Speak of the devil, as they say, Caron Eau de Reglisse, my recently nominated favorite summer spicy scent, is now available at Imagination Perfumery for a mighty good price. Imagination Perfumery is well known for their excellent customer service as well as one of the best discounted perfume selections on the web.
6 comments June 19th, 2006
Since we’re on the subject of summer scents, I’ve picked a fitting candle – Diptyque Foin Coupé (Fresh Mown Hay). As a child, I spent quite a few summers visiting both of my grandmothers in the countryside, and, while they didn’t make me work too hard, it was always my job to help them gather hay. Therefore, the smell of fresh mown hay is very familiar. Foin Coupé evokes these memories. Its aroma is grassy, slightly sweet, with soft musky undertones. My nose also detects some meadow flowers. The candle is of superb quality, burns evenly, with an excellent, long-lasting throw. In my presently air-conditioned apartment, it brings out summer freshness that I sometimes find so lacking in the city.
Diptyque Foin Coupe is available at various online boutiques and retailers nationwide. To mention a few: Aedes, Bigelow Chemists, Lusciouscargo, Four Seasons Products.
Image source: www.aedes.com
Add comment June 19th, 2006
Sage Machado adds to the line a collection of body creams in Amber, Coral, Garnet, Moonstone, Onyx, and Pearl. For more information, check Sage Machado online store.
Image source: www.sagejewelry.com
Add comment June 19th, 2006
Firefox users can now see the little perfume bottle in their address bar when they type Aromascope address. Internet Explorer users, if you’d like to be able to see the bottle, please add Aromascope to your Favorites and access it from there. If you already have it in your Favorites, please delete it and add it again. Thanks!
Add comment June 19th, 2006
Let me start this by saying that the process of selecting my favorite summer scents is like having your teeth pulled by a maniac dentist who doesn’t believe in anasthesia (something that actually happened to me in good old Soviet times). So, the list below is by no means comprehensive. A momentary whim is a more precise description. So here goes:
Favorite Floral – Monyette Paris
Notes: Tahitian Gardenia, French Muguet, nag champa.
No summer can go by without Monyette Paris. It’s a lush, creamy, tropical floral that stays on my skin for hours and makes me feel all summery. A hint of nag champa adds an incensy kick and makes the scent more captivating. The best tropical scent I’ve found.
Favorite Citrus – Divine Bergamote by The Different Company
Notes: bergamot, ginger, orange blossom, leaf green, rhubarb (wood), musk.
A juicy burst of tart citrus with just a hint of ginger that mellows down to a well-rounded, slightly balmy green rhubarb/orange scent. Sunny and cheerful! Perfect for particularly hot and humid days.
Favorite Amber – Giorgio Armani Ambre Soie
Notes: Chinese ginger, cinnamon, clove, cedar, amber, patchouli.
My nose doesn’t detect much ginger or clove. I get dried plums softened by amber and just a touch of cinnamon. Silky, slightly dusty amber that’s not animalic or “heavy”. It feels like a light summer cashmere shawl for those cool, breezy nights.
Favorite Green – L’Artisan Fou D’Absinthe
Notes: absinthe, angelica, black currant, cistus, nutmeg, pepper, pine needles, star anise, patchouli, fir balsam.
A slightly spicy, peppery blend of angelica and ginger underlined by pine and just a touch of anise. It conjures up the color green, and brings back childhood memories of pine tree forests by the Baltic sea.
Favorite Spicy – Caron Eau de Reglisse
Notes: basil, verbena, tangerine, patchouli, ginger, nutmeg, licorice, musk, vanilla.
A new discovery for me. A spicy, gingery licorice with soft, warm undertones. If I had to make candy out of this, it’d be the chewy and juicy kind. My favorite for summer because it’s not too heavy on spices, yet with enough zing to satisfy my oriental yearnings.
Favorite Leather – Serge Lutens Daim Blond
Notes: hawthorne, cardamom, iris, abricot kernel, musk, heliotrope, leather.
Suede in a bottle. With dry, slightly bitter beginning and mesmerizingly velvety, soft finish with a touch of cardamom. A masterpiece!
Favorite Gourmand – Jalaine Vanilla
Notes: French vanilla, musk.
A generous scoop of French vanilla ice-cream on a hot day! Lush and creamy vanilla with soft musky undertones. Gourmand but not cloyingly sweet. Extremely long-lasting. For a non-vanilla lover like me, this is quite a gem.
Favorite Musk – Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur
Notes: bergamot, mandarin, cinnamon, vanilla, musk, amber.
A sensual elixir. Alluring and seductive. Not a straight musk scent – a deep, animalic blend that sends shivers down my spine. Perfect for balmy evenings. My favorite musk rendition in fragrance.
Favorite Incense – Donna Karan Essence Labdanum
Notes: labdanum resin.
A dark and mysterious aroma. Austere and subdued incense. It stands on its own and demands respect.
