tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post7684566283179299259..comments2024-03-28T10:30:51.283+01:00Comments on Grain de musc: The Three Forms of Perfume Writing According to Jean-Claude Ellenacarmencanada /Grain de Muschttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-69071539330180715342009-03-18T20:39:00.000+01:002009-03-18T20:39:00.000+01:00Oh, but Tara, now you're being greedy! ;-)Oh, but Tara, now you're being greedy! ;-)carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-74131620518455174362009-03-18T20:34:00.000+01:002009-03-18T20:34:00.000+01:00Many days, I prefer a fragrance that doesn't last ...Many days, I prefer a fragrance that doesn't last too long - then I get the opportunity to choose another for the evening, and enjoy two scents in a day!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-49199538753848225492009-03-18T19:42:00.000+01:002009-03-18T19:42:00.000+01:00Scott: it would be a paradox for a perfume lover t...Scott: it would be a paradox for a perfume lover to look for permanence, wouldn't it? The very thing we love consumes itself as we engage with it...carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-11632594478163613402009-03-18T19:17:00.000+01:002009-03-18T19:17:00.000+01:00Thanks, carmencanada, nice to hear from a kindred ...Thanks, carmencanada, nice to hear from a kindred spirit ;)<BR/><BR/>With regard to Vetiver Tonka (I'm wearing it now): financial concerns notwithstanding, the most beautiful things in life are ephemeral. When we cling to the idea of things being permanent, we suffer. See the artist Andrew Goldsworthy (and JCE!).Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14004279009097135466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-223976444916169342009-03-18T18:45:00.000+01:002009-03-18T18:45:00.000+01:00Scott, you're right, Ellena does have a Zen approa...Scott, you're right, Ellena does have a Zen approach. He calls himself an illusionist, but somehow it's more than that: he goes beyond party tricks into a species of molecular magic...carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-11765813466999808932009-03-18T18:44:00.000+01:002009-03-18T18:44:00.000+01:00Gail, it was quite an interesting talk -- I hope t...Gail, it was quite an interesting talk -- I hope to be able to pursue at some point with an interview.carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-67895200465931893872009-03-18T18:43:00.000+01:002009-03-18T18:43:00.000+01:00Antonio, when you think of it, Ellena's mentor Rou...Antonio, when you think of it, Ellena's mentor Roudnitska also worked on fragments of his formulas (Eau d'Hermès is in Femme ; Eau Sauvage is in Eau d'Hermès, etc). That's probably what creates such a cohesive style.<BR/><BR/>As for long-lasting perfumery: well, lots of people want their money's worth, and these days, you can't blame them... ;-)carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-40182136200462383522009-03-18T18:41:00.000+01:002009-03-18T18:41:00.000+01:00Marika: That's it. I am getting Vétiver Tonka (but...Marika: That's it. I am getting Vétiver Tonka (but before or after Vanille Galante?).carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-88776108281510040502009-03-18T18:23:00.000+01:002009-03-18T18:23:00.000+01:00This fascinating. I admire his ability to capture...This fascinating. I admire his ability to capture a very Zen-Buddhist concept, that our perception is separate from reality. Most of us live each day believing that our thoughts are reality: we believe what our sense organs detect, and take this perception as being a reflection of reality. A meditation practice teaches us that this is not in fact the "truth". JCE understands that he can create a new "reality" out of a combination of raw materials that taken alone would be experienced completely differently. JCE's reality is sometimes greater, sometimes less than, the sum of it's parts. Fascinating.Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14004279009097135466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-73208272735499323472009-03-18T16:11:00.000+01:002009-03-18T16:11:00.000+01:00Thanks so much for telling us more about JCE's...Thanks so much for telling us more about JCE's talk. Most interesting.<BR/><BR/>Agree on lasting power of Osmanthe Yunnan and Vetiver Tonka, but I own & wear them anyway, although thank goodness (or actually MUA and other friendly perfumistas) that I could start with decants to get to know them....<BR/>GailAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-19024107873421257692009-03-18T15:26:00.000+01:002009-03-18T15:26:00.000+01:00Hi Denyse! What a present you've done reporting He...Hi Denyse! What a present you've done reporting Hellena's conference!<BR/>I really appreciate his work, altough sometimes I think he recycles pieces of perfumes' formulas in such a way that you really think he's copying himself. But I read his little book in the collection "que sais-je" and I fell in love with him!<BR/>As regards the correlation between perfume and time is really amazing how people more and more want something that lasts the whole day. On the contrary I really love the concept expressed by Marika! Thank you, Marika, for giving me another poetical way to justify the fact that a perfume lasts only few hours...Boudoir 36https://www.blogger.com/profile/12234610589282346705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-55042771220602242382009-03-18T09:05:00.000+01:002009-03-18T09:05:00.000+01:00And in effect some fragrances show the opposite di...And in effect some fragrances show the opposite direction and tend to last too little... unfortunately (Vetiver Tonka is a real beauty!)Marika Vecchiattinihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00095365390659885809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-40625653443865586052009-03-17T19:59:00.000+01:002009-03-17T19:59:00.000+01:00Marika : I only wish Vétiver Tonka and Osmanthe Yu...Marika : I only wish Vétiver Tonka and Osmanthe Yunnan lasted longer on me anyway... They'd be mine in a flash. But I agree, the first thing I ask of a fragrance is not that it last all day...carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-81399946486032723232009-03-17T17:25:00.000+01:002009-03-17T17:25:00.000+01:00Oh, yes, it surely is!I particularly appreciate JC...Oh, yes, it surely is!<BR/>I particularly appreciate JCE's wish to not prolong perfumes forever. Nature is as it is, and human experiences and manufacts, too: everything is transient and the desire to lenghten experiences as long as it's possible is only another aspect of the insane quest for eternity. Things that start have also to have an end. The fact that things aren't eternal, contributes to their beauty. <BR/>It took me several years to understand this is true also in perfumery.<BR/>Thanks for sharing your notes with us!Marika Vecchiattinihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00095365390659885809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-86711392400391111862009-03-16T10:55:00.000+01:002009-03-16T10:55:00.000+01:00Charlotte, Ellena advocates the focused use of the...Charlotte, Ellena advocates the focused use of the language of other senses to describe fragrance materials, so by extension, of other artistic fields to describe styles of fragrance composition... I'm sure some fragrances are comparable to electronic music, though I'd say, not his own particularly, as he tends towards a Zen-like reduction of smells to signs...<BR/>It is a stimulating line of thought, isn't it?carmencanada /Grain de Muschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101625425953248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922907157797061660.post-26490929923176811352009-03-16T01:45:00.000+01:002009-03-16T01:45:00.000+01:00Hi Denyse,Thanks for posting on the conference! I...Hi Denyse,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for posting on the conference! I love JCE's parallel with the evolution of music, and I'm wondering whether his "evolutive perfumery" might have some things in comparison with electronic music, which has come into its own as an art form during the time JCE has been making perfumes.<BR/><BR/>To wit:<BR/><BR/>Time: Lack of traditional compositional/song structure<BR/><BR/>Variations: Theoretically endless...the remix of the remix of the remix...<BR/><BR/>Style: Style prevails over material: electronic beats/organic (instrumental) sounds/samples of other artists' work: all raw materials for the composer of electronic music, subordinate to his/her overarching vision<BR/><BR/>Anyway, it's always interesting to me to think about how <I>haute parfumerie</I> corresponds to other contemporary art forms, whether it be music, cuisine, literature, what have you. Thanks for fueling these mental digressions...Charlotte Valehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13543098989294486457noreply@blogger.com