Wednesday, January 28

Fragrance 101: The Fragrance Pyramid (Part 3)




In the previous Fragrance 101 post, the different ingredients used in fragrance design and creation were discussed.  These ingredients will have different evaporation rates that are crucial in creating a perfectly performing fragrance.

The evaporation rate is also key in creating the olfactive pyramid or a fragrance triangle. The fragrance pyramid is the structure of the fragrance very much similar to a house’s structure – walls, roof, foundation and pillars. Fragrance structure progresses into three parts – the top, the middle or heart and the base or bottom notes.  Fragrance ingredients are placed from the top to bottom in descending order of evaporation rates.

Fragrance Pyramid

The TOP NOTE gives the initial impression of the fragrance. Top note ingredients are volatile and diffuse quickly. This part of a fragrance provides the impact and appeal. The hedonics hook is very important at this stage as it promotes product trial.

Citrus considered as part of top note (image from Pinterest)

However, you have to sample the fragrance first before making any final decision. There are instances that the fragrance changes in direction as the less volatile compounds become more pronounced. This brings us to the next part.

The BODY or MIDDLE of a fragrance is a complex blend of less volatile ingredients. This is normally when you and the people around you enjoy the fragrance the most. It establishes what the fragrance really smells like. It more or less represents the entire fragrance and helps consumer loyalty to the product.

Versace Yellow Diamond Pyramid from sunshinekelly.com


However, we want our fragrances to last long. And this is when the next part of the pyramid is important. The DRY DOWN or BASE notes of a fragrance include fixatives and other notes that diffuse very slowly. These notes support the more volatile notes of the body and top, and balance the fragrance.

Cedarwood, an ingredient in base note

You can rebalance the fragrance to contain more of the top and less of the base in order to create more impact and freshness. But it will not last long. This type of fragrance is perfect for tropical countries, like the Philippines, where we want our fragrance to be strong in terms of appeal and impact.

On the other hand, you can also create a heavier base and make it last very long, but it will not be as fresh and strong. This type of fragrance perfectly addresses the preferences of the Middle Eastern market.


What's Next in Fragrance 101...
In the next Fragrance 101 post, we will be tackling fragrance description and families.


Previous Post
Fragrance 101: What Is A Fragrance (Part 1)
Fragrance 101: Ingredients Used In Making Fragrances (Part 2)


_________________________________________________________________________________
Fragrance 101 is a series of posts that will introduce the readers and fragrance fans into the magical world of fragrances. The author will impart his knowledge on what a fragrance is, how to understand fragrance descriptions and the different fragrance families used in describing the fragrances in this blog.



Fragrance 101: Ingredients Used In Making Fragrances (Part 2)




Image from prevention.com

Continuing with our Fragrance 101 series, fragrance is made up of different ingredients much like a lotion or a shampoo.  These ingredients are categorized according to sources and these are naturals – from plants and animals, and aroma chemicals.

Animal sourced ingredients are ingredients that come from specialized glands of animals. You had to kill animals just to get those ingredients and make into perfume. Samples of ingredients sourced from animals are musks (from an abdominal gland of a male deer), civet (from civet cats), castoreum (from beavers) and amber gris (from whales).

Musk Deer (image from wikipedia)

Today, due to ethical and pricing reasons, animal products are a rarity in modern perfumery as they have been replaced by synthetic versions. But their history, usage and contribution to the industry have been very valuable. Originally they were used as fixatives in fragrances, bringing warmth, depth and complexity to a fragrance.

Plants, the most common source of fragrance ingredients, are extracted for their natural aroma oils. Flowers, fruits and even barks and roots are just some of the plants that we use to get our aroma oils from. So, imagine the palette of ingredients we can already use for fragrance designs.  Not to mention, that for any alteration in the extraction process – temperature, solvent, time to name a few – you get different essential oils. 

Image from mnh20.wordpress.com

For example, 4 different extraction of bitter orange blossom yields 4 different types of essential oils – orange flower concrete, orange flower water, neroli oils and orange blossom absolute.

