“We are delighted to partner with Elements Showcase for their January show as they continue to expand the arena for niche brands to express themselves,” said Christophe de Villeplee, VP of Fine Fragrance and Beauty Care Worldwide. “Through its longtime collaboration with outstanding innovators in fragrance, beauty, art, and fashion, IFF supports talent at the forefront of their industry, generating new fields of inspirations.”

Elements Showcase is the definitive marketplace for both established and emerging visionaries in the art of fragrance design. A streamlined yet provocative aesthetic makes Elements more an art fair than a tradeshow – allowing the designers and their work to shine.

The third installment on January 30 and 31, 2012, features a dynamic calendar of events including two educational forums (Six Scents and W Magazine) and the “Indie” FiFi Awards Reception (finalists found here). Experiences also include a Martial Vivot barbershop with Caron Paris, Lost Weekend NYC pop-up with exclusive, limited edition Blue Bottle for Elements blend, and more.

To attend Elements Showcase, please register and RSVP here.

The Fragrance Foundation is very pleased and excited to name the top five finalists who have made it through the judging for the 2012 FiFi “Indie” Award with the winner to be revealed on January 30th at the Elements Showcase FiFi Award Ceremony and Celebration. A distinguished panel of expert judges had the difficult task of choosing five outstanding fragrance brands based on criteria provided by the Foundation and the “Indie” Committee. The ballots were tabulated by the Foundation’s accounting firm Sperduto, Spector & Company.

“We were very pleased to receive so many entries and confirm thirty six official nominees. The competition was stiff and we applaud the judges for taking on the challenge of selecting the top five,” states Mary Ellen Lapsansky, Vice President of The Fragrance Foundation. “We are excited to present these finalists with mini-FiFi trophies and of course honor the winner with the official crystal FiFi Award.”

The five finalists are:

Carner Barcelona “Cuirs” – Min New York
Come L’Amore, Bois 1920 – Bois 1920 (Perfume Holding Corp.)
Miller Harris La Fumée – Miller Harris
Odin New York 06 Amanu – Foundry NYC
Siberian Snow by D.S. & Durga – D.S. & Durga

“Congratulations to these five finalists who distinguished themselves from among so many worthy entries,” said Cos Policastro, Executive Vice President, Fine Fragrances at Givaudan. “This is a true achievement and we wish all the “Indie” brands continued success in the future. Indie brands play an important role in our industry by engaging the consumer with their unique stories. Their creativity and innovation inspires the fragrance world and should be recognized and rewarded. Givaudan is proud to sponsor this award as our company is defined by these same attributes. We look forward to the announcement of the winner and to present them with a $10,000 check to encourage them to continue to push the boundaries of olfactive creativity.”

Frederick Bouchardy, co-founder of Elements Showcase comments “The 2012 FiFi “Indie” Award presentation at the Elements Showcase will be a terrific moment of recognition for the “Indie” category. It’s very exciting and we salute all these independent creators.”

“We are very happy to be a part of this occasion by sponsoring the FiFi “Indie” celebration,” added Bruce Teitelbaum, Chief Executive Officer, RPG, “the “Indie” brands deserve the spotlight and The FiFi Award is a respected symbol of excellence. Presenting the FiFi in such a stylish, innovative venue as the Elements Showcase is just the kind of creative thinking that brings new energy to the fragrance community and new choices to the fragrance-loving consumer.”

To attend the ceremony on January 30th, please visit elements-showcase.com for complete event details & registration.

This year The FiFi Awards celebrate the crossing of an important milestone… we’re turning 40. That’s four decades dedicated to “expanding the appreciation and use of fragrance in all its forms.” Forty years of examining all the best this world of fragrance has to offer.

Annette Green, President Emeritus of The Fragrance Foundation, first conceived the idea of honoring the fragrance industry’s many outstanding creative achievements in 1973. She never could have imagined that The Fragrance Foundation Recognition Awards would grow into “the” symbol of excellence for fragrance creation around the world.

The first FiFi Awards Ceremony, attended by only 250 industry members, was held in the Grand Ballroom of The Plaza in New York. There were only seven awards handed out and Chanel No. 19 won for “Most Successful Introduction of a Fragrance.” However, the award was not officially known as a “FiFi” until 1989, nicknamed so by John Ledes, publisher of Beauty Fashion and Cosmetic World. The name has since been registered by The Fragrance Foundation with The United States Patent and Trademark Office.

