, Guerlain.

Opening its first shop in France in 1828, the House of Guerlain is the oldest fragrance company in the world. Since Pierre Francois Pascal Guerlain first started concocting these perfumes, members of this talented family have created more than 700 fragrances. Guerlain has since narrowed its total list of available fragrances to the most popular and timeless. Each brand could be described as if it were a full-bodied wine. Words like oaky, flowery, spicy, fruity and woody could be used to capture the aroma as well as the emotional response evoked from each fragrance. Like a rich Bordeaux becoming more complex with each year spent at the French vineyard from which it came, the fragrances of Guerlain are made with the same care and delicacy as your favorite vintage French wine. But what truly sets this company apart from other perfume companies is Guerlain’s ability to brand each fragrance with its own unique identity. Each bottle contains within it a beautiful, romantic story embodying human emotion and history. The stories, combined with the aromatic ingredients, are the inspiration behind Guerlain fragrances.

Mitsouko, for example, is a spicy and fruity fragrance created in 1919 and means “mystery” in Japanese. It was also the name of a married Japanese woman who was secretly in love with a British officer. When the Russian-Japanese war broke out in 1905, her love went unrequited. This fragrance is reminiscent of the passion and intensity of this love story. Another example is the first true Oriental fragrance, Shalimar. This timeless fragrance symbolizes the hedonistic exuberance of the year 1925. Its creation was also inspired by the great love story of the Indian Emperor Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal, whom he met in the gardens of Shalimar. When she died, the Emperor built a mausoleum to honor his love for her forever. He named it the Taj Mahal.

Rachel would be interested to discover that her “signature scent,” Samsara, was created in 1989 to symbolize the wheel of life through which nirvana is reached. This Oriental, woody, and floral fragrance is by definition, the “cycle of birth and rebirth”. More recently, in 1997, Coriolan was made to commemorate the hero of ancient Rome who turned his back on war and glory to build a future with the woman he loved. Guerlain is also responsible for concocting the first Oriental fragrance for men. Habit Rouge contains spices and leather to exude classic masculinity. The “rouge” it mentions is in honor of equestrians in their red/rouge coats. Finally, 1969′s Chamade is exemplary of the liberated woman depicted in the novel of the same name by Francoise Sagan. “Chamade” is actually the drum-roll an army would sound when surrendering. In this case, it symbolizes one’s surrender to love.

Some of Guerlain’s fragrances are inspired by places. Champs Elysees, created in 1996, is a pure and delicate perfume, which with one spritz, can spark the memories you may have of this famous Parisian boulevard.

The Guerlain family is known for and still produces many more fragrances than the ones just mentioned. Discovering the inspiration and historical context behind each brand can certainly help a woman decide what her “signature” fragrance should be.

Guerlain is also known for its Issima skincare line, which offers a personalized program for any age or skin type. Of course, we can find these products at select department stores and spas here in NYC, but if one ventures out of the Big Apple, you can find Guerlain’s products at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, the Breakers Spa in Palm Beach, Florida, or at other exclusive spas throughout the U.S. and Europe. And who could forget when Terracotta first hit the scene in 1984. It brought bronzing to a whole new level and could very well be solely responsible for our current obsession with self-tanners. Including Divinora and Meterorites, Guerlain Colour Cosmetics offer a diverse array of quality powder formulations. Attuned to the changing trends of fashion, Guerlain also develops two new color lines each season.

The company’s reputation is one of consistent excellence and quality, and as such, Guerlain is sure to incorporate the famous “guerlindade” into each of its olfactory creations. This “stamp” is exclusive to Guerlain perfumers and includes the wonderful aromas of bergamot, tonka bean and vanilla, among others. Perfumer Jean-Paul Guerlain remarked, “Going on site, checking, choosing the raw materials that make up our perfumes is, as far as I am concerned, the only way to perpetuate the Guerlain tradition and quality. I buy my bergamot in Reggio di Calabria, my Ylang Ylang in plantations on the island of Mayotte, my jasmine and santal in India.”

Coming soon is L’Instant de Guerlain. This new fragrance was created by Sylvaine Delacourte and Maurice Roucel to create a modern classic that captures the “instances” of life that make up your most beautiful memories. It introduces a new ingredient, a rare white magnolia from southern China; as well as a new olfactory category made of citrus-honey, white flowers, and the previously mentioned Guerlinade. L’Instant de Guerlain is contained in a bottle of intricate design conveying a traditional richness with a touch of modernity. This perfume, along with ancillaries like body cream and shower gel, is available this March at select stores. And who knows? Perhaps I’ll make this new member of the Guerlain family my “signature scent.