Sample extraction processes for bitter orange

The aroma chemicals or synthetic chemicals are molecules that were created in the laboratory for fragrance purposes. This is the most commonly used ingredient as they are relatively more economical, sustainable, and quality assured as compared to plant extraction. Due to advances in technologies, aroma chemicals not only represent the synthetic counterpart of natural-sourced fragrances but also advances in molecules allowing more complex and consumer-preferred fragrances.

Benzaldehyde was the first aroma molecule created in the mid 19th century. This was naturally present in bitter almond oils. Then coumarin (tonka bean) came in 1868 and vanillin appeared in 1874 among others.

Vanillin Molecuke

As highlighted in the previous post, fragrance ingredients MUST evaporate in order for you to smell it. Without the molecules converted into gas, then the olfactive bulb (epithelium) in your nose will not be able to smell anything, as highlighted in this post. Different ingredients have different evaporation rates. Perfumers know all these in order to create a perfectly performing fragrance.




What's Next in Fragrance 101...
In the next Fragrance 101 post, the fragrance pyramid will be introduced.


Previous Post
Fragrance 101: What Is A Fragrance (Part 1)


_________________________________________________________________________________
Fragrance 101 is a series of posts that will introduce the readers and fragrance fans into the magical world of fragrances. The author will impart his knowledge on what a fragrance is, how to understand fragrance descriptions and the different fragrance families used in describing the fragrances in this blog.


Tuesday, January 27

What Could Have Been Ms. Philippines' Answer to the Miss Universe #FinalQuestion



Image from Miss Universe Facebook page

This year, in a not-so-surprising twist to the Miss Universe beauty pageant, a second round of Q&A was done. This is one of the first in the history of Miss Universe. The question came from a Facebook user from the #FinalQuestion hashtag: "What is the greatest contribution of your country to the entire world?".

Here are some of the answers that are quite entertaining, you should have instead waited for the personal feeds of the fans for more entertainment and less the "what was the question again?":


We need a translator for this.


Anita Linda, this is your cue... Then  gunshots... Dead.


 Ayan. Nagalit tuloy. Kasi naman hindi pinasok si Mj sa Top 5 e.


 I would have probably started the answer with this. And ended with this. *I don't feel any pressure right now*


Sorry, Ms. Jamaica, we have more names to drop for you - 20 million OFW names to be exact.



If there is Chicken Joy, then why the hell don't we have Chicken Adobo in Jollibee?



 Ewan ko na lang kung hindi ka manalo kapag nasagot mo ito... Sa chemistry quiz bee.



 A blog entry from professionalheckler.wordpress.com. 




And that includes, selfie stick.




And for the serious answers, here are those who could have edged out Ms. Jamaica for fourth runner up.







 And as tribute to the lives lost and work done for the victims of the greatest natural tragedy in history, this would have won the title for the Miss United Nation:
Is Madam Stella Araneta still going back to the country? Maraming nag-aabang sa kanya pakisabi. Choz.



This one takes the cake, Mj's National Cake Costume.





And WORLD PEACE! I thank you!

(Inspiration for this post from www.ourtraveldates.com).

(posts were screenshots from FB, Twitter, Wordpress, Google. I do not own any of these posts. Requesting permission to all post owners.)




Sunday, January 25

Fragrance 101: What Is A Fragrance (Part 1)


What is a fragrance?

Photo from caramellafashionbg.wordpress.com

FRAGRANCE AS AN ART

I would always compare fragrance to a painting or a sculpture - an art. Whilst paintings and sculptures are described based on what you see and feel - colours, strokes, angles that evoke certain emotions, a fragrance is something that you feel and remember based on what your nose smells.

Image from kalundinha.com

In my earlier entry regarding the olfactive sense, fragrance evokes certain memories and emotions linked to that memory. And this is where fragrance becomes an art, similar to paintings, sculptures and architectures. The only caveat is that you have to see and be with it for you to smell it, as opposed to visual arts, wherein a simple Google search will give you an image to cherish.