In the intervening years, there have been many changes in categories and nominating procedures, as the Foundation has responded to the growing diversification and expansion of the industry. The FiFi Award itself has been redesigned once in 1975, and then again in 2006. The current design, created by Denis Boudard, the founder and designer of QSLD Paris and QSLD New World – USA, simulates a drop of perfume dissolving into and sending ripples through a slender sheet of crystal.

Continuing the trend of forward thinking, in July of 2011, The Foundation announced the formation of the first “Indie” Fragrance Committee, “to support the excellence, talent and artistry of ‘Indie’ perfumes, celebrate their individuality and craftsmanship, give a voice to the ‘Indie’ brands, as well as address any issues and concerns that are important to the group as a whole.” One of their first acts of business was forming a partnership with Elements Showcase in NYC, the definitive experience for emerging and established visionaries in the art of fragrance, to honor the work of “Indie” brands.

On January 30th, 2012, the first ever “Indie” FiFi (and a prize of $10,000 thanks to Givaudan) will be awarded during a cocktail reception at the Elements Showcase and with it marks the beginning of another exciting chapter in FiFi Award history. Which nominee will take home this honor, joining the likes of Chanel, Dior, Guerlain, and Coty? Join us January 30th at 6pm to find out.

Here’s to celebrating 40 years of all the best the fragrance industry has to offer.

The Fragrance Foundation is positively ‘gleeful’ and honored to announce that Emmy and Golden Globe Winner, star of the mega-hit series Glee, the incomparable Jane Lynch will host this year’s 40th Anniversary FiFi Awards at the prestigious Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center on May 21st.

With her inimitable style, can there be any doubt that Ms. Lynch will carry the audience along on a high note, keeping everyone on track and laughing, not to mention in line, while orchestrating the evening’s proceedings. Jane Lynch, who cut her theatrical teeth at The Second City, Steppenwolf Theater has earned an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress, a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role and with her wit and luminous stage presence served as the host for the 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Of course, Jane can currently be seen in the Golden Globe and SAG Award winning television series Glee on FOX as the one-liner powerhouse coach Sue Sylvester.

The FiFi Awards are considered the “Oscars” of the fragrance industry and honors fragrance creation through all its many facets.The Foundation is hard at work with plans to re-invent, re-image and re-stage this iconic awards evening. We will showcase our history, commemorate this special anniversary, glimpse into an exciting, bright future and of course, reveal all the Fragrance of the Year winners and so much more. Each year, The FiFi’s welcome over 1000 guests including industry leaders, stars and celebrities from stage, screen and music many of whom are potential FiFi Award winners themselves.

Who will win a crystal FiFi is anyone’s guess until the moment the envelope is opened. Each and every finalist anxiously waits to find out if they have won the coveted prize.

The FiFi Awards. A night where fragrance is the star. A night of glamour. A night to remember.

The 2012 FiFi Awards
Monday May 21, 2012
Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center
New York, New York

Belle Fleur – Mayan Tuberose
Ulrich Lang New York – Nightscape
Bond No. 9 – New York Amber
MCMC Fragrances – LOVE
Joya – Jasmine Absolute + Sugar Fragrance Oil Diffuser
D.S. & Durga – Burning Barbershop

For your chance to win, simply “like” the Elements Showcase Facebook page, then tag yourself in the photos in their Facebook album, adding a comment about your desired choice.

Be sure to join us for the Indie FiFi Award Presentation on January 30th.

“Indie fragrance brand entrepreneurs are clearly excited and enthused to participate in the 2012 “Indie” FiFi Award Category in partnership with Elements Showcase and have the chance to win the FiFi Award along with the $10,000.00 congratulatory check generously sponsored by Givaudan to provide an extra measure of encouragement and support to these talented, creative free-spirits.”

- Mary Ellen Lapsansky, Vice President of The Fragrance Foundation

“Independent brands and the people behind them are driving innovation. Surely all the nominees are deserving of accolades. We are proud and thrilled to shine the spotlight on them next month.”

-Frederick Bouchardy, co-founder of Elements Showcase

The Indie FiFi Award presentation will take place on January 30th at the Elements Showcase in a fun, festive ceremony highlighting the five finalists and announcing the winner.

