Customer Reviews

Fabulous Fragrances II : A Guide to Prestige Perfumes for Women and Men

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought her first book, "Fabulous Fragrances", which was a great book. However, I really feel like "Fabulous Fragrances II" should be called, "Fabulous Fragrances" and then state, "Revised edition" beneath it. Imagine my dismay at reading the first book and then excitedly ordering the second one, shelling out my 29.00 only to find it is the same exact book with some new things added. I was extremely dissapointed. The first book was soooooooo good. This second book has most of the same text word for word, which in my opinion makes it a revised book. THey added some more perfumes (while still including all the old stuff), and added a section for men. There are SO many other NEW perfumes that couldve been listed in place of what was in the previous book. Really dissapointing. There was NOT enough new material in this for it to be a seperate book. I hope others read this before they buy an almost identical version of the first book.

Exciting, glamorous, informative and educational, Fabulous Fragrances II contains a wealth of helpful information for women and men who want to learn more about fragrances. And, it's so easy to use! Since I'm not an expert on perfumery, how wonderful it is that someone created a guide that I can enjoy and understand!

Fragrances are listed alphabetically and each one shows the scent type, composition, and distributor. The Cross Reference lists the "type" of a particular scent and names others of that type, making it easy to find other perfumes to try. Now, when I go shopping for a fragrance, I'll be better informed of what to ask for.

The "famous patrons" information is exciting ... we like to know who wears what. Throughout the book I discovered the names of today's celebrity scents, as well as those of the past.

Moran's book also offers historical insight into some of the world's most established perfumers, as well as the creative beginnings of many fragrances. While reading the book, I developed greater respect, understanding, and appreciation of the world of perfumery.

I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves fragrance!

As a fragrance addict with some basic knowledge of perfumery, I felt that Moran's book favored style over substance. I prefer descriptions that give detailed information (including subjective assessments) about the character of the fragrances, their history, and the quality and origin of the various notes (the way some connoisseurs would describe wines, for example) rather than the marketing-style flourishes ("a fragrance for making love, and making love last") that characterize most of her entries. For newcomers to perfumery, though, or consumers who want basic information on fragrance classifications and a wide variety of brands, this is a good starting point.

Fragrance II has many bonuses. It does cover a lot for the perfume lover. Of those it can't detail, at least there is an `honourable mention' section that lists many perfumes and the type they are (eg Giorgio for Men: Chypre - Spicy). Actually, reading through this list made me want to purchase Fabulous Fragrances I as well.

Page 19, called 'Perfume', on its own, makes the book worthwhile and made me know I was gong to enjoy it.

It will tempt you to look at and sample more perfumes - possibly even push your credit card up considerably, after you've read the details on some perfumes.

Jan's writing style on perfume, even before I'd gotten to her unique description on each particular perfume listed in this book, is a real delight to read - this lady knows how to make you love perfume, and appreciate the hours that go into the makeup of every bottle of perfume you've ever purchased.

Highly recommended. A very qualified Perfume lover wrote this book

As I was reading all the reviews for 'Fabulous Fragrances II : A Guide to Prestige Perfumes for Women and Men,' I notcied a common 'mild disappointment' with everyone. Since I just happen to be "in the biz" myself

[....]

I wanted to share a little factoid about Moran concentrating on certain fragrances as opposed to .... well the rest of them.

In the title of this book, the words " Prestige Perfumes " are used. Prestige is owned by Coty [...]

' Coty Inc. is the largest fragrance company in the world and one of the leaders in global beauty with annual net sales approaching USD $3 billion. Coty Inc. operates in over 25 countries and sells its products in broad and select distribution channels in over 80 markets spanning the Americas, Europe and Asia.

