Chanel has just announced that Brad will be their latest new face  – no shocker that a male A-lister has been chosen to front a fragrance campaign you may think, but this is Chanel No.5!  It is probably the world’s best known perfume and at its original launch, Coco Chanel described it as ‘a woman’s perfume, with the scent of a woman.’  Marilyn Monroe boosted its sales after provocatively answering an impertinent reporter that the only thing she wore to bed was indeed Chanel No.5

We know that ladies love their perfume and fragranced toiletries, but todays modern man has been catching up in leaps and bounds. Just take note of the groaning supermarket shelves the next time you nip in to do the weekly shop…you’ll find many a man loitering with intent, eyeing up the plethora of products on offer.

So, have Chanel read the marketplace correctly? Are we ready to have a male selling us a female scent….to be honest, i’m not sure i’m with them on this….maybe the bandwaggon heading toward a Jolie/Pitt wedding might have tipped the balance for them. Its a bold, if somewhat strange path to tread, and it will be interesting to see what happens.

Chanel No.5 is a plush elegant juice including extremely feminine accords of jasmine, rose and ylang, and has stood the test of time since it was first introduced in 1921, but with well over 1000 fragrances being launched every single year, maybe this is needed to lifts its head above its rivals.

Whatever happens, we’ll soon find out, as its been reported that Brad and his family have already encamped in Richmond as shooting the ad campaign begins this week. Part of the 7 figure deal has, apparently, been 4 tickets to see the Stone Roses in Heaton Park, much to Helens delight as she has tickets for the same day!….Just make sure you are wearing Chanel No.5 Helen and you’ll soon be in the VIP area

I’d be delighted to hear any thoughts you may have on this…….

Quick flight to Surabaya, only 40 mins but I gain an hour on UK time, so am now only 6 hours behind. So thats a whole day knocked off the jetlag recovery time when I get home – apparently it takes a full day for every hour of time difference to get your body clock back to normal.

Then its find a taxi, check it has seatbelts, get in, pay the fare and then as we set off we realise too late that the seatbelts are for show only and don’t actually work! So its a free white knuckle ride to the hotel, zipping from lane to lane, squeezing into impossibly tiny gaps with frequent braking participating in a couple of very close incidents along the way!

We arrive at the hotel at 9pm, so its a quick bite to eat in the hotel cafe and up to my room for 10pm. Oh good, free wifi – oh no – no signal at all!!!! Cant even get a strong enough mobile signal to ring home and check all is well….the joys of travelling.

Anyway its just a 1 night thing….I’m awake at 5.40am so I might as well get up as we are checking out at half 7…I feel like a proper business traveller!  No re-packing required….I only opened the suitcase lid!!

The mud flow is still going strong some 5 years after I last came to this area. It stems from an underground volcano that erupted in May 2006, and at its peak it was spewing mud out at a rate of 180,000 m³ of mud per day! The mud has a rotten egg aroma caused by the release of hydrogen sulphide, and as it continues to flow it is creating an unstable surrounding area as it begins to collapse in on itself. Geologists have predicted that Lusi as it is known in Indonesia, will probably flow for 25-30 years yet.

It has blocked one of the 2 main routes linking Surabaya and Malang (tonights destination), so the longer route will take almost 2 hours instead of an hour as it used to do (and in fact the journey was nearer 3 hours in the end!). The government keep building the retaining wall higher and higher to contain the liquid mudflow and the locals are very worried that the higher the wall, the weaker it gets and that at some point  the dam will burst free and swallow up more of the surrounding areas – villages and road links.

Our meetings in Surabaya included meeting up with an old friend and customer Mr Ah Lung….a lovely man and his wife who always lend us their driver and car when we are in town..he had recently visited the UK for the first time last month and so we spent an hour at lunch going through his photographs….many of them in my nearest city of Manchester, that I haven’t even visited myself!

Throughout Indonesia, there are many differing preferences for fragrances in general. Jasmine is always a safe bet, but some areas prefer it to be heavy and some prefer it to be a background note instead. Sweet candy like fragrances always go down well here  and light florals such as rose too. Grapefruit and sharp lime notes are deemed too sour, and cherry is too medicinal. Fresh, clean citrusy aromas tend to be found in most products.

As we make our way back to Jakarta for my last night in Indonesia, I am looking forward to a hot bath and a mojito before the long flight back to the UK. I hope you enjoyed my adventures here as much as I did

The Space Shuttle Atlantis landed back at Cape Canaveral on Thursday at 5.57am, heralding the end of NASA’s 30 year shuttle programme.