Following is a list of the 2012 FiFi Indie Award nominees:

A Dozen Roses Collection:
Gold Rush, Iced White, Shakespeare in Love – 360 Degrees, Inc.
Blu Oltremare, Bois 1920 – Bois 1920 (Perfume Holding Corp.)
Burning Barbershop – D.S. & Durga
Carner Barcelona "Cuirs" – MiN New York
Come L’Amore, Bois 1920 – Bois 1920 (Perfume Holding Corp.)
Debonair: Eau Dandy – smell bent
Dimanche – Strange Invisible Perfumes
Divine Gardens for Denver Art Museum – DSH Perfumes
Eau Pear Tingle – Opus Oils
Eva Luna Eau de Parfum – Providence Perfume Co.
40notes Limited Edition Signature Perfume Collection:
Spring Vetiver, Sampaguita Jasmine, White Winter Flower, Exotic Ylang Ylang, Cashmere Musk, Exquisite Amber, and Oudwood Veil – 40notes Perfume
Frapin "1697" – MiN New York
Geisha Amber Rouge – Aroma M Perfumes
Hope – Tallulah Jane
JOUANY Marrakech – World Scents
JOUANY Saint Barthelemy – World Scents
La Fumée – Miller Harris
Mountain High - smell bent
Nectar of Love - April Aromatics
November in the Temperate Deciduous Forest
– For Strange Women
Odin New York 06 Amanu – Foundry NYC
Orcas – Ayala Moriel Parfums
Pandora – DSH Perfumes
Painting – Picture Frame – Eclectic Collections
Perfect Coconut Milk – Sarah Horowitz Parfums
Petite Mort – Marc Atlan
Rose Bohème Eau de Parfum – Providence Perfume Co.
Royal Lotus – Anya’s Garden Perfumes
Secret Garden – Aftelier Perfumes
Siberian Snow – D.S. & Durga
Signed, Sealed & Delivered – Eclectic Collections
SOIVOHLE Leather Krem – Liz Zorn Perfumes LLC
Sombre Negra – Yosh Olfactory Sense
"Staghorn Sumac" – D.S. & Durga with Joya
untitled no. 9 for luckyscent – DSH Perfumes
Vanille Insensee Cologne Absolue – Atelier Cologne

The Fragrance Foundation is pleased to announce that the 39^th Annual FiFi Awards & Celebration will be broadcast live from Lincoln Center on May 25^th 2011 starting at 6:45PM EST.  That’s right, for the very first time, all fragrance lovers unable to attend will be able to watch and support their favorite fragrance superstars as they eagerly await the night’s results.  Here’s how you can join in on all of the live 2011 FiFi festivities.

LIVESTREAM CHANNEL (http://www.livestream.com/fifiawards)

The FiFi Awards Livestream kicks-off at 6:45pm on May 25, 2011, streaming live and in full 1080i HD.  Chat with fellow fragrance fans as you watch using the chat box feature.  The chat box is both Twitter and Facebook supported, so login with your ID to share with your existing friends. Or, embed the show on your own website.  To generate your own custom embed code, visit http://www.livestream.com/fifiawards/share.

TWITTER-CAST (#FiFi2011)

On FiFi Night, Twitter is definitely where the fragrance conversation is at.  The Fragrance Foundation invites bloggers, influencers, gurus, fans, and aficionados to join us in all of The FiFi Awards Night fun by participating in our Twitter hashtag campaign, #FiFi2011.

Whether you’re in Lincoln Center, or watching from the comfort of your sofa, simply tweet your thoughts on all of the FiFi action and include the hashtag #FiFi2011.  We will be retweeting some of our favorite comments, as well as featuring some special celebrity guests throughout the evening.  Expect other surprises throughout the evening.  Red carpet coverage starts at 5:45pm on May 25, 2011.

Follow us (@fifiawards) or visit us at www.twitter.com/fifiawards for all of the latest.

TWO LAST CHANCES TO WIN FRAGRANCE ON FACEBOOK

If that’s not enough, during the FiFi Awards there will also be Two Special FiFi Awards Night Facebook Give-Aways.  That’s right, two final chances for you to win some fabulous fragrance prizes.

First up, an opportunity to qualify for the FiFi Awards Night Grab Bag.  What’s fragrance without a little mystery?  The lucky winner of this Facebook Give-away will walk away with at least 5 full size fragrance bottles, chosen from the list of our illustrious nominees.  Be the best smelling person on your block all summer long with a completely new fragrance wardrobe.

