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PAIRFUM 70s trend floral pattern room fragrance red flowers

Trend: 70s floral patterns

Have a look around you, look down the high street and you will probably spot the 1970s trend for floral printed shirts and blouses in full bloom. We expect this trend to continue until Spring / Summer 2016.

PAIRFUM 70s trend floral pattern room fragrance flowing flowers

Very feminine, frilled and preferably with pussycat bows, these are the items currently being stocked by retailers to give their fashion conscious customers some new choices.

We have heard about the following effects of the 70s trend:

  • an increase of 15% in new shirt styles on shop floors in the past month.
  • 26% of new styles were centered around sensuous rose and retro flower patterns.

Do you see the trend around you ?

Can you spot any of the floral patterns you see here ?

PAIRFUM 70s trend floral pattern room fragrance brown & round PAIRFUM 70s trend floral pattern room fragrance big flowers PAIRFUM 70s trend floral pattern room fragrance frilly flowers
PAIRFUM 70s trend floral pattern on red background room fragrance PAIRFUM 70s trend floral pattern room fragrance delicate flowers PAIRFUM 70s trend floral pattern room fragrance deep greens
tom dixon multiplex department store perfume home fragrance skin care spa

The Department Store Of The Future ?

Multiplex:

Tom Dixon & Wallpaper present Multiplex, a multi-sensorial and fully immersive vision for the department store of the future. This alternative retail concept store is housed at London’s Old Selfridges Hotel.

tom dixon multiplex department store perfume home fragrance skin care multi sensorial

Dixon believes retailers, and he is particularly thinking of interiors, are being squeezed by soaring rents / rates / wages / etc on the one hand and the growth of online shopping on the other hand. According to him, retailers need to radically rethink their store concepts and offers his Multiplex pop-up store as a model for inspiration.

tom dixon multiplex department store perfume home fragrance skin care floor plan

The store is visually inspired by a 1970s adventure playground and the international space station. It features all of the typically expected departments: interior, design, fashion, beauty, home fragrance and technology.

It also includes a food hall that is curated by Arabeschi di Latte (Milan) and offers “Futurist” black food. The result is part immersive art installation, part multi-sensory experience and certainly an ambitious project that is beautifully translated into a tangible future.

tom dixon multiplex department store perfume home fragrance skin care wallpaper whisky bar

Here are a few of the departments you can enjoy at Multiplex:

A selection of “Tom Dixon” designed products: lighting, furniture and accessories.

“Wallpaper” present an 8,000-year-old oak bar, offering whisky tastings to the public.

“Reviv” offer intravenous vitamin injections in store and the Danish company “Sort of Coal” propose white-charcoal shampoos.

“Boskke” sell plant pots that are upside-down.

“Cubitts” craft custom spectacles.

“Haeckles” presents its Margate seaside-foraged beauty products and an installation that breathes the air of ‘Margate’ into the room.

There is an Indian made-to-measure tailer where you can watch while your clothes are being made in Mumbai.

“Deliveroo” offers an order-in service for food: a take-in restaurant. Instead of choosing from a counter or stalls, your food is delivered to your table from local restaurants via Deliveroo.

“Teenage Engineering” in combination with the new kickstarter platform “Mindblower” can be found in the technology section together with “Apple”.

Alongside this, Fashion shows and live music are planned.

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Below is a link to the website for Multiplex

click to see the “Multiplex” website

The pop-up department store will open until 15.10.2015 and it is worth exploring !

tom dixon multiplex department store perfume home fragrance skin care spa breathe margate

 

The Future Of Retailing For Perfume, Home Fragrance and Skin Care ?

Interestingly, from our perspective, Tom Dixon believes ‘multi-sensorial’ and ‘immersive’ is one vision for the future department store !

Multiplex certainly offers inspiration how one could retail and shop for perfume, home fragrance and skin care products in future.

How do you see the future of retail in the high street ?

tom dixon multiplex department store perfume home fragrance skin care internal view

Boss Bottled Intense Perfume Room Fragrance

INTENSE – in Perfumery And Room Fragrance

It has always been a tradition in perfumery to offer various versions of a fragrance based on the perfume oil concentration. On the other hand, in room fragrance and skin care, the concept of different versions of the same product based on a variation of the perfume oil concentration does not exist and is totally alien.

These are the typical concentrations offered for sale in perfumes:

eau de cologne

eau de toilette

eau de parfum

The Influence of the Middle East

We see the increasing influence of the Middle East in Western Perfumery as one of the driving forces behind a desire for more intense fragrance.

Consequently, a variety of brands have launched an ‘intense’ or ‘essence’ version of a successful perfume for men and women. In most cases these are actually changed fragrance accords whereas in others it is simply a more intense version.

These new perfumes have a variety of names:

‘intense’

‘extrême’

‘essence’

… and many other variations.

The question remains, whether ‘noir’ should be included in this list ?

All of the these have in common the concept of increased perfume strength and longevity on skin.

Similarly, this new intensity is also translated into different colours, ingredients and an altered, more suitable choice of words or terminology.

The next phase will see the ‘intense’ phenomenon appear in niche / boutique perfumery.

Thinking back through the 1980s, notes were intense in perfumery with “Opium” (Christian Dior) coming to mind. One could not miss a lady wearing Opium.