Coty Inc., comprised of the Coty Beauty and Coty Prestige divisions, has a diverse portfolio of over 35 distinctive celebrity, designer and lifestyle brands. Top sellers include Calvin Klein, adidas, Rimmel, Davidoff, Lancaster, Jennifer Lopez, Jil Sander, Joop! and Kenneth Cole. Additional distinguished brands include Aspen, Astor, Baby Phat, Calgon, Celine Dion, Cerruti, Chopard, Chupa Chups, David & Victoria Beckham, Desperate Housewives, Esprit, Exclamation, Isabella Rossellini, Jette Joop, Jovan, Marc Jacobs, mary-kateandashley, Miss Sixty, Miss Sporty, Nautica, Nikos, Pierre Cardin, Sarah Jessica Parker, Shania Twain, Stetson, the healing garden, Vanilla Fields, Vera Wang and Vivienne Westwood. '

Of course Moran would have to add in other fragrances such as the famous Chanel No. 5 & other scents from Chanel... Mostly due to fact that most ever fragrance book attempts to cover at least some of the FAMOUS and POPULAR lines that everyone knows of.

So that be all this fragrance guy has to say about it.

[...]

This book is so FAB!

The one thing I wish is that it included MORE PERFUMES!!! My Sin, and Touch by Fred Haymen aren't in it how dissappointing!!! I have to get the old version of the book just to see more perfumes, and I'm sure they overlap with the perfumes already described in THIS book. Who cares about men's perfumes, use the space for MORE of ours'!!! I am glad and very satisfied with the content of the book - I say it satisfies my love of reading these yummy descriptions and reading about the author describing perfumes in general, and it's interesting to see what's in these perfumes. So not only that the book is fab'n fun but educational. It truly IS an art! With notes, single notes just like in a song! Cool!!!!

As a veteran beauty editor, I recommend this book to all new writers covering fragrances. I also keep a stash of copies for last-minute gifts and dinner party hostesses. Jan Moran is a well-known fragrance expert who writes with authority and passion. Elegantly written and deceptively simple, her book is modestly priced for anyone who spends $50 or $100, or more, on a bottle of fragrance.

To shed light on prior comments, the term "prestige" is a common term used in fragrance retailing. It has long been used to distinguish more expensive luxury fragrances from less expensive "mass market" fragrances.

Recently I traveled to Los Angeles to cover the opening of the Annette Green Perfume Museum at FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising) where I had the pleasure of finally meeting, and later interviewing, Jan Moran.

Her book is not biased toward Coty Prestige fragrances and she has never for worked Coty Prestige, although Coty Prestige is a company with a fine lineage. If you take the time to read the Amazon Product Review section (above), and you'll see that the book contains quite a few Chanel fragrances, including No. 5, No. 22, Allure, Gardenia, Coco, and others.

The Amazon Product Review information states: "Discover the scents of Chanel, Guerlain, Gucci, Armani, Lauder, Klein, Patou, Arden, Revlon, and others, such as the specialty houses of Creed, Jo Malone, Trish McEvoy, and Penhaligon's." And many, many more. Just look at the cover material. True, Fabulous Fragrances II is a revised edition (also stated in the Review), but be glad for it, because the first book is out of print, and then you'd miss all the classics this one still contains.

This book is beautiful, yet practical. If you want technical information, there are plenty of fine perfumery books for professionals, but they can also be quite expensive. Fabulous Fragrances II is a great read for most people who simply love the magic and passion of perfume, and want to learn more. The fragrance descriptions are engaging and evocative. In my opinion, this book is a real treasure.

I was disappointed in this book. I was hoping to learn something. I can find the notes of perfumes at fragrantica.com so I didn't need the book for that. Most of the book struck me as flowery words meaning nothing but meant to entice you to buy the perfume. The copy read like it could have come from the perfume manufacturers. Luca Turin's book at least was really fun to read!

I had the honor to work with Ms. Moran on her international online database through an internship at college. I was given a copy of this book as a crash course on fragrance writing and as a guide to the world of fragrances. The book is bright, beautiful and eye catching.

Yet, it is the substance inside that not only offers an education into the hidden world scents, but is a fantastic read as well.

Much time has passed since I had the opportunity to work with Jan but the impression is one that lingers like the beautiful dry down scent of your favorite perfume.

I know that if you love the world of scents that you will enjoy the beauty and the content of this book.

I agree with "reader from Brisbane, Qld Australia." Moran knows her craft. Much can be learned from this book. I was blown away by the author's knowledge. Her writing style IS a delight, not too technical. I loved reading about designer histories. If you love fragrances, there's a touch of romance here.