Discover the winning creations of BAZAAR Fragrance Awards 2016 – their muses, noses, stories, notes, and inspirations. Find your new favourites, and a couple of suave creations for your man.
Fragrance Awards Judge
Arnaud Marolleau describes capturing masculinity in a bottle.
Arnaud Marolleau, founder and CEO of Taf’eel Design Studio, embraces fragrance with passionate ardour. He lends his business expertise to major fragrance brands, and has brought his meticulously honed skills to BAZAAR over the years.
What makes a scent mysterious?
Oriental ingredients that cocoon you as soon as you wear them, enveloping you like a spell.
What was the standout quality of Dior Sauvage that made it Fragrance of the Year for Men?
Its composition reinvents classic elements well; it intrigues you and
possesses a seductive power.
What makes a great male fragrance?
A fragrance you have to get closer to, to discover entirely.
Fragrance Awards Judge
Shireen Kandiah talks about the dark side.
Shireen has always had a penchant for oud and dark scents, reminiscent of her days living in the Middle East, when she would be on the lookout for extraordinary concoctions. BAZAAR discovers why she finds woody notes intoxicating and intriguing.
Noir scents are making a major comeback. Why do you think more fragrances now are careening towards a mysterious, sexy woman?
I can understand why noir scents have become an obsession in recent years, and I’m a big fan of them. They carry a certain connotation of emotional intensity which perfume lovers look for; it’s in our desire to be mysterious. My personal favourites include Tom Ford’s Black Orchid and Chanel’s Coco Noir.
What makes a scent dark, and sensual?
Scents that are woody, musky, leathery, and more on the complex side. Many fragrances containing oud, the liquid gold of perfumes, have this effect for me. I like the intense scent it leaves on the skin and the enigmatic and sensual aura it creates around you, long after you’re gone.
Fragrance Awards Judge
Zher Peen reminisces the scent of memories.
For Fly FM DJ Zher, great fragrances don’t just define a moment—they create them. Her past experience—“I used to sell fragrances!”—affirms her expertise in sussing out the best scents as a judge for the BAZAAR Fragrance Awards.
Revisiting the fragrances of years past, do you discover a renewed interest, or do they hold the same intrigue as before?
My impression rarely changes but some re-encounters bring up how they’re still relevant after so many years, such as Issey Miyake’s classic L’Eau d’Issey.
What makes a great fragrance?
Like great works of art, it should invoke emotion. It is subjective to each person, but it should speak to you at that moment in your life because, after all, a good fragrance should be a reflection of it.
Why do you think noir scents are making a major comeback now?
Perhaps they never really went out of style. Also, sensuality is celebrated more than ever now, and the definition of noir scents is broader than before.
What is your most memorable moment with a particular scent?
Sunscreen mixed with sea water. I used to go to the beach with my family very often as a kid, and that scent, especially when locked into my hair after a long day out, reminds me of sunsets and satays that we would usually get after.