What sets the new ‘intense’ fragrance apart from their 80s cousins (Opium, Poison, …) is their complexity and richness, as we outline below.

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Intense Fragrances For Women

The fragrance market for women has seen a number of ‘intense’ fragrances being introduced over the past two years. We present and review a curated selection of them here:

“Georgio Armani Si Eau De Parfum Intense” is a richer flanker of the original chypre fragrance by using strong notes of cassis and blackcurrent in the top combined with a more intense base of patchouli, vanilla and woods.

“Fatale Intense Agent Provocateur for women” is spicy floriental with an unusual top note of  licorice and chili pepper.

“Dolce & Gabbana Pour Femme Intense” is a more intensive version of the original fragrance.

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“La Vie Est Belle L’Eau de Parfum Intense” by Lancome is a more dense and deeper version of its best-selling fragrance with tuberose and gourmand notes.

“Dolce & Gabbana The One Essence” is being presented as the highest concentration of the original accord.

“L’Eau Kenzo Intense Pour Femme” promises to be an unusual ‘intense’ fragrance as it attempts to marry the translucency of the original “L’Eau par Kenzo” with a more sensual note. The opening is juicy red apple accord, around a floral heart of lily and peony, and a base of patchouli.

Jean Paul Gaultier launched a new version of his ‘classique’ signature perfume from 1993 in the form of “Classique Intense”, consisting of 40% of the original fragrance and 60% new components giving a modern ‘twist’ to its powdery-floral character.

 “Roberto Cavalli Essenza” (Roberto Cavalli) is a new intense edition of his original eau de parfum. The top note has an unusual tonality of sweet almond essence. The heart of orange blossom leads into a base with vanilla absolute.

In “Boss Nuit Pour Femme Intense” very little differs from the original with only note gaining in intensity.

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Intense Fragrances for Men

The number of men’s ‘intense’ fragrances introduced in recent years has exploded ! Here we see the same pattern, as in the women’s fragrances, of altered or intensified accords being used.

Is there a reason behind the plethora of intense versions for men ?

We believe the driving force behind this trend for men is their demand for more powerful and longer-lasting scents. Increasingly, this ‘performance’ aspect of a fragrance becomes a buying criteria and a key success factor in men’s perfumery.

It also allows the brand owners to charge a premium, in an attempt to reduce the traditional price difference between female and male perfumes (with women being the more expensive).

Nowadays, men also seem to be prepared to pay more for increased ‘performance’. This is nothing new for women who traditionally aspired to and happily paid more to treat themselves to an ‘eau de parfum’. However, the term ‘intense’ appears to be a term that more clearly communicates the benefit for men.

The ‘intense’ trend is not just confined to richer or heavier men’s fragrances, but it also applies to ‘fresh’ notes. Here, the terms ‘sport’ or ‘extreme’ seem to be appropriate and notes such as oakmoss, amber and woods are being used to intensify such fresh fragrances.

For example, “L`Eau Kenzo Intense Pour Homme” promises a fresh aquatic fragrance with top notes of Japanese yuzu citrus and lime, a heart of sea water and black basil, with a fond of cedar and vetiver.

In “Gentlemen Only Intense” (by Givenchy) a touch of smooth leather, together with spices and an amber fond are added to the original, elegantly woody fragrance (cedar, vetiver, patchouli).

Victor & Rolf “Spicebomb Extreme” is an explosive presentation in the form of hand grenade and an accord that opens with a unique combination of aromatic lavender and hot spices (caraway, black pepper), leading into fond of tobacco and vanilla.

“JOOP! Home Extreme” (by JOOP!) is an oriental spicy fragrance based on an unexpected blend of velvety black cocoa, spices, luxurious woods (patchouli) and a secret ingredient, the ‘hot skin accord’.

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Hugo Boss launched “Boss Bottled Intense”, a refined interpretation of the original Boss Bottled, with a base of wood (sandalwood, cedar, vetiver) and powdery vanilla, a heart of spices (close, cinnamon) and a top of apple. It is less sweet than the original.

“Au Masculin Eau de Parfum Intense” (Lolita Lempika) is an accord dominated by star anise, iris and myrrh, with a top note of bergamot and woody fond of vetiver and oud (agarwood).

YSL presents with “La Nuit de L’Homme L’Intense” a more oriental twist of the original. The key ingredients are iris, violet, sage, patchouli and vanilla.

In “Acqua di Gio Profumo” by Armani, the term ‘profumo’ is used to highlight an ‘intense’ version of the original. The concept of the fragrance is a fusion of sea waves on black rocks. The composition’s heart is aromatic (geranium, sage, rosemary) with a fresh aquatic opening (incl. bergamot). The base is woody (patchouli, incense) and spicy,

With “Eau Sauvage Parfum” Christian Dior relaunched its classic with a stronger concentration ! The classic citrus aromatic composition was modernised: a smoky myrrh tonality, balsamic woods, dry vetiver and a bergamot top note.

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Intense And Yet Unisex ?

“Hervé Gambs Cologne Intense” is a new collection of 3 intense eau de colognes, for women and men, and the question remains whether these actually qualify as ‘intense’ perfumery.