Fragrance, Jewelry. The last two things a woman puts on when getting dressed, and the last two things she takes off when getting undressed. There is a natural symbiosis, and since its fragrance month for us, we decided to investigate the perfect Valentine combination — designer baubles, designer smells. Bulgari, Cartier, Hermes? Tiffany’s, Van Cleef & Arpels? The gifts that make a woman weak at the knees and our hearts skip a beat?

But how did this perfect partnership begin? Why the connection between two such so undeniably, highly desirables?

The history of perfume dates back to Ancient Egypt. Egyptians carried perfume with them from birth until after their death, placing perfumes in their tombs to keep their skin silky smooth in the afterlife. Since the Egyptians believed that the soul ascended into heaven, relatives saw to it that perfume accompanied the spirit. This was stored in elongated bottles encrusted with gold and gems and it is here the very concept of such a ‘marriage’ begins

During the Middle Ages, whilst Italy found itself in a permanent and endemic state of war, renowned Pope Gregory XII and his successors tried to maintain a degree of peace, encouraging the magnificence of garments and jewelry. The rich and famous were encouraged to use scent in the home and was applied to objects such as jewels, fans, masques, and even birds and dogs.

But it wasn’t until French per fumier Franà§ois Coty, a direct descended of Napoleon himself, in the early 20th Century, realized the value of the product he created. To him, the fragrance itself was a luxury item. Coty’s success lay not only in his excellent perfumes, but also in his packaging genius. He believed perfume should be sold as luxuriously as rare jewels. With this goal, he convinced Monsieur Lalique, who was enjoying great success as a jewelry designer, to design bottles for him.

Amazingly, it wasn’t until the late 20th Century that companies like world renowned Jollier Cartier, realized the potential for branding their name with a product that had been around for so long, creating their luxurious Must De Cartier and Santos range of fragrances in 1981.

It is an undeniable fact that jewels and perfume share a harmonious relation with each other. The longing for such sensory luxury are so crucial to a women’s success in feeling sexy since sight and smell are so closely linked. And yet ironically, perfume is the most superfluous of all luxuries; pearls and jewels pass on to an heir, clothes last for some time, but a fragrance loses its scent at once, and dies in the very hour they are used.

With that in mind, what inspires world-renown jewelers to diversify into a product that holds no tangibility?

Well Henry Dunay is such a man. Receiving over 43 global awards, including “Best Jeweler in the World”, inducted into the Diamond International Academy, founding member and first president of the American Jewelry Design Council and renowned among other things, for his faceted gold finishes and his trademarked wavelike ribbon design which he dubbed the Sabi finish, the name he also chose to label his signature scent.

‘When I design, I am committed to producing the most exquisite creations for the most exquisite creatures; women’ says Dunay. Sabi Eau de Parfum was blended by Dunay’s brother, an award-winning fragrance creator. It blends feminine romantic notes, including 250 captivating all-natural oils, jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, and exotic spices. For Dunay, inspiration came straight from his source. “I’ve always designed for a woman—how beautiful something will look on her,” he explains. “At times when l would approach a woman, there seemed to be an something missing. So I thought a fragrance would round things out nicely.” Since his brother was a perfumist, they got started on it together. “I couldn’t have made it without him,” says Dunay. Not knowing much about the perfume industry, he says he learned a lot in the production process, which took a few years. What was his fundamental desire? “To develop a fragrance to inspire a man kissing the back of a woman’s neck not to want to stop.” Apparently clients agree.

Available only at Neiman Marcus or www.neimanmarcus.com online, Sabi is the high end retailer’s number two best seller. That’s a lot of necks being kissed!

“Enhancing what a woman already has, as opposed to overriding it, is the cornerstone of Dunay’s designing. He thinks of his audience as “the sun-tanned lady.” What does that mean? “She’s not necessarily always suntanned. She doesn’t have to be,” says Dunay. “But she’s a woman who doesn’t have to work at being beautiful – jewelry and fragrance just add to what she possesses naturally. When she walks into a room, there is an aura about her and she can balance of these two things, as well as clothing, neatly packaged…wrapped in sophistication, elegance, and effortless beauty. When she leaves the room, the smell of the fragrance follows her, but lingers with you.”

