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Welcome to Sillage and Sorcery, a podcast that explores the enchanting world of perfume through the eyes of two witches who intertwine their craft with the art of perfumery.
In each episode, we center our discussion around a specific ingredient. Bee, the perfumer behind Venus Invictus, delves into the history, discovery, and chemistry of that ingredient. Meanwhile, Melissa, the creative nose behind Sif Sniffs , highlights a well-known perfume that incorporates it, discussing its significance and impact in popular culture. We also have mini-episodes where we interview indie perfumers!
Melissa (00:00)
you ready to get into it?
Bee (00:01)
Yeah
Hi everybody and welcome back to Sillage and Sorcery, a podcast about perfume, witchcraft, and all things in between. I'm one of your co-hosts, Bee Sampson from Venus Invictus, and I'm joined today with...
Melissa (00:15)
Melissa Sifjardóttir of Sif Sniffs.
Bee (00:17)
And today we are diving into a classic. Everyone loves it. Some people hate it, but most people love it.
Melissa (00:26)
Whoever hates it has horrible taste Okay.
Bee (00:28)
I agree. It's
the basic bitch of the scent industry. And it is one of my favorites to work with. Vanilla! Woo!
Melissa (00:37)
Woo!
Bee (00:37)
Vanilla's story begins not in a perfume bottle, but in the steamy rainforest of Mesoamerica. It's native to regions of modern-day Mexico and parts of Central America. The vine, Vanilla planifolia- did you know that vanilla comes from a vine?
Melissa (00:53)
I thought it came from Madagascar. So I'm still stuck on the fact that you're saying it's from Mesoamerica.
Bee (01:00)
Yeah,
it is now grown in Madagascar, but originally it's native to Mexico. vanilla planifolia is a species of orchid, and it produces the only edible fruit of the entire orchid family.
Melissa (01:14)
it's one of those like, you're go big or go home situations.
Bee (01:17)
Yeah.
Before doing my research, I had no clue that vanilla was related to orchids at all.
Melissa (01:22)
I feel like I'd heard that in passing, but it didn't fully absorb into the brain space.
Bee (01:25)
register.
Long before it reached Europe, vanilla was secret to the indigenous peoples of Mexico. The Totonac people, who lived on the eastern coast of Mexico, were the first known cultivators of vanilla. They believed the vanilla orchid was a gift from the gods, born when a mortal princess and the goddess of fertility were tragically united as a vine.
bringing pleasure and happiness to the world. They used vanilla to fragrance their temples and as a key ingredient in sacred drinks. This reverence was adopted by the Aztecs who conquered the Totonacs in the 15th century. The Aztecs used vanilla, which they called, I'm gonna butcher this of course, tlilxochitl which translates to black pod.
Melissa (02:08)
Sounds right.
Bee (02:11)
And they used it to flavor their royal drink, which was a chocolatey like beverage. When Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés arrived in the 1520s, he was introduced to this drink and eventually brought both chocolate and vanilla back to Europe.
So, going from a brief history of vanilla, I want to talk about its rise in perfumery. For centuries in Europe, vanilla was primarily a flavoring for chocolate and desserts. Its debut in modern perfumery was nothing short of revolutionary. It happened in 1889 with the creation of Jicky by Guerlain.
Melissa (02:50)
I still wanna bottle of that.
Bee (02:51)
I do too! And what made Jicky so radical was Guerlain's use of the then novel ingredient synthetic vanillin. This was a game changer for two reasons. The cost and availability. Natural vanilla was and remains incredibly expensive and labor intensive to produce. Synthetic vanillin made the scent accessible to a lot of perfumers. It also allowed creative freedom because it wasn't just a substitute, it was a new tool.
