2012: Looking back over the highlights of a year fill of contrasts

The new year is barely underway, and lots of new launches have already been announced for the coming months. But since it’s too early to say anything more about them yet, OSMOZ presents a summary of the main events of the year that just ended. It’s the perfect chance to look back at what’s been hot lately, and to get a sense of what the trends of 2013 are likely to be.

Gourmand Scents: A Tidal Wave that’s Still Rolling In...

Incarnated by Julia Roberts, and surfing on the success of gourmand scents like Angel and Flowerbomb, Lancôme’s blockbuster La Vie est Belle was fine-tuned to be a crowd pleaser. And they seem to have hit the jackpot, because it has been topping the charts at SEPHORA.  In an equally regressive register, Guerlain’s La Petite Robe Noire’s mischievousness and gourmand waves of cherry have turned out to be hugely appealing, too. While that might not be to the liking of fans of the venerable house’s classic scents, it does provide a top-quality fruity-gourmand scent, and it has found a clientele.

Floral Bouquets are Back

If you find gourmand scents boring, rest assured, white flowers are in! Sheer and luminous in the eau de toilette Baiser Volé (Cartier) and the brand new Jour d’Hermès, which is being officially released this month, they go sweeter and lusher in Guerlain’s l’Aqua Allegoria Lys Soleia. Niche brands are in on it, too! From Serge Lutens (Une voix noire) to Tom Ford (Lys de Nuit), and the orange blossom in Artisan Parfumeur’s Seville à L’aube  and  Arquiste’s Boutonnière n°7, gardenias and other white flowers enchanted our whole summer with their bewitching powers.

2012: The Year of the Updated Classic!

We heard a lot about the 100^th anniversary of Guerlain’s L’heure bleue, refreshed and modernized around an orange blossom-and-marshmallow accord, for a limited edition that came in 3 different concentrations. Now one of the versions, l’Heure de Nuit, has cropped up in the catalogue for this year’s Les Parisiennes collection. In a similar spirit, Molinard re-orchestrated their legendary Habanita around a new eau de parfum, which is fairly true to the original. The ad campaign was evocative of the fragrance’s sensual aura.

 What about you, what caught your attention in 2012? New fragrances, new trends or new brands: come tell us about your picks for 2012!