As accomplices in amour, Dunay proves that fragrance and jewelry are inextricably made for each other – a relationship that is undoubtedly timeless and to be treasured.

Sabi Eau de Parfum

Neiman Marcus
www.neimanmarcus.com

Henry Dunay Designs
www.henrydunay.com

Popular with everyone from Julia Roberts to George Washington, Caswell & Massey has a long of tradition of providing customers with quality products, actually the longest. Established in 1752, it is America’s oldest perfumer as well as its oldest consumer brand. They even served the first cola to their pre-War of Independence customers while they flipped their white wigs and waited for their top-of-the-line beauty products to arrive in cute green-striped bags. However soda is not their specialty, it is their fragrances that distinguish them as an American staple. So I decided to take a trip into the past and see if there was anything worth the attention (and debit-card swipes) of modern women.

My time machine was efficient, cheap and smelled a bit like urine (okay it was the 6 train), and it placed me at the swanky corner of 48th and Lexington, where the flagship store lies adjacent to the Barclay Hotel. Illyana, the assistant manager showed me around and tripped over words like absinthe (abas-sand-chif) glycerin (gleek-iran) in a thick Bulgarian accent. However, her expertise was as impressive as the mountains of fun beauty products and great gift ideas I found, set on polished hardwood floors.

As it turns out, a purchase at Caswell and Massey is a downright patriotic act. George Washington loved to dab a little cologne #6 on his pulse points before crossing the Delaware River, and regularly used their products to woo foreign dignities. Some his leftover #6 sits in the Smithsonian, but if you want a full bottle for the man in your life you can pick up a 3-ounce bottle for $28. Or if JFK was more your taste, pick up his signature, Jockey Club, which is a full-bodied spicy, masculine scent.

But enough about the boys, the woman’s fragrances was just as interesting. Most of the products from their own lines run between $9 and $30. The Elixir of Love #1, the “original potion for love everlasting,” stood out in particular since Valentine’s Day steadily approaches. This line has satisfied customers reporting back great results and often way too many details about their enhanced love lives. A mix of jasmine, lavender, Egyptian musk and passionflower, this soft scent is undeniably romantic, as my friend Rebecca insists, “It feels like lying on soft white sheets with the sun soaking through the windows”. Woah. Try it in a 3-ounce bottle for $30 or a fun solid perfume for $12.

My personal favorite of the bunch was Casma. The preferred scent of Greta Garbo is a blend of magnolia petals, rose and jasmine accented with a touch of vanilla and ginger. It is actually available as a men’s cologne, but the woman’s version comes in cute mini high-heeled shoe so it’s really a no-brainer. The scent is very strong and very feminine, definitely great for a night out on the town in a short skirt.

Some other notables were the Cucumber line, which Julia Roberts prefers, and Gift of the Sea line, which smells like an ocean breeze. I picked up the Cucumber Shea Butter ($20), which fights extra dry skin and supplies just enough fragrance. I also loved the Gift of the Sea Soothing Sea Salt, which make my modest New York City bathtub smell like a day at the beach (now all I need is a hot lifeguard).

If you can’t find anything that floats your boat, you can even create your own scent. Buy their dilutent or use some vodka, and choose between any of their essential oils. Barbara Compton, their chief product manager, recommends picking something like orange or rose and accenting it with sandalwood or vanilla; you can even add some eucalyptus for a refreshing touch. Experiment and have fun, for once you find your signature, you can even mix it with sweet almond oil and make your own personalized bath oil.

Barbara Compton told me at the end of our phone call, “the subliminal value of all fragrance is underestimated.” So treat yourself right, smell even better and take the 6 or the E or a cab and a friend, and head down to 518 Lexington Ave. for some good old-fashioned “affordable luxury.”

Caswell & Massey
518 Lexington Ave.
New York, NY 10017
(212) 755-2254
Monday to Friday 9-7, Saturday 10-6

Unforgettable. Fleeting. Soft.

Kipling once wrote, “Smells are surer than sights and sounds to make your heart-strings crack.”

Fragrance is perhaps the original sexual MO. Since the time of ancient Egypt, women have worn perfume to woo and arouse men. Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel surmised its power this way – a woman should wear perfume in all the places she wants to be kissed.