Jicky Guerlain used it to add a warm, animalic, and woody base to bring the bright top notes of lavender and bergamot, creating a complex, groundbreaking fragrance that is considered the first modern perfume. This innovation paved the way for vanilla to become the cornerstone of amber and gourmand fragrance families, leading to iconic scents like
Mugler's Angel, which we talked about in a former episode, and Yves Saint Laurent's Black Opium. So, why does vanilla smell the way that it does? Well, the answer lies in one key molecule found in vanilla, which is vanillin
Vanillin is an organic compound with a sweet balsamic and creamy aroma. It's the primary aromatic component in cured vanilla beans making up about 2 % of the pod's dry weight and as much as 80 % of its total aromatic compounds. However, the scent of natural vanilla is not that of pure vanillin. It's far more complex. Natural vanilla contains hundreds of other compounds and trace amounts such as vanillic acid, 4
- hydroxybenzoylaldehyde, Guaiacol which adds a smoky note, and aceto-vanillone, all of which contribute to its rich, nuanced profile. But this is why a single dot of synthetic vanillin can smell sharp and one-dimensional compared to deep and creamy and complex aroma of a high-quality vanilla extract. So, just like wine,
Vanilla scent changes based on how it's cultivated. The soil, the clor- or vetiver, exactly. So, it's soil, the climate, the curing methods, and the region really give way to different types of vanilla. And you can choose as a perfumer from different types. There's bourbon vanilla, which is mainly produced in Madagascar. In Reunion,
Melissa (04:51)
or vetiver now that we learned that.
Bee (05:12)
The creamy, sweet, rich, classic vanilla profile, which is the gold standard, used for a true sweet and comforting vanilla base. There's Mexican vanilla, which is deeper, has spicier notes reminiscent of clove or nutmeg. It adds warmth and a subtle woody spice to fragrance. And then of course there's Tahitian vanilla and French Polynesian vanilla.
which adds fruity floral notes of cherry, almond, and tropical flowers used for more like floral fruity compositions and it's a little less sugary But in modern perfumery, you'll rarely find a fragrance using only one type. Instead, vanilla is often used as a base note and a fixative, meaning it helps to slow the evaporation of other more volatile notes like citruses, giving the fragrance greater longevity and depth.
it's brilliantly versatile, pairing beautifully with woods like sandalwood or cedarwood to add like a rich, creamy, sophisticated dry-down, citrus notes to soften the sharpness and add balance, and musk, of course, to create a warm, sensual skin-like aroma. And then before I wrap up on vanilla, I want to give a few fun facts and quick things about vanilla.
The plain name for vanilla comes from the Spanish word vainillia which means little pod.
Melissa (06:39)
So they're just using the anatomy of the vine and what it looks like.
Bee (06:39)
Aami
Yes. ⁓
Vanilla is considered liquid gold. Vanilla is the second most expensive spice in the world after saffron, and this is due to its incredibly labor-intensive process. And then my favorite fact about vanilla, for over 300 years, Mexico had a monopoly on vanilla because its natural pollinator, the Melipona bee, lived only there.
And for decades, European attempts to grow vanilla failed because the flowers couldn't be pollinated outside of Mexico. However, the global vanilla industry was born in 1841 when Edmund Albius, a 12-year-old enslaved boy on the island of Reunion, discovered a simple and efficient method for hand-pollinating vanilla orchid by hand. And this method is still used worldwide today.
Melissa (07:35)
Did he make any money from it?
Bee (07:37)
Nope. Yeah, he died in poverty. However, his slave owner did acknowledge that he was in fact the child who discovered this. But that doesn't mean shit.
Melissa (07:47)
Uhhh...Colonizers doing the colonizing.
Bee (07:51)
I just, that is my favorite fact though, I can't believe a child was like, please, you just do it like this. And then like, okay, revolutionized the vanilla, like became a global world, like spice trade. That's crazy.
Melissa (08:04)
What's your favorite fragrance that you make with vanilla in it?
Bee (08:08)
Probably Sylvanus. It is a cedar sandalwood vanilla scent. And the top notes are like bergamot, green mandarin. It's, to me, it smells like your classic boyfriend smell. Like when I'm at markets, I tell people, this is the type of perfume or cologne, if you will, that your boyfriend wears and you were obsessed with it. So you steal it from him and wear it yourself.
Melissa (08:32)
there's a whole fragrance brand Kate Walsh made her whole brand called Boyfriend Perfume. And Boyfriend is designed as your man wears this, but you stole it from him and now you wear it.
Bee (08:38)
Love that.
Exactly. It's one of those. Also like Boy Smell is another one, another company that has done this. Yeah. What about you? What's your favorite vanilla perfume that you make?
Melissa (08:53)
Heiðarblót has a ton of vanilla. It has a ton of honey. That's, I think the most of it is. It's mostly honey. But I wanted something that was kind of a very standard gourmand. And honey, tobacco, and vanilla just kind of all went together. It also went with like the spiritual inspiration behind Heiðarblót, which was a goddess who got set on fire a fuck ton of times.