Experiencing a little celebrity envy?  Our Grand Prize Facebook Give-Away offers you the chance to claim one of the fabulous FiFi Celebrity Gift Bags as your own. Inside you will find products from:

• Lampe Bergere
• Parfums Christian Dior
• DK Publishing
• Moroccan oil
• NEST Fragrances
• Ralph Lauren Fragrances
• OsMoz.com (Paris Parfum The Fragrance Guide To Paris)
• Victorinox Swiss Army
• CND Jason Wu Nail Collection

FiFi Facebook Giveaways are open to US FiFi Facebook page fans over the age of 18 only. For complete details, fan us at www.facebook.com/fifis.

See everyone tomorrow at the 39th Annual FiFi Awards & Celebration.

Psychotherapist, author, perfumer, entrepreneur… talking with Mandy Aftel reveals that there is so much more to her story than just the world of naturals (Did you know she wrote the first oral history on Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones?).  Aftelier Perfumes has three 2011 FiFi Indie Brand nominations for her scents Candide, Honey Blossom, and Lumiere (competing against Six Scents’ Series Three project). During the height of FiFi Consumer Voting, I sat down with Aftelier Perfumes founder, Mandy Aftel, to discuss the news of her nominations, her brand philosophy, and her thoughts on “representing” for the indies at the FiFi Awards.

In many ways you have been put in a position to “represent” for the smaller indie fragrance brands this year.  What does that mean to you?

“I know all eyes are on me.  Have you seen my Facebook page? I’ve had so much support and well wishes from the perfume blogs, and the other independent and natural perfumers.  It’s a bit like David and Goliath… me and my little perfume bottle in my sling.”

And multiple nominations…

“With 3 out of 4 nominations, I could easily split the vote.  I’m just so excited to be there.”

What does being independent mean to you?

“I feel like as an independent person… an indie brand, I represent another thread of the fragrance industry: very passionate people committed to quality.  It’s filled with talented creators that are very hands on about what they are making and excited.  It’s an exciting conversation to be a part of and I’m so thrilled to be a part of it.  I just find it to be a very rewarding way to live your life.”

“Being able to make a product that I love every step of and having the world respond to it, whether it’s magazine editors or bloggers or my customers or speaking with you…  To be in this creative situation where I can make things I find myself full or thrilling and follow my own interests as an artist and see the product through from start to finish … have it go in to someone’s life and be a part of their life… of their memories… something that is beautiful and treasured.  It doesn’t get any better than that.  I’m very happy to be in that position.”

Why fragrance?  What is it about fragrance that you love?

“Fragrance artistry to me is like artistry in music or painting, it’s about creating something that’s beautiful, that’s unique, and that tells an emotional story.”

Please tell me more

“I’m very interested in luxury, what would be considered the haute couture of fragrance: The finest of materials.  For me, luxury is an hand-made item, made of the absolute finest materials, with exquisite craftsmanship, and with a great artistic talent.  To be luxurious, it must have it all.  I would not want to work with less. I pride myself on using the best of the best in ingredients.”

This obviously harkens back to your creative process.  Can you talk to me about how things come together?

“There is a vision I have that grows out of the interaction of the materials themselves and the shaping of that into an aesthetic whole.”

Like abstraction and harmonics?

“Yes.  It starts with something that’s going on in the bottle and with the materials, but it isn’t a simple let’s put these three things together, aren’t they nice.  It’s a very complex process.  There’s a discourse that goes on between those three things and it becomes about choosing how to relay that story…  What’s going in and what’s not going in.”

“In the beginning, it’s very open… what I can put into the perfume.  I can go anywhere. As I start to put things in and think about them, as the narrative develops,  the room [inside the fragrance] starts to get smaller and smaller until it kind of cones down and there’s only a couple things left that could possibly be in this room with the rest of the stuff.  It really has this treasure hunt-like aspect to it.”

So how does the journey end then?  When does the story come together?

“By the end of the long process, if I’m doing it well, when I get it right, it all clicks into focus.  I am feeling the process from beginning to end. It’s very organic.  And one thing really does lead to the next, as I navigate through it (this way… uh oh, step back… there we go) It’s very exciting.  I enjoy that creative process.  It’s very intuitive, but at the same time it also has a logic.”

Can you explain what you mean?

“I can talk about a perfume I’ve made, the choices I’ve made, but I can’t talk about it while I’m working on it.  Later on, it is very clear to me why these things were in it.  Once it’s locked down, I recognize it’s identity.  It’s that.  It’s Tango.  Then I also recognize the importance of all of the steps that were made previously on a more intuitive level.  So it’s intuitive, but it’s backed by an enormous amount of knowledge about the materials.  There is not enough knowledge about the materials you can have to be able to work with them from my perspective.  That’s very very important.  To understand them from the inside out.  Especially in natural perfumery.”

