Sniffapalooza Fall Ball 2015 Wrap-Up- Its My Party and I’ll Sniff If I Want To

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This year Sniffapalooza Fall Ball coincided with my birthday weekend; which made the whole weekend one long celebration for me. Fall Ball 2015 began with a pre-event on Friday night at Brooklyn boutique Twisted Lily. 60 people made it out to enjoy the atmosphere and to get the party started early. I had written about the new Blocki perfumes just before the event and was interested to see the reaction of those in attendance. Everyone headed home so they could be up bright and early on Saturday morning.

Norell presentation

Norell New York Presentation at BG

Saturday morning was the official start at the café downstairs at Bergdorf-Goodman. We were treated to short presentations on over fifteen brands. One of the nice coincidences was the Tom Ford presentation announced the return of previously discontinued Amber Absolute back in the Private Blend collection. The fun was Christophe Laudamiel the perfumer behind Amber Absolute was also in the room. It was gratifying to see him smile when he got one of the strips being passed around. The standouts for me were the relaunch of Norell which was one of the original American designer perfumes. Called Norell New York it is a different fragrance but it retains much of what made the original a trendsetter. Another brand making a triumphant return is Shalini. This is one of perfumer Maurice Roucel’s best perfumes; I am happy to see it back in its gorgeous Lalique flacon emulating a butterfly wing. The final presentation is the one which excited me most. The new French brand Ex Nihilo has created a small shop in Bergdorf-Goodman where their eight perfumes can be purchased in the US for the first time. The unique aspect of the brand is in conjunction with the perfumer each perfume can have one of three additional notes added in the boutique to personalize every bottle. The shop was a week away from opening but it is going to be one of the newest stars in the Bergdorf-Goodman fragrance universe.

Christophe decanting Chypre de Coty

Christophe Laudamiel decanting from a 1921 bottle of Chypre de Coty

Lunch was full of camaraderie as everyone at each table compared purchases while waiting for the program to start. Paula and Teresa of Beautyhabit gave us a preview of the pop-up we would end the night at. Lyn Leigh and Mary Ellen Lapsansky told us about The Perfumed Plume awards for fragrance writing. Sarah Horowitz-Thran presented her Biography Scents of Self perfume set which she is selling on QVC. It is a complete set of four perfumes which can be worn individually or layered. The absolute highlight of Saturday was Christophe Laudamiel who first introduced us to the new educational kit on fragrance called “A Sense of Scents”. This is a fantastic innovation and I will have more on this in a full article. After that he said because it was my birthday he had a surprise. It was a 1921 bottle of Chypre de Coty as perfectly preserved as a bottle of that age could be. Generously coated mouillettes were handed out. You could hear the collected gasp of pleasure of everyone in the room when he announced what the bottle was. This is exactly what makes Sniffapalooza what it is as there are very few events where one can smell the original chypre perfume.

After a stop at the beautiful new Rockefeller Center Penhaligon’s boutique we all headed downtown to the Beautyhabit pop-up shop at Black Label Wine Merchants. Paula and Teresa curated a collection to thrill with new releases from Olfactive Studio, Raw Spirit, and Lubin on display. They are also the first seller of the new ALTAIA brand I am aware of. It was a delightful way to end Day 1.

Day 2 began at Birchbox with Karthik from Harvey Prince presenting the line. After that we were free to explore the downtown Fragrance District as we strolled between Atelier Cologne, Le Labo, Rituals, and Red Flower. Le Labo treated us to a sneak preview of their next new fragrance The Noir 29.

Beckie and Katy at lunch

Katy Knuth and Beckie Sheloskie present Rebel Intuitive

Lunch had presentations from Jennifer McKay Newton who introduced us to her Define Me Fragrance line. The team of Beckie Sheloskie and Katy Knuth told us all about their indie line Rebel Intuitive. Will Yin introduced us to Scent Trunk the monthly subscription service which introduces each member to three new fragrances a month based on their profile.

One more stop for this party and that was the newest addition to the Fragrance District the Byredo store. It is mostly displaying the leather goods from the brand. For this crowd we clustered around the two counters with the fragrance collection. We finished the day sipping champagne and sniffing Byredo perfumes.

As always my thanks to Karen Dubin and Karen Adams for their considerable effort in organizing this event. It was the perfect way to spend my birthday.

–Mark Behnke

Snifapalooza Spring Fling 2014 Wrap-Up- Re-starting My Engine

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It is usually right about this time of year the first four months of new fragrances have left me losing my mojo. Thankfully it is also this time of year that the psychic jumper cables known as Sniffapalooza Spring Fling happens. After spending a weekend with my fellow fragrance fanatics I return tired, but refueled, to cover everything new I saw while in New York City for the weekend.