Bee (08:58)
You know, never mind.
my gosh.
when I was doing some research, I didn't look too much into it, but I did see that there was like,
think they're called the Madagascar Vanilla Wars in which some rebel groups were kind of like... Once Madagascar started growing vanilla, there was a whole issue around people trying to exploit the farmers and bully them into sharing the profits of their crops and stuff. there is some blood on the vanilla story, if you will.
Melissa (09:45)
there is a brand that specifically advertises and says, hey, we're doing this with natural vanilla, because we're this natural clean beauty, which we know is all having a moment right now. ⁓ And there's a lot of times when they say like, we're waiting for the crop to grow before we can release the scent, you sold it out before, so now we're waiting again.
Bee (09:58)
Yeah.
Melissa (10:08)
And I always kind of, in the back of my head, I'm like, if there's a decent, used for over a century, synthetic alternative.
Bee (10:17)
That's naturally derivative of true vanilla. Why wouldn't you just do that?
Melissa (10:20)
Do we really need
And is that really great is there fair trade? Is there equity? What's going on as well, especially when you talk about things like vanilla wars, that, I have questions.
Bee (10:26)
no.
Yeah.
Melissa (10:32)
So yeah, something to think of.
Bee (10:33)
It's interesting.
Something to think of.
Melissa (10:36)
Alright, so I was listening to Cardi B's Bodak Yellow today as I was writing the notes for this episode. Why do you think that I might be listening to Cardi B while I am writing the notes for the episode?
Bee (10:40)
Yes!
I love Cardi B.
Are we talking about a Cardi B perfume?
Melissa (10:54)
do you know some of the lyrics, maybe like the beginning of Bodak Yellow?
Bee (10:58)
I'm having a brain fart and all I'm thinking of is W.A.P.
Melissa (11:01)
Okay. All right. That's totally, totally fair. What about these red bottoms?
Bee (11:04)
Ugh.
Louboutin
Melissa (11:09)
Today we're talking about Christian Louboutin.
Bee (11:11)
fine.
Melissa (11:12)
So, Christian Louboutin was born January 7th, 1964, making him a Capricorn. I love when we have Capricorn business owners because I am a Capricorn rising and I feel like prominent Capricorn placements running this bitch.
Bee (11:26)
Yeah,
Capricorn's a good sign for business.
Melissa (11:30)
Yes, it absolutely is. He was born in Paris, where he's the only son of four children. His father was a cabinet maker and his mom was a homemaker. It appears from both the interviews that Christian has given throughout the course of his life, one of the few people who've done that is still living. So we love and respect that. And just some facts about his upbringing, that school was really challenging for him.
Bee (11:46)
Wow.
Melissa (11:52)
he gets expelled from school three times and decides to run away at the age of 12.
Bee (11:57)
At 12 you're like, fuck this shit, I'm out. That's crazy.
Melissa (12:01)
Fuck this
shit. And it's the mid 70s at this point.
Bee (12:04)
Wow, my god. Crap. Kind of dangerous for a child. Yeah, that's nuts.
Melissa (12:06)
There's a bunch of stuff going on.
Yeah,
there is one report that his mom said that he could run away if he stayed with a friend. So I'm like, that's not really running away, but okay.
Bee (12:19)
No.
Hmm.
Melissa (12:21)
Some of this may be due to his skin tone. In a 2012 interview, Christian stated that he was much darker skinned than everyone else in his family. So he often felt that he was not French or not a part of his family.
The company has a video with Christian Louboutin who said that because he was darker skin than the rest of his family, he thought he had to have been adopted. And this is where his obsession with Egypt begins. There's like a whole like antiquity storyline throughout a lot of his designs and it starts because he thinks that he cannot be French and that his family is not his family.
Bee (12:37)
you
Wow.
Melissa (12:56)
He spent his youth at the Palais de la Porte Dorée There we go. That was halfway decent French. A fun fact being that this museum was created to showcase France's colonial expansion throughout the world.
Bee (13:03)
That's a mouthful.
Melissa (13:12)
So he was surrounded by French colonial merchandise. According to Christian, there was a strict dress code and stilettos were not allowed.
Bee (13:13)
Okay.
Melissa (13:20)
this marks the beginning of Christian's fascination with high heels.
In his teens, he became an apprentice at the Folies Bergère There we go, for French skills. it's a famous cabaret in Paris. So it's renowned for inspiring several artists throughout the years, including Édouard Manet There's a very famous painting from Édouard Manet of a bartender making drinks. This is like a late 1800s.
Bee (13:29)
A sheetmaker.
Yes.
