New - A Bespoke Collection of Fragrances by Atelier Bloem

Atelier Bloem is a bespoke collection of six unisex fragrances inspired by Amsterdam's famous Bloemenmarkt which is also the world's only floating flower market.
The collection encapsulates Andrew Goetz's, the founder of Atelier Bloem, passion for gardening and flowers with his two favourite places in the world - Amsterdam and the Hudson Valley near New York.

Of the six fragrances, here are our top 3:
Iris - inspired by Vincent Van Gogh 'The Irises' painting plus their intense colouring and headiness of their fragrances.
Top notes: Cardemon, Rain Forest Orchid and Violet Flower
Heart: Iris Petals, Star jasmine, Pimento Blossom and Rose from Grasse.
Base note: Iris Wood, Vetiver, Tonka Bean and Musk

Black Tulip - a flower synonymous with the Netherlands, but the Black Tulip is the most mysterious and exclusive.
Top notes: Ivy, Freesia and Bergamot.
Heart: atlas Tulip, Violet and Water Jasmine.
Base notes: Vetiver, Amber, Skin Musk and Blonde Woods.

Nieuw Amsterdam - the original name of New York. As the rose is the official flower of New York, this fragrance has a unique rose fragrance.
Top notes: Magnolia, Ginger, Geranum rose from South Africa and Lotus.
Heart: Centifolia Rose, Honeysuckle and Cotton Peony.
Base notes: Oud, Atlas Cedarwood, Amber and Skin Musk

In the UK the collection is available exclusively in Liberty's for £160 (100ml - eau de parfum)

http://www.libertylondon.com/uk/search?q=atelier+bloem

New Perfume House :TFK - The Fragrance Kitchen opens pop up store in Selfridges

Launched in 2012, the new perfume house– TFK, The Fragrance Kitchen by Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah, is available for a limited period at their pop up store in Selfridges London and online

Click here for online shop

Based in Kuwait, this perfume house combines the tradition of Middle Eastern perfumery with the French expertise of Grasse, the perfume capital of the world, where scents are analysed, executed and bottled.

Fragrance is very important in Kuwait with families closely guarding secret perfume recipes which have been passed down from generation to generation.   In the UK we may have grandma’s secret recipe for a pie, jam or cake, but in Kuwait it is much more glamorous with grandma’s secret recipe being for a fragrance.  And Sheikh Majed’s grandma was no exception as she taught her grandson how to create scents by mixing oils bought at the souk markets with precious ingredients sourced from India. Discovering he had a ‘nose’ for perfume, he was able to take it out of grandma’s kitchen and in to his own ‘Fragrance Kitchen’.

Although the fragrances are all unisex, some are more feminine and others more masculine.  

The collections available are:

 Signature Collection:

Numbered rather than named, these 36 fragrances are meant for everyday use.  The bottles are of simple design. Price £100. Some of these fragrances will be available at the pop up store.

 Exclusive Collection:

This line features more opulent scents which are narrative driven.  Sheikh Majed explains that it isn’t just a fragrance but more of a story or diary evoking memories, journeys and personal experiences.

The names vary from the straightforward ‘Kuwait’ and ‘Arabia’ to the tongue in cheek  such as ‘Gone with the Smell’ , ‘At Your Own Risk’ and Musky Ever After’. Kuwait and Gone with the Smell will be available at the Selfridges  pop up store

Also available at the pop up store is my favourite in both scent and name is ‘War of the Roses’. I love the floral heart note and the musky dry down.  Plus the name is quite apt for a Yorkshire lass.

The scents in this collection are stronger and more for evening use. This year the design of the flacon is black with white graphic patterns but this will change as the idea is to update it yearly, although the fragrance will remain the same.  At the moment there are 10 fragrances and more to come as Sheikh Majed has plenty of grandma’s secret recipes.  Price £150

Ambrosea - A Tribute to Udaipur

Tribute Collection
Tribute to different places and cities. A tribute to Rio is The Man From Ipanema - a mix of fresh spices and citrus with fruity floral accord and a woody and amber dry out.  Price £150

MY Collection
The latest addition to the collections and also the smallest with only two fragrances - Arab Spring and The Finest. Both are available at the pop up store.Price £150

We can thank Tom Ford for inspiring Sheikh Majed to open his own perfume house.  In 2009, Tom wanted an exclusive scent for his new Kuwait boutique and who better to ask than someone who already custom blended his own perfumes? The scent was called Arabian Wood and is now part of the exclusive Tom Ford Private Blend Collection.  So thank you Tom for opening up the fragrance box that otherwise may have been kept just for family and friends to enjoy.

And if you miss the pop up store all the perfumes can be bought from their boutique in the exclusive Al Hamra Luxury Centre, Kuwait City. But if that’s a bit too far, there is always their website www.thefragrancekitchen.com

An Exclusive Evening of Chocolates, Truffles & Fragrance - Heaven!

Charbonnel et Walker, one of Britain's finest chocolatiers and Ormonde Jayne, the exclusive fine perfumer decided to host a heavenly evening of chocolates and fragrance in one of London’s elegant arcades, the Royal Arcade on Old Bond Street.

Ormonde Jayne brings extraordinarily beautiful scents using speciality oils not widely used in the perfume industry today. Beautifully presented in vibrant mandarin packaging and black and gold lizard skin perfume boxes.
Charbonnel et Walker was founded in 1875 by Mrs Walker and Mme. Charbonnel, the latter from the Maison Boissier chocolate house in Paris. The chocolates are handmade and they are particularly renowned for their dark chocolate. The handmade boxes are gorgeous with their satin ribbons.

Above is Ormonde Jayne's guide to pairing the fragrance with the chocolates.

My favourite pair is Tolu and Plain Truffle.

I love my chocolate plain and dark so it had to be the pure dark chocolate truffle.

My first Ormonde Jayne love is Ta'if but Tolu definitely grows on you especially its long lasting powdery dry down scent.

Images provided by Ormonde Jayne