FRAGRANCE AS A SCIENCE

Fragrance is also a science. It involves a lot of chemistry and physics, and recently, also involves biotechnology and botany. A fragrance consists of different organic volatile ingredients. And these ingredients need to evaporate in order for you to smell it. These ingredients (more on these in a separate post) when mixed together must create a harmonious balance for that hedonically pleasant scent. Without the understanding of science, it will be difficult to create a stable mixture that will smell good and will perform according to specifications.

Image from rbnainfo.com

Therefore, a fragrance is a harmonious combination of different ingredients that results in a hedonically pleasant smell evoking different emotions and memories. It is both art and science.


What's Next in Fragrance 101...
In the next Fragrance 101 post, different ingredients used in fragrance design will be discussed.


_________________________________________________________________________________
Fragrance 101 is a series of posts that will introduce the readers and fragrance fans into the magical world of fragrances. The author will impart his knowledge on what a fragrance is, how to understand fragrance descriptions and the different fragrance families used in describing the fragrances in this blog.

This Fragrance May Just Make You Miss Universe



From Laverdadnoticias.com
She is a popular actress in Colombia and with that comes a fragrance named after her. And why not?

The fragrance starts with a very juicy sweet berries and cassis fruits. Too much of sweetness, imagine an over-the-top, vibrant, colorful fiesta and you get what I mean with this fragrance. The rest of the fragrance is violet flowers (a bit green), roses and orchids. The entire composition is held on a base of vanilla and sandalwood.

I see this being loved by the Filipinas. This sort of validates my claim that Latin American scent preference is close to Filipino taste, the way we are big Miss Universe fans like them.  This scent perfectly matches our festive mood, happy disposition and that "diva" vibe (in a good, charming way).


OLFACTIVE RATING : Scent Neutral (3)
RECOMMENDATION: Perfect for women who wants to have fun, alluring, sexy and who wants to make their presence felt
IDEAL TIME OF WEAR: any
IDEAL SEASON: any


Dear Mj,

 Since you wore a Colombian-designed ensemble during the preliminary, why not wear a Colombian-inspired fragrance? This fragrance smells like you - A WINNER! #MJalltheway

 Good luck,
The World I Nose

Good luck Miss Universe Philippines - Mary Jean Lastimosa. MJAllTheWay


Top 3 Reasons Why Fragrance Is A Must During Sinulog Celebration




Image of the Miraculous Image of Sto. Nino during its Solemn Procession

The World I Nose celebrated Sinulog in Cebu City! In my previous post, on what fragrance to wear during Sinulog celebration, I have highlighted fragrance themes one can wear.  Post Sinulog, it makes perfect sense to wear fragrance during Sinulog and here are the top reasons why:

1. The Sun, The City and The Solemn Procession of the Miraculous Image of Sto. Nino

Sinulog is a religious celebration first and foremost. They say cleanliness is next to godliness. And one cannot be completely clean if they smell like last night’s party, especially that the night before, Friday, most likely you were wasted partying.

It also makes sense to be fresh all-day long as the procession lasts the entire morning until a little after lunch. Please also note that there will be a lot of waving and dancing along the way. It’s quite practical to really smell good especially with hands-up-in-the-air moments.

Route of the Solemn Procession

2. The Sinulog Grand Parade

Another important activity, which always falls on a Sunday, the Sinulog Grand Parade is the grandest parade during Sinulog. It is also the most colorful and the loudest with the drum beating everywhere, as if asking people to dance to the beat. The parade consists of those who participated - 44 dancing contingents, 40 floats, and 33 higantes - in the Sinulog Grand Parade contest.  The complete list of winners is in this website.

First Placer Kulturang Placereno from Placer, Masbate (Picture from Sunstar Cebu website)
The parade starts at 9:00AM, takes a break at 12:00NN and continues at 1:00PM up to 3:00PM. Imagine the sweat that you'll incur from this time of the day with all the dancing and jumping and walking!