I know exactly which one you're talking about.
Melissa (13:47)
Picture.
And that is at the Folies Bergère
Bee (13:52)
Wow, okay.
Melissa (13:54)
Josephine Baker, an American entertainer, also performed there. According to press from the company, Christian became entranced by the way
dancers could remain steady while balancing large headdresses and tight-fitting ensembles. See, I went back to French. It's ensembles in English. Ensemble.
Bee (14:11)
Ensemble!
Melissa (14:13)
He was also known to frequent the Paris party scene at this time.
Bee (14:16)
Wow, okay.
Melissa (14:18)
and was friends with Mick Jagger among others.
He traveled to India and Egypt, what he believed was his ancestral homeland. He would often keep notebooks of his art that he would draw throughout his life. And if you go to the Louboutin website, you can see some of these drawings. And he frequently focused on a high stiletto heel. When he returned back from his travels in 1981, he began working for couture houses. He initially worked for Charles
Jourdan.
He also interacted with Roger Vivier, who was the creator of the stiletto. So because he's been obsessed with stilettos, he's like, I'm gonna work for this guy and starts training under Roger Vivier.
Bee (14:51)
Wow.
That's freaking cool!
gonna go meet my idol.
Whoa.
Melissa (15:01)
He also continues to do freelance work, focusing solely on women's footwear. He's made shoes for several designers, including Yves Saint Laurent and Chanel.
One report, this is where like the guy is still alive. So I feel like someone should have asked him this question. One report said that he took a detour into the world of publishing and worked for Vogue for a little bit. And then another source, including like this video that is on the Louboutin website, said that he worked as a landscape architect.
But either way, he did one of these two jobs before he made his own store and launched his own brand. I was just like, these are two completely different life paths. And then like, did we do both? Did we do like whatever? But like one was like, yeah, he worked for Vogue. And then the company themselves are just like, hey,
Bee (15:29)
What?
Okay
completely different fields. Yeah.
Melissa (15:52)
was the landscape architect. So it's like...
Bee (15:54)
Let me get him on the
phone. I'm just kidding.
Melissa (15:56)
No one's asking? Okay, cool. The video from Louboutin the company said that it was as a landscape designer that he developed a love for color. And I was like, the 80s didn't have color in fashion? Is this, this is like a new phenomenon? Okay, cool.
Bee (16:05)
⁓
What?
Come on
now, come on now.
Melissa (16:13)
Because he's so established in the fashion world, he can secure private funding because he does not have enough money to open up his own company. I tried to find out exactly who funded him, but alas, by the time that we came to recording, that did not exist. In 1991, he opens his own boutique. One of his first customers is Princess Caroline of Monaco.
Bee (16:29)
Mm-hmm.
Okay
Melissa (16:39)
As she is shopping
at the store, she is also with a fashion reporter and she remarks about how nice the store is. And that kind of is what launches Christian Louboutin as his own brand into more world's renown. In an attempt to bring brand awareness without being as overt as other brands like Louis Vuitton, he creates his iconic Red Soles for which he is primarily known.
Bee (17:03)
Mm-hmm.
Melissa (17:06)
According to company legend, Christian was seeking a way to make his brand
distinct without being gaudy. And he observed his secretary painting her nails. And he was struck with inspiration. Babam, Red soles
Bee (17:13)
to the disrupted Secretary of State.
I love
that.
Melissa (17:23)
He also owns the copyright on red soles to which case his company is very litigious. There were a number of cases where he had sued for copyright infringement for anybody who tries making red soled shoes
Bee (17:36)
Well, you can find a lot of knockoffs out there.
Melissa (17:39)
Yeah, and I mean, if they find out, they're gonna get sued, because there were so many. There were like at least a dozen lawsuits of just, hey, you have red soles. we're suing you, that's ours.
Bee (17:50)
Wild.
Melissa (17:51)
In case you're wondering, the red is Pantone 18-1663TPX.
The color itself is not copyrighted, just the fact of that color on the bottom of shoes.
Bee (17:54)
Good to know.
on
Melissa (18:00)
In his first year in business, the brand sold 200 pairs of shoes. However, at the time, the shoes were made from a variety of exotic materials, including reptile skin. Not all of them had reptile skin, but like the outside, a fair amount of them had reptile skin. Most of the shoes cost around $800 per pair. So, a bitch pulled out the calculator. That's $160,000 for his first year.
Bee (18:15)
Hmm.