There is no question, that “Intense Cafe” by Montale qualifies with it coffee and rose accord. It is an oriental vanilla fragrance for women and men.

“Jo Malone” offers an entire collection of “Cologne Intense” for men and women which all share the increased strength and longevity expected of these fragrances. For example, “Incense & Cedrat Limited Edition” by Jo Malone, is an oriental spicy fragrance with top notes of lemon and pepper, a heart of resin and incense on a more traditional fond of benzoin, olibanum and labdanum. This is definitely an accord inspired by the Middle East !

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INTENSE In Room Fragrance ?

Can this ‘intense’ fragrance trend be found in room fragrance ?

We think so, but, we believe one has to distinguish between this ‘trend’ and two of the ‘key success factors’ in home fragrance that have been recognised for a while now:

fragrance intensity (or strength, power, etc.) ,

and

longevity of the perfume (or long-lasting, enduring, etc.)

Let’s start with a quick outline of what we mean with this.

Strength Or Quality ?

It does not matter whether it is a scented candle, reed diffuser, electric aroma diffuser or perfume room spray, consumers are disappointed if the scent cannot permeate their homes.

Some companies have perfectly refined how to promise an intense room fragrance. For example, in some glass jar candle ranges they will always insure an intense fragrance experience when their fragrance jars are opened in a store. The scent will literally jump out of the glass and present itself with an easily identifiable note. Less emphasis is placed on the fragrance performance when the candle is burning at home. It is the promise of an intense fragrance which is the focus.

Typically, to achieve this promise, strong fruity, citrusy or spicy ingredients are being used. This may not be to everybody liking, especially as these notes may sometimes come across as ‘chemical’, ‘harsh’ or ‘sharp’.

This is why the ‘luxury scented candle’ market was born, when an increasing number of customers tired of this approach and sought an alternative. This customer base appreciated highly fragrant candles infused with high quality or natural perfume oils.  A true luxury scented candle presents a refined balance between the fragrance quality and intensity from the cold wax and when the candle is burning to release its perfume.

Long-lasting Or Strong ?

A ‘long-lasting’ fragrance is expected from a reed diffuser ! The same expectation applies to a wardrobe sachet, perfume room spray but also a supermarket air freshener.

Yet, there is unfortunately a trade-off between longevity and power: a certain amount of perfume oil can either evaporate quickly for a strong fragrance in the room or slowly for a long-lasting experience.

Simply speaking, the only solution is to put more perfume into the bottle or wax ! However, this increases the cost of a product, which suppliers of supermarket air fresheners cannot afford.

Another reason why the ‘luxury scented candle’ market was born and why ‘luxury reed diffusers’ are seeing continued popularity, is not surprisingly they have a higher concentration of Perfume in their make-up.

This is why we coined the phrase ‘eau de parfum’ reed diffusers here at PAIRFUM or should we call them ‘intense’ ?

The Intense Trend In Room Fragrance

In our view, the ‘intense’ trend manifests itself in room perfumes and skin care in a fashion more attuned to these two markets, through the use of perfume ‘ingredients’, ‘dosage’ and the product ‘size’.

Ingredients

We actually believe that the ‘intense’ trend we currently see in couture perfumery actually started in home fragrance !

‘Gourmand’ notes started in luxury home fragrance quite a while before they became popular in women’s & men’s perfumery.  Next came ‘oud’ accords and tonalities of ‘myrrh’ or ‘frankinsence’ in room perfumery.

But the fine fragrances houses move fast and with the ingredients used for the ‘intense’ trend, they have overtaken room perfumes. Many of the notes we mention above in women’s and men’s perfumery have not yet been seen in candles or diffusers.

Room perfumes are, however, beginning to see an increasing popularity for ‘complex spices’, ‘balsamic woods’ and ‘richer fruits’.

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Dosage

Fragrant candles with a perfume dosage higher than 12% have been tried many times and typically fail because too much solvent is required to prevent fragrance from oiling out of the wax (it also softens the wax too much). Additionally, the risk that the entire candle may catch fire increases.

PAIRFUM’s Flower Wax Candle operates at the limit of what is currently feasible through the use of a natural additive that keeps a high amount of perfume inside the natural wax without the use of solvents.

Another examples is PAIRFUM’s Snow Crystal Wax, which prevents the oiling out of perfume through its crystalline structure, i.e. it acts like a sponge keeping the perfume oil droplets in its cavities only to be released when the wax becomes fluid.

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Size

Reed diffusers that are more intense and thereby suitable for bigger or large rooms are a more recent phenomenon. As an example, PAIRFUM offers the reed diffusers Bell Large and Tower Large.

Oversized multi-wick candles and large twin-wick candles are another form of an ‘intensified’ candle presence in the home.

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“Enjoy” The New Intensity In Perfumery & Room Fragrance !

Pink Colour Trend In Perfumery And Home Fragrance

Trend: Pink In Autumn / Winter Fashion

A little while back we wrote about the ‘pink’ trend in fashion, perfumery and home fragrance:

click to read “Think In Pink”

Pink In Fashion

“The Telegraph” just released a slide show about this trend during the Autumn / Winter Fashion Shows:

click to read the article “In The Pink”

There is also another review by the same newspaper about the “London Fashion Week” and “Everything You Need To Know”, with the colour ‘pink’ featuring frequently:

click to read the article “LFW – Everything You Need To Know”

Enjoy the colour ‘pink’.

