Because life has no boundaries

you'll need your VISA. Relaunched, rebalanced and released with a modern radiance and a retro glamor. Originally launched in 1945, Robert Piguet's classic oriental fragrance re introduced in the signature sleek black glass flacon is richly accented in gold.

A blend of spices, flowers and fruits from different areas of the globe, Visa Robert Piguet is perfume lovers passport to an exotic encounter. Visa opens with lush notes of white vineyard peach, pear, violet leaves and Italian bergamot and yellow mandarin essences. Mid notes include rich ylang essence mingled with rose, orange flower absolutes and immortelle. Osmoz.com says “essence of immortelle gives chypre, floral and amber compositions a particular charisma” and characterizes the smell as “red fruit, syrupy, nut, honey-flavored, tobacco.” Indonesian Patchouli and sandalwood, vetiver, moss, vanilla beans, benzoin and a gourmand leathery accord compose the drydown.

Describing the redesigned Visa, the peachy-floral impression that unfolds for a while is a high point of the perfume that is unmistakingly sophisticated and reminds new users of the cosmopolitan world traveler theme.

The press release reminds new users of the original cosmopolitan travel theme for the perfume.

"A sophisticated woman travels the world but never gets lost in the crowd. Her signature fragrance is reminiscent of all the places she visits and sights she sees."

Visa is scheduled to be launched in October and will be sold exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman in New York, Le Bon Marché in Paris and at Harvey Nichols in London.

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Sali Oguri ~ A Noteworthy Original

Whether she's writing music or blending fragrances...both involve a love affair with notes. Beautiful melodies or extravagant fragrances evoke a soulful, emotional response that is undeniable. Sali Oruri touches your heart with her music and your soul with her fragrance. Her first fragrance, Pink Manhattan was a run away success, selling out on Lucky Scent. I only wish I had met Sali sooner. I don't think there is a drop of this gorgeous, yummy peachy perfume left on the planet. (Oh woe is me!)

Sali Oguri is a classically trained musician based in New York who has put Bach and Mozart aside and has gravitated toward driving, hard-hitting and avant-garde styles of popular music. Her songs are true-to-the-heart songs about life, love, angst, fears, insecurities and pain. According to Sali, her modern pop crossover is an artist's study in multiple music genres.

You'll hear Hard Rock, Hip Hop, Soul, New Wave and Jazz elements sometimes in the same tune. Her sound is a contrast in extremes: heaven and hell, hot and cold, love and hate. With Sali, life is intensely on the edge, the ever-changing here and now. "All dressed up with no place to go" is a hypnotic, bitter-sweet ballad; a soulful cry of love lost seen through the eyes of a mother and daughter. This brought tears to my eyes the first time I heard it. Sali has a way of framing the heart-felt emotions we've all experienced.

Toping the charts at a new number one is Sali's newest fragrance launch called Unreleased Mix aka Persephone, described as a forbidden skin scent: a skinful (I'll add sinful) blend of dark chocolate, blackberry, pomegranate, Mysore sandalwood and notes of royal purple flowers. Persephone as the legend recounts was the Greek mythological daughter of Zeus and Dementer who was abducted by Hades. He tricked her by giving her a pomegranate to eat, which forced her to return to Hades for one third of the year for the rest of her life. As revenge, her mother, Demeter imposed a bitter cold winter upon the world as her sorrow at loosing her daughter was inconsolable. (Wonder if that's how these outrageous Minnesota winters came to be.)

With dark, almost sinister notes of chocolate, this is not your every day Hershey bar. This is a chocolate you'd savor one calorie at a time, a chocolate you'd wouldn't share with the kids, a chocolate reserved for special occasions...a chocolate that makes sweet love to your taste buds. It's dark, decadent and defiant, but definitely not a loathsome gourmand. The chocolate gives way to a luscious ambrosia of blackberries and pomegranate reminiscent of a dark sweet cordials enjoyed after a fine dinner. The sandalwood adds a layer of sacred warm incense, but none of the musty overtones that unfortunately appear with other fragrances. A playful note of dark lavender completes the magic of this perfume. Like Sali's voice, it's soft, sexy and sultry!

Unreleased Mix aka Persephone is available here.

And congratulations for "Private Dreams" currently on the Top 10 at Broadjam in the genre of Electronic-Dance. Visit Sali's website at www.salioguri.com for her complete music bio.