Melissa (18:25)
So if you are running a business, that's some great numbers and something that we can attain, or that is at least more attainable than some of the other companies that we have fucking covered.
Bee (18:36)
Yeah! Holy shit!
Melissa (18:38)
I'm just like, 160K. That's doable. I mean, not horrible, but like, like not, I mean, I'm not gonna do that this year, but.
Bee (18:41)
Nothing to do, wow.
Right. Geez. Okay. Make your money.
Melissa (18:50)
You know
Currently, a pair of Louboutins will cost anywhere from 500 to $6,000 if you want them jewel encrusted.
Bee (18:58)
my God.
so much fucking money just for a pair of shoes I can't my brain my brain
Melissa (19:04)
⁓
we're gonna get into some real fun consumerism. I will let you know. Very quickly, he becomes the shoe brand of the rich and famous. It's been worn by anywhere from Nicki Minaj to Blake Lively, Sarah Jessica Parker, who I'm pretty sure is the reason why Manolo Blahnik, like, rose to fame, wore
Bee (19:24)
Yeah.
Melissa (19:24)
Louboutin's at our wedding.
So like, what the fuck? You're like the Manolo Spokesperson, but when it comes to serious events, we're bringing out the Louboutins
In 2003, he launched his handbags. This is his first extension out of the shoe game. And he's very slow, especially in the beginning, to put his name on anything. And I actually love and respect his original reasoning for this. So his brand is Christian Louboutin, which is literally his name, right?
Bee (19:53)
Mm-hmm.
Melissa (19:57)
And there's other brand founders like Kate Spade, May She Rest In Peace, Bobbi Brown, who've all sold companies with their name on it.
Bee (20:06)
Right.
Melissa (20:07)
And he is not about that life. He doesn't want his name to be part of something that he did not create. He doesn't want to sell his name. He wants to sell the product. So, we're gonna get into why he sells out. But in 2008, according to the company, although different interviews once again suggest something different, and I feel like this is recent enough that we shouldn't have conflicting reports.
Bee (20:25)
If you're ready.
Melissa (20:30)
He's approached by the singer Mika who did Grace Kelly if you remember that from the 2000s. I wanna be like Grace Kelly. Okay, that's going in the outside credits cuz
Bee (20:36)
Yeah!
Melissa (20:42)
I am embarrassed. We should know Mika. As a fat chick he also did Big Girl, You Were Beautiful, so love you Mika. Thank you for that. I needed that in high school Christian realized that there was a market for footwear among men, so started to design a men's line after designing Mika's shoes for his tour.
Bee (20:42)
I know, I know Mika, yes.
Melissa (21:00)
The other story, so that is like what the company has. In other sources, okay, probably from an interview with Christian Louboutin himself, he was hired to create a custom pair of shoes for a woman who wore size 13 and a half in women's, which converts to about a 12 and a half for guys. So it's not huge, but it's not super small. But you didn't end up wearing them.
Bee (21:04)
Okay, it's putting out, yeah.
Melissa (21:23)
Instead, she gave them to her husband. It was then that Christian saw that gender was a societal construct and decided to sell shoes directly to men.
Bee (21:31)
Wow.
Melissa (21:32)
So who knows which one's the real story. I also feel like the Mika one is great, but the other one talking about like gender fluidity and how shoes are kind of for everybody is so much better.
Bee (21:34)
Who knows? We'll never know.
I do love that one, but I feel like the Mika one might be the truth. Who knows?
Melissa (21:52)
Yeah, who knows. In 2011, he created a whole store exclusively for men's footwear. So that's when he starts getting into it. In 2012, he connects to Batallure Beauty LLC to launch a cosmetics line. And so we've known on this podcast that I have ADHD. I'm not diagnosed, but you know, I could, I know, okay? I know the signs. I used to,
Bee (21:57)
No way. ⁓
Yeah.
Melissa (22:15)
clinically diagnose people, I am aware that it is a thing that I probably suffer with. So this is the kind of shit that like makes me go into ADHD hyper fixation mode. So of course I fucking looked up Batallure Beauty and I was like, I need to see every single brand, every single like thing in this whole umbrella.
Bee (22:35)
Yes! Who else do
they make for?
Melissa (22:38)
Orabella is one of their, like, companies that's underneath them, which is Bella Hadid's perfume company, which, Orabella, almonds is the fourth most popular allergy. I get that you're, trying to make your shit moisturizing. I get it. But why do you have sweet almond oil? it's gonna kill me, okay?
