Monday, January 28, 2013

Elements Showcase- January 2013



The bi-annual Elements Showcase brings to NYC people from all over the world who have at least one thing in common: passion for perfume. This year saw arrivals from as far as Australia (Tommi Sooni ), right along with the usual and unusual American and European suspects. The Elements is a great opportunity to mingle with artists, industry insiders, and other bloggers. Today was the first day of the 2013 show (it continues tomorrow). I came home smelling fabulous.


I always love seeing natural perfumers take their rightful place among their peers. There were quite a few of them today, familiar faces such as Charna Ethier of Providence Perfume Company; familiar names like Tanja Bochnig from April Aromatics and Maria Candida Gentile, as well as new ones such as Purusa that uses a balm base to mix with the natural essence and anchor it.





As always, luxury lines with their gorgeous bottles had a massive presence: Arquiste, Jovoy, Micallef (there are several new perfumes coming out soon), Carner Barcelona, Humiecki & Graef (one day I'll learn how to pronounce this name), Illuminum, and many others.





You probably heard some of the buzz around Enchanted Forest, the new fragrance (created by Bertrand Duchaufour) from Fragrantica owners. It's a unique one that's worth the skin space and nose time, and I say it as someone who doesn't necessarily like berry-heavy perfumes.



I came across several interesting micro-niche lines in search of a US distributor. The stunning bottles of Marc Henri were impossible to ignore, as was the lace and pearl presentation of Simone Cosaci Profumi from Florence. All these fragrances have a story and that's a big part of the discovery fun.



As in previous Elements shows there was more than just perfume to explore. Nail polish, organic skin care, men's products, and makeup. I always enjoy seeing Kjaer Weis color cosmetics and hearing what's new. There's a mascara coming out soon and a compact foundation is also in the works.





As you can imagine, there'll be quite a few reviews in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

13 comments:

  1. Those Kjaer Weis compacts look like delicious candy I'd like to put on my face.

    I know Dr. Alkaitis skincare had a booth- have you tried them? Probably my most fave skin care line, ever.

    Who is that enthusiastic gentleman in the pink shirt and what is the brand?

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    1. The sweet guy in the picture is a rep for Humiecki & Graef. He did a wonderful job explaining the stories and emotions behind the fragrances. I'm quite in love with a couple of them.
      I saw the Dr. Alkaitis booth but it was constantly packed with people so I didn't get to spend much quality time there. It's on my "to explore" list.

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  2. Thank you so much for the pictures from Elements. Those bottles in the first picture are stunning; may I ask the brand?

    Thanks,
    Debbie

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    Replies
    1. Debbie, the gorgeous bottles are from Marc Henri. A teeny tiny French perfumerie by Marc Henri Sarfati. Unfortunately they don't have a website or even a brochure that tells the full story (not to mention allow shopping).

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  3. Lucky lady! What a feast for the senses, I look forward to the reviews, as always.

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    1. Thanks, Sophia! I'll get to it soon. There's so much to talk about!

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  4. I'd like to hear more about Maria Candida Gentile. I tried the Cinabre, and it definately piqued my interest.

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    Replies
    1. Cinbare is s unique. It's a wonderful artisan line that I'll need to explore carefully.

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  5. I went yesterday and this show just gets better every year. I was most impressed with the Carner Barcelona line. I especially liked Cuirs, even though it was Rima that was in the top five. I also loved the April Aromatics line and Arquiste. Tommi Sooni's creative director is absolutely lovely and his packaging is beautiful. I wish I could have had another 2-3 hours there. The panel discussing the future of niche was excellent. I didn't get to all the booths I would have liked to but everyone is so lovely and supportive of each other's creations that it is just a fun and fabulous time.

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  6. I forgot to say...I showed the guy at Humiecki & Graef his photo from your blog! He was so excited! :-)

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    1. Thanks, Sujaan! He's a great guy. I'm glad you enjoyed the show. It's a feast for the nose and eyes and just thrilling to be among so many serious perfume lovers.

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    2. I just read on eyelineronacat that you were on the FIFI judging panel!! That must have been quite interesting. I would love to hear more about how the panel came to it's decisions, why certain fragrances won out over others, etc.

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    3. Sujaan, yes, I was one of the judges. It's a ballot thing where each judge gives marks for each perfume independently and the results are then compiled and calculated by a CPA. So it's NOT like a jury that discusses and makes a decision.

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