Parfum

The word "perfume" is used today to describe scented mixtures.  The word "Perfumery" refers to the art of making perfumes.  Perfume was refined by the Romans, the Persians and the Arabs. 

France has become the European center of perfume and cosmetic manufacture.  Cultivation of flowers for their perfume essence, which had begun in  the 14th century, grew into a major industry in the south of France, mainly in Grasse now considered the world capital of perfume. 

We visited the lavender and rose fields of Grasse years ago, and it is a site to behold!  Mostly all the lavender fields of significance are found in the southern part of France.

Karl and I wanted to find a perfume that would appeal to us individually.  It is not a process done in a few hours, but rather over a few days.  We went to Nocibé, a well known store for perfumes, "haut de gamme".  Gamme means octave, and therefore if something is high on the octave, it is a high note - prestigious.  The only thing sold in this store are perfumes, special skin care creams, and high quality make-up.  You receive personalized service.

First you decide on the type of scent that appeals to you: floral, oriental, woody or fresh.  The assistant sprays a small amount on blotter paper strips and after a few seconds, lets you smell it.  It's usually still too strong to really decide, but it will quickly indicate whether you are on the right track.  Between each blotter test, you smell a container filled with coffee beans to cleanse your olfactory senses.

Once you have narrowed down the scent that appeals to you, you can try two of them on your wrists, where the contact with the skin gives you a truer scent.  It's not a bad idea to write the names of the perfumes on the strips so that you won't get confused.  And then you go home!  You smell the strips and your wrists at various time intervals and see how the scent changes.

A few days later, you go back to the perfume store and try your choice again, confirming that it is your favourite.  You are then ready to purchase.

There are perfume/extract of perfume which are 15 - 40% (but typically 20%) fragrance oil.  These last the longest, but often don't have the same big scent "trail" that more dilute eau de parfums do. 

Eau de parfum/millésime/parfum de toilette are between 10 - 20% oil (although almost always less than 15%). 

Eau de toilette is usually less than 10% oil and provides a lighter, slightly less complex scent.

Eau de cologne are extremely fresh and light and usually have about 5% fragrance oil in them, but range from 3 - 8% concentration.

Body splash/aftershave are the most dilute, coming in at between 1 - 3% fragrance oil.  They're made to be worn all over and reapplied frequently.

Karl decided on the Eau de Toilette "Tsar" by Van Cleef & Arpels.  After the purchase, the assistant asked if she could apply the perfume for him.  She sprayed him in a V formation, from shoulder to mid chest to shoulder.  It should be applied after the shower and before dressing since the perfume should touch the skin rather than the clothes.

I tried Chanel No. 5 since I thought it might match Karl's scent.  Coco Chanel used the same perfumer who had created a specific perfume for the Romanov women, to create her famous No. 5 fragrance, with only a few changes to the basic composition. It smelled wonderful, but didn't smell "me".  I went back to the Eau de Parfum "Trésor" de Lancôme which I've been using for years.  It has a powdery scent.

Before I left, the assistant asked, "Puis-je vous parfumée?"  After I agreed, she proceeded to create a circular motion as she scented the air, and I walked into the cloud, allowing the mist to settle on and around me.

Our purchases. 

The assistant included 3 samples of facial creams and 2 "échantillons de parfum", (perfume samples).

I am now a card-carrying Nocibé patron.  Unfortunately, they do not have stores in Canada.

 

 

 

 

 

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"The fragrance always remains in the hand that gives the rose"

~ Heda Bejar