So not just the choice in the materials, but also the stories… the histories?

“The history of these materials feel alive when they are in my hands.  It’s another layer of beauty and excitement.  To know, to read up on, to understand… where they’ve been culturally and throughout the world, before they came to me. And that’s the fun to me.  I don’t ever want to do something that I’m ever going to get to the bottom of.  I will be swimming around in this world forever.”

I noticed that you have thrown your support behind one scent in particular this year, Honey Blossom.  Can you talk me through it’s story?

“Andy Tauer had suggested that we make perfume together… through these letters [Nathan Branch letters] talk about our creative process.  So, he chose that we would build a perfume around an organic linden blossom CO₂ that we both bought from a grower in Bulgaria (Ecomat).  It has a very honeyed smell and it’s very light in its top note.  In other words, it has 18 strikes to begin with.  In the natural world, with the natural materials I work with, the chances for it to get buried are so high.  It can easily be buried underneath everything else.  You just lose it.  The original challenge was how to highlight and not lose that really lovely light top note of the linden blossom.”

“That was the initial idea.  From there, I made a lot of stuff that just wasn’t any good.  I had and tried a lot of different essences, but it just wasn’t very good.  The problem was not necessarily the odor profile or the smell, but the texture was wrong.  It wasn’t sheer enough to really dance with that linden blossom.  I began to understand it wasn’t just how the thing smelled or whether there was top, middle, or base, but it was that texture of the smell itself. I needed to keep a luminosity inside the perfume.  Because of that, it became a perfume much more about what I didn’t put in than what I did.  Everything really had to be thought about before it went in.  So I built it around that.”

So again, careful ingredient choices.  Can you tell me a little about the ingredient choices?

“I had this really wonderful mimosa olessence, a wonderful top note from Robertet that I had bought and this very beautiful orange blossom absolute from Mane that was very rich but very sophisticated… strong, but not very sweet.  The Orange Blossom had a terrific effect on the linden blossom… a synergistic effect with the linden blossom and the mimosa.  And then, I had genuine ambergris and you really can’t beat that. Its just alchemical.  Ambery and alchemical.  Wonderful stuff.  Not just for the aroma of it, but the way it prowls around in a perfume and does things to the other essences.  A little bit like salt or lemon juice in cooking.  Everything just tastes a little bit better.”

What would winning a FiFi Award mean to you?

“I would love to win.  I feel like I’m a different… my business, the way I do it… is a different arm of this industry.  It’s filled with really impassioned people both making the perfume and buying it.  It’s an alive and exciting area.  And it would be just a thrill to see not just me but natural perfumes win something… niche perfumes win something.  It’s just so exciting.  It’s exciting to even be there.  Honestly, I feel like I’ve won already just being a finalist.”

Lastly, any advice you can offer the other indies out there?

“Don’t be seduced by things that are meaningless.  Stay with things that are beautiful and thrilling to you, making for a quality, luxury product.  Stay true to your vision”

I want to thank Mandy Aftel for taking the time to have a wonderful conversation with me.  I also want to especially thank her for the amazing solid perfume samples she supplied for the FiFi Finalists Breakfast.  Be sure to watch the conclusion of Mandy’s FiFi story at tomorrow evening’s FiFi Awards, live streaming at 6:45PM from New York City’s Lincoln Center.

“We are delighted to be able to deliver to fragrance lovers all of the great features of osMoz in such an innovative and convenient app.  It is a true honor, and we are very proud to have received this FiFi recognition from The Fragrance Foundation.”

- Jerry Vittoria, VP Perfumery NA, Firmenich

On April 8, 2011, at the Mandarin Oriental in New York City, The Fragrance Foundation held its Annual FiFi Finalists’ Breakfast. During the morning, FiFi Awards were handed out for both Editorial Excellence and Technological Breakthrough. For the first time ever, this included a Technological Breakthrough FiFi Award for Information Technology, a category specifically highlighting digital communication advancements in the world of fragrance. With that in mind, we thought it might be nice to take a closer look at our first FiFi winner, Osmoz.com’s iPhone application.

“[At Osmoz] We believe in the importance of educating consumers about the world of fragrance so that they will truly enjoy selecting and using a variety of perfumes that appeal to their individual personalities.”