A History
Perfume, from the Latin per fume, means “through smoke.” As early as 1085 B.C., the Egyptians were the first to incorporate perfume into its culture, with the earliest perfume bottles found there dating back to 1000 B.C. They were followed by the Chinese, Hindus, Carthaginians, Arabs, Greeks and Romans, among others.

Egyptian women wore perfumed creams and cosmetics made with scented oils. Roses, lilies and violets were steeped in oil and rubbed on the skin. Powdered spices, scented oils and resins were made into beads and worn as necklaces and bracelets. Burning incense was popular long before college dorms and street vendors. Egyptians used it in religious rituals. And frankincense and myrrh were also offered by the wise men to baby Jesus.

In the 10th century, Avicenna, the Islamic physician and alchemist, perfected the process of distilling oil from rose petals. This development made the production of essential oils possible. With the fall of the Roman Empire came the fall of perfume’s popularity. It was not until the 17th century with the re-emergence of international trade that perfume’s popularity took off.

In 1656, perfume received official recognition from the French with the establishment of the Guild of Glove and Perfume Makers. Perfumed gloves were worn by women for a long-lasting fragrance. Perhaps it was the lack of fresh running water, but most likely it was its sultry and appealing qualities that attracted the likings of the Court of Louis XV, which was dubbed the “perfumed court.”

More than 1000 years after perfume came into existence, a fragrance finally received a name in 1675, called Bouquet a la Marichal. And in 1710, Eau De Cologne was created.

With the development of organic chemistry in the 19th century came the production of synthetic perfume materials. Up until this point, the process of gathering and extracting materials from flowers, plants and animals was tedious. For instance, 8,000 jasmine flowers yield 1/25 ounce of Jasmine pure essence. Orris Root, the dried bulbs of Iris plants, is dried for 2 years before using it to create a fragrance.

Couturier houses led the proliferation of creating new fragrances in the 1920s. In 1921, Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel launched her own brand of perfume. Her “nose,” or perfumer, Ernest Beaux presented several lines of fragrances to Coco Chanel. And with line number five, Chanel No. 5 was born. Today, Chanel No. 5 reportedly sells a bottle every 30 seconds.

In 1925, Guerlain created Shalimar. And the 1930s brought the renowned fragrances Je Reviens, Tabu and Joy.

Still, perfume prices remained high. Up until the 1940s, perfume was used mostly by the upper class. Six perfumers created the Fragrance Foundation in 1949. Elizabeth Arden, Coty, Guerlain, Helena Rubenstein, Chanel and Parfums Weil established the foundation that develops programs to educate the American public about fragrance. More importantly, its creation suggested that perfume was a growing industry in the United States. Today, according to the Fragrance Foundation, the U.S. is the “largest fragrance market in the world.”

By the 1950s, with the creation of perfume houses such as Coty and Max Factor, less expensive scents were becoming available for the masses. Meanwhile, men’s fragrances didn’t make a mark until the 1970s.

Then came Opium by Yves Saint Laurent in the 1970s. Opium was an instant success, and with its acceptance by women everywhere, came the beginning of the perfume explosion. Designers and perfumers teamed up. Esteé Lauder, Lark Lagerfeld, Ralph Lauren, and Calvin Klein made waves in the marketplace.

Perhaps making the biggest splash was Calvin Klein’s Obsession somewhat risqué advertising campaign. Doesn’t everyone remember these ads? And who can forget the blinding yellow, black and white Giorgio Beverly Hills in the 1980s?

Today, walking down the fragrance aisle at Sephora can be a little overwhelming. Lined with scores of scents, olfactory alarms start to go off.

Parfum or Eau de Toilette: What’s the Difference?
Now that you have the background, let’s talk scent-shop. Standing in front of the Issey Miyake section, which is my favorite, I have often wondered about the scientific differences between Parfum and the Eau’s. For your cheat sheet, Parfum is the most concentrated form; it is the strongest and lasts the longest because it contains at least 20 percent of perfume compound. Eau de Parfum is an alcoholic perfume solution that contains between 10-15 percent of perfume compound. Eau de Toilette is a light form of a fragrance with between a 3-8 percent concentration in an alcohol-water base. Moisturizing perfumes and mists are fragrances that contain oils rather than alcohol.

So what’s exactly in your signature perfume?
Chanel No. 5, for instance, has a middle note of jasmine, rose, lily, Orris Root and ylang-ylang and a base note of vetiver, sandalwood, cedar, vanilla, amber civet and musk.