The Telegraph Pink Colour Trend In Perfumery And Home Fragrance

 

Le Jardin de Monsieur Li by Hermes China Inspires Perfumery

CHINA inspires Perfumery and Home Fragrance

Landscapes, culture, colour, seasons, ingredients, food, gardens: China inspires perfumery with many sources for perfume, skin care and home fragrance. With a population of over a billion and one which is increasingly prosperous, it is also an attractive market.

Inspiring Gardens

With a Chinese wind blowing through olfactory creations, Armani Privé recently expanded its collection with Pivoine Suzhou. A city near Shanghai, Suzhou is famous for its gardens, which are listed as UNESCO heritage sites. The fragrance itself, is a fresh and fruity floral bouquet.

The couturier Hermès, expanded its ‘Le Jardin’ collection with a Chines garden in 2015, following gardens from India, the Mediterranean and Egypt. With sparkling green facets (kumquat, jasmine, bamboo), the fragrance was christened ‘Le jardin de Monsieur Li’.

Armani Prive Pivoine Suzhou Giorgio Armani

Local Taste

Chinese consumers have a strong appetite for luxury goods, both from local retailers and when travelling abroad. The majority of the Chinese luxury budget is spend abroad, in places such a Hong Kong, France and the UK.

The new challenge for couture perfume houses is to offer fragrances which are tailored to local tastes. It is commonly understood that fragrances for China, Taiwan, Korea and the region generally, should be fresh, natural, light and slightly fruity.

China Inspires Perfumery Ingredients

As of today, the reference to Chinese ingredients remains confined to niche brands or small collections: Examples are Tom Ford’s Private Blends ‘Fleur de Chine’ and ‘Shanghai Lily’, as well as the ‘Asian Tales’ collection by Kilian, created around ingredients such as bamboo, water, tea, sandalwood and peach blossom.

In 2011, Roger & Gallet launched Fleur d’Osmanthus , a perfume inspired by a trip in Southern China. Other houses have placed the apricot scent of osmanthus flower centerstage, like Jo Malone, whose perfume Osmanthus Blossom was revived in 2015.

Today, China views perfume mainly as gift and not yet as a culture need or an essential part of one’s personal beauty routine. Their beauty market still predominantly consists of skin care products with personal fragrance and especially home fragrance only playing a small part. And yet, Chinese consumers are aspiring to Western perfumery brands and perceive them as more luxurious and longer lasting.

Home Fragrance inspired by China

Pairfum London has its very own natural home fragrances and organic skin care products inspired by China: Pink Grapefruit

A vibrantly pink grapefruit fragrance with added complexity from mandarine, lime and bergamot. Floral notes of jasmin and lily lend a feminine touch and deep sophistication comes from a sandalwood accord in the base note.

The inspiration for this fragrance came from the Chinese New Year and the custom of giving mandarine oranges and red envelopes with money. We wrote about this in a previous blog post:

MANDARINE ORANGES AND THE SCENT OF THE CHINESE NEW YEAR

Inspire your home with a sense of China and place some of our luxuriously scented candles or natural reed diffusers strategially in different rooms. Depending on the room size and location, choose from:

  • Reed Diffusers (large, classic, petite) in decanters with different shapes: bell, cube or tower
  • Snow Crystal Candles (classic, large and cool tin)
  • Flower Wax Candle
  • Hand & Body Lotions
  • Perfume Room Spray

We also offer ‘pink grapefruit’ as a natural reed diffuser refill oil with extra long, natural black rattan reeds.

Thinking about it, natural ‘rattan reeds’ come from China and it is fair to say that the creation of the reed diffuser was inspired by this very Chinese ingredient ! Did anybody expect that the reed diffuser is a home fragrance inspired by China ?

As you can see, China inspires Perfumery and Home Fragrance in many different ways. What will be the next inspiration?

Joy de Patou

WHITE FLOWERS: A PERFUMERY SEDUCTION REINVENTED

PAIRFUM jasmine flowers in perfumery and home fragrance luxury candles and reed diffusers

White Flowers in Perfumery and Home Fragrance

White Flowers have have been starring in perfumery from the early classics and they continue to seduce perfumers and consumers alike. Due to new types of white flowers, new extraction techniques, changing tastes and new forms of blending them, accords with white flowers keep evolving thanks to the inventiveness of perfumers and their houses to see them to continuing to bloom in couture perfumes, home fragrance and skin care.

Classic White Flowers

85 years after Joy de Patou and the famous 10,600 jasmine flowers required per vial, 30 years after Dior’s Poison and its narcotic tuberose, white flowers can to this day evoke in certain consumers a very classic perfumery world and a wealth of associated memories. Not surprisingly, perfumery houses have successfully managed to re-invent them by re-working them with modern facettes or unexpected angles to make them again a current and strong trend.