Bee (22:45)
Yeah.
Melissa (22:58)
I am a millennial with a nut allergy. Love Shack Fancy, also underneath them. Kendra Scott, underneath them. Elizabeth and James Nirvana, which I used to wear the shit out of in like 2014. Lauren Conrad Beauty. And this was my personal favorite. Are you ready for the drum roll?
Bee (22:58)
Okay. Not
No, no,
Melissa (23:16)
Hollister's fragrance line
Your favorite!
Bee (23:18)
That's crazy.
That's wild.
Melissa (23:20)
When I found that one out, I'm like, I'm definitely putting that one in, because I know that you love Hollister. Or like, you used to love Hollister, I think now you love your own shit.
Bee (23:26)
Yes. I used to,
yeah, I used to fuck with the original Jake from Hollister. It was so good. If I could only get my hands on a bottle of it. There's no fucking way in hell I'm paying $250 for a bottle of old expired perfume.
Melissa (23:42)
Yeah, so Batallure beauty you gotta hit them up be like, hey, hey, can I get this?
Additionally, the slight difference that I suppose is the reason why he was able to sell out and not feel shitty about it is that all of these are Christian Louboutin Beauté complete with like the E with the accent. It's not beauty, it's Beauté rather than just Christian Louboutin.
Bee (24:00)
down beauty beauty
Melissa (24:07)
It's so dumb to me. In July of 2014, they announced a collection of red lacquer for nails, of course with the signature red shade. And they did it to recall the original inspiration for the red soul with the red nail polish. So we're harking it back. At least that like makes sense, right? Like we're working with the brand.
Bee (24:15)
Of course.
Yeah. I love that. That is a...
Exactly. That's a brand move that makes a lot of sense.
Melissa (24:35)
But right after, in 2015, they moved to a lipstick collection. I should note at this time that both the lipstick and the nail polish have the long pointed end. For those of you who are listening to audio, you're not seeing me make a almost rude inappropriate gesture, much like a stiletto heel. And then in 2016, the brand entered into the fragrance market with three fragrances.
Tornade Blonde, Trouble in Heaven, and Bikini Questa Sera
Bee (25:02)
Mmm.
Melissa (25:05)
One thing I will note about all three of these fragrances, much like our fragrance of the week, is that they're all very limited in their description. I don't know if this is part of the Louboutin aesthetic, because Louboutin originally just did the red soles to be their signature instead of having gaudy things like Louboutin and have the logo everywhere. So if they're trying to downplay the same thing in scent, but...
Bee (25:13)
Hello.
Melissa (25:30)
All three of these fragrances only have two notes. Each, like it's six different notes, but each one has only two notes. Bikini Questa Sera is Jasmine and tuberose. Tornade Blonde is rose and cassis And Trouble in Heaven is patchouli and amber.
Bee (25:46)
Huh.
Melissa (25:47)
That's it
Bee (25:47)
Hmm.
Melissa (25:48)
It also sounds like those be fairly easy to dupe. And I feel like because there's so many things that dupe out there, especially with Louboutin, like I feel like I would make it a little bit more complicated. But yeah, there's two notes for both of them, for all three of them.
Bee (25:58)
you.
That's gotta be just
a- that has to be a marketing thing, there's no way that they're like-
two note perfume. That's crazy. A two note perfume does not make a good perfume.
Melissa (26:13)
Well, they're still doing it because in 2023, making it, I believe the most recent perfume we have covered, because Beaver came out later, it's just got reformulated and had different versions, they launched Loubihorse which is the fragrance of the week.
Bee (26:24)
Yeah.
What's it called?
Melissa (26:29)
Loubihorse
Bee (26:31)
Loubihorse?
Melissa (26:32)
So for the nail polish release, Louboutin collabed with Saks Fifth Avenue and had Loubiville which is like the town of Louboutin stuff, I guess. So through the fragrances, as well as other products that they keep releasing, they are now creating the Loubiworld
Bee (26:45)
A fantasy Louboutin town?
Melissa (26:54)
So now all of the fragrances are Loubi something. So the fragrance for this week is Loubihorse but there's also Loubiluna Loubicrown There's so many Loubies
Bee (26:58)
Okay.
Okay, sure.
Melissa (27:08)
So yeah, we have the Loubiworld or the LCU, the Loubiville comic universe.
Bee (27:14)
Cinematic
Universe? Stop it. I can't. No.