Animal Instinct
Civet and musk, you ask?
Yes. While 75 percent of fragrances are made with roses, the base note (that long, lingering scent of your perfume) often has an animal origin. While most animal extracts are synthetically created today to protect endangered animals, it’s worth noting the origin of these animal extracts.

Civet, an exotic cat found in Ethiopia, Burma and Thailand, is one of the most important animal materials used in perfume, according to Diane Ackerman’s in-depth book, “A Natural History of the Senses.” A butter-like secretion is taken from a pouch under the tails of male and female civet cats. Musk, which is found in 35 percent of male fragrances, is taken from the male musk deer.

For centuries, humans tormented and sometimes slaughtered animals to obtain four glandular secretions: ambergris, from the sperm whale; castoreum, found in Canadian and Russian beavers; Civet; and musk, a red, jellylike secretion from the gut of an East Asian deer, according to Ackerman.

Because animal musk is similar to human testosterone, humans respond as they would to human pheromones. Studies conducted on the influence of musk on women have shown that women who sniffed musk actually ovulated more often and found it easier to conceive, according to a study by the International Flavors and Fragrances.

The same can be said for flowers. Floral scents are also known to excite humans. When I asked my friend Matt what images or thoughts were triggered when he thought about perfume, he quickly responded with “sultry…elegant…sexy.” Followed with “soft and feminine.”

We are surrounded by scents marked by bouquets of fruits, florals, leather, earth, spice, and musk. We leave our mark when we enter a room, on our clothes and on pillowcases. We breathe about 23,040 times in a day, according to Ackerman. That’s 23,040 opportunities to make an impression, to leave someone tongue-tied and intoxicated.

Fragrance is classic. Find your signature scent and make your mark on someone this year. In the words of Marilyn Monroe, when asked by a reporter what she wore to bed, she answered “Chanel No. 5.”

Perfume can be confusing. With the abundance of new fragrances introduced to the market every year, it is easy to get lost. But most people should figure out what types of scents they are naturally drawn to and then it is easier to weed through the fragrance propaganda and find something that suits them best. There are three main categories in women’s fragrance: Floral, Oriental, and Chypre. Here is the basic outline of women’s fragrances.

The Florals
Floral is the biggest category in women’s perfumery. Floral fragrances can be built around one dominant single note, such as the prominent lily of the valley in the classic Dior fragrance Diorissimo (1956) or be a whole bouquet of floral effects such as Estee Lauder’s wildly popular Pleasures (1995). Florals are considered a “safe” category; meaning florals are almost universally well-received. Women will always love the femininity and innocence associated with florals. Because of the vast array of florals notes, this large category has a few sub-categories.

Green Floral
This is the least explored area of the floral category. Green notes are sharp and distinctive such as scents like grass, banana, lemon, lime, and sour apples. Green florals are difficult to make well. However, when done correctly, the result can be peaceful and calming. One of the first green fragrances was Vent Vert by Balmain, introduced in 1947. A contemporary favorite is Beautiful by Estee Lauder (1986).

Fruity Floral
This is a young, vibrant category. The 1990′s saw a boom in the fruity florals (many of the fragrances are now gone, due to market saturation). Fruit odors like raspberry, peach, strawberry, and melon lend a carefree air to a floral scent. “Fresh” and “clean” are words often used to describe fragrances in this category. The best example of a standout fruity floral is Calyx by Prescriptives (1987). During the 90′s boom, Tommy Girl by Tommy Hilfiger (1996) was a huge success (every teenage girl across America spritzed it religiously), as was Acqua Di Gio by Armani (1995)and Clinique Happy (1997).

Aldehydic Floral
In 1921, a groundbreaking fragrance was introduced. It used a new raw material called aldehyde to give the fragrance “lift” and “sparkle.” That fragrance was Chanel No. 5. Since then, aldehydes have been used to create elegant, feminine fragrances such as White Linen by Estee Lauder (1978) and Aire by Loewe (1985).

Floral Florals
These are, obviously, straight-up florals. These fragrances are usually narcotic, almost syrupy scents. They incorporate notes such as jasmine, tuberose, peony, and rose and are strongly feminine. One of the first classic florals is Quelque Fleurs by the House of Houbigant, created in 1912. As the market began to stray away from the fruity notes of the 1990s, companies grew up a little and started creating beautifully done floral florals again. Two standout hits are Marc Jacobs Perfume (2000) and Michael by Michael Kors (2000).