Gourmand White Flowers

Even gourmand style creation like to include these flowers in their accords, as they guarantee quality but also a certain naturalness of the note. Black Opium (YSL), one of the best new launches in 2014, mentions the use of sambac jasmine and orange flower absolute. Equally, Bonbon (Viktor & Rolf) captivates with the oils of sweet orange blossom and a sun-drenched jasmin.

In Gentlewoman (Juliette has a Gun; 2015) use a white floral and almond accord that was inspired by Cleopatra. Ilha do Mel (“Honey Island”), a new creation from the niche brand Memo, relies on honey in combination with the notes of jasmine and gardenia. Frequently found in cosmetics nowadays, it may be expected that honey will increase its influence on fragrances.

Jasmin & Orange Blossom

Every perfumer agrees that white flowers are timeless, and the two of them strongly characterise the latest creations: jasmin and orange blossom.

The focal point in La religieuse by Serge Lutens, jasmin partners with woody notes in Paradiso (Roberto Cavalli) and is also taking a more sparkling form in Quatre by Boucheron.

As for the orange blossom and its cousin ‘neroli’, often find themselves used in creations in the form of absolutes or essential oils. They beam in combination with lavender in Knot (Bottega Veneta). In Love Story de Chloé, they are gently and beautifully combined with stephanotis (a white jasmine flower also called Madagascar).

Jasmin and orange blossom can also be used in a more opulent fashion that is influenced by Middle Eastern tastes.

In one of the niche brands, neroli become oriental in Jardin Neroli for women (Comptoir Sud Pacifique), which recreates a trip on the Bosphorus. The boutique perfumery ‘Au Pays de la fleur d’oranger’ from Grasse, has combined Neroli with Oud this year in its creationg ‘Neroli Oud’.

Gardenia is coming

Among white flowers to follow next, gardenia leaves few people indifferent. It is a fragrance ingredient that has to the potential to return in force. Already a firm favourite with many fashion designers, it may be re-invented in a more transparent form but also in an opulent or chypre-inspired style.

In La Panthère for women by Cartier, we find a chypre and gardenia accord with leather facets. In 2015, La Panthère re-introduces itself as a ‘eau de parfum légère’, that is twisted with Panther comes in light eau de parfum, twisted with a solar Tiare Flower.  Gardenia also presents itself in Essence No. 2 Gardenia from La Collection des Essences by Elie Saab (unisex).

White Flowers in Men’s Perfumery

In the future, we will undoubtedly see white flowers in men’s perfumery. In particular orange blossom is well suited for masculine notes as it offers power, performance and originality, at this moment in time.

Summing up, there is no shortage of ideas how perfumers and their house can re-invent white flowers, whether this is women’s or in men’s perfumery.

White Flowers in Niche Perfume & Home Fragrance

Obviously here at Pairfum London, we have some absolutely beautiful white flower fragrances in our Home Fragrance Collection for you to enjoy at home:

  • Trail of White Petals, the scent of the white flower carpet at Katie & William’s Weddiing
  • Orangerie Blossoms, the fragrance of the Orangeries at Hampton Court Palace in London
  • Neroli & Olive, a relaxing excursion to Southern Europe

Within our Niche Perfumes, you find:

As you have come to expect from PAIRFUM, these fabulous perfumes are being presented in many different products in our online boutique:

  • Natural Reed Diffusers (large, classic, petite) in glass decanters with different shapes: bell, cube or tower
  • a refill oil for your Reed Diffuser (black refill reeds are also available)
  • our now famous Snow Crystal Candles (classic, large)
  • the new and very fitting, Flower & Soy Wax Candle,
  • our elegant Flacon Room Sprays, or
  • the Eau de Parfum spray

Pink Fragrance

Trend: Think in PINK

Fashion And Colour:

We have all heard, read and discussed the subject of ‘colour’ and ‘fashion’. Hollywood is no exception, with The Devil Wears Prada springing to mind. It sports a scene where the actors discuss the choice between two remarkably similar blue belts and how a trend colour finds its way into our breakfast cereal!

The fact is, ‘colour’ plays an enormously influential part in our day-to-day living. Here are two examples:

Colour simply is a vast and powerful tool used in branding, product design and marketing, to be found almost everywhere in our lives, incl. politics.

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Colour Trends Are Fascinating !

A recent example would be trend of ‘matte black’. You could see it everywhere, from cars, through nails, make-up, clothing, household furnishings, it just trickled down and around absolute everything.

Next came the other matt colours and textural finishes plus their juxtaposition: gloss shine.

‘Pink’ Is The New Matt Black

Hence, it is not surprising that everybody would like to now what the next colour trend is. What is the new matt black? In our assessment, it seems to be pink (but not necessarily in matt).

It may not be scientific, but looking through a multitude of glossy magazines which are out at the moment, we found that approx 10 -20 % of the pages had pink themes.

Just look around and you will be surprised how ‘pink’ pops up everywhere.

Pink in every shade is the trend for the coming season and all perfume, room fragrance, skin care and cosmetic suppliers are getting onboard.

‘Think in Pink’ is not only the slogan in colour cosmetics, but also in packaging themes and formulation colours.

