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Showing posts with label Perfume. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Perfume. Show all posts
Perfume captures the fragrance of Marie Antoinette's gardens
Some 18th century beauty tips (just for fun!)
18th century beauty tips based on A Scented Palace: The Secret History of Marie Antoinette's Perfumer.
The winners of La Cour Parfumee Giveaway....
The random number generator (random.org) landed on the following winners...
For the bottle of fragrance by Pimpernel Clothing:
Our winner is
@Anonymous
"Comptoir Sud Pacifique Eau De Toilette - Matin Calin
for its warmth and milkiness, reminiscent of tranquil country days at the Petit Trianon."
for its warmth and milkiness, reminiscent of tranquil country days at the Petit Trianon."The two runners up will receive a code good for 10% off are:
@hhholic
"I believe a wonderful fragrance for 18th century Versailles would be D&G's Anthology collection. There are 5 scents all named after tarot cards, in French! Le Bateleur
, L'Imperatrice
, L'Amoreaux 
, La Roue De La Fortune
, and La Lune
."
, L'Imperatrice, L'Amoreaux , La Roue De La Fortune, and La Lune."Congratulations! Please contact me at marieantoinettegossip -at- gmail.com with your mailing details (email for the discount). Please contact me by July 7, after that date I will select another entry for the item.
Giveaway: La Cour Parfumee
Preferred fragrances went in and out of popularity over time. The scent of bitter orange blossoms inspired Louis XIII, he loved neroli. Naturally the popularity of any perfume with notes of neroli soared. Unique fragrances were made solely for Louis XIV, and Louis XV’s mistress Madame du Pompadour was a great patron to perfumers.
Marie Antoinette favoured flowers – loved flowers! She had a passion for their beauty but importantly, their fragrance. During her early years at Versailles, the hallways and rooms of the palace were peppered with fresh blooms, constantly cared for and replaced. As you could imagine, it was quite an experience to walk through the hallways, a fragrant experience! Giveaway!
Pimpernel Clothing, a company that makes lovely period inspired garments, has just released their first line of fragrance: Pimpernel fragrance for men, eau de toilette.
Made and inspired by the “oldest perfume house in France… a supplier of fragrance to King Louis XV and his court at Versailles” this eau de toilette is:
“perfect for a nocturnal visit to a lady in waiting at le Petit Trianon, and reminiscent of those lazy Summer afternoons sipping champagne on the lawn while evading hawk-eyed chaperones.”
Oh la la!
One winner will be drawn to win a 100ml bottle of the fragrance, which is presented in a period style glass bottle with an atomiser spray.Two additional winners will receive 10% off on a bottle.
I find the fragrance to have a very nice twist- timeless yet modern enough to wear and not overpowering. Surely the court would have clamoured for it. Winners will be announced on Wednesday June 30, 2010.
To Enter:
To enter, please leave a comment on this post and answer the following:
What modern day fragrance do you think would have been a hit at the court of Versailles and why?
(thanks Heather!)
Croquembouche & Fragrance
"The name comes from the French phrase croque en brouche, which means "crunch in the mouth"...." Read the Full Post here!
YSLGuy, of Let Them Eat Cupcakes, has recently posted on croquembouche, a very fun and delicious dessert. I enjoyed his post and now I find I am very curious about the fragrance he mentions which is inspried by the dessert! I have also found a fragrance inspired by the same, and I am interested in comparing the two. Has anyone else come across a fragrance like this? Would you try it? I am looking for suggestions based on the sweet scent!
YSLGuy's post:
Croquembouche
Ironically I cannot find a link to the fragrance mentioned by YSLGuy and the Croquembouche I have by Demeter Fragrance Library, well it was knocked over and spilt everywhere! Now their site seems down. le sigh! I did find the body lotion though:
Demeter Croquembouche body lotion
More on croquembouche and it's history
The Perfumed Court Collection
As far as fragrance, I have great news and bad news! Let's start with the great:
First of all, for all of you who were devastated when you realized you could not spare the $4,000 for a vile of Silliage de Reine sold at Versailles, fret no more!
Dawn M. Spencer-Hurwitz (perfumer & creator) has created "The Perfumed Court Collection" to accompany the exhibit Artisans and Kings: Selections from the Louvre (Denver Art Museum). The collection features 10 fragrances created from historical notes and research which match fragrances that floated through the court of France from the reigns of Louis XIV through Louis XVI.
PERFUME
Based on research from 18th texts, and the helpful notes of Jean-Louis Fargeon (A Scented Palace
) she has captured these fragrances and is now offering them for sale! You can purchase them in handmade charm bottles which you can string a ribbon or chain through to wear or hang up, and also decorative perfum bottles.
Based on research from 18th texts, and the helpful notes of Jean-Louis Fargeon (A Scented Palace
) she has captured these fragrances and is now offering them for sale! You can purchase them in handmade charm bottles which you can string a ribbon or chain through to wear or hang up, and also decorative perfum bottles.
Lovely! These are very appropriate because in the 18th century, little bottles became en vogue. Ladies could carry them descreetly, so, in case of an emergency they could reapply! They were usually on chains and had a screw top.
Her website also notes that "In keeping with the authenticity of thematerials, The Perfumed Court collection has been created using all botanical,preciousessences, except for the animal notes, which are synthetic."
Now the bad news: they are, unfortunately, a limited edition= limited stock! However, she offers The Perfumed Court Collection Sampler Packs of all 10 fragrances in the collection (1ml bottles)!
Now the bad news: they are, unfortunately, a limited edition= limited stock! However, she offers The Perfumed Court Collection Sampler Packs of all 10 fragrances in the collection (1ml bottles)!