The Orientals
This category exists because of Shalimar by Guerlain. This revolutionary fragrance was introduced in 1925 and incorporated notes generally associated with the Far East; notes such as spices, exotic blossoms, and resins (sweet smelling plant excretions).

Oriental fragrances are warm, sensual, intoxicating, and sophisticated. Perfumers use sweet notes like vanilla and amber, animalic notes like musk, wood notes such as sandalwood and cedarwood, and spicy notes such as cinnamon and cloves to create these intense, sometimes erotic, scents.

Oriental fragrances are the most notorious fragrances.They have a reputation for being racy and powerful. In the 1980s, women were so in love with their heavy Orientals, some buildings banned the wearing of perfume. One of these “power perfumes” was Obsession by Calvin Klein (1985).

Orientals go in and out of style; but most women who wear Orientals are very loyal and rarely wear anything else. Because of this, not as many Orientals are introduced into the market, but the ones that are tend to gather a cult following. Some examples are the extremely sweet Angel by Thierry Mugler (1992), the spicy Coco by Chanel (1984), and the woody Feminite Du Bois by Shiseido (1992).

The Chypres
Chypre (pronounced sheep-ruh) is the smallest and most unique category in women’s fragrance. This is the category for the risk takers because women who love Chypres really love them, but women who hate Chypres really, really hate them.

Chypres are based on the ingredient of oak moss, which gives the fragrance a very distinct, earthy smell. Perfumers can incorporate fruity, floral, or green notes within the compound to create very unusual scents, but most Chypres tend to be woody. Notes like evergreen, patchouli, and sandalwood are commonly used.

A classic Chypre is Clinique’s Aromatic Elixir (1972) and the most recent Chypre success is Gucci Rush (1999). If perfumers continue to take risks, and consumers continue to grow bored with the usual florals, Chypres might very well turn out to be the next trend in women’s fragrance.

We hope this insight is helpful for the next time you’re seeking s special scent. Happy fragrance hunting!

I had just returned from a trip to Israel where several days prior to landing in New York, I was on a small plane flying down to the southern beach town of Eilat. From the window of the plane I spotted the mountains of Aqaba, Jordan. The mountains glowed in the orange sunshine, my camera clicked away, and I vowed to someday visit Aqaba.

So imagine my surprise when several days after returning to New York I was assigned to write about a perfume named Aqaba. Based on ancient sugar daddy King Solomon and his wife Queen of Sheba, Aqaba is a celebration of their romance and of the fleet of ships built for Sheba by Solomon to sail her incense, oils, and spices to Far East kingdoms.

Aqaba was created by Miriam Mirani. At the age of 20, Mirani set out traveling around the Middle East. It was at the Red Sea that she found a view of Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia – the cornerstones of ancient civilization – laid out before her and her fascination with Middle Eastern culture was born.

Aqaba is a gorgeous perfume. It’s the perfect bouquet of spicy and sweet. A formally trained classical musician, Mirani draws parallels between the creation of music and the creation of perfume. Aqaba is made of Bulgarian rose, cinnamon, cardamom, and an array of Red Sea flowers (the top notes), Egyptian jasmine, damask rose, and clove (the mid-notes), and frankincense, peach, tea leaves, white cedarwood, and fragrant oak moss (the low notes). Mirani has captured the romantic spirit of Solomon, Sheba, and the ancient Middle East.

Mirani has put unbelievable thought and precision (and five years of research) into every detail of this perfume. The box is fashioned after papyrus and cane (a reed that was used for ship building thousands of years ago), a faux ruby to represent the ruby inlaid throne of Sheba, and a brass bottle cap to represent the crowns of ancient royalty.

Aqaba has received numerous accolades from Italian Elle, German Vogue, numerous French beauty magazines, Essence, and Mademoiselle. To receive a sample or to purchase Aqaba, please visit www.mirani.com. Email: info@mirani.com . Order by phone: 888-638-1916.

Obsession. Crave. Poison. Ever wonder why the most commercial perfumes are a little addictive?

Sure we all like to smell good. But why do we long to spray our bodies with these chemically-laden potions that can be so pungent, the vapors go up your nose, causing your eyes start to water. So all you want to do is well, escape!