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Think Pink In Perfume / Room Fragrance / Skin Care

Here at PAIRFUM we tend to be at the forefront of every trends and it will come as not surprise that we have a couture perfume room fragrance ready for this trend: Pink Powder & Violet

This is what is smells like:

a sophisticated and sensual fusion of pink rose petals and violet leaf, that is soft and yet fresh! It opens with mandarin and pink peppercorn, followed by a full and elegant floral heart (rose, violet, iris, jasmine, heliotrope, orris) that leads into a sumptuously powdery base of smooth patchouli, musks and soft vanilla.

You can enjoy this trendy ‘pink’ perfume in your home in any one of our luxury scented candles or natural reed diffusers:

  • Reed Diffusers (large, classic, petite) in decanters with different shapes: bell, cube or tower
  • Reed Diffuser refill oil
  • Snow Crystal Candles (classic, large and cool tin)
  • Flower Wax Candle
  • Message Candle

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Polo Blue Ralph Lauren - blue the Worlds Favourite Colour

Is “BLUE” the World’s Favourite Colour?

A survey in multiple countries by YouGov revealed that ‘blue’ is the world’s favourite colour: it was the preferred colour in 10 countries across 4 continents, including China!

You Favourite Colour?

At some point in our live, all of us will have answered the question: What is your favourite colour ?

Actually, it is one of the earliest questions children are being taught to answer. It has been shown, that colour influences our moods, eating habits and even who we date.

Colour & Our Senses

Studies by Goethe (2013), Kandinsky (2000), and Farina (1986) show attempts at translating colours into sensations: they attempt to describe the psychological effects of colours on people.

In perfumery, the link between fragrance and colour has frequently been demonstrated. Here are some examples:

  • “THE INFLUENCE OF COLOR IN FRAGRANCE PERCEPTION” was studied by Camila Assis Peres Silva and Clice Sanjar Mazzilli from University of São Paulo.
  • “Cross-Cultural Colour-Odour Associations” were investigated by Carmel A. Levitan , Jiana Ren, Andy T. Woods and Sanne Boesveldt.
  • “Visualising fragrances through colours: The mediating role of emotions” by Hendrik N J Schifferstein and Inge Tanudjaja.

Colour is also closely linked to national and political identities in multiple countries.

The Favourite Colour in Different Countries
The Favourite Colour in Different Countries

Blue Is The Winner

With colour having such a strong and varied influence in our lives, it comes as a surprise that a new survey by YouGov, conducted in 10 countries across four continents, highlights that a single colour – blue – is the most popular across all regions. Between 23% (in Indonesia) and 33% (in Great Britain) prefer the colour ‘blue’ over all the colours listed, putting it 8-18 percentage points ahead of the next favourite colour.

The second-most popular colour varies a little bit more from country-to-cournty, although it is always one of three other options:

  • green (second in Thailand, China and the United States),
  • red (in Indonesia, Singapore, Germany and Britain), or
  • purple (in Hong Kong).
  • In Malaysia and Australia red and purple tied for second.

‘Blue’ even wins in a place like China, where colours like red, yellow and green are considered to be auspicious and the traditional symbol of ‘good luck’. Considering that is also the colour of the national flag, the result that blue is by far the most popular choice, is even more surprising.

These results confirm a previous study by Dulux, the paint manufacturer, in 30 countries. The figures vary, but blue remains the favourite color: 42% for men , with 30% for women . Blue is also considered the ‘color which displeases the least’.

Colour & Demographics

These preference also consistently filter through the different demographic groups within the countries surveyed.

Although blue tends to be more popular with men than women (in the US, the split was 40% to 24%; in Great Britain it was 40% to 27%), women still pick blue more often than any other colour.

Not surprisingly, ‘Pink’ was much more popular with women than men, but even among women it was preferred by only around 10-13% and was not usually any more popular than red, purple or green.

Blue is also the winner across age groups and, in the United States, where respondents are broken down into racial subgroups, blue is preferred by roughly equal numbers of whites (30%), blacks (35%) and Hispanics (35%).

Perhaps more surprisingly for a country often described as a collection of red (Republican) and blue (Democratic) states, US Democrats and Republicans are about as likely as each other to prefer blue (33% for Democrats and 29% for Republicans). However, 17% of Republicans like red – twice the number of Democrats who do (8%).

These surveys were carried out by YouGov UK, YouGov Germany, YouGov America and YouGov Asia Pacific.

A similar result came out of a study by Color Matters:

  • blue is the favourite color of 57% of men, followed by green and then black,
  • 35% of women prefer blue, followed by purple and green.

The Colour Blue In Perfumery

With blue being preferred by consumers, it is no coincidence that many successful perfumes are build around this colour. But what is the fragrance of blue? Indeed, very few food items are blue (with the exception of blueberries).

L’Heure Bleue by Guerlain, Light Blue by Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel Bleu, Polo Blue: the word ‘blue’ word is used by several perfume brands and it seems they have been successful with it.

In the case of Angel by Thierry Mugler, its blue juice caused shock waves in 1992, especially for a gourmand note. Since Angel though, blue is perfectly acceptable for a feminine fragrance, including a sweet accord, but the colour blue is still predominantly used in men’s fragrances.

When comparing L’Heure Bleue, an oriental powdery creation, Bleu de Chanel, a woody aromatic fragrance, we can see that the association of a colour with a perfume is still subjective.