INTERVIEW
I was lucky to get a quick interview with Dawn, here is what she has to say about this fabulous collection:
Lauren: What first inspired you to make this collection?
Dawn M. Spencer-Hurwitz: I was asked by the Denver Art Museum to do a lecture in conjunction with their "Artisans and Kings" exhibit of treasures on loan from the Louvre from the Versailles period of Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI and this collection of perfumes is what came out of my research on the fragrance styles and aromatics of the period. I had originally intended to create 1-3 perfumes to illustrate the period but, well, you know how it is when you get inspired? 10 perfumes came into being.
Dawn M. Spencer-Hurwitz: I was asked by the Denver Art Museum to do a lecture in conjunction with their "Artisans and Kings" exhibit of treasures on loan from the Louvre from the Versailles period of Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI and this collection of perfumes is what came out of my research on the fragrance styles and aromatics of the period. I had originally intended to create 1-3 perfumes to illustrate the period but, well, you know how it is when you get inspired? 10 perfumes came into being.
What was the most interesting fact you uncovered in your research of these historical fragrances?
DSH: You know, the most interesting things that came from my research was all about the innovations of Louis XIV, who was a true originator of fashion. So many icons that are associated with chic and especially French culture, Paris as a city of lights, a passion for diamonds, champagne and high fashion styles all stem from plan laid out by Louis XIV. He is an amazingly fascinating character!
DSH: You know, the most interesting things that came from my research was all about the innovations of Louis XIV, who was a true originator of fashion. So many icons that are associated with chic and especially French culture, Paris as a city of lights, a passion for diamonds, champagne and high fashion styles all stem from plan laid out by Louis XIV. He is an amazingly fascinating character!
You provide the option of buying the fragrances in 'small charm bottles.' Exactly what are these and why did you choose to offer them?
DSH: The charm bottles are wonderful little gems; they are artisan made in Paris and just seemed so perfect for this collection. Historically speaking, it was very common to have ornate, personal bottles of scent for travel. The charm bottles really reminded me of some of the bottles of the period.
Of the entire collection which fragrance is your favorite?
DSH: Choosing favorites is always the hardest part for me.... I really love the Eau de la Favourite ( it's just so unusual) and of course, I love the Aqua Admirabilis. It really feels perfect in every way (except that like all natural eau de colognes, it doesn't last long at all...). Ok, and Eau de Coquette is a wonderful , heady, seductive floral... super sexy. ( I love them all).
Follow Dawn on Twitter!
Curious now??? I have listed each perfume below with some of my thoughts and some of Dawn's descriptions & some of the composition scents:
Beauty Shop
A few weeks ago I received an email inquiring about beauty products today that are similar to those used in the 18th century. Today we have different ingredients and products, items we love are affordable because rare and expensive ingredients have been replaced with synthetics.While I do not have a list of 18th century products you can buy today I have found some items that are along the same ideas, similar themes, or inspired by the beauty products of the time.
A major must have of the time was scented gloves! They were scented through a time consuming process of soaks in various essential oils. Some were even soaked in special waxes so that they both smelled delightful and moisturized your hands! This was very useful when you went riding because it helped prevent blisters on your hands. Not many companies are keeping this old tradition alive, but Maître Parfumeur et Gantier is! So if you want some perfumed gloves, check out their site and pick a pair. Their process is more modern and innovative but I suspect the fragrance can last much longer or even be refreshed!
This is a side note- Scented fans! They were popular in the Victorian days, but I am actually not sure if they were something of use in the 18th century. But either way you can get these scented fans for a bargain of a price, and choose the scent you want!
Crème Anglaise is a smooth skin lotion by B Never too Busy to be Beautiful, and it is an all natural vegan approved product. It reminds me of what would have been Pâte Royale hand cream used for softening and preventing chapping. Pâte Royale was created especially for Marie Antoinette. Crème Anglaise is made of natural butters and oils and goes on very lightly. It is super moisturizing and smells fab.
Rose Water was used for cleansing and keeping an nice even complexion, very very important for elegant ladies. Burt's Bees has a really nice Rose Water product that is super refreshing on the skin and it has aloe in it to soothe sensitive skin. Bonus!
Marie Antoinette had once asked her perfumer for something she could use in the bath. She was brought up to follow good hygiene practices, and something fun and scented for the bath was just a natural thought! She got special sachets which were to be put in hot water to release benefits for the skin and fragrance, which would cling to the skin. If you want something like this, you must select a Bath Bomb from Lush! The same idea, these bath bombs spin and fizz the minute they enter your tub making the water scented and extra moisturizing for your skin. They are packed with essential oils and some have extra surprises that appear in your water. I am linking to English Countryside (US site) because we all know Antoinette LOVED floral scents, and this one has just the right combination of floral and meadow to transport you completely.
A bonus to Marie Antoinette's bath sachets was that she could take the smaller ones and rub them on her skin, producing a smoothing and exfoliating effect, while adding fragrance to her skin. The result? Soft, smooth, scented skin. I think Lush follows suit here with their Body Butters. You rub these on moist skin and as they moisturize, they have great natural exfoliating bits in them for smoothing. Antoinette's sachets had almonds in them, and ta-da! Lush's Buffy Body Butter has crushed almond shells in it! (USA site)
Finally the closest you will come to a fragrance of the time is Marie Antoinette's Sillage de le Reine, created by Francis Kurkdijan. It was made using research on the queens favorite scents, and is sold by the Chateau de Versailles. It can be purchased at Versailles, but if you did buy this amazing, expensive little bottle of history, would you even use it??
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