Be sure to check out Marina’s list on Perfume Smellin’ Things, Patty’s and March’s lists on Perfume Posse, Cait’s list on Legerdenez, Helene’s list on Scented Salamander, Katie’s list on Scentzilla, Victoria’s list on Victoria’s Own, and Marlen’s list on Perfume Critic.
Please feel free to share your own in Comments!
18 comments June 18th, 2006
Coming next week – Favorite Summer Scents posts on Legerdenez, Perfume Critic, Perfume Posse, Perfume-Smellin’ Things, Scented Salamander, Scentzilla, Victoria’s Own, and, naturally, Aromascope. Stay tuned!
Image source: www.art.com
5 comments June 16th, 2006
Today’s Smell-alikes are Farnesiana by Caron and Alessandro by Mazzolari. If you consider the notes, these should be worlds apart. Farnesiana incorporates the notes of cassie flower, mimosa, bergamot, jasmine, lilly of the valley, violet, lilac, opoponax, vanilla, sandalwood, and musk. As a side note, thanks to Octavian, it doesn’t contain cassia tree bark – it’s cassie flower (Acacia Farnesiana), a member of the mimosa family. Alessandro is said to have the notes of bitter almonds, honey, heliotrope, and vanilla. Almond is not listed as a note for Farnesiana, yet almond is what I smell in both scents. The difference is perhaps in the overall effect: Alessandro is a powdery almond while Farnesiana is a balsamic, slightly spicy almond. I presume a combination of cassie flower, mimosa, opoponax, and vanilla is what gives Farnesiana an almond-like quality which I find extremely fascinating. Besides bitter almonds and vanilla, Alessandro also features heliotrope which in itself is similar in smell to opoponax (to my nose), so it’s no wonder I see the likeness here. Alessandro is hardly as complex as Farnesiana but it’s just as warm and velvety. In spite of an array of florals in Farnesiana, they’re so masterfully blened that my nose hardly detects them. I love both scents equally but would probably pick Farnesiana for more formal occasions and Alessandro – for casual ones. Note: I’ve used Farnesiana extrait in this comparison which is superior to the eau de parfum composition.
Farnesiana can be found at Perfumebay, 1stPerfume, Ebay as well as the Caron boutique in New York. Alessandro is available at Luckyscent, Aus Liebe Zum Duft, and Gabriele Kraetschmer.
Image source: www.parfumdepub.net and www.luckyscent.com
21 comments June 16th, 2006
Today I’m wearing Jasmin 17 by Le Labo, a new non-conformist New York fragrance boutique. Before I begin, please be sure to check out the interview with the shop’s founders on Cait’s blog – Legerdenez. The components of Jasmin 17 are: jasmine, Litsea Cubeba, neroli, orange flower, Palma rose, bigarade, amber, musk, sandalwood, and vanilla. I’m not usually a lover of jasmine and prefer it well-hidden in the midst of woods and amber. This, however, is another story. This jasmine, in spite of coming across as predominantly jasmine, is a remarkably soft, gorgeous, sensual blend. It starts out as a jasmine soliflore, similar to Blush by Marc Jacobs, and evolves into a hesperidic (my nose detects mostly orange flower and bigarade) jasmine on a soft amber/vanilla base and just a hint of sandalwood. The scent stays close to skin and doesn’t seem to have much sillage but it’s so beautiful that I don’t mind sniffing my wrists repeatedly.
Other Le Labo creations include: Bergamote 22, Rose 31, Vetiver 46, Neroli 36, Fleur D’Oranger 27, Patchouli 24, Iris 39, Labdanum 18, and Ambrette 9. If you’re not sure which scents are for you, I highly recommend ordering a Discovery Pack. For $45 (plus shipping and handling) you get 3 different scents of your choice in sleek 5 ml glass sprays with not only the name of the scent printed on the label but also your name – the feature I find particularly appealing. For more information, please call 212-219-2230 or visit the Le Labo web site.
Image source: www.beautynewsnyc.com
14 comments June 15th, 2006
I just spotted new additions at the Aus Liebe Zum Duft online shop – perfumes by Gianni Campagna, a famous Italian tailor. The line features the following perfumes: Bergamotto, Galsomino, Neroli, Quaeri, Scilla Cariddi, and Vento Canale. Try as I might, I wasn’t able to translate them all (any readers that speak Italian are welcome to do that in comments). I wasn’t able to find more information other than they’re unisex scents. It also appears they come in really funky-looking bottles, and I can’t figure out how they work. Hmm.
Image source: www.ausliebezumduft.de
6 comments June 14th, 2006
Spotted on Osmoz, Rose Divine by Isabel Derroisné, a branch of Yves Rocher. A new perfume created by Celine Ellena, the nose behind The Different Company Jasmin de Nuit and Sel de Vetiver. Rose Divine features the notes of rose macaroon, rose, sandalwood, and musk. It’s said to contain 1% of rose absolute. Rose Divine is described as a sensual gourmand rose with silky, velvety tones. For more information, go to Isabel Derroisne online. I must say I’m very intrigued by the juice, and just look at that bottle! Simply stunning!
Images source: www.osmoz.com
Add comment June 14th, 2006
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