Melissa (27:19)
It's like these dumb marketing things where I'm like, know these are working because you continue to fucking put these shits out. But come on you guys.
Bee (27:26)
I'm exhausted.
Melissa (27:27)
The Loubi
World? With Loubiluna and Loubihorse Loubihorse is the dumbest name.
Bee (27:35)
It's the dumbest name.
Melissa (27:36)
Anyway, Loubihorse is described as bergamot, neroli, and vanilla. That's it.
Bee (27:41)
we get three ingredients this time. Watch out.
Melissa (27:43)
We get three ingredients, but...
Once again, easily dupeable
A 50 milliliter EDP will run you $205. But if you would like the fancy designer cap with the seahorse on it, the 90 ml will run you $330.
That is ridiculous.
Bee (28:01)
Damn.
Melissa (28:02)
So, I've got a really great review for you as I try to have.
Bee (28:03)
Stop.
Okay.
Let's go.
The best thing about this is the bottle. This smells like two expensive air fresheners clashing while a fake one wick, two ounce citrus candle picked up at the gas station is in the background.
So it just smells like toxic, chemical-y smell.
Melissa (28:28)
According to this review
Bee (28:30)
according to this review, allegedly.
Melissa (28:32)
allegedly. Here is another review.
Bee (28:35)
The first 20 minutes of Loubihorse are very animalic on my skin, reminiscent of the animalic opening of PMC Vanille de Tahiti. But once she dries down, she becomes quite lovely. She reminds me of Creed Sublime Vanille, but packs a bigger perfumey punch, a classy and elegant scent that provides a beautiful blend of citrus and vanilla.
Definitely a fragrance you can wear to a formal event on a lovely spring day. I think you can also wear this during autumn, and I can't wait to explore her more. Okay. Alright.
Melissa (29:09)
that one was one of the better ones. Almost everybody was like, how the hell is this $330? Oh my God. Oh my God. Why is this so expensive?
Bee (29:11)
You
Melissa (29:18)
The nose behind the scent is Christophe Reynaud
Bee (29:21)
Yeah!
he worked on a few Mugler perfumes. that's why I know of him.
Melissa (29:24)
Yeah.
What makes him kind of interesting, he worked for Givaudan He was educated at ISIPCA which is pretty famous for pumping out perfumers. He has always wanted to be a perfumer. He's kind of boring in the perfumer world. We've got no salacious anything. It's just, hey, I grew up, I was a kid, I wanted to become a perfumer. I became a perfumer because I'm French and I can. His most popular
Bee (29:36)
huh.
Melissa (29:50)
Fragrance is Paco Rabanne’s 1 million. But his biggest thing is doing spin-offs of already existing icons.
Bee (29:57)
like what?
Melissa (29:58)
So he does like Carolina Herrera's Good Girl Blush. but not the original Good Girl. He does Cool Water Intense for her, but not Cool Water for her. He is so many of those where it's just like, it's a slight tweak of a already iconic fragrance.
Bee (30:05)
Canada.
feeling of the whole exercise.
Yeah, that makes sense.
Melissa (30:20)
Before I close this out, because we're getting towards the end, Christian Louboutin is still living, still creating, still thriving. He's trying to get into a bunch of different areas now that he's got money. them is real estate. Still suing Yes.
Bee (30:29)
Still suing? Sorry. I had to.
Melissa (30:35)
Trying to get into real estate. That's like a whole thing. He owns a castle. He owns a bunch of houses in a bunch of different countries. Yeah. The things that he's doing with his money, which could be worse.
Bee (30:41)
What?
Okay.
Well,
I can't blame him, I'd probably buy a castle too.
Melissa (30:50)
Yep, he's also been living with his partner since 1999. He doesn't speak out about gay rights or anything like that, but they've been together since 1999 and doesn't really make any of his personal life public.
Bee (30:55)
I love that.
Okay.
Melissa (31:08)
The company generates approximately $300 million in annual revenue with 95 % of it coming from the shoe sales. And some pop culture references, because we can't have an episode about Louboutin without mentioning all of the Louboutin references. Carrie Bradshaw.
of Sex and the City has several Louboutins, but it makes sense because Sarah Jessica Parker loves Louboutin. Jennifer Lopez has a single called Louboutin. Bodak Yellow says these expensive, is red bottoms, these is bloody shoes, which is a reference to Iggy Azalea says walk a mile in these Louboutins and her song Work.
Bee (31:31)
Yeah.