And with this route, for sure, you'll be drenched in sweat. Fragrance to the rescue!

Route for the Grand Parade (Photo from Sun Star Cebu website)

3. Parties, Booze and Paint

Sinulog will not be complete without the crazy fun part. Every night, starting on Friday, there will surely be parties around Cebu City - Globe's NextAct, etc's Paintensity, Life Dance, Elektromundo to name a few. But the craziest of them all was the street party at Juan Osmena st. that started at around 1:00PM and lasted around 5:00AM the following day. And this one is for free! Let these photos and videos tell my story. Words cannot express how fun, crazy and memorable these parties are.

With these activities, one must smell perfect all the time, especially with the sweat, water, alcohol, dancing and grinding with other party mates - you know what I mean here. You surely don't want to smell like your after-party look.
Thanks Zherwin for the photo. Globe's NextAct: Sinulog
Globe's NextAct: Sinulog Party. One Mango Square, Friday. with DJs Callum David, Bad Kiss, Mars Miranda & Eric Capili

etc's Paintensity, Ayala Center Cebu, Saturday
etc Paintensity, Ayala Center Cebu, Saturday
What was left after the Paintensity party
Sunday Street Party at Juan Osmena st.
Sunday Street Party @ Juan Osmena St.
Thanks Zherwin for this video!

First time to attend Sinulog and, definitely, not the last! See you next year!



Special thanks to John & Jeff of OurTravelDates for arranging almost everything - from the hotel, to the ferry ride from Tagbilaran to Cebu, and the trip itinerary.


Saturday, January 24

Cool Water Night Dive Davidoff for Men


from carapharmacy.com
The fragrance opens with the typical aquatic-watery-aromatic impact of the Cool Water for Men in the 90s.  What makes this distinct is the green minty sensation that breezes continuously finally mixing with heavy cashmere and tobacco notes.

The minty sensation continues as it mixes well with the tobacco and black pepper notes.  This is a very interesting combination as this separates itself from the rest of the Cool Water franchise. Interestingly, the minty sensation is made warmly sweet with amber and suede note - think of a red toothpaste made sweeter. What's striking is the way the mint flirts with all the notes of this fragrance - minty-watery and then minty-woody and then minty-sweet-ambery. It's very sexy.

If you are a big Cool Water fan, then you might consider including this in your collection of fragrances. I am pretty sure that this can make people stop and be curious to the familiarity and yet the uniqueness of it.


OLFACTIVE RATING : Scent Neutral (3)
RECOMMENDATION : perfect for Cool Water fans, males who just want a safe fragrance that can be used daily
IDEAL TIME OF WEAR: any
IDEAL SEASON : any


Nuit d’Issey Issey Miyake For Men



from Escentual website
The fragrance reminds me strongly of Jo Malone Lime & Cedar. But this one is much more woody and heavy than Jo Malone's.  There is still the L'Eau d'Issey Pour Home signature scent with a very strong woody-spicy twist.

It solidifies further with a strong leather-incense-woody notes as it dries down - a testament to the fact that most fragrances right now will always have an ode to ouds or woods. This is to fuel the strong growth momentum of fine fragrances in the Middle East region.

Smell it further and the citruses playfully flirt with the strong woody notes making the fragrance a little bit vibrant, perfect for a party night.


OLFACTIVE RATING : Scent Bleh (2)
RECOMMENDATION : not for Philippine market but can be for men looking for something unique and woody or something classic
IDEAL TIME OF WEAR: night (obviously)
IDEAL SEASON : autumn, winter



Friday, January 23

Calvin Klein Reveal for Men


from NSTPerfume.Com

The fragrance starts with a warm and heavy note of brandy with juicy fruits. Even with the fruity notes, the fragrance retains its very masculine direction.  The fragrance continues with aromatic notes of herbal ingredients like sage. But what I like the most is the dry down that is very much similar to Polo Double Black. The thing that set it aside is the slightly sharp vetiver, green-woody direction but still sits down very intensely masculine on the skin.