What has become a bit of a tradition for me is I arrive the afternoon before Sniffapalooza starts and visit my friends at Atelier Cologne. I was going to get the premiere of Blanche Immortelle the next morning but I also got the chance to sample the other new release Santal Carmin. The final part of our biannual ritual is for me to get a sneak peek at the next release. All I can say is it is one of my favorite notes in perfumery done Atelier Cologne style.

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Roja Dove

Saturday morning saw us all gather at Bergdorf Goodman for breakfast and the presentation of new releases. The highlights were a new Bottega Veneta Essence Aromatique meant to be a cooling splash for the summer. Two new Tom Ford Private Blends which will be released early in June as part of a collection extrapolating off the vibe of Neroli Portofino. I got a preview of both and one of them is going right to the top of my summer wearing list. As mentioned above Atelier Cologne premiered Blanche Immortelle and for those who find immortelle a bit tough to approach Atelier Cologne has once again transformed the way you look at a difficult note by making it a part of a cologne architecture. The breakfast finale was the irrepressible Roja Dove who spoke about many within his Roja Parfums line but the newest release is Lily Extrait. As with all of the soliflores in Mr. Dove’s collection it continually makes you ask “Is it real or is it Roja?”

From Bergdorf Goodman we headed to lunch at Brasserie 8 ½ and while we rested and recharged we were treated to the fragrances that were created by a chef and an interior designer. The chef is Roble Ali and his fragrance is called Clique by Roble and Chef Ali wanted to present a three course meal of the olfactory.  It is a finely tuned gourmand that does indeed feed the senses. The interior designer is Tobi Tobin and she presented the four fragrances which accompanied the debut fragrance Crow. Ms. Tobin translates her chic style of interior design deftly into a collection of fragrances which exemplify her aesthetic.

henri bendel

Henri Bendel Fragrance Mezzanine

The next stop was a little sad as we bid a Sniffapalooza adieu to the fragrance collection at Henri Bendel. By the time Fall Ball arrives in October Henri Bendel will only be carrying their own private label fragrance. It was a little melancholy standing shoulder to shoulder on the mezzanine where I’ve discovered so many new things and realized that this was very likely my last visit to it. From there it was back to my hotel to rest up for Sunday.

We gave Soho a Sniffapalooza wake-up call as we convened bright and early on Sunday at Osswald. Awaiting us was the entire Stephane Humbert Lucas 777 line in its US debut. I had a lot of fun introducing people to the line especially the fabulous Kohl de Bahrain. The fragrant caravan then traveled to the Fragrance Republ!c to be introduced the latest release 01/07. This was followed by a visit to the Scentsorium which is Sue Philips’ home to her very successful custom perfume business which previously was a traveling show. With the Scentsorium her unique custom perfume experience is open for business in a space which surrounds one with creativity.

mark and michael at lunch

Introducing Michael Edwards (r.)

We all needed a break and lunch had arrived in the nick of time. It was my turn to entertain the group as I emceed the Eau de Sniffapalooza lunch where I had the great pleasure to introduce the perfumers behind the brands Code Deco, Jazmin Serai, Suleko, Phoenecia Perfumes, Nomad Two Worlds, Arts & Scents, and Neelu Kumar. It was also my great pleasure to introduce Michael Edwards as special surprise guest to wrap everything up as he spoke about the excitement and passion the independent perfume movement brings to the world of fragrance.

My final stop was at MiN New York where I got acquainted with the new Perris Monte Carlo line; but the most interesting thing was a door. I asked about this fabulous looking door that looks like it leads into a wizard’s keep or medieval castle. The cryptic smile and the “we will be letting everyone know what is behind the door in a couple of weeks” has me as curious as the proverbial feline.

It was time to get in my last hugs and head for my train back home. Once again the event was a smashing success due to the hard work of Team Karen and everyone who joined in this celebration of all things fragrant. I am now back to 100% charged until I get my next boost at Fall Ball in October.

–Mark Behnke

Sniffapalooza Spring Fling 2014 Preview

Posted on by in Mark Behnke, News and tagged , , , , .

One of the things about writing about the world of fragrance is my calendar tends to have some important events that mark each season. None of these events is more enjoyable to me than the twice-yearly event known as Sniffapalooza. Sniffapalooaza was created, and continues to be run, by Karen Adams and Karen Dubin. They are affectionately referred to as The Karens within the industry and among perfume aficionados. The Karens began as one of the latter but over the years the impact of Sniffapalooza has made them part of the overall industry. That being said they have never lost the enthusiasm for perfume that led them to create this event, and it shows.

