Every year I discover a fragrance that becomes my scent of the year and with every fragrance I fall for I find a background or history that accompanies this pleasurable experience. I'm not one to covet the spate of celebrity endorsed fragrance, I mean where is the history or fascinating story behind a Britney Spears endorsed fragrance?
So with pleasure this year I fell for the beautiful fragrant water of Roger & Gallet who not only deliver the most beautiful fragrances amongst many desir
eable luxury products but the history is just as covetable. 1695 saw the start of the Roger & Gallet adventure. Jean-Paul Feminis who origintaed from Italy and settled in Cologne claimed to have been given the secret of a unique formula for water with amazing healing properties known as Aqua Mirabilis ( Eau Admirable ). Patented by the Cologne faculty of medicine in 1727 and named Eau de Cologne.
In 1806 Jean-Marie Farina heir to the formula for Eau de Cologne opened a perfumery in Rue Saint-Honore, Paris supplying the great courts of Europe with Napolean an enthusiast who had a flask custom made for him to carry in his boots. The flask was named the "Rouleau de l'Empereur" In 1862 the heirs to Maison Farina, Armand Roger and Charles Gallet formed a partnership which was to become Roger & Gallet. They modernised perfumery with olfactive innovations and creations. Together they invented the first beauty care and makeup products of face powder and lipstick. In 1879 they created the first round soap wrapped in the famous pleated paper and ring we still see to this day.
So with a history in French perfumery that spans over 200 years Roger & Gallet repackaged and relaunched for 2008 with a collaboration by Paris based designer Martin Szekely to give the brand a modern and fresh look.
Nature is an unlimited inspiration for Roger & Gallet, sourcing the rarest of essences and raw materials then as a starting point using the culture of the country of origin to create each unique fragrance. Each fragrance is inspired by the exploration of beautiful gardens of the world from places like Calabria, Egypt, Bengal, China and Japan. All the fragrances convey a specific emotion offering the wearer to choose one or several of the fragrances to correspond to a moment or activity of the day, and can be worn in the sun!
This year I fell in love with three of Roger & Gallet's gentle fragrant waters, Lotus Bleu, Vanilla & Rose.
The magical flower of Blue Lotus ( Lotus Bleu) has been sacred since the time of Ancient Egypt. Lotus Bleu gentle fragrant water is sensual with a subtle balance of flowers & fruits. With bergamot, watermelon, blue lotus, ylang-ylang, musk, patchouli and iris it delivers a bouquet of soft floral and woody notes, a delicate and natural fragrance.
On an Island in Mayotte blooms the vanilla orchid. Madagascan vanilla is a resourceful vine with exquisite flowers and pods. It is this exotic vanilla that is used in the composition of the Vanilla gentle fragrant water. It bursts with the freshness of citrus and vanilla. With grapefruit, mandarin, bergamot, lily of the valley, orange blossom, sandalwood , patchouli and vanilla it delivers a bouquet of citrus and woody notes, a fresh and sensual fragrance.
The Nepalese Rose is the flower from an Indian garden of Bengal and is the flower of Kings. Legend has it that from the mouths of young noble ladies came only roses and pearls. It is this rose that composes the Rose gentle fragrant water. It's fresh and versatile with tangerine, peony, rose blossom & sweet almond notes. This is a fragrance that will reach farther than just the traditional rose lover.
With contemporary bottles for the fragrant waters finished with a new frosted softness who could resist? Not I, on any given day I have one if not two in my bag. For those of you not familiar with these fragrant waters they make for a beautiful room scent, as I discovered recently when our house was used as location for a Black Magazine shoot with the crew commenting on how amazing our house smelt. So if you can't justify a trip to the mysterious and enchanting islands or countries on the Roger & Gallet adventure bring the atmosphere and experience to you through their beautiful products.
Roger & Gallet. I'm absolutely charmed.