Enter Annie Berthold-Bond. No, it’s not a perfume, it’s the woman who has devoted her life to offering us practical, healthy and uplifting solutions to enhance our daily lives. She is the real “green” thing. Taking no short cuts, no fads no commercialism to sell her books or ideas. Instead, she shows us how to make our lives, homes and families a lot healthier by opting for more natural alternatives that protect the environment and us.

So the recipes for all-natural scents I’m about to give you are not my own concoctions, although I have dabbled in making fragrances for years. They’re based on those found in Annie’s wonderful book, Better Basics for the Home – one of the best books you can buy if you want to make your home the healthiest place to be. With over 868 practical formulas for the house, from body creams to cleaning creams, hair care to lawn care, you’ll be amazed at how easy green, clean living can be.

So back to formulating your fragrances. You need a few basics. I’ve listed them all here for you. Just go to any health store, they’re easy to find. (In fact, I’m amazed just how easy. New York health stores are really well equipped. So no excuses. Ask the assistant if you need help…they’re usually very informative.) Just make sure you buy pure, solvent-free essential oils.

Here’s a few simple recipes to make your own scents that you can use anywhere without harming nature or offending anybody’s sensitive olfactory buds anywhere.

A FEW RULES FOR SAFETY
There are a few things to remember.

1. Never place essential oils directly on the skin; they can burn.
2. Only buy pure, solvent-free essential oils.

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE ALL-NATURAL SCENTS:

Fragrance Material:

* Flowers: Cassia, carnation, clove, hyacinth
* Jasmine, rose, violet, ylang-ylang
* Wood: Cedar, sandalwood
* Fruits: Lemon, lime, orange
* Leaves and stems: Geranium, cinnamon, patchouli

Alcohol: Vodka, brandy, or rum

Glycerin: used as a fixative

Water: Distilled water or rose water only

COMMONLY USED ESSENTIAL OIL PERFUME BLENDS:

Rose, ylang-ylang

Lemon, citronella, lemon verbana, sandalwood

Bergamot, sandalwood

Rose, lavender, lemon, verbana, sandalwood

Rosemary, rose

Clove, bergamot

Rose, orange

Cinnamon, eucalyptus

Make your own ESSENTIAL OIL BLEND:

It’s easy. You can test the essential oils by placing a few drops on blotting paper. Smell one after the other. See which ones you’d like you go together. You can try any of my favorites above or be adventurous, try any combination you like.

SIMPLE FORMULA FOR PERFUME

What you need:

3 parts pure essential oil blend

7 parts vodka, rum, or brandy

20 drops per ounce of orris root tincture

What to do:

Mix all ingredients and let set for 1-2 months

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Shelf Life: Indefinite

Storage: Dark glass jar, keep away from light

SIMPLE JOJOBA PERFUME OIL
(Alcohol-free)

What you need:

1 ounce jojoba oil

25 drops essential oils

What to do:

Combine ingredients in a glass bottle.

Shake to blend.

Makes 1 ounce.

Preparation Time: 1-2 minutes

Shelf Life: Indefinite

Storage: Amber/blue glass bottle

SIMPLE FORMULA FOR EAU DE PARFUM

What you need:

1½ parts each essential oil blend and water or rose water

7 parts vodka

What to do:

Combine ingredients and let set for 3-6 weeks.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Shelf Life: Indefinite
Storage:Amber/blue glass bottle

Examples:

Ylang-Ylang:

For the essential oil blend, combine 10 parts ylang-ylang,

5 parts neroli and rose, and 3 parts bergamot

Honeysuckle: For the essential oil blend, just combine

15 parts cassia, rose, tuberose, and violet and

½ part neroli and bitter almond

Verbana: For the essential oil blend, combine 6 parts lemongrass, and ½ parts bergamot and orange

The good thing about making your own scents, it’s up to you just how strong they smell. Use your nose and take it from there. And voila! You’ve made your eau-n de perfume!!!

Let me just finish by adding that once you buy the ingredients, it’s so easy to make these scents. They literally take minutes. And just think how you can use them for presents for all of your family and friends. (Even those “addicted” ones!) Sure they won’t come in extravagant bottles, but they’re much healthier, smell wonderful, and are real fun to make. Not to mention the cost!

For more information on scents, fragrances, and healthier living in general, go to www.betterbasics.com and read more of Annie’s expert tips.

For all the above ingredients, visit:

Natural Commodities East
165 1st Avenue (between 10th and 11th Streets).

Tel: (212) 260-2600