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Karen Adams (l.) and Karen Dubin

Sniffapalooza Spring Fling 2014 will take place on Saturday and Sunday May 3 & 4, 2014 in New York City. It begins with breakfast at Bergdorf-Goodman where we are greeted every year by the fabulous Tom Crutchfield of Roja Perfumes who ushers us through the empty store down to the café. This is the beginning of the scenes which get repeated at every Sniffapalooza as perfumed friends re-connect and those who we might have only known through Facebook or a perfume forum is standing there in real life. The morning is jam-packed as every line in Bergdorf Goodman presents their latest and greatest. Once we are done we spend time on the beauty floor getting better acquainted with our favorites.

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Tom Crutchfiled at Fall Ball 2011

Lunch is an opportunity for presentations from a varied roster representing almost every corner of the fragrance world. I will have the great opportunity to introduce Colognoisseur to this audience. After lunch we visit Henri Bendel and Krigler Perfumery at The Plaza, and finish day one at Molton Brown.

After a night of sleep we gather for more sniffing downtown at Osswald. This is followed by visits to two new fragrance initiatives that are very exciting to me. The Fragrance Republ!c is a subscription service and community which produces a new perfume every month for their subscribers. The Scentsorium is the brick and mortar home to Sue Phillips who has spent years teaching classes to enthusiasts on how to make their own bespoke perfume. Now there is a place where this can happen any day. Then my favorite part of Sniffapalooza comes next the lunch called Emerging Artists Uncorked where new indie perfumers present their creations. I was so enthusiastic about this The Karens have allowed me to be the keynote speaker and MC of the lunch. I love the opportunity to share the best new indie fragrance with this group.

The final part is free form wandering in The Fragrance District downtown as we visit MiN New York, Diptyque, Le Labo, and Atelier Cologne. Over the rest of the afternoon we share our last moments together and the best smelling group of people board various modes of transportation back home. I will be covering everything from this year’s Spring Fling right here on Colognoisseur. Viva La Sniffa, Baby!

–Mark Behnke

New Perfume Review Bellegance Midnight Promise- Sniffapalooza Crowdsourciing

Posted on by in Mark Behnke, New Perfume Reviews and tagged , , , , , , , .

One of the best things about the biannual event put on by Karen Dubin and Karen Adams (aka The Karens) called Sniffapalooza is the bringing together of fragrance fans from all over the world. Through the course of the weekend event there are three meals where you share a table with, usually, somebody you haven’t met before. I have had the pleasure of having the beginnings of many of my favorite, and long lasting, fragrant relationships begin at Sniffapalooza. It seems like almost everything has sprung up from these gatherings except fragrance. That has all changed with the release of Bellegance Midnight Promise.

carmen schaye karen dubin

Carmen Schaye(l.) & Karen Dubin at Sniffapalooza Fall Ball 2013

At Sniffapalooza husband and wife Gordon & Carmen Schaye began talking with Ms. Dubin and from those discussions they decided they wanted to make a fragrance. Ms. Schaye wanted to create a team of talented women to make a fragrance to celebrate women. Ms. Dubin asked perfumer Sarah Horowitz-Thran to join and to complete the Fantastic Four of Bellegance, Ping Li would design the flacon. During the process of designing Midnight Promise they would return to Sniffapalooza and ask the group to pick their favorite from a number of preliminary mods. In October of 2013 the process was finished and Bellegance Midnight Promise was premiered at Sniffapalooza to bring things full circle. While this isn’t exactly an example of crowdsourcing Midnight Promise feels like it has had a lot of midwives on its way to the perfume counter.

sarah horowitz and karen dubin

Sarah Horowitz-Thran (l.) & Karen Dubin at Sniffapalooza Fall Ball 2013

Ms. Horowitz-Thran starts Midnight Promise with a wonderfully chosen duo of mandarin coated in cinnamon. Cinnamon has a sweet spiciness which is complemented by the sweeter citrus of the mandarin. Ms. Horowitz finds a nice balance and, as top notes go, Midnight Promise holds that chord a little longer than most fragrances. A rose damascene holds the heart and it picks up the cinnamon as a running mate as the mandarin fades. Moroccan rose often has a slightly enhanced spicy character and the cinnamon enhances it. The base is a panoply of warm comforting notes as incense, sandalwood, vanilla, patchouli, and amber weave a figurative woolen scarf to pull tight around you for soft warmth.

Midnight Promise has six-eight hour longevity and above average sillage.

For those who have followed Ms. Horowitz-Thran’s previous fragrances Midnight Promise feels like a more luxurious and intimate version of her Love Comes from Within. There are significant differences but the spice/rose/warm progression is the same. If you’ve never tried Ms. Horowitz-Thran’s fragrances this is a great place to start as she has become one of the more reliable American independent perfumers.

Every Sniffapalooza holds promise in the form of finding a new fragrance or a new friend or coming up with a great idea. Bellegance Midnight Promise is the culmination of all that potential into a great new perfume.

Disclosure: This review was based on a sample provided by Bellegance Perfumes.

–Mark Behnke