Yes. To lupiton.
god, I just love the internet. I can't hear that without thinking of all of the TikTok memes with that audio. And it's always like a child wearing like sippy cups on their toes.
Melissa (31:50)
I'm
We are like...
Blake Lively reportedly owns over 40 pairs of Louboutins and they decided to name a style of the shoe after her. It's called the Blake Surprise Surprise. Taylor Swift also has custom Louboutins that she wore on her Eras tour.
Danielle Steel
is reported to own over 6,000 pairs of Louboutins and has purchased up to 80 pairs at a time when shopping at his stores.
Bee (32:27)
How do you have that much money for Louboutin?
Melissa (32:28)
How do you have
she is his single biggest client author of like shitty suspense novels.
Bee (32:34)
I'm not gonna lie, I thought that Danielle Steel...
was one of the like pseudonyms. Do you know how book companies have one writer's name that's like completely made up and this person doesn't exist and they're cranking out AI books.
Melissa (32:47)
Nancy Drew was like that. Carolyn Keane is the name of the author of all Nancy Drew books. But they've all been written by like a ton of different people because Nancy Drew has been out for like almost a century now.
Bee (32:55)
different people.
Melissa (32:59)
what do you think about Louboutin?
Bee (33:00)
I think he's an interesting individual.
Melissa (33:02)
In what way?
Bee (33:03)
Well, I like his upbringing stories. I like the fact that, you know, the red bottoms were developed by a stroke of genius of him being like, wait a minute, aha, creative, like super cool moment. Pretty iconic. Yeah, I think, I mean, this is my opinion and I think that the...
whole, lubey horse, lubey world marketing is just... it's not for me. It's not for me. It feels kind of childish and like... it's bizarre. To be honest, it's a little bizarre.
Melissa (33:31)
I think this is 330 and-
Yeah. You lose me at the $330 a bottle.
Bee (33:41)
Yeah, yeah, that's...
Melissa (33:42)
It's for three notes, like I could understand if it was like complex or really innovative or something like that. I would be like, fuck yeah. I'm into it, but it's three notes.
Bee (33:48)
Yeah, no for sure.
Melissa (33:52)
I could probably make it, you could probably make it.
Bee (33:55)
You know I am, I do want to kind of smell some of these perfumes to see if I can place any other notes that are not being listed that are actually in the fragrances.
Melissa (34:06)
Some of the reviews for Loubihorse specifically said that there was pink pepper. But I also think like bergamot can come off a little pink peppery depending on the type of bergamot that you use.
Bee (34:10)
Mm-mm.
Melissa (34:17)
so fun episode.
Bee (34:17)
That was a fun episode.
Melissa (34:19)
Sillage and Sorcery was produced by Melissa Sifjardóttir and Bee Sampson. It was written by and researched by Bee Sampson and Melissa Sifjardóttir Our logo was designed by Bee Sampson and it was edited. I'm getting better guys. You know, the bar was on the floor and it's slightly rising. By Melissa Sifjardóttir. You can find alternative links to find us.
our brand's super sweet merch on our website at www.sillageandsorcery.com. Also plug for me, I've been doing a lot of media appearances, I've been on some other podcasts.
Also like, share, subscribe, tell your friends, give us a rating, give us a review on wherever you are listening to us. I really appreciate it. I know Bee really appreciates it.
We woke up this morning to 100 subscribers on YouTube, so we're so stoked about that. Thank you guys who've been here from the beginning, and thank you guys for continuing to support us on this journey. It's been a lot of fun diving into these companies and learning about these ingredients and kind of discussing it with you guys.
we'll see you in the next one. Love you, bye.
Melissa (35:35)
I randomly got a bag off of one of those designer... I don't want to say knockoff, but the ones that surplus, when they have a ton of surplus, so they're selling it for dirt cheap. I got a Charles Jourdan bag back in the day, and I used to be like, I think it was like $1,200 originally, and I got it for $200, so that's my only familiarity with Charles Jourdan.
Bee (35:47)
I don't know.
Work.
Melissa (35:59)
I was like, had one of his bags. And when I moved to New York, I had to put my cauldron in it. So forever. It had like just remnants of ash in the bottom. I was like, I love this.
Bee (36:13)
That's your witchy bag, I love it.
Melissa (36:14)
the designer compared like with the cauldron because it was the only bag that was sturdy enough to hold like a cast iron cauldron there we go yes only the best for this witch are you kidding me
Bee (36:21)
I love that. Keep your cauldron in your purse.