Sali will offer a 20% discount on orders place through persephone@salioguri.com.
Just include the code "Noteworthy" for orders placed between now and September 30th.

A little bit of whimsy makes 'purrfect' scents to me

As one of the Bay area’s most sought-after wedding florists, Laurie Stern discovered the world of perfume. Fascinated by this secret and mysterious world, she spent the next several years immersed in it, teaching herself the alchemy of scent by studying books on perfume from antiquity to the present and experimenting endlessly with scents and materials from all over the world. Creating the perfumes, the spa products and the exquisite packaging of Velvet and Sweet Pea’s Purrfumery feels like the inevitable culmination of all her past careers and passions. This is Laurie's dream come true.

Velvet and Sweet Pea perfumes bespeak Laurie's whimsical philosophy of creating quality products that are fun and made only with the finest natural ingredients. Velvet and Sweet Pea are the ever present 'kitty consultants' who purr and meander throughout the thousands of herbs and flowers growing in this perfumer's gardens overlooking the pristine Bay.

A passion for potions, a lover of luxury, an aromatic alchemist describe an incurable romantic whose Victorian studio holds a vast collection of ornate and antique bottles Laurie has collected from her world travels. The are transported into cherished gifts holding rare and precious oils, perfumes and colognes.

Jasmine Dawn & Dusk is at once an arresting melody of notes as both night blooming and dawn blooming jasmine harmonize with the citrus sisters of blood orange, mandarin and grapefruit. Keeping reign on what could be an overpowering burst of jasmine I find the long lasting base notes of honey, saffron, vanilla and cinnamon just perfectly balanced. Far from being a gourmand, this is a sweet sent and plays well with my chemistry. True to form, everyone will find their own comfort level especially where jasmine is concerned.

At a full dry down I'm left with a slightly bitter saffron which is actually quite pleasant. This is a close to the skin scent with frequent applications required every 2-3 hours as Laurie finds animal fixatives unnatural and not in accord with her philosophy to source on the finest ingredients from all over the world as well as tincturing and distilling her own specialties.

I could see myself lost in a mesmerizing afternoon, sitting in the garden as the afternoon son warms the scent her secret gardens. Everywhere you look, there is beauty to behold. I'll take my tour with a tall glass of tea.

Plan on spending a quiet, gentle time exploring Velvet & Sweet Pea's Purrfumery or better yet visit her in person. Here is the perfect place to find a cherished gift for a sister, a bride to be, or just to spoil yourself!

Who wants samples?

Marie Chantal ~ Seeing the world through rose colored glasses

Today, I'm taking a break from fragrance reviews to smell the roses and to introduce you to Marie Chantal who lives in Toronto, Canada. We became friends when she stopped by to read a post on Noteworthy Fragrances several weeks ago. I've found a wonderful, delightful and inspirational new friend! She will be quite surprised to read this editorial on Noteworthy Fragrances, but sometimes there are people out there in the world that are just too nice to keep all to myself. She is an avid blogger as "Wild Rose" and has posted some of the most beautiful photos I've ever seen online.

Marie has followed her heart and has put her soul into creating a natural skincare product line that is rose based and formulated using organic ingredients whenever possible. Where it is not possible to source organic ingredients, she has carefully selected the gentlest ingredients currently available, resulting in products which are kind to sensitive skin. Starting a new business of skin care products is not the easiest thing to do, nor will it in all honesty make Marie independently wealthy. But when you believe in a philosophy and care about others like she does...with patience and a huge dose of Wild Rose determination, I know she will be ultimately successful.

Marie Chantal developed from an interest in handmade skin care products and the enjoyment of creating wonderful creams and lotions at home. After much research into raw ingredients and recipe formulation, she decided to launch her own product range. The philosophy behind the company grew from concerns about the ingredients commonly found in mass-produced creams and lotions and a desire to produce a purer alternative.

All products are handmade in small batches to ensure quality control and each of the products in our range has been microbiologically tested for safety, in accordance with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Standards for Cosmetic Products. Marie Chantal would welcome the opportunity to tell you more about herself and her products so please feel free to contact her with any questions you have on her products or just drop her a note of encouragement, especially those who've experienced the 'joys' of starting your own business! Thanks!