Monday, August 20, 2012

Guerlain Ode de la Vanille

 Guerlain Shalimar Ode de Vanille, 9" x 11"

 Back in a May I got a request to paint several Paris pet portraits from the gals up at the New York branch of Guerlain.

 Shortly before I went off on my last trip a little surprise showed up at my door - Guerlain Shalimar 'Ode de la Vanille'. Addiction set in and I didn't even know it.
 I haven't worn perfume for ages. You can't when you're shooting around chefs and food - it interfers with their cooking aromas. But after daily hits of Ode de la Vanille I was hooked. Everytime I saw a tassel a certain mysterious scent  would waft over me...


 I stopped in Anne Maisonneuve's shop looking for another macaron T-shirt. When I spotted her tassel earrings I had to have them!

 Did you know Anne makes jewelry along with her adorable macaron T-shirts? I bought these tassel earrings even though they kind of clash with my red glasses, ahem.

 I am maybe the world's worst baker but when I saw lush tubes of vanille at G.Detrou patisserie shop I swooned. I have no idea what I'll do with them but they are vanille like my new perfume...sigh

 Everytime I passed an Amorino gelateria and read the words 'parfums' I couldn't resist.

 It was the parfum dragging me in there against my will and forcing me eat ice cream everyday in Paris

 Often you'll see little macaron 'maps' and they list the flavors as parfums. What choice did I have? munch munch munch

 *Disclosure: FOUR macarons were eaten while preparing this post. What's a girl to do? Monkey see..monkey eat.

 Fortunately I'm back re-united with my Guerlain Ode de la Vanille so I'm eating somewhat less ice cream, less macarons and stopped enhaling vanilla beans. I only have to give myself a spritz. Et voila. Guerlain's La Petit Robe Noir will be coming out this Fall. If you're now addicted too (it's contagious isn't it?) and you can't, wait try out their nice cologne on Amazon.

 I painted this bottle several times today...

19 comments:

  1. Guerlain on Champs-Élysees is so beautiful and interesting too. I wish my nose worked better!
    I learned that vanilla is an orchid and an aphrodisiac!

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    1. Fantastic!
      Thanks Robinita
      Wikipedia says: Vanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, Flat-leaved Vanilla (V. planifolia). The word vanilla, derived from the diminutive of the Spanish word vaina (vaina itself meaning sheath or pod), simply translates as little pod

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  2. Lucinda3:00 PM

    loving those tassle earrings!
    Thank you for telling us about Anne Maisonneuve, one of Paris' secret treasures on the left bank.

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  3. What a lovely addiction!
    Guerlain Shalimar + vanilla + tassels + ice cream + macarons.
    I'm in!

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  4. Annabella3:48 PM

    I just read Pierre Herme created a perfumed macaron with Jean-Michel Duriez of Rochas - A rose tea + vanilla + clove macaron.
    Miam miam!

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  5. I just threw out my bottle of regular Shalimar:) I have made a vow to stop saving things..of course it's too late for that ,but spending time w/ my friend packing some of her treasures..I thought..just don't hold onto to everything..Boohoo I do:(
    Love vanilla..and of course you needed it..as well as the tassels!
    I have cheated this time and bought Vanilla Bean paste..just to see..But I even like making vanilla sugar:) and scraping the delightfully fragrant pods..adding the little black specks to confection..I LOVE to bake..This post is thrilling.
    Of course the artwork is the most charming of all.

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    1. Thanks Monique, I had no clue you could do all these things with Vanilla beans
      But how to throw out a pretty perfume bottle :O
      Quelle dommage!
      You must replace immediatement!!

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  6. Lots of watercolors today! Very nice ones, too.
    I don't know if I'd like vanilla as a fragrance on a woman, I've never come across it. But someone said it's an aphrodisiac, so I think this will have to be tested :)

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  7. Love these paintings. My favorite are ROSE macrons, how can they be anything but parfum? BUT ... your last post on colour was what quite literally made my mouth water.

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  8. Love the earrings, the macarons - naughty you, eating those darlings; the Amorino gelato - I had a cone in Aix-en-Provence, unique way to create a flower; and the vanilla perfume drawings.

    Have you tried putting some of your vanilla bean bounty amongst your linens?
    (I have a tube of original Bourbon vanilla, a friend brought it all the way from Madagascar
    Merisi

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  9. What a sweet love story :)

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  10. Geri nj7:33 PM

    Your paintings are perfection! Beautiful post today.

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  11. The original Shalimar was the first gift my husband gave me...I know I still have it somehwhere around here...true packrat.
    The easiest thing to do with your vanilla beans: put one bean in a jar of sugar...after about a week you can add the sugar to anything... mostly I put a teaspoon in a cup of plain nonfat greek yogurt. You can even use just the carcass of the bean, after you have scraped all the goodies out of the insides.

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    1. Of course YOU would know what to do with a vanilla pod!!
      what do you do with the pod after that? under the pillow?
      Love the idea of Greek vanilla yog.
      I think I need a vanilla bean class!

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  12. You can scrape out the seeds inside of vanilla bean by splitting seed down center then use those seeds in creme brulee!! SOOOO Yummmy. And then you can put the split pod into sugar or vodka--you choose!Have a pink day!

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  13. L. at Guerlain NY5:05 AM

    Sa beautiful post!
    Thank you so much for the beautifully written and lovely vanilla nuances throughout your piece.

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  14. The bottle is a beautiful subject! Shalimar is so rich and spicy...

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  15. Shalimar was my Mothers favorite perfume. I haven't worn perfume in years. They quit making what I liked. Nice gift and paintings too!

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  16. If I wasn't so deadly allergic to perfumes I would LOVE them!! Your paintings are sweet...

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