Staying true to the CK fragrances of yore, I see this fragrance worn by any men, especially those who want to be seductively sexy or hunky.

OLFACTIVE RATING : Scent Neutral (3)
RECOMMENDATION : for adult men of any age looking for seduction and sexy appeal, should be compatible with 20s - 50s age range
IDEAL TIME OF WEAR : any
IDEAL SEASON: any



DKNY My NY

From wwd.com
Staying true to its DKNY nature, My NY is a sweet fruity, endearing and charming fragrance.  The fruity raspberry notes bursts with a heavy patchouli and vanilla fragrance, which gives it a distinction from Be Delicious collection.  My only issue is the use of too strong patchouli and Egyptian jasmine notes. Although, most likely they are trying to reach those young females looking for something more fashionable and edgy as that of NYC.

Using Rita Ora as the model, it obviously targets the market of DKNY - young, edgy, fashionable females.  And the use of vanilla and raspberry notes is a dead giveaway that, indeed, DKNY is staying true to its fragrance line target market.

I am still bothered by the patchouli. :-) I am not sure if the sweet fruity notes are mixing well with something heavy and warm like patchouli and vanilla.  Nonetheless, I still think this is a wonderful fragrance, especially to the fans of DKNY fragrances - a considerable level up.


OLFACTIVE RATING : Scent Neutral (3)
RECOMMENDATION : perfect for young females looking for something heavy, edgy and fashionable
IDEAL TIME OF WEAR : night
IDEAL SEASON : any



Paco Rabanne Lady Million Eau My Gold



Image from Paco Rabanne website
The fourth variant under the Lady Million collection of Paco Rabanne, Eau My Gold deviates a little bit from the very opulent and heavy Lady Millions as it opens with a festive combination of tropical fruits and citrus notes and yet not very sweet and cloying. Don't get me wrong, as it is still very sophisticated and luxurious, but I see younger women wearing this fragrance.  I had the impression that the Lady Million targets women in their late 30s to early 40s, that is why this fragrance seems to be a deviation from the rest.

I particularly liked how the amber is pushing the sweetness to a restricted level and yet not feel restricted.  I also liked how the fresh impact changed in the dry down with something warm and a little bit heavy - and this is where the opulence is pushed to the Lady Million mark.


OLFACTIVE RATING : Scentsational (4)
RECOMMENDATION : Perfect for younger women who wants something more from their usual floral fruity fragrance, women looking for not-over-the-top, understated opulence
IDEAL TIME OF WEAR : day & night
IDEAL SEASON : winter, autumn, spring



Thursday, January 22

Chloe Love Story

Photo Source: Moodiereport.Com

The fragrance opening reminds me of Chanel's Chance Eau Tendre with its fresh floral impact. But the top notes, according to its official description, are neroli and orange blossom, hence, a bit citrus. The citrus impact is carrying the white orange blossom and the freshness. The white floral note is somewhat jasmine in direction. This combined with the citrus notes allows for a very light, fresh execution, but has a long lasting impression.

It turns, somehow, a bit creamy and coconut on the base as it dries down.  Or maybe the woody and white musky notes are giving me that impression? Either way, these provide a solid base to hold the lightness in place and provide a long lasting effect even with its apparent lightness.

The creation of this fragrance was inspired by Parisian romance and the love padlocks on the bridge of the Pont des Arts as can be seen from its packaging.

Pont Des Artes, France. From Wikipedia
The white-light-gold-sheer-romantic execution also shows what's in store for us in the next couple of months. The fragrance direction is evolving from the heavily floriental-gourmand-fruity direction to something transparent, sheer and light - the makings of a new classic.


OLFACTIVE RATING : Scent Neutral (3)
RECOMMENDATION : For women in the 30s and up range, sweet, caring, motherly like, a bit on the romantic side with its sheer direction
IDEAL TIME OF WEAR : any
IDEAL SEASON : any



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