- Julien Levy, Director of osMoz & Visual Creation, Fine Fragrances, Firmenich

OsMoz.com was created in March 2001 as an online destination for devoted perfume and fragrance lovers globally. The osMoz community hosts an audience of more than 300,000 club members around the world, offering a unique range of fragrance-related content in five different languages (English, French, German, Spanish and Italian).

In December of 2010, osMoz.com released its now FiFi Award-winning iPhone app, offering smart phone users an in-depth and unique fragrance experience, and truly enhancing the consumer fragrance shopping experience. The app features a community-powered fragrance shopping advisor, an instantly updated feed of fragrance news and a comprehensive global fragrance database, all easily navigated through a simple interface.

The Fragrance Shopping Advisor (and this is key) offers a unique barcode scanner that allows consumers to retrieve scent descriptions as well as members’ comments anywhere their smart phone goes.  It also offers personalized fragrance advice. Drawing from its database of tens of thousands of user experiences, it produces consumer-based fragrance recommendations based on how others similar to you have worn and reacted.   The osMoz.com iPhone app is truly a wonderful retail innovation, especially for those moments when help is just not available.

Congratulations again to the osMoz team on receiving their FiFi Award.  To find out more about osMoz and their iPhone app, please download or visit them at:

osMoz App (iTunes Link) – http://itunes.apple.com/en/app/osmoz-com/id410868025?mt=8
Official Site – http://www.osMoz.com
Twitter – http://twitter.com/osMoz_fragrance
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/fragrance.community

This year, our little FiFi Awards blog celebrates its fourth birthday. Like you, our birthday has us feeling a bit nostalgic. It’s truly been amazing these years witnessing the many exciting changes in the online fragrance world, closely accompanying the lightning fast pace of new technology. Through it all, it has been four wonderful years lovingly dedicated to celebrating the many joys of fragrance.

It’s amazing how much we’ve grown. What began as a simple conversation about exploring MySpace as a new gathering area for fragrance aficionados, quickly grew like a flower, blossoming into multiple online presences including Facebook, Iqons, YouTube, WordPress and Twitter. Each new iteration offering people a closer look behind the scenes of all the events leading up to the biggest night in fragrance, The FiFi Awards.

Like any awards ceremony, we of course discuss who attends, who will be honored. But this space quickly morphed into something beyond that. It has become a real world reflection of the special relationship that the fragrance industry maintains with its consumers, open everyone’s eyes to the larger global conversations happening around scent. As you spoke about your love of fragrance, we listened.

Based on these conversations, we have been able to bring additional recognition to the world of fragrance, highlighting how it too is changing with the times. This began in 2009, with the addition of the Online Editorial Excellence FiFi Award, honoring the work of online authors working outside the world of traditional print media. This year also saw the addition of FiFi’s for Technological Breakthrough in Information Technology as well as recognition of Indie Fragrance Brands. We’ll be taking a closer look at these new categories in the coming days with profiles on Tech Breakthrough winner, Osmoz, and Indie nominee, Mandy Aftel.

We also heard your request to have opportunities to experience some of these fragrance treasures for yourself, with nominating brands generously donating products to support our many Facebook Giveaways. As we get down to a week before the show, check back here again for a few special update to our Facebook Giveaways. In 2010, we also introduced another opportunity to experience the world of fragrance, with the introduction of our FiFi Online Charity Auction.

Most importantly, the FiFi Awards blog has served as the online nerve center for Consumer voting. And voting, too, has evolved. While in the past, votes were weighted and rolled in with the larger industry tally, this year sees a move to a fully representative system. This year’s Consumers’ Choice is just that, a 100% true choice of fragrance wearers.

To help celebrate the achievements of these past four years, we wanted to take a moment to thank all of you, the lovers of fragrance, without whom none of this would ever be possible. We raise our glasses to you and look forward to joining you on your continued quest to find that magical message in a bottle. Hopefully the work of our many talented nominees has brought you just a touch of joy, and that you have enjoyed experiencing them as much as we have.

So… who among them will be added to the history books as FiFi winners, joining the esteemed likes of Chanel No. 5, Norell, Shalimar, Opium… ? Find out May 25th at the 39^th Annual FiFi Awards and Celebration. And don’t forget, get your Twitter thumbs ready. We’ll be live tweeting throughout FiFi Awards night, providing you with a bird’s eye view inside “…the Oscars of the fragrance industry.” Expect a few special guests. Until then, happy smelling.