Olfactively, blue masculinity tends to come in one of two types of notes:

  • a cool or luminous blue is typically associated with aquatic or sky / aerial notes, and
  • the cold blue, which tends to use oils such as menthol, rosemary, eucalyptol

A Blue Room Fragrance?

With ‘blue’ being so popular around the world, we can confirm here at PAIRFUM, that our ‘blue’ room fragrance SPA, is one of our best-selling fragrances.

Here is its olfactive description:

a tangy, effervescent top note of bergamot, mandarin, rosemary, lavender and fresh violet leaves, radiates from heart of  salty aquatic notes, with aerial and translucent flowers (lily of the valley, jasmine). The fond is layered with vibrant woody (cedar, patchouli), ambery and mossy accords (oakmoss).

To add a splash of blue to your home, you can use SPA in any of our luxury scented candles or natural reed diffusers:

  • Reed Diffusers (petite, classic, large) in various shape decanters (bell, cube or tower)
  • Reed Diffuser refill oil
  • Snow Crystal Candles (classic, large and tin)
  • Flower Wax Candle
  • Message Candle
  • Hand Wash & Oil
  • Hand Lotion
  • Body Wash & Oil
  • Body Lotion

A Final Contradiction?

It is not surprising that ‘blue’, the World’s Favourite Colour, is such a prominent colour in our clothes and fashion.

On the other hand, it does seem to be a colour used sparingly in our homes interiors and exteriors.

The human race around the world seems to enjoy wearing ‘blue jeans’, a splash of a ‘blue cologne’ or releasing the room fragrance of a blue reed diffuser.

However, are we overly keen on painting our walls blue, sleeping in blue sheets or walking on blue carpets?

And so it seems that ‘blue’ is the world’s favourite colour, but subject to terms & conditions.

Where does ‘Blue’ rank amongst your colour preferences?

Eau De Parfum Person Reflection Sea Salt Sage Amber Woman Black 1 1

Lifestyle Living Room Natural Reed Diffuser Fragrance Candle 1 1

 

fragrances that cool you & your home: perfume, room fragrance and skin care (natural / organic)

Is ‘Cooling’ In Perfume And Room Fragrance Feasible ?

‘Cooling’ And ‘Colder’ Fragrances

It is spring and as the sunshine is beginning to warm us up after the winter months, our minds turn to Summer and holidays, with an afternoon on the beach or dinner under palms. We also begin to think of cool & refreshing ‘cocktails’, a dip in the pool to cool down, body-surfing down a wave, testing the air-conditioning and other ways of how can we cool down.

Have you already chosen your couture perfume or room fragrance for this summer ? Not yet, well then hold on, because … perfume offers a refreshing solution with the concept of ‘cold’ or ‘cooling’ fragrances.

Here are some images you may associate with cold: pure white snow flakes, frozen icicles, crisp mountain air, glacier blue, waves crashing on the beach or a cold drink by the pool.

Equally, colours can have a cooling effect such as light blue, white and grey.

Perfume Houses and their perfumers use these images and colours as an inspiration to create perfumes which feel ‘cool’.

‘Cooling’ Fragrances To Wear

Kilian introduced ‘Vodka on the Rocks’  in 2014, a unisex accord opens with cooling spices and aldehydic notes to create the ‘freezing’ effect of ice cubes.

vodka_on_the_rocks_by_kilian small

The Demeter Fragrance Library offers an eau de cologne called ‘Snow’, reminding of crisp clean and freshly falling snow and snowballs. Demeter fragrances are unusual in being linear, single note perfumes without an accord of top, middle and base notes.

Snow_Demeter_Fragrance_Library small

The Frédéric Malle inspired fragrance Géranium pour Monsieur, cools via ‘mint’ and ‘peppermint’.

geranium_pour_monsieur_frederic_malle small

Luna Rossa by Prada, uses spearmint but in combination with the cooling effect of lavender, for a cooling wave splashing over the brow of a majestic yacht.

luna_rossa_man_prada small

Burberry’s Burberry Sport Ice (Man & Woman), uniquely employs the cooling effects of frozen ginger, icy citrus, and a cool, cool aquatic breeze. It is getting cooler by the minute just reading this !

burberry_sport_ice_for_men_burberry small burberry_sport_ice_for_women_burberry small

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then there are the dry, fresh woody-aromatic accords, as you can find in Grey Vetiver, by Tom Ford. The fragrance produces a crisp, cool silver shine.

grey_vetiver_Tom_Ford small

Ice Tea has long be a favourite in the USA for cooling down and the ice-cold combination of mint and eucalyptus certainly freezes the top note of Elizabeth Arden’s Iced Green Tea.

iced_green_tea_elizabeth_arden

In Spain, it is the fresh, clean citrus fragrance of the Nenuco splash cologne that cools down the population after a bath.

nenuco_colonia small

Does a Hot Drink on a hot day cool you down ? Apparently yes. The same clash of hot vs cold, works also for fragrances. For example, in La Nuit de l’Homme Frozen Cologne by Yves Saint Laurent the icy and citrusy top contrasts with the warm, woody and musky fond.

la_nuit_de_l_homme_frozen_cologne_YSL small

Another example is Bloody Wood by Liquides Imaginaires, that places a cold and metallic top note on a warming base of woody and chypré.

bloody_wood_liquides_imaginaires small

‘Cooling’ Room Fragrance

Cooling your home with fragrance is different from keeping yourself fresh with perfume. You will be cooling down several rooms at the same time and placing a room fragrance in different areas of your house must become a harmoniously fresh sensation. Nobody likes a cold home but an ‘oasis of cool’ is what everybody enjoys stepping into out of the heat.