It has been NASA’s longest running space flight programme and in the words of Commander Christopher Ferguson ‘After serving the world for over 30 years, the space shuttle has earned its place in history. And it’s come to a final stop.”

Only 12 people have walked on the Moon – all of them American, and so it is only through these handful of astronauts that we can glean any real information as to the atmospheric conditions up there.  Apollo 17 astronaut, Gene Cernan gives us an insight to the mysterious smell of moondust. You might be wondering how he could smell the moons surface as they were fully covered in their lunar spacesuits, but the trouble with moondust is that it suffers from a terrible case of static cling (bit like my hair actually!). This I am informed is due to the solar winds constantly bombarding it with electrons. Therefore, after every moonwalk, although the astronauts did their best to remove the dust, it was trampled back inside the lander on their boots and also on their helmets and gloves.

Once the helmets and gloves were taken off, the astronauts could feel, taste and smell the moon. It apparently feels soft like snow but has an abrasive quality, and the smell is akin to burnt gunpowder. All the astronauts are in agreement with the smell, and are all very specific that it is like burnt gunpowder not the unfired variety. Curiously, back on Earth, moondust has no smell whatsoever. There are a few theories as to why this might be as follows…

The moon is akin to a 4 billion year old desert, incredibly dry. Once the moondust came into contact with the moist air inside the lunar module it began to give off odour in a similar way to the the smell that we get here as the first big splats of rain hit the pavement after a hot dry spell.

Another theory is that the the smell comes from the evaporation of gases caused by the solar winds once in contact with moist air.

There is yet another theory that oxygen when combined with the chemicals in the moondust could create oxidation which, although too slow for smoke or flames, could produce a burnt aroma.

So, if any of these theories apply then the samples brought back for study would already have been ‘pacified’, and any smelly chemical reactions therefore, would have ended long ago.

Nasa plans to send people back to the moon in 2018, and hopefully we will be able to discover more about the smell of the moon. In the meantime, whilst researching moon information I came across this recipe for your own home made moon oil….have fun

MAGIC MOON OIL

13 drops of sandalwood oil

9 drops of vanilla extract

3 drops of jasmine oil

1 drop of rose oil

Mix oils together prior to the next full moon and then place on a windowsill in a clear container overnight in the light of the moon. This captures the energy of the moon. Use to anoint yourself or in an oil burner when you feel that you need a burst of moon energy…and of course dont forget to let me know how you get on with all your newfound energy!

Its at this time of the year that most people start to either look forward to or yearn for a good holiday (Icelandic volcanos permitting of course!). I’m looking forward to a break next week, it’s my annual family jaunt down south – in this case it’s going to be Dorset. I haven’t been there before as we usually head towards Cornwall and occasionally Devon, so i’m really looking forward it. I just hope the predicted heatwave arrives in time otherwise we’ll be the ones sat on the beach in Poole, hoods up, eating fish n chips, shivering and teeth chattering but determined to have our chippy tea outdoors in true British spirit – ‘because it is our holidays!’

So we have been having a chat in the office about holidays, and holiday memories, and whether certain places can be remembered by a specific scent.

Both Anne-Marie and Linda have said their main olfactory memory for Tunisia and Spain is the beautifully fragranced Jasmine, and for Greece the main flower memory would be Geraniums. Name any one of the seaside resorts around the UK, and you’ll remember the smell of hot sugary doughnuts, battered fish and chips complete with salt and vinegar and the smell of the sea and the ozone as you walk along the promenade. The smell of freshly cut grass reminds Aimi of all her summer dog shows and camping trips.

Mr Chris cant smell a fragrance by the name of Seychelles without remembering his holidays in North Wales. Its a scent that reminds him of walks along by the sea with the smell of ozone in the air. For Miss Chris, its the smell of that first smattering of rain as the heavens open after a long dusty dry spell, that reminds her of her festival days – one in particular actually, Billy Idol at last years Download festival who took to the stage just as the heatwave broke.

Any beach in the world usually has a lingering aroma of coconut suncream that you just cant escape. Companies such as Thompson and First Choice have utilised this information, and as you walk into one of their stores to book your annual summer holiday you will be blasted with the scent of suntan lotion as you walk in the door. Apparently this puts you in the mood for a holiday before you’ve even picked out your brochure, and therefore gives them the edge when it comes to securing a deposit from you before you leave the store.

