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For those of you who are interested in perfumery there is a wonderful
book
that Robbi and I have just read called "The Emperor of Scent"
by Chandler
Burr.
It tells the story of Lucca Turin, a scientist with a passion to
understand
exactly how it is that we are able to smell the many thousands of things
that are in our environment and in doing so develops a theory of smell
and
takes the reader on a journey into the secretive word of the perfumery
industry.
At one point in the book for his own pleasure Lucca writes a perfume
guide
which because of his prodigious talent for discerning, remembering and
characterising aromas becomes a kind of bible of perfume.
You need to be an enthusiast to enjoy this book, but if you are such a
one,
you will adore it.
He describes Guerlan's "Après l'Ondee" ( after the rainstorm
) as :-
"Divinely named, a prototype of the cold and melancholy fragrance,
this
stunning creation is the counterpart--the brighter, fresher younger
brother---of the mysterious L'heure Bleue ( Guerlan ). Après l'Ondee
evolves
only slightly with time: its central white note, caressing and slightly
venomous, like the odour of a peach stone, imposes itself immediately
and
retains its mystery forever."
And of the simply named "Vetiver" [ the fragrance of the
Vetiver plant is
normally associated with men's fragrances ] he writes:-
"One of the rare perfumes so named that do not betray the character
of this
uncompromising raw material, Vetiver is a temperament as much as it is a
perfume, above all when it is worn by a woman. Stoic and discrete,
Vetiver
scorns luxury save that of its own proud solitude. At the same time
distant
and perfectly clear, it must be worn muted and must never allow itself
to be
sensed except at the instant of a kiss."
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