Depending on the room you may prefer a different sensation:

  • your hallway should be welcoming and fresh
  • but for your bedrooms, you may prefer a cool breeze
  • in the lounge, you could choose a ‘hot & cold’ sensation

Choose your room fragrance accordingly.

The effervescent top note of ‘SPA’ cools with bergamot and it salty aquatic notes. A perfect fragrance to give you that refreshing holiday feeling at home.

Pairfum reed diffuser SPA bell large: natural / organic / essential oils

‘Bergamot & White Tea’ is just like a cooling ice-tea for your home, simply a beautifully refreshing bouquet !

Pairfum Flacon coom perfume in Bergamot & White Tea: natural / organic / essential oils

The freshly cut ginger in Ginger & Lemongrass is both ‘cold’ & ‘hot’ and produces a tingling cool experience in your home.

Pairfum Snow Crystal Candle Classic in Ginger & Lemongrass: natural / organic / essential oils

All of these room fragrances to cool your home are available as luxury scented candles and natural reed diffusers:

  • Reed Diffusers (petite, classic, large) in various shape decanters (bell, cube or tower)
  • Reed Diffuser refill oil
  • Snow Crystal Candles (classic, large and tin)
  • Flower Wax Candle
  • Message Candle

Introduce a room fragrance for a ‘cooling splash’ in your home and enjoy the hot summer days even more ! Your home will be like a ‘cool’ haven.

Pairfum fragrances cooling like a splash in the pool: natural / organic / essential oils

no makeup look #IWokeUpLikeThis #nofilter

Trend: “I woke up like this” and the “no make-up look”

Selfie Trend

After Beyoncé came out with her hit single ‘Flawless,’ we now all want to wake up impeccably perfect. The hashtag #IWokeUpLikeThis can be seen everywhere in social media, often in combination with the hashtag #nofilter.

We all want to impress the world with the beauty of our ‘natural’ selfie.

To make an “I woke up like this” selfie, the author takes a selfie or photo of themselves immediately after they wake up, to catch a tired but natural and unkempt look.

This the trend has now been exaggerated with ‘parody’ versions where people style themselves to look overly messy before taking a photo with a tag of “I woke up like this”.

Top Tips for a ‘no make-up look’ and the perfect #IWokeUpLikeThis selfie

We agree that not all of those amazingly beautiful photos you see are truely natural but there has never been anything wrong with a little help from a friend, such as a few natural beauty enhancers.

Here are the key tricks and top tips to perfecting this look.

  1. Don’t snap a picture as soon as you get up. Brush your teeth first ! Now you can smile with confidence in your photo.
  2. The real secret is super minimal makeup but do apply a little moisturizer. You’re still makeup free, but have made your skin look a little ‘dewy’.
  3. Spot Correct because nobody has perfect skin. With a little CC cream, you can color correct a dark spot or two. But remember we mean just a ‘little dab’, nothing more !
  4. Get Rosy with the lightest touch of blush to your cheeks. It should be barely visible, just as if you slept on the side.
  5. Stay looking messy with an unkempt bed hair head to shoot a convincing selfie. And the one thing you want a little undone that will make your ‘natural’ selfie 100% convincing is bed head hair. Aside from taming the craziest tresses, let your crown do its thang. It’ll make your photo realistic and relatable.

Catwalk Look

Now, this ‘selfie trend’ has entered the catwalk !

“I woke up like this…” is the tending look at this moment. At all of the SS & AW catwalks that have just passed, fresh-faced models were showing a ‘barely there’ glow or ‘no make-up’ look.

Obviously, this is a carefully styled look with the two key success factors being:

  • the right make-up and the application, and, more importantly,
  • a good base, which means a well looked-after face.

No amount of make-up can ever hope to recreate a well nourished skin with a fresh & rosy spring glow.

But how can everyone achieve this look every day?

‘Beauty from within’ to support the ‘no make-up look’

A great skincare regime with high quality products and the addition of supplements. It is focuses on the ‘skin health’ benefits of a combination of:

  • a good diet and lifestyle,
  • alongside the use skincare products

With supplements we refer to the trend towards ‘beauty from within’.

When it comes to skincare, the emphasis on a cleansing regime is essential. Daily cleansing should be combined with weekly and monthly treatments to target specific skin concerns and give a visible ‘refresh’.

Education

Journalists and bloggers are increasingly trying to educate consumers about their skin to get them to put in the time to improve their ‘skin health’ from the outside and ‘within’.

In particular, products are being promoted with ingredients that brighten or give an even skin tone, with immediate and tangible effects.

Look for lotions & creams with the following properties:

  • brightening
  • even skin-tone
  • blurring
  • plumbing
  • mattifying
  • tightening
  • Day Defence (DD) Creams

no makeup look #IWokeUpLikeThis #nofilter

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