They aren’t the only big companies using scent to put you in a feel good holiday mood. Fred Olsen apparently rubs coconut oil into the backs of  their seats to promote caribbean cruise sales. The big hotel chains cottoned on to the fact that their customers associate holidays with certain scents years ago.  Chains such as the Shangri-La,  Le Meridien, The Dorchester and Mandarin Oriental to name but a few, have all decided to make an impression through scent. Of course a comfortable lobby, beds and high quality service are essential, but among the more subtle cues, fragrance plays a big part. Data has shown that the subtle use of fragrance creates memories and drives loyalty to the brand.

You can even take a bottle of the signature scent home with you to remind you of your week in the sun.

Due to the global recession still being in full flow, even the budget hotels such as Travelodge and Holiday Inn have started trialling scented bedlinen in an effort to relax their guests. Aromas such as freshly mown grass, to remind you of summer, or sweet apple pie to remind you of home.

So i’ll keep all my senses on heightened alert next week to see what scent memories I can bring back from the hopefully sunny Dorset coast – unhurried mornings, restful afternoons and leisurely evenings. Let me know if there are any fragrances that particularly remind you of your holidays…….

It seems that the world has been gripped by royal wedding fever. I’m not sure whether it is more to do with the fact that the majority of us have been granted an impromptu extra bank holiday though, but hey ho, I’ll take it with a gracious smile and I’ll definitely be watching at least some of the wedding on Friday.

Most of the available wedding information is being guessed at, as the whole event is shrouded in secrecy. Usually we at least know the name of the dress designer by now, but even that has been kept a closely guarded secret, with a rumour that in fact, 3 designers have been commissioned to create wedding dresses in case of any spillages  to the press!

The royal wedding bouquet will however continue one tradition, which dictates that a royal bouquet should contain a sprig of Myrtle from the bush grown from the original Myrtle in Queen Victoria’s wedding bouquet. The Myrtle symbolises a long and happy marriage.

 All royal bouquets contain fragranced blooms designed to evoke lasting memories of the occasion.

Kate (or Catherine as we will now have to get used to referring to her) will not be following the tradition of throwing her bouquet back into the crowd of waiting ladies, ready to find out who will be getting married next, but will send her bouquet back to Westminster Abbey to be placed on the black marble resting place of the unknown soldier as  royal brides have done in previous years.

There has also been a lot of speculation with regards to the fragrance that Kate will wear on her special day. The big money must be on Houbigant, founded in Paris in 1775, and who have a long historical royal link. (it is rumoured that Marie Antoinette was recognised and captured because the Houbigant perfume she wore was recognised as a royal fragrance – no-one else could afford to use it).

Diana, Princess of Wales wore Houbigant Quelque Fleurs on her wedding day, and it may be the choice for Kate, as Prince William has made it clear that he would like to think his mother will be there with them in spirit. It is a floral classic created with a plethora of jasmine, rose, tuberose, carnation and ylang, gently warmed by precious sandalwood, powdery orris and musks, all combining to give a fresh, warm powdery effect.

And finally, here are some facts and figures about the upcoming nuptuals…

At 29 Kate will become the oldest royal bride to walk down the aisle – most royal brides are in their teens when they marry.

If William becomes King, then Kate will be the 6th Queen Catherine of England – until then, she will be known as HRH Princess William of Wales, unless they are given a Dukedom……

Westminster Abbey is over 700 years old and holds 2,200 people. It has been the site of Coronations since William I’s in 1066. Many royal weddings have taken place here, including our current Queen Elizabeth II’s to Prince Philip in 1947.

After the formal ceremony a lucky 600 chosen guests will attend a wedding breakfast at Buckingham Palace including Champagne, canapes and speciality hors d’oeuvres. Desserts will include petit fours, mini eclairs and assorted mousse. A multi-tiered wedding cake will take centre stage, and will most likely be adorned with sugar flowers and perhaps William’s coat of arms.

As well as over 40 foreign royals, including the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, the emperor of Japan, and the kings of Malaysia, Tonga and Thailand, Prince William has invited some guests who have affected him personally in one way or another, including members of the homeless community and soldiers injured in Afghanistan and Iraq.

My last little nugget of information comes from one of our local Bolton businesses, Greenhalghs Craft Bakery, who after hearing that the happy couple were touring the North West, decided to create sugar crafted models of Wills and Kate in order for them to embark on a mini tour of the local Greenhalghs shops, ending up back in Bolton’s Deansgate store in time for the wedding on Friday.

So, whatever you have planned on Friday, whether you want to watch the wedding or just chill in the garden, I hope you all have a lovely long Bank Holiday weekend.