"The art of perfume is the art of romance; it is an endless affair of the heart."
                                                                                        Jan Moran
 

Are you bewildered at the beauty counter when trying to select a fragrance? Ever wonder about the history of your favorite perfume? Are you curious to know what your favorite celebrities are wearing?

Discover the scents of Chanel, Guerlain, Gucci, Armani, Lauder, Klein, Patou, Arden, Revlon, and others. Explore specialty houses such as Creed, Jo Malone, Penhaligon's, Trish McEvoy, and William Owen.

Author and expert Jan Moran leads a fragrant passage through the glamorous world of perfumery. The first edition of Fabulous Fragrances blazed the trail, revealing the stories behind more than 350 prestige perfumes for women. Fabulous Fragrances II includes new women's fragrances, unisex scents, and a new men's section.

This entertaining collection sheds light on more than 700 fragrances, international favorites such as Chanel No. 5, Shalimar, Pleasures, DKNY, Truth Calvin Klein, Giorgio, Joy, Romance, Noa, Bijan, Grace de Monaco, Gucci Rush, White Diamonds, Tommy Girl, Fleurissimo, 1000, Antonia's Flowers, and hundreds more, old and new. Men's favorites include Emporio Armani, 212, Drakkar Noir, Lagerfeld, Michael Jordan, and Lanvin.

Fragrance profiles will enlighten you on the centuries-old mystique of perfume, with fascinating information on composition, history, scent category, and price range. Discover the scents of celebrities, from Diana, Princess of Wales, to Oprah Winfrey, Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Marilyn Monroe, Madonna, Robert Redford, Cary Grant, and Alec Baldwin.

Learn how to select the right scents, how fragrance reacts to skin chemistry, and how perfumes are classified, from fresh greens to fruity florals to sultry Oriental blends. Get inside tips on shopping for and wearing perfume, and develop your own fragrance style.

Splendid full-color photography pays tribute to the elegant art of perfumery. An inviting, must-have guide, and an ideal gift.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword by Bijan
List of Fragrance Profiles
Honorable Mentions
Introduction - A Fragrant Journey

Part I
        How Do I Find the Right Perfume?
        Fashionable Scents of the Times
        Ingredients: The Building Blocks of Perfumery
        Composition: Notable Notes
        Scent Types
        How to Let Fragrance Work Best For You
        Fragrance Strengths and Products
        Layering Fragrance
        Shopping for Fragrance
        Fragrance Wardrobing
        The Memorable Impact of Fragrance
        Aroma-Chology and Aromatherapy
        The Envelope, Please
        Let the Journey Begin

Part II
        Fragrance Profiles A to Z: Women and Unisex
        Fragrance Profiles A to Z: Men

Part III
        Profile Fragrances by Scent Type
        Commonly Used Ingredients in Perfumery
        Buyer's Guide
        Bibliography and Sources
        Fabulous Fragrances Merchandise Order Postcard

PART I: Excerpt

Perfume - the word conjures up images of romance, sensuality, power, and style. Perfume cloaks a woman with mystery and confidence; it is the transparent veil that turns heads in her wake. The allure of fragrance is legendary. Women from Cleopatra to Empress Josephine to Coco Chanel have treasured its magical powers.
 
Perfumery brings together the worlds of art and science, creating a compelling medium that magically affects one's state of mind. Happily, it is also a world where one can discover and choose a fragrance that expresses individuality, to say, "This is who I am, my enjoyment, part of my image today." Eighteenth-century philosopher Jean- Jacques Rousseau described this world well, saying, "Smell is the sense of the imagination."
 
In order to demonstrate how powerful and discerning your olfactory sense is, just close your eyes for a moment and inhale deeply, slowly. Imagine the smell of a fireplace and the vision of an evening spent in front of a fireplace will emerge. Think of how fireworks smell; does the picture of a celebration leap into your mind? Do you remember the smell of chalk, of baby powder, of a farm, or of the ocean? Evocative memories, rich with scented imagery, may be happy, romantic, or painful. For example, Jean Harlow's husband is said to have drenched himself with her favorite fragrance, Mitsouko, and then, in a fit of despair over their irreparable relationship, shot himself. On a happier note, Aimé Guerlain created the fragrance Jicky in honor of his first true love. But there is much more to finding the right fragrance than simply taking a quick whiff at the perfume counter.
 
Perhaps the perfume you admire on a friend is horrid on you. Have you noticed that your favorites seem different in winter than in summer? Yet, different still when you are happy or angry, ill or well? These changes are not imaginary; weather, body chemistry, and even mood can alter the effects of fragrances.

PART II: Fragrance Profiles

1000

Scent Type       Floral
Composition
Top Notes:       Greens, bergamot, anjelica, coriander, tarragon
Heart Notes:    Chinese osmanthus, jasmine, rose, lily of the valley, violet, iris, geranium
Base Notes:      Vetiver, patchouli, moss, sandalwood, amber, musk, civet

Famous Patrons
        Teri Garr
        Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
        Bianca Jagger
        Andrea Marcovicci

Jean Kerléo, the in-house master perfumer for Jean Patou, favors the precious essence of jasmine and rose he used in abundance in 1000. The company describes the fragrance as "the essence of extravagance," a costly formula born of mostly natural ingredients.
 
The addition of violet, iris, and aromatic woods is designed to endow the wearer with an aura of wealth, breeding, and good taste. Wear it to close an important business deal or to a thousand-dollar-a-plate fundraiser, or simply to feel like a million.
   
Elegant, understated, and refined, it is a first class fragrance that moves gracefully through a variety of seasons and occasions. Another timeless creation from the House of Patou.

Introduced    1972
Price              Top range

***

Tommy

Scent Type      Fougère (unisex)
Composition
Top Notes:      Cape Cod cranberry, New England apple pie
Heart Notes:   Texas yellow rose, Kentucky blue grass
Base Notes:     Mid-Atlantic driftwood

In creating his first fragrance, Tommy, designer Tommy Hilfiger chose a theme and ingredients as American as apple pie.

A light scent with a wooded base, Tommy develops around regional North American fragrance accords. The apothecary-style bottle is topped with a silver-colored cap inspired by a Tommy Hilfiger button. Packaging in patriotic red, white, and blue completes the theme.

Envisioned as a unisex scent, Tommy is casual, youthful, and easy to wear; it's ideal for the blue-jean lifestyle.
 
For a slightly richer Hilfiger experience, try Freedom for Him, a citrusy-spicy 1999 introduction that is imbued with a casual elegance for the modern man.

Introduced         1995
Price                  Mid-range

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Copyright © 2008 Jan Moran

Excerpt Copyright © 2000 - 2008 Jan Moran

Fabulous Fragrances II
by Jan Moran